Movie Room Review: 2008 DVD Awards

The 2008 movie season saw plenty of DVD releases. We are excited to honor some of the best DVD movies of 2008 in our 2008 DVD Awards. Our selections for best movies in each category are based on a nomination and selection process that involved you, the readers of our site. Readers submitted nominations for each category and then submitted ballots voting on winners in each category. Here are the best DVD movies of 2008 according to Movie Room Reviews and the movie fans that visit our site.

Rules for selection were simple. The DVD movie had to have been released on a 2008 date and had to be an impressive movie in its genre/category based on entertainment value and artistry.

Best Comedy DVD

Tropic Thunder is arguably the best Ben Stiller movie to date and it is our winner as Best Comedy DVD of 2008. With an excellent cast that included Golden Globe-nominated supporting actors in a comedy, Robert Downey Jr. and Jerry McGuire, the movie was a humorous look at what happens when a real movie about a fake war becomes real. Stiller directs and stars and Jack Black is also featured. Read our take on the Tropic Thunder DVD.

Other nominees: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, Step Brothers

Best Drama DVD

No Country for Old Men was a well-acclaimed theatrical release in 2007 and proved its popularity by earning our nod as Best Drama DVD of 2007, despite its release on DVD way back in March. The Coen Brothers movie was a breakthrough for Javier Bardem who starred as a psychotic killer travelling the border between the US and Mexico. Tommy Lee Jones played the law man who tracked him. Read our take on the No Country for Old Men DVD.

Other nominees: Atonement, August Rush, Gone Baby Gone, Snow Angels, There Will Be Blood

Best Action DVD

The highly publicized final chapter in the life of young actor Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight is the latest in the Batman superhero movie series, and is the runaway winner in our Best Action DVD category. The follow up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight marked the return of Christian Bale as Batman, and also featured Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhard, as well as Ledger. Read our take on The Dark Knight DVD.

Other nominees: Eagle Eye, Hancock, Iron Man, Wanted

Best Sci-Fi DVD

Science fiction was our most hotly contested award category. Perhaps assisted by the recency effect, Journey to the Center of the Earth starring Brendan Frasier, a remake of the earlier classic, eeked out a Best Sci-Fi DVD victory over Cloverfield, a film released earlier in the year.

Other nominees: Cloverfield, Stargate: Continuum

Best Fantasy/Adventure DVD

Fantasy/Adventure was another closely contest category, but The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian proved too much to overcome and won our Best Fantasy/Adventure DVD award. The film is the second in the Narnia movie series and is an excellent adventure full of animals, creatures, legends, and action. Read our take on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian DVD.

Other nominees: The Golden Compass, Spiderwick Chronicles

Best Kids/Family DVD

Wall-E was another runaway winner in the Best Kids/Family DVD category. The movie based on a lovable waste allocation robot and his journey through space had plenty to offer kids and adults. Throw in a late year release date and the Pixar brand and Wall-E was an overwhelming movie success in 2008. Read our take on the Wall-E DVD.

Other nominees: Horton Hears a Who, Kung Fu Panda

Best Indie DVD

Juno, starring Ellen Page, was the most dominant performer in any of the movie award categories. The critically acclaimed story about a young girl (Page) who gets pregnant and elects to have the baby and give it up for adoption captivated audiences and earned Juno our Best Indie DVD of 2008 award. Read our take on the Juno DVD.

Other nominees: The Fall, In Bruges

Best TV Series DVD

Best TV Series DVD release was a very diverse category with lots of competitors. Lost Season 4 ultimately shined as the winner of our Best TV Series DVD release of 2008. The ongoing ABC show about a collection of strangers brought together after a plane crash, on an island full of odd occurrences, remains a hit.

Other nominees: Dancing With the Stars: Season 6, Desperate Housewives: Season 4, Heroes: Season 2, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 3, Numb3rs: Season 4, The Office: Season 4, Pushing Daisies: Season 1

Best Actor in a DVD

There was no way that Heath Ledger was not going to win our award for Best Actor in a DVD. Already selected for a Golden Globe, the man who died too young will forever be remember for his final role as the wacky and delusional Joker in The Dark Knight.

Other nominees: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man/Tropic Thunder), Will Smith (Hancock, I Am Legend)

Best Actress in a DVD

Ellen Page leveraged her wonderful performance in our top Indie film to win our Best Actress in a DVD award. Page had a great year with several great performances, but her clever, dramatic, and humorous role as a pregnant teen in Juno is what propelled her into prominence.

Other nominees: Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton), Keira Knightley (The Duchess)

Best Overall DVD

There were some excellent DVDS in many genres released during 2008. Robert Downey Jr. had a nice year with Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. I am Legend and Cloverfield were hits in their own right. Wall-E was one of the most successful Disney/Pixar films in along time. But, in the end, the power and momentum behind The Dark Knight is what drew the admiration of our readers.

Other nominees: Cloverfield, I Am Legend, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, Wall-E

We hope you have enjoyed our celebration of the best DVD movie releases of 2008. Thanks to our readers who helped in the selection process. Let’s hope that 2009 is full of entertainment and awesome DVD products.

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