by Drew Morton 

The end of the year has come and while my home video capacities have changed slightly in the past year with the addition of a Playstation 3 and thus Blu-Ray technology, this list is still universal to both formats. I have noted Blu-Ray when it was the format that I own and have viewed. So, on to the top ten, in alphabetical order:

Dark City: Director’s Cut [Blu-Ray]
Alex Proyas's hybrid of noir and science fiction has become a cult classic since its home video release in the late 90s. As the film's following gained momentum, fans discovered that Proyas was forced to include Kiefer Sutherland's voice over narration and would often mute the audio for the opening segment. Now, with New Line's release of Proyas's Director's Cut, avid fans no longer have to keep their fingers on the mute button. Featuring the exclusion of Sutherland's narration and the addition of 11 minutes of footage, the Dark City: Director's Cut release follows the example of Blade Runner by providing both the cuts of the film along with the original and expanded commentaries by Proyas, writers David S. Goyer and Lem Dobbs, film critic Roger Ebert, and others involved with the production. The disc also features an array of featurettes covering topics from the film's similarities to Fritz Lang's Metropolis to the film's production design (featuring UCLA's own Vivian Sobchack) to the original text features found on the 1999 DVD release. To sweeten the package, New Line has also provided the viewer with a re-mastered video and audio transfer that towers above the original transfer.

The Dark Knight: Two-Disc Special Edition [Blu-Ray]
Christopher Nolan's revolutionary approach to the superhero genre was the biggest film of 2008. From enthusiastic critical response to a staggering box office draw of nearly one billion dollars, The Dark Knight, needless to say, set the bar high for its home video release. Unfortunately, the release, even on Blu-Ray format, is far from perfect. In lieu of a commentary by Nolan and company, Warner Brothers has given us "Focus Points," which are small featurettes that highlight key aspects of the film's production (the film's score and Nolan's use of IMAX are some such topics). While the "Points" are not particularly bad, they focus mainly on the film's action segments, leaving those interested in Health Ledger's penultimate performance or the film's approach to the superhero genre disappointed. The second disc features two fluffy documentaries, "Batman Tech" and "Batman Unmasked," which disappoint. The disc also features the "Gotham Tonight" spots that played a key part in the film's viral marketing along with a still gallery and a collection of trailers and TV spots. While the supplemental package here is disappointing, the transfer is what makes this release (particularly in its Blu-Ray incarnation) noteworthy. Simply put, the IMAX footage, particularly the truck chase, stands alongside Baraka as the best HD material I have seen all year.

The Godfather Trilogy: Coppola Restoration [Blu-Ray]
Francis Ford Coppola's crime saga classic was given a rather mediocre treatment when released to DVD nearly ten years ago. Paramount's fault did not lie in putting together a poor assortment of supplementary features (although Coppola's commentaries were a bit dull) but in the fact that the original DVD released looked....well, a lot like the VHS releases did. Armed with a restoration grant, Paramount set about restoring the first two films (the third film's transfer was not particularly bad but, then again, since when do viewers care about the third one anyways?) with the guidance of Coppola, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and restoration expert Robert Harris, for a new DVD edition and for its debut on Blu-Ray. The end results? Controversial. Many fans of the films felt that they had been unnecessarily brightened by the restoration team while home theater aficionados felt betrayed by the HD package's grainy image. My judgment? The film's murkiness is still in tact, it is just more legible. While I can see where fans of the 35mm prints may feel betrayed by a "brightening," as the "Emulsional Rescue" documentary goes to prove, those prints were in a state of disrepair and looked nothing like Coppola and Willis had intended. As for the critique regarding the grain of the transfers, all I can say is that film is shot on film, which has the aesthetic characteristic of being grainy. If you want a transfer to showcase crystal clear HD, the source needs to have been shot on HD. Personally, I find the grain quite beautiful and, having seen both the 35mm and the Blu-Ray projected on a large screen, the Blu-Ray does capture the aesthetic of a film print. Transfers aside, the package features all of the original supplementary features of the 2001 package alongside an hour of new featurettes covering everything from the restoration of the films to the legacy of The Godfather throughout our culture.

L.A. Confidential: Special Edition [Blu-Ray]
Lovingly appraised by my classmate and chief New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis in the BFI's Modern Classic Series, L.A. Confidential has become a modern classic of Hollywood cinema since its theatrical release nearly a decade ago. Despite its presence with critics and at the Academy Awards, L.A. Confidential was a film, like Dark City, that cemented its audience and standing on home video and DVD. After a mediocre release with the advent of the DVD format, Warner Brothers has re-visited the film with a new collection of supplementary features and a glorious new transfer. The first highlight of the supplements is the rather cluttered commentary featuring novelist James Ellroy, cinematographer Dante Spinotti, cast members Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, various other crew members (including producers, the editor, and screenwriter amongst others), and film critic and historian Andrew Sarris. As you might guess, this commentary is crowded and I would have preferred to see it separated into a few separate tracks. Moreover, the absence of director Curtis Hanson and Manohla Dargis is disappointing. Rounding out the disc are a collection of featurettes ranging from the differences between the novel and the film to the film's production. The set also features the infamously terrible television pilot from 2003 which starred Keifer Sutherland as Jack Vincennes. The Blu-Ray edition also comes with a CD featuring music from the film.

The Last Emperor: Criterion Collection
2008 was a big year for the folks at Criterion. They've launched a wonderful new website and Blu-Ray line (Bottle Rocket, Chungking Express, and The Third Man are glorious in HD) and have continued providing cinephiles everywhere with superb films that are given the royal treatment (some of my favorites of 2008 included Pierrot Le Fou, Cleo from 5 to 7, and their newest run of Jean-Pierre Melville titles). However, perhaps their biggest achievement of 2008 was their four-disc set of Bernardo Betolucci's The Last Emperor. Also available on a single-disc edition and coming soon to Blu-Ray, The Last Emperor features a pristine transfer of Vitto Storaro's compositions along with two versions of the film: the theatrical and television (which will be excluded from the Blu-Ray) cuts. Also included in the set are a commentary by Bertolucci, producer Jeremy Thomas, screenwriter Mark Peploe, and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto along with four substantial documentaries (ranging from geography to Bertolucci's creative process) and a collection of interviews. The abundance of special features offered here will probably take the viewer longer to work through than the epic film itself!

Mad Men: The Complete First Season [Blu-Ray]
While the clothes, the men, the women, and the cigarette smoke of Mad Men look absolutely stunning on Blu-Ray, the real reason to jump onto the home video treatment of Mad Men are the show itself and the massive amount of supplementary features offered up by Lion's Gate. Highlighting the supplements of the thirteen episode season are the 23 (yes, that's twenty three!) commentary tracks including everyone from actors Jon Hamm, January Jones, Christina Hendricks to creator Matt Weiner and directors Alan Taylor and Tim Hunter. The commentaries range from costume design to story arcs, so there is much to be offered here and, from a personal standpoint, I have barely scratched the surface on the intimidating amount of bonus material. Also included is an hour-long documentary covering the production of the first episode and a number of smaller featurettes.

Sleeping Beauty: Platinum Edition [Blu-Ray]
Sleeping Beauty is far from my favorite Disney movie (Dumbo takes that honors) but the Blu-Ray transfer showcased here is marvelous. The crispness of the cels makes each hit of the pause button an amazing experience. I was wary of what Blu-Ray could offer hand-drawn animation and Disney's treatment is flawless. On the Blu-Ray set, Disney offers up "Cine-Explore Mode" which is essentially a picture-in-picture video commentary with filmmaker John Lasseter, critic and historian Leonard Maltin, and animation Andreas Deja. Also included in the set are a restoration demo, documentaries and featurettes on the making of the film, and deleted scenes and musical numbers.

Touch of Evil: 50th Anniversary Edition
What a disappointment the restored Touch of Evil disc was when it was released nearly a decade ago! Like several other offerings on this list (Dark City, The Godfather, and L.A. Confidential), Universal took the opportunity to rectify a wrong in the supplementary treatment of a classic film on DVD. Featuring an extraordinary new video transfer that sheds the slightly soft focus of the original, Universal provides lovers of Welles's classic noir with all three versions of the film (the original theatrical cut, the restored cut, and a new preview version). Not only are we given all three versions, but Universal has provided some excellent commentaries here as well. On the preview version, we have Welles scholars James Naremore and Jonathan Rosenbaum, who were also featured on Criterion's lovely treatment of Mr. Arkadin a few years back, providing yet another stunning analysis full of anecdotes and extensive scholarship. On the restored version, Universal provides two commentaries: one by actors Janet Leigh, Charlton Heston, and restoration producer Rick Schmidlin, and a second one featuring Schmidlin alone. Finally, on the theatrical version, we are offered a loving admiration by film journalist F.X. Feeney, who attempts to make the case that there is much to be found in the often despised theatrical cut. Rounding out the two-disc set are two featurettes which discuss the film's influence ("Bringing Evil to Life") and the film's restoration ("Evil Lost and Found"). "Evil Lost and Found" also ends with a visit to the original filming locations in Venice, CA, which I loved watching as it provided me with an excuse to drive down the street and go see them for myself. Finally, Universal provides a printed version of Welles's infamous 50-page memo, documenting his own editorial preferences that served as a guide to the restoration team.

Wall-E: Three-Disc Special Edition [Blu-Ray]
Like The Dark Knight, Wall-E stood amongst the greatest films of the year and its home video treatment (particularly its Blu-Ray release) was hotly awaited. Unlike The Dark Knight however, the deluxe treatment of Wall-E left nothing to be desired. Not only have Pixar and Disney provided viewers with a flawless audio and video transfer but also with two discs of bonus material ranging from the short films "Presto" and "Burn-E" to the feature length documentary The Pixar Story. Also included in the set are an audio commentary with director Andrew Stanton, a second commentary (on the Blu-Ray) with the creative team, deleted scenes, and more. Owners of Blu-Ray players and HD setups would do both themselves and their children well to make this voyage.

Zodiac: Two-Disc Director's Cut
As a "Director's Cut," this package may leave much to be desired. There are only a few minutes of added footage here and the film still climaxes, much to the displeasure of horror and thriller lovers everywhere, with a stare down between Robert Graysmith and Robert Leigh Allen. Regardless of "Director's Cut" subheading, Zodiac stands as one of director David Fincher's greatest accomplishments and the package that Paramount has put together here is incredibly generous. First off, the film features two commentaries: one by Fincher, and another by Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., screenwriter James Vanderbilt, and, as an added bonus, novelist James Ellroy. While the Fincher commentary features anecdotes and some chatter about shooting digitally, his delivery is love it or hate it due to his focus on the nuts and bolts of filmmaking (I love it). The second track, particularly the interactions between Vanderbilt and Ellroy, are incredibly lighthearted and for the more casual viewer. The package also features a wide range of featurettes covering the visual effects and pre-visualization stages of the filmmaking process to the real Zodiac investigations. While the latter documentaries and featurettes are a little oddly put together with regard to editing, they are quite enlightening and, like the package as a whole, highly recommended.