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D SK-MAS
_"DVDs that will please BY MICHAEL GILTZ
A lot of this season's DVD packages
. make great stocking stuffers -but
you'll need really big stockings.
Whether it's presenting an entire
1V series ("Friends''), celebrating a mov
ie franchise ("Superman''), digging into
cartoon archives (th-th-that's Looney
Tunes, folks) or hot new releases, there's
something for everyone on your list.
.THE WHOLE STORY .
• "Friends": The Complete Series ($299.98;
\Narner Bros.; Could it BE
any more complete?
A lavish repackag
ing of the entire
236-€pisode
series on 40
disks With a
new 60-page
• "Homicide: Ufe on tne Street" Complete
Series Megaset ($299_95; A&E) A no-nonsense,
critically acclaimed police drama, "Homicide's"
mind-set is captured perfectly in a filing cabi
net-shaped box set that contains all seven sea
sons, along with three crossover "Law & Order"
episodes and" Homicide: TI18 Movie."
• "Six Feet Under": The Complete Series Gift
Set ($279.98; HBO) Death becomes this HBO
drama, with all five seasons entombed in a
boxed set complete with gravestone and fake
grass on top.
• "Alias": The Complete Collection ($199.99;
Touchstone) Jennifer Garner s super"complex
spy thriller will live forever. thanks to encasing
the series in a Rambaldi artifact box.
;',:5UPER, MAN -,.' ,.~
II Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition
($99 98; Warner Bros.) Even Lex Luthor would
be Impressed by t~le scope of this more-pow
erful-than-a-Iocomotive set. On 14 disks are
"II four Christopher Reeve outings, including a
fOllr disk-version of 1978's "Superman" load
ed with extras, a new Richard Donner cut of
1981's "Superman II," plus the two·disk re
lease of this past summer's "Superman Re
turns," and loads of new extras .
• If that isn't enough red and blue, you can
also spring for "Adventures of Superman"
($39.98 each; Warner Bros.) which has all SIX
seasons of the 1950s' George Reeves TV clas
SIC in four boxed sets; "Lois & Clark: The New
Adventures of Superman" ($59.98 each; War
ner Bros.) just put out its fourth and final sea
son; and for real completists, there's the Kirk
Alyn "Superman: The 1948 & 1950 Theatri
cal Serials" ($39.98; Warner Bros.) .
• James Bond Ultimate Edition Vols. 1-4
($89.98 each; MGM) If there's a guy in your
life who doesn't own a James Bond movie (or
who's a new Bond man thanks to "Casino
Royale"), these boxed sets, with five movies in FOR'THE KIDS " .'
• Walt Disney Treasures: "The Mickey Mouse
Club Featuring the Hardy Boys" ($32.99) It's
no mystery why 1950s kids loved teen sleuths
Joe and Frank Hardy: The live-action seri-
al about the famed teen detectives was top
notch television that kept young fans returning
every afternoon breathless to find out what
happened next. Two disks, with loving introduc
tions from film historian Leonard Maltin .
• Looney Tunes
Golden Collection Vol. 4
($64.98; Warner Bros.)
Wacky, surreal, hilarious
-these classic shorts
still make most kiddie
shows seem tame and
lifeless by comparison .
Four disks devoted to Bugs, Speedy Gonzales,
cats and director Frank Tashlin.
SIZE MATTERS
• "King Kong" Deluxe Extended Umited Edi
tion ($79.98; Universal) More Kong than you
can shake a banana at, including a new Peter
Jackson edit that's 13 minutes longer, plus 38
minutes of deleted scenes and even a Kong
collectible showing him scaling the Empire
State Building.
• "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch & the Wardrobe" Gift Set ($ 79_99; DIS
ney) A new extended version of the hit film,
three DVDs of extras plus two lavish bookends
in the shape of a wardrobe and a streetligh t.
• Preston Sturges -The Filmmaker Collec
tion ($59.98; Universal) Seven films by the
great writer-director, including classics like "The
Lady Eve" and "Hail the Conquering Hero."
each set, will shake and stir him. /' • "Forbidden Planet" Ultimate Collector's
Edition ($59.98; Warner Bros,) The enduring
1956 sci·1i tale starring Leslie Nielsen (be·
fore he got silly), complete with extras like
two spinoff movies starring Robby the Robot,
lobby cards. and even a Robby doll. But no
copies of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," the
reputed inspiration for "Planet."
OUiCK HITS '
• "Pirates ofthe Caribbean: Dead Man's
Chest" Two-Disk Collector's Edition ($ 34. 99;
Disney) Learn everything there is to know
about Johnny Depp's romp, from the special
effects to how the movie's success made Dis
ney reimagine the theme park ride.
• "The Devil Wears Prada" ($29 99; Fox) A
delicious performance by Meryl Streep that
lets even suffering assistants empathize with
tbe Boss From Hell.
• "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky
Bobby" ($28.95; Sony) Will Ferrell's NASCAR
racing comedy is so spot-on It makes even
product placements seem funny.
ODDS AND ENDS ,
• "Saturday Night Live" -The I Complete First Season ($69.98; .
Universal) Perfect for fans of
sketch comedy, fans of classic
rock 'n' roll or anyone who wants .I!:I~
to finally settle the question of 'Ii '.
whether "SNL" used to be bet-
ter. (Oh, it was.)
• Elvis -The Ed Sullivan Shows ($29.99; Im
age) All three hip shaking "Ed Sullivan" shows
where the King of Rock 'n' Roll brought a na
tion to its feet. Extras include home movies,
footage of ElVIS on movie sets and even one
of the first glimpses of daughter lisa Marie.
• "A Star Is Born" ($19.98: Warner Bros.)
Barbra Streisand rises and Kris Kristofferson
falls in the trashily fun 1976 remake of the
claSSIC Hollywood tale. Streisand even dishes
the dirt In a commentary track_ 4>
_"DVDs that will please BY MICHAEL GILTZ
A lot of this season's DVD packages
. make great stocking stuffers -but
you'll need really big stockings.
Whether it's presenting an entire
1V series ("Friends''), celebrating a mov
ie franchise ("Superman''), digging into
cartoon archives (th-th-that's Looney
Tunes, folks) or hot new releases, there's
something for everyone on your list.
.THE WHOLE STORY .
• "Friends": The Complete Series ($299.98;
\Narner Bros.; Could it BE
any more complete?
A lavish repackag
ing of the entire
236-€pisode
series on 40
disks With a
new 60-page
• "Homicide: Ufe on tne Street" Complete
Series Megaset ($299_95; A&E) A no-nonsense,
critically acclaimed police drama, "Homicide's"
mind-set is captured perfectly in a filing cabi
net-shaped box set that contains all seven sea
sons, along with three crossover "Law & Order"
episodes and" Homicide: TI18 Movie."
• "Six Feet Under": The Complete Series Gift
Set ($279.98; HBO) Death becomes this HBO
drama, with all five seasons entombed in a
boxed set complete with gravestone and fake
grass on top.
• "Alias": The Complete Collection ($199.99;
Touchstone) Jennifer Garner s super"complex
spy thriller will live forever. thanks to encasing
the series in a Rambaldi artifact box.
;',:5UPER, MAN -,.' ,.~
II Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition
($99 98; Warner Bros.) Even Lex Luthor would
be Impressed by t~le scope of this more-pow
erful-than-a-Iocomotive set. On 14 disks are
"II four Christopher Reeve outings, including a
fOllr disk-version of 1978's "Superman" load
ed with extras, a new Richard Donner cut of
1981's "Superman II," plus the two·disk re
lease of this past summer's "Superman Re
turns," and loads of new extras .
• If that isn't enough red and blue, you can
also spring for "Adventures of Superman"
($39.98 each; Warner Bros.) which has all SIX
seasons of the 1950s' George Reeves TV clas
SIC in four boxed sets; "Lois & Clark: The New
Adventures of Superman" ($59.98 each; War
ner Bros.) just put out its fourth and final sea
son; and for real completists, there's the Kirk
Alyn "Superman: The 1948 & 1950 Theatri
cal Serials" ($39.98; Warner Bros.) .
• James Bond Ultimate Edition Vols. 1-4
($89.98 each; MGM) If there's a guy in your
life who doesn't own a James Bond movie (or
who's a new Bond man thanks to "Casino
Royale"), these boxed sets, with five movies in FOR'THE KIDS " .'
• Walt Disney Treasures: "The Mickey Mouse
Club Featuring the Hardy Boys" ($32.99) It's
no mystery why 1950s kids loved teen sleuths
Joe and Frank Hardy: The live-action seri-
al about the famed teen detectives was top
notch television that kept young fans returning
every afternoon breathless to find out what
happened next. Two disks, with loving introduc
tions from film historian Leonard Maltin .
• Looney Tunes
Golden Collection Vol. 4
($64.98; Warner Bros.)
Wacky, surreal, hilarious
-these classic shorts
still make most kiddie
shows seem tame and
lifeless by comparison .
Four disks devoted to Bugs, Speedy Gonzales,
cats and director Frank Tashlin.
SIZE MATTERS
• "King Kong" Deluxe Extended Umited Edi
tion ($79.98; Universal) More Kong than you
can shake a banana at, including a new Peter
Jackson edit that's 13 minutes longer, plus 38
minutes of deleted scenes and even a Kong
collectible showing him scaling the Empire
State Building.
• "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch & the Wardrobe" Gift Set ($ 79_99; DIS
ney) A new extended version of the hit film,
three DVDs of extras plus two lavish bookends
in the shape of a wardrobe and a streetligh t.
• Preston Sturges -The Filmmaker Collec
tion ($59.98; Universal) Seven films by the
great writer-director, including classics like "The
Lady Eve" and "Hail the Conquering Hero."
each set, will shake and stir him. /' • "Forbidden Planet" Ultimate Collector's
Edition ($59.98; Warner Bros,) The enduring
1956 sci·1i tale starring Leslie Nielsen (be·
fore he got silly), complete with extras like
two spinoff movies starring Robby the Robot,
lobby cards. and even a Robby doll. But no
copies of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," the
reputed inspiration for "Planet."
OUiCK HITS '
• "Pirates ofthe Caribbean: Dead Man's
Chest" Two-Disk Collector's Edition ($ 34. 99;
Disney) Learn everything there is to know
about Johnny Depp's romp, from the special
effects to how the movie's success made Dis
ney reimagine the theme park ride.
• "The Devil Wears Prada" ($29 99; Fox) A
delicious performance by Meryl Streep that
lets even suffering assistants empathize with
tbe Boss From Hell.
• "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky
Bobby" ($28.95; Sony) Will Ferrell's NASCAR
racing comedy is so spot-on It makes even
product placements seem funny.
ODDS AND ENDS ,
• "Saturday Night Live" -The I Complete First Season ($69.98; .
Universal) Perfect for fans of
sketch comedy, fans of classic
rock 'n' roll or anyone who wants .I!:I~
to finally settle the question of 'Ii '.
whether "SNL" used to be bet-
ter. (Oh, it was.)
• Elvis -The Ed Sullivan Shows ($29.99; Im
age) All three hip shaking "Ed Sullivan" shows
where the King of Rock 'n' Roll brought a na
tion to its feet. Extras include home movies,
footage of ElVIS on movie sets and even one
of the first glimpses of daughter lisa Marie.
• "A Star Is Born" ($19.98: Warner Bros.)
Barbra Streisand rises and Kris Kristofferson
falls in the trashily fun 1976 remake of the
claSSIC Hollywood tale. Streisand even dishes
the dirt In a commentary track_ 4>