All members of the reviewing team of Blu-ray.com have been asked to
compile a list of their personal top ten Blu-ray titles of 2009, regardless of
whether they had reviewed them themselves or not. Naturally, personal
favorites varied widely, but one new release (Pixar/Disney's '
Up') and
three catalog titles (Fox's '
Fight Club', Criterion's '
Last Year at
Marienbad' and Warner's '
North by
Northwest') emerged as the year's winners.
Admittedly, the year is not over yet, but having this out now will be more
helpful for the site's readership than if it was published in January. The top
10 BDs by reviewer follow, with a brief text.
Dr. Svet Atanasov:
2009 has been a remarkable year for Blu-ray. Studios around the world
have produced some impressive releases, and I truly believe that there
has never been a better time to be a film collector. Here are some of these
releases (note there are two lists, one for North America titles and another
for BDs from the rest of the world):
North America:
- Last year at Marienbad Easily the most
impressive release of 2009. Simply put, this is why Criterion are amongst
the best of the best.
- The General If this incredible release of Buster
Keaton's classic film is a sign of things to come, then 2010 should be an
unbelievable year. I am watching you, KINO!
- Pride and Prejudice One of the most impressive
restoration efforts that I have seen.
- North by Northwest Clearly, the wait was well worth
it. This release alone should be enough of a reason for folks to make the
switch to Blu-ray.
- Repulsion This isn't my favorite Roman Polanski film,
but Criterion's presentation is so breathtakingly beautiful, I am very close
to changing my mind.
- Midnight Express I've lost count how many different
releases of Alan Parker's film I bought during the years. This Blu-ray
release, however, will be the last one I add to my library!
- South Pacific A tremendous release by 20th Century
Fox! Could 2010 be the year when West Side Story and The
Umbrellas of Cherbourg arrive on Blu-ray? I hope so.
- An American in Paris A very, very special release for
me. Kudos to Warner for a job well done.
- The Class Last year's Palme d'Or winner at the
Cannes Film Festival received a top-notch treatment by Sony Pictures. Let's
hope that in 2010 we would see more contemporary award-winning films
from them.
- Il
Divo MPI Media Group deserve to be recognized for their
fantastic output (their Baraka Blu-ray release is stunning). Il
Divo examines the legacy of controversial Italian ex-Prime Minister
Giulio Andreotti.
Rest of the world:
- Sunrise: A Song of two Humans (UK release)
Arguably, the most exciting release of 2009. A truly incredible presentation
by the enthusiasts at Eureka Entertainment.
- GAZWRX: The Films of Jeff Keen (UK
release) A superb package! Clearly, this is the most unique Blu-ray
release that I have come across since the format was launched. At
present, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.
- The Red Shoes (UK release) It would be a shame if
Criterion, or another distributor, did not bring this newly restored classic to
North America. It looks absolutely stunning!
- Belle de jour (UK release) The transfer for Luis
Buρuel's classic film may not be flawless, but it is the best I have ever
seen. This is one of my favorite releases of 2009.
- CHE (part I & part II) (UK
release) It is rather sad that America will be the last major market to see
CHE on Blu-ray. When it is finally released by Criterion in January,
see it and make up your own mind whether it is a piece of leftist
propaganda or a terrific film by one of America's finest contemporary
directors.
- Herostratus (UK release) A true lost classic is given
a new life by the British Film Institute.
- City of Life and Death (Hong Kong release) The
film chronicles the notorious Nangking Massacre, during which
approximately 300,000 soldiers and civilians were killed (according to
different reports, between 60,000 and 70,000 women were also raped).
Undoubtedly, the best Asian film to be released in 2009.
- Johnny Mad Dog (France release) In August 2003,
the U.S. Marines landed in Liberia. Johnny Mad Dog shows why
the African nation was on the verge of Rwanda-style genocide. I doubt it
there is a brave enough distributor that would consider releasing this film
in the U.S.
- Antichrist (France release) Another controversial film
by Danish director Lars von Trier that is unlikely to be released on Blu-ray
in the U.S.
- Elite Squad (UK release) Winner of the Golden Bear
Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008, Brazilian director
Jose Padilha's Elite Squad has been accused of promoting fascism.
This one also isn't coming to the U.S., folks!
Casey Broadwater:
After compiling this list, I realized that all but two of the entries in my
top-10 are catalog titles, but that just goes to show that Blu-ray is giving
new life to older films, especially with studios like Criterion leading the
way. Here are my favorites from this year, in alphabetical order. (Though, if
pressed, I'd have to give the top spot to The Seventh Seal).
- Fight Club Remember when everyone went all weak
in the knees in the face of Y2K, fearing some sort of millennial meltdown?
Well, I always imagine the nihilist practical jokesters of David Fincher's
Fight Club to be the orchestrators of that mass hysteria. It seems
like something they'd do. Plus, I am Jack's bleeding eardrums after twelve
rounds in the ring with Fight Club's brutal lossless audio track.
- For All Mankind With the 40th anniversary of the
Apollo 11 lunar landing this year, we've seen all sorts of television
documentaries and Blu-ray titles dedicated to the space race of the 1960s.
I'm an admitted junkie when it comes to space-related releases, but Al
Reinert's For All Mankind is one of the best.
- Last Year at Marienbad A cinematic cryptogram?
An elaborate practical joke at the expense of film critics? An unsolvable
proto-Lynchian puzzle? All of the above? Whatever it is, Alain Resnais'
Last Year at Marienbad hugs the more experimental edge of French
New Wave cinema, framing its impenetrable narrative with austere
compositions and purposeful unease. If you thought Mulholland
Drive was a head-trip, try to wrap your brain around this one.
- Mad Men: Season Two Arguably television's
best drama, Mad Men shows the false promises of advertising as
mirroring the post-WWII ideal of domestic bliss. Here in the second
season, affairs are had, backs are stabbed, and the whole world goes
tumbling headlong toward history. Excellent television.
- The New World: The Extended Cut As graceful and
poetic as his earlier work, Terrence Malick's The New World is a
celebration of discovery and an elegy to innocence. Here's to hoping that
Criterion gets around to releasing Days of Heaven on Blu-ray.
- North by Northwest Hitchcock finally makes a cameo
on Blu-ray, and Warner Bros. pulled out the stops for this release, with a
beautiful Technicolor transfer, hours of supplementary features, and
never mind the hatersone of the best digibook packages yet.
- Repulsion It's not Polanski's best film, and it
definitely carries some unsettling baggage thanks to the director's back-in-
the-spotlight rape case, but Repulsion is a creepy piece of
psychological horror, starring Catherine Deneuve as a sexually stunted
beautician.
- The Seventh Seal It's been parodied to death
okay, pun sort of intendedbut Ingmar Bergman's art-house classic is a
visual parade of symbolism and one of cinema's greatest explorations of
faith and doubt.
- Tokyo! I spent two years living in Japan, so I've got
a big old soft spot for this cinematic triptych, which features three short
Tokyo-centric films by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind), Leos Carax (The Lovers on the Bridge), and Bong Joon-
ho (The Host).
- Wings of Desire Not just another entry into the
"angels on earth" genresee Angel, Angels in the Outfield, Touched by an
AngelWim Wender's Wings of Desire is both a tribute to the city
of Berlin and a character study where the subject is humanity itself. Try to
forget that it inspired the dippy City of Angels.
Kenneth Brown:
Narrowing down a Top Ten list this year has proven to be quite a
challenge; one made easier by my colleagues' inclusion of several standout
releases that could have easily appeared among my picks. Even so, I had
to relent and leave several high-quality discs in the dust. Suffice to say,
this truly has been an amazing year for Blu-ray, especially with such
exquisite AV presentations and thrilling supplemental content, some of
which I never dreamed possible (I'm looking at you Maximum Movie Mode).
So, without further ado and in no particular order, my Top Ten releases of
2009:
- Battlestar Galactica: The Complete
Series A staggering sci-fi series earns an equally staggering
twenty-disc Blu-ray release complete with faithful video, pulse-pounding
lossless audio, and endless special features. A must-have, must-own
necessity. So say we all.
- Braveheart "Every man dies. Not every man really
lives." Truer words have rarely been spoken, and Gibson's Oscar-winning
epic puts them into practice with every passing frame. Haunting and
beautiful, this sweeping tale of love and freedom gets a fittingly
outstanding Blu-ray release.
- The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button Some say it's slow and contrived; I say it's engrossing,
resonant, and moving. Still, regardless of what its detractors may say, it's
impossible to deny Fincher's opus is blessed with a near-perfect BD
release.
- Fight Club Few films have been so many things to
so many people. Fincher graces my list yet again with a wry sucker punch
brimming with sharp dialogue and sharper visuals. It doesn't hurt that its
lossless audio track will have blood coming out of your ears. Its Blu-ray
debut is a special snowflake.
- Generation Kill HBO's stunning, unpredictable
miniseries is a slow-boiling masterpiece. Jaw dropping picture, sound, and
special features merely sweeten the deal. Be sure to remember this
standout television release when purchasing presents over the holidays.
- Inglourious Basterds Tarantino's jaw-dropper is a
quiet, mesmerizing shocker, and easily my favorite film of the year thus far.
Universal's high definition efforts are just as impressive, earning this one a
late but much-deserved place on my list.
- Sin City Lest we forget the standout gems that
arrived early in the year, might I humbly suggest Robert Rodriguez's hard-
boiled adaptation of Frank Miller's acclaimed noir mythos. Perfect transfer,
perfect audio, and countless, high-quality special features. Nuff said.
- Star Trek My picks may be in alphabetical order, but
J.J. Abrams' crowd pleaser definitely tops my list. A brilliant reimagining of a
beloved franchise, an ingenious prequel/sequel/alternate universe
retelling, and an enthralling Sci-Fi tour de force, all wrapped in a shiny Blu
bow? Yes please.
- Up I still tear up just thinking about this Pixar
masterwork. Its opening twenty minutes alone are worth the price of
admission. Factor in flawless video, powerful audio, and a wealth of
supplemental content and you have the best family film and best family
release of the year.
- Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace &
Music Whether you're over forty or pushing twenty, there's
something for everyone in this blast from the past box set. Mesmerizing
music, the strange listlessness of a lost culture, and an astonishing high
definition treatment. Amazing.
Jeffrey Kauffman:
This has been a banner year for those of us who love classic films.
Warner and Disney (as well as Criterion, which has jumped into the Blu-ray
fray) especially deserve special kudos for their lavish collector's editions of
longtime favorites. In fact, I'm tempted to make Warner and Disney
releases of classics individual group choices, but I guess that wouldn't be
playing fair. In no particular order, my Top 10 releases this year are:
- Gone With the Wind one of the glories of 1939
cinema gets a resplendent Blu-ray treatment in a lavish collector's box set.
- The Wizard Of Oz the other big 1939 MGM title is
perhaps even more impressive in its Blu-ray release than GWTW
- Snow White Disney's first full
length animated film also got the deluxe Blu-ray treatment in a beautiful
(though very pricey) big boxed set
- The Prisoner: The Complete
Series one of the most unusual television series ever produced
looks fantastic in its new Blu-ray incarnation, released with bounteous
extras
- Last Year at Marienbad one of the most
enigmatic films of the past half century or so is released on a nice Criterion
Blu-ray
- The Seventh Seal another superb Criterion release,
of what is perhaps Ingmar Bergman's most iconic film
- Lost: Season 1 & Season 2 I'm combining these into one. Lost has
set the standard for innovative storytelling since its premiere, and the first
two seasons look and sound incredible on Blu-ray
- North by Northwest the Hitchcock oeuvre is finally
arriving on Blu-ray, and if NBNW is any indication, we're in for some fine
viewing
- The Robe a big, lumbering film, but the first ever
CinemaScope release, looks and sounds incredible in its Blu-ray incarnation
- Up / Pinocchio the tenth spot is a combo choice,
highlighting one of Disney's first classics with its latest foray into excellence
(with, of course, Pixar). Both Blu-rays offer incredible visuals, wonderful
storytelling and unforgettable characters
Martin Liebman:
One unfortunate drawback of being a full-time Blu-ray disc reviewer is
that there just aren't enough hours in the day to enjoy all that many
releases outside the demanding schedule of the weekly review grind. As
such, it's particularly challenging to keep up with the best of the releases
handled by Blu-ray.com's entire review team, so with that in mind, the
following "top 10" list of 2009 consists only of films I've been privileged to
review and spend the proper amount of time with to adequately and,
hopefully, correctly judge. Needless to say, there are more than 10
deserving releases, and narrowing the field down from an initial tally of 32
proved no easy task. 2009 has been a hallmark year for Blu-ray. Format
adoption is up, releases are coming at a brisk pace on a weekly basis, all
major studios are on-board, and it seems that almost every week some
release or another matches in quality the previous best effort or, in the
case of several of the titles included below, sets the bar even higher.
Here's hoping 2010 proves even more difficult a task to whittle down to
but 10 deserving titles in a sea of fantastic high definition releases.
- Star Trek The summer's best movie is the year's
finest Blu-ray. This one has it all a stellar video transfer, an impeccable
lossless soundtrack, and a fascinating and lengthy collection of bonus
materials. It's a movie made for Blu-ray, and never once does it disappoint.
An open-and-shut case as the year's top release.
- Star Trek, The Original Series, Season
Two Not only is this the best season of the original series, many
of the episodes would prove vital to the future of Star Trek as it is
known today. More pertinent to this discussion, however, is
Paramount/CBS's remarkable release with both this and the other two
seasons of the show. A shining example of a classic and aging series given
new life in high definition, each of the three seasons of the original Star
Trek series are worthy of inclusion on this list.
- The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button 2009 was a banner year for the fan-favorite Criterion
Collection on Blu-ray, and Benjamin Button is a release that encapsulates
everything the production house is all about. Though perhaps better
known for their releases of older films, Criterion proves its mettle in
delivering a new release film with a Blu-ray treatment second-to-none,
bettering even many of the major studios' efforts on their popular new
titles. Like Star Trek, this release earned perfect marks across the
board.
- Sling Blade Perhaps not a Blu-ray as feature-packed
or technically perfect as others on the list, but Billy Bob Thornton's 1996
masterpiece is nevertheless one of the best films ever made and features,
arguably, the single finest acting performance ever committed to film. Few
actors so convincingly transform themselves as Thornton does here, a feat
made all the more remarkable considering the actor also wrote and
directed the picture. Disney's Blu-ray release is strong in every category,
but the power of the movie, its performances, and its meaning
overshadow even a noteworthy technical effort and a superb collection of
extras.
- Braveheart Though Paramount's release schedule
seemed to slow to a crawl in the second half of 2009, the studio
nevertheless got most every title it did release right, and Braveheart
one of two films marking the debut of the studio's highly-touted "Sapphire
Series" collection is simply a gem of a Blu-ray. The video and lossless
audio soundtrack are nearly perfect, the 1080p video in particular a
striking example of a truly filmic transfer. A strong collection of bonus
features make this two-disc set a must-own, and both Braveheart
and Forrest Gump bode well for the studio's potential
future plans to release its award-winning films on Blu-ray Sapphire Series
in the future. Here's hoping Saving Private Ryan winds up on this
list as a Sapphire Series release for the 2010 calendar year.
- Glory Perhaps Blu-ray's most consistently strong
studio, Sony not only releases a good number of Blu-ray discs every
month, but the vast majority are of superb technical quality. Glory
earns a well-deserved spot on the list not only as one of the finest movies
available on Blu-ray but as a pristine example of Sony's handiwork. The
transfer is remarkably brilliant and, most importantly, true to its source,
and the lossless soundtrack is nearly its equal. Though not the most
feature-packed release, the faultless quality of the movie and its sterling
accompanying technical presentation make it one of the year's strongest
releases.
- South Pacific 20th Century Fox delivered plenty of
high quality Blu-ray releases in 2009, but its impressive classic catalogue
titles in particular made for some of the finest efforts of the year. This
Rodgers and Hammerstein Release, The Diary of Anne Frank, The
Robe, and The Towering Inferno serve as glowing examples of
classic films treated right on Blu-ray; the future bodes well for the studio's
classic titles in the years to come if this release is any indication.
- Hot Fuzz Universal's lone entrant into the top 10
list, but not the studio's only astounding Blu-ray. Hot Fuzz's sister
film, Shaun of the Dead, might have a leg up when comparing the
two films head-to-head, but Fuzz's reference-grade technical
presentation and mammoth collection of extras make it the favorite to
crack the list.
- No Country For Old Men (Collector's Edition)
Though previously released in 2008, it just doesn't feel right to leave Joel
and Ethan Coen's film off any sort of positive "top 10" list. As with
Glory and Sling Blade, this Blu-ray release might not sport
the widest array of extra materials particularly considering the
"Collector's Edition" label and second release on the format in as many
years but the movie is as flawless as its technical presentation. Either
(or both) release is a necessary addition to every single film library. One of
the absolute best movies ever made.
- Julie & Julia The surprise movie and Blu-ray of the
year is also the surprise last entry into the year's top 10 list. A scrumptious
movie-watching experience and a delicious treat for the eyes and ears,
Director Nora Ephron's movie sizzles on Blu-ray. Featuring an Oscar-
demanding performance by Meryl Streep, the film is a must-taste treat, and
Sony has whipped up a wonderful little Blu-ray that goes down easy and
demands additional helpings. Aside from the stunning technical
presentation, the extras are mighty tasty, and the ingenious recipe
collector feature built into Sony's exciting MovieIQ technology is icing on
the cake. A mouthwatering can't-miss release.
Dustin Somner:
- Watchmen Despite its tendency to polarize
audiences, the Blu-ray presentation delivered in spades.
- Sin City Frank Miller's surreal collection of tales left
me drooling from start to finish.
- Akira Arguably the greatest anime film of all time,
Akira's remastered audio presentation set a new standard on the growing
format.
- Fight Club I am David Fincher's iconic mindtrip. If
you haven't seen Fight Club, now is the time.
- Big Trouble in Little China Kurt Russell
plowing through legions of Chinatown thugs while dropping sarcastic one
liners
Need I say more?
- Quantum of Solace It wasn't the sequel I was
hoping for, but Quantum of Solace gave action fans a demo-worthy
package.
- X-Men Trilogy Though the first two films are vastly
superior to the third, this collection is a must-have for any comic book fan
with a high-definition display.
- Sword of the Stranger Whether you're a fan of
anime or not, Sword of the Stranger is a film that shouldn't be
missed.
- Up Pixar hits another one out of the ballpark, with a
sentimental story that appeals to all ages. Disney deserves the highest
praise for their continued efforts in delivering Blu-ray packages that include
everything AND the kitchen sink.
- Stargate After waiting anxiously for Lionsgate to
correct the failures of the film's first Blu-ray release, the 15th Anniversary
Edition of Stargate exceeded my expectations on every level.
Here is a list of the titles mentioned by our reviewers, sorted by number of
occurrences:
Three votes:
Two votes:
One vote: