Black Friday is just a few days from now and if you’re scratching your head over what to get the film and television connoisseur (or pop culture nut) in your life, take a breath, the cavalry has arrived.
For youngsters and the young at heart, you can’t go wrong with the Peanuts Holiday Collection (Warner Bros.) available on both DVD and Blu-ray. This deluxe edition features three classic Charlie Brown TV specials (“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” the Emmy-winning “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and the beloved Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “A Charlie Brown Christmas”) that look and sound better than they did when they originally aired thanks to top notch remastering. Relive Charlie Brown’s melancholy over the commercialization of Christmas, Linus anxiously awaiting the Great Pumpkin‘s arrival with Sally, Snoopy duking it out with the Red Baron, and Peppermint Patty inviting herself and everyone else to her good friend Chuck’s house for Thanksgiving.
For older kids and fans of animation, there’s a triple bill of films I like to call the “Motion Capture Trilogy” that is comprised of the Oscar-nominated The Polar Express (Warner Bros.) a big screen adaptation of the acclaimed Chris Van Allsburg children’s book, the kid-friendly, Halloween-set fright fest Monster House (Sony), and Disney’s A Christmas Carol (Disney) starring Jim Carrey as Charles Dickins’ curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge. All three films used a state of the art 3-D filming technique called motion capture that involves digitally recording actors’ movements while performing a scene then later “skinning” them with their animated forms. Hanks and Carrey equate themselves very well as do the child actors in the criminally-underrated Monster House directed by relative newcomer Gil Kenan, not Robert Zemeckis (who did direct the other two films). All three are available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Speaking of criminally-underrated films, Zombieland (Sony) is the sort of horror movie that even people who aren’t fans of the genre can appreciate, that’s if they can get past the gory excess on display in the film’s opening minutes. Starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, the film pits humans against flesh-eating zombies in a post-apocalyptic world where only the smart and weapon-toting survive. A loose, tongue-in-cheek roller coaster ride made all the better thanks to a riotous cameo appearance by a major star and Harrelson’s rock ‘em, sock ‘em performance (arguably his best). Harrelson was on fire in 2009, landing an Oscar nomination for his other great performance that year in The Messenger (Sony), which pairs him up with Ben Foster (also great) as two enlisted soldiers given the difficult assignment of having to notify Army families that they have lost a loved one in battle. Both films are available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Fans of Pandora, you have several reasons to rejoice! Released seven short months ago in a no-frills DVD/Blu-ray combo set, James Cameron’s Avatar (which just so happens to be the highest-grossing movie of all-time) has been re-issued — just in time for Christmas — in a extras-packed 3-disc extended collector’s edition available on DVD and Blu-ray that features three different versions of the movie (the original theatrical edition, the special edition re-release, and the collector’s extended cut with 16 additional minutes, including an alternate opening). Also included are 45-minutes of never-before-seen deleted scenes, a making-of documentary, visual-effects reels, screen tests, behind-the-scenes footage, and the script, plus more goodies. Usually Cameron makes fans wait years before he offers up the embarrassment of riches that can be found in this collector’s edition.
Like Cameron, several of his contemporaries have tinkered with or completely overhauled previous films of theirs that they weren’t entirely satisfied with for one reason or another. Director Michael Mann has revisited his critically-acclaimed, big screen adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe in a definitive director’s cut that’s slightly shorter than the 1992 theatrical version (available on DVD outside of the US, and on widescreen VHS tape stateside). Set in pre-Revolutionary America, Day-Lewis plays Hawkeye, an American settler, raised by the Mohicans, who serves as a guide and bodyguard along with two cohorts to vacationing, adventure-seeking Brits in upstate New York, including Cora (Stowe) with whom Hawkeye embarks on a romance. The Brits get more than they bargained for in adventure when the French and Indian war erupts and they are targeted by a gang of violent Indians led by Wes Studi.
While we’re on the history tip, why not pay a visit to Edwardian-era England with Merchant Ivory’s finest film, their luminous and haunting adaptation of E.M. Forster’s Howards End (Criterion), a thought-provoking examination of the class divide. Emma Thompson won an Oscar for her dynamic portrayal of Margaret Schlegel, a single, middle class intellectual who befriends the ill wife (a superb Vanessa Redgrave) of a rich capitalist (an equally superb Anthony Hopkins) during what turns out to be her final days. In a surprising turn of events, Margaret agrees to marry her deceased friend‘s husband who has fallen in love with her, and as a result is expected to bid her old life and much of her affiliations goodbye which causes a rift in the close relationship she shares with her impetuous younger sister (Helena Bonham Carter). The Criterion edition (available on DVD and Blu-ray) features a gorgeous high-definition transfer, supervised by the film’s cinematographer, a retrospective featuring key cast and crew, a documentary showcasing the modestly-budgeted ($8 million) film’s elaborate production design, an original 1992 behind-the-scenes featurette, and more.
Television is experiencing a creative renaissance as of late with many making the observation that the best writing and most interesting characters nowadays are by and large found on the small screen rather than the big screen. With that in mind, the 6th season of Showtime’s “Weeds” (Lionsgate) just wrapped up, and boy what a resurgent season it was for the long-running comedy-drama about a one-time suburban mom of three who turns to dealing pot to make ends meet after her bread-winning husband dies unexpectedly. After five seasons of throwing caution to the wind and living on the edge, the entire Botwin family, lead by Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) went on-the-lam following the murder of a powerful female Mexican crime boss at the hands of Nancy’s teenage son Shane (Alexander Gould) who was managing the political campaign of Nancy’s current husband, a powerful Mexican drug lord who uses his position as a respected businessman and mayor of Tijuana as a front for his illegal enterprise. If the person you plan on giving the gift of entertainment appreciates dark, sardonic comedy, pick up the first five seasons of “Weeds” on DVD or Blu-ray so they can delve into season six when it’s released in January and tune in for season seven in 2011.
Betty White has never been hotter, at 88 years old no less. She won her 7th career Emmy (for her landmark hosting duties on “Saturday Night Live” following a Facebook campaign to get her to host the show), single-handedly made “Hot in Cleveland” the highest-rated new comedy series on basic cable, made memorable guest appearances on ABC’s “The Middle” and NBC’s “Community,” and those are only some of her accomplishments this year. She best known for her work on two long-running sitcoms: “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and my personal favorite, “The Golden Girls.” For seven seasons, Betty shared the small screen with the formidable trio of Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty and turned a show that on paper should have never worked into a cultural touchstone that’s still beloved nearly 20 years after ending its run. Who could have known that a show about a bunch of old broads sitting around talking and eating cheesecake would turn out to be such a hit and an endearing classic?
2010 has been a great year for movies and you won’t go wrong giving any of these six worthy films from earlier in the year as gifts:
After reaping the benefits of the Oprah effect following the talk show queen picking her memoir for her insanely popular book club, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love (Sony, 11/23) got the big screen treatment with Oscar winner Julia Roberts playing her. Roberts is good, but veteran character actor Richard Jenkins steals the show as a Texan she unexpectedly bonds with in India during the “pray” portion of the film. Viola Davis, James Franco, and Javier Bardem co-star…Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are a pair of mismatched NYPD detectives relegated to desk duty who get a shot at redemption in The Other Guys (Sony, Dec. 14)……Actor Ben Affleck’s sophomore directorial effort, the Boston-set bank heist crime drama The Town (Warner Bros., Dec. 17) was a surprise box office hit earlier this fall and features an Oscar-caliber supporting performance from recent Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) as Affleck’s hotheaded partner-in-crime. Rebecca Hall, “Mad Men‘s” Jon Hamm, “Gossip Girls” Blake Lively, Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite and Oscar winner Chris Cooper co-star…A contemporary retelling of the Nathaniel 
Hawthorne classic “The Scarlett Letter,” the box office hit Easy A (Sony, Dec. 21) features a breakout performance by rising star Emma Stone as a clean-cut high school student who uses her newfound rep as the school tramp to her advantage… Oscar winner Angelina Jolie plays the title character in Salt (Sony, Dec. 21), the taut, Phillip Noyce-directed CIA-agent-on-the-run thriller that was once set to star Tom Cruise. The film joins Alien (which launched Sigourney Weaver’s film career) as one of the few action films with a female lead that was originally written with a male actor in mind…Michael Douglas revisits his Oscar-winning role as fallen corporate raider Gordon “Greed is Good” Gekko – out of prison and making a comeback – in director Oliver Stone’s timely Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps (Fox, Dec. 21) co-starring Shia LaBeouf, Oscar nominees Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin and Frank Langella, and Oscar winner Susan Sarandon.
Universal releases Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy on Blu-ray and DVD to commemorate the fateful day in 1985 that Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) first climbed into a time-hopping DeLorean. This new edition features a fantastic transfer and is packed to the gills with features (like scenes featuring the original actor cast as Marty, Eric Stoltz.) A modern classic for the ‘80s generation, even the frequently derided sequels. This one comes in several limited versions – one of which is a replica DeLorean!
For a classic of more distant vintage, fans of old Hollywood will find a lot to love in Warner Home Video’s Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition. A beautiful package for a beautiful film, this deluxe collector’s version features three discs of features, art reproductions, a replica theatre program, a photo and art book, and more.
Though it died a quick death in theatres earlier this year, geeks of all stripes should take a liking to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Universal), available in an extras-packed “LEVEL UP! Collector’s Edition.” Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s trippy series of graphic novels, this movie is packed with comic book and video game references as Scott (Michael Cera), a twenty-something slacker in Toronto, must (literally) battle his love Ramona’s Seven Evil Exes before he can date her. Audiences weren’t quite sure what to make of Scott Pilgrim, or maybe they were just sick of seeing the ubiquitous Cera, but this movie should find an appreciative audience on home video.
A more successful comics-to-film franchise popped up again this summer in the form of Paramount’s Iron Man 2. While not quite as thrilling as the original as the original, no comic aficionado’s collection would be complete without more Robert Downey, Jr. as the Armored Avenger. The two-disc Blu-ray version is particularly immersive, with tons of details about the Marvel Comics universe. Chase Iron Man 2 with more Marvel comics love, like Wolverine and the X-Men: The Complete Series (Lionsgate).
From one superhero universe to the next, there’s Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics (Warner Home Video). Celebrating its 75th anniversary, this loving tribute of a documentary covers the rich history of the company that’s home to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. It’s part of a birthday celebration for DC that includes a gorgeous hardcover book, a CD soundtrack, and – on the TV tip – great sets of their best animation, like the futuristic Batman Beyond: The Complete Series, the limited version of which goes nicely with the now-much-sought-after Batman: The Complete Animated Series set.
A different kind of geek will enjoy ESPN Films 30 for 30 Gift Set Collection, Volume 1. The first half of ESPN’s notable series of sports documentaries collects 15 of the wildly diverse series’ entries, featuring profiles and social commentary mixed in with all the history. It’s a nice gift for the highbrow sports fan in your life.
For the serious cineaste, Criterion, curators of the finest classic and foreign film collection ever released to home video, offer AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa. Offered to coincide with what would have been the acclaimed Japanese director’s 100th birthday, this exhaustive set offers up 25 of Kurosawa’s films, many of which have never appeared on DVD before.
If fifty years of Kurosawa in a box carries too hefty a price tag, consider The Complete 
Metropolis (Kino Video). Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent, sci-fi classic is offered here in its most complete form ever, using all of the available “lost” footage to form the most comprehensive version of the film since its original theatrical release.
For a different type of cinema lover entirely, there’s always The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Summit Entertainment). The third installment of the series based on Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular teen vampire saga is bound to be on the Christmas list of somebody you know, and like New Moon, different retailers offer different exclusives (extra discs, unique packaging) for the rabid Twilight collector.
If vampire lovin’ isn’t up your alley, maybe the cerebral thrills of Inception (Warner) are. The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan offers up another dense, twisty drama that practically begs to be rewatched on home video. Whether you find it thought-provoking or head-scratching, it’s one of the year’s most talked about movies with good reason.
The Alien Anthology (Fox), new to Blu-ray, takes the already excellent DVD “quadrilogy” and makes a case for upgrading to this improved set. New transfers of Alien and Aliens, plus an unexpurgated version of the dirty details of making Alien 3, make this a must-have for sci-fi cinema enthusiasts. Bonus: No made-up words like “quadrilogy.” For additional science fiction action, check out V: The Complete First Season. This revamp of the ‘80s alien invasion series owes a lot to other successful re-imaginings like Battlestar Galactica, but this new version is effectively creepy (lizard people!) and compelling.
Cleanse your cinematic palate with Best Worst Movie, from New Video Group. This humorous and occasionally poignant documentary tracks the weird second life of ‘80s B-movie Troll 2, a famous low-budget disaster that has enjoyed a strange Rocky Horror-style resurgence. Best Worst Movie, directed by the child star of Troll 2, will appeal to those who love their movies campy and schlocky – or those just interested in the culture of movies.
