Wow. A 10 Best List. It's tough enough taking a chance of getting someone's goat by forcing my opinion of certain DVD's down their throats, as I occasionally do… get their goat that is. But now I'm going to actually dig deep into my self-absorbed psyche and try to fill out a 10 Best of 2006 list… and perhaps even justify them. Picking 10 of the best DVDs of any year is a difficult task if for no other reason than how to set the criteria. I mean, do I choose them based on my favorite movies? Should I forgo whether or not the movie is any good and list them by the packaging and special features? Or narrow that down by the best buy for the buck?

Plus, there's the added pressure of the derision some readers may give me because I picked a certain release and (God forbid) left their favorite off the list. Hmmmm…. This is going to take some thought. It almost seems like the best way to go is either reducing the list to the best DVD releases of a certain day (say, October 5th, 2006) or increasing it to make it the Best 5,382 DVD Releases of 2006.

I don’t think I have enough room for a list that long, so here I go…. Top 10:

10. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid: 2-Disc Collector's Edition (20th Century Fox) -
Simply put, Redford & Newman make an excellent team onscreen and it’s a shame they made so few movies together. This re-release offers some terrific supplemental materials including a brand new documentary feature mixed in with all of the older promotional featurettes.

9. (Tie) The Lady & The Tramp / The Little Mermaid (Disney)-
While a lot of Disney's direct to DVD sequels aren't the best, the treatment they give to their classic animated features are usually stellar. Such was the case with both of these releases in terms of the final transfer and the unbelievably long list of supplemental materials offered.

8. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Extended Edition (Disney):
Besides the fact that the film did such a great job of capturing the spirit of C.S. Lewis' book, at least according to my wife (an avid reader of the series), I forgave Disney's double dip of this title because the added scenes really did flesh out some of the smaller details of the story. And the added documentary gave me a much stronger appreciation of the work that went into making this film.

7. Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier (Paramount) -
While I admitted in my review as not having been as captivated by this film as some of the masses, I do appreciate the artistic way in which it was presented. This new release gave audiences the opportunity to see both versions of the film (the original theatrical vs. the 2001 'Redux') and let them decide which they preferred. And again, I cannot snub my nose at the special features that fill this wonderfully designed 2-disc set.

6. Six Feet Under: The Complete Series (HBO) -
This series certainly had its ups and downs (mostly downs I guess for the clients) throughout its five year run. But even at its worst, the writing and performances offered an entertaining hour with each episode. I add this one to the list mostly because of the series itself, but also in part because of the unusual packaging. The five seasons come in a box designed to look like a side view of a grave, complete with artificial grass on the top. In the middle of the 'grass' is a small inset headstone bearing the name of the series and the years that it aired. Inside you get all of the episodes and all of the special features that were available on the individual sets, plus both of the CD soundtracks that were released, and a memorial book with epitaphs for the characters.

5. Double Indemnity: Universal Legacy Series (Universal) -
I've always considered this to be a film noire classic, and one of the few times we see Fred MacMurray in a serious role. This new release from Universal delivered the film with a pristine transfer and the two commentaries from noted film historians gave me a newer appreciation of the film as a whole. I almost took some credit away for the inclusion of the 1970's remake with Richard Crenna, but…..

4. (Tie) Frankenstein 75th Anniversary Edition / Dracula 75th Anniversary Edition (Universal) -
Both of these films offer a fine example of the creativity and imagination that USED to be the way of things in Hollywood. They have withstood the test of time and are considered by many to be classics in every sense of the word, something you don’t find often in the horror genre. When I first heard they were being re-released I thought to myself, "Why? There are so many DVDs out there…" But when I saw them I understood. Both are filled with newly created documentaries and featurettes, the films have been beautifully restored, and the packaging is very handsome. One of the best inclusions is the Spanish version of "Dracula" (I'll let you guess which set it is on…), which was filmed at the same time as its American counterpart, using the same sets but shooting at night. Not to discount the performance of Bela Lugosi, but I found parts of this version to be stronger than the one American audiences are more familiar with.

3. The Twilight Zone The Complete Definitive Collection (Image) -
What more can I say about the original "Twilight Zone", created, hosted, and largely written by Rod Serling. It was a great series that had a terrific 5 season run and while it may not have been the first anthology series, it certainly had an impact on those that came after. I used to tape the episodes in syndication (being the geek that I am) and used to be proud to say that I had every single episode but one. I even had a purchased copy of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", which was actually a short French film that was used as the series finale. I'm sad to say that I still do not own this awesome set, but one of these days I'm going to hint at it strongly enough and someone with a heart of gold will send it my way. (By the way, feel free to email me for my address…..)

2. Seven Samurai: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) -
Akira Kurosawa…3-Disc Edition… need I say more?

1. (Tie) The James Bond Ultimate Edition: Volumes 1 - 4 (MGM) -
Okay, technically it's not really a tie… but there are four separate editions. I'm only a casual fan of the James Bond series. I like the movies… but I don’t LOVE the movies. However, the film geek in me went nuts when I saw these glorious collections, each with 2-disc versions of five of the movies. Collectively, they deliver all twenty of the official James Bond movies, only leaving out the newest one with Daniel Craig. Now, I did say 'official' so you won't find the 1967 spy spoof "Casino Royale" with David Niven in the role of 007 or Sean Connery's 1983 "Never Say Never Again." I kind of wish the former were included though, if for no other reason than to see Woody Allen as 'young Jimmy Bond.' These two exclusions aside, all four of these sets deliver re-mastered versions of the films and an ungodly amount of extra materials for each individual title. And they are packaged in such a way as to take up as little room on the shelf as possible, which is always a plus in today's crazy world of DVD collecting.