“The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season”
WHO’S IN IT: Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, Marge Simpson
RECAP: An early peak or the beginning of the end? With Season 17 ready to go, look back at one of the best seasons of the longest-running animated series of all time, housed in a box shaped like Homer’s head and featuring enough extra doodads to keep geeks busy for weeks.
BEST EXTRA: Commentary tracks on every episode are a nice touch, but even better is the fact that most are every bit as funny as the episodes themselves.
SECRETS REVEALED: There are only 17 basic and vague shapes the characters’ mouths can make, so their dialogue is changed and refined up until the last minute.
FEATURE TO SKIP: Normally the “Simpson”-related TV commercials would be very skippable, but with commentary tracks from Matt Groening and producer David Mirkin, even they’re worth watching.
TRIVIA: FYI, as cool as the packaging may be, it is a pain in the butt to deal with, so much so that Fox is offering a replacement program for those who want DVD cases that conform to past “Simpsons” season sets.
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IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: “Futurama,” all the laughs of “The Simpsons” with aliens, time travel, mutants and a little more heart.
RATING: 4 REMOTES
“Little Britain”
WHO’S IN IT: Matt Lucas, David Walliams, the voice of Tom Baker
RECAP: The most successful British comedy series of all time–yes, it topped “The Office” in DVD sales–arrives in America just in time for the start of Season 2 on BBC America, allowing curious Yanks to catch up on all the characters and hilarious short-attention-span skits.
BEST EXTRA: Forty minutes of deleted scenes, most of which are on par with what actually made it in.
SECRETS REVEALED: The commentary tracks featuring Lucas and Walliams–the creators of the show who also play most of the main characters–are chock-full of trivia and info, with laughs reserved for once the facts are out of the way.
FEATURE TO SKIP: “BBC Three Indents” are just little animated promos.
TRIVIA: “Little Britain” began as a radio show. The feature “How to Make ‘Little Britain’ ” tracks the series’ evolution from the airwaves to, um, the other airwaves.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: The mock talk show “Knowing Me, Knowing You, With Alan Partridge,” another BBC comedy high point, out on DVD at the end of the month.
RATING: 4 REMOTES
COMING SOON
In stores next week:
– “A Lot Like Love”
– “Beauty Shop”
– “Layer Cake”
– “The O.C.: The Complete Second Season”
– “The Ring Two” (unrated)
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Edited by Curt Wagner ([email protected])