by Missy Thompson

STAFF WRITER

Christmas is right around the corner and although "Black Friday" is over, plenty of gift-giving specials are still being advertised. But if you're struggling on what to give someone, you can never go wrong with a movie. DVDs and special edition box sets are on sale in a variety of stores with decent prices well within anyone's budget. Many of the year's hottest films will hit store shelves this month, just in time for the holiday season.

Kids and families

Several kid-friendly movies are already out on DVD. "Ratatouille" and "Shrek the Third" are sure to please any child who enjoys animated films. "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End" -- part of which was filmed in Tooele County's west desert -- will hit shelves today and rounds out the Pirates trilogy.

"High School Musical 2" was a Disney Channel hit, but the DVD extended version, which goes on sale Dec. 11, may be the perfect holiday gift. Also on shelves Dec. 11 is the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series "The Order of the Phoenix." While this may not have been the best of the Harry Potter films, it is a must to any fan or collector.

Teens

While many teenagers may enjoy these aforementioned films -- "High School Musical 2" and "At World's End" -- there are plenty of newly and soon-to-be released movies that would make a great gift. For any fan of the television show "The Simpsons," the film of the same name will be released Dec. 18.

"Hot Rod," "The OC Complete Series" and "Hairspray" could make a good gift for older teens who enjoy a fun comedy, soap opera-like drama or musical. If you have a teenage girl on your gift-giving list, older teen comedies such as these could make for a great present: "10 Things I Hate About You," "Means Girls," "She's All That" or "A Walk to Remember." For teen boys try "TMNT," "Friday Night Lights," "Dumb and Dumber" or "Ocean's 11."

Adults

Plenty of films will make wonderful gifts for adults this Christmas season. "Superbad" -- which was released today -- is definitely not a film for kids to watch, but will allow adults to reminisce about what it was like to be a kid. The two-movie set of "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Flags of Our Fathers" is a good edition to any DVD collection. For men, a two-disc collector's edition of "Die Hard" and "Die Hard 2" are on sale, along with the newest part of the trilogy, "Live Free or Die Hard."

For TV-on-DVD lovers, "The Office: Season Two," "House" seasons one and two and "Seinfeld: The Complete Series" are all on sale now. Many stores are offering buy-one-get-one-free deals on these boxed sets. Television shows coming out on DVD soon are "Lost: The Complete Third Season" (Dec. 11), "24: Season Six" (today) and "Saturday Night Live: The Complete Second Season" (today). Of course just about every television show imaginable is on DVD now -- all of which make great gifts.

If are having a difficult time trying to find the right present for someone, glance through their DVD collection and find something in their genre they don't own. Browse through the ads and you're sure to find an excellent deal on sale and clearance movies. If worse comes to worse, you can always order online.

missy@tooeletranscript.com