Tag: Steve Carell

Weekend Shopping Guide 6/28/13: Oceanic Lanes

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…)

I realize now I read a Neil Gaiman story for the places you shouldn’t go but must, the innocence gained in innocence lost, and the light lurking about in the darkness. All of those elements are woven into the fabric of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (William Morrow, $25.99 SRP), a tightly told tale that ranks among his best. So just go read it. Now.

Daleks! You can never have enough Daleks! Small ones, big ones, plastic ones, metal ones – even inflatable ones. Measuring an impressive 47″ tall and available in a variety of colors, the gents at Thinkgeek are stocking an Inflatable Dalek ($39.99). That’s right. AN INFLATABLE DALEK. You know you want one. Or a dozen.

If the 4th season was Walter White extricating himself from the dangerous position he had gotten himself into, the first half of Breaking Bad: Season Five (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$65.99 SRP) finds the unpredictable Heisenberg taking the reigns of a full-fledged drug empire on his own terms… For better or worse. Which, granted, we won’t know for sure how it all winds up until the show wraps this Fall. Bonus features include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a gag reel.

Hey hey hey! Another childhood favorite gets the deluxe special edition treatment from the fine folks at Shout Factory with the debut of Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids: The Complete Series (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$119.99 SRP). While there has been a previous release of the show, this iteration gets a full remaster – looking and sounding better than it did in its original network airing. There’s also a snazzy new documentary on the making of the show with creator Bill Cosby.

As much as can be said for the uneven show, the 3rd season of MadTV (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP) is probably its strongest, with a strong cast (including Phil Lamarr, Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Will Sasso, and Alex Borstein) that came to play.

The lasagna-loving tabby is back with a whole new fixation in the latest collection of episodes – The Garfield Show: Pizza Dreams (Vivendi, Not Rated, DVD-$14.93 SRP), featuring six episodes plus a handful of shorts.

A comedy about an aging magical double act whose friendship since childhood splinters when a new stunt-based act comes on the scene? You’d think there’d be plenty of comedy to mine with a cast that includes Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi as the duo and Jim Carrey as the stunt performer, but except for Carrey’s inspired turn, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) never manages to reach the heights it should, which is a shame. For a better take on the same material, take a look at Magicians, starring David Mitchell & Robert Webb. Bonus materials include deleted/alternate scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.

And now, your comedy album round up for this week brings Bob Saget: That’s What I’m Talkin’ About (New Wave Dynamics, $13.89 SRP), Brian Posehn: The Fartist (New Wave Dynamics, $12.99 SRP), Owen Benjamin: High Five Til It Hurts (Comedy Central, CD/DVD-$14.98 SRP), and Kumail Nanjiani: Beta Male (Comedy Central, CD/DVD-$13.99 SRP).

Inspired by actual events, Phantom (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is a Cold War game of cat and mouse aboard a missing Soviet sub between a battle-hardened captain (Ed Harris) and a rogue KGB agent (David Duchovny with the fate of the world in the balance. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and a music video.

Still reeling from an attempt on his life, Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) begins the march towards closure in the final season of CSI: NY (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP). Bonus materials include featurettes, the CSI crossover episode, the Vegas/NY crossover, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

When it comes to affordable entertainment, no one beats the economy-priced fare from the folks at Mill Creek. The latest batch of titles are an eclectic mix, with standard DVD releases of the SyFy Channel miniseries Tin Man (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$25.00 SRP) and the documentary The United States Military: History Of Heroes (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). They’ve also got a clutch of high definition releases, including the double feature titles The Nines/Slipstream and Universal Soldier: The Return/Second In Command (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$9.98 SRP each), and the documentary JFK: A New World Order (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP).

For the past few years, the fine folks at Diamond Select Toys – purveyors of pop culture collectibles – have been putting out a range of items based on the most seminal of comedy-horror films, Ghostbusters. The latest batch of times sure to tempt even the most casual fan include a faithfully-sculpted 8″ Slimer Bank ($19.99 SRP), a party-ready Slimer Gelatin Mold ($14.99 SRP), and a Ghostbusters Silicone Tray ($14.99 SRP), which perfectly crafts ice ready for your next spooky cocktail.

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

##

June 28, 2013
Weekend Shopping Guide 10/26/12: Potter’s End

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…)

You find out that an asteroid is going to hit the Earth, and the end as we know it is in 3 weeks. What do you do? That’s the premise behind the heartfelt dramedy Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), as an insurance salesman (Steve Carell) instantly abandoned by his wife when the announcement is made finds an unexpected kinship with a similarly broken young neighbor (Keira Knightly). Just give it a spin. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and outtakes.

Thinkgeek time, wizard-wannabes! No wizard sport cosplay is complete without a pair of Harry Potter Quidditch Goggles ($7.99 SRP), which strike a nice balance between looking authentic enough to the actual screen props while also being relatively inexpensive. And while we’re on the subject of cool, affordable Harry Potter merchandise, why not pick yourself up your very own light-up Harry Potter Wand ($19.99 SRP)? Or a beautiful replica – with display case! – of Hermione’s Time Turner ($49.99 SRP)? Or, if you’re in an evil but artistic mood, an accurately blank-page filled copy of Tom Riddle’s Diary ($39.99 SRP)? PLENTY of magic to go around.

It’s a growing trend to create books packed with reproductions of ephemera, and you can add the Harry Potter film franchise to that list with the re-release of Harry Potter Film Wizardry (Collins Design, $45.00 SRP) – newly revised and expanded to include the last two films in the series – which provides an overview of the tremendous amount of design work that went into the costuming, sets, props, and effects contained in the films, and includes reproductions of some of those props (like Harry’s acceptance letter, a Marauders Map, Yule Ball Ticket, and more). A perfect gift for the Potter fan on your list.

Supplement the original must-have collection with The Ernie Kovacs Collection: Volume 2 (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP), which contains 8 more episodes from Kovacs’ morning show, 18 bonus sketches, a trio of episodes of his game show Take A Good Look, his rare TV pilot with co-star Buster Keaton, a rare interview, and a 2011 American Cinematheque panel. As a supplement if you order directly from them, Shout Factory is releasing Take A Good Look as a bonus disc, which brings together 7 episodes from Kovacs’ delightfully surreal panel quiz show, that’s very similar in spirit to Reeves & Mortimer’s equally dada Shooting Stars. Go get this.

Many, many, many years ago, Henry Beard and the late Doug Kenney of The Harvard Lampoon decided that the time was right to pen a scathing parody of JRR Tolkien’s massive, sprawling, often meandering epic trilogy, calling their effort Bored Of The Rings (Touchstone, $13.99 SRP). And it has just been re-released after many years out-of-print. And you should read it. Because it is pretty damn funny.

If you’ve ever been to a Disney theme park, you’ll know that nearly every single major attraction in the park – nearly since Disneyland first opened – has its very own promotional poster, which is very often a work of art unto itself. You can take a visual journey through these pieces in the oversized Poster Art Of The Disney Parks (Disney Editions, $40.00 SRP), which is a must-have not only for fans, but also aficionados of graphic design.

There have been many books prior, but The Toy Story Films: An Animated Journey (Disney Editions, $60.00 SRP) is the first to take a comprehensive look at not only all 3 Toys Story films, but also the shorts and development that brought us up to the point of a viable feature-length computer animated film. With a foreword by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki and an afterword by John Lasseter, it’s a wonderful portrait of creation.

I still can’t quite find a way to sum up exactly what Magic Mike (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is about. A heartwarming tale of a young, wayward kid (Alex Pettyfer) taken under the wing of an experienced, hack (Channing Tatum) with entrepreneurial dreams who decides the kid has the right stuff to be a star male stripper. Yeah – male strippers. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. And it’s all so, so awkward. Yeah, I’m shocked, too. Bonus materials include featurettes and extended dance scenes.

You’d think Disney would take a page from Dreamworks and bring back their pantheon of characters for holiday-themed specials, but instead they’ve left it all to the other Big D with releases like Dreamworks Spooky Stories (Dreamworks, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$25.98 SRP), featuring a pair of Shrek Halloween specials – Shrek’s Thrilling Tales & Scared Shrekeless – and Monsters Vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space.

I’m always delighted when an actual historical release manages to escape past the reality glut from The History Channel, which is why I enjoyed Disasters Deconstructed (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), which takes a look at and explains some of history’s greatest architectural disasters, from the Hindenburg to the Titanic and more.

How about another trip to beautiful Fantasy Island (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.97 SRP), as the third season of the original series starring Ricardo Montalban, Herve Villechaize, and whatever guest stars could be marooned by the Love Boat hits DVD. The 6-disc set contains all 23 episodes, plus Bob Denver. Yes. That’s right. Gilligan on Fantasy Island.

Created by Blake Edwards and featuring an iconic theme from the great Henry Mancini, it’s quite groovy to be able to pick up the complete series of Peter Gunn (Timeless Media Group, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP). You get all 114 episodes featuring the suave detective solving the hardest cases in a nameless city that’s full of them. The set even contains a bonus CD featuring more of Mancini’s jazzy score.

It’s living in the shadow of the far more acclaimed Downton Abbey, but the BBC’s new take on Upstairs Downstairs (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.32 SRP) has reached a second season which takes the story up to just prior to Britain entering the Second World War, as tensions rise both outside and inside the house. Bonus materials include cast and crew interviews.

I still can’t fathom the appeal of the Tinkerbell-starring Disney Fairies line of direct-to-video films, but there must be enough of an audience if they continue to crank them out – the latest being the feature-length Secret Of The Wings (Walt Disney, Rated G, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), which has the distinction of being the first presented in 3D. Bonus materials include an additional short and music videos.

We’re yet another step closer to completing the seemingly-infinite run of Roy Clarke’s Last Of The Summer Wine (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) with the release of the 1995 Vintage (season). The 2-disc set contains all 8 episodes, plus the 1995 special “The Man Who Nearly Knew Pavarotti”.

While Medicom has had a version of the fearsome bounty hunter as featured in Return Of The Jedi, the fine folks at Sideshow has taken it upon themselves to make a definitive version of the 12″ Boba Fett ($174.99) as we first encountered him in Empire Strikes Back. The usual high level of scale-costuming can be found here, from pouches and weapons to the original detailing of his jet pack and helmet. The figure also comes with a light-up base, styled in the architecture of Bespin’s carbonite freezing chamber.

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

##

October 26, 2012
Opinion In A Haystack: SEEKING BRAVE PRESIDENTS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

Pixar’s BRAVE – spoiler free review

I think the title is a mistake.

All the advertising, marketing, trailers, ricketa, racketa, even the first third of Pixar’s newest movie seem to be pushing one singular obvious plot that is nowhere to be found in the movie itself. This isn’t really a bad thing, just a confusing one.

The movie is a scottish period piece, a story about a soon-to-be Queen, Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) who wants a life free from the expectations of her future. She has an overbearing mother, the current Queen (Emma Thompson,) and a very supportive father, the current King (Billy Connolly.) Merida is an expert archer, highly adept at life in the wilderness and is pretty much the antithesis to anything prim and proper. Surrounded by a kingdom of ruthless warriors and the “manliest” of manly scottish men, she is expected to be everything she hates on top of being expected to marry a prince she’s never met. You can see where this is going right? I mean the title, the setup, all of it points to the obvious conclusion that she is going to prove that she is something more than just a pretty smile by her extreme bravery, probably by showing up even the best of the best warriors in the kingdom at some yet to be known task. Right?

I mean look at this poster:

Wrong. I’m glad it’s wrong too. BRAVE is not trying to tell that story no matter how much the marketing and the setup seem to want to. This is a movie about mistakes (much like the title of the movie itself,) responsibility, identity and the relationship of a mother and her daughter. Without SPOILING anythng I’ll just say that the princess tries desperatley to change her destiny and ends up cursing her mother.

I won’t go too in depth with the story, but all of princess Merida’s wilderness and archery skills come into play and her mother sees that she is a much different personality then the one being imposed on her. It’s a very touching story, a very weird tale and even a welcome one, but at the heart of it its not about bravery, sure Merida has to be brave in one scene but it just doesn’t merit the title and the tone of the marketing.

The animation is exceptional, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Kelly Macdonald give great performances. For all of you who were heartbroken at CARS 2 sadly existing, BRAVE will remind you why your standards for Pixar were so high prior to CARS 2. Still, I don’t know if BRAVE is good enough to make up for putting Larry The Cable Guy in theaters TWICE.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Review

I’ve never read the book, so don’t expect any perspective involving that.

please carefully study the following Pictures by SharpWriter:

…and you basically just felt the exact tone, joke, and overall absurdly senseless “badassery” of Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The movie makes little to no sense, doesn’t bother to truly explain the vamps, Lincoln’s powers are ill-defined and the film often defies its own logic and physics.

However, much like the above “internety” photographs of our founding fathers in absurd situations, fighting beasts while forcing them to “deal” with historical documents, this film succeeds on its complete dedication to the joke. It’s the phrase “AMERICA, F!@#$ YEAH!” formed and molded into celluloid. It is both a satire of “American Exceptionalism” and a homage, albeit a silly one, to arguably this nations greatest president.

Benjamin Walker’s performance, regardless how this movie strikes you, is actually quite great. In both body and spirit he embodies a noble, honest figure, which is a pretty impressive feat when you consider he’s surrounded by so much cartoonish action.

Some of the set pieces in this movie, cartoonish or not, pretty much define the term “AWESOME!” for better or worse.

– Abe Lincoln fighting a vampire in the center of a horse stampede? AWESOME.

– Vampires, fighting for the south, during the battle of Gettysburg? AWESOME.

– Abe Lincoln chopping a tree in half with one blow with the power of TRUTH? AWESOME!!!

***************SPOILERS OVER*******************

The movie isn’t that coherent and like I said it defy’s its internal logic, and never really explains the “vampire rules” of its universe, but I enjoyed it none the less for the nuggets of ridiculous that flowed throughout.

Oh, and DON’T SEE THE 3D…something was seriously flawed with the 3D print, it looked to be a victim of extreme DIGITAL NOISE REDUCTION, wide shots looked laughably horrible. I hope the 2D doesn’t follow suit.

It looked like the awful 2010 bluray of PREDATOR, but in 3D:

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD spoiler free review

Earlier this year, when reviewing Cabin In The Woods, I spoke about my desire to reach into Joss Whedon’s nipple abyss, where he keeps his talent, and steal some for myself. This was basically cause I wish I had the idea for Cabin first, well I can say that I’m jealous I didn’t think of Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World first as well.

A light comedy that takes place during the last 3 weeks of the apocalypse , one that doesn’t whimp out in the end, it’s a good idea. Personally, I don’t know if I would consider it a great film, but it’s a very well acted, directed, and funny flick. The comedy isn’t coming from the leads here either, but from the various cameos by T.J Miller, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt, Rob Huebel, Adam Brody and William Peterson of all people. It’s a great cast, and Steve Carrell himself gives a very understated performance that is polar opposite to his Michael Scott.

Please don’t let “THE END OF THE WORLD” part in the title fool you, this isn’t a Michael Bay film, we don’t see much of the chaos and panic and destruction of the world in a storm of mania over it’s end, its only hinted at both visually, audibly, and through suggestion. In fact, that might be my biggest compliment to the film itself, they figured out just the perfect balance to keep the whole affair low budget but without feeling like they were skimping on showing us glimpses of the premise.

Writer/Director Lorene Scafaria doesn’t force armageddon down our throat, the movie knows we get what the apocalypse means, it pushes that aside and tells this small story of one lonely man.

Sadly, I foresee this film disappointing a wide variety of filmgoers expecting either the brash comedy of Carell’s other work, or as I said, a Michael Bay film. If you can except the movie for what it’s trying to be and not what the title would normally make our Hollywood glazed brains envision, it’s worth the price of a ticket.

Ok that’s all for now. I’m Bob Rose and thanks for your eyeball time!

June 25, 2012
TV Or Not TV: 3/14 – 3/20

It’s been quite a few years and even though I’ve had a lot of time invested in it I’m just not sure that I want to continue my relationship with THE OFFICE.

As many of you have heard by now STEVE CARELL is leaving the hit show to pursue whatever it is that he is going to pursue. In many ways I think knowing this information ahead of time has really gotten in my way of trying to passively watch a show that is meant to be passively watched. I spend my time watching plot details unfold and start over-analyzing what is going on. I start to look for the under-current being set-up for the upcoming departure and I begin paying too much attention. THE OFFICE wasn’t meant to be analyzed. It’s mental chewing gum, not Shakespeare.

First and foremost THE OFFICE is a situation comedy. It isn’t meant to be scholarly, it isn’t going to be intellectual. A good sitcom is meant to distract and entertain and allow me to sit there mindlessly taking in the entertainment. This has been taken away from me as I’ve noticed a change in the dynamic of the show this season. When I watch the show I get the impression that we’re seeing far less of MICHAEL SCOTT and a lot more of the other people in THE OFFICE. This shouldn’t be a big deal however it is something that feels contradictory to the formula I’ve grownÂ accustomedÂ to. I’m used to an absurd MICHAEL SCOTT main plot and an office worker sub-plot playing out. This season I’ve felt that dynamic has been flipped and it really takes me out of the moment.

With CARELL’s departure I’ve also been analyzing the show in too deep a fashion trying to see if the writing had any foreshadowing of the reason behind MICHAEL SCOTT’s departure. I know this is a silly type of thinking since this show isn’t written by the team from LOST or by JOSS WHEDON, but the fact that the guy is leaving means that they would have to come up with the scenario why he was going. There wasn’t anything that was obvious in the early episodes but in my opinion the writing has been on the wall since they re-introduced MICHAEL’s former and now once again burning flame HR specialist HOLLY. I now wouldn’t be surprised in the least if the reason why MICHAEL were to leave was to follow HOLLY wherever she was going. I also really hope that this is the reason why MICHAEL SCOTT leaves THE OFFICE because the romantic in me is always rooting for true love.

About mid-way through this television season I discovered that CARELL’s departure wasn’t going to come at the end of the season but would come near the end. There’s going to be a few awkward week’s of people filling in for the departed office manager. I know I’m going to stick around to at least say good-bye to MICHAEL but the weakness in the last few episodes make me wonder if the magic isn’t already gone from this long running show and after MICHAEL SCOTT is gone we will have seen the man behind the curtain and all of the magic will be gone for us from the all-powerful Oz.

Now that I’ve said my piece on THE OFFICE let’s see what else is on tap for the week ending in my 40th birthday, shall we?

MONDAY

ABC – 8:00 PM: Those into THE BACHELOR finally get to see if BRAD actually chooses a girl this time.

NBC – 8:00 PM: Hello ladies. Try to enjoy ISAIAH MUSTAFA tonight on CHUCK as he starts as the super spy your man could smell like.

FX – 8:00 PM: Part of me is a littleÂ embarrassedÂ to admit that I really liked the TINA FEY movie BABY MAMA.

TUESDAY

FOX – 8:00 PM: It’s finally time for sectionals on GLEE and the show ventures into unknown territory as they perform original music. TheÂ cynicÂ in me thinks this is an attempt at them not having to pay royalties out the nose for the inevitable soundtrack.

NBC – 8:00 PM: The teams on THE BIGGEST LOSER get merged and they compete to see who can make the lowest calorie meal in 30 minutes. This one screams CURTIS STONE appearance.

ABC – 9:00 PM: It’s the season (series?) finale for V tonight as ANNA tries to trick out her daughter to TYLER. Those space lizards really know about good parenting.

FOX – 9:00 PM: Everyone gets down to writing out their will’s and JIMMY has the difficult choice of bestowing guardianship of hope in his absence on RAISING HOPE.

WEDNESDAY

ABC FAMILY – 7:00 PM: Please, no one tell my daughter that there’s an airing of BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA followed by BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 2 tonight or I guarantee that’s all I’ll be watching. Really, there’s money involved if you don’t let this one out.

CBS – 8:00 PM: It just feels hollow and empty on SURVIVOR: REDEMPTION ISLAND now that RUSSELL is out of the game.

FOX – 8:00 PM: I know you don’t need this column to tell you that there’s a new AMERICAN IDOL on tonight so instead let me warn you that it’s two hours of listening to half-talents scream sing with a few stars shining in the mix.

ABC – 8:30 PM: I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is that I’ve been enjoying about MR. SUNSHINE but it has at least made me not miss COUGAR TOWN so I guess that’s saying something for it, right?

THURSDAY

FOX – 8:00 PM:Â THE BLACK EYED PEAS continue their “We’re appearing on every show” tour as they perform on tonight’s elimination episode of AMERICAN IDOL.

NBC – 8:00 PM: There’s a baby shower for SHIRLEY tonight on COMMUNITY and I’m sure CHANG won’t do anything to make it uncomfortable. Also the entire NBC lineup tonight is new except for THE OFFICE so now we’ve got that out of the way.

FOX – 9:00 PM: Tonight on BONES there’s a blizzard, a blackout and a viral outbreak. Is the guest star tonight the four horsemen of theÂ apocalypse?

BRAVO – 9:00 PM: KATHY GRIFFIN returns to BRAVO with a new stand-up special 50 & NOT PREGNANT. Catch it now because her stuff is topical so you’ll want to get it while its fresh.

FRIDAY

ABC – 8:00 PM: Tonight is the series finale of SUPERNANNY to which I have to say, “This show was still on the air?”

BRAVO – 8:00 PM: Did you miss last night’s airing of KATHY GRIFFIN: 50 & NOT PREGNANT? Here’s a second chance at it.

FOX – 9:00 PM: If you’ve been wondering where exactly this universe’s LINCOLN LEE is than you have to look no further than this week’s FRINGE to find out. I can’t wait to see how they explain that OLIVIA doesn’t recognize him.

SATURDAY

TNT – 8:00 PM: If you haven’t seen the KILL BILL saga then TNT is giving you a chance to see both volumes back-to-back. I’m not sure if this will be a TV edit of it but if so I hope the watered down version is as entertaining as the uncut.

SCIENCE – 10:00 PM: Repeat or not I just can’t get enough of AN IDIOT ABROAD.

BBCA – 9:00 PM: Even though all of this third season has been good, tonight’s episode of BEING HUMAN is by far one of the most compelling. The return of HERRICK was nothing that I expected and what transpires is just engulfing. I don’t think I blinked the entire time.

NBC – 11:30 PM: I’ve tried so very hard to forget this episode of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE hosted by JEFF BRIDGES. Why oh why did they have to bring it back?

SUNDAY

FX – 8:00 PM: Following up an airing of IRON MAN with X-MEN: THE LAST STAND is like following up a thing of beauty with X-MEN: THE LAST STAND.

HBO – 9:00 PM: After five seasons we finally see what the future holds for the HENRICKSON‘s as theÂ BIG LOVE series finale happens tonight.

A&E – 10:30 PM: Let me tell you something Fish, if you’ve been missing yourÂ T-BAG fix than you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of BREAKOUT KINGS since the con that’s gone is none other than Theodore Bagwell of PRISON BREAK fame. Now just take a hold of my pocket…

March 14, 2011
Weekend Shopping Guide 8/13/10: Kick-Ass

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…)

I really could have done without the over-the-top violence, because I actually found the story behind Kick-Ass (Lionsgate, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) to be pretty damn good, adapted from the comic book of the same name that envisions what it might be like for a real-life teen to decide to become a superhero-styled vigilante. What elevates it, though, is an impressive cast – including Nic Cage in the first flick in ages where I’ve actually enjoyed his presence. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, a marketing archive, gallery, and a bonus standard DVD.

In these dark, depressing, overheated days, there’s one thing that can still manage to bring a smile to even the most jaded countenance. I bet you’re wondering what I’m talking about. Why, I’m talking about Star Trek Interactive Tribbles ($14.99-$19.99), which vibrate and make all of the noises that Tribbles do, available in both a large and small size.

It’s not often that you find a smart, funny kiddie comedy that’s just as enjoyable for the adults, and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) manages to achieve placement in that rarified air with a classic outsider tale that plays like a modern day Christmas Story. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted diary pages.

While The Nightmare Before Christmas gets all of the attention, director Henry Selick’s stop-motion follow-up adaptation of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) finally gets its time in the sun with a beautiful high definition transfer special edition, with a behind-the-scenes featurette and a music video.

Very rapidly, now, studios are cranking up their catalogue high definition conversions, which leads us to this week’s trio of releases from MGM – Kalifornia, Bull Durham, & the long-awaited Escape From New York (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP each). Both Escape & Kalifornia are featureless, but Bull Durham comes with commentaries and a clutch of featurettes. All 3 releases come bundled with the standard definition DVD disc as well.

He made a lot of movies, but the most memorable ones are includes in the high definition Elvis: Blu-Ray Collection (Warner Bros., Rated G, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP). Not only does it include Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas, but also the concert film Elvis On Tour. As far as bonus materials go, both films contain making-of featurettes.

It’s slight and really doesn’t maintain itself very well, but Date Night (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) does have the benefit of Steve Carrell and Tina Fey as its leads, as a humdrum married couple whose attempt at a night out goes quickly into action-packed farce mode after they impulsively grab another couple’s dinner reservation. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, PSAs, and a gag reel.

It’s not the films you generally think of when you hear his name, but there’s a nice look at the kind of films that sustained his career in the TCM Spotlight Errol Flynn Adventures collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Included in the set are Desperate Journey, Edge Of Darkness, Northern Pursuit, Uncertain Glory, & Objective, Burma!. Bonus features include short subjects, newsreels, and trailers.

Want to know a lot about a certain subject in a fast, easy, and entertaining way? Well, the folks at The History Channel have marshaled their massive library into a new initiative of single-disc “Instant Expert” releases, each of which focuses on a single topic. The first batch to come down the pike include Ben Franklin, The Story Of Oil, Egypt, The Mayflower, The French Revolution, and Beowulf (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP each).

David Starkey dives deep into the history of Britain’s ruling class in the documentary series Monarchy (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$79.99 SRP), taking viewers on a 1,500-year journey through power, blood, and battle.

Film criticism has been condensed down to its purest form in the collected release of Four Word Film Reviews (Adams Media, $9.95 SRP), in which Benj Clews and Michael Onesi summarize the likes of Jurassic Park with “Visitors feed the animals.” and Jaws with “Eat ship and die.”

Having recently acquired the rights to release Roy Budd’s scores, Silva Screen launches right in with a sparkling release of Budd’s score to the original Get Carter (Silva Screen Records, $12.98 SRP). Fans of the film and score aficionados alike will want to snap this up ASAP.

Long a favorite of tape-trading fans, the very lovely, little-seen 1984 documentary Henson’s Place (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) arrives on DVD and is worth a look by anyone who fancies themselves a Muppets fan. The disc also include a look at the 1885/86 Jim Henson Company Yearbook, with an introduction by Michael Frith.

It seems awfully soon after the Brit-centric, Frank Oz-helmed remake of just a few years ago, but the American audience got its own version of Death At A Funeral (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.95 SRP) which at least makes the smart decision of keeping Peter Dinklage on in what still amounts to a frothy, if slight, farce. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

So two volumes simply weren’t enough? Well, perhaps you’ll finally get your fill with Saturday Night Live: The Best Of Will Ferrell Volume 3 (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which is two more volumes than any of the original cast. Think about that for a moment.

It’s schlock of the utmost caliber, as Joe Dante rips off Jaws in the Roger Corman produced Piranha (Shout Factory, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.97 SRP), and it’s even goofier when you view it in high definition. Bonus features an audio commentary, featurettes, bloopers, radio/TV spots, trailers, and more.

Did you know that Hawaii Five-O ran for 12 seasons? I mean, by the time you get to Hawaii Five-O: Season 9 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), it’s pretty much running on autopilot as Chin Ho, Danno, and Detective Steve McGarrett track down criminals on the Big Island of Oahu. The 6-disc set contains all 23 episodes.

Thanks to Charlie Brooker’s brilliant deconstruction of this soap opera dramatization on the loves and lives of the 19th century painters in question, I can’t really take Desperate Romantics (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) too seriously. Perhaps you can. The 2-disc set contains a pair of featurettes.

While it makes me feel achingly old to see it’s the 25th anniversary edition, it is nice that John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP) has arrived in high definition, featuring an audio commentary, documentary, and a featurette on the origins of “The Brat Pack”.

Watch a once-promising show completely collapse under its own mismanagement and limp to a perfunctory demise via the 4th and final season of Heroes (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The 5-disc set contains all 18 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted/extended scenes, and featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($79.98 SRP) is also available, with the same bonus materials plus an exclusive featurette.

Proving that Sesame Street is all about following trends instead of setting them nowadays, their latest DVD release features Abby Cadabby in Sesame Street: P Is For Princess (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which at least features Paul Rudd as a prince.

Oh, The 80’s. You gifted us with so much pop culture detritus that clogs every nook and cranny of the brains that lived through you. Included in that clutter is the short-lived TV series Max Headroom (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$49.97 SRP), whose 14 episodes are included in this new collector’s edition set. Bonus features include retrospective featurettes and a cast roundtable discussion.

Calling back to the likes of Voltron, Robotech, and Battle Of The Planets, Adult Swim’s Titan Maximum (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is a stop-motion riff on that big robot pop culture well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite live up to the previous series from its creators, Robot Chicken. We’ll see if it gets its sea legs should it move forward. The disc contains 9 episodes, animatics, commentaries, featurettes, a table read, and more.

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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August 13, 2010
Trailer Park: DESPICABLE ME

By Christopher Stipp

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DESPICABLE ME -Review

The issue with Despicable Me isn’t so much that it’s a good, albeit mediocre, kids film but it is the film’s contentment with just being average that genuinely holds the movie back from being anything more than forgettable.

With Steve Carell starring as our baddie with a soft spot for small girls, Gru, and Jason Segel as a true nemesis for our nemesis, Vector, the perceived talent is ultimately wasted on a script that depends too much on forced sentimentality where there is none and a sub-plot that seems wholly inserted just to pad out a story that is wafer thin as it already is.

Primarily, the tale of an evil mastermind who adopts three orphans under false pretenses in order to get at Vector, a new villain who is usurping this old man at every opportunity, and who surreptitiously steals an item that Gru himself was pilfering at the time, goes nowhere. As that plot fizzles like a wet bottle rocket, screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (both of Horton Hears a Who! and The Santa Clause 2 notoriety) insert these three orphan girls as a way to build a story about self-confidence and caring. The girls, as well, have become the centerpiece of a marketing plan that finally was able to shed some light on the question many people have had as this film neared release: What is this movie about?

Truly, this movie doesn’t know what it wants to be about, quite honestly. At one time it’s a cheeky throwback to spy films long gone, Carell rolling out his best Boris impersonation from Rocky and Bullwinkle, whileÂ at other times it’s a hackneyed yarn about what it means to feel compassion and love when all you’ve known is how to be a villain. Believe me, the irony of the screenwriters ripping a thematic page out of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas after they themselves worked on a Seuss adaptation isn’t lost on me but the story is as translucent as its characters. Segel for his part proves you don’t need any finesse, or subtlety for that matter, in order to voice a character in an animated film. His speaking parts seem out of place with the mouth moving on the screen as there is no inflection, no passion for creating a truly obnoxious Bill Gates-ian kind of villain. This only compounds the real problem of this movie and it’s that in an age where every single animated movie is falling short of its Pixar counterpart you are witness to the disparities in quality from one film to another. Like an essay in school that needed to be compared and contrasted, you can see that while the animation is somewhat on par there is a reason those lamp loving animators are going home with golden statuettes year after year after year.

For example, in Toy Story 3, the moment when Buzz and Woody are in danger of being melted like marshmallows at a campfire. The music by Michael Giacchino complements the emotional punch that’s tightly shot by director Lee Unkrich. It works to draw your feelings out because everything was accounted for and executed right. Contrasting that, we get moments between Gru and the orphans that don’t earn their emotional cash-in. The composition by Heitor Pereira doesn’t work or help tie anything together in a meaningful way. It’s as if you have all these moving pieces that want to act independently of one another and what you get is exactly what this is and that’s a mediocre movie that thinks it wants to be a movie about overcoming past emotional roadblocks or a movie about turning a corner in your life in order to love something other than yourself or it’s a movie about these small little yellow creatures called minions.

But let’s talk about the minions for a moment. All things being equal, the minions would still edge out everything else in this film for bring the funniest thing your kids will see this month. These adorable little creatures thankfully steal the movie away from all of their co-stars and they barely are able to say a word. Who cares about wondering why there are dozens of them scurrying about, the true delight is that they bring so much levity and slapstick humor to a movie that desperately needed it. It’s the minions who ought to have been the focus of the film, the story from their perspective would have such a more interesting creation than we have here which is all about Gru’s obsession to shrink the moon to show the world his capacity for true evil, but I understand the aim of the film. It’s not looking to reshape animation or redefine it in any way, I get that, but when you have others in this animated space showing you how films like this can be done you have to be disappointed when films like this fall just short of the mark.

Not that any of this matters, I get that as well. The movie will make millions upon millions and will probably result in sequels and spin-offs galore. (I’ll be anxiously awaiting a poorly animated Nickelodeon series based on the lives of the minions which will probably be truly awful as they’re the edgiest thing about this film) Success here is absolutely quantifiable and that is why this movie is an unquestionable hit. I may not like the way it meanders towards an ending we all see coming from the moment this film begins but the kids will enjoy it for what it is while I see it for exactly what it is.

July 9, 2010