P.S. here are my lists from the last two years if you want to peek at them as well:
http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/11/ruperts-blu-raydvd-holiday-gift-guide.html
http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/11/ruperts-2012-holiday-buying-guide-for.html
Where to even start? This year has been a lovely one for Blu-ray and DVD releases across the board. All the usual players stepped up and gave us some stellar films(which were often debuting on their respective formats). I'll start with the kids of releases I saw the most of and work my way down.
WARNER ARCHIVE:
http://shop.warnerarchive.com
WAC threw their hat into the Blu-ray ring late last year and have only had a few Blus so far in 2013 but a couple are absolutely worth picking up (both from the 1990s coincidentally):
FEARLESS (1993: Peter Weir)
BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD - The Complete First Season
As for their DVD releases, WAC had a heckuva great year, putting out several great sets and many wonderful standalone DVDs as well. A few recommends:
FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD Volume 7
WHEELER AND WOOLSEY - RKO Comedy Classics Collection
VIVACIOUS LADY (1938; George Stevens)
THE NUISANCE (1933; Jack Conway)
THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944; Jean Negulesco)
LOVE ON A BET (1936; Leigh Jason)
THE MERRY WIDOW (1934; Ernst Lubitsch)
DEATH IN SMALL DOSES (1957; Joseph M. Newman)
HEY GOOD LOOKIN'(1982; Ralph Bakshi)
HARRY O: The Complete Second Season
WAC also continued their streak of releasing some fantastic old Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the 1970s and 80s:
SPACE STARS - The Complete Series
CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS - The Complete Series
HELP! IT'S THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH! - The Complete Series
THE COMPLETELY MENTAL MISADVENTURES OF ED GRIMLEY- The Complete Series
Also here are a few bits of clunky fun that I personally enjoy:
THE BEASTS ARE ON THE STREETS (1978; Peter R. Hunt)
HELLO DOWN THERE (1969; Jack Arnold)
There are obviously other Studios doing their own MOD releases, so here are a few other discs from those services that I recommend:
FOX ARCHIVES:
SONY CLASSICS:
KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (1949; Nicholas Ray)
A few Film Classics collections from TCM (these both feature the DVD debut of at least a few films):
John Ford: The Columbia Films Collection
Frank Capra: The Early Collection
Karloff: The Criminal Kind
Warner Home Video also put out several long awaited catlog titles on Blu-ray this year:
THE RIGHT STUFF (1983; Philip Kaufman)
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955; Nicholas Ray)
THE HAUNTING (1963; Robert Wise)
THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946; William Wyler)
DISNEY brought out some nice Miyazaki on Blu-ray this year:
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988; Hayao Miyazaki)
NAUSICAA AND THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (1984; Hayao Miyazaki)
HOWL'S MOVIE CASTLE (2004; Hayao Miyazaki)
Criterion put out a ton of great stuff this year as they always do. One I'd like to highloght though is one of my favorite old ghost story movies that never had a dvd (let along Blu-ray) release in the U.S. before this:
THE UNINVITED (1944; Lewis Allen)
TWILIGHT TIME:
TWILIGHT TIME is a boutique label whose output is great and on the rise in a big way in 2014. Here are some of my favorite Blu-ray releases from them this year:
THE DRIVER (1978; Walter Hill)
HARD TIMES (1975; Walter Hill)
THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN (1970; George Stevens)
LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945; John M. Stahl)
SCREAM FACTORY:
Scream Factory absolutely killed it this year with their releases. I can't list all them, but I'll give you some highlights. They have more great stuff coming in 2014 too!
THE FOG (1980; John Carpenter)
PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987; John Carpenter)
THE VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION
NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984; Thom Eberhardt)
THE HOWLING (1981; Joe Dante)
LIFEFORCE (1985; Tobe Hooper)
NINJA III: THE DOMINATION (Sam Firstenberg)
THE BURNING (1981; Tony Maylam)
SYNAPSE FILMS:
DEMONS (1985; Lamberto Bava)
(LTD Edition Steelbook only available via Synapse-Films.com)
DEMONS 2 (1986; Lamberto Bava)
(LTD Edition Steelbook only available via Synapse-Films.com)
STREET TRASH (1987; J. Michael Muro)
OLIVE FILMS:
(TIP: these are most cheaply ordered via ImportCDs.com)
SHACK OUT ON 101 (1955; Edward Dein)
CHINA GATE(1957; Samuel Fuller)
THE BIG COMBO (1955; Joseph H. Lewis)
PLUNDER ROAD (1957; Hubert Cornfield)
KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE (1950; Gordon Douglas)
TRUST (1990; Hal Hartley)
TICKS (1993; Tony Randel)
PLAIN CLOTHES (1988; Martha Coolidge)
KINO VIDEO:
For those with multi-region Blu-ray capability, there was much to be enjoyed this year as well!
(Most of these discs can be acquired through Amazon UK)
P.S. - If you don't have multi-region, you may consider this inexpensive player (recommended by the guys over at CriterionCast.com):
ARROW VIDEO:
THE CAR (1977; Elliot Silverstein)
LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN (1982; Boaz Davidson)
THE LONG GOODBYE (1973; Robert Altman)
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986; John Carpenter) (Steelbook)
TIME BANDITS (1981; Terry Gilliam)
SECOND SIGHT:
THE BROOD (1979; David Cronenberg)
STREETS OF FIRE (1984; Walter Hill)
POSSESSION (1981; Andrzej Zulawski)
CREEPSHOW (1982; George Romero)
(and from 2012)
BASKET CASE Trilogy
FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR (1986; Randal Kleiser) (region free)
EUREKA! (MASTERS OF CINEMA):
STUDIO CANAL:
Warner Bros:
--------------
SHIRTS:
Film geeks need to wear their loves and influences literally on their sleeves. I've always felt that t-shirts can be disarming and help nerds connect with other nerds in a very simple way. "Hey that person is wearing a shirt for a movie I love, therefore, I have something to talk to them about."
Many of the sites listed below are UK based and I've only come across them this year, but I am so pleased I did. In some cases below, I have done a whole blog post about them so check those out for further details:
http://www.darkbunnytees.com/
http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2013/11/shirt-tacular-dark-bunny-tees.html
https://nerdoh.co.uk/
http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2013/11/shirt-tacular-nerdoh-clothing.html
http://www.founditemclothing.com/
http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2013/10/shirt-tacular-found-item-clothing.html
https://www.rottencotton.com/
http://www.arcanemovietees.com/
http://www.8ball.co.uk/
LICENSE PLATES:
http://www.celebritymachines.com/
BOOKS:
There are always tons of good film-related books that come out in any given year. Here are a few that I think might make lovely gifts for the right movie lover:
Despite being published in 1986, this book is still the best guide for young cinephiles to help get them on the track of watching great films. The book can be acquired very cheaply on Amazon even though it has been out of print for some time. It is my favorite book of all time and so it is no surprise I am actually making a documentary about Peary's books and their impact. (See interview clips here: http://www.youtube.com/user/dannypearydoc?feature=watch)
Posts
3 comments:
What a greaat list for the film lover in the family - nice job!
Whew! Am I glad I saw this post! Thanks, Brian!
Awesome list, dude! I really dig that "Long Goodbye"cover. And "Trust" is finally coming out? Sweeeet.
Post a Comment