{"id":44618,"date":"2014-12-10T06:00:40","date_gmt":"2014-12-10T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=44618"},"modified":"2014-12-12T11:10:12","modified_gmt":"2014-12-12T16:10:12","slug":"stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=44618","title":{"rendered":"Stuff It! Fill Your Movie Collector&#8217;s Christmas Stocking 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2-top\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-44622\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44622\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2-top.jpg\" alt=\"movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2-top\" width=\"550\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2-top.jpg 550w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2-top-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you missed out on the first series of recommendations I made to fill your movie collector&#8217;s Christmas stocking, <a title=\"Stuff It! Fill Your Movie Collector's Christmas Stocking Part 1\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking\/\" target=\"_blank\">go here<\/a> to see what I thought you should consider picking up if your favorite film fan already happens to own <em>Citizen Kane, The Godfather, King Kong, High Noon<\/em>, and the original <em>Star Wars<\/em> trilogy.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s time to finish our stroll through the aisles, because time grows preciously short for you to wrap up your holiday shopping for the movie collector on your list. To reiterate my disclaimer, because it sure seems necessary: I have exactly no idea what your beloved movie fan really likes. There is certainly a way to embark upon this process \u201csafely,\u201d and that\u2019s by cruising over to the Movies Unlimited site and entering any of the following classic titles into our search box and then perusing the \u201cmaybe you\u2019ll like these, too\u201d-type recommendations that pop up below.<\/p>\n<p>As I indicated last time out, I\u2019m a risk-taker when it comes to adding to my home video library. I enjoy getting films I love and have seen time and time again, but I\u2019m just as likely to take a chance on something I\u2019ve never seen or bears little resemblance to anything I\u2019ve seen before; I embrace that attitude when it comes to my collection, and I love it when I feel like I can be just as bold when picking out films to share with others. What you\u2019ll see here is a mix of the obvious, and the definitely-not-as-obvious, when it comes to gift ideas.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s get busy and complete our quest to fill your movie collector\u2019s Christmas stocking!<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">They own <strong>CASABLANCA<\/strong>\u2026so you get them:<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-casablanca-inermezzo-painted-veil\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-44606\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44606\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-casablanca-inermezzo-painted-veil.jpg\" alt=\"movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-casablanca-inermezzo-painted-veil\" width=\"550\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-casablanca-inermezzo-painted-veil.jpg 550w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-casablanca-inermezzo-painted-veil-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><a title=\"Ingrid Bergman in Sweden on DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D83129%20%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ingrid Bergman in Sweden<\/a>; <a title=\"Casablanca: The Complete Series on DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D45032%20%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Casablanca: The Complete Series<\/a>; <a title=\"The Painted Veil (2006) on DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D69992&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Painted Veil <\/a>(2006)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If your movie collector loves <em>Casablanca<\/em>, it\u2019s a good bet they love Ingrid Bergman. And if they love Bergman, it\u2019s also a good bet they might own the classic romance <em>Intermezzo<\/em>; but, more likely than not, they probably own the second version of the story made. I much, much prefer the Swedish version (as I have discussed both <a title=\"Classic Movie Piano Scenes\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/classic-movie-piano-scenes\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> and <a title=\"An Intermezzo with the Beautiful Ingrid Bergman\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/ingrid-bergman\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>), which you get in this collection of Bergman\u2019s early work in her homeland, before David O. Selznick realized she was born to be a Hollywood star\u2014this <em>Intermezzo<\/em> being the film that resulted in her \u201cdiscovery\u201d by the legendary producer.<\/p>\n<p>OK, if you\u2019re a fussbudget purist of some kind, you might be mortified that I\u2019d suggest picking up the short-lived 1983 \u201cprequel\u201d television series that dared to allow David Soul to try and fill Bogart\u2019s shoes. That\u2019s on you. It was a flop, yes, but what <em>Casablanca<\/em> completist can truly call themselves whole without having this on the shelves? (Maybe I\u2019ll retract this when I finally sit down to watch it again, but I am dying to revisit it, and anybody who puts it in my stocking will be looked upon with gratitude!)<\/p>\n<p>Lastly\u2014and this is our first \u201cout-of-the-box\u201d selection this time out\u2014I\u2019d recommend the third filmed version of the W. Somerset Maugham novel <em>The Painted Veil<\/em> for the movie collector who treasures the Bogie-Bergman romance. <em>Casablanca<\/em> involves an exotic locale, a romantic triangle, and self-sacrifice; we have all those things represented in this drama set in the 1920s, starring the terrific Edward Norton as a doctor who blackmails wife Naomi Watts into accompanying him to a cholera-plagued village in China after he catches her in an infidelity. And as memorable as Max Steiner\u2019s music is in the 1942 classic, <em>The Painted Veil<\/em> boasts a mesmeric score by one of our finest contemporary composers, Alexandre Desplat.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">They own <strong>SINGIN\u2019 IN THE RAIN<\/strong>\u2026so you get them:<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-singin-in-the-rain-inherit-the-wind-all-that-jazz-venus-in-fur\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-44615\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44615\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-singin-in-the-rain-inherit-the-wind-all-that-jazz-venus-in-fur.jpg\" alt=\"movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-singin-in-the-rain-inherit-the-wind-all-that-jazz-venus-in-fur\" width=\"550\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-singin-in-the-rain-inherit-the-wind-all-that-jazz-venus-in-fur.jpg 550w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-singin-in-the-rain-inherit-the-wind-all-that-jazz-venus-in-fur-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><a title=\"Pre-order Inherit the Wind on Blu-ray\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=B31107&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Inherit the Wind<\/a>; <a title=\"All That Jazz on Criterion Blu-ray\/DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=B62082&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">All That Jazz<\/a>; <a title=\"Venus in Fur on DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D64713&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Venus in Fur<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Inherit the Wind<\/em> more than proved Gene Kelly wasn\u2019t <em>just<\/em> a song-and-dance man. Playing a cynical reporter covering the (somewhat fictionalized) Scopes Monkey Trial, Kelly shows real dramatic chops.<\/p>\n<p><em>Singin\u2019 in the Rain<\/em> probably features what I\u2019d call the most heroic dancing I\u2019ve ever seen in the movies; Bob Fosse\u2019s semi-autobiographical film <em>All That Jazz<\/em> showcases a completely different (and, I\u2019d think, just as demanding) kind of dance that captured the popular imagination just as potently in its time. No, Roy Scheider doesn\u2019t really dance; but boy, did they cover that up brilliantly in this film\u2014and the late actor referred to this role as his personal favorite.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly and co-director Stanley Donen\u2019s\u00a0<em>Singin&#8217; in the Rain<\/em>\u00a0is also not just a terrific musical, but also a great example of behind-the-scenes storytelling, and gives us some real insight about both the ego and manipulative posturing sometimes evident in the actor\u2019s craft. That\u2019s where I bring Roman Polanski\u2019s <em>Venus in Fur<\/em> into this picture. Based on the two-person stage play by David Ives,\u00a0this daring little art-house opus\u00a0will no doubt shake out to be one of my favorite films from this year; Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner give <em>tour-de-force<\/em> performances in a sensual and somewhat scandalous \u201cbattle of the sexes\u201d that is also a rewarding study of the\u00a0seductive power\u00a0of acting and directing for the stage (or the screen, for that matter).<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">They own <strong>DIRTY HARRY<\/strong>\u2026so you get them:<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dirty-harry-zodiac-white-hunter-black-heart-strange-case-of-angelica\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-44609\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44609\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dirty-harry-zodiac-white-hunter-black-heart-strange-case-of-angelica.jpg\" alt=\"movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dirty-harry-zodiac-white-hunter-black-heart-strange-case-of-angelica\" width=\"550\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dirty-harry-zodiac-white-hunter-black-heart-strange-case-of-angelica.jpg 550w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dirty-harry-zodiac-white-hunter-black-heart-strange-case-of-angelica-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><a title=\"Zodiac on Blu-ray or DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=B51180&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Zodiac<\/a>; <a title=\"White Hunter, Black Heart on DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=white%20hunter black heart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">White Hunter, Black Heart<\/a>; <a title=\"The Strange Case on Angelica on DVD or Blu-ray\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D38906&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Strange Case of Angelica<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve seen the fiction, now have a look at the facts. Well, maybe not 100% of the facts\u2014because, in the case of the Zodiac killer, it very well looks as if we may never know the ultimate truth\u2014but it&#8217;s certainly a far more realistic take on the true crime story that inspired\u00a0the Clint Eastwood cop classic. Director David Fincher\u2019s richly detailed, studious, and relentlessly tension-filled <em>Zodiac<\/em> is the perfect complement to the Don Siegel film. Jake Gyllenhaal (who plays Robert Graysmith, the San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist whose book is the basis for the film) is getting a lot of praise for his work in <a title=\"Nightcrawler and the Best of L.A. Noir\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/nightcrawler-and-the-best-of-l-a-noir\/\" target=\"_blank\">this year\u2019s <em>Nightcrawler<\/em><\/a>, but\u00a0<em>Zodiac<\/em> is hands-down my favorite Gyllenhaal performance.<\/p>\n<p>Clint fans who own the Harry Callahan films might, just might, have overlooked his terrific movie <em>White Hunter, Black Heart<\/em>\u2014a moody, humorous, and emotionally powerful film about director John Huston hunting elephants while making <em>The African Queen<\/em>. The names have been changed, as they say, but Eastwood\u2019s impersonation of Huston is weirdly spot-on; his approach takes a little getting used to, but ultimately it\u2019s a work that transcends any simple mimicry of Huston\u2019s very distinctive persona.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Strange Case of Angelica<\/em> is a pick you\u2019d <em>really<\/em> have to explain to your movie collector\u00a0once they unwrap this gift. One thing Eastwood fans admire is how prolific the actor-director has remained well into his eighth decade. <em>Angelica<\/em>, a humorous romantic fable about a\u00a0man who is\u00a0oddly enchanted by something he thinks he sees when he photographs a deceased young woman, was directed by Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira\u2026who was <em>102 years old<\/em> at the time of its release in 2010. His most recent film, a short, was released in 2014. Yes: He&#8217;s <a title=\"Interview with Manoel de Oliveira (Variety) \" href=\"http:\/\/variety.com\/2014\/film\/global\/manoel-de-oliveira-o-velho-do-restelo-a-reflection-about-mankind-exclusive-1201361295\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">still at it<\/a>. Those facts are,\u00a0plainly speaking, extraordinary.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">They own <strong>THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY<\/strong>\u2026so you get them:<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dark-knight-man-who-laughs-zorro-batman-complete-television-series-adam-west-burt-ward\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-44608\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44608\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dark-knight-man-who-laughs-zorro-batman-complete-television-series-adam-west-burt-ward.jpg\" alt=\"movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dark-knight-man-who-laughs-zorro-batman-complete-television-series-adam-west-burt-ward\" width=\"550\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dark-knight-man-who-laughs-zorro-batman-complete-television-series-adam-west-burt-ward.jpg 550w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-dark-knight-man-who-laughs-zorro-batman-complete-television-series-adam-west-burt-ward-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><a title=\"The Man Who Laughs on DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=man%20who laughs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Man Who Laughs<\/a>; <a title=\"Zorro (1975) on DVD or Blu-ray\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D17175&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Zorro<\/a> (1975); <a title=\"Batman: The Complete Television Series on DVD &amp; Blu-ray\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=batman%20complete television series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Batman: The Complete Television Series<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>To be clear about this first recommendation\u2014any young(er) viewer who prizes his\/her collection of Christopher Nolan\u2019s Batman films might wind up feeling less than enamored\u00a0with the gift of the\u00a0silent melodrama <em>The Man Who Laughs<\/em>, even if you tell them that Conrad Veidt\u2019s freakish appearance as English nobleman Gwynplaine was the inspiration for the creation of The Joker. This selection would be a fine one, however, for your more bookish movie lovers, who could easily slide this into place next to their copies of the haunted house creeper <em>The Bat Whispers<\/em> and Douglas Fairbanks\u2019 lively silent <em>The Mark of Zorro, <\/em>both of which are connected to the origins of\u00a0Gotham City&#8217;s\u00a0Masked Manhunter.<\/p>\n<p>While we\u2019re speaking of Zorro\u2014the Fairbanks film might be connected more directly to Bob Kane and the comics, and Tyrone Power\u2019s 1940 remake may indeed be the finest Zorro film ever made (that\u2019s my story and I\u2019m sticking to it), but it is the 1975 film with Alain Delon that\u00a0I offer\u00a0here as a backup pick for the movie collector who enjoys Batman\u2026because they\u2019ll be humming this film&#8217;s\u00a0<a title=\"I Can Has Cheeziest Movie Title Songs Ever?\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/i-can-has-cheeziest-movie-songs-ever\/\" target=\"_blank\">super-cheesy title song<\/a> as easily as they can recall the Neil Hefti tune from the Batman television series.<\/p>\n<p>Which brings us to perhaps the most obvious (and probably one of the most in-demand) Christmas picks of the year: The at-long-last release of the wildly popular 1966-68 TV program starring Adam West and Burt Ward. The decision to pick this up for your movie collector might <em>ZAP!<\/em> your wallet a bit, but there are very few Bat-fans who would not reward you with a WOW! HUG! SMOOCH! should you be the one responsible for fattening up their video library with the BOFFO! release of this\u00a0beloved comic-book classic.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">They own <strong>IT\u2019S A WONDERFUL LIFE<\/strong>\u2026so you get them:<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/stuff-fill-movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-2\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-its-a-wonderful-life-wings-of-desire-taste-of-cherry-santa-claus-1959\/#main\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-44613\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44613\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-its-a-wonderful-life-wings-of-desire-taste-of-cherry-santa-claus-1959.jpg\" alt=\"movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-its-a-wonderful-life-wings-of-desire-taste-of-cherry-santa-claus-1959\" width=\"550\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-its-a-wonderful-life-wings-of-desire-taste-of-cherry-santa-claus-1959.jpg 550w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/movie-collectors-christmas-stocking-its-a-wonderful-life-wings-of-desire-taste-of-cherry-santa-claus-1959-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><a title=\"Wings of Desire on DVD or Blu-ray\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/siteSearch.asp?search=wings%20of desire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Wings of Desire<\/a>; <a title=\"Taste of Cherry on DVD\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D13722%20%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Taste of Cherry<\/a>; <a title=\"Santa Claus on DVD or Blu-ray\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D58165&amp;altid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Santa Claus<\/a> (1959)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Yes, I\u2019ve saved the weirdest, wildest picks for last\u2026because, why not?<\/p>\n<p><em>It\u2019s a Wonderful life<\/em> takes, let\u2019s say, a certain \u201capproach\u201d to the idea of angels existing in the real world. Wim Wenders\u2019 hauntingly beautiful movie <em>Wings of Desire<\/em> takes, let\u2019s say, an entirely <em>other<\/em> approach. Last year around this time, I was inspired to detail <a title=\"An Angel Earns His Wings of Desire\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/angel-earns-wings-desire\/\" target=\"_blank\">my own thoughts about the film<\/a> in this space, and I will leave it to you to check those out before deciding if your movie collector could and would\u00a0be enriched by the poetry of this very special picture.<\/p>\n<p><em>It\u2019s a Wonderful Life<\/em> also goes pretty \u201cdark,\u201d with James Stewart\u2019s character in despair and contemplating jumping off a bridge to end his life. Suicide is an awfully tricky element to bring into your movie, whether you are making an uplifting holiday classic or making one of the most talked-about films of 2014. More often than not, the topic comes off as shallow, maudlin, or just exploitative; the Iranian film <em>Taste of Cherry<\/em> is a rare exception. Director Abbas Kiarostami\u2019s minimalist drama&#8211;I\u2019ll be reductive about it for a moment and just call it \u201ca guy riding around in a truck for 95 minutes,\u201d because that\u2019s how a lot of viewers might think of it&#8211;takes on this intimate and terrible subject matter with an unsettling grace. Kiarostami\u2019s works are definitely an acquired taste\u2014but if you are truly open-minded about embracing a love of unique stylists and challenging stories, this movie can be, in more ways than one, a real gift.<\/p>\n<p><em>It\u2019s a Wonderful Life<\/em> is \u201cthe\u201d Christmas classic, is it not? Well, that\u2019s about to change! OK, that was not serious at all\u2014because there\u2019s no danger that my final pick is about to dislodge the beloved Capra film on that score. No, I\u2019m recommending the 1959 Mexican oddity <em>Santa Claus <\/em>because if you were to offer this film as a gift to your children, or grandchildren, or to other relatives, friends, coworkers, or acquaintances, I am certain of one thing: They will not forget it.<\/p>\n<p>How\u2019s <em>that<\/em> for an endorsement? I\u2019m not saying they\u2019ll <em>like<\/em> it; I\u2019m not saying they\u2019ll <em>dislike<\/em> it. I\u2019m not saying they\u2019ll be eternally grateful, and I\u2019m not ruling out the possibility they might never speak to you again. I\u2019m only saying once seen, <em>Santa Claus<\/em> cannot be forgotten.<\/p>\n<p>Plot: Santa Claus teams up with Merlin the Magician to battle the Devil.<\/p>\n<p>If that sentence alone doesn\u2019t sell you, well&#8230;people always need new pairs of socks.<\/p>\n<p>Happy Holidays!\u00a0<em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Time is running out to fill your movie collector&#8217;s Christmas stocking! Let&#8217;s brainstorm gift ideas for the movie lover who has &#8220;everything&#8221;!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":44622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"coauthors":[5441],"class_list":["post-44618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staff-notes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stuff It! Fill Your Movie Collector&#039;s Christmas Stocking 2<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Time is running out to fill your movie collector&#039;s Christmas stocking! 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