advertisement

Warring stars and 'Star Wars'

If you haven't seen FX's “Feud: Bette and Joan,” you're missing out on another potential classic season of television from producer Ryan Murphy, who gave us last year's riveting “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson.”

Once again, Murphy has mined gold from a concept that could have been high camp. This time, it's an eight-episode series about the feud between classic film stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, with the filming of their own campy 1962 gem, “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” as the centerpiece.

Susan Sarandon captures Davis' essence - the first episode ends with Bette walking out of her dressing room in her audacious, powder-faced makeup, showing up her refined co-star.

As Crawford, Jessica Lange is mostly playing Jessica Lange, which is to say her non-attempt at imitating Crawford would seem right at home in a season of “American Horror Story.” But hey, it's awfully nice to have Jessica Lange back on our TVs, and she plays well off Sarandon.

The supporting cast is star-studded as well: Stanley Tucci, Alfred Molina, Kathy Bates, Judy Davis and, most surprisingly, Catherine Zeta-Jones all join the classy, catty fun, which begins each week with a gorgeous title sequence that invokes both Steven Spielberg's “Catch Me If You Can” and Saul Bass' work for Alfred Hitchcock.

“Feud” airs at 9 p.m. Sundays on FX. “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” is available in a 50th anniversary Blu-ray/DVD package and for rental on digital platforms.

Go 'Rogue'

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is available Friday, March 24, for purchase on digital HD platforms such as vudu, Amazon Video and iTunes. It's compatible with the Disney Movies Anywhere app and comes packed with a host of behind-the-scenes features. Collectors and those who have yet to become digital converts have to wait until Tuesday, April 4, to buy it on Blu-ray or DVD.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) team up to steal the plans for the Death Star in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

This first in a series of so-called stand-alone “Star Wars” films focuses on the rebels led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) who stole the plans for the Death Star, the planet-sized weapon that Luke Skywalker blew to bits in 1977's “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.” The next “Star Wars Story” will focus on the younger days of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) in an as-yet-untitled film to be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“The Lego Movie”).

But this December, we return to the ongoing saga of Luke (Mark Hamill) and his new acquaintance, Rey (Daisy Ridley), in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which will give us the final screen appearance of the late Carrie Fisher as Gen. Leia Organa. We still haven't seen a trailer for the saga's eighth episode, but that is expected to change the weekend of April 13 when the entire “Star Wars” galaxy - including Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy and “Last Jedi” director Rian Johnson - converges on Orlando for the Star Wars Celebration convention.

Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.