Last Minute Blu-ray and DVD Movie Gifts for Her

By Jacquie Kubin

I have the secret to the perfect gift for the woman in your life. A gift that while simple to construct, shows that you value her and want to spend time with her.

And it will not break your budget – unless you want it to.

Start with a gift basket or bag, tuck some tissue on the bottom and build an “at-home-movie-date-night” kit.

For a romantic evening choose a great movie such as the recently released My Fair Lady (Paramount Home Entertainment) starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

This 1964 Academy Award winning film, directed by George Cukor took home EIGHT Oscars. Starring the classically beautiful Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, the story tells the tale of Professor Henry Higgins, played by Rex Harrison, who callously wagers that he can transform a dirty, unrefined, Cockney flower girl into a lady, and fool everyone as to her true origins.

Of course, the professor is blind to the fact that he has fallen for Eliza and a quite loverly’ love story ensues.

Tuck this great classic film in your gift bag with a box of chocolates, some lovely flowers, a box of tissues and a bottle of Spanish Riojas wine, to commemorate films seminal scene where Eliza learns to say “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain,” instead of the Cockney accented "The rine in spine sties minely in the pline” and two glasses.



Start a holiday tradition and wrap a copy of either the 1947 original film Miracle on 34th Street (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment), starring Natalie Wood as six year old Susan Walker, Maureen O’Hara as Doris Walker and Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle or the 1994 John Hughes Production Miracle on 34th Street, with some fair-trade hot chocolate mix such as the Lake Champlain Organic Hot Chocolate mix, available at Whole Foods, two holiday inspired mugs, a bag of mini-marshmallows and a new holiday ornament, the first of many you hope, to hang on your Christmas tree together.

One of those must-see Christmas movies, along with White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life, Director George Seaton’s original 1947 film tells the tale of six-year-old Susan, the daughter of a cynical special events director at Cole’s Department Store (Macy’s in the original film), who questions the truth behind Santa Claus – wondering if he is not really real – when mom hires a Santa for the store only to find out he calls himself Kris Kringle and believe that he IS the real Santa Claus.

The 1994 version of this film stars Sir Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle, Mara Wilson as Susan Elizabeth Perkins as Susan’s mother and Dylan McDermott as the lawyer that defends Kris Kringle when he is hospitalized as being delusional. Available on blu ray, the film does not include any additional features, highlights or bonus content. But it does look a bit better than the DVD version.

The blu ray version of the 1947 film has some great special features including audio commentary by Maureen O’Hara, a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with which the film begins, featurette, promotional short and poster gallery and AMC Back-story for the film.




If you share a love of great comedy films, build a gift around the Blu-ray release The Mel Brook Collection (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment) of films that includes memorable takes on pop-culture and society The Twelve Chairs (1970), Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein (1974), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World Part 1 (1981), To Be or Not To Be (1983), Spaceballs (1987) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).

From the grand ole’ West to the Roman Empire, Deep Space to Sherwood Forest, the Mel Brooks Collection wraps the directors iconic sense of humor into one great blu-ray gift set.

For the girl you want to woo, create a basket around the 1999 Gil Junger film 10 Things I Hate About You: 10th Anniversary Edition (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment). A comedic modern classic, this film served as a career springboard for Heath Ledger as Patrick and Julia Stiles as Kat. The film borrows from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, setting our emotional combatants – both of which suffer from reputations less than charming – into Padua High School.

The tale is predictable and heartwarming, making it a great date flick pick. Amp up the heart with a copy of Shakespeare’s book, a box of truffles, two glass coffee mugs and the ingredients to make a Pimm’s Winter Warmer, a warm toddy made with English Pimm’s Winter liqueur, warm apple juice and slices of apple and orange.

Pimm’s Winter is a brandy based drink and best ordered online or you can create your own winter cup muddling cinnamon and orange in the bottom of a glass mug, add a splash of caramel flavor or liqueur, a shot of brandy and finish with very hot apple cider. Garnish with an orange slice and cinnamon stick.

Enjoy a modern Christmas tale with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon in Four Christmases (New Line Home Entertainment) on Blu-ray. As serial daters Brad and Kate escape having to spend the holiday traveling from divorced parent to divorced parent by claiming to travel to foreign countries to do “good works” over the holidays.

Actually, they go to swanky resorts.

Only this year, the airport in San Francisco is fogged in, grounding the couple from taking off for Fiji. When a TV reporter traps them for local news segment, asking them how the feel about being grounded, the parents see them and the cell phones start ringing as Brad and Kate realize they are going to have to make the family rounds.

Plenty of hilarity ensues as the couple, whose rather superficial lives and relationship get a lesson in family togetherness, forgiveness and the dysfunctional ticks that make them uniquely ours.

And maybe something to embrace instead of avoid.

Making this a fun pick for holiday viewing are the Blu-ray extras. I particularly liked watching celebrity chef Paula Dean and actress Kate Mixon creating her holiday specialty seven-layer salad that includes bologna, mayonnaise and cheese-whiz!

Other fun extras include deleted scenes; gag reels and a fun introduction to Pastor Phil, played by Dwight Yokam!

Add a good bottle of cabernet sauvignon, two nice crystal balloon stem glasses and an assortment of gourmet cheeses, sausages and Christmas cookies and cupcakes.




Who isn’t a fan of Harry Potter? Revisit Christmas at Hogwarts in the new Blu-ray releases of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Ultimate Edition and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Ultimate Edition (Warner Home Video) where we enjoy the fabulous Christmas Feast in the Great Hall.

The Ultimate Editions are comprehensive, boxed packages offering both the extended and theatrical cuts of the films. The films are offered in Blu-ray with the enhanced technology bringing new depth and clarity to the films.

Each package is designed to look like one of the series books, and once collected, all seven movies will make an incredible display.

Along with interactive movie modes, an art book with images from the film and two character cards are inserted with each release. The cards are of very heavy cardboard in a large 4x6 format. In the first two releases find Harry Potter, Professor McGonagall, Severus Snape and Hagrid.

Fans will love the massive documentary "Creating the World of Harry Potter" a definitive "making of" event that will grow with each new Ultimate Edition release.

Sorcerer’s Stone, for example, has Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 1: The Magic Begins while Chamber of Secrets features Part 2: Characters.

Add to your basket some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs and Galleons, classic movie candies and popcorn and a little magic, a sparkling wine such as Prosecco, two gold rimmed champagne flutes and some treats worthy of the Great Hall including marzipan and candied fruits, enchanted cupcakes.