I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theater, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too kinky to talk about. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. Shout Factory has an amazing set of releases that you can’t afford to pass up.

Arcane – League of Legends Season One 4k

There is an explosion and a person falls to the floor.  Perhaps they are still alive, but they get shot again for their efforts by what appears to be a metal monster.  Nearby, two children stare into a burning abyss holding hands.  A strong but beaten man strides over to them to help out. Unfortunately, he can’t help that the mother of these children has been killed in this grand massacre.

He takes the children to safety, away from the eternal blaze.  The metal monsters watch the three, but they do not stop them or try to interfere.  Cue the driving Imagine Dragons song, Enemy.

We come back from the intro and meet four teens planning out a heist.  There is Vi (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), the leader, who is the brains and the fighter of the group.  Then there is Mylo (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal), who has the thieving skills and the agility.  Claggor (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) has the brawn but can also be quick on his feet when the situation calls for it, and then finally there is Powder (voiced by Mia Sinclair Jenness), who is the smallest but has a certain way with machines.

The plan for this little theft is to break into an inventor’s dwelling and see what valuables they can pilfer.  They have no trouble getting inside (well, no major trouble) and the team soon breaks off to investigate the joint.  We join Powder, who finds an uneaten sandwich and decides to munch on half of it.  Seriously, who leaves an uneaten sandwich?  However, she happens upon a chest, and inside that chest is a bunch of peculiar blue spheres.  She starts to take them from the chest, and that’s when one of them rolls out.

The inventor is returning, and the team is trying to keep him from entering as they make their getaway.  However, the sphere that is rolling around is gathering energy and seems to be building up energy.  That’s when it decides to blow, releasing the kinetic energy.  The place continues to be torn apart by explosion as the team now figures out how to make their getaway.  Soon the police are after the foursome.  It takes a messy sewer pipe for the team to get rid of the police.

The four despite the trouble do have a really awesome bag of loot and run into a group of thugs lead by a boy named Deckard (voiced by Josh Keaton).  A fight ensues between the two groups, and in the chaos Powder runs away with the loot.  Eventually Vi, Claggor, and Mylo are able to take out the rival group, but Powder is not in the clear.  She does her best to get away from her pursuer but loses the treasure in the process.    The four rejoin and proclaim, one day they will respect us.  We close the first episode with a look at a sinister man with an equally sinister face.

The rest of the episodes primarily deal with the relationship between Vi and Powder, but also the sinister man named Silco (voiced by Jason Spisak), who plays an important part in the development of Powder especially.  The series’ first season is broken into three distinct acts, of three episodes apiece, and let me tell ya, the third episode will break the viewer in half.  But ultimately, it is necessary in order to move the story along.

The voice acting is top notch, littered with high names in the business playing small and large roles.  The music is out of this world even if you don’t like Imagine Dragons. (But that Enemy song will get you moving for sure).  It is also the kind of series that will induce binge-watching, as I found myself losing all sorts of time and realizing I had to get up in the morning.

However, whether some will see it as bad or good, the series will leave you wanting more beyond its nine episodes.  Thankfully, the second season is currently running on Netflix; it will just be a question of how long before we’ll see it on disc.  At least a year or two, I’m thinking, unfortunately.  Though there is plenty of extra material that can be found in the bonus features, so let’s make a move on to …

Bonus Material

After three 4K discs, one might think that’s enough material, but we also have a Blu-ray disc with nearly four hours of additional behind-the-scenes type material.  It is primarily separated into two sections.

The first section is called Bridging the Rift and is broken into five parts encompassing about two and a half hours.  It starts off with some background information about the League of Legends game itself before spending time with the creators talking about how they wanted to take concepts from the game and bring it to the screen.  We learn about their decisions to focus the story on the background between Vi and Powder.

This is expanded through the chapters and delves into such topics as everything from music to voice casting.  All of the sections are rather entertaining and really provide us with a heap of detailed information, but we aren’t quite done as we dive into the next part, Breakdowns.

There are five different breakdowns for us about various scenes including Happy Progress Day, Ekko versus Jinx, and the crucial Dinner Party Scene.  The creators really go out of their way to give us a ton of information about how each scene was filmed and other details.  The creative choices were interesting to listen to and really keep us absorbed in the series (and what might be to come in Season Two).

The Boy and the Heron 4k

All of the sudden, there is a siren, and people are running around, frightened and scared.  The father, Shoichi (voiced by Takuya Kimura) tells his son, Mahito (voiced by Soma Santoki) that his mother’s hospital is on fire and that he must check on her.  The father tells the son to stay put, but as soon as he leaves, Mahito decides to sneak out himself.  We see Mahito running through the streets with screaming people in a vain attempt to rescue his mother.

We later learn that the mother did indeed perish in the fire, and the following year, Mahito and his father Shoichi have left Tokyo and moved to a small town near Saginuma Station.  There, they meet a woman named Natsuko (voiced by Yoshino Kimura), who Shoichi has taken a shine to, and is being portrayed as Mahito’s new mother.  She is also pregnant and will soon give birth.  Natsuko and Mahito soon make their way to the home where all of them will live.  While Natsuko is showing the grounds, a gray (looks blue to me, but what do I know) heron comes in and prances around.  Natsuko, while familiar with the heron, says that he never comes right into the house.

The two also meet the help which include an elder named Kiriko (voiced by Ko Shibasaki) who are rather fascinated by a suitcase from the industrious Shoichi, who has brought back snacks from Tokyo.  Mahito finally makes it to his new room and passes out.  As he sleeps, the Grey Heron taps on the window until Natsuko comes into the room with tea and something to eat.  Mahito dreams of his mother being in trouble and trying to help her, but unfortunately, much like the actual event, not being able to.

The next morning, Mahito sees the Grey Heron and tries to follow.  Unable to keep up, Mahito watches the creature disappear into a giant tower.  The passageway is unfortunately blocked, and so he ultimately has to go back to his house.  As it turns out, Mahito is about to start at a new school, but he is nonplussed about going.  His father takes him in a car, and apparently his family is the only one in town who truly owns one.  This immediately causes teasing between Mahito and the other children.

It further escalates into a fight, but no one is truly harmed.  However, Mahito on the way home from the scuffle decides to further injure himself on purpose, since he does not want to go back to school.  This wouldn’t be so odd except when he wakes up from the injury, the grey heron (voiced by Masaki Suda) talks to him.

The rest of the movie could either be described as a possible fever dream (I am sure there are those theories out there) or the pursuit for Mahito to find the truth behind this magical tower, a talking heron, and even his mother’s death.  It is such a beautiful picture, the lush landscapes are the best backgrounds I have ever seen in an animated film.  It is a slow-moving film, but one that has a ton of story to tell and precious few moments to get there.

Even the ending feels a little abrupt because there are some questions unanswered.  Questions about the universe they created, questions about the dad, questions of why parakeets are such loathsome creatures.  It’s the kind of movie that should have seven sequels or none at all.  The voice acting is top-notch with the exception of perhaps Mahito, who sounded a little too grown up, especially when it came to Japanese casting.  In the English dub, Luca Padovan does the voice of Mahito, and it’s slightly more than what I expected.

The masterful director Hayao Miyazaki has created another iconic animated film.  In a resume of so many top classics, he finds a way to create one more.  It’s a series of gorgeous paintings put together but with an actual story and keeps your interest until the conclusion.  It is very easy to see why this won an Oscar, especially when it was going against such powerhouse animated films like Elemental and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse (the latter of which was a masterpiece in its own right).

This 4K edition came in two varieties, a steelbook (mostly found at Walmart) and non-steelbook forms.  Either edition has a printed booklet and a poster.  The Blu-ray also has additional features for viewers to watch.

These include a feature length storyboard which is always a welcome way to watch for a second (or third) viewing as it shows the creative process in progress.  There are several interviews, with composer, Joe Hisaishi; producer Toshio Suzuki; and Supervising Animator Takeshi Honda.  All greatly add to the video and gives us a chance to learn more about the process behind this movie.

Next up is easily the best feature found on the disc, and that’s titled Drawing with Takeshi Honda.  Here he draws a few characters from the movie and talks about all of the details that go into creating these characters for the screen.  It’s truly spectacular and very much worth watching.  After that we get a music video and the usual assortment of teasers and trailers to close out the disc.

The holidays are always a little rough for me.  I usually get sick (just about done with a two-weeker as I write this). I have a history of bad events around this time, and I tend to get a little mopey (apologies to the family) about things like my mother and lack of days off.  However, these two amazing sets from Shout Factory are tremendously appreciated and were absolutely wonderful to watch.

It’s rare to see a series like Arcane: League of Legends Season One get the full 4K treatment across three discs and then a Blu-ray chock full of content added for a phenomenal package.  Great story, great characters, and more gripping moments than I have hair follicles to pull out.  It is an amazing show, and it’s no surprise that this stee book sold out quickly around this time of the year and many had to wait for a re-pressing.

The Boy and the Heron will be one of those films that will be discussed for a long time    It is the very definition of a picturesque film where the viewer can get lost in the scenery as much as they will get lost in the story.  English viewers should not be concerned about the subtitles, and even if they are, the English dub voice cast is almost as good as the Japanese one.  Fantastic film (one that will warrant repeat viewings) and even a few interesting bonus features to round out your offering.

Pick up either of these great sets this Christmas, and I’m sure either yourself or a loved one will appreciate you for it.  Enjoy.

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection

Wallace and Gromit is the brainchild of animator Nick Park. The British filmmaker tried for years to bring his clay creations alive, but on his own finished a mere 10 minutes in a little over two years. When he met up with Aardman Animations, he was teamed up with the creative talents he needed to make his dream come alive, and come alive these two characters did indeed. They’ve become an overnight sensation in the UK and now all over the world. I was introduced to the characters with the full length feature Wallace And Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit. Sadly this “complete” collection does not include that longer film. This should more appropriately be called the Nearly Complete Collection Of Shorts.

I have to admit that I was completely won over by the magic of this creation. It’s so simple-looking that it almost appears to be child’s play. The truth could not be further from the perception. Stop-motion animation goes back to the beginning of the cinema itself. Pioneered by the genius Willis O’Brian and perfected by Ray Harryhausen, it is one of the most painstakingly tedious tasks in the film industry today. It has been all but abandoned except for a select few who still follow in the footsteps of greatness. Give Nick Park credit for keeping the art alive and making it look effortless.

Wallace is an inventor. His home is overflowing with various devices that have become a part of his daily routine. He has an automatic system for waking up and dressing him. He has automatic food dispensers. If there’s an overly complicated way to do something, Wallace has figured it out. Wallace is particularly fond of cheese. His dog, Gromit, might not say a word, but he’s the smart one in the family. He bores of Wallace’s devices and ideas and often ends up getting him out of trouble in the end. Their world is completely stop-motion with most of the objects made out of clay just like the old Claymation days of old. Over the last decade or so there haven’t been a lot of adventures for the duo, but they have certainly appeared on many products from toothpaste holders to underwear.

A Grand Day Out: (23:58) 1989

“Everybody knows the moon’s made out of cheese.”

Wallace is trying to figure out where exactly he and Gromit ought to go on holiday. When he discovers they are out of cheese, an idea suddenly comes to him. He decides that they should vacation somewhere known for cheese, like Philadelphia, or even better … the moon. So Wallace sets out to build a rocket ship, with Gromit’s invaluable assistance, of course. Then it’s light the fuse, take off the emergency brake, and, oh, don’t forget the crackers. What’s cheese without crackers? They make it to the  moon where they encounter a caretaker robot. Can anyone say Wall-E? Of course, this was nearly a decade before the Pixar film. The robot finds one of Wallace’s vacation magazines and dreams of going skiing on the Alps. Unfortunately, there’s no room at all for their new mechanical friend, who is left behind to make do with what he has.

The Wrong Trousers: (30:20) 1993

“A bit rough on the re-entry.”

It’s Gromit’s birthday, and that old inventor has created something new for him, mechanical pants he has christened Techno Trousers. Hook up Gromit’s lead. Program the course. Before you know it, Gromit’s taken for a walk while Wallace sits back to relax. Unfortunately, the gadget has set the pair back a bit in money. Wallace decides to rent out a room to help out with the expenses. When a penguin comes to answer the advert, Gromit is a bit suspicious. But before long the penguin has taken Gromit’s room. He’s taken over his duties. And, he just might be thinking about taking off with his Techno Trousers. Feeling dejected, Gromit runs away into the chilly rainy night. The penguin has plans for Wallace and those pants. It appears he wants to use the device to get a little closer to a girl’s best friend. The only thing that might stop him is man’s best friend.

A Close Shave: (31:26) 1995

“There’s something fishy going on.”

Malfunctions are nothing new in the home of Wallace and his dog Gromit. This time the culprit might be a sheep who has escaped rustlers and is hiding out in their home. That might account for the bite marks in everything from the wiring to the box of porridge mix. When the rustlers discover Wallace’s Knit O Matic, they decide to frame Gromit for the rash of sheep disappearances. Can Wallace and the sheep expose the real crooks before Gromit is sent up the river for life? This one’s a literal dog-eat-dog, if you ask me. Or maybe it’s a dog-eat-dog-eat-sheep world after all.

A Matter Of Loaf And Death: (30:13) 2008

“Another baker battered by his own rolling pin.”

Someone is killing the great chefs of Europe, or at least a few bakers in England. That’s bad news for Wallace and Gromit, who are now bread bakers running a dough to door service. When Wallace is romanced by the Bake O Lite Girl, former spokesperson for a large bakery outfit, Gromit is suspicious. Could the two events be connected? Gromit has to work double duty as a baker and detective to keep Wallace from becoming the final piece in a baker’s dozen dead bakers.

I’m a bit amazed at the popularity of something that has so little material out there. Certainly it’s cute and entertaining, but it just leaves you wanting more. I know. That’s what good stuff is supposed to do. But, does it need to keep us waiting quite so long? I was disappointed the feature film wasn’t included.  Sure, it’s cheese, but “It’s like no cheese I’ve ever had before”.