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Top 100 DVD Census 2004 - Vote Now For Your Top 10 (1 Viewer)

Jough

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
120
Hi,

LukeB, the bloke who runs UltimateDisney.com has run this DVD census for the past few years on both HTF and DVDTalk (perhaps among other sites).

I've taken up the reigns this year and will be tallying the results, building the result site (much in the spirit of previous lists), etc. Deadline for entries is 31 January 2004. The results will be posted on 15 February.

Here's the thread link to last year's Census:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ghlight=census

================================================== =====

Now that all the big releases of Fourth Quarter are out and you've gotten a chance to check out the latest DVDs, it's time again to put together a list of the Top 100 DVD Releases of All-Time. This 'census' was last done in December of 2002, and the list of results was varying and certainly (in my opinion) interesting. Since this is done entirely by public vote, I have no more say in what wins than any of you! (So don't complain to me about Fight Club being #1 - I didn't pick it!

Some basic guidelines:

You select the 10 DVD releases that you consider to be best overall, ranked in descending order of quality. "Best" is determined by two criteria: movie quality and DVD quality. It is meant to incorporate the DVD presentation of the film, but it's not entirely about the extras and DVD layout. Take both factors into consideration when making your selections. DVD quality includes audio/video quality plus the quality of extra features.

You are voting on DVD releases, which means that The Godfather Collection is ONE vote, Toy Story & Toy Story 2: The Ultimate Toy Box is ONE vote, The Back to the Future Trilogy is ONE vote, etc.

Please only vote once. I'll be posting this on several Internet DVD forums as I did last year, since the idea is to make this a definitive list that the people decide. If you visit those other boards, please DO NOT vote on more than one forum.

And please be specific as to what release you are selecting. "Widescreen" version isn't necessary, but if you're voting for something like Lord of the Rings, please specify 2-Disc Theatrical or Extended Edition. I'm not really sure how to treat similar releases, such as separate DD and DTS versions (which just about never happens anymore) or something like the 4-Disc vs. 5-Disc LOTR releases and Spider-man 2-Disc vs. Collector's Set (in which the difference is mostly just physical extras). Most likely I'll just count them together, and list the more basic one with more votes with a note. In some instances, though, there might be need for separate counts (I'm thinking of something like E.T. 2-Disc vs. 3-Disc). Nonetheless, vote for what you want, I'll count them as they're voted, and I'll decide what makes the most sense once everything is tallied.

There's been discussion about whether TV Season releases should be counted as a group or separately - so I'm doing both. The overall Top 100 list will list the Top 100 *releases* (i.e. single items you could buy at a store) but I'll be also including a list where series sets are counted together.

Scoring is simple enough. Your 1st choice gets 10 points, 2nd choice gets 9, 3rd gets 8, and so on...onto your 10th pick, which gets 1 point. I will count your list from top (#1 - the best) to bottom (#10 - the 10th best) and ties or listing more than 10 releases will simply bump those releases off of your list - only the first ten items will be counted.

The resulting list will be the Top 100 DVDs based on points earned, and I may include a list of some DVDs that just missed the cut.

Oh and finally, if you'd like, you can include comments about why you picked what you did, which I would use on the results website.

NOTE: If a moderator could pin this to the top of the Software forum for the two weeks of voting as a 'sticky' thread, I'd be most appreciative. The more representative this list is of DVD enthusiasts, the better is. The more votes, the better. Thanks!


Once again, for those of you who don't like to read a lot, post a list of your Top 10 DVD releases of all-time!
 

Jacob McCraw

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
242
1. Brazil: Criterion
2. LOTR - Fellowship of the Ring EE
3. LOTR - The Two Towers EE
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Criterion
5. Toy Story: Ultimate Toybox
6. Fight Club
7. Naked Lunch: Criterion
8. The Godfather Trilogy
9. Re-Animator: Millenium Edition
10. Alien Quadrilogy
 

Patrick McCart

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 16, 2001
Messages
8,196
Location
Georgia (the state)
Real Name
Patrick McCart
1. Warner Legends/The Adventures of Robin Hood (Warner)
2. Looney Tunes: Golden Collection (Warner)
3. The Lon Chaney Collection (Warner)
4. Metropolis: Restored, Authorized Edition (Kino)
5. Singin' in the Rain: Special Edition (Warner)
6. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney)
7. Phantom of the Opera: Ultimate Edition (Milestone/Image)
8. Casablanca: Special 2-Disc Edition (Warner)
9. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Disney)
10. Lawrence of Arabia: Superbit (Columbia)

All 10 of these selections contain great movies, great transfers, and great supplements.

The Warner Legends box contains 3 four-star classics each with superb audio-visual presentations and excellent extras. Even better, they have the "Night at the Movies" option so you can have a golden age style experience.

The Looney Tunes set, first of many, is the greatest DVD set of classic cartoons. Restored, uncut, and with beautiful transfers. Overall, this makes the Disney Treasures sets look puny in comparison.

The Lon Chaney Collection is a milestone in DVD and also Warner Home Video's history. It's their first silent cinema release, plus the highest profile silent release by major studios. Columbia released The Matinee Idol in 1998, Fox still has Sunrise as a freebie, and there's the MK2 2-disc SE of The Gold Rush. Anyways... the transfers are crisp and well-done. Sure, the film elements aren't in perfect condition, but still top-notch. The inclusion of commentaries, the London After Midnight reconstruction, and the "A Thousand Faces" documentary has probably made a lot of movie buffs happy. Rumor has it that 2nd and 3rd volumes may be released in the future, so hopefully that means that this made a nice profit for Warners.

Kino's import of Transit Film's Metropolis disc is a triumph of DVD. Featuring the restored version of the film, which seems to be taken from the digital files rather than the new 35mm negative, it's excellent. The documentary and restoration comparison are great, too. Madacy ought to be ashamed for even putting out their piss-poor disc.

Snow White and Singin' in the Rain are two great past-year releases with perfect video/audio transfers and excellent supplements.

Milestone Films' special edition of the classic Lon Chaney film, Phantom of the Opera, finally showcases how great the film is. Sure, it's pretty much a popcorn film, but still a classic. With both the fully restored 1929 version and a good quality print of the 1925 version, you can see pretty much the difference. The Scott MacQueen commentary, Vitaphone score, and other supplements are a lot of fun.

Casablanca: SE is another typical Warner DVD... excellent a/v, great supplements: all for an A+ film.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea also has a superb a/v transfer, great extras, and Disney's best live-action film.

Last but not least... Lawrence of Arabia. The 2-disc LE of 2001 was nice, but was far from perfect. The Superbit loses the extras, but gains a beautiful new remaster of the HD transfer.
 

Brian_L_Kleis

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Nov 16, 2000
Messages
133
Heaven knows it could change again within the hour, but here goes...

1 - Ultimate Toy Box
2 - Alien Quadrilogy
3 - Brazil: Criterion Collection
4 - Finding Nemo
5 - Singing in the Rain (2 disk SE)
6 - Casablanca (2 disk SE)
7 - Monsters, Inc.
8 - Almost Famous: Bootleg
9 - The West Wing: Season One
10 - LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring EE
 

oscar_merkx

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Messages
7,626
1 Once Upon A Time in the West SE
2 Tron 20th Anniversary Edition
3 Robin Hood 1938
4 Brazil Criterion
5 Lord of the Rings Ext edition
6 The Abyss
7 Terminator 2 UE
8 Once Upon A Time in America
9 Sunset Boulevard
10 Indiana Jones
 

Adam_WM

Screenwriter
Joined
Oct 25, 2001
Messages
1,629
Real Name
Adam Moreau
1. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: EE
2. Alien Quadrilogy
3. Fight Club: SE
4. The Abyss: SE
5. Lord of the Rings: Two Towers: EE
6. Pearl Harbor: Vista Series
7. Casablanca: SE
8. Back to the Future Trilogy
9. Black Hawk Down: 3 Disc SE
10. 24: Season 1
 

Joe D

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 21, 1999
Messages
838
1. Citizen Kane Special Edition
2. Brazil: Criterion Collection
3. LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring EE
4. LOTR: The Two Towers EE
5. Ultimate Toy Box
6. Conan the Barbarian SE
7. Memento: Limited Edition
8. Dark City Platinum Series
9. Starship Troopers: Superbit
10. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Special Edition
 

Matt Pelham

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2002
Messages
1,711
1. Fellowship of the Ring: EE
2. The Two Towers: EE
3. The Alien Quadrilogy
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Criterion
5. Almost Famous: Bootleg Director's edition
6. Se7en: Platinum Series
7. Fight Club
8. Spartacus: Criterion Collection
9. Evil Dead: Book of the Dead
10. E.T. Ultimate Gift set
 

Adam Lenhardt

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2001
Messages
26,972
Location
Albany, NY
  1. Fellowship of the Ring: EE
  2. Attack of the Clones
  3. Firefly: The Complete Series
  4. Steven Spielberg Presents Taken
  5. Almost Famous: The Bootleg Cut
  6. Superman: The Movie (Special Edition)
  7. The Complete Adventures of Indiana Jones
  8. Royal Tenenbaums: Criterion
  9. The Two Towers: EE
  10. Moulin Rouge[/list=1]
 

Jedrek

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
77
1. The Fantasia Anthology

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition

3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

4. Looney Tunes: Golden Collection

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Extended Edition

6. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

7. The Adventures of Robin Hood: Two-Disc Special Edition

8. X2: X-Men United

9. Casablanca: Two-Disc Special Edition

10. West Side Story: Special Edition DVD Set
 

Harold Wazzu

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 1, 2003
Messages
885
Here's mine:

1. Gladiator : Signature Selection
2. Alien Quadrilogy
3. Terminator 2 : Ultimate Edition (2-disc)
4. Band of Brothers
5. The Adventures of Indiana Jones Boxset
6. Dances with Wolves Special Edition
7. Tombstone: Vista Series
8. Raging Bull
9. Jurassic Park Boxset
10. The Abyss 2-disc SE
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
1Rear Window
2The Godfather Trilogy
3Casablanca Special Edition
4Citizen Kane Special Edition
5Indiana Jones Trilogy
6North by Northwest
7Vertigo
8Toy Story: Ultimate Toy Box
9Looney Tunes: Golden Collection
10The Dick Van Dyke Show
 

Roger Rollins

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jun 19, 2001
Messages
931
1. Looney Tunes Golden Collection
2. Warner Legends Collection
3. Singin' in the Rain SE
4. Family Guy (1-3)
5. North by Northwest
6. Casablanca SE
7. Lord of the Rings-Fellowship of the Ring SE
8. Lord of the Rings-Two Towers SE
9. The Dick Van Dyke Show (1-2)
10.Mildred Pierce
 

Brian E

Screenwriter
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
1,636
1 - Band of Brothers
2 - From The Earth To The Moon
3 - Almost Famous: Bootleg
4 - The Adventures of Robin Hood
5 - LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring EE
6 - LOTR: The Two Towers EE
7 - Babylon 5
8 - Cowboy Bebop
9 - North by Northwest
10 - The Complete Adventures of Indiana Jones
 

Kristian

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jun 16, 2001
Messages
945
Real Name
Kristian
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Extended Edition
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition
3. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
4. The Fantasia Anthology
5. Toy Story: The Ultimate Toy Box
6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Second Season
7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Platinum Edition
8. 24: Season 1
9. Looney Tunes: Golden Collection
10. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
 

ChrisChap

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Apr 25, 2003
Messages
85
1. LOTR: FOTR EE
2. Fear and Loathing (Criterion)
3. LOTR: TTT EE
4. Fight Club 2 Disc
5. Gladiator Signature
6. Brotherhood of the Wolf Canadian 3 Disc
7. Akira tin
8. Die Hard 5 star
9. Brazil (Criterion)
10. Black Hawk Down 3 disc
 

Josh Steinberg

Premium
Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2003
Messages
26,274
Real Name
Josh Steinberg
1. The Fantasia Anthology
2. Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition)
3. Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (Extended Edition)
4. The Godfather DVD Collection
6. Almost Famous: Untitled - The Bootleg Cut
5. Warner Legends Collection
7. Traffic: Criterion Collection
8. Spartacus: Criterion Collection
9. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Special Edition)
10. Dogma (Special Edition)
 

GerardC

Agent
Joined
May 13, 2001
Messages
49
1. ALIEN QUADRILOGY
2. THE GODFATHER Collection
3. THE FRENCH CONNECTION Five Star Collection
4. TAXI DRIVER Collector’s Edition
5. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL Special Edition
6. BRAZIL (Criterion)
7. THIS IS SPINAL TAP Special Edition
8. THE EXORCIST 25th Anniversary Special Edition
9. TROIS COULEURS TRILOGY
10. CITIZEN KANE
 

Adam_S

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2001
Messages
6,316
Real Name
Adam_S
I set myself a clear standard on voting for this.
I have to own the set in question.
I have to have seen more than half and probably 2/3 of the extras.
so although I own Indiana Jones, Warner Legends, Looney Tunes and Toy box sets, they won't get votes because I've not watched any of the extras.
likewise I won't be voting for Brazil or others because I don't own them.

here goes

1. Empire of the Sun
2. Lord of the Rings EE
3. Almost Famous: Bootleg
4. Fight Club
5. Pollyanna - Vault Disney Collection
6. Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies
7. Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection
8. Walt Disney Treasures: Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney Studios
9. Magnolia
10. Grand Illusion - Criterion Collection

Empire of the Sun is just the greatest movie ever, and there's a fabulous documentary with this film. Fantastic sound and transfer. gorgeous photography

The sheer amount of information in the documentaries boggles the mind. yet they're never repetitive and always interesting. easy to fly through the six hours.

Almost famous is one of the greatest films in recent memory. and this set outdoes itself. providing the extended cut and the original, plus a slew of extras and a great commentary including crowe's mother. on top of that, the extended cut (while it doesn't flow as well) ages better each time I revisit this magical and perfect film!

Fight club is simply one of hte best sets imaginable. Four commentaries (I've listened to 1.5) and a ton of extras that are just as good as everything on the LOTR EE sets. On top of that, the movie is absolutely incredible, and the sound and picture are absolutely first rate.

Pollyanna surprised the hell out of me, it was the only one of the vault disney's I didn't like as a kid, but I picked it up for completions sake. Not only is the movie the most sophisticated and well made of all of Disney's live action films, it holds up the best as well. On top of that is the gorgeous restoration and excellent picture and audio quality, not top notch, but darn good. The extras in this whole series are the best I've seen for a family film, especially family films of this vintage. They're all interesting in their own right, and this is one of a very few dvds that I've actually watched everything (EVERYTHING) on both platters. The standout extra is the documentary on Pollyanna and the restoration demonstration that really explains the process and detail of restoration--especially as it relates to Pollyanna, Criterions restoration demos are crap compared to this.

Silly Symphonies is another I almost did not buy, and I found out I liked most of these cartoons better than the mickey mouse sets. They look fantastic and are just as enjoyable today. I could watch Who Killed Cock Robin and the Old Mill anytime--very few Warners come close to brilliance of those two gems. there are a few stinkers, like Noah's Ark, but overall a phenomenal set.

Seven Samurai is on here for two reasons, it is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen, and it has the greatest commentary I've yet heard. I loved the film initially, but he commentary opened my eyes to the extent of Kurasawa's genius, and the genius of this film.

Behind the scenes at Walt Disney Studios is probably the best put together Treasures sets in terms of features and quality, interesting stuff. The crown jewel is the restored and fantastic Reluctant Dragon, a delightful and revolutionary film, too bad it flopped, I for one loved it.

Magnolia is an incredibly powerful movie. the documentary on the second disc is wonderful, but this is probably the one selection that would be booted off my list. I'd like to replace this with the Warner's legends collection, but I've only seen one of the movies and virtually none of the extras, sad. :frowning:

Grand Illusion is one of the greatest movies ever, second only to Empire of the Sun in my opinion. The commentary on this disc is second only to the Seven Samurai one, and the clean up reel showing the before and after of the restoration is quite educational (but pales in comparison to a real feature on the restoration, ala pollyanna).

Adam
 

Jough

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
120
It's all good, G. I had the same standards for my own list - nothing that I didn't own and have watched most/all of the extras.
 

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