Underrated/Overrated

UNDERRATED

‘70s horror: Though the Guillermo del Toro-produced remake “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” yielded uneven results, there’s no arguing that the Me Decade showed an expert hand at scaring the daylights out of you. In addition to being the era of obvious classics such as “Alien,” “The Exorcist” and “Carrie,” not to be forgotten are the deeply twisted fringe-dwellers, such as “Suspiria” and the bafflingly strange reincarnation thriller, “Audrey Rose.”

Olivia Tremor Control: In town last week as part of the hipster-magnetized FYF Fest, this group from the ‘90s recording collective called the Elephant 6 is mounting a welcome comeback. With a fall tour and a new album in the works, the band has long been overshadowed by its folkier cousins Neutral Milk Hotel, but for sticky, psychedelic guitar pop reminiscent of the Beatles at their weirdest, give this band a listen.

OVERRATED

‘Man v. Food Nation’: OK, Adam Richman. It was fun for a while seeing you gorge yourself on obscene portions across the U.S. every week, and your cardiologist must be grateful now that you’re facilitating competitive eating for others instead of putting your own belly on the line. But this kind of thing feels a little out of step with the times. Isn’t there a genuinely hungry family somewhere that could share that massive burrito challenge instead?

‘Star Wars’ on Blu-ray: Finally due to be released this week, the only appropriate response to this blockbuster’s move to HD is utter indifference. Come on, fanboys! Resist temptation because George Lucas did it again, he stuck his digital thumb into the movie and put words in Darth Vader’s mouth during a scene that — like all the rest of those he’s reworked — was utterly fine the first time around. This is not the collection you’re looking for. Move along.

— Chris Barton