We’ve given you 2 great articles with book suggestions for this holiday season, (HERE & HERE) and now we’d like to give you some movie/ TV show ideas. Let’s face it, there is a LOT to choose from but here are some of OUR personal favorites.
Batman: The Complete Television Series
This is EASILY one of our ALL-TIME favorite blu-ray releases. For the first time ever, you can now purchase all 120 episodes of this hit TV series in blu-ray format. This high flying release from the classic 60’s TV series Batman, starring Adam West, includes all 120 episodes of the show, following the titular hero through many exciting, sometimes psychedelic and always tongue-in-cheek adventures battling the likes of Catwoman, the Penguin, and the Joker.
This one is PACKED to the gills with over 3 full hours of extras! A journey into the most sought-after collectibles through the eyes of three extraordinary collectors; Hanging with Batman: A true slice of life with Adam West. Experienc a celebration of his achievement in his own words; Batmania Born! Building the World of Batman: Explore the art and design behind the fiction; Bats of the Round Table: Join in a chat with Adam West and celebrity friends; Inventing Batman in the Worlds of Adam West: Through original script notes, Adam discusses the craft of acting and recounts bringing Batman to life; Na Na Na Batman!: Hollywood stars and producers recount favorite Batman memories; Bat Rarities! Straight from the Vault; ; Highly collectible premiums:; Hot Wheels replica Batmobile; The Adam West scrapbook; 44 vintage trading cards; 32-page complete episode guide
HOLY MUST-HAVE BATMAN! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!
Maleficent
When it comes to perfect casting in films, there are a few that stand out above the rest. Sean Connery as 007, Heath Ledger as The Joker, Christopher Reeve as Superman, Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes AND Tony Stark and now you can add Angelina Jolie-Pitt to that list as the fairy Maleficent.
“A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal — an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom — and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.”
The Boxtrolls
This one comes out on Digital HD this December 23rd and it’s a fantastic family film. Not only is it from the creators of the Academy Award nominated films, “Coraline” and “Paranorman” but it is also nominated for 13 Annie Awards. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes in the family event movie The Boxtrolls. Starring, in voice performance, Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright (Game of Thrones), and Elle Fanning (Maleficent).
Quirky, mischievous and good-hearted, the Boxtrolls are unique creatures who have lovingly raised a human boy named Eggs in a fantastical charming cavern below the bustling streets of Cheesebridge. But when the evil Archibald Snatcher schemes to capture Eggs’ family, it’s up to Eggs and his feisty new friend Winnie to save the Boxtrolls!
THE LEGO MOVIE
Everyone’s favorite building blocks, LEGOS, have been around since 1932 and if you have any doubt as to their popularity, let this little fact sink in, each year, about 19 billion LEGO bricks are produced. With their meteoric rise over the last few years it was only a matter of time before they became the focal point of a movie. The LEGO Movie
For us, Will Ferrell and Will Arnett stole this movie but that being said, we loved every minute of it. This one is the perfect family fun-fest.
The original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO mini-figure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously under-prepared.
The LEGO MOVIE stars the vocal talents of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman and Alison Brie, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Director Bryan Singer delivered an awesome mutant film of epic proportions. With TONS of amazing action, time travel, and Sentinels, this one REALLY stood out.
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from “X-Men: First Class,” in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.
After seeing this one we were thrilled to hear that Bryan Singer is coming back for the NEXT installment of the X-men. X-Men: Apocalypse is expected to hit theaters in 2016 and we can’t wait! Until then….get this one! It was awesome!
Snowpiercer
Chris Evans leads an impressive cast in this dark, brutally violent feature that is completely different from his squeaky-clean boy scout image in Captain America. (Don’t get us wrong, we LOVE him as Steve Rogers, we just want to make sure you know that THIS one isn’t for your kids.)
It’s been 18 years since we froze the earth. The few remaining humans live on the Snowpiercer, a train on an infinite loop around the globe. For those at the front, it’s a lavish paradise of drugs and sushi in the lap of luxury; for those trapped in the tail section, life is short and cruel.
But change is in the air. Curtis (Chris Evans), desperate to escape the tail of the train, plans an uprising, aided by his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt). What begins as an isolated riot explodes into a mass revolution, an all-or-nothing push to the front of the train, and a war for humanity’s future. Who will live and who will die? How far can they go? Is there hope beyond the frozen wastes?
Directed by Joon-ho Bong, “Snowpiercer“ stars: Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Song Kang Ho, Jamie Bell, and Octavia Spencer.
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3
Unlike “Snowpiercer” THIS one IS for the kids and we have a feeling the parents will even get in on the fun with this one. “Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3″ showcases 50 all-time favorite cartoon shorts, which have been digitally remastered and restored for superior picture, and sound quality.
Featuring theatrical shorts from the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s if includes works by some of the most renowned directors in animation history including: Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, and Robert McKimson. You’ll get non stop laughs from your favorite characters: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety & Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzalez and many more.
Included in this collection is the all-new documentary, “That’s All Folks! Tales from Termite Terrace” along with a 12-page booklet with rare images compiled by animation historian Jerry Beck.
Journey down memory lane and join Bugs and the crew in some of the best animated hi jinx ever to grace the small screen.
From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 1
From executive producer Robert Rodriguez comes the first season of the original El Rey Network series, “From Dusk Till Dawn.”
Both the Blu-ray and DVD offerings give fans all 10 episodes from season one including episodes directed by Rodriguez and Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project). This supernatural series, based on the 1996 cult classic Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino film of the same name centers on bank robbers Seth and Richie Gecko, who are wanted by the authorities after a heist leaves several dead. Escaping across the Mexican border with a family of hostages, the Gecko brothers take a detour to a strip club that’s populated by bloodsucking creatures of the night.
The cast includes: D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Eiza Gonzalez, Robert Patrick, Wilmer Valderrama and Don Johnson. With over 450 minutes of gory, sexy viewing pleasure, this one is a must have for horror fans who appreciate vampires as they were MEANT to be enjoyed, as ruthless killers.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Brilliantly directed by the Russo brothers, Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” seamlessly combined a very intense, political thriller along with an action-packed thrill ride that fans, us included, absolutely loved.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” returns Chris Evans (“Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”) as the iconic super hero character Steve Rogers/Captain America, along with Scarlett Johansson (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 2″) as Black Widow and Samuel L. Jackson (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 2″) as Nick Fury. In addition, film icon Robert Redford has joined the all-star cast as Agent Alexander Pierce, a senior leader within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization.”
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” picks up where “Marvel’s The Avengers” left off, as Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington, D.C.
Is it just us or has Marvel perfectly cast every single character in the Marvel Universe? This one is packed with proof including Evans, Johansson, Redford and Anthony Mackie as “Falcon.” If you don’t already have this one in your collection, make sure it is under the tree for someone close to you so you can reap the benefits of watching it over and over.
Live, Die, Repeat: Edge Of Tomorrow
If you want an action-packed, futuristic, high-tech, version of “Groundhog Day” then this is the movie for you. (We say that with nothing but love for this movie although we loved the original title of “All You Need Is Kill” better.)
Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow, under the direction of Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith).
The epic action of Edge of Tomorrow unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.
Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…. and again.
But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.
Guardians Of The Galaxy
This one….this one right here was absolutely FAN-TAS-TIC! We’ll be upfront and honest, BEFORE the film we had NO idea who the “Guardians of the Galaxy” were. NOW, after watching this movie, we can’t WAIT for the sequel! Half way through this film my 8-year old son leaned over and said, “DAD, WE HAVE TO GET THIS WHEN IT COMES OUT ON BLU-RAY!” Then, as soon as the credits ended he looked at me again and asked, “Will there be a part 2?” He was SO excited when I told him yes that you would have thought I told him he could have candy for lunch, every day, for the rest of his life.
From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe.
To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.
You may have to wait until 2017 for the sequel but THIS one can be under your tree NOW! Make it happen, you won’t regret it.
Ok, let’s face it, 2014 was an awesome year for films. We’ve only touched the tip of the celluloid iceberg with these suggestions. There are plenty of amazing films that didn’t make our list including: Bridman, Nightcrawler, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Chef, Big Hero 6, and 22 Jump Street to name just a few. You really can’t lose with ANY of these suggestions so grab a few of these and make everyone’s holidays just a bit better.
Tagged: All You Need Is Kill, Angelina Jolie, batman, Bryan Singer, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Die, Edge Of Tomorrow, From Dusk Till Dawn, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Holiday Gift Guide, Live, Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume 3, Maleficent, Marvel, Repeat, Snowpiercer, The Boxtrolls, The LEGO Movie, Will Ferrell, X-Men: Days Of Future Past
