Classic epics and box office hits on DVD

    Stuck on gift ideas for friends and family? This holiday season’s DVD selection has a wide variety to choose from.

    Home Box Office Hits

    “”Pirates of the Caribbean”” is a good choice for the movie-hits lover. Enjoy Johnny Depp’s quirky performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, the swell cast ensemble and the adventurous plot of pirates and treasure that holds this movie together. “”Pirates of the Caribbean”” is an excellent choice to watch with your family. Take pleasure in this Disney production of action, adventure, romance and above all, great comedy. It comes in a widescreen, two-DVD pack and boasts a bulk of features, including commentaries from director Gore Verbinski and stars Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley. This DVD would be a clever gift for those who enjoy taking a sneak peek behind the scenes of the movie-making process, and it also contains interactive features such as “”Moonlight Becomes Ye”” Effects Studio, “”History of the Ride Featurette,”” Virtual Reality Viewer and Scriptscanner and storyboard-viewing modes. Take this DVD home and experience Disney on film.

    Another noteworthy box office hit is “”Gangs of New York.”” An action-filled flick by Martin Scorcese, “”Gangs”” is the perfect gift for the epic-film lover. The DVD comes in widescreen format and offers a plethora of fun features. It includes commentary by Martin Scorcese and multi-angle set exploration. A history of Five Points featurette, a study guide and a Discovery Channel special called “”Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York”” satiate any history buff’s palate. In addition, a special set and costume design featurette takes the viewer behind the scenes of the cultural aspects of the film while a U2 music video finishes the DVD off with a bang.

    Legendary Classic Box Sets

    For those who love legendary classics, the “”The Godfather”” DVD collection is the best choice. The trilogy is compiled into one impressive gift set. With the “”Godfather”” films, enjoy award-winning performances by actors Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in old-fashioned classic gangster-drama, which is perfect for sharing with a group of friends on a movie night. Available in widescreen, this five-disc DVD collection includes a look inside the making of the “”Godfather”” movies, deleted footage and an original 1973 featurette.

    Comic Classics

    Fill someone’s holiday season with laughter with the “”Family Guy”” series. It comes in two volumes of the three-season series. Give your friend a taste of Stewie’s witty remarks and his family’s quirky ways through the talents of Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein. Volume one includes the first 28 episodes from seasons one and two on of four discs. Each of the discs has a commentary on a handful of the most popular episodes and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Volume two features 22 episodes from season three on three discs, full-screen and uncensored. It includes a never-before-seen chapter “”When You Wish Upon a Weinstein”” and commentary on various episodes. Open the holiday seasons with little Stewie’s topsy-turvy world.

    Another bright DVD gift idea is the “”Ultimate Johnny Carson”” collection. Watch this witty comedian’s antics from the 1960s until the end of his run in 1992. The collection comes in three volumes, each featuring a certain time period of Johnny Carson’s life as a comedian. The DVDs offer additional behind-the-scenes footage into Carson’s performances, a “”Danger Johnny”” featurette, a “”The Johnny Carson Story”” featurette, an Isolated Studio Camera recording of the final show and much more. The Johnny Carson fan will find this collection to be a profitable gift because it offers a plethora of features in the form of three compact DVDs for a reasonable price.

    Music Favorites

    Give the music lover an in-depth look into the works and importance of George Harrison with the “”Concert for George”” DVD. Buy the two-disc collection and get complete concert performances, rehearsals, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and get better insight into the Beatles member who was little spoken of. The DVDs come in widescreen and include a photo gallery and 32-page booklet. Even if the gift recipient isn’t a big George Harrison fan, the DVD collection offers many other features, including a Ravi’s orchestra and Monty Python featurette. Stray from the conventional movie DVD and enlighten the holiday seasons with a musical gift.

    Hopeless Romantics

    There’s always that romantic-nut friend or family member who needs a good mind-settling romance film, so give him/her the gift of “”Two Weeks’ Notice.”” It’s an average romantic movie that isn’t too over-the-top. “”Two Weeks’ Notice”” isn’t the classic romantic hit, but it makes a clever, simple little gift for the romantic sap ‹ especially one who is a Hugh Grant fan. The movie comes in a widescreen one-disc DVD with many additional features to play with. They include an HBO first look behind-the-scenes, audio commentary from director Marc Lawrence and the stars Sandra Bullock and Grant, plus additional scenes. The DVD also comes with access to gags and on-set antics with the “”Two Bleeps Notice”” featurette. Bring home this little holiday cheer to the romantic sap.

    Truly Special Gift For Those Who Truly Appreciate It

    Know someone who will take a joke well? Make him/her the proud owner of the DVD “”Gigli.”” Aside from the disreputable reviews the film has received, this Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez flick can bring laughter into the homes for the holiday seasons. It’s a good film to watch with a close group of friends to enjoy a night full of laughter despite its serious endeavor to be a box-office hit. The DVD really does not offer any other feature than both full-screen and widescreen anamorphic formats. So give this DVD to someone who will enjoy a uselessly funny gift.

    So no matter how difficult-to-shop-for the people on your shopping list are, you can be sure that there is a perfect DVD gift. All it takes is a little imagination and an excellent guide.

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