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…)
When it comes to kitchen sink filmmaking, the grandmaster of them all is Stanley Kramer’s larger than life comedy It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Criterion, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP), and it’s been given a fitting treatment from the fine folks at Criterion, who have not only beautifully remastered the theatrical version of the film for high definition, but have also crafted the most extensive restoration yet of the long-missing extended road show version of the film, which while still incomplete, is as close as we’re probably ever going to get. Bonus features include a brand new documentary, an audio commentary on the extended cut, and much more.
You could never do a show like Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$249.95 SRP) today. A daily serialized play on soap opera tropes, its sly satire was only made possible by the fact that it was also the brainchild of TV powerhouse Norman Lear. And thanks to the miracle workers at Shout Factory, you can now own all 325 episodes in one massive box set packed with bonus features, inclu8ding featurettes and a handful of episodes from its brilliant spin-off assault on middling talkshows, Fernwood 2 Night. Here’s hoping a Fernwood 2 Night box set is on the way.
After the spectacular flame out of the blah-tacular Tobey Maguire Spider-Man franchise, it was a spectacular breath of fresh air to get Andrew Garfield as the friendly neighborhood Amazing Spider-Man (Sideshow Collectibles, $204.99), who has now been captured in eerily lifelike detail by those equally amazing artisans at Hot Toys. While I’m not fully sold on the changes made to the suit’s design, there’s no denying it is accurately reproduced in this fully-articulated figure, and the swappable Garfield head sculpt is pretty darn perfect. The figures comes with a handful of swappable hands, plus an assortment of webbing for recreating your favorite web-slinging poses.
After years in the wilderness, it’s nice to see Woody Allen continue his latter-day winning streak with his latest, Blue Jasmine (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), about the titular east coast socialite (Cate Blanchett) making a go at a new, less glamorous life in San Francisco in which she tries to reconcile her troubled past with her lower class future. Oh, and it has Louis CK. So, win. Bonus materials include a featurette and the cast press conference.
I’m still not entirely sure if I like Comedy Bang Bang (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). I mean, I think I do… And then it just gets slightly more bizarre than actually funny bizarre, and I have to reconsider my position. Your mileage may vary. The complete first season set contains character audio commentaries, alternate interviews, supercuts, test shoots, and more.
If you’re looking for a pair of fascinating documentaries this weekend, the Smithsonian Channel is serving up the unsung heroes of the space program with Space Voyages (Smithsonian Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) and the unsung staff that make the President’s residence livable in White House Revealed (Smithsonian Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP).
The fine folks at Mill Creek have a mighty batch of economy-priced TV collections for anyone hoping to dive in to some classic series on a budget, including Married With Children: Seasons 1 & 2 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), the uncut debut of The Cosby Show: Seasons 1 & 2 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), Just Shoot Me: Seasons 1 & 2 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), Dilbert: The Complete Series (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), Charlie’s Angels: Season 1 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), Bewitched: Seasons 1 & 2 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), Good Times: Season 1 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), and Wings: Seasons 3 & 4 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP).
Shout Factory has become the last great hope for many TV series whose DVD releases were cut off short of completion, as they turn their benevolence towards Sipowicz and Simone for the complete fifth season of NYPD Blue (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP). The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
Join Grover, Abby, and Elmo as they learns the ins and outs of sportsmanship in Sesame Street: Be A Good Sport (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring over 2 hours of thematically linked furry fun for youngsters.
Disillusioned by the direction he sees professional wrestling headed, Steve Scarborough decides to take matters into his own hands and founds the Platinum Championship League, whose origins and development are chronicled in the documentary The Booker (Indiepix, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP).
The second volume of the second season of History Channel’s Counting Cars (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) has arrived for those of you who have finally succumbed to History Channel Stockholm Syndrome and understand there is nothing there any more but these “reality” series full of people doing things in a “real” way. Bonus materials include 35 minutes of additional footage.
The latest in the line of quickie joke-a-second pop culture lampoons has come down the pike in the form of The Starving Games (Ketchup, Rated PG-13, DVD-$20.99 SRP), which takes on The Hunger Games, The Avengers, Avatar, Angry Birds and much more.
It’s hard to believe it’s taken this long, but the Doctor Who toy universe now has not one, nor two, but THREE new action figure sets featuring the arrival of Nicholas Courtney’s Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. The Claws Of Axos Collectors’ Set (Underground Toys, $57.98 SRP) features The Brigadier, Jo Grant, and Axon (in humanoid form). The Daemons Collectors’ Set (Underground Toys, $57.98 SRP) features The Brigadier, The Master as Magister, and Bok the gargoyle. And finally, The Three Doctors Collectors’ Set (Underground Toys, $57.98 SRP) features The Brigadier, Jo Grant, and a Gel Guard.
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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