 Because there’s nothing like waiting until the last minute to do some holiday shopping, we’ve compiled this handy-dandy shopping guide to the best DVDs of 2008 that you can use now, or wait until the dust settles and clean up with any cash that Santa or Hanukkah Harry happened to leave you. It’s broken down by the person you’ll be shopping for to make things easier, even if that person happens to be yourself.
When noted, we’ve picked the Blu-ray version over the standard definition, because we try to be all about 1080p and other technical terms whenever possible. But, the regular versions are just fine as well. Still, it’s true what they say: once you go HD you’ll never go back.
The Superhero Fan
- Iron Man: In my opinion, this was a much better movie than The Dark Knight. Why? Because it nailed the whole comic book formula so well. This literally made me feel like I was back on my grandma’s summer porch reading a huge stack of comic books.
- Hancock: It was darker than the commercials let on, and Will Smith didn’t make his “concerned face” nearly as much as he does in Seven Pounds. That’s a plus that’s definitely not listed on the back of the DVD box. The Blu-ray version includes both the unrated and normal cuts of the flick, and also has producer Michael Mann popping up from time to time in the commentary.
- The Dark Knight: Even though I didn’t go bananas for it, this recently became the first Blu-ray DVD to sell a million copies. The best thing about the movie is Heath Ledger’s lip-smacking performance, and although the DVD lacks commentary from Christopher Nolan, it’s packed with enough extras to make you forget that.
The Dreamer
- The Fall: This goes down as the most under-appreciated movie of the year. It’s part Princess Bride and part The Wizard of Oz, and is just incredibly gorgeous. Catinca Untaru, the little girl in the film, will charm your socks off, and the cinematography is stunning. It even features underwater shots of swimming elephants.
- Son of Rambow: This appeals to the filmmaker inside of all of us. It’s about a boy who has never seen movies before trying to make his own home video version of First Blood. It’s also a good way to jumpstart your own under-utilized imagination.
- Wall-E: Disney/Pixar’s robot-in-love story won’t just please any kids who happen to be within viewing range, adults will love it too. Plus you’ll be humming “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” from Hello, Dolly the rest of the day.
The Drama Queen (or King)
- Juno: While I wouldn’t have thought that a movie about teenage pregnancy would end up being one of my favorite dramatic films from 2008, here it is. It retains all its charm on DVD, and adds a ton of special features like blog posts, screen tests, and the “Diablo Cody is Totally Boss” featurette.
- There Will Be Blood: I just watched this again last night, and I’m still amazed by what Paul Thomas Anderson can do with so little. There are scant few extra features on the DVD unfortunately, but there’s a great extended scene in the restaurant with Daniel and H.W. where Daniel Day Lewis cracks up at the end. That’s pure gold.
- How The West Was Won: Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart and John Wayne star in this sweeping Western epic. The first disc contains the movie formatted for regular television screens, but the second disc features the full three-camera Cinerama process, and they’ve digitally erased the lines between each image. While this really needs to be seen on a giant screen to be appreciated, it will look pretty darn good in your living room too.
The Space and Fantasy Crowd
- CJ7: Stephen Chow’s slapstick comedy version of E.T. didn’t really connect with audiences over here, but it’s a really fun movie that deserves a second chance. Spielberg meets Wile E. Coyote is about the best way to describe this, with the touching story of a little boy (who is played by a girl) and her down on his luck father.
- Southland Tales: Yes, this movie is still a trainwreck, but what I can’t figure out is why it’s such a watchable trainwreck. With the new edition of the DVD out, writer/director Richard Kelly actually offers up a commentary track that leaves you even more perplexed. But for some reason, it’s impossible to turn this off and walk away.
- MirrorMask: Full disclosure: I actually did notes on the early drafts of scripts for this when I worked at Henson. It’s truly spectacular that Dave McKean was able to pull this off on a shoestring budget, and it’s a fantasy written by Neil Gaiman. Pure escapism and gorgeous visuals.
The Election Buff
- JFK: New to Blu-ray this year was a special edition of Oliver Stone’s JFK in Warner’s “digibook” format that features the disc along with a slim book in one package. This director’s cut added 17 minutes of unused footage, a lot of special features, and it’s the perfect movie to herald the dawn of new hope with our new President-elect. While the film focuses on the assassination of Kennedy, it also shows the impact his presidency meant to people, and what drove one man to pursue justice to the brink.
- Nixon: Also new to Blu-ray in the hopes of capitalizing on an election year was Oliver Stone’s Nixon. Even the case for it shouts Election Year Edition on the front cover. But it adds more than a half hour of footage to the movie and includes great extras, like the documentary made by Stone’s son Sean called Beyond Nixon. I missed this in the theaters, and saw it this year for the first time and it did not disappoint.
- Recount: It’s hard to watch this HBO Films movie and not get angry while doing so. Yes, it’s been eight years since the election, but seeing this is like tearing the band-aid off a wound that’s almost closed. Kevin Spacey is really great in this, but it’s Laura Dern, as former Secretary of State for Florida Katherine Harris, who you’ll find yourself loving to hate .
The Documentary Addict
- The Unforseen: This documentary screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and it’s an extremely impressive (and scary) look at the effects of land development on the watershed in an area of Austin, Texas. It’s both tragic and hopeful, and it’s coming out on DVD during the start of the U.S. recession, which can be blamed on poor real estate planning and development. Eerily timely.
- John Adams: This HBO miniseries is based on the David McCullough book of the same name and produced by HBO Films. While it might take a few liberties with creating historical dialogue, it’s a great way to learn about our nation’s history. Paul Giamatti really hits all the notes as Adams, and Tom Wilkinson is surprisingly perfect as Benjamin Franklin. Also includes a nice documentary about the author called Painting With Words.
- This American Life: This Showtime series based on the long-running radio show falls between entertainment and documentary. All of the stories are real, and they’re some of the most hilarious and moving things you’ll ever see. Episode four’s animated Chris Ware piece is worth the cost of the whole set alone.
The Gamer
- WarGames: Yes, it’s an oldie. But the 25th (god, I’m old!) anniversary edition of this came out this year, and it’s bargain priced. It’s also been beautifully restore, and has never looked better. Toss in the fact that both Ally Sheedy and Matthew Broderick came back to do new interviews for this version, and it’s a perfect stocking stuffer.
- Tilt: The Battle To Save Pinball: I’ve written about this movie previously, but I can’t say enough good things about it. If you or someone you know loves pinball machines, you really can’t go wrong with this one. Just don’t complain when they ask for a full-sized machine of their very own next year.
- The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters: Despite the controversy that swirls around it, this movie is so entertaining that I’ll usually end up watching the whole thing when I flip past it on cable, even though it’s sitting on a shelf a few feet away. It also cements Steve Wiebe in place as probably the nicest guy in the entire known universe.
The Boxed Set Obsessetarian
- Casablanca: The Ultimate Collector’s Edition: Casablanca is probably one of my favorite films, and this edition is the ultimate for any movie geek. Not because the transfer is excellent and the sound pristine: it’s because it comes with a replica of the Letters of Transit! Now you too can pretend to be Peter Lorre and wheeze “Hide me, Reek!” to people. Okay, the movie is also gorgeous, too, and it’s been given the Blu-ray treatment. There’s also a great documentary here called Jack Warner: The Last Mogul. This is some good stuff.
- The Godfather Trilogy: The Coppola Restoration: The Godfather films have been released before on DVD, but this new set runs rings around it. Coppola called up Steven Spielberg when Viacom acquired Dreamworks, and asked him to let them release money for a Godfather restoration project. This is the end result, and it has been digitally restored and packed with amazing extras. A real gem.
- Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition: This boxed set features four of the best MST3K episodes, along with a 3-part documentary about the history of the show, as well as video coverage of the MST3K reunion panel from this year’s Comic-Con. Plus if you can find the limited edition version of this set in a collectible tin, it comes with a little Crow figurine. Rad.
The Non-Tivo Owning TV Watcher
- Mad Men: If you think it’s impossible to like this show, then you need to head out and pick up the first season on DVD. It will definitely change your mind. You’ll either want to be Don Draper, or have sex with him. Just stay away from my Joan Holloway. The first season DVD includes commentary on all 13 episodes, and a nifty “Advertising and the American Dream” documentary.
- Dexter: Michael C. Hall made the near-impossible jump from one highly successful series to another, only now he’s playing a lovable serial killer instead of a gay undertaker. This is one of those shows I hate to miss, and the new Blu-ray of the first season looks great and is packed with nifty features, including the first two episodes of the Steven Spielberg / Diablo Cody tv show The United States of Tara.
- I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series: Earlier this year Sony released a boxed set of I Dream of Jeannie, and it comes in a big purple bottle carrying case. That’s almost reason alone to pick this up. It’s the complete series, and features commentary from Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, and Bill Daily. This is one of my true guilty pleasures, and this is the first time I’m publically admitting it.
Originally posted on: SpoutBlog
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