| March 1, 2005 Jim Saxon's Favorite Movies on DVD
Because this is my first DVD outing
for Home Theater & Sound, you should know that I enjoy motion pictures as
movies and as films: movies as in "Let’s go to the movies!" and films
as in "Seen any good films lately?" To me, a movie implies the suspension
of disbelief and having a good time; a film suggests using one’s critical
faculties to arrive at an underlying meaning. Of course, there are motion pictures that
succeed as movies and as films, but often a fun movie is a so-so film and a great
film is thin amusement. Sitting at home with a choice of DVDs, I prefer study material
(films) to blockbusters (movies). By occupying my mind, films keep me away from the
fridge. Movies give me the munchies.
Here’s a list of ten motion pictures I’ve enjoyed
since changing video-rental and purchasing habits from tape to DVD about five years ago.
...Jim Saxon
jims@hometheatersound.com
 A Bug’s Life
(Pixar/Walt Disney Home Entertainment)
Actually, the "chess match" extra from the DVD is
my favorite Pixar creation, but the main feature is the video for testing your
monitor’s or projector’s color capabilities. |
 Black Hawk Down (Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment)
The most appalling violence I have seen onscreen since The
Wild Bunch in 1969 is the framework for a compelling film. The movie is easier to
comprehend than the book. Unfortunately, the picture’s sepia tones will not
test your projector’s color capabilities. |
 Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut
(Warner Home Video)
Was Rick Deckard himself a replicant? I think about that
more than I should admit. This Director’s Cut DVD is a thousand times better
than the lame theatrical release with voiceover. |
 Eyes Wide Shut (Warner Home Video)
When Tom Cruise loses the cutesy grin, he’s a
convincing actor. The Region 4 release is said to be more graphic than the Region 1.
What’s with this "Region" crap? |
 Gladiator
(DreamWorks Home Entertainment)
A neo-blockbuster whose digital manipulation has created a
trend in the making of low-budget epics, Gladiator is well suited to home theater,
where the choppiness of the digits seems less disconcerting than it did at the cinema.
This DVD will test how well a video projector reproduces black. |
 Jean de Florette, Manon of the Spring
(MGM Home Entertainment)
The DVD format serves the visual beauty of these companion
pieces -- two halves of a single multigenerational story -- more than the shaky
film-to-tape transfers of two decades ago. Here is DVD archiving at its best. |
 The Last Samurai (Warner Home Video)
Director Ed Zwick was on his way to making a classic cult
film until the obligatory upbeat Hollywood ending sabotaged his efforts. The soundtrack
features the most accurate reproduction of the sound of rain I have heard in a movie. |
 The
Ninth Gate (Artisan Home Entertainment)
My plan is to watch this film once a year. Perhaps in five
years I’ll understand it. Excellent surround sound and video. |
 On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
(MGM Home Entertainment)
This, the least tongue-in-cheek installment of the James
Bond series, is the only one in my library. George Lazenby’s 007 had less style, more
substance than the other non-Connery pretenders. On DVD, the movie looks young for its
age. |
 Seabiscuit
(Universal)
This beautifully directed motion picture is my favorite
combination of action and storytelling since Platoon (1986). The main actors are
superb, but real-life jockey Gary Stevens should have won an Oscar. For home-theater
buffs, the DVD soundtrack is state-of-the-art; the extras are worth watching, too. |
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