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…)
After being pressured into reading the books by the taskmaster John Hodgman, I quickly became a fan of George RR Martin’s sprawling fantasy series A Song Of Ice & Fire. It was with excitement and some trepidation that I awaited the arrival of HBO’s adaptation of the first book, taking its title as the title of the overall television series – Game Of Thrones (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP). Thankfully, my concerns about adapting such a massive character, plot, & location filled tome were quickly assuaged as the series manages to pull it all off with only a few minor bumps here and there. The Blu-Ray release of the first season is absolutely jam-packed with bonus materials, from audio commentaries and featurettes to detailed histories of the world the show exists in and the houses and characters that inhabit it. Highly recommended.
You want to make all of those videos you’re filming with your tiny little iPhone look even better, right? Well, the Glif Tripod Mount & Stand For iPhone ($19.99) is just the thing for you, as it allows you to slip your phone into the holster and then mount it on your trusty tripod for ace videos.
It’s not one of their official 100th anniversary releases, but there’s certainly something to celebrate about the high definition release of Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$22.99 SRP), starring Cary Grant as the supposedly retired master jewel thief “The Cat”, who may possibly be prowling around a vacationing heiress (Grace Kelly) in the French Riviera. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, galleries, and more.
The Universal 100th anniversary celebration continues with a quintet of catalog releases – 3 on DVD and 2 new-to-Blu-Ray. The trio of standard definition titles are William Powell & Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), Joel Marcie & Veronica Lake in Preston Sturges’s Sullivan’s Travels (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), and Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn in Charade (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). The high definition releases are Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) and Sydney Pollack’s Out Of Africa (Universal, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP). All of the discs feature bonus materials, from featurettes to commentaries and more.
If you want a trip down memory lane but don’t feel like shelling out for a full season set, Paramount’s “Fan Favorites” line (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each) features single-disc “best of” releases from 7 different classic series, selected from across their full run. These series featured in this initial wave are Cheers, Frasier, Hogan’s Heroes, MacGyver, Happy Days, The Odd Couple, and The Honeymooners.
The BBC are releasing the additional seasons from a trio of their dramas, dropping MI-5: Volume 10 (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), Judge John Deed: Season Five (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), and Dalziel & Pascoe: Season 5 (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Only MI-5 gets any bonus materials, with a pair of featurettes.
I’m still not entirely sure why a remake of Footloose (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP) was needed, and it seems audiences pretty much agreed – especially when it tries to give a deeper motivation for the music/dancing ban in the small town that city boy Ren MacCormack moves to and proceeds to disrupt with his love of loud music and dancing and sexual undertones. And really – no one can replace John Lithgow. Bonus materials include audio commentary, featurettes, a music video, and more.
Fans rejoice, for another new collection of true adventure comes to DVD with Adventure Time: It Came From The Nightosphere (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$19.82 SRP), which contains 16 episodes, including the Emmy-nominated titular episode, plus a bonus featurette.
Those lovely nature documentarians at the BBC dive into the fascinating lives of whales and dolphins with Ocean Giants (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Filled with the usual selection of truly stunning footage, it’s a must-see just for that. The fact that it’s interesting is just a bonus.
In what has become de rigeur for any marginally successful film, fans of the film are getting a deluxe presentation of Ben Affleck’s Bostonian heist flick with The Town: Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), featuring an extended director’s cut of the film. If that weren’t enough, there’s also a brand new documentary in addition to all of the previous release’s bonus materials, plus a photo book and a folder full of printed ephemera prop reproductions. Is it worth the upgrade? If you like the film, you’ll probably get a kick out of the extended cut.
Currently available as a Target exclusive, the complete second season of Victorious (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) brings all 12 episodes from the sophomore run of escapades from the students of Hollywood Arts, plus a pair of bonus featurettes.
The sad thing is that Transformers: Prime (Shout Factory, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$64.99 SRP) tries so hard to be a modern updating of the classic Transformers series, but winds up being hobbled by the visual and storytelling failures found in Michael Bay’s awful feature films. Well, at we have Peter Cullen and Frank Welker back as Optimus and Megatron. Small favors, right? Bonus materials include audio commentaries and featurettes.
Featuring a smorgasbord of continuity references and series lore, “Remembrance Of The Daleks” was a high water mark during 7th Doctor Sylvester McCoy’s run on Doctor Who, as he and his companion Ace are pitted against rival Dalek factions both intent on claiming the black hole-creating Hand of Omega. Adding to their previous “Remembrance” set, you can now get a 2-pack featuring Imperial Emperor Davros and a Destroyed Imperial Dalek (Underground Toys, $49.95 SRP). Davros features his serving platter closeable top, while the blasted Dalek is blown open to reveal the mutant at its core.
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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