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1999: THE YEAR THAT WAS by the Staff of DVDFILE After a couple of years of naysaying, uncertainty and DIVX, DVD finally emerged as a format to be reckoned with in 1999. Breaking through not only in terms of sales but also overall public awareness and media attention, if anyone doubted the format's viability as a mass consumer product and heir apparent to the VCR, they probably don't anymore. Certainly, the format still has plenty of challenges ahead as it attempts to hit critical mass, and the lingering doubts surrounding the lack of support for DVD-ROM, the DVD-Audio mess and the technological hurdles of recordability remain formidable challenges. But regardless of what happens in 2000 and beyond, the sheer momentum of the juggernaut that DVD is becoming suggests no sign of slowing down in the months to come. So, as 2000 approaches, we here at DVDFILE thought it was a good time to take stock of the past year, and reflect on what we saw were the highs and lows for the format in 1999. With scores of new titles appearing weekly, and plenty of near-seismic shifts taking place within the industry on an almost weekly basis, 1999 was full of drama, excitement and plenty of opportunities to spend money! So, here are our staff's picks for the Best & Worst of '99 and further thoughts on The Year That Was. (Divided into Part One below and Part Two.) PETE'S TAKE ON '99 - DO YOU DO DVD? And The Award Goes To... Biggest Milestone: Though it was a rather incredible year for DVD, my vote for the most important breakthrough for the format wasn't really one isolated event so much as the culmination of all the positive media attention, consumer sales and industry support the format received in 1999. The result? DVD became the hot "gotta have it" hot tech toy of 1999. DVD, finally and irrevocably broke through! The Rose That May Really Harbor Hidden Thorns: The fall of DIVX. Sure, it helped ease consumer confusion and was a pain in the ass DVD never needed, but with no clear path for DVD to feed the studios' hunger for rental profits, it leaves a question mark hanging on how this massive pricing paradigm shift may cause the industry to react... Biggest Technological Breakthrough: None! Though the DVD-Video format continues to innovate in terms of interactivity, features and quality, the quagmire of DVD-ROM, DVD-Audio and DVD-Recordable formats, not to mention the high hopes for video game platforms based upon the DVD spec, form may mean the next big steps will come in 2000. Most Welcome Trend: Price Reductions: Though the average price list price paid for a DVD actually rose to about $27.50, that was mainly due to the increased output of higher-priced studios like Paramount, Buena Vista and Twentieth Century Fox. In actuality, all the biggest DVD supporting studios, namely DreamWorks, Columbia, Universal and Warner (not to mention a host of independents) actively reduced the prices on a large selection of titles. Though a rental pricing model may stunt the continuance of price reductions, at least the studios generally seem to be trying to keep prices heading down, not up. Always A Bridesmaid, Never A Bride Award: Music video programming on DVD. Though more music-based content started to appear on DVD in 1999 (largely thanks to Sony and BMG), high-profile holdouts like Universal (hello!?!?) and wishy-washy support from majors like Warner Reprise means the major content suppliers just may not yet "get it" when it comes to music video on DVD. The Best & Worst Best Special Edition: Yes, I'm really naming a Buena Vista title as my No. 1 pick! Though perhaps more credit is due to Pixar than Disney, The A Bug's Life Collector's Edition was the most comprehensive behind-the-scenes look I saw all year on DVD. Chronicling the process from start to finish, the disc looked great, sounded great, and left me fully satisfied. Though some may balk at the price, in terms of pure presentation and content, this disc rocked. Most Overrated Disc: The biggest seller of the year, Warner's The Matrix. Sure, it had some nifty features and a good transfer. But, the commentary was rather weak, the making-of featurettes good but not great, and the reliance on Internet-only events for a lot of the best content (including the trailers!) left me feeling undernourished... Best Transfer: A tough one, as there was some really amazing work out there this year. So, I divided it up into three categories; live action, animation and straight from digital/video. My live-action choice was Fox's The Thin Red Line, which was so natural, so smooth, so clean, that it was just flawless. DreamWork's The Prince Of Egypt showed Disney how it is done, with not only great extras but a gorgeous anamorphic transfer that showed off the terrific animation to its highest effect. And finally, Pixar's A Bug's Life had the most amazingly three-dimensional look I've ever seen, and shows what a direct-from-digital transfer can achieve. Biggest Missed Opportunity: Some may be surprised, by my vote is for The ALIEN Legacy. Though impressive on the outside and with too much emphasis on fancy menus, the quality of the discs and attention to supplements fell off drastically as the number of the sequel went higher. With extensive extra footage lying in wait for ALIEN 3 and ALIEN Resurrection, and the gross mismanagement of the whole project by Fox (the "5th disc" controversy should have never have happened), it is clear all the money and attention was spent on the first film. Many of the good supplements from the ALIENS laserdisc were dropped, and the hints by Fox that they may "revisit" some of the later installments in the future is an insult to consumers who are expected to shell out their money for this "legacy" box set now. Though what there is on the set is (deceptively) good, it just could have been so much better... Best Box Set: A close one, but I'm going with MGM's James Bond 007 Collection. Great uniformity and consistency across all the discs, from the cool menus to the multiple commentaries, making of documentaries and anamorphic transfers. Good sound mixes on most of 'em, too. Runner-up would be The Nightmare On Elm Street Collection, which only missed the top spot due to the ungainly menus and lack of a full-length documentary assembling all the interviews together. Most Overhyped Disc: Glub, glub, it's Titanic. Paramount may have overestimated the long-term appeal of the film, and when combined with their arrogance towards the press and consumers about the lack of anamorphic enhancement and features, led to less-than-spectacular sales. Perhaps even more regrettable, the compliance by James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment in the decisions suggests an ominous sign of things to come, especially in light of their shoddy laserdisc rehashes (aka True Lies, Strange Days and the upcoming The Abyss). Best Audio: Saving Private Ryan, both versions. Do I really need to explain this one? Probably the most active surrounds ever on a home video. A real sonic blast. Best Studio: Not to cop out, but this is a three-way tie amongst New Line, Columbia and DreamWorks. These are the only three studios that (barring very few exceptions) that never cause me to pause for worry when they announce my favorite title. All three have standardized anamorphic transfers (and often 5.1 remixes when appropriate as well), provide extensive supplement features and continue to listen to consumers and keep costs down. Highlights include New Line's impressive commitment to supporting even smaller titles with top-tier special editions (such as Detroit Rock City), Columbia's pioneering work on Ghostbusters (as typified by the first-ever "video commentary") and DreamWorks overall class act (The Prince Of Egypt is a perfect example of DreamWorks disc: great transfer, great extras, classy menus!). Runner-up would be Universal, who after a slow start and inconsistent track record in terms of quality transfers, has hit home runs this fall. Look for them to hit the top next year if they keep it up. Best Independent: Why, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's...Anchor Bay! Coming out of nowhere, these guys have impressed just about everyone with their love of film, their support of anamorphic and their ability to get all types of talent involved with even the smallest "B" title. Though Criterion has the "highbrow" market cornered, Anchor Bay delivers the goods at low prices, and who else could get Crispin Glover to do a commentary!? Best Independent DVD Producer: The folks at Sharpline Arts. Many forget that the studios often hire out for much of the special edition content on DVD, and companies like Sharpline Arts have consistently delivered great content from a film fan's perspective. The documentary on The ALIEN Legacy, special editions like John Carpenter's The Thing and The Last Starfighter, as well as pushing the format with the introduction of the Theatrical Matte Option on Bride Of Re-Animator, Sharpline is a strong example of what the independent DVD producer can do. (And hats off as well to the many other terrific independent companies and producers out there, who are all truly doing a great job!) Most Inconsistent Studio: Warner - just as capable of putting out high-quality discs (The Wizard Of Oz, Deep Blue Sea) to substandard ones (The American President, The Kubrick Collection), Warner confounds expectations as often as they exceed them. Though their willingness to experiment with pricing and features is admirable, a little bit of standardization would go a long way for them, and if they committed to across-the-board anamorphic transfers and drop the damn snapper case, they'd stand tall with the best of the majors. The Grinch That Stole DVD's Christmas A tough choice between Twentieth Century Fox and Buena Vista, I'd have to go with the latter. By overpricing their "Disney DVDs," they have made it tough for parents to embrace DVD due to the high prices of their animated classics, and driven away collector's by charging a laserdisc price tag without the laserdisc features. But, with signs that a turnaround is dawning, we can hope that next year Buena Vista won't win this dubious honor again... The Filmmaker Follies Most Too Easily Forgiven Award: Steven Spielberg. Sure, he finally "allowed" Saving Private Ryan to be released, but one title does not a commitment make. And no matter how many titles he releases in 200 and beyond, his active holdout of the DVD format until more players were sold will continue to make him seem more of a follower than a leader. However, if he truly decides to get his hands dirty with the format and put out some great discs in 20-0 and beyond, maybe then he'll be worthy of the lavish praise he's been getting lately. Most Digitally Impaired Award: Though supposedly a digital pioneer and crusader for quality presentation, George Lucas has shown a surprising lack of vision when it comes to anything digital beyond his goal replace film (which, of course, he has a financial stake in). Aside from his obsession for CG'ing out everything good from the Star Wars movies, he has put in no effort to help grow the DVD format, which stands head and shoulders above VHS, as well as any other consumer media, digital or otherwise. And his reputation within the industry as a bastion of high-quality presentation needs to be seriously reassessed, in light of the poor performance of the THX Digital Mastering Program so far in terms of instituting strict and consistent quality standards for the DVD format. Let's hope Mr. Lucas decides to start including the home digital market, which right now is primarily DVD, in his grand plans for a digital future sometime soon. The Most Absent From School Award: James Cameron. Uh, Jim, do you have any opinion at all about DVD? Here's a hint: buy a DVD player and actually get yourself down to a studio and do something. Anything! You're films are being done a disservice...let's hope you decide to get involved someday! Most Out Of Touch With Current Technology Award: Stanley Kubrick. Releasing age-old transfers on DVD was probably not a very good idea... Directors Who Actually Get It: Thankfully, there are some filmmakers who (gasp!) consistently support DVD or have at least experimented with the format. Some of the notables include Brett Ratner, Bill Condon, Taylor Hackford, John Carpenter, William Friedkin, Ridley Scott, Robert Altman, P.T. Anderson, John Lasseter, Sydney Pollack, Werner Herzog, Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick, and many others...thank you! A Look Ahead To 2000 Most Anticipated DVD Milestone: Hitting that magical "1,000,000 software units sold in one week" mark. It will happen...soon! Most Anticipated Title: American Beauty. A great movie and a great studio (DreamWorks) should equal a great DVD. Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson's inevitable commentary for Magnolia. This, I gotta hear! Biggest Question Mark: Adopting a rental model for DVD...if the studios go for it, will retailers and consumers balk? Most Optimistic Hope: A serious, concentrated effort by The DVD Forum, The DVD Video Group and THX to push the industry to truly standardize features, pricing, packaging and quality. SHANE'S WORLD '99 Well, it's been a great year for DVD. Divx died its (deservedly) painful death, and the major studios are all committed to day and date support. With the exception of a couple of huge filmmakers, everyone is on the bandwagon and quality seems to improving as we go along. As a result, DVD is enjoying its first full speed ahead Christmas shopping season. The format has picked up a lot of momentum and is showing no signs of slowing. This column really represents the best stuff I've seen and heard this year that I think you should pick up if you haven't already. Top Special Editions A Bug's Life Collector's Edition - At the top of my list has got to be Buena Vista's (gasp!) A Bug's Life Collector's Edition. The anamorphic widescreen rendering of this groundbreaking all-digital transfer is nothing short of stunning, and represents the current reference standard for video presentation. Coupled with great Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and the most comprehensive supplements I've yet seen on DVD and you've got a real winner. Army of Darkness Limited Edition - Anchor Bay did right by one of my all-time favorites, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness. Little company, big value. Not only did they give AOD all the fixin's, with a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, they pulled out all the stops with the supplements as well. Included is the director's cut with extra footage and the original ending, a running commentary with Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell, a featurette, and much more. The Corruptor - New Line is consistently pushing the envelope with what can be done on the DVD platform. This New Line Platinum Series disc boasts some of the most innovative menus I've seen, which access a great package of special features. Nearly two full directors' commentaries, isolated 5.1 score with its own commentary by composer Carter Burwell, and a documentary this disc has all the tricks. The Corruptor is also one the first DVDs with a soundtrack that's been remastered and re-equalized for optimal home theater playback. And of course, sine this is New Line, the video leaves nothing to be desired either. I'd also be remiss if I failed to mention that Corruptor is very underrated as a film. This Chow Yun-Fat actioner has far more in common with the Hong Kong star's earlier collaborations with John Woo than with the Replacement Killers. Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me - Oh, Behave! New Line is never one to rest on their laurels. Just a couple of months after their groundbreaking Corruptor effort, New Line released the first DVD with a THX Surround EX soundtrack to go along with the usual superb visuals. Austin's second-coming made it to DVD with a host of great features and again, spectacular menus that interact with Austin himself in hilarious fashion. Additionally, Austin comes with a commentary, tons of deleted scenes, music videos, the very funny Comedy Central Canned Ham presents: The Dr. Evil Story, a behind the scenes documentary, and four trailers. The Mummy - While the movie itself is rather overrated (Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Army of Darkness? Not by a long shot either way!) Universal's DVD lives up to even the highest expectations. The video quality is among the best Universal's offered yet, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 is no slouch either. The Mummy has great menus that are a lot of fun, and tons of extras. Pure Sound and Vision Saving Private Ryan DTS - Many people were put off by the film's highly stylized video presentation, but I'm obviously not one of them. One thing there certainly can be no argument about is the soundtrack, which is the finest available on DVD. It is the reference against which all soundtracks will be compared for some time. Saving Private Ryan on DVD is a profound experience. The Thin Red Line - This was a gorgeously photographed film, and this reference quality anamorphic widescreen DVD from Fox brings every ounce of that beauty home. Put that video quality together with the wonderfully immersive Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and this disc mesmerizes. Shakespeare in Love- Buena Vista really gets it done when they choose to do anamorphic widescreen, and that is certainly the case here. The sumptuous photography, production design, and costumes are beautifully rendered on this DVD which certainly boasts a reference quality video presentation. The Haunting - I know, I know. This movie is not an Oscar challenger. But trust me when I tell you that this disc looks great, and that the soundtrack, the second to be encoded in THX Surround EX, is a knock out. In fact, this thrill-ride soundtrack is as over the top as the movie itself! It's about Family!! Mouse Hunt DTS - Dreamworks' DTS version of this disc is fantastic! The surprisingly low key photography is beautifully rendered on this dual-layered DVD, and the DTS soundtrack is a revelation. The humor is very slap stick, with great physical comedy by Nathan Lane and Lee Evans. Of course, the mouse steals the show with a fantastic blend of trained mice and CGI that serves to make the mouse a real character in the film. Movies I'm glad to have on DVD - Finally! Fitzcarraldo - Werner Herzog's heart breaking film about the power of dreams was given its due by Anchor Bay. The Third Man - Seminal film noir, starring the great Orson Welles and the underrated Joseph Cotton, courtesy of the Criterion Collection. Apocalypse Now - Francis Ford Coppola's psychological Vietnam epic could easily have fitted into the above Sound and Vision category as this film has one of the best 5.1 soundtracks you'll hear. Nevertheless, this film has been the ultimate home theater demo for every medium and now it's here on DVD. Ghostbusters - Who you gonna call? Columbia brought this 80's classic to DVD with a stunning new anamorphic widescreen transfer, remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and some of the most innovative extras seen on DVD thus far. The ALIEN Legacy - These landmark sci-fi films showed up with brand new anamorphic widescreen transfers downconverted from hi-def. Fox did nice special editions of Alien and Aliens, and all four movies looked and sounded terrific. Missed Opportunities Disney Animated Classics - Disney dropped the ball big-time with their franchise titles, charging a premium $40 for old non-anamorphic widescreen transfers and no extras. These discs were a huge disappointment. If only Disney had done these as well as New line did the Poison Ivy Trilogy! Warner's Kubrick Collection - Even now that it's happened it's difficult to imagine how works of a director of Kubrick's stature (and his fans) could get so short-changed on DVD. Warner really blew this one, dragging out a bunch of old terrible transfers and calling them director approved. Approved they were, for laserdisc TEN YEARS AGO! Only Dr. Stranglove (which, big surprise, was transferred by Columbia) is truly deserving of belonging in a Kubrick box set. Spielberg and Lucas - While it was nice getting Saving Private Ryan on DVD this November, these two need to step up to the plate. This has to be the last Christmas without Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, or Close Encounters. To get the DVD format to the next level we need their blockbuster titles. It will be a black eye for DVD on 2000 if Lucas sticks with the idea of Phantom Menace being a VHS only release. Comeback Studio of the Year Anchor Bay - Anchor Bay turned over a new leaf with the release of their fantastic Halloween Limited Edition. Starting with that disc, all we've been getting from them are great titles with anamorphic widescreen transfers all over the place. These folks are real movie fans and it's showing with very release. What Anchor Bay is doing leaves no room for the big studios to offer us anything less than anamorphic widescreen transfers, even with catalog titles. If Anchor Bay can afford to do new transfers so can the big boys. We're also looking forward to some more terrific special editions from Anchor Bay in 2000, as well as more cult favorites. DTS 5.1 Music CD's - Lots of these babies should make your holiday shopping list. Digital surround sound is the future of music, and you'll be a believer when you hear what DTS 5.1 encoding can do for music. Here are a few of the DTS CDs I've heard that I think will float your boat too: Sting: Ten Summoner's Tales - Sting's terrific album sounds even more terrific in 5.1. Excellent use of the surrounds with primary information like strings wrapping around the listener. Joe Morris and Friends - OCI Records' fantastic release that puts the listener in jazz drummer Joe Morris' drum kit. Fantastic, aggressive mix. Marvin Gaye: Forever Yours - The best songs by this R&B icon. This mix has lots of backing vocals and instruments in the surrounds, and is a very involving experience. Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth - This outstanding release comes to breathtaking life as a DTS 5.1 CD. The mix here is a blend of approaches that sometimes put primary information like instruments and vocals into the surrounds, while at other times we just get more of the recording space. In all cases there is a coherent and enveloping soundfield. Diana Krall: Love Scenes - This smoky jazz singer's release is more conservative with respect to putting primary information in the surrounds. But this DTS CD offers a deep and wide soundstage up front that precisely places the instruments in space. The surrounds here are used to great effect putting the listener in the recording space with the band. ED'S TAKE ON '99 DVD's Banner Year The past year has seen some really great things happen to DVD. More titles were released anamorphic, DTS made its DVD debut, and DIVX died a heinous (and much celebrated) death. Given all the exciting things that have happened (and are happening), I was excited to hear our illustrious editor's call for a list of some of our favorites. So, here they are: Supplements: Buena Vista aside, most studios spent 1999 developing bigger and better special editions. Things that we gladly hailed as supplements in January are now considered standard fare as "special event" and "limited edition" discs are becoming more and more frequent. Some of the high points: Packing the equivalent of ten full hours of supplements, Criterion's Brazil was more or less a port of the legendary laserdisc, but what else could you add? And Halloween...despite not being able to obtain John Carpenter's commentary from Criterion, Anchor Bay goes the extra mile and includes a widescreen cut of the film with the TV footage intact. When Universal's original release of Army of Darkness was DOA, Anchor Bay (again) came through with a definitive disc set of a cult favorite. MGM pulls the James Bond films and accomplishes two things: 1) makes them infinitely better by adding a wealth of supplements to each disc, and 2) shows they have consumer interest in mind by not continuing to press the inferior earlier editions. But if there was one disc that defined the special event disc, it was Columbia/TriStar's phenomenal release of Ghostbusters; other studios (with the obvious exception of Anchor Bay) should stand up and take note. Image/Sound: As fun as the supplements are, its still the image and sound that count, and the technology just seems to keep getting better (are you really going to use that featurette to show your setup off to friends and family?). Though 1999 saw the release of some of the obvious biggies (some of them listed below), there were also some quiet ones that almost went unnoticed. There's a reason Saving Private Ryan won the Oscar for Best Sound Design, and its easy to hear on DreamWorks beautifully mastered disc. Regardless of how you feel about the movie itself, the "other war movie," Fox's The Thin Red Line, is as good as image quality gets without another advance in technology. Fox's Ever After gets points for being an early release that helped set the standard for the rest of the year, if only the default audio wasn't 2 channel stereo. Everybody wanted The Matrix, at least that's the way it looks from continued sales figures, and Warner served it up right. Old Friends Another nice thing about 1999 was the diversity that started to emerge. The studios also began to dig deeper into their extensive catalogs and pull out titles that some of us were eagerly awaiting, as well as finally releasing titles that had been announced over a year ago. Warner Bros, after a year of repeatedly postponing the date, finally releases The Shawshank Redemption, just in time for that other Stephen King prison film. For Columbia/TriStar, putting Rodriguez' El Mariachi and Desperado together was smart; putting them on the same disc was genius. A guilty pleasure, sure the image and audio were only average at best, but HBO's release of The Hitcher showed that even the least known of films have a chance to make it to DVD. The boys from Britain, Monty Python, had a banner year with the release of nearly all of their films on disc, but true fans (myself included) can finally enjoy the original Monty Python's Flying Circus series on their favorite format. And Criterion finally released Grand Illusion, which was supposed to have been their first release, and proves that some things are worth the wait. The Low Points There are two sides to every story, and DVD is no exception. Though I really only hated one disc by name, there were some disturbing trends that developed. Good:
Disney announced the release of some of their classic
animated titles... Good:
Fox releases the Die Hard trilogy on DVD... Good:
Studios continue to churn out special editions... Good:
Spielberg tests the waters... DAN'S '99 HIGHS & LOWS The Best DVDs of '99: The Matrix, Ghostbusters and The ALIEN Legacy box set. Most disappointing transfers for films that deserve better: The Kubrick Collection and The Last Emperor Most pleasant surprises of '99: Anamorphic releases for Fox's The ALIEN Legacy and Buena Vista's Shakespeare in Love Worst marketing blunder: Buena Vista's release of a film-only Shakespeare in Love, followed a few months later by the Special Edition of the same title. Best marketing recovery: Buena Vista's simultaneous announcement of Tarzan and the Tarzan Special Edition Most incomprehensible decision of '99: A non-anamorphic Titanic. Most disappointing '99 announcement for a future release: A non-anamorphic release of The Abyss Technologies that should have been discarded for DVD in '99 but weren't: D2 masters, edge enhancement And The Grinch That Stole DVD's Christmas award goes to... It's a tie! George Lucas for his withholding Star Wars from DVD until 2006, and Steven Spielberg for withholding most of the films he either directed or executive produced from DVD. »» On To PART TWO / Back to SPECIAL REPORT ARCHIVE »» |
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