Best of 2008?

The 10 Best Blu-Ray, DVD Releases of 2008

Submitted by BrianTT on December 23, 2008 - 3:43pm.

1. “The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration”

The painstaking restoration of The Godfather trilogy for Blu-Ray is so flawless that it can bring a tear to your eye. No one has seen “The Godfather,” one of the best movies ever made, until they’ve seen this restoration. The visual detail is overwhelming. Even people who can quote these movies in their sleep will be blown away. The final disc of the four-disc Blu-Ray set includes nearly five hours of bonus materials, almost all in HD themselves. All of the featurettes from the 2001 release were imported along with great new ones like “The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t,” featuring interviews with people influenced by the series including Guillermo Del Toro, David Chase, Alec Baldwin, and Steven Spielberg. The history and impact of the film is expanded upon in the just-as-good “Godfather World.” Some movies stand the test of time but “The Godfather” has that very rare quality of moviemaking that just makes the film seem better every time you see it. People who don’t like “The Godfather” simply don’t like movies. And there isn’t a Blu-Ray player on Earth truly living up to its potential if “The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration” isn’t sitting next to it.

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2. The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration -- Blows away any other video incarnation of the Francis Ford Coppola gangster classics, especially when seen on Blu-ray. That amber tone comes on orders from cinematographer Gordon Willis.

My A-B comparisons of the new and old "Godfather" DVDs quickly demonstrated why the restoration was overdue. Even when the 2001 DVDs were given the advantage of upconversion, there was simply no contest. Comparing the Blu-rays to the old DVDs proved ... ridiculous. (Paramount Home Entertainment)

Read the full review of "The Godfather" on Blu-ray