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…)
(Note: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-rays I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.)
As we barrel towards the release of a brand new Star Wars film, the wizards at Hot Toys continue to craft eerily lifelike 1/6-scale figures and release them at an almost cripplingly fast rate. I never thought I’d be so excited to see old man Luke Skywalker (Sideshow, $229.99), last seen in the final moments of The Force Awakens and soon to bring his wary world-weariness to The Last Jedi. And yes, while it’s great to have a Luke Skywalker figure, it’s even better to have a Mark Hamill figure on the shelf.
Diving back to the original trilogy, Hot Toys has continued to fill out their Imperial ranks with the iconic Death Star Gunner (Sideshow, $204.99), whose most recent appearance was manning an almost-fully operational Death Star in Rogue One. The costuming on this figure is exceptionally faithful, and also allows for a couple of different display options, minus the chest protector and quilted vest, variations which were seen in the films. As giving him a console would be a bit cost-prohibitive, the only real accessory he gets is a blaster.
Not to be outdone by Hot Toys, the fine folks at Sideshow have released an original trilogy 1/6-scale gem of their own, the reptilian bounty hunter Bossk (Sideshow, $210). Sideshow has been doing incredible work with the aliens in these films for years, and this is no exception. What’s truly impressive, though, is the work on his flight suit, and all of its attached tubing, wires, and geegaws. Incredible work all-around.
Even nearly a year from its debut, I’m still trying to process exactly what happened in the first season of WestWorld (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.97 SRP) and whether or not I enjoyed it. It is a show deeply enamored of its own clockwork, often to its detriment, but remains strangely, ofttimes annoyingly, compelling throughout. As we meander towards its second season, it’s worth a re-visit, if only to be enticingly frustrated all over again. Bonus materials include featurettes and a gag reel.
There are plenty of Christmas movies, but only a handful of Thanksgiving movies. The gold standard remains John Hughes’ Planes, Trains And Automobiles (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$12.96 SRP), which contains – for my money – John Candy’s finest scene. I’ll let you try and think of the one I’m referring to. The new special edition contains a handful of featurettes and tributes, plus a deleted scene.
I’m not entirely sure why The House (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.95 SRP) was a dud at the box office. It’s a comedy starring Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell, and that alone carries a heck of a lot of good will. The film itself is funny if unmemorable, finding Poehler and Ferrell as an empty nest couple who turn their suburban home into a casino to pay for their daughter’s high-priced college. Give it a spin. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted/extended/alternate scenes, and a gag reel.
If you’re wanting to fill up your lovely big HDTV with a beautiful nature documentary filled with stunning footage, try Big Pacific (PBS, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), which explores the body that covers one-third of the Earth’s surface.
One of the few Batman villains never to make the transition to the 1966 Batman television show finally gets his time in the spotlight via Batman Vs. Two-Face (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$16.99 SRP) – the second and, sadly, final animated film starring the late Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their roles as the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder. And, taking a page from the stunt casting of the original live action series, the film has cast none other than William Shatner as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes and the Adam West tribute panel from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.
While a fair amount of their direct-to-video animated adaptations of comic book stories have fallen flat for me, one of the highlights of Warner Animation’s past releases is getting a lovely new release via the Justice League: The New Frontier Commemorative Edition (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), based on Darwyn Cooke’s award-winning graphic novel. As well as a steelbook case, bonus materials include audio commentaries, a quartet of featurettes, and a glimpse at the next animated movie.
Long absent from high definition and very much needing some TLC, the Warner Archive Collection has stepped up and given a beautiful release of the best Dark Knight film of them all, Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99). My only disappointment is that there are zero bonus features. Heck, they could have at least included the original HBO behind-the-scenes special.
To be sure, Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, 4K-$42.99 SRP) is a beautiful film that is a brilliant way to show off your high definition home theater. As a story, though, it’s a jumbled mess that never quite achieves escape velocity from the void of its two leads, Dane DeHaan & Cara Delevinge, who seem to sleepwalk through the whole affair, rarely alighting on anything approaching chemistry. But those visuals? Gorgeous. Bonus materials include featurettes and trailers.
Just when I think the Warner Archive Collection has run out of films to make available from the Warner vaults, they suddenly drop a massive bushel of new titles that make me go, “Hey! That’s great!” Their latest must-have batch includes The World According To Garp (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$21.99), Seven Days In May (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99), The Gumball Rally (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99), Time After Time (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99), Victor Victoria (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99), S.O.B. (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$21.99), Running On Empty (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$21.99), Midnight In The Garden Of Good & Evil (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$21.99), Michael Collins (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$21.99), and Joe Versus The Volcano (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99). I mean, come on! A funnyman Tom Hanks classic!
The Warner Archive has also have been continuing to do TV releases, so fans of iZombie (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP each) can now snag the first 3 seasons on Blu-Ray, featuring San Diego Comic-Con panels and deleted scenes.
I’m not going to spoil It Comes At Night (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), because it’s rare for a truly clever thriller to come down the pike, and this most certainly is one. So, by all means, check out its tale of a family isolated and seemingly secure in the woods, who faces upheaval with the unexpected arrival of a couple with their young child. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a featurette.
It may be hard to imagine that a show so intrinsically bleak could manage going even bleaker, but that’s exactly the feat accomplished in the seventh season of The Walking Dead (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$42.99 SRP), as it picks right up from Negan’s bloody arrival and sends our demoralized “heroes” (yeah, that’s a parenthetical) through the ringer. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, and deleted/alternate scenes.
There is no doubt that Power Rangers (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) exists. It is a film that was made. It also seems to have fallen into an uncanny valley between nostalgia and reinvention, never quite committing to either course of action, trying to be taken seriously while still speaking to the franchise’s camp origins. But hey, you get to see Elizabeth Banks chew scenery like a champ. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, alternate/deleted scenes, and outtakes.
There’s no denying that it survives as a certain bit of cultural kitsch, but 30 years ago, Richard Simmons’ Sweatin’ To The Oldies (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) was a bona fide fitness sensation, encouraging and motivating those genuinely in need by representing them onscreen doing the activities they were being encouraged to participate in, cheered on by the ridiculously enthusiastic Simmons. Now, for the series’ 30th anniversary, this box set collects all 5 original programs, plus an interview with Richard, testimonials, and more.
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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If Inside Out was Toy Story, then 
I admit, I had my worries about 
You know to start ticking off the days to the new season when the previous season hits shelves, so let the arrival of 
When you think of catchphrases for Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Captain Jean-Luc Picard. One is “Make it so.” Then you’ve got “Engage.” Sure, maybe “Shut up, Wesley.” Makes the cut, too. But certainly on that list is one that involves a certain beverage the good captain was fond of, and now the fine folks at Thinkgeek have made it so by offering a tin of 
That its true story of a group of canny investors that saw the mortgage crisis looming and gamed a system about to self-destruct plays like an ink-black farce makes 
If there’s one thing that 
While the packaging tries to make the finality ambiguous, it certainly feels like the long, odd journey that has brought us to the 6th season of 
Following on his Oscar-winning performance as Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne pulls off another remarkable turn in 
However, if you want a genuinely enjoyable show that exquisitely captures the awkwardness of its characters and the situations they find themselves in, try the first season of 
While I have zero interest in seeing what the live action cinematic take will be on DC Comics’ mightiest heroes, I have nothing but love for the endearingly goofy LEGO adventure 
Why get a wimpy rinkydink lunch box when the R&D braintrust at Thinkgeek have devised a heavy-duty 
Continuing their genuinely wonderful partnership of chocolate and peanut butter fun, 
The madcap misadventures of the prisoners of Germany’s most inept Stalag are yours for the taking in this massive 27-disc collection of 
As a parody of the sweeping, bombastically self-important miniseries events that defined TV in the 70s and 80s, 
After numerous duds at NBC, Fox got the live musical on TV right by realizing you had to have an audience present to keep the energy up, and that’s why 
I have a love/hate relationship with Ron Howard as a filmmaker. While the stories he directs tend to be powerful, I find the film’s themselves to often be sterile affairs that never quite achieve a launch velocity. His latest, 
It was always a mess of truly unlikable characters, but it’s in the fourth season of 
The second season of 
The franchise has become, much like Ice Age, a quick way to generate amiable enough stories sure to entertain the kids, and 
Want a goofball sword and sorcery romp this weekend? With a name like 
Because it’s a massive IP, it was inevitable that Nick Jr. would want its share of the Turtle pie, so we get the younger-skewing animated 
Strawberry Shortcake and her berry berry good pals return for more adventures in a pair of brand new releases – 
While Criterion has been releasing the features that he helmed himself, a similarly wonderful and much-needed restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s earlier work at other studios has been neglected over the years, even though there have been plenty of releases of the material. Finally, though, a definitive edition of both 
The period covered in 
And because this is the holiday season, and you know you want to give the gift of Peanuts, Fantagrpahics has made it very easy with a pair of perfect gifts. 
The 4th volume of The Dona Rosa Library, 
Going in to the theater, I truly didn’t know what to expect from the updated though still a period piece 
I admit, I was underwhelmed by 
Director D.A. Pennebaker’s iconic Bob Dylan documentary 
No additional amount of footage could make 
While what does make it out and onto the silver screen is magical, there’s plenty of magic that exists solely in the early creative process that gives birth to films from Toy Story to The Good Dinosaur, and it’s a special peek into that room that fills the pages of 
It’s been quite a long while since I took a gander at some of the wonderful little catalogue gems the Warner Archive has been carting up from the dark depths of their vault, so here’s a rundown of some of those titles you should check out. There’s the forgotten animated gem 
The real surprise, though, is how many high definition releases the Warner Archive has been delivering to fans, often for mush-requested titles that many (myself included) had given up hope of ever getting. So, now we’ve got Neil Simon’s 
The Warner Archive has also continued emptying the vaults of nearly everything produced by Hanna-Barbera, which now includes 
It’s been a long time coming, but 
Based on the notorious titular college study, 
Zac Efron stars as an aspiring DJ who gets swept up in friendship, love, and betrayal when he crosses paths with a famous DJ (Wes Bentley) that could be the key to his success in 
The first two seasons were groundbreaking, but the third season of 
The chronology of the Terminator films is a bit of a mess. And by that, I mean it’s confusing. And every installment in the franchise has made it even more confusing, full of time travel paradoxes and nonsense that make the best way to really enjoy 
Largely overlooked, unjustly so, now’s your chance to check out Nicole Kidman as the titular 
The 3rd season comes to an intergalactic climactic head in the final 12-episode arc contained in 
Part of their Secrets Of The Dead series, PBS’s 
While the heat of the game has cooled a bit, there’s still a bit of charm and fun to be found in the animated offerings based on it, with 
There’s quite a bit of endearingly goofball magic lost when you age Dora the Explorer up to tweenhood for 
Have you noticed which much-desired films have been largely absent on Blu-Ray until now? Don’t worry – I’ll tell you, because that gross oversight has been rectified in wonderful fashion with the 15-film 
Thinkgeek time! You can never, ever have too many USB ports. You know this to be the case. That’s why something like the 
Shout Factory continues to prove themselves the ideal company when it comes to releasing classic television series, and kudos to Sony for turning over titles from their library, as it gives us remarkable definitive collections like 
You know the holidays have arrived when the new-to-high-def catalogue releases start becoming holiday titles, which is exactly what we’ve got with the 
I’m not a fan of Brendon Small’s off-putting egofest, but I know there are lots of people out there excited to hear that 
Sadly, 
There are hundreds, if not thousands of films released in the last 20 years that did not make a big enough splash at the box office or on VHS that hopes for an eventual Blu-Ray release would seem to be rather dim, at best. Flying in the fact of that with an incredibly economical package is the clutch of new double feature Blu-Ray discs from Mill Creek’s distribution deal with Buena Vista – 
By the 5th and final season of 
I didn’t think Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the tale about a WWI cavalry 
What a brilliant geek alchemy the fine folks at LEGO unleash every time they release another their vehicle sets based on the classic Star Wars films, and all of the buttons are duly pushed with their new 
One of the biggest surprises of last year was Chris Elliott’s triumphant return to television with the Adult Swim take on Walker, Texas Ranger, 
It doesn’t really address some of the stories I’ve heard about how ambitious he was in his rise to the top of the Sesame Street food chain, but 
Short-lived and forgotten, who couldn’t love Bob Newhart as a superhero comic artist in the sitcom 
It’s always a delight when a classic piece of cinema makes its way to high definition, and so we have Roman Polanski & Robert Towne’s still brilliant 
Very few sitcoms have gotten the high definition treatment, and particularly not one that goes back over 10 years, but 
Shout Factory continues their noble mission of re-releasing Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes that have gone out of print with a pair of returns – 
Cartoon Network’s decidedly indie kiddie cartoon gets it’s first DVD release with 
When he puts his mind to it, Cameron Crowe certainly knows how to make an affable – overly-so – film, and that’s exactly what he does with 
As much as I thought Torchwood was a misguided, often frustrating, and even more often boring series (and regrettable spin-off from Doctor Who), it wasn’t until the recent 
Wil Wheaton fans eager to complete their collections of his cinematic output will want to thank MGM’s MOD Limited Edition Collection for the release of 
Watch as a franchise already on thin ice gets in trouble in the tropics with