5-pack of Westerns leads DVD releases

These movies, all new to DVD, are led by a five-pack of classic B-Westerns.

"The Films of Budd Boetticher" (Sony, 1957-60, five discs, $59.95). These colorful, flinty, well-made "oaters" celebrate the talent of director Boetticher, who skillfully made sleek, entertaining pictures for the lower half of 1950s double-bills.

Randolph Scott stars in all five as they demonstrate the growth of a sharp-eyed director with his favorite star becoming more comfortable over five successive pictures.

Each film has strong characters, compact storytelling (less than 90 minutes), quick pacing and terrific players, including some future stars. The best are "The Tall T," "Ride Lonesome" and "Comanche Station" but the other two are also fun.

• "The Tall T" (1957). Scott is a rancher who tangles with evil Richard Boone and his henchmen (Henry Silva, Skip Homeier) as they try to shake down Maureen O'Sullivan's wealthy father.

• "Decision at Sundown" (1957). Scott delivers an excellent performance as a more complex anti-hero obsessed with revenge until the showdown he's lived for turns into a more complicated situation.

• "Buchanan Rides Alone" (1958). A sense of humor, Scott's more-cheerful-than-usual demeanor, plot twists galore and L.Q. Jones' scene-stealing sidekick give this one a boost as Scott rides into a viper's nest of corrupt family members in a border town. (Home-video debut)

• "Ride Lonesome" (1959). One of Scott's best films has him playing a bounty hunter plagued by treacherous companions and marauding Indians. James Coburn (in his first film), Lee Van Cleef ("The Good, the Bad and the Ugly") and Pernell Roberts ("Bonanza") costar. (Home-video debut)

• "Comanche Station" (1960). The last Scott/Boetticher film is one of their best, as Scott negotiates with Indians for the release of a white woman, only to link up with outlaws who want her for a reward.

Extras: full frame/widescreen, celebrity-director introductions (Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Taylor Hackford), 2005 documentary "Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That" (narrated by Ed Harris), trailers

"When Did You Last See Your Father?" (Sony Classics, 2008, PG-13, $28.96). Occasionally a film comes along that is so familiar you could swear you've seen it. Such is the case with this biographical effort based on writer Blake Morrison's memoirs, concentrating on his strained relationship with his father. It feels like a dozen other father-son pictures.