I did this post about a year ago and it was one of the first posts I ever did. To celebrate my blog turning a year old, I thought I would do the same post but what I bought and received over the Christmas period. Over this Christmas, I added 13 DVDs to my collection - 8 as presents and 5 bought.

Received as Gifts

1. Self/Less - Back in March, the trailer for this film was featured as one of my 'top trailers' for that week. I never actually got to see the film in cinemas - it did abysmal business so didn't stick around for long. It was also released in a really crowded time frame (July) so it wasn't a top priority of mine. Once I see the film, I will post a review - even though the critics don't have very good things to say about this, I still have hope as the concept sounds quite intriguing.
Rotten Tomatoes: 21%, Metacritic: 34/100, IMDB: 6.5/10. Average: 40/100




2. Ant-Man - Back in July, I saw Ant-Man and had mixed (but mostly positive) feelings about it - I gave it 3.5/5 and a B. The film was silly but I think it was quite a refreshing superhero film - the scope was much smaller as it wasn't a worldwide threat but more of a 'close to home' threat. I am pleased I received this as a gift as I did like the film and it is a must have for any Marvel fan.

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%, Metacritic: 64/100, IMDB: 7.5/10. Average: 73/100




3. Minions - This was another film I had mixed feelings about. I was satisfied by the film but it was definitely not as good as the original Despicable Me. I think at this point, we may be nearing Minions overkill. I was happy to receive this DVD though as the film has gone on to become the 2nd highest grossing animated film in the world of all time - even if the quality isn't great, there is no denying that Minions is an extremely successful film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 55%, Metacritic: 56/100, IMDB: 6.5/10. Average: 59/100





4. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - I haven't actually seen this film but as soon as I do, I will post a review on here. This film came out at an awkward time when I was on holiday and it didn't do too great box office wise so I didn't really get a chance to see it. However, it has had solid reviews so I look forward to giving it a watch.
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%, Metacritic: 56/100, IMDB: 7.4/10. Average: 66/100




5. Paper Towns - This is definitely one of my favourite films of the year - I really liked it. I watched this film again over the Christmas period and it definitely held up. Paper Towns is a real treat. I was originally supposed to receive the 'Paper Journey' edition for Christmas but Amazon lost my order so I got the standard edition instead.
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%, Metacritic: 56/100, IMDB: 6.5/10. Average: 59/100





6. Maggie - This was another film that had a trailer that was featured in my 'top trailers' list in late March. Maggie also didn't perform strongly at the box office so I didn't get the chance to see it. However, I now have it on DVD so as soon as I do, I will post my review on here.
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%, Metacritic: 52/100, IMDB: 5.6/10. Average: 54/100






7. The Good Lie - As a fan of Reese Witherspoon, I had heard bits about this movie and thought it sounded interesting. I then saw the trailer as it was attached to a DVD I bought and thought it looked pretty good. As soon as I watch this film, I will post a review on here.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%, Metacritic: 65/100, IMDB: 74/10. Average: 76/100






8. The Gift - I thoroughly enjoyed this film back in late Summertime - I thought that even though it only had a handful of true scares, they were very effective. The film also had great mood setting. I watched this for the second time over Christmas and it held up very well - those 3 jump scares were all still very good and the mood setting was great too.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%, Metacritic: 77/100, IMDB: 7.1/10. Average: 80/100





Bought in the Boxing Day and January Sales

9. Vacation - I have heard terrible things about this film - it has been featured on a lot of 'worst of' lists this year. So what did I do? I bought it. I missed this film in cinemas so I wanted to make my own judgements. I have now watched the film so I will write a full review soon but I think it was just a B version of We're the Millers - it was a really fun movie that I would watch again! I bought this DVD in a 2 for £20 offer at HMV.






10. Ted 2 - I thought that this film was an improvement on the first. I watched half of it again over Christmas and thought it held up pretty well. Even though we won't get a Ted 3 because this underperformed a lot at the box office, it is still an enjoyable watch that keeps the Ted story rolling. I bought this on Amazon for £8 which is a pretty good deal.







11. The Gallows - This was a film that I was really excited about in the Summer as I thought the trailers looked really scary. I missed the film in cinemas due to it not having a very wide release. I bought this DVD in a 2 for £20 offer at HMV. I have now watched the film and will post a full review on here but I have to say, it is nothing to write home about.







12. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - This is one of my top movies of the year so it was essential that it joined my DVD collection. Rogue Nation is smart, thrilling and entertaining. I bought this film on Amazon for £7.99 which is a good deal as it is a pretty recent release.








13. Southpaw - This was a pleasant surprise for me back in August - I thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought this film for £10 on Amazon which isn't really an offer as that was the price it was when it was first released. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop Southpaw from being a solid film.