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| 40)
Requiem for a Dream: Director's Cut Darren Aronofsky, director of the critical smash Pi, follows up his acclaimed debut with a gritty, stylish, emotionally charged story of love, loss, drugs and dreams amid the faded glory of Coney Island. Intricately linking the lives of a struggling, small-time drug dealer (Jared Leto), his pill-popping mother (Ellen Burstyn), his upper-class girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) and his best friend (Marlon Wayans), Requiem For A Dream is a hypnotic tale of four human beings each pursuing their vision of happiness. Even as everything begins to fall apart, they refuse to let go, plummeting with their dreams into a nightmarish, gut-wrenching freefall. |
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| 2000, Artisan / 1 Disc / DVD Release 5/22/01 / SRP $14.98 / LAST YEAR: 24 |
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39)
The Third Man: Criterion Collection Film noir at its best in Carol Reed's 1949 masterpiece. From the catchy Anton Karas theme to the shadowed cinematography, everything about The Third Man is unforgettably well-executed. Criterion's DVD features an incredible video transfer, and some interesting extras, including the alternate opening narration American audiences saw, a radio broadcast from The Lives of Harry Lime series, and an introduction from Peter Bogdanovich. |
| 1949, Criterion / 1 Disc / DVD Release 11/30/99 / SRP $39.99 / LAST YEAR: 33 |
| 38)
A Bug's Life: Collector's Edition Pixar's follow-up to their smash hit debut Toy Story is the brilliant and oft-underappreciated A Bug's Life. Upon its theatrical release, comparisons with Antz, the computer-animated film about insects that DreamWorks just happened to release weeks before were inevitable. But now that years have passed, and Pixar's fifth feature film is wrapping up production for a spring theatrical release, it is easy to look back at A Bug's Life with awe at the unfailing magic that the studio has been able to work. Less cutesy than Monsters, Inc. and as lofty as the Toy Story films, A Bug's Life is very much a classic in its own right. Humor and adventure seamlessly blend to make this familiar story flowing with life and charm. It's a unique effort, Pixar's only 2.35:1 production, and features one of the most memorable villians in a long time, in Kevin Spacey's Hopper. Backed by a magical Randy Newman score, and an entertaining gaggle of voice talent (mostly TV sitcom actors), A Bug's Life is one of the most wonderful films of the '90s and deserves to be recognized as such, rather than remaining in the shadows of Buzz, Woody, Sulley, and Mike. This currently out-of-print Collector's Edition is the only DVD release which includes an anamorphic widescreen transfer and the direct digital transfer just leaps off the screen with its pleasant array of greens and blues. The visual fireworks are joined with an amazing surround track, plus a whole bunch of goodies, including an easy-listening Pixar commentary, isolated sound-FX and music tracks, Pixar's Oscar-winning short "Geri's Game", two trailers, two sets of outtakes, and numerous featurettes on the production and development of the film. While this set has been one of the most highly-sought out of print DVDs for some time now, word has it that the set will be reissued in May around the same time Finding Nemo is hitting theaters. |
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| 1998, Disney/Pixar / 2 Discs / DVD Release 11/23/99 / SRP $39.99 / LAST YEAR: 61 |
 VOTERS' VOICES: -"Not much in the way of extras, but with a film like this and a restoration job like this, what more do you need?" |
37)
North by Northwest Hitchcock's tribute to early Hitchcock is 1959's North by Northwest, a tongue-in-cheek update on the 'Wrong Man' narrative which laid the basis for so many of his works. Double entendre and satire mix with some tense moments in a textbook Hitchcock romance/suspense/comedy/ adventure. The real attraction here (besides the well-liked film) is the restoration given to the film, which looks incredibly detailed, colorful, and clean, far better than most other '50s films look. If top-notch audio and video aren't good enough, two more addendums. The disc has got a decent amount of extras, including a behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Eva Marie Saint and a full audio commentary from screenwriter Ernest Lehman. And Warner has this set to an MSRP of just $19.99, making this excellent bargain bin material, and easier on your wallet than Universal's Hitchcock DVDs. |
| 1959, Warner Bros. / 1 Disc / DVD Release 8/29/00 / SRP $19..99 / LAST YEAR: 34 |
| 36)
Boogie Nights: Platinum Series Paul Thomas Anderson's acclaimed Boogie Nights again gets high marks on this list, as New Line's 2-disc Platinum Series offers everything you could want on this film. Highlights include 2 audio commentaries, 10 deleted scenes, and a featurette on actor John C. Reilly. Plus the audio and video are both top-notch. |
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| 1997, New Line / 2 Discs / DVD Release 8/29/00 / SRP $29.99 / LAST YEAR: 19 |
 VOTERS' VOICES: -"One of if not the funniest movies of all time. While the quality is not the best due to the poor source, it is still great. Now go buy this movie now or I shall be forced to say....NI!!" |
35)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Special Edition Columbia/TriStar's 2-disc special edition for this classic comedy falls out of the top 20, but doesn't fall too far. The set includes delightful commentary, and a whole bunch of extras which maintain the spirit of fun associated with the Monty Python troupe. |
| 1975, Columbia/TriStar / 2 Discs / DVD Release 10/23/01 / SRP $29.99 / LAST YEAR: 17 |
| 34)
Seven Samurai: Criterion Collection Akira Kurosawa's beloved epic remains fresh nearly half-a-century from when it was released. Renowned for essentially creating the mold for action epic, and for having inspired American cinema in a variety of ways, Seven Samurai is a crowning achievement in film. Even if you haven't seen it (and you should), you have seen its effects, in everything from Star Wars to Three Amigos. This Criterion disc includes an audio commentary from Japanese film expert Michael Jeck. |
 VOTERS' VOICES: -"One of the greatest movies ever, plus that phenomenal commentary by Michael Jeck." |
| 1954, Criterion / 1 Disc / DVD Release 3/1/99 / SRP $39.99 / LAST YEAR: 45 |
 VOTERS' VOICES: -"The picture is gorgeous, the film is beautiful, and the documentary on the second disc is a great look inside the making of one of the best films of the 1990s." |
33)
Magnolia: Platinum Series Like Boogie Nights, Magnolia is another Paul Thomas Anderson work with an ensemble cast and a dazzling Platinum Series DVD set from New Line. Extras include deleted scenes, a full-length making-of documentary, and Aimee Mann's "Save Me" music video. |
| 1999, New Line / 2 Discs / DVD Release 8/29/00 / SRP $29..99 / LAST YEAR: 18 |
| 32)
8 1/2: Criterion Collection Federico Fellini's dream-like 8 1/2 remains one of the most precious gems of Italian cinema, and it was only a matter of time before Criterion gave this film the treatment it screams for. The 2-disc set presents a remarkably clean transfer of this forty-year old drama, plus a plethora of extras to enjoy. Director Terry Gilliam provides an introduction to Disc One, and film critic/professor Antonio Monda gives a feature-length audio commentary. Disc Two explores the film and the director in a number of documentaries. "Fellini: A Director's Notebook" is the 1969 profile of the auteur. "Between Cinema and Concert" studies Nino Rota, the man behind the music of Fellini's works. There are interviews with filmmakers affected by Fellini's work and the visual design of 8 1/2. Finally, there is a gallery of stills from production, and a 22-page booklet of essays, including some by Fellini himself. All in all, a nice package for one of the best films about filmmaking. |
 VOTERS' VOICES: -"Criterion really outdid themselves with this title. The transfer and restoration is gorgeous, the film is brilliant, and the extras were surprisingly good for the age of the film. This is one release that puts many new "special editions" to shame." |
| 1963, Criterion / 2 Discs / DVD Release 12/4/01 / SRP $39..99 / LAST YEAR: NR |
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31) Amelie The buzz about Amelie the film is like wildfire that won't stop singing praises. One of 2001's most-praised works, this French film has more than enough charm to go around. With rich cinematography and a great lead performance by Audrey Tatou, Amelie has taken its place as one of the young decade's most original and winning productions. The DVD offers excellent video and audio quality, and a number of supplements subtitled in English. Recently reduced in price, Amelie is one highly-recommended DVD that now won't cost you much. |
| 2001, Miramax / 1 Disc / DVD Release 7/16/02 / SRP $19.99 / LAST YEAR: N/A |
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