Top Five DVDs of 2004
This started out as an attempt to pick out my Top 5 DVDs of 2004. I wanted to use Delicious Library to select my picks, but it turns out to be less than perfect for this task. Sorting my collection by DVD delease date resulted in an inaccurate sort because the edition picked from Amazon.com has a later release date than the first edition. Not all discs are off, but enough of them to throw my collection into disarray. I’d prefer to have IMDb as a data source and a few more fields in the Library for categorizing my items.
So, without further ado, here are my Top 5 DVDs of 2004.
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef.
This updated release of a classic was my first exposure to this movie. Excellent performances and a stunning transfer and sound track (DD5.1) deserve repeated viewing. I’m adding to my list of movies to watch again.
The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition), directed by Peter Jackson, starring a cast of BILLIONS.
Most people are familiar to death with this series of movies and DVDs so I don’t need to say much here. In most cases, the extra footage was appreciated, even if some of the choices were a tad unfortunate. A fitting end to a great film-making achievement.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslett
I mentioned this movie once already (in my initial Top 5 inauguration post) and the DVD was a real pleasure. Another movie including a DTS track makes this very easy to include as I’m a huge fan of that format. I think I was most-surprised by how touching and complex this movie was. Charlie Kaufmann’s screenplay was probably his best to date and Michel Gondry’s frenetic direction of insane madman Jim Carrey was a virtuoso. Highly recommended.
Spider-Man 2 (Superbit Collection), directed by Sam Raimi, starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina
Sitting pretty in my Top 5 Comic Book Movie Adaptations of all time, Spider-man 2 was everything I hoped it could be. Sam Raimi’s direction displayed a sensitivity for the material as well as a strong desire to beat up his cast. Some of Maguires stunts looked pretty painful and he deserves a lot of credit for what must have been a demanding movie to shoot. Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus was monstrous. The superbit edition of this DVD, while lacking the brilliant special features of the widescreen, special edition, is my preferred disc of the two because of the DTS soundtrack.
Kill Bill vols. 1 & 2, directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, …
Tarantino is Back! These two discs contain an epic story of betrayal and revenge. With one of the best DVD soundtracks in DTS I’ve ever heard, these two discs make up one of the finest film transfers in memory and should secure a place in my Top 5 movies of all time.
Maybe these are easy choices. Safe choices. This list probably matches a large number of other top fiveses (omg! you’re gay!).
Honourable mention go to Collateral and Trainspotting, Director’s Cut.