Gerard’s Top 10 Badass Blu-rays of 2013!
It’s that time again where we come up with our Top-10 Blu-rays of the year. 2013 has come and almost gone and left a path of high definition destruction in its wake. Coincidentally, my Top-10 list features the work of some epic directors, who had a stellar year on the Blu-ray format as most of their back catalog, along with current works, were released in high definition in 2013. My criteria for picking the selections on this list is more in tune with how fully loaded are the Blu-rays chosen, along with demo-worthy characteristics, etc. Film worthiness is also taken into consideration but that it not the main factor. If I want film-worthiness then I will save it for my regular Top-10 list of films, which will post in a couple of weeks. This list is based off of the merits of the Blu-ray for the most part. Without further ado I give you my Top 10 Badass Blu-rays of 2013! Continue reading ‘Gerard’s Top 10 Badass Blu-rays of 2013!’
There were plenty of great releases that arrived on store shelves this year, but let’s be honest. Will any year really compare to what came out in 2012? I mean, last year for Blu-rays was like what 1939 was for cinemas. It was only twelve months ago when the year’s releases included E.T., Jaws, Singin’ in the Rain and Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures. I may be starting this article off on the wrong foot, but last year was just too awesome to not tip the hat to again. While 2013 may not be loaded up with the classics that last year had, there are still more than enough great releases to load up your shopping cart with. Let’s get to it!
Well, it’s that time of the year again and I have volunteered to go first with my Top 10 list of what I feel are MUST-OWN Blu-rays that were released in the calendar year 2013. Now keep in mind, these are not necessarily my favorite movies of the year listed in order, but instead they are listed as discs that I feel best represent the Blu-ray format in 2013 that just so happen to be some of my favorites too. Coincidence? I think not! And I want to reiterate again…presentation over special features will always be a win for me. If a Blu-ray disc is outstanding in every which way that’s important (film and A/V presentation), but is completely bare bones (that good old goose egg)…I’m not going to ding it for that reason alone. However, there are no bare bone Blu-rays mentioned below. I can’t guarantee you’ll agree with my list or rankings, but I can at least assure you of the fact that all of these have something “special” to offer their owners in each of the four categories we grade on here at WSB: Film, Video, Audio and Extras. 
Super heroes and regular humans alike had their work cut out for them in 2013. The DC universe witnessed the advent of the Forever Evil storyline that saw everyone’s favorite do-gooders beat down and removed from the picture (temporarily anyway). Marvel is experiencing the return of Galactus, so you can bet earth is on his menu again. Meanwhile, The Walking Dead delivered its consistently high quality storyline of survival amidst a world of zombie fodder. But with all the awesomeness that filled the comic book landscape of this year, which ones are deserving of being the best in their class?
Before we get to the Why So Blu staff picks for favorite films of 2013 next month, I thought now would be a good time to write that negative-Nancy article on the other side of the coin. Okay, so I know we’re not even at Thanksgiving yet, but I figure there isn’t going to be a major dud in the next 40 days to make this list. This year had no shortage of disappointment at the cinema. There were films that let me down, like Iron Man 3 (also known as Normal Man 1), films that really stunk and almost made this list, like White House Down, and films that were just flat out rotten eggs, like…
Happy new release Tuesday! It’s also the first Tuesday in November. Meaning, all the dates for Blu-ray releases through the end of the year are pretty much set and locked in by now. There could be a wild card for late December thrown in somewhere, but it’s highly unlikely it would be an older catalogue release. So with all this set, I wanted to compile my own personal list of films I’d like to see finally hit Blu-ray in 2014. These are films that aren’t available in ANY territory. So, if you happen to be like list potentials Blue Steel and The Man Who Wasn’t There (sold in other territories as “The Barber”) who have releases in Germany and France you are not eligible for this list. These are also titles that have not been announced at all. Also, thanks to Scream Factory for announcing Sleepaway Camp last Thursday as it was originally on this list! I was going to make this list just 10 movies, but then I noticed I was editing stuck at 14 titles which oddly became appropriate. Trust me, there were plenty omissions from this list as well. What are some of your hopes for Blu-ray in 2014? After my list, let me know what some of yours are below! 
This is one of the times of the year that many top ten lists will emerge. The summer movie season is about to come to a close and many people tend to list off their “top ten films of the summer”. This will lead to fun posts, as various writers provide reasons for what stuck out, what qualifies, which films were the worst, or why others were wrong about certain films, and I certainly love to read these varying opinions. Normally I would participate as well, given that I see so many films in the year and love to embrace the blockbusters just as much as the films in limited release, but this year feels a bit different. If I really wanted to, I probably could rank my ten favorite “big” films from the summer, but honestly my heart is not in it this year. There were a lot of missed opportunities, a lot of ambitious failures, many movies that were out and out bad ideas from the start, and some that were fun in the moment, but hardly ones that I would think back on. Given those feelings, this essay just seemed like a better idea.
I’ve never really wrote a piece like this before on the site so early in the year as its usually something I step aside and graciously hand the reigns over to our “Godfather” of theatrical movie reviews, 
Earlier this month I released my worst films of 2012. That was probably one of the easiest lists I ever put together. The good ones from the year the Mayan calendar ended were a little more difficult to assemble. It was another year of superheroes at the box office which brought in super dividends for their studios. Disney lost big with John Carter, but cashed in on Wreck-It Ralph. Channing Tatum had four…err, three films on the agenda for the year, both doing very well. Then there’s the highly anticipated Tolkien work, The Hobbit, which took viewers on another journey through Middle Earth (with some really bad CGI). But while there may be one ring to rule them all, it was the following ten works that were the crowning achievements of film for me in 2012.
For my Top 10 list of favorite films from the calendar year of 2012 I decided to take the high road. What I mean by that is in these annual posts I also tend to pick on and rip apart all the films I either hated or was utterly disappointed by in the current calendar year. Not this year! I’m not spreading any more animosity into the world than ultimately necessary. I feel I did that enough this year. I’ll do what it takes to make this world a better place so therefore, rest assured, my Top 10 list is not only more harmonious and peace loving than previous years gone by, but also greener too. I know you all print these lists out so now without my endless, rambling rants and complaints you’ll have less paper to waste. Hey, what can I say? I’m a changed man! 
This is not really a post of joy, but every year does see the release of films that are just not good. I do not try to seek out these films, with the majority being ones that I did think could have redeemable elements, but that just wasn’t the case here. This list contains what I think were all the biggest misses of the year, which I watched in full and could not handle. I also have a list of disappointing films, which are not necessarily terrible, but certainly far from living up to their potential. It is fortunate that I had a much harder time (in a good way) putting together the “best of” list, but for now, here is a list of films I would put at the bottom of an otherwise very good year. Also and unfortunately, I did not get to cross Alex Cross before the year ended, so I’m just going to have to call this the Alex Cross Memorial Worst Films List for now.
Kicking off my Top 10 year-end lists for 2012, here are my Top 10 Blu-rays that I have enjoyed and could not pass up giving full recommendations to. The following list is set of films that I consider to be some of the best that the Blu-ray format has had to offer for this year. Much like last year, I stayed true to some rules; I have to have actually watched the movie on Blu-Ray, recognize it for its quality video and audio transfers, delved into the special features, and most importantly, I did not put any film on the list that may also be on my “Top 10 Films of the year” list. This means excluding films like Cabin in the Woods (which has a fantastic Blu-ray). I followed these rules for the sake of keeping my list interesting, so here we go:
