Ah, the holiday season. There's nothing quite like the childlike wonder and anticipation of wondering what goodies Santa and his presumably non-union and overworked laborers will leave under the tree. Or for some, the anticipation of what the Hanukkah fairy will leave under the menorah (that's how Hanukkah works, right?). So come and join me dear reader, as I highlight a few of what I think are the must-have gifts of the season.
Must-own Movie: Inception Blu-Ray/DVD 3-disc Special Edition
Why you must own it: Regular readers of the site may remember the verbal tongue bath that Aaron and Dylan gave Inception back when it came out this summer. However, anyone who thought their praise perhaps too strongly worded or enthusiastic did not have a conversation with me between the month of July and September. I saw this movie 3 times in the first 5 days it was out (and this was 3 successful viewings after 5 total attempts). In my esteem, it is almost impossible for a movie to be more perfect than inception was. The writing was spectacular, it was never overly reliant on the kickass visuals, and the casting was nothing short of impeccable. And now that it's coming out on DVD, it means we get to relive the magic all over again. This special edition, in addition to containing both the Blu-Ray and standard DVD versions of the movie contains the standard making of featurettes (which I for one am very excited to see), a documentary on the nature of dreams and the research going on in the field, a comic prologue for the referenced but never explained "Cobol job", concept art, and some other extras that expound upon the movie world. I am honestly not one to really care about special features on movies, but Inception was such a rich experience that anyone who loved this movie when it was in theaters would be leaving their experiences hollow if they were to not explore the extra background content provided in this (quite reasonably priced) package.
Gadget to Get: Amazon Kindle 3G (Latest Generation)
Why you should get it: So this is actually a present I have already had the pleasure of opening when my older model Kindle was stolen a few weeks ago. However, the fact that I have already received it makes me that much more enthusiastic about recommending it. The latest generation model has managed to become even more slim, and the improved e-ink contrast is very noticeable, making it a little easier to read in conditions with low lighting, but maintaining the ease on your eyes that makes the kindle such a fantastic device. The Kindle store offers a very robust selection of books and periodicals, as well as a whole lot of Blogs that you can download for later reading. And if you're someone who reads a lot, this device will save you a whole lot of money when you realize you seldom have to pay more than $9.99 for a book. With your average paperback running around $15, and hardcovers over double that, this is a welcome burden lightening. One thing I will definitely recommend is that if you go this route with your holiday season, drop another $35 on a cover. It makes holding and carrying the device more comfortable. Also, anyone reticent about missing "the feel" of reading books printed on paper will quickly have their meaningless and annoying complaint quashed when they realize that if it looks like a book and opens like a book, then it must "feel" like a book.
Get Ready to Re-Watch: Venture Bros. Season 4 Pt. 1 and Metalocalypse Season 3
To What End: One of the big problems with being a fan of shows on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim is that their seasons are often infuriatingly brief and tend to simply break for a few months halfway through. This does not make for a very cohesive viewing experience, and in shows like Metalocalypse and Venture Bros. that have random absurdity and pop culture references mixed in with a somewhat unforgiving continuity, can be a big problem. I always enjoy having some time off over the holidays to give these shows (which are always on break or finished by Christmas) some proper re-viewings. Metalocalypse always has some incredibly bizarre special features that I always await with a kind of sick curiosity. There is never anything particularly informative to the show or the creators, but on season 2 for example, there was a 5 minute long video of Facebones listing objects. The features themselves are not what I look forward to, but rather the discovery of the features. As for Venture Bros., my interest in the audio commentaries of Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick is more conventional than my interest in the madness of Brendon Small, but no less significant. This season was pretty explosive and I'm interested to see what they have to say about it.
Be sure to tune in the rest of the week to see more lists of goodies from Aaron, Dylan, and Keri!
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