Why So Blu?

Brian White’s Top 10 Most Righteous Blu-rays of 2012

While this was a huge year for long-awaited, big catalog title Blu-ray releases such as Finding Nemo, E.T., Jaws, Titanic, Chinatown and Indiana Jones, we also saw monstrous box sets take the High-Definition world by storm like Bond: 50, the Universal Monster collection, Hitchcock and more!  And yes, finally…we got all caught up with all the remaining Big Bang Theory seasons on the Blu-ray format too.  Whatever took them so long…I have no idea!  But really, what it all comes down to is not what other people tell you that you MUST-HAVE in your Blu-ray collection, but instead owning and collecting the titles that you thoroughly enjoy and watch every free moment you have.  Those are the titles that mean the most to you.  You and I both know that.  So stop lying to yourself when someone says you absolutely need The Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition in your collection when you know damn well that the theatrical ones are long enough to sit through.  Capece?  Ha ha.  You get the point.

So what I did below was not list everything that the Blu-ray critics tell you that you MUST-OWN, but instead I listed the titles released in 2012 that were best received and awarded the most replay value in my personal collection.  If you disagree, and I know you will, you know where to find the comment fields below.  I look forward to your remarks and rebukes.  Enjoy!

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10. The Amazing Spider-Man – Sony had a lot riding on this, in my opinion overly ambitious, iconic summer reboot.  And while it may not be everything that the infamous Sam Raimi webslinger films were, you can’t fault them for lack of trying.  So let’s look on the bright side. And with the Blu-ray format…everything’s bright, isn’t it?  Well, at least there’s one thing you can’t argue about here, whether you love the film or not.  This is a reference Blu-ray package.  End of story.  Demo-worthy audio, video and special features…it’s all here.  But if you don’t believe me, check out this guy’s review over here.  He knows what he’s talking about.  Don’t doubt his abilities because with great powers comes great responsibilities or something like that.

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9. Drive – I never saw this one coming last year, but that’s what happens when you make a bad-a$$ arthouse film.  Okay.  Let’s be fair.  Maybe you can’t classify this as an arthouse film, but it’s sure pretty and as about as far from mainstream as you can go and still retain those theater going audiences and numbers.  Nevermind the stellar performances of Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman and more.  The real star of this film are the pink 80’s-like fonts, the scorpion jacket, the soundtrack and that sick, sick 5.0 black Mustang GT.  From the crystal clear LA night skyline to the throaty ROAR of the Mustang’s 5-liter engine, this one’s a winner in almost every category.  Look no further for proof than in our exclusive review over here.

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8. The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season – I’m still in awe how a so-so comic book series, in my opinion, made such a huge and astonishing leap into the living rooms of the masses, but I digress.  I’m forever thankful because The Walking Dead literally kicks a$$ in every which way!  Whether they are thwarting off zombies or dealing with even worse, the pesky human beings, Rick and gang keeps everything fresh as the writers expose us in every broadcast to deep and emotional character development…in other words…characters that we care about and root for relentlessly.  It’s much more about the human psyche rather than satisfying the blood thirsty horror hounds, but don’t get your panties in a bunch…that’s not to say there isn’t plenty of goree to go around…because there is!  The season comes to a fiery conclusion with one of the biggest zombie throwdowns you’ve ever seen on the show…plus a few other shockers too.  Want to know more?  Sure you do!  Why don’t you check out my full Blu-ray review over here.  You won’t be disappointed.

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7. Dexter: Season 6 –  So let’s take a few moments and talk about a Showtime show that just gets better and better with age…especially on the Blu-ray format.  You can practically see every bead of sweat from the Miami heat in 1080p as everyone’s favorite serial killer is at it again.  This time he’s on a religious crusade.  You get the irony here?  Dexter and religion just don’t mix.  Or do they?  Well, if you haven’t seen the show yet or Season 6 for that matter, it’s darn tootin’ time you got to it this Holiday season.  After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.  Shouldn’t you make time for a serial killer vigilante in your life?  I thought you’d see things my way.  And in the shocking conclusion to Season 6, you’ll be seeing a glimpse of how people will see things differently in Season 7.  Stop!  I said too much.  Check out my full Blu-ray review over here.  This was one of my favorite seasons and it looks and sounds amazing on Blu-ray.  You NEED to check it out.  That should be a priority for you.  Okay?  Good!  Moving on…

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6. Cabin in the Woods – It’s kind of amazing that I went from not being a huge Joss Whedon fan to having two of his films on my Top Ten list this year.  It just goes to show you that people CAN change, huh?  If you are a fan of the horror genre, and you want a fresh new take on it, make sure you at least give this one the benefit of the doubt and take a gamble on it.  Who knows.  Like Mikey, you may like it.  I know I did!  It’s one of my favorite films of the year.  I just love the way it took all the past horror film cliches and then turned the genre on its head and came at you balls-to-the-wall.  You’ll get what I’m saying when give this one a chance.  You picking up what I’m dropping here? Good!  For a good time, take a 90-minute trip to this cabin.  I’m glad I did!  While we did not receive a Blu-ray review copy to cover, you can always check out our theatrical reviews of the film here and here.

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5. The Avengers – I guess the question, so to speak, kind of begs to be asked.  How could you NOT have this on your Top Ten list of the year?  Earth’s mightiest heroes unite to deliver, in my opinion, the biggest Disney Blu-ray release of the year.  I say it’s impossible until someone proves me wrong.  Until then, let’s talk about the obvious.  A lot was riding on this project getting it right, obviously the first time around.  One can argue it’s not the greatest of movies, but considering Marvel’s track record for developing good films this one knocked it out of the ballpark in both a MONSTROUS fashion at the box office and also at home on the Blu-ray format.  However, I don’t agree with the way Disney releases its Blu-ray titles.  The only way I could grab a Digital Copy of this film (within a Blu-ray package) was by paying the bloated price of the 3-D Blu-ray release.  And to top it off, much like the multiple Dark Knight Rises releases we just saw, Target was the only place to really buy it from because of the extra documentary it contained.  WTF!?  I smell double-dipping.  But what do I know?  While we did not get a Blu-ray to review here on the site, I do want to direct your attention to Sean Ferguson’s Hulk-like review of the film over here.

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4. Jaws / E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial: 30th Anniversary Edition / Avatar: Limited 3D Edition / Titanic – Holy catalog titles, Batman!  Instead of having this long honorable mentions list, I thought it would be extra cool if I celebrated spot #4 here with 4 of my favorite catalog titles that finally became available for the first on the Blu-ray format.  While Avatar is no stranger to the format with two previous releases, 2012 marks the first time ever that the superior 3D version became available to the masses outside of an expensive Panasonic equipment purchase.  You can check out Aaron Neuwirth’s review over here.  And for the other 3 titles…it’s about DAMN TIME these guys have finally came home to the 1080p family and quite honestly, they never looked better.  But don’t take my word for it.  Make sure you check out Sean Ferguson’s in-depth reviews of Jaws and E.T. here on whysoblu and Gerard’s controversial Titanic review here.

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3. Prometheus: 3D – Wow!  I never saw this one coming.  This one is like a slow burning candle.  You know the wax is going to melt, but you don’t know how long that’s going to take.  That’s kind of the conundrum I found myself in with this film.  I wanted to like it so much, but it took multiple viewings to really appreciate the beauty of Prometheus.  Why?  I have no idea.  Sure…it could have been a much better film, but ambitious desires aside, it still kicks a$$ in the cinematography department and in the hearts of Alien fans everywhere…at least I hope it does.  I generally don’t recommend spending the extra money on a 3-D Blu-ray, unless you are talking about Avatar, but this one’s definitely worth the money, even if you don’t have a 3-D capable system, just for the 3-hour “Furious Gods” documentary found exclusively in the said set.  It’s kind of unfair to all of us living on a budget or not wanting to pay the inflated cost of a 3-D Blu-ray when we don’t even have a way to play that back, but hey…life’s not fair.  So deal with it.  And better yet…pick this one up.  Check out my full Blu-ray review over here.

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2. Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures – Since it didn’t finish first here, then there’s really nothing that can top the swashbuckling adventures of everyone’s favorite archaeologist FINALLY making their way to the Blu-ray format.  For argument’s sake and brevity, we’ll just forget that the fourth film is both reluctantly and regrettably included here and for some reason they did not spend as much time on Temple of Doom or The Last Crusade as they did restoring Raiders to its ultimate shine and glory.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Blu-ray fans have been waiting a long time for this set.  Like what happened when they finally released these and Star Wars on DVD, I’m pretty sure this event indicates the eventual decline of the Blu-ray format and ushers in the new world of digital downloads and ultimately superior 4K transfers that we will have to purchase on small hard drives in the future.  Or maybe holograms?  Who knows!  But anyway…check out Sen Ferguson’s exclusive/MONSTROUS Blu-ray review here.

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1. The Dark Knight Rises – For reasons I’ll be discussing more next week, we’ll just agree to disagree that this is the number one Blu-ray release of the year.  Never did I believe that I would have ever put any Blu-ray before the hotly anticipated Indiana Jones set, but it is what it is.  I’m emotionally attached and invested in The Dark Knight trilogy and that’s that.  While the final entry (KEEP IT THAT WAY, WB!) in the Dark Knight Trilogy is a fitting one, albeit probably the weakest of the three films, there was no way you were ever going to top The Dark Knight.  That’s like saying Empire wasn’t the finest Star Wars flick.  You get my drift.  Much to my dismay we did not receive a Blu-ray review copy to tackle here, but please check out some of my favorite sites here and here for their exclusive coverage and in-depth reviews.  I broke down and bought two different versions of the film, the HD iTunes one that I can enjoy anywhere I want and the Best Buy steelbook version because I NEEDED that extra 35-minute “The Dark Knight Reborn” documentary and so should you.  December 4th was a day that I have been waiting for ever since July.  While sitting in my room watching this flick for the third time in just two days I can see this one getting lots and lots of of TLC and replays this cold, harsh Cleveland winter.  I’m just saying.

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HONORABLE MENTION:

Okay.  I lied.  I’m sorry.  I just couldn’t help it.  These next three titles were highly anticipated Blu-ray releases for me in the calendar year of 2012 and I just can’t stand the thought of leaving them off this list.  So therefore…here’s the “long” Honorable Mention section that I said would not be here.  But you know what?  Everyone needs laughter in their lives and outside of The Hangover films I get my kicks and stitches in the side from none other than the four Pasadena guys I identify most in life with (sad, huh?) on prime-time television (Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz and Rajesh Koothrappali), the award-winning CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory.  And don’t worry…I did not forget about the girls either, Penny, Bernadette and Amy Farrah Fowler (love that name…LOL).  There hasn’t been a funnier show on television since the days of Seinfeld in my opinion and I’m ecstatic to finally own Seasons 1, 2 and 5 now on Blu-ray this year courtesy of Warner Bros.  And best of all, each Blu-ray season comes with UltraViolet digital copies so I can enjoy each and every episode on the road courtesy of Flixster (although I do wish they were the iTunes files instead).  It’s a win-win in my opinion and a MUST-OWN in your Blu-ray collection 😉

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