2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

‘Tis the season, and the big day is coming soon! But there’s still time to pick up some delicious crunchy kibbles for that special cinephile in your litter. Check out some of the purr-fect presents in our 2025 Holiday Gift Guide. 

SCARFACE AND FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S: TWO EPIC 4K COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS. SCARFACE: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION - Relive Brian De Palma’s crime epic like never before with this newly remastered 4K edition packed with exclusive bonus features and collectible packaging—perfect for fans and collectors alike. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION - Experience the global horror hit in stunning 4K with brand-new extras, behind-the-scenes content, and limited-edition artwork just in time for the holidays. From Universal

BRING MAXINE AND PEARL HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH THE X TRILOGY COLLECTOR’S EDITION. Nothing signifies one’s love for a particular movie or franchise like a big boxed set with great new artwork and physical supplements you simply can’t get digitally. The three films in this collection feature new audio commentaries, and the discs themselves are stored in a gatefold digipak, and along with it is a 64 page booklet loaded with great artwork inspired by the films. From A24 Films

MORE IN-STORE FROM A24! More gems from the world’s most eclectic independent studio. Surprise your kittens with such great recent titles as Warfare, Eddington and one of this years best horror films, Bring Her Back. And in our opinion, A24’s Blu-ray packaging is super cool. From A24 Films

CLASSIC 4K STOCKING STUFFERS FROM WARNER BROS DISCOVERY. Four classic titles – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Lethal Weapon, Seven and the James Bond: Sean Connery 6-Film Collection - are being released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and Digital. From Warner Bros.

GREAT NEW HORROR MOVIES FROM NEON. Steven Soderbergh’s Presence is a deliberately paced ghostfest with a haunting denouement. Together is a wild piece of body horror with great performanceS and a high “yuck” factor. Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) takes an unexpected turn into blood-drenched black comedy with The Monkey, based on the Stephen King story. From NEON

GET FESTIVE WITH FREDDY IN 4K. A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection includes every film in the classic franchise, each newly remastered. It’s available as a standard set and, for those special kittens on your list, a more elaborate Amazon Exclusive SteelBook edition. From Warner Bros.

2 SPIELBERG CLASSICS IN 4K! Both Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can were remastered this year in 4K and the sparkling new transfers were reviewed and approved by Spielberg.  The films also will be presented with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 for optimal image quality.  The 4K Ultra HD and Limited-Edition SteelBook presentations will include the feature film on 4K Ultra HD, a Blu-ray with legacy bonus features, and access to a Digital copy of the film. Originally released in 2002, Minority Report was a global hit hailed as one of the best sci-fi films of the 21st century. Catch Me If You Can also premiered theatrically in 2002 and was a massive hit with both audiences and critics. From Paramount

CHRISTMAS CAN BE A DISASTER! Airport: The Complete 4-Film Collection features four newly remastered legendary films from an era when disaster movies ruled the box office, Airport, Airport 1975, Airport ‘77 and last & certainly least, The Concorde: Airport ‘79. It’s available in both Blu-ray and 4K editions. There’s more mountain moving mayhem with the long-awaited 4K release of Dante’s Peak, newly remastered and featuring a bevy of bonus features. From Kino Lorber

THE GRINCH TURNS 25. Just in time for the holidays, here’s a new 25th Anniversary 4K edition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, directed by Ron Howard. This version includes an all new retrospective documentary, which is pretty good and features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. From Universal

SUPER STOCKING STUFFERS! Treat that special kitty in your life (or yourself) to some of these new Blu-ray & 4K titles, all of which were reviewed this year by Free Kittens and earned our Paw of Approval!

A Newbie's Take on HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (4K)

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS 25th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD)

2000 / 105 min

Universal

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Biscuit Maker😽

For me, the 1966 Chuck Jones-directed How the Grinch Stole Christmas has always been the greatest holiday TV special ever made. Charming, whimsical and, most importantly, succinct, it remains a Christmas staple in my house, even though my kids have long-since grown up. So naturally, the curmudgeonly boomer in me clutched his pearls at the thought of a live action feature-length remake. No way would this cynical cash grab ever play in my house!

Further fueling my ire…the 2000 remake features what might be the worst Christmas song not sung my Mariah Carey. I should know, because mere days after we’ve put away our Halloween decorations for the year, my daughters always manage to find a radio station playing holiday music. Year-in and year-out, “Where Are You Christmas?” is played incessantly. Where are you, Christmas? What the hell kind of question is that? Maybe the lyrics means something within the context of the film, but I wasn’t willing to endure it to find out. And even though Carey didn’t sing the song, I later learned she had a hand in writing it. I shoulda known.

But a funny thing happened over the last quarter-century. Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas became a holiday classic in its own right, and it’s this version of the story that’s earned an annual holiday viewing spot in many households, having been endlessly released & re-released in every home video format, including two previous 4K editions. I dunno…maybe it was time to set aside my presumptions and see what I’ve been missing (or more accurately, avoiding). So for what it’s worth, these are a few of my takeaways from watching it for the first time…

First and foremost, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a great looking film, bursting with color, vivid imagery and creative production design, especially its depiction of Whoville. Having never seen any previous home video format, I can’t say whether or not this new 4K edition is a significant improvement, but I was pretty impressed with the overall quality of the picture, which enhances the visuals. It also features a pretty solid Dolby Atmos audio track that nicely underscores its aesthetic. 

And if you have to make a live action version of the Grinch, I concede that they couldn’t have picked a more suitable actor than Jim Carrey. While I’m not necessarily a big Carrey fan, he’s demonstrated brilliance in certain roles, especially those that require him to be more than a living cartoon. As the title character, he’s no Boris Karloff (who voiced the Grinch in the original), but is pretty entertaining here, and even buried under all that make-up, he manages to deliver a stand-out performance, though he sometimes makes the Grinch more scary than funny.

"Pull my finger, kid."

In some ways, however, Carrey is the whole show. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is far less interesting whenever he’s not on-screen (as is usually the case with his films). This is where the movie inevitably feels padded out with superfluous new plot elements. The citizens of Whoville were the least interesting aspect of the cartoon, and despite a solid cast, expanding their roles merely exacerbates this. And while I still don’t think the Grinch himself needed a backstory, at least those sequences are somewhat engaging for those who go in for that sort of thing.

Ultimately, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was better than I initially expected, though I don’t think I’d ever be compelled to give it another spin during the holidays. Still, I can see why many people do (likely those who didn’t grow up on the Chuck Jones masterpiece). It’s obvious a lot of love was put into the film - especially on the technical side - and you sure can’t accuse Jim Carrey of phoning it in. At the very least, its heart is in the right place, making it a bit more than a cynical cash grab. That song still sucks, though.

Just in time for the holidays, here’s a new 25th Anniversary edition. For those who already own previous 4K versions, the only upgrade is an all new retrospective documentary, which is pretty good and features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. Speaking of Taylor, here’s a bit of interesting trivia: Once a child actor who played Cindy Lou Who, she has since become the lead singer of a hard rock band called The Pretty Reckless. Maybe they could’ve made “Where Are You Christmas” listenable.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

25 YEARS LATER: THE GIFT OF THE GRINCH is a brand new retrospective documentary that looks back at the film. Features interviews with director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen. Fans who’ve made this part of their holiday viewing tradition should enjoy it.

FEATURETTES - Several short featurettes (carried over from previous editions) focus on various aspects of the film, including make-up design, set design, visual effects and the design & creation of the people of Whoville.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Ron Howard.

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MUSIC VIDEO -  “Where Are You Christmas?,” by Faith Hill. Ugh.

BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER!: 100% Hallmark Free

BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER! (Blu-ray)

2024 / 98 min

MVD Rewind Collection

Review by Princess Pepper😽

I just dodged a bullet. 

When this arrived at my doorstep, for a split second, I thought I was gonna be expected to review a collection of Hallmark Christmas movies. Vomiting in my mouth a bit, I briefly wondered who I could have wronged in a past life to deserve such a fate. Then I actually read the synopsis…

Thank God…Best Christmas Movies Ever is just a single-disc compilation of scenes from classic (and not-so-classic) holiday themed movies, assembled by Mark A. Altman, the guy responsible for a similarly-structured retrospective, 1982: The Best Geek Year Ever. 

There are clips from dozens of Christmas themed films along with comments and appreciation from various critics, B-list celebrities, producers and directors. If it’s a movie near and dear to your heart - drama, comedy, fantasy, action, horror - chances are it’s featured here, however briefly. Even movies with tenuous holiday ties are featured (such as Eyes Wide Shut and Star Trek Generations), with certain interviewees grasping straws defending them as Christmas movies. 

Speaking of which, of course there’s the ol’ Die Hard debate, an argument that was beaten to death 10,000 memes ago. Can we all just move on now?

Patrick Warburton...bursting with holiday spirit.

Most of the discussions consist of summaries and fan service, but there are a few interesting nuggets of trivia here and there, as well as some well-deserved snark thrown at the likes of The Polar Express and Santa Claus: The Movie. But my favorite segment is when WWE wrestler Matt Hardy feels compelled to mansplain the concept of Santa bringing toys to kids. His earnestness is hilarious.

We may not walk away from Best Christmas Movies Ever feeling particularly enlightened, but it’s fairly enjoyable. And who knows…watching it might even turn you on to a holiday favorite you haven’t seen yet. Best of all, there isn’t a single Hallmark moment to be found. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER: LIVE AT GALAXYCON - With writer-director Mark A. Altman.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer-director Mark A. Altman & producer Scott Mantz. 

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RED ONE: The Very Definition of High Concept

RED ONE (Blu-ray)

2024 / 123 min

From Warner Bros #InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

The very definition of high concept, Red One has a big cast, big action and big special effects. Like the time I once attended a friend’s extravagant wedding and reception with hundreds of other guests, the main thing that kept crossing my mind while watching the film was, This must have been expensive.

I don’t typically concern myself with how much a movie costs, but sometimes its impact on the creative process is obvious. Red One is chock full of visual and narrative elements lifted from from other high concept action and holiday-themed movies, cynically assembled to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Hence, the film plays things so safe that you’ll be able to forecast the outcome of nearly every scene.

That’s not to say Red One isn’t enjoyable. While unlikely to become a perennial holiday classic, it’s kind of fun at times, largely due to admittedly impressive production design and agreeable performances by its two stars, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, neither of whom are required to stretch themselves much. And for some viewers, there might even be something reassuring about its undemanding narrative and utter predictability.

Krampus...feelin' horny.

The entire story is built around a premise that was probably conceived on a cocktail napkin. Santa (J.K. Simmons) has been kidnapped and its up to his head security chief, Callum Drift (Johnson), to find & rescue him. He and the Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority (MORA) force freelance hacker/slacker Jack O’Malley (Evans), who sold the info of Santa’s location in the first place, to assist them. It turns out he was abducted by Gryla (Kiernan Shipka), a Christmas witch with plans to use his powers to punish everyone who’s ever been on the Naughty List (which essentially means the entire population).

Red One liberally incorporates familiar tropes found in both modern action flicks and family-oriented holiday movies, while occasionally dipping into traditional lore (good ol’ Krampus is an amusing highlight). The action sequences are heavily CGI-driven, as is much of the production design and plethora of non-human secondary characters, but often imaginatively rendered. Storywise, the overall emphasis is largely on comedy and, of course, the same kind of epiphanies characters experience in every Christmas movie since people started making them.

As such, I’ve certainly seen plenty of worse Christmas movies, which might be faint praise for one with a $200 million price tag. Completely bereft of narrative surprises, you'll see every plot turn coming from a mile away. But it's slickly made and kind of enjoyable in the moment, which is probably all some people want for their holiday entertainment.