Perhaps you’ve heard about some big-deal movie currently in theaters that stars fashion-obsessed women who enjoy a cocktail every now and then. Well, long before Carrie & Co., the
British had the uproarious Absolutely Fabulous, starring Jennifer Saunders as Edina (left) and Joanna Lumley as Patsy (right). AbFab has just been released on disc in a box set, packaged in a silvery quilted album that’s just like a high-end purse Edina might covet ($103). Previous DVD collections have borne names like “Complete DVD Collection,” but this new release is the only one to really have it all: nine discs containing all five seasons of the series, the multiple stand-alone specials, and enough bonus features to give you a hangover. For a remedy, AbFabaholics might consider spending time with their polar opposites, the Two Fat Ladies who traveled the English countryside in search of adventure and food in a late-’90s cooking show that was made for the BBC but eventually found fans stateside on the Food Network. The ladies’ own “complete series” box set isn’t due until late July, which gives you plenty of time to marvel at the AbFab high jinks of Edina and Patsy. Interested in smaller doses of Anglophilia? The New Release shelf has plenty, ranging from the nonfiction (Incredible Britain, hosted by Harry Potter’s Robbie Coltrane) to the strictly fictional (Woody Allen’s murder plot Cassandra’s Dream; the enjoyable period-piece heist film Flawless) to features based on fact, like the grim but involving biopic Control, about the lead singer of the cult band Joy Division, also the subject of a new documentary.




















