Menus - Love 'em or Leave 'em?

[housepig]

inspired by another thread...

what kind of menus do you like on commercial discs? simple, static, non-motion menus? a little bit of activity, but not overboard? or all the bells, whistles, transitions, easter eggs and interactivity the format allows?

and on the menus you make, where do you lean?

[haloblack]

I like menus that look like they were designed by someone with an art background and an understanding of the tone of the film. The Criterion Collection edition of "Silence of the Lambs" is a perfect example. Simple, understated, scary. Yep a scary menu. Really simple visual onscreen, a *seriously* low bass rumble that you can barely perceive through the sub, and every few seconds - moth wings fluttering through the surrounds.

Absolutely perfect.

I've seen too many menus that are the equivalent of html that's all blink tags and animated gifs.

[housepig]

I should clarify for the non-US residents...

Chuck E. Cheese is a pizza parlor that caters to little kids, where there are video games, people dressed in giant mouse costumes, animatronic animal musicians, and basically any other thing that will simultaneously entice small children and annoy the hell out of most rational beings over the age of 12.

for the Amish... well, read this Wikipedia article.

This has been a public service message from the Office of Eschewing Obfuscation.

[johns0]

No menus.

[andkiich]

Menus only for episodic discs.

[adam]

I like complicated menus with all the bells and whistles but only if they are still functional. I like to see eye candy, but not if I have to sit and wait through long transitions between things. (planet of the apes remake). The most important thing is for the menus to convey the theme of the movie well. (memento, Cabin Fever, Episode I & II) I often totally make my own menus when backing up DVDs, if the original version was lacking. I made a sweet set of menus for GoodFellas because it used that horrible WB template that all their old DVDs have.