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It’s the middle point of the last week of the middle year in the first decade of the 21st century. And, as predicted by Nostradamus, the day will be spend mulling over DVDs and that.

The hecklerspray writers have been splurging out their ideas on the best DVD from the last 12 months. And you want to read them, so that you can inevitably disagree and call us all wankers. Correct? Thought so…

Chris Lake, CEO, hecklerspray
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Series 3 (DVDs).

Stuart Heritage, editor, hecklerspray
The Curb Your Enthusiasm boxsets are the DVD of the year, simply because I’ve watched them so many times. I know it’s just One Foot In The Grave with more swearing and less nifty Eric Idle-performed theme tunes, but it still fills me with a big warm glow. I particularly like the way that anyone watching CYE gets instantly more uptight and Jewish as soon as any episode finishes. And any show that has
an episode about a crowd of people cheerily digging up the corpse
of their mother at night is alright in my book. Honourable mention goes to D’Autres Nouvelles Des Etoiles, the most comprehensive Serge Gainsbourg DVD you’ll ever find.

C J Davies, writer, hecklerspray
Sopranos (DVDs) season five. Detractors may refer to it as
melodrama, but what melodrama – subtle plot strands breathing and
developing in a nigh-on Dickensian manner, all channelled through the
supreme actor-glands of James Gandolfini (a man who can convey more
emotion with the raising of an eyebrow than the entire cast of
Desperate Housewives could manage over six whole seasons). The Sopranos
will be airing its final season sometime this year. If you’ve missed
out, now is the time to catch up. If you haven’t missed out… well, you
should just buy the DVD boxsets anyway. Because I told you to. Clear?

Chris Laverty, writer, hecklerspray
The Bourne Supremacy (DVDs): Possibly the most credible
spy thriller ever made. I mean that too. The Bourne Identity was
equivalent to the French New Wave for Hollywood espionage movies.
Making a decent sequel was always going to be a tall order. However
everyone involved in Supremacy pulled it off above and beyond even the
highest of expectations. Everything, EVERYTHING worked. Isn’t it great
when people actually give a damn about what they do? Action scenes as
crispy as the ‘German train hop’ are few and far between these days.
And what about killing off his lovely girlfriend? Shit, I shed a tear.
Exceptional stuff.

Shawn Lindseth, writer, hecklerspray
The Grand Title Best DVD Of The Year goes to
the Arrested Development season 2 boxset (DVDs). The show stars Jason
Bateman as the only family member with any sense about him, and his
once-rich-now-not-rich family. The season has 18 episodes packed
with so much humour, that every viewing leaves you with a realisation
of previously missed jokes. Season highlights include: Good Grief, one
of the funniest funerals you’ll ever see; Queen For A Day, which has to
do with Tobias teaching rough street thugs to prance; Sword Of Destiny,
G.O.B. gets his fingers lopped off.

Nick Levine, writer, hecklerspray
Live 8 (DVDs). One afternoon in
July the sad acts among us spent ten – yes, ten – hours watching Live 8.
Ouch! But luckily Sir Bob decided to release the whole (sorry?)
spectacle on DVD last month. Hurrah! Now we can relive the three hours
or so of golden moments and forget all about the “Oh bollocks Snow
Patrol are coming next! Who fancies a cuppa?” bits.

Joanna Sim, writer, hecklerspray
Napoleon Dynamite (DVDs). Jon Heder
plays the beautiful anti-hero in this brilliantly
genius film about Napoleon – god of geeks – and his friends, Pedro and
Deb. If you’ve ever been on the wrong side of popular at school, worn
moon boots, tamed a wild stallion or been the underdog running for
class president then you’ll totally get this film.

Jack Johnson, writer, hecklerspray
My best DVD purchase would have to go to
Rock Profile (DVDs), even though the first series is lame – and when I say
that, I mean it’s virtually impossible to laugh at anything! However,
the second is its polar opposite.  Add to this, extras – many from the
terrible Ralf Little Show – that you would find difficult to get hold
of.

Later – bands and stuff choose their best DVDs of the year. You’ve heard from us, now we want to hear from you. What’s been your standout DVD of 2005? Leave your comments below, and don’t call us wankers. We were joking about that.