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Best DVDThe Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersExtended Edition
Like BOP, DVDs have come a long way in the past few years. Whereas only three years ago, a title was no guarantee to receive release in the digital format, we have now reached the point that videotape is a dinosaur. That outdated technology is simply no match for the dual-layered majesty which allows for multiple commentary tracks, deleted scenes and additional endings. The rapidity with which the industry realized this fact is unusual in a marketplace where revolution is generally met with fear. This is best demonstrated by a quick visit to your local cineplex, where you will discover a preachy stuntman telling you that downloading movies is wrong. That the industry ignores the fact that if you are in the theater, you must be a paying customer is emblematic of their normal abilities to adapt. It speaks volumes about the power of the DVD then that these same executives have moved their previous cash cow, VHS, out of the limelight in order to maximize their potential bottom line. DVD is the current power in the movie industry and BOP is proud to be one of the rare sites celebrating its best releases in our end of year awards. BOP's favorite DVD of 2003 is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Extended Edition. As a site, we get dinged both ways about our affection for this franchise. Some people complain that we are too gushing in our praise of it while others feel we are too biased toward other franchises such as The Matrix and Harry Potter (the latter of which frankly baffles us). In fact, the only thing people seem to agree on is that we dislike George Lucas the appropriate amount. I guess everyone agrees he is going to ruin that DVD release as well. But I digress. The point is that whether you like Peter Jackson's masterpiece or not, there is simply no disputing that he puts out the highest caliber of DVDs. The cheaper (if a MSRP of $40 may be described in that fashion) of the releases would qualify as one of the most well done productions in the format's history. For completionists, though, there is but one choice. BOP celebrates going whole hog and bagging a DVD collector's set that can double as a paper weight or a surprisingly effective blunt weapon. Clearly, this is the finest release of 2003, and we have already created space on our 2004 list for Return of the King. Our DVD list mirrors 2003 North American box office performance as Finding Nemo finishes second behind a Peter Jackson epic. In this instance, Pixar might not have the superior release, but their title certainly offers the most bang for the buck. From day one, Nemo has been available for $15 or less, which would be an amazing value simply for the adorable film itself. To our surprise and joy, this might be Pixar's most comprehensive package of add-ons and features to date. For the value shopper not looking to spend $70 on a disc, this is the easy winner for DVD of the year. For those with a lot of disposable income, it's a fine runner-up selection. BOP likes The Simpsons. In other shocking news, the sun is expected to set tonight and rise again tomorrow. In the interim, George Steinbrenner will have bought three new players for the Yankees. Okay, putting Simpsons Season 3 in our top three might not be the most shocking vote but in our defense, this is the year when the show hit its stride. The first two seasons were a tease of the program's vast potential, but it was the year that saw the production of instant classics such as Lisa the Greek and Homer at the Bat where The Simpsons achieved greatness. The disc also gets an additional thumbs up for being the first of the three seasons to have the Play All feature. We were disappointed in their exclusion previously, but are all too happy to praise its inclusion now. Spots number four and seven are also held down by Matt Groening productions. In this case, it's the show Fox execs butchered with their constant meddling, Futurama. The simple existence of Vol. 1 was enough to merit praise from us, but the we slightly favored Vol. 2. Each have a hefty set of bonus features so what made the second season more popular? Occam's razor. The Vol. 2 collection has 19 episodes as opposed to only 13 for Vol. 1. More Futurama is always better. At long last, fans of the Looney Tunes have cause to celebrate. 2003's release of "The Golden Collection" is really worth the purchase just for the inclusion of the Bugs Bunny Short "Long-Haired Hare" alone, but the discs are a fantastic compendium of some of the greatest work ever produced by the Merrie Melodies crew. With 56 animated shorts, 26 commentary pieces, and a host of other special features, this set is just the thing to whet the appetite of fans of the classic cartoons, who will certainly be clamoring for the future set that includes "What's Opera Doc?" Speaking of hatchet jobs by Fox execs, Joss Whedon's commentary alone is justification for the top ten presence of Firefly: The Complete Series. As he hilariously points out in one of his commentaries, Fox apparently wasn't crazy about the idea of using all the horses on the show. They felt it made Firefly look like too much of a western. This is exactly what Firefly was billed as being: a Sci-fi western. A simple perusal of the show's cliff notes description would have cleared this up but apparently Murdoch's bunch aren't literate. Firefly is one of the most humorous one-hour long series in recent memory, and its 14-episode run makes for a fun way to spend a weekend curled up with the one you love. Going back to the George Lucas discussion above, I guess he did one thing right this year as the four-disc Indiana Jones Trilogy set attains eighth place in our vote. The movies themselves are the selling point here, with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in particular holding up every bit as well today as when it was first aired 15 years ago. It also underscores the problem in trying to do a fourth movie as Ford looks so much younger then while Sean Connery and him look roughly the same age these days. Even so, this trilogy remains dear to our hearts. X2: X-Men United is receiving unexpected attention from us in the awards thus far, so I suppose it's not surprising to see its inclusion here. Clearly, we enjoy the movie, but the attention to detail of the discs is even more impressive. There are no fewer than 11 featurettes and 11 deleted scenes included plus dual sets of commentary tracks. For comic book fanboys, this is one of the slickest discs available at the moment. A movie and a television program tie for the final spot on our list. BOP is well known as a staff that loves the work of Aaron Sorkin. That makes the inclusion of the first season of West Wing on DVD something of a no-brainer. While the show gets better and considerably less preachy in seasons two and three, the initial run of the series still offers a ton of entertainment value, particularly from the long underappreciated Margaret, Leo's secretary. For its part, The Matrix Reloaded delivers a solid package for fans of the movie though we expect they will introduce an even better offering at some point down the road, possibly as soon as this year. Just missing inclusion are the painstakingly crafted The Lion King box set, the cerebral Steven Soderbergh remake of Solaris, the zombie-riffic 28 Days Later, Alias: Season One, Black Hawk Down and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. (David Mumpower/BOP)
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Friday, December 27, 2024
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