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…)
If you pare Jackass down to its bare essentials, it’s pretty much just Johnny Knoxville doing stupid things. And that’s pretty much the embarrassingly sublime simplicity of Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which finds Knoxville in his 86-year-old Irving Zisman make-up doing stupid stunts in public with the added bonus of a kid sidekick. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and featurettes.
While there have been a handful of figures released in Sideshow’s GI Joe line already, the real gem I’ve been eagerly awaiting is the arrival of Cobra’s supreme leader, Cobra Commander ($174.99). Thankfully based on his classic appearance from the original Real American Hero cartoon, the maniacal terrorist sorts either his reflective battle helmet or his hooded visage via swappable heads. There are plenty of extra hand variations (including one crushing a small globe), plus his scepter, pistol, laser rifle, and knife. Overall, exactly what I was hoping for.
Now that Sherlock has wrapped, get your Benedict Cumberbatch fix from The Fifth Estate (Touchstone, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP), where he plays WikiLeaks mastermind Julian Assange in the true tale of espionage and intrigue behind the foundation’s founding and mission. Bonus materials include featurettes, TV spots, and trailers.
At a time when all of the other studios are opening up their vaults and releasing their deep catalogue titles, CBS has come up with a trio of their own starring some quite big names, starting with Dustin Hoffman in the quirky comedy Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Then we’ve got a pair of films featuring Jack Lemmon – The April Fools (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$19.99 SRP), with Catherine Deneuve, and The War Between Men And Women (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$19.99 SRP), with Barbara Harris.
Just in time for Mardis Gras comes the complete collection of HBO’s Treme (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$134.98 SRP), which brings together all 36 episodes of the epic story of the Big Easy’s rise from the ashes of Katrina, told through a collection of musicians, chefs, and residents. In addition to audio commentaries and featurettes, the set also contains an exclusive bonus disc with 15 music video performances from the show.
The fine folks at BBC Earth return with a new pair of visually stunning and informative nature documentaries – Penguins: Spy In The Huddle & Snow Babies (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). My only wish for both of these is that they could have gotten a true high definition Blu-Ray release.
The rescue of a boatful of illegal immigrants forces a struggling island family off the coast of Sicily to make difficult decisions in the fascinating import Terraferma (Cohen, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP). Bonus materials include a making-of featurette and the theatrical trailer.
Even though I’m not a fan of the sport, I’m a sucker for a well-made documentary, and 1 (Millennium Entertainment, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), about the history and danger of Formula 1 Racing and narrated by Michael Fassbender, certainly is an interesting watch.
And speaking of Formula 1 racing, that’s the subject of Ron Howard’s latest film, Rush (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which dramatizes the real-life rivalry between drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) as they clash both on and off the track. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted scenes.
While the 60’s film is a much more romanticized take on the material, the recent miniseries take on Bonnie & Clyde (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$55.99 SRP) hews much closer to the facts of the couple’s bloody crime spree and even bloodier end. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.
If you’re keen to give a gift of a romantic flick-a-palooza, try the 7-film Nicholas Sparks Collection (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$69.97 SRP), which includes Safe Haven, The Lucky One, Dear John, Nights In Rodanthe, The Notebook, A Walk To Remember, and Message In A Bottle. The set also includes collectible postcards and a letter from Sparks.
For years, it’s been nigh-on impossible to buy 10th Doctor action figures for any decent price on the secondary market. Well, with the new Doctor Who: Doomsday Set (Underground Toys, $54.99 SRP), you get not only David Tennant’s Doctor (with 3D glasses), but also a Dalek and a Cyberman.
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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