Just a thing I’ve noticed recently is an overemphasis on the plot of the movie being reviewed at the cost of a detailed analysis of the DVD itself. Breakdowns of plot and people’s opinions on specific movies can be found at IMDB and Amazon among others but the one thing that is usually glossed over or ignored at both those sites is accurate info about the quality of the disc ie transfer, sound, ratio, extras etc. This is where DVDTalk reviews have the opportunity to be a great resource but several I’ve seen recently have been almost entirely bereft of technical information. For me, and others I’d imagine, this is a key factor when deciding to buy and if this is missing from the reviews on this site, realistically where else can we expect it to be covered?

Please reviewers, always bear in mind that it is the DVD you’re reviewing as much, if not more than the film.

I totally agree. If I want a review of the movie, IMDB is the site I go to (30 opinions are always better than one, basically). However, here I'm interested on DVD reviews rather than movie reviews and that aspect is much better covered right now by sites like DVDFile or DVDReview. I say it's a pity.

it is nice to know the plot is good or if you like it- It is even better if you add alot of info about quality of transfer, sound..
I agree this info expanded on would be great. I know it is done on many dvd's but more info is always good. However i do know they are providing a service that i am not paying for so- please

I try to focus more heavily on the technical side on my reviews. I'd appreciate any constructive criticism you may have for improving my reviews.

Edit -- You can get a list at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/index...ext=Adam+Tyner , although it's worth noting that I wrote my last few reviews while I was in the middle of reworking DVD Talk's review software, so they're a lot shorter than what I generally do.

I'm aware I'm not on the same level as the great reviewers for DVD File and the like, and I've noticed some repetition in my work, but writing DVD reviews is a pretty fun thing to do on the side, and I've gotten some pretty positive feedback in the past.

[Edited by ctyner on 03-15-01 at 06:53 PM]

I don't go on <I>that</I> long with my reviews, do I?

Aaron.

While I do review the movie itself, I try not to go as long as my regular movie reviews, but rather focus on the technical details and extras of the film. Perhaps you could point out a few reviews you thought focused too much on the movie rather than the DVD or let us know how long you would like the "movie" review to be...

=Blake=

Working on Rock: Criterion
http://movielocity.com/d/r.cgi?ID=1108

Blake, I was going to do just that, but I thought it was unfair to that reviewer as it would look like I was singling him/her out for criticism. As long as there is at least a good detailed couple of paragraphs specifically addressing picture and sound quality, packaging, supplements, booklets or lack of and any problems with the disc then that’s all I’m asking for really - just for the DVD review as opposed to the movie review to be more than an afterthought. Personally I could handle a 50/50 ratio of plot summary/technical review but it would be unfair to dictate proportionally, suffice it to say as long as the main bases are covered, I’m happy.

Oops. I don't mind volunteering my "review" of American Beauty as an example of what you've described.
It was actually a criticism of the plot and characters, not a dvd review. All opinion and no technical info. Perhaps if I labeled it "My thoughts on American Beauty" ?
If I had labeled it differently where would a thread like that fit best - the Review forum or Talk forum?

I agree, I only buy dvd's of movies that I've seen and liked, so I don't care what anyone thought of the movie. Besides there are plenty of movie reviews on other sights. Still it's not a big deal as I just check the reviews at http://www.dvdfile.com. They do a great job of reviewing the sound, transfers, extras etc. It still would be nice to get another decent opinion here though.

I appreciate getting a decent amount of review about the movie itself as well as the DVD... I read the reviews here not just to check out the DVD transfer quality on a movie I already like, but also to get ideas for movies to see for the first time.

One of the nice things about reading DVDTalk's reviews (as opposed to Amazon's or IMDB's) is that I can get an idea of the likes/dislikes of a particular reviewer and get a sense of how close my tastes are to that reviewer's. That way, if a movie gets high marks from a reviewer who in the past has given positive reviews to movies that I've liked a lot, I can take that as a stronger recommendation than the praise of a random person on Amazon.

OTOH, what I *don't* think is necessary or desirable is plot *summary*. You can -- and should -- give a review of the movie itself with a bare minimum of summary, because the "review" part has to do with what the reviewer thought of the movie, not what happened in the movie.

That said, I do agree that the technical part of the review is very important, since it's something that's hard to find at other sites. (For instance, I'd like to see it always mentioned whether or not the transfer is anamorphic.) The comments on picture quality in reviews here have helped me steer clear of some duds that I might have otherwise bought.

I'd like to get information on both the movie and the DVD, in particular when there are several DVD versions available. One of the things I often struggle with is which to get, or whether to wait until a better version comes along.

I'll list here some of the reviews I enjoyed reading and found particularly useful. I have come to realize that reviewers are a competitive bunch so I will preface with this: I usually read only reviews of DVDs that I am seriously considering buying, so I stick to those movies that fit my interests. The list is therefore a reflection more of my movie interests than of my regards for the reviewers themselves. So, please, no offense intended anyone.

In no particular order:

Phenomena - Adam Tyner
Titus - Blake Kunisch
The Straight Story - Aaron Beierle
Manhunter - Earl Cressey
Chicken Run - Aaron Beierle
Night of the Living Dead - Noel Gross
Bridge on the River Kwai - Gil Jawetz
The Time Machine - Brian Boisvert
The Contender - Chris Hughes
Three Kings - Aaron Beierle
Do the Right Thing - Gil Jawetz
Deep Red - Noel Gross