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Top Picks - Best Movies on DVD of 2001 |
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I've seen so many DVDs in 2001 that it's difficult to keep track of them all. But there are some that I'll never forget and feel confident I'll keep watching for years to come. Here's my personal, idiosyncratic list of what I feel are the best DVDs released in 2001. The list includes a variety of movies on DVD, and includes both classics and a masterwork of world cinema reissued on DVD, along with contemporary films. |
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1) "Citizen Kane" Special Edition DVD (1941)
"Citizen Kane" is an enduring masterpiece that is considered by many -- myself included -- to be the greatest movie ever made. Welles' portrayal of the title character is unexcelled. I think that the visual style of "Citizen Kane" looks stunningly fresh and inventive even today. Film critic Roger Ebert's audio commentary is probably the best I've heard on any DVD so far. Also included is the documentary "The Battle over Citizen Kane" and an additional commentary by Peter Bogdanovich.
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2) "The Godfather Collection" DVDs
The three movies "The Godfather" (1972), "The Godfather: Part II" (1974), and "The Godfather: Part III" (1990) make up what is arguably the greatest film trilogy of all time. "The Godfather" DVD Collection includes all three movies, along with optional audio commentary tracks by director-cowriter Francis Ford Coppola for all three films. In addition, there are 34 additional scenes, including an alternate opening to "The Godfather: Part III."
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3) "Lawrence of Arabia" Special Edition (1962)
Visually lush and psychologically complex, "Lawrence of Arabia" is a masterpiece of epic adventure. The film chronicles the life of eccentric Englishman T.E. Lawrence as he rallies the Arabs to fight the Turks during World War I, and Peter O'Toole's unforgettable performance in the title role made him a star. In addition to the superb cinematography, what impresses me about this movie is how it creates a nuanced character study of the enigmatic Lawrence.
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4) "Notorious" Criterion Collection DVD (1946)
In "Notorious," Hitchcock masterfully builds the suspense in what is arguably his greatest visual achievement. Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) is recruited by T.R. "Dev" Devlin (Cary Grant), a U.S. intelligence agent, to infiltrate and spy on a group of Nazis in Rio de Janeiro. Alicia and Dev become romantically involved, but they grow troubled by the conflict between their love for each other and the work they are doing. I think this film has just the right blend of mystery and romance.
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5) "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" DVD Two-Disc Platinum Edition (1937)
In 1937 Walt Disney created the first feature-length animated film in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and this charming film is available in a two-disc Platinum Edition DVD set that includes tons of extras, most of which are aimed at adults. My favorite special feature is the "Abandoned Concepts" on Disc Two. Here we are shown wonderful ideas that didn't make it into the final cut of the movie. I like this feature because it gives insights into the difficult decisions made in making the film.
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6) "Moulin Rouge" DVD (2001)
Writer-director Baz Luhrmann creates a surreal/super-real world in "Moulin Rouge," a musical drama set in 1899 Paris where the songs are 20th-century pop tunes. Luhrmann's reinvention of the musical genre makes me hope there will be more movies like "Moulin Rouge." I was impressed by the imaginative cinematography which creates an artificial world that makes me forget all about reality every time I watch this film.
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7) "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" DVD (2000)
"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is a comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen that's based loosely on Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey." Set in 1937 Mississippi, "O Brother" tells the tale of how Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) escapes from a chain gang and makes a difficult journey to a town named Ithaca to reunite with his ex-wife Penny. I was particularly impressed with the way the movie combines elements of myth with a folktale's sense of magic and wide-eyed wonder.
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8) "Thirteen Days" Infinifilm Edition DVD (2000)
In October of 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union became embroiled in a confrontation that could have escalated into nuclear war. Many of the details of that confrontation, which is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, are brilliantly dramatized by the gripping docudrama "Thirteen Days." I was fascinated by how the film showed a group of highly intelligent men grapple with a complex and monumentally important problem. I also loved this DVD's extra features.
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9) "8 1/2" Criterion Collection DVD (1963)
Guido is an internationally famous filmmaker who has committed to make a new movie, but is blocked on how to get started. What I love most about this movie is its imagery: Guido escaping a traffic jam by floating up into the sky, Guido as a boy watching an overweight prostitute perform a dance, and the adult Guido fantasizing about living in harmony with all the women in his life. Also, the special features on the Criterion Collection two-disc DVD set are terrific!
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10) "Shrek" DVD (2001)
I loved the characters and animated world in "Shrek," a delightfully entertaining animated comedy. The title character is an ogre who yearns to live a solitary life in his swamp. He's deeply disturbed when a bunch of fairy-tale creatures invade his swamp because they have been banished by Lord Farquaad. Although the world "Shrek" creates is not a particularly sweet and beautiful one, it makes for a hilarious, smart, and thought-provoking film that's fun for kids and adults.
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