I didn’t get to the cinema as much as I’d liked to this year. I don’t have a good excuse. In contrast, the number of DVDs I bought this year was a trifle excessive. Parts of the caravan are actually bowing under the weight of them but I can’t bear to put any of them in storage. I bought far too many this year. Some were well worth it, others I’ll probably never watch again:
Top 3 Movies:
3. Fahrenheit 911. This just made Bush’s re-election even harder to stomach. Sure, it’s flawed and it has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but try to remember: it was aimed at Americans.
2. Shaun of the Dead. The little film that could.
1. External Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. No contest. Part of me hated it - mainly because they came up with the idea before I could - but this really is faultless film making. Carey is fantastic, the direction is inspiring, and the plot is beautifully complex without being complicated. It should sweep the board at the Oscars but we all know that ain’t never gonna happen.
Top 3 DVDs:
3. The Day Today. Finally! It’s great to have this groundbreaking series on shiny discs at last. The extras are great but the best ones (for example, Alan Partridge’s Diana Conspiracy) are so hard to find you actually need a diagram.
2. Spaced: The collector’s limited edition thingamy whatsit. Okay, so it’s a rip-off but it’s worth it for the last 2 minutes of the documentary and the text commentary for the scene where Simon Pegg remembers that he’s got Jaffa Cakes in his jacket pocket.
1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. What were they thinking when they cut out the Sauraman scene? It’s brilliant! I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed the DVDs a lot more than the theatrical releases and the final installment in the trilogy didn’t disappoint. Great extras as usual, especially the incredibly moving insight into wrapping up production which actually managed to make me cry. The bit where Jackson won’t wrap the very last shot, just so he could prolong the experience, had me blubbering like a true Tolkeinite. These DVDs have set a benchmark that will be hard to beat.
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