| FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK |
As we mark our first birthday, our editor looks back at the last year, and offers up a personal wishlist of ten titles he'd like to see hit high-def disc in the coming year.
By Peter M. Bracke
Tuesday April 17, 2007 at 3:15PM EST
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We've witnessed the launch of both HD DVD and Blu-ray, and have seen each quickly amass small legions of ardent supporters (and detractors). Nary a week has gone by that hasn't brought a fresh surprise, a stunning reversal or an eagerly-awaited title announcement. And while both sides of the battle continue to proclaim themselves the presumptive "winner" of the war, as the flip-flopping sales leads experienced by Blu-ray and HD DVD continue to prove, we're far from "Game Over."
Here at High-Def Digest, we've reviewed over 370 high-def discs over the last twelve months, and whichever format you choose, one thing is clear: high-def offers a tremendous upgrade over standard DVD. Across the board -- video, audio, breadth of supplemental content and high-def exclusives -- there just is no comparison.
With that in mind, and as we prepare to blow out our first-birthday candles here at High-Def Digest, I'd like to set aside partisan politics for this once and offer up a format-neutral wishlist of ten titles that I'd love to see hit high-def in the coming year. Because independent of which format ultimately prevails, I think we can all agree that ultimately it's all about the movies -- and only a steady stream of top-tier releases will get us to the finish line, and drive mainstream acceptance of high-def disc.
What follows by no means a definitive list (that would have to be about 1,000 titles long), and it should go without saying that it's also a highly subjective one. But it is designed to offer a cross-section of diverse, well-known titles that I believe could prove to be one serious collective trojan horse in bringing millions of new converts to wonders of next-gen DVD.
Note that I've intentionally avoided some obvious choices (such as the 'Spider-Man' flicks, 'Sin City,' 'Blade Runner,' 'Lawrence of Arabia,' etc.), simply because those titles have already been bandied about in studio promo materials, making their high-def release all but assured over the coming year. Instead, I've focused on ten holy grails that, as of this writing, remain but a wishful glimmer in the eyes of early adopters.
Without any further ado -- here's my wishlist (in alphabetical order):
Beauty & the Beast
We all know that classic Disney animation is coming -- it's only question of when. But a big part of the fun is in guessing which gems in the mouse's canon will get the high-def treatment first. So how about 'Beauty'? It's modern, it's a classic, it's the only Disney animated film to ever receive a Oscar nom for Best Picture, and it recently underwent a fantastic restoration for the recent Platinum Edition DVD release. Plus, it's got those great songs, which would sound fantastic in uncompressed PCM 5.1.
Citizen Kane
Every new format needs its one, unadultered cinema classic to really sell it to the diehard film buffs. The kind of film that transcends time, box office and initial reception to permanently fuse itself in the popular culture. 'Kane' hasn't been named "The Greatest Film of All Time" by the AFI for nuthin -- so what do you say, Warner? Why not crown high-def disc's second year with Orson Welles' masterpiece?
Gladiator
Okay, I'll admit it -- I'm personally not a huge 'Gladiator' fan myself. Yet it amazes me that the studios don't mine their libraries for fresh blockbusters like this one when launching new video formats. 'Gladiator' is the perfect modern catalog title -- it was a huge hit, it won tons of Oscars, and its testosterone-fueled visuals just scream, "Watch me in high-def!"
The Godfather
If there is one "holy grail" release on standard-def DVD that I was really disappointed with, it was Paramount's 'The Godfather Trilogy.' Certainly the movies themselves still hold up smashingly, and the extras in the much-touted box set were fine. But the transfers and soundtracks felt dated, and were hardly of the quality that Coppola's masterworks deserved. So, Francis, here's your chance -- re-issue these puppies on high-def, and finally do 'em up right.
Indiana Jones Trilogy
Okay, so maybe it's asking too much for a studio like Paramount to release such an influential trilogy in only year two of the high-def format war. Or is it? We've got Indy 4 coming in early summer 2008, which is barely over twelve months away -- what better way to prime the pump than with a little Short Round in high-def? And with those magnificent Lowry restorations that hit standard-def a few years back already mastered in high-definition, there is really no excuse not to cross-promote with Indy 4.
Jurassic Park
Yes, another Spielberg title on the list, but it's nearly impossible to slim down the oeuvre of a director synonymous with the kind of insta-blockbusters that make or break new video formats. As for 'Jurassic,' sure -- 'Jaws' may be a better movie, 'Close Encounters' more awe-inspiring, and 'E.T.' more emotional. But even among Spielberg's top works, few come close to the pure visual thrust and earth-rattling surround sound of his computer-generated rampaging dinos. The T-Rex scene alone would be guaranteed high-def demo material for years to come.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
This one's a no-brainer. With New Line still promising they'll throw their hat in the next-gen ring in the coming year, can they really afford to refuse high-def fans their crown jewel? Plus, the studio realy can't use the old, "How can we throw out our biggest title right off the bat?" excuse -- they've already repackaged Peter Jackson's landmark trilogy a zillion times on standard DVD anyway, so why not start now with high-def?
Shrek
CGI animation has never looked better than it looks on high-def, and with Pixar entering the fray with the upcoming June release of 'Cars,' why shouldn't DreamWorks give another monster animated blockbuster its shot at high-def glory? 'Shrek' would be a sure winner on high-def, and the kind of family-friendly behemoth guaranteed to entice more mainstream consumers to jump into the next-gen fray. Plus, the old DVD is now quite a few years old, so a fresh upgrade is sorely needed if DreamWorks hopes to re-sell the title to the masses one more time.
Singin' in the Rain
Or, insert your own Favorite Movie Musical here. Early adopters cannot live on action movies alone, so it's about time the studios started digging a little deeper into their back catalogs -- and what better way to sell cineastes on the glory of high-definition than this Technicolor masterpiece? Warner's frame-by-frame restoration of 'Rain' a few years back was absolutely magnificent, so if there is one musical I want to see most on high-def, it's this one.
Star Wars Trilogy
Okay, so a high-def release of 'Star Wars' in this century is about as likely as George Lucas ditching digital and shooting his next movie on Super 8. And yes, I hate the "new and improved," re-tinkered classic trilogy about as much as I hate Jar Jar Binks. But how could anyone create a wishlist for high-def and not include the original adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, Obi-Wan and Chewbacca? That's would be sacrilege!
And so...
That's my list. Now it's your turn: we've set up a dedicated "birthday wishes" thread in our forums area where you can discuss my picks or weigh in with your own.
Hopefully we'll be reviewing at least some of these titles here at High-Def Digest in the next year, but even if not, here's to another 365 day of high-def news, reviews, commentary and controversy. We'll be sticking around to cover it all, and hope you will, too. The fun has only just begun!
