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”¦)
A decade ago, if you had asked me if I’d care a tinker’s whit for any merchandise based on Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars prequels, I would have laughed in your face and thought you a fool. But here we are, and here’s me genuinely caring about the Hot Toys release of a 1/6-scale Anakin Skywalker (Sideshow, $267), as portrayed by Hayden Christensen in Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. And the only reason I care if the tremendous amount of solid character rehabilitation that took place during the Clone Wars animated series, which managed to redeem all of the elements the prequels managed to fumble. This edition is the deluxe Toy Fair exclusive, featuring Anakin after he’s turned to the Dark Side, red-eyed and angry. It even has an impressive display option ““ the flying platform he fought on while dueling with Obi-Wan on the lava planet of Mustafar (so, of course, the lava on the base is impressively lit via LEDs). I can’t wait to have the prequel Obi-Wan in hand to take the display high ground.
It certainly took a while to grow on me, but by the fourth and final season of Star Wars: Rebels (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$45.99 SRP), I came to love the mythology and ragtag group of characters lovingly woven into the larger Star Wars universe. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and featurettes.
Not only were the folks at Shout Factory able to finally get Disney to agree to let an outside company release one of their shows on home video, but they were also able to hit it out of the park with a stellar high definition release of Gravity Falls (Shout Factory, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$99.99 SRP), which is positively packed with bonus features. One can only hope this opens the door for Disney to turn over the release of The Muppet Show and their Disney Afternoon properties to Shout, as well.
Speaking of Gravity Falls, the story continues with EVEN MORE STORIES in creator Alex Hirsch’s graphic novel Gravity Falls: Lost Legends (Disney Press, $19.99 SRP). I won’t spoil the quartet of new adventures, so just hurry up and read it already.
While Shout Factory gets most of the attention for their catalogue releases, Mill Creek has been steadily ramping up their game with their access to the Sony library. The latest shows to get proper high definition debuts are complete collections of Masters Of Sex (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.98 SRP) and Happy Endings (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). Bonus materials on Masters Of Sex include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes, while Happy Endings gets interviews, parodies, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
I have to continue to give huge props to the folks at The Warner Archive for continuing to deep dive into their catalogue and serve up high definition releases of titles that may not have a wide appeal but make fans happy. Case in point is a quintet of recent releases, including the fun awful Supergirl (which even includes a bonus DVD of the extended Director’s Cut), Spencer Trace in Bad Day At Black Rock, the Blaxploitation classic Super Fly, John Huston’s The Life & Times Of Judge Roy Bean, and the still weird Village Of The Damned (Warner Bros., $21.99 SRP each).
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is about to make his television debut, so the timing is perfect for the 4k debut of the character’s feature films ““ The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger, The Sum Of All Fears, and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ““ all in the appropriately titled Jack Ryan Collection (Paramount, Rated PG/PG-13/R, 4K Blu-Ray-$69.99 SRP). As for bonus features, they all carry over from the previous Blu-Ray releases.
Ben Acker & Ben Blacker’s Star Wars: Join The Resistance trilogy concludes with Attack On Starkiller Base (Lucasfilm Press, $12.99 SRP), which finds Mattis Banz and the other members of J-Squadron attempting a daring rescue mission aboard a First Order ship and warn the Resistance about a deadly threat.
Are they lowbrow? Decidedly so. RIDICULOUSLY so. But I admit, there’s still plenty of guilty laughs to be had re-visiting the whole run of profoundly stupid stunts via the comprehensive Jackass: Complete Movie & TV Collection (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$16.99 SRP). Not only do you get the original television series, but also all 3 feature films and Bad Grandpa, plus the unrated versions ““ All in one box.
It came and went in theaters, but Melissa McCarthy’s Life Of The Party (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$22.99 SRP) ““ about a housewife who decides to attend college alongside her daughter after her husband leaves her ““ is a fun romp in the way many McCarthy flicks are. Is it brilliant? No. Is it enjoyable? Yes. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Yes, we’re already getting Halloween releases, and Nickelodeon has got kids covered with Spongebob Squarepants: The Legend Of Boo-kini Bottom (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which features the show’s spooky stop-motion special, and PAW Patrol: Halloween Heroes (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP).
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’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
Now that we have cleared the Elmo storm that threatened to capsize the venerable institution known as Sesame Street, we’re able to refocus on the show’s true heart and icon, Big Bird, and the incredibly gifted performer who gave soul to both the bird and his emotional counterpoint, Oscar The Grouch, Caroll Spinney. The vehicle for this celebration is the brilliant documentary 
To say that 
While the recent must-have sets culled episodes from the show’s later seasons, we thankfully cleared whatever red tape hampered the release of 
As slaves to all of our USB rechargeable devices, it would be supremely helpful to be able to figure out which ports and cables will juice those devices to full capacity in the fastest time possible. Well, now you can figure out the answers to all of those important questions and do something about it with the 
While the legendary Carl Barks will always be foremost among the many comics creators working with Disney’s ducks, not the least for his creation of Scrooge McDuck, the second position in my heart goes to Don Rosa. Taking his inspiration from Barks, Rosa was able to craft incredible epics for a new generation of fans, full of intricate details and mythology that embraced the legacy of Barks’ classics. The fine folks at Fantagraphics have been following up their wonderful Carl Barks Library releases with the third volume in their Don Rosa Library, 
The folks controlling the mighty Carson archive have dipped back into the vaults for a series I sincerely hope has some legs, because I’m loving their The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: Featured Guest Series (Carson Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each), which devote an entire disc just to episodes featuring a specific luminary. The first three volumes in the series spotlight 
Pixar has had two of them already, but this is the first time that the modern shorts from the House of Mouse get their own spotlight with the 
Listen, I never thought we’d see any seasons, let alone get to the point where we’d see the release of the second and final season of Don Rickles short-lived 70s sitcom 
It’s rare to get a science fiction film that doesn’t fall apart under its own pretension (I’m looking at you, Tomorrowland), so it was a pleasant surprise to find 
It’s unfortunate that it’s not a Blu-Ray release, because it is a beautifully shot series, but 
I’m still not a fan of the character design and animation, but the first season of 
And if that’s not enough Star Wars to keep your adrenaline going, why not enjoy the delightfully daft take on the canon with 
For years, Berkeley Breathed, creator of the legendary Bloom County and Outland, swore that there would never be a comprehensive release of the strips he produced during his college years. Despite pleading fans desperate to complete their collections with these proto-Breathed rarities, he was adamant it would never happen. Well, guess what? He changed his mind. So now, the fine folks at IDW, who have released the complete runs of Bloom County, Outland, and Opus, have now released 
As we barrel towards the holiday season, are you looking for the perfect gift for the Harry Potter fan in your life? And a practical one, at that? How about the 
Warners opens their vault to bring a trio of catalogue releases to Blu-Ray for the first time, with the high definition debut of 
Cartoon Network is the current home for some absolutely wonderful creator-driven animation, and the perfect example of that is the beautifully executed miniseries 
After he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, music legend Glen Campbell decided to embark on a national goodbye tour across America. What was supposed to have only been 5 week tour turned into a year-and-half, and the poignantly triumphant documentary 
As they mine their IP catalogue, I was not terribly fond of Disney’s recent dour live action take on Maleficent. Maybe that’s why I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I wound up enjoying director Kenneth Branagh’s take on 
Keen for the kind of middling heist movie you might have seen on a lazy Saturday afternoon on HBO? And makes the unlikely pairing of Hayden Cristensen and Adrian Brody? Look no further than 
If there’s one thing we can thank the new Goosebumps movie for, it’s that it got Sony to release a trio of high-def special editions for their modern kiddie classics 
It got off to a bit of a rough start, but there’s a very definite quirky charm to be found in 
Disney animator/director Eric Goldberg, best known for his work on Genie in Aladdin, was recently tasked with creating as series of black & white portraits in the style of the legendary Al Hirshfeld, featuring classic Disney characters from Mickey to Baymax and beyond. Those portraits have been collected in 
Fans of DC superheroes in their animated incarnations have a one-two power punch of titles to pick from, with the wonderful romp that is 
Ten years after it failed to find an audience during its initial run on HBO but managed to build a healthy cult following, Lisa Kudrow returned as B-list TV star Valerie Cherish in 
The fourth season of 
We’re 5 seasons in to 
On a scale of sane to crazy, the first season of 
You want a solid B movie starring formerly “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as a fixer alongside war veteran turned assassin Michael Jai White? Well, that’s 
Based on the Thomas Hardy novel, 
Take an in-depth look at director Joe Wright’s cinematic trip to Neverland in 
For the first time in almost 30 years, Jeff Lynne’s ELO performed live for a massive audience in London, captured in the concert film 
The comedy was, by design, of the truly cornpone caliber, but the real joy of digging into the 3-disc 
The best I can say about the comedic teaming of Reese Witherspoon and Sophia Vergara in 
Aquatic evildoers beware, for 
The story of newlywed senior citizens Alan (Sir Derek Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid) continues in 
While the rest of the show would manage to make even Aaron Spelling slightly embarrassed, the first season of 
The premise of 
Kids in need of a lesson can learn one with their Nickelodeon friends with 
We’re nearing the end of the summer, so you know what that means – It’s time to binge-watch all of the DVD releases of your favorite TV shows in order to prime for their return in the coming weeks. With that in mind, dig into 
Nickelodeon has a pair of new compilation releases to keep the kiddies occupied, and with titles like 
Holidays mean we’re increasingly bombarded by themed collections of nearly every known intellectual property, which means that we even get 
Dig in to two nifty series from the Beeb with the release of 
Fans of the ever-growing NCIS franchise can binge to their heart’s content on the previous seasons of all three of the currently running shows with 
Because I have absolutely nothing to hide and have no shame about it, I’ll admit that I had Care Bears as a kid. Both figures and stuffed animals. I also had Get-Along Gang figures. And a Shirt Tales doll. Which is all to say, don’t judge me. And I won’t judge you if you want to pick up 
There is an audience for 
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 
Not content with the arrival of a single much-requested title that would delight cinema aficionados no end, Universal has dipped into their vault for a double header of film noir classics with the high definition debut of both 
I still find her continued adherence to the Catholic faith incomprehensible in light of the emotional atrocity committed against her, but the tale and the performances (from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan) that bring the actual events to life in 
It’s sadly lacking in any bonus features whatsoever – usually a highlight of the BBC’s Who releases – but the fact that we have all but one of the formerly missing episodes after nearly 50 years is reason enough to pick up 
The fine folks at Rifftrax dig into their very first blaxploitation film with 
While it’s a marked improvement over the lackluster seasons that came before it, the fourth season of 
Considering the delightfully escapist Thurber story it’s based on, Ben Stiller’s take on 
It seems we haven’t gotten a full season set in ages, but there are still enough new episodes for another single-disc DVD collection – So we get 
Yes, you’ll laugh at 
They’re not quite Godzilla quality, but there’s a charm to be found in the turtle meat-filled 
The BBC does some of the finest nature documentaries around, and they’ve just dropped a whole clutch of beauty-filled discs – a one-two punch of the ursine persuasion in 
Yeah, casting Helena Bonham Carter as the bitter spinster Miss Havisham was a brilliant move in Mike Newell’s pretty decent adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 
Though Jack the Ripper may be gone, his memory still casts a long shadow for Inspector Reid and the residents of Whitechapel in the second season of 
Even if you have the previously release Ultimate Collection, if you’re a fan of Carol Burnett and her eponymous show, you’ll definitely want to pick up 
An Angry Birds cartoon? Sure. Why not. And honestly, the 90+ minutes of 
Fox expands their MOD Cinema Classics slate with a quartet of brand new releases from their immense vaults – 
Well, it’d be foolish to watch 
It’s been a long time coming, but my brilliant buddy Craig Shemin has compiled the ultimate guide to Jim Henson’s Muppety legacy with 
Sometimes the true stories are the most fascinating, and that’s particularly the case with 
If The Lego Movie left as much of an impression on you as it did me, you’ll probably want to pick up 
They say write what you know, and that’s certainly what actress and voice actor Lake Bell has done in her feature 
Insight Editions puts out some truly wonderful art books, and they’ve turned their magical eye towards a property long-deserving of a proper celebration with 
While I still have my reservations for the film, 
Little Clint Howard and a bear having adventures in the Florida Everglades? That should be the only reason you need to watch the second season of 
There’s a 3D feature film extravaganza on the way, but if you want to divorce the real history from the drama, The History Channel is releasing 
Twomorrows Publishing continues their tradition of wonderful artist spotlights with 
Edie Falco is still offering a cure for what ails you in the fifth season of 
Produced by Gene Autry and featuring plenty of familiar faces from oaters of the day, the western series 
This year, the Easter Bunny can load up his basket with a clutch of seasonal springtime DVD releases from Nickelodeon – 
It’s somewhat hard to believe that it’s taken this long – 23 years after his untimely passing – that we’ve gotten a proper biography of Jim Henson. Well, not so odd when knows that an attempt was made in the 90s that was scuttled by the Henson family – but now, finally, author Brian Jay Jones has managed to pull together 
Sure, the 3D conversion remains more of a gimmick than an artistic contribution to the film, but the effect works nicely in the high definition debut of 
Where most Star Wars material leaves me unfazed post-The Great Depression (The Prequels), I’ve looked forward to J.W. Rinzler’s exhaustive “Making Of” books for the depth of their information, but more so for their remarkable candor. And now the classic trilogy comes to an end with the entry that had perhaps the most fascinating development process, all of which is fully explored in 
Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that 
Awkwardly split in two and never really building a head of steam, the seventh season of 
As a longtime fan, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Dave Foley had begun doing standup. I’m even happier that his first special, 
After the overall “meh” of Iron Man 2, 
In years past, TV shows would rarely consider the afterlife of their run beyond a sale into syndication. The idea of a home video market for popular shows? Unheard of. With that in mind, music licensing deals were only ever made short term, which has left many a show in quite the deep financial pickle when the idea of bringing them to home video with their music intact. Years ago, the music was just changed to far cheaper tunes – leading to fan backlash. Eventually, though, companies decided to try and clear the hurdles – the first most famous example was Shout Factory’s Herculean handling of Freaks & Geeks. And now, the gents a Time Life have actually undertaken their own Herculean task and succeeded in clearing nearly all of the vintage songs (Dylan, Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and more) contained in the beloved Vietnam War drama 
The heroes on the half shell return with a dozen new-to-DVD adventures in 
Every time you turn around there seems to be another edition, but we may finally have arrived at a definitive version with the 35th anniversary high definition release of John Carpenter’s 
Like most Dreamworks films save for How To Train Your Dragon, 
There are those that rail on the ability to watch 3D right in our homes as some kind of gimmick, and they’re right – it is a gimmick. But you know what? It’s still a nifty gimmick, and its presence in the home allows studios like Warner Bros. to release true-3D versions of classic 50’s films like the Vincent Price horror flick 
And while we’re talking vintage catalogue releases from Warners now available in high definition, also making its debut is King Vidor’s incredibly moving silent war film 
You know the merger between Marvel and Disney has been fully cemented when you finally get a mighty meeting like 
I used to really like the show, but there’s something about the 4th season of 
Scholastic is back with a bit of a treat for kids with their latest Storybook Treasures collection – 
The Second World War is over but the Cold War looms in 
Yes, Zooey Deschanel is still delightfully quirky in the second season of 
Nothing quite makes me miss the sublime farce of 3rd Rock From The Sun than a pale imitator like 
Nickelodeon makes holiday gift-giving even easier with their new “Holiday Gifts From Nickelodeon” sets – a trio of releases featuring DVDs of 
It’s never been much of a quality show, but it was always a consistent lowbrow laugher that had a shaky transitional year during its 9th season. But all is back on a somewhat even (for it) keel now that Ashton Kutcher cut his hair for the 10th season of 
If you ever wondered just what it would be like if a stoner got lost in a thought and decided to make a documentary about it, look no further than 
While the actual film was an unfortunate mess, one of the few highlights of DC’s latest direct-to-video animated feature was the score to 
And hey, how about a soundtrack round-up? This week, we’ve got Greg Edmonson’s score for 
It’s because Warwick Davis is a brilliant actor and was such a delight in the guest role he had on Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant’s Extras that I looked forward to the three of them teaming up for 
The swan song of the great Douglas Adams’s tenure on Doctor Who was, for many years, never seen by the public. Due to an industrial action (strike), filming was never completed for the story, and it was shelved… Until many years later, the existing footage was resurrected with newly shot intros and context of the missing scenes provided by the story’s Doctor, Tom Baker. Now, 
While he’s certainly a more assured filmmaker by the time you get to 
If you still have friends who dismiss the ukulele as a beautiful, versatile instrument (the fools), let them have a listen to Jake Shimabukuro’s new album, 
It’s been a few months, so like the seasons and the tide, it was inevitable we’d get another release from the denizens of Bikini Bottom in 
You’d never guess by its title that 
There are plenty of documentaries about what’s wrong with the world. That’s why it’s wonderful to have a genuinely joyous documentary like 
After a routine traffic stop puts them on the wrong side of a vicious drug cartel, a pair of LAPD officers (Jake Gyllenhal & Michael Pena) do what they can to try and make sure they make it to the 
Nerdist guru Chris Hardwick gets his first solo Comedy Central stand-up special with 
The latest slickly-produced big-ticket history documentary from the reality show producers The History Channel focuses on 
Continuing to blend all kinds of stories from the comic book mythos, 
Scholastic continues to release their wonderful series of Storybook Treasures collections of fine children’s books, the latest being the collection 
It’s almost a year past the centennial of the doomed ship’s sinking, but the arrival of the Clifton Webb/Barbara Stanwyck 
Taken once, shame on you. 
Assassins, monsters, and sorcerers are no match for the threat that Morgana’s ambitions pose to Camelot in the fourth season of 
Our trio of aging pensioners age another year with 
The UK’s classy answer to CSI, 
The original, and superior, version of the monstrous roomie drama 
I’m not a fan of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and less so of Tobey Maguire’s DOA-delivery as the titular hero (and those godawaful organic webshooters). The only thing they did get right was the costume, which was just about perfect. With the rebooted 
Because you can never have enough flexibility in your mobile charging options, the fine folks at Thinkgeek have released an ultra low profile 
It’s been a long wait, but we’ve finally got the 3rd volume of 
I was worried going in to 
Formerly available as just a retailer exclusive, John Hughes still-brilliant 
While its had holiday episodes in the past, 
It may not be considered the best animation to come down the pike, but there’s no denying that the kids shows produced by Filmation – from Fat Albert and Star Trek to Superman and He-Man – left their mark on a few generations. The story of the studio is told by its founder in 
It’s not their usual stop-motion fare, but Aardman Animation’s festive holiday CG feature 
A new Disney film has come down the pike, which also means a new, beautiful, must-have Art Of book from the fine folks at Chronicle – and that’s just what 
Tick another classic film off the list, as an absolutely beautifully restored 
It doesn’t hold a candle to the classic films, but 
So what have we got for this week’s soundtracks? We’ve got a brand new score from the mighty John Williams for Steven Spielberg’s 
How about a pair of catalogue releases from the folks at Buena Vista? New to high definition are the Bette Midler tearjerker 
Though there are some that dismiss him, I will stand by my long-held love for the comedy of Louie Anderson, still going strong in 
If you’ve been steadily dropping a not-insubstantial amount of money on the massive Ultimate Editions of the Harry Potter films on Blu-Ray, you know that you don’t yet have the big sets for the final two Deathly Hallows films. To those fans, the absolutely gigantic 
I plan on doing some international traveling in the near future, and everyone I talk to who has done the same has warned to remember a decent power converter. Thankfully, Thinkgeek now offers the perfect solution – the 
Universal’s 100th anniversary celebration has proved to be a remarkably wonderful year for getting highly desired catalogue titles released in high definition, and the streak keeps going with fully remastered editions of classics like 
How can you not love a film from the artsy brains at Aardman Animation? You can’t. Which is why you’ll love their latest – 
The first season was a somewhat shaky, often off-putting affair, but the second season of 
I admit, I was one of the naysayers who looked at ABC’s attempt to milk the Disney fairytale library for a soapy primetime drama that was equal parts Buffy and Dark Shadows as a sure-fire failure, but 
After a debut season that arrived with a bang, the second season of 
It’s a little early for Halloween, but 
When you’ve got a title for a documentary like 
It’s probably for the best that the 4th season of 
The live action film was an abysmal mess, but there’s some fun to be had in 
Criterion rolls out another pair of classy films with a classy treatment – Whit Stillman’s 
Adding to the rich history of the BBC’s exploration of pre-history is 
It’s potentially disastrous when the day after taking his first hit, the high school valedictorian learns that his school will be giving its students a drug test. With his scholarship on the line, what’s a panicky kid to do but hatch a plan to get his entire school high so everyone fails. 
And while you’re picking up the DVD, why not pick up Frederik Wiedmann’s score to 
Charlie’s dead and Alan and Jake soon find a naked millionaire played by Ashton Kutcher replacing him in the awkward 9th season of 
It’s a shame that 
Like Ron Perlman? And Katey Sagal? And bikers? Then the complete fourth season of 
It’s taken a few years, but I may finally be coming around to 
After the awful Muppets, I find watching Jason Segel’s gurning to be difficult to take, so it’s lucky that 
A trio of HBO sitcoms ending their runs get their home video release all at the same time – 
It has been on the decline for years, but it was clearly evident during 
R.L. Stine continues his mission to traumatize children, a mission you can experience via the first two volumes of his new anthology series airing on the Hub network, 
I’m not exactly sure why the Turtle costumes in Saban’s 
Much has been made about 
You can never have too much Bender, so how can you not want the 9″ 
While you’re awaiting the next full season box set, satiate your thirst with the latest single disc release 
It’s always a delight to see a loving restoration of a Technicolor age film make its way to high definition, and 
You know what? I’m not even going to attempt to tell you what Patton Oswalt talks about in his newest album, 
The high definition Lionsgate releases of the Miramax catalogue are still coming fast and furious, with another clutch of titles to fill those gaps in your collection, including the toilet bowl cautionary tale 
Ken Burns turns his documentary lens towards America’s drunkest “sober” hour, 
I could hours watching Darren McGavin star as Mickey Spillane’s bareknuckle gumshoe Mike Hammer – which makes the release of 
Here we are, with the penultimate 11th season of the long-running 
Oh, Warner Archive collection. Yet again, you unleash a clutch of titles the only a very few would ever think to ask you about, but at least they are now available to all. First you’ve got Michael Gough siccing his big cats on people in 
Yeah. I really can’t stand 
Oh, Danny Devito. Sure, the rest of the cast is ace and the show is funny, but I’m only really watching the 6th season of 
Billie Piper has one last go as high-class escort Hannah “Belle” Baxter in the 3rd and final season of 
The 200th anniversary specials focusing on the American Civil War continue with the documentary 
The Disney restoration team do another incredible job with one of their animated classics, making the new high definition release of 
I’m a big fan and longtime user of Zoom’s portable audio recorders, often using them while I’m the road to record live events and podcasts. Well, with the 
It’s always a delight when another Mystery Science Theater box set comes down the pike, but even more delightful when it contains a bonus feature I produced and am actually in – Which is the case with 
I’m beginning to think that the supply of classic Doctor Who adventures is inexhaustible, as we get another pair of old school releases in the form of the William Hartnell serial 
Just when you think the zombie genre has finally been exhausted, along comes something like 
Let’s set aside his smug, off-putting hosting gig at the Oscars and concentrate on the rather remarkable performance James Franco gives in 
Miss the good ol’ days of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Well, two of the show’s strongest improvisers – Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood – have banded together into a touring partnership featuring an evening of those improv games, which has now been immortalized on DVD via 
The kids are covered this weekend as well, with a brand new Spongebob release, 
What do the fine folks at the Warner Archive have for us now? How about Humphrey Bogart and Barbara Stanwyck in 
Yeah, I know it’s lowbrow, but so help me, I do enjoy the Jackass feature films, and the winning streak continues with 
The designs have been slightly updated, but the spirit of the classic series remains in 
They rebuilt him… Better… Stronger… Faster… And now, after an interminably long wait, 
As a child in the early 80’s I remember the magical joy of coloring pieces of thin plastic that, when cut out and put in the oven, would shrink and thicken into tiny little 2-D plastic figurines. Yes, I’m speaking of 
In the mid-60’s, a trio of producers named Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, and Steve Blauner stepped from the surging counterculture and into the mainstream conservative milieu of Hollywood and crafted a definitive TV property with the manufactured pop band/TV show The Monkees. Seeking to move into films, they developed a decidedly unorthodox film for The Monkees written by good friend and Corman regular Jack Nicholson. After it bombed miserably, they hit paydirt with an era-defining film – Easy Rider. High definition version of both those films – plus the rest of their output (Five Easy Pieces, Drive, He Said, A Safe Place, The Last Picture Show, & The King Of Marvin Gardens) – in the box set 
For decades, Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece – a visual and conceptual feast that his inspired scores of filmmakers – has been a fractured film, with whole chunks of footage and sequences that were in the debut cut deemed lost forever. Well, never say never, as recent discoveries have allowed the fine folks at Kino to assemble the complete 
Earlier this year, Kino also began releasing its extensive Buster Keaton collection in high definition, with the result being a trio of must-have releases for any aficionado of cinematic comedy – 
When HBO’s brilliantly dark western Deadwood began its first season, the time period within the series was only a few weeks following the massacre of Custer’s troops in 1876. Into the lawless South Dakotan town rode two men – one a bitter ex-lawman, and the other a man looking to start a new life – and both ran afoul of the local heavy who owns half the town. What followed was an epic drama of operatic heights, and one you can watch in its entirety in high definition with 
Your perennial holiday viewing just got a high definition upgrade with the Blu-Ray release of 
Killing time between now and when the globe-trotting Cars 2 comes out next summer? Well, you can dip into brand new adventures featuring everyone’s favorite hillbilly tow truck in 
The complete runs of both the classic Batman and Superman animated series have already made their debut as box sets, as well as Justice League, so the last to get the treatment arrives with 
It’s not really a brilliant series, but Gerry Anderson’s 
It’s certainly not as well-known or well-loved as shows like Space: 1999 or Thunderbirds, but completionists are sure to rejoice at the arrival of Gerry Anderson’s 
As the little Fockers will be making their way to the big screen shortly, it makes sense that Blu-Rays of 
We’re now into the second season, and I’ve pretty much written off 
Most people think of Romeo + Juliet or Moulin Rouge when they think of Baz Luhrmann and over look the dance-happy 
It’s been a long string of single-disc releases leading up to the release of 
Beginning after his emigration to the Big Apple in 1971, 
The Warner Archive has decided to celebrate the holidays be bringing together the holiday episodes of everything from The Courtship Of Eddie’s Father and Alice to Mama’s Family and Dr. Kildare in the 
The Warner Archive Collection continues to release titles no sane fan would ever think they’d eventually get their hands on, and I’d say the complete animated spin-off of The Dukes Of Hazzard – 
In an attempt to further turn themselves into Spike, the History Channel’s 
I’ve become less and less interested in seeing Tom Cruise on screen in recent years, and was hoping that the True Lies-esque bit of a blast thrill ride 
After Santa and his canine BFF travel to New York and the big man loses his memory, it’s up to the doggie to make sure Christmas is achieved in the saccharine sweet 
You know how long it’s been since 
For every surprisingly enjoyable bad idea like Pirates of the Caribbean comes a misfire dud like 
Real-life lovers Drew Barrymore and Justin Long have gone down the path of many actor couples by immortalizing their relationship as an onscreen duo, with their particular vehicle being 
Rob Reiner shoots straight down the middle with his amiable adaptation of young love novel 
It’s no Ben 10, but Cartoon Network’s 
Part of me cringes to say this, but I’ve begun to think that YouTube sensation Fred Figglehorn is this young generation’s Pee Wee Herman, particularly after seeing the feature-length 
As always, it’s rather pointless to criticize the Twilight movies, as the rabid, massive audience care’s not what anyone has to say about their beloved pap-fest, and the same rule applies to 
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 
Remember those deluxe, ultra-desirable, completely definitive Twilight Zone DVD releases from a few years back? Well, turns out they weren’t nearly as definitive as we thought, because Rod Serling’s classic series arrives in high definition with a ridiculously heightened amount of bonus features. In addition to all 36 episodes plus all of the original bonus content of the old sets, 
There are some things that are instant triggers for geeks to rip out their wallets and plunk down the cash necessary to own. It’s safe to say that the newly released 
Another landmark cinema classic makes its way into high definition with the arrival of Milos Forman’s iconic 
After running under the radar for its first two years, it was during the 3rd season of 
It’s not quite the old Criterion Blu-Ray release, but Lionsgate has done a fine job assembling their own high definition special edition of Carol Reed’s classic 
It’s a hoary metaphor to compare the analysis of comedy to the dissection of a frog, but I’d like you to ignore that metaphor (which I won’t even bother to complete) and recommend you read Stewart Lee’s brilliant 
It’s certainly not the Blu-Ray restoration I would have hoped for, but seeing as how it still retains its red-headed step child status within the Disney catalogue, I suppose I should be happy that the 25th anniversary re-release of 
Did you know that a feature film version of 
It’s decidedly diminishing returns as you go along until the most recent flick pulls things out of the cess pit they’d gotten into, but at least the high definition presentation of all 6 films in 
If you’re looking for a sprawling, one-stop primer on the history of the United States, look no further than The History Channel’s 
I always thought it was a beautifully designed and executed show, so to be able to peruse those designs via the handsome 
Explore the majestic 
School is back in session, so hunker down with the release of a trio of classic film adaptations of literary masterpieces – John Steinbeck’s 
Long derided as one of the most z-grade laughable of the many Star Wars rip-offs that littered cinemas in the late 70’s, Roger Corman’s Italian-produced mess 
I still, to this day – despite friends who have fallen fully under its sway – remain unmoved by 
Everyone’s favorite sponge drops a greatest hits disc featuring… Well, the title pretty much sums it up – 
I love Patrick Warburton and I generally like sitcom-based David Spade, and I really have tried to like 
It’s not the recent lackluster live action fare, so fans of the Mystery Inc. gang will probably like the new feature-length animated movie 
It’s not the Kevin McCarthy original, but the remake of 
I think 
The original cast is gone, but the 3rd season of 
They’ve come out in about a half-dozen different iterations over the years, but the latest batch of Saturday Night Live best-of releases adds over 20 minutes of additional sketches and outtakes, with the latest to get the treatment being 
I’m as surprised as anyone that 
Speaking of stillborn, that’s the best way to describe the still pointless 
Shout Factory has settled into a pleasantly clockwork schedule of releasing new sets, but I still greet 
When I was a kid, I always wanted the 5 transformable lions that would join to form the mighty battle robot Voltron. Sadly, I never did wind up getting it back then. As an adult, however, I have gotten the 
Relive the great legacy of Sesame Street back in the days before the show went down the tubes with the DVD release of 1989’s 
If you’re keen for a massive tome that takes a backstage look at the genius behind the concepts, designs, and implementations of their theme parks, look no further than 
Tide yourself over for the next season release with 
You’ve probably purchased them in the past, so what’s the incentive in buying the new editions of 
It’s hard not to be enthralled by the images on display in 
If you’re curious what Reality Bites would look like at middle age, look no further than 
Warners continues to mine their deep library of noir films with the 5th volume of the 
Post-MASH, Robert Altman decided to cash most of the goodwill audiences had in with the bizarre, daft 
In the early days of Nick at Nite, one of the shows I watched night after night was My Three Sons, and I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s because of star Fred MacMurray, as single parent Steve Douglas (sadly, sans Flubber). Or maybe it was just the lovably crotchety presence of William Frawley. Either way, both the 
Paramount continues to undercut the public domain cheapie market with the welcome release of the complete second season of 
I was never a fan of 
Since you can’t introduce your kids to the superheroes you loved as a kid via comic books anymore (dark, violent aberrations that they’ve become), pick up 
