cinema review

060 Babylon 5: Season 3

This poll required that people vote on an individual release (not multiple seasons of a television show) so the third season of Babylon 5 is the only one that garnered enough votes to be represented on the list - however, with the first four seasons available on DVD (and the fifth already available for pre-order) any one of these seasons could be listed. Warner Brothers released the series in full season sets, just like fans of TV on DVD love, and did so with great anamorphic widescreen transfers, commentary tracks, and some great extras, giving us little reason to watch broadcast television anymore.

059 North By Northwest

My personal favourite of Hitchcock’s films arrived from Warner in a splendid DVD package (well, except for the awful cardboard snapper case). Rather than restore the physical film elements, Warner saved themselves some money and used Lowry Digital Images to digitally clean up the film for the DVD transfer. The results are so stunning that some have complained that the picture is too good (much of the film grain was removed, giving the image a “flatter” feel than many DVD transfers). Still, with a great behind the scenes documentary and an earnest commentary track from screenwriter Ernest Lehman, any complaints about this disc are mere nit-picking. North By Northwest looks and sounds better than anyone could have expected.

058 Vertigo: Collector’s Edition

Displacing Tokyo Story (above) in the 2002 Sight and Sound critic’s poll, Vertigo is one of Universal’s first Hitchcock films to be brought to DVD. The transfer suffers for being a bit murky and non-anamorphic (Universal, if you’re reading, there are many out there who would gladly upgrade their copy if you released a new anamorphic transfer), but the current release contains a wonderful documentary about the sordid history of the making of the film, as well as a fascinating audio commentary with a number of Vertigo’s cast and crew, as well as film restoration expert Robert A. Harris, who oversaw the extensive film restoration project.

057 Beatles Anthology

All eight episodes of the Beatles Anthology are represented here on four DVDs. But wait, there’s also a fifth disc of previously unseen footage and special features. Given the access the filmmakers had to the surviving Beatles, this set is about as extensive a document to the Beatles’s music and lives as I could imagine. The set also includes footage in the studio of the three Beatles and Jeff Lynne recording the first new Beatles songs in twenty years, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”

056 Family Guy: Volume One

If anyone ever doubted the strength of the DVD market, I can point them to Family Guy. This “Volume One” set includes all 28 episodes from the show’s first two seasons (a Volume Two set with the third season is also available). The show was cancelled in 2002, but due to the incredible demand for the show’s reruns on the cable Cartoon Network, as well as the higher-than-expected sales of the DVDs, the show is once again back in production (and surely headed to DVD again).

055 Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Special Edition

Bogey has been well-represented on DVD, and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is no exception. Warner has really be lavishing their classics with wonderful 2-disc special editions, and this set includes the film, remastered and looking better than it’s looked since the premiere, plus a second disc of extras, including a long documentary about the making of the film. One great extra that Warner’s been including are original Looney Tunes cartoons that would have run before the feature when the film was first exhibited. It’s a fun extra and nice to see Warner Bros. releasing these classics little by little.

054 This Is Spinal Tap: Special Edition

Crank your stereo up to eleven and bask in the awesome power of Spinal Tap. While the first DVD release of this title (from the Criterion Collection) is one of the most expensive DVDs on auction sites, this MGM version is certainly no slouch. Besides the upgrade of an anamorphic transfer, there are loads of fun supplements on this disc. Even the menus are great, with the original actors commenting on the menu choices in character. Speaking of the actors commenting in character, there is also a fun commentary track with the “band” commenting on the film as though it were a true document of their touring, and not a “mockumentary.” While the image quality isn’t the greatest, given that this was a very low-budget film it looks about as good as can be expected. Rob Reiner’s first feature is a cult classic for good reason - it’s hard to think of another film that is as oft-quoted, or that can be. As for the cover art, well, it couldn’t possibly be more black.

053 Rear Window: Collector’s Edition

Jimmy Stewart’s second film with Alfred Hitchcock shows the all-American everyman’s darker side. Stewart plays a photographer with a broken leg who begins to watch his neighbours’ lives to entertain himself. The entire film is seen through his captive perspective (except for a key scene where we’re let in on something the character isn’t - which ups the chills). Hitchcock’s film is still remarkably undated. This disc offers great extras including a long documentary and a video interview with the screenwriter.

052 Saving Private Ryan - DTS

As a de facto demo disc for many early DVD adopters, Saving Private Ryan can still wow with the best of them. The DTS version was the one that voters specifically selected, even though it’s missing the making-of featurette that the Dolby Digital version contains (since the DTS audio track takes up more disc space than the DD). Saving Private Ryan has the least amount of supplemental features of any disc in the Top 100, but in this case a great transfer quality and one of the best DTS soundtracks ever are more than sufficient.

051 12 Monkeys: Collector’s Edition

12 Monkeys is another very early DVD that still ranks with the best of them. Consider the evidence: a great film, combined with a really informative commentary by director Terry Gilliam, a feature-length documentary on the making of the film that ranks with the best documentaries ever made about a film, “The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys,” plus storyboards and other stills make this a must-buy DVD, especially since the price has halved since the disc was first released.

050 Rebecca: Criterion Collection

The 1940 winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture was one of Hitchcock’s only awards-time triumphs, and Criterion has characteristically given this release an incredible two-disc special edition. With an audio commentary, a rare isolated music and effects track (I love these and would like to see them more), original screen tests, clips from the Academy Awards presentation, hundreds of films and radio broadcasts with various adaptations of the story, this disc is as packed with features as any recent film. While it’s getting harder and harder for them to do so, Criterion outdid themselves with their release of Rebecca.

Note: this disc is technically out of print now, but can still be bought at many retailers. I would highly recommend you pick up a copy while you can, as this Criterion set is far-and-above better than the other budget releases on the market.

049 Die Hard: 5-Star Collection

While the trilogy that includes this film ranked at #73, the Die Hard disc alone rockets up to #49. The first release of the film was a non-anamorphic laserdisc port. This upgrade is more than welcome: a new 16:9 transfer, commentary by the director and production designer, an informative subtitle trivia track (a great feature I’d like to see used more often), outtakes, deleted scenes, and an extra scene that you can watch in its proper place in the film thanks to seamless branching (another feature that could be more often used).

048 Seven Samurai: Criterion Collection

While the transfer is flawed, and the second printing of the disc lacks the earlier restoration demonstration, the Seven Samurai is in the Top 100 for one reason alone: the film is one of the greatest ever made. This early Criterion disc features a commentary by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck.

047 Monsters, Inc.

Pixar has one thing going for them that no other studio on this list can proclaim: they’ve never made a bad movie. While the Monsters, Inc. set isn’t as feature-packed as their previous efforts, this is still a very nice package for both adults and children alike. Included is a hilarious short created exclusively for this DVD, “Mike’s New Car,” and the Academy Award winning short “For the Birds” which proceeded the film theatrically. Also included are making-of featurettes, a look at Pixar’s new studio, animation tests, still galleries, a very fun audio commentary, and the even more hilarious Monsters, Inc. company play “Put that Thing Back Where it Came From, or So Help Me.”

046 8 1/2: Criterion Collection

Fellini’s classic is given the Criterion treatment in a stunning new 2-disc special edition which includes an introduction from Terry Gilliam, a scene-specific audio essay by film critic and Fellini friend Gideon Bachmann & NYU professor of film Antonio Monda, a 52-minute television special about Fellini, a must-see 48-minute documentary about composer Nino Rota, and new interviews with the cast and crew. As always, Criterion includes a great text supplement in the included booklet, and the one for Fellini’s eighth-and-a-half film (the “half” was a short film) contains fascinating and informative essays by Fellini, longtime Fellini collaborator and critic Tullio Kezich, and film professor Alexander Sesonske.

045 Kubrick Collection: Remastered

The Kubrick Collection has quite a sordid history. Originally released as a seven disc set in 1999, fans complained that the transfers were ported from the lower-res laserdiscs and that the audio and video wasn’t really up to par. Just two years later, Warner released this set - all seven of the previous set have been remastered and cleaned up - plus the collection now includes Eyes Wide Shut (the same disc as originally released individually) and a ninth disc unique to the set, a feature-length documentary on Kubrick’s life and films. While there’s still some controversy regarding the original aspect ratio of some of the films (most are presented in open matte 4:3 ratio), the new remastered Kubrick Collection is a major step up from the earlier release. It’s too bad they couldn’t include Kubrick’s earlier films, like Paths of Glory or Spartacus (although the latter is available from the Criterion Collection in a version unlikely to be surpassed - see the “Runners-Up” list for comments on that release).

044 Taxi Driver: Collector’s Edition

Taxi Driver is another early DVD release that has held its ground among the newer releases. While this disc is missing Scorsese’s terrific commentary track from the Criterion laserdisc, it makes up for it by including a feature-length documentary that was made for this DVD release, and includes everything you’d want to know about the film. Also included is the film’s entire screenplay, viewable through still frames. It would have been nice to have the screenplay also been included as a DVD-ROM feature, but that’s nit-picking. Taxi Driver is a great disc for a great film.

043 Tron: 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

Tron is the first feature film to have used extensive computer graphics, and the stylized effects still look great, even compared to the work being done twenty years later. This 2-disc edition is a great improvement over the previous bare-bones release. Besides a stunning new transfer, there’s also a second disc which features an 88-minute documentary (nearly as long as the film itself), demonstrations of some of the computer graphics effects (which are impressive by 1982 standards), and other hidden surprises. Those who grew up with the arcade games will have a soft spot in their heart for Tron, and the effects really were used to tell the story, not just to provide flashy window dressing.

042 The Simpsons: Season 3

The Simpsons have been well-represented on DVD, and the third season looks better than the previous two. The set includes every episode from the full season, and includes an audio commentary with the producers, writers, and voice actors on every single episode. While you can still catch these in syndication six times a day in most markets, having the uncut episodes to watch whenever you’d like is compelling to the show’s fans, and the set’s high sales figures show Fox that we want more seasons! My only complaint about The Simpsons on DVD is that they’re released so slowly - but if it’s a matter of waiting for the great commentaries and extra features, these sets are well worth the wait.

041 Eraserhead

Exclusively available only from DavidLynch.com for the time being (log in to the flash site prevents us from linking to the product details page), Eraserhead ranked very highly on the list for a disc that’s not readily available in stores. The reasons for this are obvious to anyone who’s seen the disc: the new digitally cleaned-up transfer is gorgeous, and the supplemental materials and information provided by Lynch about the making of the film are extensive and thorough. If you’ve never seen the film, there’s no better way to experience it, and if you already love it, you won’t be disappointed with this DVD (except for the odd record-like packaging - ugh). This disc is also available, for a modest price increase, autographed by the director himself.