Movie girl - December 2007

The festive ...

Is it just me or were the Christmas ornaments up even earlier this year? I swear I saw Lords-a-leaping and geese-a-laying in the big department stores back in September!!

Seasonal festivities, birthdays, anniversaries - all I approach with trepidation every year as I have managed to surround myself with people who are simply impossible to buy for. This is especially annoying as I consider myself incredibly easy to shop for being perfectly content with movie tickets, JB HiFi Vouchers or DVDs.

I often resort to older DVDs as they are especially cheap at Christmas and there's a large selection to choose from. They will generally set you back between $9-$15, half the cost of a new release, which, let's face it will be down to half price in 3 months anyway!

But while DVDs are a seemingly inexpensive and hassle free gift you can get caught in the trappings of "What would they like?" and "Would they like this?".

Don't assume that because you liked something, your friend or family member will too - It absolutely does not work this way ... I hate watching that moment just after a loved one slips their finger under the tape and unfolds the wrapping paper to reveal the first glimpse of their gift - only to see that flash of "Is this it?" quickly replaced with the false look of joy'. This is simply the result of a gift poorly chosen and has ruined many an occasion I'm sure.

So, to help you this year, I have drafted a list of sure fire hits. In keeping with the theme of these articles, use the person's favourite movie or genre to select a gift. The lists are sorted into genres, headed with a banner film. Use the banner films to decide which list to pick from. For example, if they loved Titanic, pick something from drama. I have also highlighted my top picks from the group.

So what should you get?

As always, I hope this offers some help to you during the silly season and I look forward to seeing you on the flip side of New Years.

Have a great one.

Top Tips

• If you can quickly flick through your giftee's DVD collection before buying and get an idea of their fave genre or at least find out their fave film, this will make choosing one much easier.
  
  
• Australia Post makes a DVD postpak for those of you separated by distance from your loved ones - just don't wrap it too thickly!
  
  
• Disney has some weird rules set up for DVD releases. They only release particular films, especially the cartoons, for a few short years and then recall all the stock and hold them for a decade (literally). So, if you are a fan of Disney movies and see them available on DVD, DON'T WAIT. You don't know if the how long the opportunity to purchase will last!

Looking for a particular genre but not sure what to get? Can't remember the name of a film? If you know an actor or even a basic scene description from it, ASK THE FLICK CHICK.

Nicola Britton p 0408 008 401 e npetrie@hotmail.com w flickchick.blog.com