The DVD Stack
2nd Edition
Essential Guide to the World's Best DVDs

Nick Bradshaw and Tim Robey, Editors

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

Selected, edited and written by film critics from the Daily Telegraph, Time Out, the Sunday Times, Sight and Sound and LOVEFiLM, The DVD Stack contains the finest film writing. It also compares and rates different DVD editions of classic films from around the world, including the all-important special features.

So whether it is limited editions, budget releases, box-sets, special editions or more, The DVD Stack 2nd Edition can tell you the best possible edition of the movie and where in the world to find it. The editors' aim was to make a book 'representing both the best of cinema and the best of DVD'. Mixing the canonical and the eclectic, it also allows its writers to make idiosyncratic choices, so that it can help create the right DVD stack for your living room.

From the classic (Casablanca, On the Waterfront) to the cult (The Big Lebowski, Mulholland Drive); from foreign language (La Dolce Vita, Oldboy) to documentary (Bus 174, Capturing the Friedmans); from the arthouse (The Kingdom, Solaris) to the multiplex (Con Air, Kill Bill), all manner and make of film on DVD is here...

Review by Jessica (120108) Rating (9/10)

Review by Jessica
Rating 9/10
Nick Bradshaw is a film writer, maker and editor. He has written for publications such as LA Weekly, Time Out, LOVEFiLM and the Independent on Sunday. He is currently finishing his postgraduate documentary film.

The idea for this book is quite unique. Nick Bradshaw and Tim Robey gather together reviews for the world’s best DVDs out there.

The introduction to this helpful volume is clearly written by a professional who has a great understanding of these optical disks. He writes about 120-millimetre disks to 720x480 pixels and more. If you’ve managed to digest that, Nick then moves onto his selection of the best extras (DodgeBall, The Matrix etc). Also featured are some DVDs that are classed as “unavailable” in the Most Wanted section.

Finally, we have PAL/NTSC, PAL-Speed-up and many more divisions that Nick explains to us. It does sound very specialized but don’t get me wrong, this is a great book to own if you have a taste for all those best-selling DVDs but don’t know which to invest your money in. There are over 300 classic titles, many of which you will have heard of. We have the comedy Airplane! which was made in 1980 with directors Jim Abrahams, David and Jerry Zucker. Also there are many other titles from The Bourne Supremacy starring Matt Damon to the blockbuster, Jaws. Each film has an in-depth review with details such as Regions and Labels.

These film buffs explore the ins and outs of each DVD giving us a technical but sharp review with key features such as the various versions available, etc. As I said before, you have to be into your films to want to own this expanded copy but with praise from the Evening Standard it’s hard to ignore.

Just think of all those hours these reviewers had to sit through films and then write a review. They really do know what they are talking about and that is obvious when you read a couple of the excellent pages within.

They can tell you where to get the film you want, whether it’s a box-set or a low-budget release such as ever-creepy The Blair Witch Project. They can even comment which films have had re-makes, voice-overs and different edits. All you have to do is know which film you most desire.

This can also be a book to own for future reference if you happen to be passing your local film-renting shop. Also it can team up as a great present for any keen film enthusiast you may know.

A highly-informative read packed with great information and reviews.
Jessica (12th January 2008)