The 10 Best DVDs of 2007
by Brian Tallerico

7. Friday Night Lights: The First Season - 8.28.07
If we were talking about just the show itself, there's no way Friday Night Lights would be ranked above classics like Deadwood and 30 Rock on this list, but it's the way that Universal handled the DVD release that made the first season of FNL one of the few landmark releases of the year when it comes to strategy. Where some studios charge a fortune for a season of their struggling shows (ahemHBOahem) and don't provide much incentive for hesitant viewers to check them out, NBC/Universal took the opposite (and truly logical) approach. They charged $20 for an entire season of FNL and guaranteed that, if you didn't like it, you'd get your money back. They figured the money they might lose on the occasional unhappy fan would be offset by viewers who would fall in love and tune-in when the show returned for season two. It was one of those brilliant marketing moves that makes so much sense that you wonder why other networks with struggling shows didn't try it earlier and why everyone won't try it in the future.

6. Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition - 10.30.07
It's about damn time. We've been patiently waiting for a definitive edition of Twin Peaks for years, and it's finally here. Twin Peaks has had a long and complicated run to DVD, largely because the two-hour pilot movie wasn't included on Season One thanks to it being owned by another company. Then there was the long wait between the first two seasons - One was released in 2001 and then it took another six years for Two and the Gold Box Edition. Fans of the Log Lady were practically rabid by the time this thing came out, and, now that it’s there, they couldn't be happier. The video and audio presentations look stunning, and the collection comes with cool new special features. The words Twin Peaks and "new" are enough to make this a must-have for any fan of the landmark David Lynch creation. The only complaint would be the lack of inclusion of the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, but nothing's that perfect, not even Twin Peaks.

5. Pan's Labyrinth - 5.15.07
Pan's Labyrinth is an undeniable masterpiece, and New Line gave it the home treatment it deserves, starting with one of the best video and audio presentations and some of the most complete and well-made special features of the year. One of the reasons Pan's is so memorable and devastating is Guillermo Del Toro's attention to detail. With the New Line DVD, now you can not only check out that detail frame-by-frame in the film itself, but you can also see its origins in featurettes like "The Power of Myth," "The Faun and the Fairies," and "The Color and the Shape." Add that to the fact that you can examine some of Del Toro's notebooks, storyboards, and production sketches and even hear him do a commentary track, and any movie fan should add Pan's Labyrinth to their collection. You could use just this DVD to teach a class on fantasy filmmaking.

4. The Sergio Leone Anthology - 6.5.07
Proving that its not always quantity that wins the box set race, The Sergio Leone Anthology may only include four movies (and one of those special editions was previously available), but it's still a release that should be a requirement for anyone who calls themselves a Western fan. A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, and Duck, You Sucker! are four of Leone's best, and some of the most influential films in the history of the medium. Now, they're available in one box set spread out over eight discs with some of the best technical transfers and special features of the year. Honestly, if you've only seen the Leone films late at night on TV or on VHS, you've never really seen them in all their visual glory, and they look better in this set than they ever have before. The films alone are great, but the bonus discs with documentaries, featurettes, radio spots, original trailers, and much more will kill at least a whole weekend for any Western fan. It's one of the best box sets in the history of the genre.

3. Viva Pedro: The Almodovar Collection - 1.30.07
Pedro Almodovar is one of the most passionate and fascinating filmmakers alive, and it's rare to get such a complete box set of a still-working master as is provided in Viva Pedro. Including several movies that were never before available on DVD, the nine-disc collection is perfect for film lovers that already love Pedro or even people completely unfamiliar with his work. Over the works included - Matador, Law of Desire, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, The Flower of My Secret, Live Flesh, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and Bad Education - viewers can chart the evolution of one of the best living directors and watch as he re-works the same themes in and out of his screenplays. It's like going to a class about the history of Almodovar in one DVD set, and it ends with a bonus disc of featurettes about his filmography. Wouldn't it be great to have something like that for more of our modern masters? Why do they usually have to be long-done with their careers to get a treatment like Viva Pedro? The master himself is missing a bit too much (only two commentary tracks), but the films look and sound gorgeous and are essential viewing for anyone who calls themselves a fan of moving pictures. (Note: You should also pick up Volver, another brilliant Pedro film released on DVD this year but after this collection.)

2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition - 11.13.07
One of the movies that changed it all got the most definitive treatment it's ever going to get on DVD this year. Close Encounters also represents the first Spielberg film released on Blu-Ray DVD, an accomplishment worth noting and one that might help put an end to that horrible format war. If you can only get the Spielberg movies in one format and they all look this good, believe me, it will definitely sway your decision towards Blu-Ray. Back to the standard format - the 30th Anniversary Edition of Close Encounters includes three versions of the film, including a poster that details the difference between each version. The director's cut is the masterpiece, but the original theatrical cut (which was never before available on the home market even on VHS) and the special edition cut are must-haves for sci-fi fans too. "30 Years of Close Encounters" is a great interview with Spielberg himself talking about every level of production on one of the most influential films ever made. On the Blu-Ray edition of Close Encounters, you can branch between the three versions and compare with a storyboard-to-scene variation. Hopefully Santa will bring you a Blu-Ray player for Christmas.

1. Blade Runner: Final Cut - 12.18.07
Final Cut proves that, even in a relatively lackluster year for DVD, you can still find a release that blows your mind. The five-disc edition of Blade Runner isn't just the best DVD release of the year, it's one of the best ever, period. The people behind its creation have given their all to the fans of Blade Runner, and their dedication shows over all five discs. Think about how little Warner Brothers really had to do with Final Cut. A few tweaks, a decent technical presentation, and maybe a new featurette, and every fan of the sci-fi classic would have picked it up anyway. Thankfully, to their great credit, they went SO far beyond that. Interviews with everyone involved; a three-and-a-half hour documentary; five versions of the film; commentary tracks; and much more are included on The Final Cut. It is a must-buy for anyone with a DVD player and the gold standard that all other DVDs that dare call themselves "Ultimate" should be compared to from now on.