# 10 must-have movies on Blu-ray



## Blaser

I thought I would start my collection of BD movies. There are some criteria these movies must enjoy before I would think to buy them:

- good plot
- exellent PQ and SQ
- noticeably better than a DVD transfer

Here are some movies that are on my card and I need you to confirm and complete to10 or rectify my choices:

- 300
- The fifth element remastered
- No country for old men
- The rock
- Planete earth complete BBC series (exception)
- Iron man (when available)

Thanks for your suggestions


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## nova

Don't have Blu-ray, but I have heard that the Blu-ray release of The Fifth Element is not even as good as the Superbit release :huh: May be worth a little research on that one before you buy.


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## Blaser

I have heard the remastered version is very good


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## Richard W. Haines

Well the simple answer is...I want everything I have now in standard DVD in high definition which
is about 250 titles. I have some of my favorites in HD DVD and some day I'll have to replace them
with Blu-ray copies.

In terms of what's been listed as being released in the format, next week is "The Sand Pebbles"
and "Patton". I'll go ahead and get them even though I don't have a Blu-ray player yet. I
waiting to hear the reviews of the new player being released in July. On August 26th will be
the restored version of "How the West Was Won" with a solid widescreen image since they 
digitally removed the panel joins of the three panel Cinerama image. I'll have to have the player by
then. They also announced "Ben Hur" for next year. Certainly "The Wizard of Oz", "Gone with
the Wind" and "North by Northwest" are musts. They've shown up on lists for release but they
haven't announced release dates yet. Anything shot in 70mm should look awesome in high definition
so titles like "Lawrence of Arabia", "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", "South Pacific" and "Around
the World in 80 Days" would be great additions to my collection.

Very frew new movies are worth owning in my opinion. I'll rent them or borrow them from friends
but since blu-ray movies are so expensive, I'm not going to shell out the cash just to see them
once.


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## Bob_99

For me it would be "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (obviously) but I don't know how much that could improve as the extended version is already pretty good IMO. I also have never seen anything that indicates it will ever be done.

Bob


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## mekkanic

I have the I am Legend Blu-ray, good PQ and SQ. Plot is ok (??).


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## tonyvdb

The day after tomorrow is fantastic on Blu,
The Waterhorse 
DieHard4
The chronicles of Narnia
And as mentioned above The Planet earth series is a must have.


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## yacht422

when it issues, laurence of arabia is 100% #1 movie. i have it on laser disk and dvd. blu ray will be "special". it might be worth mentioning that the end of the movie is worth visiting if only to see how it mirrors today!!!
walt


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## ragingsamster

Although not technically "Movies" the HBO series Band of Brothers and John Adams would be on my list.


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## Blaser

Thank you guys :T


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## Kevin_Wadsworth

I just watched the BluRay "5th Element". Noticeably better than my DVD copy, althoughI dont' have the superbit. Very good picture and sound quality. Plot? To each their own. It's not in my top 10, but my wife loves the movie.


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## Blaser

Is it the remastered version? What size is your screen, and what's your watching distance?


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## nova

Blaser said:


> I have heard the remastered version is very good


It may well be the original Blu-ray release that is not so good. The remastered release may be fine. Dunno, had just read a few reviews that were less than stellar on the Blu-ray release.


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## Kevin_Wadsworth

Blaser said:


> Is it the remastered version? What size is your screen, and what's your watching distance?


It was from blockbuster, so I don't have the disc to double check. But the release date listed on the blockbuster.com web page is the same as the remastered version (7/17/07).

Screen size is 110" diagonal (16:9). Seating distance is ~11.5 feet.


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## Guest

Hi,

I have the Remastered version of the Fifth Element.

Viewing on my Pioneer 1080P LX508 50" Plasma from about 7-8feet the picture is very good indeed. Way better than all the previous DVD versions I have seen.

Other Recommended Blu Rays that meet your requirements I own or have rented.

3:10 to Yuma (In my top 5 Westerns ever)

Blade Runner

Any of the Pirates of the Caribbean (Although the first one is the best film)
Picture and sound is among the very best I have seen so far.

300

Although not meeting your requirement for a good story the following are excellent for picture and sound.

Shoot em up (Pinsharp image and super loud soundtrack, slightly bonkers action)

Rambo First Blood (Very good for such an old film, sound could be better though)

Mission Impossible III (Great action film, better story than the second one)

Crank (Totally manic from start to finish, but great picture and sound quality)

Sunshine (Stunning visuals and effects)

Kingdom of Heaven (Epic scale, I hope Gladiator looks this good on Blu Ray)




Have Fun

Mark


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## Blaser

Welcome to the Shack Cones! Glad to have you here and thanks for the advice that will sure be considered


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## Blaser

tonyvdb said:


> DieHard4


Already own it


> The chronicles of Narnia


Saw it on DVD and is added to my list :T


> And as mentioned above The Planet earth series is a must have.


Saw the first disk on DVD but wasn't impressed with PQ :huh: I hope it's much better on BD.


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## Blaser

Cones said:


> 3:10 to Yuma (In my top 5 Westerns ever)


Added


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## Blaser

Richard W. Haines said:


> Well the simple answer is...I want everything I have now in standard DVD in high definition which
> is about 250 titles. I have some of my favorites in HD DVD and some day I'll have to replace them
> with Blu-ray copies.
> 
> In terms of what's been listed as being released in the format, next week is "The Sand Pebbles"
> and "Patton". I'll go ahead and get them even though I don't have a Blu-ray player yet. I
> waiting to hear the reviews of the new player being released in July. On August 26th will be
> the restored version of "How the West Was Won" with a solid widescreen image since they
> digitally removed the panel joins of the three panel Cinerama image. I'll have to have the player by
> then. They also announced "Ben Hur" for next year. Certainly "The Wizard of Oz", "Gone with
> the Wind" and "North by Northwest" are musts. They've shown up on lists for release but they
> haven't announced release dates yet. Anything shot in 70mm should look awesome in high definition
> so titles like "Lawrence of Arabia", "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", "South Pacific" and "Around
> the World in 80 Days" would be great additions to my collection.
> 
> Very frew new movies are worth owning in my opinion. I'll rent them or borrow them from friends
> but since blu-ray movies are so expensive, I'm not going to shell out the cash just to see them
> once.


You love these movies eh? When released they will be added to my collection :yes:


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## wbassett

Cones said:


> Kingdom of Heaven (Epic scale, I hope Gladiator looks this good on Blu Ray)


Kingdom of Heaven is definitely one of the best looking movies in my BD library. A Knight's Tale also looks very good too, although the unique modernized music can put some people off, it is a fun romp of a movie.

Blade Runner is also a great one to have, as is 2001. The acid trip FX at the end of 2001 are mind blowing on Bluray!

I personally prefer 300 on HD DVD over the Bluray version, but it still looks fantastic on Bluray.

Spidy and the Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer also look great.

And then there is Casino Royal. It just looks flat out incredible. Sony made it as a Bluray show piece, so the video and audio transfer as well as the special features are top notch.


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## Bob_99

I guess I spoke too soon as I just found this posted on the web:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lord of the Blu-ray Rings
Jackson confirms work on high-def trilogy release. 
by Christopher Monfette
May 27, 2008 - In what seems like a rather obvious, yet earth-shatteringly cool, announcement, Lord of the Rings mastermind Peter Jackson recently stated in a web-chat concerning the upcoming Hobbit film that he is hard at work on a high-definition release of the classic trilogy.

"We are working on a Blu-ray version of the LOTR trilogy with Warner Bros at the moment, not sure when it is due for release. It certainly won't be this year."

It's not much, but at least it's an official, straight-from-the-source confirmation that sometime in 2009, we'll all be watching the One Ring cross into Mordor in superior high-definition. 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This may motivate me to buy a blue-ray player.

Bob


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## yacht422

hey, you young guys, what about casablanca: the magnificent seven: the sound of music: my fair lady: all 9 of the stars wars epics: anything by mario lanza - and- believe it or not, the original tv production of victory at sea! no lousy script, no poor acting, just our men in action. 
Truth is, there are too many choices. Henry Ford had it correct when he said, "any color, as long as it is black".
Best of luck with your blu ray quest
walt(age 67; retired in florida)


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## Blaser

Great suggestions :T .... Welcome to the Shack Walter!


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## MrPorterhouse

The Fifth Element (Remastered Version)
Kingdom of Heaven
Pirates of the Caribbean (Any of the three)
Live Free or Die Hard
Casino Royale
Ratatouille or Cars or The Wild
Rambo
Crank
Man on Fire
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe


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## Blaser

wbassett said:


> The acid trip FX at the end of 2001 are mind blowing on Bluray!


What's that?


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## Blaser

Here is the list of BDs I have ordered today from Amazon. They are region A but have been reported to be region free. I hope I won't have surprises.
Even including shipping it makes less than half the price I'd have to pay if available here in Egypt.

I'd like to ask about Blade Runner; It is a 5 disc set, but is it a single movie? I don't know.

I didn't order all recommended movies as I already own some of them.

I am still gathering information for next month 10 movies new list :yes:


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## Guest

Hi,

Blade Runner 5 Disc set has 4 Different versions of the film and 9 Hours of extra features! You won't be disappointed. The restored and remastered version with 5.1 True HD sound is stunning.

Have Fun

Mark


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## Blaser

Thank you Cones and welcome to the Shack


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## Blaser

Cones said:


> Hi,
> 
> Blade Runner 5 Disc set has 4 Different versions of the film and 9 Hours of extra features! You won't be disappointed. The restored and remastered version with 5.1 True HD sound is stunning.
> 
> Have Fun
> 
> Mark


Great...Which one to watch first? second....? :bigsmile:


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## Blaser

Hi. Having a small problem with my visa card the order has not been executed. Well...I have been looking around for reviews and I just don't know about Planet Earth. I watched the first disc on DVD but I didn't like PQ that much :scratch: (black were rather gray, clarity wasn't top notch...). I just would like to know about the BD transfer. Can any owner comment pls?


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## mdrake

Planet Earth on BD is Awesome with a capital A. :bigsmile:
My wife and my parents were staring at the TV with the jaws on the ground. It is really amazing how much detail you can see. 

Matt


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## MatrixDweller

Maybe a bit of late reply...but I recently bought *X-Men 3* and it is a superb upgrade over DVD. The PQ is purposefully grainy but clear and the SQ is a big step up over DVD. There's a lot more going on in the surround channels and the bass is more plentiful. Some of the battle scenes probably hit the original Dolby Digital and DTS formats limits. The Bluray soundtracks definitely pack a lot more oomph. In the end battle when Juggernaut goes running you can feel it hit your chest when he hits the ground. Same scene when Arclight sends a couple shock waves, the deep bass can really be felt. Of course the Bridge scene just before the battle is a true test of a sub's mettle. A definite must for anyone's collection. Pretty much any scene could be used as a system demo.


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## Blaser

I have received the movies I had ordered. The very best PQ is Pan's Labyrinth by far... 300 is the overall best movie (but I like Frank Muller).


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## MatrixDweller

A couple of kids bluray movies I have are Cars and Meet the Robinsons. Both have excellent PQ and SQ. I also got the Avengers set on Bluray. It's not bad either, but not quite as good as the Disney flicks I mentioned.


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## Richard W. Haines

After surfing the net and finding some more proposed blu ray releases, I'll add the following:

Some Ultimate Edition Bonds are now listed. They looked incredible in standard DVD so the
blu rays should be superb. On Oct. 21, 2008 "Thunderball", "From Russia with Love" and
"Dr. No" will be released. I hope they fixed that ending sequence by the
truck in "From Russia with Love". It was timed much too dark and you
can't see any details in the standard DVD.


Sept. 23rd is "The Godfather" restoration. I'm very curious to
see how that looks since it was shot wide open at f. 2 with very little light on set 
and has suffered fading and wear due to it's popularity. It's the style of cinematography 
that doesn't lend itself to high definition. The Technicolor prints 'filled in the grain' but 
Eastmancolor re-issue copies and the standard DVD didn't look that good. Grainy and murky contrast. Let's see if they were able to digitally alter these elements to make them look good 
in the HD format. If so, then there's hope for titles like "McCabe and Mrs.
Miller" and "Farewell, My Lovely" which have similar problems.


The blu ray of "How the West Was Won" has been pushed forward from Aug. 26th 
to Sept. 9th. That will be another very interesting restoration. It was shot in 
three panel Cinerama and they spend years color correcting and combining them to 
get rid of the join lines (present in the original release) and blending them into a 
seamless widescreen image. Aside from the panel joins there were bugs and
other debris on one of the three lenses in some shots. I wonder if they cleaned
them off too? I can't wait to see what it looks like. I'm also curious
to see how they dealt with the sound. I saw it in 3 Strip Cinerama and seven channel
magnetic stereophonic sound. Very directional dialogue and effects. You could 
hear people moving from speaker to speaker as they walked across the vast wide screen. 
I hope they leave that in when it's adapted to the 5.1 format. I'm sure they added sub woofer
effects for the buffalo stampede. They weren't in the original but I'll bet they included
them in the disc.

I like "Every Which Way But Loose" which is slated for Sept. 2nd but it's a grainy movie. I'm not sure it will look good in the format.

Abbott and Costello's PD Super Cinecolor film, "Jack and the Beanstalk" is set for
Oct. 28th but don't rush to buy it. It's the cut version, not the uncut version.


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