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…)
Because every major character that ever graced a frame of a Marvel film will eventually make its way into eerily lifelike form from the soul-capturing wizards of Hot Toys, they’ve turned their spotlight on the War Machine (Sideshow Collectibles, $339.99) version of Tony Stark’s bestie James Rhodes, as seen in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. This incredible figure is also part of Hot Toys’ line of diecast figures, which incorporates metal parts into the figure, making an already impressive figural representation that much more wowza. And how great is it that we get an alternate head sculpt with a Don Cheadle portrait?
Slowly but surely, the high definition releases of Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.97 SRP) are catching up with the currently airing episodes, as the complete fifth season arrives looking and sounding pretty snazzy. In addition to all 52 episodes, bonus materials include animatics, a featurette, and a special snail hunt.
Walt Disney Records tip-top Legacy Collection continues to roll along with the release of Randy Newman’s score and songs from Toy Story (Disney Records, $14.99 SRP). The real treat, however, is the bonus disc containing Newman’s original song demos, including a couple of tunes that doesn’t make it into the film.
It’s a long, long dry spell until the next season starts, so fill that time with a roll down memory lane with the 2-disc Doctor Who: The Daleks set (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which collects the Dalek-centric episodes from across Nu-Who, as well as the Tom Baker 4th Doctor story “Genesis Of The Daleks” and a brand new documentary on the extermination-happy mutants.
In what I can only hope is a precedent they expand upon, the purveyors of preservation at Criterion have released a high definition special edition of producer Franics Ford Coppola’s underrated children’s classic The Black Stallion (Criterion, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP). Bonus materials include 5 short films, interviews, a trailer, and more.
Season 7 of Robot Chicken (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) hits with a 2-disc set positively jam-packed with bonus features, including audio commentaries, featurettes, cut sketches, and a bonus Christmas episode (with bonus commentary). Bonus!
Bruce Timm returns to the animated DC universe with a far darker alternate universe take on the familiar triumvirate of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in Justice League: Gods And Monsters (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), as the trio serves a harsh kind of justice to keep their world in check until a government task force investigating a mystery arrives at their door. Bonus materials include featurettes, bonus cartoons, and more.
After being run out of the city by an invasion of the Krang, our half-shell heroes take back the town in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return To NYC! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). The depressingly standard definition single-disc release contains 6 episodes, plus 7 “Mutation Of A Scene” shorts.
It’s Office Space in hell, but the chief reason to recommend the first season of Adult Swim’s Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is that it has the good sense to cast Dana Snyder in a supporting role. Good taste like that should be rewarded. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, screen tests, promos, the original short, and featurettes.
Adam Goldberg is the titular musician in the midst of a mid-life crisis in No Way Jose (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$26.99 SRP), relegated to playing birthday parties and kicked to the curb by his fiancée, as he follows to the indie movie path to righting his life. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
Who doesn’t love a brilliant and incredibly beautiful BBC nature documentary? Both of those adjectives certainly apply to both Planet Ant (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which delves into the tiny world of the titular insect, and Shark (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), a look at the iconic apex predatory of the deep.
I thought the film was certainly an improvement over the original trilogy of awful X-Men films, which is not much of an accomplishment, so I was more curious than excited to see what director Bryan Singer had in mind for his X-Men: Days Of Future Past – The Rogue Cut (Fox, Not Rated, Bluy-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which offers up an extended edit of the film, as well as over 90 minutes of new bonus features.
I can’t quite figure out who the more cartoonish characters are in Scooby-Doo And Kiss: Rock And Roll Mystery (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), in which Mystery Inc. teams up with Schlock Incorporated to solve a mystery in the Kiss World Theme park. Bonus materials include bloopers and cartoons.
Nicholas Sparks works his soft focus, mealy-hearted magic again with The Longest Ride (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), in which a former champion bull rider attempting a comeback (Scott Eastwood) crosses paths with a college student and are inspired to be insipid together.
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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I admit – besides just being a fan of the show and being delighted that another volume has arrived – I’m even more delighted by the release of the 
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of wimpy flashlights. I want a flashlight that looks like it came right out of The X-Files… You know, with that wildly improbably beam that illuminated an entire wooded area with a powerful white light. Well, fantasy has become reality with the 
I had little expectation going in, but to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the new CG-animated adaptation of Tezuka Osamu’s 
I wish Disney’s grand return to traditional animation hadn’t been a by-the-numbers princess film, but at least there’s enough fun and spirit in 
The 13th season of 
The second half of the film doesn’t live up to the first half, but 
While it’s not quite the revelation that some tried to make it out to be, 
Well, 
Why, exactly, did USA decide to cancel 
It doesn’t take long into the second season of 
Are you a teen or a middle-aged person desperate to fantasize with the unique ability to turn off the portions of your brain able to assess the quality of script or acting? Well, then the latest installment of the cinematic Twilight saga, 
Explore the history behind the big screen with a pair of History Channel documentaries whose big-screen counterparts are apparent – 
Mill Creek returns with a clutch of fan favorite titles repackaged and offered at rock bottom prices. Their latest batch includes 
While watching 
Bide the times until the next full season set with the single-disc collection 
Produced by the Wachoski Brothers, 
To dismiss 
As part of their in-house plan to continue releasing shows that may not have the sales to go a more traditional big-box route, fans can now pick up the complete second seasons of both 
John Krasinski takes David Foster Wallace’s 
Getting a long-overdue top-to-bottom overhaul of it sound and picture, 
In our fast-paced, on-the-go, insert clich̩ world, making our entertainment mobile is a must. With iPhones, iPods, laptops, and other portable media devices Рplus scores of DVDs and TV shows to get through in a day Рfinding a way to automate the process of making those videos easily uploadable to your devices is a must. Enter the 
With the third 
It’s been almost a decade since Randy Newman put out a new album of original tunes – not since Bad Love for the doomed Dreamworks Records, in fact – and it was with some trepidation that I spun up 
Three years in and Everybody Hates Chris (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) has managed the rare feat of still being a quality, funny show. Unlike Malcolm In The Middle, which squandered its brilliant start by becoming a cartoon, Chris is still grounded in the reality it set up right from the beginning. The 4-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries, webisodes, interviews, featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and more.
Very rarely does a film manage to capture the of-times bizarre flights of fantasy that envelop the average childhood, so when a flick does manage to capture lightning in a bottle, it’s worth noting. Such is the case with Son Of Rambow (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.99), which finds a young boy discovering common ground with a bully by taking a video camera and a worn copy of Rambo: First Blood, and making a little cinematic magic of their own. To say anymore would ruin the fun, but suffice to say – see it. Bonus features include an audio commentary, the short film that inspired the movie, a making-of, and more. This title is currently a Best Buy exclusive.
Seven years after it came out with an underground, viral splash, Brotherhood Of The Wolf (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) gets a new director’s cut and a 2-disc special edition, featuring a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, storyboards, and more.
If you were in any sort of doubt that we were, in fact, in a presidential election year here in the US, let the immense American Experience: The Presidents Collection (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$129.98 SRP) remind you. The 10-disc set features profiles on Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Harry Truman, The Kennedys, LBJ, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George HW Bush.
For all of the brilliance of Heroes‘ first season, its second season (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) fell into that awful, stereotypical sophomore season confusion that has derailed many a promising series before it. In fact, the best thing that happened to the season was probably the writer’s strike, which truncated the wrongheaded direction and allowed a rethink breather. We can only hope season 3 is a course correction. The 4-disc second season set features all 11 episodes, plus audio commentaries, an alternate ending and behind-the-scenes look at the episode “Generations”, featurettes, interviews, and a sneak peek at season 3.
By now, you pretty much now to expect quite a nice dramatic ride from Detective Vic Mackey, and the 6th season of The Shield (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP) doesn’t disappoint., as Internal Affairs is breathing down his neck and forced retirement is looming. The 4-disc set features all 10 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Mark Harmon and his team of crackerjack Naval Investigators are up against murderers, kidnappers, spies, terrorists, and tigers (maybe not tigers) in the 5th season of NCIS (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The 5-disc set features all 18 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, and more.
See, I thought the arrival of Pixar’s John Lasseter and Ed Catmull at the head of Disney animation was going to put a stop to the roll-out of mediocre direct-to-video sequels. I guess there’s no stopping the Disney marketing machine, because here we are with The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP), a prequel to the 1989 classic. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and more.
I gotta admit – even though I was never a big fan, I at least found some enjoyment from Entourage. With the fourth season (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), I must say – I’m off it. The charm is gone, and the characters have devolved into soapy clichés. It’s a shame, because it at least had its charm. The 3-disc set features all 12 episodes, plus a trio of audio commentaries, featurettes, and a US Comedy Arts Festival panel with the cast.
Hunker down this weekend with the complete first seasons of a pair of new History Channel shows – UFO Hunters and Battle 360 (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP each). The 4-disc set UFO Hunters features all 13 of the investigative (if misguided) episodes plus additional scenes, while the 4-disc Battle 360 sports all 10 episodes chronicling and recreating the USS Enterprise’s dramatic WWII battles, in addition to a clutch of bonus scenes.
The second volume of The Untouchables‘ second season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) finds Elliot Ness and his G-Men shifting their focus away from alcohol and onto narcotics, and also expanding further afield than just the mean streets of Chicago. The 4-disc set contains 16-episodes.
Even though it’s more hit than miss, there’s a certain joy in discovering that there was once a sketch show that starred Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Ben Elton, and Robbie Coltrane. That series – Alfresco (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) – is now available in its entirety on DVD, and is worth checking out for the talent alone.