Christmas Gift Guide 2013: 74 Essentials Presents You Must Buy (Win It All!)

Films

Star Wars: Yoda Illum Bust

Yoda Inspired by the Adam Hughes' artwork (which, in turn, was inspired by Gennedy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars Animated Series), Gentle Giant Ltd. is proud to present a new Yoda statue, which is available to buy from our friends at Forbidden Planet. Intended to be a companion piece to our upcoming Padme Amidala Statue, this fresh interpretation of the character - a realistic rendering inspired by animation - is dark, dramatic and unique. Boasting incredibly fine detail that no other incarnation of the character can compete with, this statue is a must-have for all true Star Wars fans. Digitally sculpted by the master artisans at Gentle Giant Ltd. and individually hand-painted, each statue comes individually numbered and includes a matching certificate of authenticity. Win it here!Forbidden Planet Logo

We're The Millers Blu-Ray

Were The Millers

David Burke (Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids€”after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms). In order to wipe the slate clean€”and maintain a clean bill of health€”David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad's latest shipment in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbours, cynical stripper Rose (Aniston) and wannabe customer Kenny (Will Poulter), and the tatted-and-pierced streetwise teen Casey (Emma Roberts), he devises a fool proof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV later, the "Millers" are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang. Win it here!

The Hangover Trilogy Blu-Ray

Hangover

THE HANGOVER PART III is the epic conclusion to an incomparable odyssey of mayhem and bad decisions, in which the guys must finish what they started by going back to where it all began: Las Vegas. One way or another...it all ends here. In 'The Hangover' (2009) Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis star as three friends who lose their best friend, Doug (Justin Bartha), just 40 hours before his wedding during the various drunken misadventures that occur at his Las Vegas bachelor party. The trio must attempt to retrace all the bad decisions they made the night before and figure out where things went wrong. Heather Graham co-stars. In 'The Hangover: Part 2' (2011), Alan, Doug, Phil and Stu jet out to Bangkok for Stu's wedding to his Thai girlfriend (Jamie Chung). With the mortifying memories of Doug's bachelor party in Las Vegas forever etched in everyone's minds, Stu decides to play things safe. Surely nothing can go wrong with a sedate pre-wedding brunch... or can it? The supporting cast includes Liam Neeson and Juliette Lewis, while former president Bill Clinton makes a cameo appearance. In 'The Hangover: Part 3' (2013), following the death of Alan's father, he, Phil and Stu, aka the Wolfpack, head out on a road trip on which they get caught up in another misadventure, encountering a number of eccentric characters on the way and ending up back in Las Vegas. Bartha, Graham, Ken Jeong and John Goodman co-star, with Mike Tyson also making an appearance. Win it here!

The Purge Blu-Ray

The Purge

Written and directed by James De Monaco (Crash, Staten Island), and starring Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Great Expectations) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, 300) as James and Mary Sandin, a couple who find their family and life is turned upside down overnight. In an America wracked by crime, unemployment and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity, including murder, becomes legal. The police can't be called. Hospitals suspend all help. It's one night when the people of America regulate itself without punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, the Sandin family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking. When an intruder breaks into their gated community during the yearly lockdown, here begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear the family apart. It's up to James (Hawke), Mary (Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide. Win it here!

Stuck In Love Blu-Ray

Stuck In Love

Three years after his divorce, acclaimed novelist Bill Borgens (Academy Award® nominee Greg Kinnear - Little Miss Sunshine) is still obsessed with his ex-wife Erica (Academy Award® winner Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind), who left him for another man. Meanwhile, his fiercely independent daughter Samantha (Lily Collins, Mirror Mirror) is publishing her first novel but refusing to deal with real life - in the shape of diehard romantic Lou (Logan Lerman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower). Meanwhile, Sam's younger brother, Rusty (Nat Wolff - Peace, Love and Misunderstanding) - also an aspiring writer - gets too much of a taste of real life when his dream girl turns out to have a troubled past... When these three romantic situations intertwine with poignant and hilarious results, the Borgens family finds itself hurtling towards surprising resolutions and revelations, after which none of them will ever be the same. Win it here!

This Is The End Blu-Ray

This Is The End

From the writers of Pineapple Express and Superbad, THIS IS THE END follows six friends (Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson) trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels outside, dwindling supplies and cabin fever threaten to tear apart the friendships inside. Eventually, they are forced to leave the house, facing their fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption. Win it here!

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Blu-Ray

Partridge

Steve Coogan's famous local radio DJ / one time talk show host Alan Partridge is one of the UK's most-loved comedy characters, and he finally came to the big screen in this summer's unmissable British comedy Alana Partridge: Alpha Papa, which is released on Blu-Ray and DVD just in time for Christmas. When Alan's radio station, North Norfolk Digital, is taken over by a new media conglomerate, it sets in motion a chain of events which see Alan having to work with the police to defuse a potentially violent siege. Will Alan talk round disgruntled colleague Pat Farrell? Will there be shots fired in anger? Will Alan become a public hero or simply another footnote in the history of broadcasting? Win it here!

The Wolverine Blu-ray

Wolverine1

In modern day Japan, The Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before. Released on 18 November, The Wolverine is the film Logan fans have been waiting for. Win it here!

The Heat Blu-ray

Heat

Paul Feig's follow-up to hit comedy Bridesmaids comes in the form of The Heat, an edgy and hilarious comedy that comes to Blu-ray and DVD in time to be the perfect comedy stocking-filler. The heat is on when uptight and ambitious FBI Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is sent to work a case in Boston, colliding with foul-mouthed anti-social Boston cop Shannon Mullins (Meliss a McCarthy) in the process. Paired together but with contradictory ethics, the duo must find a way to get along whilst unravelling a drug case that means so much to both of them. Win it here!

The Internship Blu-ray

Internship1

Re-teaming for the first time since Wedding Crashers (2005), The Internship stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as two salesmen whose careers are suddenly upended when their boss goes bust. Applying for an internship with Google, the two find themselves in the deep end when they are accepted and must compete with a group of younger intellects to win a coveted job at Google HQ. Cue plenty of hilarious antics in a film that also features Rose Byrne and Will Ferrell. Win it here!

The Addams Family Blu-ray

Addams

Looking for something creepy, spooky, kooky and altogether ooky? The Addams Family is finally released for the first time on Blu-ray in time to help you complete your essentials family films Blu-Ray collection. When long-lost Uncle Fester(Christopher Lloyd) reappears after twenty-five years, Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) plan a celebration to wake the dead. But daughter Wednesday (Christina Ricci) barely has time to warm up her electric chair before hand-creature Thing points out Fester's uncharacteristically 'normal' behaviour. Could Fester be a fake? Win it here!

JFK Blu-ray

Jfk

JFK, the historical thriller from Oliver Stone, stars Kevin Costner as New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison, who suspects there is more to the story of President Kennedy's assassination than the public is being told. Featuring a powerful supporting cast, including Donald Sutherland, Jack Lemmon and Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK is a must-see. Win it here!

Death Star Cookie Jar

Death Star

There was the Original Death Star, Death Star II and now...the Death Star Cookie Jar from Firebox. Where those other hopeless planet-destroying space stations failed, this glazed ceramic behemoth will succeed. Granted it doesn't have a preposterously large superlaser, but it equally doesn't have a two metre-wide thermal exhaust port that completely undermines its shield's integrity. That said, you can comfortably get a hand or two in there to easily replenish (and feast upon) its cookie-based power core. So see how it goes, just keep it safely out of the reach of rebellious young Jedi.

Back To The Future iPad Case

Bttf Cover

Here's your chance to cover your futuristic iPad in an exclusive prop from the Back to the Future universe. The Grays Sports Almanac. Complete Sports Statistics 1950-2000. 'This authoritve (sic) book gives you all the information you need to know'. This of course is what old Biff gave to young Biff in 1955, which he eventually used to become a crooked millionaire (in the process 'killing' the old version of Biff) by betting on all the sporting events that had yet to happen, but which this almanac had the results of inside. Marty McFly eventually nicks it back and knackers Biff's plans, which is a bit selfish, and you too can own one (sort of) thanks to the lovely folks at Firebox. What makes this SO ingenious, is that with your iPad wedged safely inside €“ you could use the internets to easily find the actual results of all the sports results €“ and create your own golden future. If you only could find the keys to the DeLorean.

Sex Panther Aftershave

Sex Panther

According to Anchorman's Brian Fantana, Sex Panther Cologne is illegal in nine countries. It's also made with bits of real panther (not really) and 60% of the time, it works every time. This formidable, fictional-until-now fragrance is more macho than a tankard of sweat soup garnished with chest wigs and V8s, and it's available from our high-fiving, jockstrap-clad friends at Firebox. Quite honestly, if you don't get lucky wearing Sex Panther we can only assume you've got a face like a bucket of smashed crabs. Or something like that. Women will be reduced to slobbering heaps of desire once they get a whiff, so don't even try wearing it if you're not manly. A moustache helps too. In a nutshell it smells like desire. And it's really rather delightful. Imagine wearing a midnight black t-shirt with a wolf airbrushed on the front and a shark arm-wrestling a Sherman tank on the back. Well it's like that but in cologne form. Despite its potency, Sex Panther can be applied like regular fragrance but regular users (ie: us) recommend applying it by the handful to any exposed skin and then pouring a generous amount down the front of the pants*. After all, romance is the only sport that requires two balls. Rrrrr!

Now That's What I Call Movies

Now Thats What I Call Movies

Take a walk down Hollywood boulevard with NOW That's What I Call Movies, the latest offering from NOW That's What I Call Music. This triple-CD compilation is packed with renowned hits from the biggest blockbuster films of all time. Featuring the iconic Bryan Adams' '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You', taken from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, through to the Whitney Houston's smash hit 'I Will Always Love You' taken from the 1992 film Bodyguard. NOW That's What I Call Movies €“they are all here, this is a big one. Win it here!

Now That's What I Call Disney

Disney

Bringing the ever successful 'Now' brand and 'Disney' together for a massive Xmas release. Spread over 4 brilliant CD's, we get a schooling in the greats, from old classics - 'The Bare Necessities' (The Jungle Book), to new classics - 'You've Got a Friend in Me' (Toy Story)... to Christmas classics ('Frosty the Snowman')... all timeless & equally loved through the generations by young & old alike. The joy of these great songs is that for once we have a collection that ALL the family can enjoy, 'When You Wish Upon a Star' ( Pinocchio), 'Circle of Life' (The Lion King), 'Kiss the Girl' (The Little Mermaid), 'Colours of the Wind' (Pocahontas), 'That's How You Know' (Enchanted), 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' (Mary Poppins) and 'Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat' (TheAristocats) - illustrate perfectly why Now That's What I Call Disney will be a top choice for Secret Santa, stocking fillers & last minute download this Xmas... For girlfriend, brother, co-worker or mother, Now Disney will bring a smile & much fun, be it as a background to a dinner party, gym tunes or soundtrack to a car journey... Win it here, along with Now 86 and Now That's What I Call Christmas!
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.