So Ron, how's this years dvd of the year lookin so far? :-) (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

Just curious, any guesses or clear contenders yet? Personally my #1 pic so far would clearly have to be Fox's monumental achievment Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones followed a close second by New Line's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring the Extended Edition.
I figured with less than two months left in 2002, the competition has got to be coming down to the wire soon.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

FOTR is 3x the DVD AOTC is, and this is coming from a hardcore Star Wars nerd

The only thing that comes close is Pearl Harbor: Vista Series which is handicapped by a crappy movie

 

[Vickie_M]

FOTR is 3x the DVD AOTC is, and this is coming from a hardcore Star Wars nerd

Yeah, same here.

Btw, the Extended Edition of LOTR:FOTR is NOT the "Director's Cut." Peter Jackson has said time and again that the theatrical version is the Director's Cut. The Extended Edition was put together specifically for fans of the book and the movie.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I'll agree that 'FOTR' is a better film than 'AOTC' and even has better extras, but for sheer quality of presentation, I have to go with 'AOTC'. The video quality is just staggering and the audio is on par with 'TPM'.

Not really sure what criteria Ron goes by to determin the winner, quality of the film, or quality of the presentation. If it's by the quality of the film, than it's clearly 'FOTR', if it's by overall presentation,'AOTC'.

Content and quality of extras are probably a factor as well.

EDIT: I thought I had that wrong Vickie, thanks. I've made the correction.

 

[Chris Harvey]

The quality of the movie itself is subjective -- we each have our own preferences. (I consider the FOTR:EE far superior to AOTC, but YMMV.) Quality-wise, it's possible that AOTC has a very slight edge -- I don't think I have the equipment to really distinguish between the two. Both look superb. For argument's sake, I'll give AOTC the slight audio/video edge.

But in terms of extras, FOTR:EE absolutely blows AOTC out of the water, and then some. If ANY consideration is given to supplemental material, AOTC is not even a major front-runner.

So:
Movie quality: up to the viewer
A/V quality: slight edge to AOTC
Supplements: HUGE edge to FOTR

FOTR takes it, hands down.

 

[Jeff_P]

I have yet to get FOTR yet. It is on my X-mas list but lets remember it may be easier to say FOTR is the disc of the year but this is this title second release. I am sure George can milk us for more money with another disc with tons of more extras if he wanted too. Hopefully it will happen soon because I want more deleted scenes!

 

[Neil Joseph]

As much as I love Star Wars & AOTC, it just is not in the same league os FOTR if you take movie, audio, video, and extras equally.

 

[Vickie_M]

with another disc with tons of more extras if he wanted too.

You're wrong if you think that's what Jackson did. All three sets were announced at the SAME time and people were given months to think about which one(s) they wanted. I am so sick and tired of New Line and Jackson being raked over the coals for this release, by direct or indirect means.
THE FANS WANTED THIS. What non-fans wanted wasn't (and rightly shouldn't have been) considered. The fact that you're willing to wait for Christmas to get this shows that this edition was NOT MADE FOR YOU and what you think about it matters not a whit.
Sorry to get testy, but this "rip off" attitude from non-fans is really ticking me off.

 

[Gregory E]

I'm not Ron, but anybody that thinks the Fellowship Extended Edition isn't the DVD of the year.....
well they're just WRONG!!!!

 

[Sean Moon]

I have to say that DVD of the year is FOTR EE. It has the best film based transfer I have ever seen, and the best soundtrack out there now. And no other release EVER can compare to the extra content in it.
AOTC has the most jaw dropping transfer ever seen by my eyes(finally, something beat Monsters INC) and the sound is amazing, but lacks that little natural feel that LOTR has.
The extras on AOTC are great to be sure, but next to FOTR EE, almost all DVDs look bad in the extras department.

 

[Shawn C]

I think that the Band of Brothers set could be a contender, I just don't know if he plans on reviewing it or not.

 

[nousername]

I think the grain in A.I. is intentional, and it certainly was like that when I saw it in the theater last year. I think A.I. has a splendid transfer...

My vote would go for any of the following, in no particular order:

Amelie: Quirky but fun movie and very good transfer.
24: Season One: Very addictive if you've never seen it before, and it's a nice transfer for a T.V. show.
Mulholland Drive: Very weird, but it's a good movie and it sports a nice transfer.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: I applaud the decision to include the orignal version. Hopefully this will be a trend that all directors will follow (are you listening, George Lucas?)
A Beautiful Mind: Great movie, wonderful transfer.
Singin' in the Rain SE: Another great movie and an incredible transfer.

But AOTC or FOTR will probably win, even though I didn't particularly like either movie. You can't argue against the amazing transfer quality in both these titles, and the extras will keep fans of either movie busy for hours or even days...

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Oh man, I almost forgot about Band of Brothers! I havn't gotten it yet because of the steep price tag, but I want it REAL bad!
I think I may have to recind my original decision regarding 'AOTC'. IMO 'BoB' is so epic and important that it rivals even the 'FOTR EE'!

 

[Marc Colella]

I guess there's 2 ways to look at it.
In terms of video, sound and extras - I feel that LOTR:EE is definitely the DVD of the year, and probably close behind it is AOTC.
But if we're also including the quality of film into the mix, then I'd have to vote otherwise - since I'm not a fan of either film.
With quality fo film being added, I'd have to go with either Pulp Fiction: CE or Amelie.

 

[Rich Malloy]

I got two contenders for DVD of the year in the mail on Tuesday...
The Complete Monterey Pop Festival
Fellowship of the Ring
Right now, I can't decide which set I like more, and so I'm just enjoying this enormous bounty of DVD goodness that's just come my way!
(And, naturally, the quality of the film itself is hugely important. I mean, who cares about a superbit, infinifilm, deluxe criterion edition of "Death to Smoochy"? At some point you gotta draw the line, and for me, that line is well above "Attack of the Clones".)

 

[Ted Todorov]

I have not received Monterey Pop yet, so right now I would have to go with Croupier (R2-UK). Great DVD, certainly THE most watched disk of 2002 in my HT. And if you were wondering, that where my signature line is from.
Ted

 

[dpippel]

My vote goes to LOTR:FOTR EE as well. I watched this and AOTC on subsequent nights and in my opinion superiority in both video and sound quality goes to the New Line release, hands down. Clones looked fantastic, but FOTR looked STUNNING. Granted, I viewed both discs on a lowly Sony 32" WEGA in anamorphic mode so would not be able to see subtleties of detail that a larger display or FP might bring out. Regardless, the differences between the two were noticable. FOTR just blew me away. It definitely deserves the title DVD of the Year IMHO, based on audio/video quality, extras, packaging and quality of content.

 

[Yohan Pamudji]

I say FOTR:EE also. If extras are a factor in the DVD of the Year choice, which I'm almost certain it is, FOTR:EE is head and shoulders above any other DVD that has come out this year. AOTC might have a slight edge in picture quality due to the direct digital aspect, but it's not enough of a difference to overcome FOTR:EE's incredible all-around package. FOTR:EE receives very high marks for audio and video quality, and the extras are unmatched by any other DVD I've seen. All of this for a paltry $25.

Band of Brothers: excellent, but probably wouldn't be considered for DVD of the year because it's a miniseries. Oh, and to get it cheap go pick it up at Amazon.ca. I bought mine there and paid a whopping $57 for it with expedited shipping!

 

[Lew Crippen]

In a different vein, Criterion’s The Complete Monterey Pop Festival is an outstanding release, which has already been mentioned.

In the non-box set (but still multi-disk) releases, either Rebecca, In the Mood for Love or Children of Paradise are outstanding.

For single disk releases, Notorious and Wild Strawberries deserve consideration.

Contempt will be not be released until December so it cannot yet be judged, but this looks as though it will be first rate.

 

[Nick Pudar]

As far as I'm concerned, the DVD of the year is hands-down Star Trek: TNG Complete Series (all seven seasons). The studio did an outstanding job with the whole delivery. Considering they were all released this calendar year, they are a serious contender.
Nick