100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1
70) Casablanca DVD release: 11/23/99, Film: 1943, Warner Bros. Pictures You just kind of know that when a
DVD comes in a snapper and is in the top 70, it's got to
be a good movie. Especially if it's not even anamorphic
widescreen or 5.1, or COLOR for that matter! Snapper and
old movie jokes aside, Casablanca is widely
considered a landmark in cinema history. A wartime movie
that actually was made during wartime, Casablanca
is suspenseful and endearing and the second greatest film
of all-time, according to the American Film Institute. |
69)
Evil
Dead II: Dead by Dawn - Limited Edition DVD release: 8/29/00, Film: 1987, Anchor Bay Entertainment August 29, 2000 was a momentous
day for DVD releases. Six DVDs released that day made the
list, four of which are in the Top 35 of all-time. This
past October 9 gave us two of the all-time biggest
releases, which was pretty momentous itself, but we've
yet to see a date match the sheer quantity of huge DVD
title releases as that last Tuesday of August 2000. But
enough about that day, Evil Dead II is the
second film in the Bruce Campbell series which started as
horror films and eventually progressed into straight out
comedies. Like Army of Darkness, this is a cult
favorite, although not as loved. The DVD has a couple of
audio commentaries. |
68) The
Passion of Joan of Arc: Criterion Collection DVD release: 10/24/00, Film: 1928, Criterion The oldest film to make the cut, The
Passion of Joan of Arc is also the only silent film
among the Top 100s. Criterion does proper DVD treatment
for this film, which was lost for about fifty years
before an intact copy was discovered in the 1980s. Carl
Dreyer's film still holds up today with its artistic
vision strongly present on DVD. The central performance
alone (Maria Falconetti as Joan) is remarkable by itself. |
67)
Braveheart DVD release: 8/29/00, Film: 1995, Paramount Pictures The 1995 Best Picture Oscar
winner, Braveheart is one of the most praised
films of the past decade. Paramount's DVD provides a
stunningly good video transfer, a nice surround track,
and a handful of interesting extras. And that's good
enough for people who like this movie, since the movie is
that good, in their opinion, anyway. |
66) Army
of Darkness: Limited Edition (Director's Cut) DVD release: 7/3/01, Film: 1993, Columbia TriStar Army of Darkness is a cult favorite from
Bruce Campbell. Only a campy horror/comedy film with such
a large following would merit five (no, really FIVE!)
separate, distinct DVD releases. So for the diehard Ash
fans with a completist nature, every new release is just
another blow to the wallet. The version that was voted
was this version - the Unrated Limited Edition Director's
Cut, at least I think this is it. Boy, this is difficult. |
65)
The
Wicker Man: Limited Edition DVD release: 8/21/01, Film: 1974, Anchor Bay Entertainment The Wicker Man is a
deep, dark disturbing sexual parable from Sleuth scribe
Anthony Shaffer about a puritanical police officer
investigating a child's disappearance on a remote
Scottish island only to discover a pagan society that
manipulate him for their own freakishly wanton ends. A
provocative and bizarre cult shocker, unlike anything
you've ever seen, presented in a unique wooden box
edition from Anchor Bay. Decent transfer and extras
including a great 50 minutes documentary. |
64) The
Decalogue DVD release: 4/18/00, Film: 1988, Image Entertainment Krzysztof Kieslowski's ten
hour-long TV films based on the Ten Commandments are
presented here in a definitive collection. Still slightly
grainy, but a considerable improvement over VHS, original
1:33:1 aspect ratio and native Polish, this is
Euro-Arthouse at its peak. Bleakest humor, savage irony
and perfect delineation of character, circumstance and
location through highly stylized filtered/vignette'd
cinematography. No extras as such but a highly
recommended compilation, nonetheless. |
63)
Rear
Window: Collector's Edition DVD release: 7/3/01, Film: 1954, Universal Pictures A full digital makeover for Hitchcock's
greatest and darkest movie. Rear Window is a
classic study in voyeurism, where 'Everyman' James
Stewart - debilitated by a broken leg - spies on his
neighbors through a telephoto lens. Each of the windows
contains a mini-drama and we are drawn into his
obsession, like him, becoming convinced that one neighbor
who lives opposite has murdered his wife and chopped her
into disposable pieces. The intricacies of the amazing
back-lot set are seen in rich detail for the first time
on this sparkling transfer. Also contains yet another
superb in-depth documentary from Universal, featuring
many of the key players. |
62) Do the
Right Thing: Criterion Collection DVD release: 2/20/01, Film: 1989, Home Vision, Criterion Let's do a syllogism. |
61)
A
Bug's Life: Collector's Edition DVD release: 11/23/01, Film: 1998, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios The day before the spectacular box office hit Toy Story 2 came to theaters, Pixar delivered something special to the homes as well - the 2-disc Collector's Edition of A Bug's Life, their successful 1998 hit. When released two years ago, 2-disc sets were not the norm as they are now. In fact, A Bug's Life was the first Disney Collector's Edition, a collection which grows every few months now. Featuring a wonderful anamorphic direct digital widescreen transfer (which improves even over the near-flawless original release), a 5.1 Dolby Digital track that will bring down the house, a sound effects-only track, a track of Randy Newman's score isolated, and one of the most entertaining audio commentaries out there. The second disc is the part that gives it that "Super Genius" kick - the supplements go inside Pixar to show how enthusiastic the studio is about making movies that are fun for both kids and adults. A delightful Christmas present indeed, and a good precursor to the following year's Ultimate Toy Box release, A Bug's Life is rarely matched in the spectacular audio and video departments. Buy this DVD |
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20 - 11 | 10 - 1
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the Top 100 DVDs Census
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