It is with great joy that I bring you this list of DVD picks for your Christmas gift list. If you are someone who does not go to the movies a lot and you're wondering what to get a movie fan, I submit this list is a good place to start. You will find here five movies that drew big audiences in 2008, but that a number of critics also thought were well made. So, without further Ho Ho Ho!, here is my list of the 5 Best DVDs for Christmas Gifts 2008.

Who is the Dark Knight? Why, that'd be Batman. This blockbuster starring Christian Bale, the late Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal transcends the comic book/superhero movie genre. It is in fact, a top-notch crime drama masquerading as a comic book movie. I will frankly be gobsmacked if The Dark Knight does not receive a Best Picture nomination when the Oscar line-up is announced in early-2009.

I feel it is important to mention that this chapter in the Batman saga is made for adults. There is no real strong adult language, but the themes and feel of the movie are quite dark. I would be cool with a child of mine who was 10 or so seeing it, but this movie really does not offer anything a young child can process. That said, I submit The Dark Knight would be perfect for any movie lover on your Christmas gift list.

Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey, Jr., this live-action movie was thrilling to both see and hear in the cineplex early last summer. In the average movie year, this would have been the best superhero movie of the summer. Alas, this year The Dark Knight eclipses the field. That said, Iron Man is a lot of fun to watch. And the transformation of the lead character played by Downey -- from average human to the Iron Man, but also from amoral capitalist to compassionate human/machine do-gooder warrior -- is mostly enthralling. Downey brings his A-game.

Humans abandon planet Earth a heap of steaming trash and leave behind Wall-E the robot to "mind the shop". Wall-E, though a machine, displays emotions and is lonely. His heart and world become turned upside down when a robot from a visiting ship comes down to the surface to check out Earth.

Wall-E comes from the minds at Pixar, who have brought us many wonderful animated features over the past 15+ years. This is a story for all ages.

If Superman were played by a foul-mouthed Will Smith, that'd be Hancock. This is a very watchable anti-hero superhero movie, though probably best kept away from younger children. I had a lot of fun watching Hancock, I think partially because Peter Berg was the director, and because it is an atypical superhero story. Hancock is very reluctant to use his supernatural powers to help society, and especially to be a role model. You will note he is the only superhero you have ever seen sleep on a park bench!

Some years go by without a truly hilarious comedy. 2008 has brought us at least two -- Kevin Smith's Zach and Miri, and the late-summer gem Tropic Thunder. (If Zach and Miri would be out on DVD in time for Christmas, I would have included it on this list.) Oh my! Tropic Thunder is hilarious. Take Robert Altman's The Player, set it in Southeast Asia, and throw in a gang of heroine-producing, gun-blazing locals, and you've got Tropic Thunder. The movie stars Ben Stiller (who also directed and co-wrote), Robert Downey, Jr. (who had a great summer, clearly), and the very funny Jack Black. Honestly, I cannot do the hilarity of Tropic Thunder justice here. If you know a comedy lover, they will love this DVD as a Christmas gift.

I hope you see something here that sounds like the right Christmas gift for someone on your list. If you have questions about these or other DVDs for Christmas, please leave me a comment.