Holiday DVD Gift Guide (Part 1)
11/08/2007 Posted by Admin
Though we're two weeks away from the official start of the holiday shopping season, many already have their shopping bag on--and they're ready to go. A recent groundswell of emails suggest an early need for recommended options on DVD.
While our yearly DVD gift guide will run in December as it always does, the good news is that right now there are plenty of newer releases well worth a spot on your holiday shopping list.
Chief among them are several choice releases from the BBC, starting with the high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD releases of Galapagos ($28.99), a beautifully photographed documentary that reveals the richness of those islands' niches, and Merchant-Ivory’s A Room with a View ($28.99), which solidified the duo's reputation with eight Academy Award nominations.
Other fine offerings from the BBC include the excellent Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days ($49.98), the ingenious detective series (with a magician's twist), Jonathan Creek: Season Two ($34.98), the collection of nature documentaries in BBC Atlas of the Natural World: Africa and Europe ($59.98), as well as the quirky Hamish MacBeth: Series 1-3 Collection ($79.98), with Robert Carlyle nicely cast as a beleaguered Scottish police constable making the most of it in an eccentric small town.
For drama, the big daddy of them all is HBO's recent release of The Sopranos: Season Six, Part Two ($99.98), which ended the series with a controversial final shot that some loved and others bemoaned (don’t listen to the latter--it’s a perfect ending). This is the show's second appearance on HD DVD and Blu-ray ($129.95) and there, in high-definition, it looks smashing, which is fitting given the violence of the content.
For those in the high-definition camp, recommended titles on HD DVD and Blu-ray include Warner's releases of the fine Westerns Wyatt Earp and The Wild Bunch ($28.99 each), as well as the quintessential red-neck horror drama Deliverance ($28.99) and Ocean’s Trilogy ($79.98), which collects the popular "Ocean’s" franchise in one crisp set. Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands ($39.98), with Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, is now available only on Blu-ray, while Carlito's Way with Al Pacino, and its sequel, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power ($29.98 each), without Al Pacino, are available only on HD DVD.
Several solid (and affordable) television offerings are worth noting, including the terrific Ugly Betty: Season One ($59.98), Suspense: The Lost Episodes, Collection 2"" ($29.98), Cities of the Underworld: Complete Season One ($44.95), Dresden Files: Season One ($39.98), Route 66: Season One, Vol. One ($29.98), Smallville: Complete Sixth Season($59.98), and Metalocalypse: Season One ($29.98).
Finally, since nobody likes an unhappy child during the holiday season--unless, of course, it's a cruel sibling with esteem issues--these titles come highly recommended for tots: Scholastic's huge boxed set, Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics ($99.95), which is an unbeatable value; Disney's 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition of The Jungle Book($29.99); Knuffle Bunny: More Great Childhood Adventure Stories($29.99); Loonatics Unleashed: Complete Second Season ($19.98) and Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Vol. 5 ($26.98), which includes 30 classic Warner cartoons and finds the inimitable Mel Blanc doing some of his best work.
So, there you have it. Shop ‘til you drop.
Chief among them are several choice releases from the BBC, starting with the high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD releases of Galapagos ($28.99), a beautifully photographed documentary that reveals the richness of those islands' niches, and Merchant-Ivory’s A Room with a View ($28.99), which solidified the duo's reputation with eight Academy Award nominations.
Other fine offerings from the BBC include the excellent Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days ($49.98), the ingenious detective series (with a magician's twist), Jonathan Creek: Season Two ($34.98), the collection of nature documentaries in BBC Atlas of the Natural World: Africa and Europe ($59.98), as well as the quirky Hamish MacBeth: Series 1-3 Collection ($79.98), with Robert Carlyle nicely cast as a beleaguered Scottish police constable making the most of it in an eccentric small town.
For drama, the big daddy of them all is HBO's recent release of The Sopranos: Season Six, Part Two ($99.98), which ended the series with a controversial final shot that some loved and others bemoaned (don’t listen to the latter--it’s a perfect ending). This is the show's second appearance on HD DVD and Blu-ray ($129.95) and there, in high-definition, it looks smashing, which is fitting given the violence of the content.
For those in the high-definition camp, recommended titles on HD DVD and Blu-ray include Warner's releases of the fine Westerns Wyatt Earp and The Wild Bunch ($28.99 each), as well as the quintessential red-neck horror drama Deliverance ($28.99) and Ocean’s Trilogy ($79.98), which collects the popular "Ocean’s" franchise in one crisp set. Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands ($39.98), with Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, is now available only on Blu-ray, while Carlito's Way with Al Pacino, and its sequel, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power ($29.98 each), without Al Pacino, are available only on HD DVD.
Several solid (and affordable) television offerings are worth noting, including the terrific Ugly Betty: Season One ($59.98), Suspense: The Lost Episodes, Collection 2"" ($29.98), Cities of the Underworld: Complete Season One ($44.95), Dresden Files: Season One ($39.98), Route 66: Season One, Vol. One ($29.98), Smallville: Complete Sixth Season($59.98), and Metalocalypse: Season One ($29.98).
Finally, since nobody likes an unhappy child during the holiday season--unless, of course, it's a cruel sibling with esteem issues--these titles come highly recommended for tots: Scholastic's huge boxed set, Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics ($99.95), which is an unbeatable value; Disney's 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition of The Jungle Book($29.99); Knuffle Bunny: More Great Childhood Adventure Stories($29.99); Loonatics Unleashed: Complete Second Season ($19.98) and Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Vol. 5 ($26.98), which includes 30 classic Warner cartoons and finds the inimitable Mel Blanc doing some of his best work.
So, there you have it. Shop ‘til you drop.
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