2010 delivered some of the best Blu-ray titles since the format began. Choosing my favorites from this past year was more difficult than any year prior.
Here are my eleven top choices in alphabetical order out of many worthy contenders. That’s not a typo; the traditional top-ten format just wasn’t big enough to represent the huge field of contenders.
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Alien Anthology Once you get past grumblings about being forced to purchase all four films, the breathtaking restoration on Alien and Aliens, immersive lossless audio, elaborate packaging and overwhelming depth and quantity of supplements qualifies this as a no-brainer purchase. Sure you could wait a few years for these to be released separately, but real fans know Fox’s set is the one to buy. |
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America Lost and Found: The BBS Story Seven flicks (Head / Easy Rider / Five Easy Pieces / Drive, He Said / A Safe Place / The Last Picture Show / The King of Marvin Gardens) conceived during the breakdown of the studio system in the late 60’s and emergence of 70’s counterculture ethos, all given the Criterion treatment. There is no denying the studio has produced some excellent BDs in 2010 (Seven Samurai, M, Days of Heaven, The Red Shoes), but the bang for your buck with The BBS Story makes it the cream of the crop. |
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Apocalypse Now (Full Disclosure Edition) Fans have to pony up the extra cash for Lionsgate’s 3-BD “Full Disclosure Edition” just for Hearts of Darkness. Mrs. Coppola’s documentary intimately illuminates the psychology and production of her husband’s mind twisting take on war, murder and madness. Of course we get both the theatrical and Redux versions with remastered video (supervised by Francis, himself) and arguably the earliest “real” surround track that lives and breathes like never before. (It’s like a helicopter flies through your theater room with Jim Morrison singing from it). |
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The Bridge on the River Kwai Two laudable BD editions of David Lean epics were released this year. While Warner’s Dr. Zhivago is an easy recommendation, Kwai’s deluxe packaging, inspiring visuals and faithful audio should propel this cinematic treat to the top of any catalog title “best of” list. Here’s to hoping that we’ll finally get Lawrence of Arabia from Sony in 2011 with the same care and love the studio gave to this classic. |
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Bruce Springsteen I’m cheating the “top ten” limitations by throwing in two offerings from the Boss, both so great they deserve to be singled out. London Calling: Live in Hyde Park – Sony’s live BD puts you smack in the middle of one of Bruce’s epic three hour song marathons from 2009, filmed in HD with full bodied sonics that only lossless audio can deliver. I don’t know what is more amazing, that a 60 year old can rock this long or that Springsteen has actually gotten more intense in his fourth decade of performing. The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story – A six disc (3 CD/3 BD) collection overflowing with the CD’s remastered audio, two discs of outtakes comprising a new double album and the BDs housing an in-depth documentary on the making of Darkness, the original album performed live in 2009, two hours worth of late 70’s performances/rehearsals and the legendary 3 hour Houston concert from 1978. Topping the superlative content off is elaborate packaging, possibly the most inspired I’ve yet seen, mimicking Bruce’s notebook from the recording sessions. Boss devotees should be in heaven with this set. |
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Deadwood: the Complete Series HBO’s The Pacific, as commendable as it is, comes in a close second to all 35 hours of the studio’s original, historically and Shakesperean inspired, programming (across 13 BDs) highlighting violence, sex and vulgarity in the burgeoning, lawless late 19th century gold mining town. Though the show never got the full closure it deserves, these three seasons look and sound better than ever accentuating great cinematography and some of the most consuming drama, impeccable acting and gritty aesthetics television has to offer. |
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Inception While I don’t consider Nolan’s mesmerizing action/dream thriller quite as narratively mind-blowing as some, you’ll get overwhelming agreement that Warner’s BD is a visual and, even more so, audio juggernaut. The soundtrack produces some of the tightest, room shaking frequencies my subwoofer has ever encountered, and the high-def video jumps off your screen. The film rewards repeat viewings to ferret out exactly whats real and to marvel at the brisk, exhilarating style. This is must viewing on BD. |
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The Sound of Music Though not a nutcase fan of musicals, I have to give it up for Fox’s efforts on making The Sound of Music one of the most enjoyable home viewing experiences of this or any other year. Outside of a 70mm screening, this Blu-ray is the best you will ever see this family classic look showing that even “old films” done right have so much visual depth and detail to offer in high-def. And the 7.1 channel lossless audio really makes the beloved tunes come to life. |
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The Thin Red Line Whether you perceive Terrence Malick’s masterpiece as an intense war film or pensive meditation on humanity (or both), Criterion’s treatment results in not only the best BD of 2010 but potentially of the format. The studio is renown for bringing out the fullest video and audio quality of classic films and given the latent potential of precise cinematic composition and sonics with stunning dynamic range and fidelity, you’ve never truly “seen” or “heard” The Thin Red Line till you’ve experienced Criterion’s Blu-ray. And it abosultely is an absorbing, moving experience. |
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Toy Story: Ultimate Toy Box Collection In a year that brought some top notch animation to Blu-ray (How to Train Your Dragon, Secret of the Kells, Beauty and the Beast), Pixar’s trio of Toy Story films deliver fun and heartfelt stories for adults and kids alike with perfect CGI crispness and some of the best 5.1 audio on BD. Throw in loads of supplements and shorts to create a set that should be in every film lover’s (and parent/child’s) collection. |
The above 11 titles are just the tip of what high-def home viewing had to offer in 2010. The following BDs deserve serious honorable mention:
Avatar Extended Collector’s Edition, The Twilight Zone: Season One and Season Two, Se7en, How to Train Your Dragon, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concerts, Dr. Zhivago, Fantasia, A Prophet, Winter’s Bone, M, Breaking Bad: Season One and Season Two, Black Dynamite, Days of Heaven, Secret of the Kells, Back to the Future Trilogy, The Pacific, Life (Attenborough version), Minority Report, Beauty and The Beast, Psycho, Saving Private Ryan, The Maltese Falcon, African Queen, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Road to Perdition, Lost: Season Six, 8 ½, Seven Samurai, Sherlock Holmes, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Night of the Hunter, Mad Men: Season Three, Hunger, The Red Shoes, Kick-Ass, The Exorcist, The Hurt Locker, The Complete Metropolis, Delicatessen, Moon, Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs, The White Ribbon, Modern Family: Season One, Easy A, The Town, and Starz’ Spartacus: Season One.
For a little nostalgia, here’s my 2009 Best of Blu-ray list.
– Robert Searle
