Big Hollywood's 2011 Holiday Shopping Guide – The Home Video Edition

It seems only right that Blu-ray disks fit so snugly in most Christmas stockings.

This holiday season is the perfect time to give family and friends a new Blu-ray title or two. The Blu-ray format is finally catching on with the public, even if the rise of streaming-enabled devices may one make the notion of having a home video collection obsolete.

So here are some suggestions for the movie-phile in your life, or the person who loves nothing more than watching an entire season’s worth of their favorite show over one very long weekend.

• “The Sound of Music” – It’s the reason why Blu-ray matters. The iconic 1965 musical got a Blu-ray upgrade roughly this time last year, and the results are as eye-popping as any 3D spectacle you’ll see in theaters. To the men and women who restore old films for a living, take a bow.

• “Scarface” – You can’t watch Al Pacino chew scenery, dialogue and his own iconic career in standard definition, can you? The just-released Blu-ray edition teems with extras including deleted scenes, numerous retrospectives on the making of the film and even the 1932 gangster film of the same name.
• “Atlas Shrugged: Part 1” – The Ayn Rand completist on your shopping list will demand the first chapter in the oft-delayed trilogy.
• “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” – It’s not a classic movie musical in the traditional sense, but any time you get Dick Van Dyke and Benny Hill on the same movie screen it’s bound to be a blast. The refurbished print looks dazzling on Blu-ray, and don’t miss the enchanting musical sequence featuring Van Dyke as a prancing, dancing doll.
• “Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition” – The chariot race remains a thing of cinematic perfection, the kind of movie magic that didn’t require CGI or other modern tricks. The film still should be seen on the biggest screen possible, but unless the city near you is bringing “Ben-Hur” back for a nostalgic re-release this edition is ideal.
• “The Wire: The Complete Series” – Few television shows garner the praise this HBO gem (still) gets. Now, you can savor each remarkable season with a comprehensive box set.
• “Winnie the Pooh” – Sick of 3D shenanigans? Computer generated buffoonery? Then, kick back, relax and revisit your inner child via this wonderfully droll animated feature that captures the essence of the classic Pooh stories. John Cleese’s urbane narration is the icing on one very tasty cake.
• “Modern Family: The Complete Second Season” – Some TV shows are great from the opening episode, while others grow by leaps and bounds as the seasons pass. “Modern Family” stands astride both camps, but the main joy in season 2 is watching performers like Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill luxuriate in their characters’ lovable flaws.
• “Bridesmaids” – Yes, girls can be just as funny – and bawdy – as the boys. This 2011 smash made a star out of Kristen Wigg, and it’s about time. And don’t count out scene-stealer Melissa McCarthy from snaring a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She earned it here.
• “The Help” (release date: Dec. 6) – Civil rights dramas don’t succeed at the box office, right? Tell that to “The Help,” the blockbuster with a stellar cast sure to score an Oscar nomination or two.
• “The Devil’s Double” The Mainstream Media conveniently neglected to remind us of the horrors of Saddam Hussein’s reign in Iraq over the last decade. That makes “Double,” featuring a critically hailed dual performance by Dominic Cooper, all the more valuable. Cooper plays an Iraqi guard forced to serve as the body double for the monstrous Uday Hussein, the president’s vicious son.

Phillip Swann, president of TVPredictions.com, has a few recommendations of his own for how to view these amazing Blu-ray disks. The following items won’t fit in any stocking, but they may be the right gift for someone who’s been awfully … good this year.

• Any name brand Blu-ray player w/Wi-Fi built-in – Sony, Panasonic, LG all have excellent ones and you might find one under $100 during Black Friday/Cyber Monday week. With streaming services such as Netflix and Vudu and the pristine quality of Blu-ray discs, it’s a movie lover’s dream machine.
• Panasonic Veira P55ST30 55-inch 3D 1080p Plasma HDTV: The 3D is worthless, in my view, but the Smart TV features are excellent and the 2D pix is as good as you’ll ever see.

Dave Taylor, a Big Hollywood contributor and the tech guru behind AskDaveTaylor.com, suggests a few more items for viewing home video content this holiday season:

• Amazon Kindle Fire: This full color device can play movies and stream tons of content, and you can even read books for those frequent times when the book really is better than the movie.
• Apple iPad 2: because sometimes the 7-inch screen of the Fire is just too darn small. And, as a bonus, the iPad also has a ton more storage space, meaning you can bring your favorite 20 movies along, not just one or two when you’re on the road.