# Best movies to watch on DVD? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2000, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629 "2000-10-04T15:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/1 "2000-10-04T15:57:44Z")
I have a DVD player on my new iBrooke. I work at a video store with over 600 DVDs. The combination means that I’ll never do any thing productive ever again. That being said, what DVDs have you watched, where the DVD experiance was wildly better than VHS? Any really great director’s commentary, etc? Off to watch 12 Monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Starbury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Starbury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starbury)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/2 "2000-10-04T16:08:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SwimmingRiddles \* > \*\*That being said, what DVDs have you watched, where the DVD experiance was wildly better than VHS? Any really great director’s commentary, etc? > \*\* The Matrix and the newest James Bond (Tomorrow Never Dies, I think) both allow you to watch certain parts of the movie from different camera angles, and the James Bond DVD even explains how the stunts were done, during the movie. In terms of the quality of video, I thought Terminator 2: Ultimate Edition and Braveheart were much better than the VHS editions. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/3 "2000-10-04T16:09:29Z")
Well, to tell you the truth, having a DVD player is nice, but you’re not going to experience much difference unless its attached to a fairly large screen with some decent sound. A computer screen with tinny speakers just ain’t gonna cut it. I imagine, though, for about $3.99 you could get a connection at Radio Shack to connect your computer to your TV. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/4 "2000-10-04T16:26:25Z")
If there’s one thing I enjoy, it’s hearing directors talk about their work, so this is a good topic for me! _12 Monkeys_ is an excellent first choice. Terry Gilliam is always interesting to listen to, and adds a lot to his vision of the movie and his experiences making it. Ridley Scott’s commentary on the _Alien_ special edition is terrific. He addresses the actors, the set design, the evolution of the script, just about everything. Even the deleted scenes have commentary on them. _Flesh for Frankenstein_ (or _Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein_) has a very interesting commentary with director Paul Morrissey, actor Udo Kier, and a film historian whose name escapes me at the moment. It gets very deep into film theory, semiotics, themes, etc. _Fight Club_ has several commentaries, including one with David Fincher alone, one with Fincher, Ed Norton, Helena Bonham-Carter and Brad Pitt, and one with the Dust Brothers. **Tons** of extra footage, outtakes, deleted scenes . . . simply one of the best DVD presentations around. Similarly, _Contact_ has separate commentaries with Jodie Foster, Robert Zemeckis and the effects supervisors. Very rarely do I find a commentary that doesn’t add something–even Tobe Hooper’s commentary on _The Texas Chain Saw Massacre_ was interesting! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/5 "2000-10-04T16:37:32Z")
One of the first DVD’s I bought was _Mystery Men_. A lot of nice DVD features including director’s commentary, deleted scenes, a “making of” feature, and a music video. I also have Kevin Smith’s first three movies on DVD. All three have commentary from Smith and his posse and numerous deleted scenes. These include the original surprise ending to _Clerks_ and the original coherent beginning to _Mallrats_. While I’m not as enthused by the movies, I will admit that the two Austin Powers DVD’s did a nice job in adding DVD features. I noticed however that Myers was noticably less enthusiastic in the commentary of the second one than he was in the first. And if you’re a Gilliam fan, look for the Criterion edition of _Brazil_. It’s a three disc set with Gilliam’s edit, the studio edit, and an entire disc of additional features. ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/6 "2000-10-04T16:51:13Z")
Wow! You have an iBook_e_?! In what shop_pe_ did you find it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/779978/32.png) [@Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumba_The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/7 "2000-10-04T17:06:39Z")
If you are looking for DVDs with extras like directors commentary and deleted scenes I would recommend Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and The Abyss. I would also second pldennison and recommend Fight Club. It was truly and excellent DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/8 "2000-10-04T17:10:32Z")
_Contact_–already mentioned _Silence of the Lambs_–yep, I’m a Jodie Foster fan. On the DVD the sounds of the movie really creep me out. _The Abyss_–has a lot of extra features on the DVD about the making of it. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/9 "2000-10-04T17:51:51Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Tymp \* > \*\*Wow! You have an iBook_e\*?! In what shop_pe_ did you find it? > 😉 > \*\* Nope…they actually said an iBrooke…with an r. Jman ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/10 "2000-10-04T23:27:46Z")
I’ve never watched a DVD on a proper system, all I’ve seen so far is on my computer, which for me, is fine. I get DVDs for two reasons: The extras (commentaries, spfx descriptions, documentary supplements) And the longevity. DVD movies will last for a million uses with no quality degradation. Also, the image clarity is a zillion times better than VHS, and of course so is the sound, but I don’t care much about that. My favourite DVD commentaries are on: The Mummy Ghostbusters Muppets From Space Mask of Zorro (the US version doesn’t have one) Tarzan Collector’s Edition Stuart Little (comes with 2 commentaries) and probably lots more. ---
**Author:** ![headshok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@headshok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/headshok)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/11 "2000-10-05T00:00:33Z")
My biggest complaint about DVD is that it has made me realize how crappy the rest of my home entertainment stuff is. Now I need a High Definition TV, a digital receiver, better speakers, and a new house. 🙂 That said, my favorites are: _Fight Club_ - Great movie, lots of commentaries, features, alternate angles, etc. _Blade Runner, The Director’s Cut_ - DVD was made for sci-fi, IMHO. Sci-fi is usually heavy on the audio/visual effects, which can be better appreciated on DVD. _The Matrix_ - Same reasons as above. There are also lots of extra features, as someone has already mentioned. _Das Boot, The Director’s Cut_ - The DVD version lets you choose multiple languages and multiple subtitles, and the soundtrack has been digitally remastered, etc. This is a movie that I had on VHS and “upgraded” when I bought a DVD player; the difference in quality is astounding. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/12 "2000-10-05T00:13:20Z")
In addition to the above: _Dead Alive_, but only if you’re into buckets and buckets and buckets and tanker trucks of gore. Still, DVD is the only place to get the unrated version here in the U.S. _Run Lola Run_ is just a great film all-around, and Tom Tykwer and Franka Potente (director and star) are mighty entertaining on the commentary. Plus, you can watch in the original German with subtitles, or in English (but, really, be true to the filmmakers’ vision and watch in German, K?). Speaking of German films, _Das Boot_ is a great flick, and the bass will rattle your kidneys. If you like Jim Henson, the DVD of _The Dark Crystal_ has lots of nifties besides being able to see it in widescreen (yay!). There are workprints of the “original language” Skeksis scenes, an extended version of the Skeksis emperor’s funeral, an hour-long documentary, character sketches…the only thing missing is a Henson commentary. Jim, you left us much too soon… John Carpenter’s _The Thing_ looks superb, plus has a commentary with Carpenter and Kurt Russell, plus lotsa cool extras, including the original stop-action footage of the beastie at the end (rejected cuz it didn’t really inspire much fear). Speaking of extras, check out _Blade_. To quote Mike Nelson of _MST3K_ fame, the DVD “contains more information on the making of _Blade_ than there actually _is_ information on the making of _Blade_. I thought the four-hour documentary on the catering crew was particularly unnecessary.” Well, maybe not THAT much info, but there’s a ton. _Robocop_ - the DVD is the ultra-violence edition (at least, the Criterion DVD is, dunno about the regular release). Lots more blood and assorted yuckiness. You might wanna pop in _The House On Haunted Hill_ to check out the menus and maybe some extras. They’re among the coolest menus I’ve seen. pldennison is right, _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ has a great commentary and lots of cool extras. The commentary isn’t just Hooper, but also director of photography David Pearl and Leatherface himself, Gunnar Hansen. Their stories about making the film are absolutely fascinating, as are the outtakes, alternate takes, trailers for all four _TCM_ movies, and advertising materials. _Stir of Echoes_ is an interesting little film. I liked it better than _The Sixth Sense_, personally. Both discs have cool stuff on them. You might wanna take a peek at _Leon_, the film with Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and Natalie Portman. It was first released in the U.S. as _The Professional_, with almost a half-hour of film trimmed that, apparently, we 'mericans just wouldn’t be able to handle (mostly scenes of 12-year-old Portman’s, er, growing relationship with the much-older Reno). _Leon_, the **proper** version, was released just recently on DVD. Not a lot of extras, but a damn good movie. ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/13 "2000-10-05T02:55:49Z")
The Evil Dead Special Edition DVD is also very cool. It has at least 2 commentaries, possibly 3 but I can’t remember. One has Sam Rami and a producer(I think) and one with just Bruce Campbell. Both commentaries are good but Bruce Campbell’s in particular is very entertaining. He points out and makes fun of all the cheesiness in the movie. Almost forgot. I recently saw the Spinal Tap Special Edition. The commentary is done by Spinal Tap. It’s very funny…It goes to 11! I love the commentaries on DVD’s and I was VERY disappointed that The Holy Grail and Life of Brian don’t have any at all. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/14 "2000-10-05T03:21:32Z")
I have watched only one DVD on my computer, just to see if it would work. Boy howdy, did it! “Time Bandits” has commentary and loads of stuff I didn’t have time to watch. I saw part of “Terminator 2” at a trade show. The full system was about a quarter mill American, then there was the portable home theatre for about another quarter. It looked and sounded REAL GOOD! I need to see how close I can get to that experience without spending any money. Let’s see…JVC has a big HDTV projection monitor for a third less than the competition that is much better than the one in this system. Let’s say the monitor is about thirty net, sixty gross, forty-eight street. The speakers were about eighty. The amps and stuff I’m not sure about. And what do you get for all that money? Like I said, it looked and sounded real good. Enough better than stuff normals can buy? Are you kidding? How could it possibly be worth it? But my customers eat it up and why should I complain about rich folk recycling their money in my direction? One stupid-cool product at the show was a subwoofer built into the floor so your feet buzzed with the base. I’ll never understand white people. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/15 "2000-10-05T03:34:25Z")
Thought I’d pop back in and mention that _Rocky Horror Picture Show_, which just came out on DVD, supposedly has a “running audience participation script” feature, so the virgins can pick up on the lingo and gags as the movie plays. Haven’t got mine yet, but I’ll tell you how it is when it shows up. ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/16 "2000-10-05T06:10:51Z")
Personal favs: (For commentary tracks & extras) Fight Club Ghostbusters Clerks Evil Dead II 12 Monkeys And if you can find it, the Canadian version of Trainspotting has a bunch of super cool outakes included which weren’t found on the American DVD. But then again, I’m a bit of a Trainspotting nut, so maybe I’m biased. For a cool site which posts tons of DVD reviews go to [http://dvd.ign.com/reviews.html](http://dvd.ign.com/reviews.html) ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movies-to-watch-on-dvd/35629/17 "2000-10-05T06:20:43Z")
Nobody has mentioned it, but if you aren’t completely opposed to such things I would recommend finding some porn with commentary tracks. It is interesting to hear the people talking about what is going on. The “super genious” version of _A Bug’s Life_ has tons of stuff you won’t find on VHS (plus it doesn’t have the 5 minutes of required commercials you find on Disney label DVDs).