Whether you’re looking for stocking stuffers for others or a nice little gift for yourself, we’ve got a roundup of some of the best new Blu-rays and DVDs for the holidays.
Christmas Favorites
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment presents four holiday favorites in 4K this holiday season “Elf,” “A Christmas Story,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” “The Polar Express”All get polished up for your library. Whether you’re giving (or getting) a 4K system this Christmas or already have one ready to go, this quartet of titles represent the apex of Holiday classicsIt is suitable for a broad audience. (Whether or not there will be a sequel. “A Christmas Story Christmas”It remains to be seen if it will ever merit its own physical release.
Also available:
“The Apartment” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Billy Wilder’s bittersweet, Oscar-winning holiday tale made its 4K debut earlier this year.
The Holidays Collection: Girls Rule!(Paramount Home Entertainment). “Mean Girls,” “Last Holiday” “Serendipity.”
“Nobody’s Fool” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): One of my favorite Christmas-ish movies, featuring one of Paul Newman’s finest latter-day performances (as well as exceptional turns by Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith, and early appearances from the likes of Margo Martindale, Pruitt Taylor Vince and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets released in 4K for the first time. (out Dec. 27 — maybe a little late for this Christmas, but worth rewatching at any time of year)
“Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (Paramount Home Entertainment): OK, yes, it’s a Thanksgiving movie, but that’s part of “Happy Holidays,”You can now see it in 4K.
Holiday Indie
Anna Margaret Hollyman — even her name says “Merry Christmas” — gives an unforgettable performance in the 2013 dark comedy “White Reindeer” (Factory 25). Hollyman plays a widow who struggles with grief after the death of her husband. Then she discovers shocking and surprising facts about her husband that send her spiraling into an unimaginable underworld. This outrageous holiday story, written and directed by Zach Clark deserves a wider audience.
Also available:
“A Christmas Karen”(FilmRise: Scrooge in this comedy from 2022 would like to talk to the manager. (out Dec. 13)
“Scrooge & Marley”(Dark Star Pictures). This is a queer twist “A Christmas Carol” — starring David Pevsner as a modern-day LGBTQ misanthrope — gets a 10th anniversary DVD re-release that includes a cast reunion, making-of doc and director commentary.
“See You Next Christmas” (Chrissiemas Productions): An unlikely couple (played by Elizabeth Guest and AJ Meijer) fall in and out of love over several years’ worth of their best friends’ holiday parties in this charmingly low-key (and low-budget) rom-com. (out Nov. 29)
“Some Girls” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Finally, a Blu-ray release for Michael Hoffman’s sexy and engaging 1988 comedy about a college student (played by Patrick Dempsey) who travels to Quebec to spend Christmas with his girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly), only to have her announce upon his arrival that she no longer loves him.
Holiday for the Family
Jules Bass, the legendary animator, has passed away. This gives us all more reason to include him. The Complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection(Universal Pictures Home Entertainment). In your home library. Bass partner Arthur Rankin, Jr., helped invent the Christmas TV special as we know it — their “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” “Frosty the Snowman” make up half of genre’s Mount Rushmore (alongside Charlie Brown and the Grinch) — and this compendium includes their many holiday favorites, from “Rudolph” and “Frosty”To “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and many, many more; it’Nine discs contain 18 specials.
Also available:
“8-Bit Christmas”(Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). “A Christmas Story,” this 80s-set comedy features a similar blend of snark-sprinkled nostalgia and one child’s desire for an unattainable present (although this time it’s a video game and not a BB gun).
“Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square”(Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). Parton plays an angel trying to stop a cruel millionaire (Christine Baranski), from selling a whole town to developers.
“Prancer: A Christmas Tale”(Universal Pictures Home Entertainment). James Cromwell plays a grandfather who believes in a magical reindeer and is threatened by having him sent to a home. (out Nov. 29)
“Santa & Pete”(Questar). James Earl Jones portrays a grandpa who makes a yarn for his grandson while they prepare for Christmas together. Hume Cronyn stars as St. Nick.
“Tom & Jerry: Snowman’s Land”(Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). This legendary pair bring a snowmouse alive, but they will have to keep him from melting. They will embark on a winter adventure. (out Nov. 29)
Christmas Romance
If they are looking for holiday movies that will never stop, there are many options available to them. These include streaming services and large home collections. Lifetime’s Ultimate Holiday Movie Collection Lifetime’s A Very Merry Movie Collections, Vol. 3 Vol. 4 (all Lionsgate). The “Merry Movie”Each set contains a dozen movies. “Ultimate” boasts a whopping 50 titles, making it the perfect gift for someone who doesn’t stop watching Christmas movies just because the calendar has flipped over.
Also available:
Lifetime’s rivals at Hallmark, meanwhile, aren’t sleeping on the job when it comes to physical media; their 2022 offerings include (alphabetically) “Cheerful Christmas”/”Double Holiday”/”It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas“; “Christmas at Castle Hart”; “Christmas CEO”/”Christmas Together With You”/”An Unexpected Christmas“; the LGBTQ-inclusive “The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls”; “Christmas in Harmony” (directed by indie legend Rusty Cundieff); “Christmas in My Heart”/”My Christmas Family Tree”; “Christmas on My Mind”/”A Homecoming for the Holidays”/”Holiday Hearts”; “The Christmas Promise”/”Christmas for Keeps”; “Coyote Creek Christmas”; “Debbie Macomber’s A Mrs. Miracle Christmas”; “A Dickens of a Holiday!”/”Boyfriends of Christmas Past”; the charming holiday-but-not-Christmas-for-once romance “Eight Gifts of Hanukkah”; “Five More Minutes”; “A Godwink Christmas: Miracle of Love”; “Jingle Bell Bride”/”The Christmas Doctor”/”Deliver by Christmas”; “A Kiss Before Christmas”; “Next Stop, Christmas”; “The Nine Kittens of Christmas”; “Open by Christmas”; “Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas”; “A Very Merry Bridesmaid”/”Tis the Season to Be Merry”; “You, Me and the Christmas Trees”And the Hallmark Countdown To Christmas 9-Movie SetThis includes “Check Inn to Christmas,” “Christmas Comes Twice,” “Christmas Land”(The first of) “Bros” star Luke Macfarlane’s Hallmark Christmas movies), “12 Gifts of Christmas,” “Christmas in Love,” “With Love, Christmas,” “Window Wonderland,” “Looks Like Christmas” “Christmas List.”
(My personal choice from the Hallmark bunch) Since there’s no physical release for “Crashing Through the Snow,”Ashley Williams and Kimberly Williams/Paisley should be recommended for the double-feature.
“Sister Swap: Hometown Holiday”/”Sister Swap: Christmas in the City,”Two charming and interconnected rom-coms that can be viewed back to back.
You can also find this book if you are a fan of this genre. “Christmas in Rockwell,” “Christmas in Wolf Creek,” “Country Roads Christmas” “A Ring for Christmas”All Imagicomm for holiday hugs and kisses
Holiday Horror
Bob Clark’s 1983 “A Christmas Story,”Although he is now a mainstay of holiday cinema, he entered the pantheon 10 years ago. “Black Christmas”(Scream Factory) is now available in 4K. This influential holiday slasher — it’s hard to imagine John Carpenter wasn’t at least partially influenced by it when he made “Halloween” — still holds up as one of the all-time great chillers, and the Yuletide setting just adds to the tension. This 4K scan of Clark’s original negative is included. Restorations of mono and 5.1 sound tracks are also available. There are commentary tracks with Clark, Keir Dukea and John Saxon. (There’s a separate commentary from Nick Mancuso, who provided the unforgettable voice for Billy, the obscene phone-caller.) (out Dec. 6)
Also available:
“Christmas Craft Fair Massacre” (Wild Eye Releasing): As if crocheted-owl plant-hangers weren’t terrifying enough. (out Dec. 13)
“Christmas Cruelty” (Unearthed Films): This Scandinavian import follows a serial killer who’s out to ruin some holidays.
“Christmassacre”(Wild Eye Releasing: This 2015 chiller is not calm or bright.
“Don’t Open Till Christmas” (Vinegar Syndrome): Holiday horror meets disco sleaze in this 1984 video nasty from director-actor Edmund Purdom (who, back in the day, starred in Michael Curtiz’s “The Egyptian”).
“Silent Night” (RLJE Films): There’s no place like home for the apocalypse, as Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Roman Griffin Davis lead an ensemble of Brits gather for one last holiday before the end of everything.
“Silent Night, Deadly Night”Collection (Lionsgate): Draw your own conclusions about the third through fifth chapters of any franchise, but that’s what this holiday box set provides. Fun fact: Mickey Rooney opposed the first “SNDN”film, but to be revealed in Part 5 as an evil toysmaker. (out Dec. 13)
Holiday Books and Calendars
Cinephile’s creators have returned to the table with this delightful game. “My First Movie”Book series that introduce young movie-lovers to new genres such as film noir GialloAnd the French New Wave. It would be wonderful to be a youngster, and to be introduced to the likes “Gun Crazy” “Deep Red” “The 400 Blows.” Be the cool aunt/uncle at this year’s family get-together.
Also available:
“Batman Returns: One Dark Christmas Eve” (Insight Editions): I’ve said for years that this superhero sequel was one of our great contemporary Christmas movies, and now there’s a children’s storybook to shore up its status as a holiday favorite.
When’s It Gonna Be Christmas Again?(Primedia): Two hosts of the Deck the Hallmark podcast — with whom I collaborated on the essential Hallmark-holiday-film guide “I’ll Be Home for Christmas Movies,” which makes a perfect gift — return with a new storybook about impatiently awaiting the holidays.
All December, enjoy your favourite pop-culture obsessions Dragonball Z: Official Advent Calendar, Dungeons & Dragons: The Official Countdown Gift Calendar Star Wars: The Life Day Pop Up Book & Advent CalendarAll from Insight Editions