411 Movies Special: Top 30 DVDs of 2005

Posted by  on 01.02.2006

The DVDs I loved in 2005. One Click Away!

Okay, so it's that time of year when people dissect their likes and dislikes from the year gone by, and mould them into an end-of-year list. What follows are my top 30 DVD packages of 2005. First, the honourable mentions – aka the ones that just missed the boat: Extras: Season One, Family Guy presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, The Bourne Supremacy, Mean Streets: Special Edition, House: Season One, The 40-Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, Soccer AM II, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, King Kong (1933), The Sting and War of the Worlds. So, that's a lot of honourable mentions I know, but I think it's been a good year for the shiny disc. Despite the news of either HD or Blu-Ray almost certainly taking over within the half-decade, our current discs will continue to play on the new formats so there is no need to holt your collection. Mine will continue into 2006, and hopefully by the end of the year there will be another thirty sets as good as these:

Play:

30 – The Ashes: The Greatest Series

In terms of patriotic, fist-clenching entertainment this probably warrants a higher placing, but the menu screens are awful and I guess there could be a few more extras. Hell, who am I kidding – this is great!

29 – The Descent: Two Disc Special Edition

A surprise hit this side of the pond, in 2005, The Descent will be making its way over to the States early 2006. If you like your horror films, I recommend you import this over because it's damn good. The commentary is great too.

28 – Clerks: 10th Anniversary Edition

You get both the theatrical and unrated versions of this cult hit, and it's great. I'm not part of the group that thinks it's one of the top 5-top 10 movies of the 90's, but I really like it and it truly showcases the talent and wit of Kevin Smith. Three discs rich of extras, including ‘the snowball effect' documentary that is pure quality.

27 – House of Flying Daggers: Two Disc Special Edition

A lot better than Hero in my eyes and one of the best uses of a DTS track…………ever. The ‘making of' is a worthy addition, but it's the film that will leave the biggest impression on you.

26 – Casino: Two Disc Special Edition

I like this. It's pretty underrated by the masses and if Scorcese edited it down an hour it would be up there as a true classic. Still, a very, very good picture with slick performances and now a special edition that is worthy of displaying on your shelf.

25 – Curb Your Enthusiasm – The Complete Fourth Season

This deserves special mention right here. This is one of a few selections in this list that owes its place almost solely to the quality of the main feature. In this example, it's 100% all about the episodes, as we have zero special features. The ingenious use of The Producers as the background arc to the season is glorious and also, well its Larry fucking David!

24 – Arrested Development: The Complete Second Season

Pretty much the same as above, but this time we have the odd add-on. Simply eighteen episodes of genuine television gold and if it never returns, I think I may actually cry a little. Oh, and Tobias & GOB rule.

23 – Saw: Special Edition

The surprise hit of 2004 that spawned the surprisingly good sequel last Halloween. That theatrical release saw a special edition of the original come out, and improve drastically on the vanilla-esque initial release. The three-part featurette is the highlight here, and of course, the movie rules.

22 – Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith

The extras are so damn expansive here that I just couldn't leave this out. I'm not a massive fan of the film itself, although it's clearly the best of the new trilogy, but the superb ‘making of' warrants this spot – maybe higher.

21 – Batman: Special Edition

The best in the franchise, up until June 2005 anyway, now we have an equally impressive DVD to match the film. Another great thing about Christopher Nolan's summer blockbuster was that Warner decided to re-release the first four. We got to see the darkly gruesome Returns, Carrey overact in Forever and hear an awkward commentary in & Robin, gloriously re-packaged. But more importantly, a Burton chat-track in, what's now, the second best Batman film.

20 - Crash

I just absolutely love the film. It's just so well made, well acted and well told. So, why is it number friggin' 20? The DVD pretty much sucks. Add that statement to the equation and that shows how good the film is, in my estimation. It's a DVD list, but the quality of the main feature is too good to ignore.

19 – Lost: The Complete First Season

As much as 24, this is a television series made for DVD. That analogy is turning into somewhat of a cliché, but it couldn't be more true. I've got mates who are getting sick of the twists, turns, cliffhangers and lack of definitive answers they have to wait a week for, as they watch the (still unfinished) first season unfold over here, but I imported the seven disc set, just as the UK were transmitting episode 3. The great thing about DVD is that you can watch it at your own pace. I went through it quickly, and loved it. Sure, it's flawed but its superb entertainment and the extras on this inaugural set are expertly produced.

18 – The Incredibles: Collector's Edition

Wow, what a film this is. I'm not a huge fan of the animated genre, but as with the re-issued classic a few steps south, when they hit the money you really can't help but love it. A great film with some noteworthy extras, such as, the quality short, ‘Jack, Jack Attack.'

17 – Titanic: Collector's Edition

In either two-disc (normal folk) or four-disc (Leo fan club members) editions, Jimmy Cameron's big boat epic finally got the shiny disc treatment it deserves. Forget the Dion-inspired chick-flick romance that's often stereotyped. Titanic is a wonderfully directed, acted and scored movie with a great commentary from the guy at the helm.

16 - Sideways

It was released in January, in the cinemas of the UK, so I can technically call it what I'm about to call it, with legitimacy. It's my number one movie of the year, and in fact, the best I've seen since Return of the King. Just a shame that the disc borders on vanilla, and is only rescued by a sublime chat-track between the exceptional Giamatti and Haden Church.

15 – Friends: Season Ten

If The Rock were here he would probably say, "finally, a long running TV show completes its DVD releases, if you smell………" but he's not and even if he were I would probably have to convince him to say it. Anyway, I'm off on the biggest tangent of all-time. The point is that Friends is one of my all-time favourite shows and despite being way past it's peak this final season is good. The surprisingly good finale, t.o.w. the stripper cries and t.o.w. the cake are highlights, and the extras are the best yet. Outtakes + camaraderie = gold.

14 – Back to the Future: Ultimate Edition

The films are great, yes even the criminally underrated third instalment, there are more extras, sexier box art and did I mention how damn good those films are? Buy it.

13 – Scrubs: Season Two

I'm getting more and more people into this show and I'm happy about that. Even my old man is watching (and liking) it. It's just a great, great show that from what I hear isn't getting remarkable backing from NBC. After Garden State (another honourable mention from 2005's discs) I'm worried that Braff may go his separate way soon, but as long as DVD's are around we can enjoy the greatness for a long time. Superb episodes, the second best extras for a comedy DVD around, and in season two, you see the peak of the show.

12 – Toy Story: 10th Anniversary Edition

Join Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang for more fun and frolics in this 10th anniversary collector's edition of the hit animated flick. Sorry, did I sound like I was advertising it then? Yeah, reading back I think I did. Either way, the film still stands up as well as it did a decade ago, the picture quality is mint perfection and the extras are class, highlighted by the superb ‘The legacy of Toy Story.'

11 – 24: Season Four

Pretty much the same analogy as that of Lost but this is better. The extras (despite being good) aren't as special as those in the set of the aforementioned, but the show itself is strides ahead. Not taking anything away from the impressive debut season of the reluctant islanders, but Bauer is king. The deleted scenes and featurettes are informative and as for the show itself……er……..Bauer is king.

10 – Seinfeld: Season Four

This is the season in which the American public joined the critics in their love for this show. The risqué piece of genius that is "The Contest" occurred in season four, in amongst further episodes of gold and arguably the best full season storyline arc in sitcom history. Add that to an unrivalled set of extras, including documentary ‘The Breakthrough Season', and your looking at a near perfect DVD package.

09 – Sin City: Re-cut and Extended

Apparently, even Rodriguez was pissed at the vanilla release and didn't know about it evidently. It was a ridiculous decision and this should have been the package from the kick-off. You get a plethora of informative extras, perfect video and audio, and an extended version of one of the best films of 2005. Bring on the sequel.

08 – Gladiator: 3-Disc Extended Edition

There are some great new featurettes in this new edition of the Oscar winning epic, but head and shoulders above the rest is Russell Crowe's inaugural dabble into the world of the DVD commentary. Compared to the tripe of Alexander, King Arthur and Troy, this couldn't look any better and still stands up as one of the finest films, this decade.

07– Batman Begins: Two Disc Deluxe Edition

A fantastic film, buoyed by a very good two-disc set, the fifth bat film is one of the must have shiny discs of the year. The exclusion of a Nolan commentary is annoying and baffling, and actually affects the ranking by a few spots, but the rest of the package is excellent. The menu screens are cool and quirky, and featurettes such as ‘Batman – The Journey Begins' are fantastic additions.

06– Heat: 10th Anniversary Edition

Pacino vs. De Niro, on the silver screen. It could have been an anti-climax but instead it's pure chemistry in one of the finest films of the 90's. Ten years on, and a two-disc set was released to commemorate the occasion and replace the awful barebones disc. As for the new extras, Michael Mann's commentary is excellent and ‘The Conversation' featurette is a fascinating insight into the infamous Pacino / De Niro face-off.

05– Bret "The Hitman" Hart: The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be

If you buy one wrestling DVD this year, it should be this one. In fact, if you buy one wrestling DVD period – buy this one. Perhaps I'm a little bias because he's my favourite wrestler of all-time, but it really is an excellent package. The main feature isn't as good as I thought it would be, but it's still a great watch, and the extras are superb. The matches versus Bulldog at Slam 92, Owen at Mania 10 and Austin at Mania 13 still stand the test of time as five star classics, and despite the exclusion of his matches versus Owen at Slam 94 and Shawn at Survivor Series 92, pretty much the best of the rest are here too. Simply a fantastic set.

04– Swingers: Two Disc Special Edition

Finally, a flash release for one of my favourite films and it was worth the wait. Both the director's (Liman) and stars (Vaughn and Favreau) chat tracks are witty and informative. The deleted scenes and ‘Swingers Culture' featurette are quality additions and the film is still one of the coolest of all-time. The two leads ooze charisma and I just love this film.

03– Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition

Another one of my personal favourites that finally got a worthy release in 2005, Jaws is a great set, only missing a Spielberg commentary. But hey, we all know the blockbuster king doesn't do these things so I guess that's mute. An excellent two-hour behind the scenes documentary and original Spielberg interview makes up for the lack of chat track, and the film is still great. Nice box art too.

02 – Raging Bull: Ultimate Edition

Truly an ultimate edition in every sense, there are new documentaries, new featurettes, new interviews and three spanky new commentaries. The one with Scorcese is obviously riveting, but it's the surprising inclusion of a track from the "real-life" Jake La Motta that steals the show. The DTS soundtrack is also a noteworthy addition and if you don't care about any of that – just buy it for the film. It's one of the great films of all-time, and is exceptionally presented in this re-issued package.

01 – Seinfeld: Seasons 5 & 6 Boxset

Is this a bit of a cheat? I don't know. Either way, this was released as a double season package so I'm calling it as one. Okay, settled. The peak of the show, although season seven is awesome too, this is the most entertaining DVD package of 2005 in my eyes. They really turn into self-obsessed losers from the fifth season and it's a joy to watch. Episodes such as, "The Race", "The Mango", "The Raincoats" and "The Opposite" are outstanding, "The Puffy Shirt" has one of the best sight gags in history and "The Marine Biologist" has my all-time favourite pay off from a sitcom, in it's climax. There are more great ‘inside looks', ‘outtakes' and a superb ‘running with the egg' featurette. It's just a fantastic show, in it's prime, and the special features are top drawer. I can't honestly give another DVD the number one spot, because this is my pick of 2005.


Okay, so that's my lot. If I've convinced one person to buy one of those discs, then I'll be happy. Happy New Year folks.

O'Sullivan

Done.