Ho Ho Ho! It’s that time of the year for giving and receiving and if your having trouble finding the perfect gift for your loved one then i will hopefully mention something that will help fill that stocking in time for 25th December.
I’m going to run down my top Blu-Ray films, Top DVD’s, Top TV Boxsets and Top anything else that I think are must haves this year.
We’ve added links to Zavvi.com who are currently offering free delivering on everything so make sure you check them out.
BLU-RAY and DVD FILMS
I’ll start with Blu-Ray/DVD films. Blu-Rays have reduced in price incredibly in the run up to Christmas and if you shop around then you will find all sort of deals like 2-4-1’s or 2 for a nice low price, and it’s still not to late to get them in time for Christmas.
- Inglourious Basterds – Tarantino is back to his creative best in this incredible homage to the war buddy film creating one hell of a story with brilliant characters and one of the all-time greatest film villains. It”s brutal it’s funny and it’s film making at it’s best, Tarantino and the entire crew have so much fun and so will you.
Set in an alternate version of nazi germany Brad Pitt leads a crack crew of jewish Nazi killers on a revenge mission. intertwined with the story of a french-Jewish girl who survived the slaughter of her family, it’s a glorious Tarantino story.
Blu-Ray – approx £15
DVD – approx £10
District 9 – Neill Blonkamp brings one of the films of the year in the surprise hit District 9. With faultlessly designed aliens, super huge geeky weapons and a gripping imaginative story the film offers a brilliant world to escape to, especially after your christmas dinner, and beautifully brought to the screen by Blonkamp. The lead actor Sharlto Copely is stunning as Wikus and is going on to play Murdoch in the new A-Team movie and you will see why in this outstanding film.
Blu-Ray – approx £15
DVD – approx £10
- Moon – My movie of the year, this is film making at it’s imaginative and creative best and a shear delight to watch. Staring just Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey as a robot who are based on the moon mining on a three year contract, when the contract is almost up and Sam is ready to return home to his family strange things start to happen. It’s amazingly made by Duncan Jones and Sam Rockwell puts in a performance worthy of an Oscar that is long overdue. A future classic
Blu-Ray – approx £15
DVD – approx £10
- The Hangover – Probably one of the funniest films this year and many years before it. It’s made stars of it’s cast and been one of the surprise successes of the year, in fact it’s so good it’s getting a sequel.
It’s dirty, it’s shocking and it’s what my stag doo could have been.
It’s the perfect film for the Boxing Day blues and guaranteed to make your granny laugh and for your granddad to want a trip to Vegas. A fantastic film with so may laughs, the perfect gift.
Blu-Ray – approx £15
DVD – approx £10
- The Bourne Trilogy – How is this so cheap! It’s the Bond Beating Jason Bourne on Blu-Ray, all three films The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and the Bourne Ultimatum in stunning Blu-Ray for a ridiculously low price.
Jason Bourne loses his memory and over the three films unravels who and why he is. Filmed on location in so many amazing countries Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass bring Bourne to life in one of the finest Trilogy’s ever made.
Matt Damon is perfect and partakes in some of the most stunning fight sequences, car chases and stories committed to film. What a bargain.
Blu-Ray – approx £18
- Terminator Salvation – By no means a good film or a decent Terminator movie but never-the-less it’s a reasonable action movie that will entertain at least and definitely show off your new Blu-Ray player and HD TV to the max.
Christian Bale takes on the role of John Connor as he struggles to survive the war of the robots and Skynet and takes through the next chapter of the Terminator franchise. The plot is poor but the action enjoyable enough to please the stuffed bellies and slightly tipsey family members after Christmas dinner who want to switch off for a couple of hours.
Amazing Blu-Ray transfer and an ok film worthy of any christmas wrapping paper.
Blu-Ray – approx £15
DVD – approx £9
- Drag Me to Hell – Sam Raimi is back behind the camera making a horror film after a long stint of seven years making the Spiderman Trilogy, and what a return it is.
Fans of Raimi will be pleased that he has created one of the best horror movies in recent years and he’s back to his roots of the Evil Dead movies by using cool camera angles and tricks t great effect. With a strong story and fine acting it’s a movie for Christmas evening for when the hyperactive kids have gone to bed.
Blu-Ray – approx £16
DVD – approx £10
- Star Trek XI – The Best Star Trek film ever made? arguably yes and definitely yes for non-Trekies as J.J.Abrams brings us the 11th Star Trek film the most accessible Star Trek film ever made. Staring Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Eric Bana (Romulan Baddie, Karl Urban (the perfect young Bones) and Simon Pegg (Scotty) all loving and enjoying their roles in this reboot of the Star Trek series are all fantastic and do the franchise proud.
A film for the entire family and a truly surprising treat for those non-fans of Star Trek and a great great Blu-Ray experience.
Blu-Ray – approx £18
DVD – approx £9 – £15
- Time Crimes – One of the most enjoyable and flawless time traveling films ever made that came out of nowhere and is still an unknown entity to the masses.
The incredible Spanish movie takes on the tricky story of time traveling and does it better than any film i’ve ever seen using a great plot, amazing paradoxes and dilemmas and with perfect pacing that doesn’t let logical or illogical story slow it down and allow it to confuse.
It’s a stroke of genius and i can’t recommend it enough.
Not one for the family but definitely one for the alert minded pre christmas day booze.
DVD – approx £5
- Let the Right One In – The best Vampire relationship film ever made bar none. Better than that Twilight rubbish that’s getting all the attention at the moment and one of the finest films of the year. Staring two young kids in the lead roles who stun with their performances of this excellent Swedish vampire story that amazes from start to finish. It takes on all the known rules of vampires like daylight killing them and what happens if a vampire comes in uninvited and showcases them brilliantly.
With a finale in the swimming pool that is truly incredible it will go down in history as a classic horror film, get it now (Very cheap) before the American remake ‘Let me in’ comes out 2010 WHY!
Blu-Ray – approx £9
DVD – approx £5
A few more to mention
Some films that didnt make the top 10 list but also worth a mention:- - Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen – For me a terrible film but worth a panic buy if your desperate for a gift and you have bought all the other movies above! but only then buy this film. Full of action, huge transforming robots and terrible dialogue and acting.
Blu-Ray – approx £17
DVD – approx £10-£13 - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – Not seen this but i’ve been informed that it’s a corker so well worth a buy for the fans of the series
Blu-Ray – approx £17
DVD – approx £8 - Kill Bill 1 & 2 – The stunning Tarantino two part revenge movie. Full of action and OTT blood and gore in the first part and then full of revenge with a plot and cool dialogue in the second part. Well worth a grab for a christmas present and dead cheap for two great films.
Blu-Ray – approx £15
DVD – approx £7
- Watchmen – The incredibly made comic book adaption of the unfilmable Watchmen. Zack Snyder created a stunning film that was probably too long for non fans but still a superb style over content superhero movie. I loved it maybe your receivee will too.
Blu-Ray – approx £17
DVD – approx £7-£11 - Wall-E – Better than this years UP! and my favorite Pixar film ever. It’s low down on the list mainly because everyone should already own this masterpiece Oscar winner from the most talented film studio in the world. centered on a lovable little robot that cleans for a living on a deserted Earth who goes on an adventure into space, it’s flawless story telling.
Blu-Ray – approx £11
DVD – approx £8
- Public Enemies –Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary outlaw John Dillinger.
A good yet slightly disappointing film which could have been so much better.
Blu-Ray – approx £16
DVD – approx £10
- Red Cliff – John Woo is back to his best for his most outrageously amitious epic movie yet. The Han Dynasty is facing its death in third century China, and the emperor raises a million-man army against two kingdoms that are hopelessly outmatched. Tony Leung stars and John Woo is on fire.
Blu-Ray – approx £9
DVD – approx £14 !TV SHOWS
Moon
Watchmen
- House Season 1-5 – One of the finest TV Shows ever made with one of the most surprising performances from Hugh Laurie who has grown into one of the most respected actors in America with his portrayal of Dr Gregory House, a miserable drug addicted genius rare disease specialist.
The series has grown from strength to strength and has produced some of the most incredible episodes of TV ever made.
If you haven’t seen it at all and were put off by Hugh Laurie’s American accent, don’t be it’s actually suits him by the time you get into season one, so buy it now, if you have seen it and don’t have season five buy it now! It’s TV at it’s best.
DVD – 1-5 Boxset approx £50
Each Season approx £12-£20
- Arrested Development – One of the finest comedy shows ever made that was cruely cancelled after 3 series, although the cast and crew knew this before filming had concluded so ridiculed the decision in the final few episodes which was hilarious.
Staring Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Will Arnett, David Cross and more it’s about an extended family brought together after the arrest of the father of the family. It’s sometimes bonkers but always hilarious with some of the best characters of any comedy show made. I still miss it.
DVD – 1-3 Boxset approx £21
Each Season approx £15
- Lost Season 1-5 – What can i say, the best TV show ever made and coming into it’s final season in February 2010 it’s a must have addition to any collection.
Following the adventures of the survivors of flight 815 on a remote island thats surrounded in mystery, hatches, smoke monsters , Dharma and many more it’s a stunning watch and incredible production.
This is the perfect show with a fine cast, i would love anyone who got me this for christmas if i didn’t have it already!
Blu-Ray individual boxsets- approx £34 – £45
DVD 1-5 Box set – approx £80
Each Season – approx £16 – £33
- Breaking Bad – One of the best unknown TV shows of the last few years. Currently awaiting it’s third season to air in 2010 it’s been getting rave reviews and winning awards and one of my favorite shows ever.
Staring Bryan Cranston as an over educated chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with lung cancer, realizing he doesn’t have enough money to support his wife, unborn daughter and a son with cerebral palsey after he dies so he enters the drug trade creating the purest form of Meth with an old student called Jesse and so starts off on the path of the criminal underworld. The performance of Bryan Cranston is remarkable as his condition deteriorates through the series as he becomes more involved with the characters of the drug world.
Stunning stunning TV.
DVD Season 1 – approx £16
- Family Guy Season 8 – One of the most successful animated TV shows ever made and for me a Simpson’s beater. It’s controversial, it’s hilarious, it’s rude, it’s also hit and miss at times but still provides more laughs an episode than most comedy shows. It’s been cancelled once and brought back to life due to popular demand and it shows why as each season gets better and season 8 is the best so far.
So follow Peter Griffin and his family on this excellent boxset and if you haven’t seen Family Guy before now is a great time to start.
DVD Season 8 – approx £18
Each Season – approx £10 each
- Life – You can’t beat BBC nature programs and Life is another can’t miss nature documentary. The series takes a global view of the specialised strategies and extreme behaviour that living things have evolved in order to survive. Narrated again by the incredible and soothing voiced Sir David Attenborough, he guides us through some of the most incredible nature filming ever seen and like the excellent series ‘Planet Earth’ it’s in glorious HD on Blu-Ray which is how you should buy it if you have the technology to do so because it’s truly incredible to watch and are guaranteed to see something you have never seen before in nature. Phenomenal stuff.
Blu-Ray – approx £35
DVD – approx £29 - The Sopranos Season 1-6 – The Soprano’s is regarded as one of the best TV shows ever made and rightly so. All 6 seasons are full of Tony Soprano and his two lives, One of his family and the other of the mafia family. It has arguably the best written episodes ever shown on TV and some of the most memorable characters and likeable characters I’ve ever seen. If your a fan of mafia movies then your going to love it, If your a fan of family Drama’s then your going to be pleasantly surprised by the depth and detail it enters the world of family issues and drama. Multi award winning and incredibly enjoyable from start to finish, this is a must buy gift.
DVD Season 1-6 – approx £80
Each Season – approx £16
- The Wire Season 1-5 – For some reason The Wire has been like marmite when I try to introduce people to it. Some have gone on to buy every season, some have told me it’s pants after 2-3 episodes and that’s the secret to enjoying the Wire, get to episode 4 or 5 and this show will embed itself into your brain and never leave until you finish the entire series. It’s begins slowly and picks up so much momentum that if it was a snowball rolling down a hill it would end up the size of 45 houses. The characters, the plots, the subject matter is so well portrayed on screen that it’s easy to believe that the Wire is based on real life events. It’s unlike anything else on TV and it’s the best of it’s kind ever made. Genius.
DVD Season 1-5 – approx £60
Each Season – approx £16. - Curb Your Enthusiasm season 1-6 – The best comedy series on TV for me. I’ve never laughed out loud so often whilst watching Larry David in Curb your Enthusiasm. Those that don’t know, Larry David was the Co-Creator of the amazing Seinfeld TV show and Curb follows on in a documentary/improvisation format showing the life of Larry David and the appalling situations he gets himself in whilst living his life in LA. Larry gets himself into the most hilarious situations that get more controversial as the show goes on and you can’t but laugh.
With cameos from numerous celebrities that all seem to not mind getting involved in embarrassing scenarios, it’s a pure joy to watch and fantastically entertaining. I cannot recommend it enough.
DVD Season 1-5 – approx £57
Each Season – approx £13
- Battlestar Galactica season 1-4 on Bluray – A bit pricey this one but if you like your Sci-fi with a fantastic story then Battlestar Galactica is for you. I was slow getting on board to this series as i thought ‘What have they done to my beloved 80’s Battlestar’ and i shouldn’t have worried. Battlestar Galactica remake is one of the most incredible TV shows ever made. The first three seasons are incredible with some episodes that truly amaze with it’s creativity, shock and awe stories and production values. The plot is similar to the original but it’s been turned on it’s head with the Cylon’s now taking on human forms which are unknown to the survivors of the war and this add’s an incredible sense of paranoia and fear to the characters of Battlestar Galactica. The actors take time to grow into their roles but by the end of season 1 they are in full flow and when season 2 kicks off it launches into it’s own and takes its position as one of the best ever shows and well worth forking out for someone you love (hint to my wife).
Blu-Ray complete Boxset – approx £115A few more to mention
Some TV shows that didn’t make the top 10 list but also worth a mention:- - Friends Complete series 1-10 – You know the story, you know the characters. It’s one of the most popular comedy series ever made that completed ten consistently funny seasons that followed Chandler, Monica, Joey, Ross, Phoebe and Rachel and their lives living in New York. The perfect gift and such a bargain.
DVD Season 1-10 – approx £45 - Fringe Season 1 Blu-ray – The incredible sci-fi show from the minds of J J Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. A special FBI agency is created after a series of unexplained, often ghastly occurrences that are occurring all over the world and the team use unorthodox ‘Fringe’ Science to investigate. It’s a lot better than it sounds and is in fact is one of my favorite new shows of the last year.
Blu-Ray – approx £40 - Rome Complete Series – The stunningly made Rome TV Series season 1 & 2. Rome is about the saga of two ordinary Roman soldiers and their families and covers the intimate drama of love and betrayal, masters and slaves, and husbands and wives, it chronicles epic times that saw the fall of a republic and the creation of an empire and is an incredible watch and well worth a purchase for christmas.
Blu-Ray – approx £47
- Madmen season 1-2 – Another slow and genius TV series that is incredibly well written and supremely produced. Set in the 1960’s and focusing on Don Draper who is the creative director at an advertising company and his life in and out of the office. The show brilliantly shows the changing social values of America. It’s a stunning show and fully deserving of it’s numerous awards.
Blu-ray – approx £40
DVD – approx £30 - Heroes season 1-3 – Heroes started off with one of the finest first series to debut on TV. It had great characters, a great story and superheroes a plenty. Each episode expanded on the numerous characters story-lines which were unveiled in a comic book like presentation. With superb special FX and strong stories it was a surprise that it went down hill in the second series but it did eventually pick up again for season 3 to get it back on track but nowhere near as good as the first season. Well worth a buy.
Blu-Ray – approx £85
DVD – approx £64
Life
That should be enough ideas to complete your christmas present shopping. There is no better way to say i love you than buying a film or TV series for your loved ones, So hurry up as there is not long to go!
