The 10 Best DVDs of 2007
by Brian Tallerico

After a year like 2007, you realize that it’s a good thing that there aren’t Oscars for the DVD industry. Because even though it was a fantastic year at the theaters and tons of premium-grade TV releases made their way to the home market, it really wasn't that remarkable a year for DVD. The world of digital video discs has reached a point where there aren't that many more cinema classics left to pull from the vault, slap on a disc, and blow our home theaters out. We've plowed our way through the studios’ back catalogs in the years since DVD became a phenomenon, and now we're left mostly with repackaged titles that were already available or new releases that are probably still in a theater near you. Granted, there were a number of remarkable releases this year, but in all the years that I've been reviewing DVDs, this was the hardest to fill out a best-of list. Has DVD reached a plateau and we just need to wait it out for the next technology? Perhaps, but, all cynicism aside, these were the titles that undeniably reached beyond the DVD plateau and should definitely be added to your collection.

Disclaimer: This list is only made up of DVDs that I've actually watched and (usually) reviewed. That leaves out quite a bit of product that probably would have made the list, but you should know that I receive hundreds of DVDs a year. Having said that, BBC's Planet Earth and Fox's Ford at Fox have been universally acclaimed and probably would have made this list if I had reviewed them. Consider this a list of the best that I received, not necessarily the best out there, but it's as comprehensive as I could be.

Honorable Mentions: 24: Season Six, 30 Rock: Season One, 300: Two-Disc Special Edition, The Battle For Iwo Jima, Casino Royale: Two-Disc Special Edition, Deadwood: Season Three, Death Proof, The Departed: Two-Disc Special Edition, Extras: Season Two, Family Guy: Volume Five, From Beyond: Unrated Director's Cut, Futurama: Bender's Big Score, Hairspray: Two-Disc Shake & Shimmy Edition, Heroes: Season One, Invasion of the Body Snatchers: Collector's Edition, Knocked Up: Unrated Collector's Edition, Re-Animator: Anchor Bay Collection Edition, Robocop: 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition, Todd McFarlane's Spawn: Animated Collection, and Weeds: Season Two.

10. Lost: Season Three - 12.11.07
The Lost DVDs continue to be the gold standard to which all TV on DVD sets can be compared. The picture and sound on the widescreen presentations are nearly flawless. The only sets this year that might be better technically are the HBO series (Deadwood, The Sopranos), but Lost surpasses those releases where it really counts for the fans - the special features. With four commentaries, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and one of the best behind-the-scenes documentaries on how a complicated show like Lost gets made ("Lost in a Day"), this is the kind of DVD that can make a fan who thinks the already-classic show has jumped the shark reconsider their opinion. The Lost season sets are a collection that fans will revisit for years to come like Star Trek, The X-Files, or other shows with devoted cult followings, and Buena Vista has given those fans something they'll be happy to return to by treating their show as well as anything on the home market.

9. Superbad: Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) - 12.4.07
We've been given dozens of "special collector's ultimate unrated" versions of big hits from 2007 already, but Superbad is, without a doubt, one of the best. It has everything that a fan of the movie could ask for and more. With so many DVDs released every week, it's the rare DVD that can surprise you with its special features, especially when it’s for a first-time theatrical release, but the Apatow-verse DVDs usually come through. On Superbad, which also happens to be one of the funniest movies of the year regardless of special features, you'll find out-of-left-field extras that are nearly as funny as the movie. There's a short film called "Everybody Hates Michael Cera," a hilarious press junket meltdown with Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright, and a great series of deleted scenes. And that's just the start. Don't you dare buy the single-disc edition. You're only cheating yourself. And McLovin.

8. Live Free or Die Hard: Unrated Edition - 11.20.07
The number one genre on DVD has to be action, and it has been for a long time. Even more than when we’re at the theater, at the end of a long work or school day, we want our home viewing experience to be pure escapism, and one of the best DVDs for that kind of rush this year has to be Fox's incredible Live Free or Die Hard in the two-disc unrated version. Personally, Die Hard 4 made the biggest leap of any film this year for me from a film that I had problems with in the theater to an enjoyable ride at home, and it's largely because of the treatment given the Len Wiseman film by Fox. Adding in a few curse words (one important one in particular) makes a HUGE difference in the world of Die Hard, and the video and audio presentation on Live Free or Die Hard is flawless. The second disc comes with a making-of special feature that ranks with the best in a long time, making Live Free the best DVD release of a 2007 movie this year. Yippee-ki-yay.

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