By Adrian Smith
With only a short time to go until Christmas, some of you may still be looking for ideas for the perfect gift. Well look no further. Here is a small list of suggested goodies from our own Christmas list, and any of these will bring a smile to the face of your classic movie lover when they find them under the tree.
Psycho: 50th Anniversary Edition
Blu ray
Universal Pictures
It is difficult to believe that this film is now fifty years old. Seen here in a pristine transfer, it seems just as fresh, original and shocking as it must have been to those first cinema audiences in 1960. Much has been written about Psycho, not least within the pages of this magazine, so there is no need for me to sing its praises here. This is one of the best Blu-ray releases of 2010 and should be in every home. Alongside the film itself you can enjoy a huge amount of extra features, many of which are exclusive to this release and include a feature-length documentary, archive material, a full commentary and 20 page booklet.
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Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot Commemorative Book with DVD
Alison Castle, Dan Auiler
Taschen
Hardcover + DVD, 36 x 22.5 cm (14.2 x 8.9 in.), 384 pages
Some Like It Hot is one of the greatest comedy films ever made, and this book serves as a celebration and tribute to the stars and Billy Wilder himself. You'll find the original first draft of the script with annotations and photos, as well as in-depth interviews and archival material. There are some excellent candid photos and the truth of Marilyn Monroe's problems on and off set are laid bare. The book even comes with a DVD of the movie, so you can imagine that you bought the film and got the best DVD extra ever.
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Monopoly: The John Wayne Collector's Edition
Nothing shows respect and admiration for a screen legend more than giving them their own Monopoly game. This will make the John Wayne fan in your life laugh, if nothing else. You can choose to play as the cowboy hat, cowboy boot, his belt buckle, the director's chair, Duke the Dog, or a stagecoach. The board looks great, with reproductions of locations and scenes from both his films and personal life. If I had to sit around with relatives on Boxing Day eating leftovers, this is the game I would want to play.
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75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking
Paul Levitz
Taschen
Hardcover, 29 x 39.5 cm (11.4 x 15.6 in.), 720 pages
This book is the mother lode. It is one of the biggest books ever written dedicated to the comic book art form. And what is great is the wealth of pictures and information, not just on the comics but the many spin-offs over the years. You'll find toys you forgot you owned 40 years ago and stills from the films, TV shows and serials that have come out of the DC comics world. This is a book that reminds you just how fantastic the artwork and writing was in these, and what a vital contribution comics, and DC in particular, have played in popular culture today. It is almost impossible to imagine a world without Superman and Batman, and these pages will make you glad you don't have to.
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Starcrash (Roger Corman Cult Classics)
Blu ray
Shout Factory
Nothing says “guilty pleasure†more than the sight of Caroline Munro in a space bikini whilst David Hasslehoff wields a knock-off lightsaber in the background. This infamous Italian Star Wars-ripoff from 1978, distributed in the USA by Roger Corman, has long been available on DVD, with a print so washed out and dirty it looked like it had been fished out of a shipping canal. This new Blu-ray reveals an entertaining, slightly bonkers film with some terrific sets, costumes and dubbed performances. The film even boasts a score from the Academy Award-winning John Barry. This two-disc Blu- ray comes with the kind of extras you would never expect for this type of film, and is a great example of the work Shout Factory have been putting into the Corman back-catalogue. You'll find a full commentary, behind the scenes footage, a new interview with Caroline Munro herself and much more. The only thing missing is a copy of the unofficial French-language sequel Starcrash 2, which would have made this truly definitive. However it is great fun and puts the recent Region 2 DVD release to shame.
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