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80)
Glengarry Glen Ross: Special Edition Glengarry Glen Ross is a showcase of standout performances from an extremely talented ensemble cast. Adapted from David Mamet's play, the film is relentless and energetic in its depiction of cutthroat real estate salesmen. The drama made its long-awaited DVD debut last fall in glorious special edition treatment from Artisan. The Super 35 composition is flawlessly conveyed in the anamorphic transfer, and extras include a director's commentary, a tribute to Jack Lemmon (whose laserdisc commentary is unfortunately missing), and a documentary on real salesmen. This film deserves credit for the caliber of acting and writing and for providing sound bytes for the profanity-laced Pacino prank calls that bring laughter worldwide. 1992, Artisan / 2 Discs / DVD Release 11/19/02 / SRP $26.98 / LAST YEAR: N/A BUY THIS DVD |
| 79) Mallrats: Collector's
Edition Kevin Smith's popular sophomore film, 1995's comedy Mallrats, featuring the regular assortment of lowlife and screwball characters, played by Smith's familiar cast members. The DVD includes an amusing audio commentary with Smith, producers and cast members, a making-of featurette, and over an hour (!) of deleted scenes. 1995, Universal / 1 Disc / DVD Release 7/20/99 / SRP $29.99 / LAST YEAR: 16 BUY THIS DVD |
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78)
The Rock: Criterion Collection The Rock, Michael Bay's least-maligned action thriller features deafening Dolby and DTS tracks and unbeatable picture quality. This Criterion set also features a commentary, and a second disc of goodies, including special effects featurettes, outtakes, an interview with executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and a world premiere featurette. 1996, Criterion / Buena Vista / 2 Discs / DVD Release 3/13/01 / SRP $39.99 / LAST YEAR: 20 BUY THIS DVD |
| 77)
The Fifth Element: Superbit Last year, The Fifth Element sneaked onto the list, placing at #93. The reason being that three different releases were vying for votes. This year, the voters all seemed to agree that the Superbit version is the top dog, even though for the additional $8 this disc costs over the standard release, you're losing the few extras you had (so are the rules of Superbit). But you do get a first-rate anamorphic widescreen transfer and a first-rate aural experience (coincidentally, those are the same things that voters cited for picking the standard DVD last year). But, this one has DTS! One thing that people seem to agree on is if you buy only one of these so-called "Superbits", it should be this futuristic sci-fi/action film. 1997, Columbia/TriStar / 1 Disc / DVD Release 10/9/01 / SRP $27.98 / LAST YEAR: NR BUY THIS DVD |
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76)
2001: A Space Odyssey The anamorphic re-release of Stanley Kubrick's visionary 2001 offers great improvement over the initial non-anamorphic DVDs from MGM and Warner. The colorful images leap off the screen, and the sounds of Strauss encompass you in a revitalized 5.1 surround track. The DVD doesn't offer much in extras; in fact, it loses the interview with Arthur C. Clarke on the original disc. It does, however, offer the finest presentation of a film many consider to be one of the greatest. 1968, Warner Bros. / 1 Disc / DVD Release 6/12/01 / SRP $24..98 / LAST YEAR: 39 BUY THIS DVD |
| 75)
The Complete Monterey Pop Festival: Criterion Collection Before there was Woodstock, there was the International Monterey Pop Festival, the famous three-day rock and/or roll concert. Criterion's set provides a great amount of material over three discs. Disc One features the documentary film Monterey Pop (1968), remastered in 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS tracks, with an audio commentary from Festival producer Lou Adler and the film's director D.A. Pennebaker. Adler and Pennebaker also appear in a new interview, as do other producers and performers. Disc Two contains the 49-minute Jimi Plays Monterey (also with commentary) and the 19-minute Shake! Otis at Monterey (with two commentaries) which highlight the performances of Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding, respectively. Both features are also remixed in DTS and DD and are accompanied by further supplements, including interviews. The final Disc features Monterey Pop - The Outtake Performance with two hours of music that didn't make the film's cut, including the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. Overall, one amazing collection that any classic rock fan is sure to treasure. 1967, Criterion / 3 Discs / DVD Release 11/12/02 / SRP $79.99 / LAST YEAR: N/A BUY THIS DVD |
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74)
Dogma: Special Edition Still more hours of Kevin Smith films on packed DVDs -- this time, the 2-disc re-release of Dogma, his comedy about two fallen angels trying to find a way back into heaven. The film is accompanied by two audio commentaries - cast & crew, and a technical commentary. Disc Two includes 110 minutes of deleted footage and 13 minutes of outtakes, making for one packed set, indeed. How fortunate for Kevin Smith fans that his films always get superb DVD treatment. 1999, Columbia/TriStar / 2 Discs / DVD Release 6/26/01 / SRP $29.95 / LAST YEAR: 27 BUY THIS DVD |
| 73) Do The Right Thing:
Criterion Collection The colorful 1989 film Do The Right Thing was director/writer Spike Lee's first major success and it remains arguably his best work to date. The fourteen years which have passed perhaps paints this film a product of its late 80s time, and even though Public Enemy's music has gone out of style, Do The Right Thing remains powerful, in its slice of life depiction of racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood during a particularly scorching summer. In addition to being cinematically significant, Do The Right Thing is a pretty entertaining film, which makes it one of the better Criterion selections, in the eyes of voters. The two-disc set includes an audio commentary with Lee and others, and most notably, a 60-minute making-of documentary. 1989, Criterion, Universal / 2 Discs / DVD Release 2/20/01 / SRP $39.99 / LAST YEAR: 62 BUY THIS DVD |
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72)
This is Spinal Tap: Special Edition While some fans of this 1984 Rob Reiner mockumentary-style comedy prefer the original Criterion DVD release (now out-of-print) and voted accordingly, a greater number were satisfied with MGM's packed disc. The film, recently added to the National Film Registry, is a winner and the DVD includes an interview with director/co-writer Reiner, an audio commentary with the 'band', and additional never-before-seen footage. 1984, MGM / 1 Disc / DVD Release 9/12/00 / SRP $26.98 / LAST YEAR: 47 BUY THIS DVD |
| 71)
Apocalypse Now Redux Francis Ford Coppola's haunting war epic made last year's cut at #87. This year, Coppola's new expanded 2001 cut graces the list. Clearly, this DVD does not make the list based upon an innovative and fulfilling DVD presentation. Surely, any studio other than Paramount would have jumped with joy at the opportunity of a 3-disc Apocalypse Now set, with 1979 theatrical and 2001 Redux cuts, plus the award-winning 1991 documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" (shamefully still missing on DVD). Certainly, the story of the making of Apocalypse Now is as much a legend in filmmaking history as the Joseph Conrad novel the film is based on is in literature. Possibly. Nope, all you get hear is the bloated three-hour cut of the film, with that whopper of a plantation scene, which is undoubtedly interesting to see, but seriously kicks the film's pacing out of whack. All you get is the 2001 re-release trailer, less than even the theatrical cut's disc offers. You do, however get to experience the film in its visual (albeit, a 2.0:1 ratio) and surround-sound glory. And even if the lengthier cut divided fans into two camps, at its heart is indisputably one crowning achievement in American cinema. That and a Paramount price drop makes this one reasonably priced, well, considering it's Paramount. 2001, Paramount / 1 Disc / DVD Release 11/20/01 / SRP $19.99 / LAST YEAR: NR BUY THIS DVD  |
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