My short answer to the question of whether or not you should buy a blu-ray player is: yes, but of course, I'm gonna back that up. First and foremost is if you don't have an HDTV, then uh, no. Honestly, that should be on your next to do list. But, I would imagine most of you at this point do, so, let's take from there.
Now, you should definitely be using an HDMI cable when viewing HD content, otherwise, there ain't no fucking point. Also, don't be a sucker and buy one from a store. My friend was gonna get one using her points at GameStop, which she tells me is the equivalent of spending 40 bucks! What the fuck?! I gave her one of my HDMI cables that only costy me like 6 bucks, less maybe even. Where did I buy 'em? Amazon. So get your ass over there and order them. Fuck any store and their lame prices.
OK, so now you got your HDMI cable and HDTV, you're ready for the blu-ray upgrade. Now, the difference between DVD and blu-ray is not as huge as the laserdisc/ DVD difference, but it is present in the right titles. The last DVD player I had was upconverting to HD, so my DVDs looked great (blu-ray players do the exact same thing for DVDs, by the way). But, a lot of DVDs having been cutting back on their extra features to get you to make the move to blu-ray. It worked with me. As a movie geek I am a sucker for extra features. I needed to make the jump. With the price drop on machines (I have a Sony, by the way) and discs, I decided to make the move (moreso cause I had two discs that I got as a gift/ won, plus one that I, myself, had bought already). Since then, I have had my player since November of last year.
I don't think it is necessary to rebuy all of your DVDs on blu-ray. I won't be doing that, but if the extras are cool (or if the DVD was crappy to begin with), I will/ or have already done so.
Now, what blu-rays should you buy? Here are my top picks that are based off what I own, so far. On yeah, fuck 3D!! Don't waste your time with that shit. Well, I won't be that's for sure. Anyway, here ya go:
The Toolbox Murders- the first blu-ray I got while actually owning a player is this infamous late 70s slasher. It's a good little, sleazy flick, albeit flawed. The movie looks amazing, with rich blacks and colors and no real grain or noise. It's never looked better. Sure the movie is old and low budget, but the format really brings it out like never before. The same cannot be said for say a film like
Evil Dead, where the imperfections come off more clearer. But, on a shot on 35mm film like this it is all win.
Taxi Driver- This is the best improvement over a DVD, I have, yet to see. It's really amazing just how good the movie looks. The colors are rich and strong. The shoot-out still looks very grainy, but that has more to do with them having to saturate the scene to get it past the MPAA. The extra features are from the DVD release before this, but I only owned the first DVD release, hence this was a no-brainer, must have for me. It should be for you, too. By the way, this still remains Scorsese's best movie. It's a powerful American movie classic.
2oth Century Fox blu-rays- I only own two of them: the fun
The A-Team movie and the excellent psychological horror flick
Black Swan. Both look great,
Swan has some grain (but again that's due to the cameras used), but the real reason I am mentioning is that their blu-rays are so good, that you could watch any part of the movie, stop it, and come back to it, even a month later, having a watched a shitload of other blu-rays and DVDs, and they go right back to where you left off! Even, if it's an extra feature! So fucking cool! Even the best DVD/ DVD players couldn't do that!
Pornstar Superheroes- The only porno I own on blu-ray so far (I would like to get LOTS more!!), this is the best a skin flick has EVER looked! In fact, not only is this a great looking porno, but it ranks among the best looking blu-rays of ANY kind. It's so good that you can even see the pores on the skin of the cast! Asa Akira's ass looks more amazing than ever! I am working on a full review of this great disc and flick. Until then I say you need to get some HD porn and this is a PERFECT choice to start from, or continue from, for that matter!
True Blood Season 2- First off, why two and not three? Well, I don't own three. I think it was the series weakest season, so far. I'm not sure if I wanna own it. That said this is THE best looking blu-ray I have seen so far. Colors so bright, rich, and strong, that every single pore on an actor can be seen. This is the best season so far, and this beautiful disc set truly captures it. I thought this show looked nice on HBOHD, it's more jaw dropping now. An amazing disc that must be part of any Trubie collection.
Drive Angry- I got this with some b-day money having heard so much good things on it. I watched it last night and found it to be a thoroughly fun mix of action, horror, splatter, and exploitation. It failed at the BO, but you really need to see this one. I think the way this movie was advertised was all wrong. Satanists, gore, cars, babes (including the beautiful Amber Heard!), nudity, sex, and Satanism are all in here and all lead to good times.
Anyway, I want to say this is the regular blu-ray, not the 3D version. Like I already said fuck 3D! That said the disc looks amazing. The colors are vibrant and there is nothing bad to be said about it. Really and truly one of the best looking discs out there. The sound is aggressive, although the dialogue is slightly lower. But, that is really a minor complaint. See this one (and, I imagine quite a few of you have not) and get the fucking blu-ray!
Any other titles you guys recommend to own on blu-ray? Please share. And, for the rest of you, I hope this blog, helps you pick where you should start your collection or even add to your collection. So, here's to skin and gore in HD!!!!
Title: The Deadly Duo
