Sometimes you just want to sink your teeth into something that has some meat in it–a feature film just won’t slake your need to plonk your ever-widening can in front of the tube and watch something on DVD. Therefore, we humbly suggest some sets to while away the hours…
The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2. This boxed set, hitting thanks to Warner Brothers, is pretty mack daddy as fans of the actress will be concerned. There’s Jezebel, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Marked Woman, Old Acquaintance, and the new two-disc set of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. There’s also a bonus disc with a docu that’s exclusive to the set. There’s gobs of bonus bits spread out over the discs, but here’s the high points: featurettes, classic cartoons, classic musical shorts, vintage short films, plus commentaries on three of the films. Lots and lots to watch during the weekend. (Buy it)
Civilisation: The Complete Series. If you really want to eat up some time for a good cause, then this BBC release will do the trick for you. It clocks in at over eleven hours and features Lord Clark taking you through…well, exactly what the title implies. It first aired in 1969, but don’t let that dissaude you–I’m fairly certain we haven’t made that much progress since then. This comes with a thirty-six page illustrated booklet, a behind the scenes photo gallery, and Sir David Attenborough looking back at the series. (Buy it)
Numb3rs: The Complete First Season. This Paramount set has all thirteen first season episodes, starring Rob Morrow as the FBI guy tracking the baddies, and David Krumholtz as his brother, who uses math to catch them. I know, it sounds like some bad attempt by PBS to get kids happy about math class, but that’s not the case, since Ridley and Tony Scott are executive producing this thing. Five episodes come with commentary, with Morrow, Krumholtz, Judd Hirsch and even Lou Diamond Phillips taking part. You also get a making-of docu, a look at the original pilot, audition footage, a blooper reel, and more. FBI agent and a math whiz–they fight crime! (Buy it)
Hetty Weinthropp Investigates: The Complete Fourth Series. The final series hits DVD thanks to Acorn Media. Patricia Routledge stars with Dominic Monaghan (yes, of Rings and Lost fame) as they work their way through another six mysteries. Her fame as an investigator has spread so she can now take cases from outside just her immediate vicinity (which only makes sense…how many mysteries can one area handle?). Comes with production notes and cast filmos across three discs sporting almost five hours of content. (Buy it)
The John Ford Film Collection. Fans of the classics and not just the director himself will want to grab this boxed set, as it comes with five flicks that are hitting DVD for the first time thanks to Warner Brothers. There’s the World War I film Lost Patrol with Boris Karloff, the Academy Award winning Informer, Katharine Hepburn in Mary of Scotland, and Ford’s last western, Cheyenne Autumn, with Richard Widmark and James Stewart. There’s also a fifth disc that you can only get from snagging the entire set, and that’s Sergeant Rutledge. Quick and dirty film festival waiting to happen, right here. (Buy it)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Sadly, a lot of folks’ knowledge of Henry VIII begins and ends with Herman’s Hermits. And…even more sadly, most people don’t even know that Herman Hermits recorded the most popular version of that song. So. For those that need to get up to speed, but prefer a little dramatics as opposed to just, for example, a quickie thing on Biography, BBC will hook you up. This four-disc set comes with the full six play cycle, one for each wife. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a bonus drama, “The Other Boleyn Girl.” That’s over ten hours of content and some historical knowledge to boot. What a deal. (Buy it)
