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Dec 01, 2015 By Mark Redfern

Christmas is still a month away, but it’s also only a month way. And Hanukkah is even closer. But when does Festivus start again? Whichever holiday you celebrate, chances are you’ll have an occasion to give some gifts in the coming month and we’re here to help you make some smart purchases. Welcome to the second part of Under the Radar’s Holiday Gift Guide 2015. This second post concerns DVDs and Blu-rays. The holidays are the perfect time to catch up on movies and TV shows. Most TV shows take a break from showing new episodes over Christmas and it’s often bitterly cold outside.

Also read our first Holiday Gift Guide post on graphic novels and books. And later we’ll be posting separate Holiday Gift Guides for music box sets, collectibles, and technology, before hopefully collecting it all in one big post.

DVDs and Blu-rays:

American Ultra Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $29.99

American Ultra was a big flop when it came out this summer and got mixed reviews (although it had its supporters, Village Voice gave it a 10/10). Audiences missed a fun stoner action comedy. Jesse Eisenberg stars as Mike Howell, a pothead who works in a small town convenience store. Kristen Stewart is his girlfriend Phoebe Larson. Unbeknownst to Mike, he’s an experimental C.I.A. sleeper agent, programmed to kill but also programmed to forget that he’s been programmed to kill. When elements in the government decide to kill him he gets “activated” and Tarantino-esque levels of violence and humor ensue. But at its heart the movie is a touching and credible love story between Mike and Phoebe, which builds off the duo’s strong chemistry (forged in their 2009 collaboration Adventureland). (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

The Apu Trilogy Blu-ray Box Set (Criterion)

SRP: $99.95

Satyajit Ray’s universally recognized milestone, miraculously rescued from a fire, has been restored and is available thanks to Criterion. Ray instills a soft, vulnerable humanity in his characters throughout this film, exhibiting what an essential filmmaker he was. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Back to the Future 30th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray/DVD (Universal)

SRP: $49.98

2015 featured two important dates for fans of the Back to the Future trilogy. July 3 marked the exact 30th anniversary of the release for the first film and October 21, 2015 was the exact date that Marty McFly and Doc Brown (along with Jennifer Parker and the dog Einstein) traveled to the future in 1989’s Back to the Future Part II. The latter date led to a slew of news stories and retrospective articles. In honor of all this Universal has re-released the trilogy on Blu-ray and DVD, which includes a brand new bonus disc featuring a new short starring Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. Also available is Back to the Future: The Complete Adventures, which comes in light up Flux Capacitor packaging and also includes all 26 episodes of the animated series from the early ‘90s. Read our recent interviews with Back to the Future stars Lea Thompson and Claudia Wells and co-creator/co-writer/co-producer Bob Gale. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Batman: The Complete Third Season DVD (Warner Bros.)

SRP: $39.98

The iconic 1960s Batman TV series finally came to DVD in 2014 after rights issues were eventually resolved. Last year the complete series was released, this year each of the seasons were released on DVD separately. Season Three was the show’s final one and was notable for introducing the character of Batgirl (aka Barbara Gordon), created in conjunction with DC Comics. Also of note, Eartha Kitt took over from Julie Newmar as Catwoman, helping to break the racial boundaries of the time. Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl, passed away earlier this year, so the time is ripe to re-watch her best-known role. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Series Blu-ray (HBO)

SRP: $239.99

A bleak, compelling noir, this complete series is available on Blu-ray, the perfect gift for anyone who wants to revisit this utterly brilliant ensemble cast which includes the Steve Buscemi in the role of his life as the irascible Nucky Thompson. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Boyhood Blu-ray/DVD (Paramount)

SRP: $41.99

Richard Linklater’s audacious tale of a boy’s travails through childhood and beyond should remain on gift guides in perpetuity. It’s that good. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes DVD (Time/Life Entertainment)

SRP: $59.95

Unearthed gems of this iconic television relic will be of great interest to anyone remotely interested in the golden age of television. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Code Unknown Blu-Ray (Criterion)

SRP: $39.95

A provocateur on par with Lars von Trier, Code Unknown is one of director Michael Haneke’s finest achievements, and a fine introduction into his staggeringly brilliant body of work. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

The Colbys: The Complete Series DVD (Shout! Factory)

SRP: $119.00

A spin off of Dynasty, The Colbys reflects the ‘80s American fascination with the nighttime soap. It’s not always good, but as a cultural document, it certainly reflects a certain lifestyles of the rich and famous-esque escapism. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

DC Comics Collection: 6 Graphic Novels, 6 Animated Movies Blu-ray/DVD/Graphic Novels (DC/Warner Bros.)

SRP: $145.99

Marvel may have gotten a head start launching a shared cinematic universe, but DC has them beat when it comes to great direct-to-DVD animated movies and each year have been releasing several such well-received PG-13 movies based on famous DC graphic novels. This new box set collects some of those movies along with the original comic book/graphic novel that inspired it. Each hardcover book includes the movie on both DVD and Blu-ray. Included is Frank Miller’s iconic and influential Batman: Year One (from 1986) and the movie adaptation of the same name and 1992’s The Death of Superman (touted as the “best selling graphic novel of all time”) and its adaptation Superman: Doomsday. Also included are Batman Black and White Volume 1 + the Batman: Gotham Knight movie, JLA: Earth 2 + the Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths movie, Justice League: Origin + the Justice League: War movie, and Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals + the Wonder Woman movie (which featured Keri Russell as the voice of Wonder Woman). This is a fantastic collection for any DC fan that doesn’t already own most of these graphic novels and movies. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Batman vs. Robin, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, and Justice League: Gods and Monsters Blu-ray/DVD (Warner Bros.)

SRP: $19.98

This year Warner Bros. released three direct-to-DVD DC Universe original animated movies. Batman vs. Robin is the follow-up to 2014’s Son of Batman with Jason O’Mara reprising his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Stuart Allan returning as Robin (aka Damian Wayne, Batman’s son) as they take on the Court of Owls. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is the sequel to 2014’s Justice League: War and is based on the Throne of Atlantis comic book storyline by Geoff Johns. The film centers on Aquaman, as he enlists the rest of the Justice League to help save his underwater home of Atlantis. The most interesting of the three is perhaps Justice League: Gods and Monsters. It’s set in an alternate universe where each of DC’s three main heroes have a significant twist in their stories/identities. Superman is actually the son of General Zod and when his ship crashes on Earth he is adopted by Mexican illegal immigrants/migrant workers. Wonder Woman is a New God and a warrior from the planet Apokolips. And Batman is Dr. Kirk Langstrom, a scientist who in trying to cure his cancer inadvertently transforms himself into a vampire, a man nearly consumed by his addition to blood who channels that by only feeding on criminals. (Buy it here: Batman vs. Robin, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, and Justice League: Gods and Monsters.) By Mark Redfern

The Decline of Western Civilization Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)

SRP: $59.98

A deluxe edition of this seminal, hilarious look at punk rock. Absolutely essential for anyone interested in the arcane annals of the unacceptable edges of the music industry to the masses. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Doctor Who: The Christmas Specials Gift Set Blu-ray/DVD (BBC)

SRP: $42.98

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to watch The Doctor stop an alien invasion and fight monstrous snowmen? This new set collects all 10 Doctor Who Christmas specials thus far, from David Tennant’s very first full episode as the Tenth Doctor in 2005’s The Christmas Invasion to Peter Capaldi’s first Christmas special as the Twelfth Doctor in 2014’s Last Christmas. It also comes with a cool Twelfth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver replica that lights up and makes sounds, even though lately The Doctor has been using Sonic Sunglasses. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Don’t Look Back Blu-ray (Criterion)

SRP: $39.95

The measuring stick when it comes to rock documentaries, D.A. Pennebaker brought Dylan into cryptic, soft focus throughout this thoroughly off-kilter, brilliant film. It’s been released before, but never in this resolution or with the copious extras and superb liner notes. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Eclipse Series 44: Julien Duvivier in the Thirties DVD Box Set (Criterion)

SRP: $59.95

Julien Duvivier’s primarily associated with the classic crime drama Pépé le moko, but he was one of the finest filmmakers working in France in the 1930s, as evidenced on this superb four film collection. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

The End of the Tour Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $24.99

This biopic chronicles journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) as he interviews a pre-fame David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) during a book tour supporting Infinite Jest. A nicely nuanced character sketch of a brilliant author who tragically took his own life in 2008. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Ex Machina Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $24.99 (Blu-ray) and $19.98 (DVD)

Surely one of the best science fiction films of recent years, Ex Machina features a star-making performance by Alicia Vikander as the seductive android Ava, as well as strong turns by Oscar Isaac as her reclusive inventor/famous CEO and Domhnall Gleeson as the programmer (Caleb Smith) brought in to test Ava. The directorial debut from Alex Garland (the writer of 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Dredd) is a brilliant mind-bender. Read our recent interviews with Gleeson and Vikander on the film. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

The Facts of Life: The Complete Series DVD (Shout! Factory)

SRP: $199.99

Anyone born in the ‘70s likely recalls the show’s infectious theme song and goofy melodrama between its disparate characters. Replete with bonus features, it even includes a 2014 reunion of the entire cast. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Girls: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray/DVD (HBO)

SRP: $34.99

Lena Dunham’s brainchild continues to develop its characters throughout this onetime dark horse now juggernaut of a comedy. And while the entire cast is excellent, and Dunham’s an established star, it’s Adam Driver who burns as brightly as a super-nova throughout the show’s finest season as Hannah Horvath’s boyfriend Adam Sackler. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Hannibal Season Three Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $24.99

Hannibal was unfortunately cancelled this year, but it’s a miracle it lasted three seasons on a channel like NBC. The show was incredibly disturbing and violent for a network TV show, but also beautiful to look at. Some of the imagery was so twisted, but also so masterfully lit and filmed that you couldn’t avert your eyes. It was also one of the most psychologically complex shows of recent memory. Inside all of that was a chilling performance by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen as the serial killer and psychiatrist Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter, whose performance almost matches Anthony Hopkins’ iconic turn in the role in Silence of the Lambs. Hugh Dancy’s haunting portrayal of FBI special investigator Will Graham also garnered praise. Show creator Bryan Fuller has cited David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick as influences on Hannibal and it shows in some of the surreal imagery. The third and final season found Lecter on the run in Europe following his outing as a serial killer at the end of season two. With Lecter is his psychotherapist/lover Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) and they are pursued by Graham and FBI agent Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburn). The second half of the season also pulled from Red Dragon, Thomas Harris’ first novel to feature Lecter and Graham (and already adapted into two movies, Manhunter and Red Dragon). Fuller had plans for three more seasons, including intentions of bringing in elements of the Silence of the Lambs storyline and introducing the character of Clarice Starling (played by Jodi Foster in the movie, with Fuller eying Ellen Page for the role), so it’s unfortunate it got cancelled before any of that could happen. There has still been talk of Hannibal being resurrected as a movie or a miniseries on another network (Fuller, Mikkelsen, and Dancy are all interested in continuing the story), but until then there’s this masterful third season. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Ikiru Blu-ray (Criterion)

SRP: $39.95

Perhaps Akira Kurosawa’s most compassionate film, Ikiru is a necessity for anyone who appreciates the director, one of the finest of the 20th Century. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

In Cold Blood Blu-ray (Criterion)

SRP: $39.95

A wonderful adaptation of the Truman Capote non-fiction novel, this black and white true crime noir film is rife with spring-coiled tension and light on fireworks displays, its subtlety imbuing it with terror. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Interstellar Blu-ray/DVD (Paramount)

SRP: $39.99

The crown jewel of Christopher Nolan’s directorial career, Interstellar initially baffles, but stays with it and you’re with Nolan in his serpentine, atavistic journey that outdoes Memento in sheer audacity and accomplishment. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Jurassic World Blu-ray 3D/Blur-ray/DVD (Universal)

SRP: $34.98

Jurassic World was the biggest movie of the last year (although Star Wars: The Force Awakens hasn’t come out yet), but it was also a lot of fun, as long as you didn’t take it too seriously. Director Colin Trevorrow had only directed one feature length movie before (the well-received quirky indie time travel comedy Safety Not Guaranteed), so he could have easily been over his head, but he pulled off an enjoyable popcorn movie with enough references to the original Jurassic Park to keep old school fans happy. A typically charismatic lead performance by deserving new superstar Chris Pratt helped. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

The Larry Fessenden Collection DVD (Scream! Factory)

SRP: $79.97

This obscure cult horror director is given the royal treatment from Scream! Factory with loads of extras sure to sate any fan of psychological terror films. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

The Leftovers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray/DVD (Warner Bros.)

SRP: $44.96

Damon Lindelof, co-creator of HBO’s The Leftovers with Tom Perrotta (whose book the show is based on), learned some lessons from years producing Lost, whose series finale left too many unanswered questions and disappointed fans. Lindelof has warned from the outset that he has no plans to answer The Leftovers’ central mystery, why 2% of the world’s population disappeared at the same time in the Rapture-like “Sudden Departure” event. Much how The Walking Dead will likely never reveal exactly how and why the zombie virus started, The Leftovers is more concerned with the aftermath, in particular how a small town deals with a divisive cult named The Guilty Remnant. Season two has completely flipped the script, moving the show’s setting to another town, but has received even more acclaim than season one. For the uninitiated, now’s as good a time as any to get on board one of the most provocative and complex shows currently airing. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Love & Mercy Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $24.99 (Blu-ray and $19.98 (DVD)

Paul Dano and John Cusack both shined as Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson at different points in their life (in the 1960s and 1980s) in this critically acclaimed biopic. Bill Pohlad directs a cast that also includes Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti. Even Wilson, who had little to do with the film, liked it, calling it “very factual” and praising Dano’s performance. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Mad Max: Fury Road Blu-ray/DVD (Warner Bros.)

SRP: $44.95

Mad Max: Fury Road could have been a huge disaster. Returning to a franchise whose last film was 30 years ago and doing it with a different actor in the lead role might not have worked so well if original Mad Max director and creator George Miller hadn’t been in the driver’s seat. It took Miller many years of development hell to get the project off the ground and in that time Mel Gibson aged out of the lead role (as well as also not exactly being anyone’s favorite movie star anymore due to certain comments he’s made), leaving Tom Hardy to ably fill his boots. But thankfully the results were a complete success, the most acclaimed blockbuster of the year, it was also hailed as the best action movie in years and celebrated for its feminist angle (with Charlize Theron’s Furiosa almost stealing the show). (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Maude: The Complete Series DVD (Shout! Factory)

SRP: $128.99

Before The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur starred in Maude. Its hipness quotient isn’t quite at the level of The Golden Girls, but it’s a fine example of what a great talent Arthur was, and way ahead of its time in featuring a woman as its lead protagonist. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

McHale’s Navy: The Complete Series DVD (Shout! Factory)

SRP: $169.99

138 episodes of hilarity with Ernest Borgnine? Phew! But this series exhibits just how talented Borgnine was, and is a pivotal piece of the jigsaw puzzle of historical military comedies. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Midnight Special DVD (Time/Life Entertainment)

SRP: $99.95

Featuring a litany of prime era performances from the likes of Aerosmith, Sly & the Family Stone, Van Morrison, Hall & Oates, and countless others, Midnight Special was one of the pioneering late night music shows, and it’s available at last on DVD. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Mr. Holmes Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $24.98 (Blu-ray + Digital) and $19.98 (DVD + Digital)

There have been a lot of Sherlock Holmes adaptations in the last few years. On the small screen Benedict Cumberbatch has been drawing raves in BBC’s modern London-set Sherlock while Jonny Lee Miller has been doing his Englishman in New York bit on CBS’ Elementary. Whereas on the big screen Robert Downey, Jr. has been a Victorian London set detective in two Sherlock Holmes movies. But Mr. Holmes is unlike any of these. Bill Condon directed the critically well-received film, which was based on Mitch Cullin’s 2005 novel A Slight Trick of the Mind. Sir Ian McKellen stars as a 93-year-old Holmes, a retired great detective who tries to remember the details of his final case while his mind deteriorates. It looks like there was room for one more interpretation of Holmes after all. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Mr. Warmth! Don Rickles! The Ultimate TV Collection DVD (Time/Life Entertainment)

SRP: $69.95

A collection of the legendary comedian’s finest moments, this set would make a fine gift for someone interested in the vast lineage and evolution of comedy. It’s light years removed from Aziz Ansari, but Rickles certainly has charisma in spades. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Mulholland Drive Blu-ray (Criterion)

SRP: $39.95

David Lynch’s byzantine, miasmatic masterpiece is at last available on a gorgeous Criterion Blu-ray transfer. Worth seeing if only for the mellifluous Spanish sung rendition of Roy Orbison’s Crying during the film’s crucial moment. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXXIV DVD (Shout! Factory)

SRP: $49.99

Yet another MST3000 collection, this one’s a must for mavens of the series, with Joel and Mike cracking wise as always on the lamest films committed to celluloid. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Shaun the Sheep Movie Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $34.99 (Blu-ray) and $29.95 (DVD)

Shaun the Sheep Movie may seem to be a film tailored for small children and in some respects it is (my two-and-a-half-year-old saw it in the theater twice and loved it), but it also won over most of the major adult film critics to become one of most critically acclaimed wide release movies of the year. The titular sheep first appeared in the 1995 Wallace and Gromit short film A Close Shave before the Shaun the Sheep TV series was launched in 2007. The movie features all the same characters from the show in a stop-motion animation adventure as Shaun and his flock venture to the big city to help save their farmer who has amnesia. The film, like the TV show, features no dialogue (the characters speak only in grunts and the like), and the whole things plays like a delightful and very funny silent film, one that will appeal to everyone from toddlers to senior citizens. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Silicon Valley: The Complete Season One Blu-ray/DVD (HBO)

SRP: $39.98

Mike Judge knocks it out of the park once again on this scathing satire of single-minded subterfuge in the digital jungle of Silicon Valley cut-throat web development. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Thunderbirds: The Complete Series Blu-ray/DVD (Shout! Factory)

SRP: $69.97

This classic Gerry Anderson-directed puppets and models sci-fi series from the 1960s is given a deluxe treatment thanks to Shout! Factory. The news of Jarvis Cocker helming a concert celebrating the series should serve to whet fans’ appetites. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Veep: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray/DVD (HBO)

SRP: $39.98

Julia Louis-Dreyfus once joked on a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode that she couldn’t overcome the curse of Seinfeld’s Elaine. Ironically, she did so on HBO, stunning in her role as a flippant yet brilliant president that easily outstrips her acting on perhaps the most popular comedy in TV history. Quite a feat. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

The Wire: The Complete Series Blu-ray (HBO)

SRP: $199.99

Little can be said about The Wire that hasn’t already-it’s an epochal rendering of the betrayal of America’s working class and the rot of its inner-cities. “A holocaust in slow motion,” to paraphrase show creator David Simon. It’s brilliantly transferred to HD on this collection, which is as essential a documentation of U.S. hegemony as anything written by Noam Chomsky or Howard Zinn, with a dazzling cast, operating on a shoestring budget, that woozily blur the line between the good guy and the bad guy. Simon crafts these characters with the intricacy of an ice sculpture carver, and sadly most of them do melt away, but not before they break your heart. (Buy it here.) By John Everhart

Z for Zachariah Blu-ray/DVD (Lionsgate)

SRP: $24.99 (Blu-ray) and $19.98 (DVD)

Z for Zachariah may have failed to connect to mainstream audiences during its limited theatrical run, despite featuring such stars as Chris Pine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Margot Robbie. But hopefully it’ll find a new life on DVD, as it was generally well reviewed. Robbie stars as Ann Burden, who, post a nuclear war, believes she could be the last person on Earth. Then two men show up, first John Loomis (Ejiofor) and then Caleb (Pine). Unlike Will Forte’s hilarious TV comedy The Last Man on Earth, Z for Zachariah is a serious and compelling drama. (Buy it here.) By Mark Redfern

Other ideas:

The Affair: The Complete First Season (Paramount)
Amy (Lionsgate)
Ant-Man (Disney)
Arrow: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros.)
Avengers Age of Ultron (Disney)
Birdman (20th Century Fox)
Cinderella (Disney)
Clouds of Sils Maria (Paramount)
Dope (Universal)
Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (Anchor Bay)
The Flash: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season (HBO)
The Good Wife: The Sixth Season (Paramount)
Gotham: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
Hello Ladies: The Complete Series and the Movie (HBO)
Inside Out (Disney)
iZombie: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
Justified: The Complete Series (Sony)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (20th Century Fox)
The Last Man on Earth: The Complete First Season (20th Century Fox)
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (Paramount)
The Newsroom: The Complete Third Season (HBO)
Paddington (Anchor Bay)
Parks and Recreation: Season 7 - The Farewell Season (Universal)
Penny Dreadful: Season Two (Paramount)
People, Places, Things (Alchemy)
Shaun the Sheep: Season 1 (Lionsgate)
Spy (TW)
Star Trek: The Complete Series Remastered (Paramount)
The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season (Anchor Bay)
What We Do in the Shadows (Paramount)
Whiplash (Sony)