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…)
This week saw the home video release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and amongst the many familiar elements from the period just before A New Hope were a handful of new characters added to the mythos. Perhaps the most striking were the personal Storm Trooper squadron of Director Krennic, the imposing, black-clad Death Trooper (Hot Toys/Sideshow, $234.99). And, of course, Hot Toys has leapt at the chance to render the new Trooper in 1/6-scale form, and he looks like he just marched right off the screen. To add to the fidelity, he also sports a light-up feature, as you can flip a switch and illuminate the green chin nodules on the helmet. Now, if only we could get a Director Krennic for them to back up.
You can break out your crayons and pencils for the newest entry in Jeffrey Brown’s charming take on Star Wars‘ Skywalker clan, Darth Vader And Family Coloring Book (Chronicle Books, $14.95 SRP), full of images adapted from previous books plus all-new material.
Largely overlooked in favor of louder fare, Lion (Anchor Bay, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) is worth giving a spin at home, as it features an inspiring true story of a young Indian boy who gets separated from his family while on a train, winds up at an orphanage thousands of miles away, is adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman & David Wenham), and decides, as an adult (Dev Patel), to try and find the family he lost. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a music video.
I was there at the first midnight showing of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$ SRP), and I dearly wanted to love it. I was a Harry Potter fan, after all, and to be able to journey back into J.K. Rowling’s fictional world was an unexpected treat. Or so it should have been. Sadly, for all of the wonderful potential to be had in the premise, the film never quite delivers on the magic. It’s no disaster, certainly, but it doesn’t provide a firm foundation for the further adventures of Newt Scamander. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes.
I’d never seen it before, but once I found out that the new-to-HD release of the film Blast-Off (Olive Films, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP) starred Burl Ives as P.T. Barnum, I was sold. That it also stars a handful of delightful vintage character actors all on a globetrotting farce is just icing on the cake.
The DC animated adaptations have been hit or miss, but their adaptation of Marv Wolfman & George Perez’s legendary Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is largely a hit, despite some very odd hoops that had to be jumped through in regards to the team line-up. The tale of betrayal remains largely intact, however, and is worth a spin. Bonus materials include featurettes, bonus cartoons, and a sneak at the upcoming Batman And Harley Quinn movie. Oh, and if you pick up the gift set, it comes packed with a Blue Beetle figurine.
In an age where Broadway shows inevitably get lovely coffee table books to accompany their productions, it’s no surprise that Disney would celebrate their most recent Great White Way success with Aladdin: A Whole New World – The Road To Broadway And Beyond (Disney Editions$40 SRP). It’s a lush behind-the-scenes look at the development of the show from animated feature to stage hit.
I watched it once, and enjoyed its commitment to being an unsettling post-modern Kubrick, but I’ve never felt the desire to re-watch Donnie Darko (Arrow Films, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP). But, for those who are devoted to it, and its disappointing director’s cut, a brand new special edition is available, loaded with bonus features as well as both cuts of the film.
Let me preface this by saying that the film was interesting, and Michael Keaton’s performance was nice, but The Founder (Anchor Bay, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is a film about a jerk who succeeds wildly by being a jerk who screws over his business partners. That’s the story of Ray Kroc, and it feels particularly dirty in the times we find ourselves in, to encourage this kind of behavior. Yes, he was successful, but by being absolutely McAwful as a human being. Bonus materials include a press conference and galleries.
A 1933 vampire film starring Fay Wray from 1933? Yeah, that’s what you get with the newly-restored The Vampire Bat (Film Detective, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), about mysterious vampire attacks in a small village, and all of the eccentric suspects who may be perpetrating them. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a featurette.
It’s difficult to watch Patriots Day (Lionsgate, Rated R, 4K Ultra HD-$42.99 SRP), as the events at the center of its dramatization of the manhunt following the Boston Marathon bombing still feel raw. It’s a solid film, to be sure, but an awkward viewing experience. Bonus materials include featurettes exploring the events and people involved.
In the grand pantheon of video game-to-film adaptations, Assassin’s Creed (Fox, Rated PG-13, 4K Ultra HD-$39.99 SRP) is definitely another one, almost entirely disposable, but very, very pretty looking in 4K. So, if you want a fine action adventure somehow starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard to show off your new TV, this film’ll work a charm. Bonus materials include a documentary, interviews, deleted scenes, and a gallery.
The fine folks at Flicker Alley continue their remarkable silent film restoration program with a unique film I’d never seen before, 1919’s Behind The Door (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), a WWI-fueled tale of vengeance about a working class American persecuted for his German ancestry who enlists to go to sea but loses his wife after she stows aboard his ship and is captured by a U-boat captain. Bonus materials featurettes, outtakes, and the Russian export version of the film.
You could almost make a double feature – a turgid double feature – out of Collateral Beauty (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$22.21 SRP) and Live By Night (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), two forgotten films of 2016 starring big names – Will Smith and Ben Affleck, respectively. The stories couldn’t be more different – one’s a super-serious drama, and the other is a violent period gangster flick – but they are both, again, sadly forgettable. Collateral Beauty contains a single making-of featurette, while Live By Night sports a handful of featurettes, a commentary, and deleted scenes.
So. Monster Trucks (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). A kiddie film about trucks that are also monsters. Or monsters that are also trucks. And they costar with Matthew Lillard. Because, of course they do. It’s just… I mean… I am not the audience for this. I assume that kids are. Kids who love monsters who are trucks. And Matthew Lillard. This, then, is for them. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
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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Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, and Nick Frost wrap up their Cornetto Trilogy in epic fashion with 
Here we are at the fully remastered high definition edition of 
It seems we’re in a golden age of witty, intelligent coming-of-age flicks, what with The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The Way Way Back, and 
Just in time for the forthcoming holiday regeneration of the 11th Doctor into the 12th, the BBC brings fans back to the very first instance our favorite Time Lord changed his appearance with the 1st Doctor William Hartnell’s swan song story 
The best thing I can say about 
There are no direwolves or Steve Buscemi, but HBO’s 
The great thing about 
The highest praise I can give pure popcorn entertainment like 
For any fan of music and the seemingly magical craft that goes into producing hits, the documentary 
While much of the bloom has been taken off Woodward and Bernstein in the years since their massive scoop, there’s still something empowering about the mythologizing the duo get in 
Fox has dropped another one of their periodic nuggets of catalogue gold with the high definition arrival of Joanne Woodward’s tour de force as the troubled housewife suffering from multiple personality disorder in 
If you’ve ever wanted to see a grim, disheartening, and thoroughly dour take on Superman, then Zack Snyder’s drab 
Yes, yes – Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, and know there’s plenty of folksy charm to be had in the TV movie of Kenny Rogers 
Fans of the late, great Ernie Kovacs will want to pick up the straight-from-the-vaults-and-unseen-since-its-original-broadcast DVD debut of 
When Mother Goose has rhymer’s block, it’s up to Elmo to try and save the day in 
Kids can get their winter fix of Dora with 
Following up on the super-massive release of the complete classic era of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comes the equally super-massive 
There are still people winging about 3D TVs in the home being a novelty, but when that novelty can give me nifty nature documentaries like 
While I consider it to be the least of their efforts, I could still find something to like about Pixar’s Cars and its sequel, but there’s no charm to be found in the rather crass cash-in 
Spawned in the mid-90’s and based on a pulp comic book, 
It’s a bit bloated and unwieldy, but I have to admit that I have quite a fondness for Richard Attenborough’s biopic 
Got more kitchen utensils than space? Countertops and drawers at a premium? How brilliant is the 
Those wonderful purveyors of fine comic appreciation over at Twomorrows have decided to focus on the creator of the landmark comic series Bone with 
The animation isn’t the best, but what 
It’s no Broadcast News, but 
Oh, Warner Archive. I do so love how you’re releasing every marginal and obscure Hanna-Barbera cartoon in your vast library. So thank you for the a release like the set containing the complete runs of both 
It’s not as well put together as the UK original, but there’s certainly some interesting genealogical twists and turns to be found in the 1st season of the US 
It’s no Rocky, but there is a charm to 
Wrap up the second half of 
I find Clint Eastwood’s films can be hit-or-miss for me, with every great flick like Unforgiven matched by a disappointing one like Gran Torino. His stab at the supernatural, 
Hal-shark. Half-octopus. All schlock. Yeah, that pretty much sums up Roger Corman’s 
If The Departed was Scorsese’s attempt to get a hold on Boston, Ben Affleck’s 
Write all of those holiday gift thank you letters in the most beautiful and pretentious way possible with the 
I greatly enjoyed the first Nanny McPhee movie, and hoped against hope that Emma Thompson would be able to maintain the same level of Poppins-esque whimsy, heart, and humor she captured so well. Thankfully, 
Going in, I didn’t know quite what to expect from 
It’s always nice to see a new collection of Groucho material, even if it’s all culled from the public domain – that doesn’t mean it’s something I’ve seen. 
If you want a prime example of exactly how NOT to capitalize on public knowledge of a pop culture fixture for a big screen relaunch, look no further than the lifeless, drab take on 
Fans who seemingly didn’t watch the poor-rated show when it was on can now partake of the final clutch of episodes via 
If your kids liked Happy Feet and really want to see a movie about owls, then 
It’s with a bit of a whimper that the once-riveting 
I must admit, I do so love an old school, cat & mouse thriller of the kind that Hitchcock and Carol Reed would make, and that’s exactly the type of methodically taut pace found in 
Try as I might, I couldn’t get into Steve Coogan’s latest sitcom foray, 
All good things must end, even if that ending came over 30 years ago. Such is the case with the release of the sixth and final season of 
Alan Davies is back as sleuthing magician 
Simon Schama turns his historical eye towards examining American History and explaining how the past informs the nation’s present in his excellent documentary 
Paramount rolls out another pair of much0requested catalogue titles onto Blu-Ray with Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon in Alexander Payne’s 
The latest star to get the Warners box set spotlight treatment arrives in the form of the 
I’m sorry, but I can’t watch Mark Wahlberg without two things coming to mind now – his abysmal performance in The Happening and Andy Samberg’s scathing impersonation on SNL. With those both in mind, watching Wahlberg in 
The Douglas family are back with the second volume of their first season, and I challenge you to get the theme song to 
Though I still think of him as the 5th Doctor, Peter Davison also starred as Detective Constable “Dangerous” Davies in 
It’s not nearly as groundbreaking or funny as his previous landmark specials, but Chris Rock’s 
John Frankenheimer’s still compelling portrait of 
Anyone interested in cinema history would do well to pick up a copy of the mega documentary 
Crytozoology nuts probably eat up the sensationalist style of 
The spooks of 
The film is still an overwrought tearjearker, but 
Sound the alarms and rouse the kids, as the 5th season of 
The Cold Case Unit is back on the case (yes, I wrote that) in the 3rd season of the UK’s excellent answer to CSI, 
Another blink and you missed it series comes to DVD with 
It holds no sway for me, but I have known my nephew’s eyes to be glued to Nick’s Back To The Barnyard, so I’m sure he’ll delight in the 5-episode collection 
It’s time for this week’s classics corner, as the BBC release another of their literary adaptations sets – 
Oh, National Lampoon. Your brand means absolutely nothing now. Nothing at all. My proof?