Don’t let the demise of FilmStruck get you down! For serious movie buffs and collectors, discs are where it’s at again — and this year’s DigiGods Holiday Show and Gift Guide features a cornucopia of reviews and giveaways plus exclusive interviews with critic/author Leonard Maltin and television writer/producer LaToya Morgan. For your convenience, we’ve listed our recommendations below… with links. Happy DigiDays!

Hot 4k Blu-rays

If you really want to get your money’s worth out of your splashy new 4k UHD OLED with HDR, Netflix isn’t cutting it. Set that sucker up with a 4k Blu-ray player and load up on some of these hot 4k UHD Blu-ray titles from 2018. There’s superhero fare old and new — highlighted by the 4k debut of the original 1979 Superman as well as all three original Rambo movies, Jack Ryan, Matrix and X-Men boxed sets, Oscar winners like The Shape of Water and Saving Private Ryan, recent hits like The Meg, Spike Lee’s Oscar-contender BlacKkKlansman and a swagalicious Big Lebowski anniversary limited edition.

If, on the other hand, all you want to do is show off your tech and make sure your holiday guests never want to leave — then opt for BBC’s Planet Earth II & Blue Planet II boxed set. It will turn your 4k set into a window on the beauty of the world.

Holiday Hits

The congestion of holiday-themed titles — old and new — can make for a not-so-merry time unless you know precisely what you’re looking for. All the usual classics — A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, Scrooge, It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and many more — are still out there on Blu-ray, and well worth seeking out if you don’t already have them in your collection. But this year does add a few new releases and re-releases worth noting, especially if you’re a holiday horror fan (All the Creatures Were Stirring and Krampus Origins) or a rabid consumer of Lifetime Originals.

Lovers of vintage holiday fare, however, are in for a special treat with the release of the original Pat Boone family holiday specials as well as the first-ever Blu-ray release of all five original Rankin-Bass animated holiday classics (only Rudolph and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town were previously available on Blu-ray).

And what would Christmas be without an anniversary release of the original Bill Murray classic Scrooged?

Terrific Television!

Television boxed sets are always a hot gift item, and this season offers plenty of worthy contenders for a wide variety of fans. From the new and scandalous (Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who Is America?”) to recent new-to-Blu-ray favorites (“Rescue Me”) to cult favorites (“MacGyver” and “Knight Rider”) there’s something for everyone here, guaranteeing a room of smiles on Christmas morning. Fans of Brit-TV can get their fill as well with special “Doctor Who” boxed sets, the hilarious “Detectorists.” the gritty, compelling “Vera” or the period delights of the Masterpiece series “Victoria.”

Gone Too Soon

Anyone still missing Oscar-winner Robin Williams and Fred Rogers will more than get their fill this season. The 22-disc Time Life tribute box “Robin Williams: Comic Genius” features all five of his legendary HBO specials — as a starter. Countless other performances, much of it previously unseen, makes this an archival treasure. There are even eleven episodes of “Mork & Mindy” as well as a beautiful 24-page booklet.

Fred Rogers, of course, never won an Oscar but the documentary about him — Won’t You Be My Neighbor — is an odds-on favorite to do so in a few months. It’s now out on Blu-ray and we dare you to keep a dry eye at the end. Two other Rogers-themed titles — “It’s You I Like” and a collection of his television shows — are also available like comfort food to sate the cravings you’ll feel when the documentary is over.

Classic Cinema

FilmStruck may be on its way out, but the newly-announced Criterion Channel set to debut next Spring will insure that classic film fans are not left in the lurch. In the meantime, Criterion continues to release some of the very best collectible Blu-rays, with other companies like Arrow, Kino, Film Movement, Flicker Alley, Milestone and other former FilmStruck partners continuing to do their part as well. Here are some of the best of the past year and current season.

Anime Ambrosia

The DigiGods are also members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), which this year bestowed its Career Achievement Award on legendary Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki. While there aren’t any dazzling new Miyazaki titles in the offing this season (though a documentary about him will be available in theaters), his influence abounds. Here are some of the best anime releases this season — including a long, long, long overdue Blu-ray steelbook release of Osamu Tezuka’s beloved Metropolis, courtesy of Mill Creek.

Bodacious Books

The explosion of the Internet as the go-to resource for always-up-to-date movie information has significantly dented the once-booming field of cinema literature, but a significant byproduct of that trend is that the better titles are now making it to press. Foremost among these this season is legendary film critic and historian Leonard Maltin’s “Hooked on Hollywood: Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film Fandom.” Leonard is a longtime colleague and friend to the DigiGods, so please give a listen to this week’s podcast and our lengthy interview with him about this exceptional and deeply personal journey through both his own archives and the history of Hollywood generally. Leonard’s sparkling personality and unmatched intellect make for irresistible reading.

Another bright spot for the season is Robert Matzen’s beautifully-researched and -written “Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II”, written with Hepburn’s son, Luca Dotti, to chronicle the five alternately heart-rending and remarkable years she spent under Nazi occupation in the Netherlands — an experience that helped define who she would eventually become. Anyone wishing to discover what made Hepburn one of the most beloved figures of the 20th Century need look no further.

The name Joe de Yong may not be a household name these days, but the late artist (1894-1975) was among a select group whose creations helped forge our impressions of the old west. Author William Reynolds has now given de Yong his due place with “Joe de Yong, A Life in the West.” It’s both biography and fine art coffee table book — a fitting tribute to a man whose contributions to movies were also considerable. If you’ve seen Shane or Red River, you’ve seen de Yong’s vision of the west.

Last, but by no means least, what would any list of movie books be without a few coveted titles from top-tier publisher Taschen? Having long ago carved out the upper end of the high art movie book business, Taschen’s releases continue to raise the bar, offering archival treasures to movie buffs that cannot be had elsewhere. Every book is, itself, a work of art and an heirloom collectible.

If you were one of the early purchasers of their “Archives” books — “The Stanley Kubrick Archives” and “The Ingmar Bergman Archives” — then you’ll know what to expect from the next four offerings in the series. “The Pedro Almodovar Archives” celebrates a still-living filmmaker, which suggests that a second volume may yet be in the offing. Nonetheless, it’s a celebration of Almodovar’s aesthetic that’s as bold, bright, brash and colorful as the man and his movies. Similarly, “The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1969” is a Taschen coup that cannot be understated. Disney typically reserves most of its best material for its own publishing house — so the partnership with Taschen for what promises to be an extensive, multi-volume exploration of the Disney legacy speaks to how highly regarded Taschen is in the so-called Mouse House. That confidence is well-founded — the Disney Archives volume may well be the crowning achievement of this series, filled with paintings, sketches, storyboards, discarded concepts and so much more than offer a rare glimpse inside the mind and process of one of history’s greatest creative talents. Further details about Mickey Mouse specifically can be found in Taschen’s brand-new offering, “Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse,” as close as there will ever be to an official prose and visual biography of the most famous (and profitable) animated character in history. Certain to be one of the biggest sellers this season, “Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse” features a wealth of material that has quite literally never been seen before — certain to enthrall and amaze even the most committed Disneyphiles.

“The James Bond Archives” also seems destined for another volume after the Daniel Craig era has concluded and several more actors have assumed the Bond mantle. Until that time, however, this will stand as the definitive compilation of all things 007. Anyone who thought they knew everything about Ian Fleming’s famous spy on film has another think coming. From Dr. No (1962) to Spectre (2015), a solid half century of Bond is recounted here with excruciating detail on every single film, and meticulously researched accounts from numerous participants and contributors. This is a volume so in-depth, so comprehensive… even Q is bound to be surprised.

Die-hard cinephiles, however, will be more sentimentally attached to “The Charlie Chaplin Archives,” an archival wonder work assembled with great care from the official Chaplin archives which offers perhaps the most insightful and incisive biography of Chaplin and his work ever assembled. Through letters, photographs and notes, Chaplin’s own voice — his determination and insecurities — emerges like a force of nature. An essential book for any fan of the great silent star and filmmaker.

On a more somber note, the passing of Marvel legend Stan Lee has drawn attention once again to “The Stan Lee Story,” a limited edition volume (in an acrylic case!) that Taschen announced a year ago and which has now completely sold out. One-thousand copies, all signed by Lee, are now floating around and likely to only appreciate. Whether or not Taschen elects to do another run, or perhaps a more affordable consumer run as they did with “Stanley Kubrick’s Napoleon” remains to be seen — either way, keep a watch on both Amazon and the Taschen site for news.

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DigiGods 2018 Holiday Gift Guide