DVD Releases: Ten Best DVD 2004

The Multi Platter Top Ten by Doug Pratt

	The Up Series (First Run Features) In his commentary track on the 2002 DVD release of 42 Up, director Michael Apted remarked that a collection of all six documentaries, which began as a profile of a dozen British school children, whose lives were then updated every seven years with a new movie (42 Up is the most recent-the series begin with Seven Up, and followed with 7 plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up and 35 Up), would make a terrific DVD collection. Well, First Run apparently took him at his word, because all six movies are collected in the five-platter set. There are no special features save for the commentary Apted recorded previously for 42 Up, but even that takes on new insights after you sit through each film. Even though footage from the earlier films is repeatedly included in the later movies, when you watch the shows in order, each one becomes as exciting as a cliffhanger soap opera. In addition to its entertainment value, however, the series strives to explore the conditions and situations common to the various ages in a person's life and how people from different economic and social backgrounds cope with these twists and turns. Previous to the DVD release, one was aware of the series and its importance, but to have all the films on hand in one collection, where they can be viewed in a single day's screening, is to impress upon the viewer what a unique and groundbreaking project the series truly has been, and how film and the DVD format can be utilized to unveil the secrets of life.

	Stargate SG-1 Season 5 (MGM Home Entertainment) The science-fiction TV series is not bad at all. Some of the writing is very witty, some of the plots have solid science-fiction premises and enjoyable twists and turns. The special effects look fine and there are occasional treats on the audio tracks as well. Beginning with Season 4 in 2003, however, the collections have also featured commentary tracks on every episode, and these talks have been truly remarkable. Each talk, featuring various cast and crew members, focuses on production details and methods, always looking behind the simple explanations of a shot, a story moment, a special effect or a performance to thoroughly describe the thought process and environmental prerogative that led to each choice. There are only a few DVD film commentary tracks that provide a genuine portrait of the filmmaking process, and even less that deliver Robert Rodriguez-style seminars on the art of creating movies. Well, the talks on Stargate do it for twenty-two episodes, not only in Season 4 and then again in Season 5, but in Season 6 and Season 7, too. Hour after hour, you don't just get a filmmaking course listening to the talks, you get an entire movie college.

	The Ultimate Matrix Collection (Warner Home Video) All three movies and a related made-for-video animation anthology are included in the ten-platter set. The films, created by brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, may vary in quality, but there is a conscious attempt with this gargantuan boxed set to create a new level of intellectual engagement between the filmmakers and the viewer. Each film comes with two commentary tracks, one by a pair of respected philosophers who explore the context and meaning of each movie, and one by a trio of movie critics who do not shy away from pointing out flaws and shortcomings. The additional platters contain more contextual information about the scientific and philosophical foundations of the films, and a comprehensive history of the production of each film. The presentation is impressive, and while it probably won't change the opinion of too many viewers as to the basic entertainment quality of each film, it will, to some degree, raise the level of every viewer's consciousness, using the films as a viable first step in a shared exploration of the meanings of existence.

	Fanny & Alexander (The Criterion Collection) When Ingmar Bergman shot what he intended, at the time, to be his last feature film (it's one of his most accessible and appealing creations), he also, intentionally, shot enough footage to create a longer miniseries version of the tale. Both programs are bundled together on the DVD, with an outstanding picture transfer. The opening Christmas sequence looks so inviting you could watch it in jail and feel like you're home. The feature comes with an informative commentary track, but included on the additional two platters of excellent supplementary materials is an amazing 2-hour collection of behind-the-scenes footage, showing Bergman at work, blocking out scenes, setting up shots, coaxing what he wants from the actors and dealing with the inevitable problems that surface on a set, such as an uncooperative cat.

	Panic Room Special Edition (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment) David Fincher's simple, basic 2002 movie about two women trapped in a big house and holding off three bad guys is thoroughly entertaining, and was when the film first came out as a generic DVD. The Special Edition, however, adds two platters of supplementary materials, and supplies three commentary tracks as well, meticulously explaining every aspect of the production, deconstructing the strategy behind almost every shot and essentially dissecting every aspect of the film's creation. Maybe because the film itself is so entertaining or maybe because the same quality of execution is applied to the DVD, but the supplements are not only rigorous and informative, they are highly involving and entertaining, never spoiling the essential thrills of the film, but sharing the equally captivating thrills of the filmmaking process.

	One from the Heart (Fantoma Films) The events surrounding the financial failure of Francis Coppola's lovely 1982 musical about modern romance are thoroughly explored in the excellent two-platter set. The picture transfer, supervised by Coppola, is heavenly, and the sound is exquisite. There are deleted scenes, a Coppola commentary and there is a legitimate attempt throughout the DVD not only to celebrate the movie's artistic validity, but to analyze where its marketing went so horribly askew.

	Spy Kids 3-D (Dimension Home Video) No, the story isn't very good, but the 3-D effects look fantastic, thanks to the superb picture quality facilitated by the DVD, and there is just enough narrative to justify moving from one cool-looking dimensional composition to the next. Additionally, every DVD from director Robert Rodriquez contains a wealth of worthwhile supplementary materials in which he explains, basically, how to make your own movie. After going through the supplements on Spy Kids and Columbia TriStar's excellent Once upon a Time in Mexico, you'll soon want go out, get your own video camera and a few squibs, round up your friends and relatives, and start shooting an epic in your own backyard.

	The Battle of Algiers (The Criterion Collection) As relevant and vital today as it was when Gilo Pontecorvo staged it in 1966, the film, which has a superb picture transfer, is accompanied by two platters of background and retrospective materials, explaining not only how Pontecorvo created the documentary-like thriller, but the background behind its subject-Algerian resistance to French colonial rule in the 1950s. In the most provocative supplement, former intelligence advisor Richard A. Clarke draws parallels between the events depicted in the movie and the political situation the United States now finds itself in Iraq. Overlook it at your own risk.

	The Star Wars Trilogy (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) True, George Lucas tweaked the movies a little bit, especially Return of the Jedi, so they will conform better to the upcoming finale of his prequel trilogy, but the three features remain at the pinnacle of motion picture entertainment, and time has already demonstrated their durability as home video imperatives. The picture and sound transfers are excellent, each movie comes with a good commentary track, and there is a fourth platter of background and retrospective materials that explains the context of each film's creation. For those seeking more, incidentally, Warner's outstanding release of Lucas' THX-1138 further explores the background and creative impetuous that led to Star Wars and Lucas' eventual filmmaking empire.

	The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King Special Extended DVD Edition (New Line Home Entertainment) The real grand finale to the most magnificent long-form motion picture production ever created, the DVD adds nearly an hour of footage to the film, a small piece of which was created by director Peter Jackson after the movie won its Best Picture Oscar. It is this DVD and not the Oscar-winning theatrical film that will be viewed as the definitive version of the production, following the Extended Edition releases of its two predecessors in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The picture and sound transfers are exceptional, and the four-hour film is accompanied by four highly informative commentary tracks and more than six hours of production documentaries. Take it with you on your next quest.

HONORABLE MENTION Firefly The Complete Series (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) The outstanding TV series was released on DVD too late in 2003 to be included in last year's kudos, but it would be a shame to let it slip through the cracks, since it is exemplary of what the DVD format can accomplish. The sci-fi series was broadcast by Fox in a haphazard fashion and then summarily cancelled. The DVD presents, for the first time, the fourteen episodes in their proper narrative order, including three episodes that were shot but never made it to the screen. Some TV shows deserve to be cancelled, but this one didn't. The episodes are exciting, funny, imaginative and compelling, and have great special effects. The DVD also includes several rewarding commentary tracks and some other satisfying special features. If the forthcoming feature film adaptation, Serenity, is a hit, then fans will be falling over themselves to gorge on this rich and engaging backstory, but even if it doesn't click, a great, short-lived TV series has been preserved and not forgotten, thanks to the DVD.