The Christmas clock is really ticking now (as if you didn't know). But these media gifts should be easy to procure in a snap.Your hip cineaste pals will be thrilled to receive either of these newly released DVDs from Criterion. Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai's sweet, sexy and totally eye-opening pop art film Chungking Express (1994). And the brilliantly daffy, totally heartfelt movie that first put Wes Anderson on the map, Bottle Rocket (1996), starring two cute brothers from Texas named Owen and Luke Wilson. Both are $32, available on either standard or Blu-Ray, at Criterion.com.
A bit more on the low-tech side are the newest "Spoken Word" CD sets from the British Library, featuring historic recordings of eminent writers discussing their work -- perfect for the snooty literati on your list. The three-CD American Writers set features F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tennessee Williams and Toni Morrison, among others. The three-CD British Writers set features 30 greats, including P.G. Wodehouse, Virginia Woolf and J.R.R. Tolkien. Don't forget to download the whole thing onto your ipod before gifting it. $23 at amazon.com
To see all the previous gift suggestions to date, click HERE. And check back every day this month for more gift ideas.
