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…)
Remember those deluxe, ultra-desirable, completely definitive Twilight Zone DVD releases from a few years back? Well, turns out they weren’t nearly as definitive as we thought, because Rod Serling’s classic series arrives in high definition with a ridiculously heightened amount of bonus features. In addition to all 36 episodes plus all of the original bonus content of the old sets, Twilight Zone: Season 1 (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$99.98 SRP) packs on the unofficial pilot episode, 19 new audio commentaries, actor interviews, 18 radio dramas, isolated music scores on 34 episodes, syndication promos, and more. And that doesn’t even touch on just how good the episodes look and sound. Surely THIS is the definitive set. Bring on season two!
There are some things that are instant triggers for geeks to rip out their wallets and plunk down the cash necessary to own. It’s safe to say that the newly released Stay Puft Caffeinated Gourmet Marshmallows ($19.99). Yes, Ghostbusters fans – You can now eat Stay Puft marshmallows, and they even come packaged in a box meat to be saved and displayed long after its content have been devoured.
Another landmark cinema classic makes its way into high definition with the arrival of Milos Forman’s iconic One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), which looks and sounds better than, well, it probably ever has. The special edition also features an audio commentary, additional scenes, the feature-length documentary Completely Cuckoo, a commemorative book, a reproduction of the original press book, mini poster reproductions, photo cards, and a deck of cards.
After running under the radar for its first two years, it was during the 3rd season of The Big Bang Theory (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) that the little geek-com that could finally broke through into mainstream success, becoming so much of a burgeoning institution that CBS plans to take on the NBC Thursday night behemoth with it this Fall. The 3rd season set contains all 23 episodes plus featurettes and a gag reel. A Blu-Ray edition ($54.97 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
It’s not quite the old Criterion Blu-Ray release, but Lionsgate has done a fine job assembling their own high definition special edition of Carol Reed’s classic The Third Man (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which sports an audio commentary, interviews, trailers, radio materials, and more.
It’s a hoary metaphor to compare the analysis of comedy to the dissection of a frog, but I’d like you to ignore that metaphor (which I won’t even bother to complete) and recommend you read Stewart Lee’s brilliant How I Escaped My Certain Fate: The Life and Deaths of a Stand-Up Comedian (Faber & Faber, £12.99 SRP), in which he takes the transcripts from three of his stand-up shows from the past ten years – after his return to comedy following a few fallow years – and provides a running commentary on the processes, background, truths, and lies behind the material. Get this.
It’s certainly not the Blu-Ray restoration I would have hoped for, but seeing as how it still retains its red-headed step child status within the Disney catalogue, I suppose I should be happy that the 25th anniversary re-release of The Black Cauldron (Walt Disney, Rated PG, DVD-$19.99 SRP) does look better than the last, and at least presents its Cinemascope print anamorphically. They’ve also added a deleted scene, while retaining the classic Donald Duck short “Trick Or Treat”.
Did you know that a feature film version of Prince of Persia (Walt Disney, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$44.98 SRP) was released? In theaters, even! Yup, it actually was there for a bit, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the titular gymnastic prince, as he teams up with a rival princess (Gemma Arterton) to save the kingdom with a magic dagger that can turn back time. Yeah, that’s it. The 3-disc set contains behind-the-scenes featurettes and a deleted scene, as well as the standard DVD of the film.
It’s decidedly diminishing returns as you go along until the most recent flick pulls things out of the cess pit they’d gotten into, but at least the high definition presentation of all 6 films in Rocky: The Undisputed Collection (MGM/UA, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$69.99 SRP). Bonus features include a Stallone video commentary, featurettes, a 3-part making-of documentary, tributes, and more.
If you’re looking for a sprawling, one-stop primer on the history of the United States, look no further than The History Channel’s America: The Story Of Us (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP), a 12-part series that does exactly that. It’s truly an impressive piece of work, which almost moves me to forgive The History Channel for all of the supernatural and spiritual claptrap they try and pass off as history on their channel nowadays. Almost. Bonus features include additional footage on the various subjects. A Blu-Ray edition ($49.95 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.
I always thought it was a beautifully designed and executed show, so to be able to peruse those designs via the handsome Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art Of The Animated Series (Dark Horse, $34.99 SRP) is a delight, which you should certainly partake in yourself. The creators of the show guide you through the conceptualization and history of the show as well, so it’s a must-have for fans.
Explore the majestic Wonders Of The Solar System (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) via this wonderful documentary, hosted by Professor Brian Cox and featuring incredible CGI to illuminate the awesome nature of the universe that surrounds us. Bonus features include a pair of Horizon programs hosted by Cox, plus a pair of featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($34.99 SRP) is also available, featuring identical bonus materials but looking that much more incredible.
School is back in session, so hunker down with the release of a trio of classic film adaptations of literary masterpieces – John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, & Shakespeare’s Richard III (Fox, Rated NR/NR/R, DVD-$14.98 SRP each).
Long derided as one of the most z-grade laughable of the many Star Wars rip-offs that littered cinemas in the late 70’s, Roger Corman’s Italian-produced mess Starcrash (Shout Factory, Rated PG, DVD-$19.93 SRP) gets a deluxe 2-disc special edition, loaded with featurettes, commentaries, interviews, and more. What other film boasts both David Hasselhoff and Christopher Plummer? A Blu-Ray edition ($26.97 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
I still, to this day – despite friends who have fallen fully under its sway – remain unmoved by Glee (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.99 SRP). I simply can’t get into it, though I respect the ridiculous love others feel for it. I don’t understand it, but I respect it. The 1st season set contains a visual commentary on the pilot, featurettes, cast auditions, karaoke, and more.
Everyone’s favorite sponge drops a greatest hits disc featuring… Well, the title pretty much sums it up – Spongebob Squarepants: 10 Happiest Moments (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). Clocking in at 2 hours of child occupying mirth, the disc also contains the original pilot, “Help Wanted”.
I love Patrick Warburton and I generally like sitcom-based David Spade, and I really have tried to like Rules of Engagement (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), but it’s just such a toothless sitcom that I can’t help but feel sorry for all involved, and wish they had much more to work with. The 3rd season set contains all 13 episodes, but no bonus features.
It’s not the recent lackluster live action fare, so fans of the Mystery Inc. gang will probably like the new feature-length animated movie Scooby-Doo: Camp Scare (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which finds them deep in the backwoods tackling not only a creepy fish man, but also a ghostly banshee.
It’s not the Kevin McCarthy original, but the remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (MGM/UA, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) does star Donald Sutherland & Leonard Nimoy, and is now available in high definition alongside another pair of creepy seasonal catalogue titles – (MGM/UA, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) and the horrid remake of The Return Of The Living DeadThe Amityville Horror (MGM/UA, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP). Each release also includes the standard definition DVD as well.
I think Grey’s Anatomy (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) has gotten to the point where the actual quality of the show has nothing to do with whether the fans slavishly tune in every week. Check out the wildly uneven 6th season and see if you don’t agree with my assessment. The 6-disc set contains all 24 episodes, plus webisodes, featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and an extended version of the season finale.
The original cast is gone, but the 3rd season of Skins (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) finds a whole new clutch of party-hardy teens drinking, drugging, humping, and partying their way through life. If you liked the first two seasons, you’ll like this one, too. Bonus features include additional stories, behind-the-scenes featurettes, auditions, and more.
They’ve come out in about a half-dozen different iterations over the years, but the latest batch of Saturday Night Live best-of releases adds over 20 minutes of additional sketches and outtakes, with the latest to get the treatment being The Best Of Eddie Murphy & The Best Of Adam Sandler (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP each).
I’m as surprised as anyone that Fringe (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.98 SRP) seems to be a going concern, so I’m going to lay the credit entirely at the feet of guest star Leonard Nimoy, because that’s clearly the only reason why. Kudos, Leonard. The 2nd season set contains a quartet of audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Speaking of stillborn, that’s the best way to describe the still pointless Private Practice (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP) which, in its 3rd season, still hasn’t mustered enough reason to justify its existence beyond a desperate attempt to establish a franchise. Bonus features include a featurette, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
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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