Electric Shadow

Discs of 2009: You Missed...On Disc Only

Some movies never play commercially, for whatever reason. Many of these are terrible wastes of time. Some are not. Below you get a grab bag of titles that struck me throughout last year from both groups.

Nothing But the Truth The greatest injustice of last year was this awards-caliber Rod Lurie movie going straight to DVD (no Blu-ray!) thanks to the financial failure of the Yari Film Group. Spring Breakdown A comedy written by a smart woman, go figure. The best (and only) parody of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) is done here by the un-hatable Jane Lynch. What Doesn't Kill You Another Yari yarn. Not as good as NBTT, but still good. The Code The scenery gets chewed, but Banderas and Freeman contribute to a better-than-many action flick. An American Affair JFK assassination conspiracy fiction starring the wonderful Gretchen Mol as his mistress. The Tiger's Tail Brendan Gleeson is excellent here in The Irish Industrialist Prince and the Pauper. Kim Cattrall's Irish accent is absolutely atrocious. Green Street Hooligans 2 I'm laughing too hard to come up with how to describe this piece of utter tripe. Hardwired Val Kilmer. Cuba Gooding Jr. A plot from 1995. This somehow ends up pretty entertaining. The Maiden Heist Walken, Freeman, and Macy (plus Marcia Gay Harden). A heist movie with elements of the first Night at the Museum (older guys get their revenge), it's like 9 bucks at Walmart. Review on its way soon. The Marc Pease Experience Just because Cinematical's William Goss found a way to see this in one of its invisible bookings doesn't make this a non-DTV title. I think he told me it's a comedy without the "comedy" part. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: You Missed...Indies


The GoodTimesKid A Disc of the Week last year, and a movie with echoes of Chaplin and Tati. Julia The most wow-worthy female performance of the year can be found here turned in by the not-even-in-the-Best-Actress-race Tilda Swinton. Medicine for Melancholy One of the most definitive movies about race intra- and inter- relations, this is one of my favorite releases of the last year and one of my favorite SXSW movies. The Exiles A fascinating artifact of handmade filmmaking, worth seeking out. The Great Buck Howard A lovely movie and performance from Malkovich. Jack Brown Genius Before Peter Jackson was the Peter Jackson... Synecdoche, New York I don't care how famous anyone in it is and I don't care who paid for the movie. Kaufmann's meta-meta-meta movie is woefully underseen. The Wackness Another early 2009 disc release from Sony that, like Synecdoche, was barely a blip on the radar of many and deserves rental or purchase. Moving Midway Special Michael Rappaport's virtuoso, finest performance. Shades of Ray You know Zachary Levi from Chuck. Splinter I'm bored by most modern horror, but not this. Thousand Years & Princess of Nebraska Wayne Wang. Microbudget. Sharp as a tack. Gigantic Adam Resurrected 42nd Street Forever: Drafthouse Alamo Drafthouse trailer rarities, get it while these last. Goodbye Solo The Limits of Control Jim Jarmusch! Isaach de Bankole! Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: You Missed...Documentaries

Today I'll be posting a string of lists that collect quantity more than quality in a few categories that are too often overlooked in Netflix queues and the video stores still out there. The You Missed... lists are my cheat sheets to you the renter/buyer and are a shameless callback to my days as a student film programmer. Little to no justification will follow, but I wouldn't have included these without good reason.

In a Dream An exceptional portrait of family, art, and madness that questions the nature of each. Not Quite Hollywood How to become obsessed with Aussie exploitation movies, They Killed Sister Dorothy The power of influential industrialists in Brazil outweighs everything else, including the scales of justice. The Order of Myths The old secrets of Mardi Gras culture in Mobile, Alabama are partially uncovered here. The Top Secret Trial of the 3rd Reich There was a sham trial after the events portrayed in Valkyrie. This doc contains the film taken at that trial with overdubbed translation. Dear Zachary Read nothing about it going in, watch it, and then behold the polarizing reactions of the many who've seen it. There are those who call it (alternately) the most affecting and the most manipulative documentary they've seen in some time, if ever. Hyperbole orbits this movie regularly. The Town That Was Dreams With Sharp Teeth Harlan Ellison: the only words needed to recommend this or not. American Outrage Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 Like sports documentaries more than sports? Here you go. You Must Remember This: The WB Story Great film history in a concentrated dosage. Trouble the Water Katrina. Handheld. Trumbo Dalton Trumbo: a true patriot who believed in individual rights and the Constitution. Full Battle Rattle How to Be a Man/Woman This was used as actual instruction for young adults and is absolutely hilarious. New World Order An excellent doc about conspiracy theory and, primarily, Austin native and Infowars.com founder Alex Jones. The Way We Get By Who welcomes the soldiers when they come back? This is a movie set in an airport that I like better than Up in the Air. Must Read After My Death A portrait of a family in the boomer era disintegrating, as told by the mother. You thought Revolutionary Road was hardcore? You thought wrong. The Cove It's the frontrunner to win Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, but since it's a doc, no one (comparatively) has yet seen it. The best-known title on this list by far. Anvil! The Story of Anvil This wasn't even shortlisted by the Academy in another astounding misstep. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best DVD Transfers

I'm excluding all titles that had an equivalent Blu-ray edition in 2009, but that still leaves a heaping helping of outstanding DVD-only transfers from last year. I couldn't allow myself to invest in some of these that are ripe for Blu-grading in the next year or the one after. My main request, common amongst all of these releases, is "when can I have this in 1080p on Blu-ray?" Black & White

Best of the Best The Human Condition: The Criterion Collection I covered this release in no fewer than seven different articles on Arthouse Cowboy (linked chronologically, with the core review under "fewer"). It's one of the very best overall releases of the year and deserves credit as one of the most remarkable black & white DVD transfers upon which I've laid my eyes. "Adapted from an epic 6-volume novel over 3 films, Masaki Kobayashi's The Human Condition is considered one of the great achievements in Japanese film history. Criterion has successfully restored the entire picture with astounding clarity."

Best of the Best Lonely Are the Brave This is one of my very favorite films. It's one that I could easily watch on repeat for a day, and I'm glad it's actually on DVD. I reviewed it here. Best of the Best The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance & El Dorado These titles, along with all of Paramount's Centennial Collection discs, have undergone complete remastering. I only wish I could just buy 'em on Blu-ray. The following, from my review of Liberty Valance, is also true of El Dorado. Comparison shots from old version to new can be found in the linked Valance piece. "The most striking thing about Paramount's new Centennial Collection DVD of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a dramatic improvement in image clarity and contrast. By comparison, the original transfer is an under-lit, badly-done scan."

Best of the Best Man Hunt It's a crime that I can't loan a Blu-ray of this out to friends. This restored Fritz Lang paranoia thriller is still a really solid piece of work.

Best of the Best The Exiles From my review, which includes more screencaps: "MacKenzie started hanging out with a group of Native Americans after college. They were a mix of people born on and off the reservation. MacKenzie interviewed his friends and then employed them as actors in something of a dramatized re-enactment of their real lives with the interviews as voice-over. This blurring of documentary and narrative is fascinating for a few reasons beyond the stunning, inky nighttime photography of the Bunker Hill district of L.A." Best of the Best Gaumont Treasures One of the most important releases when it comes to preservation of film history also manages surprisingly excellent picture quality for some of the oldest films in existence. It received Release of the Week honors back in September and is unquestionably one of the Best Releases of 2009. Beau Geste This week saw the Manufacture-On-Demand release of Universal's The Last Remake of Beau Geste, and I can only hope that the transfer on it is as good as what's found here. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Of Time and the City, Kino's Murnau Collection, That Hamilton Woman Color

Best of the Best Trail of the Lonesome Pine & Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves From my screencap-centric post on the Universal Backlot titles: "The few seconds of this pan constitute one of the best examples of how great of a transfer Universal got out of this 73-year-old film."

Best of the Best The GoodTimesKid This is an excellent transfer done for a non-mass-audience title shot on stolen film stock. It was a Disc of the Week back in August. Best of the Best Planes, Trains, and Automobiles I am assuming the Blu-ray on this one will wait until next holiday season so that they can really make sure one goes home with every last person who walks into a store during that dread time of year (for shopping). Catlow A mostly-forgotten Yul Brynner western that features Leonard Nimoy in a nude knife fight, this one looks fantastic. I reviewed it last May. Ashes of Time Redux I would love to see Sony release a Blu-ray that offers seamless branching of both versions of this movie on the same disc. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Z, The Odd Couple, To Catch a Thief, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Chinatown I've heard Criterion's Z is marvelous. Paramount put the other "Centennial" titles Television Animation

X-Men Volumes 1-4 This was probably the best-produced, acted, and scripted kids' cartoon that I saw growing up. It helped single-handedly revive the X-Men brand with kids. It looked good on original airing, but these DVDs make it look better and brighter than I remember it. Max Fleischer's Superman (1941-42) This is the greatest animated version of the Man of Steel to date. Television

Paul Newman at the beginning of Bang the Drum Slowly, Jack Palance insisting he "coulda been the heavyweight champion of the world!" in Requiem for a Heavyweight, Mickey Rooney searing in intensity in The Comedian, and Piper Laurie/Cliff Robertson getting into a row in Days of Wine and Roses
Best of the Best The Golden Age of Television From my review: "The video transfers of the programs are the best ones available of the kinescopes made for re-airing the program in other timezones. The quick and dirty explanation for what a kinescope is to the uninitiated is that it's like setting up a camcorder to record whatever is playing on your TV. In this case, they had a film camera set up to record the live feed monitor in the studio. The frame warps at the edges as well as at random points in the middle of the frame. These were never recorded for archival purposes (videotape wasn't invented until 1957), so the quality is not what cineastes are accustomed to from Criterion. I'm just glad that the needs of airing at different times in different places accidentally preserved them at all." Best of the Best One Step Beyond Season 1 A title finally rescued from public domain hell: "There are super-cheap, super-shite public domain versions of this show on DVD that are low-quality, incomplete, and out of order. CBS has properly remastered and restored this paranormal TV fiction classic five decades after it originally aired. Just ten months before The Twilight Zone hit, host & director John Newland's show began its first year on the air. Different than Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond dealt specifically with paranormal cases substantiated to have actually happened. Like Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, and the Alfred Hitchcock Hour/Presents, One Step Beyond is still thrilling to watch thanks to a solid creative team in front of and behind the camera."

Best of the Best Disney's Zorro Seasons 1 & 2 From my review back in November: I've seen both the previous discs and these new ones, and the production quality on the new sets is definitely vastly improved, but there looks like there's a bit of an uptick in bitrate on the new ones too. Take that for what you will. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 4 I love this program but haven't touched these discs yet. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu-ray Transfers (TV)

TV in HD is a tricky thing, as I said in my HD Guide entry (from earlier today) on the matter. The good news is that TV shows on Blu-ray offers wonderfully consistent and high quality results, and this year has seen a nice spread of new and catalog titles hit. Catalog

Best of the Best Star Trek: The Original Series Seasons 1-3 I expect that this will be the standard-bearer for catalog TV remasters for quite some time. From my review of Season 1: "A few years ago, they completely restored the original series episodes in the process of adding new effects shots and audio for HDTV airing. Here they have included both versions, accessible via seamless branching. George Lucas looks like more of a selfish idiot than ever for being opposed to doing the same thing to his original Star Wars trilogy." Best of the Best Rome: The Complete Series From my HD Guide entry on HBO Blu-rays: "The biggest deal, for me, was finally seeing my favorite modern (22 hour) Roman epic in HD for the first time. In the interest of not getting myself into trouble, I set a strict limit of 20 minutes to taste-test it. I first popped in the DVD (for a then/now comparison) and gave it a good 15 minutes. The moment I got really comfortable, I jumped right up. In went the Blu-ray. About an hour later, I realized I was running hopelessly late for the day." The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: The Prisoner, Band of Brothers I've never seen McGoohan's Prisoner, and I finally feel compelled to, based primarily on the recommendations of this set by friends who were severely disappointed by previous transfers. New Release

Best of the Best Nature's Most Amazing Events, Yellowstone: Battle for Life The BBC's Earth series is the gold standard thus far for titles people can pull off the shelf and be wowed by. From my review of Yellowstone: "The 1080i video track and DTS-HD Master Audio track will greatly exceed the quality of presentation available on a HD cable provider. No, you didn't read that wrong, this is a 1080i transfer rather than 1080p (probably in the interest of squeezing it onto one disc). Trust me, it still looks great." Best of the Best John Adams, Generation Kill From my HD Guide entry on HBO Blu: "The new generation of shows, like John Adams, Generation Kill and True Blood, have been shot with HD presentation in mind from the get-go. HBO is actually making the "BonusView" (pop-up trivia) option on these titles moderately interesting (glad someone is!)." Best of the Best The National Parks: America's Best Idea The transfer from Ken Burns' preferred source (16mm) looks starkly different than the 4K HD digital jobs from BBC Earth. Preference in film stock and what one is used to will be Burns' biggest enemy going forward. As a 16mm transfer, this series looks amazing (though dark in places by design). The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Mad Men Season 2, Pushing Daisies Season 2, Fringe Season 1 I would have loved to get a look at any of these, but I just didn't. Everyone I know who's bought them thinks they look fan-tastic, Fringe especially. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu-ray Transfers (Black & White)


Best of the Best The Seventh Seal: The Criterion Collection I've never seen a print of Bergman's best-known work, and have since ever subsisted on the original Criterion DVD. The thick, inky blacks and stark whites have never been as splendid as presented here. Best of the Best Last Year at Marienbad: The Criterion Collection When I reviewed this back in July, I was sent the DVD, which looked just fine. I've since gone on and purchased the Blu-ray on my own and am satisfied putting it in the same field as the other Criterion successes on this list. Best of the Best Wages of Fear: The Criterion Collection This is lovely and deserving of the not-so-grainy acclaim given to it by Jeff last year. Best of the Best The 400 Blows: The Criterion Collection I would love to see the rest of the "Antoine Doinel" films released at this quality. I long-considered picking up that box set, and would gladly get them one at a time if they need to spread them out. Best of the Best The Third Man: The Criterion Collection At my own peril, considering my editor's unending hatred for this transfer, this is one of the creme de la creme of vintage B&W masters. The wide gap between Jeff's take on it and many other, myself included, is puzzling to me. As I said in the Blu Controversies and Fiascos post: "I can't defend what Jeff saw on his display, but I can disagree as to who is to blame for his experience and that of others. I'm not alone in defending Third Man, but I am trying to come at it from a more reasonable stance than those treating him like an unknowledgeable jerk (which he's absolutely not). None of us are the bad guy. As usual, the consumer is the one getting screwed over." "The enemy is not one side or the other, but HDTV and blu player manufacturers who didn't standardize any sort of auto-equalizer for different types of content. There are newer sets that do this auto-calibration, like the HG10 series, but the feature should be industry-wide. You really have to be an obsessive tinkerer with some sort of formalized training in HD monitor calibration to get good separate presets for everything from B&W to Technicolor to modern content. As we see more B&W titles hit Blu-ray, we'll inevitably continue to have a lot to argue about in this regard." Best of the Best The General From a brief review I posted last year: "It's definitely the best home version of the movie I've watched. The depth of detail throughout the portions I've watched are up there with WB's new Wizard of Oz 8K transfer, aside from some scratches and dirt. The additional visual data make the picture appear close to three dimensions deep." Gojira From a Disc Roundup back in September: "After a great deal of comparison watching, the new Blu-ray offers a great deal more clarity than what is to be assumed going from DVD to Blu-ray. The image is not particularly grainy, not so much due to DNR, but the fact that the existing elements are far from perfect. Some may instinctively leap to complain about picture quality as they did on the DVD, but this is about as good (if not better) than release prints came out thanks to scratches and dirt that were on the original soft-emulsion negative before and after adding optical effects. Cutting rooms were notoriously difficult to keep clean, and when you mix the wear and tear adding "analog" effects can add, this is really what the best restoration prints of Gojira look like." The Diary of Anne Frank This is the cleanest and most crisp (but grainy) transfer of a classic movie that birthed the Holocaust Oscar Movie genre. It's a Wonderful Life From my review: "...includes the colorized version on a separate Blu-ray disc, so I thankfully never have to touch it. The original trailer is included in the best shape possible, and as has often been the case on catalog titles, it's a great comparative piece to how lovely and sumptuous with detail the Blu-ray picture is. It, like Gump, includes a $10 rebate for owners of previous DVD editions. This is a wise move for studios that want people to switch to Blu-ray." Clerks From my review of the Kevin Smith Collection set: "The transfer is actually an improvement over the DVD, so the joke about "how is Clerks going to look better in 1080p?" is misguided to say the least. The previous discs suffer from lack of contrast that the Blu-ray has in spades. The most important thing is to make sure your monitor is calibrated for black & white picture with lots (and lots) of grain." The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Raging Bull, Repulsion, Wings of Desire, A Christmas Carol Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu Transfers (Vintage Catalog)

For the purpose of this list and for future reference, vintage titles are mathematically "older than 30 years". The titles listed here all came out pre-1980 and are in color. The next entry will cover Black & White transfers from any era. I've broken the below titles into 1960-1980 and Pre-1960 for comparison's sake. 1960-1980

Best of the Best Pierrot Le Fou: The Criterion Collection I bought this just recently for possible inclusion here, and it's taking top honors among its peers. A full review is forthcoming, but after giving it a spin the other day, Raoul Coutard's sumptuous photography put the idea of how wonderful Band of Outsiders and other Jean-Luc Godard movies could look in HD. Best of the Best Playtime: The Criterion Collection I likewise bought this, my favorite Monsieur Hulot movie, for consideration here. Just as with Pierrot, I'm happy to report that it exceeds expectations. Gimme Shelter: The Criterion Collection As with Monsoon Wedding, Criterion's restoration gurus have worked wonders with 16mm source material here. Grease This is one of the most startling improvements I've seen, likely due to the muddy TV mastering that's been running for a couple of decades. Easy Rider From my review: "The most beautiful thing about Sony's new Blu-ray transfer of Easy Rider is the rich color palette only hinted at in the previous DVD edition. The browns and reds don't bleed together, and the landscape can be seen in enough new detail that it isn't just there, it pops. The finer detail on the characters both at rest and in motion is gorgeous, from articles of clothing down to spokes in wheels. I've never seen Easy Rider projected (which kills me, honestly), but the natural grain in the image makes it look like a newly-struck print. One of the reasons I love the Blu-ray format is that it allows me the opportunity to get as close to seeing a print of so many classic films as I very well may. Repertory or "revival" screenings are really on the decline and have been for years." Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory From my review a couple of months ago: "Warner Bros. is batting a thousand this year on Blu-ray upgrades of catalog titles, and this is another great example. The master appears to be the same as the HD-DVD on this single-layer BD-25, but with some minor additional spot cleaning." Being There If only all of Hal Ashby's movies got this kind of treatment. With the slump in catalog title sales since the recession, we may have to live with DVDs instead of Blus for a while. Saturday Night Fever The preponderance of low lighting situations have always made VHS and DVD versions of this movie extremely dark. This transfer shows that there really was contrast in the original photography instead of shadows and murk. Rocky II If they pulled any more grain out of the picture on movies as old as this one and the first Rocky (which was out on Blu before the "Undisputed Collection" hit), 70's Stallone would look as plastic in the face as modern Stallone does. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: The Complete Monterey Pop, Woodstock, The Man Who Fell to Earth, For All Mankind*, In the Realm of the Senses, Midnight Express, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, The Inglorious Bastards, 3 Days of the Condor, Gigi *For All Mankind's footage is all 1960's vintage, even though the movie was rleeased in the 80's Pre-1960

Best of the Best Wizard of Oz Oz fans have been poring over every home video and repertory revival screening for a few decades picking out the improvements each step of the way. The flying leap forward of this year's 70th Anniversary restoration and remastering is bigger than that going from VHS to DVD. Warner Bros. wisely invested the pile of money and amount of preparation to really make this one shine. Best of the Best North by Northwest In addition to being a personal favorite, this Blu-ray is one of the best available in terms of presentation. Like Oz and the two below, it truly reveals the value in a home HD setup reproducing a theatrical viewing experience. "I agree with Jeff, this is like watching a fresh print in first run. In a year of remarkable HD home video transfers, I didn't think I'd be as stunned as I was within the opening minutes of watching Warner's North by Northwest Blu-ray...I've never seen the film this clean and clear, and with little evidence of any Digital Noise Reduction at all. The red color-shift issues on the previous DVD edition are completely gone, and the level of detail is just jaw-droppingly good. Some of the best examples include the costumes and depth of field in interior locations, but above all the sequence in the cornfield, from the dust swirling to the dead stalks of corn is the best showcase." Best of the Best Gone With the Wind As I said in my recent review: "WB's Gone With the Wind Blu-ray, their second ultra-deluxe collector's edition of the year, is a tremendous achievement in picture and audio quality. The color depth and picture clarity rivals or exceeds my estimation of the outstanding Wizard of Oz set from earlier in the year. I'm far from a devoted fan of the narrative. The history of the production and the cinematography are what I'm head over heels for." Best of the Best An American in Paris I remember very clearly how completely impossible it was to find this disc anywhere in Austin, Texas of all places during its week of release. I had no choice but to mail order it from Amazon. It's among the first ten or fifteen Blu-rays I added to my collection, and it stands as one of the most impressive transfers. The dream ballet in particular is just jaw-dropping. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: South Pacific Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu-ray Transfers (Animation)

When friends new to Blu-ray ask what's best to start with, I tell them "animation" every time. 2009 was a great year, with plenty of new, catalog, and classic titles dropped on the format. I've decided to split these into Traditional Animation and CG Animation categories, since not all CG animated movies are 3D, nor are all traditional-style animated flicks "2D". Traditional Animation

Best of the Best Coraline From my review lo so many months ago: "Universal's Blu-ray of Coraline (available tomorrow) features one of the best home video transfers of the year, hands-down. The movie is undoubtedly in the running for one of the Best Animated Feature slots among a potentially tough field (UP, Ponyo, A Christmas Carrey, 9, The Princess and the Frog). If Universal wants Coraline to be a player in that race, they should get copies of this Blu-ray to Academy voters now to lay some groundwork. As I understand it, the rules for the category allow for up to five nominees, but they've only done three since its inception." Best of the Best Pinocchio No one expected Pinocchio to look this good until they cracked open their Blu-rays earlier this year. My earliest memories of it are a black clamshell-clad VHS tape that I considered among the scariest movies I'd ever seen when I was in elementary school. The colors have never been this vivid or bright, nor has the fine detail ever been this clean. Best of the Best Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs Another tremendous cleanup job by Lowry Digital, this makes me wonder how good Cinderella is going to look. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Akira, Fire & Ice, A Charlie Brown Christmas How the Grinch Stole Christmas I've heard no end of good things about Akira, but I can't pretend to have seen this new master of it. WB never sent review material on Charlie Brown or Grinch, and it simply wasn't in the budget to buy them. I'm told by friends that the transfer is so crisp on Fire & Ice you can see the specks of dirt in the cels. CG Animation

Best of the Best Sita Sings the Blues Since undergoing a knucklebuster of a copyright fight with the rights holders of some nearly 100-year-old music that's integral to the movie, director Nina Paley has made this movie fully free to download with the simple request that you help support her, the artist. Her website is full of merchandise that the discerning buyer can purchase for themselves or a loved one. Though not conventionally distributed, you can obtain the full HD version of the movie and compress it only as much as is necessary to squeeze it onto a dual-layer Blu-ray disc. The resulting picture quality is absolutely breathtaking. It's most unfortunate that Sita is not among the field of contenders for Best Animated Feature. Best of the Best UP, A Bug's Life, and Monsters, Inc. It doesn't make much sense to separate these considering their common source and degree of quality. These, along with WALL-E and Ratatouille, are the easiest no-brainer recommendations to make to someone starting a Blu-ray library. The digital-to-digital transfers are so good because they intentionally delayed the titles in different instances for quality assurance (a la Criterion). As a result, there's not an ill thing that can legitimately be said about these masters. Best of the Best Waltz with Bashir One of the best films of last year melded animation, documentary, and a foreign conflict. The mixture makes it all the more palatable for people who are normally resistant to one of the three components. This is another bang-up job from Sony. Battle for Terra I liked this movie a great deal more than it appears my contemporaries did, but it's not as absorbable for adults as say a Pixar movie or a Henry Selick movie or an animated classic one grew up watching. Just because you're a geek doesn't mean that every cartoon caters to you specifically or at all, so calm down. I sure loved Fern Gully when I was a kid, but the movie that I saw then and the version that I would see now as an adult wouldn't match up, I don't think. Terra's from-the-digital-source transfer is as good as you can get without the 3D. Ice Age 3 The movie is terrible, but one sequence in particular was just gorgeous: a dream sequence in which Simon Pegg's character faces a giant Baryonyx dinosaur in a torrential downpour. That one scene is the finest work Blue Sky has ever done. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, 9, Bolt, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu Transfers (Recent Catalog pt.2)

There were so many excellent transfers of titles from 1980-1990 that I had to split them out to their own separate post. From here on, I'm going very concise on these so that I can finally be done with the wonderful, marvelous year that was 2009 in DVD & Blu-ray releases. For those who've asked, there will be a summary post that is just titles in list form with no commentary.

Best of the Best The Last Emperor: The Criterion Collection Director of Photography Vittorio Storaro demanded a modified aspect ratio (2.00:1) instead of the original 2.40:1 for this release. I'd ordinarily complain, but the color grading and contrast are such a drastic improvement over previous DVDs that I'll fall back on my worship of Storaro and Bernardo Bertolucci. Best of the Best Do The Right Thing A rich, hot transfer of one of my favorite films (and the Obamas' first date movie) is the best I've ever seen it. Best of the Best Kagemusha: The Criterion Collection As I said in my August 2009 review: "The picture is the closest I've seen to a film print on my television, with what I'm deeming a 'Whole Grain' level of detail. I'm not a fan of Digital Noise Reduction and never have been. This transfer is clean, raw, and vivid." An American Werewolf in London A reference-quality example of dark, early-1980's photography and the marvelous practical effects work of Rick Baker. Field of Dreams A movie that I've had difficulty watching since my father had a stroke, the transfer here replicates the presentation of the film the first time it "elevated" me watching it with my dad. Night of the Creeps The most unlikely but wonderful restoration/re-release of the year is also one of the crown jewels in Sony's HD mastering crown. The Last Starfighter From a the 18 August 2009 Disc Roundup: "I've seen complaints online of digital scrubbing, edge enhancement, DNR, and so on, but I didn't pick up on anything that particularly bothered me. My mantra on this stuff is "consider the source material," and I'm at a disadvantage due to the fact I never saw a print of this movie projected. I'll be damned if the Blu-ray doesn't impress anyone who's known this movie on VHS for most of its life, though. The CG shots are remarkably clear and crisp, and the live-action stuff looks up to par when compared to what a relatively recent print I saw of Flight of the Navigator looked like." Logan's Run See above on all counts. The cover art makes it look like a pilot for a new "SyFy" Channel series. I had never seen this movie before, but had a relatively fun time with it. I'm not certain what anyone would get out of remaking it, but if Bryan Singer wants to do it, then let him. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan I saw a newly-struck print of this shortly after reviewing the Blu-ray, and I was stunned by how alike they were in grain structure and picture quality, from effects shots to action scenes to conversational scenes. Big Trouble in Little China Last year, I lost a good friend to cancer. He introduced me to this movie in college. I've loved it since and treasured it even more so since his last days. I've never seen this on anything but DVD, but Fox did a magnificent job on this disc. Labyrinth & The Dark Crystal From the 29 September 2009 Disc Roundup: "Sony has really outdone themselves with the transfers on these two Henson Company classics. I've never seen either one of these movies projected, just VHS copies and DVDs, and they both look jaw-droppingly good. Sony is handily maintaining its reputation as one of (if not the) best Blu-ray houses in town, as well they should, having invented Blu-ray in the first place." Say Anything Another top-notch Fox transfer, I said in November that despite a horrendous piece of cover art, "the transfer is solid and the audio is stellar." The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: The Last Metro, El Norte, Silverado, Starman, The Princess Bride, Groundhog Day, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Amadeus, Stop Making Sense, and Gremlins Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: UK TV

I wanted to highlight some wonderful TV shows from the UK that hit the US this past year. Some have never seen these shores, and yet others have been gussied up and re-mastered. Regardless, these are the few among many TV imports to Region 1 in 2009 that I highly recommend you take notice of, rent, or buy.

The I.T. Crowd: Season 1-3 Remember when a sitcom wasn't shot like a movie or a fly-on-the-wall documentary? My favorite sitcom on television anywhere, I wholeheartedly urge fans to buy the I.T. Crowd DVDs (great extras) and not just download them or watch them on Netflix Watch Instantly. This show stars some of the funniest people in the known universe and centers around a corporate IT department (two guys and their tech-unsavvy boss). I've seen most of these episodes upwards of four times each, and some specific ones still make me laugh so hard it's difficult to breathe. Life on Mars: Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD only) The American remake of this smash hit show was cancelled during its first season. I feel they should have just aired this original, available as of July and November of 2009, respectively. It follows police officer Sam Tyler, who is hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1973. A spin-off show, Ashes to Ashes, is in the process of finishing. To say much about either would be like telling someone what's ahead on the show Lost: you'd spoil and confuse the life out of them. Suffice to say it's the best bits of a police procedural and a time-shifting sci-fi drama.

Torchwood: Children of Earth (Blu-ray and DVD) By not watching this, you're missing out on the second of should-be Oscar contender Peter Capaldi's two excellent performances of last year. Torchwood as a series is a spinoff of Doctor Who, but this miniseries doesn't require a history with either show (even though it serves as the third season of Torchwood). The writing very wisely provides the necessary background without bludgeoning you with exposition or winks and nudges. I had no idea what to expect when sitting down to watch this and found myself absolutely captivated. All the children in the world stop dead in their tracks over a couple of days and start repeating "we are coming" over and over in advance of the arrival of some aliens. For me, the whole thing is wonderful mostly for the fact that it evokes the golden age of sci-fi on television.

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (DVD only) As I said back in September: "This 13-episode set of detective tales is based on stories written by Conan Doyle contemporaries. None of them feature Holmes himself, but they're all set in the same Victorian world. Thames Television premiered The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes on ITV in the U.K. back in 1971. Nearly 40 years later, it's still interesting, excellent television. This edition is marked "Set 1" because ITV commissioned a second series of 13 episodes that aired in 1973. One can safely assume Acorn Media will be releasing that one as well at some point. "It's an anthology-format series, and all the characters follow the Holmes model for the most part. For me, it plays like Marvel Comics' What If? series. What If? Sherlock Holmes Were a Woman/Ghost Hunter/Thief and so on. Featured actors include: John Neville, Peter Vaughan, Donald Sinden, Donald Pleasence (Blofeld!), and Jeremy Irons. Irons' turn is notable in that it's his first on-screen appearance." The Secret Policeman's Ball(s) (DVD only) This collects the early (original) charity shows through the late 1980's. They've recently been revived. The Genius of Charles Darwin (DVD only) Creationism can go jump off a cliff. This is an erudite, thorough (and then some) doc miniseries that gives more than a Wikipedic explanation and examination of Darwinian theory. As I said back in December: "I categorize strict Creationists and Scientologists in the same theological bucket of strange creatures. I actively enjoy watching Creationists squirm when I talk about Darwinian evolution and the very old age of the planet. Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion, presents The Genius of Charles Darwin, an exceptional three-episode program about the development of the theory presented in Darwin's On the Origin of Species. It's now on DVD thanks to Acorn Media's Athena Learning label. "The thing that's most valuable about this DVD set is that the special itself is about 2.5 hours long, and the extras disc includes 4.5 hours of content. Of that, 4 hours is made up of interviews with the subjects of the main program, so you can go more or less in-depth as you wish. The remaining half hour is comprised of three Tales from the Galapagos Islands specials."

The Mighty Boosh: Seasons 1-3 (DVD only) A surrealist comedy that only gets more and more strange as it goes on. As I said way back in July: "Rightly compared to surrealist Sid & Marty Krofft creations, The Mighty Boosh primarily concerns the lives of two zookeepers and a pile of misadventures that regularly include musical numbers and truly unpredictable narratives. "On the one hand, I'm thrilled that I can finally catch up with the whole series, but it's a lot to get through. Each season is split across two discs and contains featurettes, Commentaries, Outtakes, and Deleted Scenes. The original Pilot is on Season 2. All three seasons are highly recommended, and no, one need not be high to enjoy the show." Later in the year, Warner Bros. double-dipped with a Special Edition box that had extra goodies in it. Kingdom: Season 2 (Blu-ray & DVD) If England elected their King, I'm sure we'd be on Stephen Fry's umpteenth term by now. It's sad to note that there is no more to Kingdom after its third season, since ITV canceled the show in October of last year. Fry plays Peter Kingdom, a small-town solicitor (lawyer) dealing with life, friends, family, and neighbors. A delightful show worth watch-instantly-ing, renting or buying. The Complete Jeeves & Wooster (DVD only) Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie still leave me in stitches watching this and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. The two shows' recording schedules overlapped during the early 90's, long before Laurie became Dr. Gregory House to so many people. It's nice to have everything all in one slimmer, sleeker box. Pulling: Seasons 1 & 2 Pulling is a dark sitcom co-created by, about, and starring a woman. It's the anti-Sex and the City because it's so grounded in the real world, real people, and real working-class household budgets. A marvelous breath of fresh air.

Gavin & Stacey: Season 1 (DVD only) I know equal numbers of (a) people who love this show and (b) hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. It's not so bad, as I said back in May: "The third entry in a series of UK TV shows I enjoy that most fellow Americans haven't heard of, Gavin & Stacey (starring Mathew Horne and Joanna Page) is loads better than US sitcoms of similar stripes. The titular characters, he English (from Essex) and she Welsh, meet by coincidence over the phone while working for companies miles and miles apart in their respective countries. "After striking up an ongoing teleflirtation, they decide to meet in person for the first time at Leicester Square. Yes, the romance setup is meet-cutesy, but the dialogue and humor are foul-mouthed (or minded) and sharply-honed. The stuff they get away with saying and doing on BBC3 would never make it unneutered onto US broadcast TV." Fawlty Towers: Remastered (DVD only) Blackadder: Remastered (DVD only) If you don't know what these are, you should start with them to gain some appreciation for TV comedy. You'll have then seen among the very best of the best and have unappeasable standards. I reviewed these new sets here. Edge of Darkness: The Complete Series (DVD only) Since I enjoyed both the original miniseries as well as the movie of State of Play, I wonder whether I should recommend anyone watch this first or not. On the one hand, it's dead good. On the other, I can guarantee it'll compromise your ability to enjoy the movie thanks to a tour-de-force performance by Bob Peck (known best as Muldoon from Jurassic Park to Americans) in his signature role. We lost Peck far too soon thanks to cancer in 1999.

Murphy's Law Season 1 (DVD only) From back when it was released and I called it the Release of the Week: "This is a really strong police procedural starring the excellent (and under-appreciated) Irish actor James Nesbitt (Bloody Sunday, Match Point). Nesbitt plays Detective Tommy Murphy, who goes to work for the Metropolitan Police undercover. He's stubborn, a hard drinker, and great to watch. I'm just a couple of episodes in, but I'm sure I've easily found a new show with which to be obsessed. It's gritty, meaty, and very well-written. Normally only 5 episodes of a show would seem like a rip off, but realize these episodes are 90 minutes long apiece and comprise an entire season of episodes from the British style (quality over quantity)." The Steve Coogan Collection (DVD only) If you only know Coogan as "that English guy in Night at the Museum" or "that English guy in Tropic Thunder", then get your credit card out. Included here are no less than all of Coogan's brilliant BBC series and minis: Knowing Me, Knowing You...With Alan Partridge, I'm Alan Partridge, Saxondale, Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible, Coogan's Run, Paul and Pauline Calf's Video Diaries, Paul and Pauline Calf's Cheese and Ham Sandwich, and The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon. I was never sent this for review, but plan to pick it up at some point. The Sherlock Holmes Collection (BBC) (DVD only) In this set you find the five surviving 1960's Holmes telefilms that star Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock as Holmes and Watson. Up first is Cushing re-playing The Hound of the Baskervilles (the Hammer one came first). Amazon has this for $15 at the moment. BBC Pride & Prejudice (Blu-ray) No matter how good I thought Joe Wright's 2006 P&P was, Colin Firth is Darcy to so many people that I'll always be wrong and they'll always be right. A&E put the immortal, undying BBC miniseries that made Firth every grandmother, mother, and daughter's wet dream for ever and always on Blu-ray. It really does look absolutely lovely from the five minutes or so I watched on a friend's copy. The Prisoner (1967) (Blu-ray) I've never watched The Prisoner, and that's why this entry was specifically timed to go up on what my friend Will Goss calls "Fessup Friday" on Twitter. It's on my list so that "when I have $50 to throw at something" or "when I can find a contact at A&E Home Video", I'll dive right in. The previously-available DVD version of this title was apparently abominable, but this one has gotten nothing but raves. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu Transfers (Recent Catalog pt.1)

I've split these into two categories: 1990-2000 and 2000-present (I should note that Animated and B&W titles are going in their own category). The majority of these titles were originally mastered for DVD, but a fair number are HD-DVD ports. The greatest challenge facing the studios on these titles was not being lazy and just going auto-pilot on them. The 2006 Stargate Blu-ray (now discontinued and replaced by a superior version) is a great example of a screw-up in this regard. 1990-2000

Screencap from DVD Beaver's review.
Best of the Best Braveheart: Paramount Sapphire Series Paramount's phenomenal job on Gibson's oft-imitated (in Big Speech scenes) Best Picture winner more than makes up for the screw-up on Gladiator's transfer. I missed it in theaters and first saw Braveheart on VHS. I think the two-tape set is still somewhere amongst my belongings. The DVD was a revelation, and this was yet another. Natural Born Killers My review was brief, but the extreme care given to this transfer is obvious based on the heavy involvement of Oliver Stone in re-cutting the movie and providing a very tight reflection essay on one of his most controversial films in a career full of them. Heat Three directors I think of as being the most meticulous when it comes to HD transfers of their movies: Steven Soderbergh, David Fincher, and Michael Mann. Jeff mentioned a while ago that this transfer didn't make him sit up and go "wow!", but after doing an exhaustive side-by-side comparison of the cut on this Blu-ray and the previous DVD edition, I'm pretty impressed with the improved contrast depth. I've got too many irons in the fire at the moment to put together a standalone piece on the differences in the edit just now, but I'll have it up in the next week. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country The most recent of the Original Series movies definitely carries the best source from which to work. I had the misfortune to miss this one theatrically but caught its predecessor instead with my father. None of the DNR issues reported on older titles in the Original Motion Picture Collection are present here.

Forrest Gump : Paramount Sapphire Series From my initial thoughts: The Gump disc's resolution upgrade is most evident thanks to the abundant detail evident in each frame of Zemeckis' multi-period film, from costuming to trees and dust and brush. Richer color depth and so on are in there, but the big difference visually is how fluidly you can watch the picture without unintended distractions. The lower-res afforded by DVD caused a lot of blur and unintentional optical illusions in checkered or otherwise patterned fabric. All those sweeping aerial shots, and particularly the very busy Vietnam scenes are crystal-clear now. It's a smoother ride overall that requires less corneal gymnastics. Fight Club One of the first DVDs I bought was the "brown paper wrapper" version of Fight Club, which set a high water mark for quantity and quality of extras presented on the format. The 10th Anniversary Blu-ray is a big jump forward in picture quality from the DVD and takes all the extras (including easter eggs) and arranges them in a nice, straightforward fashion after a fake-out when the disc loads. They added in a couple of new supplements, one of which is the Spike TV Awards "Guy Movie Hall of Fame" acceptance by Fincher, Norton, and Pitt (who calls presenter Mel Gibson "sugartits" once on-stage). The Mask of Zorro There are plenty who have grown to pretend as though they've hated this movie all along. Banderas and Zeta-Jones are not the big box office draws that they were when this one came out, and the allegedly-awful sequel (which I've yet to watch) didn't help the legacy of the first revival of the franchise with a latin Zorro. A musical adaptation of the Isabel Allende novel has also since flopped and closed. I may be unfairly influenced by having been a young Latino boy who put on a cape and played with toy swords. Zorro was the "superhero" that it was "okay" for me to play on the playground. All the rest have to be really Anglo-riffic. The transfer on this Blu-ray tugged on that memory thread that tied back to my first viewing of the movie in a theater. HD-DVD Refugee 12 Monkeys My favorite Gilliam movie joins other titles listed below as HD-DVD "ports". They're almost all feature-identical to the "Red-ray" versions (albeit with a higher bitrate generally). I never saw a single one of these on HD-DVD, so I'm no authority on comparing presentation, but the video on this disc uses up a whopping 38GB of space. My years-old DVD SE pales in comparison to this disc, which features more film-like grain presentation and better color gamut. 2000-present

Best of the Best Monsoon Wedding: The Criterion Collection One of Criterion's great masterstrokes this year was their gorgeous work on not only this 16mm-shot feature but the various short films included as well. Mira Nair does not deserve "director jail" or anything resembling it due to having been stuck with helming the quite drama-free life story of Amelia Earhart. I would hope, however, that she uses this opportunity to make something independently in India, free of studio overhead and expectations ruling her creative work. She is one of my favorite modern filmmakers thanks to this movie. Someone hand her a RED camera, a decent budget to hire the right people, hopefully re-team her with Naseeruddin Shah, and see what happens. Best of the Best HD-DVD Refugee Zodiac Another "the Academy will answer to the Movie Gods" case, I wanted to give some special attention to this, the first movie shot on full HD cameras to hit an HD home video format. The HD-DVD came out almost a year to the day that this Blu-ray hit the streets wayyy back in January 2009. They've wisely maintained the split of the feature on disc one and the supplemental stuff on disc 2.

Ride Around the World From my just-posted review: This 2008 IMAX feature went largely-unnoticed by review sites when it hit shelves at the beginning of December, but it deserves to be mentioned here. Argentina, Morocco, Mexico, British Columbia, and good ol' Texas look absolutely majestic as recorded here. The 70mm sequences in The Dark Knight are about as close as most people have gotten to actually seeing what large-format film can look like in HD. This provides an exceptional opportunity to really show off what your setup can do.

HD-DVD Refugee Children of Men Of the various HD-DVD Refugees that hit Blu this year, this one looks the best. Cuaron's film was ignored by the Academy for so much as a nomination just three years ago. One might imagine that had the "field of ten" been in play then, we could have seen Children of Men as well as Pan's Labyrinth nominated for Best Picture. HD-DVD Refugee Seabiscuit The "reference scene" on this one would be...any of the horse-racing sequences. It's not as much a blur in HD, and you get better bearings than on DVD (how I originally saw it). HD-DVD Refugee Cinderella Man Deep, dark sepia tones and crisp, clean movement really show this movie off the way it deserves to be seen.

HD-DVD Refugee Hot Fuzz In addition to the movie being great, this disc looks better than most "real" action movies have for me on Blu-ray. Most of those titles are so focused on the mass market that they cram everything on one disc and pay no attention to giving preference to the bitrate on the disc. HD-DVD Refugee Shaun of the Dead The only thing I don't like here is that this title, whose DVD menus were fun and matched the movie, has been assimilated into the collective that is Universal's totalitarian menu structure and style. The picture looks as good as I remember the packed mall-tiplex screenings I hit when it was in general release. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen (1990-2000) The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Leon: The Professional, Chungking Express, Bottle Rocket, Star Trek TNG Collection, Contact, Payback (2000-present) Sin City, Winged Migration, 300 Recent Catalog pt.2 will cover titles released from 1980-1990. Stay tuned. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: On Disc at Last

Criterion The Human Condition Jeanne Dielman Hobson's Choice The Friends of Eddie Coyle 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her Lookin' to Get Out Lonely Are the Brave Trail of the Lonesome Pine Made in U.S.A. One Step Beyond S1* Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) Ironweed (P&S!) Johnny Handsome Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 3 Pre-Code Hollywood Nickelodeon The Hit Man Hunt The Outlaw Faces Nikkatsu Noir The Battle of Chile The Maxx: Complete The Head: Complete Husbands
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Discs of 2009: Warner & MGM Archives

Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? The Story of Three Loves Genesis II & Planet Earth Freebie and the Bean Our Gang I Died a Thousand Times The Dogville Collection The Joe McDoakes Collection Gilda Live Doc Samson: Man of Bronze
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Discs of 2009: Unsung Distributors

Not everyone has the exposure of the major studios, or even the platinum standard that is Criterion. There are tons of titles that are not only Oscilloscope They recently picked up The Exploding Girl, which stars Zoe Kazan, who I find very intriguing as an actor. Eclipse Milestone Acorn/Athena Along with BBC/Warner (with whom they're neck-and-neck), Acorn/Athena is the leading distributor of non-US TV titles, especially from the UK. Warner Archive I've written a full post on a handful of examples out of the bushels of great titles that The Archive has brought to disc at long, long last. MPI VCI First Run Features Blue Underground Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu-ray Transfers (New Release)

Only part of the criteria for these Best Transfers honors lies in the quality of the movie itself. More important is the success in achieving the "movie theater in your home" feel. No matter what anyone says, the most important part of any home video release is how good it looks. Yes, looks are everything. The most influential thing a movie could have going for it in this category is a great cinematographer. All the supplements and bells and whistles and figurines and lunch boxes in the world cannot make a lousy transfer look good. Today we're tackling the best transfers on New Release titles from last year. More "Best Blu Transfers" will come tomorrow.

Frozen River Shot on a Panasonic Varicam in 720p DVC HD, Frozen River benefitted from having the company that invented the Blu-ray format blow it up to 1080p. As immigration dramas have seen a resurgence of late, it's nice to see one of them actually available on Blu-ray, let alone looking this good. The transfer still has that "Digital Video" feel to it due to the recording device, but much like Public Enemies, I like the raw, unvarnished look presented here. Star Trek In addition to ranking high on the Overall Value list, JJ Abrams' reboot is among the most crisp and delicious new release transfers on the format. Paramount really did everything necessary to make sure they didn't screw this one up. I wrongly didn't spend any time talking about the transfer in my original, first-on-the-net writeup. Let the Right One In As I said in my review many moons ago in March (back when I killed myself to synopsize the movie), it's really quite good. It does have its faults: "If possible, the transfer looks cleaner than I remember the print looking last fall. If you want a great disc to test your contrast settings with, this is the one. That said, they used a single layer BD-25. "There's a great deal of stark black & white mixed with a muted color palette that could have benefitted from the other 25GB of space. This is especially noticeable in scenes that feature lots of black. Detail is great, but the deep, deep black levels the format is capable of aren't absolutely perfect. We're not likely to see a double dip, so it would have been nice to have the second layer of data, especially since the extras are pretty minimal." It should say something that a transfer that leaves a little to be desired is still one of the best new release transfers of the year. My extremely high standards may be a bit stringent, but when this is the third or fourth time many will theoretically re-buy the same catalog titles on home video, I want the first try to be done right.

Valkyrie A thought ahead of its time from my original review: "You mean the Tom Cruise as a Nazi movie?" "He's in the German armed forces, but he isn't a Nazi." "But...weren't they all Nazis?" "No, actually. What were you planning to go see this weekend?" "Night at the Museum 2, I heard Amy Adams' ass looks great in tho--" "Go rent this and catch the other one when someone rents it at Thanksgiving, you'll thank me." My first viewing of Valkyrie was digitally projected in 4K at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (early during BNAT X). The color and contrast in the transfer on the Blu-ray does not in any way seem like a jump down in clarity. A better movie than anyone gave it credit for being. Gran Torino The transfer of DP Tom Stern's work is thick with color depth and fine contrast. Warner Bros. didn't put a whole ton of extras on this, but the movie really speaks for itself just fine. I'm not surprised by the number of critics who soullessly decried Eastwood's use of amateur non-actors. Those "non-artists", along with the photography, added a real-world credibility and grit that few (if any) other 2008 releases even came close to touching.

Inglourious Basterds Gorgeous period-appropriate locations and lovely tones of gold, red, and black adorn various sequences in Tarantino's popular and critical hit. Robert Richardson's photography is paid proper service by its representation here. I'm glad they didn't cram so much supplemental material on here that it cramped the space afforded to the 2.5-hour feature's video. The Nation's Pride premiere is the show-off sequence. The Hangover Lawrence Sher's work on this title doesn't get as much credit as the movie does for being hilarious and re-watchable as hell when drinking. Do you remember the last studio comedy, whether franchise or not, that looked this good?

Revolutionary Road A stunning transfer of Roger Deakins' work is always a good reason to watch a movie that you (and most of the moviegoing public) missed. For more from the same shooter, see also: Doubt (definitely), The Reader (if you have nothing better to do). Adventureland One of the best reasons to use Adventureland to judge other recent HD transfers is the wide variety of lighting conditions and light sources used. Day, morning, dusk, night, midday, and everything in-between make an appearance (so far as I remember). Terry Stacey also shot the sublime In Her Shoes for Curtus Hanson. Sugar A good, old-fashioned 35mm indie shot on the cheap, Sugar sure as hell doesn't show its budget on Sony's immaculate-as-usual Blu-ray. Rich color, lovely depth of contrast, you know the drill. An excellent movie made all the better by the fact it looks outstanding. Sony Style stores should have this playing on a loop.

District 9 The true test of a movie with lots of effects is whether the big screen or the small screen shows the seams in the effects. I was surprised that the economically-challenged budget of this non-franchise, non-adaptation managed a more seamless presentation in both media than movies with five times the money. One of the most subtly surprising RED camera transfers I've seen thus far (along with Che). The Girlfriend Experience Steven Soderbergh's 2009 release beat his 2008 one to Blu-ray (by half a year!) and belongs in the same pantheon of reference-quality REDcode transfers along with District 9. Unlike D9, it's devoid of digital effects, but has art film aesthetics and techniques in spades: uneven/low lighting, intentionally blown out sequences, and lingering, contemplative takes.

Objectified This one made the list not because director Gary Hustwit worked wonders with visual data in a way never before seen, but because he put his home video process together himself rather than letting a studio get its hands on it. Instead, he leveraged the might of Plexifilm, a distributor he created that focuses on quality of design (the theme that his film focuses on the most). This is the only title I've put on the proper list that I haven't watched on Blu-ray. I realize that I committed to putting only transfers I've laid my eyes on in the proper "best of" lists, but for every rule there must be a single exception. Objectified is on here as a statement of my faith in the filmmaker and the same crew that put together a marvelous Helvetica Blu-ray. If you want a model for self-managing your home video distribution as an indie, take notes on what Hustwit is doing. The movie is also available for rent on iTunes just today, as a matter of coincidence.

(500) Days of Summer [Added due to careless omission, mea culpa. 01.05.2010 @4:42pm] From my just-posted review: "The transfer on the Blu-ray is crisp and consistent throughout, and the audio gladly reminds that the days of hiss and sound artifacts on new releases are thankfully behind us." The choices made in production and costume design really pop in HD resolution. None of the shades of blue or brown used ever get muddy thanks to rich contrast levels. One of the few movies that makes Los Angeles look beautiful, like a place I'd actually like to visit some day (yes, I've never been). The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Public Enemies, A Christmas Tale, Gomorrah Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of the Year (2009): An Introduction

I started dipping my toe in the water when it came to home video coverage in 2009. On the one hand, I had no idea how much I was taking on, but on the other hand, I feel that I have a better appreciation for how the majority of people actually experience cinematic entertainment. Whether they rented or bought a disc, most people now watch this stuff on laptops, portable media players, or while sitting on couches. It's gratifying that I'm now in the final stretch of completing nearly a year's worth of productivity. I posted Blu Controversy & Fiascos (there is a "DVD" sibling to it in the offing) a few days ago as a lead-in. I had an extra helping of work because I didn't really dig into home video coverage in earnest until the summer of last year. There are major titles I missed just as in every year there are always one or two notable new releases that a critic will miss. So that I don't leave out titles that received universal acclaim, I'm including a short listing of "Honorable Mentions" at the end of each category. Speaking of, the categories themselves took a great deal of time and consideration. For example, I've separated the best HD transfers of the year into 10 separate classifications based on type and vintage of the source material. I've had many "am I being too thorough" moments of doubt, but I'm fine after reading far too many "2009 Best of DVD/Blu-ray" lists that avoid any elaboration beyond "my mom likes this" or "dude, this was the most ass-kickingest year ever for Blu-ray, it was epic". Properly broken down, there are easily 80 excellent and exemplary Blu-ray transfers from last year. I could justify expanding that number to 96 (that's 8 a month) had I not missed so many. These transfers and packages are how many will first (and sometimes only) experience many films, from classics to forgettable new releases. Attention must be paid. So, starting later today, I'll be posting at least one Discs of the Year entry a day until I'm done. I'll be combining multiple subcategories into individual posts so that there aren't a million buggers to go through. Here's a breakdown of the categories I'm covering (subject to change/re-configuration): Best Blu-ray Transfers Black & White (any era) Vintage (Pre-1960) Color Vintage (1960-1980) Color Catalog (1980-1990) Color Recent Catalog (1990-present) Color 2D Animation 3D/CG Animation New Release (Movies) Catalog TV New Release (TV) Best DVD Transfers Black & White Color New Release (not counting titles also on Blu) Animation TV Best Overall Value (Blu-ray & DVD) Catalog New Release TV Best of UK TV Unsung Distributors Excavated Archives Eclipse (Non-Twilight) On Disc At Last in 2009 2009's Under the Radar Discs No English Documentaries Genrelicious As Not Seen in Theaters Swag Gone Wild Industry Trends for the Better Back later. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of 2009: Blu Controversy & Fiascos

The past year has seen more people than ever moving to Blu-ray, and a greater quantity of titles hitting the format than ever before. With that multi-fold increase in volume, the various "growing pains" that have touched the format throughout the year aren't surprising. I've been keeping track, but I easily could have missed something. If you pick up on something I didn't, feel free to drop a line (the name of this column at gmail).

This is not an accurate translation of the words that Eli the vampire is saying.
Let the Right One In: How Do You Say "Re-Translation" in Swedish? For some godawful reason, Magnolia/Magnet decided to use a different English subtitle track for the US home video release of this genre smash-hit. I'm guessing it had something to do with saving money by not paying the original translator. After some considerable controversy and outrage from fans, Magnet refused to issue a recall, but did state that future pressings of the DVD and Blu-ray would feature the "Theatrical" track and you would know it's a "new pressing" disc by this listing on the back cover. Word has filtered around that DVDs have started appearing in stores with the original subs, but nothing on the Blu-ray front. It's a shame, since the transfer is absolutely delicious.

Acid wash video.
The French Connection: The Transfer from Beyond Hell Jeff has just today re-posted his righteous takedown of this aberration by director William Friedkin. "It's a scandal, it's a outrage" to be sure. This was the greatest travesty of the year, the decade, or the history of home video: "I'm especially proud of is the slapdown I gave to director William Friedkin and his "high-contrasty, snow-grained, color-bleeding, verging-on-monochrome" Blu-ray of The French Connection that came out last February. "This Blu-ray disc was, no exaggeration, the most offensive act of corporately-sanctioned vandalism to happen to a classic film in motion-picture history, and I'm thinking it can't hurt to give Friedkin another couple of lashes for completion's sake, just to put the cap on and to make double sure no one ever tries something like this again." From your keyboard to the Movie Godz's ears, Jeff.

Ghostbusters: Grain Busted I've yet to look at this disc myself, but the early word from press was perpetuated as enthusiasts ordered and received their copies. The transfer improves as the movie progresses, but it starts out especially grainy and muddy from all reports. Complaints frequently claimed DVD editions looked better in comparison.

US Terminator 2 Blu-ray screenshot from the always-wonderful DVD Beaver.
Terminator 2 (US) vs. Terminator 2 (Europe): Codec Title Fight When you look at these transfers side by side, they look noticeably different, but not because one was restored or remastered and the other wasn't. The difference is in the software compression used to squeeze the movie onto a Blu-ray. Most US discs are compressed using similar techniques, but not all European ones are, so even though both look good, each appears to have different "major plusses" that the other doesn't, whether it comes to contrast, color, or motion blur.

Gladiator screenshot from the always-wonderful DVD Beaver.
Gladiator: The Battle of Two Masters When multiple rights holders are involved, you never know who is providing the transfer for a given release. The Extended Cut portions were properly mastered for HD in 2005, but not the Theatrical Cut. Colors are off in the Theatrical parts, and the resolution doesn't match the Extended bits to the point that anyone with an HD monitor could notice the difference. This was an unfortunate stain on Paramount's new Sapphire Series, which debuted with this and Braveheart. It also coincided with the point when they temporarily stopped sending advance review copies of everything from new release to catalog, and many speculated that Paramount had "something to hide". In this one case (and the one below), that may have been the case, but not so with the vast majority of their 2009 titles. I can't in good conscience recommend this title. The only reason I buckled and bought it was the sale price ($10) and the good-as-free $10 rebate coupon inside for existing DVD owners.

Star Trek (The Original Motion Picture Collection): The Wrath of DNR Wrath of Khan looks better than ever, as does The Search for Spock, but The Motion Picture has some moments of obvious image fuzziness from Digital Noise Reduction. Would the average viewer notice? No, I don't think so. The latter three films all look amazing. Screenshots a-plenty went all over message boards across the net, but they made it look much worse than it really is. If I watched these things with a $10k HD projector, I'd probably go cry on a bag of money and get over it.

Dr. Strangelove screenshot from the always-wonderful DVD Beaver.
Dr. Strangelove: Or, How to Rewrite the History of Aspect Ratios Jeff decried this release (which I've yet to touch) due to his read of excessive grain in the image and more offensively, a 1.66:1 aspect ratio instead of the original aspect ratio of "Academy" 1.33:1. Others report lovely picture quality and don't seem to care that it's not in Kubrick's intended OAR. It's astounding to me that aspect ratio fidelity is still an issue in this day and age. Did we learn nothing from DVD?

Criterion The Third Man screenshot from the always-wonderful DVD Beaver.
Graingate: The War on Grain Whether talking about Criterion's The Third Man, Sony's Dr. Strangelove, or various other black & white titles, Jeff has waged a war against "Grain Monks" in 2009. The two "camps seem to be made up of people who love the additional grain as a more "accurate" presentation, and those who want it all scrubbed out, a la Lowry Digital's work on various Disney animated classics. The danger of being anti-grain is you end up being accused of defending the horror show that is Fox's Patton Blu-ray transfer and the weird-looking Sunset Boulevard DVD. What we need is moderation (not outright radicalism), which I think both ends of the argument agree on. I'm going to get myself in trouble for here admitting that whereas I am not an entrenched Monk, I do disagree with him on his read of the Third Man transfer. I can't defend what Jeff saw on his display, but I can disagree as to who is to blame for his experience and that of others. I'm not alone in defending Third Man, but I am trying to come at it from a more reasonable stance than those treating him like an unknowledgeable jerk (which he's absolutely not). None of us are the bad guy. As usual, the consumer is the one getting screwed over. The enemy is not one side or the other, but HDTV and blu player manufacturers who didn't standardize any sort of auto-equalizer for different types of content. There are newer sets that do this auto-calibration, like the HG10 series, but the feature should be industry-wide. You really have to be an obsessive tinkerer with some sort of formalized training in HD monitor calibration to get good separate presets for everything from B&W to Technicolor to modern content. As we see more B&W titles hit Blu-ray, we'll inevitably continue to have a lot to argue about in this regard.

Universal's Blu-ray Flippers: Anger Faster Than Lightning The late in the year announcement that Universal is reviving their "DVD on one side, HD disc on the other" format was instantaneously met with disgust from all sides. One of the positives to Blu-ray is the thicker disc coating that prevents against scratching. That's only going to help the Blu-ray side of these little monsters. Goodbye disc art, hello Scratchland. Other studios are just issuing Combo Packs that include a separate DVD edition of the movie. Universal is...doing their own thing. Sneaky Canadian "Eh" HD Canadian DVD & Blu-ray distributor Alliance has been releasing all sorts of movies not yet available on Blu in the States. Titles run the gamut from recent releases to catalog classics like A Hard Day's Night. The problem is, they release them at 720i, 720p, 1080i, and basically resolution other than "True HD" 1080p. All these titles appear in search results when an oblivious American browses Amazon.com for "[movie title] + blu-ray". Thankfully, lots of their titles have been de-listed from Amazon in the last couple of months. BD-Live: The Stillborn The "internet connectivity" feature of Blu-ray is nothing close to a killer app. It's more of a "killed app" thanks to insanely long load times, a lack of implementation, or buggy first attempts to make it work. On top of that, tons of new Blu-ray owners don't even have net-connectable or connected players. The live chat screening with McG for Terminator Salvation was a hilarious good time, only enhanced by how often people got kicked off the connection. Studios need to bump up the speed of served content and really make home video a couch-based "happening" for any of this stuff to matter. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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