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…)
What do Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant do when they’re bored? They send the decidedly reticent Karl Pilkington on tour of the wonders of the world in An Idiot Abroad (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), in which every globe-spanning destination is geared to make poor Karl that much more uncomfortable. Quite fun to watch, though. Bonus materials include the preview show and deleted scenes.
I’m always interested in products that take up less room but still accomplish a job I need, which is why the Tiltpod ($14.99) is such a compact gem, as it’s a tiny ball-socketed magnetic “tripod” – really, a foot – for your digital camera. Nice, right?
It’s a new year, and waiting for us in the bright and shiny are a pair of new classic Doctor Who releases – the Jon Pertwee story Invasion Of The Dinosaurs (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) and the Tom Baker Android Invasion (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). That’s two invasion stories for you, both packed with audio commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, and much more supplemental material than you can shake a sonic at.
Want to know just how snowed under I’ve been for, oh, ages? I actually missed that a pair of new Rifftrax shorts collections AND a Rifftrax holiday special had been released on DVD. Rectifying that glaring oversight, I’m here to recommend you rush over and pick up your very own copies of Rifftrax Shorts: Old Tyme Shorts Roundup, Rifftrax Shorts: Shorts To-Go, & Rifftrax: Santa And The Ice Cream Bunny (Legend, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95 SRP each). Get them. Get them all. NOW!
I resent a sports film that makes me like it in spite of it being a sports film. Because I really do not like sports. So damn you, Moneyball (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), for being a film about baseball that kept me engaged throughout. Maybe it’s because it’s not really about the game, but the mechanics of the business behind the game. And it stars a totally engaging Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Yeah, that can’t hurt. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, and a blooper.
What does work, though, is HBO’s miniseries adaptation of Mildred Pierce (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), starring Kate Winslet as the Depression-era single mother struggling to make a go in a time when the odds are stacked demonstrably against her. Just see it.
Want to be depressed this holiday season with a fearsome piece of plausible disaster? Then kick back with some egg nog and candy canes and watch Contagion (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), in which a killer virus runs amok and claims Gwyneth Paltrow. Bonus materials include a trio of featurettes on the real world implications and possibilities of the premise.
You may not remember (though fans most certainly do), but there was a massive outcry a few years back when the first couple of seasons of both Roseanne & 3rd Rock From The Sun hit DVD. The trouble? Instead of the original broadcast versions of the episodes, the DVDs featured the edited syndication cuts. Yeah, so fans were not happy. Well, thanks to the fine folks at Mill Creek, you can now get Roseanne: Season 1, Roseanne: Season 2, 3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 1, & 3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 2 (Mill Creek Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each), all completely unedited and retaining all of the featurettes and interviews from the original sets. So, perfect world.
The kids will feel a seasonal chill from Spongebob Squarepants: Spongebob’s Frozen Face-Off (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), which pulls together 7 episodes, some of which have a decidedly icy setting. Bonus materials include episodes of Fanboy & Chum Chum & Tuff Puppy.
Though it’s produced by Martin Scorsese and one of the writers from The Sopranos, the period piece Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) has not become the destination viewing that it should be, considering its pedigree and star Steve Buscemi. Taking place in 1920 Atlantic City during the rise of Prohibition and spotlighting the corrupt society that grew up around it, I really should have liked it more. Perhaps viewing it again will soften my disappointment. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and a clutch of featurettes.
It’s the end of the road for Steve McGarrett as we finally arrive at the 12th and final season of Hawaii Five-O (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 5-disc set contains all 19 episodes plus a promo and a music video tribute.
Buoyed by still-powerful performances from Gary Oldman & Chloe Webb, Sid & Nancy (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) makes its way to high definition looking and sounding great, and sporting a pair of featurettes… Though a Johnny Rotten commentary track must remain an unfulfilled wish.
I have to be honest in saying I’m not much for the dimensional beastie hijinks of Primeval (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), but I know there are plenty of fans who will probably be wanting to pick up volume 3, and will enjoy its featurette and prequel webisodes. So enjoy!
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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This really is a golden age for Doctor Who fans, as the DVD releases of classic storylines are coming fast & furious, with another quartet now available – the Peter Davison stories 
I’m a sucker for a specific task kitchen widget that also taps into childhood nostalgia, so you can imagine my delight at being able to put a homemade spin on corn dogs with the 
With the fourth volume of 
Prepare for Father’s Day with a pair of new-to-Blu-Ray catalogue classics from Fox – John Wayne in 
If you’re a big fan of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett’s post-MST3K endeavor Rifftrax, you owe it to yourself to partake of the heightened energy of a pair of new live show releases, that were originally beamed to theaters around the country – 
I can’t remember the last time I was surprised by the end of a romantic comedy, as the resolution of the couple-to-be is pretty well set in storytelling cliché by now, so my enjoyment of a romantic comedy comes largely from the journey. 
In the 4th season of 
I wish it weren’t the case, but the eighth season of 
I am not the audience for 
While we’re still not to the season that contains my absolute favorite episode, if you’ve yet to pick up the stellar high definition sets of Rod Serling’s classic anthology series, you can at least start with the newly-released 
While Trading Places and 48 Hours remain the greatest of Eddie Murphy movies in my estimation, it’s a welcome addition to the high definition library to get 
While many studios have been dumping sub-par catalogue releases in massive Blu-Ray waves, MGM has decided to release a wave of many films buffs consider must-haves – 
More insidious than wartime physical injuries, the effects of what has been termed everything from shell shock to post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers is explored in the documentary 
Did you know that Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen did a film together in the 60’s? Co-written by Blake Edwards? No? Neither did I, until the Warner Archive Collection made 
It’s always nice just to have a disc that you can put in and show off your fancy a/v setup at home – One that looks and sounds pretty darn spiffy. The high definition IMAX documentaries 
Now that we’ve got the full run of the Six Million Dollar Man on DVD, it’s left to 
MGM continues to drop almost a literal ton of catalogue titles via their new MOD (Manufacture On Demand) Limited Edition Collection program, including the David Niven sex romp comedy 
If the big screen live action outing of the Norse god of thunder has whet your appetite for more adventures look no further than the animated feature 
Universal drops a pair of newer TV shows on DVD this week, including the debut season of the Piper Perabo-starring CIA procedural 
The Warner Archive Collection continues to roll out long-forgotten animated oddities from the Hanna-Barbera library with the release of 
If 
It may just be the Atheist in me, but I’m tired of films about priests regaining their faith in the face of demonic presences. It’s like demons are God’s hitmen. So yeah, I was less than interested in 
I know there are many people I love and respect who love 
Hey! Doctor Who fans of both Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor and the Daleks can pick up a pair of action figure sets spotlighting the classic Baker stories 
Louis CK proves yet again why he’s one of the finest practitioners of stand-up today with 
I love desktop gadgets, if only because they provide a welcome – and inherently evil – distraction from actually getting down to the mounds of work at hand. So imagine my delight when I learned I could get a desktop item that not only provides a visual lure, but also a geeky one? That’s what you get with the 
I don’t think it’s his best, but there’s no denying the brutal power of Martin Scorsese’s 
Whoever thought to assemble a Rat Pack of female television comedy greats – Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick & Betty White – into a sitcom of their own should be given a promotion. In the meantime, you can pick up the complete first season of 
Sergio Leone’s epic 
Some doubted it would ever happen, but they were all proven wrong when 
The new year brings a pair of new classic Doctor Who releases from the seemingly bottomless catalogue, this time reaching all the way back to Patrick Troughton’s Doctor for 
Of all the companies with deep TV catalogues, Paramount/CBS has been the most consistent in releasing their titles, often sticking by and finishing runs while other companies left theirs by the wayside. All this is to say they’ve released another clutch of deep catalogue titles, including 
Continuing to fulfill its remit to release deep catalogue titles sure to make cinephiles happy, the Warner Archive just dropped 
The further we get away from it and the more I try and revisit it over the years, I find myself less and less impressed with Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning 
As cringeworthy as both the original Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm could be, the comedic situations of 
Another in The History Channel’s long line of “historical” series that have only the slightest of historical content to justify their claim that there’s historical content, 
I admit, after the departure of the original cast, my interest has declined from season to season of 
Ostensibly launched as a way of highlighting positive news stories, 
Sadly, the massive Looney Tunes: Golden Collections are a thing of the past, which leaves us with single disc releases 
We’re nearly at the end with the release of the penultimate fourteenth season of 
The comedy talent may be plentiful, but the quality of the sketches are just as scattershot as your average episode of Saturday Night Live in the first season of 
Originally released on DVD nearly a decade ago, the epic TV miniseries 
If you can get past some of their garbage shows about aliens and the end of the world, History does still manages to put out some real gems that should be seen, including the 5th season of their astronomical wonderfest, 
As it stars both Patrick Warburton and David Spade, I always hope that 
While 
Sadly, 
Ben 10 has moved beyond Alien Force with the first volume of 
It was with some trepidation that fans entered the 5th season of 
If you’re keen on the environment but also really, really like to make a lot of noise, why not try the reusable 
Another could-have-been-a-disaster moment turned out to be gold with Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss’s modern take on Sherlock Holmes, 
It’s a been a few months, and you know what that means – a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 set! Continuing their yearly tradition, this holiday period box set comes packed with another bot action figure, and this times it’s the absolutely massive (and wonderfully accurate) Gypsy. If that weren’t enough, the movies contained in the 
No one but Edgar Wright could have made a film quite as eccentrically experimental yet firmly rooted in pop culture geekery as 
They’re absolute classics and seasonal must-haves, and now the 
A few months has gone by, which means that the BBC vault has opened and another pair of classic Doctor Who releases have made their way out – specifically the Tom Baker years 
Push Clooney & Pitt out of your mind for a moment and revel in the HD glory of The Rat Pack’s grand heist, as the 50th anniversary edition of 
It’s the holiday season, and Warners has added to their set of deluxe holiday Ultimate Collections (previous entries include A Christmas Story & Christmas Vacation) with the 
Fans of the recent direct-to-DVD DC animated fare will no that many of those came with bonus shorts starring other characters within the DC universe. Well, extended versions of those shorts have been collected with a brand new one – that new one being the titular 
It’s a shame that 
As a film, it’s a big mess, but there’s plenty of fun still to be had in 
They might not be as popular or prevalent as they once were, but there’s still something alluring to life under the big top – a life which is explored in the documentary 
Economize your high definition kiddie-slick purchase with the 
Where the US version of the UK’s middle-age male crisis dramedy Manchild never got past pilot, the similarly themed 
The big screen version may be moving in fits and spurts, but the BBC’s live action adaptation of 
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I’m not a fan, but I know may out there will have been champing at the bit for 
It’s not the tightest of flicks, but when it comes to the sordid history of films adapted from sketches on Saturday Night Live, 
If you’ve been looking for the perfect headwear to not only keep your noggin warm, but also show that you are a loyal officer serving the Empire, you’ll want to pick up your very own 
Got a Blu-Ray player? Like science fiction? Well, Warners has gotten a weekend filler for you, as they’ve unloaded quite an impressive stash of high-def catalogue releases appealing to those of the geek persuasion – titles like 
After a declining 4th season, 
While the US awaits the DVD release of Matt Smith’s first season of the Doctor, fans can fill the void with a trio of classic releases featuring a pair of Peter Davison adventures – 
Just as scathing and satirical as it was upon its release, Robert Altman’s comeback film 
Superman in everything that name, the creators behind 
If you’ve yet to pick up the 7 series comprising Helen Mirren’s tour de force as flawed Detective Jane Tennison, you can get the whole lot via 
Originally released years ago, 
For some reason it’s not a high definition release, but Oliver Stone’s original 
The main reason that I occasionally dip into 
The 3rd season of 
The adventures of the slightly older Ben continue in 
Put Deadwood & Big Love into a blender, throw the contents onto some Harleys, and you’ve pretty much got 
Dip into the heady days of 60’s counter-culture and the burgeoning 70’s easy-rock scene with 
Hey! Remember the Jonas Brothers? Those teen dreams that were banished to limbo upon the arrival of the one called Bieber? Well, they returned alongside costar Demi Lovato for the Disney Channel sequel 
The great war against Satan becomes a lot more complicated in the 5th season of 
If you’re needing a chick flick marathon in a box, look no further than the 
As much as I loved the first season of 
I’ve described in the past my utter delight in gadgets that magnify things – going all the way back to childhood – and the ultimate high-end version of that is the 
For criminy’s sake – it’s taken forever, but we in the US have FINALLY gotten a box set containing all of the various travel documentaries hosted by Python Michael Palin in the uber-wonderful 
I can’t even begin to express just how delighted I am with the 50th anniversary edition of Orson Welles’ classic venture into film noir, 
It’s hard to believe that we’re already up to the fourth volume of 
This makes the thirteenth or fourteenth time they’ve been released on DVD, but a trio of Alfred Hitchcock’s certifiable classics have been given remastered 2-disc special editions – 
Get all of your festive holiday specials with the 
Another of the classic – well, mostly classic – stop motion Rankin/Bass holiday specials makes its way to DVD with 
I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I am that – despite brilliant, newly remastered sound and picture – the new edition of Tim Burton’s 
Although the story is rather flat and doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny, 
It seems like there’s no end to the classic Doctor Who adventures still in the vaults, as we get not only a Tom Baker adventure with 
Of a more recent vintage, there’s the animated 
Although launched as a Doctor Who spin-off aimed at the teen market, I find 
As beautiful and memorable as it is, do not show 
Well, we’ve finally hit the wall. The eleventh season of 
Though I’m getting a bit tired of all of the South Park best-ofs that are coming down the pike, at least the 2-disc 
From years of watching it during my frequent Nick at Nite binges when the block first began all those years ago, I have the theme tune to 
There’s nothing like sparkling fresh Ray Harryhausen, and that’s exactly what you’ll see with the new 50th anniversary edition of 
Fill up your pre-Halloween viewing with the new Blu-Ray edition of 
Peyo’s little blue mushroom-dwelling creations are back in 
Not only does 
There have been dozens of releases featuring the numerous episodes that have moved into the public domain, but Paramount has finally put out the official second season set of 
Certainly on the “to give to my nephews” list this holiday season is 
Even over 20 years later, there’s no denying that Kathleen Turner’s performance in 
Most don’t think of the man in black when they think of the holiday season, but the 
Set in 1945 on a navy cargo ship far from battles in the Pacific theater, 
You know when a band puts out a lackluster EP of material that’s been sitting around, as a stop-gap instead of releasing a new album? That’s exactly what Michael Moore’s 
Has it really been that long since the last 
The ragtag band of global crimefighters led by Jim Phelps returns in the complete fifth season of 
A must-have from the vaults, be sure to pick up and give a spin to the 1945 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 
Even the kiddies with their eyes normally glued to Nickelodeon can begin celebrating the holidays with 
I must admit, I was surprised that 
The only reaction that I got from M. Night Shyamalan’s