JARI'S CLASSIC COMPARISONS

Welcome to the third in a series of Classic Comparisions features. This month we take a look at the selection from one of our Site Administrators, Jari. To access comparisons for any of the films, just click on the cover art.

	1. ALPHAVILLE I´m no expert when it comes to French director Jean-Luc Godard, but Alphaville was an experience I will never forget. I saw the film for the first time with my sister when I was young in a small comic festival in Kemi, Northern Finland and that memory has stayed with me ever since. Mesmerizing piece of cinema, and highly recommended. Time for another re-release from Criterion..		2. THE WARNER LEGENDS COLLECTION I could´ve chosen so many great box sets from Warner, which is clearly the best DVD-company when it comes to bigger studios. This was probably my first one and includes 3 brilliant classics from 3 legendary actors. Yankee Doodle Dandy from the set is my all time favorite when it comes to classics.		3. FRIDAY THE 13TH: FROM CRYSTAL LAKE TO MANHATTAN I´m not ashamed to admit that I´m a big fan of Jason and Friday the 13th movies. Even when I (among the other fans) was seriously disappointed that only R-rated versions were released in this box set, this is still a good option to have some fun with on a rainy day and enjoy some mindless horror.
	4. ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE MASTERPIECE COLLECTION What can I say? I love Hitchcock and rarely there´s a director who only has great films in his filmography. Films can´t get any better than this, simply put.		5. SIGNS Probably a bit of a surprising choice, even for me, but this is actually one of my favorite films from the 2000s and does justice to the theme that really interests me in films; the alien invasion. Very underated film which helped to erase the ugly memory that I had from Independence Day.		6. THE ALIEN QUADRILOGY The obvious choice, right? Since the original Alien and the sequel Aliens are very, very high on my list, this set was like a dream come true for the fans. One of the best DVD-releases of all time and it seems to me that everyone has it!
	7. THE WINDS OF WAR Probably the best TV mini-series of all time, about the Henry family during the years when Hitler rose to power and WW2 started. Victor "Pug" Henry is played by the legendary Robert Mitchum, one of my favourite actors. The story continues in War and Remembrance, which is equally impressive.		8. HORROR CLASSICS COLLECTION Hammer Studios created so many great and entertaining horror/sci-fi movies and with this set you´ll meet the classics monsters revived by the British studio: The Mummy, Frankenstein's monster and Dracula. The true legends of horror are also introduced: actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.		9. THE GODFATHER COLLECTION It´s easy to forget that this set was released 2001, when big DVD box sets were not an every day event. So much has been written about the films, so I can only add that these are the masterpieces of cinema (well, let´s not start with the third one) and they´ll stay that way while there are still people watching films on our planet.
	10. HEAT Perhaps the best modern crime movie ever made, with two powerhouse actors Pacino and De Niro and visionary director Michael Mann. The movie that you would wish to last forever, it´s just so good.		11. THE BEST OF BUD ABBOTT AND LOU COSTELLO Imagine yourself having a rough day at the work and you arrive home in a bad mood. There´s a cure for that. Just sit on the couch and pick any of the movies from the comedy duo Abbott and Costello and you will start smiling again. From the 4 volumes of their movies I could´ve picked any, but this first set was the introduction to their magic for me. There were many respected comedians in the 1940s-1950s, but these guys are my favorite ones. For all ages!		12. ERASERHEAD I doubt that any reviewer can truly explain what this film is all about, but that´s just part of the charm by the one and only, David Lynch. I ordered this version straight from his web site (now generally available, I might add), which cost me pretty penny, but I only hesitated to order it for about 5 minutes. This film always reminds me, that not every film has to be fully analysed and explained, and they can still give you strong emotions.
	13. DAWN OF THE DEAD Anchor Bay hasn´t always kept up with other similar companies, but with their Ultimate Edition they got almost everything right. All 3 versions of the movie and loads of extras should make even the hardcore fans happy. Oh and did I say that this is one of my favorite horror-films? Now I have.		14. THE REFLECTING SKIN Another all time favorite for me and so far only properly released in Japan. I never understood why Philip Ridley stopped making movies, but at least he gave us this masterpiece. This is the first film on my list starring Viggo Mortensen, who for some reason is in many of the films that are really high on my list (no, he´s still not my favorite actor).		15. THE INDIAN RUNNER This debut film by the acclaimed actor Sean Penn is (for me) one of the underrated movies of the 1990s. He captures perfectly those dramatic moments in the small American town, and even got Charles Bronson to perform (one of the best moments in his later career - I still miss him). Brilliant stuff. Another film starring Mortensen.
	16. THE LORD OF THE RINGS - SPECIAL EXTENDED EDITION Probably a too obvious choice for many, but this trilogy is par none the best movie trilogy of all time, perfect fantasy and something that will be cherished for the years to come. I doubt that we´re ever going to see anything quite like it, since the story by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of its kind. This has also Mortensen, by the way (you didn´t know that, did you?).		17. MONSTER LEGACY DVD GIFT SET Old horror-films from Universal are something that have influenced basically every single filmmaker within the genre and they are like old wine; Just getting better over the years. These are real classics and highly recommended. Just don´t say that you haven´t seen any of them?		18. BAND OF BROTHERS Brilliant, modern mini-series about the US army´s Easy Company during WW2 and something that you could watch again in every day, without getting bored. Along with Twin Peaks, this is one of the big TV moments for me.
	19. THE FLY Along with The Thing (1982) and Aliens (1986), this always reminds me how many great horror-classics were made during the 1980s. It's a simply stunning film and sealed my ever long admiration for director David Cronenberg. This DVD also shows, that with public demand and a good DVD producer, great releases can happen. Go see that Monkey-cat scene again, now.		20. THE SPAGHETTI WESTERN COLLECTION I have something like 70-80 Spaghetti westerns on DVD, but the one I always probably love the most is the original Django (1966). It blew me away when I was just a kid and Franco Nero is still my big hero and great actor. This now OOP-set by Blue Underground also reminds me of how this company introduced us to many great (cult) films.

All material on this page is copyright of Jari Kovalainen and Rewind @ www.dvdcompare.net. No material, in whole or in part, can be copied or reproduced in any other publication, either online or offline, without prior written permission from the aforementioned people.