2007 Holiday DVD Gift Guide

So, you've put off the holiday shopping until the last minute--perfectly understandable. If things have to come to push, shove and punch, which they will at this point, you might as well do it with the hardcore late shoppers.

At least they're in it for real.

Still, what to get now that you're in such a pinch? Socks? Frowns all around. Underwear? A bum gift--and that pun is intended. Mace? You might need it if your shopping really does begin today.

The good news is that a DVD always makes a swell gift--and a quick, no-stress purchase to boot. Since the options can be overwhelming this time of year, included here are many newer releases, all of which come recommended and all of which can be found at local retailers for much less than the official retail prices listed below.

TELEVISION SHOWS:

Over the past several weeks, a slew of television shows have been released on DVD, with nearly every taste being served, though not always to suit. The saltiness of the recent "Gene Simmons Family Jewels: Season Two" ($34.99), for instance, might only appeal to the rocker in your household. Below, however, are the best of the best.

Since it is the holiday season and time likely will be spent with family (whether you like it or not), try softening the blow by comparing your family against such bickering television families as those found in “Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Series ($279.98), “Frasier: The Complete Tenth Season” ($38.99), “Full House: The Complete Series” ($169.98) and “Will & Grace: Season Seven” ($44.98), which has plenty of fun embracing another definition of family.

True to the season, the fifth season of “7th Heaven” ($49.99) now is available on DVD, as are “One Tree Hill: Complete Fourth Season” ($59.98), “Diagnosis Murder: Third Season” ($49.99), “24: Season Six” ($59.98), and “Saturday Night Live: Complete Second Season ($69.98). While the latter takes sketch television to new highs via its original cast, “Beverly Hills 90210: Season Three” ($54.99) takes humanity to new lows via the amusing wrecking ball that is Shannen Doherty's Brenda Walsh.

A pricey standout on DVD is the classic ‘60s spy series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Complete Series” ($249.95). For fans of the show, the set will prove well worth the price as it comes tucked within a sleek metal attache case, includes 10 hours of bonus material, and features 105 remastered episodes on 41 discs. It’s one of the year’s most impressive, entertaining collections.

"Benny Hill--Complete and Unadulterated Megaset (1969-1989)” ($149.95) joins that pedigree and proves a must for those who love the British comedian’s bawdy humor. The set includes 58 full-length episodes featuring 585 sketches on 18 DVDs, with Hill tweaking the screen with his sly tomfoolery. Rounding out the comedy sets is “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, Vol. 1” ($39.98) and "Northern Exposure: Complete Series" ($199.98), a good collection that errs in not retaining all of the show’s originally broadcast music, but which nevertheless does retain much of the series’ warmth and charm.

More affordable offerings including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Fourth Year” ($59.98), Courtney Cox dishing dirt in “Dirt: First Season” ($59.99), "Boston Legal: Season Three" ($59.98), the first season of “October Road” ($29.99), as well as HBO's “The Wire: Fourth Season” ($59.99) and the network’s "Big Love: Complete Second Season" ($59.98), with Bill Paxton in the lead.

Also high on the list are "New Street Law: Season One ($39.98), "Tales from the Crypt: Complete Seventh Season" ($39.98), "What About Brian: Complete Series" ($59.99), the excellent “Cities of the Underworld: Season One” ($44.95) and "The O.C.: Complete Series Collection" ($179.98), in which drama literally chases drama until somebody either winds up maligned, naked, shot, drunk or dead.

Those in a retro mood should turn to "My So-Called Life: The Complete Series" ($69.99), a fine throwback to one of the better television shows of the 1990s, as well as “Miami Vice: Complete Series” ($199.98), which now, when viewed in completion, proves that the show's real legacy isn’t its stubbly characters or its storylines, but in how it paved the way for the blossoming of the metrosexual.

Fans of British programming can’t go wrong with the comedy “Only Fools and Horses: Complete Collection” ($248.98), “House of Eliott: Complete Collection” ($119.99), the first and second seasons of the crime drama "Da Vinci's Inquest" ($59.95 each), Helen Mirren in "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" ($29.99), and especially the formidable Patricia Routledge in the detective series “Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Collection” ($149.99).

The second season of “Grafters” ($29.98) is available, as are the “The Young Ones: Extra Stoopid Edition” ($59.98), Elaine Stritch and Donald Sinden in the fierce comedy “Two’s Company: Complete Collection” ($59.99), the political satire "The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard" ($39.99), the BBC’s “The Ultimate Dinosaur Collection” ($39.98), and the first and second seasons of “Robin of Sherwood” ($59.99 each), which continue the Robin Hood tradition with plenty of sword-wielding brio.

For science fiction with a British twist, try the BBC’s “Doctor Who: Arc of Infinity” and “Doctor Who: Time-Flight” ($24.98 each), while “Battlestar Galactica: Razor” ($26.98) will best serve those who favor an American sensibility.

CHILDREN:

Since the idea of being in the presence of an unhappy child during the holiday season is about as pleasant as--oh, I don't know--shopping this late in the game, recommended titles to keep them smiling, at least for the moment, include “Loonatics Unleashed: Complete Second Season” ($19.98), the re-release of Disney’s “The Jungle Book: 40th Anniversary Edition” ($29.99), “Popular Mechanics: New Technology of War” ($26.99), and “Bozo: Collection Two” ($39.98).

Also recommended for younger tots is "Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids" ($19.99), "Go, Diego, Go! Safari Rescue" ($16.99), and “Bob the Builder: Bob’s Ultimate Adventure Collection” ($29.98), "Angelina Ballerina: A Star Collection" ($29.98) and "Barney: The Imagination Collection" ($29.98), with everyone's favorite purple dinosaur creating his bumbling brand of kiddie chaos.

For older children, look to "Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide: Field Trip" ($16.99), the superb "Pixar's Short Films Collection, Vol. 1" ($29.99), as well as the latest in the Walt Disney Treasures collections--"The Chronological Donald, Vol. 3," "Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic" and "The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" ($32.99 each).

Teens and tweens might enjoy "Teen Titans: Complete Fourth Season" ($19.98), “Bratz: The Movie” ($28.98), "SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis Squarepantis ($16.99) and "Batman: Complete Fourth Season ($19.98). For those children who appreciate the offbeat, look no further than "The Adventures of Aquaman: The Complete Collection" ($26.98), "Avatar: Last Airbender" ($64.99) and "Wonder Pets: Save the Reindeer” ($16.99). "A Dennis the Menace Christmas" ($19.97) and "The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians” ($26.98) should be enough to lift even the most irritable child out of a holiday slump.

MOVIES:

Obviously, there is something for everyone out there, so we'll keep it brief with a few recently released favorites that haven't been reviewed in these pages--“Poltergeist: 25th Anniversary Edition” ($19.98), the Masterworks Edition of Akira Kurosawa’s great film, “Ran” ($19.95), along with the superb dramas “Away From Her” ($27.98) with Julie Christie, Don Cheadle in “Talk to Me” ($29.98), Richard Gere in "The Hoax" ($29.99), and Juliette Binoche, Nick Nolte and John Turturro in Santiago Amigorena's "A Few Days in September" ($26.98).

Key foreign-language films include Claude Chabrol's "Violette" ($24.99), Christoffer Boe's "Allegro" ($26.98), Gaston Biraben's Argentinean drama "Cautiva" ($26.98), Yilmaz Arslan's revenge thriller "Fratricide" ($26.99) and Constantine Giannaris' equally tense thriller "Hostage."

For those seeking documentaries, look to “Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who" ($29.98), as well as "The Ritchie Boys" ($26.95), a harrowing account of German nationals who rose up against the Nazis during World War II, and “Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq” ($24.98), which offers a non-sentimentalized view of the fractured lives of 10 Iraq war veterans.

HD DVD AND BLU-RAY:

The growing list of those who have switched to the high-definition movement now have an impressive catalog from which to choose. Still, the question is which to choose? For those who selected the Blu-ray format, the following is the best of what’s recently been released.

The Ray Harryhausen sci-fi classic “20 Million Miles to Earth” ($28.95) is out, as are the movies “Mr. Brooks” ($38.95) with Kevin Costner and Demi Moore, the animated film "Paprika" ($29.99), and Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s superlative "Edward Scissorhands" ($34.99). The documentary "Roving Mars" ($34.98) is well worth a look, as are the war movie "Home of the Brave" ($39.98), the television show “Lost: Complete Third Season” ($96.99) and, for kids, the high-strung "High School Musical 2" ($34.95) and "Bridge to Terabithia" ($34.99).

Finally, for a sure bet, look to "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” ($34.99). The third film in the franchise, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End” ($34.99), also is available, though it isn’t as highly recommended.

For those who have chosen the less-expensive but equally good HD DVD format, the best choices include “Battlestar Galactica: Season One ($99.98), the Merchant-Ivory film “A Room with a View” ($28.99), Charlton Heston in “The Omega Man” ($28.99), Harrison Ford in the sci-fi classic "Blade Runner: Complete Collector’s Edition" ($39.99), “Twilight Zone: The Movie” ($28.99), and “That Entertainment: The Complete Collection” ($79.98).

Of course, all of these high-definition titles also are available and recommended on standard DVD editions.

SPORTS:

Those seeking sports compilations on DVD have a number of newer titles from which to choose. Red Sox fans who want to relive the glory of the team's recent big win pretty much can’t fail with the “Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series Collector’s Edition” ($79.95), while those on the opposite side of the mound can counter with the “Yankeeography” ($99.95) and “The Bronx is Burning” ($39.95), the latter of which is an engrossing miniseries based on Jonathan Mahler’s bestselling book.

Other current sports titles of note include "The Ultimate Muhammad Ali Collection" ($45.95), "ESPN Ultimate NASCAR Collector’s Set" ($45.95), ESPNU: Honor Roll--Best of College Football" ($45.95), “NHL Greatest Moments in Stanley Cup History” ($79.98), and "NBA Champions 2006-2007: San Antonio Spurs" ($99.98).

BOXED SETS:

Boxed sets abound this holiday season and many score big with content and value, such as the two volumes in A&E’s “Literary Romance Classics Collection” ($199.95 each), with each set including eight films, from "Pride and Prejudice" and "Tom Jones" to "The Great Gatsby" and "Vanity Fair." Also particularly good are the five films featured in “The Coen Brothers Movie Gift Set ($49.98), which includes “Fargo,” “Miller’s Crossing,” “Barton Fink,” “Raising Arizona” and “Blood Simple.”

Other must-have sets include "The Jazz Singer: Three-Disc Deluxe Edition” ($39.98), “Spike Jones: Spike Jones the Legend” ($49.98), “Hopalong Cassidy: Complete Collection” ($79.98), and “Adventures of Jim Bowie: Complete Collection” ($69.98). Strictly as a curiosity, there's also the “Ghost Rider Giftset" ($59.95), which includes the film as well as a fiery toy bust of the Ghost Rider himself.

The best boxed sets composed of collected works by directors include "Pedro Almodovar: Director’s Special 2-Pack" ($29.95), a terrific choice that features two solid Almodovar films in "What Have I Done to Deserve This" and "Dark Habits," and "Jean-Luc Godard: Essentials Directors Series," which features the director’s "Breathless," "Le Petit Soldat," "Les Carabinieres" and "Notre Musique."

“The Gerard Depardieu Collection” ($59.98) leads those boxed sets composed of works by actors, with “The Brigitte Bardot Box Set Collection” coming a close second in quality. It features five films from one of cinema's most notorious sex kittens--1956's "Naughty Girl," 1959's "Come Dance with Me," 1962's "Love on a Pillow," 1967's "Two Weeks in September" and 1969's "The Vixen," the latter of which neatly sums up the reason Bardot caused such a sensation when she first hit the screen in 1952.

Rounding out the favored boxed offerings are “Hot Fuzz: 3-disc Collector’s Edition” ($34.98), “The Three Stooges Collection: 1934-1936” ($24.96), and "The Fly: Classic Collection" ($39.98), which includes the original film “The Fly,” “The Return of The Fly” and “Curse of the Fly.” “The Tyler Perry Play Collection” ($79.98) is just out, as are “The Emmanuelle Beart Collection” ($59.98), “History Channel Presents: The Universe” ($44.95), "MGM Classic Musicals Collection" ($59.98), and “American Movie Musicals Collection Vol. 2” ($29.98), with “Hair,” “De-Lovely” and “A Chorus Line” featured.

Finally, for pure fun, throw back your shoulders and try "The Pam Grier Collection: Fox in a Box" ($29.95), which features three of Grier's best films--"Foxy Brown," "Coffy" and "Sheba Baby"--the last of which sounds something like Santa baby, who, right now, some of us need to assist before it's too late.