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…)
While there seem to be some out there that feel it’s on the decline and it’s upcoming last season should be it’s last, I actually loved the now-penultimate 30 Rock: Season Six (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Yes, the characters and situations are getting more and more surreal, but the show was built to accommodate the absurdity – And any season that gives us a pair of new live episodes is ace in my book. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and featurettes.
There’s a part of my house where the wifi from my router just doesn’t seem to want to reach with any strength. Sure, it’s there – but ghostly and intermittent. Sadly, this also happens to be my den, which makes doing anything with my games systems or a laptop a nightmare. Until I put the Bounce WiFi Enhancer ($24.99) on top of one of my router’s antenna, and pointed it towards my den… And saw all of my signal troubles go away. Ridiculously simple solution, but it worked a charm.
Fans of Bloom County had been teased when that strip ended that Berkley Breathed’s humor and beloved penguin, Opus, would live on in a new strip. That tease became a reality a few months later with the introduction of the Sundays-only Outland (IDW, $39.99 SRP), which has gotten its own much-deserved release in its entirety as the next hardcover collection from the fine folks at IDW. Now we just have to get the upcoming Opus collection and we’re all done.
Hey hey! Another month, another pair of new classic Doctor Who releases to delight all of the completionist fans. First up we get William Hartnell’s 1st Doctor in Doctor Who: Planet Of Giants (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), in which an accident while landing shrinks the Doctor and his companions. Second, we get a special edition of Colin Baker’s 6th Doctor adventure Doctor Who: Vengeance On Varos (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), which adds in a whole bunch of new bonus material. As usual, both releases are packed with commentaries, featurettes, ephemera, and more.
It’s really an awful film in so many ways, but because it’s about an event I was fascinated about as a child and the actual production execution is so grand even though the story is ridiculous, I have a special place in my heart for James Cameron’s Titanic (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$54.99 SRP), which gets a serviceable if not fantastic conversion to 3D in time for its high definition release. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
And speaking of James Cameron and the Titanic, Cameron’s lovely documentary about the actual wreck with simply stunning footage, Ghosts Of The Abyss (Walt Disney, Rated G, 3D Blu-Ray-$44.98 SRP), is now available in 3D, and makes a perfect viewing companion with his messy fictional flick. Bonus materials include an extended version of the feature, plus a behind-the-scenes featurette.
It’s always a cause for concern when a brilliant show produces new episodes years after their last outing. Would the brilliance still be there? Will it ruin your warm feelings to see an inferior product? Thankfully, the Absolutely Fabulous: 20th Anniversary Specials (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) are every bit as wonderful. It’s just sad that there are only 3 of them, plus a bonus Sport Relief special.
I did want to love a sitcom featuring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph, but Up All Night (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), but this “adjusting to a newborn” comedy just never seemed to find its footing. I have hopes the second season will find a voice, but I’m not counting on it. Bonus materials include deleted/extended scenes and a music video.
We’re still in good territory with Roseanne: Season 5 & Roseanne: Season 6 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each), which have been re-released at a dirt cheap impulse buy price. Snap them both up and relive some of the final years before it all went pear-shaped. And speaking of budget releases from Mill Creek, you can also pick up the complete series – that’s all 91 episodes plus commentaries, featurettes, interviews, and bloopers – of Grounded For Life (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP).
When you’ve got Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth playing the titular Snow White & The Huntsman (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which reimagined the whole thing as a action-packed teaming of the two against he evil queen (Charlize Theron), you’ve got to expect little more from the film that a decent watch with an occasional groan. And that’s just what you get. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and featurettes.
For those of you who still watch the pandering emptiness of Big Bang Theory (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.97 SRP), the fifth season is more of the same, including a decided increase in guest stars and wacky t-shirts. Bonus materials include a trio of featurettes and a gag reel.
ABC Studios drops a trio of new seasons this week – the fourth season of Castle (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99, the fifth season of Private Practice (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99, and the eighth season of Grey’s Anatomy (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99. All 3 contain featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and more.
It’s an average show, but the reason you watch the generational cop drama Blue Bloods (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$55.98 SRP) is for Tom Selleck. Yes, you do. The second season set contains all 22 episodes plus commentaries, 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
##
It’s a pleasant surprise to find just how much I look forward to each new installment of 
Based on the lackluster American iteration, I’ve largely avoided the show Trigger Happy TV. That proved to be foolish, as I just should have sought out the infinitely more intelligent – and dada funny – British original created by Dom Joly. It’s like an absurdist Candid Camera, and Joly is a compelling social observer. Drop everything you’re doing and pick up the 
It seems there’ve been a dozen collections over the past few years, but 
As with any potentially long-running DVD release, I feared that the first volume of the chronological Three Stooges might very well be a one-off. Thankfully, my fears have been allayed with the arrival of 
Nothing makes a weekend pass faster than having your own private Modern Marvels marathon, and you can certainly do that with 
Even though I thought the flick was abysmal, I enjoyed reading through the massive 
Unfortunately, much like the film itself, there’s not much to get excited by with John Williams’s score to 
It’s a damn shame that he’s still largely unknown in the US, but I’d recommend you rectify that by picking up 
Long before V or The X-Files, producer Quinn Martin gave us 
Slowly but surely, the DVD releases are catching up with the current episodes. The 2-disc 
The subjects of their quests are still as mythical as they ever were, but 
As someone who was not particularly ever a fan of the original Rambo films, Stallone’s resurrection of the Reagan-era icon in 
While everyone remembers the sinking of the Titanic, my enduring interest in early 20th century shipwrecks extends to the sinking of Cunard liner Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in 1915, and was one of the pivotal, galvanizing moments in the first World War. The Discovery Channel special 
Get in a martial arts mode (just in time for the release of Kung Fu Panda) with a new pair of releases from the “Dragon Dynasty” label – 
Ride ’em in! Get a view of classic Clint Eastwood with the first volume of 
Meanwhile, Marshall Matt Dillon continues to keep the crooked in line in the second volume of