It’s only a few weeks away, so here’s a few idea’s to gorge yourself on, or indeed get for the movie lover in your life. Some of these feature affiliate links, others just direct. Keep in mind shipping times and costs. So…
The Making of the "Empire Strikes Back": The Definitive Story Behind the Film
I can’t say enough good things about this book. For the Star Wars fan (or movie fan alike) this is a huge must buy. And if your one of the people who just looks at the pictures, you’ll wet yourself!
Keeping with the Star Wars theme, another book that is definitely worth a purchase for the Star Wars fan is "Star Wars": Visions
. Essentially a book that is for art fans and Star Wars fans alike, it has a selection of stunning commissioned imagery from a selection of artists and their own interpretation of all things wars! More for the hardcore fans than anything else, but some of the images are crying to be blown up and framed!
Another book that’s worth a read for the movie fan is The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron
. The truck driving visionary that has the 2 highest grossing movies of all time under his belt, has himself well and truly exposed in this absolute page turner. Even though it doesn’t go into huge amounts of detail, for a quick read over the holidays, this is ideal. I read this in 2 days and it’s a great insight into the man that has revolutionised cinema. And for something about more meaty, try The Men Who Would be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks
. Many critics have lambasted some of the information in this book, but it is an amazing tale about the rise and success of Dreamworks. Not something you’ll read in a few nights, but something that is real food for thought. Regardless of what’s incorrect (and I’m not even sure) it does paint Hollywood as an awful place, full of bollocks and bullshit. But still a very entertaining read!
And one more for the Wampa fans! Lightsabers. You have a few options to get yourself a lightsaber. And I’m not talking some cheapo plastic thing. I’m talking about the real deal! Forbidden Planet in Dublin have them for around 180 euro and your can pick them up on Thinkgeek. Keep in mind, Thinkgeek are based in the States and if your ordering from Ireland, you WILL be nailed with import charges and what not. Whilst you will save on the original price, UPS will grab the cash off you quite quick, so not a great deal of savings to be made by ordering online.
As for clothing and what not, there is one site in particular that flogs superb movie shirts. Concentrating on brands seen on movies, this is a geek delight! Last Exit To Nowhere have got a few quid off me this year, with a few brilliant tees. Because they’re not a direct movie shirt, but rather feature something far more unique, it will make an ideal gift for the movie lover!
So, onto a few graphic novels that any self respecting movie fan would absolutely love. Careful planning may be required here to ensure the present recipient is not in possession of said comic finery. Firstly, Watchmen
by Alan Moore. Sure, it’s been around for ages and the movie was mind blowingly brilliant, but if your movie buff person doesn’t have a copy of this, purchase post haste. This year, one of the bigger (although it tanked at the box office) comic book to movie adaptations arrived, and it blew my mind and plenty of others. Of course, it’s Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. The comics, much like the movies are super stylized, easy reading and absolutely brilliant. Buy the entire Scott Pilgrim 6 Books Collection Set Bryan Lee O'Malley (1 - 6 Volume) (Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life: Volume 1, Scott Pilgrim vs the World: Volume 2, Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness: Volume 3, Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together: Volume 4, Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe: Volume 5, Scott Pilgrim, Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour)
.
For the soundtrack fan out there here’s a few recommendations to buy on CD (or check the links for digital downloads). Firstly, much like the movie, it is large and epic and is one of this years finest soundtracks, buy Inception
. The other 2 for me are Get Him To The Greek
which has Russell Brand belting out catchy rock numbers one after the other, Furry Walls and Going Up are personal favourites. And what is my favourite soundtrack of the year, is the score to Kick-Ass (which you need to get on iTunes)
And finally onto some movies, of the hi-def variety. Haven’t got a blu-ray player, but thinking about going hi-def? Well, the Sony BDPS370 Blu-ray Player
is a good place to start. It won’t back the bank, but get a HDMI cable as your at it. As for a few must have Blu-Rays? Well here goes…
First up is Inception Limited Edition - Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)
which comes in a nice little suitcase and has a few postcards, a “suitcase” manual and the infamous spinning top for you to spin with. Picture and sound quality are superb.
Alien Anthology [Blu-ray]
is another must have, if just for the Alien re-encode. Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror never looked better, crisper or sharper. More amazing work has been done with Aliens and the price is worth for these 2 alone. There is also a database that has everything that the Alien fan could ever want to know, and more besides.
Going from Aliens to Toy Story 3 (2-Disc Blu-ray + DVD)
.Another absolutely stunning Blu-Ray to watch and a movie that will certainly bring on the tears! And keeping with Pixar, who always create a wonderful shorts, here’s a chance to grab all those shorts on one superb disc in The Pixar Short Films Collection [Blu-ray] [1984]
. And finally, grab one of the movies of the year in hi-def with a fantastic selection of extras to boot, grab Kick-Ass [Blu-ray] [2010]
which is really at a bargain price.
So there you have it. A few ideas to get the movie buff in your life! Granted, if they are hardcore, then they’ve bought all this shit already! Incidentally, the majority of links here are affiliate links to amazon.co.uk If you fancy buying something above, by using the links, you are directly supporting this site (that you love so dearly). Happy spending!!!!
