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Flawless, perfect special editions? (1 Viewer)

Jon Robertson

Screenwriter
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May 19, 2001
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With so much EPK crap released on the market, it's so rare to find a genuinely perfect special edition disc - one that hits all the bases and then some. A disc who's supplements simply enrich the film itself rather than taking away some of its magic. A special edition that truly inspires, enlightens and entertains.
Can we have some listings of DVD special editions that are all style and substance, featuring both quality and quantity in vast swathes?
Only discs that have a truly Zen-like perfection need apply - the pickier you are, the better. We're talking the finest special editions ever assembled here, and please explain your choice/s.
Do The Right Thing - Criterion's two-disc set works on two levels brilliantly; it explores, explains and discusses the many issues and moral dilemmas within the film, but simultaneously shows you how such a vibrant and impeccably crafted picture was created, designed and executed.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Rarely have a film and its DVD counterpart been so in tune with one another. The two commentary tracks and the location-revisiting documentary, despite their intense hilarity, are incredibly informative about the hows, whys, wheres and whens of the film's making and the magic of the Python troupe in general, with the rest of the discs dedicated to such wonderfully intense silliness, it feels like a real one-off Python reunion.
George Washington - a disc that isn't overwhelming packed, but doesn't actually need to be. It's a no-budget first-time indie picture who's aspirations are perhaps a little higher than it can reach, but everything that needs to be said is said. Every bit of material is essential and fascinating, but the cast interviews (and baby pictures as an easter egg!) and short films are some of the most revealing supplements I've ever seen. The juxtaposition between the kids themselves and their on-screen characters is phenomenal and seeing how Green's ideas and styles were shaped and moulded into the final film through his earlier shorts is quite extraordinary. The wondrous, eerie and beautiful short film A Day With The Boys is also included, something for which I will be forever grateful.
 

TheoGB

Screenwriter
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Fight Club and possibly Episode I spring to mind...

Se7en is probably the 'daddy'...
 

HenrikTull

Second Unit
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Jun 6, 2000
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My favorite SE is MGM's Platoon. The 50 minute documantary is one of the best I've seen and the commentary tracks are great too. I wish all documentaries were like this, straight to the point and lots of interesting stories and facts, something most SE's now a days lacks.
 

Brian York

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To be precise....Holy Grail is NOT flawless. It's missing the first subtitle that is supposed to display when the opening credits are rolling. (It IS, however, GREAT Python fun throughout...!)

The Special Edition that came to mind for me was the Toy Story Ultimate ToyBox set. I can't think of anything they did wrong or left out...
 

Corey * C

Grip
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Jul 22, 2002
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Fight Club: Who can go wrong with great commentaries, deleted scenes, menus, and most importantly one of the best movies out there.

Say Anything: I was happily surprised with this disc. Nicely designed menus, cool commentary, overall great package for a catalog 80's title.

Boogie Nights: Altough not a wealth of special feature material is included, it's quality over quantity. Great deleted scenes, commentary, and transfer. Like the character bio's also.

The Royal Tenenbaums: Criterion did a wonderful job presenting a damn good movie. I watched this entire disc in one sitting, a first since I discovered DVD. My only complaint: I was hoping for more deleted footage (as you can no doubt tell, I am a huge fan of extra scenes as a supplement.)
 

rutger_s

Supporting Actor
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878
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs - Not only a documentary on the making of the film but a nice retrospective documentary on The Walt Disney Company. Not only that, a very cool way to present stills(with optional commentary) and a bunch of other goodies found in the Disney Archives.
 

Dave H

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Aug 13, 2000
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So, you are asking about Region 1 SEs? I assume so.

Superman: The Movie, Terminator II: UE, and Independence Day come to mind. Terminator: SE isn't too bad either.
 

DonRoeber

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Can never get very far into a thread like this without mentioning the Criterion version of Brazil
 

David Von Pein

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Can we have some listings of DVD special editions that are all style and substance, featuring both quality and quantity in vast swathes?
:laugh: The "vast swathes" line has got me in stitches! Very nice! :laugh:
"Look at the plethora of swathes of quality on this Digital Versatile Disc .... to which I bow as I place the shiny miniscule discette into my mechanical device designed for such media programming!" :)
 

BooneG

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Apr 23, 2002
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I don't think that I have one flawless dvd, but I have many that are pretty close:

Pearl Harbor: Vista Series- Say what you want about the movie, but this dvd rocks. The only thing that the dvd didn't have was that National Geographic doc.

The Thing: Collector's Edition- The only thing wrong with this dvd is that is non-anamorphic.

Psycho: Collector's Series- The disc is non-anamorphic and there is no commentary.

There seem to be some dvds coming out soon that might be canidates for flawless dvds:

Lord of the Rings: FotR (the 4-disc one)
Blade 2: Platinum Series
Pulp Fiction
Jackie Brown
and many others
 

Bernhard

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Add 12 Monkeys to that list - the "Hamster Factor" documentary is one of the best out there... and the commentary is also great!
 

Inspector Hammer!

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Geez, so many! :eek: Let me look over my collection...
Well, I would say that my #1 "perfect" SE is without a doubt Moulin Rouge. It's the very definition of what a SE dvd should be.
#2 would be the T2 Ultimate Edition DVD. IMO it's still the reigning champion of all SE's. Not a thing is left out except the 'Guns N Roses' video.
#3 The Toy Story Ultimate Toy Box dvd's. It's just a 'Toy Story' fans dream come true in every respect.
#4 And for horror, nothing yet has bested the Nightmare on Elm Street Collection. The only thing that I miss from it is the music video for 'Love Kills' by Vinnie Vincent Invasion.
And finally #5, the Pearl Harbor Vista Series DVD. To all the nay sayers of this film, let me just say that if you listen to both commentary tracks, the first with Michael Bay, and the other with Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Alec Baldwin, watch a few of the documentaries and see how hard everyone worked to bring this to the screen, you might, just might, gain a greater understanding and appreciation for it. Plus the violence in the attack sequence has been increased and makes it much more effective.
 

Dave Barth

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Jul 21, 2000
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Passion of Joan of Arc lept to mind, though it has been a while since I've waded through the supplements. I do recall being very impressed.
 

MikeFR

Supporting Actor
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May 16, 2002
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Gotta throw Usual Suspects SE out there. Perfect example of what "Featurette's" should be.
 

Jan H

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In addition to the excellent SE's mentioned I would give a shout out to:

Citizen Kane - great transfer, great documentary.

Lawrence of Arabia - Great transfer of a great older film, with interesting bonus materials.

The first two Alien movies

Shrek
 

Alex Spindler

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Gotta chime in with the Rushmore:Criterion DVD. Everything is available, with perfect menus and music, the hilarious MTV Movie Awards skits, screen tests, not too shabby commentary, and a nice featurette.
 

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