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Ooooooh hello readers,
Guess what...? It's Easter Weekend - Which means that I have a whopping four days off doing absolutely nothing! How cool is that?
I actually have a further two DVDs to get through from LoveFilm - The Maltese Falcon and Brighton Rock. Both movie adaptations of books that I've read within the past few months (both excellent). I can't wait to see Bogart's take on Samuel Spade in particular - he's the perfect choice!
So anyway, I was looking through HMV's Blu-Ray selection today, now that it has been crowned king of the next-gen. Unfortunately it's still very expensive - most discs ranging around the £17.99 mark. That means that you only really want to grab the essential editions, or pick up discs that are on offer. HMV currently have a '3 for the price of 2' offer on lots of Blu-Ray discs which seems ok, so they could be worth checking out..
So being the nice guy that I am, I thought I would mine the HMV Blu-Ray section and share my essential picks with all of you:
2001: A Space Odyssey - Special Edition
This is probably a poor one to start off with, because I've never seen it! I know, me! A connoisseur of film! This is precisely the reason I signed up to LoveFilm really, and I actually have this Blu-Ray version on my waiting list. I'm sure it'll be spectacular.
Full Metal Jacket Special Edition
More Stanley Kubrick - Full Metal Jacket is a fantastic film, and it's shot in a beautifully stylised way. This is always talked about as one of the best Vietnam pictures of all time - the other main contenders being Apocalypse Now and Platoon. Personally I think this is the weakest of the three, but the start of the film in the boot camp is sensational. Kubrick shoots it in such a beautifully eerie way - I'd love to see it in Blu-Ray.
Seven-six-two millimeter. Full. Metal. Jacket. Spiderman Trilogy - £29.99
I'm almost tempted to get this solely for the packaging.. it reminds me of a kick-ass 3D cover that Empire Magazine did a while back. I still haven't seen the third one, which sounded like it was a bit rubbish - but I still think the second film is one of the better superhero movies of recent times. Along with the likes of X-Men 2 and Batman Begins (Batman Begins probably being the best superhero movie ever..) Anyway, I imagine this series will look fantastic in Blu-Ray.
A Clockwork Orange: Special Edition
Yet more Kubrick! He should start paying me some royalties with all this promotion.. Anyway, A Clockwork Orange is a chilling and edgy film, and well adapted from the book. I've yet to find out what the special features are on this Blu-Ray release, so as to make it 'special'. I think this is a real issue with a lot of Blu-Ray titles. If they're lacking the special features of their DVD counterparts then why would you buy it? Can the high definition aspect alone justify the purchase? Anyway, that aside, it's an essential film.
The Blu-Ray Edition - Real Horrorshow O my Brothers.Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
The first of Steven Spielberg's back-catalogue to hit the high definition format.. Apparently this is a really comprehensive set, with three cuts of the film. It also looks fantastic in high definition. According to Amazon.
Ratatouille/Pixar Shorts
I bought this recently on DVD as mentioned in the post here. I was struggling for ages on whether to buy the Blu-Ray edition or not.. Eventually I opted out and got the standard DVD edition instead. It means that I can watch it elsewhere other than just in my room where the only Blu-Ray player is. It's a shame in a way though because I would love to see the perfect, crisp visuals even more crisp and even more perfect. As for the film.. I think it's brilliant, and in competition for the title of 'Pixar's Best'. I've watched it about three times now in various places (at home, on a plane) and it's totally re-watchable. If you want a new film to kick off your Blu-Ray collection then you could do a lot worse!
Magnifique!And that's all for now. I will continue to monitor Blu-Ray prices and shall inform you of any massive bargains. Until next time readers!
- Jimmy
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Edit: Since starting this post I've actually seen both The Maltese Falcon and Brighton Rock. Here's the reviews that I left on the LoveFilm site -
Brighton Rock
- Surprisingly Dark! 4/5
In the first five minutes of this I could only think that they'd cast all the characters about ten years too old - but five minutes later I realised that they'd hit the tone spot on, and that it was a remarkably faithful adaptation. Richard Attenborough is mainly to thank for this, as he turns in a fantastic performance as Pinkie, the young gang leader. He manages to capture the naivety and paranoia of the character perfectly, as well as the cruelty and sense of disconnection that he has. Kudos to the filmmakers for keeping the dark sinister tone that underlies the story (with the exception of one scene). All in all Brighton Rock is a fantastic adaptation, and compelling viewing!
The Maltese Falcon
- It's the stuff dreams are made of.. 4/5
Bogart is Sam Spade! Having only just read the book, I was quite eager to see the classic movie adaptation, to see if Bogart could pull off the iconic hard-boiled detective. Well.. he does! I had my reservations at the start, but five minutes in it was clear that he owned the role. He gets just the right amount of swagger and stubbornness. As far as the movie adaptation goes, it's a very good one, and a compelling film. With inspired casting elsewhere, particularly Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo.. it adds up to a fantastic whole.
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