What are the best looking blu-ray titles?

[hots4]

i third the road warrior, could not believe how fantastic that looked on blu

[bigdaddyhorse]

Forgot about Road Warrior as well. Imagine how that would've looked to someone who only saw TV broadcasts, cropped and shitty. That wasn't me, but I still almost felt like it was.

I don't recall noticing anything off with The Shining, but I'm not an obsessive nut either (most of the time at least) and despite seeing it dozens of times over ther years, I can't recite it or remeber what color everyone's shirt is. Not trying to sound harsh or anything, I just have no idea if there are color issues. I kinda doubt you would even notice them if they are present, I couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor for the whole runtime when I first checked the disc from the library.

[ronnie21]

Forbidden world looked the best i ever seen in any format. Boogie nights looks great. And THE THING is an upgrade indeed..

[JGrendel]

I also wanted to mention:
Gone with the wind
Rocky horror picture show
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper version)

[Shannafey]

Yeah, I loved seeing Road Warrior on Blu. I held off buying the DVD forever because I was hoping for a great version. It never happened and it was one of the first Blus I bought. The one that totally blew me away was Hardware. One of my favorite films of all time. I've rebought it a few times, including foreign versions. The Blu Ray is stunning. My favorite film is Highlander and I bought the US compatible UK Blu (because of the great extras!). Another one that totally blew me away! When it is one of your favorites and something you're used to watching, you really see the differences and the above 3 films are ones I've seen countless times and really am happy with the Blu-Rays!

[KamuiX]

Originally Posted by JGrendel

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper version)

Forgot about that one; it definitely impressed the hell out of me. One of the films that made me realize almost anything can benefit from a Blu-Ray treatment.

[Christ75]

I recommend:

60s - 70s:
The Godfather, Part I
Taxi Driver
Batman: The Movie (the kitch one with Adam West)
The Shining

80s-90s 00s
Blade Runner: The Final Cut
I, Robot
Tron: Legacy
X:-Files: Fight the Future
Dune
Alien
300

skip skip skip:
Time Bandits
Goodfellas
Predator (Ultimate Hunter Edition)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

[buck135]

Great List Christ75. How could I forget to recommend Blade Runner? You know what irks me about Goodfellas (and The Terminator) is that it's been released more than once, yet they haven't gotten it right. Batman does look great. It's a shame the series will never see the light of day.

[satans-sadists]

Many great titles already discussed in this thread. I would also recommend Star Trek: The Original Series, all three seasons actually. The Planet of the Apes Collection is pretty impressive too.

[shape22]

Originally Posted by Paff

Check out the early James Bond films like Dr. No and From Russia With Love. Really amazing picture quality on those.

I second this recommendation whole-heartedly. I've seen the Connery Bond films many, many times. But seeing the first 3 (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger) on Blu-ray was a completely new experience.

If you're into classic cinema, the restorations of Gone With The Wind, The Adventures Of Robin Hood, and The Wizard Of Oz are pretty mind-blowing as well. DVD struggles to reproduce the oversaturated look of three-strip Technicolor. But it looks sensational on Blu-ray.

I also agree with those who recommended The Shining, The Road Warrior, The Thing, Apocalypse Now, and Blade Runner. The Exorcist, Creepshow, and Kaufman's Invasion Of The Body Snatchers also look really good.

I'm surprised 2001 A Space Odyssey hasn't been mentioned yet. It looks truly sensational.

The Godfather films have been reproduced very faithfully on Blu-ray. But they're not exactly eye candy due to the artistic choices of Gordon Willis.

I know that's a lot more than 3 titles. But unless your screen is truly enormous there's not a ton of difference between the best Blu-ray transfers. And all of these releases are worth mentioning.

I don't have many truly disappointing titles because I religiously read reviews before making purchases. Near Dark has a pretty weak transfer. But I knew that before I picked it up. Since it was only $6 I still took the plunge.

I know you should avoid The French Connection. Friedkin employed a bizarre process to radically alter the color timing. The most recent Predator release is also a travesty due to outrageous levels of DNR. Then there are transfers that have received many strong reviews despite serious technical issues. Those would include Carpenter's Halloween (color timing issues--mainly missing blue hues in the night scenes) and Patton (overzealous use of detail-obliterating DNR).

Many people are also very upset about the transfer of Coppola's Dracula--though there's some credible evidence suggesting that it's actually very faithful to the original answer print. It does look very different to prior home video releases. But Coppola's crew maintains that the earlier versions were altered due to the technical limitations of VHS, DVD, and older televisions.

[Kolpitz]

I think people are overly harsh about the Blu-rays for Carrie and The Terminator. They're not reference quality but they're faithful to the original theatrical presentations of the films. Carrie is a soft film so it'll always lack detail. The Terminator is a gritty, low-budget film, shot mostly at night. The original Predator disc was also very faithful to the film's look but people complained and look what happened. They DNRed the fuck out of it and released a wax museum remake of it on Blu-ray. Not every film is going to look mind-blowing on Blu-ray. The way a film was shot, and the film stock that it was shot on, need to be taken into account. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, on the other hand, needs to be taken to task. MGM fucked that up, thanks to erroneous amounts of DNR usage. That being said, the disc isn't unwatchable like the Ultimate Hunter Edition of Predator. DNR isn't necessarily evil. I hear that Fox and James Cameron used it to great effect with their Aliens Blu-ray. The problem is that most companies use it very lazily and we get terrible and unnatural looking discs.

[booper71]

I saw My Bloody Valentine (remake with 4 glasses) and Kickboxer in the $6 Bluray bin at Walmart, anyone know if these transfers are any good?

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by booper71

I saw My Bloody Valentine (remake with 4 glasses) and Kickboxer in the $6 Bluray bin at Walmart, anyone know if these transfers are any good?

Although the question is off topic here, I was wondering the same thing regarding My Bloody Valentine 3D. I have the standard DVD and would like to know if it's really worth the upgrade, but then at only $6 I may just take the plunge anyways.

[Kolpitz]

Originally Posted by booper71

I saw My Bloody Valentine (remake with 4 glasses) and Kickboxer in the $6 Bluray bin at Walmart, anyone know if these transfers are any good?

I can't compare the Blu-ray to the DVD, as I don't own the DVD, but the Blu-ray looks excellent. If you like the film, it's more than worth six bucks. As for Kickboxer, I hear that transfer is complete ass (as in a good amount of DNR applied).

[CPT HOOK]

Originally Posted by Kolpitz

I think people are overly harsh about the Blu-rays for Carrie and The Terminator. They're not reference quality but they're faithful to the original theatrical presentations of the films. Carrie is a soft film so it'll always lack detail.

I haven't watched Terminator on blu-ray, but I agree about Carrie.

I thought Carrie looked pretty good on blu-ray. Not reference quality, but definitely not one of the worst I've seen.

Originally Posted by booper71

I saw My Bloody Valentine (remake with 4 glasses) and Kickboxer in the $6 Bluray bin at Walmart, anyone know if these transfers are any good?

I only watched the 2D version on the My Bloody Valentine blu-ray, and I thought it looked terrific. If you are a fan of the movie, then don't hesitate to pick it up.