It has been decidedly tough to figure out who should win the best of the best of Blu-ray for the year. It's completely a tie, though. Wall-E and The Dark Knight are both picks for me. I feel like Wall-E is a great title for the family, while The Dark Knight truly brings one of the best cinematic features to the homestead. Both carry a large amount of features that vary, considering they are remarkably different from each other (go figure) and highlight both films pretty damn clearly. I think that both films were big enough for the studios (Pixar and Warner Brothers) to go the extra mile when trying to figure out what to give the folks at home when it came to special features.
So, those are my top two picks for 2008.
RUNNERS-UP: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Austin Powers Collection, The Godfather Collection
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Blu-ray That Came with the Best Bonus Material Inside and Not
Because It's a Bad Movie Award
WINNER: A Christmas Story Ultimate Collector's Edition
STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: December 2nd, 2008 RATING: PG
I'm sorry, this is an absolute must-have for the holiday season. One of the greatest movies of the holiday season to watch is not only on Blu-ray, but it also comes with some kick-ass goodies. For example, did you know that you get lights for your tree in the shape of the leg lamps? It was a complete shocker for us and it will fit offensively well on your Christmas tree (or the tree of your in-laws). You also get some really nice cookie cutters. All of this for $35-$49. Come on, you know you want it.
RUNNERS-UP: None can match it.
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Blu-ray You're Not Likely to See Because You're Too Mainstream Award
(and you need to see this because it's freakin' fantastic)
WINNER: The Fall
STUDIO: Sony Picture Home Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: September 9th, 2008 RATING: R
If you asked yourself right now how many independent films you've seen this year, what would the answer be? One, and you're seeing it right here. The Fall is a visual masterpiece with a simple story. A broken stuntman wishes death, a healing little girl seeks life, when they meet each other, one helps the other. It's an amazing tale that looks unreal in Blu-ray. This is basically like the HD channel on your cable system that shows nothing but landscapes, but it'sway better. Check it out, it's top-notch for this year and very much under the radar.
And yes, I'm quite aware that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a mainstream studio, this just happens to be a very un-mainstream movie.
RUNNERS-UP: MirrorMask
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Blu-ray That is a Fantastic Sequel Award
WINNER: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
STUDIO: Universal Studios
RELEASE DATE: November 11th, 2008 RATING: PG-13
I wasn't nearly as fond of the first movie as I am with this sequel. Hellboy II: The Golden Army proved that you could mix action and a solid storyline together, plus beautiful visuals. The first established the characters, which is usually the slower of the action films, while the second seemed to enjoy the freedom of not needing to explain most of the characters' intentions. When it hit Blu-ray it made the experience even sweeter with a such features as a comic book creator, some nice 'making of' featurettes and a very impressive BD Live feature with chatting invovled (chatting with fans, that is.)
RUNNERS-UP: The Incredible Hulk
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Blu-ray Best Action Film of the Year Award
WINNER: Iron Man
STUDIO: Paramount Pictures
RELEASE DATE: September 30th, 2008 RATING: PG-13
If you're going to revive a career, why not do it with a bang-zoom! Robert Downey, Jr. was the perfect Tony Stark in what could be considered one of the most perfect action films of 2008. Was it a surprise? Without a doubt. Was it non-stop action? You bet your ass it was. When it hit Blu-ray in September it could not have been a better experience. Plus, the features that came with it gave you more insight about the director, the direction of the film and gave you a sneak-peek at Downey's screen test. I can't believe he actually needed one.
RUNNERS-UP: The Incredible Hulk
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Blu-ray Movie You Could Watch All Year Award
WINNER: The Shawshank Redemption
STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: December 2nd, 2008
RATING: R
That lucky bastard, Steve Schardein (<== Lucky Bastard), was fortunate enough to review The Shawshank Redemption on Blu-ray and the experience proved to be just as good as the film. Plenty of features to talk about, a beautiful film in 1080p and audio to die for. I truly agree with Steve that this is a must-have when it comes to owning any Blu-ray.
A note from Steve: This is undoubtedly one of the finest films ever produced, and it's only better on Blu-ray. If you own the original on DVD, it's still worth considering upgrading to Blu-ray at the current very reasonable price point. While the special features are in standard def (all of them come from the previous DVD collection), they're still quite compelling and are sure to please any fan of the film. Don't miss this one this holiday season.
Also, Nathan gets all the good stuff, so to him I say "Pfeh!" while childishly sticking out my tongue.
