Sometimes after a long day, all I want to do is curl up in bed with a great DVD. While I love to read, there are some days that just don't have the energy. Lazing around watching my favorite DVDs is the perfect way to relax and just let myself unwind. DVDs are great because most of them are also loaded with interesting extras-- interviews, bloopers, and unused footage and deleted scenes, but my favorite DVDs are the ones that I'd watch to watch over and over again. There are very few movies good enough to watch more than once, so in my opinion, these DVDs are very special indeed.

If you're looking for an entertaining DVD or two, here is a rundown of some of my favorites. Just call these "highly recommended".

-- It's A Wonderful Life. Call me sentimental, but this classic film from 1946 is at the top of my list. Starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, this movie runs a little long, but I swear every time I watch it I catch something I hadn't seen before. If you've never seen it, you may have been living under a rock for the past few decades, but in a nutshell it's the story of a desperate man who comes to find out just how much he really has. While the main scenes are set during the Christmas season, I don't really consider this a holiday film. You can watch it in July and chills will still run down your spine at the emotional film's end.

-- Fatal Attraction. Glenn Close caused a sensation in the mid-1980's when she starred in this blockbuster hit as Alex Forrest, a psychotic woman who sets out to harass her married lover. Obsessed with making him pay for his mistakes, Close stalks her lover-- and his oblivious family. While the subject matter is far from cheery, the acting in this film by Close and costars Michael Douglas and Anne archer is absolutely superb. Every time I watch this movie I am glued to my seat. You won't want to miss a thing, so you'll have to pause the DVD for bathroom breaks.

-- Meet the Parents. This lightweight comedy is one of my favorites due to the onscreen chemistry between stars Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro. DeNiro plays the controlling father of Stiller's live in girlfriend. Stiller's character, Greg, is put through the ringer during a weekend stay with his girlfriend's family. There are some very hilarious-- and farfetched-- scenes, but this movie will do the trick if you're looking for a good comedy. The sequel to this movie, titled "Meet the Fockers" is also available on DVD. It boasts an all star cast including Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.

-- Barefoot in the Park. An oldie but a goody, this film, based on the Neil Simon play, details the first few weeks of marriage between Paul (a newly minted lawyer) and Cory (his free spirited bride). Clever writing makes this a simply irresistible comedy. This movie stars a very young Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.

--The Brady Bunch The Complete first Season. Who says curling up with a DVD means you can only watch just movies? The DVD compilation of the classic television series, The Brady Bunch, is good comfort video. If you were a fan of this endearing comedy series form the early 1970's, you already know the premise-- an attractive widow married an attractive widower. The twist? Each of them have three children, so upon marriage they have a full house! The first season of this show seems so innocent now, featuring episodes about the measles or a missing doll. The children are all adorable (as opposed to later seasons when puberty hits and the boys all seem to have perms). This boxed set is also packed with extras like cast interviews and commentary. If you want to take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane, then this DVD is for you.

-- Sex and the City Sixth Season Part 1. Here is another boxed set of a television series, albeit it is very, very different from the sugary comedy of the Brady's. Fans of HBO's award winning series, Sex and The City, were crushed when the series ended in the winter of 2004. And no wonder! We had grown accustomed to the life and love of the series' heroine, Carrie Bradshaw (played perfectly by Sarah Jessica Parker), a New York City columnist with a penchant for men (usually the wrong ones). We lived vicariously through Carrie's love life, recognized some of those wrong guys as guys we once dated. The cast of this show was rounded out with separate storylines involving Carrie's three best friends: Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), a single mom and attorney, Charlotte (Kristin Davis), a wide eyed dreamer who, by the final season had finally found lasting love, and Samantha (Kim Cattrall), an aggressive public relations agent who, in this season is dating one of her clients, the ultra hunky Smith Jerrod (played by Jason Lewis). Out of six seasons of the series, why do I choose this one? Because it contains some of my all time favorite SATC episodes, including episodes with guests stars like Tatum O'Neal and Blair Underwood. It also contains the pivotal episode where Carrie meets the intriguing artist, Alex Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov). If you've never seen this series, be prepared for some adult language and explicit scenes.

-- About Last Night. This movie screams the 80's-- and I love it. This film stars Rob Lowe and Demi Moore as two twenty-something's who fall in love after a one night stand. But they soon find out that moving into a relationship too quickly can cause problems. Costars Jim Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins play meddling friends who disapprove of the relationship-- and do what they can to sabotage it. Backed up by a great 80's soundtrack, this movie shows the highs and lows of a relationship that seems doomed form the start.

-- A Christmas Story. Ralphie Parker (played by Peter Billingsly) only wants one thing for Christmas-- a Red Ryder bb gun. The trouble is, no one thinks it's a good idea, not even Santa Claus! Based on the writings of humorist Jean Shepard, A Christmas Story is a timeless tale of a little boy's struggles during a 1940's holiday season. Relive the past as Ralphie laments over the town bully and tries to figure out a way to convince the adults around him (patents, teachers, Santa) that he deserves the ultimate Christmas present. Especially funny is the department store Santa scene. Filled with beautiful imagery that depicts the 1940's in a snowy Indiana town, adults and children alike will laugh out loud at this movie. Features performances by Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon.

--Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This is one of those movies that I loved as a child-- even though the adult humor went right over my head. Charlie Bucket dreams of meeting the elusive chocolatier, Willy Wonka-- but Wonka's chocolate factory doors haven't been opened in years. .Then, a special contest is introduced-- five golden tickets are hidden in chocolate bars all over the world, and whoever finds them gets to spend a day at the famous chocolate factory. When Charlie Bucket finds a golden ticket, he embarks on an adventure that takes him to places who could only have dreamed about. Starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, the supporting cast of characters is phenomenal. This movie is truly a children's classic, filled with enough double entendres to keep adults entertained as well.

-- Jerry McGuire. This 1996 film starring Tom Cruise and a then unknown Renee Zellweger was the perfect date movie at the time of its release. Why? Because it had the perfect mix of sports and romance. Cruise plays Jerry McGuire, a sports agent whose career and love life are both in a shambles. When he and a dreamy eyed employee join forces to start their own agency, Jerry's life changes-- both personally and professionally. This film also features outstanding performances by Cuba Gooding Jr., who plays Jerry's loyal football playing client. This movie also has the "cute" factor-- that is, a great performance by a pint sized Jonathan Lipnicki, who plays Renee Zellweger's son. The kid is so darn cute and funny-- no wonder Jerry falls for his mother.

-- The Lost Boys. I don't usually like horror movies, but this one is an exception. Jason Patric stars as Michael, whose family (him, his brother and single mother, Lucy) move to Santa Clara to live with his eccentric grandfather. Michael and his brother soon learn that Santa Clara is home to lots of missing children and to--vampires. When Mom Lucy starts dating a strange local man, Michael and his brother get to the root of the vampire problem. This flick features great performances by Patric, and costars Corey Haim, Jamie Gertz, Kiefer Sutherland and Corey Feldman. If you love rockin' 80's music and fashions (check out some of the outfits Haim's character wears-- what was he thinking?) then you will love this movie.