It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so now what to do? The ties, sweater and wallets are so old-school they should be marked as historically protected by a government agency. Plus, the other gifts from last year didn’t go over big and are lying in the corner of an unknown drawer or closet gathering dust.

We have some suggestions that are sure to excite even the most staid movie fan in the world. Here are ten of them.

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2-Disc Special Edition): Ok, so Keanu is coming out with an update in which he dons the shoes of Michael Rennie and lands on Earth with a robot in tow. What better time to go back to Robert Wise’s splendid 1951 original than now. It’s an intellectual sci-fi saga in which a spaceship lands smack in the middle of Washington, D.C., and its otherworldly inhabitant attempts to warn earthlings of impending danger. Almost everything is perfectly conceived in the original, and the spanking new special edition offers a host of goodies, including an insightful commentary from the late director; a making-of documentary; a reading of the original story; and the isolated music score by maestro Bernard Hermann.

Tropic Thunder (2-Disc Director’s Cut): The hilarious saga of a group of narcissistic actors (including Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr. in un-PC blackface) coming across real guerillas while making a Vietnam war epic was a critical and financial hit in theaters, and already this special edition DVD is a smash on the homefront. It’s easy to see why, because it’s filled with hilarious extras. On this two-disc set, there are two audio commentaries. One offers behind-the-scenes talent like Stiller (who directed), cinematographer John Toll, and others, who point interesting facts about the making of the film and tell what of the added footage was cut out in the original theatrical print. The second commentary showcases all of the three acting leads doing commentary in character. Also, co-writers Justin Theroux and Stiller discuss the evolution of the film, and Theroux plays a documentary filmmaker in a right-on spoof of Heart Of Darkness, the factual film that chronicled the making of Apocalypse Now. There are other deleted scenes and other extras as well, making this one of the year’s most impressive DVD releases.

The Alice Faye Collection, Vol. 2: Although unknown or virtually forgotten by most contemporary filmgoers (but certainly not Movies Unlimited customers), Alice Faye was a huge star in musicals from about 1935 to 1945. Cherubic and sunny and possessed with a cheery, charismatic persona, sweet Alice made most of her top films under contract for Fox, and several are represented in this dandy boxed set. Rose Of Washington Square (1939) covers much of the turf explored in Barbra Streisand’s Funny Girl. Here, Alice plays Rose Sargent, a thinly disguised version of Fanny Brice, to Tyrone Power’s gambler Barton DeWitt Clinton, the Nicky Arnstein character. We follow Fanny…er…Rose’s attempts to become a star in vaudeville and with the Ziegfeld Follies, while Al Jolson performs his black-faced Mammy routine. In Hollywood Cavalcade (1939), the glory days of silents are resurrected with Faye as an aspiring actress, Don Ameche as a hands-on producer, and Jolson, Buster Keaton, and Snub Pollard as themselves. Ms. Faye teams with John Payne for two efforts contained in the set: The Great American Broadcast (1941), about pioneering radio stars, and Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943), set on the Barbary Coast, with Faye, Jack Oakie, and June Havoc as entertainers and Payne as the impresario she becomes smitten with. Four Jills And A Jeep (1944), based on actress Carole Landis’ memoir, looks at the adventures of four USO entertainers (Landis, Kay Francis, Martha Raye, Mitzi Mayfair) with Alice, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda performing in cameos. Ms. Faye sings her signature tune You’ll Never Know in both Hello, Frisco, Hello and Four Jills In A Jeep. Those who have seen Alice singing, clowning or dancing now know that she was a superior screen entertainer.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series: If you were a fan of cool 1960s TV, you couldn’t get any cooler than this NBC series that appeared from 1964 through 1968, spurred a spinoff series (Stefanie Powers as The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.), and had several episodes featurized for European theatrical release. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum starred as Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin, secret agents for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. They took their orders from Mr. Waverly (Leo G. Carroll), and their headquarters were hidden behind a Manhattan tailor’s shop. Arch-rival agents from THRUSH constantly tried to put a kibosh on the operatives, but the duo always had their nifty gadgets and their slick ways to get out of jams and foil them. From its fluty theme song to its amazing lineup of guest stars (Carroll O’Connor, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Cesar Romero, Eddie Albert, Rip Torn) and guest babes (Anne Francis, Marlyn Mason, Lee Meriwether, Luciana Paluzzi), The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was TV’s answer to the Bond films. But here it’s Solo…Napoleon Solo.

Touch Of Evil (50th Anniversary Edition): Called “the greatest ‘B’ movie ever,” Orson Welles’ shadowy film noir receives an excellent treatment marking its half-century of thrilling film watchers. The story behind the film is legendary, and to reiterate briefly, goes something like this: star Charlton Heston urged executives at Universal and exploitation producer Albert Zugsmith to hire the then-underused Welles to rewrite and direct the low-budget account of seedy criminals down Mexico way. Zugsmith and the studio went for it, and, although it was not a hit out of the box, movie fans recognized its innovative style and noirish trappings as the years went on. Eventually, Touch Of Evil became known as a classic example of film noir. Now, in this new two-disc set, Universal has included three versions of the film for fans to savor and compare. There’s the theatrical version, the re-edited 1998 edition (done to Welles’ specs); and a preview version that ran before the film was released. In addition, there are featurettes, audio commentary by Heston, trailers and more.

Popeye The Sailor: Vol. 3: 1941-1943: The wonderful era of Max and Dave Fleischer cartoons with Popeye, Olive Oyl and the gang comes to an end in this compilation that offers the tail-end of the Fleischer Studio’s work on the cantankerous spinach-gulping seadog and his crew, following the glory days showcased in the first two entries in the series from Warner Home Video. There are 32 shorts here, including the final Fleischer production, 1942’s Baby Wants A Bottleship, along with several World War II-themed cartoons, some of them downright politically incorrect in their depiction of the enemy. As evidenced in four previously banned cartoons featured here, Popeye takes no gruff from anyone, whether it be Nazis, Japanese soldiers, Brutus or Bluto.

Sunset Blvd. (Centennial Collection): Although most people relate to film noirs as tales of mystery and suspense, Billy Wilder’s jet-black comedy is definitely noir, but in a different setting: Call it “Hollywood Noir.” Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) is the femme fatale in this case, a reclusive star of silent film who enlists boy-toy screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help make her screenplay of Salome a reality. The ever-cynical Wilder has something—actually lots—to say about how Hollywood turns from its heritage, but the film is so bilious (and brilliant) you almost forget it’s supposed to be a satire. It’s peppered with real-life film people like Erich von Stroheim as director-turned-butler Max, Buster Keaton, and H.B. Warner. Paramount has done a first-rate job with this release, loading it with dandy extras, including several behind-the-scenes featurettes, insightful features on Swanson, Holden, composer Franz Waxman, and costume head Edith Head; audio commentary by historian Ed Sikov (actually a holdover from an earlier release); author Joseph Wambaugh’s assessment of Sunset’s noirish aspects; and script versions (and newly discovered photos) of the now-famous opening “morgue” sequence that got punted. Rumor has it that some studio bigwigs actually discussed pooling their cash together, buying the movie from Paramount and burning the negative. You can just sense Billy Wilder thinking: “You can’t get any higher praise than that.”

Casablanca (Ultimate Collector’s Edition): You won’t forget this collectible about the film you must remember. This striking collector’s box, done in Moroccan design, is simply astonishing in the extras department. There’s an intro by Lauren Bacall, audio commentary from Roger Ebert, a 1988 TCM schedule, deleted scenes, outtakes, a TV episode with Charles McGraw based on the story, audio clips, a documentary on Jack Warner, and trailers. Also in the package are replicas of props, 10 poster replicas, and a 48-page book. Then there’s the movie, offered in a pristine transfer, as good as the day it was issued in 1942. No wonder everyone goes to Rick’s.

Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection: The mirthful antics of one of America’s best-loved comedy teams have been put together for true fans of Bud and Lou. This impressive fifteen-disc set offers the bulk of their Hollywood output that was filmed under Universal’s aegis, including their meetings with Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, the Mummy and others, along with Buck Privates, It Ain’t Hay, Hit The Ice, Hold That Ghost, The Time Of Their Lives, and many more—28 A&C features in all. You also get audio commentaries, a 44-page book and three documentaries.

Finally, we’ve waited 28 years to gloat, so please be patient while we tell the world that THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! To celebrate—and we are still celebrating here—there are three—count ‘em!—terrific DVDs of Fightin’s phanfare to check into. The Perfect Season: The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies Video Yearbook was produced by the team and is chockfull of local treats, including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and coverage of the glorious parade down Broad Street, with club closer Brad Lidge narrating. 2008 World Series is the official commemorative film from MLB offering thrilling highlights from the showdown that pitted Howard, Utley, Rollins, Hamels and crew against Upton, Crawford, Longoria, Shields and the rest of the Cinderella Tampa Bay Rays. Last but far from least, the eight-disc Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Series Collector’s Edition offers all five games of the World Series, as well as the final two games of the League Championship Series against Los Angeles. Viewers are also given the option of getting the play-by-play from either the national or local broadcast crews. (We’ll take Harry Kalas and company any day of the week). In other words, we are the champions of the world. Now, get over it.

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