It’s that time of year again, when sites the web-over compile helpful holiday shopping lists to guide you into the deepest, darkest pits of retail with a map that will hopefully get you out alive. Here now, without further ado, is the 2019 FRED Holiday Shopping Guide.
(If you see anything you like, please support FRED by using the links below to make your holiday purchases – it’s appreciated!)
I’m a tremendous fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and I had high hopes that the documentary What We Left Behind (Shout Factory, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) would pay proper tribute to the show and its creatives, both behind and in front of the camera. Thankfully, it delivered in spades, proving to be a loving tribute and celebration of the show and its dedicated fans, with participation from nearly everyone involved (sans the ever-elusive Avery Brooks). Bonus features include nearly an hour of additional interviews, a roundtable discussion, and featurettes.
A bona fide holiday classic, It’s A Wonderful Life (Paramount, Rated PG, 4K-$35.99 SRP) gets a stunningly pristine high definition upgrade in a release featuring both black & white & colorized versions of the film, original cast home movies, a featurette on the 4K restoration, and more.
Speaking of gorgeous high definition upgrades, The Wizard Of Oz (Warner Bros., Rated G, 4K-$41.99 SRP) has gotten its own eye-popping trip down the yellow brick road, with bonus materials including an audio commentary, featurettes, and more.
Hot Toys has done loads of stellar work over the years, but I still can’t help but be impressed whenever they drop a new figure. Holding their 1/6-scale Iron Spider (Sideshow Collectibles, $259) ““ aka the Stark-armored Spider-Man seen in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, & Spider-Man: Far From Home ““ it’s a marvel of screen-accurate reproduction, right down to finding a flexible suit material that has a metallic shine to it. You can pop the optional articulated spider-arms on or off, and he comes with two masked heads ““ one containing an LED light feature for the eyes ““ and an unmasked Peter Parker head that looks eerily like actor Tom Holland.
For many years now, Chronicle Books has been publishing a stellar line-up of Disney animation books. For contemporary fans, there’s The Art Of Frozen II (Chronicle Books, $40 SRP), loaded with production insight into the sequel. For deeper dive fans, they’ve continued their series chronicling the development art crafted at the studio during various periods in its history, the latest two volumes of which are They Drew As They Pleased – The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Mid-Century Era: The 1950s & 1960s (Chronicle Books, $50 SRP) & They Drew As They Pleased – The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Early Renaissance: The 1970s & 1980s (Chronicle Books, $50 SRP).
But those aren’t the only Disney books that should be on your holiday list. Disney Editions is releasing a few titles of note, including the tie-in to the Disney+ series One Day at Disney (Disney Editions, $50 SRP), Pete Docter & Christopher Merritt’s 2-volume celebration of a Disney artist & Imagineering legend in Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks (Disney Editions, $150 SRP), the revised special edition of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons (Disney Editions, $80 SRP), The Walt Disney Studios: A Lot to Remember (Disney Editions, $60 SRP), Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks (Disney Editions, $60 SRP), and former Imagineering president Marty Sklar’s Travels with Figment: On the Road in Search of Disney Dreams (Disney Editions, $26.99 SRP).
Yes, it is a Christmas movie, and you can celebrate the 35th anniversary of Gremlins (Warner Bros., Rated PG, 4K-$41.99 SRP) by watching it in 4K high definition, which means it’s never looked better. Bonus features include a pair of audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, galleries, and trailers.
Documenting his creative career in exquisite detail, Rick Baker: Metamorphosis (Cameron, $250 SRP) is a massive two-volume set containing a comprehensive visual archiving of nearly every creature, makeup, and effect crafted by the legendary cinema artisan. Listen, this thing is massive ““ And dense. Drop it and it’d break a foot.
Disney has been very kind to fans of both their theme parks and novelty vinyl, releasing a trio of picture albums featuring the complete ride-through audio and songs from Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and It’s a Small World (Walt Disney Records, $21.98 SRP each).
If vinyl’s not your thing and you’re just keen on some CD stocking stuffers, you can also score the soundtrack albums for Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Frozen II, Dumbo, & Descendants 3 (Walt Disney Records, $10.99 SRP each).
Largely fallen off the radar, China Beach (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$149.95 SRP), while leaning more towards drama than comedy, is to the conflict in Vietnam what M*A*S*H was to the Korean War, and is a series worth your time to explore ““ or revisit ““ via this new box set, collecting all 4 seasons plus audio commentaries, interviews, and featurettes.
Years and years ago, the fine folks at Sideshow released a 1/6-scale “figure” of Han Solo in Carbonite (Sideshow Collectibles, $249.99), to the delight of Star Wars fans eager to fill out their displays (particularly their Jabba’s Palace). Fans frustrated that the original piece sold out years ago will be very happy with their new release, with full control panel light features. The main difference is in the display stand, where the original release was intended to represent the alcove in Jabba’s Palace, this new edition has the flooring found in Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back.
And because there’s a new Star Wars film, it also means we get the information & trivia filled Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker The Visual Dictionary: With Exclusive Cross-Sections (DK, $24.99 SRP).
Oh, and hey, Star Wars fans, while I have your attention, the actor inside one-half of your favorite droid duo, Anthony Daniels, has released a memoir ““ I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story (DK, $24.99 SRP), which contains all of the firsthand anecdotes and details you could hope for, along with a clutch of personal photos.
While I don’t think any of them have aged particularly well as films, there’s no denying that the Batman 4K Film Collection (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 4K Blu-Ray-$124.99 SRP each) ““ which contains 4K presentations of Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, & Batman & Robin – looks truly spectacular, from the gothic glory of the Burton films to the day-glo camp of Schumacher’s. Bonus features are all carried over from the previous special editions, including commentaries, documentaries, and more.
Over the course of its 5 seasons, Gotham (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$112.99 SRP) abandoned any pretense of being a somewhat serious Batman prequel series and instead leaned”¦ no, barreled into being a completely bizarre, totally unhinged meta goof that could more easily have been a prequel to the ’66 Batman series. You can now own the complete run, containing featurettes, deleted scenes, panels, and more.
When Batman Beyond (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$99.99 SRP) was announced as a follow-up series to the now-legendary Batman: The Animated Series ““ leaping forward decades from that show & featuring a teenager as the new Batman ““ I feared a shark-jumping in the making. But nope, instead it proved to be a brilliant extrapolation of the animated universe, and ended with one of the best Batman films ever crafted, Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker. The show is finally getting a high definition release via this box set, with bonus interviews and featurettes.
Speaking of comic books, there are a couple of hardcover tomes you might want to add to your shelves ““ DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle (DK, $50 SRP), Brave And Bold: Female DC Heroes Take On The Universe (DK, $16.99 SRP), and The Marvel Book (DK, $25 SRP).
More books? More books! Creator Rebecca Sugar has written a fully-illustrated storybook, Steven Universe: The Tale of Steven (Abrams, $14.99 SRP), a classic comic strip is celebrated in Art of Nothing: 25 Years of Mutts and the Art of Patrick McDonnell (Abrams, $40 SRP), and BoJack Horseman: The Art Before the Horse (Abrams, $40 SRP).
Insight editions has a dragon-sized and comprehensive The Art Of Game Of Thrones (Insight Editions, $75 SRP), which collects the awesome development art generated for the flawed series. Spider-Man: From Amazing To Spectacular ““ The Definitive Comic Art Collection (Insight Editions, $45 SRP) is an oversized spotlight on over 50 years of character artwork. Old school and new fans of the recent Netflix series will probably want to check out The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance ““ Inside The Epic Return To Thra (Insight Editions, $50 SRP). Those keen on process should find plenty of interest in Masters Of Comics: Inside The Studios Of The World’s Premier Graphic Storytellers (Insight Editions, $24.99 SRP). Finally, it may be small, but there’s one more bit of Star Wars fun to be had ““ the pocket-sized Star Wars: The Complete Marvel Comics Covers ““ Volume 1 (Insight Editions, $11.99 SRP).
In a post-Stranger Things world, the big-screen take on Stephen King’s It (Warner Bros., Rated R, 4K-$44.95 SRP) and its ragtag band of kids fighting a terrifying evil creature couldn’t help but feel a bit “been there, done that”, but the performances from all involved (including Bill Skarsgard as the monstrous Pennywise) made for a film that’s worth a watch. The completion of the story in It: Chapter Two (Warner Bros., Rated R, 4K-$44.95 SRP) doesn’t quite live up to part one, but it does expand the cast out with the adult version of the Losers’ Club. Bonus materials include audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
The Warner Archive Collection continues to impress with catalogue titles both unexpected and appreciated. For animation fans, they’ve collected together the first high definition release of Popeye The Sailor: The 1940s Volumes 1-3 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP each), Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), Teen Titans: The Complete Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP), and Hanna-Barbera titles Wally Gator: The Complete Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) & Lippy The Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP). On the TV side, they’ve put out Babylon 5: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$47.99 SRP) back into MOD print, along with the uncensored first season of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Finally, see the historical debut of a lot of elements we consider canon for the character in Superman: The Theatrical Serials Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP).
I mean, I really do love the Warner Archive, as they deliver deep dives and fan favorites from the vaults directly to fans who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get them if these niche titles had to reach a normal retail threshold to trigger release. On the theatrical side, you’ve got John Milius’ coming-of-age surfer film Big Wednesday (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), the Steve Martin comedies The Man With Two Brains (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP) & My Blue Heaven (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), Harry Belafonte & Mel Ferrer in The World, The Flesh, And The Devil (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), Lana Turner & Kirk Douglas in The Bad And The Beautiful (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), Sophia Loren & George Peppard in Operation Crossbow (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), Arthur Penn’s crime thriller Night Moves (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), the pitch-black cult comedy The Loved One (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), the pilot for film for the Patrick Duffy series Man From Atlantis (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), the legendary Cleopatra Jones (Warner Bros., Rated PG-$21.99 SRP), My Favorite Year (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP) and Bette Davis in the 1940 W. Somerset Maugham adaptation The Letter (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP).
Flicker Alley has carved out a wonderful niche for themselves in providing beautifully restored high definition releases of historical importance. Their latest is Melies Fairy Tales In Color (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$36.95 SRP), a selection of hand-colored films made between 1899-1909, the last silent Sherlock Holmes film ever made, Richard Oswald’s Der Hund von Baskerville (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), from 1929, 1922’s The Last Warning (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), and the film that was one of the inspiration’s for the Batman villain The Joker, 1928’s The Man Who Laughs (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP).
The folks at Flicker Alley have also been doing a fantastic job restoring, preserving, and presenting vintage large format films, including those shot for Cinerama, that would otherwise have been unavailable to film aficionados for home viewing. Their latest releases are the rarely-seen Cinerama film The Golden Head (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), a slapstick heist yarn about a pair of kids who run afoul of two thieves (Buddy Hackett & George Sanders), and the 70mm film Flying Clipper (Mediterranean Holiday) (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, 4K-$39.95 SRP), a documentary following a Swedish sailing ship as it navigates the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, Mill Creek has been consistently stepping up their catalogue title game, as their latest batch of cult titles attests ““ including the pitch-black Aykroyd/Belushi comedy Neighbors (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), the 1985 Helen Slater-starrer The Legend Of Billie Jean (Mill Creek, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), and Pamela Anderson’s Barb Wire (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP). They’ve also dipped into the 90s with the Van Damme/Rodman actioner Double Team (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), Dana Carvey in Opportunity Knocks (Mill Creek, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), Alicia Silverstone & Benicio Del Toro in Excess Baggage (Mill Creek, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), Pauly Shore in Jury Duty (Mill Creek, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), and the double features Stepmom/The Deep End Of The Ocean (Mill Creek, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), Mo’ Money/High School High (Mill Creek, Rated R/PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), The Trigger Effect/Body Count (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), and Mindwarp/Brainscan (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98
SRP).
And because this world contains more films than you can shake a stick at, Olive Films is also able to do some stellar cult catalogue releases, including the high definition debuts of How To Stuff A Wild Bikini (Olive Films, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), The Believers (Olive Films, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), and The Bells Of St. Mary’s (Olive Films, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$27.99 SRP).
For the cinephile on your list eager to expand their knowledge or just indulge their particular fandom, check out the books Tim Burton: The Iconic Filmmaker And His Work (White Lion Publishing, $25 SRP), Quentin Tarantino: The Iconic Filmmaker And His Work (White Lion Publishing, $35 SRP), Alien Vault (Epic Ink, $45 SRP), and Cult Filmmakers: 50 Movie Mavericks You Need To Know (White Lion Publishing, $16.99 SRP).
Oh, but those aren’t the only film & TV books that you should give serious gift consideration to, as Titan Books has a veritable bookshelf worth of titles to consider, including J.W. Rinzler’s definitive The Making Of Alien (Titan Books, $60 SRP), Alien: The Blueprints (Titan Books, $44.95 SRP), Joe Alves: Designing Jaws (Titan Books, $39.95 SRP), Star Trek: The Art Of John Eaves (Titan Books, $39.95 SRP), Alita Battle Angel: The Art & Making Of The Movie (Titan Books, $45 SRP), The Addams Family: The Art Of The Animated Movie (Titan Books, $39.95 SRP), Men In Black Films: The Official Visual Companion To The Films (Titan Books, $50 SRP), The Art And Making Of The Expanse (Titan Books, $39.95 SRP), Making Moon (Titan Books, $39.95 SRP), Orson Welles Portfolio: Sketches & Drawings From The Welles Estate (Titan Books, $50 SRP), and the gallery collection Rick And Morty: Show Me What You Got (Titan Books, $39.95 SRP). Quite the line-up, eh?
It’s always a surprise to find what subject Ken Burns has turned his documentarian eye towards, as it forever seems left field from where you’d expect him to go. I was certainly intrigued when I heard his next massive project would be Country Music (PBS, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$75.80 SRP), as it’s a rather sprawling, unwieldy topic. Leave it to Burns to pull off a miracle, then, by crafting a structure that explores its musical and cultural roots, personalities, and legacy, warts and all. The box set includes over 3 hours of additional content, including bonus video, featurettes, and more.
One of the most successful and longest-running sitcoms in television history, fans can now indulge their obsession with Big Bang Theory: The Complete Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$179.95 SRP) with a deluxe collector’s boxed set containing all 12 seasons, plus featurettes, gag reels, and more.
It may not be awesome, but everything is pretty good in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Warner Bros., Rated PG, 4K Blu-Ray-$ SRP), which captures enough of the fun and energy of the first film to make for an enjoyable return. The real highlight, though, is the musical numbers. So many musical numbers! Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, music videos, and more.
It says something about the declining influence of the show that revisiting the episodes contained within South Park: The Complete Twenty-Second Season (Comedy Central, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) felt like watching them for the first time. The show is still entertaining, but it’s moved beyond groundbreaking or culturally relevant. Bonus materials include mini-commentaries, #Socialcommentary, and deleted scenes.
Guillermo del Toro is probably the closest we’ve got to an inheritor of the unique visual world building ability of Terry Gilliam, and that claim was made decidedly clear with Pan’s Labyrinth (Warner Bros., Rated R, 4K-$44.95 SRP), whose visual splendor makes its way to 4K high definition in style. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, a gallery, and more.
While you’re in with the family this holiday season, why not partake of a pair of delightfully offbeat classics now bundled together on one release with The Addams Family/Addams Family Values: 2-Movie Collection (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$16.99 SRP)? It’s altogether ooky.
I’m not sure the world needed another remake of A Star Is Born (Warner Bros., Rated R, 4K-$19.96 SRP), but at least this one features a pair of incredible performances from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and lands its emotional core with devastating effect. Bonus materials include additional performances, a featurette, and music videos. Also available is the A Star Is Born: Encore Edition (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which features an extended cut with extended musical performances, jam sessions, and scenes.
When it aired in 1983, V: The Original Miniseries (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP) seemed a revolutionary bit of television science fiction ““ Dark, caustic, and full of social commentary. It was as close to John Carpenter’s They Live as you could imagine network television getting. Bonus materials for this release include an audio commentary with writer/director Kenneth Johnson and a behind-the-scenes documentary.
To wrap things up on a fun note, for ages I’ve been praising the work that Diamond Select does with their Diamond Gallery PVC dioramas (Diamond Select, $50-70 SRP). Not only have they been exploring a deep bench of characters from Marvel, DC, and more – including film, TV, and animation ““ with solid sculpts and paint work, but they’re incredibly inexpensive compared to the more traditional resin or polystone statues. Here’s hoping they keep expanding the line into new and interesting directions, including pieces based on the artwork of specific artists”¦ If only so I can finally get some John Byrne Fantastic Four statues.
You know those things you never thought would see the light of day but are infinitely delighted by when they suddenly appear? Yeah, that’s a good way of describing the arrival of 
I never in a million years thought that I would say one of the funniest films of the year ““ and a candidate for one of the best superhero films ““ would be 
While there may have been a nagging fear in the back of my heart, 
And speaking of Pixar, enough years ““ and films ““ have gone by that there’s more than enough content to fill 
I went in to 
There will come a day, sooner than I could ever want (which is never), when the great Billy Connolly will no longer be with us. So it was with great joy that I dove into 
For a consistently reliable laugh, check out the latest releases from the fine folks at Rifftrax. If you’re in the mood for some easily-digestible shorts, you’ve got the latest collection ““ 
I get into very few video games these days, but Insomniac’s Spider-Man pushed all of my buttons ““ I mean, it’s Spider-Man, for criminy’s sake. While I enjoyed Paul Dini’s writing and the voice acting in the first two Batman Arkham games, I don’t have nearly the emotional attachment to the caped crusader as I do to the ol’ wall-crawler. For a bit more of what went in to crafting the game’s universe, there’s 
Every time the Warner Archive drops a new batch of titles, it’s a reminder of just how deep and eclectic the Warner catalogue truly is. I’m glad they’ve continued to not only mine their vault, but also give film fans new high-definition releases of cult faves that might not otherwise see the light of day ““ the latest bunch being Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing’s 
Even outside of the show itself, Gravity Falls has generated some decidedly inspired takes on standard tie-in products. Their take on a coloring book, 
While it incorporates some elements from his original graphic novel and animated version of her origin, Paul Dini and co-writer Pat Cadigan’s novel 
I’d be hard-pressed to say these are great films, even if I do have a nostalgic affection for a few of them, but kudos to Mill Creek for the clever, creative packaging on their new line of high-definition catalogue releases ““ 
Now you can binge all four seasons of Nathan Fielder’s unorthodox marketing via 
While a loving portrait of her comedy legend father, what most impressed me about Violet Ramis Stiel’s 
Every time I watch a Mission Impossible, save for maybe the first, I think to myself, “This is what a modern James Bond film should feel like – Action, adventure, memorable characters, grand schemes, massive set-pieces, and a dash of humor.” All of that and more can be found in the latest outing ““ 
Years after the show’s original DVD release, the new 
Catherine Hardwicke’s 
The third season of 
Flicker Alley has turned their restorative eye to George Melies legendary 
Watching 
Featuring performances from Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Pearl Jam, Ringo Starr, and more, the 2-disc 
While the storyline only becomes more and more problematic as time goes by, the brand new 4K 40th Anniversary Edition of 
A sci-fi classic, the original 
Just when I think Shout Factory can’t possibly top themselves and their gloriously eclectic catalogue of cult releases, you get a clutch of new titles from them, including the 1987 Dan Aykroyd/Tom Hanks 
Robin Williams made a huge impression on my developing comedy mind, from his early stand-up specials to his starring role in Mork & Mindy. And now, just in time for the holidays, Time Life has assembled an incredible 2-volume set celebrating him ““ 
I had zero expectations of Wreck-It Ralph when it arrived in theaters a few years back, and was duly surprised by how great a film it was. And that means I’m very excited about the sequel, and delighted by its fantastic new companion book ““ 
Though if you want a general overview of the film and its characters, you’ll want to pick up 
It took a bit for the spigot to open, but tie-in products for the Ducktales reboot are finally hitting shelves. 
That the folks at Shout Factory have pulled together a remarkably deep set for a cult favorite will come as zero surprise to anyone who has been following the fan magic they’ve been working over the years, so ““ SHOCK ““ their 
I’d definitely put 
As a fan of the book, I was wary yet hopeful going in to the first season of Starz’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, and was relieved when it turned out to be a wonderfully weird season of television and a solid take on the material. The making of that first season is explored in 
In another sign that the children of the 90s have wrested the nostalgia remote from 80s kids, you can now get a complete series set of the beloved-of-that-generation Nickelodeon classic 
Shout Factory isn’t just giving fans of cult film their hearts’ desires, but also delighting aficionados of classic TV. Repackaging into one set their previous 2-volume presentation, the 
The various Star Wars Visual Dictionaries have been a geeky joy to page through over the years, so it’s great that the concept has been expanded into the 
It’s cold outside, you’re stuck inside, and you love Star Wars? Boy, do I have a book for you! 
Another theatrical installment in the “Wizarding World Of Harry Potter” franchise this year means a clutch of new tie-in books, running the full gamut of behind-the-scenes, art, and activity releases. If you’d like to learn about the nuts and bolts of the film’s production, there’s 
J.W. Rinzler has already knocked out must-have books chronicling the making of the original Star Wars trilogy and all four Indiana Jones films, so it was a happy surprise to find that he had turned his eye (SPOILER!) closer to home with another definitive tome, 
It takes a mighty effort to get me excited about new vinyl releases. I’m a sucker for secondhand vintage vinyl, just for nostalgia’s sake and an appreciation of certain musicians, interesting cover art, or just bonzo novelty. But, I have to say, the 
Disney has really gone all-in on vinyl releases, from modern animated films like 
When the title of the book is 
The folks at Flicker Alley have been keeping the silent film flame alive, crafting some incredible restorations and presentations of historically significant features from that era. Their latest are a pair of releases starring silent film legend Mary Pickford ““ 
There have been plenty of HD releases of the film over the years, but as we roll into the holidays, certainly the one most likely to inspire family fun is 
Coming amidst a flurry of turn-of-the-century teen comedies, 
Need a mindless distraction from the family this holiday season? Nothing says “distraction” like a big giant shark, and that’s exactly what you’ll get with 
Packed with meticulously restored photographs documenting behind-the-scenes moments, deleted scenes, and bloopers from the original series, 
I never tire of seeing vintage photos of Walt Disney, and there are loads of previously unseen ones to be found in 
Celebrating his 90th anniversary, 
I really didn’t know what to expect from 
While we wait through the long winter for its return sometime in 2019, pass the time with a dive back into 
It’s somewhat surprising that it’s taken this long to get a comprehensive tome about the making of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien adaptations, but when you peruse the absolutely massive 
For nearly four decades, a bootleg has floated around and found its way into the clutches of Superman: The Movie fans. When the film made its original television premiere, loads of deleted scenes were added back in to pad out its runtime, making for a 3+ hour version. It’s by no means a better version of the film, but it’s still great to see more material from such an iconic piece of pop cinema. And now, throw those bootlegs out, because the Warner Archive has decided to give fans the greatest gift of all by releasing a fully restored, high-definition version of 
Pixar’s Coco, besides being a joyful tearjerker, is also an absolutely beautiful film. That beauty also extends to the development process, which is explored in 
Almost 20 years after episodes began making their way to home video, what very well may be the final box set of unreleased episodes is here. 
Providing context for the post-war enthusiasm that fueled American culture in the middle of the 20th century, Don Hahn’s 
The period covered in 
I admit, another Cars film was probably the last thing I wanted to see Pixar do, particularly after the lackluster Cars 2, but color me pleasantly surprised by 
If you’ve not been following what Oni Press has been doing the last few years, the cold, dark nights of winter are the perfect time to curl up and dive into some of the brilliant visual storytelling they’ve been releasing. For the most mainstream, fans of 
Oh, you know there are spoilers a-plenty to be found within its pages, so avoid 
Second only to the legendary Duck Man Carl Barks, Don Rosa’s adventures of Scrooge, Donald, and the denizens of Duckburg have been a true delight, and it isn’t until now that they’ve been collected in a single, definitive series which presents the material with the care and honor it deserves. Sadly, we’re fast approaching the end of Rosa’s output with the release of 
The Warner Archive continues to do a tremendous service for film lovers hoping for niche titles to make their way out of the vaults and into high definition, with the latest batch including the adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s 
A few years back, Disney Publishing released a deluxe box set featuring flip books of archival animation from Walt Disney’s legendary animators, the “Nine Old Men”. I’m delighted they decided to revisit the concept with a second set, 
There’s a strong argument for this year to be the year of Wonder Woman, and having a book like 
Aww, geez, do I love the exquisite, almost magical skill involved in crafting a pop-up book. Combining that craft with a spotlight on films I adore makes for the must-have 
There’s a law – I’m sure it must be a law – dictating that every conceivable corner of the Star Wars universe will be fully explored in minute detail, which means we get 
I love to decorate for the holidays, so when I chanced upon a neighbor’s incredible projected window display at Halloween a few years back – featuring what seemed like very real skeletons, zombies, and a grim reaper inside their home, visible through the window – I had to find out exactly how they accomplished the wondrous feat. Well, much to my surprise, the effect was incredibly easy, as it consisted merely of a vinyl static-cling projection screen on the windows, a digital projector, a DVD/Blu-Ray player, and digital animation files crafted by the fine folks at AtmosFX. As soon as I heard that, in addition to Halloween frights, they also have a line of festive winter animations – 
While I can respect the craft behind them, Christopher Nolan films tend to lose me roundabout what feels like hour four. They tend to feel padded and pretentious, and I include his Batman films – particularly the last one – in that assessment, as well. So, imagine my surprise to find what a taut, unshowy narrative 
Fans of Doctor Who wanting a bit of insight into the origins and evolution of The Doctor’s most fearsome foes will want to pick up a copy of 
Digging into her unreleased archives just in time for the holidays, Carol Burnett has assembled 
Baseball fans hoping to re-live the excitement they must have as sports fans for the sports annual tournament will want to re-live it all with the 
With the film getting the 4K HDR treatment for its 40th anniversary, it’s no surprise that we get a complementary book, 
There are many films that slip through the cracks of time, undeservedly, so it’s always nice when one gets a chance to find a new audience, like director Elaine May’s 
Herge remains a contentious figure. Revered for his creation Tintin, which contains a fair amount of problematic material, his personal history is also particularly complicated. Largely unseen in the west, he also produced a funny animal strip that is finally making its debut here, 
All good things must end, and we’ve reached it with 
Proving itself a powerhouse of the Great White Way, you can bring home a pair of books that document the development and legacy of the show with 
Michael Bay’s seemingly never-ending run of sound & fury Transformers films are far from good – laughably bad, even – but they are jam-packed with the kind of visuals and sound design that are absolutely perfect for impressing friends and family with the new 4k Ultra HD TV set-up you just spent a pretty penny on. With that in mind, the first four films – 
Translated into English for the first time, legendary European Disney comics artist Romano Scarpa’s 
Before their April 2017 concert, one of rock’s most iconic bands had never performed what many consider their masterpiece live in its entirety. But on that date, they did, and it’s capture for posterity on 
Sometimes, either through circumstance or hubris, art gets away from the artist. While I certainly think it’s the latter, the former could certainly account for whatever led to Darren Aranofsky’s painfully self-important 
I never thought we’d ever get to the point where there would be less than 30 episodes left until the entire run was available on home video, but thanks to the miracle workers at Shout Factory, 
But let that not be an end to your festive riffing season, for the fine folks at Rifftrax are releasing a pair of their holiday live shows for you to watch and revel in – 
Sometimes, there are “collectibles” that make me wish I were a kid again. If I had gotten the 
Gifts for the LEGO lover on your list? If they’re keen on the history of those wonderful building blocks, then they can thumb through 
Do you feel like you’ve reached the outermost limits of emotional release that a simple NERF dart blaster can achieve? Are you eager to deliver a decisive defeat from a ridiculous distance during the inevitable competition that your family visit will devolve into this holiday season? Well, NERF has heard your plea, and introduced the Rival series of blasters, that amp up distance and accuracy to plaid. The chief difference between the entry level 
As a kid, I ate loads of brittle, borderline inedible gum as a byproduct of my desire to get full sets of all of the various pop culture trading cards Topps released during my geeky childhood. Little did I know that all I had to do to avoid that hunt entirely was wait nearly 40 years and simply buy a book like 
I love a solidly fun children’s book that manages to stick the landing of sporting both an enjoyable story and great visuals, and Ryan T. Higgins’ 
If you feel the most recent iteration of the James Bond franchise tends toward the dour, the closest you can get to old school Bond action are the Mission: Impossible flicks, and the most recent, 
While you’re reading up on the making of 007’s latest cinematic adventure with 
If The Force Awakens is awakening an interest in your younglings for information about the ins and outs and characters and minutiae of the Star Wars universe, there’s no better primer gift than the book 
While other highly-stylized vinyl collectible brands have never really captured my imagination, there’s something in the cartoony styling of Vinyl Sugar’s 
Amy Schumer and Bill Hader, together? Sold. Yeah, don’t need to hear anymore. Just, sold. Okay, fine – 
It may not be wearing your Star Wars fandom on your sleeve, but the 
If you feel that It’s A Wonderful Life is a bit too maudlin for you this year, why not partake of a beautifully remastered, high definition presentation of Frank Capra’s screwball comedy 
While its presentation style has become a cliché in the quarter century since its debut, there’s a reason why Ken Burns’ 
It was inevitable that the undeniably appealing, banana-obsessed sidekicks would eventually be spun off into a feature of their own, so it’s an added bonus that the pre-Gru origin story 
We live in a golden age of universal remotes fashioned to break down all resistance by preying on our geeky hearts, with Harry Potter wands and Star Trek phasers. And because we’ve already had ones for the 10th and 11th regeneration, of course we’d get a 
If you want your sword and sex Game Of Thrones fix with a little more actual history thrown into the mix, dive into 
Harold Lloyd’s last silent film also happens to be one of his best, and now Criterion has given 
There’s a reason why 
Lighting a candle for the holidays? What are we, in the dark ages? No! No, we’re not! We live in a modern age, where even candles must be worked over and made electronic with the miracle of LED. The 
Sublime doesn’t begin to capture the exquisite dynamic between Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie found in the 
There’s plenty of eye candy to be found in 
And because postcards seem to be the new way to do pocket-sized art books, the 
Deep dive into the lore of show with 
One would think that Asylum and Coven would have been about as bizarre as the series could go, but 
I’ve tried quite a few options to easily listen to music in the shower, but the best so far has been the 
I’ve loved every book that’s been released as part of the Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase, which publishes illustrated stories crafted by the studio’s artists, and you can add Noah Klocek & Bonny Becker’s 
Thinkgeek has a laser focus on the kind of geeky tech that nerds simply must have for know other reason than its inherent geekiness, and now they’ve used that laser focus to craft a 
The dynamic duo of director Paul Feig and star Melissa McCarthy continues to spin gold with the genre-bending 
J.B. Kaufman’s epic 
Now that we have cleared the Elmo storm that threatened to capsize the venerable institution known as Sesame Street, we’re able to refocus on the show’s true heart and icon, Big Bird, and the incredibly gifted performer who gave soul to both the bird and his emotional counterpoint, Oscar The Grouch, Caroll Spinney. The vehicle for this celebration is the brilliant documentary 
To say that 
While the recent must-have sets culled episodes from the show’s later seasons, we thankfully cleared whatever red tape hampered the release of 
And speaking of Sideshow Collectibles, photographer Daniel Picard has taken several of the figures they’ve released over the years and used them to create some absolutely magical photographs by dropping them into exquisitely crafted tableaus that run the gamut from funny to poignant. Those photographs have been collected together into a hardcover coffee table book, 
When most comic fans think of Donald Duck, they think of the comic book work of Carl Barks. The folks at IDW are looking to expand the appreciation of Donald’s comic adventures with the very first collection of 
The folks controlling the mighty Carson archive have dipped back into the vaults for the next batch of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: Featured Guest Series (Carson Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each), each volume of which devotes an entire disc just to episodes featuring a specific luminary. The second three volumes in the series spotlight 
It’s been a crime of Biffian proportions that we’ve been without a proper book celebrating the making of the Back To The Future Trilogy, but now we’ve been gifted with two must-have volumes. First is the unauthorized, wholly candid We Don’t Need Roads, and the second is the officially sanctioned 
Pixar. Listen. Why do you want to make me cry? You’re absolutely brutal with the feels, and you know exactly what buttons to push. And you push them all with 
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 
And because this is the holiday season, and you know you want to give the gift of Peanuts, Fantagrpahics has made it very easy with a pair of perfect gifts. 
The 4th volume of The Dona Rosa Library, 
While Criterion has been releasing the features that he helmed himself, a similarly wonderful and much-needed restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s earlier work at other studios has been neglected over the years, even though there have been plenty of releases of the material. Finally, though, a definitive edition of both 
The period covered in 
For those that missed the boat on the stellar prop replica put out by Master Replicas ages ago but wanted something more robust than the plastic alternatives currently available, Thinkgeek’s 
While the wait at times seemed painfully long, the wait was well worth the wonder contained in the beautifully restored and presented brilliance found in the third volume of Walt Kelly’s 
Fans of Disney duck comics from masters Carl Barks and Don Rosa are being spoiled with the arrival of two brand new collections – 
The House Of Ideas is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, which means there are plenty of massive coffee table books hitting shelves to help you celebrated (and possibly give you a hernia from listing them). For pure visual impact, there’s 
Not to be left out of the mix, though, are the Distinguished Competition, whose history you can explore with the newly updated edition of 
I love to decorate for the holidays, so when I chanced upon a neighbor’s incredible projected window display at Halloween – featuring what seemed like very real skeletons, zombies, and a grim reaper inside their home, visible through the window – I had to find out exactly how they accomplished the wondrous feat. Well, much to my surprise, the effect was incredibly easy, as it consisted merely of a vinyl static-cling projection screen on the windows, a digital projector, a DVD/Blu-Ray player, and digital animation files crafted by the fine folks at AtmosFX. As soon as I heard that, in addition to Halloween frights, they also have a line of festive winter animations – 
Few shows in recent memory have been as visually and artistically creative as Pen Wards Adventure Time, so it’s only right that fans finally get a peak behind all of their weird and wonderful processes that go into its creation with 
In addition to their new Adventure Time book, Abrams has got a handful of other pop art books you should consider as gifts for yourself (or others), including 
Oh – hey – back to Adventure Time for just a moment, because you can record all of your innermost thoughts and experiences in either the large 
Coming years after the initial volume focusing on the costuming of the prequel trilogy, old school fans (and obsessive cosplayers) finally have 
If you find all of the running around from home to home and store to store this holiday season has got your energy on the wane – and if, like me, you’re not too keen on the taste of coffee but do like chocolate – then you should pick yourself up a clutch of 
The Walt Disney company has a brilliant musical legacy going back 85 years to its very first sound cartoon, and the company is diving headfirst into its impressive archives and surfacing with the absolutely incredible “Legacy Collection” of releases. Over the course of the next year on an almost monthly schedule, they’re releasing completely remastered and expanded editions of soundtracks from their most beloved films, as well as what one can only hope is a multi-disc set spotlighting the music of Disneyland. In addition to the soundtracks themselves, each set also includes rare demos, deleted songs, and newly-recorded “Lost Chords”, which takes those deleted songs from the films and realizes them with brand new recordings that attempt to match how they might have sounded if they were finished for the original films. The first clutch of releases to come down the pike – all of which are a must-have – are 2-disc sets for 
Oh, and howzabout a little soundtrack round-up of film scores you should snag as gifts for yourself? There’s Howard Shore’s score for the final tale from Middle-Earth, 
You don’t know the name Herman Schultheis, but every one who has any interest in the art of animation or filmmaking should devour the recently-rediscovered magic in 
Taschen is well known and beloved for their lavish art books, so it was with great delight to learn that they had turned their eye towards all things Polynesian in popular culture with 
Very few comic artists have been as influential on their peers as Alex Toth, and it’s his incredible design and draftsmanship skills in animation that are explored in 
While WETA may chiefly be known for its work on the Lord Of The Rings franchise, the little FX studio borne out of the early films of Peter Jackson way, way down in New Zealand has grown to be a powerhouse in the special effects field and has taken its rightful place amongst longstanding giants like Industrial Light & Magic. The history of the little effects company that could is celebrated in the two volume 
Based on the decided dearth of products available, you’d think that Disney was afraid to capitalize on their animated success, Gravity Falls. In fact, amongst the very few products available this holiday season are a quartet of books, two of which are advanced reader chapter books – 
And because you can never – NEVER – have too many sonic screwdrivers, the folks behind the Doctor Who toys have decided to expand their line with a brand new pair. Added to the already existing wonder wands are the 
The cinematic return to J.K. Rowling’s wizarding universe is still a few years off, but you can revisit all of the craftsmanship that went into developing the original films for the big screen with 
As a child of the 80s, and a comic book fan, I was well and truly steeped in the Venn alignment of Larry Hama’s now-legendary run on Marvel’s GI Joe comic. That’s probably why I find IDW’s first class treatment of that run via their still-ongoing 
Decorate your desk with the Doctor’s own robo-companion with the 
To many, after a string of hits, Marvel’s 
I don’t really like the idea and inherent frustration behind blindboxing, but it’s hard to resist the appeal of the 
As the year ends, so does the unexpected but welcome high definition release of 
While it has been available on Blu-Ray for a few years now, you and I both know that the definitive edition of any title comes when it makes its gets the full Criterion treatment, which has finally happened to Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece 
With the arrival of the 22nd volume of Fantagraphics’ landmark release of 
And since you are such a Peanuts fan, you’ll also want to get the second volume of the must-have companion series, 
LEGO has been releasing their high-end “Architecture” kits of famous buildings for quite awhile, but now you can visually peruse the entire line via the coffee table-ready 
While we all eagerly await his definitive biography of the mighty Jack Kirby, author and genuinely good guy Mark Evanier has curated an overview of the work Kirby crafted alongside Joe Simon during comics’ golden age in 
If you were just as pleasantly delighted by Disney and Marvel’s animated Big Hero 6, then you’ll want to explore all of the visual design work that went into crafting the flick via the oodles of design artwork contained in 
Laika continues to impress with their quirky and memorable stop-motion masterpieces, the latest of which is the focus of 
And the “art of” train just keeps rocking along, as Dreamworks drops a look behind their development curtain with 
It may come as a surprise to some just how involved in the Disney company was in the war effort during World War II, but that distant history is explored in fascinating detail via 
Though it may not grant you the power of flight, the 
While All In The Family is perpetually hailed as the classic, the Norman Lear show I fell in love with as a kid was 
Peter Capaldi’s take on the timeless Time Lord was certainly a much darker, more intense affair as we got to know him – a journey you can revisit with 
But if you’re wanting to re-live the entire run of the 11th Doctor, then you can do so with the multi-season and comprehensive 
Odd that one of the best collections of previously unpublished production artwork from the studio’s classic period is available in postcard form, but 
Even just a few months ago, if you had told me that one day I would be able to buy an official, high definition edition of Otto Preminger’s infamous debacle 
And while we’re talking about Olive Films, they’ve very quietly been building up an incredible slate of deep catalogue releases making their high definition debuts, including Charlton Heston in 
Oh, and Olive Films have also made fans of two dearly departed shows very happy by finishing off a pair of DVD releases left in the lurch by Fox with 
Every holiday season, I like to catch up on all of the must-see comedy and DVD releases coming out of the UK, and this year is no different – starting with brand new stand-up with 
If you’ve ever wanted to sleep with The Venture Bros., then Adult Swim has the perfect holiday gift for you – a set of queen size 
All kudos, salutations, exaltations, hurrahs and huzzahs to Darrell Van Critters for assembling a long overdue and absolutely brilliant tribute and celebration of 
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 
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 
There are a handful of beloved shows that many have claimed we’d never see on home video in their original form, due to their extensive use of popular music over the course of their runs. Well, you should never says never and nothing is impossible, and to prove that, the folks at TimeLife managed to clear an immense amount of obstacles to being out a truly special edition of 
Trust me, you’ll never know just how much you want a fully-remastered high definition collector’s edition of 
There have been best-of clip package DVDs released in the past – all of which are well worth adding to your collection – but what makes 
Considering the legal tangle that has stymied its home video release for decades, miraculous is a perfectly suitable word to describe the arrival of the 1966 
If you’ve been holding off on a grand refresher binge of The Sopranos, your perfect moment – and rationale – has arrived in the form of the honkingly massive 28-disc 
After Paramount cruelly teased fans a few years back with both a best-of collection and a first season set, it took the miracle workers to deliver unto us the beautifully mastered complete four season set of the legendary 
I have been waiting ages – AGES – for Steven Spielberg’s epic misfire 1941 to make its way to a proper high definition release. Heck, considering the old DVD wasn’t even anamorphic, even that would have been a better treatment of a film that, for all its messiness, I truly enjoy. Just when I was about to give up hope, along comes the new 
It’s been a long time coming, but fans can finally buy a high definition release of 
It’s no longer got the pleasant clunk that used to accompany the depression of its massive buttons – in fact, there are no moving parts anymore, just light-sensitive pads and a much thinner profile – but the fun and memory challenge of 
Mourn not the end of Futurama but instead celebrate it with the gift of your very own vinyl 
Navigate your own personal world of Minecraft with your very own pixilated 
If you want further proof that we live in a golden age of breathing new life into obscurities, I offer up the little known trivia nugget that the original Star Trek cast had their own newspaper comic strip. Did you know that? I didn’t know that. Launched to coincide with the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture and intended to chronicle the crew’s second 5 year mission, you can now experience the complete run in a beautifully hardbound pair of volumes – 
While the original Popeye newspaper strips from creator E.C. Segar have been made available in collected form in recent years, it’s only now that the equally fun comic book adventures of the spinach-loving sailor – crafted by Segar’s successor, Bud Sagendorf – have been brought together in fine form by editor/designer Craig Yoe. So, yes, do get both 
It certainly seems to take quite a long time between Disney’s high definition releases from their animation catalogue, but when you look at the stunning, absolutely pristine restoration done for the release of 
It hasn’t always been a fun ride being a Harry Nilsson fan. For many years, much of his catalogue remained unavailable on CD, save staple albums like Nilsson Schmilsson and Son Of Schmilsson. Then, starting in the UK and Japan, more of his remaining albums began to see the light of day, often accompanied by the stray, very tantalizing bonus track of an unreleased tune, alternate take, or demo. I recall many long years of desperately hunting these rarities and scraps amongst other likeminded fans on the interwebs, & the accompanying joy of each new discovery… And then wondering why more people weren’t familiar with this wonderful artist. Better late than never, the fine folks at Sony Legacy, with Andrew Sandoval and Rob Santos, have put together the definitive box set of Harry’s 10-year tenure at RCA – 
Criminally unavailable on DVD in any proper and suitably loving presentation until now, the loveable chaps at Shout Factory have released 
And what better Jack Benny chaser is there than 
The art of animation reduced down to its most primal level is the magic to be found in 
Sadly out of circulation for nearly 15 years, there’s nothing that stirs up good memories of a much-missed television show quite like a beautifully produced book, which certainly applies to 
I’ve long beat the drum for the brilliance of 
Sure, the 3D conversion remains more of a gimmick than an artistic contribution to the film, but the effect works nicely in the high definition debut of 
What time is it? ADVENTURE TIME! And it most certainly is, considering you can now get both 
Wipe the dour, depressive, bland Zack Snyder Man of Steel from your mind with the vibrantly weird and wonderful superheroics collected in 
It’s somewhat hard to believe that it’s taken this long – 23 years after his untimely passing – that we’ve gotten a proper biography of Jim Henson. Well, not so odd when knows that an attempt was made in the 90s that was scuttled by the Henson family – but now, finally, author Brian Jay Jones has managed to pull together 
Due to its relatively low production budget, 
Close on the heels of the much awaited high-def debut of The Muppet Movie comes the release of my second favorite Muppet film – 
For the past few years, the folks at Abrams Comicarts have been putting out some wonderfully unique volumes, and have now turned their fine eye upon everyone’s favorite Belgian reporter for 
The new iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are all well and good – all well and very good, actually – but there’s something to be said for going back to the original comic book roots, the first 14 of which are collected in 
And while you’re exploring the classic Turtle lore, delve even further into the behind-the-scenes development and indie history of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s wildly successful creations with 
I’d say this is for the kids on your holiday list, but I think we all know that adults are just as much fans of the new animated version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the kiddies, and both will get a kick out of the new 
And on the figure side, snag the two 2-pack 
Now that we have the complete runs of Bloom County, Outland, Opus, and all of his wonderful children’s books, it’s rather fitting that the man behind the mirth get a comprehensive spotlight that combines the whole lot in 
Anyone who wants to know the (mostly true) history of Marvel Comics should give a read to Sean Howe’s 
A perfect companion piece to the Marvel book is PBS’s recent full-blown documentary 
It’s always a worry when Pixar revisits their past films for a sequel. Will this be the time it all falls apart and the bloom is finally off the rose? Happily, that’s not the case with 
It’s been a long, beautiful ride, but with 
And if you’re picking up the latest volume of Complete Peanuts, you should also be sure to welcome 
Join the Disney Ducks for a holiday classic crafted by the legendary Carl Barks with the latest volume of Fantagraphics dandy hardcover library collection of the Duck Man’s works, 
Having already collected his complete newspaper strip run in black and white form, we get the second and final volume of Floyd Gottfredson’s color Sundays with 
Just when you thought every last scrap of ephemera related to The Beatles had been seen in public in heavily documented form, along comes a monstrous volume like 
I had the chance to see the sumptuous 3D remastering of The Wizard Of Oz during its recent limited IMAX run, and was struck by just what a fun, feisty flick it remains. Perfect, then, that its 75th anniversary celebration also brings 
If you’ve ever wanted to take a journey into the fevered enthusiasms of a filmmaker, gird yourself for the boisterously bizarre bits to be found in 
If a high society holiday is more your cup of tea, catch up on the Crawley family and their servants with the limited edition 
Not only is 
It doesn’t really have much heart beyond a by-the-numbers tale of a seemingly impossible dream that winds up coming true (you know how it goes), but 
Allaying any fears that his genius may have dimmed in his advancing years, Bill Cosby sets the record straight with a sharp, snappy, and brilliant new comedy album – 
And speaking of stand-up, let’s not forget all of the wonderful stand-up DVDs coming out across the pond – 
Ah, but don’t stop there! Also available for gift-giving is the first season of Ricky Gervais’s lovably sincere 
The joy of diving through each and every one of the massive clutch of shows contained in the 25-disc 
As you would hope from a film with an extensive design process, Peter Jackson’s latest trip to Middle Earth gets the lavishly illustrated 
It is by no means a perfect device, but the fact that we live in a tech age where I can hold an android-based gaming device in my hands that allows me to play emulators and modern games to my heart’s content with a built-in deluxe controller and snappy Nvidia-based graphics is reason enough to dig the 
In the not-too-distant past – about a quarter-century ago – a little cow town puppet show made its debut on a cow town local TV station in a cow town named Minneapolis. Celebrate that cow town puppet show with the 
And while you’re celebrating the anniversary of MST3K, partake of the brand new shorts collection from alumni Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy with 
Did the Avengers movie leave you wanting to see the Hulk and Iron Man have an adventure together, you’ll get that in animated form with the feature 
While its sixth season tended to be an uneven season, even an uneven season of 
I unashamedly love 
In the 30 years since its theatrical release, I imagine that maybe a handful of those years have gone by without 
Also making its high definition holiday debut is the festive special from that silly old bear all stuffed with fluff – 
It’s hard to top the 2003 editions of his films, but Criterion has been doing just that with another film from the Charlie Chaplin library, the latest being Chaplin’s own beloved comedy 
Besides the film itself, each new Disney animated feature in recent years has come with a much-anticipated, lavishly illustrated “Art Of” book, which is why this year brings 
