#1: Spinal Tap (narrative track) -- it's a whole new film with the whole cast looking back in anger, and in character, bitterly backbiting after years of continued decay since the original movie, not a kind word, or an unfunny one, about each other or anyone else as they recall old grudges and describe scene after scene, agreeing only on their loathing of the "documentarian" who they bitterly resent for making them look ridiculous.
#2: Memento -- start with a brilliant film and use DVD to add layers: amazing menus in the form of psychiatric tests -- even the regular extra material is hard to get to, let alone the special easter eggs; I tried for a day without success to see ANYTHING on disk 2 before resorting to IMDB in disgrace for a cheat sheet. The movie proceeds backward in time; if you know the secret, you can have the DVD reverse sequence and show the scenes chronologically forward.
3: La Belle et La Bete, aka Beauty and the Beast (1946 Jean Cocteau not disney!!) -- even by Criterion's exalted standards, a standout. This classic was cleaned, restored, patched up, then digitally polished to a fine sheen, with new subtitles, then graced with wonderful extras: interviews with the cinematographer conducted at the actual location of filming, a French TV feature about the makeup artist, two narrative tracks, a whole opera by philip glass running the length of the film (I declined that one), etc.
4: Basic Instinct -- an ordinary thriller by the standards of the time is a masterpiece in today's debased cinematic chum bucket, but the fun is in the two commentaries and extra features. The amused Dutch director describes being politically incorrect by both sides' standards: the running battle with gay activists in SF disrupting production, then his battle with the bluenose ratings board, then a detailed exhibit of the further slicing and dicing required for US television. The cherry on top is the second commentary track though: Who knew Camille Paglia was a film critic as well as a feminist (gifted with rare humor and intolerance for BS)?! She plays both roles in her commentary, discussing both the subtle and the obvious sexual references and meanings as well as the aesthetic elements. Even the package of this DVD is a treat, containing a whimsical (plastic, alas) ice pick.
5: Se7en [sic] -- another two-disk boatload of extras, most of which I've forgotten but which give a look at the impressive/obsessive level of detail and scrupulous precision combined with imagination that even an intent viewer wouldn't notice in the film, some of which never made it into the film. The murderer's maniacal diaries, volume after volume, were created but hardly shown, if at all, in the movie. The title sequence set a new standard; we hear all about it.
