Contain your ebullience--the Christmas DVD season is upon us. With 2000 and 2001 clocking in as some of the worst years for films ever, the DVD releases end up, for the most part, mimicking the staid selection that has plagued the silver screen. The winter releases are dominated by this summer's critical flops: Jurassic Park III, The Score, Pearl Harbor, Moulin Rouge, Evolution, Rush Hour 2, etc. Yet, there are a few truffles in this winter's film DVD list--cult classic Willow recently hit the DVD stands and no real film buff should be without The Godfather Trilogy collection. If you're like most people and missed the gender-bending fun of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the DVD "comes out" Dec. 11. If you are a sucker for Jim Carrey and Ron Howard's special brand and cartoonish schmaltz, covered in a milieu of green fur, you can buy The Grinch.
The surprising thing about this year's holiday releases is that the best stuff is not cinematic but rather episode collections from small screen gems:
David Lynch (Mulholland Drive) fans will be happy to know that the entire first season of Twin Peaks will be released on Dec. 18. Even if you remember who killed Laura Palmer, this collection is a must have--not just for the story but for the innovation that Lynch brought to television--this may be the one series that The Sopranos owes something to.
Elsewhere: The X-Files' fourth and best season is available (also, pick up the second best X-Files season--the third). And if you're in the mood to delay some holiday debt, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer: The Complete First Season hits shelves Jan. 15. With quality television showing up on DVD, if Hollywood doesn't get its act together soon, it may find that the new medium of choice has been co-opted by the networks.
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