Seasons Greetings from your film geek friends at Furious Cinema! This year we’ve decided to expand our shopping guide a bit more than last year and point out some especially cool products we feel you should pick up for your loved ones as stocking stuffers before Xmas arrives. There’s a nice selection of films, books and other items that are sure to put a smile on that movie lover’s face in your household. We encourage readers to order through our Amazon links, this way you will be helping to support FC and our Cine-Coalition network of sites which includes: The Quentin Tarantino Archives / Grindhouse Cinema Database / The Spaghetti Western Database / The Robert Rodriguez Archives. We would also like to wish you a very happy holiday season!
ELECTRONICS
ROKU 2 STREAMING VIDEO PLAYER
Over the past few years online streaming has grown immensely in popularity as the new way for people to enjoy movies, music and TV in the comfort of their homes. It’s also the most affordable, convenient way for those who aren’t avid DVD/Blu ray collectors to rent movies without the hassle of stopping/waiting at video stores like the old days. ROKU is currently the leader in this new format so we’ve selected three of their premiere models for you to choose from. Each have different capabilities, so please check out their Amazon pages for more in-depth info. NOTE from Pete: As a happy ROKU owner I highly recommended it.
DVD & BLU RAY
If you’re searching for a comprehensive list of some of the best Blu Rays to buy for the discerning film geek in your family, you’ve stopped at the right place. We’ve chosen over 50 classics of genre cinema that we guarantee will make a great addition to any high-definition movie library:
BLU RAY ESSENTIALS: PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3 – HORROR EDITION
Here are some more 2011 releases we’d like to recommend…
BLOW OUT – THE CONVERSATION – BLUE VELVET – DAZED AND CONFUSED
THE BIG LEBOWSKI – LITTLE BIG MAN – 12 ANGRY MEN
Quentin Tarantino‘s 1994 crime-comedy/pop culture phenomenon was already an amazing experience before on DVD but now fans can see it really sparkle and shine like the mesmerizing gleam from Marsellus’ mysterious briefcase! Unlock the splendor of Tarantino’s genius with this film favorite!
Brian DePalma’s controversial 1980 psychological thriller was an invigorating stylized exercise in visual storytelling that still captivates viewers. By combining elements of Hitchcock’s Psycho, the Italian giallo genre and his own macabre humor, The Master of Suspense crafted a brilliant post modern classic.
Rushmore: Criterion Collection – Blu Ray
The second film from writer-director Wes Anderson is also one of his best. It tells the story of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) a geeky private school student who loves participating in extracurricular activities but not his classes. Max is a neer do well and an oddball but does have talent in writing really wonderful school plays. An imaginative, humorous, heart warming classic.
The Getaway – Blu Ray
Written by Walter Hill, Sam Peckinpah’s action packed 1972 crime classic follows ex-convict Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) and his lover (Ali McGraw) who, along with some shady underworld thugs, stage a bank robbery and get caught up in a dirty double cross that forces them to go on the run from an underworld organization. One of Bloody Sam’s best!
Cape Fear – Blu Ray
Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of the early 60s black and white psychological thriller took the story into an even more heightened, terrifying territory. Robert DeNiro’s new take on Max Cady (played by Robert Mitchum in the original) seemed to be more inspired by Mitchum’s religion obsessed psychopath Rev. Harry Powell in The Night of The Hunter. DP Freddie Francis infuses the film with a gothic, visually charged aesthetic turning it into a technicolor nightmare in the tradition of films by Mario Bava and Dario Argento.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Blu Ray
Who would’ve thought that this modern prequel to the classic sci-fi series could be so damn cool? It’s sure to have you going ape for the action and adventure that awaits. Can you believe they even used the CGI correctly and made it look great?!
Almost Famous – Untitled (The Bootleg Cut) – BluRay (Amazon)
This is the extended, complete tour de force. A wonderful film about people, music, fame and growing up. While the movie isn’t particularly raunchy or batshit furious, it is a deeply entertaining and gripping movie that will make you laugh and cry with the characters. You will feel like a groupie for Stillwater.
Dark of the Sun – DVD
Jack Cardiff’s dazzling 1968 cult classic about a group of mercenaries traveling by train through the African Congo on a deadly mission will thrill action-adventure film collectors. Special Thanks to Warner Archive for releasing this dusky gem in a nicely remastered edition!
Intruder: Director’s Cut – Blu Ray
This film is what I like to call “the Citizen Kane of the psycho in a supermarket sub-subgenre”. I’m pretty sure it’s the only one of its kind too. What Director Scott Spiegel does especially well is mix screwball comedy with nasty kill scenes. Seeing Sam and Ted Raimi acting like goofs together onscreen is another reason of why this movie is such a fun time. You can also get Renee Estevez (sister of Emilio and Charlie Sheen) in a small role. This late 80s horror gem would fit perfectly alongside the Coen Brothers debut Blood Simple and Sam Raimi’s own early work. Kudos to the folks at Synapse for releasing it UNCUT!
Friday The 13th: The Ultimate Collection – DVD
Horror lovers can’t go wrong with this bloody cool 8 film collection of classic slasher films featuring the one and the only hockey masked icon: Jason Voorhees!
Godzilla: Criterion Collection – Blu Ray
The King of Monsters finally gets the Criterion treatment with a brand new restoration of the 1954 Japanese kaiju classic. Featuring an extensive selection of very cool special features.
Destroy All Monsters – Blu Ray
This magnificent battle of Toho’s most popular giant man-in-suit monsters is a kaiju fan’s wet dream!
Horror Express – Blu Ray
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, the two actors who fought each other for years in Hammer’s Dracula series, this time team up to try to stop a terrifying monster who is wreaking bloody havoc on a commuter train. An atmospheric, rarely seen b-movie that has been given a new lease on home video life thanks to the folks at Severin Films. Highly recommended to cult horror geeks!
Roger Corman Cult Classics: Women In Cages Collection – Blu Ray
Three of the very best films in the beloved women in prison subgenre are now available in hi-def! Thrill to the sights and sounds of steamy Fillipino jungle prisons where buxom babes are tantalizingly tortured by their captors through all kinds of nasty methods. See: Loads of Nude shower scenes! See: Pam Grier running wild…and topless! See: Sid Haig acting like a deranged lunatic!
For even more DVD and Blu Rays please visit our catalog pages at The Deuce and the Spaghetti Western Database
BOOKS
Drew Struzan: Ouvre
Drew Struzan is one of the greatest movie poster artists who has created memorable imagery for films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Escape From New York, and Blade Runner just to name a few. This new hardcover book celebrates his career from the early days right up to his recent work on The Walking Dead and Cowboys & Aliens. It boasts a foreword by George Lucas and includes album, book and comic book covers, stamps, trading cards, promotional artwork and very personal original works. A must own for poster afficionados!
Sci-Fi Savant by Glenn Erickson
An in-depth exploration of 116 Classic Science Fiction Classics from both a critical and behind the scenes standpoint. A superb guide for any sci-fi genre enthusiast.
Monsters in The Movies by John Landis
Who better to write a book about movie monsters than one of the great auteurs of genre cinema? A fascinating look at the history of cinema’s most terrifying creatures featuring interviews with such icons as John Carpenter, Christopher Lee, David Cronenberg, Sam Raimi and others. It also contains more than 1000 eye grabbing movie stills and posters. A textual treasure trove of terror awaits!
The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies by George Anastasia & Glen Macnow
Crime film fans can really lose themselves in the exciting world of gangster movie classics with this 352 page book.
Any Gun Can Play: The Essential Guide to the Euro-Western by Kevin Grant
Spaghetti Western fans have a plethora of books to chose from, so with each new one the question is what does it add to the library? This one makes for a series of fantastic introductory essays that shed light on the genre from a variety of perspectives. The man did his research and while he obviously forgot to quote The Spaghetti Western Database, it is still a really nice book to devour. Click here to read a full review
TCM Classic Movie Trivia
Need something to keep you occupied while traveling? This is a perfect book that film geeks can use as a way to test their wide knowledge of classic cinema. Features over 4,000 questions!
Industrial Light and Magic: The Art of Innovation by Pamela Glintenkamp
For those who love films with groundbreaking special effects, chances are Industrial Light and Magic has created most of the images that have taken your breath away. This book takes readers through the history of the FX studio providing 400 stunning full color images of some of highlights from the past 16 years. Includes interviews with George Lucas, Dennis Muren, John Knoll, Scott Farrar, Roger Guyett, Ben Snow, Rob Coleman, Lorne Peterson, and many others.
The Hammer Vault: by Marcus Hearn
Britain’s Hammer Studios was one of the leaders of horror and sci-fi genre cinema throughout the 60s and 70s. This new book is packed with props, annotated script pages, unused poster artwork, production designs, rare promotional material and private correspondence as well as hundreds of rare and previously unseen stills. Highlights include: Letters to and from some of the company’s stars. Pages from Peter Cushing’s scrapbooks. Pages from the scrapbook of managing director Michael Carreras. Pre-production artwork, and poster artwork from films that were never made and more!
MUSIC
Lastly, here are two shows that Sebastian enjoys. Boardwalk Empire is the Scorsese-produced and critically acclaimed story of Atlantic City’s bootlegging past during prohibition. A gangster movie show if there ever was one. If you like Once Upon a Time in America, or The Untouchables, this is for you. Click here to get Season 1 on DVD (BluRay). The other show that gripped him this year is Game of Thrones. This first season has everything you would want in what would probably be NC-17 in theaters. A fantasy show with an amazing world which it takes place in, political games and social subtext, intrigues, great characters, dragons, zombies, blowjobs and chopped-off heads. This is the most furious TV show ever. Click here to get Season 1 on DVD (BluRay)
