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…)
It’s long-established that HBO’s The Wire (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$199.98 SRP) is a brilliant piece of television that if you’ve yet to watch it, you must rectify such a grievous oversight immediately. And now you can do so in full high definition, remastered from the original 35mm elements. There has been some controversy and debate because, in addition to a stunning remastering, the series has also been adjusted from its original 1.33 presentation into 1.85 widescreen, in what series creator David Simon has dubbed an “alternate version”. So, does it work? It does. The show looks like it could be airing now. As far as bonus features are concerned, you get 22 audio commentaries, a trio of prequels, four behind-the-scenes documentaries – all from the original DVD releases – plus a brand new Paley Center reunion.
I was delighted to find out that the wondrous wonderkins at Sideshow were going to begin distributing the line of 1/6th-scale Harry Potter figures from StarAce, as it was one of those partnerships that seemed to make a ridiculous amount of sense. So, who is the first figure from this relationship to make its way to American shores? None other than the dark wizard himself, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-But-I’ll-Name-Him-Anyway, Lord Voldemort ($190). As you can quite clearly see, the figure sculpt and paint ops are absolutely stunning, perfectly capturing Ralph Fiennes’ likeness as it was portrayed in the series. And the sculpt is complemented nicely by the costuming, with the added element of being able to affix additional poseable cloth pieces to simulate Voldemort’s occasional wraith-robe effect. Your accessories include both Voldemort’s bone wand and the elder wand (with optional energy beam attachments), flame for his hand, and a swappable head. It would have been great if they’d been able to include Nagini, but hey – he’s still great, regardless.
Another month brings another sterling entry in Disney’s remastered and expanded Legacy Collection of soundtrack re-releases, with the latest being the 1955 animated classic Lady And The Tramp (Walt Disney Records, $20.99 SRP). In addition to the original score, there’s also a second disc filled with demos and “Lost Chords” re-creations of deleted material, plus extensive liner notes.
J.B. Kaufman’s epic Pinocchio: The Making Of The Disney Epic (The Walt Disney Family Foundation Press, $50 SRP) is an incredibly comprehensive tome that harkens back to the glorious making-of books of yore, full of rarities and providing a comprehensive insight into the films conception, development, production, and legacy.
As a child of the 80s, and a comic book fan, I was well and truly steeped in the Venn alignment of Larry Hama’s now-legendary run on Marvel’s GI Joe comic. That’s probably why I find IDW’s first class treatment of that run via their still-ongoing GI Joe: The Complete Collection (IDW, $49.99 SRP), which feature completely remastered archival presentations of those issues packaged in snazzy hardcover form, to be such a kick. The seventh volume has just hit, bringing us up to issue number #67, plus the 4th Yearbook and Special Missions #6-8.
If you’re keen on seeing Will Smith be all suave as a master con artist who gets involved with a young novice who then reenters his life years later as a master manipulator, upsetting both his game and his heart, then Focus (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP) is the weekend viewing for you. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, an alternate opening, and featurettes.
While they’ve offered his iconic question mark sweater and scarf in the past, now you can finally complete his ensemble with the Seventh Doctor’s Umbrella ($34.99), featuring its instantly-recognizable question mark handle. Brilliant.
Tweak your pop culture sweet spot with another bit of throwback wonderment, as Diamond Select Toys releases the second in their series of deluxe “Legendary Marvel Super-Heroes” figures, Captain America (Diamond Select Toys, $80). Not only do you get a retro-tastic re-creation of the original Mego Captain America figure in its original costume, but you also get an modern-style costume and head, a Steve Rogers head & costume, and both versions of Cap’s shield.
The fine folks at Olive have delivered another batch of deep catalogue high definition debuts with the release of Terry Jones’s Erik The Viking (Olive, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Graham Chapman’s Yellowbeard (Olive, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), and the goofy 80s cliché Ski School (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP).
While Welcome To Me (Alchemy, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) is a charming comedy, the real reason to plunk down to watch it is to sit and marvel at the unaffected charm of Kristen Wiig’s performance as an off-kilter woman who wins the lottery and decides to use the money to start her own talk show, much to the dismay of everyone else in her life. Bonus materials include a featurette, but sadly not another 90 minutes with Wiig.
Fantagraphics lovingly presented 7th volume of Floyd Gottfredson’s run on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip, March Of The Zombies (Fantagraphics, $34.99 SRP). This volume brings the mouse’s adventures up to the second World War, with the focus being on Uncle Sam’s desire for Mickey’s “Lectro Box” laser weapon. Alongside their Peanuts collections, these books reinforce the assessment that no one is doing archival comic collections as well as Fantagraphics.
The modern Turtles recently made their triumphant comeback to the Big Apple, but you can flashback to their 3-part battle with the Shredder in the 2003 series with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: NYC Showdown (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP).
While many today know him for his design work, that the legendary Alex Toth produced a barely-seen comic book about a dashing pilot that could exist in the same universe as The Rocketeer will come as a giddy surprise. And it should, because Bravo For Adventure (IDW, $34.99 SRP) is beautiful fun full of derring-do and flair to burn. It’s a shame he was never able to do any more, but the folks at IDW have presented this one in proper deluxe form.
Hoping to cut the legs out from under all of those awful-looking public domain releases floating out there, CBS has released another complete season of beautifully remastered Cartwright adventures on the Ponderosa with Bonanza: The Official Eighth Season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP). Bonus features include audio commentaries, Chevrolet commercials, a vintage interview and featurette, a lost short film, and more.
Catch up with a pair of post-apocalyptic TNT originals with the complete fourth season of Falling Skies (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) and the debut season of The Last Ship (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP). Bonus features include commentaries, featurettes, and the 2014 San Diego Comic Con panels for both shows.
We’re entering the home stretch of the long-running British staple with the release of Last Of The Summer Wine: Vintage 2004 (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), as the aging cast still manages to evoke a warm chuckle at their outsize antics in the show’s 25th season.
This week’s soundtrack round-up kicks off with Murray Gold’s score to Doctor Who: Season 8 (Silva Screen Records, $29.98 SRP), the inaugural run for Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor. Then you can take a trip to tomorrow, today with Michael Giacchino’s score to Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland (Walt Disney Records, $13.58 SRP). And finally, check out my buddy Joe Kramer’s score to Dawn Patrol (Lakeshore, $9.49 SRP).
While I have a cultural awareness, I do not have an emotional attachment to the late 90s/early-aughts era of wrestling dubbed by the WWE The Attitude Era (DK, $25 SRP). But my friend Hal? HUGE attachment. Ridiculously so. So this book – full of photos, factoids, and behind-the-scenes insights and reflections from those involved – is for superfans like Hal.
If your kids have been pleading for the return of Dreamworks Animation’s racing snail, their calls have been answered with the small screen return collected in Turbo Fast: Season One (Dreamworks, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). The 3-disc set collects all 26 rip-roaring adventures.
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
##
The magic wonder-wand has touched Glen Larson’s original, non-grimdark tale of galactic refugees on the run from the Cylon empire, giving fans 
He may have been one of the stiffest, most awkward hosts ever to have risen to television prominence, but it was on the strength of his legendary (and soon-to-be-legendary) guests that he became an icon, and those incredible guests are why 
For those that missed the boat on the stellar prop replica put out by Master Replicas ages ago but wanted something more robust than the plastic alternatives currently available, Thinkgeek’s 
Amazing we got to his centennial before getting a near-definitive documentary on a legend, but better now than never comes 
In the fallow period between the end of the Smothers Brothers’ show and the paunch of Saturday Night Live, the only destination on your dial to catch the hippest music and comedy acts was NBC’s Friday night staple, 
The 75th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s final UK film, 
I loved to draw when I was a kid, and I would often find myself doodling beloved cartoon and comic characters. It should come as no surprise, then, that I own many dog-eared and much-loved “How To Draw” books released over the years by the folks at Walter Foster. For years, they’ve had 
As someone who has observed firsthand the kind of downward mental spiral the befalls Julianne Moore’s character after she’s diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s as the titular character in 
Take a collection of musicians including Elvis Costello, T Bone Burnett, Marcus Mumford, and more, add in a batch of recently discovered Bob Dylan lyrics, and as those artists to set them to music – that’s exactly the remarkable process 
While it’s not necessary to read 
The wonderful work that Criterion has been doing with their restoration and high definition release of the Charlie Chaplin library continues with the release of one of Chaplin’s later works, 
The story behind Star Trek‘s adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s script for the now-legendary episode The City On The Edge Of Forever, and Ellison” intense dissatisfaction with the changes the staff made to his vision, is well-known within the fan community. Thanks to IDW, those fans can now experience his version with the graphic novel adaptation of 
It’s a shame that 
Only the BBC could produce a show like 
You can never have too many books exploring that legendary galaxy far, far away, so just try to refrain from devouring 
Listen, I shouldn’t have to sell you on watching a film called 
It’s certainly not a classic, but there’s certainly laughs to be found in the first season of 
Better late than never comes 
Scott Glenn has always been an actor capable of holding my attention in anything he’s in, and he remains so as a serial killer hiding out in a small town as 
Rescued from the mists of time, the classic newspaper strip adventures of the man of steel and the dark knight detective continue with 
If, like me, you still mourn the passing of quality history-based content on The History Channel, the photo and info-dense 
It’s a bit frustrating that Nickelodeon still hasn’t given their beautiful new Ninja Turtles series proper high definition season sets like Cartoon Network has been doing for Adventure Time, because the show certainly deserves it. Until then, we’re getting standard definition single-disc releases like 
Fish out of water culture clash comedy is always fertile territory, and Greg Poehler’s 
Well, I mean, the best you can say for the direct-to-video animated special 
History buffs with fond memories of parking in front of the pre-Aliens and idiots heyday of The History Channel will lose themselves in 
A Russian family man tries to extricate itself from under the thumb of a corrupt mayor in the gripping import 
When 3 soldiers – one Lebanese, one Israeli, and one American – are accidentally trapped together when a lockdown mechanism is triggered in a secret base, the trio are forced to either work together or die together in the dramedy 
Kiddies can learn their math skills with 
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends both human and furry star in various canine-themed tales in 
As a child, I must have watched 
Disney’s incredible series of fully remastered and expanded soundtrack special editions continues with the 4-disc 
Overshadowed by splashier studio fare like Big Hero 6 and How To Train Your Dragon 2 in theaters, home video is the perfect second chance to experience the delightfully offbeat animated comedy 
The performance sparks you hope for when you hear that Robert Downey, Jr. is playing a big city lawyer who returns to his childhood hometown when his estranged father, a local judge played by Robert Duvall, is accused of murder are there in spades in the brisk 
Catch up with Cartoon Network’s continuing winning streak of quirky animated kids fare with the inaugural DVD releases of 
I didn’t think it possible to release so many quality new-to-HD catalogue releases each month, but the folks at Olive consistently prove me wrong, as they drop a new clutch of beuts including Frank Capra’s 
You take the good, you take the bad, you add ’em up and there you have 
While you’re waiting for the next full-season Blu-Ray collection, bide your time with the single-disc 
Even a broken watch is correct twice a day, and such is the case with Keanu Reeves in 
It’s sad that the latest DC animated film, 
Jeremy Renner stars as Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb in 
Hoping to expand with an aging audience, Dora explores adolescence in 
The 4k restoration done for its 30th anniversary has done wonders for 
Of all Disney’s famous group of legendary animators, the one whose works crosses the most disciplines is the one spotlighted in the excellent new 
I’m a big fan of ephemera books that pull together facsimiles of rare materials into beautiful tomes celebrating a given subject, so it should come as no surprise that I really dig 
I can’t recall a time when Disney opened up the vault and unleashed such a title wave of catalogue titles as they have this week, but animation and just good ol’ Disney fans should be delighted by the deluge, seeing as how it contains beautifully restored high definition editions of 
It’s never too early for Halloween viewing, so make a double feature out of the high definition release of The Adventures Of Ichabod & Mr. Toad with the home video debut of last year’s Pixar special 
Why does Shout Factory remain a fan favorite? Because they consistently cater to fans with wonderful, brilliantly presented, quirky collections like 
If you’re anything like me (and don’t you wish you were!), then you’re looking for just about anything to reaffirm your faith in all things good and strike from your noggin the horrible vision of Michael Bay’s steroidal Ninja Turtles monstrosity. Guess what? You can do just that with the deluxe coffee-table appropriate 
And speaking of context, you can get even more of an insight into the Turtles’ history with the brand new documentary 
While it is far, far, FAR from the Emmerich/Devlin disaster of the 90s,, the chief factor that makes the newest American take on Toho’s giant lizard a profound disappointment is the decided lack of Godzilla in 
If the recent big screen relaunch has whet your appetite to binge on some more classic thunder lizard action, look no further than the high-def debut of not one, not two, but 6 more classic Godzilla films in The Toho Godzilla Collection. Fully remastered, the films include 
Criterion’s banner year for high definition releases with a pair of much-requested, much-anticipated titles – David Lynch’s 
We may still be months and months from the premiere of the final season in 2015, but you can pass the time with the feature-laden sixth season of 
Made a few years back but just now getting its home video debut, 
Ignore the profoundly disappointing first 3/4 of the season when so much potential was left on the table in favor of an inert mess and fast forward to when 
Thankfully, the Warner Archive continues to offer high definition Blu-Ray releases of their animated series, with the release of 
For more years than I can recall, the amiable scholars at Twomorrows have been publishing a wide range of magazine and books chronicling every nook and cranny of the comics, creators, characters, and companies fans know and love. They took that love and scholarly approach to the next logical step when they launched their must-have document of four-color history in the 
Speaking of Twomorrows and their comics scholarship, they’ve just released 
By all means, watch all of the episodes featured on the new 
Carrie Brownstein & Fred Armisen’s 
It’s remarkable just how fast DC seems to churn out their animated comics adaptations when their live action films seem to take forever and a day. The latest toon is 
The oasis of normality Rick and the survivors established at the prison is threatened by more than just zombies in 
After three seasons of increasing battiness, 
They’re not quite up to the level of what we see from the BBC, but Disney’s nature documentaries are quite fine in their own right, owing more to the narrative-based tradition the studio pioneered in their “True Life Adventures” series. The latest is 
The residents of Bikini Bottom indulge in ghoulish delights in the 
Shout Factory further solidifies their position as the number one purveyor of classic TV shows with another of their lovingly presented complete series sets, this time for the 70s favorite 
Those infuriated by Paramount’s scattershot approach to divvying up bonus features as retailer exclusives for their original release of Star Trek Into Darkness finally have the chance to get all of those bonus features in one place, but only if they buy the film packaged with the first JJ Abrams Trek in the 4-disc 
Sigh. I so, so wanted 
The BBC has opened up its vaults to commemorate the anniversary of WWI with a handful for dramas set around the Great War, most of which are making their DVD debut. Now available are Daniel Radcliffe as Rudyard Kipling’s doomed offspring in 
Continue to get your Brit on with a clutch of new BBC releases, including the first season of 
It’s a light bit of fluff, but the only reason 
Emily Thorne’s plan for vengeance against the Graysons take a new bent in the third season of 
Patrice Chereau’s cinematic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s novel 
It tries very hard to recapture some of the affable nature of The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates, but the re-team of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in 
While I have great affection for the flawed remake starring Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, the original Ernst Lubitsch 
There have been many books that purported to present the definitive history of the original Star Trek. Much like Roshomon, many presented a perspective on the show’s genesis. But we’ve finally got the overview that incorporates all of those memories plus original memos, documents, and interviews and places them in a comprehensive context – 
And speaking of Star Trek, explore the golden age of trading cards with Abrams ComicArts’s 
Hey! Are you an Adventure Time fan, desperate for some kind of book to keep you company? Then, HEY! Get 
Every so often, I’ll get a lovely surprise in the mail from John Swartzwelder (the brilliant writer behind 59 episodes of The Simpsons). I’ve said it before, and I shall continue to say it as long as he continues to write them – If you’ve not yet read his series of brilliantly comic novels starring dim detective Frank Burly, than you do not deserve to be literate. So yes, do catch up, and also pick up the latest – 
After publishing quite wonderful volumes collecting the Mickey Mouse newspaper strips by Floyd Gottfredson in black & white, the fine folks at Fantagraphics have released the first volume in glorious color – 
For more years than I can recall, the amiable scholars at Twomorrows have been publishing a wide range of magazine and books chronicling every nook and cranny of the comics, creators, characters, and companies fans know and love. Earlier this year, they took that love and scholarly approach to the next logical step, by launching a must-have document of four-color history in the 
While it started on somewhat shaky ground, now that we’ve arrived at the third season of 
To expect anything from Baz Luhrmann but a bloated technicolor extravaganza is to have a poor memory of his filmic inclinations, so it should be no surprise that his take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 
I have no problem summing up my experience of watching the Oscar-winning drama 
Find out the ultimate punchline when a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost cohabitate in the fifth and final season of the original UK version of 
Make a rip-roaring adventurous mashup between A Bug’s Life, Fern Gully, and Fantastic Voyage and you get the appropriately named 
Time has not made 
If you’ve got kids in your life, do them a favor by giving them the gift of the latest pair of Scholastic Storybook Treasures releases – the Mo Willems collection 
I’m not as terribly big fan of Disney’s cash-grab direct-to-video sequels from a few years back. Some of have been tolerable, most atrocious, and very rare is one that is somewhat good. The Peter Pan sequel 
It’s refreshing to see Keifer Sutherland in a more nuanced and adult portrayal of a post-9/11 world in 
What the Warner Archive has perfected, particularly with its animated releases, is a very clever and utterly successful manipulation of nostalgia which makes purchasing their releases inevitable. They know they have us with the Hanna-Barbera collection releases of the complete 
This week’s TV sets bring both NCIS series and the still sparkling courtroom tales of Alicia Florrick. First up, we’ve got 
I’m not entirely sure what happened to David Zucker, but the man behind sublime spoofs like Airplane! and Police Squad is almost entirely absent from the ham-fisted 
It’s no Tango & Cash, but what 
It’s still not my cup of tea compared to the sublime Sherlock, but it seems CBS’ own take on a modern Holmes, 
After a shambling second season, hopes were high for the third season of 
One of the marks of a good documentary is it makes you care about a subject you hadn’t considered giving a second thought to, and that’s certainly the case with 
There’s a delightfully dada quality to 
BBC Earth releases a trio of their brilliant and beautiful documentaries to high definition with the Blu-Ray release of 
I’m a sucker for “Art Of” books for animated films, meaning 
Based on a long-running UK drama, 
It doesn’t really hang together as a film, but 
Brian Bonsall was moving front-and-center as Tina Yothers’ hair grew ever larger in the sixth season of 
The kids can pile into the Magic School Bus with an all new eco-friendly release – 
About as far from Frasier Crane as you can get, Kelsey Grammer returns as powerful and embattled Chicago mayor Tom Kane in the second season of 
There are few comedies as gut-bustingly funny as The History Channel’s miniseries 
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the kid vs. zombies flick 
Featuring an adjustable 27″ long gooseneck and a universal holder for your smart phone or handheld music player, the 
I do believe I have almost as many copies of 
After the lackluster second outing followed by years passing without a sequel – and a very visible aging of the two leads – I was quite wary regarding the prospect that 
There were some that had issues with it, but I played through and enjoyed the first Epic Mickey, which not only brought Mickey Mouse into the modern video game era, but managed to bring Walt Disney’s first major character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and a lot of Disney history along for the ride. And now we have 
Earlier this year, Paul McCartney ventured into the Capitol Studios to record an evening of him performing his album of standards, Kisses On The Bottom, live and with special guests. 
The number of cases on the docket are dwindling fast, as we come to the first volume from the penultimate eighth season of 
If you’re in the mood to see a horror movie that doesn’t work and would be a strong candidate to be featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, then 
Once a staple of the holiday season, two classic festive episodes of The Danny Kaye Show have been brought together on 
It’s not the show that I love, but kids today are who will want to partake of their generation’s robots in disguise with the second season of 
A postapocalyptic band of survivors (including Shawn Ashmore & Dominic Monaghan) holed up in an abandoned farmhouse find themselves having to defend themselves from vicious predators in 
Baseball nuts will probably want to pick up the official Major League Baseball presentation of the 
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 
As its original run was airing, I would rarely miss a new episode of 
With the 
The gap between releases is an endurance test, but when a new Cinematic Titanic Live DVD arrives, the beautiful little comedy gem makes you forget just how long it’s been since the last one. And oh, does 
Another month, another pair of classic Doctor Who releases bringing us that much closer to having all of the almost 30 years of stories on DVD. And this month brings a pair of corkers – Patrick Troughton’s 2nd Doctor in 
Yes, 
I’ve said it before, and I shall continue to say it as long as he continues to write them – If you’ve not yet read John Swartzwelder’s series of brilliantly comic novels starring dim detective Frank Burly, than you do not deserve to be literate. So yes, do catch up, and also pick up the latest – 
The fine folks at Fantagraphics continue to do more to keep classic Disney characters in front of audiences than Disney does, with the release of both the 3rd volume collecting Floyd’s Gottfredson’s classic Mickey Mouse comic strip, 
And speaking of a company doing fine work for those who truly love comics, the folks at Twomorrows have released a pair of books which are both worth picking up – 
While the US remake has me worried, the must-see feature film is getting it’s US debut soon and the original UK series has finally been released in the US. So what does that mean? That means you should get 
The show may be running out of steam, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had in the 4th season of 
Warners has brought a pair of much-requested sci-fi titles to high definition with the arrival of Peter Hyams’ 
Been waiting for another UCB movie? I have. Is there another UCB movie, written and helmed by Matt Besser and starring his brilliant partners? Yes, there is. Does it have dance? Not only does it have dance, it has 
Still one of the greatest concert movies ever put to film, 
Seeing as how every season since the third has gotten a concurrent high-definition releases, Warners has gone back to fill in the blanks with high-definition releases of 
Yeah, I don’t know if I really wanted to catch up with the characters of American Pie almost 15 years later, and seeing them coming to terms with adulthood and families and maturity and stagnation in 
What a world we live in when Mel Gibson has so damaged his reputation that his new film essentially goes direct-to-video, as is the case with the action flick 
Many years ago, the book 
There’s nothing altogether wrong about 
Hans Zimmer’s score to 
For a unique view of history, look no further than 
Warners, MGM, and Sony have all jumped into the MOD catalogue business, but one of the studios with the biggest libraries has finally arrived on the scene with the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives, dropping 15 never-before-released titles that cinema fans are sure to want to snap up. That initial batch is comprised of 
MGM’s MOD Limited Edition Collection has dropped a new clutch of titles from the vault, the highlights of which are Dave Thomas and Sally Kellerman in the 
Disney continues to fulfill their promise to unleash a slew of catalogue titles on Blu-Ray this year, with this week bringing a new release, including Robert Redford in 
The 
If you’ve got kids, Scholastic’s ever-expanding library of animated adaptations of children’s books is worth picking up, the latest of which is 
In this week’s reality dump, we get another pseudo-nailbiting season of 
Slowly but surely we’re creeping towards catching up as Roy Clarke’s long-running 
Jon Pertwee’s 3rd Doctor finally escapes his banishment to Earth and travels into space in the new-to-DVD adventure 
When I was a kid, so very long ago, hand-propelled paper airplanes were perfectly fine. For today’s kids, something more is needed – such as 
I love how the DVD revolution has made it possible for just about every TV show you can imagine to wriggle out of the woodwork and get a release. Case in point – the complete run of 
I think the announcement of its arrival in a definitive high definition collection was both a surprise and a delight to diehard fans, but I’m sure the latter outweighs the former now that they can lay their grubby little paws on their very own copy of 
One of the most iconic movie musicals ever produced makes its high definition debut in grand style, as 
It’s flawed in many ways and suffers from an inadequate budget for its lofty concept, but there’s quite a bit of charm that makes Neil Gaiman’s 
It was brilliant seeing League Of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton in the grim and gritty crime drama 
Celebrate its 25th anniversary with a brand new special edition of Sam Raimi’s classic schlock horror film 
If you’re a history buff, you’ll probably be as fascinated and gripped by the remarkable color footage you’ll find, presented for the first time in high definition, found within the 
For the kids in your life, this week brings 
MGM has dipped into their library for a trio of titles to get the high definition treatment, including the original, much much better version of 
And speaking of MGM dipping into their library, they’ve also unleashed a new clutch of titles from their MOD Limited Edition Collection, including the Morey Amsterdam comedy 
It doesn’t hold a candle to the original UK series, but the first season of the American 
Underappreciated in its day and largely overlooked today, if you’ve yet to see the short-lived Michael Mann series 
It was only a matter of time before History Channel fond a way to make a spin-off from their popular Pawn Stars, and the one they chose was to focus on the gent that show had doing restorations on the antiques brought to the show. So with 
Now that we’ve reached a point where nearly every extant classic Doctor Who story has been released, the BBC have very nicely decided to go back and revisit many of their early releases and make them bona fide special editions. The latest to get the treatment is the Tom Baker story 
Who wants regular old boring ice when you can have ice from an 
Although I originally watched the re-teaming of Tristram Shandy‘s Michael Winterbottom, Steve Coogan, & Rob Brydon in its original 6-part television form, the feature version of 
I was a huge, instant fan of 
Honestly, 
It’s a little bit Strangers On A Train, Throw Momma From The Train, 9 To 5, and I Love You To Death, and I wasn’t expecting to like 
I know at times I shared some of the frustrations that fellow gamers had with the title, but overall I enjoyed the massive love letter that Epic Mickey was to classic Disney animation. That’s probably why I enjoyed exploring the design process of the game via 
You’ve never seen evil quite so chilling as when it’s in the form of an 8-year-old little girl, as it is in one of the great suspense films of all time, 
Kudos to David Boreanaz for the continued success of 
It’s been 10 years, but Aqua Teen Hunger Force is still going strong. Of course, it’s now calling itself 
Listen – 
For all its desperation to make itself a loving homage to Spielberg, Super 8 is a crass wannabe next to Nick Frost & Simon Pegg’s alien road trip 
Adding to the mystery presented to viewers all those years ago, the introduction of River Song in the episode “Silence In The Library” found the enigmatic Dr. Song in possession of her very own Sonic Screwdriver, given to her by The Doctor in the future and an advanced version, no less. Now you can own your very own 
If you tend to think of Mickey Mouse as nothing more than a bland corporate spokesman, prepare to be both fascinated and delighted by the incredible comic strip adventures of the 30’s by Floyd Gottfredson, collected for the first time in 
Oh, they’re coming fast & furious now. What, you ask? More classic Doctor Who adventures – this time the Tom Baker story 
Let’s all forget about the American abomination and just re-watch the from-front-to-back enjoyable 16th season of the original UK 
Although only one of them was made as a period piece, enough time has passed that both 
If you’re a big fan of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett’s post-MST3K endeavor Rifftrax, you owe it to yourself to partake of the heightened energy of a pair of recent live show releases that were originally beamed to theaters around the country – 
With the recent resurgence in popularity of Nickelodeon’s 90’s line-up – or, at least Nickelodeon’s acknowledgement that there is a fanbase out there – it should come as no surprise that those fans will now be able to pick up the complete first season of 
I’ve made no secret of my intense hatred – borne of even more intense disappointment – in 
If Pineapple Express was a stoner action flick, than the rather obviously named 
While Pixar and Dreamworks get most of the attention, let’s not overlook the equally enjoyable films from other studios that don’t get the attention, like Blu Sky Studios fun, funny tale of a domesticated macaw intent on returning to his roots in South America in 
I admit, there’s a fondness in my heart for 
Get your fix of manly-man movies in high definition with the release of both 
I’m a big fan of Berkely Breathed’s children’s book 
During that period when Hanna-Barbera was just crankin’ out feature-length specials of just about all of their characters, George & Jane Jetson’s eldest daughter got her own, featuring a witch, a teen idol, aliens, and even Elroy. And the folks at the Warner Archive Collection have made 
Oh, the 80’s was just packed full of mediocre animated series that inspired dedicated fans who’ve grown up to have disposable cash and a desire to relive their rose-tinted memories – Which is why we have 
It’s still not The Hudsucker Proxy, but I’m still happy about the high definition arrival of 
Get your literary drama on with a pair of releases from A&E sure to delight the higher-brows amongst you. The first is the 
Curious how timing works out such that the 5th season of 
See Brits survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland and make the journey to a distant planet to make a new start in 
My nephews will be delighted to see another volume of the Frosty Freezy Freeze fans and crime-fighting duo back for another batch of episodes in 
Some are fascinating, but I’m not one for re-living that horrible day, but from a historical perspective the documentaries collected in the 
If I were to choose the giant robot cartoon that left the biggest mark on my childhood psyche (after Transformers), it would have to be Voltron. Watching the 7 remastered episodes contained in 
While my favorite remains The Great Dictator, there’s no denying that 
Kids love to spill drinks. I don’t for a minute think it’s an accident – I believe it’s all premeditated. You can undermine their evil plans with the 
Hot on the heels of the first season’s arrival comes the second season of 
Warner Bros. has done another spectacular restoration job on one of their catalogue gems, this time with the high definition edition of 1935’s 
As CGI and flash have come to dominate content in documentaries in recent years, there’s still something timeless and powerful in the direct, unvarnished simplicity of presentation in the seminal (and massive) 
Let us all take a holiday journey into the uncanny valley with Robert Zemeckis’s latest unfortunate excursion into motion capture awkwardness, 
A few years back, a rather unique and wonderful little animated series called Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted on Nickelodeon. It was full of adventure and populated by strong, interesting characters living in an expansive world and caught up in an epic story. Sadly, all of these wonderful elements were lost in translation to the live action 
While you’re busy waiting for the next season to come out on DVD, you can tide yourself over with 
Fully remastered, another holiday perennial makes is available this season with the release of Rankin Bass’s 
I’m still not exactly sure why the travesty that is Troll 2 has been gifted with a celebratory documentary, 
The books of Beverly Cleary were a favorite when I was a kid, and while some of the spirit has been toned down, there’s still some life in 
It’s not Blu-Ray, but 
Seeking to make the viewing experience a bit more interactive, Disney has developed the “Mickey Mote” accessory for use with their newest preschool DVD releases. Essentially, it’s a kid-friendly, Mickey Mouse-shaped remote that them to answer questions when in “Discovery Mode”. The first DVDs out of the gate – 
In March of 2010, musical theater’s best & brightest assembled to celebrate Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday, recorded for posterity on 
One of Nipsy Russell’s finest roles (and one of Diana Ross’s most age inappropriate) comes to high definition with the release of 
It’s an interesting score, to be sure, but I can’t help but feel that composer Alexandre Desplat is just marking time with his score to 
It’s about time a tribute was put together for one of the landmark comedians of the last 30 years, and 
How about a whole bunch of TV series wrapping up their DVD releases? You’ve got 
Let me be perfectly blunt – History Channel… If you continue to produce unsubstantiated dreck like 
Now that we’ve reached 
Recalling the good old days of Paramount’s rapid, clockwork release of the Trek series on standard DVD, the remastered high-def edition of 
Ever since they first came on the market, I’ve been ridiculously entranced by digital picture frames. Just the space-age idea that you could have shifting photos within a traditional-looking picture frame makes the 7-year-old me go “Cool.” Sad? Maybe – but the 
A few years back, Warner Bros. released a positively revelatory special edition of The Wizard Of Oz on DVD. The picture had never – ever, even in its theatrical release – looked and sounded better. Well, with the release in high-def of 
For all of the comedy and loopy fun that Dreamworks puts into the films CG-animated they release, they really can’t make a visually appealing flick to save their lives. Look no further than 
It’s nice that, every once in awhile, a comedy will come down the pike that remembers how enjoyable humor based on character can be – and such is the case with 
The playing field is littered with the bodies of many serials that attempted to make a go of it on the net, but one of the few actual success stories gets a DVD release with 
Ah, but that’s not the only History Channel program that benefits from a bump up to high-def – also add the complete 3rd season of 
Color me stunned that we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original UK miniseries 
Making holiday viewing that much easier this year, Disney has put together a standalone release of the still-great 
Of all of the direct-to-video animated DC Universe titles to come down the pike, the one that’s gotten the most right – in tone, character, and execution – is 
I love when companies finally remember that they’ve left us dangling with abandoned classic TV releases and restart the process, as Paramount has done in giving us the penultimate 4th season of 
Hugh Jackman – I understand that the success of the first abysmal film gave you a Hollywood career, and the second and third abysmal films cemented the studio’s belief that you were the key to their success, but do you think you could get, oh, I don’t know, a second reader to tell you what a crap script your solo foray as 
With the rather blunt title of 
Compiled to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first show, 
We finally – FINALLY – get a production with the Muppets playing themselves, and it turns out to be a dull, misguided affair that forgets that the Muppets are supposed to be funny and interesting. Sadly, 
It’s a shame that TV executives felt it was necessary to re-do the UK’s brilliant version for the American 
I could have done without the re-enactments, but the disturbing history repackaged in the documentary 
The only thing remarkable about the seventh season of 
The year 1971 brought the still-developing sister of Charlie Brown – Sally – and made her a fully-realized character, which is why her face adorns the cover of 
When just about every device you can think of requires some kind of battery – particularly those quickly devoured AAs – having a top-notch rechargeable battery system is an economic must. To that end, I present the 
Graham Linehan – with Arthur Matthews – is one half of the creative team behind the legendary britcom Father Ted. With 
We were given a tease of them a few years back in the big ol’ Superman box set that came out, but now the fully restored official release of 
My absolute favorite iteration of the Justice League continues to get the nice, prestige treatment it deserves (even if the characters aren’t getting it in current DC continuity) with the snazzy hardcover release of 
Warner Bros. has an immense catalogue of titles. Thousands and thousands of them. And even with their aggressive DVD release schedule, there’s no way they can get to all of them – and, economically, some of the titles have such a small appeal that it’s just not viable to do a wide release on them. Those who thought their chances of picking up some of those obscure titles were nil can rejoice in the introduction of Warner’s new Archive Collection – 
Warners and TCM turn their spotlight to another actor for a themed box set, this time delivering the 
You’ve seen all of the wonderful production art behind their feature films, well now you can pick up a handsome volume looking at 
There’s something about seeing classic musicals in full high-def that brings the energy, music, and production design to the fore. For a good example, check out the new editions of 
I thought Click was amiable fun, so I found myself enjoying the latest in Adam Sandler’s family-friendly fare, 
It’s one of the most unique animated series ever made for TV – a collaboration between French writers and Japanese animators – and there’s some fun nostalgia in tripping through the complete run of 
I’m reminded of the old days of videocassette (and my old videodiscs) when I see Disney deciding to get back into the habit of releasing themed collections of their animated shorts under the Walt Disney Animation Collection banner. The first trio are 
Explore the life and death of the 16th president with a pair of fascinating documentaries – 
It’s no Pixar flick, but 
You know those type of “prestige” pictures that have the word “PRESTIGE” attached to a club that they bludgeon the audience with, in order that we fully understand that we’re watching a “PRESTIGE” film? 
And one Oscar nominee brings an Oscar winner out on Blu-Ray, with the release of the Coen Brothers’ 
Blake & Krystle get married as – would you believe it? – Alexis schemes in the first half of 
Elmo gets a new color scheme that Kermit would find familiar in the environment-centric 
As much as I disagree with the loss of Christopher Robin, my nephews do like the CG My Friends Tigger & Pooh and the latest release, 
On the surface you could say that Jim Carrey covered much of the same ground in Liar Liar as he does in 
Rejoice, parents and recreational drug users! A new release of everyone’s favorite bizarre kiddie show comes to DVD with 
After only seven years, it’s finally senior year on 
Wrap up the first season of 
Hope is in the air that this isn’t the end, but the release of 
Over the years, I’ve hunted and hunted for a good set of portable laptop speakers that are a) actually portable, b) provide good sound, and c)don’t require any outside power supply (including batteries). My current favorite that matches all of those criteria is the 
Fans of Disney animation – both its process and history – will want to tear into the lavish hardcover 
As a complimentary volume to that, might I also suggest 
If anyone was wondering why Bryan Cranston won an Emmy for his role as a sad sack, trying to make ends meet chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides – to hell with it – to use his knowledge to make crystal meth with one of his former students, watch the first season of 
Every once in awhile, someone hits on an idea for a documentary where you just have to sit back and go, “Brilliant!” and then enjoy the heck out of it. Such is the case with 
It’s a 50/50 proposition with kids shows (which, because of my nephews, I’ve been forced to watch a lot of these past few years). Either they’re really good, or they’re abysmal. One that manages to a fun half hour is The Mighty B!, which is co-created by Amy Poehler (who provides the voice of the titular feisty girl Bessie, using a voice fans of UCB will find familiar). The first Mighty B! release – 
Years after the release of the first two seasons, Sony has decided to allay fears it had given up the ghost by releasing the third season of 
Another classic has made its way to high definition with a port of the deluxe special edition of William Friedkin’s 
I’m just this close to over the dopey, one note aww-shucksism of Michael Cera, but he manages to make it work for 
There’s nothing like spending a Saturday afternoon kicking back and watching a 70’s car chase classic like 
Bring a little Hong Kong action to your weekend with Derek Yee’s 
Want a nice primer of a few classic British series? Try 
Although it tries to be Porky’s, Risky Business, and American Pie for today’s kids hoping to sneak into an R-rated sex comedy, 
With the new edition of the musical tearing up London’s West End, take a gander at the BBC’s recent dramatic take on Dickens’ classic 
If you keen on a cheap thriller this weekend, then you’re probably thinking of something like 
Time is flying by – I can not believe we’re already to the penultimate volume of the full-color Bone volumes from Scholastic, 
Have you ever been on an airplane, or a trip, or just simply not near a power outlet or batteries when your cell phone goes dead? Or a camera? Or any other important portable device in your life? Well, you need a monkey. Nor a real monkey, silly – a 
While it’s by no means their weakest season, the eleventh season of 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – When it comes to chronicling comic book history – and the men and women that made it – Twomorrows has mastered the fine art of mixing equal parts scholarship, objectivism, and a palpable love of the medium. They’ve also now become the go-to source for tomes detailing the published exploits of a given character or superhero title with their “Companion” series, the latest of which is 
Far too soon, 
The BBC is dipping it’s toes ever-so-gingerly into the Blu-Ray waters with the release of 
Combine the space age with the rise of the hippie movement, and you’ve got the design and living spaces lovingly collected in the immense 
Often abbreviated to JRJR, John Romita, Jr. gets the 
For anyone who thought that a move to the big American network would ruin the low-rent, brutal one-upsmanship of 
First printed in 1926, 
Climb aboard the second volume of 
The animation is borderline unwatchable and the writing is subpar, but there’s quite the crappy charm remaining in the cartoons featured in the 
After the delightfully bizarre Night Court, Harry Anderson starred as the fictionalized version of columnist Dave Berry in the tepid but amiable family sitcom 
Another month, and another batch of classic Doctor Who adventures come to disc, starting with a 2-disc 25th Anniversary Edition of 
The title pretty much explains it all – 
It’s kind of sad when composer Kevin Kiner’s score for 
If you’ve ever had the desire to see mouse & cat duo Tom and Jerry engage in a slew of x-treme sports, you’ll find plenty of cartoons with the theme in the 5th volume of 
Kiddie fare (sure to entertain my nephews) this week include a pair of new Nickelodeon titles – 
Honestly, the only reason I gave 