I’m taking a little break from writing about anything of lasting consequence to complain about something totally meaningless.
I’m not complaining about Blu-ray movies; in fact, I love Blu-ray, most of the time. I do think that a little work to standardize some features would be nice, but in general Blu-ray is improving. What I feel the need to complain about is how many of my favorite movies have not been released on Blu-ray. It’s frustrating, especially when you see the kind of crap that they do release on Blu-ray. Take a look at the cheap movie bin at Walmart or Fred Meyer and I assure you you’ll pick up any number of titles and think, “They released that?”
Which makes the fact that there are so many really good movies that haven’t yet been released. Here are a few of my all-time favorites, which so far are only available on DVD:
- The Village. So the critics hated it. I believe it’s the only Shyamalan film not on Blu-ray; Unbreakable is available, and many people have never heard of it. Great performances by Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Bryce Dallas Howard is awesome in this film. And, there’s a great use of color. It really needs a good Blu-ray transfer.
- George of the Jungle. Seriously, this is a travesty. This has been a favorite of mine since the 90’s. My kids actually begged me to stop renting it. And to make matters worse, it’s not even available on DVD widescreen! I don’t get it. No one appreciates art.
- Muppet Treasure Island. Muppets, a classic story, great scenery, awesome music, and Tim Curry. What more could you want on Blu-ray?
- Foul Play. I love this movie. It’s Chevy Chase’s 1st movie role, and one of the great spy/assassination spoofs of all time. And, it stars Goldie Hawn and features one of the all-time great theme songs (“Ready to Take a Chance Again”) sung by Barry Manilow. “Beware the Dwarf.”
- Country Bears. What’s with Disney, anyway? Christopher Walken rocks in this movie. And the cameos by Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt and Elton John are great.
- Help! No, it’s not the masterpiece that A Hard Day’s Night is, but it’s hilarious in its own right and has some of the best of the Beatles’ music.
- Songcatcher. Great music and scenery; featuring Iris Dement, Taj Mahal, and Emmy Rossum singing like a hillbilly.
- Down From The Mountain. This is a concert video / documentary featuring the artists and music from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, hosted by John Hartford. Why Blu-ray, do you ask? Why not?
- Song Of The South. This, of course, is the Disney movie they are scared to release again. To my knowledge it’s never been on DVD, but was released for a short time on VHS. It’s a cool movie that was actually anti-racist when it came out. Great effects for its time, combining live action and animation.
- Troll. Camp to the extreme, featuring a nearly all-star cast, including Michael Moriarty, Julia-Louise Dreyfus, Sonny Bono, Brad Hall, and June Lockhart. They have released Troll 2 on Blu-ray (considered one of the worst movies ever made), so why not the original?
Okay, this is my top-10 Blu-ray want list. Feel free to add your own in the comments.