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.
Mike Attebery
Lucy needs a severe beating.
Joaquin
The guilty pleasure I’d like to see on Blu-Ray is Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space” because it would bring more clarity to the horrible production values of the film and thus, add to the film’s unintentional comedic value, which is the reason I have frequently revisited the film. It is not my favorite film by any means but with its unintentional comedy and inept filmmaking, I consider it one of the funniest and, ironically, most entertaining movies I’ve ever seen. It also serves as motivation to the aspiring filmmaker within me that anyone can make a film if they are guided by their desire to get their work greenlit and distributed to the public and what better way to see all this in the best home video format we have yet: Blu-Ray?
EM
I, too, sorely covet “Plan 9” on Blu-ray. The Wade Williams/Image DVD of several years back looked great, and I hope there will be a “Plan 9” Blu-ray based on a print and a transfer of similarly outstanding quality. One thing I am hoping for on Blu-ray or DVD is an anamorphic widescreen presentation. To my knowledge, all home-video releases of this movie have been in 4×3 format; but it’s my understanding that the film was intended to be matted, probably at a 1.85 ratio. I have approximated this by using the zoom feature on my 16×9 television (cutting the frame a little further to 1.78), and the film does seem to be composed for widescreen. Widescreen does tick a few film’s offenses off the list (boom mikes and their shadows disappear), but don’t worry—there’s still plenty of ineptitude left for all to enjoy!
Robert
My guilty pleasure film to watch is Fiddler on the Roof. Would love to see the studio remaster it as a blu-ray special edition.
Steve Boynotn
Just as others have said my guilty pleasure movie is Zoolander. I have been anticipating this movie to be released to blu-ray for a couple years. The movie has so much depth and color that it would look great in HD. If released the movie has to be called the blu-steel edition. The movie is just so great and has become a cult icon since its release to deevdah.
Dick Ward
Guilty pleasure nothin. ‘Ninja Assassin’ was a riot!
And just for fun, here’s my pick for a guilty pleasure that needs to hit Blu-ray: The Wizard. Why? Because it’s so offensively bad that it needs to be watched again and again. Imagine that final round of the tournament in high definition, or hearing “The Power Glove. It’s so bad,” in 7.1 channel surround!
But mostly, I just want an excuse to watch it again.
Geoff Dorshimer
The guilty pleasure movie that I would like to see on Blu-ray is an old MST3K favorite: Future War. The acting, the effects, the music, and the everything else about it is so horrendous that it becomes phenomenal. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing the lengthy fight through a maze of empty boxes, the now you see them/now you don’t wounds of the final fight scene, and the fat-guy dummy being hit with a miniature dinosaur in glorious 1080p. And hearing Daniel Bernhardt deliver his “I’m a tool” speech in lossless 5.1 DTS would be a real treat. The 2.0 track on the bargain DVD I have just does not do the film justice.
Scott Iburg
My guilty pleasure movie is Moulin Rouge.
It’s an excellent movie from top to bottom! It has everything: great music, story, characters, visuals, humor, and drama! It is impossible to watch this film without humming the songs for the next few days. I’m actually surprised we haven’t seen a Blu release yet.
As far as why a hi-def release is exciting, that should be fairly obvious. The intense hues and stark contrast will make the visuals absolutely pop right off the screen! Imaginative settings with creative framing and shot composition immerse the creative side of your mind in glorious detail. It will be a feast for the senses!
And let’s not forget the sense of sound. A DTS remix will bring the songs to life like we’ve never heard before. The crisp high and low frequencies only possible on these next generation formats.
Moulin Rouge can end up being Blu-Ray demo material is transferred and remastered properly. I can’t wait!
Mike Arentz
Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite flicks. We’re in luck too, because Moulin Rouge AND William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet are both due out THIS YEAR!!
Joe
Monster Squad, cause it took forever to come out on DVD and would be awesomely worse on Blu-Ray! Wolfman has NARDS!
Anthony
‘The Monster Squad’ was released on Blu-ray a few months ago by Lionsgate.
Shortest wait ever. 🙂
Mike Arentz
Its also probably one of the least expensive Blu-Rays out there. It can always be found in the “Blu-ray on a budget” bin.
will morris
guilty pleasure : I Stand Alone by Gasper Noe
reason: some may consider it disgusting, art house pretentious crap, but as with all of noe’s films, i find it worth watching, rewarding, engaging, punishing, and the list goes on, as any good film should, it stretches my limits as a viewer.
REason for blu: the dvd is horrendous and overpriced and the legendary scene (you know what i mean if you’ve seen it) would only sting more in 1080p and 7.1 lossless.
CxDx
im partial to noe’s irreversible. i stand alone was traumatic and disturbing, but the imagery in irreversible and the way the story is told just makes you feel dirty watching it. good choice though.
Jon
I don’t think its really a guilty pleasure because I”m sure we are all waiting for Star Wars to come out on Blu-ray. However, since I’m most excited for a movie from the newer trilogy, perhaps it is actually a guilty pleasure. I’m most looking forward to Episode 2: Attack of the Clones.
Not only will the visuals be excellent on Blu-ray and will no doubt show off some impressive black levels, but I’m really pumped to watch the Jenga Fett asteroid space ship chase scene where he releases those crazy sounding bombs.
I’m really looking forward to recreating that movie theater experience with the sound of those bombs exploding coming from a complete lossless audio track!
John Garcia
These are already in the works. It was in the news last week.
Travis Kline
My guilty pleasure that has not yet hit Blu Ray would be the original Leprechaun. You just cannot beat Warrick Davis and a pre-nose job Jennifer Aniston. I am sure the movie would not have Avatar level picture quality – but they sure could pack a lot of cool extras on a 50 GB Blu Ray.
Paul
My favorite guilty pleasure would have to be Heavy Metal….
Arthur
Bloodsport. I like this movie because it’s my favorite action flick from my favorite late 80’s/early 90’s action star. That would be Jean-Claude Van Damme. I grew up watching this movie and I loved all the cool “karate”, especially the “monkey style”. I can’t wait to hear Frank Dux perform the Dim Mak (Death Touch) in 7.1 sound. Being able to hear the “Kumite! Kumite! Kumite!” in surround just reeks awesomeness. I can’t wait to see Frank Dux bust a jumping spinning back kick in glorious 1080p. And lastly I can’t wait to see a Blinded Frank Dux force Chong Li to say “Mate” (uncle).
Matt Marshall
Conan the Barbarian.
I’ve been waiting for this 80s movie to get the full HD treatment. The beautiful vistas in the movie would definitely be a treat, but what I most look forward to is a complete audio remastering in DTS-MA. I’m already anticipating the thundering hooves of the opening battle as James Earl Jones comes riding up. Plus Conan has one of the best scores of any movie, and hearing it in 7.1 will be fantastic!
Rich
Movie: Over the Top
Why: Because when he turns his hat backwards it’s like a switch. I have no doubt that switch magnifies in power relative to the awesomeness of the display.
Mike Attebery
RICH, I have good news for you:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2414/overtop.html
Rich
omg.. now I just need a blu-ray player…
John W Sheehy
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Who wouldn’t wanna see Spicoli’s clothes in HD.
videoflyer
Never mind Spicoli – Phoebe Cates emerging from the pool in HD…now THAT I’d pay for.
Joe K
Fast Times at Ridgemont High exists on HD, but I’m afraid its HD DVD. I have it, and yes, Phoebe Cates coming out of the pool is AWESOME!!
Adam Christensen
Movie: The Specialist
Stallone fans all know that this was not his best performance. However there’s just something about a guy that can design cool ways to put bombs in things. Did I mention Sharon Stone is in this, and she is smoking hot! This is one movie that I could watch once and then come back to it once a year.
Michael Cloude
Darkness Falls or Little Monsters, both are definitely guilty pleasures.
Dave C
Movie: Color of Night
Why: Bruce Willis
🙂
Mike Arentz
Mmm hmm…………
I’m sorry, what were we talking about again?
CsMisi
Too bad you are not sending to Europe … I would have enjoyed a Region 1 blu-ray player with my region 2 PS3 so I could order StarGate Ark of Truth and the Fan’s Choice (among other things of course). So this is the reason why it is too bad …
But hell, I will still tell you my two guilty pleasure movies:
Absolute no. 1: what dreams may come – it was a superb movie in my opinion, and with a good transfer it would look astonishing in blu-ray. All the emotion in that movie, the ups and downs, I really want to relive that movie and BD is the way to go …
and No 2: guess what, another Robbin Williams Movie: Bicentennial Man … oh man that would be awesome … one of the best and most enjoyable sci-fi movie, without things blowing off in it … It just plain and simple enjoyment while thinking about some deep thoughts about possible rights for cyborgs …
So even if I don’t have a chance for the prize I finally got the chance to say out loud my two wished for movies … non if them a commercial success but still …
Brad
My guilty pleasure is definitely “Soldier”. Nothing like a totally sound staged action/sci-fi starring Kurt Russell to get the hi def juices going. A decent cast a good special effects make the movie worth a watch, but what I can’t wait to see is the Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee in the rain fight scene at the end in hi def. And there’s plenty of room for a hi def soundtrack becuase I think Kurt only has around a total of 8 lines in the entire film. There was a 3 year period where I literally watched this movie at least once every other week. I can’t wait to start my ultimate guilty pleasure up again once it gets its bluray bump!
TIM TEETS
My guilty pleasure would be Tomboy starring Betsy Russell. It was 80’s teen flick at its finest. Lets just say this movie got me thru puberty.
mike
my guilty pleasure would be: Tales from the Crypt presents: Demon Knight
i first saw this movie previewed when i was in middle school and even though i hadnt seen ANY TFTC episodes before, I just HAD to see it.
those awesome commercials with Billy Zane saying “come on out everybody, its time to play” just planted the seed.
one “sneak sneak sneak” into the theatre later and its been in my vhs/laserdisc/dvd collection following me around ever since.
hearing Billy Zane say “why wait” and punching through a guys head in HD, who wouldnt want that?!?!!?
the story was pretty original i though and consider it HIGHLY recommended in any case 🙂
doug stone
not interested in ap\\participating in the contest..sorry.
Ed B.
My guilty pleasure movie is Over the Hedge.
Yeah, I know it is an animated kids movie but there is a lot more to it than that. My wife and best friend went with me to see it opening night in the theater (late showing so there wouldn’t be too many kids) and viola we saw one of the funniest movies we have ever seen to this day. The characters were great, the animation was fantastic, and the jokes woven in for the adult crowd were terrific. To this day I always make people who come over watch the movie if they have never seen it and that makes them cringe at first and by the end they are ready to run out and buy it.
I would love to have this on blu ray for two reasons: 1) it would remind people that a movie does not have to have naked asian american actors in trunks of cars to be funny and 2) the colors kicked up in high def would make this world pop and reintroduce it to the general public.
In short… if you do not have this in your SD collection buy it. It should get the HD treatment it rightfully deserves!!
Jamie P
I want to see Bad Boys II. I hope the transfer is a little better than the first. Some of those action scenes are super sexy. I don’t think that most people in the mainstream viewing group have the same perception of this movie as I do. I consider this to be an over the top kiss kiss bang bang or shoot em up style movie, though potentially not on the same level. I love this move, loved the first one. I hope this is a soon to hit bluray flick!
Chad Rouch
Jaws 3-D. And when I put that big ol’ honking “D” at the end of that, I mean it. There’s no better way to appreciate Lou Gossett Jr.’s shiny dome when he says, “You mean we’re talking about some damn shark’s mother!” than when it’s slightly protruding from the screen. That dome screams for 3D.
When your animatronic shark has exactly two working gears (open mouth, close mouth), you need three dimensions in the image to add a level of terror those gears simply cannot convey.
Still not convinced? Lea Thompson…in 3D. My work here is done.
CB
Damm, I would have said Conan too, as you just need to see Arnie’s muscles in high def. LOL!
My choice then…
Koyaanisqatsi directed by Godfrey Reggio
Nothing would be better in screaming wonderful high def then this lovely movie. To watch the intense visuals of this movie where ever vivid viusal detail is in your face, would just be epic.
Add Phillip Glasses’s score in high def audio, I would just melt in joy on my couch.
HuskerGuy
Guilty pleasure movie – Zoolander
Why I like it – What’s not to like, the movie is just plain amazing. It has a gasoline fight set to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, David Bowie refereeing a walk-off, said walk-off involves “going monk” as a maneuver, the Derek Zoolander Center For Children Who Can’t Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too (it needs to be at least 3x bigger), etc, etc. The movie is pure comedy gold because its completely ridiculous and it remains one of my all-time favorite movies.
Can’t wait for HD – If Magnum blew us away in SD, imagine how amazing it will be in HD 🙂 Seriously though, the movie is all about looking good and what better way for it to look good than to put it on blu.
ehtamgnie
Zoolander is one of my all time favorite films! I think it is one of the few movies I have seen at least a dozen times. I feel like I am on crazy pills for not having thought of this one myself!
FLskydiver
I vote with this guy^
Except for that I vote for my two choices above his. I’ll elaborate on them below, but I’m talking about Kevin Reynolds “Fandango” and Hal Needham’s “Hooper”.
Jayson
The Pest with John Leguizamo. The starring actor even thinks this movie is terrible, but I have loved it since it came out (I was 12 at the time). I don’t know what it is. It’s just one of those rediculous movies that you like when you’re young and fart jokes are the best thing you’ve ever heard.
Vihstadt
My pick is Better of Dead. Probably my favorite John Cusak vehicle and still makes me laugh like a five year-old. Can’t wait to see the “Everybody Wants Some” claymation hamburger fantasy sequence in high-def.
John Egan
I would like to see Blue Underground release a Jess Franco title, the obvious first choice being Eugenie The Story Of Her Descent Into Perversion. Exotic local, beautiful women and, oh yeah, perversion. Plenty of it. My favorite line is when one partyer remarks to another that the wine has been drugged and the response is; “What of it?” Leave your common decency at the door as the film drifts into a hazy dream of pleasure and pain bleeding into each other. Schemes and power plays become a bigger turn on than sex and drugs and the finish is truly unreal. Franco is controversial even among those who enjoy the cheap and tawdry but some of us think he is an artist and his first BR will be a milestone.