USA today's year in DVD - good/bad trends....
12-28-04, 05:26 PM
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USA today's year in DVD - good/bad trends....
From today's edition of USA Today...
Trends we like
•Classics done well. Without much fanfare, films such as The Grapes of Wrath and The Commitments (both from Fox), Top Gun and The Untouchables (Paramount), Gunga Din (Warner) and The China Syndrome (Columbia TriStar) have been released with complementary extras at economical prices.
•Easing out cardboard cases. Warner Home Video finally pulled its flimsy cardboard DVD sleeve, switching to the plastic "keep case" model for new releases and catalog titles. Yet the cardboard sleeve still surfaces for children's video. We hereby call for a boycott of all Scooby-Doo and Batman DVDs until this situation is rectified.
•Classic TV on DVD. Studios opened the vaults and began releasing complete seasons, and in some cases complete series, of classic TV shows such as Star Trek and The Dick Van Dyke Show. It's a great alternative to the cheap public-domain compilations that had been the norm.
•Special features on TV DVD. Finally, studios are putting bonus material on TV DVD sets. Credit producer Paul Brownstein, whose innovative work on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Here's Lucy — he even got old network promo spots from eBay — raised the bar.
•Movie tickets with DVDs. Universal created revamped special editions of movies like The Fast and the Furious and The Bourne Identity when their sequels arrived in theaters and threw in a free movie ticket. That's added value.
•Instant play on children's DVDs. We've all seen little ones mesmerized by animated menus — and then turning the TV off when nothing else happens. But more suppliers (including Disney) put a time limit on the menu so that after 30 seconds or so, the movie automatically begins to play. Smart move. It's not easy for a 2-year-old to distinguish between "Play All" or "Play Sing-alongs Only" when all he wants to do is see Barney.
•Truly special editions. The Criterion Collection has led the way with DVD editions that not only present a film in its best shape but also include intelligent extras that complement the film. (Example: The Battle of Algiers.) Other studios have joined in with such titles as the GoneWith the Wind four-disc collector's edition (Warner), Planet of the Apes Widescreen 35th Anniversary Edition (Fox), La Dolce Vita (Koch Lorber) and Ed WoodSpecial Edition (Disney).
•Collectors' dreams. Movie fans can build a library quickly — and economically — with such collections as the 14-disc Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection (Warner, $130), The James Stewart Hollywood Legends Collection (Universal, $60) and The Film Noir Collection (Warner, $50). And it's not just major stars getting the treatment. Sony follows up its five-disc The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen: Legendary Science Fiction Series set ($58), which includes Mysterious Island, with the Harryhausen: Legendary Monsters set ($58, out today), featuring Jason and the Argonauts.
Trends we don't like
•Gimmicky packaging. Universal did a great job with its Battlestar Galactica DVD release by putting the whole series on six discs. And although the box shaped like the cyclon's head looks great on store shelves, who has room for something this bulky at home? A box set with more traditional shaped packaging hits stores today. Some other DVDs that have cumbersome or bothersome packaging include The Ultimate Matrix Collection ($80), a sprawling 10-disc set that has everything you wanted to know about the trilogy, except no commentary from the Wachowski brothers; the Star Trek original series complete-season sets (in retro tricorder-shaped plastic boxes); and Northern Exposure complete season sets, zipped in winter jacket material.
•Still stuck on tape. Speaking of packaging nightmares, for the second year in a row we plead for a way to lose some of the sticky plastic that seals the discs.
•Superfluous special features. Cast and director commentaries are one thing, but do we really need one from the post-production team, as we've seen on the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King? What's next? "Reflections from the Key Grip and Best Boy?"
•Double-dipping. More and more, studios are releasing new theatrical films on DVD and then following up with an even better edition a few months, or even weeks, down the pike. The excuse: The really elaborate special features often aren't ready in time. But it also means diehard fans probably will buy the same movie twice, once just to get it and then again when the really good extras show up. And while we're on that topic, do we really need a three-disc extended edition director's cut of Hellboy?
•Dollar DVDs. Old movies for a buck are the antithesis of special editions, and though not every film deserves the full VIP treatment, this is the other extreme, with scratchy prints, poor audio and zilch in the way of extras.
•Must-see ads. Many DVDs, including Las Vegas: Season One Uncut & Uncensored and King Arthur, continue to have promotional trailers that begin running automatically before you arrive at the main menu.
•Overpriced collections. Universal is charging about $60 for most of its TV DVD sets, including three-disc sets of Las Vegas and Quantum Leap.
•Incomplete or "forced" collections. It's discouraging that the Pink Panther Collection (MGM, $70) couldn't wait until inclusion of The Return of the Pink Panther could be negotiated (with Artisan, which was acquired by Lions Gate). Similarly, we're worried that studios will continue the latest (and confusing) sales strategy of repackaging DVDs in pairs such as the Ultimate Party Collection (Dazed and Confused/Fast Times at Ridgemont High, $28) or the Adam Sandler Naughty & Nice Gift Pack (Little Nicky/The Wedding Singer, $29). And there will soon be dueling Martin Scorsese collections: One from Warner ($59) includes After Hours, GoodFellas Special Edition, Mean Streets, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Who's That Knocking at My Door?, while an MGM set (due Feb. 8, $50) has New York, New York, Raging Bull, The Last Waltz and Boxcar Bertha. Why didn't the studios join forces on one collection instead of two half-baked ones?
Trends we like
•Classics done well. Without much fanfare, films such as The Grapes of Wrath and The Commitments (both from Fox), Top Gun and The Untouchables (Paramount), Gunga Din (Warner) and The China Syndrome (Columbia TriStar) have been released with complementary extras at economical prices.
•Easing out cardboard cases. Warner Home Video finally pulled its flimsy cardboard DVD sleeve, switching to the plastic "keep case" model for new releases and catalog titles. Yet the cardboard sleeve still surfaces for children's video. We hereby call for a boycott of all Scooby-Doo and Batman DVDs until this situation is rectified.
•Classic TV on DVD. Studios opened the vaults and began releasing complete seasons, and in some cases complete series, of classic TV shows such as Star Trek and The Dick Van Dyke Show. It's a great alternative to the cheap public-domain compilations that had been the norm.
•Special features on TV DVD. Finally, studios are putting bonus material on TV DVD sets. Credit producer Paul Brownstein, whose innovative work on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Here's Lucy — he even got old network promo spots from eBay — raised the bar.
•Movie tickets with DVDs. Universal created revamped special editions of movies like The Fast and the Furious and The Bourne Identity when their sequels arrived in theaters and threw in a free movie ticket. That's added value.
•Instant play on children's DVDs. We've all seen little ones mesmerized by animated menus — and then turning the TV off when nothing else happens. But more suppliers (including Disney) put a time limit on the menu so that after 30 seconds or so, the movie automatically begins to play. Smart move. It's not easy for a 2-year-old to distinguish between "Play All" or "Play Sing-alongs Only" when all he wants to do is see Barney.
•Truly special editions. The Criterion Collection has led the way with DVD editions that not only present a film in its best shape but also include intelligent extras that complement the film. (Example: The Battle of Algiers.) Other studios have joined in with such titles as the GoneWith the Wind four-disc collector's edition (Warner), Planet of the Apes Widescreen 35th Anniversary Edition (Fox), La Dolce Vita (Koch Lorber) and Ed WoodSpecial Edition (Disney).
•Collectors' dreams. Movie fans can build a library quickly — and economically — with such collections as the 14-disc Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection (Warner, $130), The James Stewart Hollywood Legends Collection (Universal, $60) and The Film Noir Collection (Warner, $50). And it's not just major stars getting the treatment. Sony follows up its five-disc The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen: Legendary Science Fiction Series set ($58), which includes Mysterious Island, with the Harryhausen: Legendary Monsters set ($58, out today), featuring Jason and the Argonauts.
Trends we don't like
•Gimmicky packaging. Universal did a great job with its Battlestar Galactica DVD release by putting the whole series on six discs. And although the box shaped like the cyclon's head looks great on store shelves, who has room for something this bulky at home? A box set with more traditional shaped packaging hits stores today. Some other DVDs that have cumbersome or bothersome packaging include The Ultimate Matrix Collection ($80), a sprawling 10-disc set that has everything you wanted to know about the trilogy, except no commentary from the Wachowski brothers; the Star Trek original series complete-season sets (in retro tricorder-shaped plastic boxes); and Northern Exposure complete season sets, zipped in winter jacket material.
•Still stuck on tape. Speaking of packaging nightmares, for the second year in a row we plead for a way to lose some of the sticky plastic that seals the discs.
•Superfluous special features. Cast and director commentaries are one thing, but do we really need one from the post-production team, as we've seen on the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King? What's next? "Reflections from the Key Grip and Best Boy?"
•Double-dipping. More and more, studios are releasing new theatrical films on DVD and then following up with an even better edition a few months, or even weeks, down the pike. The excuse: The really elaborate special features often aren't ready in time. But it also means diehard fans probably will buy the same movie twice, once just to get it and then again when the really good extras show up. And while we're on that topic, do we really need a three-disc extended edition director's cut of Hellboy?
•Dollar DVDs. Old movies for a buck are the antithesis of special editions, and though not every film deserves the full VIP treatment, this is the other extreme, with scratchy prints, poor audio and zilch in the way of extras.
•Must-see ads. Many DVDs, including Las Vegas: Season One Uncut & Uncensored and King Arthur, continue to have promotional trailers that begin running automatically before you arrive at the main menu.
•Overpriced collections. Universal is charging about $60 for most of its TV DVD sets, including three-disc sets of Las Vegas and Quantum Leap.
•Incomplete or "forced" collections. It's discouraging that the Pink Panther Collection (MGM, $70) couldn't wait until inclusion of The Return of the Pink Panther could be negotiated (with Artisan, which was acquired by Lions Gate). Similarly, we're worried that studios will continue the latest (and confusing) sales strategy of repackaging DVDs in pairs such as the Ultimate Party Collection (Dazed and Confused/Fast Times at Ridgemont High, $28) or the Adam Sandler Naughty & Nice Gift Pack (Little Nicky/The Wedding Singer, $29). And there will soon be dueling Martin Scorsese collections: One from Warner ($59) includes After Hours, GoodFellas Special Edition, Mean Streets, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Who's That Knocking at My Door?, while an MGM set (due Feb. 8, $50) has New York, New York, Raging Bull, The Last Waltz and Boxcar Bertha. Why didn't the studios join forces on one collection instead of two half-baked ones?
12-28-04, 06:56 PM
#5
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by cygnet74
the matrix box set is cumbersome? 
12-28-04, 07:00 PM
#6
Needs to contact an admin about multiple accounts
Originally Posted by Jason
I imagine they're talking about the plastic case with the neo head inside. The regular set looks very easy to put on the shelf.
12-28-04, 07:46 PM
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Originally Posted by From today's edition of USA Today...
•Superfluous special features. Cast and director commentaries are one thing, but do we really need one from the post-production team, as we've seen on the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King? What's next? "Reflections from the Key Grip and Best Boy?"
This is the most narrow-minded thing I've ever heard!!!!
As an Editor, I'm truly offended!!
Andrew
12-28-04, 07:46 PM
#11
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anyone who would compare the exec. producer, producers, the composer, the special effects team, and the editors, to the "key grip and best boy", is an idiot who should be fired from writing about film, immediately.
12-28-04, 08:15 PM
#13
DVD Talk Limited Edition
"Still stuck on tape. Speaking of packaging nightmares, for the second year in a row we plead for a way to lose some of the sticky plastic that seals the discs. "
I second the motion. Especially on a DVD that costs $10.
I second the motion. Especially on a DVD that costs $10.
12-28-04, 08:22 PM
#14
DVD Talk Godfather
Originally Posted by The Valeyard
This is the most narrow-minded thing I've ever heard!!!!
As an Editor, I'm truly offended!!
Andrew
As an Editor, I'm truly offended!!
Andrew
12-28-04, 08:51 PM
#15
DVD Talk Legend
i like the tape....one more thieves have to get through before they get caught. Perfectly secure dvd would be keep case with tabs on the side, taped on all 3 sides, shrinkwrapped, with a cardboard sleeve over the top
