Hey — you can judge a gift by its box

Your official holiday axioms for this year: Good things come to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. Don't spend impulsively.

But this isn't about abstinence education; how you spend your money in that department is your own private business.

I can only counsel you on DVDs, and if you showed some self-restraint when studios released your favorite shows one season at a time, satisfaction is at hand. Studios are now putting out whole multiseason series in big boxes that are often cheaper and take up less shelf space than if you'd bought each season separately.

As gifts go, think of it this way: Don't rent a Smart car or buy a Prius. Buy an Escalade. Go big and focus on external packaging. It's the American way.

And as always, ignore the suggested retail prices listed below, because you can almost always find DVDs for roughly one-third to half less. For instance, Volume 1 of the "James Bond Ultimate Edition" box set lists for $89.98, but Best Buy sells it for $69.99, and DeepDiscountDVD.com has it for $54.89.

These are the SUVs of DVD (and a few more modest ones below):

Television

"Homicide: Life on the Street — The Complete Series" (A&E, $299.95). Killer packaging for "The Wire" mastermind David Simon's outstanding cop show: 35 DVDs in a box that's made like a file cabinet drawer. All 122 episodes, three "Law & Order" crossovers and "Homicide: The Movie."

"Six Feet Under — The Complete Series 2001-2005" (HBO, $279.98). The box for the addictive drama, about a family that runs a funeral home, contains 24 discs and looks like a block of dirt with fake grass on top and a little headstone. It includes a couple of soundtrack CDs.

"Da Ali G Show — Da Compleet Sereez" (HBO, $49.98). Now that the hilariously objectionable "Borat" has achieved world domination, check out his gut-busting wind-ups of polite, unsuspecting civilians — also as ignorant hip-hopper Ali G and swishy fashion reporter Bruno — in alter-ego Sacha Baron Cohen's two-season cable show.

"The West Wing — The Complete Series" (Warner, $299.98). If you still need escapism after the midterm election, all seven seasons are in one long, unwieldy file-folder-box-thingie, with the pilot script.

"Strangers With Candy — The Complete Series" (Paramount, $54.99). Comedy Central's ruthlessly funny cult show just keeps on giving like its ex-junkie/prostitute heroine — uh, protagonist — who goes back to high school at age 46.

"Alias — The Complete Collection" (Buena Vista, $199.99). Five years' worth of high-tech spying in an unfolding replica of the show's Rambaldi artifact box.

Honorable Mention: "Friends — The Complete Series Collection" (Warner, $299.98). "M*A*S*H — Martinis and Medicine Complete Collection (Fox, $199.98). From A&E, "The Kids in the Hall Complete Series Megaset 1989-1994 ($239.95) and "The Prisoner 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition" ($139.95) — which is half the size of the previous "megaset," and with a 60-page booklet and fold-out Village map.

And finally, "The Complete Gunsmoke Ultimate Maximum Collection": All 20 years' worth of shows, in a full-sized stagecoach with two horses. All right, I made this one up.

Movies

With "Casino Royale" blowing everyone away, the Dude of the House will especially covet the "James Bond Ultimate Edition" box sets (MGM, $89.98 each). Out of print for a while, the films are remastered and with plenty of new extras. But my gripe: They're not in chronological order, and the best ones are mixed in with the lousy ones.

Volume 1: "Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever," "The Man With the Golden Gun," "The Living Daylights" and "The World Is Not Enough." Volume 2: "Thunderball," "The Spy Who Loved Me," "A View to a Kill," "License to Kill" and "Die Another Day."

Honorable Spy Mention: "Ultimate Flint Collection" (Fox, $19.98). After excreting the miserably bare editions of the James Coburn gems "Our Man Flint" and "In Like Flint," Fox squares its karma by including lots of documentary material here, a recipe for Bouillabaisse and the lost 1976 TV film (sans Coburn) "Our Man Flint: Dead on Target."

"Preston Sturges — The Filmmaker Collection" (Universal, $59.98). A good price for a much-requested collection of the beloved director — even though some are already in print: "The Great McGinty," "Christmas in July," "The Lady Eve Sullivan's Travels," "The Palm Beach Story," "The Great Moment" and "Hail the Conquering Hero."

As I've said before: Any film The Criterion Collection releases is the best version you'll find and worth the extra money. And no, I don't have some sort of Jack Abramoff relationship with them. That said, here are a couple of the best from this year: "Seven Samurai" (1954, $49.95). Three glorious discs' worth of Akira Kurosawa's restored masterpiece about heroes protecting a village, with commentaries, documentaries, essays and more. And "Dazed and Confused" (1993, R, $39.95). "Fast Food Nation" director Richard Linklater's ode to the horror, hilarity and rock 'n' roll of high school in 1976 on two discs with commentary, doc and lots of deleted/alternate scenes.

"Cinema Paradiso Limited Collector's Edition" (Weinstein, 1990, $39.99). The Oscar-winning best foreign language film in both its theatrical and director's cut versions. Delivered with standard extras as well as the CD soundtrack, movie poster and lobby card repros, and recipes inspired by the movie.

"La Dolce Vita Deluxe Collector's Edition" (Koch Lorber, 1960, $79.98). Do not take this into the fountain with you. Fellini's bohemian chronicle of a journalist in Rome has been restored and heaped with three discs of extras that include interviews, documentaries and the like, along with fetishistic items that include a 40-page booklet, photographs and mini-poster.

For the kids

"Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 4" (Warner, $64.98). They haven't even begun to scrape bottom with these beauties. This one includes the classic "Rabbit Hood," in which Bugs Bunny in King-drag repeatedly clouts the Sheriff of Nottingham on the head as he dubs the victim "Sir Loin of Beef," "Earl of Cloves" and "Milk of Magnesia."

"The Best of the Electric Company Vol. 2" (Shout Factory, $39.98). Fun learning skits and songs, funky '70s designs and clothing, and a young Morgan Freeman putting food on his table as the Easy Reader. Where's the down side?

"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas 50th Birthday Deluxe Edition" (Warner, $19.98). The fact that it's not the Jim Carrey version is gift enough for me, but this one includes a new rapping/rhyming featurette on the animated classic.

"Star Trek — The Animated Series" (Paramount, 1973, $54.99). For children and nerds of all ages. All 22 episodes, featuring many of the cast and writers of the original series — and they're not half bad, either. A featurette lays out how the series connects with the live-action Trek shows, acknowledging the debate over whether these cartoons are part of the Trekkie canon. If you find yourself in such a debate, abstinence education may be moot.

Let's finish up with a little song and dance

Since the only song and dance I do is on the phone with the student-loan people, here's our expert on the subject, Moira "Twinkletoes" Macdonald:

"Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition" (Warner, $99.98). Should I ever find myself on the proverbial desert-island-equipped-with-a-DVD-player, this is the box set I would bring: the long-awaited complete set of the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals. From the silliness of the Carioca in "Flying Down to Rio" (their legendary chemistry kicks in like a bolt of lightning) to the final bow of "The Barkleys of Broadway," it's all here, and it's all heaven. Nobody approached dance with more imagination and grace than Astaire; nobody exuded more sheer joy and charm on screen than Rogers.

The set includes all 10 movies, plus an entertaining documentary ("Partners in Rhythm"), various shorts, a CD of songs from the films and a collection of promotional materials. The DVD quality is good, not great (there's a few odd little hitches during cuts in the numbers), but no matter; this is movie magic in a box.

Mark Rahner: 206-464-8259 or mrahner@seattletimes.com.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com.