A DVD is For Life, Not Just For Christmas
Posted on 02. Dec, 2009 by Jack in Movie and DVD Reviews, TV & Movies
The smart people out there will already have their Christmas pressies bought, nicely wrapped and stacked under the Christmas tree. But if you’re like me, you’re probably thinking ‘no panic, there are still weeks to go’. Then, before you know it, Santa has left the Caribbean Island where he actually lives for 364 days of the year and is heading back to the North Pole to slip into his jolly red suit and fire up the reindeers… and you’ve got zilch presents ticked off from your Christmas list.
This is where DVDs are a God send. Just about everyone in the known universe watches them, so the local DVD retailer is like the modern day equivalent of the Bethlehem stable to last minute Christmas shoppers bereft of ideas for presents. Here you can sort out all the family and friends in one go.
Mum
Davina Fit might make Davina McCall “feel so damn good”, but it’s likely to earn you a slap in the chops for implying mum needs to get in shape even before the Christmas pig-out starts. And anyway, your dad would probably watch it more than she would. Better to opt for Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire; a rag to riches story set in India which is part romantic fairytale and part City of God. It’s occasionally upsetting, but also uplifting. Tape a pack of tissues to the DVD as there’ll be tears before bedtime.
Dad
It’s got to be Quentin Tarantino’s cool and sassy Inglourious Basterds. Full of snappy dialogue, femme fatales, square jawed heroes, scheming SS officers and bucket loads of blood as Nazis get the Apache treatment. Your Medal of Honour games will go AWOL for days after this one.
Little Sis
If you get on well, you can’t beat Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The latest in the saga isn’t one of the best as Harry battles adolescent angst as well as death eaters, but Harry Potter fans won’t care, it’s still a fun ride. If she’s of the annoying variety, then go for Drag Me to Hell, a cautionary tale of what might happen if you don’t provide good customer service. Little sis will hate it and throw it back at you, which is the idea as you then get to enjoy one of the funniest and most frightening horror flicks of the decade.
Gran
Grans love to watch the Queen at Christmas, so why not spoil them with the DVD of Channel Four’s series imaginatively titled The Queen which depicts five uncomfortable times in the life of Queenie. Five different actresses play her at different stages of her life. The most potentially interesting is the episode set in the 1970s when the popularity of the royals was at an all time low and the Queen was short of money. Hmmm, somehow I think the Queen’s version of being short of dosh isn’t quite the same as mine.
Granddad
Combine the BBC with a dash of Sir David Attenborough. Add all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures doing things that they’ve never done on film before and you’ve got the beautiful and amazing Life, the perfect present for granddad.
Bezzer Mate
There are some adrenalin filled choices to guarantee an action packed festive season for your best mate. Terminator Salvation features Christian Bale as a grown up John Connor ready to kick some post-apocalyptic robot ass. Like Batman and Bond before it, this is a series revived.
A Star Trek movie which predates the original TV series could easily have been a stinker, but director JJ Abrams boldly took Star Trek where no-one has gone before, and at warp speed. A high octane blast and the best Star Trek movie to date.
The Love of Your Life
Curl up on the sofa together with Gavin & Stacey series 1-3 and follow the funny, charming and occasionally cringe worthy path of the titular couple’s romance. One of the best comedy series in years which gets a lot of mileage out of the interaction between people from different cultures i.e. Wales and Essex.
And finally, for anyone you really don’t like…
Cliff Richards and The Shadows – The Final Reunion. Do I need to say anything else? I just hope that it’s a promise and not just the title of the concert.
Look out for Sparkle’s round-up of the best new movie releases over the Christmas period… there are some real Christmas crackers coming up.
Jack Montgomery
Author for the online friendship and dating site Sparkle; co-author of two travel guidebooks, blogger and seriously bad poet.
4 Responses to “A DVD is For Life, Not Just For Christmas”
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Mike
02. Dec, 2009
Jack I loved Terminator Salvation and the Star Trek movie, also enjoyed the Slum Dog, darker than I expected at times but all the better for that, and Harry Potter getting better with each movie, oops just realised I´m making my wants list here.
I´m so glad I missed the Sir Cliff & the Shadows Reunion, but I´m sure there will be a tribute act somwhere on the island that I can catch over Xmas!
andrew
03. Dec, 2009
Great post think you have picked some great DVD’s Star Trek is my favourite film of the year
Jack
03. Dec, 2009
We’ll be looking at the best movie of the year in a blog later this month. It’s going to be a difficult choice, there have been some real gems in 2009.
I left out one of the best Christmas ‘crackers’ that’s out at the moment – Johnny Depp’s Public Enemy, because I couldn’t think who it would be suited to; Maybe a dodgy, whealing and dealing favourite uncle?
Kate
07. Dec, 2009
Jack sweetie,
I have to take issue with you about the phrase, “Everybody in the known Universe watches them!”……DVD’s!?!
Maybe, just maybe, I am a little alien from outter universal climes because I NEVER watch DVD’s!
Last Christmas, a child who shall not be named, put MamaMia in my stocking…….and it remained, pristine in its cellophane wrapping until someone begged to borrow it!
In the immortal words of Sir Terence Wogan…”Is it me?”
I just find there are so many more things to do….play the piano, curl up with a book, paint my toe nails, write a poem, listen to music? Of course, these past times seriously limit my contributions to the “Did you see…….” conversations but what the hell! Partly, it’s because I cannot sit still for long enough to get through the first ten minutes so am never hooked in to wanting to watch anymore……
I did love the comment about giving Cliff Richard and the Shadows to anyone you didn’t really like though….an absolute stroke of genius Jack and I’m running out to buy a copy…….just in case….
Thankyou Jack!
Kate xxx