Film Intuition's 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

Shelter in Place with Shiny Physical Media

Easily packaged, overly commercial, and as synthetic as an economy-sized bottle of laundry detergent, the entertainment options on most streaming services leave a lot to be desired. And while this fact was easy to ignore in the past, now with so many of us still sheltering in place during the pandemic, it's become increasingly obvious to discerning film fans that in addition to a subscription to The Criterion Channel, the best way to protest against the insanity of Bad Content overload is by stocking up on your favorite physical media titles. 

Fortunately, from the brightest classic film and TV fare to the latest and greatest releases, this year has been a veritable bonanza of box sets and special editions, including these highly recommended offerings, which should delight the entertainment lovers in your life who are (rightfully) still holding onto their DVD and Blu-ray players like they're worth their weight in gold. It's safe to say that once you check out the wide array of titles available to add to your collection (where you can control when and if they're played, and need no longer worry about them disappearing from a service tomorrow) if you're not a physical media convert yet, you soon will be.

Saturday Night Live: The Early Years

(Buy It)

Featuring 30 of the most hilarious episodes of the first 5 seasons of SNL, this 2-volume, 12-disc DVD collection arrives just in the nick of time to make you forget about the stresses of 2020 for a little while. With a gorgeous 28 page booklet that goes into the history of the series and focuses on the key skits, characters, and legendary cast members like Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner that made the series must-watch appointment television from its earliest days, the DVD set includes memorable episodes with hosts like George Carlin, Steve Martin, and Richard Pryor and serves up musical performances with iconic guests such as George Harrison, The Kinks, Blondie, and Paul Simon. Also available from TimeLife, who delivered outstanding releases of The Wonder Years and China Beach a few years back, is a 106 episode deluxe version of the series, complete with every single episode that SNL aired for its first 5 years.

The Trip: Four Course Meal

(Buy It)

There is no discernible reason why the release of my favorite film franchise of the 2010s is only available on DVD and not Blu-ray. But really, with all four of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's witty, weird, and wonderful trips to the U.K., Italy, Spain, and Greece now available in one collection, how can you go wrong? Originally produced and broadcast overseas as a multi-episode series but released internationally as four individual feature films, I've reviewed a few of director Michael Winterbottom's Trips individually so if you're looking for a refresher, here's my latest piece on the final film in the series, The Trip to Greece.

Two from Universal: The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection (Buy It) 

& Focus Features: Spotlight Collection (Buy It)

Reviewed in extensive detail earlier this fall, Universal Studios quietly unveiled two of this year's best box sets with a jaw-dropping 4K Alfred Hitchcock collection (review) and 10 of Focus Features' most acclaimed films all packaged together in one offering (review).

A New Look at Old Favorites

One of the best things about physical media is that it celebrates the favorites you love instead of mindlessly churning out new lackluster content. With current restorations, upgraded technical specs, and/or in the case of The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, a whole new cut of the film that improves the pacing of the much-maligned trilogy ender, a quartet of releases I was particularly excited to bring home came not from The Criterion Collection this year but Warner Archive, Paramount, and Kino. In addition to the Coppola film, be sure to check out The Best Years of Our Lives and Grace of My Heart in Blu-ray and Collateral in 4K. Additionally, Kino has dished up new box sets celebrating the overlooked films of Cary Grant and Carole Lombard and Mill Creek Entertainment has given Rita Hayworth the same treatment.

The Criterion Collection

Still the ultimate destination for film snobs, physical media devotees, and art-house lovers du jour, three of the year's biggest multi-disc collections were unveiled by Criterion this year as Federico Fellini, Agnes Varda, and Bruce Lee earned the box set treatment. And while the sky's the limit when it comes to individual movies getting the Criterion treatment that you should add to your list, a few of this fall's titles that I've had my eye on include Moonstruck, The Irishman, Parasite, Pierrot Le Fou, Crash, and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. Additionally, fellow novelty bag collectors will definitely want to visit the official Criterion shop to check out the new Agnes Varda tote that just hit the site.

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Text ©2020, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. https://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made off my site through ad links. FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy or screener link of this title in order to voluntarily decide to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique. Cookies Notice: This site incorporates tools (including advertiser partners and widgets) that use cookies and may collect some personal information in order to display ads tailored to you etc. Please be advised that neither Film Intuition nor its site owner has any access to this data beyond general site statistics (geographical region etc.) as your privacy is our main concern.

Film Intuition's 2019 Holiday Gift Guide

Beyond the Bad Ties & Fuzzy Socks:
Jen's Gift Guide for Every Pop Culture Fan

Women in Film 101: Introduce the aspiring filmmaker in your life to the filmography of early women pioneers and Ida Lupino, and then rock their world with the newly restored Blu-ray of Kathryn Bigelow's first film, The Loveless. Celebrate the achievements of women working behind the scenes in style with some amazing new shirts featuring Thelma Schoonmaker, Elaine May, Claire Denis, Amy Heckerling, and more from Tees-en-scène.

Gift Cards for Arthouse Lovers: Bring the film festivals of Cannes and Sundance home to your recipient's living room with a gift subscription to The Criterion Channel, Mubi, or Film Movement Plus.

For the Bookish Classic Film Fan: Turner Classic Movies has been releasing one knockout work of nonfiction after another, including Donald Bogle's Hollywood Black: The Stars, the Films, the Filmmakers, Mark A. Vieira's Forbidden Hollywood: The Pre-Code Era (1930-1934): When Sin Ruled the Movies, and Sloan De Forest's Dynamic Dames: 50 Leading Ladies Who Made History. Also, "You Must Remember This" podcast host Karina Longworth's incredibly well-researched, critically acclaimed book, Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood is now available in paperback. And chronicling the histories of her parents, both before they were a couple in alternating chapters until they eventually married in the 1940s, author Victoria Riskin released one of the year's most fascinating biographies with Fay Wray and Robert Riskin.

Films off the Beaten Path: While The Criterion Collection is still the gold standard for physical media, home entertainment distributors such as Kino Lorber, Shout Factory, Arrow, Olive Films, Cohen Media Group, Film Movement Classics, Twilight Time, and Warner Archive are starting to give Criterion a run for their (and our!) money with lovingly transferred and/or restorations of cult favorites, out-of-print classics, and forgotten films from decades gone by. Often packaged with striking artwork, film school worthy extras, and thoughtful essays, you could easily spend hours happily perusing their sites for gifts (while also picking up a little something for yourself).

Pop Culture Art: A colorful, tongue-in-cheek book for auteur lovers, Now Playing: A Seek-and-Find Book for Film Buffs serves up page after page of illustrations devoted to some of the world's greatest filmmakers. If you're looking for art you can either hang up, wear, or live with, look no further than the stores of two of my favorite independent artists, Brianna Ashby and Kate Gabrielle, whose work offers everything from jaw-dropping portraits to classic film puns sure to make you smile.

Past Prestige TV: With the release of the Comic Genius: Robin Williams collection, along with their commitment to tracking down the music rights to release the phenomenal China Beach and The Wonder Years the way they originally aired in the late '80s through the early '90s, Time Life has raised the bar on box sets of TV on DVD. (Now if only they would release Ed!)
Twin Peaks: From Z to A, Paramount's incredible collection of all three seasons of David Lynch's iconic cult series serves up both the original event series as well as Showtime's acclaimed Return alongside a plethora of new featurettes, interviews, extended musical sequences, as well as 4K transfers of the pilot and 2018's instantly legendary episode eight.

Welcome to 4K: Streaming in 4K Ultra HD is one thing but watching a film on 4K Blu-ray — without buffering and dips in quality — is an altogether different experience. With crisp detail and richness in color, contrast, and sound, the recent flood of collectible quality 4K restorations of the films of the '70s and '80s including Coppola's Apocalypse Now, and The Cotton Club as well as De Palma's Scarface, and Kubrick's The Shining are reason enough to convince a habitual streamer to buy and plug a top notch Ultra HD player into their TV. If you're longing for something more modern to break in your new player, look no further than the jaw-dropping transfers of last year's Mission: Impossible – Fallout and this summer's Toy Story 4. Sure to be on many holiday lists this year is the release of Quentin Tarantino's smash summer hit Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which arrives this week both on its own as well as in a mega 4K collector's edition set.

Kids and Teens: With vibrant pop-up artwork and adorable collectibles sure to evoke strong feelings of nostalgia, Warner Bros has unveiled an enviable selection of new TV on DVD/Blu-ray box set releases. This year's titles include a 50th anniversary Scooby-Doo collection with every single episode of the perennial favorite, the 70th anniversary celebration of the Peanuts Holiday Collection, the full series release of the animated Batman Beyond, and a surprisingly sturdy, limited edition Blu-ray and digital series collection with a collectible book (and cool pop-up art!) of my cousin's favorite, The Big Bang Theory, which has become this generation's answer to Friends. Joining in the family fun with a nice compact release, Dreamworks has created an entertaining holiday gift set of Rise of the Guardians packaged together with their animation studio's surprisingly funny holiday shorts, including a handful of film worthy Madagascar standouts featuring my favorite movie penguins.

Text ©2019, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. https://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made off my site through ad links. FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy or screener link of this title in order to voluntarily decide to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique. Cookies Notice: This site incorporates tools (including advertiser partners and widgets) that use cookies and may collect some personal information in order to display ads tailored to you etc. Please be advised that neither Film Intuition nor its site owner has any access to this data beyond general site statistics (geographical region etc.) as your privacy is our main concern.

Listen In: FilmIntuition's Jen Johans Guests on Digital Downtime Podcast

In the Mood for 
Underrated Romantic Comedies?

Listen in as FilmIntuition.com's Jen Johans recommends little seen favorites for the Pensacola based podcast Digital Downtime, hosted by Christian Garman.

Christmas Appearance 
(Jen Appears throughout the Podcast): 

   

Valentine's Day Appearance 

(Segment Starts Around 26 Minute Mark):

Text ©2014, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

News: BBC America Wishes You an Even Happier Holiday Season with Shopping Sprees, Surprises and Specials

From Doctor Who and Torchwood to Mistresses and Gavin and Stacey to Fawlty Towers and The Mighty Boosh, BBC America has consistently delivered the best in British Entertainment both on its popular channel and beloved home entertainment releases available online.

Whether first giving the US a taste for shows we would later adapt like The Office, Coupling, Life on Mars and many others, or inspiring Danny Boyle to cast an actor on Skins for the Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire or unleashing Sandra Bullock's inner auto enthusiast with their popular Top Gear, we've always looked to the BBC for the cutting edge in TV programming.

And with the unbelievable hits including the recent Boosh, which lit up Stella McCartney's store for the holidays after taking America by storm this past summer along with Torchwood's stunner Children of Earth, BBC America's Shop has become a fan favorite for stellar gifts.

In addition to offering free shipping on orders over one hundred dollars, the store is giving you the opportunity to win a $1,000 shopping spree of its online store. Yet keeping in mind the holiday spirit, the gift certificates will be delivered in a pair so that you and that special someone in your life will receive $500 each to enjoy the best the BBC has on DVD/Blu-ray or in a variety of one-of-a-kind gifts.

Enter today to win a $500 Gift Certificate for you and a friend!

Buy your favorite BBC Sci-Fi DVDs, including Doctor Who, today!

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com

Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

Music DVD Review: Christmas with the King Family (2009)

Now Available to Own

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Listen to The First Family of Song

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With the holidays upon us, it's a given that we will soon be inundated with photo cards of loved ones near and far, usually dressed up in some variation of either Christmas versions of vivid Cosby Show style sweaters or matching color schemes to rival that of a sports team. And these annual mementos arriving in our mailbox each and every year have become a favored tradition that allows us to witness the passage of time as appearances change, new faces enter the picture as the years go by.

Yet, instead of leaving us with simply a thin stack of seasonal snapshots, for two decades (the '60s and '70s respectively) America's First Family of Song provided us with seventeen television specials including twelve holiday specific programs that brought those photographs musically to life. Long before video cameras became a staple of family celebrations from the '80s onward and we embraced the idea of family sing-alongs (or sync-alongs) complete with matching apparel or their infamous sweaters as witnessed on The Cosby Show, the King Family gave us the real thing.

Although they also starred in specials which focused on other holidays and/or seasons, it was their distinctly authentic family themed Christmas creations filmed in October but aired closer to the date during those two decades that really set them apart. And garnering an audience in the '60s and '70s was no small feat, when you consider that it was essentially an era of variety shows ranging from Carol Burnett to Laugh In to extraordinarily lavish musical specials featuring stars like Mitzi Gaynor, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, and others.

However, the four original Grammy nominated beloved King Sisters transferred their background performing in the recording studio as a Big Band sensation and in their appearances in Hollywood films to the silver screen with a very unique twist on TV's new variety special craze. Rather than fill their hour long programs with celebrity guest stars singing their latest chart toppers or tying in appearances with an upcoming feature film, the King Sisters chose a more natural approach.

Reasoning that it's how they would be spending the holidays anyway since the Kings always emphasized the importance of learning an instrument from childhood up through adulthood and music was a very real part of their conversation with one another, the King Sisters opted to build a show around their entire family.

While the family freely admits in this fascinating documentary that some have labeled the specials “corny,” there was nothing phony about the Kings themselves. Instead of annual televised family reunions nor the type of insensitive reality show gimmicks we see employed on television today, within just a few notes contained in this informative documentary you intuitively sense their true enjoyment and love for one another.

This being said, when you discover that the Kings young enough to be in school had to work eight additional hours every day for rehearsal after their classes finished, the succinct but revealing comment that the teen members in the special have come to appreciate their involvement more with age seems very understandable.

Just as in the classic programs, which found the extended family children broken up into two distinct age groups of the adorable, unaffected King Kids and the tight-knit King Cousins who reveal that they were together so much they feel closer to siblings, in the documentary they're largely interviewed in groups by age.

And throughout this extremely well-edited documentary accompanied by a wonderful full length special that recently aired on PBS from the producers of last year's similarly themed classic TV celebration of Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle, the Kings are introduced to another generation to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their original TV appearance.

Bound by their love of one another as well as the groundbreaking musical experimentation they created in the spirit of the original King Sisters who were pioneers of four-part harmony, singing in rounds, and their Uncle Alvino Rey's magical sounding guitar, it's fascinating to see the footage of twenty-five to roughly forty relatives in the vintage footage through their eyes today.

Although I realized that I'd been mildly acquainted with the Kings as the Sisters appeared in a recent Esther Williams film I reviewed for a Turner Classic Movies/Warner Brothers set as well as being unknowingly familiar with the King musical legacy via their relatives who have formed the successful, critically acclaimed indie rock band Arcade Fire, I welcomed the opportunity to learn more.

Additionally I appreciated their gorgeous harmonies which hearkened to a Pet Sounds era Beach Boys and the fact that like the Boys or a modern day example or Rufus and Martha Wainwright, when relatives sing together, the result is harmonious magic. Yet more than that, I was also incredibly moved by what has easily become the family's most cherished memory of the 1967 special.

A standout in the documentary that's sure to drive you to tissues, luckily the “reunion” moment is again repeated to powerful emotional effect without the narrative interruption in the extra feature on the DVD. In this unforgettable segment, we witness the heartrending surprise of their Aunt Alyce who was unexpectedly greeted with the return of her Vietnam veteran son Ric during her tearful rendition of “I'll Be Home for Christmas” that she'd been singing to his framed photograph.

Similar to the family's adherence to the idea that not only did they avoid egos and the fears of upstaging one another with their gorgeous harmonies, it's immediately evident that not only did their sound benefit by singing together but that their relationship did as well. Moreover, it grew stronger with each successive note, song, or special with their unique legacy of a very rare version of a Christmas card shared by the Kings with audiences who kept tuning in year after year.

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

News: Film Intuition Teams Up with iGive

Dear Film Intuition Readers,

This holiday season, send a gift that means an automatic donation to Film Intuition! When you shop at any of over 700 participating online stores through iGive, a portion of each purchase comes back to Film Intuition in the form of a donation check.

Please consider shopping to support this site as it continues to grow in the hopes of becoming a community organization. Likewise, it aspires to offer additional film screenings and community events to schools, libraries, and nursing homes by introducing them to the world of independent, overlooked, and foreign film as well as providing greater content for its worldwide readership including giveaways and contests.

Why shop with iGive? It's free for you, free for us, and you pay the same (or less) than you would by going directly to the store. Shopping online means no wasted gas and no more standing in long lines at the mall. And to all you smart shoppers: don't miss iGive's treasure-trove of coupons, sales, and free shipping.

Save money, save time, and send gifts that give twice.What could be better than that?

Thank you for your consideration, readership, interest, and support.

Sincerely,

Jen Johans

Check it Out at:

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Music News: Stream Amy MacDonald's Holiday Track -- "Fairytale of New York"

Read Our Review of Amy's Album






Recorded at Glasgow's legendary The Barrowlands, Platinum selling UK artist, Amy MacDonald releases a song she described as the "coolest 'non traditional' song there is" which she found especially for her gig at "The Barras" (as the venue is known).

Formerly, as the Rock Ridge press release notes "a ballroom where people would come and dance in the 50's and 60's," Glasgow's Barrowlands, "still retains the old ballroom floor, which is quite bouncy, and old retro decor so there is a nostalgic feel about the place." With "a large flashing neon sign," the venue, which "now houses a weekend market underneath, selling bric a brac, etc." has become an international favorite as "bands [from] all around the world love to play this" intimate 200-capacity, renowned location.

While her debut smash album This is the Life continues to break records, in honor of the holidays, MacDonald has released a bonus song "Fairytale of New York" which fans can stream via Windows Media Audio by clicking here.

You can learn more about Amy MacDonald by visiting her Official Website.