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…)
The wait between seasons seems longer and longer, but when you view the 8 episodes comprising The Venture Bros.: Season Five (Adult Swim, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), you understand that the wait is a necessary byproduct of the quality Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer bring to the crafting of each and every episode. As a bonus, the set also contains both the Halloween and Shallow Gravy specials, plus audio commentaries on every episode from Astrobase Go.
As soon as we saw the seemingly endless variations of armor on display in Iron Man 3, we all knew it was going to be a marketing bonanza, so it came as little surprise that the ones to pounce on that opportunity were the fine folks at Hot Toys, who seem determined to make 1/6th scale versions of every single Tony Stark creation in the film. The first out of the gate is the Iron Man Mark XXI – Midas (Sideshow, $299.99), which presents the armored Avenger in gilded form, with the armor itself being very close in design to the bog standard red & gold outfit. Just gold. As usual, you get an incredible array of hands and flaps, plus the super-spiffy LED lighting in the chest, eyes, and palms.
It’s time for Matt Smith’s yuletide swan song as the 11th Doctor in Doctor Who: The Time Of The Doctor (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), which finds the post-50th anniversary time lord at the end of his regenerations and in a standoff with his greatest foes. Bonus materials include documentaries on Smith’s tenure and the inhabitants of the TARDIS over the years, plus a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Coming off a high water mark first season finale, the second season gets off to a running start with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutagen Mayhem (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), as the Turtles unwittingly shower the city with ooze canisters, leading to much… well… mayhem. This disc features the first 6 episodes of the season, plus 6 scene evolutions and a Channel 6 Special Report.
Shockingly, it’s taken this long for an official release of LA Law: Season One (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP), but it should be little surprise that the much-loved NBC legal drama’s debut comes courtesy of those fine folks at Shout Factory. The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes plus brand new interviews with creator Steven Bochco and the cast.
My overriding impression while watching Spike Lee’s Oldboy (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is that I really wish it was a better film. A vengeance tale about a kidnapped man (Josh Brolin) who is inexplicably released after 20 years in solitary confinement and proceeds to search for those responsible, it has all of the potential to have been great. It even has Samuel L. Jackson. Bonus materials include featurettes, alternate/extended scenes, and a workout video.
I’ve never really sparked to the books or the first film, but having seen The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) in the theater with friends who were big fans, based on their positive reactions it seems the adaptation was a success. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a making-of documentary, and deleted scenes.
At least in this age of ridiculously grim and gritty superheroes coming out of Warner Bros., we still have the fun and funny bright spot collected in Teen Titans Go: Mission To Misbehave (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP), which collects 26 episodes of the Cartoon Network series.
You can now watch the goofy Nazis in space flick Iron Sky (E1, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP) via an expanded director’s cut that adds 20 minutes of additional footage and revised special effects, with a brand-new making of documentary and a bonus booklet full of concept art.
Clint Eastwood returns to the role of foreman Rowdy Yates in the penultimate season of the show that launched the squinty-eyed legend, now available in Rawhide: Season 7 Volume 1 & Rawhide: Season 7 Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$45.98 SRP each). Each 4 disc set contains 15 episodes of old west action. Just don’t try to understand ’em.
Try to ignore some of the more sensationalized “history” found in the History Channel drama by exploring the actual facts in the BBC documentary Vikings (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), in which historian Neil Oliver explores the actual Norwegian archeological sites to uncover the true facts about those legendary people.
No one did overblown Technicolor biblical epics like Cecil B. Demille, as you can see for yourself as another of his gets its high definition debut – because Samson And Delilah (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$22.98 SRP) is just as deliriously overblown as you’d expect.
Though it presents a somewhat sanitized view of Nazi Germany, owing to its YA novel roots, The Book Thief (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is still a sweetly inspiring tale of an illiterate young girl taken in by a German family who instill in her a love of reading and a compassion that finds outlet in protecting a young Jewish boy her adoptive family takes in. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted scenes.
Venture into the mystery and intrigue roaming the university halls of Trinity (EagleVision, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), about a college not in the least bit interested in giving up its secrets to a streetwise new student. Oh, and it also stars Charles Dance as a sinister professor. So it’s got that going for it. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.
As one would expect, there’s ridiculous amounts of drama to be mined from the fashion world, so it should come as little surprise that the documentary Mademoiselle C (Cohen Media Group, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which takes a behind the scenes look at French Vogue’s empress Carine Roitfeld, is a pretty interesting little watch. Bonus materials include premiere footage from Paris and the film’s trailer.
Fans of big giant robots that transform into planes, trains, and automobiles will want to pick up a pair of brand new releases – Transformers Prime: Ultimate Bumblebee (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$9.99 SRP) and Transformers Armada: The Complete Series (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$44.99 SRP). The Bumblebee release features 4 episodes of the modern series, while the 8-disc Armada contains all 52 episodes.
For the toddler set, this week brings Dora The Explorer: Dora In Wonderland (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), which finds Dora exploring Wonderland (of course), and Bubble Guppies: Animals Everywhere (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 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
##
It’s somewhat hard to believe that it’s taken this long – 23 years after his untimely passing – that we’ve gotten a proper biography of Jim Henson. Well, not so odd when knows that an attempt was made in the 90s that was scuttled by the Henson family – but now, finally, author Brian Jay Jones has managed to pull together 
Sure, the 3D conversion remains more of a gimmick than an artistic contribution to the film, but the effect works nicely in the high definition debut of 
Where most Star Wars material leaves me unfazed post-The Great Depression (The Prequels), I’ve looked forward to J.W. Rinzler’s exhaustive “Making Of” books for the depth of their information, but more so for their remarkable candor. And now the classic trilogy comes to an end with the entry that had perhaps the most fascinating development process, all of which is fully explored in 
Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that 
Awkwardly split in two and never really building a head of steam, the seventh season of 
As a longtime fan, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Dave Foley had begun doing standup. I’m even happier that his first special, 
After the overall “meh” of Iron Man 2, 
In years past, TV shows would rarely consider the afterlife of their run beyond a sale into syndication. The idea of a home video market for popular shows? Unheard of. With that in mind, music licensing deals were only ever made short term, which has left many a show in quite the deep financial pickle when the idea of bringing them to home video with their music intact. Years ago, the music was just changed to far cheaper tunes – leading to fan backlash. Eventually, though, companies decided to try and clear the hurdles – the first most famous example was Shout Factory’s Herculean handling of Freaks & Geeks. And now, the gents a Time Life have actually undertaken their own Herculean task and succeeded in clearing nearly all of the vintage songs (Dylan, Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and more) contained in the beloved Vietnam War drama 
The heroes on the half shell return with a dozen new-to-DVD adventures in 
Every time you turn around there seems to be another edition, but we may finally have arrived at a definitive version with the 35th anniversary high definition release of John Carpenter’s 
Like most Dreamworks films save for How To Train Your Dragon, 
There are those that rail on the ability to watch 3D right in our homes as some kind of gimmick, and they’re right – it is a gimmick. But you know what? It’s still a nifty gimmick, and its presence in the home allows studios like Warner Bros. to release true-3D versions of classic 50’s films like the Vincent Price horror flick 
And while we’re talking vintage catalogue releases from Warners now available in high definition, also making its debut is King Vidor’s incredibly moving silent war film 
You know the merger between Marvel and Disney has been fully cemented when you finally get a mighty meeting like 
I used to really like the show, but there’s something about the 4th season of 
Scholastic is back with a bit of a treat for kids with their latest Storybook Treasures collection – 
The Second World War is over but the Cold War looms in 
Yes, Zooey Deschanel is still delightfully quirky in the second season of 
Nothing quite makes me miss the sublime farce of 3rd Rock From The Sun than a pale imitator like 
Nickelodeon makes holiday gift-giving even easier with their new “Holiday Gifts From Nickelodeon” sets – a trio of releases featuring DVDs of 
It’s never been much of a quality show, but it was always a consistent lowbrow laugher that had a shaky transitional year during its 9th season. But all is back on a somewhat even (for it) keel now that Ashton Kutcher cut his hair for the 10th season of 
If you ever wondered just what it would be like if a stoner got lost in a thought and decided to make a documentary about it, look no further than 
While the actual film was an unfortunate mess, one of the few highlights of DC’s latest direct-to-video animated feature was the score to 
And hey, how about a soundtrack round-up? This week, we’ve got Greg Edmonson’s score for 
While the bulk of Mel Brooks’ catalogue has been available in high definition, there’s been one title that’s been devastatingly absent – until now. The fine folks at Shout Factory have pulled out all the stops to give comedy fans a brilliant special edition of 
Directed by a young John Landis and crafted by the even younger Zucker Brothers, 
Those expecting a farce might be pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the comedy to be found in 
Already a quirky little gem, Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein’s 
While the original animated adaptation was never terribly great, nostalgia made me leery of the new animated reboot of the Ninja Turtles. Well, my fears have been wiped away by the fun, funny modern take which perfectly preserves all of the necessary elements to the Turtle mythos. Want proof? Look no further than the latest episode collection – 
Taking the same sensibility once focused on Star Wars and applying it to the superheroes and villains of the DC universe? Sold. Luckily, that pre-sale was proven correct with the hilarious 
It’s not the equal of the beautifully executed Avatar, but there’s still plenty to recommend in the premiere volume of 
A victim (Noomi Rapace) seeking retribution for a crime blackmails a professional killer (Colin Ferrell) into aiding her plan for revenge in the tense thriller 
Take a soaring high definition view of the northeast United States in the Smithsonian Channel’s 
This week’s TV release from Paramount bring one old and one new. For the new, we get the complete first season of 
While it looked as lush and lavish as we’ve come to expect from Pixar, the trailers for 
Ever had a piece of electronic equipment go wonky on you, needing only a quick bit of solder to fix it right up? Well, now you can snag a quick all-in-one 
Complementary to Brave, also making its debut is the 2nd 
Already long-available as a spectacular, feature-laden special edition DVD set, never did I imagine that the great 
It’s the third complete collection of 
Peter Serafinowicz is brilliant. He just is. If you’re following him on Twitter (you should be), you know that Peter will periodically go on joke runs based on prompts from his followers, coming back with compact, economical jokes that are sublime. 
One of my absolute favorite Carl Barks Donald Duck stories also happens to be a holiday tale, and it forms the centerpiece of the latest collection from the fine folks at Fantagraphics Books. 
And since you’ve picked up the Donald collection, make sure you pick up the equally as lovingly presented 4th volume of Floyd Gottfredson’s run on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip, 
Considering how much air there is between the two halves of the season again, it makes sense that the BBC would throw fans a bone by releasing 
We’ve had Bridge On The River Kwai and Dr. Zhivago for years, but the David Lean film most have desired to see in full high definition glory in their home theater was the epic of epics, and finally – FINALLY – 
He’s known for writing some of the finest, densest songs ever to be sung on stage, and one of his most challenging efforts gets a marvelous star-studded go that was thankfully documented with 
I didn’t know what to expect from 
One of the nicest holiday surprises was the addition of a new set of characters and specials to the seasonal viewing rotation in the form of a pair of elves who are part of the team that makes people’s homes ready for Santa’s arrival. Now you can get all of the specials in one place – and high definition! – via the 
Seeing as how we’re so close to all of the extant stories being available on DVD, it’s no surprise that the BBC has been going back and revisiting some of their earlier releases and improving the presentation and adding bonus materials. The latest special edition is 
Derren Brown is brilliant. And scary. Scary, and brilliant. And the idea that Derren Brown might try out his mental act on you? Terrifying. So, thankfully, I can enjoy being a non-participant in 
A quartet of frustrated suburban schmos who just happen to be the local neighborhood watch uncover an alien plot to destroy the earth in 
It’s a softball of a film, but Nia Vardalos’s little film that could 
Amy Heckerling reunites with her Clueless star Alicia Silverstone in the genre-bending 
I’m not a fan of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and less so of Tobey Maguire’s DOA-delivery as the titular hero (and those godawaful organic webshooters). The only thing they did get right was the costume, which was just about perfect. With the rebooted 
Because you can never have enough flexibility in your mobile charging options, the fine folks at Thinkgeek have released an ultra low profile 
It’s been a long wait, but we’ve finally got the 3rd volume of 
I was worried going in to 
Formerly available as just a retailer exclusive, John Hughes still-brilliant 
While its had holiday episodes in the past, 
It may not be considered the best animation to come down the pike, but there’s no denying that the kids shows produced by Filmation – from Fat Albert and Star Trek to Superman and He-Man – left their mark on a few generations. The story of the studio is told by its founder in 
It’s not their usual stop-motion fare, but Aardman Animation’s festive holiday CG feature 
A new Disney film has come down the pike, which also means a new, beautiful, must-have Art Of book from the fine folks at Chronicle – and that’s just what 
Tick another classic film off the list, as an absolutely beautifully restored 
It doesn’t hold a candle to the classic films, but 
So what have we got for this week’s soundtracks? We’ve got a brand new score from the mighty John Williams for Steven Spielberg’s 
How about a pair of catalogue releases from the folks at Buena Vista? New to high definition are the Bette Midler tearjerker 
Though there are some that dismiss him, I will stand by my long-held love for the comedy of Louie Anderson, still going strong in 
Putting to shame all of the holiday specials before, Steven Moffat hit it out of the park with 
Leave it to the Japanese to marshal the mighty forces of science and engineering in order to craft a novelty 
I am absolutely loving the rapid-fire release schedule of the beautifully remastered high definition seasons of 
Ignore the bastardized American version and dig into the only iteration worth watching – and the original, natch – with 
It holds absolutely no interest for me, but I’m sure there are plenty of Michael Jordan fans still lurking about out there who will be keen to pick up the 4-disc, remastered, high definition edition of 
The fine folks at Mill Creek Entertainment are continuing to release a slew of budget-priced kids titles under their Cookie Jar banner, including 
Mark my words – in 10 years, Rupert Grint will be one of our finest character actors. 
Another series wrapped, as the second volume of the fourth and final season of 
Runaway train, never coming back. Wrong way on a one-way track. That could pretty much sum up the remarkable boring runaway train actioner 
I have some issues with the picture being painted by 
Yes, I know I’m a little close to the material – but you know what? I’d still recommend you pick up a copy of 
The miniaturization of video cameras is beginning to frighten me. This terror is completely overridden by the geek delight in holding a digital memory camera that’s only slightly larger than a chapstick tube. The camera I speak of is the 
Sadly, we’ve now reached the limit of the currently produced episodes of 
I’ve seen the episodes a half-dozen times each (I often replayed them while working), but it’s the mark of a classic show that I’m looking forward to digging into the 3rd season set of 
Yes, it really has been 100 episodes since the squarepanted sponge of Bikini Bottom first made his way onto our TV screens. How do I know this? Because there’s now an uber-deluxe box set titled 
They’ve been released what seems like a half-dozen times by at least three different companies, but this is the first time that 
Abrams is fast becoming a real juggernaut with their incredible Abrams ComicArts imprint, as they’ve been releasing some absolutely top-notch tomes that belong on your shelf. Like, now. First up is a loving, in-depth tribute to 
Much like Pineapple Express, those going into 
Have I mentioned before just how much I’m enjoying Warner Bros.’ On-Demand DVD service at WarnerArchive.com? I have – numerous times – because it’s great to see a company find a way to make smaller catalogue titles available to fans when economic realities prevent a full-fledged commercial release. Case in point are a trio of new titles that have been added to the site – King Vidor’s 
Does anyone still watch 
Serial womanizer Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey finds his plans to bed a bridesmaid at his brother’s wedding is derailed by the supernatural guidance of his departed uncle (Michael Douglas), who originally instructed him on his boorish ways, to mend his ways and find true love (in the form of Jennifer Garner) in the tolerable rom-com 
Comedy Central may have killed their much-missed show, but at least there’s still live performances to keep The State alumni David Wain, Michael Showalter, & Michael Ian Black together, as you’ll see on 
Despite further muddying already cloudy waters with divergent continuity, the biggest drawback of the axed 
When his wife and child are murdered by a serial killer, a celebrity psychic renounces his conning past and devotes himself to using his observation and analysis skills to bring killers to justice in 
It may not be the best sitcom that ever came down the pike, but I still love me some 
It pretty much sums itself up in the title – 
When a killer begins copying the murders found in novelist Rick Castle’s stories, the author is enlisted by the NYPD to help bring the murderer to justice in 
Really, the only purpose that 
It seems Warners believes that audiences were simply dying for an origin prequel to their middling live action Scooby-Doo franchise, which means we know have 
I can’t have been the only one not surprised that 
Oh, Disney Channel – why are your tween/teen comedies just so unrelentingly bland? It’s no wonder iCarly is kicking your ass in the ratings – one has only has to look at the episodes featured on the inaugural DVD release of the new Jonas Brothers sitcom 
Yeah, so, one of my absolute favorite Disney films I their live-action/animated hybrid musical 
This week’s Thinkgeek recommendation is a piece of cool kit that always seems to be out of stock. It’s just that popular. However long it lasts, it’s now back in stock, so run and pick up your very own 
Seeing as how my nephews are addicted to Nickelodeon (particularly the yellow crack that is Spongebob), it’s inevitable that I’d have to see the programming on offer. One of the shows that I actually enjoy quite a bit – and believe is just as well-scripted as the sitcoms on network TV, better even – is a favorite of my 5-year-old nephew, 
I can’t be the only one who was completely blindsided by the announcement that the 4th season of 
If you’ve ever watched the UK series Skins and thought to yourself “My teenage years were nothing like that sex party bacchanal,” then 
Well, now that we’ve reached the 12th season of 
It’s double-crosses, mysteries, and intrigue in 
Like most modern horror remakes, the new 
I know there are devotees who think it’s the second coming of Undeclared, but I have yet to find the appeal of 
So, in short, 
After an awkward, sometimes rudderless second season, things were largely back on track in the 3rd season of 
The second season of 
It’s not exactly intellectually stimulating, but using the beautiful high-definition of Blu-Ray to take aerial journeys around the world is certainly worth a look see to me, and that’s exactly what you get with both 
After her ridiculously self-confident appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, I was at least curious about 
