2009 Holiday Gift Buying Guide: The Best Blu-Ray and DVD Collector’s Sets

Posted Dec 8, 2009 by John Allman

Updated Dec 8, 2009 at 01:39 AM

Rocky: The Undisputed Collection
Genre: Action/Drama/Sports
Run time: 634 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: Blu-Ray
Retail Price: $100

The Lowdown: The music, the catchphrases, the bone-breaking in-ring action, the standing applause in the theater after the first four films.

Few film franchises have captured the American spirit as much as the Rocky Balboa saga, and few movie characters have so accurately reflected the real-life career trajectory of a main actor like Sylvester Stallone.

Like Rocky, the fictional Philadelphia meat packer turned overnight boxing sensation, Stallone was a no-name bit player before strapping on the gloves and stepping into the ring against Apollo Creed. His acting career took off after that, reaching its apex with a slew of crowd-pleasing action films before plummeting from the sky like Icharus with a string of ill-advised box office bombs (Hello, “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.” Anyone? Did anyone like that one?)

With 2006’s return to the ring, “Rocky Balboa,” Stallone tried to resurrect his legacy by dusting off both Balboa and his other undying, iconic role, John Rambo. Both parts gave him a boost three years ago, and now he’s hard at work on both a fifth Rambo film and the much-anticipated 1980s-action-hero roundup “The Expendables.”

For me, the Rocky series didn’t get any better than “Rocky III” when Stallone wisely thrust another icon, Mr. T, into the spotlight as venerable villain Clubber Lang. That film launched not only Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” but still stands today as a perfect time capsule of early 1980s excess. It was and remains a guilty pleasure for its rousing training montage, its guitar-pop-synth heavy soundtrack and its ability to elicit cheers when Rocky rebounds at the end to claim victory.

The Kevin Smith Collection
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 309 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: Blu-Ray
Retail Price: $90

The Lowdown: Three of Kevin Smith’s best films come packaged in a nice three-disc box set, including two previously unavailable on Blu-Ray – “Clerk’s 15th Anniversary Edition” and the classic “Chasing Amy.”

For diehard fans, these films need no introduction, they simply are must-owns. The low-budget, black and white “Clerks” remains one of the funniest “talking” movies of all time. The back and forth between the main characters, Dante and Randal, is a brilliant, blistering rat-a-tat-tat of pop culture references that’s guaranteed to induce hysterical laughter.

“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” is a personal favorite, if only for the excessive silliness and unbelievably hot trio of lesbian animal testing eco-terrorists led by Elisha Dusku. Plus it introduces the only worthwhile Will Ferrell “Land of the Lost” reference with his clueless Federal Wildlife Marshall Willenholly.

“Chasing Amy,” however, is the best of the bunch. It was and remains Smith’s best movie, a real movie about real people with genuine emotions that still managed to be dirty, raunchy and funny as hell. I saw “Chasing Amy” twice on opening weekend in 1997 – the first time by myself, when I was moved to tears by the tale of a woman who didn’t know how to overcome the chasm of sexual understanding that existed between her and her less-experienced boyfriend and the problems that her past kept presenting in their futile attempt at a relationship.

At the time, it summed up everything I was experiencing in my own life while dating a younger, and considerably less worldly, woman who couldn’t help but persecute me for things that she had yet to experience and didn’t yet understand.

I took my then-girlfriend to see “Chasing Amy,” hoping the movie gods would provide an epiphany to her the way they had to me. She didn’t get it, the movie’s main points lost on her, especially the pivotal final scene where a fictional character on screen argued for the same do-over that she had once argued to me.

The relationship didn’t last much longer, but my love for this movie won’t ever die.

Futurama: The Complete Collection 1999-2009
Genre: Animation/Science Fiction
Run time: 1,989 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $199

The Lowdown: The second series from Matt Groening, “Futurama” didn’t take off as quickly or widely as “The Simpsons,” but for the past 10 years it has stuck around despite suffering cancellation, being resurrected as a series of stand-alone animated films and finally getting renewed years after its debut.

This insanely cool compilation comes packaged in a giant, numbered and limited Bender the Robot head. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s a letter from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. And then there’s the 19 discs that have all four seasons of “Futurama” plus the four stand-alone films, “Bender’s Big Score,” “Bender’s Game,” “The Beast with a Billion Backs” and “Into the Wild Green Yonder.”

When it comes to collectible packaging and extra attention to detail, this is one pricey collector’s set that is definitely worth the money.

Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series
Genre: TV/Coming of Age Drama
Run time: 5,577 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $120

The Lowdown: Two years after reinventing slasher films with the campy, too-smart-for-its-own-good “Scream” franchise, Kevin Williamson turned his attention to reinventing the televised teen dramedy with “Dawson’s Creek.”

The early episodes, and particularly the first season, resonated with young angst from Joshua Jackson’s bad-boy Pacey’s brief affair with a teacher to the deliberately drawn-out first kiss between James Van Der Beek’s Dawson Leery and Katie Holmes’ Joey Potter.

Like all such shows, the eventual subplots of backstabbing high school pettiness, breakups and makeups grew tiresome.

But for fans, this impressive 24-disc complete collection of all 127 episodes will satisfy.

And it’s nice to look back on the early start of some of the more relevant young actors working today: Holmes is known more for being Mrs. Tom Cruise, Jackson has the lead in the awesome “Fringe” and Michelle Williams nabbed an Oscar nomination for her work in “Brokeback Mountain.”

The Shield: The Complete Series Collection
Genre: TV/Police Procedural
Run time: 4,188 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $160

The Lowdown: “The Shield,” the groundbreaking FX television drama about cops on the edge, breaking the law and struggling not to get caught, revitalized police procedurals and kicked the stale formula of shows like “Law & Order” in the teeth.

This 28-disc collection includes all 88 episodes with a collectible 34-page bound anthology book of photos, quotes and a letter from show creator Shawn Ryan. “The Shield” also includes two featurettes, including a documentary about the Los Angeles Police Rampart division scandal, which inspired the show.

UFC: The Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights
Genre: Mixed-Martial Arts
Run time: 1,600 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $99

The Lowdown: It took nearly a decade for the UFC to catch on with the mainstream, but for the past five-six years, mixed-martial arts and the Octagon have been a mainstay in popular sports, racking up millions in Pay-Per-View buys and creating new athletic superstars.

This 16-year retrospective looks back at the 100 greatest fights in the company’s history, showing each match in its entirety. The fights showcase the biggest and best stars from the UFC’s roster – Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and current champion Brock Lesnar.

This eight-disc set is the perfect gift for anyone who loves MMA or bone-crunching, relentless action. The fights are real, intense and bloody good.

Mamma Mia! – The Movie Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! More Gift Set
Genre: Musical/Comedy
Run time: 109 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: Blu-Ray
Retail Price: $50

The Lowdown: There must be fans of this 2008 featherweight film adaptation of the popular Broadway production, based on the disco-pop confections of Abba.

How else to justify such a significant double-dip just a year after the movie was released on Blu-Ray?

Both Universal has gone ahead and tried to sweeten the pot by enticing buyers to plop down $50 for an overstuffed gift set featuring the original Blu-Ray, the CD soundtrack and a 32-page collectible book.

William Castle Film Collection
Genre: Horror
Run time: 692 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $80

The Lowdown: William Castle was the master of the movie gimmick from electrified chairs to guaranteed refunds if audience members couldn’t make it through the entire picture.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Castle worked with iconic actors like Vincent Price and Joan Crawford and produced and directed some of horror’s most well-known B-grade frightfests like “13 Ghosts” and “The House on Haunted Hill.”

This five-disc set includes eight of Castle’s most well-known films, such as “The Tingler,” plus three classics making their first DVD appearance: “Zotz!” “The Old Dark House” and “13 Frightened Girls!”

Each disc comes loaded with special features, including original trailers, alternate openings, wardrobe tests, drive-in sequences, featurettes and the stand-alone documentary “Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.”

Wolverine and the X-Men Volumes 1-3
Genre: Comic Book/Animated
Run time: 291 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $30

The Lowdown: Marvel Animation’s three-disc box set of the hit television show, “Wolverine and the X-Men” brings the comic book favorites to life with three episodes – “Heroes Return,” “Deadly Enemies” and “Beginning of the End.”

The show features all the popular X-Men mutants, including Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, Nightcrawler and Storm battling such enemies as Magneto, the Sentinels and Shadow King.

This limited box set includes a collectible WXM Laser Cel.

Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series Collection
Genre: Children’s
Run time: 2,380 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $100

The Lowdown: Quick, name your favorite Fraggle – Red, Mokey, Wembley, Gobo or Boober?

I was always a Doozer fan myself. Some people liked the Gorgs more.

This impressive 20-disc boxed set features all 96 episodes and has 100 original songs from the wonderful, universally-loved Jim Henson show that aired on HBO in the 1980s. There are eight hours of bonus features, including a behind-the-scenes documentary narrated by the late Jim Henson. In all, Fraggle fans will find 47 hours of content to keep them enthralled.

Marvel Animation: 6 Film Set
Genre: Comic Book/Animation
Run time: 482 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Format: DVD
Retail Price: $50

The Lowdown: Comic Book geeks rejoice. Marvel Animation, which has been doing a pretty superb job of pushing lesser-known and more cult-friendly characters from the Marvel universe to the forefront, strikes gold with this six-disc set.

Of course, the stalwarts are represented – The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man. But there’s also Doctor Strange, a personal favorite, and the Next Avengers.

All in all, this is a good deal for the comic geek on your list.

 

 

 

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