Criteria for Best Movie Releases of the Month

Beginning January 2010, and continuing every month after, I plan to post a blog with my picks for the Best Film, 'Under the Radar' Film, Blu-ray, and DVD of the month. These picks will consist of the films which were released on Blu-ray and/or DVD during the given month. Theatrical releases will not be included. Below, I will outline the criteria for each category.

Best Film of the Month - For this category, I will simply choose the film I thought was the best. A reissue of a film, which has been previously released on DVD or Blu-ray, is excluded.

'Under the Radar' Film of the Month - For this category, I will choose the best film which, I feel, was overlooked by most people. It is possible for the winner of this category to also be the "Best Film of the Month."

Blu-ray of the Month - For this category, I will choose the Blu-ray I thought was the best. I will not only be considering the film, but also the picture and audio quality, as well as, the supplements. A Blu-ray that is simply a re-release of an existing DVD—which only upgrades the picture and audio quality, and adds no new supplements—will not be eligible. However, a complete remastering of a film, in which, both, a new Blu-ray and DVD are released (example: Paris, Texas in January 2010), is absolutely eligible.
Update: Blu-rays from regions outside the U.S. are also eligible, provided the film has not been previously released on Blu-ray or DVD in the U.S. However, I currently do not own a region free Blu-ray player. So if I choose a Blu-ray from another region, it will not be region locked.

DVD of the Month - For this category, I will choose the DVD I thought was the best. Again, I will not only consider the film, but also the supplements and picture and audio quality. If a film is also released on Blu-ray, it will not be considered for this category. This will be for DVD-only releases.
Update: DVDs from regions outside the U.S. are also eligible, provided the film has not been previously released on Blu-ray or DVD in the U.S.

Of course, I cannot watch every film that is released during a given month, nor would I even want to watch some of them. However, from the many I do watch, I should have no trouble choosing a rightful winner for each category. To stay updated on what films are chosen each month, please subscribe to this blog (on the right), or check back around the 15th of the following month. Thanks for your interest!