Saintly screen-time
Robyn Fadden, Meghan Hicks, Melora Koepke and Jason Rockman
Get cozy with your couch, flat screen and more DVDs than you can shake a Santa hat at
People still like getting movies for Christmas, especially beautiful box sets and Blu-rays of their favourite films and fancy reissues. And face it: You can't put a torrent under the tree, so here are some handsome DVD sets for the loved ones on your list. Night of the Creeps (Sony Pictures)
Though it didn't exactly set box office records back in 1986, Night of the Creeps has gained cult status among zombie fans and lovers of '80s camp - now it's finally on DVD (minus the original poster art). Tom Atkins (Escape From New York) steals the film as hardnosed Detective Cameron, delivering Evil Dead-style dialogue while battling alien slugs that slither their way onto sorority row and into college kids' brains. Comes with featurettes, a commentary, trivia track and the director's cut ending. (MHS)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (VH1 Classics)
One of the best rockumentaries ever is an equally funny and moving film following two aging Torontonian metalheads who have desperately tried to hang on to their early-'80s minimal opening-act success. An extended interview with Lars Ulrich, deleted scenes and commentary expand the heartbreaking experience that shares a striking resemblance to Spinal Tap - except these lovable guys are the real deal. (MHS)
Farscape, the Complete Series Megaset (A&E Home Entertainment)
My fandom of sci-fi-TV-fundamentals-meets-muppets-in-space-meets-psycho-thriller
Farscape may have garnered me more mockery than any of my other nerdy predilections, but no one who has spent time in the Farscape universe would scorn - this is some damn fine, suspenseful, funny, emotional TV. All four seasons (88 episodes!) plus 15 hours of commentary, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, are sure to renew the longstanding call for a series reboot. (RF)Let the Right One In (Mongrel Media)
This exceptional vampire film, free of teenage hormones and oversexed characters, is a raw depiction of preteen romance and pent-up frustration. When Eli moves in next door, subdued Oskar finds himself fixated by his strange new neighbour, whose arrival is accompanied by a series of brutal murders in a snowy Swedish town. The DVD is devoid of many exciting add-ons, but the film has a rightful slot somewhere between Dracula and Near Dark. (MHS)
Futurama: The Complete Collection (Fox Video)
For those who don't already have the complete series, now's the chance to own all 72 episodes, with each of the four feature films enclosed in a plastic Bender head display case! Sure, the gimmicky packaging may not match your TV-room decor, but it's still pretty cool in a tacky sort of way. The combined extras on all 19 discs alone are enough to keep you locked in for part of the winter. (MHS)
Say Anything: 20th Anniversary Edition (20th Century Fox)
Cameron Crowe wrapped up the end of the '80s with his first feature, an iconic film starring a lovable young John Cusack as Lloyd, who falls for a girl way out of his league. Besides a couple of extra featurettes, there's not much that separates the "anniversary" edition from 2002's "special" edition, but after reminiscing about classic teen film since the passing of John Hughes, it seems an appropriate recommendation. (MHS)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: 20th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition (Warner Home Video)
One of the funniest franchises in history, the Vacation movies are a reminder to us all why we loved Chevy Chase in the first place, as well as the dearly departed John Hughes, who wrote this screenplay. The Griswold Family Xmas in DVD form comes with a Santa hat, instant snow powder, holiday drink coasters, a button, a miniature Griswold moose mug (exclusive to the Blu-ray release) and a holiday gift tin - a great gift for that beer-drinking, freeloading uncle you always loved the best! (JR)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - the Complete Season One (Warner Home Video)
Given the current state of the Star Wars universe (the last three movies sucked balls), this little gem has been a blessing in disguise. Filling in the much needed gaps of the film folklore, this series takes a more in-depth look at the clone wars and develops some interesting twists and turns to the backstories of the beloved characters. And Yoda just kicks so many asses, it's not even funny. (JR)
Rome: The Complete Series on Blu-ray (HBO)
Some shows are just meant for the big screen. Rome is one of them. The fact that HBO was even able to pull this off the way they did was a feat in itself. Lasting only two seasons, Rome was a television tour-de-force, and paved the way for shows like The Tudors (who learned from Rome's pitfalls and scaled back their per-episode filming budgets). Uncompromising in every way, this box set is a rare beauty and deserves to be seen in its full 1080p hi-def splendour. (JR)
Green Lantern: First Flight (Warner Home Video)
In a year when Blackest Night was the biggest thing to hit comics since Marvel's Secret Wars, Green Lantern: First Flight is the perfect launching point for anyone interested in Hal Jordan's origin story. The animation is fantastic and Michael Madsen as the voice of Lantern's drill sergeant Kilowog will put a smile on the face of any geek whose stocking you're stuffing. (JR)
Pierre Perrault: The Abitibi Cycle, La Trilogie de l'Ile-aux-Coudres, The Quest for a Collective Identity, and Man and Nature (NFB)
Everybody has someone on their Xmas lists who doesn't want a 30 Rock box set - the NFB box sets from their Collection Memoire are often just the thing. Pierre Perrault was a prolific Canadian documentary filmmaker who specialized in direct cinema about small towns in the Bas St-Laurent area, hunting trips and human nature. These four handsome box sets do right by his work. (MK)
Star Trek (Paramount)
The best re-franchise of recent memory will surely be followed up by box sets and collectors' editions, but looks pretty great as a standalone Blu-ray too, if you just can't wait to go where no one has gone before. Jam-packed with extras, wrap it up as a J.J. Abrams twofer with the latest Lost season, which comes out just before the holidays. That's what I'd want. (MK)
North by Northwest (Warner)
Arguably Hitchcock's most entertaining movie, his 1959 rom-com/thriller deserves to have a music festival named after it, and more. Everybody loves Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, and this gorgeous 50th anniversary special has a one-hour feature doc on Hitchcock, and a half-hour featurette on NxNW in particular. Seriously classic. (MK)
The Hangover (Warner)
You know that a comedy this dirty is going to have awesome unrated DVD extras. Suffice it to say that the credits sequence alone is worth it. The Hangover was the sleeper hit of the year, cracking box-office records and stetting a new high (low) for what's acceptable in the multiplex. And good on 'em for it! (MK)
The French Chef With Julia Child (WBGH Boston, www.shop.wgbh.org)
I've always wanted to see all the shows Julia did on public television, and now, since the Hollywood movie, apparently everyone else does too, because finally they're available to more than just those who watch PBS telethons. One of these 18 episodes will teach you more than a whole insipid 24-hour cycle on the Food Network, and there are printable master recipes besides! I could do with more extras, but then, I can never get enough Julia. (MK)
Seriously, this list is so hit and miss that I can't begin to tell where to start with the bitching. Yeah, I'll give you that most of the choices are valid enough but who the hell thought to include Night of the Creeps? Seriously, even as genre cult faves this one is iffy. Hell, the entire DVD racket is iffy so why not throw in the towel and say that everything is special. There's a new edition of the Wizard of Oz out but who here doesn't believe that in 5 years or so an even better one will be put out? There's always a new special deluxe version of the DVD that you already own coming out making yours irrelevant so it's best to just accept that you can't win. Buy what you like but always remember buyer beware.
|
|
Pedro Eggers
|
|
|
|
Actually surprised at how diverse.. and cool a selection was given.
Night of the Creeps: haven't seen it yet, but it's supposed to be fun in an Evil Dead kind of way. If they're into zombies & bad horror - it's probably a must-buy.
ANVIL: just a great docu about 2 friends who became stars, flamed out, but still stayed friends and continued to rock. A film about friendship more than anything else. Recommended.
Farscape: Complete Series - usually described as "Star Trek with Muppets", but was much more complex, better written & acted - and quite possibly one of the best genre shows that's ever been on. Heavily recommended.
Green Lantern Animated: if they're into comics - is great, if not - don't bother. Would rather recommend The Complete JUSTICE LEAGUE animated series - which is incredible.
Rome: cancelled way too soon by HBO. As close as HBO will ever come to having put out a masterpiece.
Star Trek(2009): excellent reboot of a series that got very tired these last few years.
And if I can recommend something: The Ultimate Watchmen Cut on DVD/Blue-Ray - the Citizen Kane of superhero films, now an hour longer than the theatrical cut - and including the animated pirate stuff cut in. About 3 hrs of extras, commentaries, digital disc + the embarrassing Watchmen Motion Comic- which I just use as a coaster.
|
|
Rob Postuma
|
|
|
|
If what you're after is modern material that seems rather safely strained through a conformist consensual sieve of pop-culture savoir faire, then play it safe. Otherwise, there are some tasty treats out there, although admittedly the pickings are slimmer this year, owing to recessionary reactions from studios.
The fact is there's never been a better time to be into older films than today, what with the technology re-presenting classic films in bold new colors.
North By Northwest, mentioned above, is the Hitchcock notable on blu-ray, a must-have for freaks like me. But go ahead and note that Casablance on blu is now in an affordable package. There have also been some cool box set releases, such as The Sam Fuller Collection, and Columbia Pictures Noir Vol 1, sets of classic stuff with punch.
For Cinema buffs, Criterion continues to bring out gorgeous blu-ray editions, most recently Wings Of Desire, Pierrot Le Fou, and Gomorrah, among others. Not on Criterion, but noteworthy, is the appearance of Fight Club on blu. And if you're ambitious, Criterion have issued a 25 disk box set of Kurosawa. Amazing stuff.
For modern fun, nowadays blu-rays are getting cheaper. For over the top laughs something like Con-Air is costing under $20 and worth every penny. Kubrick on blu-ray is looking good with The Shining and Clockwork Orange recently spotted cheap and looking amazing. In general, most shops in Montreal have classic dvds going cheap in cheapie bins. Recently spotted: Excalibur and Blazing Saddles for under 8.00. Lots of nice stocking stuffers.
Whatever you choose, before venturing downtown avail yourself of online sources of mega-good deals on blu-ray disks. Many of these deals are based on American sources, but some Canadian sources are selling dvds and blus rather cheaply.
It's a great time to be a movie-head...
|
|
Thomas Bauer
|
|
|
|
It really is a no win situation attempting to decipher what constitutes DVD's worthy of holiday gift giving. All you are asking for is second guessing on most of the picks. In terms of the representatives on the list, Star Trek ( while wildly over-praised ) is certainly worthy as are The Hangover Unrated, North By Northwest 50th Anniversary edition ( though one could also argue that Alfred Hitchcock's works are always good to give...) or the seminal Say Anything ( this version is NOT worth shelling out as it is a cash grab...)
But, then you have the truly odd films listed here, like two specactularly pedestrian cartoons in Futurama ( given Matt Groening's pedigree is the antithesis of The Simpsons in every way) and Green Lantern. Rome was and is overrated. Clone Wars is ludicrious.
If anything, Its nice to see the criminally unappreciated Christmas Vacation mentioned...one of the best christmas films out there...and arguably a classic along the lines of A Christmas Story....
|
|
Reuven De Souza
|
|
|
|
Has anyone mocking you for liking Farscape ever SEEN Ben Browder and Claudia Black? In leather? There is no shame in tuning in for *that*.
|
|
Jana Capek
|
|
|
|
