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by HDD Staff
Sun Jan 02, 2011 at 07:00 PM ETTags: Best of, High-Def Digest, High-Def Retailing, Industry Trends (all tags)
by the High-Def Digest Writers
Christmas is over. All the presents that were once under your tree have now been opened and are ready to be enjoyed. If you're one of the many who received a brand spanking new Blu-ray player and want to know how to get the most out of it, have we got the list for you. Over the years, High-Def Digest has been meticulously putting together list after list of the best suggestions we can think of when it comes to filling out your Blu-ray collections. Since, going through Google is a pain to find each and every one of these extremely helpful articles (Trust us, we know), we've decided to bring them to you in one list. One giant list of post-holiday Blu-ray-buying goodness. With your new Blu-ray player, and perhaps your brand new high-def television, you'll be wanting to know exactly which discs to buy to get the best out of your new Christmas HD goodies. Follow along and we'll guide you to the very best that Blu-ray has to offer.
2008
Around Thanksgiving time of 2008 High-Def Digest compiled a comprehensive shopping list of some of the best titles to hit the format that year. This isn't a very in-depth article, instead it's an article that gives a simple run-down of the best Blu-ray had to offer that year. It also splits it all up into easy to navigate categories like Action on Blu-ray and TV on Blu-ray. Search through this list and you'll find quite a few gems ('Casino Royale,' 'Ratatouille,' and 'Band of Brothers' just to name a few) that you'll definitely want to add to your Blu-ray collection now that you've made the jump to HD entertainment.
High-Def Digest's Holiday Cheat Sheet: Put Down the Turkey Leg, Pick Up This Shopping List
As the year closed on 2008, former HDD writer/reviewer Kenneth Brown took the time to compile a Best of 2008 list. Still one of the “best of” lists we've had around here, because of the depth Brown goes into explaining his choices, and the extensive runners up category he provides. Listing great Blu-rays like 'Baraka' and 'No Country for Old Men,' Brown's list is a must see for anyone looking to get into Blu-ray for the first time.
2009
As we roll into 2009 we find that HDD was compiling even more lists to help savvy Blu-ray shoppers pick out the best movies that would test the capabilities of our reader's top-of-the-line HD setups.
In August Drew Taylor compiled a thorough list of Blu-rays that he felt were the top Blu-rays of 2009 up until the time he wrote the article.
The Top 10 Blu-ray Releases So Far This Year
For horror junkies it's never too early, or the wrong time of year to be thinking about what are the best horror Blu-rays. Which movies they should keep an eye out for, and which ones really aren't worth bothering with. Self-proclaimed resident HDD horror junkie M. Enois Duarte carefully stitched together a monstrous list of ghoulish frights to keep even the most hardcore horror fan satiated with blood and gore.
The Top Horror Blu-rays for Halloween 2009
As time rolled onward in 2009, Thanksgiving and Black Friday came in a flash. In order to help our readers during the frenzy known as Black Friday and Cyber Monday we compiled a few shopping lists that would best help folks navigate the deals and find out which discs they should really pay attention to.
Aaron Peck compiled a list specifically for the different family eccentric family members we find lurking in our families. Take a look at this list, because you may have one or two of these family members in your clan. Heck, you may even recognize yourself on this list.
High-Def Digest's Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Blu-rays for the Folks Who Have...Issues
Finally, when 2009 drew to a close Drew Taylor revisited his “best of” 2009 choices from his earlier article and added a few more titles that came out later that year. This was truly the best 2009 had to offer, and if you're starting a new Blu-ray collection with the pile of gift cards you got this holiday season, then this is a great place to get started.
2010
With Blu-ray buying, and High-Def Digest swinging into full gear, 2010 saw more list creation than any other year. We were finally compiling more genre lists that would help specific types of movie fans find the best discs that related to their genre of choice. We had lists for the best action on Blu-ray, the best classics on Blu-ray, and even the best holiday movies on Blu-ray.
High-Def Digest Picks the Top 10 Action Films
High-Def Digest Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Best Action Blu-rays of the Year
High-Def Digest Gift Guide 2010: The Top 10 Classic Titles on Blu-ray
High-Def Digest Holiday Gift Guide 2010: The Essential Holiday Blu-rays
More specific shopping guides started springing up. We have perfect lists for Mother's and Father's Day, which if you're a mother or father may apply to you. They also may help you with gift giving ideas when those parent-honoring days roll around once again.
High-Def Digest Presents: A Mother's Day Shopping Guide
Father's Day: HDD's Last Minute Blu-ray Shopping Guide!
Nate Boss compiled one of the most comprehensive shopping lists we've ever seen. Giving us an idea of what Blu-rays to look for if we're shopping for a movie fanatic (the folks who already buy everything. If you're a movie fanatic yourself, then this is a list to pay attention to. It's full of rare discs, store exclusives, and imports. If you find that you have discerning taste when it comes to filling out your Blu-ray collection, this is most definitely the list for you!
High-De f Digest Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Blu-rays for the Hard to Shop For Movie Fanatic
Another edition of M. Enois Duarte's best horror discs was posted in time for Halloween 2010. Put this one and the list from 2009 together and you've got a fantastic beginning to a Blu-ray horror collection, full of scary movies that you'll not only love, but will provide decent eye and ear candy as you watch them with your new HD equipment.
HDD Goodie Bag: Your Horror Blu-rays for Halloween 2010
During the year Drew Taylor put together another wonderful list for a quarterly report, documenting the best 2010 had to offer up until that point.
The Quarterly Report: The Best Blu-rays of the Year So Far...
As this year waswinding down, Drew put together a comprehensive list that covers nearly every wonderful release that we had in 2010. From 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' to the 'Alien Anthology' it's all there to help you find the best discs for your new Blu-ray collection
High-Def Digest Holiday Gift Guide 2010: The Best Blu-rays of the Year
As you can see, over the years, we here at HDD have tried our hardest to point out the best and brightest Blu-ray has to offer. Not only are these discs that will give you top-notch audio and video presentations, they're all pretty darn incredible movies too. So, when you're looking to spend those holiday gift cards that are burning a hole in your pocket, take a look at these lists. They'll give you a great starting point.
Thanks for joining us this year. We'll be back next year with even more lists and ideas on what discs will make great additions to your collection.
From all of us here at High-Def Digest, we'd like to wish you a Happy New Year! Have fun spending your holiday cash on some much needed Blu-rays!
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
The Quarterly Report: The Best Blu-rays of the Year So Far...
Wed Apr 28, 2010 at 03:10 PM ETTags: Best of, Industry Trends, Drew Taylor, High-Def Digest (all tags)
by Drew Taylor
Where has the year gone? Oh right, watching movies. Well, as 'Ferris Bueller' said, "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." That roughly translates to, "Take a look at the best Blu-rays a few times a year." And guess what – it's that time!
1.) Che (Criterion)
In 2008 Steven Soderbergh delivered 'Che,' an uncompromising, two-part portrait of the insurrectionist, revolutionary, and guerrilla warrior Che Guevara. Like the man himself, the film (its two parts labeled 'The Argentine' and 'Guerrilla') was squabbled over, with critics finding it alternately exhilarating and frustrating (particularly polarizing was the film's the second half – the cinematic equivalent of a long slog through the South American jungle). Some critics were gunning for it before its premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, calling into question the director's hubris at making such a long historical film. When it was finally released, it was sometimes presented as a "roadshow" attraction, with both halves being linked by the now-famous 'map' intermission. Elsewhere, it played as two separate movies (as well as being available from IFC's On Demand pay cable channel). In all the hubbub about how it was shown and where you could see it, a real discussion of the work itself (a towering, brazen, unforgettable accomplishment) faded away. Thankfully, Criterion (through their partnership with IFC which has brought about some of the year's best Blu-rays – and will continue to throughout this year) set things right with their gorgeous, two-disc set which is the closest thing we'll ever get to that original roadshow presentation (complete with the map intermission). With a host of special features that investigate the history of the real-life Che (John Lee Anderson, whose indispensible biography, 'Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life' was the movie's foundation, provides an invaluable commentary track) and the film's own revolutionary moments, like being the first film shot on the RED Camera (which has since shot everything from 'District 9' to David Fincher's forthcoming Facebook movie, 'The Social Network'). On the same tip, the transfer is absolutely breathtaking. And you won't find a more open and honest portrait of a filmmaker letdown and frustrated by his own efforts than on the disc's voluminous extras, where he candidly suggests that maybe all the hard work and heartache of 'Che' wasn't worth it. I'm here to say that yes, it was. People will be looking at this movie for years to come. Or, at the very least, I will.
2.) Avatar (Fox)
Let the haters hate (that's what haters do, after all), but 'Avatar' continues its juggernaut-like reign on everyone's favorite high definition home video format. Here's why, even if you don't think that James Cameron's emotionally resonant sci-fi spectacle is the bee's knees (because, well, it is), you should be happy with 'Avatar' and its beautiful presentation on home video: It's selling a ton of Blu-rays and, so with it, Blu-ray players. As much as we'd like to think that everyone feels inclined to go pick up a new piece of home entertainment hardware that will set them back hundreds of dollars - that just isn't the case. But when people get a look at 'Avatar,' with its peerless audio and video (aspect ratio debate aside), the true power of the Blu-ray format becomes illuminated. To say nothing of the re-playability of the film, which seems to get better (or at least more fun) with every passing viewing. On Blu-ray the world of Pandora looks brighter and more alive and you're able to take in all the aspects of subtle storytelling work that went into this monolithic achievement. Even after its stellar theatrical 3-D run it continues to be an envelope-pushing technological game changer by selling a reluctant audience on an entirely new home video format (one that we already love, obviously). And that's just swell.
3.) Foreign Films on Blu-ray (Various)
There was always a fear, in my mind at least, that there would be some niche avenues of film that would get forgotten or glossed over in the high definition world. One of these, I surmised, would be foreign language films, many of which do not contain the fast moving action and elaborate special effects that are marked by some as the hallmarks of the new format. It seems I was an idiot. (The sound you just heard was the forums erupting in wild applause.) In these past four months we have seen a handful of stellar releases (mostly from the fine folks at Criterion and Sony's art house arm Sony Picture Classics), including but not limited to 'Revanche,' 'Broken Embraces,' 'Red Cliff,' 'Summer Hours' and 'The Baader Meinhof Complex.' What's even more promising is that some wonderful older titles have also seen the high definition light of day, including 'Vivre Sa Vie,' '8 ½' and 'Fallen Angels.' Throw in that Chan-wook Park 'Vengeance' trilogy (currently a Best Buy exclusive but out next month for everybody) and you've got a pretty impressive line-up of both contemporary and classic world cinema. The cynics among you will claim that this is mostly because Sony, who created the Blu-ray format and remain its biggest cheerleader/pusher/supporter/whatever, wants to reach its slimy corporate tentacles into the fans of art house and foreign films and sell them on the promise of Blu-ray. This may be true. But whatever the reason, I'm just glad to have these films on Blu-ray. They're enough to enhance any library (and may even forgive that copy of 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' sitting on your shelf).
4.) In the Loop (MPI)
If the merit to be a part of this list is based solely on how many times I've re-watched a certain Blu-ray, than Armando Iannucci's hilarious, Academy Award-nominated 'In the Loop' deserves to be on this list, maybe at the top. The gleefully profane comedy, a kind of Bush-era 'Dr. Strangelove' (which makes it both timely and somewhat dated) about the lead up to the Iraq War, milks the faux documentary style, recently made popular by filmmakers like Christopher Guest and Ricky Gervais, for every awkward possibility. And it probably ends up being closer to reality than most documentaries about the behind-the-scenes machinations of the invasion. Peter Capaldi, as the Prime Minister's chief wag Malcolm Tucker, has gone a long way in creating a timeless comedy icon, and every F-bomb he drops resonates like a nuclear device. Or some other theoretical WMD. I recommend this movie for countless and different reasons: because you're tired of neat-and-tidy Hollywood comedies, because you want to see something with teeth, and because you want to laugh til you have some sort of bodily function accident. Just talking about it makes me want to watch it again. Be back in 90 minutes.
5.) The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Fox)
When I saw Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' at a press screening last fall, I wasn't exactly sure what to think of it. After all, Anderson is, for better or sometimes worse, the maestro of quirk. The fact that he was applying his singular style to a children's film seemed like something of an odd fit. It was cute, to be sure, but would it really stand up on repeated viewings, like 'Rushmore' or 'Bottle Rocket' or 'The Royal Tenenbaums?' Well, the answer is yes. In fact, I'm now of the opinion that 'Fantastic Mr. Fox,' a gorgeously realized work of stop motion wizardry, is among the director's finest accomplishments. Stop motion benefits greatly from the intricacy of the high definition image (as 'Nightmare Before Christmas' and 'Coraline' have proven) and revisiting 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' is a visual delight, a contraption that keeps revealing new secrets and hidden detail. But the unexpected joy comes from the film's screenplay, which is deceptively dry and oh-so-hilarious. Who knew that George Clooney's finest performance of last year would come not as a travel-addicted axe man but as a rakish animated animal?
6.) and 7.) Ponyo and Princess & the Frog (Both Disney)
As dazzling as the stop motion of 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' looks and as the computer generated films continue to impress on Blu-ray ('How to Train Your Dragon' is on my shortlist for most anticipated high definition home video releases for the rest of the year and the two 'Toy Story' films, released this year on Blu-ray, are highlights to be sure), there's something to be said about how fantastic old school traditional animation looks on the format. These two films, both adaptations of classic fairy tales told in wildly different ways (one a traditionally Japanese translation, the other a Cajun-fried take), looked beyond phenomenal in high definition. And they're also truly astonishing cinematic accomplishments, too. 'Ponyo' is easily Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki's best, most touching film since 'Spirited Away,' and 'Princess and the Frog,' Disney's long-awaited return to hand drawn animation is a rip roaring princess story for a new generation, with killer songs and an all-time great Disney villain in the form of Keith David's lithe Dr. Facilier, The Shadow Man. Both films are true testaments to the singular cinematic magic of traditional animation.
8.) Gangs of New York (Remastered) (Disney)
There were two Martin Scorsese reissues put out on Blu-ray. One was a shameful cash-in that did nothing to improve the previous release, besides tack on a handful of forgettable extras. Then there was another one that improved in every way on its previous iteration, upping the visual and audio quotient in exponential ways and, granted, some new special features would have been nice (maybe a retrospective documentary on there), the overall feel of the release is one of real reverence and respect for a future classic. 'Gangs of New York' is the latter release. When it was released, Martin Scorsese's period epic, about warring urban tribes in turn-of-the-century Manhattan (his first film with Leo), was met with quizzical stares. Was this the movie he had really been working on for 20 years? Well, yes. And while it isn't the flawless masterpiece it maybe could have been, it is a challenging, whip-smart, bloody violent film that can now, finally, be appreciated in glorious high definition form. (The 2008 release has rightfully been discontinued.) With 'There Will Be Blood,' Daniel Day-Lewis took everybody's breath away, but I'd argue that his performance here as Bill the Butcher is just as breathtaking, if not as nuanced or layered. As they say in hoary advertisements, watch it again, for the first time.
9.) Michael Jackson: This Is It (Sony)
There were a lot of great music Blu-ray releases put out in this quarter ('Soul Power' among them), but the grandiose and occasionally ghoulish Michael Jackson release, chronicling his planned but never executed comeback tour, is still my favorite. The songs are as good as ever, giving any pro-level surround sound system a proper workout, and the movie (a minor masterpiece of editorial craftsmanship) is just as strong and just as weird as it was in the theaters. Oh, and that special feature on the making of his costumes remains one of my favorite documentaries of the year. Now if only we could get 'Captain Eo' in high definition…
10.) The House of the Devil (Dark Sky Films)
Ti West's teeny tiny horror treat 'The House of the Devil,' a nifty throwback to both the babysitter-alone-in-the-house and devil-cult-worship sub-genres of the late 70s and early 80s, is one of the strongest Blu-ray releases of the year thus far for a couple of reasons, but first and foremost is the fact that the high definition format does nothing to betray the feeling that you really are watching a battered old horror movie from that time period, one you've probably rescued from bottom shelf obscurity from your local video store. (Some promotional copies of the movie came with a VHS copy, complete with the oversized box favored by cheapie horror fare of yesteryear.) The other big reason to recommend 'House of the Devil' is that it really is the rare scary movie that gets better the more times you watch it. And it's a perfect flick to pull out when your movie illiterate buddies say, "They don't make really scary movies anymore!" This ought to shut them up.
Also fantastic: 'Halloween II,' 'Toy Story,' 'Toy Story 2,' 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,' 'The African Queen,' 'The Hurt Locker'
And thats the list for now. Stay tuned for further updates later on this year!
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