ou've got to pity people who work for the home-video branches of the major motion-picture studios. Before DVD, their jobs were simple: Have the art department design a cover for the package, pick out a preview or two to slap at the end (or hey, the beginning!) of the tape, select a few choice blurbs for the box. Then ship it off to production and marketing. Next! No more. Today more time and effort can go into compiling a DVD of a film than went into the movie itself. Increasingly the home video audience is demanding more bonus features than just an audio commentary and the theatrical trailer. Event movies like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Spider-Man 2" often have extra-extended-obsessive-multi-disc-with-tchotchkes-and-velvet sets that cost half a car and take half a life to watch. We're going to skip those and just tell you about what we consider to be some of the more essential releases of 2004. Almost all of these have the usual bells and whistles (audio commentaries, trailers, games, photo galleries, etc.), and some go above and beyond the call, adding bonus features that remind us why this format is so darn cool. 'Spider-Man 2' Special Edition Two-Disc Set The most critically acclaimed superhero movie of all time comes to DVD in a two-disc set crammed with 10 hours (!) of extras, including commentary by director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire, a blooper reel, scads of documentaries, art galleries, a Train music video and more. Like the first Spidey DVD (and unlike most comic-book adaptations), this disc compares the film Spider-Man with his comic-book counterpart in featurettes like "Interwoven: The Women of Spider-Man." But they still don't explain how one of Chicago's elevated trains ended up in Manhattan. 'Elf' Will Ferrell's hyperactive, oversized North Pole misfit hoots and hollers on two discs of mostly kid-friendly fare. Bonus features for the youngsters include "Kids on Christmas" and "Film School for Kids" featurettes, games, activities, a "Make Your Own Christmas Book" DVD-ROM segment and more. Adults may find more to toast in the commentary by Ferrell and director Jon Favreau, a "Christmas in Tinseltown" short and deleted scenes — not to mention the notion of a really crabby Ed Asner as Santa Claus. 'The Lord Of The Rings' Trilogy Obsessive fans can mortgage the house and take a year off to watch the 12-disc "Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy - Special Extended DVD Edition." Each movie contains additional scenes, up to four commentaries, many documentaries and enough design and photo galleries to fill up your online photo gallery a hundred times over. With so much in-depth behind-the-scenes material, it's practically a film school in a box. Those who simply liked the movies may prefer the less-crammed six-disc set, which still has enough bonus features to keep an Orc occupied for a week. 'Kill Bill' Volumes 1 And 2 It sometimes feels like DVDs are judged more by their bonus features than the film they supplement. Great movies are labeled lousy DVDs because they don't have the trunkload of extras we've now come to expect. While rabid fans of Quentin Tarantino have been whining about the relative lack of features on both volumes of "Kill Bill" (especially the first part), the meat is the main course. And movies don't come much meatier than this martial-arts-meets-spaghetti-western revenge epic. "Wakey, wakey. Eggs and bakey." The Original 'Star Wars' Trilogy Arguably the most anticipated DVD set ever finally blasted onto shelves in September. "Star Wars" purists may complain that these are remastered, tinkered-with versions of "Star Wars (A New Hope)," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" instead of the original films (even more fiddling was done since their theatrical re-releases in the late '90s). However, fans everywhere can now play with their action figures (have they made a George Lucas figure yet?) along with crisper picture and sound, as well as commentaries on all three films. There's also an entire bonus disc of documentaries, trailers, TV spots, still galleries, an Xbox demo of "Star Wars: Battlefront" and — hey, whaddaya know! — a preview of "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." 'Shrek 2' Princess Fiona's parents try to kill her happy marriage with the big green ogre in this star-studded sequel to the CGI adaptation of William Steig's children's tale. The DVD adds on an all-new surprise ending, more than 20 games and activities, an "American Idol" parody, audio commentary and more. But be prepared to sit through an unskippable 10 minutes of previews before you can watch either the movie or the bonus features. Maria Full Of Grace Catalina Sandino Mareno won rave reviews for her performance as a Colombian drug mule in Joshua Marston's powerful film. Tackling an issue usually dealt with in black and white terms from a fresh perspective, "Maria Full of Grace" won numerous awards around the world, including the Audience Award (Drama) at Sundance this year. The DVD is light on bonus features, but it's heavy on content. 'The Office: The Complete Collection' Saying you don't think "The Office" is funny to some people is less acceptable than insulting their mother. This dark mockumentary about the inner workings of a British paper distributor will either make you appreciate your workplace or quit, depending upon how much you relate to it. "The Complete Collection" compiles both seasons as well as the "where are they now?" series-capping Christmas special. The features include deleted scenes, outtakes, a making-of documentary, music video and more. 'The Bourne Supremacy' Fans of this sequel to "The Bourne Identity" may have been confused by the dizzying plotline, but they were too dazzled by the rapid-fire editing, spectacular car chases and action sequences to realize it. The bonus features herein emphasize the physical aspects of the film, with titles like "Blowing Things Up," "Crash Cam: Car Chase Stunt Featurette" and "Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene." There are also 10 minutes of deleted scenes and a photo shoot featurette, so the ladies in the house can watch people take pictures of Matt Damon. 'Ali G Indahouse' HBO's Jewish hip-hop prankster takes a step toward becoming this generation's Ernest in this straight-to-video feature that eschews the celebrity ambushes that categorize "Da Ali G Show" in favor of a fictional plot about a power struggle in England. Fans of Sacha Baron Cohen's character may find more fun in the bonus features, which include audio commentary (in character), deleted scenes, outtakes and a "Learn to talk like Ali G" video lesson. 'Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2' This second set of classic Warner Bros. cartoons jams 60 uncut, fully restored cartoons onto four discs along with tons of extra goodies. There are 30 audio commentaries, documentaries, isolated audio tracks and more. While there are a bit too many Road Runner and Tweety & Sylvester cartoons (which get a bit redundant), the bulk of this set is nothing short of genius. The highlights include Daffy Duck's Dick Tracy takeoff, "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," the one and only appearance of Michigan J. Frog in "One Froggy Evening" and the most acclaimed WB cartoon of them all, "What's Opera, Doc?" 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman specializes in the often ludicrous foibles committed by the human heart and/or mind (sometimes working in cahoots, more often at cross purposes). Jim Carrey gives an uncharacteristically nuanced performance in this amazingly bittersweet tale that paints the oft-wrenching roller coaster ride that is love better than any film in recent memory. Bonus features include commentary, deleted scenes, a music video and an infomercial for the mind-erasing company Lacuna. Visit The MTV Movie Shop for more Hollywood hits in your home.
	Photos: Sony/New Line/DreamWorks/BBC/MTV News