The 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for the Good, the Bad and Everyone In Between

Posted Nov 27, 2011 by John Allman

Updated Dec 6, 2011 at 09:34 AM

Movies for People Who Love Movies:

Bellflower (Oscilloscope Laboratories): Hands down, best indie film in years. This is beautiful, brutal, visceral filmmaking that doesn’t just dance along the edge, it leaps into the abyss. After our first viewing, it leapt into our Top Five All-Time Favorite Films along with “Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “Chasing Amy” and “The Evil Dead.”

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (Magnet/Magnolia): A wonderfully subversive play on the generic backswoods, inbred hillbilly cannibal/killer horror movie tropes, filled with absurdist humor and some of the funniest gore since “Dead Alive.”;

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Oscilloscope Laboratories): The new holiday standard to (finally) replace “A Christmas Story” as the alternative to traditional Christmas fare.

Attack the Block (Sony): The best alien invasion movie since, well, ever. It has all the elements you love – humor, action, scares – not to mention extremely well-developed characters, and none of the cheese that soaks less-smart flicks like “Independence Day” or “Battle: Los Angeles.”;

A Serbian Film (Invincible Pictures): People talk about “The Human Centipede” as crossing the line. They obviously haven’t seen this unrated import that quite literally goes beyond anything you’ve ever seen. Shock value for the sake of shock value wouldn’t have the same impact if not for the underlying social message that manages to bleeds through. This is bold filmmaking that practically dares you to keep watching.

Kidnapped (IFC Midnight): It’s not often that a genre film comes along and really stands out from the pack, but “Kidnapped” may well be the best home invasion thriller you’ve yet to see. It’s not as creepy as “The Strangers,” but it’s better, building mad tension from the opening credits on, and the ending is like a double ax-handle punch to your gut when you’re completely exposed and unprepared.

Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature: Lethal Ladies (Shout! Factory): The best release yet from Shout! Factory’s two-year promotion to deliver the very best (and worst) from cult producer Corman’s collection. Lethal Ladies includes “Too Hot to Handle,” one of the best late-70s exploitation films we’ve ever seen, filled with gratuitous nudity, sweet kung fu and some of the most irreverent dialogue you’re likely to encounter in a genre flick like this.

Horrible Bosses: Totally Inappropriate Edition (Warner Bros.): We’ve watched this one now about four or five times, and it is just as funny every time. We’ve got mad love for “Bridesmaids,” and “Bad Teacher” was gross-cute, but “Horrible Bosses” is a comedy on par with “The Hangover” and “Dodgeball” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” It’s just that damn good.

Dragon Tattoo Trilogy: Extended Edition (Music Box Films): This new, four-disc collection gathers together the three previously released films based on Stieg Larsson’s phenomenally successful books about journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, breaking each film into two parts and inserting additional footage not originally released in theaters. There’s also a fourth disc with special features, including a lengthy new documentary about the books and Larsson. This is a great opportunity to see the films as originally presented in Sweden before the David Fincher American remake hits theaters just before Christmas.

Little Deaths (Image Entertainment): Horror anthologies are a tricky thing to pull off. It’s not easy to string together a series of short films into a cohesive narrative that maintains a consistent level of quality and style. For every “Creepshow,” there is a “Chillerama,” a good idea that sadly falls flat due to uneven execution and one or more subpar segments. “Little Deaths,” a trio of short films by three prominent and cutting edge UK directors (Andrew Parkinson, Sean Hogan and Simon Rumley), is one of the best anthologies you’ll ever likely see. Each film deals with the darker side of sex, human relationships and need. And each film is shocking in its blunt portrayal of how we humans will do most anything to get what we crave in the bedroom, no matter how twisted or perverse. But nothing can prepare you for the inevitable consequence of such selfish actions. Gritty, erotic and bloody as hell.

Current TV on DVD that You Should Be Watching

Fringe: Season Three
Studio: Warner Home Video
Number of Discs: 4
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $46
The Lowdown: One of the smartest shows on television, genre or not. J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman crafted near-perfect characters, including Dr. Walter Bishop (the fact that John Noble has yet to win an Emmy is a crime!), the wackiest, most lovable, most humanized mad scientist ever. This third season deftly straddles two worlds, present day and an alternate version of present day 2011 where the Twin Towers still stand, but danger lurks in the threat of unexplainable scientific phenomena.

Sons of Anarchy: Season 3
Studio: Fox
Number of Discs: 3
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $51
The Lowdown: Brutally direct and absolutely mature, but oh so good. Kurt Sutter’s drama about a northern California biker gang manages to make you identify with this fringe counter-culture even as you recoil in horror at the depths the gang members will go to survive and protect their own.

Supernatural: The Complete Sixth Season
Studio: Warner Home Video
Number of Discs: 6
Format: DVD
Available for: $29
The Lowdown: Six seasons in, the Winchester brothers remain compelling. Eric Kripke’s masterful mash-up of family drama and paranormal spookfest isn’t shy about spilling lots of blood, but you’ll stick around long after the corpses have cleared because of the incredible dynamic between co-stars Jared Padelecki and Jensen Ackles and the fantastic storylines, which have evolved from monsters-of-the-week to Satan to warring angels fighting over the future of Heaven.

Doctor Who: Series Six
Studio: BBC Warner
Number of Discs: 6
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $63
The Lowdown: You never forget your first Doctor. For me, that would be David Tennant, the first Doctor Who that really grabbed me and captivated my interest. Since Tennant, however, I’ve gone back in time to the Doctor’s early BBC days from the 1960s and ‘70s, while enjoying the current adventures of the 11th actor to play Who, the quirky and irresistible Matt Smith. Series Six isn’t as compelling as past seasons, but it does offer more than its fair share of interesting storylines and new villians, plus the return of several fan favorites.

Animation Exploration

Robotech: The Complete Original Series
Studio: A&E
Number of Discs: 17
Format: DVD
Available for: $59
The Lowdown: It’s a blast from anime’s past with the release of “Robotech: The Complete Series.” I’m not sure how many people remember this early anime from Harmony Gold, which debuted in the U.S. in 1984. The series was kind of a cross between “Speed Racer,” “Shogun Warriors” and “Ultraman,” with the main story line being that scientists and military leaders on Earth were able to develop new technology to help fight off an alien invasion after discovering an extraterrestrial spaceship in the South Pacific.

Jem and the Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series
Studio: Shout! Factory
Number of Discs: 11
Format: DVD
Available for: $58
The Lowdown: Do you remember this weird hybrid that mixed anime-style characters with old Hanna-Barbera animation? The dayglo colors. The kitschy 80s soundtrack. The musical numbers that flowed like acid-tinged fever dreams complete with cars made out of guitars and other bizarre imagery. This 11-disc collector’s set includes all episodes from the show’s four seasons spanning 1985 to 1988, plus a plethora of bonus materials, including a documentary, the original commercials and more. Somewhere, grown adults are weeping glitter in anticipation.

Robot Chicken: Season Five
Studio: Cartoon Network
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $18
The Lowdown: Robot Chicken has evolved from a silly sketch show built around action figures and vintage toys to a razor-sharp skewer of all things pop culture, from ridiculously popular films (that shouldn’t be as successful because they suck) to reality celebrities to time-honored children’s fairy tales and urban legends. Each episode contains an extended skit that is more cinematic than most movies, that manages to capture the essence of its inspiration without sacrificing or watering down its precision-strike snarkiness or social commentary.  This is the best season yet, and having had the fortune to watch the latter episodes, which are still airing first-run on Adult Swim, I can report that things keep getting better in the lead-up to the 100th episode, and season finale, “Fight Club Paradise,” which will broadcast in early 2012.

Transformers: Beast Wars – The Complete Series
Studio: Shout! Factory
Number of Discs: 8
Format: DVD
Available for: $37
The Lowdown: The Transformers go back in time to prehistoric Earth in this mid-1990s animated series, “Beast Wars,” which featured the good guy Maximals versus the evil Predacons, with many of the fan favorite characters getting new names, such as Optimus Primal and Dinobot. Shout! Factory, which has a deep love for all things Transformers, has put together a very nice boxed set, featuring all 52 half-hour episodes from all three seasons.

TV Boxed Sets

Classic TV

It Takes a Thief: The Complete Series
Studio: Entertainment One
Number of Discs: 18
Format: DVD
Available for: $99
The Lowdown: Long before he was wealthy businessman/amateur investigator Jonathan Hart, solving mysteries with his sexy wife, the luminous Stefanie Powers, Robert Wagner played Alexander Mundy, the world’s greatest cat burglar, released from prison and put to work by the U.S. government, in “It Takes a Thief.” Mundy is enlisted by the SIA (I’m pretty sure that means Secret Intelligence Agency) to steal on behalf of the government. It’s a clever premise that gets ample mileage out of Wagner’s star charisma. It doesn’t hurt that he’s joined by the incomparable Fred Astaire for a five-episode arc as Mundy’s father. The series, which aired from 1968 to 1970 is a blast of cool attitude, making the most of its exotic locales and espionage-heavy subplots. The entire series gets the boxed set treatment in a collectible cube that stands out nicely on the shelf.

Barney Miller: The Complete Series
Studio: Shout! Factory
Number of Discs: 25
Format: DVD
Available for: $99
The Lowdown: One of the best half-hour television series of all time comes to DVD in a massive boxed set. “Barney Miller,” which ran from 1974 to 1982, an impressive 171-episode lifespan, featured one of the best ensemble casts ever gathered with Hal Linden, Max Gail, Ron Glass, Steve Landesberg, Ron Carey and Abe Vigoda. The sitcom, based around the lives of a group of NYC detectives inside their precinct house, deftly balanced broad comedy with serious character development and, often, unexpected human drama. This 25-disc series from Shout! Factory comes in a handsome and cool collectible box, shaped like the door to the precinct, and features commentaries, interviews, a 32-page retrospective booklet, the original Pilot episode and the entire first season of “Fish,” the popular spinoff series featuring Abe Vigoda’s character.

Little House on the Prairie: The Complete Television Series
Studio: Lionsgate
Number of Discs: 55
Format: DVD
Available for: $121
The Lowdown: The groundbreaking, family-favorite show, “Little House on the Prairie,” which ran for nine seasons and told the story of the pioneering Ingalls family in the early 19th century American west, finally comes to DVD in one gigantic collector’s boxed set. This 60 disc – that’s right, 60 disc – collection includes every episode of the show that cemented America’s love affair with Michael Landon and launched the career of Melissa Gilbert, who remains Hollywood royalty as a result.

Cult TV

The Office: Special Edition
Studio: BBC Warner
Number of Discs: 4
Format: DVD
Available for: $30
The Lowdown: Love him or loathe him, Ricky Gervais is a funny, funny man, and because of him, we give thanks for the years that Steve Carrell played Michael Scott, the worst boss in America. And because of Gervais, we give thanks for the two seasons he spent playing David Brent, the worst boss in the United Kingdon, whom Gervais created in the original “The Office.” This new collection gathers together both seasons of the UK smash show, along with its accompanying Christmas special. It’s a reasonably-priced bundle for longtime fans of the US incarnation who otherwise have never seen Gervais’ original masterpiece of uncomfortable workplace comedy.

Crime Story: The Complete Series 25th Anniversary
Studio: Image Entertainment
Number of Discs: 9
Format: DVD
Available for: $19
The Lowdown: Michael Mann, the wonderful director who gave us such crime classics as “Miami Vice,” the TV show, not the feature film, “Heat” and “Manhunter,” turned his eye toward organized crime in the short-lived, but remarkably influential television series “Crime Story,” which chronicled a Chicago detective (the always great Dennis Farina) as he tried to thwart the rise of Ray Luca, a brutal bit player who began to ascend the ranks within the mafia. Mann’s decision to make “Crime Story” a period piece didn’t win over the mass audience needed to sustain such a show, but the crisp writing, superior acting and a who’s who of guest stars cemented its deserved cult status. Stretching over two seasons, “Crime Story” was compelling TV, each episode a mini-movie of its own. Previously released as single season sets, this 25th anniversary is a gift to longtime fans, and an excellent introduction for friends and family who never watched the show during its original run.

Smallville: The Complete Series
Studio: Warner Home Video
Number of Discs: 62
Format: DVD
Available for: $200
The Lowdown: It’s not easy to find a new way to tell the old story of how Superman came to Earth, was raised by human parents and eventually grew up to protect Metropolis as the Man of Steel. But over 10 seasons, co-creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar deconstructed the mythos of one of the most popular comic book characters of all time, had fun with storylines that followed a young Clark Kent through high school as he slowly learned his past and discovered the inherent power contained in his DNA, and ultimately geeked out on the entire DC Comics universe, introducing characters that had never received flesh-and-blood, live-action creations before, like Aquaman and the Green Archer, before showcasing the formation of the Justice League of America.  Good, geeky, glorious fun.

Doctor Who: The David Tennant Years
Studio: BBC Warner
Number of Discs: 26
Format: DVD
Available for: $106
The Lowdown: A massive testament to the power of David Tennant’s acting and the breadth of his appeal as the 10th individual to portray the wonderfully complex Timelord, Doctor Who, this gorgeous 26-disc compilation spans all four years that Tennat portrayed the Doctor, from his first appearance in 2005 in “The Christmas Invasion,” where he replaced Christopher Eccleston, through the complete Second, Third and Fourth series where Tennant co-starred with Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman and Catherine Tate. Tennant’s appeal, and his gift, was his ability to blend just the right mix of impish mischief, childlike wonder and end-of-the-universe gravitas, often in the course of a single hour episode. This series also include all eight Doctor Who specials, and two animated adventures, for a total of nearly 40 hours of Who, not counting all the extra features, interviews and such.

Farscape: The Complete Series
Studio: A&E
Number of Discs: 20
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $97
The Lowdown: Science-Fiction fans have had a lot of shows over the years to choose from. There have been standouts, of course, like “Star Trek,” which take on a life and cult following all their own. But then there is a show like “Farscape,” one of the best genre shows of its kind ever produced. Never before available in one complete collection, fans will rejoice at the meticulous care given to preserving all 88 episodes in high definition. What made “Farscape” so thrilling was its rich character development, the use of live-action puppets as main characters, courtesy of Jim Henson Productions, the company that helped bring the show to life, and its deft balance between science fiction, science fact and space action. “Farscape” took established themes and expanded on them, going far beyond other well-done, but ultimately secondary series, to present a vision of the galaxy and our future that was both thrilling and thought-provoking. Included with the set are new, never-before available bonus features, such as a new documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew. TV doesn’t get much better than this.

The L Word: The Complete Series
Studio: Showtime Entertainment
Number of Discs: 25
Format: DVD
Available for: $90
The Lowdown: Soapy, campy and often incredibly erotic and sexy, Showtime’s “The L Word” created a rich tapestry of characters who became entwined over the course of six seasons from 2004 to 2009. The complete boxed set includes all 70 hour-long episodes in a nice hardback book case, and features several hours worth of additional material.

Big Love: The Complete Collection
Studio: HBO Home Video
Number of Discs: 19
Format: DVD
Available for: $130
The Lowdown: For anyone who has watched the reality show “Sister Wives” and felt the need to take a shower as soon as it ends (and I’m included), HBO’s bold, surprising breakout hit “Big Love” dealt with polygamy in a way that didn’t make it seem as skeevy and creepy as it likely is. Sure, there are family dynamics at play that most people wouldn’t, couldn’t ever understand, but when you’ve got actors as talented as Bill Paxton, Harry Dean Stanton, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Chloe Sevigny playing the key components to the polygamous Henrickson tribe. This boxed set includes all five seasons. 

Band of Brothers/The Pacific: Special Edition Gift Set
Studio: HBO Home Video
Number of Discs: 13
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $100
The Lowdown: Two Emmy-award-winning HBO miniseries, “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” both of which deal with different phases of World War II, get the deluxe, double collector’s set treatment, and in stunning high definition. 

The Girls Next Door: The Complete Series
Studio: MPI
Number of Discs: 17
Format: DVD
Available for: $130
The Lowdown: If it seems like there’s been a lot of Hugh Hefner lately, that’s because there has been a lot of Playboy going on. NBC tried to create a weekly serial about the early days of The Playboy Club. Hef changed girlfriends, got engaged, got jilted by a bodacious blonde, all of which was tabloid fodder. His former girlfriends, the lovely Kendra, Holly and Bridget, all have their own reality shows now. And for many fans, the cause to celebrate this holiday season is this 17-disc collection that culls every episode since 2005 of their part-sweet, part-camp, part-creepy reality show, “The Girls Next Door,” from E!

Educational TV

Planet Earth: Special Edition
Studio: BBC Warner
Number of Discs: 6
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $51
The Lowdown: Yes, it’s probably the greatest series of its kind ever to be released about the natural world. But it’s also becoming the king of the double-and-triple dips. To compensate for asking fans to fork out more money for this “Special Edition,” the BBC has wisely upped the ante as far as special features, which include a 10-minute behind the scenes for each episode, select episode commentary, the option to view the series with music only, multiple featurettes and a new documentary, “Planet Earth: TheFuture,” which examines the various environmental issues raised by the show, wisely keeping the political aspect of environmentalism separate from the breathtaking imagery captured around the globe.

The Universe: The Complete Series Megaset
Studio: The History Channel
Number of Discs: 19
Format: DVD
Available for: $150
The Lowdown: Five seasons, and 63 episodes worth of galactic mysteries, breathtaking imagery and some truly mind-warping theories posited by leading scientists about a host of topics ranging from the forces that combined to create life to the very fringes of the known galaxy. This one is a must for science geeks.

The Universe: 7 Wonders of the Solar System 3D
Studio: A&E
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $12
The Lowdown: The perfect companion gift for friends or family with 3D-enabled televisions and Blu-Ray players, “7 Wonders” explores the solar system, traveling from Saturn’s outer moon Encleladus to Mount Olympus, the so-named largest volcano on Mars’ surface.

America: The Story of Us
Studio: A&E
Number of Discs: 4
Format: DVD
Available for: $53
The Lowdown: The 12-part series that tells the story of American history is collected here along with a special 400-page collectible book filled with facts, stories, maps and more. A must for the history buff on your list.

WWII in HD
Studio: A&E
Number of Discs: 4
Format: Blu-Ray
Available for: $46
The Lowdown: This stunning, four-disc set culls archival footage from more than 3,000 hours of footage unearthed after an exhaustive national search to tell the story of World War II through the memories and experiences of 12 Americans who were there. The set includes two additional specials, “The Battle for Iwo Jima,” featuring previously unseen footage, and “WWII in HD: The Air War,” which chronicles the American troops 8th Air Force battle with the German Lutwaffe.

Sports TV

Yankeeography: Pinstripe Legends Collection
Studio: A&E
Number of Discs: 16
Format: DVD
Available for: $150
The Lowdown: Love them or hate them, fans of the New York Yankees are outspoken, passionate and loyal to a fault about their favorite team, and this gorgeous boxed set is a love letter to them. “Yankeeography” includes a handsome 30-page collector’s book with 16 discs filled with 48 episodes of the sports series, which clocks in at a staggering 44-plus hours worth of Yankee player and team facts, interviews, stories and championship celebrations.

The Official Major League Baseball World Series Film Collection
Studio: A&E
Number of Discs: 20
Format: DVD
Available for: $115
The Lowdown: Thorough and exhaustive, this 20-disc set covers 66 years of America’s Game, culling footage from championship series and some of the most thrilling World Series games and matchups ever played. The collection includes a 56-page pictorial essay on the game, plus more than 50 hours of highlight reel thrills.

UFC: Ultimate Fight Collection 2011
Studio: Anchor Bay
Number of Discs: 20
Format: DVD
Available for: $80
The Lowdown: Here’s what fight fans need to know: 170 fights, culled over a year from 2010 to 2011. 50 hours. 20 discs. You get the guys who put butts in seats, from Lesnar to GSP to Velasquez to Silva. Here’s what you don’t get, though, according to some mild criticism – all the fights from every pay-per-view and UFC special that the bouts were pulled from – and they’re not in order. Other than that, this is a hell of a set filled with some amazing fights from some seriously talented competitors.

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