What does it take to win Best DVD at The Calvins? A lot. You better have special features out the wazoo and if the movie/television show itself isn't any good, you can just forget it. BOP has become a demanding group when it comes to DVDs.

What makes Sin City: Recut, Extended, Unrated so special? If you are wondering, you obviously haven't been paying attention. When the original DVD release of Sin City came out, early adopters were hesitant to pick up the disc despite the overwhelming popularity of the movie itself. They had been burned before by the decision by studios to try to trick the most passionate consumers into buying the same release twice. In the case of Sin City, those fears were well-founded. Owning a copy of the disc that is not the Re-cut, Extended, Unrated version is like owning an 8-track tape.

The bigger, better version of Sin City is a dream release due to its features. First of all, it encapsulates the various stories as stand-alone vignettes just as Frank Miller originally wrote them to be. Over 20 minutes of footage are added to these segments to enhance the storytelling. There are also vignettes about everything from the cars to the slutty outfits worn by the ladies in the film. The real coup, though, is the green screen exhibition of Sin City. This singularly unique feature allows the user to see just how different the shooting version of the movie was before all of the CGI was added in. At this point, even the most casual of film fans will begin to understand the difficulties an actor faces in working with a green screen environment. Sin City's second disc is a smorgasbord of marvelous enhancements to what is already a fantastic feature film, making it an obvious choice for the Best DVD of the year.

In the long list of prematurely cancelled Fox shows, a frequently underrated entry is Undeclared. The show's creator, Judd Apatow, has recently begun to receive his rightful due thanks to the success of The 40 Year-Old-Virgin. He also co-wrote the $110 million hit, Fun with Dick and Jane. So, Apatow is doing well for himself, but the success did not come fast enough for his television show fans. BOP first celebrated the DVD release of Freaks and Geeks, our seventh place finisher in last year's Calvins. Now we have voted Undeclared the second best DVD of 2005. The set includes all 17 episodes shot for Fox along with a previously unaired original version that the network *ahem* insisted have re-shoots. We also get such goodies as a planned episode for the season two that would have been, a table read by the actors, bloopers, deleted scenes and concert footage of series co-star Loudon Wainwright. Undeclared is a hysterical sitcom that deserved a better fate and if you have never watched it, you should until you truly understand the hilarity of "You make no sense". The Undeclared box set is a must-own compilation.

As was the case with Sin City, we expect that an even better version of Serenity will be released down the road. That's the main reason it finishes in third place rather than first. Otherwise, we have nothing but superlatives to heap upon the disc. Obviously, we are huge fans of the movie itself, which is well represented by 2006 Calvins results. The first DVD release is pleasantly robust as well. Deleted scenes and outtakes are particularly engaging, while The Story of Earth That Was nicely supplements a novice's understanding of the Firefly universe. Plus, BOP fave Joss Whedon has particularly enjoyable commentary during the film. It's the best we've heard since Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez got drunk and giggled their way through Resident Evil. The real coup, though, is the inclusion of Whedon's introduction from the Firefly sneaks last summer. It's a masterful example of understated wit and ferocious pride.

One of the best movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz, was released in a long overdue two-disc special edition in 2005. The classic film has been "ultra restored" for this DVD, and is jam-packed with an awesome set of features. Anyone who fondly remembers the yearly showing of the film on network television as a family event will be thrilled to explore character bios, a clip about the film's restoration, two documentaries about memories from and the making of the movie, outtakes and deleted scenes, and commentary from Judy Garland expert John Fricke.

Another Wes Anderson movie received the Criterion treatment in 2005. This time around, it was The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. The movie, which employs Anderson's trademark attention to detail as well as an intensely personal story, follows an ocean documentarian who makes it his personal vendetta to destroy the shark that killed his friend and collaborator. Bill Murray is terrific in the film as the complicated Zissou, and Owen Wilson portrays his long-lost son. The two-disc DVD includes such features as deleted scenes, interviews with cast and crew, behind-the-scenes footage, commentary from Anderson, and plenty more. Now we're just waiting for our Criterion Edition of Bottle Rocket.

Last year, The Incredibles missed by six points in its attempt to become the first animated film Best Picture award winner at The Calvins. Obviously, this is a strong indication of how passionate the BOP staff is about the movie. When it was released on DVD, we were no different than everyone else in North America. We all rushed out to buy it on day one, leading to roughly .000002% of the 17.4 million discs sold in the calendar year. Ergo, The Incredibles is the people's choice out of the 2005 DVD releases and we agree with them on the selection. From Jack Jack's made-for-DVD adventure to the always entertaining Pixar bloopers to Brad Bird's insightful commentary on the discs, The Incredibles is the gold standard in DVD releases. It deserves its place as the best seller of the year as well as tying for fifth place in our Best DVD category.

Over the past few years, Disney has been releasing deluxe DVD editions of their classic animated films. From Cinderella to The Lion King to Sleeping Beauty, all of the movies have been given special treatment, with new and updated transfers and a bevy of special features. In 2005, Disney's animated adaptation of the Felix Salten novel Bambi was released in this format, and it was really high time that this wonderful little film should become available on DVD. The animation was far, far ahead of its time, and the characters, including Bambi, Thumper and Flower are some of the most memorable cartoon creatures ever. Special features on the disc include a "making of" clip, a documentary about the restoration of the film, a time capsule about the year of Bambi's release (1942), an examination of the art from the movie, an inside look at some of Walt Disney's story meetings, games, and plenty more. The movie alone makes the DVD worthwhile, but when you add in the extras, the $19.99 price tag is a no-brainer.

We can't have a Best DVD list without including all of the Simpsons titles, and this year was no exception. The Complete Sixth Season finishes in an exact tie with The Complete Seventh Season for eighth place, indicating that we simply cannot choose between two of the show's finest years. Rounding out the top ten is an entry from BOP's other fetish, Kevin Smith films. Mallrats X, the tenth anniversary extended release, offers fans of the New Jersey films exactly what they want: more examples of Shannon Doherty being scored for Sega.

Just missing the list are the collector's edition DVDs for Ben Hur, Batman, The Sting, Titanic, and Looney Tunes Golden Edition 3 along with Lost Season One, Gilmore Girls Season Five, Million Dollar Baby, and Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. (David Mumpower/BOP)

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