Top 10 DVDs of 2008
by Brian Eggert
Top 10 DVDs of 2008
Rocked earlier this year by the industry’s progressive decision to advance Blu-ray as the chosen high-definition format, the home video market underwent some major changes in 2008. Since Blu-ray discs are still more expensive than they should be, standard discs have come down in price, offering a needed budget-friendly option for many consumers. What was once contained on two or more standard discs can now comfortably fit on a single Blu-ray disc. Suddenly digital transfers aren’t good enough; only HD picture, sound, and storage make the grade. And yet, standard releases still make an impression thanks to the continuing meticulous and impressive efforts by The Criterion Collection and Warner Bros. to distribute only the best releases. The below selections were 2008’s best; crammed with unique, extensive features and sporting beautiful package design, they demand a place on your shelf.
1. The Furies (1950) - The Criterion Collection
Criterion has inspired the revival or reexamination of countless motion pictures. For example, last year’s rediscovery of Ace in the Hole established Billy Wilder’s forgotten masterpiece as one of The Golden Age’s most cynical films. With their release of The Furies, they help confirm that Anthony Mann’s string of Westerns in the 1950s was, next to John Ford’s, the best harvest of the genre by a single auteur. Along with a barebones disc of Man of the West released by MGM, and Miriam’s nice restorations of El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire, this year has seen a welcomed revival and appreciation of Mann’s cinema.
A transitional piece between Mann’s film noir period and his Westerns, The Furies represents an original amalgamation of genres, using a melodramatic Western scenario in both beautifully high-contrast theme and black & white photography. Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston turn out ferocious performances in a story about a daughter’s struggle to take over her father’s ranch. And the release itself boasts some incredible offerings: Included in the substantial package is the full source novel by Niven Busch, several rare video and print interviews with Mann, and an informative commentary track by Jim Kitses, author of Horizons West. Encased in a thick digipak case which bears very “Western” cover art, few releases are so impressive, or so complete.
2. The Mist (2007) - 2-Disc Collector's Edition
One of 2008’s best films is even better on one of 2009’s best DVDs. From Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, comes another adaptation of a grittier Stephen King story this time. Delving into themes about the weak and frenzied nature of human beings, Darabont’s film appeared in color for its theatrical distribution. But on the second disc in this impressive set, Darabont included what he considers his “Director’s Cut” which remasters the film in glorious black & white (similar to what the Coen Brothers did for The Man Who Wasn’t There). Now the computerized special effects are washed over with a muted tangibility, the commentary is rendered more allegorical by the lack of “realistic” color, and the entire experience contains an atmosphere recalling the expressionistic panic of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. After seeing Darabont’s cut, I edited my already-published Top 10 Films of 2007 to include The Mist, as this is one of the best horror films I’ve ever seen.
3. Bottle Rocket (1996) - The Criterion Collection
Criterion aficionados were told Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket could never be released through their company, as Sony does not license their films for third party home video distribution. Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic each received the Criterion treatment, but Anderson’s first film remained ever-impossible. For whatever reason, Sony changed their policy after nearly ten years of stern refusals, and Criterion released this director-approved 2-disc edition swimming in features. Ranging from Anderson’s original Bottle Rocket short, to a making-of documentary, to an appreciation written by Martin Scorsese, Criterion delivers a long-awaited delight-of-a-film with hours of supplemental material assembled by Anderson himself. (Also available on Blu-ray)
4. Touch of Evil (1958) - 50th Anniversary Edition
Including three varying cuts of Orson Welles production-maligned masterpiece, plenty of extras, and a booklet of Welles’ thirty-two-page memo to Universal Studios suits detailing his problems with their alterations to his film, this 50th Anniversary Edition gives this landmark film noir archetype its due attention. Offering a preview version, a theatrical version, and the 1998 restored version that best aligns with Welles’ wished-for vision, this edition compiles all available cuts for the very first time, so audiences can track the changes with immediate comparisons. Not only is this release perfect for a film history lover, but remains an accessible masterpiece, one of my personal favorites, featuring bravado camerawork such as the opening’s three-minute tracking shot, a twisting plot involving then-taboo subjects of drugs and police corruption, and iconic performances by Welles, Charlton Heston, Marlene Dietrich, and Janet Leigh.
5. Lubitsch Musicals - Eclipse Series
Though the complementary material is nonexistent, this collection of musicals by romantic comedy engineer Ernst Lubitsch (Trouble in Paradise) contains four of the best films released on DVD all year. Showcased by the Eclipse Series, a budget-friendly subsidiary of The Criterion Collection, each of Lubitsch’s blithe romantic escapades deserves a more extensive treatment to be sure—perhaps later down the road: The Love Parade (1929) links the charmer Maurice Chevalier and snooty Jeanette MacDonald for the first time; Monte Carlo (1930) satirizes aristocratic romance; One Hour with You (1932) rejoins Chevalier and MacDonald; and The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) represents the diamond among gemstones, one of Lubitsch’s very best critiques of high-society. You’ll rarely find such a fine collection of filmmaking with so reasonable a pricetag.
6. Batman: The Complete Animated Series
Void of exhaustive special features or newly remastered audio and video, Warner Bros’ boxed set containing all 109 episodes of the 1990s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series remains impressive by content and packaging alone. Though an exclusive concept art booklet and bonus disc featuring the documentary Shades of the Bat: Batman's Animated Evolution accompany the seventeen discs housing the show, the package itself is irresistibly cool. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight boast brooding realism, but this show was the most true-to-the-comics interpretation, imbuing the character with appropriately mature undertones, but also admitting that indeed the character’s origins reside in comic books. Batfans should invest in this massive set, a worthy presentation for one of television’s greatest animated programs.
7. White Dog (1982) - The Criterion Collection
Whenever Criterion releases a film like Samuel Fuller’s White Dog, there’s a sudden resurgence of attention for both the film and filmmaker. After all, Fuller’s racially-charged social commentary was notoriously misunderstood and banned upon its release, so finally issuing this virtually lost film on DVD marks a significant occasion for film scholars and devotees to Fuller’s gritty filmmaking style. The film follows a woman who learns her adopted German Shepherd was trained to attack only black people; she attempts to cure the animal by turning him over to a trainer, who finds racism difficult to unteach. Criterion presents the uncut version of Fuller’s scathingly effective drama, complete with lovely cover art and features galore.
8.High and Low (1963) - The Criterion Collection
Each year The Criterion Collection releases one or two titles by Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai), a true visionary of cinema who, like Alfred Hitchcock, combined filmic artistry and entertainment with undeniable skill. In 2008, Criterion remastered their previous release of High and Low, complete with a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and a slew of features (including the film’s segment in the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince, wonderful cover art, and a more accurate subtitle translation). Featuring landmarks of Japanese cinema Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, and Tatsuya Nakadai, Kurosawa’s film follows a kidnapping and the subsequent investigation, all the time using the story to examine social divisions in postwar Japan. It’s one of the director’s best films in a modern-day setting, now with a proper DVD release.
9. Zodiac (2007) - 2-Disc Director's Cut
David Fincher’s Zodiac was altogether overlooked in theaters last year, but luckily the director’s penchant for classy DVD releases gives the film a second chance. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. star in the obsession-fuelled procedural to catch California’s elusive Zodiac Killer. Released in this remarkably comprehensive “Director’s Cut” edition, the beautifully detailed film is accompanied by numerous making-of and historical documentaries, including This is the Zodiac Speaking, a full-length exploration of actual case files. Everything you ever wanted to know about both the film and its background is featured on this all-inclusive release.
10. Casablanca (1942) - Ultimate Collector's Edition
Two discs of Warner’s classy and colossal “Ultimate Edition” of Casablanca may already be available in their “Special Edition” release from a few years back, but this enormous set’s third disc features the documentary Jack Warner: The Last Mogul, a welcomed new inclusion. Probably the most superficial entries into my Top 10 List, I’m including it based on its singular greatness, the perfection of the film itself, and the roundabout pleasure an inches-thick case like this brings—filled with poster reproductions, a forty-eight-page booklet, production stills, and more—when placed upon the collector’s shelf and regarded in all its glory. For completists and die-hard collectors only, this package is irresistible.
Ten Must-Have Blu-rays
What I’ve learned in my embrace of Blu-ray this year is that rarely do HD transfers warrant the upgrade from standard disc, unless they’re newer films, special effects wonders, superhero adventures, or sharply animated fare. Chatty rom-coms and somber dramas will remain on standard until HD prices come down. Only intermittently have studios remastered older pictures or “classics” for Blu-ray with impressive, noticeable results. Vast refurbishments like this year’s The Godfather: Coppola Restoration are rare, however welcomed. The list below includes contemporary and classic titles that once viewed on the Blu-ray format, will wash away your skepticism in a wave of incomprehensibly detailed picture and sound.
1. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
2. WALL•E (2008)
3. Batman Begins (2005)/The Dark Knight (2008)
4. The Fall (2008)
5. Iron Man (2008)
6. The Godfather: Coppolar Restoration (1972, 1974, 1990)
7. There Will Be Blood (2007)
8. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
9. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
10. Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy (2003, 2006, 2007)
Honorable Mentions*
*Other discs worth your time and money.
- Le Doulos: Criterion
- Le Deuxième Souffle: Criterion
- The Earrings of Madame de... : Criterion
- The Ice Storm: Criterion
- Kenji Mizoguchi's Fallen Women: Eclipse
- Man of the West
- The Naked Prey: Criterion
- Postwar Kurosawa: Eclipse
- Psycho: Legacy Series
- Rear Window: Legacy Series
- The Small Back Room: Criterion
- Thief of Bagdad: Criterion
- Trafic: Criterion
- Vertigo: Legacy Series