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Michael Giltz: DVDs: Bigger Is Better
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This Story to DiggDVDs: Bigger Is Better
Posted November 13, 2007 | 04:32 PM (EST)
Read More: Animated Films , Charles Burnett , Dvds, Edith Piaf , Football , Hockey ,
Movies, Oscar , Ray Romano , Shrek , Sports , Steven Spielberg , Super Bowl , Tennis , TV
Shows , Wimbledon , Breaking Entertainment News
DVDs have been a game changer in so many ways: their great picture and sound has middle class
families flocking to flat screen TVs and surround sound systems. They've got people buildinglibraries of movies the same way they collect music albums and books. And just like those book andCD libraries, DVD libraries are bursting with massive boxed sets, the sort of thing people rarelypull out and watch (or read or listen to) but which they proudly display.
Now, next to the complete works of Mark Twain or Mozart or that Miles Davis boxed set (when all
you really listen to is Kind of Blue ), you can find Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Series
($279.98; HBO) in a box shaped like a suburban home and collecting all nine seasons of thedurable sitcom. Unlike a serialized drama or miniseries, most sitcoms don't need to be seen instrict order. In fact, sitcoms usually shouldn't be watched in big batches. It tends to dull the fun. Sowhy would anyone buy this massive boxed set? Because it's a very good, sometimes great show;because watching them in order can be subtly more satisfying; and because putting it on your shelfsays, "I really liked this show!" Someone with the complete original Star Trek or the complete
Benny Hill? Entirely different message.
Also just out is Season One of Flight of the Conchords
($29.98; HBO), which is perfect for people who don't
own HBO or just want to skip to the musical
numbers; and Melrose Place: Third Season ($54.99;
Paramount), because if you don't watch every episode
of a soap in order, how will you remember who is
sleeping with whom? And thanks to DVDs, countless hours of TV memories that might have been
lost forever are rescued. Bob Hope's decades of TV specials are celebrated in Bob Hope: The
Ultimate Collection ($29.99; R2), a two disc set with nearly eight hours of highlights. Even better is
Here's Johnny: The Definitive DVD Collection ($99.99; R2), a 12 disc set that packs together four
previous collections in one massive box. It contains about 20 hours of well-chosen clips, which
sounds like a lot until you realize he delivered 4,500 hours of TV over the years.
But maybe the defining TV on DVD experience is to watch a classic serialized drama or miniseries.
And it doesn't get more classic than Fassbinder's epic 13 part German miniseries BerlinAlexanderplatz ($124.95; Criterion), a work hailed as a masterpiece when it was shown in US
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: Bigger Is Better
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-bigger-is-better_b_72477.html [4/5/2009 8:24:18 PM]
Michelle Obama's Clothing
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Lavish...cinemas in two (very long) parts and then disappeared. This is the idea way to experience
Fassbinder's masterpiece, presented with typical flair by Criterion with new documentaries, newsubtitles and even an earlier 1931 version of the same source novel.
Just as DVD has woken up the studios to the riches in their TV vaults, it's slowly dawning on the
people broadcasting sports that fans will fork over big bucks for DVDs celebrating their players'exploits. Stanley Cup Game 7 Collection ($79.98; Warner Bros.) contains six complete Game 7s
(including the New York Rangers ending their 54 year drought in 1994) along with highlights fromevery other Game 7 ever played. Yankeeography Mega-Set ($99.95; A&E) collects 34 complete
episodes of the Yankee biography series covering greats like Babe Ruth and Phil Rizutto to JoeTorre and Derek Jeter. (And no, Alex Rodriguez isn't included.) Wrestling fans have been showeredwith titles, including John Cena: My Life ($34.95; WWE), a three disc set covering his entire
career, seven complete matches and a tour of his car collection. Even the dowdy world of tennis isslowly getting into the act: Wimbledon: The 2007 Official Film ($24.99; Kultur White Star) misses
the mark with a rookie mistake: a 60 minute film for an event that covers two weeks and includeshundreds of hours of tennis? Wimbledon: The 2007 Men's Final ($24.99; Kultur White Star) is
much better: it contains the entire three hour and 45 minute match, the warm-ups, the pre-game
interviews, the trophy ceremony and so on. That 2007 Official Film would have made a nice extra,
folks, not an entire film on its own. Finally, the DVD voom for sports has produced the lavish
America's Game: Super Bowl I-XL ($199.98; Warner Bros.), which collects 40 new one hour
documentaries on the first 40 Super Bowls. The effort put into this boxed set, which makes use of
the terrific archives from the NFL is superlative - and will be even more spectacular if and when it
comes out in HD. It's just one more example that with DVDs, sports fans have entered the
Promised Land.
Also out this week: Steven Spielberg's still-breathtaking classic Close Encounters Of The Third
Kind Ultimate Edition ($39.95; Sony), which settles all arguments by properly providing every
version of the film out there, from the theatrical version to the final, final one Spielberg just signedoff on; The Charles Burnett Collection ($39.95; Milestone), a faultless 2 disc set containing his
legendary debut Killer Of Sheep, two versions of My Brother's Wedding, four shorts by Burnett
and more in an exemplary package; La Vie En Rose ($27.95; HBO), the story of Edith Piaf
featuring a performance by Marion Cotillard as the Little Sparrow that is sure to be catnip to theOscars; the animated blockbuster Shrek The Third ($29.99; DreamWorks), which will struggle to
get an Oscar nomination thanks to a terrific year for animated films; a real-life Gumball Rally in3000 Miles ($19.99; Revolver) including Tony Hawk, who should know better, and Bam Margera,
who doesn't; Ocean's Thirteen ($28.98; Warner Bros.), which is indeed better than Ocean's Twelve
if not quite as finger-snapping cool as Ocean's Eleven but since that was far better than the
original Ocean's Eleven, they're still ahead of the game; director Oliver Smolders could give David
Lynch lessons in being odd, as proven with his feature debut Black Night ($29.95; Cult Epics) and
his collection of shorts Spiritual Exercises ($29.95; Cult Films); the delightful fantasy The PrincessBride: 20th Anniversary ($19.98; MGM), which should be shared with your children after you've
all read the classic novel together; the airless, brutal drama Flanders ($26.98; Koch) and a peek
back at life in Duckburg, USA via DuckTales, Volume 3 ($34.99; Disney).
Comments for this post are now closed
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: Bigger Is Better
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-bigger-is-better_b_72477.html [4/5/2009 8:24:18 PM]
RICHARD POPLAWSKI,
Pittsburgh Gunman, Kills 3Police Officers
Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld: DoesIran Harbor Osama binLaden?
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Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein. In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine)
by Michael Giltz
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fuel were found in
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: Bigger Is Better
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-bigger-is-better_b_72477.html [4/5/2009 8:24:18 PM]
APRIL 5, 2009
HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING STYLE GREEN WORLD CHICAGO
COMEDY 23/6 VIDEO BLOGGER INDEX ARCHIVE
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Michael Giltz | BIO | I'M A FAN OF THIS BLOGGER
Be the First to
Submit
This Story to DiggDVDs: Bigger Is Better
Posted November 13, 2007 | 04:32 PM (EST)
Read More: Animated Films , Charles Burnett , Dvds, Edith Piaf , Football , Hockey ,
Movies, Oscar , Ray Romano , Shrek , Sports , Steven Spielberg , Super Bowl , Tennis , TV
Shows , Wimbledon , Breaking Entertainment News
DVDs have been a game changer in so many ways: their great picture and sound has middle class
families flocking to flat screen TVs and surround sound systems. They've got people buildinglibraries of movies the same way they collect music albums and books. And just like those book andCD libraries, DVD libraries are bursting with massive boxed sets, the sort of thing people rarelypull out and watch (or read or listen to) but which they proudly display.
Now, next to the complete works of Mark Twain or Mozart or that Miles Davis boxed set (when all
you really listen to is Kind of Blue ), you can find Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Series
($279.98; HBO) in a box shaped like a suburban home and collecting all nine seasons of thedurable sitcom. Unlike a serialized drama or miniseries, most sitcoms don't need to be seen instrict order. In fact, sitcoms usually shouldn't be watched in big batches. It tends to dull the fun. Sowhy would anyone buy this massive boxed set? Because it's a very good, sometimes great show;because watching them in order can be subtly more satisfying; and because putting it on your shelfsays, "I really liked this show!" Someone with the complete original Star Trek or the complete
Benny Hill? Entirely different message.
Also just out is Season One of Flight of the Conchords
($29.98; HBO), which is perfect for people who don't
own HBO or just want to skip to the musical
numbers; and Melrose Place: Third Season ($54.99;
Paramount), because if you don't watch every episode
of a soap in order, how will you remember who is
sleeping with whom? And thanks to DVDs, countless hours of TV memories that might have been
lost forever are rescued. Bob Hope's decades of TV specials are celebrated in Bob Hope: The
Ultimate Collection ($29.99; R2), a two disc set with nearly eight hours of highlights. Even better is
Here's Johnny: The Definitive DVD Collection ($99.99; R2), a 12 disc set that packs together four
previous collections in one massive box. It contains about 20 hours of well-chosen clips, which
sounds like a lot until you realize he delivered 4,500 hours of TV over the years.
But maybe the defining TV on DVD experience is to watch a classic serialized drama or miniseries.
And it doesn't get more classic than Fassbinder's epic 13 part German miniseries BerlinAlexanderplatz ($124.95; Criterion), a work hailed as a masterpiece when it was shown in US
Popular Stories on HuffPost
Fashion Face-Off!
Michelle Obama And
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
Finally Meet In
France (VIDEO,
PHOTOS, POLL)
*Video, poll and slideshow
(to...
Levi Johnston TalksSafe Sex With Tyra
Banks (VIDEO)
***UPDATE*** 8:30pm:
People.com is reporting
that Sarah Palin hasissued...
Oscar de la RentaSlams Michelle
Obama's Buckingham
Outfit As MajorDesigners Feel
Ignored
While Michelle Obamahas made lesser...
Verena von Pfetten 7
Lessons To BeLearned From Carla
Bruni
So here's the thing.There's no shortage ofarticles dedicated to that
certain je ne...
Huff TV Arianna
Discusses MichelleObama's "Fantastic"
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Bigger Is Better
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-bigger-is-better_b_72477.html [4/5/2009 8:24:18 PM]
Michelle Obama's Clothing
Has Sean Hannity All Out OfSorts
Cenk Uygur: Have WeReached the Tipping Pointon Guns?
New York Times
Picks Cubs To
Win...
Michael Vick's
Bankruptcy Plan
Rejected By Judge
SNL: Madonna And
Angelina In
Weekend Update...
Reality Star Jade
Goody Buried In
Lavish...cinemas in two (very long) parts and then disappeared. This is the idea way to experience
Fassbinder's masterpiece, presented with typical flair by Criterion with new documentaries, newsubtitles and even an earlier 1931 version of the same source novel.
Just as DVD has woken up the studios to the riches in their TV vaults, it's slowly dawning on the
people broadcasting sports that fans will fork over big bucks for DVDs celebrating their players'exploits. Stanley Cup Game 7 Collection ($79.98; Warner Bros.) contains six complete Game 7s
(including the New York Rangers ending their 54 year drought in 1994) along with highlights fromevery other Game 7 ever played. Yankeeography Mega-Set ($99.95; A&E) collects 34 complete
episodes of the Yankee biography series covering greats like Babe Ruth and Phil Rizutto to JoeTorre and Derek Jeter. (And no, Alex Rodriguez isn't included.) Wrestling fans have been showeredwith titles, including John Cena: My Life ($34.95; WWE), a three disc set covering his entire
career, seven complete matches and a tour of his car collection. Even the dowdy world of tennis isslowly getting into the act: Wimbledon: The 2007 Official Film ($24.99; Kultur White Star) misses
the mark with a rookie mistake: a 60 minute film for an event that covers two weeks and includeshundreds of hours of tennis? Wimbledon: The 2007 Men's Final ($24.99; Kultur White Star) is
much better: it contains the entire three hour and 45 minute match, the warm-ups, the pre-game
interviews, the trophy ceremony and so on. That 2007 Official Film would have made a nice extra,
folks, not an entire film on its own. Finally, the DVD voom for sports has produced the lavish
America's Game: Super Bowl I-XL ($199.98; Warner Bros.), which collects 40 new one hour
documentaries on the first 40 Super Bowls. The effort put into this boxed set, which makes use of
the terrific archives from the NFL is superlative - and will be even more spectacular if and when it
comes out in HD. It's just one more example that with DVDs, sports fans have entered the
Promised Land.
Also out this week: Steven Spielberg's still-breathtaking classic Close Encounters Of The Third
Kind Ultimate Edition ($39.95; Sony), which settles all arguments by properly providing every
version of the film out there, from the theatrical version to the final, final one Spielberg just signedoff on; The Charles Burnett Collection ($39.95; Milestone), a faultless 2 disc set containing his
legendary debut Killer Of Sheep, two versions of My Brother's Wedding, four shorts by Burnett
and more in an exemplary package; La Vie En Rose ($27.95; HBO), the story of Edith Piaf
featuring a performance by Marion Cotillard as the Little Sparrow that is sure to be catnip to theOscars; the animated blockbuster Shrek The Third ($29.99; DreamWorks), which will struggle to
get an Oscar nomination thanks to a terrific year for animated films; a real-life Gumball Rally in3000 Miles ($19.99; Revolver) including Tony Hawk, who should know better, and Bam Margera,
who doesn't; Ocean's Thirteen ($28.98; Warner Bros.), which is indeed better than Ocean's Twelve
if not quite as finger-snapping cool as Ocean's Eleven but since that was far better than the
original Ocean's Eleven, they're still ahead of the game; director Oliver Smolders could give David
Lynch lessons in being odd, as proven with his feature debut Black Night ($29.95; Cult Epics) and
his collection of shorts Spiritual Exercises ($29.95; Cult Films); the delightful fantasy The PrincessBride: 20th Anniversary ($19.98; MGM), which should be shared with your children after you've
all read the classic novel together; the airless, brutal drama Flanders ($26.98; Koch) and a peek
back at life in Duckburg, USA via DuckTales, Volume 3 ($34.99; Disney).
Comments for this post are now closed
More in Entertainment...
HuffPost Stories Surging Right Now
Style On CBS'
"Washington
Unplugged"
Arianna was on CBS'
"Washington...
Huff TV Arianna
Appears on ABC's
"This Week"
Roundtable With
George
Stephanopoulos(VIDEO)
Arianna was a guest this
morning on...
"BRUNO" TRAILER!Calamity, African
Babies, Chase
Scenes And More
(NSFW VIDEO)
IT'S HERE! The trailer forthis July's Sacha Baron
Cohen...
NATO Leaders Focus
On Afghanistan, ButMost Reject Obama's
Plea For Troops
(SLIDESHOW)
STRASBOURG, France— On the eve of the
NATO...
First Lady Fashion At
Friday's NATO
Concert (PHOTOS)
Another night, another
fashion opportunity for
NATO leaders and their
spouses! See...
Diana Palin, Sarah
Palin's Sister-In-Law,
Arrested For
Breaking Into Home
ANCHORAGE, Alaska —Police say Alaska Gov....
John Oliver Explains
The Real Reason YouNever Touch TheQueen (VIDEO)
Jim Cramer Declares
The Depression"Over" (VIDEO)
On Thursday's episode of"Mad Money" host Jim
Cramer declared that the
depression...
New Jay Leno Show
Rejected By NBC
Affiliate In Boston
BOSTON — Boston'sNBC affiliate says it will aira local newscast instead
of...
Ice Bridge Ruptures
In Antarctic (VIDEO)
An ice bridge linking ashelf of ice the size of
Jamaica to two islands in
Antarctica has
Scientists FindRocket Fuel
Chemical In Infant
Formula
ATLANTA — Traces of a
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Bigger Is Better
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-bigger-is-better_b_72477.html [4/5/2009 8:24:18 PM]
RICHARD POPLAWSKI,
Pittsburgh Gunman, Kills 3Police Officers
Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld: DoesIran Harbor Osama binLaden?
Comments 0 Pending Comments 0
Comments are closed for this entry
Ads by Google
Deep Discount DVDs
Low Price Films, Movies, Box Sets DVDs with
Free Shipping
DeepDiscount.com/DVDs
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being
approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
View Comments: Newest
First Expand All
You must be logged in to reply to this comment. Log in or
Computers
India
Barack
Obama
Michelle
Obama
Sports
Olympics
Housing
Crisis
Fox News
Cars
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES
»
Books by this author
A cabin of one's own: New
England's MacDowellColony celebrates 100years of artistic utopia.And the gay and lesbianartists who prosperedthere celebrate ... (Thenational gay & lesbiannewsmagazine)
by Michael Giltz
Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein. In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine)
by Michael Giltz
Animated Films
Charles BurnettDvdsEdith PiafFootballHockeyMoviesOscarRay RomanoShrekchemical used in rocket
fuel were found in
samples of...
HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES
Bloggers Index
Read All Posts by
Michael Giltz
Related Tags
This Blogger's Books from
Michael Giltz: DVDs: Bigger Is Better
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-bigger-is-better_b_72477.html [4/5/2009 8:24:18 PM]
HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING GREEN STYLE WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY FUNDRACE
ARCHIVE
Advertise | Login | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Jobs | FAQ: Comments & Moderation | FAQ: Huffpost Accounts | Contact Us
Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | Archive | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type
Sports
Steven Spielberg
Super Bowl
Tennis
TV Shows
Wimbledon