Who's Been Good or Bad in DVDland This Year?
 

Who deserves to be noted as a good and bad in the DVD arena this year?

Tell us some of your candidates and why. But try not to have a lengthy bad list – consider it a little charity around the holidays.

The Good List:

1. Criterion Collection

Criterion continued with another strong year with individual titles sure to please many. Some of the titles:

Band of Outsiders
By Brakhage - Anthology
Umberto D.
Le Cercle Rouge
La Strada
Naked Lunch
Tokyo Story

But Criterion also was strong with their DVD boxsets. While, not something I’ve really been into (in the past) these three sets made believers of many (including yours truly):

The Adventures of Antoine Doinel
Fassbinder BRD Trilogy
A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman

Plus news of an agreement to re-release or release some of Tati’s films. So, give ‘em credit they’ve been good girls and boys over at Criterion.

2. Deepdiscountdvd. While their recent sale could have run much more smoothly, 20 percent off their regular Criterion prices (and other titles) put DVDs in the ballpark and under the Christmas trees for many.

3. Jblackland – a poster over at the dvd bargains sub-forum. Put a lot of work into summarizing the B&M bargains for the coming week – very helpful.

4. Geoff and everyone involved here at DVDtalk for another good year. We have some passionate discussions and some may get a bit overheated … but that just means we care.

The Bad List:

Universal. The group that brought us The Hulk and didn’t bring us Duel. Many DVD viewers could go through their own laundry list of what release(s) could have and deserved to be better than it was. Let’s hope they become the comeback players in 2004.

So,

Who is on your list?

di$ney for cen$oring the potc documentary from the ride.

Dude, it wasn't censored, it just wasn't complete. And if THAT gets you so hard up on a disc with THAT many supplemental features, I suggest an immediate trip to Disneyland to calm your tuchas down.

i was being sarcastic on that, note the over use of the$e.

I like the new line of DVDs from Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Chris Cunningham. Hopefully there'll be more of these soon. I also like the complete season DVDs that Comedy Central has been putting out recently.

WB had a great year. Both Once Upon a Time movies, Robin Hood (Flynn), Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca, etc.

if your talking about west and america, paramount released west, and warner released america.

good:
Blue Underground <--- kicking ass with their new titles & great quality on every transfer... for such a young compnay they do sure know how to start...

bad:
MGM <--- thanx for James Bond set 2 & 3... & thanx for not releasing them individually

Good:

Another kick-ass LOTR release.

Another great year for Criterion.

The Beatles Anthology

And we finally got INDY ON DVD!! :banana:



Bad:

I'll leave that to others ;)

DDD for the wonderful coupon and Fry's for offering the Bond sets for $49.99! :) Also a big thumbs up to WWE for the Ultimate Ric Flair Collection!

BAD...

UNIVERSAL: No dts on your big releases, like you always did before? Poor discs? Poorly-handled disc replacement programs? Below-average releases of cult favorites? Doing away with inserts? FORCED TRAILERS?!?! Shame! Coal for you!

COLUMBIA TRISTAR: Grossly subpar 'Superbits'? No dts on Black Hawk Down? I SPIT on the coal I give you!

MGM: Out of sync dts on an otherwise-fine Bond release? Didn't you check first?

DISNEY: Did you honestly think people would go for disposable DVDs? No release of Hero? Let's not even mention crocodiles and 'morning report'!

THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS: You managed to mess up what could've been epic, and made you guys Gods. I feel sorry for you.

GOOD!!!

NEW LINE: Sweet JESUS, do you guys even know how to fail?

CRITERION: More than the usual obscure oddities, but delivering them in the best way possible!

PARAMOUNT: Blissful releases? Cutting prices? Special Edition rereleases - some with dts?!?!? INDIANA JONES???? I kiss you!

WARNER BROTHERS: Oh, what lovely two-disc releases! Oh, what lovely Looney Tunes discs! And... hark! DO I see AMARAY CASES at last? Gimme a hug, ya big lug! We'll forgive the out of sync dts on Robin Hood!

PALM PICTURES: For the music video collections. Yay, says I!

STATIC CLING: God, this forum would be a mess without you. And the other mods!

DANOL, WHEREVER YOU ARE: For hours of entertainment.

Good:

Palm Pictures: Their Director's Label line kicks total ass, especially since they can be had for under $15 each wherever you go. I want some more volumes of this label stat (especially another Spike Jonze DVD, since more than half of his videos weren't present on the first disc). Their work on indie films is also pretty good (Sex and Lucia and The Eye come to mind).

New Line: All titles are cheaply priced and most have anamorphic widescreen along with Dolby Digital 5.1 (and some do have DTS). I can't wait for <b>Overnight Delivery</b> and <b>The Stupids</b> next year (all that I truely want from thems <b>Angus</b> with ALL the deleted scenes as a special feature). Oh, can't forget <b>The Two Towers: EE</b> and <b>Willard</b> and <b>Final Destination 2</b> and so on.. :)

Warner: Nice two-disc sets.

Moonshine Movies: For releasing a Happy 2b Hardcore DVD. That's it.

Jblackland: Great DVD Talk poster. He helped me save a bunch of money every week. Good going dude.

Bad:

Universal: Has almost ditched DTS in favor of Spanish and French 5.1 tracks (screw dubs, just put subtitles). All I wanted was 2 Fast 2 Furious in DTS like the original, and I couldn't even get that. :P Also liked how they messed up Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. Nice job there. Also liked how they re-released films like They Live with out any of the special features in R2. Universal HAS A LOT of catching up to do in 2004. This means, I want a special edition of Problem Child 2 damnit.

Columbia/Tri-Star: Nice going at releasing more MAR titles. Thanks alot for announcing a pan and scan version of a Matilda: SE after most of us have been waiting years for a re-release with an anamorphic widescreen transfer of it's 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Artisan: Let's see, you release more MAR releases than anybody else it seems now. You totally screwed up Drop Dead Fred. You re-released T2, yet had none of the fantastic special features the Ulitmate Edition had (how about for the fourth time, we get a nice three-four disc set with the crystal clear transfer, DD, DTS, all the extras, and then some?). We got even more releases of Dirty Dancing and Stargate (Stargate doesn't even feel like an ultimate edition). Yet somehow, we got a special edition of Boat Trip? What the hell is a matter with you people there? Thank God Lions Gate bought you out. Maybe I can get a widescreen release of Sleepless from them.

Tower: For being douchebags when they had Coupling: Seasons 1 and 2 mispriced for $24.99 and when they rang it up at the counter, they didn't want to give me the misprice, let alone the big sign behind them saying they honor misprices. Thank god I got it at $24.99 after yelling at some employees (don't piss me off when I want something, okay?).

I dont have much of a problem with any studio...

One person on the "Good List" to start: Peter Jackson.

Okay wait . . . hear me out . . .

I put him on the good list for being a director who continues to announce his every intention for his movies and follow through with it. No surprise double dip situations, no delayed releases. He continues to be true to his word, true to his fans/viewers, and true to his movies.

Here's a candy cane, PJ . . . :D

Good
New Line - You are Gods among insects. The quality DVD's just keep on coming.
Jblackland - You saved me time and money when you didn't even have to. We miss you. Come Home.
Paramount - Indiana Jones. 'Nuff said.
Pixar - Finding Nemo
Peter Jackson - LOTR EE's.
and
Geoff and all involved for another excellent year of letting us indulge in our joyous obsession

Bad
Disney - Disposable DVD's? WTF? What a bunch of Dumbasses.
Universal - What gives? Hosed up every major release with subpar DVD's and problems.
George Lucas - Just release a barebones OT to satisfy all the haters already and rake in the dough for yourself. We will buy them.

George is releasing the OT next year...chill...just wait a lil bit longer...

I would say my dvd highlight of the year goes to the Warner Legends Collection and the stuff Warner did with Chaplin this year was superb.

agree with with your comments about Universal - they better not screw up Schindler's List in March like they did with E.T last year

Paramount did a great job with OUATITW at a such a low price.

Next year thougth I believe will be the BIGGEST YEAR FOR DVD like its peak year look at the titles already announced or heavily rumoured:

STAR WARS COLLECTION SE
SCHINDLER' S LIST
DUEL SE
DISNEY'S ALADDIN
THE GRAPES OF WRAPTH (FOX CLASSIC SE)
KING KONG SE
GOODFELLAS/MEAN STREETS SE (hopfully a Scorsese/Warner Box Set)
GONE WITH THE WIND SE
RAIN MAN SE
KILL BILL/KILL BILL II SE

can't wait for these titles

I going to go with the makers of About Schmidt(New Line), as well as the makers of Adaptation(Columbia Tristar), for my Bad list.

Why? Because they labeled these movies comedies. I bought them blindly, because I thought they just might be funny. Boy was I wrong. These movies are not funny at all. Not one bit. Hell there not even good movies, to make matters worse. The worst blind buys I ever made.

Also the makers of About Schmidt should be reprimanded for not putting a warning on the box about Kathy Bates apearing nude in the movie. that was the scariest thing I have ever seen, and it scarred me for life.

Ill also add Universal to the list as well.

Studios
good

Warner- for overall high quality where it matters most (the A/V), for using original vintage poster art more often than not, and a concerted effort to get out more vault material, and OAR as the default standard

Fox-for overall high quality, a good mix of 'deeper' catalog titles, putting together one of, if not the, best sets this format will ever see, great pricing structure, and OAR as the default standard

Paramount- for continuing to make strides towards better pricing, OAR as the defacto standard, and a general fine quality

Image- for producing one of the finest sets ever- it is the gold standard by which every other studios tv sets should be judged.

the bad

MGM for inconsistent quality, continuing to issue MAR and non anamorphic releases

Columbia- for inconsistent quality, and MAR releases

Universal- for continuing to let 50 years of interesting titles languish in the vaults while concentrating on weaker catalog material from the last 20 yrs

I agree on both counts. Who would have ever thought we'd see seasons of Strangers with Candy?

BAD MGM for releasing some of our beloved classics like Hot Dog the movie. and the upcoming Death Wish 2-4 in Pan & Scan only...

Don't even get me started on Gator and White Lightening, Remo Williams the Adventure Begins ect....

I am upset at Universal for teasing me with Law & Order. Curse those flaky bastards.

Yeah, we've noticed..... and noticed...... and noticed....

OT: Love those Warners 2-disc classics!

Good
TV on dvd: Many great sets were released: Futurama, Family Guy, CSI, The Shield, Alias, King of the Hill, Honeymooners, and the list goes on and on.

Paramount: Consistently good quality and lower prices.

Warner Bros.: 2-Disc special editions have been great

Criterion: Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, The Killers and many others

Bad
Universal: They went from one of the best dvd producers to one of the worst

Ugly
MGM: continuing to release non-OAR catalog titles (Real Men, Johnny Be Good, Larger Than Life)
Pacific Family Entertainment: Final Countdown and Convoy weren't even good discs by bootleg standards.

Maybe next year NetFlix will be on your Good List.