Carol
Director: Todd Haynes
Screenwriter: Phyllis Nagy
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy, Carrie Brownstein
The Weinstein Company
Rated R | 118 Minutes
Release Date: December 25, 2015

“My angel, flung out of space…”

Directed by Todd Haynes (I’m Not There, Far From Heaven) and written by Phyllis Nagy (Mrs. Harris), Carol is based on the novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith.

Set in 1952 in New York City, the movie follows Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), a twentysomething shop clerk, and her relationship with Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), an alluring older woman going through a divorce. An aspiring photographer, Therese is working in the toy department of a Manhattan department store when she is approached by Carol, who purchases a model train set for her daughter as a Christmas gift.

Time And Time Again: A Novel
Hardcover | Kindle
By Ben Elton
Thomas Dunne Books/ St. Martin’s Press
Release date: December 22nd, 2015

Hugh Stanton is barely alive. He is hearty and healthy enough, but he has no reason to live since his wife and children were murdered. It is just because of the slightest chance in his atheist heart, that there might be a heaven and hell, that keeps him from suicide. So he wanders and drifts, waiting for his time to die. He answers a summons from an old professor, because he literally has nothing better to do. It is there that he is asked the questions:

“What would you consider to be the greatest mistake in world history?” And, “What’s your best shot?”

It is those “what ifs” that revs the engine of Time And Time Again by Ben Elton.

More below.

Christmas Day will be here this Friday, so right about now you might be in need of some last-minute gifts. There is still some time to shop online and even sneak in some Christmas Eve deliveries. Plus, there’s always the digital gifts route.

You can still order from Amazon and have select gifts physically arrive by Christmas Eve (see details below). There’s also plenty of digital gifts to give: You can also gift ebooks, MP3 music, apps, digital comics, and video game downloads; send a gift card electronically; or make a charitable donation in the recipient’s name. Either email the recipient their gift, or print up an e-card and hand it to them. Take a look at our various Gift Guides for inspiration.

Here’s some last-minute online gift ideas …

Hee Haw, the stalwart 1970s rural comedy/variety program which struck a chord with Middle America and became a staple of television during that era, first on network and then in syndication, has now been archived as part of a 3-DVD set by Time Life titled The Hee Haw Collection.

Debuting in the late 1960s, Hee Haw was in essence a countrified version of the comedy smash hit Laugh-In, in which rapid fire one liners, catchphrases, blackouts, and fast-paced sketches were the order of the day. Taking the same basic core elements but adding a kind of “southern” feel to the proceedings, replete with famous country luminaries such as Roy Clark, Minnie Pearl, and Buck Owens, pretty cowgirls, and hayseed-themed comedy and characters, Hee Haw debuted on CBS in 1969. The show lasted for two years and then became one of the longest running shows in syndication history, a success story on par with other shows of the era, such as The Lawrence Welk Show and Soul Train.

Throes of Mankind
Artist: Culture Killer
CD | MP3
Metal Blade Records
Release Date: November 27, 2015

Culture Killer caused quite a buzz with it’s independently released 2014 EP Denial. So much so in fact that the Florida band landed a deal with powerhouse label Metal Blade. Their full-length debut album Throes of Mankind was released on November 27, 2015 and the buzz continues to build.

The record features ten tracks that showcase Culture Killer’s particularly brutal brand of metallic hardcore interspersed with groove metal and death metal elements. There is also a very strong political slant to the lyrics.