Completely forgotten at the theaters, "Hope Floats" gets another chance to find its rightful audience on DVD. As part of the initial wave of FOX DVD titles, their potential looks quite promising, even without the 16:9 enhancement we "wish" they'd utilize!  To begin with, the picture quality is outstanding.  There's great clarity in every scene and colors are well rendered.  While this character-driven drama doesn't necessitate much of a sound mix, the dolby digital 5.1 sound is active at the right moments, mostly for atmosphere, and in boosting the excellent soundtrack of  assorted songs.  No real extras here, and that makes the $34.98 asking price too steep in our opinion.  FOX has correctly lowered their SRP on 6 of their 8 launch titles, and we implore them to do the same with all future titles.   With reasonable list pricing, "and" "16:9" enhancement, their extensive library is sure to find a large audience.

We have to admit that we were completely surprised with how entertaining "Home Alone 3" proves to be.  We actually like it more than the previous entries in this series of "pre-teen vs. bumbling crook" parodies.  This one doesn't have Mcauley Culkin, but Alex D. Linz is just as enjoyable, and the script from "Home Alone" creator John Hughes is consistently funny.  The picture is excellent with pristine contrast and fleshtones.  The dolby digital 5.1 sound mix is extremely active. We can't hide our disappointment that FOX chose to release this title at the high SRP of $34.98.  While its picture transfer is nearly flawless, and the Dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack is filled with effects,  $34.98 still appears steep.  As mentioned

"Marked for Death" is one of Steven Seagal's better films.  We're delighted that FOX has presented it with its correct 2.35:1 ratio(box art incorrectly lists 1.85:1) Seagal portrays an ex-DEA agent forced to battle a Jamaican drug lord.   The story is surprisingly well written(some of the "Poltergeist" writing team is responsible)and the direction is tight.  The transfer is outstanding with perfect color and contrast.  Even more impressive is the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix that its been given.  We compared it to the standard Dolby Surround track also offered on this dvd, and while both are dimensional, the dolby digital 5.1 is a huge improvement in almost every scene.  It has a sense of added depth that makes the standard surround appear almost muted.  To our great surprise, "Marked for Death"  is one of our surprise favorite titles on DVD.

While we found it an odd selection by FOX, when considering its huge vault of classics, to debut on dvd, "Porky's" is still great fun.  FOX also deserves credit for releasing this title with its proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio.  Director/Writer Bob Clark's better known film, "A Christmas Story" only received a pan&scan dvd release from MGM.  The story is basically an excuse for raunchy jokes set amongst a 1950s high school.  In spite of a low budget, there's a real nostalgic atmosphere achieved.  The picture is grainy in numerous scenes, but the colors are generally decent and contrast is adequate.  We don't remember the original theatrical print to have been sharp, so this doesn't appear to be a poor transfer.  The soundtrack digital mono is fine, featuring some memorable songs from the era depicted.

We wish and hope that FOX continues releasing titles with the same high quality and supplemental materials offered in their DVD release of "Young Frankenstein".    This is a title deserving of being part in every collector's library.   To begin with, it's filled with supplementary materials. It's basically the same special edition available on laserdisc for about $90.00!  At 1/3 the cost, we found the dvd picture to be an improvement with enhanced sharpness despite absense of 16:9 enhancement.  The blacks and greys are deep and distinctive. The digital mono also seems to be a benefit, further establishing the nostalgic feel already achieved with the black&white cinematography.  The script and everything about this film is meant to satirize the classic black&white films of the 30s, and no one can do it like Brooks.  Also on hand, at least in audio commentary is Brooks himself, for the entire duration of the film on an optional track reached by the main menu.  Brooks' commentary is one of the most entertaining we've heard so far on dvd or laserdisc.       

The transfer to "Predator" is our favorite of the initial FOX dvd titles.   It greatly surpasses the high quality contrast and fleshtones achieved in the previously available laserdisc version.  "Predator"  offers all of the possible problems of DVD mastering:numerous action sequences, extreme changes in lighting, etc.  Still, it comes off as a flawless transfer with a sharp look in every single scene.  This also marks the first time that the film appears with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, adding significantly to the unrelenting tension of the film.  Nothing offered in the way of extras besides a trailer, but if  all the future FOX dvd titles could look this good, who cares!

For some reason, the box art on "Speed" incorrectly lists it as being 1.85:1, when in fact, it's 2.35:1.  While we're disappointed that this title isn't as bright and sharp as most of the titles in FOX's first wave of dvd titles, it's generally in good shape with accurate colors.  Unfortunately, in darker scenes, the colors appear to be almost muted.  Perhaps 16:9 enhancement would've compensated for this had it been in place!  The Dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack is another matter however, offering the same outstanding, flawless dimensionality as the laserdisc version.  The bass effects are also quite impressive.

This one's strictly for the kids.  While we still enjoy seeing Phil Hartman, he's barely in this 85 minute film, and the slapstick never achieves a high enough quality level to entertain mature audiences who've known better.  Still, kids will like the cartoonish like gags that link most scenes in the film.  The picture looks great with outstanding clarity and contrast.  While we couldn't examine the clarity of each snowflake, the outstanding depth of this transfer could've almost made it seem possible!   The dolby digital 5.1 sound is filled with virtually non-stop directional effects.