With Halloween already behind us, all signs of candy corn and ghouls have been abandoned in favor of—not the turkey, as our calendar dictates—but jingle bells, twinkling lights, and glorious amounts of fake snow. That’s right, it’s holiday season already. So today I’m going to take a break from our regularly scheduled programming in order to bring you a compilation of new releases, re-releases and old classics perfect to stuff this year’s stockings.
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SPORTS MOVIES MAKE FOR GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS
1. The Karate Kid is this year’s remake of the 1984 classic of the same name. The film stars Jaden Smith as Dre Parker, a Detroit youth transposed to China due to the nature of his mother’s job. Faced with bullies, young love, and an unfamiliar culture and city, Dre seeks advice and solace in the school’s maintenance man—and secret kung-fu master—Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). A great film for the whole family, it’s sincere and just plain fun to watch. The dialogue is snappy, the scenery is beautiful, and the kung fu scenes simply kick cinematographic butt. The film hit theaters last June and was recently released to DVD and Blueray this past October; if you haven’t got your hands on it already, check it out.
($15.49 at Amazon.com)
2. The Blind Side, released last November, won audiences over with the true story of Michael Oher (Quiton Aaron), a homeless young man struggling to not only fit in, but to create a life for himself. With the help of sassy and caring housewife Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), Michael rises to football fame. This is a sports classic in the making, and a worthwhile addition to any DVD collection. Sandra Bullock gives an Oscar-winning performance and the array of characters are both relatable and sincere, giving the movie a well roundedness to engage even the non-football fans of the family.
($11.99 at Amazon.com)
3. Invictus, one of the latest Clint Eastwood directed works, was outshined in the box office last December by The Blind Side but is no less good of a movie. Starring Morgan Freeman as South African president Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as rugby star Francois Pienaar; Eastwood weaves a story about creating national pride in times of distress. One of very few rugby movies, and all-around inspiring film, Invictus was nominated for two Oscars and hit stores last May, in case you missed it.
($11.49 at Amazon.com or $19.99 on Blu-Ray)
4. 180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless, made its way to DVD earlier this year as well. Directed by Chris Malloy, 180 Degrees South acts as simultaneously a travel documentary and an environmental call-to-action. Malloy follows mountain climber Jeff Johnson as he seeks to recreate the 1968 Patagonian adventure of his two great heroes, Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins. The film is a personal project full of a passion for adventure and nature alike. Malloy captures some stunning images of what may be the last of the “unconquered”, and provides the viewer with an adventure worth watching.
($19.49 at Amazon.com or $29.95 for the Deluxe Limited Edition DVD)
5. The Endless Summer Re-mastered Director’s Special Edition 2 Disc Set is due to release November 16th, and is currently available for preorder on sites like Amazon.com. The Endless Summer is arguably the most influential surf documentary ever made. Made in 1966 when surfing was just beginning to become more mainstream, director Bruce Brown chronicles the journey of two California surfers around the globe in the search for perfect waves. Full of stunning imagery, an array of intriguing characters, and enough heart to lighten up even the most adamant of holiday scrooges, The Endless Summer is not a bad film to have on hand, to say the least. This Director’s Addition features digitally re-mastered surround sound and cleaned-up images, and the second disc holds some neat extras—including a making of, a Bruce Brown timeline, several biographies, and a “Looking Back On the Endless Summer”.
($22.49 on Amazon.com)
6. If that isn’t enough for your resident surf fan, also due to release November 16th (and for a more than reasonable price!) is The Ultimate Summer Bruce Brown Surf Collection, a boxed set that includes 8 of Brown’s surf films on 5 discs: The Endless Summer (re-mastered), The Endless Summer II, Barefoot Adventure, Surf Crazy, Surfin’ Shorts, Slippery When Wet, Surfing Hollow Days, and Waterlogged.
($40.49 on Amazon.com)
7. The Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to giving gifts this year, but it may just be the perfect present for that resident health nut. The 64-minute workout takes traditional yoga moves and gives them a Pilates edge that hopes to build balance and flexibility, but most importantly muscle endurance. “Yoga Meltdown” is the latest in a series of Jillian Michaels workout vids, and may also be purchased alongside “30 Day Shred”, “Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism” and “No More Trouble Zones” in the recently released “Jillian Michaels 4 DVD Set”. Jillian Michaels is best known for her frequent appearances on NBC’s reality TV series The Biggest Loser.
($9.49 on Amazon.com or $26.49 for 4-DVD set)
10. If your loved one is really hardcore, you may want to consider “Rocky: The Undisputed Collection”, which was released back in 2009 for both DVD and Blu-ray. The box set includes Rocky I through V and Rocky Balboa. The discs are re-mastered in both sound and video from the originals, and include a few extras. The only complaint is that this box could have contained more special features pertaining to the movies, but for the reasonable price of about $50 for six nicely re-mastered movies, that’s up to you. Depends how badly you want to own the entire set of Rocky movies.
($39.99 on Amazon.com)
Did I miss something? Got other gift ideas? Share ‘em in the comments below!
nice work kid I’m proud of you- dad
Fun article! I do know a surf fan that might enjoy that boxed set…at what is, indeed, a good price. : ) “180 Degrees South” sounds interesting as well–will have to check it out.