  Lost: The Complete Collection |
The fool’s game is back: Here are my picks for the best-of-the-year in home entertainment.
That means making three lists: one for new movie titles, one for old classics, one for TV-on-DVD. For most movie releases, I recommend Blu-ray over standard definition DVDs, assuming you have upgraded. Some studios are loading most or even all bonus materials on Blu-ray-only. This is an accelerating trend. Almost all movies also look better in Blu-ray, although the technology can expose flaws — from grain to colour deterioration to the unmasking of cheesy special effects — and this problem requires studios to do restorations on older titles.
Not all get the royal treatment necessary. And there are limits to what digital restorations can do, which is why some collectors were upset with the new King Kong Blu-ray. Their expectations were ridiculously high for a 1933 movie that will always look grainy, and even murky at times. The Blu-ray is as good as it gets ... ever.
So my lists are based on that premise and the question behind it: Are these as good as it gets? I based my choices on what appeals to me, how the titles were presented on Blu-ray and/or DVD, and what extras were included.
None is a 3D release. While 3D is exploding as an entertainment phenomenon in 2010, I am not convinced much is happening yet in the demand for 3D movies at home. Only a trickle of titles is flowing, from Monster House to Alice in Wonderland. Disney is pushing extended combo packs with the catchy slogan: Future-Proof Your Collection! In addition to digital copy, DVD and regular Blu-ray, you get a separate 3D Blu-ray version of the movie.
The most influential 3D title, James Cameron’s Avatar, is also now available on 3D for home viewing. But only in an exclusive, limited-time, bundling deal that Panasonic struck with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Panasonic offers the movie, packaged with high-tech 3D glasses, as a bonus to customers who buy a specific Panasonic 3D TV. Of course, you also need a 3D Blu-ray machine. And the bundling only takes place at “participating” outlets. There is also no announcement yet when the three-disc 3D version of Avatar will go on sale in public, free of the promotion. So this is a stall, in terms of its effect on 3D home entertainment.
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That brings me back my 2010 lists. Everything is in 2D. But I do love the regular combo packs that emerged as best-sellers in 2010. Many of my choices come in these, including Inception and Toy Story 3. Having the DVD and the Blu-ray, and often digital copy too, means collectors have maximum flexibility. Another significant trend is the debut of major classics on Blu-ray, from American Beauty to The Bridge on the River Kwai and The African Queen.
At the other end of the spectrum, most older TV titles still come in DVD-only, but they still are desirable to devoted fans. That accounts for my inclusion of Leave it to Beaver, a 1950s show that shaped my childhood.
Missing are movies I don’t much like but that still deserve mention for treating their core audience with respect. That group includes both instalments of The Twilight Saga that debuted on home entertainment this year. New Moon and Eclipse were loaded with tons of fan-friendly material in DVD and Blu-ray. That is a great for Twihards. Just don’t make me watch them again. I would rather revisit the stuff on my ten best lists.
bruce.kirkland@sunmedia.ca
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KIRKLAND'S TOP 10 DVD/BLU-RAYS: NEW MOVIES
1. Avatar: Extended Collector’s Edition
2. Inception
3. Toy Story 3
4. Alice in Wonderland
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
8. This is It
9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
10. Red Cliff: Extended Version
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KIRKLAND'S TOP 10 DVD/BLU-RAYS: CLASSICS
1. Fantasia/Fantasia 2000
2. The Complete Metropolis
3. Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition
4. The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut
5. The African Queen: Commemorative Box Set
6. Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy
7. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary Edition
8. The Bridge on the River Kwai: Collector’s Edition
9. American Beauty: Sapphire Series
10. Psycho: 50th Anniversary Edition
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KIRKLAND'S TOP 10 DVD/BLU-RAYS: TELEVISION
1. Lost: The Complete Collection
2. Glee: The Complete First Season
3. The Pacific
4. Life: Narrated by David Attenborough
5. Temple Grandin
6. Mad Men: Season Three
7. South Park: A Little Box of Butters
8. Dexter: The Fourth Season
9. The Tudors: The Royal Collection
10. Leave it to Beaver: The Complete Series
