Blu-ray.com Reviewers: The Best of 2016

• Jeffrey Kauffman: Top Blu-ray Releases
• Josh Katz: Top Blu-ray Releases
• Kenneth Brown: Top Blu-ray Releases
• Martin Liebman: Top Blu-ray Releases
• Dr. Stephen Larson: Top Blu-ray Releases
• Dr. Svet Atanasov: Top North American Blu-ray Releases
• Dr. Svet Atanasov: Top UK Blu-ray Releases
• Brian Orndorf: Top Theatrical Releases

	1. The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection: While the video on this set is occasionally problematic despite valiant efforts at restoration, the historical importance of these five Paramount Marx Brothers films can't be overstated. The laughs are consistent throughout all five films, and the supplemental material is excellent.
	2. The Monkees: The Complete Series: Here they come, walkin' down the street—and fans of late sixties madness rejoice. Rhino has put together a very handsome package with excellent video and audio and a glut of supplements.
	3. Beethoven: The Symphonies: One of two audio Blu-rays making my list this year, this release offers the most titanic symphonic cycle in music history (sorry, Mahler) in performances that set the standard when they were originally recorded and which continue to thrill to this day.
	4. Howards End. While there's some lingering controversy about this release's odd aspect ratio (something at latest report Cohen is evidently looking into), the film itself is untoppable, and Cohen has packaged it beautifully, with some excellent supplements.
	5. Chicago: Quadio is another great Blu-ray audio collection, and another extremely handsome package from the folks at Rhino.
	6. T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show is kind of an odd choice, especially given the "Electronovision" aspect (see my reviews for details), but both concerts offer some spectacular performances.
	7. Gesualdo: Death for 5 Voices is another perhaps unusual choice, since I freely admit the video quality on this release is substandard. But given the fascinating composer this documentary profiles and the fact that the director was Werner Herzog makes this a "must have" for certain music fans.
	8. What Happened, Miss Simone? is another arresting profile of another fascinating musician, and is a disturbing reminder of what happens when an artist starts to become too political for some tastes.
	9. The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast elevates "bad" films due to an outstanding array of supplemental features and some really nice packaging by Arrow.
	10. My "tenth" position is saved for a number of honorable mentions, several of which were major hits, and a couple of which deserve to be: The Martian The Revenant The Wailing Hell or High Water The Lobster

	1. The New World: You could certainly make the argument that director Terrence Malick's expressionistic take on the Pocahontas is his career masterwork. Stars Colin Farrell and Q'orianka Kilcher give two of the best performances in any Malick feature, and Emmanuel Lubezki's luminous cinematography gives the proceedings the hushed intensity of a dream. Furthermore, unlike his late-stage trifecta of The Tree of Life, To the Wonder, and especially Knight of Cups, The New World never loses focus, never travels too far up its own sense of drifting reveries. Malick is interested in the mythic version of the Pocahontas tale as a means of studying the distinctions between fact and fiction, between truth and fantasy, in an effort to elevate the whole of human experience. Criterion's Blu-ray acts as a de facto primer on Malick's editing process. The main focus is the restored version of the 170-minute Extended Cut, sure, but Criterion also tosses in sparkling transfers of the 150-minute pre-release version and the 135-minute theatrical cut. View them in any sequence, and you'll gain a better sense of how Malick uses the post-production process to achieve different ends. The 150-minute cut is free-floating, almost experimental; the 135-minute version has a pace and momentum that turns the film into a more conventional adventure; and the 170-minute gains the richness of a great novel. Malick remains one of our most mysterious of filmmakers; Criterion's New World Blu-ray pulls back the veil, if only a little.
	2. Moby Dick: Twilight Time has put out a lot of great titles this year, but their Moby Dick feels particularly emblematic of the label's importance within the home-media realm. Case in point: just the fact that they gave John Huston's 1956 Moby Dick adaptation a Blu-ray release is cause enough for celebration. It's not that Moby Dick is an especially good movie - no movie version has come even remotely close to capturing what's so special about Herman Melville's proto-postmodern novel, and Huston's take is no exception, given how ruthlessly it excises Melville's formal experimentation in favor of presenting a straightforward adventure novel - but it doesn't deserve to be forgotten. Too often, vintage programmers like Moby Dick don't make the transition from one format to another, and we lose so much of film history as a result. Twilight Time helps fill in those gaps. However, for Moby Dick, they did one better. John Huston originally wanted to present the film in a unique color palette that reflected old whaling illustrations, but the Technicolor process necessary for achieving that effect is difficult, to say the least, and no home-media versions have effectively captured the aesthetic. Twilight Time went back to the HD master and painstakingly went about restoring Huston's creative intentions. The result is a Moby Dick that looks the way it should for the first time in sixty years. That's above and beyond - we need more distributors like Twilight Time.
	3. The Quiet Man: Just as Twilight Time deserves our praise for restoring Moby Dick to its original glory, so does Olive Films for working similar magic with John Ford's corny, sublime The Quiet Man. I take Olive's "Signature Edition" of The Quiet Man as a mea culpa of sorts. The independent label put out a no-frills edition three years ago, and while it looked and sounded pretty good, it didn't give the film an optimal presentation. I know Ford gets flack for this one because of how sentimental it is, but it's so lovely and sweet – and John Wayne is so charming as a gentle romantic hero – that to neglect The Quiet Man too much stands as a crime against cinema. Well, the Signature Edition corrects that mistake, stacking valuable bonus supplements alongside the film and providing yet another HD upgrade. On that last point: The Quiet Man is one of a handful of the most gorgeous Technicolor films ever shot, but that same neglect meant that we've had to suffer through years of blotchy, smeary color renderings. The new print here is a revelation, with the vibrant colors doing nothing to diminish the fine detail on Ford's sets and performers. It's reason enough to mount a critical reappraisal of the film as a whole.
	4. Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series: The greatest unintentional one-off in television history. Before their deft and unbearably compassionate dramedy received the axe, creators Judd Apatow and Paul Feig cranked out eighteen episodes. Of those, eighteen are perfect. The show is an embarrassment of riches. It understands so acutely what it's like to be young and alive that it can transition from pathos to screwball comedy without missing a beat AND without feeling like a tonal mish-mash. After all, what is adolescence if not seven years of emotional whiplash? I suspect Apatow and Feig couldn't be more satisfied with their karmic retribution; I also suspect NBC is still kicking itself for dumping a show starring Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Linda Cardellini, Silicon Valley's great Martin Starr, SCTV legend Joe Flaherty, his on-screen wife - and current Girls co-star – Becky Ann Baker, Cougar Town's Busy Philipps, Mystery Science Theater 3000's Joel Hodgson and Trace Beaulieu, Party Down's Lizzy Caplan, plus appearances from Ben Foster, Kevin Corrigan, David Koechner, Jason Schwartzman, Leslie Mann, Shia LaBeouf, Rashida Jones, and Ben Stiller, just for kicks. Shout Factory's copious bonus features feel nothing less like being invited to the greatest-ever class reunion with this cast and crew.
	5. The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection: For students of comedy, Universal's five-film collection is the Blu-ray release of the year. It's the platonic ideal: the Marx Brothers' five best studio films, all beautifully restored (Animal Crackers, in fact, is presented in its original, uncut form for the first time since 1930). But frankly, this set would be worth it for the Marx Brothers' 1933 masterpiece Duck Soup. Always fond of casual surrealism, the brothers Marx found the perfect companion in director Leo McCarey, who removed all the studio concessions (so, no Harpo-playing-the-harp/Chico-playing-the-piano interludes, and no side love-interest nonsense that doesn't features the Brothers Marx) while adrenalizing the Marxes' beloved absurdism to such a degree that by the finale, the film takes on a grim pallor. To wit: Groucho ends up leading his country to war out of spite and pettiness and ego and sheer lunacy. You don't have to look hard to see the potential parallels with today's political climate or the shared DNA between this and Stanley Kubrick's even-bleaker farce Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The cinema exists for films like Duck Soup. I can imagine no higher compliment.
	6. The Iron Giant: Better late than never, I guess, but it seems perverse that Warner Brothers would make viewers wait until 2016 for a Blu-ray of one of the 20th Century's great animated adventures. For his first full-length feature, Ratatouille and The Incredibles director Brad Bird takes audiences back to Maine, circa 1957, when young Hogarth Hughes (voiced by Eli Marienthal) befriends a giant metal automaton (Vin Diesel, in what's probably his best performance) of alien provenance hiding in the Maine woods. Even though Bird allows for great tenderness and humor as he develops the relationship between the two characters, The Iron Giant retains an admirably clear-eyed and honest viewpoint towards the messy realities of the world - Bird knows that sometimes, the worst (taking the shape here of Cold War-era paranoia) is unavoidable, and that good people can suffer when there are too many bad ones. When the outside world begins to violently intervene, The Iron Giant takes on the tone of great tragedy. The drama culminates in a beat that...well, I've seen it render the most hardened of moviegoers to blubbering tears. I want everyone to see this movie. Now, more of us have the chance. Thus endeth the lesson.
	7. Blood Bath: Along with the aforementioned New World package, this Arrow Films release functions as a master class in the power of editing. Blood Bath began its existence in 1963 as Operation Titian, a joint Dubrovnikan-American production co-financed by independent film maven Roger Corman. Corman bought the rights because wanted something that he could re-edit and re-distribute to American audiences, and this decision became the most prescient one he made during Blood Bath long, long production and post-production process. See, Corman hated the (first) end result, which was a near-unintelligible heist thriller, and so he re-edited the film to turn Operation Titian into Portrait in Terror, which downplayed the crime stuff a little and took out about fifteen minutes of rambling character and establishing-scene content. But Corman still wasn't content - as far as he was concerned, he hadn't maximized the full genre potential from this project - and he brought in Spider Baby's Jack Hill and, later, The Student Nurses' Stephanie Rothman to reshoot new material that resulted in the film's most drastic re-edit yet: now called Blood Bath, the picture mutated from a crime drama to a horror film about a psychotic artist who uses his victims' bodies in his sculptures AND is also a vampire. The last version, Track of the Vampire, is basically just Blood Bath with almost twenty minutes of interminable filler added. None of these iterations are good, but when you watch these four versions, you receive a crash-course in how editing can radically change a film as well as a primer on how Roger Corman would do pretty much anything to get the most from his cheap, fast brand of exploitation cinema.
	8. The Thing: I know – Shout Factory already made it on this list with Freaks and Geeks, but technically, The Thing arrives courtesy of Shout's "Scream Factory" offshoot. More importantly, though: this is a phenomenal special edition of the greatest horror movie ever made. The Thing plays like a horror movie for people that hate horror movies. Hear me out. Sure, Rob Bottin's drippy, revolting practical effects are the Promised Land for once and future Fangoria readers (it's a toss-up as to which movie has the better effects: this or An American Werewolf in London), but the film does eschew so many other genre conventions. Director John Carpenter doesn't rely on gratuitous violence and jump scares (save for one iconic, brilliantly timed moment), choosing instead to build suspense through mood and DP Dean Cundey's ominously precise cinematography. Furthermore, for a genre that prides itself on the Wholesale Slaughter of Teenagers, The Thing is refreshingly adult. We watch a bunch of middle-aged professionals (Kurt Russell is the closest thing the movie has to a heartthrob, and he buries his good looks under a beard that's as awesome as his Hateful Eight mustache) try to deal with an alien menace, and for the most part, they make smart (or, at least, plausible) decisions in an impossible situation. They plan, they react in horror, and then they try and improvise their way out of the problem, and all under a layer of paranoia more dangerous than any monster. If Ernest Hemingway wrote a horror movies, it might look a lot like The Thing.
	9. It's Always Fair Weather: I've got to give it to Warner Archive: the distributor is responsible for the most delightful surprise (to me, anyways) of 2016. Everyone knows the legendary filmmaker-actor pairing of Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly for their classic Hollywood musical Singin' in the Rain, but this 1955 follow-up comes awfully close to matching that earlier picture's lofty heights. Certainly, it's a slipperier, more thematically ambiguous film. It's Always Fair Weather begins with such sunny energy, introducing us to three G.I.'s/best friends (Kelly, Dan Dailey, and Michael Kidd) enjoying a celebratory evening in New York. We could be watching a sequel to Anchors Aweigh or On the Town…except that then It's Always Fair Weather jumps forward a decade, and we get to see how time has hardened these once optimistic young men into frustrated cynics. Considering the film's lukewarm theatrical reception, I suspect viewers weren't ready for this kind of gut punch in their glossy musical entertainments. Still, it's not like It's Always Fair Weather is as heavy as New York, New York or George Cukor's melancholic A Star is Born. Donen and Kelly lace the misery with an explosion of visual delights, from their pop staging inside the Cinemascope frame to an orgy of great musical numbers, the best of which ("I Like Myself") ranks as one of Gene Kelly's two or three most electric moments as a cinematic performer.
	10. River of Grass: Full disclosure: I'm part (a very small part, admittedly) of the reason this Blu-ray exists; I helped Kickstart River of Grass's restoration. But even if I had nothing to do with director Kelly Reichardt's film, I'd be championing it here. In features like Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Meek's Cutoff, Night Moves, and the upcoming Certain Women, Reichardt has established herself as a strong, attentive voice for those on society's fringes. Nowhere is that voice more pronounced than in River of Grass, which follows two poor layabouts (Kelly Bowman and fellow indie-film stalwart Larry Fessenden) as they drift in and around South Florida. They're ostensibly on the run for killing a man, but River of Grass has about as much in common with something like Badlands or Bonnie and Clyde as it does with Transformers (which is to say, nothing at all). Reichardt is more interested in the aimless in-between: the ways her protagonists float from bar to highway, the sounds of mundane suburbia unfolding all around them, the languor after the Florida heat immobilizes everything. Hell, the central crime is an afterthought – Reichardt makes it unclear if anyone was even hurt. It's one of those Stories About Nothing, except Reichardt's affection for her characters and their lifestyle is bottomless, and she tells their story with no small amount of humor. Kudos, too, to Oscilloscope for giving this smart, winsome little movie the deluxe treatment. River of Grass fell through the cracks, and Oscilloscope reaches in between and grabbed it. We should all be so lucky.

	1. The Revenant: With cinematography that's somehow even more striking and memorable than the infamous bear attack that propels the plot proper, Alejandro Ińárritu's stunning Best Picture nominee features absorbing performances, haunting audio, and an oddly disquieting blend of minimalism and excess. The Revenant becomes a tad too indulgent in its second act but deftly recovers, ending with as much power and presence as it begins. Be sure to pick up the 4K Blu-ray if you have the necessary equipment. There isn't an Atmos or DTS-X audio option, unfortunately, but the 4K presentation offers subtly altered (and arguably improved) color grading courtesy of the filmmakers.
	2. Hell or High Water: The most surprising film of the year came down to a near-tie between Hell or High Water and my #3 pick, with the edge going to HHW. Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges and an underappreciated Gil Birmingham elicit laughs and tears, turning in a disarmingly human cat-and-mouse drama that feels as if it takes place a town-down-the-highway from No Country for Old Men.
	3. The Lobster: The love-it or loathe-it flick of the year by far, The Lobster divided audiences fiercely yet connected with many a dark comedy and social satire aficionado. More unpredictable (or tiresome), funny (or irritating), and bizarre (or boring) than any other indie in 2016, the film toys with single vs. couple culture to great (or terrible) effect, earning big laughs (or yawns) and bigger cheers (or jeers). Be sure to give it a spin. You won't regret it. (Or don't. You'll hate it anyway).
	4. Room: Room is almost too real at times, eliciting palpable dread, unease, tension and sadness. Brie Larson and young Jacob Tremblay are mesmerizing, particularly when the script refuses to offer either actor's character relief or respite. Even escape brings little salvation. Mother and son are perhaps forever imprisoned; the film offers less in the way of answers and more in the way of the psychological ramifications of abduction and abuse.
	5. Captain America: Civil War / Deadpool: The best comicbook movies of the year didn't star Batman or Superman. Shocked? So were quite a number of DC fans. 2016 was another terrific year for Marvel Comics adaptations, with two very distinct standouts handily besting Warner Brothers' best efforts. (Yes, yes. X-Men: Apocalypse floundered. Warner wasn't the only studio who failed to understand what makes its heroes and villains tick.) Captain America: Civil War takes itself oh so seriously yet never forgets the fun, delivering jaw-dropping moment after jaw-dropping moment. It even managed to introduce another Spider-Man to the screen without falling flat on its face; instead swinging to grander heights in 20 minutes than five Spider-Man movies before it. Scene after scene, Marvel fan boys lost their collective minds. I should know. And lest we forget Deadpool... no film left me laughing harder all year. The opening credits. The holiday montage. The killing spree. Sprees. Cabbie antics. Jokes at the studio's expense. Hugh Jackman roasting. Skewering comicbook movies while bringing the funk and putting the "F" in F-bomb, Deadpool slayed audiences and proved fans are eager for more diverse films and characters. They didn't push Deadpool as far as some of us hoped -- Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth doesn't feature as fractured or deviant a personality as his comicbook counterpart -- but it got things off to a strong start. Bring on Deadpool 2. Cable, Domino, maybe Death... go wild.
	6. The Martian: With no villain or corporate baddie to be found, The Martian excels where it matters: heart, harrowing drama, and just the right blend of humor. Yeah, yeah, its ensemble can be distracting (as familiar actor after actor parades on screen), but between Damon's convincing isolation and riveting performance, pacing that borders perfection, and a sharp script, The Martian proves itself a crowd pleaser of the highest order.
	7. Pan's Labyrinth (Criterion): One of my favorite fantasy films also happens to be one of my favorite World War II dramas; a tricky genre blend if there ever was one. It shouldn't work, but under Guillermo del Toro's masterful watch, a wonderful cast, one of the most frightening screen villains of the last twenty years, and gorgeous practical effects, costuming and cinematography, Pan's Labyrinth sticks with you long after its credits roll. The new Criterion edition is nothing short of stunning as well. Be sure to pick up a copy, even if you already own the 2007 Warner/New Line Blu-ray release.
	8. The Iron Giant: One of the best animated films of all time finally makes its way to Blu-ray with a fantastic release that almost, almost takes away the sting of such a long wait. I'd say more but Josh Katz stole the words right out of my mouth when he added The Iron Giant to his Top Ten list.
	9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Say what you will about The Force Awakens. You won't dissuade me. I found the Episode IV parallels charming. I'll even defend them, pointing out that every time Abrams evokes previous Star Wars films, he turns left instead of right. Creating new heroes and villains that will, mark my words, become as iconic as the OT staples that precedes them, Episode VII lays the groundwork for Star Wars entries audiences haven't yet begun to imagine. I'm as excited now as I was when I was a child, anxiously awaiting the series' next feature film. (Watch this space in 2017. Rogue One will most certainly make my Top Ten next year.)
	10. Don't Breathe / Green Room: For as intense a double feature as you're likely to find, may I humbly recommend an after-midnight viewing of Don't Breathe and Green Room. Turn out the lights. Grab a pillow. Tight. Wrap up in a blanket, and prepare yourself. Though decidedly different, both survival thrillers pack a punch-and-a-half, offer dramatic beats that will raise the hair or your neck and turn your stomach, and favor quiet substance over superficial shock. Standout performances help of course. Stephen Lang and Patrick Stewart are now officially the stuff of nightmares.
	10+... Why not? For the curious or the unsatisfied, let's call this The Next Ten: The Big Short Spotlight Midnight Special Kubo and the Two Strings Sicario Hunt for the Wilderpeople Steve Jobs The Wailing Bridge of Spies The New World (Criterion)

	1. 4K releases: There have been some duds and some great ones. That's both in terms of technical presentation and quality of film. Sony was the most consistent in bringing quality material to 4K, particularly on the technical side of the equation but also in releasing some older titles. Movies like Labyrinth; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons; and Pineapple Express were all dazzling examples of UHD done right (and all, not at all coincidentally, were shot on film). The Shallows also gets a shout-out as probably the best package of a brand new title releasing day-and-date with its BD counterpart. Other studios released some quality UHD discs as well, and even if they all weren't sourced from a 4K DI, the results remained impressive: Independence Day, all three films, The Martian, , and Lucy all do the format proud.
	2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: J.J. Abrams' continuation of the core Star Wars saga didn't disappoint. A terrific movie, every bit in the spirit of the original trilogy (if not a bit too much in the spirit, some might argue), and the first movie released since the Disney acquisition, it was with great anticipation that Blu-ray fans awaited what Disney would do with the home video release. No UHD release was the most obvious disappointment, but the studio dazzled with a top-flight 1080p release and, later for the inevitable double-dip, a reference-worthy 3D presentation with some additional extras. Even if the broad 4K umbrella earned the top spot, The Force Awakens' 3D release is the hands-down the best single package of the year.
	3. The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season: Another year, another Walking Dead Blu-ray high up on the list. The TV show that keeps on impressing with every new season, this one may have been just a hair more uneven on the whole but its focus on Morgan yielded arguably its best character development of any season yet. The Blu-ray was again excellent all-around.
	4. Better Call Saul: Season Two: A very slow and methodical but narratively rewarding season, season two carefully crafted its characters and story with a precision rarely found in the filmed form. Terrific performances and a high quality Blu-ray, both technically and considering its deep supplemental content, make this a release that deserves to be higher than fourth.
	5. Pete's Dragon (2016): The surprise film of the year is wonderfully structured and dramatically executed, favoring a beautiful subtlety over needless excess. Emotional, fun, unforgettable, it's everything a movie should be. Disney's Blu-ray was great, too.
	6. The Magnificent Seven (2016): Antoine Fuqua's remake of the 1960 classic is everything one could want in a contemporary Western and a movie remake. Crafted with an undeniable passion, wonderfully cast and performed, authentic down to every last bit of dirt, and wonderfully shot and scored, it's one of the year's most enjoyable movies that, amongst the deluge of garbage, reminds why movies can be so much fun. Sony's 1080p Blu-ray was terrific, too, even without the Atmos audio of its UHD counterpart.
	7. The Walk: One of 2016's best released only days after the calendar flipped to the new year. The story of Philippe Petit is not only inspiring, it's presented with unparalleled majesty both on the screen and in terms of the emotions it elicits in the heart. The Blu-ray boasts the usual Sony quality.
	8. Bridge of Spies: A somewhat unheralded entry into the Spielberg canon, this is his best work in several years and a fair bit more engaging than his other movie to release to Blu-ray in 2016, the good-not-great BFG. Disney's Blu-ray is fantastic with one of the finest 1080p transfers ever.
	9. Elvis & Nixon: Nowhere close to the best Blu-ray release of the year, but one of my favorite releases from 2016 nevertheless. A real treat to watch, review, watch again, and watch again.
	10. Living in the Age of Airplanes: It'a always nice to throw a little curve at the end of these lists, and 'Airplanes' seems like a nice way of rounding things out. A truly remarkable little Documentary earned stellar picture and sound to go with a healthy allotment of bonus content. Easily the year's best under-the-radar release.
	10+... And because there were too many other good releases this year, below is an alphabetized list of honorable mentions; all the other titles that made the short list but couldn't crack my top ten: 10 Cloverfield Lane 13 Hours The Big Short Don't Think Twice Flesh and Bone Krampus The Jungle Book (2016) Mr. Robot Season One The Roddenberry Vault Sing Street Steve Jobs Straight Outta Compton Zootopia

	1. I Knew Her Well (Criterion): The beautiful Stefania Sandrelli plays an ambitious provincial girl who believes that she has what it takes to become a movie star in the Eternal City in this very elegant, at times quite funny, but incredibly cynical film from the great director Antonio Pietrangeli. I consider Pietrangeli one of the true giants of Italian cinema, but his work is largely ignored in the United States. Criterion and the Cineteca di Bologna deserve a tremendous amount of credit for their spectacular 4K restoration of this excellent film.
	2. Private Property (Cinelicious Pics): This film has everything that I like about American cinema from the 1950s and 1960s -- tremendous style and inspired acting. I had not seen it before and I could not be happier to get it on Blu-ray. I also want to congratulate the team at Cinelicious Pics that restored the film. These people are true professionals who have done some remarkable work but have remained in the shadows. They need to be praised because some of their projects (see their 4K restoration of Chris Nolan's Following available via Criterion) are essentially what reference material is. Hopefully, next year we will see more great Blu-ray releases from Cinelicious Pics.
	4. Johnny Guitar (Olive Films): This will be the second time that Nicholas Ray's groundbreaking western appears on these lists that we create at the end of each year. Back in 2012 I selected it because I thought that it was a small miracle that Olive Films released it on Blu-ray. This time I have chosen the label's new Signature Edition of Johnny Guitar because the film finally looks as it should.
	4. The Player (Criterion): It is unfortunate that Robert Altman is no longer with us because I am convinced that he would not have tolerated the political hysteria that is currently raging through Hollywood. The industry has changed a lot since the release of his brilliant film The Player, but the hypocrites that the great director targeted in his film have actually dramatically multiplied and become even more vociferous. Criterion's release is sourced from a very beautiful new 4K restoration of the film.
	5. Miami Vice: The Complete Series (Mill Creek Entertainment): This is the quintessential 1980s American TV show -- pure style and a truly legendary soundtrack from Jan Hammer. I don't think that it is an exaggeration to say that without it today South Beach probably would have looked very different. Mill Creek's technical presentation of the show could have been better, but this is still a good release that should not be missed.
	6. The Big Sleep (Warner Archive): There are quite a few releases from Warner's catalog that I could mention here, but I decided to go with Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep. It is a very solid release and the film is a timeless classic that should have a reserved spot in every serious collection.
	7. Five Day Lover (Cohen Media): It is disappointing that there does not appear to be a lot of enthusiasm for Cohen Media's releases. The label consistently adds to its catalog wonderful new restorations of classic films and some of the very best contemporary films that are screened at festivals around the world. This year my favorite release from Cohen Media is the Philippe de Broca two-disc set. It has an excellent new 2K restoration of Five Day Lover, which has been very difficult to see in the United States, and a new remaster of On Guard.
	8. Ugly, Dirty & Bad (Film Movement): This classic commedia all'italiana from the great director Ettore Scola was restored in 2K and initially appeared on Blu-ray in France via Carlotta Films. It is arguably one of the very best films you have not heard of, but should have in your collection. I was secretly hoping that a local distributor will bring it to the United States and was very pleased to see that it entered Film Movement's catalog.
	9. To Live and Die in LA: Collector's Edition (Shout Factory): This cult film from the 1980s was also recently restored in 4K, and I think that this release will remain its definitive presentation on the home video market. Even if you already have the previous release from MGM, which was quite good, I encourage you to consider an upgrade.
	10. Taboo (Vinegar Syndrome): Vinegar Syndrome seems to be the one and only label that understands that there is a whole range of adult films that are part of our country's cultural heritage. These films need to be restored and preserved because like all other films they are time capsules that can reveal a lot about how we have evolved during the years. I would like to encourage Vinegar Syndrome to consider a partnership with the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and see if they could create a special line of releases with some scholarly content.

	1. The Almodovar Collection (StudioCanal): I expected to see Pedro Almodvar's best films fully remastered earlier in Blu-ray's cycle, but I think that the wait was well worth it. The new 2K masters look gorgeous and I am convinced that it is only a matter of time before all of them make it to the U.S. Criterion will likely create individual releases for many of them.
	2. Napoleon (BFI Video): This is a very special release. I don't think that there were too many people that even speculated that a Blu-ray release of this monumental film was possible. However, this film has to be seen on the big screen.
	3. Dissent & Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC 1969-1989 (BFI Video): This thirteen-disc set is probably the most ambitious release that the British Film Institute has assembled since the high-definition format was launched. It is pricey, but I think that it is worth every penny.
	4. Body Double (Indicator/Power House Films): Indicator/Powerhouse Films is a new British label with tremendous potential. They are working closely with Sony Pictures and I think that this year we will see a number of great surprises from them. I chose Body Double because it is one of my favorite Brian De Palma films and the technical presentation is outstanding.
	5. La Grande Vadrouille (StudioCanal): This classic French comedy with Louis de Funčs, Bourvil, and Terry-Thomas was recently restored in 4K by StudioCanal and now looks the best it ever has. If you can play Region-B discs, I encourage you to consider importing a copy. The three stars are in top form here and I guarantee you will enjoy the film.
	6. Victoria (Curzon Artificial Eye): I was fortunate to see Sebastian Schipper's Victoria long before it was released on Blu-ray and thought that it deserved all the praise that it received at various festivals last year. The concept behind it is risky, but the end result is absolutely fantastic. The technical presentation is outstanding.
	7. Born to Be Blue (Universal): It is a shame that Robert Budreau's beautiful film will likely not get released on Blu-ray in the United States. I did not see it when it opened in my local theater, and I made a big mistake. Rather predictably, the Academy completely ignored it.
	8. Crimes of Passion (Arrow Video): This very wild film from Ken Russell has been remastered in 2K and looks terrific on Blu-ray. The top people at Warner Bros. really need to reconsider their stance on The Devils and greenlight a similar makeover for it.
	9. Underground (BFI Video): I think that in many ways Emir Kusturica's Underground has been as groundbreaking and influential as Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game. It emerged at a time when there were hardly any truly independent voices in Eastern European cinema and it was so honest yet ferociously unapologetic and original that it was impossible to ignore. I know for a fact that it seriously angered some very important people because it delivered a lot of messages that during the '90s were not considered safe. It also inspired a lot of young directors on the Balkans to dream big and eventually they made films that initiated the Romanian and Bulgarian New Wave movements. This Blu-ray release from the British Film Institute contains the original theatrical version of Underground as well as the film's longer TV version, though only in standard definition.
	10. Wild Orchid (Eureka Entertainment): I know what the mainstream consensus about this film is, but a lot of the harsh criticism actually comes from some of the same people that have argued that Tinto Brass is a shameless pornographer. I think that it looks even better today -- it is a dreamy and very effective escapist film with an atmosphere that contemporary directors are quite simply incapable of producing. The film also has a phenomenal soundtrack. Unlike the U.S. Blu-ray release from Olive Films, this release also has the slightly longer Unrated Version.