Whether they function as stocking stuffers or the centerpiece of any holiday haul, DVDs make terrific gifts for just about anyone. One of the most personal gifts to give without setting foot in a jewelry store or a Build-A-Bear workshop, a DVD demonstrates that you understand the recipient’s taste and gives you a great opportunity to watch the gift with him or her.

Even in a relatively weak pool of holiday releases, there are classics of all kinds to be had. This gift-giving season is highlighted by a slew of meticulously-restored classics and high-definition hits, the best of which should not go unconsidered, especially if you are the recipient’s movie guest of choice.

For the parents: ‘Lost In Translation’ (2003; released Nov. 7, Blu-ray; $26.98)

Sofia Coppola’s somber depiction of Tokyo might not make for the most brilliant Blu-ray, but the greatness of the film itself should compensate. Bill Murray gives the performance of his career as an aging actor, and Scarlett Johansson shines as his companion in culture shock, the unlikely duo forming one of the most memorable relationships of the last decade in film. The Blu-ray treatment might not yield any new pleasures, but any excuse to get Coppola’s masterpiece back on the market is a good one.

For the film buff: ‘The Night of the Hunter’ (1955; released Nov. 16; $39.95)

Academy Award-winning actor Charles Laughton only directed one film in his life. It was such a critical and commercial failure that he was never offered another job in the director’s chair. That’s a real shame, considering his great failure, the thriller ‘The Night of the Hunter,’ is now recognized as one of the most beautiful, haunting and influential films ever made. A mash-up of German expressionism, film noir and fairy tales, the film was recently restored and released by the Criterion Collection with the year’s best special features.

For the friend with the big screen: ‘Inception’ (2010; released Dec. 7, Blu-ray; $35.99)

Christopher Nolan’s overrated but immensely entertaining brainteaser should remind audiences why Blu-ray is praised for sound quality and picture. Appreciate ‘Inception’ for its surprising wealth of memorable imagery, and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by Hans Zimmer’s thunderous score, which is deeply affecting without being manipulative. Nolan’s incredibly ambitious web of dreams is the rare action movie that exercises its potential as a cinematic spectacle with dramatic weight.

For the action junkie: ‘Hard Boiled’ (1992; releases Dec. 14, Blu-ray; $19.97)

Every once in a while it’s good to ask, ‘Where would we be without John Woo?’ The maestro of mayhem, who’s directed American classics such as ‘Hard Target’ (1993) and ‘Face/Off’ (1997), is still best remembered for his insanely riveting ‘Hard Boiled.’ Released 18 years ago but no less explosive, ‘Hard Boiled’ revolutionized the technique of the protagonist shooting two guns at once while sliding down a banister, and it just about reinvented the action movie. In the film’s brilliant final act, the hero, a cop named Tequila (Yun-Fat Chow), attempts to prevent a large gang from blowing up a hospital, all while holding a baby in his arms.

For the more adventurous: ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ (2010; releases Dec. 14, $29.99)

Banksy’s first foray into filmmaking is either the best documentary of the young decade or the greatest film hoax in memory. Either way, Banksy’s occasionally hilarious and always-fascinating study of creative tagging and the mass manufacturing of pop art are downright astonishing. There is a great debate concerning the film’s authorship — critics assume the documentary is not actually a documentary — which, in turn, has caused a debate concerning the nature of art. Leave it to the art world’s most secretive figure to bring the ridiculousness of how art is positioned in American culture to light.

smlittma@syr.edu

 

Published on December 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm