Die Hard: Ultimate Collection
WOW! When they said “Ultimate” they meant it. Don’t even think about picking up the previous Die Hard box set. It was 3 films in a cardboard box. That’s it! Now we have upgraded picture, DTS audio, commentary tracks for each film and extras too numerous to list. But here’s a taste of the goodies ahead. Die Hard – multiple commentary tracks, deleted scene, text commentary, DVD-ROM features, scene edit workshop (a feature which seems to be getting popular), screenplay comparison options and more. Die Hard 2: Die Harder – Director commentary, making of documentary, deleted scenes, stroyboards and special effects breakdown of major sequences. Die Hard With A Vengeance – Director commentary, alternate ending, production documentaries, featurettes on major special effects sequences, storyboards and much more. Anamorphic video enhancement improves the image qualty and the DTS multi channel encoding should please any home theatre fan. Highly recommended.
James Bond Box Set
This new box set of popular James Bond films is really not that new. Fans of Bond remember that there were a series of box sets previously but they were all put on “moratorium’ and technically unavailable. Now that the latest Bond adventure “Die Another Day” is just weeks away (November 2002 release), a 7 disc set comes to market. Featured this time around is “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “The Man With The Golden Gun” with Roger Moore, “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” with Sean Connery, “Goldeneye” and “Tomorrow Never Dies” with Pierce Brosnan and “Licence To KIll” with Timothy Dalton. The discs feature behind the scenes documentaries and multiple commentary tracks as well as poster art and trailers. All of the discs are excellently produced with clever and colorful menus. “Golden Gun”, “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” are mono and the rest are 5.1 surround. The picture and sound are very good especially on the more modern Brosnan films but even the low budget “Dr. No” is better looking than ever. The James Bond series has its ups and downs but overall they have delivered fun and thrills for 40 years and there seems to be no end in sight. If you didn’t grab these DVDs the first time around, don’t hesitate. If you like some but don’t want to spring for the box set, the films are available separately.
Rambo Special Edition DVD
“Do we get to win this time?” John Rambo’s words ring true for the DVD collector. This four disc set featuring remasterd sound and pictrue is a great way to revisit these films. Packaged in a metallic slip case, the films come both widescreen and fullscreen versions on the same disc. The audio is 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS and while the mix is not as agressive as some more recent action flicks it’s still far better than previous editions. Each film comes with a commentary track and a new documentary and the package includes a fourth disc packed with featurettes on the Rambo series and documentaries on Vietnam, The Green Berets and average soldiers who fought in the conflict. It adds a nice serious tone to the Rambo legacy since the films themselves got more and more cartoon-like. By the way, it’s nice to be reminded about how good First Blood really is and don’t forget to look for David Caruso in a small but important role. One criticism of the supplementals – Jerry Goldsmith’s three Rambo scores are worthy of more attention than given here.
TV: “24” First Season DVD Set
A great idea for a show, each episode deals with one hour in the life of government agent Jack Bauer. Assassination plots, family members kidnapped and Agent Bauer (and we as the audience) see it unfold in real time. This box set includes all 24 episodes on 6 discs with a special introduction by star Kiefer Sutherland. The audio is 2 channel Dolby Digital and the video represents the HDTV picture width and is anamorphically encoded. If you were shocked or troubled by the season finale be aware that an alternate ending to the final episode is also included. A teaser for Season Two rounds out the package. Every once in awhile a show comes along which gets everyone talking and “24” is that kind of show.