DVDs -- Best packages and biggest disapointments...

[nessonite1]

Roughly inspired by a recent bit in Rolling Stone I pose a question to the masses (yeah, you there, Im talking to YOU)...

In the DVD's you've bought what have been the best put together packages and what would have been just as good on VHS?
I'm not talking about the movies themselves since everyone's taste is wildly different there.

So What DVD has the best collection of Special Features? Behind the Scenes Documentaries? Feature Length Commentaries? Easter Eggs? Music Videos? Deleted Scenes?
What DVD had nothing special to offer and listed "Interactive menus" on the packaging?
Go ahead, dig through your movies and pick out the very best and the very worst. Let us know so we can make the same smart buy you did (and also avoid some disasters!)

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Good question. I think for a single movie and an anime at that, that "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie", which I of course own, has a pretty large array of special and extra features. I was particularly entertained by the individual voice actor commentaries for the main cast of characters.

 

[nessonite1]

LOL I didnt post a reply myself cause I totally forgot what movie I could put in that really kicked ass enough to mention but I just thought of one so I came back on to put it in.

My picks for best DVD package are American Pie 1 and 2. I have American Wedding but I havent seen it yet.
American Pie 2 had like 6 commentaries. I love commentaries. I like to hear just 1 person talking rather than 5 people fighting for the mic. Also there were a ton of little featurettes and some music videos. Also collections of best movie quotes and stuff. American Pie 1 and 2 are two of my favorite movies...but that aside the DVD package was really good and worth every penny.

I was REALLY disapointed with the first 2 Harry potter DVDs, particularly the first one. I havent gotten into looking at the third one yet (I just finally saw the movie itself).
Anyway the first Potter DVD was awful. NO behind the scenes. NO "making of". Nada. It was made like for a 6 year old. Yeah I know the movie has a big kiddie following but they really let down their "big kid" audience with that one. Just to get the the deleted scenes (some of which I would really rather they left in) you had to play through some mind numbing game. *sigh*.

Oh yes...awesome DVD. Both of the first 2 Lor of the Rings Special Edition DVDs kick major quantities of ass. I LOVE that they put all the extra scenes right in the movie! Plus there's like 2 whole discs of JUST special features. How cool is that?
The really sad thing is my DVD player wont play The Two Towers special features discs. . I just got hubby's dad a dvd player for Christmas though so hopefully I'll finally get to see them.
I think the Behind the Scenes features were awesome. I was in total awe over how much work was put into some of the tiniest little details. Well worth it too as I've never seen a special effects laden movie that didnt look a bit like special effects. Completely seamless.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Ironically, I haven't even purchased the LOTRs trilogy yet. I want to wait until its released in one of those perfect, fancy do collector's box sets with a cart load of extras in addition the extras already on the discs. You just know they're making one. I can feel it.

And just imagine what Star Wars is going to be like when its fully released. People are going to sell their first born for it.

 

[strider1]

The best packages I have would be either the Criterion edition of Brazil,or the
'Bootleg Cut' of Almost Famous.

 

[nessonite1]

Strider...I have Almost Famous but it's not a super special edition. If I may ask, what is on the Bootleg Cut? It's one of my favorite movies and if it's worth it I may get it as well.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Van Helsing has a pretty generous extra features section on it. Although I would have liked it even more if the interviews were broken down character by character (ie- They sit down with Richard Roxbourgh (Dracula) and ask him questions and his feelings on the movie and his character, etc.)

 

[Raichyll1]

I liked how Excel Saga came with all the neat little extras, like posters and the little make a face kit, the membership to ACROSS, and so on... I also got a kick out of the pop up video cultural references you could turn on and off, as well as some of the little touches on the menu screens themselves.

Also, Oh Brother Where Art Thou had some great behind the scenes documentaries behind the making of the film that I really enjoyed.

If you guys are on the hunt for Easter eggs I recommend this site. http://www.dvdreview.com/html/hidden_features.shtml See the list toward the bottom. :happy: Happy hunting.

 

[Ghost_Host_9991]

Ok, lemme see...best packaging stuff for DVD;s...

I really like the two disc set of From Hell...lots of goodies in there, plus the menus, etc are really moody and set the tone for the fine film within. I think 20th Century Fox did bang up jobs on two primo sets they released...The Alien Legacy Collection and the Die Hard 5 Star Collection. Both sets are loaded, especially Die Hard where you get 2 discs for each flick. The Collector's Edition of T2 (the one in the metal case) gets poins for using technology called seamless branching to store all 3 versions of the movie on one disc...shame not everyone was smart enough to do this...Right Mr. Lucas??

Worst Packaging for DVD sets...

Any movie that was so stripped down on DVD that it needed a special edition 2 months after its release. (this was really problematic in the early days)...any movie you had to get up and flip over half way through...(wasnt THAT a pain in the balls?)...Now specifics...Demolition Man...cool flick...light in the extras big time...Hunt for Red October...same thing...Anaconda...nothing but a trailer...at least we coulda got an effects featurette...The double feature disc of The Fly and The Fly 2...surely we could have gotten some cool making of stuff for The Fly...or even a few minutes of material on the extensive makeups used...and my all time disappointment...a movie that absolutely deserves to be studied, and needs a big ass 2 disc special edition loaded with extra stuff...Bram Stoker's Dracula. We don't even get a f**king trailer on this disc! I had to check my DVD of Mary Reilly just to see the Dracula trailer. That's the one that really hurts, cuz (imho) this flick deserves the royal treatment.