Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with this year's Holiday Shopping Guide. It's a big one this year, with lots of great things for geeks. From cheap to ungodly expensive, from DVDs to Art to Electronics to collectibles... the below is a comprehensive list of goodies culled from my own personal tastes, what I've found this year and what you guys have suggested. This is a fun one to window shop with or use as an idea machine for gifts. Each picture is a link that you can click through. Many links will go to Amazon, picked for their great and easy return policy, overall low prices and free shipping options. I get a couple pennies if you click through and buy an Amazon item, but Amazon's who I use when I have my own shopping to do. Speaking of Amazon, they have some mysterious goings on surrounding Black Friday. I'm not exactly sure what's up, but check out their Black Friday page here! However, I always suggest shopping around for better deals. In fact, one of my other favorite online retailers is DeepDiscount and I thought I'd give you a heads up before the article even started... Through November 25th they have an extra 20% off codeword sale. Enter either DDAF or SUPERSALE into the Codeword box when checking out to get 20% off of your order. I think this is a one time use thing, so make sure to bulk all the DVDs you want together when you check out. I got all the Kubrick movies in HD for around $17 a pop using it. The hundreds of suggestions below are broken down by category (DVD, BOOKS, TOYS, ART, etc) and each category is broken down by price. Here's the price system: CHEAP - Items $24.99 and under MODERATE - Items $25.00-$70.99 EXPENSIVE - Items $71.00-$499.99 And FOR THE SUPER RICH ONLY - Items $500.00 and up Without any further ado, let's begin! Enjoy!
DVDS
CHEAP ($24.99 and under)
I know I may be alone in this, but this DVD release is the single happiest DVD release this year for me. My childhood love of this film has stayed with me all my years and I still love this film. The DVD is fantastic, packed with commentaries, behind the scenes and interviews. Yeah, I get a shout-out, so that's cool, too, but honestly I'm just happy to have this on my DVD shelf finally. $14.99 at Amazon.
PINOCCHIO and PETER PAN are my favorite Disney movies, but JUNGLE BOOK is way up there, probably near ROBIN HOOD and SWORD IN THE STONE. This is a great 2-disc DVD and since Disney hasn't announced any high-def releases for this title, it's well worth the pick-up, especially for any kids you're shopping for. $14.99 at Amazon.
This is an awesome set. Two hours of the best of The Colbert Report, which is in its infancy as a show, but already has so many gems that there's no filler in this set. If you haven't been regular with the Report, then this is a must own. I thought I'd seen most of the episodes, but a whole lot was new to me. In fact, I better go add the Report to my DVR so I don't miss any more when the strike is over... $14.99 at Amazon.
I almost didn't include this title in the Guide, but I was just sent it for review and I had it on in the background as I was working on this. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I really do love the third film in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN TRILOGY. The 2-disc set comes packed with docs, a gorgeous almost high-def quality transfer and a nice little blooper reel. No commentaries, unfortunately, but you get a lot of bang for your buck. $22.99 for Standard Def and $23.95 for the Blu-Ray (an obvious pick over the SD if you have a Blu-Ray player).
ONCE is one of my favorite movies of the year. If you want to really impress the girlfriend or wife give this one to her. One of the most romantic movies of the year. Trust me, it's a great move. The DVD is released December 18th, just enough time to get it under the tree.$19.99 at Amazon.
Hands down the funniest movie of the year. SUPERBAD rocks so hard. Don't skimp and get the no-extras version, go for the 2-discer at $22.99 or spend the extra $6 and get the Blu-Ray version at $28.95 if you have a BR player. This one hits shelves December 4th and you can pre-order by using the above links.
MODERATE ($25.00-$70.99)
This is the best DVD set on the guide this year. The Final Cut is incredible and as a gift it's the most affordable badass DVD super awesome set available. Three different cuts of the movie, a feature length documentary, a Spinner car replica, Unicorn figure, photo cards... the works. Standard Def is $54.99, but honestly... with this title, I'd say either buy High Def or wait until you figure out if you're going Blue or Red. HD-DVD is $66.95 and Blu-Ray is also $66.95.
This is a good one to get for a horror friend who has it all. This set put out by Warner Bros got very little publicity and has some great cheesy '80s stuff in it and some genuinely good movies. My favorite in the set is EYES OF A STRANGER, one of Jennifer Jason Leigh's first movies where she plays a blind girl stalked by a killer. You also get Oliver Stone's THE HAND starring Michael Caine (with commentary by Stone), John Carpenter's TV movie SOMEONE IS WATCHING ME (a good double feature with EYES OF A STRANGER, actually), DR. GIGGLES, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE and Wes Craven's absolutely ridiculous post NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET cheesefest called DEADLY FRIEND where the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets a robot's brain and gets revenge on the neighborhood assholes, including Mama Fratelli. All this for $37.99 at Amazon.
This is one where I'm genuinely jealous of the Blu-Ray owners. I have an HD-DVD player and when this hit alongside the Anchor Bay horror flicks... well, that was the only time I wasn't completely satisfied with my high def choice. For $32.95 you can get the Blu-Ray of one of Spielberg's best movies, with multiple cuts and special features. $28.99 for the Standard Def set.
CEOTTK is a much better movie, but I have to say that the HD transfer on the HD-DVD exclusive TRANSFORMERS is one of the best I've seen in high def period. Like it or loathe it, Michael Bay made a gigantic visual spectacle and it looks brilliant in HD. $27.95 for the HD-DVD and $22.99 for the Standard Def.
I have the image and link up there for the Standard Def Kubrick Box set. It's a great gift set with great films at $69.99, but if you're going to Double-Dip, then save it for the High Def Versions. I ordered them all on HD and am anxiously awaiting them. It sucks they're not all in one big set in high-def, but you can purchase them individually in both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. The Shining ($19.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. FULL METAL JACKET ($18.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. 2001 ($19.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. EYES WIDE SHUT ($19.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE ($19.95 in and Blu-Ray.
I loved the complete first season of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. It's fascinating seeing every single sketch as it originally aired, in that order, with every moment with every guest host... fascinating and there were some gems even there that hadn't been milked to death on the Best Ofs. Can't wait to explore Season 2. $45.49 at Amazon.
I reaaaalllly want to check this out. I've never sat down and watched all of TWIN PEAKS. I've seen most of the show, but I'd love to rediscover it with this impressive looking set. For the weirdo in your family (if it isn't you). $69.99 at Amazon.
EXPENSIVE ($71.00-$499.99)
These look great in High-Def. But if you're still not wanting to jump into the high-def pool, Paramount released these as Combo-discs, so you get Standard Def as well. I never got the original releases, so the upgrade to HD wasn't an issue. It's a bit pricey set, but you get the classic series in high def with a lot of extra features plus neat packaging. $132.95 at Amazon.
They've also packed up the entire series of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION into one giant massive set. There are a ton of these hitting the market this holiday season. I guess the studios are at the sweet spot where they've released all seasons of their popular library shows, so this is the last step before they can start releasing them again in High Def. The complete TNG set is $297.99 at Amazon.
I'm really looking forward to this set in HD-DVD. They're also releasing it Standard Def ($83.99), but I don't see the point of paying a high price for a single package of previously released Standard Def discs, so the above picture and link is for the HD-DVD set at $104.95. Blu-Ray is also getting Potter at the same price. For that you get all 5 released Harry Potter films in high def, some sweet-ass packaged bonuses and new features.
Here's another "Complete Run of Episodes" box sets. Drastically discounted and packaged together are 10 seasons of Mulder and Scully for your viewing pleasure. 61 discs, Holy Crap! $230.99 at Amazon.
I never was a huge Seinfeld fan, to be perfectly honest, but I respect what it is. This was easily the most recommend DVD set from the readers, so it gets a spot here. Every single episode gathered in one place!$205.99 new at Amazon.
I just got this set. I'm really eager to dive into it as I haven't seen any of the Young Indiana Jones episodes since they aired. I remember loving them, but specifics are hazy. Hopefully it's a good rediscover (like EERIE, INDIANA) and not a bad one (GREATEST AMERICAN HERO). Volume 1 (The Early Years) is out now for $79.99 at Amazon and...
Volume 2 hits December 18th and is a tad more expensive (I guess you're paying for more Sean Patrick Flannery) at $90.99
This movie is damned fun. Watch as the boys play great music as Ringo's finger is constant jeopardy of being removed forcibly in order for a blood cult to get the sacrificial ring he somehow is wearing. Not as good A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, but it's still great. Add on to that a brilliant transfer and a ton of goodies (posters, photo cards, a hard-bound version of the script with director Richard Lester's own notes) you get one impressive gift for the Beatles nut in your household. $89.99 at Amazon.
If you were smart you didn't buy any of the remastered James Bond flicks that hit last year. I admit to picking up a few singles, my favorite Bonds... FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, DR. NO, THUNDERBALL and GOLDENEYE, so I'll probably wait until they hit us with the high def versions in a year or two, but I can't deny this is a great deal. 42 discs with every James Bond film from Dr. No to CASINO ROYALE at $205.99 at Amazon.
This is pretty neat for you richers out there. United Artists is releasing a couple of different packages with some library titles. The one pictured above is the 46-disc 30 film package at $202.99. Here's what you get with that:
Disc 1: Marty P&S
Disc 2: Twelve Angry Men WS
Disc 3: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 1
Disc 4: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 2
Disc 5: The Alamo WS
Disc 6: The Apartment WS
Disc 7: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 1
Disc 8: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 2
Disc 9: Judgment at Nuremberg WS
Disc 10: Westside Story WS Disc 1
Disc 11: Westside Story WS Disc 2
Disc 12: Birdman of Alcatraz WS
Disc 13: Dr. No WS Disc 1
Disc 14: Dr. No WS Disc 2
Disc 15: Manchurian Candidate WS
Disc 16: The Great Escape WS Disc 1
Disc 17: The Great Escape WS Disc 2
Disc 18: The Pink Panther WS
Disc 19: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 1
Disc 20: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 2
Disc 21: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly WS Disc 1
Disc 22: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly WS Disc 2
Disc 23: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 1
Disc 24: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 2
Disc 25: Thomas Crown Affair (1968) WS
Disc 26: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 1
Disc 27: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 2
Disc 28: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 1
Disc 29: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 2
Disc 30: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 1
Disc 31: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 2
Disc 32: Rocky WS Disc 1
Disc 33: Rocky WS Disc 2
Disc 34: Annie Hall P&S
Disc 35: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 1
Disc 36: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 2
Disc 37: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 1
Disc 38: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 2
Disc 39: Raging Bull WS Disc 1
Disc 40: Raging Bull WS Disc 2
Disc 41: Rain Man WS
Disc 42: Manchurian Candidate WS
Disc 43: Goldeneye WS
Disc 44: The Birdcage WS
Disc 45: Bowling for Columbine WS
Disc 46: Hotel Rwanda WS
Lots of great titles in there and the packaging is fantastic. It's like a film history book where you can learn about each film, then pull it out to watch.
This is the pricier version, known as The Prestige Collection and sits about 3 times more expensive ($608.99), but you get 3 times the movies, a total of 90 films in 110 discs. Here's the rundown on those films:
Disc 1: The Woman In The Window P&S Disc 2: Red River P&S Disc 3: The Barefoot Contessa P&S Disc 4: Marty P&S Disc 5: The Night of the Hunter WS Disc 6: Dance with Me Henry P&S Disc 7: The Killing P&S Disc 8: Moby Dick P&S Disc 9: Twelve Angry Men WS Disc 10: Paths of Glory P&S Disc 11: Witness For The Prosecution WS Disc 12: The Big Country WS Disc 13: The Defiant Ones WS Disc 14: I Want To Live! WS Disc 15: A Hole In The Head WS Disc 16: The Fugitive Kind WS Disc 17: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 1 Disc 18: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 2 Disc 19: The Alamo WS Disc 20: The Apartment WS Disc 21: Elmer Gantry WS Disc 22: Inherit The Wind WS Disc 23: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 1 Disc 24: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 2 Disc 25: Judgment at Nuremberg WS Disc 26: The Misfits WS Disc 27: One, Two, Three WS Disc 28: Pocketful of Miracles WS Disc 29: Westside Story Disc 1 WS Disc 30: Westside Story Disc 2 Disc 31: Birdman of Alcatraz WS Disc 32: Dr. No WS Disc 1 Disc 33: Dr. No WS Disc 2 Disc 34: Manchurian Candidate WS Disc 35: The Miracle Worker WS Disc 36: The Great Escape WS Disc 1 Disc 37: The Great Escape WS Disc 2 Disc 38: I Could Go On Singing WS Disc 39: Irma La Douce WS Disc 40: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World WS Disc 41: Fistful of Dollars WS Disc 1 Disc 42: Fistful of Dollars WS Disc 2 Disc 43: The Pink Panther WS Disc 44: Topkapi WS Disc 45: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 1 Disc 46: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 2 Disc 47: The Fortune Cookie WS Disc 48: Persona P&S Disc 49: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Disc 1 WS Disc 50: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Disc 2 Disc 51: In The Heat of the Night WS Disc 52: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 1 Disc 53: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 2 Disc 54: Hang 'Em High WS Disc 55: Thomas Crown Affair (1968) WS Disc 56: Yours, Mine and Ours P&S Disc 57: Fellini Satyricon WS Disc 58: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 1 Disc 59: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 2 Disc 60: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 1 Disc 61: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 2 Disc 62: On Her Majesty's Secret Service WS Disc 1 Disc 63: On Her Majesty's Secret Service WS Disc 2 Disc 64: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 1 Disc 65: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 2 Disc 66: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex P&S Disc 67: Last Tango In Paris WS Disc 68: Lenny WS Disc 69: The Wilby Conspiracy WS Disc 70: Carrie WS Disc 71: The Missouri Breaks WS Disc 72: The Pink Panther Strikes Again WS Disc 73: Rocky WS Disc 1 Disc 74: Rocky WS Disc 2 Disc 75: Annie Hall P&S Disc 76: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 1 Disc 77: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 2 Disc 78: Equus WS Disc 79: New York, New York WS Disc 80: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 1 Disc 81: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 2 Disc 82: Coming Home WS Disc 83: La Cage Aux Folles WS Disc 84: The Last Waltz P&S Disc 85: Manhattan WS Disc 86: Raging Bull WS Disc 1 Disc 87: Raging Bull WS Disc 2 Disc 88: The French Lieutenant's Woman WS Disc 89: Heaven's Gate WS Disc 90: The Secret of the NIMH WS Disc 91: War games WS Disc 92: Red Dawn WS Disc 1 Disc 93: Red Dawn WS Disc 2 Disc 94: The Living Daylights - Disc 1 Disc 95: The Living Daylights - Disc 2 Disc 96: Baby Boom WS Disc 97: Child's Play Disc 98: Rain Man WS Disc 99: Road House WS Disc 100: Goldeneye WS Disc 1 Disc 101: Goldeneye WS Disc 2 Disc 102: Leaving Las Vegas WS Disc 103: Richard III WS Disc 104: The Birdcage WS Disc 105: The Man In The Iron Mask WS Disc 106: No Man's Land WS Disc 107: Bowling for Columbine WS Disc 108: Dark Blue WS Disc 109: Pieces of April WS Disc 110: Hotel Rwanda WS
CLOTHES
CHEAP ($24.99 and under)
This is a new part of the column. There were just too many great options this year, so the category was born. And what a way to kick it off. An 8-Bit tie for only $19.99 from thinkgeek.
What many people hold is Eli Roth's best work ever... from GRINDHOUSE, we have a T-shirt at Hot Topic for his trailer: Thanksgiving. Sorry for the small picture, but it's a pretty rad shirt. $13.50.
MODERATE ($25.00-$70.99)
Blinking Transformers shirts. Proudly display your Decepticon logo for 20 pounds.
Another one from thinkgeek. This time we have a shirt that actually detects wifi signals and signal strength. Why not? $29.99.
This is another batch of import shirts, from a UK company called Bonaroo.co.uk. At 14.99 pounds and 5 pounds shipping you can get some awesome movie related T-Shirts. I have the Quint one above (naturally) and the first of the following two images. They have everything from SHAUN OF THE DEAD to EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE. Check out the below shirt designs for more!
TECHNOLOGY
EXPENSIVE ($71.00-$499.99)
At $279.99 the 360 Arcade bundle is a helluva deal. Massively cheaper and the first (affordable) 360 to come with built in HDMi for true 1080p picture. If you were waiting to get a 360, this is a great way to get into the system.
The PS3 has also dropped its price, now it's down to $399 and you get SPIDER-MAN 3 in Blu-Ray with it. For the game selection, it's still not worth it for me personally, but I'm thinking one more price drop might finally get a Blu-Ray player in my house...
Amazingly, the Nintendo Wii is about as hard to get as it was this time last year upon its release. I'm at an electronics store at least twice a week and I've only ever seen Wii's in stock twice since they came out. How incredible is that? No one online has it stocked, but maybe on Black Friday there'll be an influx when you're hitting Best Buy to try to get a $300 laptop.
This is the DS I bought... albeit I bought the Brain Age 2 bundle, but I couldn't find that available to link to online. $129.99 as a standalone system. However you might want grab up one of the upcoming Zelda Phantom Hourglass bundles.
Wow, you say. $99 for a 2 gig SD memory card? That's expensive! You're right, but this ain't no regular memory card. This is the future. Eye-Fi is what they're calling it and it wirelessly transfers any photos you take to your computer. If you set it up in advance you can even have it set up to wirelessly transmit to a photo page online as you snap. How cool is that?
This holiday season is all about high def. What happens this buying season could very well determine the outcome of the format war... Word is Warner Bros is looking at going exclusive one way or the other. So, I'll feature both HD and Blu-Ray. Here's the cheapest of the two, Toshiba's HD-A3 standing at New at $187.04. That's 1080i output and 7 free HD-DVDs with purchase (5 with a mail-in rebate and 300 & THE BOURNE IDENTITY packaged with the player).
The best Blu-Ray Player deal is still the PS3, but the cheapest stand alone player I've found is the BDP-S300 which is on sale for $399.00. I'm sure there's a 5 Blu-Ray mail in deal, but if you want the best value... there's rumor that this weekend Wal-Mart will be offering 10 Free Blu-Ray movies (under $30) with the purchase of the $499 80 Gig PS3, and you get 5 free mail-in movies on top of that. So that's the best value, but for stand-alone players I think the BDP-S300 is the cheapest on the market.
Okay, I'm going to be one of those guys. I walked into Cingular a few months ago. My cheap-ass Go-Phone's battery was dying. The cute girl who was helping me disappeared in the back to find my battery. I started playing with the iPhone on display. She came back out and said the battery is out of stock and I could check out some battery store somewhere in who-knows-where Austin... I am weak-willed and even though I probably didn't have it spend, I walked out with an iPhone and haven't regretted it one bit since. I love it. $399.00 at Apple's website, but you might want to try for a refurbished iPhone which is about $50 off and comes with the exact same warranty.
Wow, this looks out of place... A kind of classy clock in the middle of this geeky guide. What makes this worthy of being included? How about this... it's a talking clock. Want one better? It talks with Stephen Fry's voice. No shit. click the pic above and you can hear the wake-up alarm. You have to import it from the UK, but it's not too bad. 39 pounds.
Now, I have no idea how much lamp will cost... it's in the "concept stage" according to the above website, but all I know is that it's totally badass and I want one really badly. It's the cow, I think... So far this is strictly window-shopping, but keep tabs on it.
That little device above will disrupt cell phone reception for about 30 feet. Now, that's not exactly legal, so I, of course, do not condone buying this product and using it in a public place like... say... a movie theater when some inconsiderate douchebag decides to carry on a conversation or text all during a movie. I can not condone that at all. Even at the relatively low price of $149.99.
FOR THE SUPER RICH ONLY ($500 and up)
Yes, that is R2-D2 the projector. It's expensive and I doubt it projects in HD... but it's R2... and he projects movies... and has an iPod dock. $2500... but the coolest thing... are the tie in surround sound speakers (forgive the pun). Check them below... I don't know exactly where you can get these, but I'd want them independently from the system. How cool would that be?
2007 HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE PART 2 - BOOKS, COMICS, TOYS AND VIDEO GAMES!!!
2007 HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE PART 3 - COLLECTIBLES, MUSIC, ART and RICH STUFF!!!
CHEAP ($24.99 and under)
I know I may be alone in this, but this DVD release is the single happiest DVD release this year for me. My childhood love of this film has stayed with me all my years and I still love this film. The DVD is fantastic, packed with commentaries, behind the scenes and interviews. Yeah, I get a shout-out, so that's cool, too, but honestly I'm just happy to have this on my DVD shelf finally. $14.99 at Amazon.
PINOCCHIO and PETER PAN are my favorite Disney movies, but JUNGLE BOOK is way up there, probably near ROBIN HOOD and SWORD IN THE STONE. This is a great 2-disc DVD and since Disney hasn't announced any high-def releases for this title, it's well worth the pick-up, especially for any kids you're shopping for. $14.99 at Amazon.
This is an awesome set. Two hours of the best of The Colbert Report, which is in its infancy as a show, but already has so many gems that there's no filler in this set. If you haven't been regular with the Report, then this is a must own. I thought I'd seen most of the episodes, but a whole lot was new to me. In fact, I better go add the Report to my DVR so I don't miss any more when the strike is over... $14.99 at Amazon.
I almost didn't include this title in the Guide, but I was just sent it for review and I had it on in the background as I was working on this. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I really do love the third film in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN TRILOGY. The 2-disc set comes packed with docs, a gorgeous almost high-def quality transfer and a nice little blooper reel. No commentaries, unfortunately, but you get a lot of bang for your buck. $22.99 for Standard Def and $23.95 for the Blu-Ray (an obvious pick over the SD if you have a Blu-Ray player).
ONCE is one of my favorite movies of the year. If you want to really impress the girlfriend or wife give this one to her. One of the most romantic movies of the year. Trust me, it's a great move. The DVD is released December 18th, just enough time to get it under the tree.$19.99 at Amazon.
Hands down the funniest movie of the year. SUPERBAD rocks so hard. Don't skimp and get the no-extras version, go for the 2-discer at $22.99 or spend the extra $6 and get the Blu-Ray version at $28.95 if you have a BR player. This one hits shelves December 4th and you can pre-order by using the above links.
MODERATE ($25.00-$70.99)
This is the best DVD set on the guide this year. The Final Cut is incredible and as a gift it's the most affordable badass DVD super awesome set available. Three different cuts of the movie, a feature length documentary, a Spinner car replica, Unicorn figure, photo cards... the works. Standard Def is $54.99, but honestly... with this title, I'd say either buy High Def or wait until you figure out if you're going Blue or Red. HD-DVD is $66.95 and Blu-Ray is also $66.95.
This is a good one to get for a horror friend who has it all. This set put out by Warner Bros got very little publicity and has some great cheesy '80s stuff in it and some genuinely good movies. My favorite in the set is EYES OF A STRANGER, one of Jennifer Jason Leigh's first movies where she plays a blind girl stalked by a killer. You also get Oliver Stone's THE HAND starring Michael Caine (with commentary by Stone), John Carpenter's TV movie SOMEONE IS WATCHING ME (a good double feature with EYES OF A STRANGER, actually), DR. GIGGLES, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE and Wes Craven's absolutely ridiculous post NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET cheesefest called DEADLY FRIEND where the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets a robot's brain and gets revenge on the neighborhood assholes, including Mama Fratelli. All this for $37.99 at Amazon.
This is one where I'm genuinely jealous of the Blu-Ray owners. I have an HD-DVD player and when this hit alongside the Anchor Bay horror flicks... well, that was the only time I wasn't completely satisfied with my high def choice. For $32.95 you can get the Blu-Ray of one of Spielberg's best movies, with multiple cuts and special features. $28.99 for the Standard Def set.
CEOTTK is a much better movie, but I have to say that the HD transfer on the HD-DVD exclusive TRANSFORMERS is one of the best I've seen in high def period. Like it or loathe it, Michael Bay made a gigantic visual spectacle and it looks brilliant in HD. $27.95 for the HD-DVD and $22.99 for the Standard Def.
I have the image and link up there for the Standard Def Kubrick Box set. It's a great gift set with great films at $69.99, but if you're going to Double-Dip, then save it for the High Def Versions. I ordered them all on HD and am anxiously awaiting them. It sucks they're not all in one big set in high-def, but you can purchase them individually in both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. The Shining ($19.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. FULL METAL JACKET ($18.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. 2001 ($19.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. EYES WIDE SHUT ($19.95 for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE ($19.95 in and Blu-Ray.
I loved the complete first season of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. It's fascinating seeing every single sketch as it originally aired, in that order, with every moment with every guest host... fascinating and there were some gems even there that hadn't been milked to death on the Best Ofs. Can't wait to explore Season 2. $45.49 at Amazon.
I reaaaalllly want to check this out. I've never sat down and watched all of TWIN PEAKS. I've seen most of the show, but I'd love to rediscover it with this impressive looking set. For the weirdo in your family (if it isn't you). $69.99 at Amazon.
EXPENSIVE ($71.00-$499.99)
These look great in High-Def. But if you're still not wanting to jump into the high-def pool, Paramount released these as Combo-discs, so you get Standard Def as well. I never got the original releases, so the upgrade to HD wasn't an issue. It's a bit pricey set, but you get the classic series in high def with a lot of extra features plus neat packaging. $132.95 at Amazon.
They've also packed up the entire series of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION into one giant massive set. There are a ton of these hitting the market this holiday season. I guess the studios are at the sweet spot where they've released all seasons of their popular library shows, so this is the last step before they can start releasing them again in High Def. The complete TNG set is $297.99 at Amazon.
I'm really looking forward to this set in HD-DVD. They're also releasing it Standard Def ($83.99), but I don't see the point of paying a high price for a single package of previously released Standard Def discs, so the above picture and link is for the HD-DVD set at $104.95. Blu-Ray is also getting Potter at the same price. For that you get all 5 released Harry Potter films in high def, some sweet-ass packaged bonuses and new features.
Here's another "Complete Run of Episodes" box sets. Drastically discounted and packaged together are 10 seasons of Mulder and Scully for your viewing pleasure. 61 discs, Holy Crap! $230.99 at Amazon.
I never was a huge Seinfeld fan, to be perfectly honest, but I respect what it is. This was easily the most recommend DVD set from the readers, so it gets a spot here. Every single episode gathered in one place!$205.99 new at Amazon.
I just got this set. I'm really eager to dive into it as I haven't seen any of the Young Indiana Jones episodes since they aired. I remember loving them, but specifics are hazy. Hopefully it's a good rediscover (like EERIE, INDIANA) and not a bad one (GREATEST AMERICAN HERO). Volume 1 (The Early Years) is out now for $79.99 at Amazon and...
Volume 2 hits December 18th and is a tad more expensive (I guess you're paying for more Sean Patrick Flannery) at $90.99
This movie is damned fun. Watch as the boys play great music as Ringo's finger is constant jeopardy of being removed forcibly in order for a blood cult to get the sacrificial ring he somehow is wearing. Not as good A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, but it's still great. Add on to that a brilliant transfer and a ton of goodies (posters, photo cards, a hard-bound version of the script with director Richard Lester's own notes) you get one impressive gift for the Beatles nut in your household. $89.99 at Amazon.
If you were smart you didn't buy any of the remastered James Bond flicks that hit last year. I admit to picking up a few singles, my favorite Bonds... FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, DR. NO, THUNDERBALL and GOLDENEYE, so I'll probably wait until they hit us with the high def versions in a year or two, but I can't deny this is a great deal. 42 discs with every James Bond film from Dr. No to CASINO ROYALE at $205.99 at Amazon.
This is pretty neat for you richers out there. United Artists is releasing a couple of different packages with some library titles. The one pictured above is the 46-disc 30 film package at $202.99. Here's what you get with that:
I loved the complete first season of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. It's fascinating seeing every single sketch as it originally aired, in that order, with every moment with every guest host... fascinating and there were some gems even there that hadn't been milked to death on the Best Ofs. Can't wait to explore Season 2. $45.49 at Amazon.
I reaaaalllly want to check this out. I've never sat down and watched all of TWIN PEAKS. I've seen most of the show, but I'd love to rediscover it with this impressive looking set. For the weirdo in your family (if it isn't you). $69.99 at Amazon.
EXPENSIVE ($71.00-$499.99)
These look great in High-Def. But if you're still not wanting to jump into the high-def pool, Paramount released these as Combo-discs, so you get Standard Def as well. I never got the original releases, so the upgrade to HD wasn't an issue. It's a bit pricey set, but you get the classic series in high def with a lot of extra features plus neat packaging. $132.95 at Amazon.
They've also packed up the entire series of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION into one giant massive set. There are a ton of these hitting the market this holiday season. I guess the studios are at the sweet spot where they've released all seasons of their popular library shows, so this is the last step before they can start releasing them again in High Def. The complete TNG set is $297.99 at Amazon.
I'm really looking forward to this set in HD-DVD. They're also releasing it Standard Def ($83.99), but I don't see the point of paying a high price for a single package of previously released Standard Def discs, so the above picture and link is for the HD-DVD set at $104.95. Blu-Ray is also getting Potter at the same price. For that you get all 5 released Harry Potter films in high def, some sweet-ass packaged bonuses and new features.
Here's another "Complete Run of Episodes" box sets. Drastically discounted and packaged together are 10 seasons of Mulder and Scully for your viewing pleasure. 61 discs, Holy Crap! $230.99 at Amazon.
I never was a huge Seinfeld fan, to be perfectly honest, but I respect what it is. This was easily the most recommend DVD set from the readers, so it gets a spot here. Every single episode gathered in one place!$205.99 new at Amazon.
I just got this set. I'm really eager to dive into it as I haven't seen any of the Young Indiana Jones episodes since they aired. I remember loving them, but specifics are hazy. Hopefully it's a good rediscover (like EERIE, INDIANA) and not a bad one (GREATEST AMERICAN HERO). Volume 1 (The Early Years) is out now for $79.99 at Amazon and...
Volume 2 hits December 18th and is a tad more expensive (I guess you're paying for more Sean Patrick Flannery) at $90.99
This movie is damned fun. Watch as the boys play great music as Ringo's finger is constant jeopardy of being removed forcibly in order for a blood cult to get the sacrificial ring he somehow is wearing. Not as good A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, but it's still great. Add on to that a brilliant transfer and a ton of goodies (posters, photo cards, a hard-bound version of the script with director Richard Lester's own notes) you get one impressive gift for the Beatles nut in your household. $89.99 at Amazon.
If you were smart you didn't buy any of the remastered James Bond flicks that hit last year. I admit to picking up a few singles, my favorite Bonds... FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, DR. NO, THUNDERBALL and GOLDENEYE, so I'll probably wait until they hit us with the high def versions in a year or two, but I can't deny this is a great deal. 42 discs with every James Bond film from Dr. No to CASINO ROYALE at $205.99 at Amazon.
This is pretty neat for you richers out there. United Artists is releasing a couple of different packages with some library titles. The one pictured above is the 46-disc 30 film package at $202.99. Here's what you get with that:
Disc 1: Marty P&S Disc 2: Twelve Angry Men WS Disc 3: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 1 Disc 4: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 2 Disc 5: The Alamo WS Disc 6: The Apartment WS Disc 7: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 1 Disc 8: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 2 Disc 9: Judgment at Nuremberg WS Disc 10: Westside Story WS Disc 1 Disc 11: Westside Story WS Disc 2 Disc 12: Birdman of Alcatraz WS Disc 13: Dr. No WS Disc 1 Disc 14: Dr. No WS Disc 2 Disc 15: Manchurian Candidate WS Disc 16: The Great Escape WS Disc 1 Disc 17: The Great Escape WS Disc 2 Disc 18: The Pink Panther WS Disc 19: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 1 Disc 20: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 2 Disc 21: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly WS Disc 1 Disc 22: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly WS Disc 2 Disc 23: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 1 Disc 24: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 2 Disc 25: Thomas Crown Affair (1968) WS Disc 26: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 1 Disc 27: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 2 Disc 28: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 1 Disc 29: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 2 Disc 30: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 1 Disc 31: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 2 Disc 32: Rocky WS Disc 1 Disc 33: Rocky WS Disc 2 Disc 34: Annie Hall P&S Disc 35: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 1 Disc 36: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 2 Disc 37: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 1 Disc 38: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 2 Disc 39: Raging Bull WS Disc 1 Disc 40: Raging Bull WS Disc 2 Disc 41: Rain Man WS Disc 42: Manchurian Candidate WS Disc 43: Goldeneye WS Disc 44: The Birdcage WS Disc 45: Bowling for Columbine WS Disc 46: Hotel Rwanda WS
Lots of great titles in there and the packaging is fantastic. It's like a film history book where you can learn about each film, then pull it out to watch.
This is the pricier version, known as The Prestige Collection and sits about 3 times more expensive ($608.99), but you get 3 times the movies, a total of 90 films in 110 discs. Here's the rundown on those films:
Disc 1: The Woman In The Window P&S Disc 2: Red River P&S Disc 3: The Barefoot Contessa P&S Disc 4: Marty P&S Disc 5: The Night of the Hunter WS Disc 6: Dance with Me Henry P&S Disc 7: The Killing P&S Disc 8: Moby Dick P&S Disc 9: Twelve Angry Men WS Disc 10: Paths of Glory P&S Disc 11: Witness For The Prosecution WS Disc 12: The Big Country WS Disc 13: The Defiant Ones WS Disc 14: I Want To Live! WS Disc 15: A Hole In The Head WS Disc 16: The Fugitive Kind WS Disc 17: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 1 Disc 18: Some Like It Hot WS Disc 2 Disc 19: The Alamo WS Disc 20: The Apartment WS Disc 21: Elmer Gantry WS Disc 22: Inherit The Wind WS Disc 23: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 1 Disc 24: The Magnificent Seven WS Disc 2 Disc 25: Judgment at Nuremberg WS Disc 26: The Misfits WS Disc 27: One, Two, Three WS Disc 28: Pocketful of Miracles WS Disc 29: Westside Story Disc 1 WS Disc 30: Westside Story Disc 2 Disc 31: Birdman of Alcatraz WS Disc 32: Dr. No WS Disc 1 Disc 33: Dr. No WS Disc 2 Disc 34: Manchurian Candidate WS Disc 35: The Miracle Worker WS Disc 36: The Great Escape WS Disc 1 Disc 37: The Great Escape WS Disc 2 Disc 38: I Could Go On Singing WS Disc 39: Irma La Douce WS Disc 40: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World WS Disc 41: Fistful of Dollars WS Disc 1 Disc 42: Fistful of Dollars WS Disc 2 Disc 43: The Pink Panther WS Disc 44: Topkapi WS Disc 45: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 1 Disc 46: The Greatest Story Ever Told WS Disc 2 Disc 47: The Fortune Cookie WS Disc 48: Persona P&S Disc 49: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Disc 1 WS Disc 50: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Disc 2 Disc 51: In The Heat of the Night WS Disc 52: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 1 Disc 53: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang WS Disc 2 Disc 54: Hang 'Em High WS Disc 55: Thomas Crown Affair (1968) WS Disc 56: Yours, Mine and Ours P&S Disc 57: Fellini Satyricon WS Disc 58: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 1 Disc 59: The Battle of Britain WS Disc 2 Disc 60: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 1 Disc 61: Midnight Cowboy WS Disc 2 Disc 62: On Her Majesty's Secret Service WS Disc 1 Disc 63: On Her Majesty's Secret Service WS Disc 2 Disc 64: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 1 Disc 65: Fiddler on the Roof WS Disc 2 Disc 66: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex P&S Disc 67: Last Tango In Paris WS Disc 68: Lenny WS Disc 69: The Wilby Conspiracy WS Disc 70: Carrie WS Disc 71: The Missouri Breaks WS Disc 72: The Pink Panther Strikes Again WS Disc 73: Rocky WS Disc 1 Disc 74: Rocky WS Disc 2 Disc 75: Annie Hall P&S Disc 76: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 1 Disc 77: A Bridge Too Far WS Disc 2 Disc 78: Equus WS Disc 79: New York, New York WS Disc 80: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 1 Disc 81: The Spy Who Loved Me WS Disc 2 Disc 82: Coming Home WS Disc 83: La Cage Aux Folles WS Disc 84: The Last Waltz P&S Disc 85: Manhattan WS Disc 86: Raging Bull WS Disc 1 Disc 87: Raging Bull WS Disc 2 Disc 88: The French Lieutenant's Woman WS Disc 89: Heaven's Gate WS Disc 90: The Secret of the NIMH WS Disc 91: War games WS Disc 92: Red Dawn WS Disc 1 Disc 93: Red Dawn WS Disc 2 Disc 94: The Living Daylights - Disc 1 Disc 95: The Living Daylights - Disc 2 Disc 96: Baby Boom WS Disc 97: Child's Play Disc 98: Rain Man WS Disc 99: Road House WS Disc 100: Goldeneye WS Disc 1 Disc 101: Goldeneye WS Disc 2 Disc 102: Leaving Las Vegas WS Disc 103: Richard III WS Disc 104: The Birdcage WS Disc 105: The Man In The Iron Mask WS Disc 106: No Man's Land WS Disc 107: Bowling for Columbine WS Disc 108: Dark Blue WS Disc 109: Pieces of April WS Disc 110: Hotel Rwanda WSCLOTHES
CHEAP ($24.99 and under)
This is a new part of the column. There were just too many great options this year, so the category was born. And what a way to kick it off. An 8-Bit tie for only $19.99 from thinkgeek.
What many people hold is Eli Roth's best work ever... from GRINDHOUSE, we have a T-shirt at Hot Topic for his trailer: Thanksgiving. Sorry for the small picture, but it's a pretty rad shirt. $13.50.
MODERATE ($25.00-$70.99)
Blinking Transformers shirts. Proudly display your Decepticon logo for 20 pounds.
Another one from thinkgeek. This time we have a shirt that actually detects wifi signals and signal strength. Why not? $29.99.
This is another batch of import shirts, from a UK company called Bonaroo.co.uk. At 14.99 pounds and 5 pounds shipping you can get some awesome movie related T-Shirts. I have the Quint one above (naturally) and the first of the following two images. They have everything from SHAUN OF THE DEAD to EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE. Check out the below shirt designs for more!
TECHNOLOGY
EXPENSIVE ($71.00-$499.99)
At $279.99 the 360 Arcade bundle is a helluva deal. Massively cheaper and the first (affordable) 360 to come with built in HDMi for true 1080p picture. If you were waiting to get a 360, this is a great way to get into the system.
The PS3 has also dropped its price, now it's down to $399 and you get SPIDER-MAN 3 in Blu-Ray with it. For the game selection, it's still not worth it for me personally, but I'm thinking one more price drop might finally get a Blu-Ray player in my house...
Amazingly, the Nintendo Wii is about as hard to get as it was this time last year upon its release. I'm at an electronics store at least twice a week and I've only ever seen Wii's in stock twice since they came out. How incredible is that? No one online has it stocked, but maybe on Black Friday there'll be an influx when you're hitting Best Buy to try to get a $300 laptop.
This is the DS I bought... albeit I bought the Brain Age 2 bundle, but I couldn't find that available to link to online. $129.99 as a standalone system. However you might want grab up one of the upcoming Zelda Phantom Hourglass bundles.
Wow, you say. $99 for a 2 gig SD memory card? That's expensive! You're right, but this ain't no regular memory card. This is the future. Eye-Fi is what they're calling it and it wirelessly transfers any photos you take to your computer. If you set it up in advance you can even have it set up to wirelessly transmit to a photo page online as you snap. How cool is that?
This holiday season is all about high def. What happens this buying season could very well determine the outcome of the format war... Word is Warner Bros is looking at going exclusive one way or the other. So, I'll feature both HD and Blu-Ray. Here's the cheapest of the two, Toshiba's HD-A3 standing at New at $187.04. That's 1080i output and 7 free HD-DVDs with purchase (5 with a mail-in rebate and 300 & THE BOURNE IDENTITY packaged with the player).
The best Blu-Ray Player deal is still the PS3, but the cheapest stand alone player I've found is the BDP-S300 which is on sale for $399.00. I'm sure there's a 5 Blu-Ray mail in deal, but if you want the best value... there's rumor that this weekend Wal-Mart will be offering 10 Free Blu-Ray movies (under $30) with the purchase of the $499 80 Gig PS3, and you get 5 free mail-in movies on top of that. So that's the best value, but for stand-alone players I think the BDP-S300 is the cheapest on the market.
Okay, I'm going to be one of those guys. I walked into Cingular a few months ago. My cheap-ass Go-Phone's battery was dying. The cute girl who was helping me disappeared in the back to find my battery. I started playing with the iPhone on display. She came back out and said the battery is out of stock and I could check out some battery store somewhere in who-knows-where Austin... I am weak-willed and even though I probably didn't have it spend, I walked out with an iPhone and haven't regretted it one bit since. I love it. $399.00 at Apple's website, but you might want to try for a refurbished iPhone which is about $50 off and comes with the exact same warranty.
Wow, this looks out of place... A kind of classy clock in the middle of this geeky guide. What makes this worthy of being included? How about this... it's a talking clock. Want one better? It talks with Stephen Fry's voice. No shit. click the pic above and you can hear the wake-up alarm. You have to import it from the UK, but it's not too bad. 39 pounds.
Now, I have no idea how much lamp will cost... it's in the "concept stage" according to the above website, but all I know is that it's totally badass and I want one really badly. It's the cow, I think... So far this is strictly window-shopping, but keep tabs on it.
That little device above will disrupt cell phone reception for about 30 feet. Now, that's not exactly legal, so I, of course, do not condone buying this product and using it in a public place like... say... a movie theater when some inconsiderate douchebag decides to carry on a conversation or text all during a movie. I can not condone that at all. Even at the relatively low price of $149.99.
FOR THE SUPER RICH ONLY ($500 and up)
Yes, that is R2-D2 the projector. It's expensive and I doubt it projects in HD... but it's R2... and he projects movies... and has an iPod dock. $2500... but the coolest thing... are the tie in surround sound speakers (forgive the pun). Check them below... I don't know exactly where you can get these, but I'd want them independently from the system. How cool would that be?
2007 HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE PART 2 - BOOKS, COMICS, TOYS AND VIDEO GAMES!!! 2007 HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE PART 3 - COLLECTIBLES, MUSIC, ART and RICH STUFF!!!
