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…)
The 4k restoration done for its 30th anniversary has done wonders for Ghostbusters (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), as it looks absolutely stunning in its remastered form. They’ve also managed to serve up a handful of additional bonus features for this release, like a roundtable discussion with director Ivan Reitman and star/co-writer Dan Aykroyd, alternate takes, plus the greatest treat of all that fans have been begging ages for – Ray Parker Jr.’s music video. And, making its Blu-Ray debut, they’ve also remastered the lackluster Ghostbusters 2 (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP). Considering its original DVD release was bare bones, all of the bonus features are new, including another roundtable discussion with Reitman and Aykroyd, Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” music video, and deleted scenes.
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 Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s Renaissance Man (Disney Editions, $40.00 SRP). From animating Cruella De Vil and Maleficent to designing theme park rides like Pirates Of The Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion, he was a true original deserving of this must-read book.
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 Hergé And The Treasures Of Tintin (Sterling, $49.95), which does just that for Hergé’s famous adventuring reporter, with more than 20 removable artworks, sketches, and memorabilia from his archives.
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 The Adventures Of Ichabod & Mr. Toad paired with Fun & Fancy Free (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP), Hercules (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$22.99 SRP), Tarzan (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), Bedknobs & Broomsticks (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), and Mickey, Donald, & Goofy in The Three Musketeers (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). Bonus materials are a close approximation of their original DVD releases, with the only disappointment that Bedknobs & Broomsticks does not present the longer cut of the film in a seamless branching option as the original DVD did, instead relegating all of the excised material to a deleted scenes section. A shame, really, because that longer cut, approximating as best as possible the original roadshow version, is much better than the butchered theatrical cut. But still, everything looks snazzy, and the release of Fun & Fancy Free makes me hopeful we’ll get unaltered versions of the other package films, Melody Time and Make Mine Music, restored to their original form rather than the PC alteration undertaken for their original DVD editions.
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 Toy Story Of Terror! (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP), as the gang wind up in a spooky roadside motel on a dark & stormy night. The disc also sports a trio of Toy Story Toons, plus an audio commentary, vintage commercials, deleted scenes, and a featurette.
Why does Shout Factory remain a fan favorite? Because they consistently cater to fans with wonderful, brilliantly presented, quirky collections like The Marx Brothers On TV (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.97 SRP), which collects over 10 hours worth of rare and obscure television appearances made by the brothers Marx over the years – over 50 in all, from The Jack Benny Show to The Red Skelton Hour and so, so much more.
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 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History (Insight Editions, $50.00 SRP). This lavish hardcover tome explores the 30-year history of the halfshell heroes, from their indie comics origins to their toy and animation legacy via copious amounts of artwork and context.
And speaking of context, you can get even more of an insight into the Turtles’ history with the brand new documentary Turtle Power: The Definitive History Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which provides a feature-length look at the alchemy between creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman and the franchise they wrought, still going strong over 3 decades later.
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 Godzilla (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP). The big guy is barely in it. “But hey!”, you say, “I saw Bryan Cranston in the trailers! At least we get him to fall back on! He’s great!” Yeah, well, he’s barely there, too. Why tease so much greatness and not deliver? That’s a question you’ll be asking yourself after you’ve seen this. A shame, really. A Godzilla-sized shame. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes, and more.
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 Godzilla, Mothra & King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack/Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla Re-Birth Of Mothra I/Re-Birth Of Mothra II/Re-Birth Of Mothra III, and Godzilla 2000 (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP each). Bonus materials include Commentaries, featurettes and original trailers.
Criterion’s banner year for high definition releases with a pair of much-requested, much-anticipated titles – David Lynch’s Eraserhead (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) and Alfonso Cuaron’s Y Tu Mama Tambien (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP). Both remasters are as spiffy as you would hope, while bonus features for Eraserhead include high definition remasters of 6 Lynch short films, a vintage documentary, a newly produced documentary, archival interviews, and a trailer. Y Tu Mama Tambien contains a pair of new making-of featurettes, an on-set documentary from 2001m an interview on the social and political aspects of the film, deleted scenes, trailers, and a short film.
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 Parks And Recreation (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which sports deleted scenes, a clutch of featurettes, a music video, the T-Dazzle commercial, a gag reel, and more.
Made a few years back but just now getting its home video debut, William Shatner’s Get A Life (E1, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is essentially Shatner’s good-natured dive into the wild and wooly world of fandom, with all of the equally good-natured awkwardness you’d expect. Bonus materials include a sizzle reel, additional interviews, and more.
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 Agents of SHIELD (ABC Studios, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.99 SRP) actually started to exhibit signs of the show we were all hoping for, when the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier filtered in during the engaging last 1/4 of the season. Now, we can only hope that the showrunnuer shave learned their lesson and deliver more of that as we enter season 2. Bonus materials on the 5-disc set include audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
Thankfully, the Warner Archive continues to offer high definition Blu-Ray releases of their animated series, with the release of Batman: The Brave And The Bold – Season 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99), featuring guest stars including Firestorm, Batgirl, and even Plastic Man.
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 American Comic Book Chronicles (Twomorrows, $41.95 SRP), which will eventually chart from 1940 to today. The latest volume, The 1970’s: 1970-1979, looks at the maturation of the Silver Age, as Marvel Comics became the forerunner and DC suffered its mighty implosion, all while the underground scene bubbled. Get this book, then start setting aside shelf space for the rest – which can’t come fast enough.
Speaking of Twomorrows and their comics scholarship, they’ve just released Don Heck: A Work Of Art (Twomorrows, $39.95 SRP), celebrating the 40-year career of the well-respected artist’s artist and co-creator of Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow during his long tenure at Marvel Comics before he moved over to DC in the late 70s, tackling the Teen Titans, The Flash, and more.
By all means, watch all of the episodes featured on the new Midnight Special box set (TimeLife. Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP) for all of the incredible music feature on NBC’s vintage rock program – and there’s certainly a lot to be found n the 6-disc set. But personally, I’ll be watching it for host Wolfman Jack. Because how can you not watch the great Wolfman Jack? Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.
Carrie Brownstein & Fred Armisen’s Portlandia (VSC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) just gets weirder and quirkier in the most endearing fashion, as the bizarre little fourth season show in spades with the celery salesman. ‘Nuff said.
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 Batman: Assault On Arkham (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which finds the Suicide Squad (Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, King Shark, & Black Spider) sent into the legendary cesspit to retrieve a piece of evidence after the Dark Knight foils a Riddler plot. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a featurette, and a sneak peek at Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis.
The oasis of normality Rick and the survivors established at the prison is threatened by more than just zombies in The Walking Dead: Season Four (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.99 SRP), as our group faces threats from both outside the walls and within, including an ultimate confrontation with the Governor. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a trio of extended episodes. Also available is a Walking Dead: Season 4 Limited Edition set (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.99 SRP), which comes packed with an exclusive “Tree Walker” statue.
After three seasons of increasing battiness, Once Upon A Time (ABC Studios, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.99 SRP) has completed its transformation into a bona fide cheesy guilty pleasure that makes very little sense and exists mainly to dump Disney fairytale IPs into willy nilly. And I’m fine with that. Really, it’s only a matter of time until David Spade shows up as Kuzco. You know I’m right. Bonus materials audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, a gag reel, and a look inside the writer’s room.
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 Disneynature: Bears (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), spotlighting a year in the ursine life of a bear family. Bonus materials include a quartet of featurettes and a music video.
The residents of Bikini Bottom indulge in ghoulish delights in the Spongebob Squarepants: Spongebob Scarypants Collection (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring two classic holiday-themed releases, Ghouls Fools & Halloween!.
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 Welcome Back, Kotter (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$129.99 SRP). The 16-disc set contains all 95 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette and the actors’ original screen tests.
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 Star Trek: The Compendium (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP), which contains the 2-D versions of both flicks. The bonus features from the first film are all from the original deluxe release, while Darkness contains 20 previously scattered featurettes, 2 all-new featurettes, an audio commentary, deleted scenes, trailers, and a gag reel.
Sigh. I so, so wanted Muppets Most Wanted (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) to be a home run. Especially after the mediocre wrongheaded fanfic that was The Muppets, I wanted these characters to be returned to the quality of the The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, the latter of which this film tries desperately to ape. Sadly, they continue to just not get what made the Muppets so appealing, from the likeable goofy wink and a nudge writing to the absolutely genuine emotion, to the fact that celebrity cameos were fun asides, not a game how many can we cram in a film willy nilly. So just sigh. And double sigh. Bonus materials include a much-funnier-than-the-film gag reel, an extended cut of the film, a Statler & Waldorf cut of the film, a Rizzo featurette, and a Bret McKenzie music video.
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 My Boy Jack (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), the story of the period leading up to the War in 37 Days (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$20.98 SRP), the involvement of the future prime minister in Churchill’s First World War (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$20.98 SRP), a documentary about the interwoven royal houses of Europe pitted against each other in Royal Cousins At War (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$20.98 SRP), and wrapping up with a collection of dramatizations that bring first hand accounts of the war to life in 14 War Stories (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP).
Continue to get your Brit on with a clutch of new BBC releases, including the first season of Father Brown (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), based on the sleuthing priest stories of G.K. Chesterton and starring Mark Williams, and the second seasons of DCI Banks (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), Scott And Bailey (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), and Death In Paradise (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP).
It’s a light bit of fluff, but the only reason Think Like A Man Too (Sony, Rated Pg-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) exists is because of the infectious comedic energy of star Kevin Hart. Outside of that, it may as well be a warmed-over Hangover, as the gang from the first film reunite for a wedding in Vegas. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Emily Thorne’s plan for vengeance against the Graysons take a new bent in the third season of Revenge (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP), as her war with Victoria escalates to vicious levels. The 5-disc set contains all 22 episodes, plus an audio commentary, featurette, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
Patrice Chereau’s cinematic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s novel Queen Margot (Cohen, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) arrives in high definition courtesy of a new 20th anniversary special edition, featuring an audio commentary, re-release trailer, and a collectible booklet.
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 Blended (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), starring the pair as single parents whose families are forced together when both book the same trip to Africa, never seems to have much spark to it. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
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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Due to its relatively low production budget, 
If there’s something that Thinkgeek excels at, it’s offering up items you never thought you needed. Case in point is 
Kick your celebrations of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary into high gear with a trio of releases, starting with the very first high definition release of a classic Doctor serial with 
Keep the Who party going with a new special edition of the 3rd Doctor story with the space maggots, 
And finally (until next month, anyway), there’s 
A few years back, William Shatner produced a wonderful little documentary called The Captains, in which he had candid conversations with the other actors who have held that rank in the Star Trek franchise. To follow that up, he’s gone back and cut extended versions of those interviews with Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, and Chris Pine – plus himself – for the expanded 
After being unceremoniously cancelled, it seems rather fitting that HBO is only giving a non-high definition release to the second (and now final) season of 
The second season of 
Raymond Burr takes his final cases in the second volume of the 9th and final season of 
I gave it the ol’ college try for its first few weeks, but I could never get into the groove of 
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
If you’re only familiar with Craig Ferguson from the Late Late Show, you’ll probably want to check out just what a stellar stand-up comic he is, as well, via his newest special 
As much as I’ve loved all of the laptops I’ve had over the years, my one major disappointment has been just how pitiful the sound quality is from the internal speakers. After trying numerous external speaker solutions and never being happy with the results, I’ve finally found one that fills the room with nice quality, high volume sound – the 
There’s so much to like about 
As much as Tim Burton wished it otherwise, his more faithful treatment of Roald Dahl’s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory can’t hold a candle to the simple charm and overwhelming chemistry of Gene Wilder in 
It’s a bit awkward to feature products that feature my boss, one of which I was actually the producer on. So let me simply say you should most definitely pick up the extended cut, 2-disc special edition of the stand-up special 
Though ostensibly a film about all of the actors who have held the rank of captain over the long life of the Star Trek franchise, William Shatner’s 
Strike another title from the list of movies we’re waiting to make their high def debut with the arrival of Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of 
Raro Video has decided to make one of Federico Fellini’s final masterpieces, 
I remember the original Robotech DVD releases from years (and years!) ago, which at the time were the best presentation of the series fans could hope for. Well, the new 
Why hello, MGM Limited Edition Collection. What new MOD treats do you have from deep, deep in your catalogue for us? How about the Phil Silvers film 
As a LEGO product, it retains much of the wonderful humor they’ve brought to the various established licenses they’ve touched, but the fact that 
It’s not wall-to-wall laughs, but there’s enough wit and strong enough performances that I did enjoy watching 
The days of any real history programming airing on The History Channel seem almost a fever dream by this point, as The House That Chumley Built delivers a trio of new reality series seasons – 
The fine folks at Shout Factory continue to bring out-of-print episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 back into print for desperate fans with the release of two new discs – 
As titles go, 
The classic Nickelodeon animated catalogue is coming fast and furious from the fine folks at Shout Factory, with the latest being 
Color me shocked that the ho-hum relaunch of 
While I’ve become quite a fan of him during his tenure as a Daily Show correspondent over the past few years, it wasn’t until 
Although I loathe JJ Abrams Trek refute, I’m a sucker for a prop replica such as the screen-accurate 
We’re over halfway done, and have moved into the last 20 years of the strip with the release of 
I’ve been waiting for ages – okay, to be honest, only about a year – for my absolute favorite episode of 
One of the loveliest cinematic experience I’ve ever had was during a trip to LA during which I partook of the recent 3D conversion of Tim Burton & Henry Selick’s 
If anyone is set to inherit the legacy of Carl Sagan when it comes to making the 
Lionsgate recently made a distribution deal with Miramax, which means that many titles not yet available on Blu-Ray are soon going to be coming fast and furious. The highlight of the first clutch of titles is John Favreau’s 
The bargain-friendly folks at Mill Creek are unleashing a massive clutch of multi-disc classic TV sets, including 
It was inevitable they’d get their shot at the big time, which brings us 
How about another much-requested Nickelodeon animated title courtesy of the fine folks at Shout Factory? This time, it’s the complete first and second season of 
Despite a stellar cast and a workable premise – a pair of average means parents desperate to get their pre-K daughter into an exclusive NYC private school – 
I know all of those involved in the production of the traditionally animated feature are quite proud of the word they’ve done, but there’s no getting around that 
After months of quickie single disc releases, fans will finally be able to pick up 
More Miramax catalogue titles are making their way to high definition via the Lionsgate deal, the newest being the Academy Award-winning 
I suppose the tween audience that still view it as a magically romantic event still in their future as opposed to an anticlimactic night of drama and angst probably love the goofy, rose-colored sweetness of Disney’s 
Oh, A&E. Now you’ve got people digging into repossessed storage units and calling it a reality series? Have we sunk so low as a culture that we’ll actually sit through a whole season of 
I had worries that 
Yeah, I love me some novelty cameras, and the 
It’s an embarrassment of riches from the fine folks at Fantagraphics as they deliver not one, but two fantastic comic collections for aficionados to dive into. Not only do we get the 15th volume of 
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, Spike Lee returned to New Orleans for a follow up to his documentary When The Levees Broke. The equally powerful return is documented in 
The arrival of the Handmade Films library in high definition continues with both a hard-bitten action flick and farce – Neil Jordan’s 
Not only great films make it to Blu-Ray – sometimes you get catalogue releases like the one-two punch of 
MGM cranks up their on-demand program (similar to the programs already in place over at Warners and Universal) with a clutch of obscure catalogue titles including an early turn from William Shatner in 
I’m sure that the Jack Black-starring bastardization of 
Take another show off the uncompleted list as the 6th & final season of 
If all of that story and character just seemed like filler to you, you’ll probably want to pick up 
Overlooked at the box office, I will declare here and now that Ricky Gervais’s 
You may not know this about me, but you certainly will now. “What is it? What is this secret?” you ask, breathlessly. C’mere, and I’ll tell you…. Closer… Closer… Okay. I like playing with magnets. I think they’re cool. I’ve thought magnets were cool ever since I was a kid. I also like money. Sadly, US coinage is non-magnetic, so I was never able to combine my two loves, Reese’s style. Until now. The 
I never thought I’d see the day when 
Michael Adams took a bullet for us all when he decided to sit down for a year and watch some of the worst movies ever made, and provide not only a chronicle of that feat, but also analyses and perhaps even an appreciation for crappy filmmaking. Of course, perhaps he didn’t take the bullet too soon, as I’ve seen many of the flicks in 
For anyone that came out of the tepid Funny People hoping that they had instead been able to see more of Aziz Ansari, your prayers have been answered with the DVD arrival of his debut stand-up special – 
It’s mindless action, yes, but it’s a shame to see Gerard Butler and Michael C. Hall slumming it in the B-movie actioner 
Glaringly absent from the high definition catalogue up until now, you can put a check mark beside a pair of much-requested Paul Thomas Anderson flicks – 
Shot as he was covering his final murder trial for Vanity Fair – that of Phil Spector – 
The first two Bourne films arrive in high-definition as the inaugural entries in Universal’s new line of flipper single-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combos. I loathe flipper discs with a passion, so even though I understand the cost-cutting thought behind it, I can’t get behind the concept. Looking at the Blu-Ray side, 
If fans of English costume drama were to do a dream casting session, they probably would arrive at the cast that was assembled for Cranford – Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Eileen Atkins, and Imelda Staunton. Cranford revolves around the ruling ladies of the titular town in 1842, for whom etiquette and custom reign supreme but are a thin veneer over secrets and change. Think a corseted Desperate Housewives. Your best bet is to pick 
It was like a poor man’s Guy Ritchie (which is odd, since he’s already filled that role himself in recent years), but there was a sliver of fun to have from 
Instead of abandoning release of the shows in mid-stream due to sales issue for niche fan-favorites, Shout! Factory has taken the welcome step of making new season sets of the shows in question available directly from their website. This makes the economy feasible and fans happy – especially since the discs are identical in quality to their store-bought predecessors. The first sets to get the direct-purchase treatment are 
And in this weeks soundtrack round-up, we’ve got John Murphy’s score to 
The disc-on-demand Warner Archive continues to live up to its name and promise by releasing a little-seen TV movie, adapted by Richard Matheson from his short story – 
Nancy Botwin is full ensconced with her business south of the border in the 5th season of 
A co-ed crew exploring the solar system gets up to sudsy scientific exploration in the first season of 
The 12th season of 
It dips into melodrama occasionally, but for the most part 
Using none of the original voices and sub-par animation, there’s nothing much about 
It’s not something I would have made a night out for, but watching 
There was a constant fear it might stumble in its first season, and there’s always fear of a sophomore season fail, but 
Those fans that have only experience the butchered editions of weird and wonderful The Mighty Boosh that have been running on Adult Swim need to run – not walk – to their favorite DVD emporium and snag copies of the new-to-the-US unexpurgated editions of The Mighty Boosh seasons 1-3 that have now been collected into the massive 
During my mother’s recent cancer battle, she spent her final week at home. While at home, I set up a pair of 
After 10 years spent off the air, wandering the wilderness of feature film development, the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf return for a brand new adventure in 
The most brilliant parodies always come from a place of deep understanding – and often affection – for the particular thing being parodied. Such is clearly the case with Peter Kay’s brilliant send-up of reality talent competitions whose full title – deep breath – is 
The Warner Bros. Archive Collection does it again, this time releasing 
Really, the nifty on-demand catalogue service The Warner Archive Collection is the only way we’ll get the short-lived and rather mediocre but fascinating sci-fi series 
I was one of the Disney fans who marveled at the clarity that the restored Platinum Edition of Snow White revealed, making the film look like it was made in the last 10 years – not 70 years ago. Well, the new high definition Diamond Edition of 
You can have your fancy, expensive, often bizarre, more faithful, Tim Burton-directed version of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, but I will always, always love and prefer 
I’ve gotta say – I really & truly love the amazing, unique, and altogether nifty pop art books that Abrams Comicarts have been putting out – their entire selection of which is worth a look see. Case in point is the new 
Oh, and also from Abrams, have a look-see at 
Originally created for IMAX theaters, 
After a lapse in copyright that allowed it to move from Warner Bros. to Paramount, 
Slowly but surely, we’re catching up on the releases of Gordon Ramsay’s excellent cooking show, 
You know, I’m not entirely sure it hasn’t been forever since the last season release of the still-classic, still-hilarious 
I have nothing against the Shannon Doherty years of the low-rent “reality” candid camera frightfest 
Even though I find the show the dramatic equivalent of beige paint drying, I still find Patricia Arquette watchable in 
Reflect on an incredible body of work by a much-missed actor with the new 
It’s quite rare when I actually enjoy a romantic comedy, only because the plot developments are as obvious as a truck on the side of your ear, so it really comes down to a decent enough script and a good clutch of actors to pull the whole thing off. With 
Does anyone actually enjoy 
As you might expect, the soundtrack to Drew Barrymore’s roller derby flick 
I really have no other ammunition with which to recommend the CG-animated special 
At the end, the show was a shadow of its heyday high, but the cast of 
Sam Raimi decided to abandon the tepid Spider-Man movies and return to form with the schlock-happy horror of 
Will Ferrell’s big screen take on the schlocky Sid & Marty Krofft Saturday morning classic 
I can’t tell you just how much I really, really don’t like the live action 
I think the final product has been a mixed bag, with none shining too terribly brightly, but if you’re keen on buying the recent animated direct-to-video movies starring your favorite Marvel Comics superheroes, you can now get the whole lot in the 
It’s frustrating that 
I’ve never been a fan of Oliver Stone’s violent social commentary 
Before you gawp at the live action flick, take in the classic animated version of Maurice Sendak’s 
Do people still watch 
If you’re not able to drop the cash for the more expensive Spotlight collections, or just want a nice sampler, then you’ll want to check out 
I tried desperately to avoid obvious swimming metaphors to talk about this title, but in the end, I lacked enough willpower to refrain from saying you should dive right in to the 
Sensing it had been far too long since a new release and that brand awareness might be slipping, MTV has dug through the hall closet to scrape up enough material to fill 
I certainly tried, but I could never find enough of a toe-hold to get interested in 
Though there are many great episodes contained in the 14 that comprise the 12th(!) season of 
They’re completely impractical and a little bit silly, but that’s also what makes having your very own 
Combine the internet phenomena of LOLcats, the hobo resurgence fueled by humorist John Hodgman, and an incredible artist. What do you get? Adam Koford’s wonderfully witty 
One of my favorite Disney animated classics – and easily one of their darkest in content – is the tale of the little wooden boy 
Best known as one half of Tears For Fears, Curt Smith has come out with 
Oh, 
It’s a wafer-thin premise that could have fallen on its rear, but 
First off, Anne Hathaway’s Oscar nomination for 
For a true story that’s proven problematic to bring to the big screen over the past 20 years, writer Dustin Lance Black and director Gus Van Sant certainly accomplished the task with 
Putting much of US television to shame, one of those must-have, wonderful series comes together in one handy package with 
Disney contributed quite a one-two contribution to the “creepy kid” genre of films with their 70’s “classics” 
It’s a shame that 
You’ve seen the documentary, but it’s just as fun (especially for kids) to see the Scholastic Children’s book edition of 
The name is a misnomer, but it’s admirable that Hanna-Barbera tried to bring back their animated adventure series with an older, edgier 
If you want a dose of the denizens of Smurf village but the first season set was too intimidating, try the single-disc 
Brian Bonsall is in full gear as precocious son Andrew as we move quickly towards the end in season 5 of 
Edward Norton’s still-powerful turn as an altar boy accused of murder in 
Let’s get a little educational for a bit, with a clutch of titles from the fine folks at PBS. First up is the untold story of America’s immigrant hospital, 
I’m two viewngs into 
Directed by and starring William Shatner, 
The show is coming to a close, but the DVD releases are still playing catch up with the release of 
It was more affable than funny, but I admit to having seen the odd episode from the second season of 
It’s by no means a good flick, but as a piece of animation history, 
I really didn’t think I’d ever encounter a film as awkward as Life Is Beautiful again, but then came