Best DVDs of 2008

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Brilliantly insane: Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight

Characteristically idiosyncratic: Russell Brand in Ponderland

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FILMS
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
(Artificial Eye, Cert 18)
A riposte to moaning countrymen who think life was much better under communism, Cristian Mungu's Romanian drama follows a girl in trouble negotiating her way to an illegal abortionist's. It starts bleak and gets far, far worse. Yet the end credit proclaims “From the series Tales From The Golden Age”. Black comedy has rarely been darker.  

And When Did You Last See Your Father?
(Disney, Cert 12)
An adaptation of Blake Morrison's memoir to his dad which brilliantly captures the nuances of the book by layering scene on scene — now he's an angel, now a monster, now a womaniser, now a devoted husband and dad. Subtle, complex and full of beautiful performances, particularly Jim Broadbent as Dad.  

There Will Be Blood
(Disney, Cert 15)
In a good year for serious Hollywood drama, the edge goes to Paul Thomas Anderson's tale of the rise and rise of a bull-nosed oilman. If Anderson's dramatic ambition recalls Citizen Kane, the performance of his star, Daniel Day-Lewis, seems to be tapping into John Huston's Noah Cross in Chinatown. Audacity rewarded.  

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
(EV, Cert 15)
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star in this heist-gone-wrong movie. It's a slow-burning melodrama which 84-year-old director Sidney Lumet approaches from an almost 1950s angle — he's the man who made 12 Angry Men, remember —slowly peeling away the obstructions until our two shabby protagonists' destiny  becomes awfully clear.

Wall-E
(Disney, Cert U)
You already have the amazing Pixar Short Films Collection and are wondering whether Wall-E is an improvement on Pixar's recent mis-steps, Cars and Ratatouille. It is. The tender tale of a waste compacter and his love for a hi-tech scientific probe, it's the basic romcom plot — shlub male and unattainable babe — with a cheeky, kiddie-flavoured makeover.  

Iron Man
(Paramount, Cert 12)
Maverick multimillionaire Robert Downey Jr knocks himself up a fabulous flying suit that does all sorts of cool stuff. And using just a bit of hi-tech this and that too. One for the movie-loving man in his shed, a superhero movie delivering whooshing, childlike exhilaration and great jokes.

Silent Light
(Tartan, Cert 15)
From Carlos Reygadas, a tale of seethingly repressed love set among the puritanical Mennonite community of Mexico. From the achingly slow opening shot — total darkness to sunrise done in what feels like real time — it is a work of total assurance. By the end it's become obvious that it's also the work of a master.

Terror's Advocate
(Artificial Eye, Cert 12)
Barbet Schroeder's ambiguous documentary about sphinx-like lawyer Jacques Vergés, who started out representing Algerian freedom fighters and ended up defending Pol Pot — our depoliticised age distilled into one man's journey. But there's an even more jawdropping story in there too — of the Nazi loot that's been funding radical groups for decades.

Juno
(Fox, Cert 15)
Ellen Page was all over indie-land this year but this film distils her essence. Smart, funny, refreshingly bullshit free, it tells the story of a teenage girl who gets pregnant and waves a solitary finger to anyone who thinks they can offer her advice about what she should “do about it”.

The Dark Knight
(Warner, Cert 12)
We're used to Batman being dark but not quite as stygian as Christopher Nolan makes him in this sequel to Batman Begins. A smart heist opening yields to what eventually becomes a long existential howl, it stars Christian Bale as the gruff-voiced Batman, a performance completely overshadowed by Heath Ledger's brilliantly insane Joker.

L'Argent
(Eureka, Cert PG)
Financial impropriety, reckless lending, institutional hubris, lives wrecked as boom goes bust — there's plenty of modern resonance in this silent film made in 1928, one year before the Wall Street Crash. Worth watching alone for the stupendous quality of the restoration, it's also a striking manifesto of cinema modernism as well as a subtle psychological drama. 

COMEDY
Frank Skinner
(Avalon, Cert 15)
After 10 years away the Black Country clown returned to stand-up better than ever. Wall-to-wall classic routines, from middle-aged reflections to George Formby-style odes to Osama bin Laden. Very Frank indeed. 

Curb Your Enthusiasm Boxed Set
(HBO, Cert 18)
If you liked Jack Dee's Lead Balloon you'll love this American sitcom in which Larry David plays a grumpy, inappropriate comedian. Always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, David offends family, friends and passers-by with painfully funny results. 

Russell Brand: Ponderland
(Universal, Cert 15)
It has been a typical front-page year for Brand, with the result that this fine vehicle has been overlooked. The pre-Sachs first series has Brand in characteristically idiosyncratic look and form, plus archive footage of him being a nuisance on a police van roof.

Rhys Darby: Imagine That!
(Comedy Box, Cert 15)
Before he played Murray in the Flight of the Conchords sitcom, this quirky Kiwi was a physical comedian. Darby returns to his roots here, imitating dinosaurs, mermaids and household gadgets. Imagine Robin Williams and Lee Evans in a blender.

Russell Howard Live
(4DVD, Cert 15)
The Mock the Week pin-up has moved into comedy's premier league and this DVD shows why. While all around him go for the dark, Howard is a kid in a sweetshop, whose idea of fun is putting Rice Krispies in his mate's slippers. Definitely the giddiest comedian of 2009.

Dara O'Briain Talks Funny
(Universal, Cert 15)
O'Briain used to be a champion university debater and you can see why here. He works the crowd to perfection, finding the funnies in everything. Cynics might say it is cannily edited but this critic was present and he really is this sharp. 

Outnumbered
(2Entertain, Cert 12)
If you've only just discovered this sublimely satirical — and very accurate — portrayal of modern family life, here is a chance to catch the first series. Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner play parents constantly upstaged and outgunned by their children. 

Bill Bailey: TINSELWORM
(Universal, Cert 12)
Currently packing them in at the Gielgud, this is Bailey doing a version of the same set at Wembley Arena. Treats include an argument with his ego on-screen, some highly marketable door chimes and a beautiful swipe at Jennifer Aniston's California lifestyle. 

Harry Hill — TV Burp Gold
(ITV DVD, Cert 12)
It has taken a while for TV Burp to reach DVD but any worries that this manic telly round-up might feel dated are soon forgotten as Hill mercilessly sends up The Apprentice, Big Brother and Paul Burrell. The perfect antidote to the modern world's reality TV
obsession. 

Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic
(Warner, Cert 15)
The controversial American made headlines for the wrong reasons with a short set at the Hammersmith Apollo in October. This is what fans expected — smart and sassy potshots at sex, race and religion. Don't fret about missing the gig, this is better.

 

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