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 really is a golden age for Doctor Who fans, as the DVD releases of classic storylines are coming fast & furious, with another quartet now available – the Peter Davison stories Snakedance and Kinda (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP each) and the Jon Pertwee stories Terror Of The Autons (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) and Planet Of The Spiders (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). All of them are TARDIS-full of bonus features, including commentaries, featurettes, trailers, interviews, and more.
I’m a sucker for a specific task kitchen widget that also taps into childhood nostalgia, so you can imagine my delight at being able to put a homemade spin on corn dogs with the Corn Dog Factory ($24.99), which is an easy-to-use widget to make – you guessed it – corn dogs. Isn’t that fantastic?
With the fourth volume of Bloom County: The Complete Library (IDW, $39.99 SRP), we fully entered the golden age of Berkely Breathed’s legendary strip, as it contains many of the strips and satire that firmly placed Opus & friends into the pop culture landscape. Hopefully you’ve been picking up these volumes – and if not, why not? GO! GET!
Prepare for Father’s Day with a pair of new-to-Blu-Ray catalogue classics from Fox – John Wayne in The Comancheros and Paul Newman & Jackie Gleason in The Hustler (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP each). Both look better than ever, and sport audio commentaries and featurettes galore. Oh, and both are must-haves.
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 new live show releases, that were originally beamed to theaters around the country – Rifftrax Live: House On Haunted Hill Riffed Live From Nashville 2010 & Rifftrax Live: Reefer Madness Riffed Live From San Diego 2010 (Legend Films, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP each). Heck, the Nashville show even has a special set from special guest Paul F. Tompkins.
I can’t remember the last time I was surprised by the end of a romantic comedy, as the resolution of the couple-to-be is pretty well set in storytelling cliché by now, so my enjoyment of a romantic comedy comes largely from the journey. No Strings Attached (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is an enjoyable flick due largely to the unexpected chemistry between Aston Kutcher and Natalie Portman as the inevitable couple whose lifelong crossed paths culminates in an agreement to become casual sex partners and nothing more. You can guess what happens from there. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
In the 4th season of The Lucy Show (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$42.99 SRP), Lucille Ball’s Lucy Carmichael ups stakes and moves to sunny California, which means the guest star quotient increases even beyond its usual level, in including Bob Crane and Mickey Rooney. Bonus features include clips, promos, vintage openings & closings, and more.
I wish it weren’t the case, but the eighth season of Penn & Teller: Bullshit (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$31.99 SRP) isn’t nearly as strong as the earlier seasons, which owes largely to the feeling that the duo are scraping the bottom of the topic barrel and delivering material they don’t feel quite as passionately about.
I am not the audience for Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Paramount, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), the bubblegum hair popper’s concert film. No, I’m most definitely not. But for the audience of pre-teen girls still enamored with his inoffensive tunes and robotic stylings, this special edition is sure to be tops on their must-have list.
While we’re still not to the season that contains my absolute favorite episode, if you’ve yet to pick up the stellar high definition sets of Rod Serling’s classic anthology series, you can at least start with the newly-released Twilight Zone: Season 4 (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$99.98 SRP), featuring all 18 episodes plus more bonus features than you can shake a cord of sticks at. Not only do you get all of the bonus materials from the original release, but also 13 new audio commentaries and a vintage audio interview with DP George Clemens.
While Trading Places and 48 Hours remain the greatest of Eddie Murphy movies in my estimation, it’s a welcome addition to the high definition library to get Beverly Hills Cop (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) on Blu-Ray. Bonus materials include an audio commentary from director Martin Brest, featurettes, a location map, and the theatrical trailer.
While many studios have been dumping sub-par catalogue releases in massive Blu-Ray waves, MGM has decided to release a wave of many films buffs consider must-haves – The Terminator (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), The Manchurian Candidate (MGM, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP), The Usual Suspects (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), Dead Man Walking (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP), Leaving Las Vegas (MGM, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), Hotel Rwanda (MGM, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), and Some Like It Hot (MGM, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP). All of the discs port over the special features from their most recent DVD editions, including commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. They’ve also thrown in a pair of westerns – The Horse Soldiers (MGM, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$16.99 SRP) and The Misfits (MGM, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP) – for good measure.
More insidious than wartime physical injuries, the effects of what has been termed everything from shell shock to post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers is explored in the documentary Wartorn: 1861-2020 (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). The disc also contains a post-premiere panel discussion at the Pentagon.
Did you know that Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen did a film together in the 60’s? Co-written by Blake Edwards? No? Neither did I, until the Warner Archive Collection made Soldier In The Rain (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.95) available. It’s actually a pretty strong dramedy, anchored by its leads, that had the misfortune of being released the same week as the Kennedy assassination.
It’s always nice just to have a disc that you can put in and show off your fancy a/v setup at home – One that looks and sounds pretty darn spiffy. The high definition IMAX documentaries Search For The Great Sharks and The Greatest Places (Inception, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP each) both fit the bill, with one taking you under the sea and the other taking you around the rest of the world.
Now that we’ve got the full run of the Six Million Dollar Man on DVD, it’s left to The Bionic Woman (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) to catch up, and with the release of the 2nd season, it’s one step closer. The 5-disc set contains all 24 episodes, plus audio commentaries, a featurette, a pair of Six Million Dollar Man crossover episodes, and a photo gallery.
MGM continues to drop almost a literal ton of catalogue titles via their new MOD (Manufacture On Demand) Limited Edition Collection program, including the David Niven sex romp comedy Old Dracula (MGM, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98), Rita Hayworth & Rex Harrison in The Happy Thieves (MGM, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98), Charlton Heston in The Call Of The Wild (MGM, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98), and Michael Caine & James Mason in The Destructors (MGM, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98).
If the big screen live action outing of the Norse god of thunder has whet your appetite for more adventures look no further than the animated feature Thor: Tales Of Asgard (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which finds the him on a seemingly harmless treasure hunt which turns deadly dangerous right quick. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a featurette, and an Avengers episode.
Universal drops a pair of newer TV shows on DVD this week, including the debut season of the Piper Perabo-starring CIA procedural Covert Affairs (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) and the second season of the blue blood doctor series Royal Pains (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Both sets sport audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and gag reels.
The Warner Archive Collection continues to roll out long-forgotten animated oddities from the Hanna-Barbera library with the release of Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos: The Complete Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.95), which is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
If Flashpoint (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$42.99 SRP) has one thing going for it, it’s star Enrico Colantoni as the lead negotiator for his police department’s Strategic Response Unit. The 4-disc season 3 set contains all 16 episodes plus featurettes and deleted scenes.
It may just be the Atheist in me, but I’m tired of films about priests regaining their faith in the face of demonic presences. It’s like demons are God’s hitmen. So yeah, I was less than interested in The Rite (New Line, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which finds a seminary student questioning his faith who’s sent to understudy a legendary exorcist priest played by Anthony Hopkins. Bonus materials include an alternate ending, a featurette, and additional scenes.
I know there are many people I love and respect who love Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), but I’m not one of them. I don’t subscribe to the school that weird automatically equals funny, and find their constant bizarre antics grating. Still, fans will enjoy this season 5 set, sporting 10 episodes plus special features.
Hey! Doctor Who fans of both Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor and the Daleks can pick up a pair of action figure sets spotlighting the classic Baker stories Genesis Of The Daleks and Destiny Of The Daleks ($54.95 SRP each). Both sets contain episode-specific costume variations of the 4th Doctor, Davros, and a pair of Daleks. As usually, the 5″ Doctor Who figure line features impeccable sculpts and fan-friendly choices. So yeah, support the line and get ’em while you can.
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
##
I came rather late to the Adam & Joe appreciation party, but now that I’m here, I’d like to recommend you all pick up a copy of 
If you caught any of the Red Nose Net charity marathon a few weeks back, you might recall that we used the 
Long held up by music licensing issues, MTV’s 
Penn & Teller return to the 7th season of 
As the remake makes its way to a theater near you, can relive your 80s love of Mr. Miyagi in full high-def via the collector’s edition boxset of 
If you didn’t have the cash to buy the big ol’ Mel Brooks Blu-Ray set that came out last year and want to pick-and-choose a few of his later flicks in high-def, you can now snag 
The third season of 
It’s not Mr. Wizard or Bill Nye, but Smithsonian Network’s 
For anyone who was a fan of the BBC miniseries Edge Of Darkness and was hoping that one day a louder, shallower, star-driven movie would one day be made of that excellent thriller, than the new 
If you want some good old-fashioned swashbuckling action, Columbia has opened the vaults and found a quartet of little-seen Robin Hood flicks that are worth a spin – 
Charlie Brooker had it pegged when he presented 
Yes, I’m getting a bit tired of all of the vampire films and TV shows, but at least 
With grim determination and a hound dog expression in tow, the greatest defense attorney of them all returns in 
The 5th season of 
Yes, I know I’m a little close to the material – but you know what? I’d still recommend you pick up a copy of 
The miniaturization of video cameras is beginning to frighten me. This terror is completely overridden by the geek delight in holding a digital memory camera that’s only slightly larger than a chapstick tube. The camera I speak of is the 
Sadly, we’ve now reached the limit of the currently produced episodes of 
I’ve seen the episodes a half-dozen times each (I often replayed them while working), but it’s the mark of a classic show that I’m looking forward to digging into the 3rd season set of 
Yes, it really has been 100 episodes since the squarepanted sponge of Bikini Bottom first made his way onto our TV screens. How do I know this? Because there’s now an uber-deluxe box set titled 
They’ve been released what seems like a half-dozen times by at least three different companies, but this is the first time that 
Abrams is fast becoming a real juggernaut with their incredible Abrams ComicArts imprint, as they’ve been releasing some absolutely top-notch tomes that belong on your shelf. Like, now. First up is a loving, in-depth tribute to 
Much like Pineapple Express, those going into 
Have I mentioned before just how much I’m enjoying Warner Bros.’ On-Demand DVD service at WarnerArchive.com? I have – numerous times – because it’s great to see a company find a way to make smaller catalogue titles available to fans when economic realities prevent a full-fledged commercial release. Case in point are a trio of new titles that have been added to the site – King Vidor’s 
Does anyone still watch 
Serial womanizer Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey finds his plans to bed a bridesmaid at his brother’s wedding is derailed by the supernatural guidance of his departed uncle (Michael Douglas), who originally instructed him on his boorish ways, to mend his ways and find true love (in the form of Jennifer Garner) in the tolerable rom-com 
Comedy Central may have killed their much-missed show, but at least there’s still live performances to keep The State alumni David Wain, Michael Showalter, & Michael Ian Black together, as you’ll see on 
Despite further muddying already cloudy waters with divergent continuity, the biggest drawback of the axed 
When his wife and child are murdered by a serial killer, a celebrity psychic renounces his conning past and devotes himself to using his observation and analysis skills to bring killers to justice in 
It may not be the best sitcom that ever came down the pike, but I still love me some 
It pretty much sums itself up in the title – 
When a killer begins copying the murders found in novelist Rick Castle’s stories, the author is enlisted by the NYPD to help bring the murderer to justice in 
Really, the only purpose that 
It seems Warners believes that audiences were simply dying for an origin prequel to their middling live action Scooby-Doo franchise, which means we know have 
I can’t have been the only one not surprised that 
Oh, Disney Channel – why are your tween/teen comedies just so unrelentingly bland? It’s no wonder iCarly is kicking your ass in the ratings – one has only has to look at the episodes featured on the inaugural DVD release of the new Jonas Brothers sitcom 
There are many catalogue titles whose arrival in high definition have been long awaited, and near the tippy top of the nerd list (I count myself amongst you, my brothers and sisters) is the Star Trek feature films. The arrival of JJ Abrams’s big screen revamp means that we get the 6 films comprising the original cast’s own cinematic adventures, all contained in the 
This past winter, things got a bit dry in the ol’ air I was a’ breathin’. Not wanting to cart out the massive room humidifier I had occasionally used in years past, I instead suffered through the dryness. If only I knew then about the 
Even though the new Star Trek film effectively eliminates all of these stories from continuity (big nerd boo!), the eight episodes – 4 on each – contained on the single disc 
Some see it as the film the broke the back of the Star Trek franchise, poking fun at some of the barnacles that had long ago become franchise cliches. Nonsense. I see 
For some inexplicable reason, North America’s first DVD introduction to the wonderful 
Penn & Teller are back on the case, exposing bullshit for what it is in the complete sixth season of the appropriately titled 
Remind yourself of Tom Hanks’s mulleted-glory in full high definition via the new extended cut of 
Launched as an online extension of his low-cost animation empire, 
Liam Neeson plays a father (and ex-CIA agent) who’s hot on the trail of his kidnapped daughter in the surprisingly engaging thriller 
It’s no great flick, but there was a certain B-movie horror punch to 
Remember all those TV shows you bought on DVD? Well, you might as well get used to re-buying them all on Blu-Ray, particularly when shows like 
I suppose somewhere, in some universe, someone was hoping for a direct-to-video sequel to Donnie Darko focusing on the now grown-up sister of Donnie and her own encounters with time-hopping bunnies and bizarreness. Well, that person will be happy to hear about the existence of 
The House of Mouse continues its Walt Disney Animation Collection of classic short films with the release of a new trio of discs featuring 
Kicking back with more comforting junk food comedy in the form of the complete fifth season of 
Ever since seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark as a wee child, Indy’s iconic headwear has held a special fascination for me. Even going back 15 years, I contemplated trying to get a fedora of my own – but the price was quite prohibitive (or, at least, relative to my finances today). Still, the dream persisted, and on a trip to Disneyland a few years back I picked up one of their $35 officially licensed fedoras – and I was happy. It looked close enough to the real thing for me to feel like I finally got what I’d always wanted. Ah, but then 
We’ve now officially reached – and passed – the middle of 
With all that attention being paid to the man with the hat, let’s turn our eye towards the original Lucasian franchise that was driven into the ground with an unfortunate return, Star Wars. Before the release of the prequels – even before the release of the special editions – there was an incredible behind-the-scenes tome that was released. Though out of print for years, it was brought back into print a few years back, and it’s celebration of an unsullied Star Wars universe warms my frosted heart. Packed with hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos and detailed information, get your own copy of 
Although still largely unknown in the US, I’m quite the fan of mentalist/magician/illusionist/creepy guy Derren Brown. I heartily recommend you pick up the DVD documenting his live tour 
It’s been so long since their airing that I barely remember the episodes features in the 5th season set of 
Although his smarmy, opportunistic, and ultimately destructive behavior became cartoonish in his last years as prime minister, it’s a film like writer Peter Morgan and director Stephen Frears’ 
Long before her turn as Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker was teamed with Amy Linker in the 80’s prototype for My So-Called Life, 
Longtime readers of this column will know I’m a sucker for historical documentaries, so keep that in mind when I say I watched 
If you’re an armchair adventurer, you might want to pick up a copy of 
If you’ve not yet seen 
Often – and unfairly – overshadowed by the much showier Platoon, 
After four seasons of Jim Nabors bumbling around as the titular 
You’ve got to love BBC period dramas – and I do. They’re lush, they’re dependable, and they’re usually packed with top-flight actors. Such is the case with 
I was an avid Saturday morning cartoon watcher during the 70’s and 80’s, and even I don’t remember that there was such a beast as the 
Not one to let the dead rest even a moment, George Romero returns with another installment in his seemingly never-ending zombie saga, 
If watching war flicks over the labor day weekend seems kind of old hat, you might want to try taking a look at the veritable wagonload of westerns making their way out of the vaults. First out the gate is Fox, which has dropped 
For sheer volume, though, MGM has opened up the floodgates with 
If you’re in the mood for a great drama that features Eddie Izzard (and really, who isn’t?), try the Region 2 release 
Surely I can’t be the only one that had zero interest in National Treasure, and even less interest in its sequel, 
Take Party Animal, mix in The Hills, and add a bit of the envelope pushing of Queer As Folk – oh, and set it all in the UK – and you’ve got the basic formula for 
The be-uniformed crusaders of the Judge Advocate General’s office return in the sixth season of 
I still believe the film is an unwanted return to a franchise whose potential was dashed upon the rocks of a mediocre first outing, but there is something to be said for Harry Gregson-Williams’ score to 
Hoping to fill the void left by Jeff Foxworthy’s departure from the sitcom scene, redneck compatriot Bill Engvall received the eponymous 
Broadway-philes can give a spin to the new revival cast recording from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 
