Double-dipping is a dirty word among movie fans, who have grown increasingly weary of shelling out more money for a multiple versions of a given film. There can be a benefit to the practice, however, especially for consumers eager to pick up multiple movies quickly and efficiently without a lot of fuss. Warner Bros – one of the most notorious practitioners of double-dipping – has recently dived into its archives for a series of “Best of” DVD Collections. Their Best Picture compilation – consisting of 20 films that snagged the top trophy their respective years – ranks as one of the most reliable, marred by a few embarrassing hiccups. Hit the jump for my full review.

Today only, Amazon is offering 22 movies you can download to own for $5 each in HD, and $4 each in SD.  Per Amazon, “Purchased videos will be stored in Your Video Library where you can access them whenever you want; watch on your PC, Kindle Fire, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or more than 300 HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and set-top devices.”  Hit the jump for the list of films (which includes titles such as The Dark Knight, Casablanca, The Goonies, 300, The Town, The Departed, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Matrix) or click here for the full list on Amazon.

The Simpsons is still plenty capable of putting together a very entertaining half hour over two decades into its run, and this Sunday’s episode “Stealing First Base” was particularly suited for film geeks.  First, the episode’s delightfully gruesome “Itchy & Scratchy” short serve as an extended parody of the Philip Glass-scored Koyaanisqatsi as well as a brief mocking of 3D.  Later, a Bart kiss inspired a montage of famous romantic scenes in film history–including Spider-Man, WALL·E, Planet of the Apes, and Star Trek among others–which itself was a take on a reminiscent scene in Cinema Paradiso in borrowing Ennio Morricone’s beautiful “Love Theme” from the film.

Hit the jump to check out the clip and a list of the movies referenced. [via Upcoming Pixar]

As of today, James Cameron’s Avatar is officially the highest-grossing domestic film in U.S. history.  The film had smashed past the worldwide record on January 25th and a week later became the first film to break a worldwide box office total of $2 billion.  Today, Avatar broke Titanic’s domestic box office record of $600.8 million by cashing in at $601.2 million in only 47 days.  Of course, there are other factors to consider such as the higher ticket price for a 3D screening and 3D IMAX screenings plus the rate of inflation.  Adjusted for inflation, Avatar has a long way to go to topple the $1.5 billion domestic box office of Gone with the Wind.  It also still has a ways to go to beat Titanic‘s inflated gross of $957 million.

But when you stop to consider that some people were saying how it would never make back its $500 million budget and would be considered a flop no matter what, it’s a stunning accomplishment.  Even more astonishing, the film has no signs of slowing down, especially after racking up nine Academy Award nominations yesterday.

Still holding out for some great holiday deals?  Amazon has just thrown up some amazing deals which benefit no one as far as gift giving goes since it’s too late to order your gift and get it here in time for Christmas.  Still, if you want to get something nice for yourself, these are some pretty sweet bargains.

First up, they have Deadwood: The Complete Series on DVD for $74.99, which is 58% off the list price of  $179.97.  Then they have the Blu-ray editions of Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection for $59.99 (list price: $139.99), the 4-Disc Combo Editions of Up and Monsters, Inc. together for $29.98 (normally $39.98 together), and the Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition for $39.99 (list price: $84.99).

Have a Happy Saturnalia and remember to put your tree back outdoors and take your lights back inside.

There is nothing wrong with Gone with the Wind. Yes, it’s a bit racist. Heck, it’s a lot racist and you get to cringe listening to Clark Gable say things like “darkie.” The black characters are mostly shameful, and the film revels in the greatness and loss of the South. There are interesting ambiguities, though. Rhett Butler (Gable) recognizes that the civil war is stupid and bound for failure, but later on enlists. Okay, there’s a lot wrong with the film, but it’s also one of those films of such grand dramatic heft that it is also undeniable. My review of Gone with the Wind after the (Kris Kross will make you Jump) jump.