Movies

 

The third part of our series of Holiday Must Haves is all about the movies.  As a huge movie lover myself I’ve selected a ton of things that will be perfect for the movie lover in your life.  So let’s get to it:

 

Playstation 3 Why am I putting this under movies? Well this thing is an incredible movie machine. For $299 you get a system that is the best Blu-Ray player out there, with frequent firmware updates to support all the latest advances in Blu-Ray, it upconverts regular dvds, has a store to download new movie and tv releases built in, allows you to stream media from your computer or stick in a flash drive with anything you may have downloaded, and now you can play all of your Netflix Instant Watch movies on it for no additional charge (some in HD). Oh and it also plays some kick ass games as well. But Blu-Ray is now the format. Prices on discs are steeply dropping to the cost of regular dvd’s and if you don’t already have a player, it’s time to get one. Player prices too are dropping and you’ll find some decent lower cost players out there. Check out Amazon’s Blu-ray players under $200 Most stuff on this list I’ll be listing the Blu-Ray first then a link for the regular dvd.

 

Speaking of Netflix, any movie fan would be stupid not to have a Netflix subscription. If you know someone without one you’ve just found the greatest gift ever. Besides stocking a ton of movies, from the biggest blockbusters to the smallest of indies, they also have every new Blu-Ray release, and a ton of movies available to watch instantly on your computer, certain tv’s or through an XBOX 360 or Playstation 3. Just head on over to netflix.com (I’m including them even though they turned this site down as an affiliate for lack of related content, seriously? How many movie reviews does one have to have to be related content?)

 

Inglorious Basterds Blu-ray This is one of my choices for movie of the year and it’s a great addition to the Tarantino lineup. Definitely something to pick up. And the Blu-ray is only $18. Also on regular DVD

 

Watchmen The Ultimate Cut Blu-ray This is a special 4 disc version of Watchmen that highlights The Ultimate Cut version, which interweaves The Tales of the Black Freighter animated sequences (which was released as a whole separate film) in with the movie, just like they are in the original comic. This is really a great gift for a comic book or movie lover.

 

Drag Me To Hell Unrated Directors Cut I thought this return to his roots by Sam Raimi was one of the best movies of the year, certainly the best in the horror genre. Any horror fan will be lucky to own this awesome disc that has both the directors cut and the theatrical cut. Also available on DVD

 

District 9 I’ll be honest with you, I did not expect to be as blown away by this film as I was. This is another strong movie of the year contender. It has a bit of every genre and is sure to please. The downside to this disc is it’s cutting it a bit close with a December 22nd release date. You can pre-order though and with overnight shipping who knows. Or even if you buy it in the store and not through Amazon, this is an excellent thing to get. Also on DVD

 

Jennifer’s Body Unrated Alright so this shouldn’t actually belong on a Holiday Must Have list because stupidly they’re not releasing it until December 29th, but hey if you know anyone with a birthday around then this would be great. I personally loved this movie which is an allegory to the often strange relationships between female friends. Also available on DVD

 

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince Blu-ray/DVD Combo Everyone on your list probably wants the new Harry Potter film so you should buy a few of these. The best thing is with this one if the person you’re giving it to doesn’t own a Blu-ray player now, this comes with both a Blu-ray and a dvd version of the film in one package so they’ll be ready for the future.

 

Up Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack This newest Pixar instant classic is another one that’s sure to please anyone on your list. This too includes both a Blu-ray and a dvd copy of the film so you’re ready for anything.

 

Chasing Amy Blu-ray This all new Blu-ray release of what many consider the best Kevin Smith film includes all the material found on the Criterion DVD as well as a slew of brand new special features for this release only. For those without a Blu-ray player I’d recommend the few years old Criterion Collection DVD

 

The Nightmare On Elm Street Collection This box set, available on dvd only is simply awesome. It’s every Nightmare On Elm Street movie including New Nightmare (7 movies total) packed with special features. It looks great on a shelf, horror fans will love it and it’ll be in demand when the Nightmare on Elm Street remake comes out in a couple of months. The best part? It’s on $20! Get it now!

 

Awesome Movie Shirts That Paper Street Soap Company shirt is one of many incredible shirts over at Last Exit to Nowhere where you’ll find shirts for brands in all of your favorite movies, like Back To The Future, Taxi Driver, The Big Lebowski, The Goonies, The Usual Suspects, and more. These shirts are super cool and would make a wonderful gift.

 

So that wraps up our next to last Holiday Must Have for 2009. The next one will feature everything we haven’t covered so far, a potpourri of products if you will. If you haven’t already check out our TV and Music Must Haves.