Back by popular demand, we’re happy to introduce a four-part series featuring gift ideas for the holidays.
Digital Journal — Published each day this week, we’ll shed insight into the world of technology and entertainment, giving you our picks for the top-rated and newest gadgets.
DigitalJournal.com’s gift guide is published every year, and this year, we also want your tips; if you have a gift idea, drop a comment and share your views with others!
Today’s coverage: Books & DVDs. Shopping for gifts can be a pain in the patience. Helping you navigate the many choices available, is this week’s DigitalJournal.com Holiday Gift Guide, we present you with a selection of fascinating books and DVDs:
Books
I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert (Grand Central)
Price: $27 cloth
There’s only one author who can attack reverse discrimination because “it goes in the opposite way of we naturally discriminate?” Deadpanning his way through 274 pages of pure comedic gold, Stephen Colbert wrote his first book with all the quick wit found on his Comedy Central Show, The Colbert Report.
He’s the kind of comedian-author who criticizes the Animal Kingdom’s tendency to spread the sinful trend of sex before marriage: “You can’t turn over a rock without seeing a half dozen earthworms doing the horizontal spermatophore, with nary a wedding ring in sight.”
Bonus treats for book buyers is the attached ribbon bookmark and various stickers that members of Colbert Nation can attach to, well, anything. Also giggle-worthy are photos of Colbert from his childhood, which are thrown in for purely egotistical reasons. I Am America — is it a great book or the greatest book?
Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine ( Drawn & Quarterly)
Price: $20 cloth
Few graphic novels released this year carry the emotional weight of Adrian Tomine’s latest work. Following a young man’s relationship problems (he’s an Asian accused of checking out white girls while with his girlfriend), Shortcomings doesn’t need elaborate drawings or even colour to showcase Tomine’s talent. The beauty is in the book’s realism as almost every panel reveals a truth about social connections that is rarely magnified in today’s literary works.
Shortcomings is a quick read but it’s also a heavy read. Anyone who has been through a frustrating relationship, or anyone embarking on the dating scene after a difficult break-up, can relate to Shortcomings‘ main characters.
The Year of Eating Dangerously: A Global Adventure in Search of Culinary Extremes by Tom Parker Bowles (St. Martin’s Press)
Price: $25 cloth
When in Rome. It’s a maxim that Park Bowles takes very seriously as he tours across the world and eats like the natives do.
He finds the most terrifying and weirdly concocted foods, sampling everything from bees to dog stew to cobra.
This is true gonzo food criticism with a health dose of machismo added for good measure.
And in case you were worried about the writing talent from the son of Prince Charle’s wife, Camilla, you shouldn’t fear — Bowles can actually write about extreme foods with all the flair of a Food Channel special.
Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker (HarperCollins)
Price: $28 cloth
Clive Barker brought us Hellraiser and a short story inspiring the Candyman films.
Also known as a prolific horror writer, Barker shines again with Mister B. Gone, a quirky tale about a bitter demon toiling in the World Above, seeking vengeance for being badly burned by his demon father.
The reader is taken on a journey to figure out how this vengeful creature was wronged in the first place, and half the fun is sampling his grotesque adventures.
Horror fiction isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for readers who delight in a good fright, Barker’s latest book will be sure to keep them up past the witching hour.
Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs (Ansel Adams)
Price: $40 cloth
For the photography enthusiast, an Ansel Adams collection is the Holy Grail.
The full spectrum of this star photographer’s work is presented chronologically, allowing the reader to glimpse a 14-year-old Adams’ first snap of Yosemite to his later work capturing picturesque scenes of the Sierra Nevada area.
Brief essays on select photos add a new layer of understanding to Adams’ technique. Who doesn’t want to know why he shot what he did, and how he was able to capture such sensitive settings so perfectly?
Whether titled a coffee table book or reference book, 400 Photographs is the kind of gift that doesn’t wither with age. A photography admirer will love the range of subjects and styles in the book. Undoubtedly, its artistic content is timeless.
DVDs
Lost, Season 3. box set
Price: $47-60 depending on retailer ($38 on Amazon.com, $52 on Amazon.ca)
It’s the moment all Lost fans have been waiting for: The box set of season 3 is finally out on DVD today.
Season 3 of Lost continues with the story of more than 40 people stranded on a remote island after their plane crashed (if you haven’t followed the series, DigitalJournal.com recommends you download episodes from iTunes or pick-up the seasons on DVD because it’s probably not what you expect of a we’re-trapped-on-an-island series).
Season 3 is the season of mysteries: So much is jammed into 23 episodes your head will spin. Episode 1 picks up where season 2 left off: With Jack (played by Matthew Fox), Kate (played by Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer (played by Josh Holloway) being taken to a secret place by “the others.” Without spoiling anything, the season is a roller coaster ride from here on out.
The story delves quite deep into background and revelations of “the others”; there are more deaths and serious character tension between some of the lead roles; some of the main characters are offered a chance to get off the island; and romance flutters between some (perhaps) unlikely characters.
Spoiler alert (don’t read this paragraph if you are a Lost newbie or simply don’t want to know what happens in season 3): Some of the best parts of this season include learning that Desmond (played by Henry Ian Cusick) can see the future; Ben (played by Michael Emerson), the leader of “the others” finds his fate resting in Jack’s surgical hands; Locke (played by Terry O’Quinn) learns he is special to the island and has trouble deciding whose side he’s on; Danielle Rousseau (played by Mira Furlan) finds her daughter; the survivors of flight 815 meet someone who can potentially get them off the island; Charlie (played by Dominic Monaghan) faces death; and the two-part season finale serves up a buffet of twists in plot.
While we did feel some episodes in this season were painfully boring and go off on a useless tangent, season 3 of Lost will leave you begging for season 4, as you get a glimpse into the potential future for lead character Jack.
Czech Dream (Arts Alliance America). 90 minutes
Price: $25
For the anti-consumerism Adbusters-loving friend, give the gift of a documentary that has flown way below the radar but deserves some love. Czech Dream riffs off the idea of filmmaker-as-main-star theme — two film students promote the opening of a massive entirely fictitious mega-market in a Prague field. The radio jingles are fake, the brochures’ prices are phony and the filmmakers end up duping an entire city into this wild dream of bulk bargains. Half the fun is watching how professional this fake store launch is organized.
Czech Dream makes several comments about consumer culture and marketing hype, but overall this doc is more cheeky than didactic. It’s one of the best sleeper hits of the past few years.
Waitress (20th Century Fox). 108 minutes
Price: $25
Dramatic comedies are often watered down with clichés and swelling violins, but Waitress prefers to offer a slice-of-life good-natured vibe to its story of a small-town girl.
Keri Russell (of Felicity fame) stars as a waitress who bakes delicious pies with an ambition to win a $25,000 pie-making contest. But all she gets is an unwanted pregnancy and a jerk husband. Waitress doesn’t focus on pies as much as it does on poignant observations on friendship, dating and restaurant life.
And for fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm, a bonus treat is seeing Cheryl Hines (Larry David’s wife) in a role refreshingly different from her usual straight-woman character. Also, Andy Griffith guest-stars in a cameo that is truly memorable long after the rolling credits.
Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis (Warner Bros.). 262 minutes
Price: $32
You can question Live Earth’s real-world impact all you want (will Rihanna’s “Umbrella” spread awareness about global warming?) but it’s hard to deny the talent flooding the worldwide concert hoopla. The new DVD features top tracks from most artists, including Bon Jovi, Metallica, Lenny Kravitz, Beastie Boys, Joss Stone and even the special reunion gig of Pink Floyd. For the hardcore rock fan, that gem is worth the DVD’s price alone.
The package also included a CD for music lovers hoping to finally hear an audio buffet full of Madonna, Chris Cornell and Linkin Park, among others (now that’s a motley crue!). Warner Bros. is quick to note that all proceeds from the Live Earth DVD go to the Alliance for Climate Protection, giving green-friendly consumers more incentive to pick up this rare collection of all-star musicians.
Futurama: Bender’s Big Score (20th Century Fox). 89 minutes
Price: $30
Fry, Bender, Leela, Zoidberg and the Professor are celebrating their upcoming return to TV with a straight-to-DVD film. Once again, Matt Groening‘s trademark humour is on full display in Bender’s Big Score, which follows Bender in a time-travel plot where he is forced to steal Earth’s priceless treasures. Fry and Leela’s relationship continues where the TV series left off, and there’s a hefty amount of human and alien nudity for the viewer looking for risqué animation (who isn’t?).
Also, the DVD includes enough bonus goodies to satisfy the most hardcore fan of these 31st century adventurers. Special features range from a live comic-book reading by the Futurama cast to a hilarious animated promo for An Inconvenient Truth starring Bender and Al Gore. A great gift for the hidden kid inside the cartoon-loving adult.
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– To see DigitalJournal.com’s Gadget Gift Guide, click here
– To see DigitalJournal.com’s Software Gift Guide, click here
– To see DigitalJournal.com’s Video Game Gift Guide, click here
