By heft alone, the season's gift set to reckon with is Paramount Pictures' Millennium Collection, a 10-movie slab of Hollywood hits that jams the voluminously epic (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Braveheart, The Ten Commandments) into a box with the crowd-pleasingly ultra-pop (Top Gun, Forrest Gump, Grease, Ghost) and tosses in the inexplicable Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and the eternal Breakfast at Tiffany's just for kicks -- and $189.50. It's the boxed set for the man who lacks everything. If you're not shopping for him, consider these other no-brainers:
FOR THE SPEED FREAK
The trains and trucks and race cars of Velocity (1998, Unapix, unrated, three vols., $39.98) go vroom.
FOR THE MONKEY MAN
The Planet of the Apes Collectors Edition (1998, Fox, G/PG, five vols., $54.98) includes widescreen versions of the seminal simian sci-fi flick, its sequels, and a making-of documentary hosted by the late Roddy McDowall.
FOR THE DVDIVA
The 1998 Olympic Gold Gift Set (1998, Image, unrated, four discs, $59.95) nicely exploits the technology with multiple-angle figure-skating footage.
FOR THE SOUL SISTER-IN-LAW
Foxy Brown, Coffy, and Friday Foster make up The Pam Grier Collection (1998, Orion, unrated, three vols., $34.95), an ode to the rediscovered blaxploitation queen.
FOR THE TESTOSTERONE-ADDLED
Warner Bros.' 75th Anniversary Action-Adventure Collection (1998, Warner, R, five vols., $74.92), which combines three manly classics (Blade Runner, Dirty Harry, and Lethal Weapon), one glossy dud (Eraser), and a 46-minute slice of promotional hoo-ha.
FOR HISTORY BUFFS
Ken Burns' Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997, PBS/Warner, unrated, two vols., $29.98) recounts the explorers' 2 1/2 year journey in 240 minutes.
FOR JAY LENO,
who could learn a thing or two from its graciousness and humor: Jack Paar: As I Was Saying... and More! (1998, Kultur/White Star, unrated, three vols., $49.95).
FOR MR. NATURAL
The limited-edition Grateful Dead Collection (1998, Monterey, unrated, four vols., $99.95) assembles 10 hours of the psychedelic noodlers in concert.
FOR THE POTTY MOUTH
Either of the two South Park Three-Packs (1998, Warner, unrated, $39.95 each) collects six episodes of the scatological Comedy Central hit.
FOR THE CINEASTE
The Kurosawa Noir Three-Pack (1998, Home Vision, unrated, $79.95), which includes High and Low, The Bad Sleep Well, and Stray Dog, stands as a thrilling tribute to the late master.
FOR THE ANGST-RIDDEN TEEN
The Best of My So-Called Life (1998, BMG, unrated, three vols., $39.98) finds Claire Danes, and creators Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, in top form.
