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'Narnia' led an enchanting'06

'Narnia' led an enchanting'06
Hotty Miss  |  by www.startribune.com. All rights reserved. 4.01 | 11:21

Other top picks for the year include TV's "The Office," the classic film "Mr. Arkadin" and high-definition discs.
By Randy Salas, Star Tribune
Last update: December 24, 2006 ndash; 1:30 AM
It's been an interesting year on DVD: Sales growth ebbed as the format matured, reissues dominated catalog releases as studios exhausted A-list fare in their vaults and the long-awaited high-definition formats finally made their debut, fulfilling their promise in quality if not sales.

Here's a look at the best DVDs of 2006. As usual, these choices reflect the quality of both programming and DVD presentation. Best new movie: I pegged "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" as a year's-best candidate when it came out in April as a two-disc set ($30) bursting with extras.

The recent four-disc version ($43), which adds two feature-length documentaries and more, easily puts it over the top. Best classic film: Criterion's three-disc "The Complete Mr. Arkadin" ($50) is a cinephile's dream, with three versions of Orson Welles' much-maligned film and oodles of background material.

Warner's stunning two-disc "Grand Prix" ($30) was worth the wait, even though the 1966 racing film's director, John Frankenheimer, was no longer alive to contribute to the DVD. Best foreign film: First Run's "Westerns With a Twist" ($40) offered a remarkable look at three so-called "red westerns" made by East Germans in which the Indians are the good guys. Two mesmerizing films, Criterion's "The Spirit of the Beehive" ($40) from Spain and Milestone's "The Clay Bird" ($30) from Bangladesh, provided other worthy DVD debuts.

Japan's influential "Seven Samurai" and "Gojira" ("Godzilla") made spectacular special-edition encores. Best current TV show: "The Office: Season Two" ($50) pairs the comedy's Emmy-winning season with deleted scenes for every episode that are definitely not throwaways. Strong runners-up are "Rome" ($100) and the eighth season of the plucky "The Simpsons" ($50).

Best classic TV show: The first season of "The Wild, Wild West" ($50) and the full run of "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." ($100) sent fans' hearts a-galloping. And props to Disney for releasing "The Hardy Boys" ($33), a fun serial that originally aired in the '50s on "The Mickey Mouse Club.

" Best collection: Disney's Oscar-winning nature films, "True Life Adventures," came out in four two-disc sets ($33 each). "Superman: Ultimate Collector's Edition" gathered special editions of every Man of Steel film in a mammoth 14-disc set ($100). Best high-def: The new Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD formats brought must-have, demo-quality versions of "Superman Returns,"Corpse Bride" and "Mission: Impossible III" in both formats, "Batman Begins" on HD-DVD and "Black Hawk Down" on Blu-ray ($29-$40).

Best commentary: Black-film scholars gave essential perspective to the racially sensitive "The Green Pastures,"Cabin in the Sky,"Hallelujah,"Island in the Sun,"Pinky" and "Stormy Weather." Comedian Mike Nelson skipped the discs altogether and offered joke commentaries to download from his website and play along with your DVDs. Best packaging: Every incarnation of "Planet of the Apes" was stuffed inside a big, furry ape's head ($180) -- ingenious.

Best trend: The HD-DVD high-def format brought not only slick blockbusters but eye-popping presentations of vintage fare such as "Forbidden Planet,"Casablanca" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood" ($29 each). Best music DVD: Years in the making, Pink Floyd's two-disc "Pulse" ($25) captured a legendary 1994 concert -- including "Dark Side of the Moon" in its entirety -- in glorious sound with copious extras. Star Tribune.

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Keywords: Two Disc, Hd Dvd
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