What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

My favorite this year didn't even belong in the top 25 of Rolling Stone (per your link). It's Criterion's Seven Samurais. It has everything you mentioned below.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

The Seven Samurai (Criterion) made #5 on the DVD Journal Top Ten list.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Is there a site that lists all the releases for the year? I'd love to draw up a list, but its hard to remember all the DVDs that came out in 2006!

Off the top of my head:
Best box sets: Superman: Ultimate Collection, Get Smart - Complete Series, SNL- First Season
Movies: V For Vendetta (2 disc), Maltese Falcon (3 disc), Chuck Berry Hail Hail Rock and Roll (4 disc).

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

My favorite DVD acquisitions of the year (boxed sets and singles) are (in no particular order):

Young Mr. Lincoln
The Charlie Chan Collection, vol. 1
The Charlie Chan Collection, vol. 2
The John Wayne/John Ford Film Collection
Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection, vol. 2
The Astaire & Rogers Complete Film Collection
Forbidden Planet
Double Indemnity
Sgt. York
Mission: Impossible, season one (TV)

The ones I was most looking forward to were the Charlie Chan releases, though Young Mr. Lincoln and Mission: Impossible were close seconds. The packaging I was most impressed with was the Astaire & Rogers collection. I haven't really taken the time to watch the extra features or listen to any commentaries, but I've been generally happy with the movies I've watched so far.

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Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

I second the vote for the superman ultimate collection and the movie V for vendetta.

Jacob

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Lots of great releases over this past year. But if I was to pick just one film based on the quality of it's image then it's no contest. Ryan's Daughter set a new standard for how great a non-HD disc could look.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Based purely on what I like, the quality of the disc, the extras and just personal preference, here's my top nine in alphabetical:

Clerks II My favorite movie of the year has the usual great View Askew extras.

Double Indemnity A great movie that now looks great.

Film Noir Classic Collection Volume Three includes Border Incident, His Kind of Woman, Lady in the Lake, On Dangerous Ground and The Racket. The movies are solid and the extras are very nice.

King Kong (2005) (Two Disc and Three Disc) I loved this movie so the wealth of behind the scenes stuff made these DVDs a must have for me.

Lost: Season Two The episodes are all top notch and the extras are fun.

Masters Of Horror The episodes were much better than I was expecting since I only heard terrible word of mouth (of course most horror fans hate everything anyway). Even with the occasional episode that I didn't like, there was still very nice extras.

Seinfeld: Season Seven The gold standard of TV releases. The top of the top.

The Simpsons: Seasons Eight and Nine The last of what I consider the classic episodes all with commentaries. Granted, I haven't watched S9 yet but I have no doubt it's good.

24: Season Five A great, exciting season with 12 commentaries, deleted scenes and behind the scenes stuff on less featured departments (like the camera crew).

I'll add a tenth entry when I see a title on someone else's list that I forgot.

The "Not The Best DVDs But I'm Just Happy That It's On DVD" List: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Carnivale, Cemetery Man, Deadwood, Fox film noirs and Tales From The Crypt

And next year, I'd like to see Lost Highway and Twin Peaks: Season Two on this list.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

01) Superman - Ultimate Collectors Edition 14 Disc Set
02) Star Trek Animated Series
03) Forbidden Planet - 50th Anniversary Edition
04) Flash Gordon Animated Complete Series
05) Kissology Vol. 1
06) The Doors -15th Anniversary 2 Disc Set
07) V For Vendetta
08) Wild Wild West - Complete 1st Season
09) Poseidon Adventure - Special Edition
10) Police Squad! - The Complete Series

Biggest disappointment: Transformers: The Movie - 20th Anniversary Edition because of it's terriblely over-compressed picture.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Favorites at this point (There are still a few coming my way next week) in alphabetical order:

All the President's Men SE
Apocalypse Now Complete Dossier
Grease (new SE - no laughing, this was actually very cool)
Hail! Hail! Rock & Roll (4 Disc Set)
James Bond Ultimate Collection
Kingdom of Heaven (4 Disc Set)
Rocky (new 2 Disc SE)
Star Trek Animated
St. Elsewhere Season One
Superman Ultimate Collection (with corrected discs on the way now)

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

1. Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut --- This was the DVD of the year as far as I was concerned! We *finally* get to experience about 90% of Donner’s original vision for this movie. Only the repetitive ending – which would have been altered if Donner had remained in charge of the franchise --- detracts from the overall assured and confident presentation of this continuation of the Superman mythos. It would’ve been wondrous to have seen this film in 1981!

2. Forbidden Planet Collectors Edition --- After several years of rumors regarding this title, it finally surfaces in time for its 50^th Anniversary. It was worth the wait! The A/V quality is at least 10 times better than the previously released “bare bones” disc; and the extras are fantastic!!

3. Star Trek: The Animated Series --- Another long holdout from the DVD format, this was a welcome addition to every Star Trek fans’ DVD collection. And it was great to get both Okuda “Trivia Tracks” and commentary tracks on various episodes! More than the “Fan Favorite” compilations that were released earlier in the year, this release was a worthier way to celebrate Star Trek’s 40^th Anniversary.

4. Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season --- They’re all here: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin, Gildna Radner, Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris, and all the rest of the original “Not Ready for Prime Time players” in the complete first season that defined the format. It’s an “instant DVD classic”!!

5. Star Wars Trilogy: The Original, Unaltered, Theatrical cuts --- OK, I know these are non-anamorphic. And I know they were sourced from the same 1993 D1 master tapes as the laserdiscs. None of that matters. The DVD format would have been forever incomplete if these films had not been available in some form. Let’s get it out of the way fast: The presentation of these cuts is an affront to the historical significance of these films. But as a reference of the way these movies were initially released to the theaters in 1977, 1980, and 1983 they are … better than nothing!!

6. James Bond Ultimate Collections (Volumes I-IV) – These Lowry-restored discs provide new “pop” and clarity to the Bond films released in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. The restored Goldfinger alone is worth the price of admission.

7. The Little Mermaid Platinum Edition --- A little bit of a disappointment due to the controversial “Home Theater” audio mix, the disc still delivers in the video portion of the presentation, and the extras include the Disney Theme Park Ride that never was!

8. The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (Complete Series) – With this release to the DVD format, you have to feel that there’s still at least a glimmer of hope that we may see the original 1966 Batman series some day! (Or maybe even Maverick??) Seriously, this was perhaps the best single season series ever produced for television, and the A/V quality and abundant supplements do it proud.

9. Cars – The latest Pixar offering takes a while to get going, but delivers in spades once it does. The DVD presentation is glorious!!

10. M*A*S*H Season 11 and/or the M*A*S*H complete Series Box --- The entire series is now available on the DVD format. And I still can’t get enough of it!

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

1. Seven Samurai: The Criterion Collection
2. *TIE* The Poseiden Adventure and The Towering Inferno: Special Edition
3. Doctor Who - Inferno
4. The Searchers Ultimate Collector's Edition
5. Amarcord: The Criterion Collection
6. The Maltese Falcon Special Edition
7. Doctor Who - The Beginning
8. Brazil: The Criterion Collection (Remastered 3-Disc Edition)
9. Cinema Paradiso
10. Transformers The Movie.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

-Kingdom of Heaven Directors Cut--one of the best films i have ever seen and a supplemental dvd that is as much as you could ask for
-Seven Samurai Criterion--a very close second. no explanation needed for what makes it so noteworthy, just an overall treat for film buffs. I like the actual film of KOHC a bit better so i rank that just above it
-Oldboy 3 disk tin--i can't believe that this hasn't got more attention. This really is one of the best releases of a new film that has ever been made, and were it not for the fact that the film itself is perhaps not quite as well known as the above films i have listed i would say this is one of the best single-film releases in home video history.
-Apocalypse Now complete dossier--despite the disturbing lack of Hearts of Darkness and the older theatrical cut transfer, it really was a personal joy to have this film in both versions with a Coppola commentary track, especially since the theatrical cut, one of my favourite films, has been out of print for so very long. This release wasn't anything special but the theatrical cut of the film is such a personal favourite
-Superman Ultimate Collection--duh. 14 disks? Oh yeah.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Some of my favorite releases this year in no particular order:

Superman: Ultimate Collector's Edition
James Bond Ultimate Collections
King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition
Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier
Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut
The Green Mile: Two-Disc Special Edition
Seven Samurai

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Best

Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection
Playtime
Tennessee Williams Film Collection
The Busby Berkeley Collection
Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection
The Marlon Brando Collection
The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2
Memoirs of a Geisha
Liza with a ‘Z’
Rent

Biggest Disappointment

Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection for not providing a decent solution for those who purchased the first 3 films last year. Thumbing the corporate nose at the most loyal buyers. Tsk.

In contrast, Warner Bros. pulled out all of the stops for the Astaire and Rogers Ultimate set...new slim cases in the new set in which to bring over your discs from last year's set...and an offer for free posters. Bravo!

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

I run a top ten I update monthly on the site. Won't update it for all of 2006 until the year's over!

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Mike,

I totally agree with you about the Oldboy set. The tin is gorgeous. The supplements are outstanding. The picture quality is superb and the DTS track is incredible. I imported the soundtrack CD and have listened to it constantly.

Lady Vengeance, by the same director, is also a very good dvd. You get 3 commentaries, a making of featurette, a 45 minute interview with director Chan-Wook Park.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

#1. GRAND PRIX

Huh?
Yup, GRAND PRIX.

Oh, here we get something a little out of the ordinary. GRAND PRIX'S extras include something you never see in a making of documentary -- the star of the film screaming and acting like a maniac on the set! Yes, this great DVD includes Mr. James Garner getting his face right into a rather annoying man while in Monaco. The inclusion of that little bit is so refreshing and quite the opposite to the usual "We all got along great, he's the greatest, isn't this film the greatest" pats on the back filler on DVD extras.

On top of that, the presentation both visually and sonically of the film on this DVD is absolutely spectacular and all of the extras are out of this world. Pieces on 1960s Formula One, great documentary on the film, insightful talking heads...but, wait till you see a star acting like a star and menacingly pointing his finger in a guy's face. Thanks, Mr. Garner, your behind the scenes performance is the best performance I've seen on DVD this year and helps GRAND PRIX claim the trophy of top DVD this year.

Sure, the KING KONG special collectors director's edition is great and all, but new films should be chock full of extras. When a mediocre film from 1966 comes chock full of little goodies (including footage of a raging movie star), we must say, "Yes, this is what DVDs are all about."

#2. SUPERMAN - THE DONNER CUT

Is the film better? Does it matter? If it weren't for these shiny things called DVDs we would never have seen an effort to put this thing together.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Subversive's incredibly comprehensive 5-disc release of Richard Stanley's DUST DEVIL is one of the finest DVD releases of any film, period. It out-Criterion's Criterion. And the film itself, while not one of my all-time favorites, is pretty damn good too.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Doctor Who- The Beginning Box Set
Doctor Who- Inferno
Doctor Who- The Invasion
Looney Tunes Golden Collection 4
Superman Ultimate Collection
Forbidden Planet
Star Trek Animated
Mutiny On the Bounty (1962)
Bionic Woman Season 2
Flintstones Season 6

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

1900 (didn't think this would ever come out,This must be the greatest
looking movie ever,when you consider its over 5 hours long!!)
The Comformist(Bertollucci best film ,one of the greatest films )
Spirit of the Beehive (now if we could only get El Sur)
Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season (can't wait the next set,
wish they didn't cut bumper art)
Disney's More Silly Symponies
The Searchers Ultimate Collector's Edition
Apocalypse Now Complete Dossier (Still pretty good could have been a lot
better,with 2.35:1 version,Heart of Darkness ect,plus extras are mostly post pre)

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Kingdom of Heaven: 4-Disc Director's Cut
A brilliant new cut of an already interesting film with the kind of special-edition treatment you only get from Lord of the Rings films... must-own.

Seven Samurai: Criterion Collection Special Edition
One of the very best movies ever gets one of the very best DVDs ever. Perfect compliment!

Dune: Extended Edition
The only thing missing is a David Lynch recut and a commentary.

Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier
Another DVD that perfectly mirrors the film: a work of frustratingly mixed genius and madness.

Forbidden Planet: 50th Anniversary Special Edition
Just plain cool. A simply wonderful transfer that makes me feel like a 5-year-old all over again when I watch it.

A History of Violence
A sensational film with surprisingly intimate making-of docs. The featurette on the shooting of Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) from the actor's standpoint was worth the purchase price of the DVD itself.

Blade Runner: The Remastered Director's Cut
Damn straight: with no features at all, it still makes the list.

The New World
If the transfer doesn't quite compliment the film's astounding 70mm photography it's only because the hour-long featurette was included on the same disc as the 135-min. feature.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Another director's cut miracle. Even as a kid, the second film left me cold. That I'm able to enjoy the new film as a young adult is a great joy.

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

THE PROPOSITION
THE INFORMER
DOUBLE INDEMNITY
THE NAKED SPUR
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
THE CONFORMIST
THE SEARCHERS SE
SERGEANT YORK
BRAZIL NEW SE
SEVEN MEN FROM NOW in no particular order. in other regions I would say..
BLOODY MAMA
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN
HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP
ALLIGATOR
QUADROPHENIA SE
THE BUTCHER BOY
ULZANAS' RAID
MARCH OR DIE!
ICE COLD IN ALEX
DEAD MAN'S SHOES

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Astaire and Rogers: The Complete Film Collection: Ultimate Collector’s Edition
The Busby Berkeley Collection
Get Smart: The Complete Series
Gideon's Daughter
Jayne Mansfield Collection
John Wayne-John Ford Film Collection
Marlene Dietrich: The Glamour Collection
Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection
Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season
Seven Samurai: 3-Disc Remastered Edition: Criterion Collection

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

In no order:

Seven Samurai (Criterion 3 disc)
The Searchers (SE)
Forbidden Planet (50th Anniv. Edition)
Grand Prix
Kingdom of Heaven (4 disc)
The Maltese Falcon (SE)
Saturday Night Live - Season 1
Clerks II
Serenity (R2/R4 2 disc edition)
King Kong (2005) (2 disc)

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

Here is my list.

http://talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com/...s-of-2006.html

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

two of my favorite films were made by John Ford

R1 Young Mr Lincoln from Criterion
R2 Prisoner of Shark Island Masters of Cinema

Both dealt with Abraham Lincoln in totally opposite points of view

Cheers

Re: What are YOUR top ten DVDs of 2006?

1. ASTAIRE & ROGERS-COMPLETE COLLECTION & SUPERMAN 14 disc tin (TIE)
2. THE JOHN WAYNE/JOHN FORD COLLECTION
3. REDS
4. THE BUSBY BERKELEY COLLECTION
5. HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS OF HORROR
6. LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION VOLUME FOUR
7. WARNER TOUGH GUYS COLLECTION
8. NETWORK-2 DISC SE
9. STATE OF THE UNION (even if it was shamefully bare bones)
10.WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF-2 disc SE



HD Releases:

1. THE SEARCHERS
2. THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD(extra shout out for 3 High Def cartoons)
3. REDS
4. BATMAN BEGINS
5. FORBIDDEN PLANET ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION TIN
6. TROY
7. BLAZING SADDLES
8. SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT
9. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III
10.GRAND PRIX

Best Studio: Warner
Worst Studio: Sony

Biggest blunder of the year (other than the HD format war):

Paramount's decision to let its Republic library stay at Lionsgate (only taking back IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE), making sure that the worthy titles in that library will likely never get a decent DVD release.