Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Columbia TriStar Home Video)

Sumptuous production design, dripping sensuality, and a fantastic score by Wojciech Kilar make this a wonderfully operatic experience. Over-the-top performances by Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, and musician Tom Waits add spice to this tragic story. Excellent Superbit version.

Braveheart (Paramount)

Randall Wallace’s superb script benefits greatly from Mel Gibson’s passionate direction and charismatic acting. James Horner’s score is also a highlight, with a wonderfully brutal and touching theme for the pivotal point of the film: the tragic fall of Murron.

Die Hard: Five Star Collection (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

Bruce Willis’s character of John McClane is a welcome break from a tired formula, being a hero who gets the spit kicked out of him at every turn and never backs down. Detective McClane is the personification of the American spirit: tough and persistent.

The Fisher King (Columbia TriStar Home Video)

Robin Williams shows considerable range as a man who still sees life through rose-colored glasses. The Peking ravioli scene and the final surrender to the Red Knight are the highlights of director Terry Gilliam’s emotional roller-coaster ride.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (Universal)

Director Mike Newell expertly shifts the mood from sharp comedy to subtle and emotionally arresting drama. A man’s sudden death, and the eulogy given by his lover, are heartbreaking.

The Godfather (Paramount)

Despite less-than-law-abiding behavior, the characters are so well-drawn and so honest that it’s hard not to like them. A less-than-pristine DVD transfer does little to spoil this piece of archetypal Americana.

The Iron Giant (Warner Home Video)

This is the best animated film for children that I have ever seen. A superb score by the late Michael Kamen, and an ending that takes your emotions off guard and caps off a brilliant piece of work.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Special Extended DVD Edition) (New Line Home Video)

Like Cecil B. DeMille’s epics of the 1930s, Peter Jackson’s ambitious and beautifully produced retelling of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic is as good as epics get. A breathtaking score by Howard Shore adds considerably to the grandeur.

Jaws (Universal)

There is nothing within the frame that dates this classic. The climactic showdown between shark and reluctant hero crackles with tension, aided by a fantastic John Williams score and Roy Scheider’s steadfast charisma.

Se7en (New Line Home Video)

My hair still stands on end when the killer reveals himself and convincingly rationalizes his wicked deeds to detectives Mills and Somerset. Add to this a first-class DVD presentation and Howard Shore’s disturbing score, and Se7en is a knockout.