Welcome to our 12 Days of Holiday Gifts. As we mentioned in episode 17 of the podcast, for the 12 days leading up to Thanksgiving, we’ll be giving you our picks for great gifts. Then, on Thanksgiving night, we’ll have a Gift Guide available for you to download. The guide will include the 12 books featured on the blog, plus many other gift ideas, several under $20! 
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"Have You Seen…?" A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films by David Thomson

If you know someone who is a film buff, or is culturally illiterate when it comes to film (like me), this is the gift to give him or her.  Renowned film critic David Thomson gives us a one-page writeup of 1,000 films that he has personally chosen. These are not necessarily the best films, and in fact many are remarkable because they were failures, but Thomson tells us why they are worth seeing.

The book is arranged alphabetically, with a chronological index included. Thomson tells us straight out why he does or does not like a particular film. The writeups describe what it feels like to see the film, and we learn the reasons that Thomson deems these to be the important movies. He tells us of scenes that are not to be missed, and in some cases, the movies that can be skipped but for a few crucial scenes.

When you’re planning your gift purchases, I say, skip the video store and head to the bookstore — wrap up this book with a box of popcorn. It will provide hours of entertainment and have the recipient thinking about films in an entirely new way.

 "Have You Seen…?" A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films by David Thomson
ISBN: 978-0-307-26461-9, $39.95