25 REASONS TO 1080 IT: THE CATCH-ALL THREAD

Awesome write up and the perfect film to start the list with. Few modern films benefit from an HD upgrade as much as NO COUNTRY.

Ignorant question: if it's about why these films are worth the upgrade to 1080, why no full res shots? Never understood showing thumbnail screen grabs of a blu ray.

Cool list idea; dug the captions.

The fact that I own 20 of the 25 on this list is awesome.

I'm a little bit curious as to how many I own as well. This is a good way to start off the list but I might put it a little bit higher as the picture quality is gorgeous. I know it's more comprehensive than just picture but besides story, it's the most important reason why I get something on blu.

Yeah, I think this list is gonna be awesome.

Hopefully we're not just looking at awesome transfers and sound quality, but enhanced theatrical experience. Watching certain films in blu made me fall in love with them all over again (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Connery Bond, random Disney/Pixar, Alien).

I hope someone also touches upon the subject of grain and DNR.

Totally digging it and hoping for some surprises.

In terms of full res shots, why not imageshack them and then have them in the forum? Don't even need to use the IMG tag, just have links to them. Saves bandwidth and people can really see some more subtle things.

(if you want to put direct pictures in the forum, just put a Enter at Your Own Risk Thread or Ovulating Female Thread)

Great start to the list with No Country For Old Men. I'm going to pick it up not only for the awesome HD transfer, but for that digital copy.

Yeah, my goal is to snag the Great Five Disney Films from 1937-1942 (Snow White, Bambi, Dumbo, Fantasia which just came out, awesome, and this). Pinocchio's top of that list.

I've never seen Pinocchio, but now I have to.

No Country looks so damn good. Just watched it again the other day.

Casino Royale Blu, though, might just still be the gold standard. Watching that opening chase scene might just make your heart stop. Gorgeous.

I once described Pinocchio as A Clockwork Orange for kids. It gets pretty intense and freaky at times.

Well why not just post links to the 1080p captures in the forums?

Yeah the new site is gonna kick ass, and I'm still playing with on the right balance of the picture display, so yeah I know it can be a real bitch.

Great write-up, Troy. It does indeed look fantastic.

I am hoping for a good Blu-Ray transfer for 101 Dalmatians. If Disney treats it anything like I'm seeing here, I'll be very happy. Mary Blair's style in the backgrounds of that film make it my favorite of Disney's animated features. I can't get enough of it.

Justin Clark, I grew up, watching the...Speed Racer Anime! When it was in, 1st run syndication, of the early...70's. I realize that some people would say, I am...Dating, myself, but I have never done that, even though I am a...Gemini (Twins). I love the movie...Speed Racer, and I would have loved even more absurdities that would have happened in a Speed Racer 2.

Didn't really care for the flick, but I can see where that'd be considered a demo disc.

Course, I'm a snob, so Baraka works that way for me.

I've never seen this movie. As of this moment, the last thing holding me back is their use of Comic Sans. It's like cryptonite to graphics artists.

The Comic Sans shot is from a moment where Spritle and Chim Chim are watching an awful Fist of the North Star-esque anime on TV and imagine themselves inside the show. Font was probably a conscious choice to go with how garish the show is. Its pretty hilarious in context.

SOLD! I will check it out this weekend. Thanks, Justin!

So Maya Rudolph has a cousin, and Maya's not the ugly one?

I love you Justin!

Speed Racer is a great film, and I really loved what you had to say about it. The one thing I'd say is I didn't care for the car that used stinging insects as a weapon. Some of those racers were too goofy for the cross country race, but oh well whatever. The movie itself is completely wonderful for the most part and so little things like that I can let slide. Also, I have an HD DVD player and currently cannot afford a blue ray (or even a sammich, since I am totally broke), but if I ever got one (which would probably happen after I get a new TV) I'd be willing to look into getting SPEED RACER

I might get some shit for this, but Speed Racer's lack of a great soundtrack hurts it from making my own personal list. It's a great flick, has a great video track, but the sound seems a little lacking from what I remember in the theater.

I recommend it still, but if I was making a list that appeals on video, audio and story, it gets taken down a notch in my OCD world. So yes, I would recommend Die Hard over it, hell I'll even recommend Avatar over it as well.

I think the end credits song is kickin'! So much fun (IMHO)

Also, the music during the key moment (Speed winning the Grand Prix) is fantastic as well

I hate you Anderson!

Yeah... poopoo on the lack of an HD audio track.

Oh I don't hate on anyone who likes Speed Racer.

I'm slowly getting disinterested in special features. So it's just the movie for me. Thus picture and sound. I don't want marketing to influence my opinion or something, and it does tend to destroy the movie magic. When I know how something is done, it feels all the more transparent.

A movie should stand by itself. Thus Avatar (the 1st release) ranks pretty high for me. The movie itself isn't high grade literature, but it does nail the beats for being a great theatrical experience. The case in which the movie is in, while nice, has no influence on me at all. If the movie plays with the best sound and picture, that's all I need.

That said, I do appreciate when the effort is put into the special features, like Star Trek. When your money shots are still amazing after I view how its done, that truly is money well spent.

Still, these are just my view points, just offering a contrast view, not saying anyone else is wrong. Besides, I don't know what exactly per say what was used as criteria to make the list. A good movie is a good movie regardless, so when I see a title of reasons to 1080 it, I'm looking to see why the DVD/digital download isn't worthy. Looking forward to the rest of the list.

Anderson,


Do you really think this is terrible packaging*? I was quite taken with it when I saw it in the store. You can't tell from this image but it's all shiny in real life. I'd have made that the poster for the film, by far my favorite piece of AVATAR marketing imagery

*assuming that is the one you are talking about

EDIT: I don't mind when a movie is broken up over two discs. They invoke the INTERMISSION, and a sense of the grand movie going experience of old where you could go out, have a smoke and think over what you'd just seen before diving back in for the conclusion

Ah OK, I did not anticipate that you would be referring to a structural flaw in the design of the case itself. I assumed you were talking about the cover art. Anyway, I've never liked any of the packaging for HD DVD cases. I don't know why the fact it's a blue ray seems to need to be emblazoned across the top of the case. It detracts from the art. Sure, I guess the general populace might be AV ignorant and market confusion would result if you didn't slap a big BLUE RAY logo on it, but still, it seems like it's catering to the worst element of the AV market -- the same people who buy accidently full screen movies and don't know the difference. Stocking DVDs separately from HD DVDs seems like all that should be needed

Additionally, I dislike the tiny cases. The PS3 game discs use them as well, from what I've seen. There is a reason mini disc players never caught on, and people who are interested in investing in physical media usually get some pleasure from displaying their collection on a shelf. The DVD Keep Case is the perfect size for that, and with a DVD you can have cover art without the top half inch reading "DVD!"

BTW, I am totally sold on the value of HD. It is invaluable for videogaming, and the few HD DVDs I do own for my TOSHIBA HD DVD A3 player offer a new way of looking at film. It's very much like a window into another reality, and not just an image of something. The PLANET EARTH series alone is worth the money I sunk into the HD DVD thing. Oh, and the texture on Michael Caine's sweater in CHILDREN OF MEN is stunning. I know that sounds absurd, but I mean it. It's like there is a real person wearing a sweater there before my eyes. HD and 3D go hand in hand that way to my mind, each one works best when it's used to tear down the barrier between the audience and the drama on screen

My only hesitation in getting a BR is the cost. I gambled on the HD DVD player (for good reasons, it remains the best HD Disc player of all time IMHO), and lost. I had my chance at HD this tech generation, better luck next time. My TV is only 1080i anyway and LCD, and so it's not as big a deal

When I get more funds in the future, I will look into improving the way I watch movies ASAP

PS You could just make generic plastic case BLUE RAYS come in blue plastic cases like they already do. XBOX games come in green cases. You'd never confuse an XBOX game with a DVD, and if you just used blue cases you'd not confuse a BLUE RAY with a DVD either IMHO

EDIT I am on your side when it comes to green packaging, Anderson. If they want to go 'Green', they should use recycled wood fiber for a study outer casing like HBO used for the ROME dvds. Something made of light cardboard only cannot stand the test of time

Another great write up. Still have to get this one. It's on my christmas list!

This fucking killed me.

Awesome writeup about Psycho.

Best thing about the Psycho transfer is how you can actually see the pancake makeup on Martin Balsam's face in that shot of him climbing the stairs.

Standard DVD has often been unforgiving of old-time FX. HD is considerably more so.

There is an irony about watching Fight Club on a top of line format. Hell, even on the 2 disc DVD, it didn't default to the 5.1. Took it as a message as you should be happy with Dolby Surround, but I cave in and upgrade the sound.

You are not the Dolby Digital 5.1 you listen to!

I'm not Jack's raging 5.1.