Decisions of the Decade

As we look back over the past 10 years of home entertainment, the industry has made some tremendous strides, not only in how films and television programs are created and distributed, but how they are enhanced and packaged to vie for space in our home theatre collections. To honor this milestone, the Verdict brain trust has identified the 10 most significant releases of the past ten years.

10) Killer of Sheep -- Nov 2007, Milestone Films
While many such lists hold few surprises, highlighting many of the mainstream releases most audiences are already familiar with, Verdict doesn't shy away from venturing off the beaten path to champion important films far too few people know about. Judge Tom Becker explains, "We expect action movies and other such blockbusters, well or poorly made, to get massive, attention-getting releases, but Milestone's release of Killer of Sheep reminds us that DVD is a great resource for resurrecting lost films. Few films were more lost than this one, which never had a theatrical release, yet consistently turned up on lists of the most influential films of all time. In addition to a restoration by the UCLA archives that, given the source material, was outstanding, Milestone provides a two-disc set offering a comprehensive look at the film and its maker -- exactly the kind of release that makes DVD an important cultural medium."

09) Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films -- Oct 2006, Criterion Collection
For every mainstream popcorn flick that commands our attention, there are five times as many influential foreign and art house films which fly under the radar of most movie-goers. Since 1956, New York-based Janus Films has been raising the visibility of cinematic experiences which may have otherwise gone unnoticed. One cannot refer to themselves as a movie lover without having born witness to Fritz Lang's M (as relevant a pedophile tale as any modern news report), Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (whose storytelling conventions have been mirrored for decades), or Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (a landmark meditation on existentialism and the human condition). This is Film Study 101 in one impressive box set. Judge Roy Hrab concurs, "Classic movies typically get lost in the shuffle on best of DVD lists. This massive set, featuring the films of Bergman, Hitchcock, Truffaut, Kurosawa, Lean, Fellini, Mizoguchi, and more, is a film lover's dream."

08) The Val Lewton Horror Collection -- Oct 2005, Warner Bros.
Long before the days of Saw and Hostel, in an era that preceded Freddy's nightmares and Jason's machete, even predating Norman Bates coming-of-age and the birth of Rosemary's baby, there lived a world of shadows, monsters, and things that went bump in the night. Yes, it was a simpler time, where we were more afraid of the unseen than the most stomach churning brutality. And yet sitting with rapt attention in a darkened theater, those scares were just as powerful... if not more so. Judge Brett Cullum explains, "For years you had to be in the know to seek out Lewton's pictures at film festivals or the rare late night cable showing. These aren't the quaint man in a mask monster movies most people associate with classic 1940s horror. These stories are set in the real world, with flesh-and-blood people. It's death, foreboding, and a high concept style that make them as fresh today as they were 60 years ago. The great directors of horror owe a great debt to Val Lewton."

07) The Ultimate Matrix Collection -- Jan 2005, Warner Bros.
The Wachowski caught us all by surprise with a film that challenged our perception of stagnating genre, synergized a myriad of filmmaking styles, leveraged technology, and ignited the imaginations of filmmakers, visual effects artists, and fans alike. Judge Bill Gibron, "The Matrix movies made the computer dork a god, transformed comic collectors and lovers into sages of cinema's future, and gave the speculative fiction industry, which had seen interest drop off in the face of all the indie spirit sludge filling up the multiplexes, a substantial shot in the arm. Though it may not go down as the greatest trilogy ever, The Matrix was instrumental in the rise of a little something called DVD. When the first digital version of this title was released in late 1999, it was hailed as a media milestone, a must-own home theater extravaganza that proved why DVD was superior to VHS and laserdisc."

06) The Godfather: Coppola Restoration -- Sep 2008, Paramount
Few film franchises are held in such high regard and spoken of with such reverence. If there were a patron saint of Italian Americans, that title would need to be shared by author Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola. What may have begun as little more than a get rich quick scheme, Puzo's fictional documenting of The Corleone Family has been forever etched upon the history of this country and its cinematic art form. So to have Coppola go back into the studio and leverage the latest in filmmaking technology to breathe new life into his films is a rare treat indeed. Judge Victor Valdivia could not agree more, "These films have never looked better and are an essential part of any classic film collection."

05) Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition -- Oct 2007, Paramount
Arguably the first example of appointment television, David Lynch showed the world just how much potential the small screen held for compelling episodic television. In the hands of DVD producer Charlie de Lauzirika, Paramount finally delivered a box set worthy of the series cult classic status, an investment that did not go unnoticed by the fan community. Judge Adam Arseneau agrees, "The most weird and wonderful television show ever made gets a complete and authoratitve release, uniting the first and second season into a single offering, including the much sought-after, held-up-in-legal-rights-hell pilot episode. The only thing missing is a cup of black coffee and a slice of cherry pie."

04) Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series -- Apr 2004, Shout! Factory
Until recently, if you missed out on a short-lived or quickly cancelled television series, you were out of luck. Complete season sets only came into vogue within the past five or six years, and even then the titles studios chose to release were more mainstream fluff than the ones most fans were hoping for. Enter Shout! Factory, a studio who proceeded to systematically buy up the rights to obscure sitcoms and single camera dramas that the major studios had lost interest in or felt had little or no revenue generating potential. The result was a dramatic shift in the way we watch television. More and more people are consuming current and long dead series in season-long (or series-long) marathons. No reruns. No commercials. No schedule changes. Freaks and Geeks is the perfect example of exceptional television -- from a creative team who have gone on to leave an indelible mark on the film world -- that's now opened itself up to a much wider audience. Judge Bryan Byun explains, "For all its brilliance, Freaks & Geeks simply wasn't the glamorous, escapist fantasy of teenage life offered by shows like Dawson's Creek. In a way, it's almost appropriate this series about unpopular outcasts was picked last for the primetime team."

03) The Alien Quadrilogy -- Dec 2003, Fox
Ridley Scott sure knows how to launch a franchise. What other series has attracted the likes of such talent as James Cameron, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Joss Whedon, Jerry Goldsmith, and James Horner? In one of the first event releases for the DVD format, Fox gave fanboys and fangirls everything they could have wanted... and then some. Judge Clark Douglas, "Now this is how you do a DVD box set! Theatrical and extended versions of every film are included, along with exhaustive supplements noteworthy for their refreshing candidness and honesty (See Jerry Goldsmith take digs at Ridley Scott! See James Cameron fly into a fit of rage!). Annoying fold-out packaging aside, this is a near-perfect presentation." Judge Dan Mancini agrees, "With two reference quality transfers of each film in the series, and a dizzying array of substantive extras, The Alien Quadrilogy represents a new benchmark in DVD releases. It has to be experienced to be believed."

02) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions -- Nov 2002, New Line
No one could have expected the sheer drawing power of these JRR Tolkein adaptations. The books and animated tales had long been cult favorites among the geek-verse, but in the hands of director Peter Jackson, The Shire went mainstream and movie going would never be the same. I'll let our judges share their own insight. Judge Erich Asperschlager, "One of the most in-depth, lovingly crafted, and visually stunning DVD sets ever. Where most bonus features are disposable afterthoughts, The Rings extras rival the actual movies in both length and quality." Judge Steve Power, "I won't even display these puppies on the shelf with my other discs. They get a spot all their own."

01) Blade Runner: Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition -- Dec 2007, Warner Bros.
What may have originally appeared to be a Ridley Scott misfire (a butchering Philip K. Dick's original novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) steadily grew into a sci-fi religion. When Warner Bros. teamed with Ridley and producer Charlie de Lauzirika to announce a special collector's edition release, the interwebs were ablaze with anticipation... and the product lived up to the hype. Once again, the collective Verdict voice: Judge Steve Power, "There is NO CONTEST. Five cuts of the film. An EXCELLENT 3.5 hour documentary. Vintage featurettes. Beautiful remastering that makes the film look and sound no more than two years old. It's easily the most thorough and valuable home video release of this or any decade." Judge Brett Cullum, "There has not been a DVD or Blu-ray that has been able to touch it." Judge Clark Douglas, "Is it possible for a film to receive a more comprehensive release? I hope not, because anything more exhaustive than this set might just make my head explode. Oh, and did I mention the film is a sci-fi masterpiece which should be a part of every respectable collection?" Judge Victor Valdivia, "This film actually helped me reassess the film itself."

There you have it -- 10 can't miss releases in a variety of standard and high definition formats. Before we go, the team like to offer up 10 more that fell just short of the cut, in alphabetical order...

Honorable Mention

BBC Planet Earth: Complete Series

The Big Lebowski: 10th Anniversary Bowling Ball Edition

Big Trouble in Little China

Brazil: Criterion Collection

Fight Club

Flags of Our Fathers / Letters from Iwo Jima

Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut

Planet of the Apes: Legacy Collection

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

United Artists 90th Anniversary Collection