Looking for the perfect gift for the movie fan, music junkie, or gamer in your life? There are great new releases in movies, TV, music, and video games this year for everyone on your shopping list.

Movies tend to be popular gifts for the holidays. Chad Verrill, director of operations for Bull Moose, pointed out that, “If you can guess what type of film Uncle Billy wants, you can probably pick out something he would be happy to get as a present – and for not a lot of money.” Some of entertainment’s biggest franchises have new installments out on DVD and Blu-Ray: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Fast Five, and Scream 4, to name a few, not to mention the final film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The entire collection of Harry Potter films is also currently available individually and in collector’s sets, but won’t be for long. Warner Brothers will no longer make the films available (other than digitally) after December 29 of this year, meaning that if they’re on your wish list or someone else’s, now is the time to pick them up before they disappear for a while. Most retailers, including Bull Moose, have been running sales on these and other titles during the holiday season.

Superhero films were big this year: The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Thor, X-Men: First Class and Captain America are all available on DVD and Blu-Ray. There are plenty of titles for the comedy fan in your life too. Bridesmaids, the funny R-rated flick starring Saturday Night Live’s Kristen Wiig and Emmy Award winner Melissa McCarthy, has drawn comparisons to The Hangover and is at once raunchy and sentimental. Other funny favorites from the year include Horrible Bosses, The Change-Up, No Strings Attached, Bad Teacher and The Hangover Part Two. For kids and families, offerings include Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Gnomeo & Juliet, and The Smurfs.

“Video games are still on the rise,” as well, Verrill said. The past couple of months have seen a lot of big-interest new releases, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, and Saints Row: The Third, among others. Some games also have special editions, or come with collector’s edition gaming systems, such as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

“There are some great music items for collectors this year, too,” said Verrill, “like deluxe box sets from the Rolling Stones, U2, The Smiths, and Hank Williams.” Many of these items are limited editions and will mean a lot to music fans. “These are the kinds of things that some people might not run out and buy for themselves on release date, but will definitely be on a few feverishly written Christmas lists,” Verrill added. Buying albums on vinyl has become a popular practice again, and the audiophile in your life might like some records to listen to. New USB record players have simplified things – they’ll spin your records, but can also upload the music to your computer. That way music fans can enjoy their favorite tunes at home on the turntable or on their iPod at the gym. Many popular artists are releasing their music on CDs and vinyl these days, so there’s no shortage of good music to pick up. Album frames are also available for under $10 online or at stores like the Christmas Tree Shop in Portland, meaning you can make music into artwork in just a few minutes.

Music, movies, and video games make great gifts because “everybody needs to be entertained,” according to Verrill. “We expect that people will be out shopping for gifts that might give some lasting enjoyment to the receiver.”

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