Let’s start this blog off on the right foot, shall we? Who wants a free Blu-ray player?
Oh, did I get your attention with that? Good. I have a spare Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player with original manual and remote. This is a fully-featured Profile 2.0 model with all Bonus View and BD-Live capabilities. It used to be my reference player for reviews for this site. I just don’t need and have no room for an extra player at this time. So I figured, why not give it away to one lucky reader?
If you’d like a chance at winning this player, either for yourself or to give away as a gift for a loved one who hasn’t yet joined the Blu-ray revolution, you must post in the Comments section below the name of the guilty pleasure movie not yet available on Blu-ray that you’re hoping will be released in the future, why you like it, and what about it you can’t wait to see in high definition. That “why” portion is critical. I want some good answers here. Entries with ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Schindler’s List’, or other widely-praised and beloved movies will be disqualified. This is a contest for guilty pleasures only. These are movies that you may like even though the majority of other viewers dislike them, or look down upon them.
The winner will be chosen entirely at my own discretion based on how passionate or well-argued I feel that your defense of the movie is. I will try not to judge anyone’s taste in movies, so long as it’s sincere. If ‘Gigli’ or ‘Battlefield Earth’ is honestly your favorite movie, make a good case for it. Attempts at sarcasm will be dismissed.
The original MSRP for this unit was $699. This one is used, but is in perfectly good working and cosmetic condition. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the current garage-sale value is. In addition to the Blu-ray player, the winner will receive a starter pack of five guilty pleasure movies on Blu-ray. The titles are: ‘Ninja Assassin‘, ‘Last Action Hero‘, ‘The Waterboy‘, ‘Black Dynamite‘, and ‘The Proposal‘. That’s a $170.87 value at MSRP. (Sorry, the titles are not negotiable.)
Runners-up will not get a Blu-ray player, but may receive separate prize packs of Blu-ray discs (titles TBD).
This contest is only open to entrants from the domestic United States. We will not ship internationally (whether you’re a U.S. citizen or not), so don’t even ask. Employees of High-Def Digest or Internet Brands and their families are not eligible. Standard contest rules and conditions apply. We’re trying to keep this on the up-and-up here.
The deadline for entry is Friday, April 30th. Good luck to everyone who enters.
Corey
The Mission! Talk about guilt…
Robert De Niro runs his brother through with a sword for having relations with his wife, spends time in prison for it, gets sprung by a Jesuit priest cause he needs help toting crap up a waterfall, gets absolved of his guilt by a little boy who thinks he is a complete moron for dragging his armor behind him the whole way, learns to laugh again, then dies heroically attempting to defend the natives he has helped save from everlasting death even though that defense gets an EPIC FAIL when he can’t demo the bridge properly allowing the soldiers easy access to the blood bath that quickly ensues.
The plot alone needs to be in HIGH DEFINITION, but I would especially love to the the breathtaking cinematography given a deserving showcase…
mike
i would LOVE for Treasure Planet to come out in HD. such a great Disney movie and one of the last 2D animated films prior to P/Frog.
the quality of the animation is just top notch and along the lines of Atlantis, is more of a mature animated tale than a default disney musical
if you havent seen it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out in SD
Michael Anthony
The Perfect Weapon starring a man without one of his flicks available on Blu-Ray (or so I think), Jeff Speakman. I watched my dubbed VHS copy countless times as an 11 year-old boy. Pausing and rewinding it repeatedly to try and master the art of Kempo Martial Arts through my screen. It was the first movie I ever saw that gave me that “I can walk out onto the street and kick anyone’s a$$” kind of feeling. The Karate Kid came close, but no one looks cool flashing a crane kick. As a bonus to the well-budgeted fight sequences, we get Mariska Hargitay at age 27. She certainly looks good in broadcast HD at 46, so imagine the pearl BD can uncover here. I haven’t seen the movie since my VHS tape broke in my Cadillac-styled tape rewinder. As far as I know, the film was never released on DVD.
JP
My guilty pleasure is ’16 Candles.’ It’s got so many teenage memories and classic gags and one-liners [e.g., “I’ve never bagged a babe. I’m not a stud.” and “By night’s end, I predict me and her will interface.” or “No more yankie my wankie. The Donger need food.” or “What was he wearing? Well, uh, let’s see, he was wearing a red argyle sweater, and tan trousers, and red shoes… No, he’s not retarded.”] and any scene with Long Duk Dong is an instant classic!
Plus, my early-adopter Sony Bluray player takes sooo long to load, I could really use a newer model!
Pick me!
Roy
Tetsu’s Ironman. Nothing like Marvel comics.
Jason
I absolutely love The Color Of Night. No wait, come back!
I only recently saw it for the first time, and could not believe the epic mindfuck that it was.
If you haven’t seen it (and judging by its box office, you probably haven’t), it’s one of those “sexy” “thrillers” with a “twist ending.” Except it isn’t sexy. Or particularly thrilling. And the “twist” seems to announce itself with trumpets mere minutes into the film.
So why is it so great? Well, unlike other inept films, The Color Of Night has an incredible stable of character actors in supporting roles who keep the craziness coming. Just when you think the film can’t get any crazier or more idiotic, its craziness and idiocy multiplies. I watched about 90% of it with my mouth open, aghast.
But it has no following. Cultists and bad film lovers have no idea what they’re missing and likely never will. I’m sure Bruce Willis has taken it off his resume and will deny it was ever made. Which is actually another of the film’s attributes: it proved he can be shamed, although only after an insurmountable amount of effort has been shot gloriously in all the wrong directions.
Mike Arentz
This movie is terribly cheesy, BUT I too find it oddly facinating. Ther are “other” reasons I like this movie too, and it would be nice if the studio would release the truly uncut version available in Europe and other territories. So, I second your vote! Come on studios!! đ
Dave C
Haha, never in a million years would I have expected to see “Color of Night” seconded! đ
It’s like the “can’t look away” car wreck of a movie… with nudity.
Fernando D
Guilty pleasure movie I’d like to see on Blu ray is— Mortal Kombat.. the 1st one
I saw this movie when I became a teenager in 1995.. this movie I will admit inspired me to love movies. From that point on, I became a movie whore.Me and my cousin were in awe almost the whole time. Sure its cheesy etc but it still is one of the best videogame to movie adaptions 15 years later. I loved this movie so much I saw it again in theaters 2 days later alone then about 30 more times on VHS and DVD. I would buy it in a heartbeat on Bluray and tell my friends proudly that I own this classic cheesy movie on blu ray. It holds a special place in my movie history. To hear that Mortal Kombat theme in TrueHD or watever audio it’d have would be amazing. And to see Scorpion vs Johnny Cage in HD glory, niceee!!! Whether I’m picked or not, good luck to all, glad I could share my Mortal Kombat inspiration with ya.
Michael
Complimentary: “You must love the little birdies to give them this to perch on.”
Yes, my not so guilty pleasure would be the 1950 Cyrano de Bergerac with the Oscar winning performance by Jose Ferrer. It is by far my favorite classic film, and man, I’ll tell ya what, I wouldn’t appreciate any other Bluray release more, than when Cyrano finally gets the treatment it deserves on Bluray. Heres hoping Criterion can somehow get the rights to it.
Patrick
Fast Times at Ridgemont High – what can I say, I grew up in the eighties.
Matt Newman
A Low Down Dirty Shame – Keenen Ivory Wayans as one action star! hell yeah
In The Army Now – Pauly Shore and Andy Dick are the ultimate duo in this. Neither one ever gets the respect their due.
Chance of seeing either one on blu-ray 0.00001%
Matt Newman
Dirty shame has some ridiculous action sequences. He uses a tennis ball can as a flame thrower practically.
I love In the Army Now cause I find it absolutely hilarious. Some consider the actors D stars of the early 90’s, but I dig em. The DVD is a crappy compared to better DVD’s I have. The desert landscapes need some serious work and would be cool to see in HD.
rodney mooney
Guilty Pleasure: Last Dragon
Mike Arentz
My vote is for Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. This is easily my favorite movie of all time. I love all of the perfomances and I can recite every line of dialog forward and maybe even backward if you asked me to.
Why does this movie have to be on Blu-ray Disc? Well… an animorphic version of this movie has never been released on standard DVD. Fans of this movie have been stuck with a non-animorphic transfer since the very beginning. In fact, I am so totally obsessed with this movie, that I’ve made my very own custom version of the DVD that IS animorphic. Sad, I know.
Releasing it on Blu-ray would also give the studio an excuse to dig up some more special features for the film. The original DVD has a muddy looking trailer and a pretty lame making of featurette. That’s it. I would love to see a “Ten Years After the Reunion” featurette or something, where key cast members return for commentaries and/or interviews about the films cult following and where the cast is today.
This contest is the perfect soapbox for me to climb on and say, “Release this film on Blu-ray already!!”
Thank you. đ
Gabe D
Romy & Michele is one of the funniest movies of all time. I would snap up that Blu-ray in an instant.
Jake G
My pick would have to be shaolin soccer!!! The story is amazing and the movie has plenty of potential for amazing visuals and Audio!!! Stephen chow is the Man!!
Mike Arentz
Shaolin Soccer IS awesome. How about a Battle Royale double feature disc as well? On the same release day. *Drool…*
Dick Ward
Oh, I love Shaolin Soccer! Good call đ
Mark Choti
My guilty pleasure is Remo Williams: the Adventure Begins. It is a perfect example of 80s cult classic film. What is there not to love? Fred Ward as a secret ninja-esque covert operative, Joel Gray as Korean martial arts master (complete with yellow face makeup), pre-Voyager Kate Mugrew, and Wilford Brimley as showdowy government operative.
This flick is pure 80’s cheese. While it doesn’t have the sweeping vistas or color palettes of other films. Cheese of this vintage deserve the very best blu-ray has to offer. Imagine the bonus features, Sinanju workout video, the wisdom of Chiun, Why Koreans are better, etc.
francobash
Mine would have to be Watership Down. It was one of my favorite books as a child and I love the old animated film. I have a copy on DVD and would love to see it restored to pristine condition. I have revisited the book often over the years, when as my children got older they read it and believe that with its strong message and story, the movie is more than deserving of the high-definition treatment. It’s a shame that more people have neither read the book or seen the film.
John Garcia
I love this film. Was thinking about putting this as mine as well, but I know it is a bit of a pipe dream. Took them forever just to release on DVD.
ryan megan
Orgazmo.
It’s my favorite comedy next to Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Maybe I’m a weirdo, since this movie never appears on anyones online “greatest comedy” list. Which of course makes it a very dark horse candidate for ever getting the Blu-Ray treatment.
My runner up is “Fright Night”.
We’ve been drowned with limpy, non-horror vampire tales for too long. I want a real vsmpire horror film, with real gore, real vampires and real fun. Fright Night fits that bill quite nicely.
Ryno
Little shop of horror – the newer 80’s one
seriously I’m not sure how you can go wrong with a huge talking plant that sings. This is definatly one of those movies I have bought way to many copies of 3 VHS and several DVD copies. One of the few movies I can watch at any time of the year and enjoy it too, as well as sing along and feel like a loser cause I’m not sure that you are supposed to enjoy movies that much….
Guilty pleasure indeed
Mike Arentz
LOVE this movie. In fact, I still have the soundtrack. It SOOOO deserves a better picture quality release. Even if its on DVD. “Down on Skin Rowwwwwww…”
A.Burwell
Hey Ryno,
I posted this as my guilty pleasure today, without even noticing that you had posted it earlier.
Oh well, I hope you win….Little Shop of Horrors was my ‘guilty pleasure’ as well.
Maybe High Def Digest can deliver two prizes?!
Bryan Laz
My guilty pleasure movie for Bluray format would have to be the movie Heavy. One day over 10 years ago I was going through channels late night when I found Heavy on the Sundance channel and just got intrigued. I eventually bought the DVD and have watched it numerous times since then. Its a movie where an overweight man who cant seem to get started with his own life.
Not necessarily a chick flick but its definitely a movie that doesn’t seem to fit the norm of my collection which consists of mostly action and comedy movies.
I want it to hit Bluray because my DVD has been watched so many times, and with the growing surge of Bluray owners I would like for this indie movie to gain more attention. Though I cant imagine it would look much better than that of the DVD counterpart. You can only find used copies of the movie – the manufacturer discontinued new copies years ago.
Anthony
No guilt at all for me when it comes to ‘Heavy’. Terrific film with a strong performance by Pruitt Taylor Vince.
Looking forward to it being released on Blu-ray someday.
Chris G
If the Shue Fits: 10 Reasons I Love “Adventures in Babysitting”
Adventures in Babysitting is one of my favorite movies of all time. Call it a guilty pleasure or not. It’s not on blu-ray and I don’t exepct it to be anytime soon. It’s hardly even on DVD. Where’s the commentary? The deleted scenes? The 10 part making-of documentary? I love this movie and here’s why it deserves to be on BLU…
1) The Opening Dance Number. Anyone who has seen this movie more than once has attempted to re-enact Elizabeth Shueâs corny dance to âThen He Kissed Meâ during the movieâs opening titles no matter what gender you are. Or am I the only one? This scene is so overly corny and silly even by â80s standards (yet still wonderful) how did anyone watch the dailies with a straight face?
2) âDonât F*** with the babysitter!â During the gritty elevated train gang fight (which would sound great in Lossless Audio), this line of dialogue was so shocking for me to hear as a child. Let alone the first F-bomb heard just seconds before by one of the gangâs leaders. The redubbed line aired on the TV version is even better: âDonât FOOL with the babysitter!â The word âbabysitterâ instantly became a synonym for terminator.
3) The Smurfit-Stone Building. Why little Sara would choose to go âout the windowâ is beyond me, but itâs as close to a âDie Hardâ action sequence as we can get for a PG-13 rated movie about babysitting misadventures. I love how Sara says âMom? Dad?â while hanging out the window as if they could hear her. Now I know why sheâs wearing that Thor helmetâŠ
4) Playboy mag as MacGuffin. Iâm not sure what Alfred Hitchcock would think about this plot device, but those scary car thieves, including the creepy child molester-looking guy, who are after Darylâs (who is rather overly sex-obsessed for a high school freshman wouldnât you say?) dadâs porno mag is just simply amazing. And to think Disney released this movie. And after Brad throws the magazine out of the car window, you could hear every prepubescent boy’s hearts stop for a moment.
5) Brenda at the Bus Station. Chris Parkerâs best friendâs (and runaway/band member) misadventures at a scary downtown bus station are just as entertaining as what Chris and her charges go through, including picking up a jumbo-sized sewer rat, trying to purchase a hot dog with a check, a run in with a homeless guy who lives in a phone booth and seeing a bald Chinese lady with no pants on.
6) Thor, Mighty God of Thunder. Thor is roller-skating Saraâs favorite superhero (and we all know Superheros look great in high-def). (âHe fights the forces of darkness.â) She even wears that ridiculous Thor helmet throughout the entire movie even when hanging off the side of a skyscraper. That is commitment. Vincent DâOnofrio showing up as an auto mechanic who Sara believes to be Thor is priceless.
7) ‘Handsome’ John Pruitt. The bearded truck driver with a hook for a hand (which he supposedly keeps in the glove compartment) who scares the hell out of the gang but eventually turns out to be the good guy is just too amazing for words. And he beats the crap out of the guy whoâs banging his wife. I thought this was a kidâs movie?
8) The Anderson Family. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the typical suburban couple. They go off to glorious dinner parties in the city and leave the local teen in charge of their kids. And you can tell they care about their children (âTake care of my baby!â) and even offer smart health advice to Brad (âWill you stop eating chocolate, youâre gonna have zits all over your face.â) but they still have a soft spot because they allow Chris to take Brad and Sara to HĂ€agen-Dazs even though they never quite make it. Brad and Sara have the classic big brother, little sister relationship. They get on each otherâs nerves and make fun of each other but they do love each other.
9) The Babysitting Blues. Weâve learned from the opening sequence that Chris Parker is a faker. She just lip syncs. But can she really sing? She insists she canât when her and her charges appear on the stage of a groovy blues club in the city. (âNo body leaves this place without singing the blues!â) This sequence is amazing (and music scenes always sound good on Blu) and shows the musical theatre potential for Adventures in Babysitting as a Broadway show. (No?) Of course the suburban white kids win over the Black crowd by songâs end and perhaps even land a record deal.
10) Michael Myersâ cameo. Those hardcore fans will notice that during an early scene in the Anderson house the movie âHalloweenâ (my fourth favorite film of all time and available on Blu, thank God) can be seen playing on the TV in the background. You can even hear John Carpenterâs eerie music. Debra Hill who co-wrote and produced âHalloweenâ just so happened to be a producer of âAdventures in Babysittingâ as well.
So there you have it people. One of the best guilty pleasure movies of all time. I want the babysitter BLUs!!!
Anthony
I searched my wish list in hopes of finding a more likely title to name but kept coming back to the one that came immediately to mind.
Big Man on Campus (1989)
Since it has yet to have been granted a DVD release, I can only imagine the odds of a Blu-ray release in the future is close to zero. It appears that Lionsgate my have the rights to it so if they determined ‘Jimmy Hollywood’, which I actually kind of remember liking, was worthwhile enough to release from a sales perspective, maybe there is an ever so slim chance after all.
Like most people that stumbled upon ‘Big Man on Campus’, I saw it on one of the cable channels in the early 90’s. One of those films that one would expect to be a waste of time but for some reason stop on the channel and start watching only to find a sweet, amusing movie with some honesty mixed in with what should have been nothing but cheese.
It retains fond memories for a family member and myself even after time and distance and is a film I look forward to being able to revisit in the future. Not just for the sake of sentimentality or nostalgia, but also due to the film and more than a handful of moments it contains. Not to make it sound like it is a terrific film, just a slight endearing one that is gentle enough to have caused it to be memorable over the years.
I’d like to see Bob Maloogaloogaloogaloogalooga preserved in high definition so others can stumble upon his charms and those already familiar with them can spend some more time with him.
Michael Samples
My guilty pleasure pick is a brilliant piece of filming called True Stories. This film is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons, and it has never gotten what I consider to be a proper DVD release. For those who don’t know, True Stories is a 1986 musical masterminded by creative genius David Byrne, the frontman of the legendary American post-punk pop band, Talking Heads. David Byrne’s inspiration for this movie came from supermarket tabloids of the mid 80s.
Maybe it’s not for everyone. Usually, when I hear a critic mention this movie, it’s the butt of jokes. But they just don’t get it. True Stories has everything! Humor, romance, great music, and maybe even a subtle socio-political message. The film’s soundtrack is made up of great Talking Heads songs written especially for the project, though most of them are sung by cast members in the movie. (There is also a Talking Heads album of the songs being performed by the band)
It’s got a great cast, including John Goodman, and the late great Spalding Gray. It’s got a cool sense of visual style! Also, it is set in a fictional town called Virgil, Texas, which is pretty much based on the the place where I grew up in Dallas suburbs. The film was shot in and around Dallas, and I recognize locations in the movie. These scenes bring memories flooding back to me of being a kid growing up in the 80s in suburban Dallas. My Dad could have been a character in True Stories.
The movie has been be released on DVD, but it’s a crappy transfer, and, amazingly Warner released it in a “full-screen” 4:3 aspect ratio, which is so sad to watch on my nice HDTV. I fear that this may never see a Blu-ray release, because True Stories just doesn’t get much respect. But I know that somewhere, there are other people like me who will be thrilled if it ever comes out on Blu. (Personally, I think it deserves the Criterion treatment.)
Philip Gulotta
Titanic. To hear such shit dialog in lossless audio would be pleasure enough, but to see Kate Winslets nipple in high def. Well, lets just say I get excited just thinking about the possibility.
Oh and the (SPOILER ALERT!) ship sinking in dh should be awesome!!!!
Andy Valverde
My guilty pleasure would be Suspiria on blu-ray. I would like to see Dario Argento’s full use of colors and bright blood red. I would love to hear the audio mastered in HD with Goblins music and sound effects remastered. One of the scariest movies of all time deserves HD treatment full of HD trailers and extras. The perfect Blu-Ray introduction to gaillo films.
jmm
I would like to have a carefully reserached, thoroughly produced, full-fledged special edition of Stephen Norrington’s BLADE. Why? Because I really consider it the work of a visionary. Most of cinema greatests did not really invent anything new, but were skillful and aware enough to take different elements that predated them and put them all into a sort of crucible to yield something new-but-not-quite, that was greater than the sum of its parts. A reformulation for times ahead, so to say.
And that’s exactly what Norrington achieved in BLADE, although he did not get the recognition that the Wachowskis got when they adopted many of his “findings” into his MATRIX, which was, I concede, a much more perfect movie.
Having said that… I am not embarrassed to say that I would LOVE to get a “director’s cut” of his LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. I may be wrong, I may be even deceiving myself, but, judging from how many shots from the trailer are missing in the actual, botched-up cut of the movie that was released, I think there’s a good movie hidden somewhere within, waiting to be discovered.
Geoff
Moroder’s version of Metropolis
Never been on DVD. It’s the version I grew accustomed when I was a kid. My father and I used to watch it once or twice a year.
With the Kino version now being the pinnacle version, I see no chance of it ever coming out. I know the original is being released for Blu-ray with even more footage not seen before. It’s pretty much a masterpiece and would love to see how good a restoration is on Blu-ray….WITH the 1980s soundtrack.
Mike D
Forbidden Planet
One of my favorites ’50’s SciFi movies. Liked the robot, Robbie as a kid and enjoy some of the seeds to Star Trek TV series.
Larry P
Fahrenheit 451
From the social commentary to the cinematic pleasures of the scenes from fires to pastoral retreats that the protagonist Montag seeks to pursue his need for knowledge via the outlawed books which were thought to uproot the fabric of society!
This movie reaches to me and should be preserved and enhanced with the Blu-ray treatment for future generations to come. It is truly an unappreciated classic of Ray Bradbury’s genius as a writer.
Drew Whatley
Mine would have to be “The Great Escape”
I don’t know if it would qualify as a “guilty” pleasure, but it’s certainly not a critics top choice or anything.
As for why I love it? To begin with, Steve McQueen is the best, and his attitude throughout the whole film is just badass. The simply classic score is another. My last reason would have to be the way the Germans say “Cooler”.
Greg MacLean
Bubba Ho-Tep
3 reasons
1. Bruce Campbell as Elvis
2. Ossie Davis as JFK
3. A mummy who sucks souls out of a**holes.
’nuff said
Brennan
My guilty pleasure movie for Blu-ray would have to be Night of the Comet. I truly love this movie. Here are the reason’s this would rock on Blu:
1. Catherine Mary Stewart is smoking hot. That hair in HD would be the envy of all women. (Kelli Maroney isn’t too bad either)
2. That super-cheesy 80s soundtrack blasting with a DTS-HD Master Audio Track.
3. Most important, the coolest 5-minute bad guy in the history of cinema is the leader of the stock boys. “I’m not crazy, I just don’t give a f*ck.” Pure awesome.
I love this movie. Some scenes would look pretty damn good in HD, too. Bring it on!