All the talk going on around me about Christmas shopping got me thinking about giving some holiday gift giving advice from the movie side… because a lot of people like tech gifts, a lot of people like music, or games, and there are a lot of people who like to get or give movies as Christmas/Holiday gifts.

So here it is, my first ever advice blog for holiday shoppers about what you can give/ask for this holiday season for movies and not be disappointed !!!

2008 movies for teens and adults….

 1. “The Dark Knight” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 12/9)

Its one of the best movies of the year for both critical and popular reaction and by that, I mean it was well reviewed by the national critics (who don’t usually like the superhero genre) and it was big at the box office ($530 million and counting just at U.S. theaters).

If you saw “Batman Begins” (2006), you know that Director Christopher Nolan did a great job re-booting this franchise and Christian Bale was great as Batman, along with Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine.

But this is one of those very rare examples in Hollywood where the sequel is actually better than the first movie!!!

Here’s where I wish my old reviews were still available, but bottom line this is the best superhero movie up to this point! (see my full list here)  The storyline is solid, the effects and stunts, the action, the acting, Heath Ledger’s perfect performance as the Joker (Golden Globe nominee and eventual Academy Award nominated performance), the entire cast is great!

My review: was a 9.5 / 10

The only way you could possibly go wrong giving this movie as a gift is not including a gift receipt because the person you gave it to already bought it when it came out Tuesday (December 9th).

 2. “Iron Man” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 9/30)

Robert Downey, Jr. is great as Tony Stark/Iron Man, the cast is great, the story and effects are great, the characters are fantastic and the level of comedy and tension are just right for the new-age superhero genre.

Just like “The Dark Knight”, “Iron Man” had critical and box office success ($318.22 million in 20 weeks was 2nd only to “The Dark Knight” this year).

It also became my 3rd favorite superhero movie of all time.

My review: was a 8.0 / 10

How it could be the wrong gift: if someone hates superhero movies or if you’re giving it to Terrence Howard (who will not be returning for the highly-anticipated sequel after a contract disagreement).

2008 movies for kids and families….

1. “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 12/2)

A solid sequel to the hugely popular “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (2006) – but not as good as the first… as it lost a tiny bit of the magic and wonder as battle dominates this storyline more than the magic and fantasy of the first.

My review: was a 8.0 / 10

2. “Kung Fu Panda” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 11/8)

One of the top kid/family movies of the year (nominated for Golden Globe) is a fun adventure with a cool cast of characters and jokes for both kids and adults.

My review: was a 7.0 / 10

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My holiday treasures… older Movies I love (and own) that your movie fan might have missed, but I know you’ll enjoy:

1. “Stranger Than Fiction” (2006) – Will Ferrell in a non-Ferrell role, its a more dramatic although comical character in a really cool paranoia premise that he’s the character in a writer’s book and he is hearing the narration in his mind. This is my 2nd favorite Will Ferrell movie.  Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Queen Latifah make up a great supporting cast.

2. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (2005) – but you have to make sure you get the 2005 version!!  This is quickly becoming a comedy cult-classic, and its certainly high on my list of comedies, but you may have to see it twice or three times to truly catch all of its brillance… I certainly didn’t get it all in the first viewing!  Sam Rockwell is Zaphod Beeblebrox… there’s no seperating him from the character… hilarious.

3. “Gone Baby Gone” (2007) – a well crafted crime drama somewhat in the style of “Mystic River” (2003) with a great cast and a solid performance from Casey Affleck in the leading role.  Amy Ryan (”The Office”) received a Oscar Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.   Ed Harris, MIchelle Monaghan, and Morgan Freeman make up a solid supporting cast.

4. “Click” (2006) – a fun premise with Adam Sandler as the main character who finds a remote to pause/fast forward/rewind/mute different moments in his life, and in an Ebenezzer Scrooge sort of way finds out how using the remote can drastically change his life.  Good supporting role from Christopher Walken.

5. “The Inside Man” (2006) – a smart, edgy crime drama with Clive Owen as the main badguy and Denzel Washington trying to spoil his plot for the perfect bank heist.. its an intense thriller and a mystery to try to solve how he’s doing it before he can get away with it!  Jodie Foster, Willem Defoe and Christopher Plummer are also solid.

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My not-so-safe picks from 2008 that I really enjoyed, but not everyone else will - these are siggestions for the movie fans that might have all the above:

1. “21″ (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 7/22)

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2. “Traitor” (RELEASING 12/16 ON DVD/BLU-RAY)

Read my review of “Traitor”

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3. “The Air I Breathe” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 5/27)

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4. “Step Brothers” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 12/2)

5. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 9/30)

6. ”The Bank Job” (released on DVD/Blu-Ray 7/15)

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good luck and don’t forget the gift receipts!!

Anybody have any 2008 movies to add to this list???  Please post a comment!!