six of the best buys this weekend

SIX GOOD VIDEOS

1. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG; Touchstone; pounds 14.99) Extraordinarily imaginative, animated scary-tale.

2. The Madness of King George (PG; Columbia/Tristar; rental) Alan Bennett and Nigel Hawthorne re-unite for Nicholas Hytner's sparkling film version of Bennett's hit play.

3. Fox and His Friends (18; Connoisseur Video; pounds 15.99) One of Fassbinder's few overtly gay films.

4. Exotica (18; Artificial Eye; rental) The lives of a few lonely Canadian souls intertwine in Atom Egoyan's dark thriller.

5. Prince of Jutland (15; Arrow; rental) Gabriel Axel's stripped-down Hamlet based on the original folk tale. Flawed but intriguing.

6. Killer (18; First Independent; rental) Haunting chamber piece with Anthony LaPaglia sent to kill a willing Mimi Rogers.

1. Kronos: Released/Unreleased (Nonesuch) An eclectic two-disc set of everything from Barber's Adagio to Scott's Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals. Be bold.

2. Haydn Symphonies 22, 86, 102 (EMI) Simon Rattle mixes period technique with luxurious modern sound to glowing effect.

3. Michael Tippett: The Midsummer Marriage (Lyrita) His first and finest opera now available with the original glowing cast.

4. Sibelius: Symphonies 2 & 6 (RCA) Another winner in Colin Davis's second. Unmissable and rewarding Sibelius cycle.

5. Britten: Complete Folk Songs (Collins) Wonderfully pellucid performances from Langridge, Lott, Allen and Johnson.

6. Anderson: The Typewriter (RCA) Leonard Slatkin conducts terrific performances of orchestral bon-bons. A glorious, fun-filled disc.