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…)
While the conversation about the 1/6th-scale figure market usually focuses on the work being done by the ridiculously skilled artisans at Hot Toys and Sideshow, quite rightly, there are a few companies that have come on the scene in the last few months that deserve collector attention. Of course, it helps that the folks at StarAce are being distributed by the folks at Sideshow, because it means easy accessibility to their remarkably awesome line of Harry Potter figures, starting right at the ground floor with the Philosopher’s Stone versions of Harry Potter (StarAce/Sideshow, $185) & Ron Weasley (StarAce/Sideshow, $185). As you can see, this is the youngest versions of Dan Radcliffe and Rupert Grint iconic roles, with head sculpts perfectly capturing the youthful exuberance of that first film. Both figures sport a nice clutch of accessories. Harry’s got his wand, broom, the Philosopher’s Stone, the Sorting Hat, and Hedwig, while Ron gets his wand, broom, homemade sweater, Scabbers, and the Wizard Chess board and pieces. These are a great start to what is shaping up to be a lovely line.
And speaking of companies making their mark, ThreeZero has done a stunning job capturing Peter Dinklage’s likeness for their 1/6th scale Tyrion Lannister (Thinkgeek, $129.99), as seen during his brief tenure as Hand of the King in Game Of Thrones‘ 2nd season. I mean, honestly – This figure is just plain awesome.
Patience has been rewarded for fans of Hayao Miyazaki, as his brilliant animated classic Spirited Away (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP) finally makes its high definition debut, looking spectacular and featuring a bevy of bonus features, including featurettes, storyboards, trailers, TV spots, and an intro from John Lasseter.
A cult cult classic, Wet Hot American Summer (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) finally gets a bit of the respect it deserves with its high definition debut via an extras-packed special edition, just in time for the forthcoming Netflix prequel series. Bonus features include a live reading, highlights from the 10th anniversary event, audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
Leave it to Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman to do for the spy genre what they did for superheroes in X-Men: First Class by injecting a bit of vim and vigor into their adaptation of Kingsman: The Secret Service (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which reinvents Colin Firth as a kick-ass action hero. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes featurettes and image galleries.
There’s a special kind of joy to be found when cracking open and becoming invested in a book a part of you knew always should have existed but finally does. We Don’t Need Roads: The Making Of The Back To The Future Trilogy (Plume, $17 SRP) is such a “FINALLY” book, as author Caseen Gaines interviews cast, crew, and filmmakers alike in a lovingly researched attempt at a definitive history, in which it most definitely succeeds.
Celebrate America’s birthday with the most comprehensive restoration and stunning presentation of a musical classic with the high definition debut of 1776 (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP). Re-instating nearly all of the once-excised material, and then some, the disc presents both a director’s cut of the film, as well as an extended cut. Bonus materials include an all-new audio commentary, deleted/alternate scenes with commentary, and screen tests.
Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy return with a brand new batch of short form hilarity with Rifftrax Shorts: Shorts Assemble! (Rifftrax, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95), featuring 10 new slices of fun with scary clowns, accidents, animals, nutrition, discipline, and more.
He still lives in a pineapple under the sea, but The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water (Paramount, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$52.99 SRP) finds our beloved Squarepants fighting a thieving pirate (Antonio Banderas) on dry land and in the 3rd dimension. It also features voice work from Matt Berry and Alan Carr, so deserves brownie points for excellent taste. Bonus materials include featurettes, storyboards, deleted scenes, sing-alongs, and more.
Every month brings a new clutch of iconic films given the high definition treatment by movie mavens at Criterion, with June’s must-have titles being Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) and Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), featuring one of those legend-making Jack Nicholson roles (and a memorable diner scene). Bonus materials include audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes, and much more.
Over the past year, Paramount has been providing a boon to coompletionist fans of beloved TV shows by releasing complete series megasets from their rather deep catalogue of classics. The latest programs to get the uber-massive treatment are The Odd Couple (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) and Laverne & Shirley (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$79.99 SRP). Sadly, neither set brings any new bonus materials to the table, but they do carry over the pre-existing special features from the original individual season sets, including audio commentaries, intros, gag reels, and more.
Another month brings another sterling entry in Disney’s remastered and expanded Legacy Collection of soundtrack re-releases, with the latest being the film that out a creatively and financially shaky post-war Disney studio back in the black, 1950’s Cinderella (Walt Disney Records, $14.99 SRP). In addition to the original score, there’s also a second disc filled with demos and “Lost Chords” re-creations of deleted material, plus extensive liner notes.
I do enough traveling that I’m always drowning in cords and desperate to find the perfect combination of cords to streamline my terribly complicated existence. Thankfully, Thinkgeek has a pair of nifty items that have now made their way into my travel bag. First is the Trio Cable (Thinkgeek, $29.99), an all-in-one solution that features a trio of adapters – lightning, 30-pin, and micro USB – all connected to a single USB cord. And what if you have an iDevice and need some more distance? How about the 12-foot lightning connector Colossus Cord (Thinkgeek, $14.99).
Existing in the period between the departure of William Hanna & Joe Barbera and the short run from the legendary Chuck Jones, Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) all 13 short subjects from this awkward, oft-maligned era. A bonus featurette with Deitch goes a long way to explain how ridiculously low budgets and other circumstances influenced his run.
Chris Vance returns as the titular high-octane deliveryman in the second season of The Transporter (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which finds Vance’s Frank Martin with plenty of trust issues as he attempts to deliver his high stakes cargo. Bonus materials include interviews, featurettes, and more.
Liam Neeson further cements his reputation as a man not to be trifled with in Run All Night (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP), in which he stars as a fading mod hitman who finds his steps dogged by a relentless detective (Vincent D’Onofrio). Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted scenes.
Inspector Edmund Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) continues his struggle to tackle the seedy underworld of Edwardian Whitechapel in the 3rd season of Ripper Street (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which launches in style with Reid and his team tacking a train heist.
Listen, I wouldn’t have pined for them, but both Tarsem Singh’s The Cell (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP) and Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe match-up Virtuosity (Warner Bros. Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP) are guilty pleasure catalogue titles that I” perfectly happy have made their high definition debut.Virtuosity is featureless, while The Cell contains commentaries, deleted scenes, a documentary, featurettes, and trailers.
The folks at Mill Creek open up the Columbia vaults for another batch of reasonably-priced catalogue releases, with James Mason & Helen Mirren in Age Of Consent (Mill Creek, Rated R, DVD-$9.98 SRP), Paul Muni in A Song To Remember (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), the 2-disc Bulletproof: Tough Guys Of Action collection (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) – which sports Last Action Hero, Universal Soldier: The Return, The Russian Specialist, Into The Sun, The Stone Killer, Silent Rage, Shamus, & The Anderson Tapes – Dick Clark in Because They’re Young (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), Samuel L. Jackson & Milla Jovovich in No Good Deed (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.99 SRP), and Nicolas Cage & Tommy Lee Jones in Fire Birds (Mill Creek, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP).
Get your reality fix this weekend with a pair of powerful documentaries, the first of which is director Robert Kenner’s Merchants Of Doubt (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$38.99 SRP), which lifts the curtain of spin and reveals the pundits-for-hire that shape modern American discourse. The other Doc is Wim Wenders & Juliano Ribeiro Salgado’s The Salt Of The Earth (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$38.99 SRP), which follows photographer Sebastiao Salgado’s journey around the world working on a massive photographic project.
I was wholly unaware that Joan Rivers hosted her own syndicated daytime talk show in the late 60s out of New York City, so it was with keen interest that I dove into That Show with Joan Rivers (Film Chest, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), a 4-disc set that collects 29 episodes from the show’s 1st season. Guests in the set include Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan, Vivian Vance, James Earl Jones, Lily Tomlin, and more.
Promoting the then-recent It’s Hard album, The Who: Live At Shea Stadium 1982 (Eagle Vision, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) would be their last with drummer Kenney Jones and also their last major tour until 1989. It’s always nice to see a slice of music history from a band still very much a vital entity.
Finally getting a proper official release from the band’s archive, The Rolling Stones: The Marquee Club Live In 1971 (Eagle Vision, $29.98 SRP) is a 2-disc collection featuring a Blu-Ray video and audio presentation of their set, recorded at the legendary London club.
It’s a slight, toss-off little comedy, but Get Hard (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP) works as well as it does because of the onscreen comedic commitment of stars Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell, the former playing a prison-wise mentor schooling convicted millionaire hedge fund manager Ferrell on how to survive an upcoming stint in San Quentin. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, a gag reel, and more.
No one will ever mistake it for Citizen Kane, but there’s a certain affable charm to David Spade’s performance as the titular schlub searching for his parents in Joe Dirt (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), which makes its high definition debut.
Even though outside success means that the days of Adam, Blake, and Ders are probably numbered, enjoy the merry misadventures of Workaholics (Comedy Central, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP) in its fifth season. Two words: family funeral. Bonus materials include deleted/alternate scenes, outtakes, and more.
Mash together the world’s most famous cat & mouse combo with the globe-trotting adventurer Jonny Quest and you get the direct-to-video original feature Tom And Jerry: Spy Quest (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). I know, right? Who saw that coming? Bonus features include a clutch of shorts.
Keep the kiddies occupied over the long summer holidays with Nickelodeon’s 3-disc Bunch Of Play Dates (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), which contains themed episodes from their clutch of toddler-centric favorites under the headers Dance To The Music, Rootin’ Tootin’ Wild West, and Once Upon A Rhyme.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
##
I love a film that can expertly blend comedy, action, and genuine heart, and last year brought two films that accomplished that hat trick with flair – Guardians Of The Galaxy and 
The 4th season of 
Even knowing its pastoral trappings soon reveal a brutally faithful adaptation of Richard Adam’s brutally dystopian tale of a rabbit community under threat – a nature a traumatized young me was unaware of before watching what he thought was a simple cartoon – the power of 
We already got a sparkling high definition Blu-Ray release of the film a few years back, so there’s no better way to celebrate its 70th anniversary this year than with the deluxe Walt Disney Records Legacy Collection treatment of 
It’s been years since I watched The Green Mile – it still holds up, natch – and Warners has made it very easy for you to do so by bringing it under one box set with both The Shawshank Redemption and the high-def debut of The Majestic in 
Yes yes yes, Eddie Redmayne is every bit as amazing as you’ve heard as the young Stephen Hawking in 
After a bit of a stumble last year, new Doctor Peter Capaldi gets to inaugurate his 12 incarnation of the Time Lord into the longstanding tradition of the annual holiday special. 
When it comes to chronicling the art, artists, and history of comic books, no one has done it as consistently well as Twomorrows, so much so that every one of their releases are a must-have. That goes double for their latest tomes – 
Steven Spielberg’s 
His last couple of outings have been somewhat shaky, but Terry Gilliam returns to fun and freaky form with the deeply contemplative 
Listen, Michael Keaton is amazing and wonderful and turns in a fine performance, but I just can’t bring myself to do anything but shake my head at the unmitigated & off-putting pretension of 
Yes, we know, you’re still suffering withdrawal symptoms from The LEGO Movie. Well, get your LEGO fix with a superhero twist courtesy of the feature-length 
Oh, Olive Films – You continue to delight with your ridiculously impressive dedication to releasing massive amounts of niche catalogue titles new to high definition. This week, they’re dropping the Frankie Avalon & Annette Funnicello beach flicks 
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE, catalogue title fans! Olive Films have dropped even more vault titles, including Norman Lear’s 
Not to be outdone, the fine folks at Shout Factory have also unleashed the floodgates of high-def catalogue releases, including Kenneth Branagh’s epic adaptation of 
The first was a solid if unmemorable comedy, and its sequel, 
May the bromance never end, as 
There’s an added poignancy that legendary film critic Roger Ebert has become the subject of a posthumous documentary celebrating his life the same way he devoted his life to celebrating film, but one can’t help but wonder what his review of 
The latest in the long line of visually lush animated films from the legendary Studio Ghibli, 
The tiny kinder set get a trio of releases of their own this week with the monster truck mini-movie 
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
Terry Gilliam was the first member of Monty Python I ever had the pleasure to interview. As you can imagine, it was quite a momentous event for a comedy fan such as myself. I confess to being a bit nervous, but I needn’t have worried – of all the Pythons I’ve had the chance to chat with, Terry G was easily the most open and candid, with no subject taboo.
Bundled together for easier fan purchase (and because the boys claim that there will be no more) 
Oh, I’m a sucker for a novelty instrument. I really am. It’s sad, really… I simply have no control when presented with a unique, goofy musical instrument. So what’s the latest object of my affection? The 
If you would like a perfect example of how now to end a series – and don’t have your copy of Buffy: Season 7 handy – be sure to dive into the awkwardly uneven and completely unfulfilling 6th and final season of 
Starting with Terry Gilliam’s 
I haven’t really taken in much of the new version of the franchise, but the single-disc release 
I’m always fascinated by documentaries that illuminate a slice of history that’s been largely forgotten, and such is the case with 
It’s an indie comedy through and through, but at least 
Fill this weekend’s musical needs with a pair of new releases sure to keep the energy level high – 
I guess someone, somewhere had a desire to abandon the Bruce Timm-Paul Dini Batmanverse and return the Dark Knight to his campy Silver Age period with 
A trio of History Channel series get season releases… But which ones are they? Well, there’s the complete second season of 
With 
The folks at the Warner Archive have dug up and remastered the Cary Grant drama 
Nickelodeon wants to which everyone a very 
High schools over but the drama keeps rolling along in the 3rd season of 
Cut down in its prime by a network that didn’t understand the greatness it was letting slip away (Hello, BBC!), 
I love musical instruments. I have absolutely no talent for learning or playing them, but I do love to own and tinker with them. The 
Time to wrap up the tenure of the 10th Doctor (played by David Tennant) with the release of the final two specials – 
The releases have been heavily delayed and the wait has been difficult, but the 6th season of 
If you were unable or unwilling to pony up the cash for the deluxe edition of The Godfather Trilogy on Blu-Ray, now’s your chance to pick and choose either 
Much like DC’s direct-to-video adaptations of their comic book story arcs, Marvel has leapt into that pool with an animated adaptation of 
Returning with her second HBO special and her A game direct from the nation’s capital, 
A staple of my late-80’s Nick At Nite viewing, I’m delighted that the goofily fun 
I think we’ve just about completed Terry Gilliam’s catalogue transition to high definition with the release of 
Granted, the contestants are long gone, but if I’m roaming the cable channels and happen across the Game Show Network, I’m often sucked into watching games shows that were recorded up to a half-century ago. If you’re like me, then you’ll probably want to pick up 
The transition to the big screen isn’t wholly successful, but there’s still much to love in the high-definition debut of Meredith Wilson’s 
It’s a big, messy, ensemble love letter to the city that never sleeps, and like any patchwork film made up of numerous director’s vignettes, there’s some good and some bad to be found in 
Warners continues its budget-conscious TCM Greatest Classic Films Collections with a trio of new additions to the roster – 
Of his recent flicks, Clint Eastwood’s 
I don’t really get the appeal of the Air Bud series, but there’s certainly enough of a demand that Disney is releasing a special edition of 
Yeah, the writing is on the wall in the penultimate 9th season of 
After what has seemed like an endless series of delays, the mother of all mockumentaries has finally made its way to high-def with the release of 
As someone who prefers quiet walks at night when traffic isn’t quite as busy, it’s nice to have a practical hat like the 
If you’re only exposure to 
The episodes have been released in single-disc releases thus far, but now you can get 
It’s the beginning of the end as the first of showrunner Russell T. Davies’ four telemovie swan songs comes to DVD in the form of 
Oh, Torchwood– you are such a flawed little spin-off. So desperate to be adult and differentiate yourself from parent Doctor Who, you’re just a mess of poorly realized characters, awkward writing, and unrealized potential. Still, fans can pick up 
It’s my second favorite Irwin Allen disaster flick (after the wondrous Poseidon Adventure, but 
Ever since being informed of its existence by the great Graham Linehan, I’ve been dying to see 
Joss Whedon lost my trust during the abysmal final season of Buffy. I never got into Firefly, and every time I tried to watch his latest, 
Weaving seldom-seen interviews, footage, and interviews with those who knew him, 
Though many will get their stuff in a bunch, I thought the finale of Battlestar Galactica was a big, awkward disappointment that jumped from “Huh?” to “What?” moments with reckless abandon. Still, fans are sure to snap up the final set, 
There are a lot of catalogue titles making their way into the Blu-Ray roster, but it’s always nice when the films of a personal favorite filmmaker get a spin – such as Terry Gilliam’s 
Quirky and fun, 
I guess the best way to describe 
Before Polanski went mainstream with Rosemary’s Baby, he was spending the 1960’s making chilling cinema like 
Of all the direct-to-DVD DC animated adventures to come down the pike thus far, 
It went out with a bit of a whimper, but fans at least can now pick up the wrap-up with 
Besides featuring an early TV performance from a young Ian McKellen, 
I never cared for The Fast & The Furious, but even I could see diminishing returns in its sequels. So, too, did the studio, who decided to go back to basics – cast and all – with the cleverly named 
When 
Oh, relaunched Knight Rider. You were so very hopeful that your self-important, lackluster new take on the 80’s hit would actually have a future, you didn’t even bother to call your DVD release The Complete Series even though you’ve been cancelled. So now people can buy 
The film is one of those cult faves, and Lalo Schifrin’s score to 
Gary Hobkins and his rather unique ability to foresee and hopefully avert the future – literally, he’s delivered the next day’s edition of the newspaper – returns with the complete second season of 
