The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
It’s slow and steady, but as a character piece about a broken down country star living on dive bar and bowling alley gigs who finds a shot at redemption both personally and professionally, Crazy Heart (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is a tour de force for Jeff Bridges. I’ve always dug Bridges, and he certainly deserved the Oscar for this turn. Bonus materials include a featurette, deleted scenes, and alternate music cuts.
With the Freeloader Pico Solar Charger ($39.99), you’ll be hard pressed to get caught out without at least some ability to recharge your oh-so-important gadgets on the go, as the sun is your is all you need to build up a back-up, and the Freeloader can then be unloaded whenever you need it.
Stripped of its lush, immersive, big screen 3-D and viewed on a much smaller, decidedly 2-D home TV screen, Avatar (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) becomes what it always was – an overblown, awkward, cinematic equivalent, in blue, of purple prose sci-fi. Sometimes, films are really about the gimmick. Even though it’s in 2-D, though, the transfer is crystal clear, and you’d better enjoy it, because there’s absolutely no bonus features whatsoever in this release, so you can be sure a deluxe special edition will be available for the holidays.
For all of the waiting and hoping, Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lovely Bones (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$48.99 SRP) turns out to be a mostly forgettable affair that has more in common with the turgid What Dreams May Come than I would have liked. In brief, the story is about a murdered 14-year-old girl caught in a limbo between life and death, who must help her family catch her killer and protect her family before she can move on. The really interesting thing about the 2-disc set, though, is the hours of diary segments included…Though it should come as no surprise, considering Jackson’s massive Rings and Kong sets.
I’m become a bit tired of him as an actor, but it’s in rewatching a film like The Basketball Diaries (Palm, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) that I’m reminded just what a powerful actor the young Leonardo DiCaprio was. This new edition is lacking in any bonus features, but the picture and sound are certainly the best they’ve been.
Similar to their recent attempt to present a younger, hipper version of Robin Hood to simpletons with a short attention span, the BBC tackled the legend of Merlin (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) by giving us a young wizard newly arrived in Camelot, still learning his way, who finds himself at odds with the young heir to the kingdom, a chap named Arthur. Did you see that coming? The 5-disc first season set contains all 13 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, video diaries, and a gallery.
Slowly but surely, we’re catching up on the releases of Gordon Ramsay’s excellent cooking show, The F Word (BFS, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The fourth series brings us a whole new crop of celebrity guests, celebrity cook-offs, remote ingredient locales, and much more. The 4-disc set contains all 12 episodes.
Journey back to the crazy days of local television genre hosts – from kiddie to horror programming – via the documentary Every Other Day Is Halloween (Brink DVD, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), which examines the life of TV personality Dick Dyszel, whose host creations still inspire those who watched him decades ago. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, extended/deleted scenes, the AFI world premiere, and even a limited edition Channel 20 Club Car reproduction.
As both Dallas and Dynasty wind down their DVD releases, it was only a matter of time before we got Falcon Crest (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 4-disc set contains all 18 first season episodes of northern California winery-based drama.
I was never a fan of the show, but it had enough of a fan base to last quite a few seasons, and those fans are surely the target audience of The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP), which takes the animated raunch of the television version and cranks it up to unrated territory. Bonus materials include featurettes, confessionals, and more.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
##
Those fans that have only experience the butchered editions of weird and wonderful The Mighty Boosh that have been running on Adult Swim need to run – not walk – to their favorite DVD emporium and snag copies of the new-to-the-US unexpurgated editions of The Mighty Boosh seasons 1-3 that have now been collected into the massive 
During my mother’s recent cancer battle, she spent her final week at home. While at home, I set up a pair of 
After 10 years spent off the air, wandering the wilderness of feature film development, the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf return for a brand new adventure in 
The most brilliant parodies always come from a place of deep understanding – and often affection – for the particular thing being parodied. Such is clearly the case with Peter Kay’s brilliant send-up of reality talent competitions whose full title – deep breath – is 
The Warner Bros. Archive Collection does it again, this time releasing 
Really, the nifty on-demand catalogue service The Warner Archive Collection is the only way we’ll get the short-lived and rather mediocre but fascinating sci-fi series 
I was one of the Disney fans who marveled at the clarity that the restored Platinum Edition of Snow White revealed, making the film look like it was made in the last 10 years – not 70 years ago. Well, the new high definition Diamond Edition of 
You can have your fancy, expensive, often bizarre, more faithful, Tim Burton-directed version of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, but I will always, always love and prefer 
I’ve gotta say – I really & truly love the amazing, unique, and altogether nifty pop art books that Abrams Comicarts have been putting out – their entire selection of which is worth a look see. Case in point is the new 
Oh, and also from Abrams, have a look-see at 
Originally created for IMAX theaters, 
After a lapse in copyright that allowed it to move from Warner Bros. to Paramount, 
Slowly but surely, we’re catching up on the releases of Gordon Ramsay’s excellent cooking show, 
You know, I’m not entirely sure it hasn’t been forever since the last season release of the still-classic, still-hilarious 
I have nothing against the Shannon Doherty years of the low-rent “reality” candid camera frightfest 
Even though I find the show the dramatic equivalent of beige paint drying, I still find Patricia Arquette watchable in 
Reflect on an incredible body of work by a much-missed actor with the new 
It’s quite rare when I actually enjoy a romantic comedy, only because the plot developments are as obvious as a truck on the side of your ear, so it really comes down to a decent enough script and a good clutch of actors to pull the whole thing off. With 
Does anyone actually enjoy 
As you might expect, the soundtrack to Drew Barrymore’s roller derby flick 
I really have no other ammunition with which to recommend the CG-animated special 
At the end, the show was a shadow of its heyday high, but the cast of 
Sam Raimi decided to abandon the tepid Spider-Man movies and return to form with the schlock-happy horror of 
Will Ferrell’s big screen take on the schlocky Sid & Marty Krofft Saturday morning classic 
I can’t tell you just how much I really, really don’t like the live action 
I think the final product has been a mixed bag, with none shining too terribly brightly, but if you’re keen on buying the recent animated direct-to-video movies starring your favorite Marvel Comics superheroes, you can now get the whole lot in the 
It’s frustrating that 
I’ve never been a fan of Oliver Stone’s violent social commentary 
Before you gawp at the live action flick, take in the classic animated version of Maurice Sendak’s 
Do people still watch 
If you’re not able to drop the cash for the more expensive Spotlight collections, or just want a nice sampler, then you’ll want to check out 
I tried desperately to avoid obvious swimming metaphors to talk about this title, but in the end, I lacked enough willpower to refrain from saying you should dive right in to the 
Sensing it had been far too long since a new release and that brand awareness might be slipping, MTV has dug through the hall closet to scrape up enough material to fill 
I certainly tried, but I could never find enough of a toe-hold to get interested in 
What made the comedy of Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind work so well was the actual musicianship of its principal trio, who’ve decided to take center stage as themselves for 
Having seen it’s uber-cool, nerd-pleasing beauty firsthand as it illuminated my hotel room for both myself and Doc Hammer, I have nothing but praise for the 
Though often viewed as a lesser light when compared with the juggernaut that is Mary Poppins, I’m quite fond of Disney’s 70’s, post-Walt stab at recapturing some of that magic – 
One of the films that I’ve been anticipating a high-def release for is Robert Altman’s 
Long before he had to scream over the bombastic production of the US Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon Ramsay was more straightforward, less caricatured, and more helpful with struggling restaurants in the original UK 
After a disastrous, catastrophically bungled second season fumble, 
Not as beloved as the original iteration, there are still fans that are waiting for the fourth volume of 
Ever wondered 
It’s a slow recovery, but the 5th season of 
Though Sherlock Holmes is the only one that has remained a household name, there were plenty of other detectives found in Victorian literature – 13 of which are featured in 
The fourth season of 
More classic Doctor Who hitting DVD with the release of a Sylvester McCoy adventure, 
Bringing a little slice of their True Life Adventures into the digital age, Disney Nature has crafted a new documentary that pulls together a globe-spanning menagerie with high definition-ready exotic locales for 
WWII buff? You’ll want the Ultimate Collections box set of 
The drama and intrigue on not-so-sleepy Wisteria Lane continues in the 5th season of 
How do you know Halloween is fast approaching – at least by studio standards? The Halloween DVDs are already coming out. Disney has repackaged their previously available 
I’ve dipped back in occasionally (like when Dana Snyder guested), but have never really gotten swept up in 
This past season, JJ Abrams returned to TV with 
You know, it’s a shame that the network couldn’t see fit to give 
I’m always delighted when a show that I have zero expectations about blindsides me by being a nice little piece of television. Such is the case with 
It’s unfortunate that 
The previous iterations with a hoot, and I’m glad that Sony is continuing to release some offbeat catalogue titles from the vaults under their “Martini Movies” banner. The latest batch includes a young Michael Douglas in 
With Amy Poehler in the lead and surrounded by a seasoned comedy cast, it makes it all the more unfortunate that 
It’s a shame that Nickelodeon’s other big live action kid-friendly sitcom, 
It’s a bit depressing, but 
Thinkgeek is a wonderful source for things that, at first glance, just seem like a cool knick knack with no practical purpose, but actually hide a nicely practical application. If you caught the recent Comic Relief fundraising event I co-hosted at www.rednosenet.com, you’ll know that I closed the 24-hour marathon by switching on and depressing the button on a nifty 
Growing up in Quantico, Virginia, many a school trip was taken to the Smithsonian’s massive and uber-cool Air & Space Museum, which is given the spotlight in the documentary 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s a shame that Gordon Ramsay is mostly known for the over-produced Hell’s Kitchen and US Kitchen Nightmares when his UK output is so wonderfully engaging. Case in point – and well worth checking out – is the second series of his celebration of food, 
There are no fava beans, but the Blu-Ray edition of 
After a bit of a release gap (a few years), the officers of the 12th Precinct return in 
The next two volumes – 
The story is clunky and the acting is broad, but there’s no denying that 
Slowly but surely, we’re winding our way towards the end, and the release of the tenth and penultimate season of 
I can’t really speak personally on how fun puppet bunnies are, but my nephews really enjoyed 
Wake your dogs up with a dose of Fran Drescher in the complete third season of 
The American version is often an over-produced mess, but the original UK version of 
I love gadgets, and tools that feel like gadgets. That’s certainly the case with the 
I would have preferred it have been A Shot In The Dark, but I guess the high definition arrival of the original 
Released in separate packages previously, MGM has brought together all 9 volumes Pink Panther cartoons into 
I’m not entirely sure why these DC animated direct-to-DVD titles abandoned the much-refined and wonderful Bruce Timm-syled designs of JLU in favor of clunkier, uglier, more angular designs unless the sole reason was (sad) change for change sake, but that is a major “ugh” point in the not-exactly-stellar animated 
Although I find the subject matter interesting, you’ve gotta love a book title like 
Fans have been clamoring for it for years – well, they’ve been clamoring for anything from the band, really – but they’re surely dancing a happy jig at the release of 
Though the stories comprising it are being released separately, the best and easiest way to get the entire arc is to just pick up the 
Not many cartoons can boast a guest turn by Johnny Depp, but a certain spongy yellow character can in the episode collection 
You can see every drop of sweat in the new Blu-Ray edition of Martin Scorsese’s 
If you’ve got a lot of free time, are really jonesing for the Watchmen movie, and are a huge fan of those late 60’s Marvel cartoons, then you’ll probably want to give a spin to 
If you want to find a little bit more about the author behind Watchmen, V: For Vendetta, From Hell, and League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you can’t do wrong in picking up a copy of the re-released and expanded 
Though my nephews lap it up, I still watch 
I know it made money. I know that people went to go see it. Intellectually, I know these things. I still can’t rationalize that knowledge into any semblance of an endorsement for 
I prefer to believe the awkward director’s cut doesn’t exist, but I did love 
Make sure your young ones get to Sesame Street for 
Baz Luhrman’s epic story of love between an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) and a rough-&-tumble cattle driver (Hugh Jackman) in the Outback is certainly big and sprawling, but 
Oh, 
It’s a shame that Gordon Ramsay is mostly known for the over-produced Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares when his UK output is so wonderfully engaging. Case in point – and well worth checking out – is his celebration of food, 
I should have spotlighted this last week with the re-released Back To The Future DVDs, but as there’s no time machine currently available, I’ll just have to let you know now about the pretty darn nifty 
One of the few shows I actively miss is Showtime’s late, lamented piece of macabre humor, Dead Like Me, about a group of “Reapers” tasked with delivering the souls of the just-about-to-be-deceased to the afterlife right before their often grisly deaths. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, the best way to go is the brand new 
Some have attacked it as “snarky” or “one-sided”, but I’m not entirely sure what film they were seeing, as I found Bill Maher’s 
Sleuthing angel of death Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) returns to her suspicious ways in the complete ninth season of 
Another week, another high definition catalogue upgrade – this time it’s the still great 
The fifth season of 
I know it’s been praised and it has quite a pedigree, but I found 
It’s not one of his better films, but there’s enough Friday-night popcorn thriller energy to Ridley Scott’s 
Barbra Streisand’s directorial opus 
Equal parts Losin’ It and American Pie, 
They’re certainly not his finest or most memorable films, but Warners has decided to dip into the vaults for what its branding as the “Paul Newman Film Series”. The five films being released are 
The High School Musical hubbub leaves me cold, but I know there are easily dozens of teens that will eagerly snap up the big screen iteration of the quickly aging teens’ tuneful adventures, 
I really wanted to like the adaptation of Toby Young’s 
The Clampett’s adventures in the land cement ponds continues in the full, official, and sparkling release of the complete third season of 
We’ve finally caught up with the current season with the release of