Coming up with lists like these is always a difficult task. Well, at least it is for me. Every year, around this time, all manner of year end and recap lists appear. Some are good, some are bad, and some just don't make sense. Now, I would love to offer up a top ten DVD list for 2008, but I am, frankly, unable to do so. There are a couple of reasons that I am unable to provide such a column. One reason is that I probably have not seen enough to make any sort of definitive list. Another reason is that I am terrible at keeping track of what DVDs I watched during the year (something I will endeavor to do for 2009). Still, I feel the desire to share a DVD list with you.
The list below is comprised of DVDs that struck me as being particularly well worth my time. They all were released during the 2008 calendar year and cover a number of different genres. While it may not be a true "Best of 2008," they should still be given some attention, you may like what you find.
They are not ranked in any particular order; rather they are presented in alphabetical order (there are also a couple more than the standard ten).
13: Game of Death. This is a film, hailing from Thailand, that takes the audience to the edge and gleefully pushes it over. It combines reality television with a fantasy similar to that of the central character in Wanted, a sad guy stuck in a dead end job. In this film Chit is in need of money, fast. That is when he gets the first call; he is offered a challenge in exchange for money. All together there are 13 challenges of escalating difficulty, each one resulting in a bigger cash prize. The movie has great pacing, but it takes its time to reveal its depths to the audience, beginning as a drama, adding in touches of black comedy, veering into a bit of action, before settling into the disturbing. It is an accomplished film that will have you on the edge of your seat all the way through. This is a game that spirals out of control and ends up challenging Chit's moral code, even his very humanity. At the same time, the viewer is challenged; will our voyeuristic tendencies allow us to be entertained by the oncoming depravity?
Baby Blues. Here is a low-budget horror film that delivers the goods, not in blood and gore, but in atmosphere and performance. This is a harrowing tale of a mother's love for her children twisted upon itself in an ugly, disturbing way. That's right, this movie is the story of a mother whose unbalanced mental state tips too far the wrong way and she begins to exact her version of love upon her children. At its core this is essentially a slasher film, with Mom standing in for the usual masked menace and children in the place of teens and twenty-somethings. It is this change that adds to the unsettling atmosphere of the film. There is something about children in peril that really digs into one's soul. What helps set Baby Blues apart from the other low-budget indies on the shelf are the performances. In particular Colleen Porch, as Mom, delivers a chilling portrayal of pure evil. Sure, she is saddled with some bad dialogue, but with those lines out of the way, her look is just terrifying. She is not the only standout; there is also Ridge Canipe as Jimmy. He really steps up to the plate and just sucks you in as he flees his mother and tries to protect his siblings. Looking for something creepy? This will deliver.
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