2019 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I - First-Run Releases and Franchise Box Sets

November 27, 2019

It's Thanksgiving weekend, which means Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and of course the first installment of our Holiday Gift Guide. This year, Thanksgiving is as late as it could have been, which means there’s no way to squeeze in four weeks of regular installments of the gift guide, as well as the December monthly preview, etc. So we are going to have a condensed list this year. That said, there weren’t a ton of first-run releases that would have made this list regardless.

Blockbusters
The list of films that earned explosive box office numbers and were liked by the vast majority of critics is a rather slim list and all of them are from the MCU. Those three films are Avengers: Endgame (Buy from Amazon); Spider-Man: Far from Home (Buy from Amazon); and Captain Marvel (Buy from Amazon), in descending order of quality. I reviewed all three films, so you can find out more details about extras and such there. Before you accuse me of anything, there were other films that were blockbusters that are not among these three, but they fit better in other categories below, starting with...

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Family Films
It has a been a good year for massive family films with several that found receptive audiences in theaters and were equally loved by critics. On the downside, some of these have been out on the home market for months, so the person you are buying for might already have them. Try and check with parents first, but if they don’t have How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Buy from Amazon) or The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Buy from Amazon), then they would make great gifts. Toy Story 4 (Buy from Amazon) came out more recently, so it is less likely they would already have it. If you prefer your cartoons to be live-action, then Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (Buy for Amazon) or Dora and the Lost City of Gold (Buy from Amazon) are excellent choices. And if you want a super hero film for the family, grab Shazam! (Buy from Amazon).

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A Little More Serious Fair
On the other hand, it hasn’t been a great year for more serious fair. Films like this have found a home on streaming services, as they tend to work better at home than in theaters. That said, Downton Abbey (Buy from Amazon) made the leap from the small screen to the big screen and should please fans of the franchise. If you know someone who rallies against the simple-mindedness of today’s Sci-fi, get them Ad Astra (Buy from Amazon). However, they don’t come out on Blu-ray till the 17th of December. That might be too close to Christmas to order in time. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (Buy from Amazon) also isn’t out yet, but you have a full week more to get it delivered. As for a choice that is already out on Blu-ray, I would pick Rocketman (Buy from Amazon) as your best bets, especially if they like musical biopics.

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Just For Laughs
It has been an even worse year for comedies, with the best being Hustlers (Buy from Amazon) and that’s a dark comedy, which usually has a narrower audience. Also, it doesn’t come out for a couple of weeks. Good Boys (Buy from Amazon) was the biggest straight comedy and it won over the vast majority of critics. The same can’t be said of Isn’t it Romantic (Buy from Amazon), which was the best Romantic Comedy for most of the year. Not a good year for that genre.

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Something Scary
On the other hand, horror films thrived and there are top-notch examples of many subgenres. Us (Buy from Amazon) is the biggest and the best example of the genre that came out this year. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Buy from Amazon) is great for those who grew up on kid's horror stories and always wanted to see them come to life. Crawl (Buy from Amazon) is one of the best When Animals Attack movies to come out in years. Midsommar (Buy from Amazon) is an excellent example of Art House Horror. Ready or Not (Buy from Amazon) doesn’t come out till next week, so it is less likely the recipient has owned it for the past few months. There’s a sweet spot between getting the Blu-ray in time to give as a gift and it not being out for so long the recipient already bought it months ago. I think the Tuesday after Cyber Monday is that sweet spot.

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Undiscovered Gems
Not every critical darling finds an audience in theaters. Fighting With My Family (Buy from Amazon) struggled despite its critical praise. Maybe its connection to professional wrestling was too much for mainstream audiences. Blinded By the Light (Buy from Amazon) was too close to Yesterday, which hurt its box office numbers. Finally, Booksmart (Buy from Amazon) has earned a major Awards Season nomination, but bombed in theaters. All three films are great choices if you want to give a film that the recipient likely never saw, but should really like.

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That's it for the first-run releases. Usually there’s a break for the December monthly preview, but not this year. Next week it is the TV on DVD releases and I’m really struggling to come up with choices in that category. Limited Releases and Classics should be easily to deal with.

- C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Holiday Gift Guide, Shazam!, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Isn’t it Romantic, Us, Ad Astra, Good Boys, Midsommar, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Fighting With My Family, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Yesterday, Rocketman, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Crawl, Booksmart, Hustlers, Ready or Not, Downton Abbey, Blinded by the Light, Marvel Cinematic Universe