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 my favorite remains The Great Dictator, there’s no denying that Modern Times (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP) is one of the great Charlie Chaplin films, and the new Criterion edition manages to significantly improve both the look and sound of the already stellar DVD special edition that was released on DVD quite a few years back. Add to that an audio commentary, visual essays, featurettes, interviews, a pair of cut segments, home movies, featurettes, the Chaplin two-reeler The Rink, trailers, and more. Here’s hoping more Chaplin releases are in the cards.
Kids love to spill drinks. I don’t for a minute think it’s an accident – I believe it’s all premeditated. You can undermine their evil plans with the Autoseal Kids Tumblers ($15.99/pair), which has a wonderful push button activation to dispense the beverage, preventing spillage. Brilliant.
Hot on the heels of the first season’s arrival comes the second season of The Twilight Zone (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$99.98 SRP) in glorious high definition. If you were worried that they wouldn’t be able to maintain the incredibly high bar they set with that initial release, worry not – They most definitely have. Not only is all of the bonus materials from the original uber-edition carried over, but a whole clutch of new audio commentaries, interviews, radio dramas, and more have been added. An absolute must-have.
Warner Bros. has done another spectacular restoration job on one of their catalogue gems, this time with the high definition edition of 1935’s Mutiny On The Bounty (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), starring Charles Laughton as the tyrannical (and historically inaccurate) Captain Bligh and Clark Gable as mutineer Fletcher Christian. Bonus materials include a short subject, an Academy Awards newsreel, and theatrical trailers for both this and the 1962 versions. A must-see piece of cinema.
As CGI and flash have come to dominate content in documentaries in recent years, there’s still something timeless and powerful in the direct, unvarnished simplicity of presentation in the seminal (and massive) The World At War (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$149.95 SRP). Comprised of 26 hour-long programs with remarkable footage, I daresay it remains the definitive documentary on the Second World War. Bonus materials include a healthy clutch of additional documentaries, featurettes on the making-of and restoration process, and more.
Let us all take a holiday journey into the uncanny valley with Robert Zemeckis’s latest unfortunate excursion into motion capture awkwardness, A Christmas Carol (Walt Disney, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP). What could have been a faithful, beautiful adaptation if traditionally animated – be it hand drawn or CG – instead becomes a desperate attempt not to catch the dead eyes of a character or an awkward gesture… Which is a shame, because Jim Carrey is working overtime to pull off Scrooge, but keeps getting betrayed by Zemeckis’s lifeless execution. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes, and deleted scenes. Your best bet is to get the 4-disc edition, which contains not only the 3D edition of the film (for all of you with fancy TVs and computers), but also the Blu-Ray, standard DVD, and a digital copy.
A few years back, a rather unique and wonderful little animated series called Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted on Nickelodeon. It was full of adventure and populated by strong, interesting characters living in an expansive world and caught up in an epic story. Sadly, all of these wonderful elements were lost in translation to the live action The Last Airbender (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), helmed by perpetual disappointment M. Night Shyamalan. What we get, instead, is a dull as dishwater affair that plods along with cardboard characters in a heavily condensed and compromised story. Sad, really. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
While you’re busy waiting for the next season to come out on DVD, you can tide yourself over with Spongebob Squarepants: Legends Of Bikini Bottom (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), a DVD premiere of a special that finds Spongebob and friends in six legends, with bonus features including a behind-the-scenes featurette and animated shorts.
Fully remastered, another holiday perennial makes is available this season with the release of Rankin Bass’s Twas The Night Before Christmas (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). That’s the animated one with the mouse, if you’re having trouble remembering.
I’m still not exactly sure why the travesty that is Troll 2 has been gifted with a celebratory documentary, Best Worst Movie (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), but it is an affecting one, as the misguided filmmakers behind the cinematic wreck reflect on their good intentions and come to grips with the fetid result’s growing popularity. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a filmmaker Q&A, fan contributions, and more.
The books of Beverly Cleary were a favorite when I was a kid, and while some of the spirit has been toned down, there’s still some life in Ramona And Beezus (Fox, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which finds whirlwind Ramona making life hard for her older sister Beezus, who trying to find her footing in her first year of high school. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and more.
It’s not Blu-Ray, but Cher: The Film Collection (MGM/UA, Rated R/PG/PG-13, DVD-$49.98 SRP) is a boxing together of catalogue titles in one themed package. The films in question are Good Times, Chastity, Silkwood, Moonstruck, Mermaids, & Tea With Mussolini. All of the bonus features from the original individual releases carry over.
Seeking to make the viewing experience a bit more interactive, Disney has developed the “Mickey Mote” accessory for use with their newest preschool DVD releases. Essentially, it’s a kid-friendly, Mickey Mouse-shaped remote that them to answer questions when in “Discovery Mode”. The first DVDs out of the gate – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Numbers Roundup (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) and Handy Manny: Big Construction Job (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP) are both Mickey Mote capable, and the former comes packed with one.
In March of 2010, musical theater’s best & brightest assembled to celebrate Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday, recorded for posterity on Sondheim!: The Birthday Concert (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), featuring 24 of his songs.
One of Nipsy Russell’s finest roles (and one of Diana Ross’s most age inappropriate) comes to high definition with the release of The Wiz (Universal, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP). And I didn’t even craft a cutesy line like “Ease on down to high def!” Bonus materials include a retrospective featurette and the theatrical trailer.
It’s an interesting score, to be sure, but I can’t help but feel that composer Alexandre Desplat is just marking time with his score to Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Watertower Music, $17.98 SRP) until John Williams returns to wrap up the franchise in Part 2. Oh wait – John Williams isn’t returning. Ah, well.
It’s about time a tribute was put together for one of the landmark comedians of the last 30 years, and Back From Hell: A Tribute To Sam Kinison (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) is a fitting one, combining classic Kinison clips with interviews from friends and fans. Bonus materials include additional interviews and stand-up, and Kinison’s “Wild Thing” video.
How about a whole bunch of TV series wrapping up their DVD releases? You’ve got Beverly Hills: Season 10 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), Ghost Whisperer: Season 5 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$62.99 SRP), Seventh Heaven: Season 11 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), Tales From The Darkside: Season 3 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP), War Of The Worlds: Season 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) and the first volume of The Fugitive: Season 4 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Whew!
Let me be perfectly blunt – History Channel… If you continue to produce unsubstantiated dreck like Ancient Aliens (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), which gives credence to Erich von Daniken’s crackpot Chariots Of The Gods theories on human development, then you will be stripped of the “History” part of your title. Seriously guys… Get a clue.
Now that we’ve reached Gangland: Season 6 (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP), I think we’ve given more than enough airtime to gang members and their violence, thank you. The 3-disc set contains all 11 episodes, plus additional footage.
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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