Gift Guides
Presented by
Gift Guides
Presented by
It’s the giving season once again! Physical media may not be the revenue driver it used to be for retail stores, but there’s still a vibrant selection of 2023 titles for collectors who want to own their films instead of storing them on the cloud. With artistic packaging and informative special features, the best Blu-rays on the market offer more than just a way to watch a great movie, they become a piece of art worth collecting on their own. These are 12 of the best releases of 2023 — titles that should be added to any wish list for the holiday season or picked up for the loved one who collects in your circle of friends.
Recent Blockbusters
Avatar: The Way of Water $35 now 34% off $23Remember when everyone couldn’t shut up about the lack of a cultural impact Avatar made? And then its 2022 sequel went and made a bajillion dollars? Relive that experience with this blockbuster hit that might not make a highbrow list like this one were it not for one little thing: It’s got the best 4K transfer on the market. Knowing that they can’t re-create the experience of seeing this in the theater, the team behind this release went all out for the 4K transfer. It almost looks like you can reach into the picture and feel the water spray coming out of your TV. No matter what you think (or don’t) of the film, it’s the kind of 4K release that everyone should own just to see what their home-theater system can do.
$23 at Amazon Buy $23 at Amazon Buy Barbenheimer in 4K $50 now 60% off $20The cultural phenomenon of the summer forever merged the pop-culture legacies of two of the best films of the year. Now you can re-create it at home. Put on your best pink outfit and pick up 4K copies of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The release for Barbie is a little slight — maybe a placeholder for a more feature-packed special edition in the future — but the movie itself plays great at home, especially with its vibrant colors popping in 4K. Of course, everyone knows that Christopher Nolan doesn’t mess with shoddy visuals, so the 4K for his Oppenheimer is sure to be perfect, boasting an HDR10 “for brighter, deeper, more lifelike color.” The release also includes over three hours of special features including “The Story of Our Time: The Making of Oppenheimer,” “Innovations in Film: 65mm Black and White Film in Oppenheimer,” and “To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb.” (Oppenheimer’s 4K release is already sold out and getting restocked.)
$20 at Amazon Buy $20 at Amazon Buy
Collector’s Editions of Disney+ Originals $50 now 26% off From $37As fans have seen with the garbage fire of content-purging over on Max, you don’t really own something that’s on a streaming service. And so it’s very cool that Disney has decided to put some of its biggest Disney+ hits on physical media this year, including Loki, WandaVision, and The Mandalorian. And these releases aren’t just bare-bones versions of what’s on the streamer; they’re steel-book collector’s editions with 4K transfers and some wicked-cool cover art. Disney knows these are for collectors and so it treats that base well with artistry instead of just an eye to profit.
From $37 at Amazon Buy From $37 at Amazon BuyRecentish Rereleases
After Hours $50 now 32% off $34This is maybe the best Criterion release of 2023: the 4K version of Martin Scorsese’s beloved dark comedy After Hours, starring Griffin Dunne and Rosanna Arquette. Not only did this release bring more attention to one of Scorsese’s most underrated flicks, it contains some of the coolest bonus features of the year. First and foremost, the 4K restoration of the film was overseen by the legendary Thelma Schoonmaker, Scorsese’s GOAT editor. There’s also a new program that features Scorsese discussing the movie with Fran Lebowitz, a 2004 audio commentary, a documentary about the making of the film, and a new program about the project’s costume design and production design. Last thing, a brilliant essay by critic Sheila O’Malley.
$34 at Amazon Buy $34 at Amazon Buy
Blackhat $35 now 29% off $25Michael Mann’s divisive thriller has been given a loaded 4K treatment by Arrow, including the first ever Blu-ray or DVD release of Mann’s reimagined director’s cut of the movie (along with the preexisting U.S. and international theatrical release versions). Three movies isn’t enough? How about new interviews with the cinematographer and production designer? Or a brand-new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry? There are also some archival featurettes and a fantastic new piece of cover art that’s on a reversible sleeve once you get past the boring original poster.
$25 at Amazon Buy $25 at Amazon Buy
Carlito’s Way $42One of Brian De Palma’s best films was given a stunning 4K treatment from Arrow this year, complete with excellent new packaging and one of the best special features anywhere this year: an audio commentary from Vulture’s own Matt Zoller Seitz. The brilliant critic doesn’t just provide your standard trivia voice-over; he unpacks the choices De Palma and the team made in every scene. As if that’s not enough, the limited-edition set also includes a poster, seven lobby cards, a collector’s booklet, and tons of other special features, including a new interview with editors Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden, a new appreciation piece from critic David Edelstein, a second commentary track by Dr. Douglas Keesey, and archival material like documentaries and deleted scenes. As for the movie, it’s one of the best crime epics of all time, anchored by a masterful performance from Al Pacino and some of De Palma’s most vibrant filmmaking.
$42 at Amazon Buy $42 at Amazon Buy
Hugo $50 now 50% off $25Two Scorseses in one gift guide! Killers of the Flower Moon has been one of the most discussed films of 2023, so revisit one of his recent beloved films, the Oscar-winning Hugo, rereleased in stunning 4K from Arrow Films. Scorsese adapted a book by Brian Selznick into a love letter to film itself, telling the story of a boy (Asa Butterfield) who discovers one of the pioneers of world cinema, George Melies. The Arrow version isn’t in 3-D, but the 4K transfer is so breathtaking that you might not be able to tell. This is not only the first 4K presentation of the film, but one of those Arrow collectible editions with a double-sided poster, illustrated booklet, great new art, and an array of special features that includes new interviews with cinematographer Robert Richardson, composer Howard Shore, and film historian Ian Christie. The dense collection of supplemental material also includes a new visual essay by Scout Tafoya titled “Secret Machines: Hugo and Film Preservation.”
$25 at Amazon Buy $25 at Amazon BuyBig Box Sets
Clerks I-III Premium Box Set $130Kevin Smith fans are loyal, and they’re gonna love this three-film set that re-creates the Quick Stop and RST Video storefronts on your Blu-ray shelf. There’s reportedly also a “working VHS return slot” in which you can safely store the Blu-rays. Fun! There are even stickers in the set that fans can use to customize the exterior to make it more their own. As for the movies, Clerks remains an undeniable classic, a film that changed the indie-comedy form forever. At the time, two sequels didn’t seem likely, but there’s a reason that Smith keeps coming back to the world of Jay and Silent Bob, finding new stories to tell at different chapters in his life. This one is an Amazon exclusive and feels like the kind of collector’s item that could be hard to find in the future. Get yours this year.
$130 at Amazon Buy $130 at Amazon Buy
Columbo: The 1970s Blu-ray Collection $85One of the most popular TV detectives of all time has had a surprising resurgence lately, serving as comfort food for generations who remember watching him in syndication and maybe even first-run. The great folks over at Kino Lorber took all seven seasons of the landmark series and remastered them in 4K for the first time, including some of the preliminary appearances of the character in 1968’s movie of the week Prescription: Murder and the original 1971 pilot “Ransom for a Dead Man.” There’s an episode-guide booklet and a slipcase with a new illustration. The fan base for Peter Falk’s brilliant work on this show seems to grow every year, and one of the best TV box sets of the year will only help.
$85 at Amazon Buy $85 at Amazon Buy
Small Axe $100 now 51% off $49Back in April, Criterion released a fantastic three-disc set of the five feature films that make up Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, which originally premiered on Prime Video in 2020. All five films are worth seeing, especially the powerful Mangrove and pulsating Lovers Rock, and they’ve all been remastered here with new 2K transfers approved by McQueen himself. The filmmaker also sat down for a fascinating conversation with writer and professor Paul Gilroy about the incredibly ambitious project. There are other special features here, but the best is the phenomenal documentary Uprising, a three-part film co-directed by McQueen about the 1981 New Cross house fire and the tension in the city leading up to and after it. It’s a must-see doc that was kind of buried when it premiered on Prime and adds a foundation to the Small Axe films.
$49 at Amazon Buy $49 at Amazon Buy
Star Trek: Picard The Legacy Collection $198It wouldn’t be a holiday season without a Star Trek collector’s set, and this one is awesome. Rather than just collecting films or seasons of television, this is a box set devoted to the entire legacy of a character in Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard. It contains over 35 hours of special features and is limited to under 12,000 copies worldwide. What do you get? Everything Picard ever did. That’s seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, three seasons of Star Trek: Picard, and four feature films: Generations, First Contact, Nemesis, and Insurrection. It’s 54 Blu-ray discs! Not enough? How about drink coasters, playing cards, new cover art, and badges? This is a must-own for anyone willing to call themselves a Trekkie.
$198 at Amazon Buy $198 at Amazon Buy
Titanic: 25th Anniversary Collectors Edition $154 now 12% off $135Fans of one of the most successful films ever made have probably owned Titanic a few different ways with all the releases over the years, but this December sees one of the coolest to date — a 4K edition accompanied by lavish packaging and special features. It carries a hefty price tag, but those who still love the story of Jack and Rose are unlikely to care. This massive set includes over 15 hours of special features, including some new material for those worried about the double dip: “Stories From the Heart,” “25 Years Later With James Cameron,” and a poster gallery. The two featurettes promise new material with Cameron himself about the legacy of the film, joined by producer Jon Landau and star Kate Winslet in the first one. There are also some amazing physical collectibles in the set, including a blueprint of the ship, a hardcover book, ticket replicas, menu replicas, and even a music sheet for the ubiquitous “My Heart Will Go On.” For 25 years and counting.
$135 at Amazon Buy $135 at Amazon BuyMore to Give
A 2023 Blu-Ray Gift Guide for Movie LoversncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t8HLrayrnV6YvK57wKuropucmnyjuNRmqZqxXZy2p8CMoKyinJVif3F%2BkmefraWc