Site created 12/15/97.		page created: 11/29/02 Outstanding Achievements in DVD for 2001 back to Editors' Top 10 Choices BEST DVD - OVERALL Moulin Rouge: Special Edition (20th Century Fox) What exactly does it take to win this category? Stunning video presentation. Phenomenal sound quality. A bounty of thoughtful, well-produced extras covering every aspect of the film. Oh yeah, and the movie ought to be worth sitting through at least once. Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge has all those qualities and more. As candy for the eye and ear, it can't be beat. As a look behind the scenes, it's overwhelming, revealing details that a casual viewing of the film simply can't pick up. And as for the movie itself... love it or hate it, you've gotta see it. It's a movie musical unlike any other. Even if you hate the movie, we think you'll probably find something to love about the DVD. 2ND PLACE Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition (Buena Vista/Disney) Disney's first animated feature comes to DVD in a beautiful, fully-loaded edition that manages to impress kids aged 8 to 80. 3RD PLACE Citizen Kane (Warner Bros.) "The greatest movie ever made" goes digital in style, with in-depth commentary, rare sketches and photos, and a brilliant companion documentary. Some may complain that the picture looks "too good", but how many discs can you say that about? BEST DVD - SPECIAL EDITION Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition (Buena Vista/Disney) Disney had impressed virtually no one with the very first DVD issues of some of their animated classics. With basically their very reputation as a DVD force on the line, it was absolutely necessary that they hit a home run with this release. Sure enough, they delivered. If it's related to Snow White and it still exists in the voluminous Disney Archives, odds are you'll find it somewhere on this extensive special edition. 2ND PLACE Spartacus (Criterion/Universal) Warner's relatively featureless Kubrick discs might not hurt as much if Criterion hadn't released this spectacular two-disc edition of one of Kubrick's most atypical projects. Full to overflowing with gems, this is one of Criterion's best releases to date... and that's really saying something. 3RD PLACE Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (20th Century Fox) Finally, Star Wars arrives on DVD! With deleted scenes brought to completion especially for this release, a great documentary and assorted other bells and whistles, this is a top-drawer disc. Maybe it's nobody's favorite Star Wars movie, but remember: every saga has a beginning... BEST DVD - STANDARD EDITION O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Buena Vista/Touchstone) Sure, the Coen Brothers deserve more than just a standard edition. But the picture and, more importantly, the sound on this disc are terrific. And the featurette on the innovative cinematography is a lot more interesting than the HBO and E! specials that litter so many so-called "special editions". Like The Big Lebowski, this is a movie you'll want to play again and again. This DVD makes such return visits a joy. 2ND PLACE The Elephant Man (Paramount) One of David Lynch's very best films sparkles anew in this gleaming new transfer. Throw in a handful of modest but well-produced extras and you've got yourself a very nice surprise from Paramount, a studio that typically underachieves on DVD. 3RD PLACE The Vanishing (Criterion) Once again, Criterion rescues from obscurity one of the best movies you've never seen. George Sluizer's 1988 thriller is a mini-masterpiece of suspense. Buy it. Watch it. You'll be glad you did. BEST DVD - BOXED SET The Godfather DVD Collection (Paramount) Just how badly did people want these movies on disc? Bad enough that even characters on The Sopranos resorted to watching a bootleg DVD. In the end, Paramount came through with a set so impressive, it'll even force you to forgive them for making you own a copy of Part III. Great commentaries, a bonus disc chockful of extras and at least two of the all-time great American movies. Dare I say it? This is a boxed set you can't refuse. 2ND PLACE Die Hard Ultimate Collection (20th Century Fox) Usually when a studio releases a set like this, the original gets the royal treatment while its sequels get the shaft (I'm looking at you, Rocky Balboa and Superman). Not this time. Three great double-disc sets make Die-Hard-in-a-Box a must-have for action fans. 3RD PLACE The Stanley Kubrick Collection 2.0 (Warner Bros.) Now, this is more like it. The extras are still a little anemic on some of these titles, but at least they look and sound about a zillion times better than the original release of this set. Throw in a terrific, exclusive documentary disc and you've got a set worth the money... and the wait. BEST DVD - PSYCHOTRONIC Killer Klowns from Outer Space (MGM) What better title to take home our brand new Bitsy? This one-of-a-kind kult klassic from the Chiodo brothers is a demented gem, given an amazingly A-list treatment from MGM. If you're a fan of this movie, you need this disc double-quick. If you're not a fan, then you probably haven't seen it yet (and once you've corrected that little faux-pas, MGM's Buckaroo Banzai: SE is a nice chaser). 2ND PLACE Suspiria: Limited Edition (Anchor Bay) You can't talk about cult film on DVD without mentioning Anchor Bay. They did some great work in 2001, but for our money, you can't beat Dario Argento's 1977 horror classic. With a vibrant transfer, brilliant sound that brings Goblin's pounding score to life and great extras, Suspiria is one of the Bay's crowning achievements. 3RD PLACE Educational Archives, Volumes 1 & 2 (Fantoma) Proving once again that there is nothing more bizarre than reality, the good people at Fantoma present the very finest in anti-drug, pro-courtesy-and-cleanliness educational films. You'll never look at a hot dog or a bar of soap in quite the same way again. BEST DVD - VIDEO (FILM TO DIGITAL TRANSFER) Moulin Rouge: Special Edition (20th Century Fox) If there was a brighter, more dazzling, more visually dense film released on disc in 2001, we sure didn't see it. Moulin Rouge is a feast for the eyes and on DVD, it sparkles like nothing else out there. 2ND PLACE Cast Away (20th Century Fox) For the first 20 minutes or so, Cast Away looks kind of gray and drab. But once Tom Hanks hits that island... "Wow" is the most common reaction, but "Oh my God" is also acceptable. 3RD PLACE The Elephant Man (Paramount) If you want to see black and white done right on disc, look no further. Freddie Francis's hauntingly beautiful cinematography sears right into your memory in this amazing transfer. BEST DVD - VIDEO (DIGITAL TO DIGITAL TRANSFER) Shrek (DreamWorks/PDI) Sooner or later, even the best writer runs out of superlatives to describe greatness, so let's just sum up the image on Shrek with one word: perfect. Completely free of any compression artifacts or digital noise, watching Shrek is like transforming your television into a window on a fairy-tale world of ogres, princesses and talking donkeys. This is a real stunner and a great reference disc to show off the capabilities of even the fanciest of monitors. 2ND PLACE Dinosaur: Special Edition (Buena Vista/Disney) But if fairy tales aren't your bag, pop in Disney's prehistoric adventure for an equally startling image. This may be the most realistic looking animation Disney has ever attempted, and each and every wrinkle on the dinos' hides comes through with crystalline clarity. 3RD PLACE Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within - Special Edition (Columbia TriStar) Just a couple years ago, we'd have been hard pressed to come up with three contenders for this category. But the remarkable animation of Final Fantasy holds its own against the big guns at DreamWorks and Disney. Not bad for a studio that hasn't had much experience with this kind of film. BEST DVD - AUDIO Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (20th Century Fox) Thanks to sound designer Ben Burtt and mix master Gary Rydstrom, the Star Wars movies have never skimped in the audio department. The Phantom Menace DVD shows that same attention to detail. Alternately active and subtle when needed, this audio track handles Pod races, alien dialects and John Williams' score with equal dexterity. You simply won't find a wider, more enveloping soundscape in Dolby Digital 5.1 (EX no less), no matter how hard you search. 2ND PLACE Moulin Rouge: Special Edition (20th Century Fox) Yep, it sounds great, too. Either in Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1, Moulin Rouge immerses you in its kaleidoscope of music from the very beginning and doesn't let go. 3RD PLACE Cast Away (20th Century Fox) If you live in an apartment building, be prepared to explain to your neighbors that no, a plane didn't just crash in your living room. You're just watching Cast Away on DVD. And after they've left, get set for an equally impressive array of atmospheric effects as you join Tom Hanks on that island. BEST DVD - MENUS Requiem for a Dream: Director's Cut (Artisan) Do not adjust your set. That static-filled infomercial that looks like it's being broadcast from a UHF station miles away is the main menu. Somehow, the Requiem for a Dream menus manage to be both easy to navigate AND succeed as an out-there mindbender at the same time. Besides, you've gotta love the muzak version of the main title music that plays on the scene selection menu. 2ND PLACE Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition (Buena Vista/Disney) Mirror, mirror on the wall... original animation makes these nearly the best-looking, user-friendly menus of all. But not too friendly... dawdle in any one place for too long and the Mirror will give you what for. 3RD PLACE Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Special Edition (Columbia TriStar) Y'know, Terry Gilliam's animations look like they were made to be transformed into DVD menus. If this directing thing doesn't work out, maybe he can land a job in home video. BEST DVD - "MAKING OF" FEATURETTE OR DOCUMENTARY Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (20th Century Fox) With a few notable exceptions, "making of" pieces on most major studio releases tend to be all fluff, depicting the making of the movie as a pleasant, easy-going experience where the only real disagreement on set was over who respected who more. Surprisingly, that's not the case with The Beginning. Kudos to George Lucas for agreeing to this candid, verite-style documentary that depicts the good, the bad and the ugly of The Phantom Menace, warts and all. 2ND PLACE Citizen Kane (Warner Bros.) How many "making of" featurettes can you name that have been Oscar nominated for Best Documentary Feature? The Battle Over Citizen Kane is an in-depth analysis of the controversy that surrounded the making of and release of Kane, that goes above and beyond even the best DVD docs. Second in this category... but a very close second. 3RD PLACE Terror Firmer: Special Edition (Troma) You want warts? I got your warts right here! Troma is Dysfunction Junction and Disc Two of Terror Firmer brilliantly captures all the madness and mayhem that goes on behind the scenes with the Troma Team... with Farts of Darkness. BEST DVD - PACKAGING Lawrence of Arabia (Columbia TriStar) You can't just slap a movie like this in a standard Amaray case. Columbia's limited edition gives David Lean's classic the presentation it deserves. A classy book-like case, embossed lettering on the spine, and an in-depth booklet inside make Lawrence stand tall on any shelf. 2ND PLACE The Walt Disney Treasures Collection (Buena Vista/Disney) One look at these discs and you know they were put together with care and attention to detail. Individually numbered metal tins with painted-on artwork hold discs full of material that'll make a Disney collector drool. 3RD PLACE The Wicker Man: Limited Edition (Anchor Bay) A lot of people don't like Anchor Bay's odd-shaped limited edition tins, but the one exception is this beautiful wooden case for The Wicker Man. It's not going to fit on a shelf next to the rest of your discs, but with a box this nice, you don't want it to blend in with everything else. BEST DVD - STUDIO 20th Century Fox For two years in a row, the Best Overall DVD award has gone to a Fox release. While other studios are content to rush out a bare-bones release of a major title with the promise of a special edition somewhere further down the road, Fox consistently hits it out of the park the first time around, with titles like Cast Away, Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes and a little something called The Phantom Menace. Fox has been a trailblazer in releasing TV shows to DVD, with season-by-season sets of The X-Files and The Simpsons. But even without all that, we'd still be tempted to call Fox the studio of the year, just for seven words we never thought we'd hear: Big Trouble in Little China: Special Edition. For Fox, 2001 was a very, very good year. 2ND PLACE Criterion Let's face it, we could save ourselves a lot of trouble and just name Criterion the studio of the year every year and nobody would argue with us. After all, there's a reason they call it a "collection". Each and every disc they release is worthy of the A-plus treatment it receives, from epics like Spartacus to foreign gems like the Carl Dreyer Box Set to American classics like Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels. You can fork out your money for virtually any Criterion disc, even if you've never heard of the movie before, and rest assured you'll be getting something of quality. If there's a movie heaven, it's run by The Criterion Collection. 3RD PLACE Buena Vista/Disney DVD Buena Vista is a big, multi-headed monster... but not all the heads are created equal. Disney had a great year, with a very strong start to their Platinum Series of animated classics, the creation of the Walt Disney Treasures line of collectors' editions, and impressive special editions of newer movies like Dinosaur. While other studios seem to think it's acceptable to cut corners on things like extras and anamorphic picture on children's programming, Disney thus far realizes that they have to please both kids and their parents with their discs. By and large, they're succeeding. BEST DVD - MUSIC (NON-LIVE) Moulin Rouge: Special Edition (20th Century Fox) Well, duh... if the Best Overall DVD is a musical, what do you expect to win this category? And say what you will about his Obi-Wan Kenobi, that Ewan McGregor can sing! 2ND PLACE Smashing Pumpkins: Greatest Hits Video Collection (EMD/Virgin) MTV hasn't been much use the past 10 years, but on the rare occasion that they would actually play music videos, some of the best came from Smashing Pumpkins. With eye-openers like 1979 and Tonight, Tonight, plus commentaries from the directors and the band, this collection actually earns the title Greatest Hits. 3RD PLACE Bruce Springsteen: The Complete Video Anthology (Columbia Music) The Boss isn't exactly known as a cinematic genius, so it's a good thing he's recruited the likes of Brian DePalma, John Sayles and Jonathan Demme to direct his videos. Besides, the songs are great and at least one video here, Meiert Avis's Brilliant Disguise, is a classic of the form. BEST DVD - MUSIC (LIVE/CONCERT) U2: Elevation 2001 - Live From Boston (Universal Music) U2's live performances throughout the '90's have been gigantic, multimedia frenzies of sight and sound. So it's only appropriate that this disc be as splashy and interactive as possible. And the music's pretty darn good, too. 2ND PLACE Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in NYC (Columbia Music) What the Boss is known for are fantastic, marathon live performances. This reunion show with the E Street Band at Madison Square Garden is no exception. Even in your living room, the revival shout-out of Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out will make you want to get on your feet. 3RD PLACE Down from the Mountain (Artisan) Even people who didn't like the movie that much agreed that O Brother, Where Art Thou? had one of the best soundtracks in years. This live performance of music from the movie is an absolute treat, capturing the familial feel of community that you can only find in the best folk music. BEST DVD - AUDIO COMMENTARY Citizen Kane (Warner Bros.) Roger Ebert - If you only know Ebert from his TV show, then you don't know Ebert. This is one of the best critical commentaries to date. Ebert's enthusiasm for Kane is positively infectious. He doesn't pretend to be the first, last and only source of information about this film, he simply shares with us some of the ways he has put together one of cinema's most elegant jigsaw puzzles. 2ND PLACE The Godfather DVD Collection (Paramount) Francis Ford Coppola - While some directors can barely be bothered to come up with 90 minutes of interesting commentary material, Coppola flies solo for over 8 hours here, with barely a dull moment in the bunch. The result is like spending a day with a favorite Italian uncle you never knew you had. Another very close second. 3RD PLACE Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Special Edition (Columbia TriStar) Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones - Is there anything better than listening to now-established directors talk about the hardships they suffered on their first, ultra-low-budget film? How about if those directors are also members of Monty Python? Funny and fascinating listening throughout. BEST DVD - DOCUMENTARY Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (Warner Bros.) The relative lack of extras in Warner's redux Kubrick box set is made much, much easier to swallow by the inclusion of this first-rate documentary. Even if you think you know Kubrick inside and out, you're almost guaranteed to get new insight into the man and his work through this detailed program. Covering everything from his earliest documentaries to final, never-realized projects like Napoleon, A Life in Pictures is simply one of the best documentaries ever made about a filmmaker. It's a must-see and, if you're a Kubrick fan, a must-own. 2ND PLACE (TIE) Grey Gardens and Salesman (Criterion) Maysles Films are behind some of the finest documentaries ever made, and these two discs from Criterion brilliantly present two of their best. Grey Gardens is an eerie, intimate portrait of the reclusive cousins of Jackie Onassis, while Salesman takes a potentially dry-as-toast subject (the lives of traveling Bible salesmen) and turns it into a hypnotic film that you simply can't turn away from. 3RD PLACE Into the Arms of Strangers (Warner Bros.) We've been so inundated with Holocaust films and documentaries lately, that it takes a lot for one to stand out from the pack. Into the Arms of Strangers has what it takes, focusing on a little-known but heartbreaking part of the war: the effort to save Jewish children by taking them away from their families and sending them to live with strangers in England. An extremely powerful film, well-presented on a special edition DVD. BEST DVD - ANIME Akira: The Special Edition (Pioneer) The one Japanese animated film that even people who can't tell a Tenchi from a Spriggan have heard of makes its long-awaited DVD debut... and the wait was worth it. Katsuhiro Otomo's masterpiece looks and sounds absolutely amazing on disc, and throws in a heaping helping of extra features, both new and old, to sweeten the deal. Akira has been the entry point for an entire generation into the world of Japanese animation. Pioneer's DVD ensures that it will stay that way for another generation to come. 2ND PLACE Cowboy Bebop: Limited Edition Box (Pioneer) Anime from Japanese television can be daunting for beginners, since they seem to go on and on and on. Cowboy Bebop is worth getting into. It's one of the best anime out there and this pricey, hard-to-find limited edition boxed set is the best way to dive in... assuming you actually find it. 3RD PLACE Blood: The Last Vampire (Rykodisc) God love Asian cinema. Like so many of their films, either live-action or animated, this barely makes a lick of sense... but man, is it cool! Don't bother trying to figure it out, just sit back and let the amazing visuals wash over you. BEST DVD - TV SERIES PRESENTATION (TIE) The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (20th Century Fox) Twin Peaks: The First Season Special Edition (Artisan) The Simpsons may very well be the single best television show in history, so its very appearance on DVD is cause for celebration. Does the first season represent the creative high point of the series? Nope, and thanks to the self-effacing commentaries on every episode of this set, now we know that even the people responsible for the show agree that Season One has its problems. Anyway, the shows that last tend to build up to their best episodes. Case in point: Twin Peaks, which became a phenomenon from the second it hit the airwaves and slowly disappeared. Despite the fact that Artisan's set does not include the brilliant pilot episode (due to rights issues) or the participation of David Lynch (the one guy most of us really want to hear from), this set won us over with its stylish packaging, extensive interviews and commentaries with most everybody else still willing to talk about the show. Preferably over a cup of damn fine coffee and a slice of pie. 2ND PLACE Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection (Warner Bros./BBC) Is Fawlty Towers the best sitcom ever made? Some of us think so, despite the fact (or maybe it's because of the fact) that only twelve episodes were ever made. These discs are also available separately, but who wants that? The Complete Collection is a fitting tribute to John Cleese's finest hour. 3RD PLACE Clerks: Uncensored (Buena Vista/Miramax) Who says only successful TV shows deserve the DVD treatment? Kevin Smith's short-lived animated spinoff collects every episode, whether it aired or not, and adds a wealth of well-done extras. Man, if somebody releases The Complete Cop Rock on disc... that would be sweet. MOST SURPRISING DVD Uprising (Warner Bros.) NBC's Holocaust miniseries is in many ways a throwback to the glory days of television "events", like Roots or... well, Holocaust. But with those glory days behind us, most TV viewers missed this powerful, well-produced film. On DVD, it gets even better, with some of the more thoughtful and incisive commentaries a television program has received and some fine historical featurettes. 2ND PLACE Incubus (Fox Lorber) One of the things we love most about DVD is when a company re-issues a real cinematic oddity. Who knew that back in 1966, William Shatner starred in a horror film shot entirely in Esperanto? Or that the cinematographer was Conrad L. Hall, an Oscar winner for American Beauty? Not only does Fox Lorber's disc rescue this movie from oblivion, it even provides commentaries by the creative team, including Shatner and Hall. 3RD PLACE Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Collector's Edition (Columbia TriStar) Sure, we already knew the movie was great, but we never expected this! The DTS audio on this disc is absolutely phenomenal, totally blowing away many, more recent films. Coupled with a great new documentary and the ultimate cut of the film, Close Encounters is a high-water mark for Spielberg on disc. BEST USE OF DVD FEATURES Hannibal: Special Edition (MGM) Slowly but surely, DVD producers are starting to realize what the little "angle" button on your DVD player's remote control is for. Hannibal features one of the best uses of it to date, with three sequences broken down into multiple angle selections. Best of all is Anatomy of a Shoot-Out, which breaks down the entire complex opening scene into its component parts, providing such technical specs as lenses and camera mounts. With features like this, you really COULD learn how to make a movie just by watching a DVD. 2ND PLACE Shrek (DreamWorks/PDI) DVD-ROM features aren't often worth the trouble it takes to load them on your computer, but Shrek is a big exception. With Shrek's Re-Voice Studio, you can put your own voice into twelve scenes from the movie. And even more surprisingly, the damn thing actually works! Shrek's Re-Voice Studio is an innovative treat that makes an already fun disc even better. 3RD PLACE Moulin Rouge: Special Edition (20th Century Fox) Yeah, yeah... we've all followed the White Rabbit on The Matrix and the Killer Rabbit on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We're sick to death of waiting for little icons to pop up just so we can press "enter" and see something that may be vaguely interesting but isn't worth interrupting the movie for. But following the Green Fairy on Moulin Rouge is actually well worth your time. It's an exhaustive, in-depth look behind the red curtain, as intoxicating as a bottle of absinthe. BEST DVD EASTER EGG Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Special Edition (Columbia TriStar) Nothing on any DVD has made us laugh as hard as pressing "Play" on the two-disc Holy Grail special edition... and having the opening credits to an ultra-obscure British comedy called Dentist on the Job pop up. This is absolutely the easiest Easter egg in the world to find. You literally can't miss it. But it's also the funniest... and totally in keeping with the anarchic spirit of the group. After over 30 years, the Pythons continue to surprise us. 2ND PLACE Hannibal: Special Edition (MGM) Most Easter eggs are amusing little throwaway gags, but this one is actually strangely beautiful. A montage of "flash frames" set to original music makes a very good case that Julianne Moore is the loveliest actress working in film today. 3RD PLACE (TIE) Requiem for a Dream: Director's Cut (Artisan) Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within (Columbia TriStar) Who is Tappy Tibbons? Requiem for a Dream's motivational speaker gets the spotlight to himself in this very funny Easter egg, featuring the underrated Christopher McDonald. And if you want to see Aki and company bust a move, check out the hilarious Thriller parody on Disc Two of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Both of these eggs provide a burst of unexpected humor to a couple of movies that aren't exactly hysterical. on to Other DVD Awards for 2001
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