Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Sheldon's Holiday Gift Guide


Every Tuesday in December, Black Sheep will look to its resident sheep, Sheldon, to throw a few gift suggestions your way, starting with this Tuesday. Together, you and Sheldon will be able to make sure that every movie lover on your list gets just the right movie in their stocking this year.

NEW RELEASES

Although it may not have been the film fans were hoping it would be - and by that I mean something that would erase the memory of the third film in the series - but TERMINATOR SALVATION will still certainly be welcome by any fan of the series. The 3-disc BD contains both theatrical and director cuts of the film.

I haven't seen it - and hopefully I will never have to - but NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN will surely deliver plenty of fodder to entertain the kiddies when you want some holiday alone time. For those of you thinking about transitioning from DVD to BD in the future, a combo pack exists.

And for all the quirky indie comedy fans out there, there is the Charlene Yi-Michael Cera romantic mockumentary about the elusive bugger known as love, PAPER HEART. The extras are sparse but this film's charm will certainly warm you on a cold winter night.

CATALOG RELEASES

This first one came out a couple of weeks ago but the good people at Warner Bros. were kind enough to send me a delux copy so they have definitely earned their shout out. The 70th anniversary edition of GONE WITH THE WIND is now available in deluxe and regular BD editions. The BD edition boasts six times higher resolution than DVD and features 8 hours of extra features for this wonderfully restored classic.

With SHERLOCK HOLMES coming to theatres on Christmas Day, interest in Guy Ritchie films is high and his first two offerings, LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS and SNATCH are now available on BD. Ritchie is of a particular taste, especially when it comes to these first two films, so pick these ones up for anyone you know who likes rough talking British gangster pics.

And here's a blast from the past that I remember quite fondly. On BD for the first time, it's GREMLINS! That lovable little guy Gizmo is back and priced to move. It's perfect for any nostaliga nut who grew up in the 80's. Once you bring Gizmo home though, just be sure not to feed him after midnight. If memory serves, you might not want to get him wet either.

AND WHAT DOES SHELDON WANT?

Pay close attention Black Sheep readers / family and personal friends who may not be too sure what to buy the film critic who already owns a ton of movies. Warner Bros released a big fat collector's box of THE WIZARD OF OZ earlier this fall and, while Sheldon certainly wouldn't mind receiving that version under the tree, a more reasonable version has been released on BD today that will do just fine.

Happy shopping!

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