Movie standouts for holiday gift-giving
By Jen Chaney
Washington Post
Unsure which DVDs to give this holiday season? You're not the only one. With more and more special editions, box sets and director's cuts flooding the marketplace, it's hard to know which are worth giving. This guide should help.
Recent Films
Many of the year's biggest movies wait until the holiday season to hit DVD, hoping to take advantage of all that frantic last-minute shopping. Among the most worthwhile selections:
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (available now), easily the most entrancing so far of the Potter films, is accompanied by cast interviews, deleted scenes and interactive games.
"Spider-Man 2" (available now), one of 2004's most consistently entertaining blockbusters, comes in a two-disc set that includes the 12-part, two-hour-plus documentary "Making the Amazing."
"Collateral" (to be released Tuesday) boasts excellent performances from Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx — who could score both lead (for his work in "Ray") and supporting (for his work in this film) Oscar nominations. It also gets the two-disc treatment, with a few featurettes, footage of Cruise and Foxx rehearsing and a commentary track from director Michael Mann.
"Napoleon Dynamite" (Dec. 21), perhaps the most surprising sleeper hit of 2004, will include the five-minute "Wedding of the Century" alternate ending, as well as deleted scenes and commentary from director-writer Jared Hess and star Jon Heder. What, there's no featurette that teaches us how to bust sweet dance movies?
Speaking of cult favorites, "Shaun of the Dead (Dec. 21) hits DVD just in time to reach stocking-stuffer status. The romantic zombie comedy, as its creators have dubbed it, is fleshed out (so to speak) with outtakes, extended scenes, two commentary tracks and several featurettes, including one that explains some of the movie's plotholes. Finally, a DVD that puts the Halloween back in Christmas.
Family Fare
By now, almost every home in America must have at least one copy of "Shrek 2" nestled inside its entertainment center. But there are still other fine family-oriented DVD options.
"Aladdin": Special Edition (available now) should please fans of this 1992 Disney feature, one of the last box-office blockbusters before digital animation began dominating the family-movie field.
"The Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 2" (available now) is a follow-up to last year's delightful Looney Tunes box set. This one also features numerous cartoons (including the classic "What's Opera, Doc?") as well as featurettes and 30 commentary tracks.
You know you're a child of the '80s if you loved "Pee-Wee's Playhouse," which recently debuted on DVD in two volumes. In addition to star Paul Reubens, you'll also spot Phil Hartman and Laurence Fishburne among the cast.
