Father's Day is with us this year on 16 June, meaning you've not got long to get organised. Empire has put together some inspirational/aspirational gift ideas as alternatives to the customary pipe and slippers. A range of pocket depths are catered to...
Wild And Crazy Guys by Nick de Semlyen
Empire's own Nick de Semlyen tells the larger-than-life story of how the comedy mavericks of the 1980s changed Hollywood forever. As well as delving behind the scenes of classic movies such as Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, The Blues Brothers, Trading Places and dozens more, it chronicles the off-screen, larger-than-life antics of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, John Candyand Rick Moranis. It’s got drugs, sex, punch-ups, webbed toes and Bill Murray being pushed into a swimming pool by Hunter S. Thompson while tied to a lawn chair. Head this way for a taster.
RRP: £18.99. Buy here.
The Making Of Middle Earth by Ian Nathan
More Empire excellence, this time from Ian Nathan, who used years of unrivalled on-set access to chart the entire history of Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. Just released in paperback, so there's now no excuse to be without a copy.
RRP: £10.99. Buy here.
Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard – Folio Society Edition
Brilliantly filmed by Barry Sonnenfeld in 1995, Elmore Leonard's classic Hollywood crime satire has just scored this handsome new edition from the ever-reliable Folio Society. Slipcased hardcover with illustrations by Gary Kelley and a new introduction by Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island).
RRP: £36.95. Buy here.
Roland Rubix44
For the dad who's not quite got over the bedroom musician/wannabe DJ phase, the Rubix44 will let him channel his inner Alan Partridge directly into a Mac or PC. Delivering high-fidelity audio, with four mic preamps, this robust little USB interface provides clear, high-resolution audio to make even the most lacklustre amateur podcaster sound their BBC best.
RRP: £200. Details here.
Vanishing Point Blu-ray
Perfect for the petrol-head paterfamilias, this beyond-classic cult car-chase movie has finally just received a Blu-ray release in the UK, courtesy of Fabulous Films. Varoom and indeed kersmash.
RRP: £12.99. Buy here.
Cinema Membership.
Various cinemas provide various offers, so if your dad's a film fanatic, treat him to some tickets.
Picture House membership starts at £52.00 anually.
Everyman membership starts at £95.00 annually.
Odeon Limitless is £17.99 a month.
Cineworld Unlimited is £17.99 a month.
Varidesk ProPlus 36 Standing Desk
For the dad who does it standing up... the ProPlus 36 turns any desk into a standing desk. Adjustable heights and a two-tiered design mean every workspace proclivity is accounted for.
RRP: £365. Buy here.
Oculus Quest
The ultimate new gadget for the tech-obsessed dad, this headset is the perfect introduction to VR. It offers a comparatively low entry price and high quality in-world experience, along with an exciting launch line-up of software spanning diverse genres including rhythm action, sports, shooters, roller coasters, and even a pre-requisite Star Wars game (Vader Immortal). Hands down the best option for VR gaming the market has yet seen.
RRP: £499. More info here.
Subscription To Empire Magazine
Empire, the biggest and best movie magazine in the world, is currently celebrating its 30th year in print with a fantastic subscription offer. Sign your dad up for exclusive covers and the peace of mind of knowing he'll never miss an issue.
Subscription cost currently 3 issues for £5 then £23 every 6 months by recurring payment. Click here{
BB-8 USB In-Car Charger
If your dad's phone is constantly running out of juice, this is the droid he's looking for. This little BB-8 unit fits right into the droid socket in your T-70 X-wing. And, in case your X-wing is in the shop, it also fits in a standard cupholder and plugs into your car's power adapter.
RRP: £30. Buy here.
Motorhead Pint Glass
Raise a war-pig-embossed glass to the late lamented Lemmy on Father's Day with a drop of Motorhead's own Road Crew beer. Brewed and sold by Camerons, but if you want the particular tin set illustrated above, you'll have to actually leave the house and go to your local Morrisons.
RRP: £7.99. Info here.
1960s TV Series Batman Watch
Adorn your dad's wrist with some zap and kapow, courtesy of this spiffy Batman watch in Eaglemoss' DC collection. High quality quartz movement in a heavy silvertone case with a black leather strap. Lives in its own tin and arrives with a 12-page souvenir booklet.
RRP: £24.99. Buy here.
Game of Thrones Whisky
Created by whisky specialist George Harper, this limited edition Game of Thrones-inspired whisky is designed to be served directly from the freezer. "Whiskies from Clynelish have endured long, Scottish Winters, not dissimilar to the long periods endured by the Night’s Watch who have ventured north of the wall - so it was the perfect place to start when creating this unique whisky," it says here. "Notes of caramelised sugar and vanilla, fresh red berries with a touch of orchard fruit," apparently. Send a raven.
RRP: £25.00. Info here.
The Mule Blu-ray
Clint Eastwood's first film in front of the camera since 2012 finds him on grizzled form ferrying contraband across the Mexican border. If you missed The Mule on its brief UK cinema run, now's the perfect time to catch it.
RRP: £15. Buy here
Michael Keaton In 4K
You never forget your first Batman, and there's every chance your dad grew up with Michael Keaton and his brace of barking mad Tim Burton Batflicks. These spruce new 4K restorations guarantee that, no matter how many times you've seen them before, they've never looked fresher.
RRP: £20 each. Buy here
Jack Ryan Season 1 Blu-ray
If your dad doesn't have – or can't negotiate – Amazon Prime, ye olde physical discs of Jack Ryan's excellent first season arrive just in time for June 16.
RRP: £18. Buy here
Stranger Things Lego
Stranger things have happened... but not many. Heralding season three, LEGO have produced a Stranger Things set based on the Upside Down. Although your dad can choose, of course, to build it the right way up.
RRP: £180. Buy here.
Twin Peaks vinyl
The soundtrack to Twin Peaks' Limited Event Series features tracks by Angelo Badalamenti, Johnny Jewel, David Lynch & Dean Hurley. Mondo's spiffy vinyl edition comes on two discs – one coloured "cherry pie splatter" and the other "machine room grey" – housed in a die-cut sleeve.
RRP: £35. Buy here
Do Androids Dream / A Scanner Darkly – Folio Society edition
Beautiful Folio edition of two of Philip K. Dick's best novels, between them providing the sources for two of the best film adaptations of his work. Presented in "mind-bending" flippable format, with two separate covers and illustrations by Andrew Archer and Chris Skinner.
RRP: £75.00. Buy here.
Planet of the Apes Mount Rushmore
Celebrating 50 years of the Planet of the Apes franchise, this Mount Rushmore-style sculpture comes straight from Weta (who provided the FX for the modern movies). Carved in heavyweight polystone, it features ape visages from the old and current series (but none from the Tim Burton farrago in between).
RRP: £100. Buy here.
Catan
For dads interested in falling down the board game rabbit hole, there's no better starting point than Catan. Its straightforward, relatively gentle settlement-building and trading mechanisms mean its easy to learn, and it doesn't take hours to play either. If it whets his appetite, we've got many more suggestions for him here.
RRP: £40. Buy here.