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…)
How great is Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP)? Great. Really great. Really, pretty great. Okay, it’s pretty damn great. Don’t believe me? Mainline the complete first and second seasons and see for yourself just how great it is. Bonus materials include unaired sketches, featurettes, and stand-up segments.
Up to this point, anyone wanting to round out their 1/4-scale Star Wars displays with their favorite Droids from a galaxy far, far away would have had to content themselves with the not-quite 1/4-scale versions released ages ago by Medicom. Well, now scale purists and fans alike can rejoice, because Sideshow has delivered one-half of the long-awaited duo in absolutely exquisite form with their R2-D2 ($149.99). Not only is the scale correct, but it’s ridiculously feature and accessory laden to encompass every little thing we saw the plucky little Astromech doing across the 6 extant films, from rocket jets to jettisoning Luke’s lightsaber, from cutting to interfacing, and even a full-on set to serve cocktails on Jabba’s sail barge. I mean it – it has EVERYTHING. And it even lights up! I mean, come on! And if you snag the Sideshow Exclusive edition, you get a table featuring a light-up Princess Leia hologram figure. Now we just have to be patient for the arrival of his protocol partner in a few months.
Preston Sturges’s still-cutting satire Sullivan’s Travels (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) gets a brilliant high-definition upgrade courtesy of Criterion, and it couldn’t have happened to a more must-see film. In fact, if you haven’t seen it, what it wrong with you? It’s got hobos. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a documentary on Sturges, a video essay, and interviews.
Kick it back to the 90s with a trio of much-requested catalogue releases from Warner Bros. sure to make plenty of fans happy – Cameron Crowe’s Singles (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), Detroit Rock City (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), and the zeitgeist favorite Empire Records (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP). Singles gets deleted/extended scenes, live performances, a gag reel, and trailer. Detroit Rock City sports a trio of audio commentaries, music videos, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer. Empire Records scores deleted scenes, a trio of music videos, and a trailer.
I’m a sucker for retro tchotchkes that tug on my nostalgia, and that’s exactly the sweet spot hit by Thinkgeek’s nifty Mega Man Enamel Pin Set (Thinkgeek, $19.99). Available in either modern or old school 8-bit, naturally I had to go with classic NES, featuring large (almost 2″!) high quality pins of the Blue Bomber, Dr. Light, Dr. Wiley, Rush, Proto Man, Roll, Bass, and Auto. Awesome.
As flawed an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical as it is – and it most definitely is, eliminating much of the darker tone – Into The Woods (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is worth a watch just for the strength of its cast, particularly James Corden’s Baker and Anna Kendrick’s Cinderella… although the less said about Johnny Depp’s Big Bad Wolf, the better. Bonus materials include a deleted song, featurettes, and an audio commentary.
It’s taken years and years and now the very good graces of the folks at Olive Films, but with the release of King Of The Hill: Season 9 and King Of The Hill: Season 10 (Olive Films, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP each), we’re now oh-so-close to finally wrapping up the DVD release 13-season run of Mike Jude’s modern classic.
In recent years, Diamond Select has released some incredible vinyl banks featuring incredible sculpts that put other companies to shame, from Ninja Turtles and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man to mighty Godzilla. So what do they do now? They hit it out of the park with their MechaGodzilla Vinyl Bank (Diamond Select Toys, $29.99). Standing over a foot tall, it’s just incredible. And fun. It’s funcredible.
Hot on the heels of the debut disc comes the second volume of Cartoon Network’s quirky series with a giant realistic flying tiger, Uncle Grandpa: Good Mornin’ (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.97 SRP). It sports a dozen episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
I’m just as shocked as you are to have enjoyed the onscreen team-up of Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen in the medieval action flick Outcast (Phase 4, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), about a prince (Christensen) under threat of assassination whose only hope of survival is a war-weary Crusader (Cage).
Produced a year before Twilight Zone but largely forgotten today, One Step Beyond (Film Chest, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is a fascinating curio that set its weekly premise as a weekly adaptation of “real” supernatural events presented to the audience in anthology fashion. Running only two seasons, this 6-disc set collects 70 extant episodes in the most comprehensive packaging to date, and is well worth a look see.
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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Criminally unavailable on DVD in any proper and suitably loving presentation until now, the loveable chaps at Shout Factory have released 
And what better Jack Benny chaser is there than 
The art of animation reduced down to its most primal level is the magic to be found in 
While the show in many ways hasn’t aged very well with very uneven seasons, kudos must once again be paid to Paramount for the absolutely stunning restoration and high definition remastering job they’ve done for 
After the abomination of the first film, it’s with great relief that, while not a particularly good film, 
Toddlers can take another ride on The Magic School Bus with a pair of new releases – 
I guess it all had to end eventually. Sadly, 
The budget-conscious folks at Mill Creek, mindful of just how precious your hard-earned money is, have dropped another clutch of reasonably-priced catalogue films and documentaries – the Charlton Heston narrated series 
I didn’t think Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the tale about a WWI cavalry 
What a brilliant geek alchemy the fine folks at LEGO unleash every time they release another their vehicle sets based on the classic Star Wars films, and all of the buttons are duly pushed with their new 
One of the biggest surprises of last year was Chris Elliott’s triumphant return to television with the Adult Swim take on Walker, Texas Ranger, 
It doesn’t really address some of the stories I’ve heard about how ambitious he was in his rise to the top of the Sesame Street food chain, but 
Short-lived and forgotten, who couldn’t love Bob Newhart as a superhero comic artist in the sitcom 
It’s always a delight when a classic piece of cinema makes its way to high definition, and so we have Roman Polanski & Robert Towne’s still brilliant 
Very few sitcoms have gotten the high definition treatment, and particularly not one that goes back over 10 years, but 
Shout Factory continues their noble mission of re-releasing Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes that have gone out of print with a pair of returns – 
Cartoon Network’s decidedly indie kiddie cartoon gets it’s first DVD release with 
When he puts his mind to it, Cameron Crowe certainly knows how to make an affable – overly-so – film, and that’s exactly what he does with 
As much as I thought Torchwood was a misguided, often frustrating, and even more often boring series (and regrettable spin-off from Doctor Who), it wasn’t until the recent 
Wil Wheaton fans eager to complete their collections of his cinematic output will want to thank MGM’s MOD Limited Edition Collection for the release of 
Watch as a franchise already on thin ice gets in trouble in the tropics with 
I’m still not sold on the exaggerated realistic character design they chose for Herge’s famous characters, but there’s enough verve and energy to make Spielberg & Jackson’s 
If you want a nice and easy geek-friendly LEGO set for kids who might not have the skill or patience to tackle the larger sets, the 
Arrested development and the delusion that goes with it is front and center in 
It seems every month is a holiday for fans of the Doctor’s classic adventures as we get not only a special edition of the 10th anniversary special with 
Ah, but that’s not all of the new classic Who you’re getting this week! Oh no, no, no! There’s also a newly restored special edition of Patrick Troughton’s tin-plated tussle with cyberdoom in 
Anyone who has had a loss that is at the same time sudden yet lingering will understand the power of a film like 
It was only a matter of time before Martin Scorsese’s 
It’s always a delight to get new Wallace & Gromit material, even if it’s in the form of interstitial around a spotlight on r3eal life gadgets and contraptions in 
The fine folks at Rifftrax have released a brand new pair of cinematic bombs made wonderfully hilarious – the dime store creature feature 
You know another installment of a film franchise is in the offing when the back-catalogue is dusted off for release, so it should come as little surprise that the forthcoming American Reunion brings the Blu-Ray debut of 
They’re certainly not up to the quality of the original, but there’s enough charm and storytelling competence to make both 
The Warner Archive Collection has dug up a pair of Jim Brown rarities from the 70’s for your viewing pleasure. 
Yeah, I’m not entirely sure anyone is supposed to understand what’s going on in Tarsem’s big Greek mythology epic 
Director Ralph Bakshi’s animated films are an acquired taste, and one I never have acquired. I can certainly see his passion, but the movies don’t speak to me. But there are plenty of people who have a special place in their heart for his fantasy film 
As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the legendary maritime disaster, it’s perfectly understandable that the History Channel is collecting together a trio of their best documentaries on the subject into 
Michelle Williams certainly deserved her Oscar nomination for her turn as Marilyn Monroe in 
I’m not exactly sure what they were thinking with the overly-slick, utterly baffling new take on 
Do you like penguins? Do you like them dancing? Do you like them talking with the voices of Elijah Wood and Robin Williams while they’re dancing? Did you like all of this when it was in an animated movie called Happy Feet? Then you’ll like the equally ingratiating 
For 
How do you compress 13.7 million years of Earth’s existence into one concise special? Seems like a tall task, but it’s one 
It’s still not my bag, but for those that enjoy Adult Swim’s 
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 – 
I’ve been waiting a fair while for it to make its way on to Blu-Ray, if only to see if the many previous DVD restorations could be improved on. I’m happy to say that the new high definition transfer of Alfred Hitchcock’s 
If you want a stylus that keeps your smartphone or tablet clean as you touch, touch, touch away, then give a spin to the 
Too often, travel journalism tends to see the forest and not the trees, which is why I so thoroughly enjoyed Dom Joly’s 
It wasn’t exactly filmed with the highest budget, but the improved picture quality and sound mix brought to the high definition 
I’m a relatively young guy… relatively… But watching a 20-year-old like Bo Burham makes me equal parts impressed and bitterly jealous at just how powerfully creative he is at such a young age. I’m kind of pissed off about it, actually. Watch his latest Comedy Central special, 
It doesn’t hold a candle to The Six Million Dollar Man, but fans can now pick up the first season of spin-off series 
In the same spirit as their landmark nature documentaries of the 50’s, Disney has leapt back into the game in full force with DisneyNature, whose latest features go under the sea in 
It’s rare to find a whip smart comedy nowadays, but the very New York 
Really, the only one worth getting is the first one, but for high definition at so cheap a price, you might as well get the 
If you neglected to pick up the complete series set last year and have instead been going season by season you’ll be happy to know that Fox has decided you can now pick up what you’ve been missing to wrap things up – 
While I can really do without any child of mine seeing the 
Gabriel Byrne returns as psychotherapist Dr. Paul Weston in the second season of HBO’s 
I thought 
Gene Roddenberry writing a sex-fueled black comedy high school murder mystery? Starring Rock Hudson, Telly Savalas, and Angie Dickinson? That’s 
As election season heats up, give a spin to the 
