Why So Blu?

Brian’s TOP 10 Blu-rays of 2010

The calendar year of 2010 in the world of Blu-ray was a pretty easy one to judge, at least In my opinion.  But when I dwell on what 2011 holds in store, I’m nearly having an aneurysm thinking about all the competition such as the “Holy Grail”of Star Wars films and Tron: Legacy, just to name a few.  That’s going to be one hell of a year for Blu-ray.  So anyway, it’s still 2010 so I will stop digressing and getting ahead of myself. When I sat down to decide what I feel are the ten best Blu-ray films of 2010, I had three main criteria points in mind (in this order): the quality of the film (how much I enjoyed it), the audio and video package (as a whole) and the supplemental features (weighing quantity vs. quality).  So with all those consideration points in mind, below is what I came up with.  Please feel free to agree and/or disagree all you want (in the comment field below).  That’s why it is called “my” list.  I can do whatever I please.

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10. Alien Anthology – What would a Top 10 Blu-ray list of 2010 be without one of the most anticipated box sets in Blu-ray history?  I know.  It wouldn’t be much of a list at all.  Although I don’t admit to being the biggest fan of the Alien franchise, I can appreciate them for what they are…a groundbreaking science-fiction series in the world of filmmaking.  Fans of the franchise will surely not be disappointed with this Blu-ray box set.  There’s enough to keep you busy here for weeks or in my case, maybe even a whole month (Blu-ray review).

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9. Frozen – This one definitely could not be left off this list.  Much like Jaws made people afraid of the water, Frozen makes me want nothing to do with skiing or ski lifts ever again.  It was an effective thriller, IMO, that renders you rigidly cold in panic throughout.  Once again, in my opinion, it contains one of the harshest leg break scenes to watch ever in cinematic history.  And the special features are to die for here.  As I said time and time again…ALL aspiring filmmakers need to watch the extras on Frozen (Blu-ray review).  Adam Green may not have proved himself worthy in Hollywood yet, but in my book, he’s a real class act and a rising star to watch in future years.  Long live Victor Crowley!

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8. The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy – Long before Fox’s Alien box set was ever announced, I believe this was the most anticipated Blu-ray release of the year.  I know Warner Brothers pissed a lot of people off by not releasing the Extended Editions, but coming from someone who doesn’t care about them and has never seen them before, I am perfectly happy with this Blu-ray box set.  If this is as good as the LOTR movies are ever going to look in HD, then paint a permanent smile on this face.  And just an FYI…if you bought the single disc releases that were made available this fall, then you did not get the Digital Copies.  Just thought I would rub that in…because I am nice like that (Blu-ray reviews here, here and here).

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7. Kick-Ass – What’s more fun than Chloe Moretz swearing and kicking a$$ in every which direction?  Well honestly, there’s not much I can think of.  One of my favorite films of the year lives and thrives in glorious 1080p on this 2-disc Blu-ray set.  I would say, so far, this is my second most viewed Blu-ray of the year.  It really doesn’t get any better than this.  Every swear word, every punch, every kick, every laugh your a$$ moment is brilliantly captured and rendered in this Blu-ray presentation.  This one is for us…the comic book geeks of the world.  Live it, embrace it and love it (Blu-ray review)!

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6. Spartacus: Blood and Sand The Complete First Season – Wow!  I don’t even know if this would be much of a list if it wasn’t for the inclusion of one of the hottest shows to take the premium cable world by storm this past year.  Obviously, I’m talking about Spartacus: Blood and Sand.    It was one hell of a year for the show, filled with many highs and lows.  The lows being the tragedy of Andy Whitfield’s cancer diagnosis, struggle with and ultimately its ugly return, forcing him to leave the show (very tragic news indeed).  Will the series be able recover and ascend to greater heights without their fearless leader?  Only time will tell, but as the producers once pointed out, this show was made for the Blu-ray format and I could not agree more with that statement (Blu-ray review).

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5. Back to the Future Trilogy – What would this list be without one of my favorite childhood classics on the Blu-ray format?  Back to the Future, in my opinion, is one of the greatest movies ever made (on my Top 10 list of films ever).  I sat there in ecstasy as I watched the Blu-ray presentation over a month ago.  The second and third films are “meh,” as far as I’m concerned, but since you have to buy the trilogy to get this classic…I’m all over this.  Thanks so much Universal for the outstanding restoration of this 1985 classic.  I’m forever in your Blu-ray debt.

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4.  Moulin Rouge – The hills are alive with the sound of music in my life ever since this Blu-ray became part of my collection this year.  This is probably my most anticipated and most watched Blu-ray of 2010.  I will never get sick of it.  Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and the ravishing Nicole Kidman leave me breathless (I do realize how * this sounds) with every subsequent viewing.  Moulin Rouge has always been an orgy of sight and sound and now that it’s finally on the Blu-ray format, it’s even better!  And with a supplemental package that will keep fans busy forever (old and new features), you really can’t afford not to have this one in your home video collection (Blu-ray review).  That’s my best sales pitch.  Now go buy it!

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3.  Inception –  You did not think I would leave my #1 film of the year off my Blu-ray list, did you?  Right behind Moulin Rouge, I would honestly call Inception my second most anticipated film on Blu-ray this year.  Needless to say, Nolan blew all my expectations away with his blockbuster summer heist film and I could not wait to get my greedy hands all over this title.  And thanks to Warner Brothers, I was able to get a sneak peek before anyone else.  Membership definitely has its privileges.  You want to see one of this summer’s biggest films on the Blu-ray format, then look no further than Inception (Blu-ray review).  Pick it up on Amazon today!  Hurry!  Time is of the essence.

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2. Toy Story 3 – Here’s a film I never had any intention of seeing this year.  I truly wanted nothing to do with it, but after countless people continued to rave about the animated feature relentlessly, I knew, as a film critic, I had to at least give it an unbiased chance.  So honestly, my first viewing of Toy Story 3 was on the Blu-ray format and I was literally blown away, and so was my wife.  And she hates animated features.  Well anyway, not only did my viewing result in ranking the film significantly high on my list of Top 2010 films, but it also landed it at #2 here.  Not bad for a film I wanted nothing to do with, huh?  The audio and video of this film is simply spot on perfect and the story…well how much more heartwarming can you get?  This is a MUST-OWN release (Blu-ray review)!

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1. Avatar Extended Collector’s Edition – If it were not for this later Blu-ray release, then the April theatrical only one would have sufficed as number one on my list simply because of the Blu-ray’s stunning video and exceptional audio.  Now let’s get past all the “Dancing with Blue Smurfs” jokes and admit one thing…nothing looks more beautiful on Blu-ray than Avatar (IMO).  This particular 3-disc edition, released last month, not only includes 3 different versions of the film, but also some of the coolest making of footage I have ever seen.  I gained a whole new appreciation of James Cameron and this movie after one viewing of “Capturing Avatar.”  The amount of work and man-hours that went into the making of this film is completely insane.  Hands down, this is the Blu-ray experience of the year for me (Blu-ray review).

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Honorable Mention…

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – Despite my not liking this film nearly as much as our movie reviewer Aaron Neuwirth does (that’s an understatement), I have to give this Blu-ray the respect it deserves.  The audio/video presentation of this Blu-ray disc is just out of this world amazing.  With an a$$-kicking soundtrack and visuals that are exuberantly too good to be true, Scott Pilgrim is a force to be reckoned with on the Blu-ray format.  And let’s not forget that supplemental package on this guy (Blu-ray review).  Wow!  This is a reference disc through and out.

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