Holiday Stocking Stuffers

Ambitious and versatile DVD box sets are the latest gift trends for friends and families

Wondering what to give your loved ones this Holiday season? Why not check out the latest in DVDs, which this year cater to every generation including children, teenagers, elderly and middle-aged. With prices dropping considerably, and variety expanding by the moment, DVDs make for perfect stocking stuffers, be them individual films or special edition box sets.
Of course the most-talked about film this year is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Before you get too excited, there is no box set that includes all three films. Instead, out this season is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Collector's DVD Gift Set which will have your Tolkien fan on his knees kissing your feet. The set includes an extra 43 minutes of footage, six hours of documentaries, a bonus DVD regarding the trilogy, four commentaries and even a creepy Gollum sculpture.
If you manage also to get a hold of the DVD set of the first film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, you'll have a friend for life. The two-disc set includes 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of The Two Towers, three in-depth documentaries that reveal the secrets behind the production of the film, including "Welcome to Middle-earth", "The Quest for the Ring" and "A Passage to Middle-earth". There are also 15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net, which explore the locales and cultures of Middle-earth and include interviews with cast members Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, and others; and an Enya "May It Be" music video.
One of the most extraordinary DVD box sets available this season is CBC television's exceptional documentary series Canada: A People's History. Forget the encyclopedia for the kids this year; if you want your children - or yourself - to fully understand what has made this country of ours so unique and wonderful, you have to see these films.
The sets come in four different series: Series One (15,000 BC to 1815) traces the country's earliest history from the stories of the land's first people to the aftermath of the War of 1812; Series Two (1815 to 1873) covers the opening of the Canadian west, and when Confederation is barely accomplished, the dominion's reach into the vast prairie and the Pacific Ocean; Series Three (1873 to 1940) about the economic depression, world war and internal conflicts; and Series Four (1940 to 1990) when Canada comes of age following World War II, and the post-war baby boom and government economic and social policies give rise to the country's diverse communities. For something truly unique, start off with Series One and then gradually purchase the other three. An invaluable hand-me-down to the grandkids.
For the action fans, there's X-Men Collection, which features both of Bryan Singer's films, X-Men and X2: X-Men United. Both films include added footage and behind-the scenes featurettes, as well as commentary Bryan Singer. One of the most interesting featurettes is "Introducing the INCREDIBLE NIGHTCRAWLER!," which contains a time-lapse sequence of Alan Cumming's four-hour make-up process as he morphs into the blue-skinned creature. If you don't want to fork out for the box-set, then limit yourself to the X2: X-Men United DVD, which contains commentary by Singer, cinematographer Tom Sigel, producers Lauren Schuler Donner and Ralph Winter, and writers Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, and David Hayter; the documentary The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men: Making X2, the featurettes "The Secret Origin of X-Men," "Nightcrawler Reborn," "Evolution in the Details: Designing X2," "United Colors of X," "Wolverine/Deathstrike Fight Rehearsal," "Introducing the Incredible Nightcrawler!," "Nightcrawler Stunt Rehearsal," "Nightcrawler Time-lapse", "FX2: Visual Effects," "Requiem for Mutants: The Score of X2," "X2 Global Webcast Highlights;" and interactive multi-angle scene study titled "Nightcrawler Attack;" and 11 deleted/extended scenes.
Another box set worth having, or giving, is Alias Season 2, for fans of the hit television show starring Jennifer Garner as the spy who engages in life-and-death situations to save the world. The six-disc set includes all 22 episodes with commentaries; "The Making of The Telling," an in-depth look at the making the season finale; a featurette on the look of Alias; deleted scenes with commentary; blooper reel; radio interviews; and the making of the video game.
Also highly recommended as a stocking filler is the two-disc DVD set Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl starring Johnny Depp as an eccentric pirate trying to get his ship back from his mutinous crew (led by a deliciously wicked Geoffrey Rush) who are now living dead. The set includes commentary by director Gore Verbinski, Depp, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and stars Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport, and writers Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert; the featurette "An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl"; 19 deleted and alternate scenes; "Below Deck" - An Interactive History Of Pirates; the featurette "Fly on the Set;", a behind-the-scenes film; video journal titled "Diary of a Ship"; and a blooper reel.

Publication Date: 2003-12-21
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3483