It’s the holidays again. That means it is time to give you a list of the top items to buy this season. While you may not want to get everything on this list, there should be at least one thing on here to appease the DVD movie fan in your household.

Let’s start with the Top Five DVD Movie Comedies:

#1 - Mamma Mia!

#2 - George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya

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“… It is superbly crafted. Director Peter Harkle (Emmy-nominated for “Flight 93″) gets rich visuals and perfect performances.” - Mike Hughes, Gannett News Service

Kelly Preston and Ron Eldard Star in the Television Drama The Tenth Circle

TV Movie on DVD February 3 Based on the Best-Selling Novel by Jodi Picoult

Culver City, CA (November 24, 2008) – The Lifetime Television movie The Tenth Circle –starring Kelly Preston (What a Girl Wants), Ron Eldard (House of Sand and Fog), Brittany Robertson (Dan in Real Life), Michael Riley (TV’s “This Is Wonderland”) and Jamie Johnston (Wild Card) — will be released on DVD February 3 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The top-rated drama, based on Jodi Picoult’s popular novel that was on The New York Times Best Seller list, will be available for $24.96 SRP. Emmy® nominee Peter Harkle (TV’s “Flight 93”) directs and the teleplay is written by Maria Nation.

Author of fifteen novels translated into thirty-four languages in thirty-five countries, Picoult received the 2007 Cosmopolitan magazine’s ‘Fearless Fiction’ Award and the 2003 New England Bookseller Award for Fiction.

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Behind-the-Scenes Bonus Features and Filmmaker Interviews Reveal the Real Passions and Secrets of the Life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire Available December 28, 2008

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – A young noblewoman marries into one of Britain’s most powerful families and becomes the toast of London in The Duchess, arriving on DVD and Blu-ray fashionably timed for the new year and holiday entertainment on December 28th from Paramount Home Entertainment. Keira Knightley (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean), Ralph Fiennes (In Bruges, the Harry Potter series, The Constant Gardener) and Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!) star in the true story of the Duchess of Devonshire and “Empress of Fashion” who must face an agonizing choice between responsibility and love. Captivating audiences and critics alike with its gripping and passionate tale of a young woman and direct ancestor to Princess Diana who became a fashion icon, a devoted mother, a voice for the common man and an unforgettable symbol of glamour for the ages, “The Duchess is feisty, cool, and scandalous” (Richard Schickle, Time). Showcasing rich and in-depth special features, The Duchess will be available for the suggested retail priced of $19.99 U.S./$24.99 Canada on DVD and on Blu-ray for $29.99 U.S./$36.99 Canada.

One of history’s most beguiling leading ladies, Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley) was married at 17 to the wealthy and influential William Cavendish (Ralph Fiennes), the fifth Duke of Devonshire — and into a lavish world filled with shocking deceptions, decadent scandals and stifling demands of duty. As Duchess of Devonshire, she first indulged her considerable energy in high society — outshining most of the aristocratic men around her with her incredible wit — only to become one of the most impassioned political voices in all of 18th century Britain. Beloved by a nation but betrayed by her husband, Georgiana’s charisma, political savvy and distinct flair for fashion would make her the “It Girl” of her era… but a chance for personal happiness would remain elusive until she dares to discover love on her own terms.

* (2005): Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Pride & Prejudice
** (1996): Best Actor in a Leading Role - The English Patient; (1993): Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Schindler’s List

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Movie Info:
Writer: Brad Anderson
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Ben Kingsley, Thomas Kretschmann, Eduardo Noriega
Rating: R
Studio: First Look Studios

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 18, 2008
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon

I am going to make a prediction and it makes me kind of sad to do it. Transsiberian will be one of the most overlooked movies of the year. It makes me sad to say it because it’s an amazing movie. It’s very Hitchcock in its presentation and intelligence factor. It’s one of those movies that you should watch, but probably won’t right away, and once you do you will kick yourself for waiting so long. The thriller title doesn’t really do it justice. It’s true, Transsiberian is a thriller and it’s truly enjoyable to watch. However, it’s much smarter and more entertaining than your average run of the mill movie in that genre.

The stakes are high for the thrillers I end up watching. I prefer something that is relatively new to me (heavily recycled ideas don’t shake it) with good acting. If I don’t want to see it again or it has no effect on me, then it’s useless and gets rated as such. I wasn’t sure what would come of my feelings for Transsiberian because I had not heard too much about it prior to it falling on my doorstep. I did, however, know Woody Harrelson was in it, which was good enough for me to want to watch it.

The storyline was easy enough to comprehend though there were many complexities to it. As you will see in Emily Mortimer’s character, Jessie, there is obviously much under the surface that isn’t always said in words. Jessie is just one example of this. Many of her emotions are worn on her sleeve, so to speak. Even when she isn’t saying much, you get a sense of how she is feeling and the troubles that plague her, at least in the beginning. Towards the end, there are many questions that remain about Jessie and why she behaves in the manner she does.

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MILK
Release Date: November 26, 2008 (limited)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Writer: Dustin Lance Black
Cast: Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, and Emile Hirsch

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Movie Info:
Writer: Alice Arlen, Victor Levin
Director: Helen Hunt
Cast: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Ben Shenkman, Lynn Cohen, John Benjamin Hickey, Salman Rushdie, Daisy Tahan, Tommy Nelson
Rating: R
Studio: THINKFilm

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: April 21, 2008
DVD Release Date: September 2, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Then She Found Me is one of those puzzling movies that offers so many good and bad things that it’s hard to tell whether or not you like it enough to watch it more than once. Helen Hunt, an Oscar winning actress that has all but fallen off the map lately, returns to co-write, direct, produce, and star in this independent film that is in many ways reminiscent of a Lifetime movie. While the movie plays out better, there is still that mediocre feel that sits behind the surface. Anyone that has seen a Lifetime movie knows how pathetic they can be. While Then She Found Me is certainly a step up from that, the thing that manages to keep it from sinking that low is more about the acting and less about the story, writing, or overall filmmaking that usually manages to hit the mark.

The most pleasant part of the movie and the show stealer was the presence of Bette Midler. Midler doesn’t seem to show her face in movies very often these days so it’s nice to see her in this one. Granted, this is something rather bittersweet considering the movie isn’t the best, but it’s nice to see her in something nonetheless. She played her part well and made the movie worth watching.

Other than Midler, solid or at least decent performances were turned in by Hunt, Matthew Broderick, and Colin Firth. While there was a lot of promise here, it seems that this movie is going to be the most popular with middle-aged women and possibly older women that want kids, but don’t have them. In other words, this is probably going to work best for people that can relate to the film. The problem is that means it’s only going to be for a very limited amount of people.

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Movie Info:
Writer: Mark Bomback
Director: Marcel Langenegger
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Maggie Q, Natasha Henstridge, Charlotte Rampling
Rating: R
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Release Info: April 25, 2008
Theatrical Release:
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99

I tend to like movies that Ewan McGregor is in. I thought he was the best part of the Star Wars prequels, he was excellent in Moulin Rouge and he gave a stand out performance in Trainspotting. Every once in a while, Ewan makes a doozy of a movie, like Eye of the Beholder. That movie just absolutely sucked. Then there are movies that the general public isn’t overly thrilled with, but for the most part, I truly enjoy these movies. The Island is one of these films and Deception seems to fit more in this category.

Of course, when it comes to Deception I must say I find one thing highly disappointing and that is the end of the film. I was into this film up until nearly the end and then it got quite ridiculous. Some might use the word trite. Ultimately, the ending ruined a perfectly good film otherwise. I don’t want to say I can see why other critics hated this movie, because I find that many critics are quite prudish when it comes to these types of films, but I can see why those who aren’t overly offended by such dark, sexually-thrilling films are disappointed with it; because none of the thrills can make up for the crappy ending!

All things considered, I could watch this movie over again, merely because the majority of the film is absolutely thrilling. The actors do a nice job. Ewan is Ewan, Hugh Jackman is good in nearly everything he’s in and Michelle Williams is incredibly alluring. I don’t usually go for blondes (yes I know it’s not real), but she puts the sex in sex appeal. Seriously, when did Michelle Williams become so hot? She has excellent chemistry with both men and Ewan proves he could have good chemistry with a paper bag if he had to pretend it was his lover, because he connects with nearly every woman he interacts with, on screen. I’m even talking about Charlotte Rampling, who is getting up there in years.

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Movie Info:
Writer: Mario Puzo
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Al Lettieri, Diane Keaton, Abe Vigoda, Gianni Russo, Rudy Bond, John Cazale, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo, G.D. Spradlin, Gastone Moschin, Tom Rosqui, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, Sofia Coppola, Raf Vallone, Franc D’Ambrosio, Donal Donnelly, Richard Bright
Rating: R
Studio: Paramount Home Video

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 23, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $62.99

This is probably one of the hardest reviews that I have ever had to write. What does one say about The Godfather that hasn’t already been said in the past? This is one of the best movies of all time and is certainly the best movie series of all time. The story is addicting, the acting is engaging, and the direction is flawless. I shy away from calling any movie perfect, but I fail to see how these movies could have been any better than they are.

Marlon Brando was just one of the men considered for the part of Don Vito Corleone. Francis Ford Coppola wanted him or Laurence Olivier, who could not do the role, from the beginning. However, the studios looked at several other options including Ernest Borgnine, Edward G. Robinson, Orson Welles, Carlo Ponti, and George C. Scott. Burt Lancaster was never considered, but he did lobby for the role.

And then there was old blue eyes. Frank Sinatra was against both the novel, as a whole, and the idea of a movie being made, but at one point after he had talks with Coppola, he offered himself for the role. Coppola was adamant about Brando though and it’s obvious how that turned out. The studio paid him a paltry sum for the film, but that would not be something that changed the course of the film for the viewers.

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Movie Info:
Writers: Tim Burton, Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson
Director: Henry Selick
Cast: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Edward Ivory, Susan McBride, Debi Durst
Rating: PG
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: October 29, 1993
DVD Release Date: August 26, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $22.99

I know this may sound weird, but I used to hate Halloween. I couldn’t stand the holiday. I think it had to do with the fact that, due to my disability, I couldn’t always do the one thing a kid wants to do on Halloween…trick or treat. Because of that, I associated my negativity of those specific Halloween days to Halloween, as a whole. It wasn’t until I became a parent that I started to truly appreciate this holiday. In fact, back in the 90s, when The Nightmare Before Christmas was released, I was too young to appreciate the film. I knew it involved Halloween in some way, so I just never wanted to see it. Today, I can admit how wrong I was in judging a film by what I believed was its premise.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a movie by Tim Burton. I think Burton is visionary in his approach to cinema. I liked his interpretation of Sweeney Todd and how Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was more on par with the book the movie is based on, as opposed to the equally as good Gene Wilder version. Even going back as far as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, I’ve liked Burton. I don’t think I really even knew who he was back then, but I knew I liked his movies.

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Movie Info:
Writer: Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Director: Joachim Trier
Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Viktoria Winge, Espen Klouman Hoiner, Elisabeth Sand, Sigmund Sæverud, Henrik Mestad, Odd Magnus Williamson
Rating: R
Studio: Miramax

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 2, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.99

Reprise can be somewhat tricky to classify because it is a foreign film. This automatically means that many people will rule it out because they will have to “read” the film. The majority of watchers for a subtitled film are artsy, intellectual types. That is unfortunate because there are a number of amazing foreign films that are ignored. Reprise is one of those films that may suffer from the issue of subtitles.

If you can get past the issue of subtitles, you may just find yourself a fan of Norwegian films, or at least this Norwegian film. If this film is any representation of the country’s filmmaking abilities it certainly says good things about Norwegian filmmakers. If I had to classify Reprise I would say that it is somewhere in the middle of drama and light comedy. There are definitely some laughs, but it’s not outright comedy, as there are plenty of serious moments, too. It’s one of those films that, like life, has no clear cut category to fall into. Come to think of it, that is probably one of the things that make it so good.

I think one of the reasons I like Reprise so much is because it is hard to classify. If I was talking with friends about it, I would be most likely to say, “You just have to see it.” I might tell them a thing or two about it, but it’s definitely one of those movies you just have to see to understand, because a description just isn’t going to do the film justice. The most important thing to know about this film is that the story is good and the actors do well in all of their respective roles.

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