I know what you’re thinking. “What the eff is a wholphin? And who the hell wants a subscription (to it or anything else for that matter) for Christmas?” These are both valid questions, but I’m going to have to ask you to calm the hell down before I can continue. Better? Good. Wholphin is the gift that keeps on giving (for a year) and is sure to please all if not some of the movie-lovers in your life. Big names, short films, all packed onto a quarterly DVD from the fine folks at McSweeney’s!
Wholphin Subscription
Wholphin is a quarterly DVD magazine published by McSweeney’s, lovingly encoded with unique and ponderable films designed to make you feel the way we felt when we learned that dolphins and whales sometimes, you know, do it.”
That description from the McSweeney’s people much sums up the Wholphin experience fairly well. The DVD magazine is released four times per year and is packed with short films from people you already know, people you will know, and people you’ll never hear from again. (Hey, film-making is a tough business.) Attractively bound in a colorful digipack, the DVD is accompanied by a booklet featuring interviews and details on the film makers within.There have been eleven issues so far, and if you’ve missed them then you’ve also missed short films starring and/or directed by Jonathan Demme, James Franco, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Carla Gugino, Werner Herzog, Spike Jonze, Natalie Portman, Maurice Sendak, Eric Stoltz, Gus Van Sant, Nacho Vigalondo, and many more.
A new subscription currently starts with issue twelve which features an Academy Award nominated short called Miracle Fish as well as appearances by Danny McBride as George Washington and Sam Rockwell in a short about Hollywood’s love affair with terrorists. Check out my review of issue ten which featured a fantastic short film about kids surviving after a zombie apocalypse in Australia. You never know what you’re going to find inside a Wholphin, but it’s guaranteed to be interesting, entertaining, and occasionally sticky.
Check out The McSweeney’s Store for more info on a subscription to Wholphin.
How the Price Index Works:
For our ‘Price Index,’ we’ve devised a four-level scale based on the expense of the items we’re recommending. This is based on our research (mainly on Amazon and other fine retailers). It breaks down like so:
Dirt Cheap: Cost of $25 or less.
Affordable: Cost of no greater than $50.
A Worthy Stretch: Slightly more expensive, but no more expensive than $150.
For the Rich: Gifts for those you really, really love. $150 and greater items only need apply here.
Bookmark This Link to Follow Along with the 2010 Geek Gift Countdown
