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CLIFF'S NOTES '99 I can't believe that we're already to the end of 1999! When I was young, I always thought we'd be flying around in hovercars or something equally Jetsons-esque. A lot happened this year, but looking back it seems like a lot less happened than in previous years. In the past, we've had studios that still weren't involved with DVD and DIVX to unite in battle over. With Paramount, Fox and DreamWorks all jumping onto DVD late last year and the suicide of DIVX (sad really, but that bitch had it coming), DVD in 1999 quite simply emerged into what it ultimately is, the format of choice for those who know quality. Best Looking Disc: Being as how The Thin Red Line was the first disc that I ever gave a perfect picture rating for in my review, I'll have to go with that. It was so perfectly realized on DVD that it was amazing to watch. The only way to possibly better that would be to do a direct digital transfer. Then A Bug's Life went and did that and it did look even better. But seeing as how Thin Red Line was an actual live action film, I'm sticking with that because I think it's more impressive that a film could look that amazing. Best Sounding Disc: I think Saving Private Ryan is going to earn the lion's share of the accolades. Yes, it absolutely was the finest sounding disc I heard, not only in 1999, but ever. I also want to make mention of the remixes done by Paramount for just about every older title they released. They gave older soundtracks for films like King Kong, Star Trek IV and Coming to America sound much closer to their current day counterparts. Best Special Edition: Even though A Bug's Life was more comprehensive, I think the James Bond discs, either separately or especially together, were much more enjoyable. With new documentaries created for most of the films and at least one commentary for each, they provided a wealth of information for a fanbase that thirsts for anything 007. And by providing them before releasing simple movie-only editions, they afforded consumers a chance at all the goodies the first time around. Best New Technological Feature: Using the subtitle feature to contain the new video commentary for the Ghostbusters DVD was not only clever, it was brilliant. While I think the feature could be used to greater effect, there's no denying that this was a brilliant new use and a real turning point where, just when we thought that all the supplements that could be created had been, something new and fresh comes along. Biggest Visual Improvement Over The Laserdisc Counterpart: Anyone who ever had the chance to see the special edition of ALIENS knows that the new DVD was literally like seeing the film again for the first time. While the LD was marred with a distracting amount of grain, the DVD instead was smooth and solid and should be the preferred version for anyone who still has their eyesight. I know that I will be watching this disc for years to come and even though a lot of the supplements from the LD were dropped on from the DVD, the improvements in the picture are so dramatic that I can't really get that upset. Best Studio: Although this is a very close race, I'm giving the prize to New Line. With only a handful of films that they own, they are consistently trying to one-up those studios with larger catalogs. The special editions of Rush Hour, Pleasantville, The Corruptor, Austin Powers 2, Detroit Rock City and the entire Nightmare on Elm St collection are tangible evidence of New Line's love for DVD. Best Independent: I'm throwing up a tie between Anchor Bay and Trimark. Both studios are prime examples of taking even the most obscure titles and doing something more with them. The Anchor Bay Halloween disc was a wonderful "We're sorry for that first release" and Trimark's treatment of Lolita should have made Warner openly cry for how they treated the Kubrick version. Both of these studios have a lot of titles that are less than "A" titles but they still do the work no matter what. The "We've Listened To You" Award: DreamWorks, who was the last of the studios to enter the DVD market, jumped to the head of the DVD line so fast it should have made heads spin. While I know that they have few titles, consider this: DreamWorks has released every single title they own on DVD. Some more than once because they also released DTS editions for many of them. They ran out of the gate and since have provided the anamorphic transfers that consumers want, something companies that have been into DVD for far longer have yet to materialize. Everything about DreamWorks is top drawer and remember, their first DVD release was just last December 7. Best Bargain Of The Year: All three Die Hards at CompUSA for $9.99 a piece. Sure, I had to get there at 6AM, but three for the price of one ain't too bad. Best Commentary: The director, Gonzo, Kermit, Rizzo video commentary for Muppets From Space. I didn't actually learn anything about the making of the movie but I had a great time with it for an additional 90 minutes. Plus, Kermit the Frog confirms that a Phantom Menace DVD is in the works complete with a commentary. And so it goes that with things so great, other things will underperform. The worst of the years are… Worst Picture: This one's really tough because I tend to block these out after I've experienced them. Of the titles that should have been given proper treatment and weren't are Mr. Hollands Opus, Mrs. Doubtfire, Die Hard With a Vengeance and the Kubrick Collection. These were abysmal releases and should have embarrassed those involved. Worst Special Edition: Halloween:H20. Charging $40 for features advertised on the package but not included on the disc! For $40, you were given a short featurette, a lame trivia game and a music video. The Halloween: H20 fecal edition was exactly the type of disc that can hurt DVD because it makes the format look bad to new recruits. Biggest Screw You To Consumers: I'm again going with a tie on this one. First up is the "too little, a year too late" release of Titanic. Giving customers the least for their money insured that this disc will be languishing on store shelves for a long time to come. It's a good thing that Paramount shipped over a million, that way they can just forget about it and move on without having to deal with it for a while. In all fairness though, I pin this fiasco on James Cameron's Lightstorm. They made the decision to release the biggest movie of all time with quality that was well under the quality afforded to Mallrats, a film that was a huge bomb when it was released. The other finger thrown to DVD fans this year was the announcement of the Armageddon Criterion Edition just days after the release of Buena Vista's movie-only edition. By waiting to announce the disc until they had the chance to sell off the early copies to must-own fans, they may have sold some extra copies but they also hurt Criterion's chances at selling more than they did. They also slammed it to the consumers by deceptively hiding their plans. How many of you didn't buy the Criterion edition simply because you already had the Buena Vista version? Exactly my point. Worst Commentary: The Steve Minor/Jamie Lee Curtis commentary for Halloween: H20 track was so bad it was like listening to nothing! Biggest Missed Opportunity: The bounty of anamorphic transfers that exist for a multitude of Buena Vista and Fox discs are sitting collecting dust inside of region 1. Sure the rest of the world gets to take advantage of some of them, but we poor folks here have to be given only what we're fed. Anamorphic Armageddon and There's Something About Mary are just two of the many titles that we're not allowed to enjoy here. Most Annoying Disc: As a Denver Broncos fan, I was very excited to get ahold of the release of SuperBowl 32: Best One Ever. That excitement soon turned to frustration when I had to sit through a rather lengthy RCA commercial that is unavoidable to get to the main program. I can't even stop the disc while the commercial is playing. One quick question, since I PAID $30 for this disc, why must I sit through the advertising? Seems to me the disc should be free, compliments of RCA. Worst Extra Feature: The Special Full Color Character Artwork on the Disney animated titles. Every Studio does this but only Disney was ballsy enough to proclaim it a special feature to hopefully cover up how anemic their Classic discs really were. How is my enjoyment of the film enhanced with a picture on the disc? Biggest Rip-Off: I know everyone will expect me to say the Disney animated titles, but I have one that I think is even more off kilter, Fox's Last of the Mohicans. The non-anamorphic featureless disc was priced to sit on shelves at $35. At least with the Disney animated titles, you got the Disney animated titles. Most Overrated Disc Of The Year: The Matrix. I liked the movie, but remind me what was so special about the DVD. Biggest Head Up Their Digital Ass: Another tie, this time between George Lucas and James Cameron. With such a stranglehold on their films and no concept for what DVD is capable of, both of these men make me question how into quality they really are. They both claim to be but I'm not buying it! Worst Retailer Trend: When you go into a store on Tuesday for your highly anticipated new release only to be told, "We'll probably get them on either Thursday or next Saturday." Learn release dates guys and have a clue about what you're selling. Worst Studio Trend: When you call some to ask a question about a release only to be told, "I really don't know anything about that title. I'll call you back either Thursday or next Saturday." I've got the same advise for you guys. Learn about what you're selling. As to next year… Most overrated Y2K concern: Rental pricing. Yes. It will happen, but I think it's still a bit off. With all the retail support that DVD now has the retailers are going to want to keep selling this stuff. The rental shops are still too few to make the difference. While Blockbuster may in fact be renting titles now, have you seen their selection? The bulk of the titles have been available at the Mom & Pop stores and they aren't going to get involved with rental pricing until their customer base grows a bit more. The "Only Place To Go Is Up" Award: To Steven Spielberg for having not that many more mediocre titles left to release before he'll have to dig into the choice stuff. The "So Over It's Not Even Funny" Award: To James Cameron who, once The Abyss is released in March, will have all his titles available (Piranha 2 not under consideration) in mostly low quality editions, mostly. It will probably be a while until the bad ones are redone. Pity. FRED MEETS SANTA...AND THE GRINCH The Top Five 1. The Yellow Submarine: MGM's restoration of the long unavailable animated film of the Beatles was not only eye-popping, it was ear-popping as well with it's new 5.1 mix of some classic Beatles' songs! Although this is one of my favorite films, I certainly didn't expect it to be given the high-class treatment it received. The Yellow Submarine really has never looked or sounded better. Christmas came early for me this year! 2. The Avengers '65, '66 and '67: A&E came charging into the DVD market with their discs of the original Avengers. After years of being available only in very low quality bootleg tapes, these are gorgeous discs from pristine prints of the two seasons of Emma Peel as John Steed's partner. Seeing Diana Rigg in those black leather jumpsuits almost made me straight! The 65/66 season are in luminous black and white, and the 67 season in lustrous color. 3. The 39 Steps: Criterion's beautiful restoration of one of Hitchcock's seminal films comes with a wealth of supplements, including the full length (1 hour) radio production of the story from the Lux Radio Theater! A great presentation of a great film. 4. Nights Of Cabiria: Another film that for many years had only been available on tapes from awful prints, Criterion's restoration of one of Fellini's greatest films is a revelation. Guilietta Masina's enormous doe-eyes have never looked more beautiful. 5. ALIENS: my favorite of the Alien saga got a first rate, anamorphic presentation with loads of extras at a reasonable price, from FOX of all things! Who'd have thunk it? The Worst 1. The Happiest Millionaire: My number one choice for worst disc of the year is Anchor Bay's disc of Disney's notorious family movie, not because the quality was bad (it wasn't), but because The Happiest Millionaire was on it. 2. All About Eve: Fox chose to do a transfer of one of their most honored titles, winner of five Academy Awards, from a print that looked like it had been run over by a truck. The Roan Group gave better treatment to Nancy Drew, Reporter. 3. Rehearsal For Murder: Simitar took one of the most well regarded films from the heyday of Made for TV Movies and made it look like a late night broadcast on a Mexican UHF station. Santa Clauses Of The Year 1. Anchor Bay, the company that has probably done the biggest turn around since the launch of DVD, for their amazing special edition of HALLOWEEN, as well as their discs of Hitchcock's Selznick films (Rebecca, Spellbound, Notorious). And of course, Plague Of The Zombies. 2. What do Stephen Sondhem's Sunday In The Park With George, Fritz Lang's The Spiders, and Fellini's Juliet Of The Spirits have in common? They were all from the much maligned Image Entertainment, who continues to turn out some damn good discs for those of us who might occasionally prefer something with a little more meat than Die Hard. 3. Columbia, for finally taking a break from the blockbuster treadmill to release some of their prestige titles (Sense & Sensibility, Howard's End), and (as of the date of this writing) announce some of their classics (It Happened One Night). The Grinch Who Stole DVD's Christmas Who else? DISNEY! When they announced the premium prices of the featureless animated discs, you could practically hear Michael Eisner chuckling as he slid the candy canes from the hands of the little sleeping children. DEAN'S BEST & WORST - WITH EXTRA ATTITUDE The Best 1) The
Matrix - Warner kicked Paramount's Titanic-sized ass!
The Worst 1) Monty
Python and the Holy Grail - Give it back to Criterion,
dammit!!!! JAROD'S BEST & WORST '99 The Top 10 (I'm leaving out discs that copy the previously issued laserdiscs, which is why I didn't include any Criterion releases) 1. Ghostbusters
- no music video, but so what? The Bottom 5 1. Titanic
(Non-anamorphic, pitiful extras, a year late) Special Mentions Best Distributor: Columbia, followed closely by DreamWorks Best Improvement by a distributor: Anchor Bay Simon Legree/Jack Benny Award: Buena Vista Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Award: Twentieth Century Fox AND FINALLY...CHROMY GETS STRAIGHT TO THE POINT! The Top Eight (too cheap to even think of ten, Chromy?) 1. Avia
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