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 seems we were just celebrating the 25th anniversary of the denizens of the Satellite of Love, but here we are with the sheer delight of another brand new collection featuring Joel & Mike & The Bots from the fine folks at Shout Factory. Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 29 (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP) supports another quartet of episodes – the first season episode The Untamed Youth, Hercules And The Captive Youth, The Thing That Couldn’t Die, and the I can’t believe the actually got the rights and huzzah that they did Pumaman. Bonus materials include introductions and a spotlight on his “Riffing Myself” show from Joel Hodgson, featurettes, and trailers.
Her puddin’, the clown prince of crime, got his 12″ release a few months back from the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles, but now the psychotic love of the Joker’s life arrives in the red & black form of Harley Quinn ($189.99). Looking every bit the cute killer fans going back to her debut in Batman: The Animated Series know and love, she comes with her comically oversized hammer, pop-gun, plenty of hands, a spare head, and much more. Now we just need the 1/6-scale Batman to fight the dastardly couple.
While I don’t think it’s as brilliant as it’s massive box office take seems to suggest, I do think Frozen (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP) is definitely an enjoyable animated film that proves the House of Mouse has come along way from their awkward early CG days of Dinosaur and Chicken Little. I’m not entirely sure why the 3D version of the film hasn’t been released, but this special edition – featuring a making-of, music videos, deleted scenes, and the clever Mickey Mouse short “Get A Horse!” – will tide you over until the inevitable double-dip.
It’s not his best, but there’s an undeniable allure to Martin Scorsese’s latest stab at the Goodfellas formula of doomed yet despicably loveable criminals, The Wolf Of Wall Street (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which swaps mafiosos for stockbrokers. Bonus materials are limited to a featurette.
As sketch comedy series go – and it’s not an easy form to be consistently good in – there’s much more gold than dross to be found in the Key & Peele: Seasons 1 & 2 collection (Comedy Central, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP). The set sports audio commentaries, outtakes, an interview, and more from Luther (Obama’s Anger Translator). Make sure you get your binge in before the premiere of the third season.
While not as sparklingly brilliant as Armando Iannucci’s The Thick Of It, his team’s take on the US political machine, Veep (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) remains a winning satire in its much more assured second season, deconstructing the politics of the junior power position of the Vice-Presidency (ably handled by the exquisite Julie Louis-Dreyfuss). Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
Following in the footsteps of the perfectly okay but not terribly much more than that Merlin comes the latest BBC stab at a genre fantasy, Atlantis (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), which finds our hero Jason washed up on the strange shores of that fabled island and dropped into myths and adventure. Bonus materials include featurettes and interviews.
Idris Elba is just as incredible as you expect him to be playing the legendary South African freedom fighter in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom (Anchor Bay, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which chronicles Mandela’s life from his start as a young political leader through his incarceration and finally his freedom and return to lead, and heal, his nation. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and featurettes.
First loves and sexual awakening? Sounds like the perfect recipe for a foreign film sensation, and that’s exactly what you get with Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is The Warmest Color (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.95 SRP), about a high schooler that finds herself swept up in a passionate romance with a female twenty-something art student in a delicately rendered tale of fiery youth. Bonus materials include a trailer, a TV spot, and the usual in-depth Criterion essay.
Lucille Ball returned to prime time television twice after her legendary series I Love Lucy, and the third and final of these makes its it to DVD in toto with Here’s Lucy: The Complete Series (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), featuring all 6 seasons of the show that united her with her real life children as a widowed mother raising her teenage son & daughter while trying to run a talent agency. Bonus materials include episode intros, featurettes, interviews, PSAs, vintage ads, and more.
Wipe the memory of the horrid live action tale of Hal Jordan with the significantly more enjoyable Green Lantern: The Animated Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) which, while not reaching the lofty heights of the Batman or Superman animated outings, still manages to be a satisfyingly entertaining ride.
Restored to the original broadcast length with vastly improved picture and sound, the first season of Little House On The Prairie (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$38.99 SRP) makes its high definition debut, featuring the pilot and all 24 episodes, plus a documentary and an original screen test.
Mix Deliverance, Army Of Darkness, and Shaun Of The Dead and you get the loopy redneck zombie comedy Buck Wild (Millennium Entertainment, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), that’s just as gonzo as you’d expect.
While the movie itself is disposable fluff, Vince Vaughn proves yet again that he’s eminently watchable in Delivery Man (Dreamworks, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$32.99 SRP), in which he stars as an underachiever who discovers he’s fathered over 500 children via donations he made 20 years prior. And then the affably cheeky journey towards adult responsibility ensues. Bonus materials include featurettes, bloopers, and a deleted scene.
Psychedelia is in full bloom in Wonderwall (Fabulous, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.97 SRP), a fascinating if mostly impenetrable relic of the late 60s about a love triangle, a magical world, and a memorable score from George Harrison. Bonus materials include featurettes, outtakes, and more.
Bronies – Start counting your loose change so you can pick up My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – A Dash Of Awesome (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.93 SRP), the latest collection of the hugely popular pony-based cartoon, featuring 5 episodes plus a sing-along.
The catalogue folks at Mill Creek have teamed up with TV Guide to release branded collections culling from the properties they manage into 2-disc episode themed releases under the TV Guide Spotlight banner. Hurtle back to Benson, Good Times, Diff’rent Strokes, and The Jeffersons with TV Guide Spotlight: Groundbreaking Sitcoms Of The 70s (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). You’ve got shows like 3rd Rock, The Nanny, and That 70’s Show on TV Guide Spotlight: Great Comedies Of The 90s (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). TV Guide Spotlight: Leading Ladies Of Classic Comedy (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP) features the likes of Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeannie, Gidget, and Maude. Spin some old school law & order with SWAT, Charlie’s Angels, Starsky & Hutch, and Police Woman with TV Guide Spotlight: Cop Shows Of The 70s (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). Or you can get The Get-Along Gang, Heathcliff, and The Littles on TV Guide Spotlight: Totally 80s Toons (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). There’s more animation like Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego and COPS in TV Guide Spotlight: Super Action Animation (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP).
I’m not a big fan of horror and gore, but for aficionados of such entertainment, the DVD arrival of the complete 3 season run of Tales From The Darkside producer Richard P. Rubenstein’s anthology series Monsters (E1, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP). Featuring a roll call of guest stars including everyone from Adrienne Barbeau and Linda Blair to Deborah Harry and Meat Loaf, it’s here for fans to ingest… Probably best to do so on an empty stomach, though.
Another week, another soundtrack round up! This week, we’ve got Marcelo Zarvos’s score to Face Of Love (Varese Sarabande, $11.49 SRP), Tony Morales & Edward Rogers’s The Bag Man (Lakeshore Records, $19.99 SRP), Stephen Endelman’s Rob The Mob (Lakeshore Records, $19.99 SRP), Rolfe Kent’s Bad Words (Back Lot Music, $8.99 SRP), John Powell’s Rio 2 (Sony, $10.00 SRP), Kyle Newmaster’s Something Wicked (Lakeshore Records, $9.99 SRP), David Holmes & Keefus Ciancia’s The Motel Life (Lakeshore Records, $18.95 SRP), Nathan Furst’s Need For Speed (Varese Sarabande, $16.84 SRP), Rachel Portman’s The Right Kind Of Wrong (Varese Sarabande, $16.98 SRP), the Newton Bros.’ Oculus (Varese Sarabande, $14.41 SRP), and the compilation full of classic movie scores Play It Again, Sam: The Classic Sound Of Hollywood (Sony, $18.70 SRP).
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
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Now that we’ve reached a point where nearly every extant classic Doctor Who story has been released, the BBC have very nicely decided to go back and revisit many of their early releases and make them bona fide special editions. The latest to get the treatment is the Tom Baker story 
Who wants regular old boring ice when you can have ice from an 
Although I originally watched the re-teaming of Tristram Shandy‘s Michael Winterbottom, Steve Coogan, & Rob Brydon in its original 6-part television form, the feature version of 
I was a huge, instant fan of 
Honestly, 
It’s a little bit Strangers On A Train, Throw Momma From The Train, 9 To 5, and I Love You To Death, and I wasn’t expecting to like 
I know at times I shared some of the frustrations that fellow gamers had with the title, but overall I enjoyed the massive love letter that Epic Mickey was to classic Disney animation. That’s probably why I enjoyed exploring the design process of the game via 
You’ve never seen evil quite so chilling as when it’s in the form of an 8-year-old little girl, as it is in one of the great suspense films of all time, 
Kudos to David Boreanaz for the continued success of 
It’s been 10 years, but Aqua Teen Hunger Force is still going strong. Of course, it’s now calling itself 
Listen – 
While it’s not the much-desired fully-restored Blu-Ray editions fans have been clamoring for, Universal has released the original (best) Marx Brothers films as individual DVDs of 
Who doesn’t want to snuggle with a soft and fluffy blob of sentient fat? Well, if you’re a Doctor Who fan, you can do just that with the 
Though I always get it confused in my head with The Wind And The Lion, I’ve always had a fondness for Jon Huston’s ingratiatingly epic adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s 
Like Sgt. Bilko and The Simpsons, the late comedian Bill Hicks is far more revered in the UK than he ever was in the US, and it’s with that reverence that the wish-it-was-better-done documentary 
Everyone breaks down in the third season of Breaking Bad (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP), as Bryan Cranston’s Walt faces a difficult decision while dealing with a broken marriage, a dangerously reckless partner, and a price on his head. Bonus materials include a trio of uncensored episodes, audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Warners queues up another sterling high definition catalogue restoration with 
The great David Attenborough narrates another must-see nature documentary from the BBC, as their far-ranging cameras descend upon 
Another month, another massive dip into the catalogue for MGM, as they deliver a new batch titles in high definition for the first time – Martin Scorsese’s 
I have to be honest with you – I’m not of the generation that became enamored with the man-child comedy stylings of Adam Sandler. That means I’m not the intended audience who will delight in the high-definition release 
Re-create your own NBC Mystery Movie Night with the complete 3rd season of 
The Warner Archive Collection dips back into the TV pool and pulls up another pair of releases that might not otherwise see the light of day – Part 1 of the first season of the classic 60’s procedural 
Warners has been releasing more and more of their obscure catalogue titles through the MOD Warner Archive, which is why it was a pleasant surprise to see 1933’s 
Of all the recent original animated movies to come out of Warners DC Universe imprint, the one of actually enjoyed and didn’t cringe at is the one starring ol’ Hal Jordan himself, 
The beginning of the 3rd season of 
Oh, James Cameron. I know you only produced 
Or you could spend this weekend plowing through 
If you’re sports-inclined, HBO has a pair of Blu-Ray releases that will delight Baseball fans – The documentary series 
I’m not a fan, but those who are will probably snap up the remastered 30th anniversary edition of the 
After what has seemed like an endless series of delays, the mother of all mockumentaries has finally made its way to high-def with the release of 
As someone who prefers quiet walks at night when traffic isn’t quite as busy, it’s nice to have a practical hat like the 
If you’re only exposure to 
The episodes have been released in single-disc releases thus far, but now you can get 
It’s the beginning of the end as the first of showrunner Russell T. Davies’ four telemovie swan songs comes to DVD in the form of 
Oh, Torchwood– you are such a flawed little spin-off. So desperate to be adult and differentiate yourself from parent Doctor Who, you’re just a mess of poorly realized characters, awkward writing, and unrealized potential. Still, fans can pick up 
It’s my second favorite Irwin Allen disaster flick (after the wondrous Poseidon Adventure, but 
Ever since being informed of its existence by the great Graham Linehan, I’ve been dying to see 
Joss Whedon lost my trust during the abysmal final season of Buffy. I never got into Firefly, and every time I tried to watch his latest, 
Weaving seldom-seen interviews, footage, and interviews with those who knew him, 
Though many will get their stuff in a bunch, I thought the finale of Battlestar Galactica was a big, awkward disappointment that jumped from “Huh?” to “What?” moments with reckless abandon. Still, fans are sure to snap up the final set, 
There are a lot of catalogue titles making their way into the Blu-Ray roster, but it’s always nice when the films of a personal favorite filmmaker get a spin – such as Terry Gilliam’s 
Quirky and fun, 
I guess the best way to describe 
Before Polanski went mainstream with Rosemary’s Baby, he was spending the 1960’s making chilling cinema like 
Of all the direct-to-DVD DC animated adventures to come down the pike thus far, 
It went out with a bit of a whimper, but fans at least can now pick up the wrap-up with 
Besides featuring an early TV performance from a young Ian McKellen, 
I never cared for The Fast & The Furious, but even I could see diminishing returns in its sequels. So, too, did the studio, who decided to go back to basics – cast and all – with the cleverly named 
When 
Oh, relaunched Knight Rider. You were so very hopeful that your self-important, lackluster new take on the 80’s hit would actually have a future, you didn’t even bother to call your DVD release The Complete Series even though you’ve been cancelled. So now people can buy 
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Gary Hobkins and his rather unique ability to foresee and hopefully avert the future – literally, he’s delivered the next day’s edition of the newspaper – returns with the complete second season of