BOOKS
The long awaited Poster Art of the Disney Parks book was released last september, celebrating Disney Parks beloved attraction posters, and you can't be wrong if you offer this one to a Disney fan!
Any Disney fan who don't own yet the great Imagineering book done by WDI Imagineers should have it!
Anyone who owns already the Disneyland Paris book "From Sketch to Reality" will tell you that it will make a gorgeous gift for Christmas. Even if i'm one of the authors of the book i can confirm that they're right, with its 320 pages and 750 pictures including 250 WDI renderings, you won't find a better book about a Disney park to offer this Christmas. No Amazon link for this one as there is a special Christmas offer on it at 85€ + 15€ shipping and you can use the Paypal button below or learn more about the book first HERE. Both English and French edition are still available.
DISNEY BLU-RAY EDITIONS
Great Disney Classics were released this year for the first time in Blu-Ray with additional special features!
Cinderella Blu Ray Diamond Edition is really a "Diamond"! The new Blu Ray copy is stunning and although we all know this great animated it was Disney animation at its best.
Brave is Pixar's latest animated and as usual they did a pretty good job on this one. All kids saw the movie in theater so you can't be wrong if you choose this Blu Ray edition as a Christmas gift.
Finding Nemo was released in 3D last September and the 3D version was stunning. The new Blu Ray edition is fantastic, and you can't be wrong if you choose this one! And yes, the Blu Ray include both the movie in Blu Ray and Blu Ray 3D.
Lady and the Tramp is another well known animated classic and there is many more great scenes in the movie than the famous Bella Notte spaghetti sequence! And, yes, it's also a Blu Ray "Diamond Edition".
The Avengers has been one of the biggest hit of the year and Joss Whedon did a real good job on this one. You can't disappoint anyone with this great Blu Ray edition.
If you don't own yet these Walt Disney Treasures Disneyland U.S.A and Tomorrowland 2 Disc Dvd sets you really have to. They were released years ago and you still can find them at reasonable price. With plenty of vintage footage both are a definitive must for any Disney theme park fan!
OTHERS GREAT MOVIES - BLU RAY EDITIONS
David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia is one of the most beautiful film in cinema history but believe it or not David Lean's master piece has been released in Blu ray edition only last November when this absolutely fantastic 50th Anniversary edition was finally released. The new Blu Ray copy was supervised by Robert Harris who did Lawrence of Arabia restoration 20 years ago and everybody agrees that "Lawrence" not only never look so great but also that it's one of the best copy ever done for a Blu Ray.
Make sure to order the 50th Anniversary limited collector edition that you see above as it's the only one that include four discs, a special book and great new special features. And it also includes MY Lawrence documentary called "In Love with the Desert" that we filmed twelve years ago on the same locations where the movie was filmed in 1961!
Another David Lean masterpiece is also available in Blu Ray. "A Passage to India" adapted from E.M Forster famous novel is David Lean last movie and it's a wonder from the first to the last minute. Entirely filmed in India near Bangalore it's a great story of two women traveling for the first time in India early last century. A Passage to India is also the best film ever done about the British "Raj" era. The production is gorgeous and all actors are fantastic.
If you've never seen Alexander Korda production and Michael Powell's Thief of Bagdad you're missing one of the most "1001 nights" movie of all time. It's Hollywood golden era production and even the special effects were very good considering the era it has been filmed. And Miklos Rosza music is unforgettable. Note that this one is a Dvd edition as it hasn't been released yet in Blu Ray. Note that the Criterion Collection edition has a different cover image than the one above.
Orson Welles Citizen Kane is regularly at the top of the list as "best movie of all time", but have you ever watch the great "Mr Arkadin", Orson Welles other master piece? If not, you have to, it's an incredible movie and it will also make a great gift for any lover of classic movies. And good news, Criterion has released it in their splendid Criterion Collection.
It tells the story of Cuba just before Castro revolution, and no, it's not a propaganda movie. All its beauty is in the way it has been filmed, all in sequence shots which means that there is no "cut" except when they had to change the roll each twenty minutes or so. Everyone will tell you how difficult it is to film a movie this way. But it's even more unique to film it this way and to do a masterpiece. It's a gorgeous movie, really!
ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Released last September the SONY DSC RX100 was instantly acclaimed as "the best compact camera ever made" - including by the New York Times. And you know what? It's true! I bought it last month as i was looking for a smaller camera than my Nikon D7000 and the pictures you shot with it are stunning. Why? Because the RX 100 has the larger sensor of its category, more or less two and a half bigger than others compact, and it's also a 20 M pixels camera. The colorimetry is fantastic as well as the black and white mode, not to mention Sony unique features like the "Hand Held Twilight" mode and the Panoramic mode.
And, yes, you can shoot pictures in RAW format and HD videos in 1920 x 1080. And it has a beautiful metal body no bigger than a cigarette pack. Fantastic camera, really, you will be stunned by the pictures quality. The Amazon link below include a 32 Gb memory card.
I know, you don't need me to know that the iPad Mini has been released, but did you get one in your hand already? If not, go at an Apple Store near you and you'll be amazed not only by the usual Apple quality but also how light the iPad Mini is. Unbelievably light. And this changes everything as it means that you can have a great tablet device with you all day long without extra weight. And of course your kids won't have to buy new apps for it as you'll be able to install the one you already have on your iPhone.
1 comment:
As an owner of most of the items on this list, I can without a doubt say that for a Disney fan, the book "Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality" is truly amazing and an essential part of a collector's library.
The value of this book cannot be overstated enough, as it is not your ordinary quick-read Disney Imagineering book, but rather like an encyclopedia. It is filled with tons and tons of detail and amazing imagery - a pleasurable journey the whole way through. A must have.
Congrats Alain, on a job well done!
Post a Comment