Film

Ciaran Carty's DVD picks

DVDS are like ties or perfume when it comes to Christmas gifts.

There's sure to be one to suit every taste, the problem is finding it. My only advice is what I'd choose myself. One of the best bets for a really lavish present appealing to everyone from teenagers to grandparents is James Bond: Attache Box Set, released to coincide with Casino Royale. It packs all 20 official Bond movies together, each one carefully restored and remastered and backed up by new commentaries. So who was the best Bond? With a gift like this, it's open to everyone to deliver a definitive judgement.

A rival gift would be The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection, a classy nine-disc box set which includes not just Superman: The Movie, Superman 2, Superman 3 and Superman 4, but also the bulk of a Superman 2 that director Richard Donner shot before Richard Lester took over and did the entire movie again from scratch.

The new Superman Returns, with Brandon Routh in the title role, is also available, either in single disc version or a two-disc special edition.

For someone in no mood for escapism but into serious arthouse cinema, The Michael Haneke Trilogy Box Set should do the trick.

It offers a chance to catch up on the three earliest movies by the austere Austrian director who last year won the European Academy Award with Hidden and is currently doing an English-language remake of his masterpiece Funny Games, starring Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. In The 7th Continent, a seemingly happy young urban couple decide to kill themselves and their daughter.

Benny's Video explores how a teenager's obsession with violent movies leads to Murder. 71 Fragments Of A Chronology Of Chance breaks down into the 71 moments when a student runs amok on a killing spree.

Hardly happy Christmas viewing but, for some, a break from all the forced jollity can be welcome.

Old-timers will welcome The Powell And Pressburger Collection, a homage to the greatest and most imaginative of all British filmmakers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Matter Of Life And Death, The Red Shoes, Tales of Hoffman . . .
they're all here, beautifully remastered, along with 49th Parallel, A Canterbury Tale, I Know Where I'm Going and They're A Weird Mob. If there is a British director to rival the output of Powell and Pressburger, it's David Lean whose nine movies are just out in a special box-set, starting with Brief Encounter and working through Great Expectations andOliver Twist to Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago and Ryan's Daughter, but also including his two lesser works The Passionate Friends and Madeleine.

Pick of the family viewing are this year's two Disney hits, the Pixar cartoon Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and the reissued The Little Mermaid. Finally, even if you've seen Ken Loach's The Wind That Shakes The Barley, the DVD is well worth having, particularly for a commentary by Loach and his historical advisor Donal O'Driscoll on the politics of the period.

Television
Gavin Corbett's DVD picks

IN a TV review earlier this year, I described the second series of Naked Camera as "mucous-membrane strippingly funny". Needless to remark, when the DVD came out in time for Christmas, I was the first in the door of the record shop to see if my quote got on the box. Frantic perusing yielded only the following plaudits, however: "'A master of edgy comedy' . . . The Sunday Times" and "'A laugh out loud show' . . . Evening Herald". Bah! You year-ruining bastards! Putting personal disappointment aside for a moment though, I recommend this release.

What else is there out there, DVD-wise? Sit down with Prison Break Stephenziz Day and, I guarantee you, when you get up again it'll be time to go back to work.

The Royle Family Album, meanwhile, comprises all three series (that's 17 episodes), the two Christmas specials and the recently-aired and very touching finale of the excellent couch-potato sitcom. And, phwoar . . . what about David Attenborough's Planet Earth? Not just great TV . . .great-looking TV. On the crowded interactive DVD front, dartsbased quiz game Classic Bullseye jumps out at you like Jocky Wilson crashing through a large sheet of grease-proof paper. It's presented by Jim Bowen, and it promises "loads of nostalgic moments, including original footage of 1980s prizes", but not having seen it yet, I can't tell you whether or not the interactive element actually involves throwing darts at your TV screen.

All of which is a piddling preamble to news of the greatest event in the history of DVD technology . . . the release of Beavis and Butt-head: The Mike Judge Collection Volume 1. "This historic box set", it says on the back, "personally edited by creator Mike Judge, includes [Beavis and Butt-head's ] finest episodes, specials, promos and guest appearances that so enriched a grateful and stupid nation." To which there's nothing much more to be added, apart from, maybe: "What do I know about banking? Well, uh, there's like, a safe. And you can get stuck in it and die."

Away from DVDs, there's a rake of TV-related books on sale for Christmas. If I had to pick five, I'd go for Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book, The Complete One Foot In The Grave, Spooks: Behind The Scenes, The Accidental Angler and, oh, I don't know . . . Ricky Tomlinson: Celebrities My Arse.

For a bit of house-clogging tat, you might want to get someone the speaking Podge and Rodge doll set, so foul-mouthed a major toyshop chain refuses to stock it.

Music
Neil Dunphy and Una Mullally's picks

IF you're feeling especially seasonal, there are loads of Christmas albums that don't involve Phil Spector . . . like the prolific Sufjan Stevens whose Songs For Christmas says it all with an oboe tinge. Arcade Fire also recorded a Christmas album a few years ago. At a party. Drunk. It's not available officially, but google Arcade Fire Christmas Album and plenty of mp3 links will come up.

Bring out the iPod and get downloading your own selection of cool easy-listening Xmas choones. Personal faves of mine are Joni Mitchell's 'I Wish I Was A River' from Blue, Badly Drawn Boy's 'Donna & Butzon' from the About A Boy soundtrack. If you're feeling saucy you could always listen to Spinal Tap's 'Christmas with the Devil', 'Candy Cane Children' by The White Stripes or the chilling 'King's Crossing' by the late Elliot Smith.

For boxsets, you could look at A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box, a leather-clad collection of everything from Joy Division to Nick Cave to Bauhaus and back again to Sisters of Mercy. Although those who find Christmas a depressing time of year should probably steer clear of this one.

For indie kids buy the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Show Your Bones and Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not. If you like Snow Patrol, you'll dig The Duke Special's Songs From The Deep Forest, and other Irish sure things are The Frames' The Cost, Director's We Thrive On Big Cities andThe Blizzards' A Public Display of Affection. The avant garde will dig Joanna Newsom's Ys album, and if clubbing, not gigging, is your world, Dorfmeister's Grand Slam is a winner for house fans while techno heads will love Michael Mayer's new mixes on Immer 2.

For hip hop fans, Jay-Z's Kingdom Come is the only greatly significant album of the year, although The Visioneers' eponymous debut is jazzy genius.

Pop lovers head for Lily Allen or even the Depeche Mode Best Of, while metalheads are spoilt for choice with Mastodon, Wolfmother and Tool all currently promoting strong albums. If you have elbow patches on your Christmas jumper you may enjoy Belle & Sebastian's The Life Pursuit while traditional American folk-rockers can sit around the fire with some Lambchop, Neil Young or Tom Petty.

Surefire mainstream bets are the Killers, Muse and The Beatles' Love album, while closer to home Patrick Freyne, Damien Rice and Miriam Ingram provide the quieter moments between the excellent noise of Director and The Immediate.

Visual Art
Eimear McKeith's picks

NOTHING compares to the gift of a work of art: it's unique, personal and often a good investment. And now, with Christmas just around the corner, commercial galleries are cramming their spaces with artworks in the hopes of tempting the potential buyer. But purchasing art is tricky enough without the added complication of attempting to predict someone else's tastes. So to help you through the artistic minefield, here are a few of this year's highlights.

Good-value options are available at the Original Print Gallery and Graphic Studio Gallery, where you can get a print by a well-known artist for a reasonable price . . . sometimes under 100. As part of its Christmas show, the Original Print Gallery is also hosting a series of open days between now and 23 December (For more details see www. originalprint. ie or call 01-677 3657).

Taking a chance on an emerging artist keeps the price down . . . and, you never know, you may discover the next Picasso. Tr e a t , which opens at the Talbot Gallery on 14 December, features more than 50 small artworks by the likes of Diane Henshaw, Mary A Fitzgerald and Beatrice O'Connell, all at a fixed price of 250.

For something a bit different, Mother's Tankstation is hosting a group drawing show entitled Getting on Mother's Nerves: psychological drama and contemporary drawing. Works range from up-and-coming artists such as Atsushi Kaga to internationally known figures, with prices starting at 350 and rising to 6,500. Meanwhile, the Stone Gallery, which is building up a reputation for sensitively staged exhibitions that showcase emerging artists, has taken the Christmas season to heart with a group exhibition entitled A Journey Through Winter.

Also unmissable is the RHA's annual Christmas exhibition, which features work by highlyregarded artists such as Liam Belton, Martin Gale and John Behan. The exhibition runs from 8-17 December, and sales can only be made on the opening night. Alongside this will be an exhibition of more affordable works by young painters such as Mark Grehan, Colin Martin, Eoin McHugh and Kate Warner.

And at the top end of the scale is Hillsboro Fine Art, whose inaugural show in its new premises on Parnell Square is due to open on 12 December. It is sure to be an exciting exhibition, with work by renowned international artists such as Robert Motherwell and Sam Francis as well as Irish figures like Hughie O'Donoghue, Patrick Graham and Michael Warren. Works range from 30,000- 150,000.

Arthritis Ireland has commissioned a limited edition print of Ronnie Delany by esteemed Irish artist James Hanley to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Olympic win. It costs 550 and would suit an art lover or sports fan, with the important added benefit of helping to raise money for a worthy cause. The print can be viewed online at www. arthritisireland. ie.

If none of the options above are anywhere near your price range, there are alternative gift ideas. Hodges Figgis, Waterstone's, Imma and the National Gallery of Ireland all stock a great selection of art publications. One of the most eyecatching books to be published recently is Andy Warhol: "Giant" Size. This book really is giant . . .it weighs 15 pounds . . . and features a fascinating assemblage of information and images on Warhol's life and work.

Rembrandt's Universe: his art, his life, his world by Gary Schwartz is an accessible monograph with lots of colour reproductions. Also worth reading is Hilary Spurling's Matisse the Master, for which she won last year's Whitbread award. Nature's Engraver by Jenny Uglow, a biography about a little-known 19th century English engraver called Thomas Bewick, is receiving rave reviews, while Martin Gayford's The Yellow House focuses on the short but dramatic period in 1888 when Van Gogh and Gauguin shared a house together.

But if you have Scrooge-like tendencies and the thought of Christmas shopping sends shivers down your spine, then you should check out X-MASS, the spot at Draiocht in Blanchardstown. This exhibition, which is described as "an alternative look at Christmas", is organised by 'Santa' (ie subversive Irish artist Nevan Lahart) and features work by 'Sweet-Shop Labour Force Elves' (ie invited artists). It opens on Thursday 7 December, and comes with a warning that it may be unsuitable for children. Intriguing.