WhatCulture Christmas Gift Guide 2018: 102 Presents You Should Buy
Films
94. The Meg
In the film, a deep-sea submersible (part of an international undersea observation program) has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific...with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew-and the ocean itself-from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon.
What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below...bringing him face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all time.
93. 2001: A Space Odyssey 4K Restoration
Stanley Kubrick’s dazzling, Academy Award-winning achievement is a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) fi rst visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonized space and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted space, perhaps even into immortality. Open the pod bay doors, HAL. Let an awesome journey unlike any other begin.
92. Ant-Man & The Wasp
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Ant-Man and the Wasp. Still reeling from the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang is enlisted by Dr. Hank Pym for an urgent new mission. He must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as they join forces to uncover secrets from the past.
91. They Shall Not Grow Old
Marking the centenary of the First World War, the internationally renowned director Peter Jackson (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies) uses the voices of the veterans combined with original archival footage to bring to life the reality of war on the front line for a whole new generation. Footage has been colourised and transformed with modern production techniques to present never before seen detail.
90. The Incredibles 2
In 'Incredibles 2', Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is called on to lead a campaign to bring Supers back, while Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day heroics of 'normal' life at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell), Dash (voice of Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack whose superpowers are about to be discovered. Their mission is derailed, however, when a new villain emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything. But the Parrs don't shy away from a challenge, especially with Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) by their side. That's what makes this family so Incredible.
89. Christopher Robin
In the heartwarming live action adventure Disney’s Christopher Robin, the young boy who embarked on countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood with his band of spirited and lovable stuffed animals, has grown up and lost his way. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into our world and help Christopher Robin remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.
88. Teen Titans Go To The Movies
It seems like all the super heroes are getting their own movies – everyone but the Teen Titans, that is! Determined to be a star, Robin vows to change this. If only they could get Hollywood director Jade Wilson (Kristen Bell) to notice them! With a few madcap ideas and musical numbers (of course), the Teen Titans head to Tinseltown. But when Super-Villain Slade (Will Arnett) messes with their plans, the Teen Titans will have to become true super heroes to save the world!
87. Sicario 2: Soldado
In Sicario 2: Soldado, the drug war on the US - Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) reteams with the mercurial Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).
86. Mandy
An epic action/revenge thriller that follows RED (Nicolas Cage), a hardened logger living a peaceful life with his girlfriend, MANDY, in a small rural town. When Mandy is brutally attacked by a group of religious fanatics led by the delusional JEREMIAH SAND, RED will stop at nothing in order to exact his bloody revenge.
85. Restored John Carpenter 4K Classics
Buy them here: Escape From New York, They Live, The Fog & The Prince Of Darkness.
84. Team Khan
Team Khan is a fly-on-the-wall documentary about professional boxer Amir Khan, filmed between 2014-16. The documentary follows Khan as he chases a fight with the unbeaten superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. Outside of the ring, Amir must grapple with the significance of family, fame, and religion, as he grows from being boxing's golden child into a man.
83. The Man Who Invented Christmas
Starring Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens, The Man Who Invented Christmas tells the true story of how the iconic author came to write the seminal yuletide novel A Christmas Carol in only six weeks. Set in 1840s London, Dickens had been struggling to come up with fresh ideas after the failure of his last three works.
As the likes of Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Academy Award-winner Christopher Plummer) and The Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future start coming to life in his head, Dickens began creating a masterpiece that gave birth to the Christmas we know and love today.
82. March Of The Penguins 2
Filmmaker Luc Jacquet returns to the Antarctic to revisit the Emperor Penguins who call the frozen continent home. A decade after making his Academy Award winning March of the Penguins, Jacquet spent two months shooting in the Antarctic winter using the new technology of 4K cameras, airborne drones, and under-ice diving to show the astonishing lives of these mysterious creatures in an entirely new light. March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step tells the story of two penguins, a father and son, as they face and overcome the almost unimaginable challenges of life in this hostile land.
81. The Festival
The BAFTA Award-winning creators of THE INBETWEENERS invite you to the mother of all music festivals…pack your bags, grab your wellies and don’t forget your tent!
When Nick's (Joe Thomas) girlfriend dumps him at graduation, he has a colossal meltdown in front of the entire university. He's convinced his life is over, but his best mate Shane (Hammed Animashaun) has the perfect solution: three days at an epic music festival. From the makers of The Inbetweeners, so you know what you're getting into.
Buy it here or win a copy here.
80. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
It’s been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.
When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.
79. The First Purge
Behind every tradition lies a revolution. Next Independence Day, witness the rise of our country’s 12 hours of annual lawlessness. Welcome to the movement that began as a simple experiment: The First Purge.
To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the marginalized, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.
78. Daring To Dream
This summer, football may not have come home, but for a few brief weeks, we were all bathed in glorious sunshine and something far more warming - hope. We dared to dream and England's young lions came within touching distance of an incredible, unlikely victory.
It was a summer punctuated by trips to beer gardens, Three Lions and a waistcoat craze as unexpected as England's performances and the whole story has been captured on film in new documentary Daring To Dream.
Buy it here or WIN it here.
77. McQueen
The critically acclaimed film providing an insight to the personal and professional life of the fearless and rebellious designer Alexander McQueen.
76. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.
75. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Get ready to sing and dance, laugh and love all over again. Ten years after Mamma Mia! The Movie grossed more than $600 million, you’re invited to return to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new original musical based on the songs of ABBA. With the film’s original cast returning and new additions including Lily James, Andy Garcia and Oscar® winner Cher.
74. Sherlock Gnomes
The beloved garden gnomes Gnomeo And Juliet are back for a whole new adventure. When they first arrive in the city with their friends and family, the biggest concern is getting their new garden ready for spring. However, they soon discover that someone is kidnapping garden gnomes all over London. When everyone in their garden goes missing – there’s only one gnome to call… Sherlock Gnomes.
The famous detective and sworn protector of London’s garden gnomes arrives with his sidekick Watson to investigate the case. The mystery will lead our gnomes on a rollicking adventure where they will meet all new ornaments and explore an undiscovered side of the city.
73. Skyscraper
Global icon Dwayne Johnson leads the cast of Legendary’s Skyscraper as former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Sawyer, who now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in China he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building...above the fire line.
72. The Equalizer 2
Give Dad a taste of the action this Christmas! In his first ever sequel, the ever-watchable Denzel Washington returns to his signature role as retired intelligence agent Robert McCall. He's back being a force for justice but this time he finds himself fighting a more personal battle than ever before. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, it's theperfect, action-packed present for Dad.
71. Threads
The most influential film about nuclear war ever made, remastered and available on HD Blu-Ray for the first time in the UK
70. Xtro
Three years ago young Tony watched with horror as his father was taken into the night sky by a mysterious blinding light and never seen again. Until now. His father is coming home but he's not the man he used to be!
A 'must-see' cult rental of the 80s, Xtro is one of the most outrageously bizarre, gory and insanely enjoyable horror films of its time complete with infamous 'alien birth' scene. 'Not all extra terrestrials are friendly'!
69. Elvis: The King
Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, two-time Sundance Grand Jury winner Eugene Jarecki s new film takes the King s 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America. From Memphis to New York, Las Vegas, and beyond, the journey traces the rise and fall of Elvis as a metaphor for the country he left behind. In this groundbreaking film, Jarecki paints a visionary portrait of the state of the American Dream and a penetrating look at how the hell we got here. A diverse cast of Americans, both famous and non, join the journey, including Alec Baldwin, Rosanne Cash, Chuck D, Emmylou Harris, Ethan Hawke, Van Jones, Mike Myers, and Dan Rather, among many others.
68. Elvis: The Searcher
A must-see for Elvis Presley fans, this stunning, three-hour documentary film takes fans on a comprehensive creative journey from his childhood through the final 1976 Jungle Room recording sessions.
67. Il Postino
One of the most moving and poetic films ever made, Michael Radford's epoch-making film Il Postino is now presented in a stunning restored version.
Telling the fictional story of the real-life Nobel laureate poet Pablo Neruda's exile to a tiny island off Italy where, being a high-profile figure, he receives such huge quantities of mail that the local post office must hire an extra postman: Il Postino. Though shy and poorly educated, our postman (Massimo Troisi) is so intrigued by Neruda (Philippe Noiret - of Cinema Paradiso ) that he devises ploys to engage the attention of the great poet. The unlikely duo become friends as Neruda is charmed by the fresh simplicity of the postman whose love for poetry he then uses to woo local beauty, Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta - of Bond The World is Not Enough ).
66. Fellini's I Vitteloni & Juliet of the Spirits
For the first time, two of Fellini's classic movies are available in dual editions with new extras and beautiful new packaging from Cult Films.
Buy them here: I Vitteloni and Juliet of the Spirits.
65. Hotel Transylvania 3
The Drac pack is back this Christmas! There’s loads of fun for all of the family as your favourite monster family embark on a dream cruise which is definitely not smooth sailing!
Buy it here.
64. Christmas DVDs For The Family
The kids will need entertainment this holiday season, so why not pick up classics like The Grinch or The Snowman or newer favourites like Elf Pets: Santa’s St Bernard’s Save Christmas or Trolls Holiday. And if you're looking for something a little more grown-up to watch as a family, pick up It's A Wonderful Life.
Movie Boxsets
63. Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures
The classic, complete collection of Indiana Jones movies.
62. The Godfather Trilogy: The Coppola Restoration
Every Godfather movie, as Coppola intended them to be seen.
61. Fast & Furious 8-Film Collection
Buckle up for nonstop action and mind-blowing speed in the high-octane Fast & Furious 8-Movie Collection. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez and an all-star cast put pedal to the metal in pursuit of justice and survival as they race from L.A. to Tokyo, Rio to London, and Cuba to New York City. Packed with full-throttle action and jaw-dropping stunts, these eight turbo-charged thrill rides place you behind the wheel of the most explosive film franchise in history!
60. Transformers: 5-Movie Collection
The complete Transformers movie boxset to date all collected in one place.
59. Pitch Perfect: 3-Movie Boxset
Watch the full saga of the Bellas from their beginnings through to the World Championships and finally to the USO competition in the third and final film. Perfect for the songbirds in your life.
58. Fifty Shades: 3-Movie Boxset
The complete collection of Fifty Shades movies. Spice it up this Christmas, or spice it up for your mum at least.