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.
Erich
Some great suggestions above. Maybe this is too mainstream, but I’d love to see Last of the Mohicans on blu-ray.
Incredible landscapes, potential for great audio from the muskets, the huge waterfall scene would be a challenge to have full surround effects while still hearing dialogue, not to mention a fantastic score (though mainly just one incredible song). I could watch this movie a thousand times and never get tired of it.
Too bad I’m in Canada, if I was a contender. Still wanted to participate. 🙂
Daniel A. Pulliam
My guiltiest guilty pleasure has to be “The Karate Kid, Part III”. I’m sure I’m the only one on the planet, but I’m truly saddened that the first two films are getting blu-ray releases and the third is not. Just about every single thing about this movie is atrocious, and yet somehow, every single time I see it on television, I get sucked in. I don’t know, chalk it up to my being in my formative years when I first saw this film theatrically (yes, I paid to see it on the big screen), but there’s just something about Avildsen’s insanely heavy-handed direction, Macchio’s over-the-top-neurotic acting, and Conti’s fantastic score that is so wasted on this film that it’s comical. I’ve devised so many amazing drinking games to this film that it deeply saddens me every time I see it now that I no longer drink. There’s nothing subtle about the film, nothing new. Terry Silver is the absolute epitome of a comic book villain from head to toe, with Daniel just stupidly falling precisely into whatever hole he presents to him to step through. It’s as if the character has learned absolutely nothing, either from the coming-of-age journey of the first film not the climactic battle to the death with one of the deadliest martial artists in the world in the second. Mike Barnes, Silver, Kreese…it’s like Avildsen was just throwing in everything but the kitchen sink to make us feel real tension from the sheer volume of villains, without making any of them as formidable as our protagonist’s own stupidity. That scene in the original Karate Kid where Ralph Macchio’s writhing around covered in spaghetti. Metaphorically, that’s where his character spends this entire film. And it’s just absolutely hysterical. The end fight is the funniest thing ever committed to film. He loses spectacularly before confusing his opponent into essentially giving up one single point to win the tournament. And he STILL can’t defend himself at the close of the picture. I LOVE “The Karate Kid, Part III”. Unapologetically. It’s the high water mark to this day of what a trashy shell of a sequel can do when it ignores its established characters in favor of a quick buck. But the brilliant thing about the film is how desperately it wants to be good. It has no idea just how low brow it actually is. Nothing about any part of this movie, from the actors to the cinematography to the (again) gorgeous orchestral score had any idea that it was destined to be at the bottom of Wal-Mart’s $5 DVD bin. What better way to honor this dishonorable film that I enjoy far more than is reasonable than with a pristine 1080p transfer and loss audio? lol Then the presentation itself could exist in as much ignorance of this film’s worthlessness as art as the film itself. It’s begging for it. And God help me, I will buy it on release day. And it might just force me off the wagon.
Adam Hodge
Guilty Pleasure: “Megaforce”
That’s right…”Megaforce” I remember as a kid seeing this movie and being blown away. Flying motorcycles, color changing dune buggies. With characters like “Ace Hunter” “Dallas” and “Major Zara” how could you go wrong. We attached lawn darts to our bicycles and acted out every scene. It’s amazing nobody was hurt as we flung lawn darts around the yard while popping wheelies. On the back of comics there were these ads/forms you could send in and join Megaforce. When I got my crappy membership card and form letter I was a little disappointed, but I still loved the movie. I saw it on VHS a few years back and the cheese factor is an eleven for sure, but that just made me love the movie all over again, if for very different reasons. An over the top grinning Barry Bostwick in gold spandex is just to freaking funny to be missed.
Okay so the movie never came out on DVD (in the U.S. anyway) so a blu-ray release is wishful thinking, but hey “Flash Gordon” is on its way so ya never know.
Keith
My guilty pleasure is TREMORS. A highly entertaining, B-grade-type movie, that has everything that Blu-ray was made for. Great special effects (so lossless audio would be a great asset, including all the screeches, rumblings underground, and various noises would all sound real) and with the “colorful” landscape of the desert – including bright and dull oranges – and the color of the slugs themselves, including their pumpkin-colored guts, would make the 1080p picture pop out at you. This movie is a great example of popcorn entertainment and it’s not dumbed down either. It’s witty and intelligent.
Thomas Waterfall
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. This masterpeice deserves its place in my blu-ray catalog. Seeing the assortment of huge women fill my screen with jaw dropping detail will finally put my dreams to rest. Rob Schneider may not have the greatest movies out there, but this is one I still find quotes from to use, and needs some new life brought into it!
p.s…the sequel can stay on dvd…
Brent
Movie: Death Bed – The Bed That Eats
Why: It’s a horror movie about a strange bed in an abandoned building that eats people. This would lead most to think that the bed had teeth hidden under the blankets… but you would be way off. The bed actually is full of acid that eats through anything on the bed. Not to mention that it stars William Russ, who played Alan Matthews on Boy Meets World.
What I want to see on Blu: I want to see various items and people sucked into the bed and deteriorated by acid. It starts with picnic foods and moves its way to people, eventually eating the skin clear off a man’s hands. This is something that was made to be enjoyed in blu-ray awesomeness.
Andy Phillips
Showdown In Little Tokyo
This is cheesy buddy-cop action movie at its finest. The dialogue in this movie has to be some of the funniest I’ve ever heard. My favorite line would be this gem that Brandon Lee tells Dolph Lundgren: “Just in case we get killed, I wanted to tell you that you have the biggest d*ck I’ve ever seen on a man.” Hilarious.
As far as I know, the only dvd release of this movie was a 4:3 pan and scan. Give me a 1080p, lossless audio version of this movie and I will be camping out at Best Buy to get this at midnight on release day. I don’t even care if they don’t open till 9 am.
Dan
Guilty Pleasure: OVERBOARD
WHY: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell… they are so funny together, and this is my all time favorite movie. I have probably watched it over 100 times. Everytime I pass it on tv, I have to watch it. I do own in on regular standard boring dvd. But would relish it on blu-ray.
What am I looking for on blu: Well, the standard release is pretty crappy looking. I would love to see the movie POP in HD for the first time ever.
If you aren’t a fan, watch it again.. and tell me you don’t laugh when Goldie says ‘I was a short, fat, slut?’. Great flick.
Anthony
Apparently being remade too. Though almost everything is.
Zaid Al-Ahmar
My guilty pleasure is The 13th Warrior. Something about this movie just makes me want to watch it over and over again. Most of the actors (Besides Banderas), are unknowns, yet they did an admirable job in the movie. The action sequences, the portrayal of Viking life, the mythology and the top performance by the actors turns this movie into one of my guilty pleasures that I’d love to see on Blu-Ray in it’s Hi-Def glory.
greg
I would love to see ‘Princess Raccoon’ (‘Operetta Tanuki Goten’) released on blu-ray. At 87, Seijun Suzuki still has the power to divide audiences and this film is no exception. The man’s innate playfulness – with the story, the songs, the mix of sets (outdoors, stark stages, and elaborate constructions with and without artsy composited backgrounds), and choice of actors – has been eternally confusing to those who prefer predictability but an oasis of joy for those who embrace his methods. The soundtrack of this semi-musical would certainly benefit from a lossless treatment, Zhang Ziyi has never looked (or acted) better, and the details of the costumes, sets and outdoor scenery are gorgeous. Even with all these aspects enhanced by a hi-def presentation, I suspect my family and friends will still give methe ‘WTF?” treatment after forcing this on them ONE MORE TIME!
Eric
Guilty Pleasure: The Black Hole
This was one of the first Sci-fi movies I had seen as a kid and really loved it. I first saw it on TV during the wonderful world of Disney. Latter in the 90’s I watched it again as a teenager and could see all the flaws that it had but it holds a special place in my heart as being a movie I really loved as a kid. It came out around that time after Star Wars and you could see Disney hurried this movie out to cash in the space craze at the time. Seeing the special effects and the Robots makes you laugh today but as a kid it looked so cool.
This movie could use a HD make over to bring a classic sci-fi movie to Blu-ray. Disney usually does a great job on there Blu-rays. Also who doesn’t want to see a giant black hole in HD.
Bran
Captain Ron
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103924/
Why:
Not simply because I’m a Kurt Russel fan, but in 1993, my grandma hosted Christmas for the whole family at her house. My family is spread across the country, so gatherings are few, far between, and a big deal. I was 12 at the time and my mom picked up the VHS of Captain Ron on a whim at Blockbuster.
For 90 minutes, 19 family members shared laughs in a tiny den at what was unexpectedly hilarious to us. I say “to us” because now that I’m going on 30, I have yet to find anyone that shares my zeal for Captain Ron. My friends think I’m a bit dopey for liking it. We continued to watch Captain Ron during several more holiday gatherings before it started to get too tough for everyone to get together.
A few of us still joke on the phone about stopping to catch a few minutes of it when it airs on TV.
What about it deserves HD:
Save for the big city beginning, the entire movie is shot on a classic sailboat in the Caribbean. The boat, the sky, the water, the islands, the small towns they visit, all of these things would be perfect substance for a remastered release.
It seems highly unlikely that anyone will ever spend time bringing this *underated comedy to Blu-ray. I still hold out hope, even though I pass the DVD version in stores about once a month, thinking just maybe High-Def Digest will someday be writing a review about the Blu-ray release of Captain Ron.
Ross Rehart
Guilty pleasures;
1. The 13th Warrior
2. Assassins
3. And my personal all time favorite: Excalibur!
These three would be awesome on blue and would make their way to the front of my collection.
Will Haberland
This is godawful embarrassing to admit but I’m hoping that the movie Super Fuzz someday gets the Blu Ray Treatment. It’s an amazingly bad (so bad it’s good) movie starring the immortal Terrence Young (this might have been his only American movie) and Ernest Borgnine (apparently they had a betamax sex video of him, otherwise I can’t imagine why he’d agree to be in this. I’m dying to see it in Blu Ray because the effects were so bad, I want to see every gory detail in high def (one scene where Dave Speed, the aforementioned “Super Fuzz” blows up a giant bubble gum bubble that is so obviously a giant balloon).
Russ Brink
I have two mostly for the “cheese” factor: Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Magical Mystery Tour. Both movies would sound great in HD audio, but the visuals would be amazing. Holy Grail would look washed and muddy and contribute to the filming conditions. Magical Mystery Tour with it’s bright colors and psychedelia would be fun in HD.
James D.
The Great Mouse Detective! Fantastic story, great animation, and amazingly voiced. Disney has already proven that traditional animation looks stunning on Blu-ray. Being able to see the this movie and it’s Big Ben sequence in Blu-ray would make me a very happy man.
Steve Kearns
My guilty pleasure? Bio-Dome.
I was a young teenager when I first saw it 15+ years ago and it still makes me laugh today. Two idiots get trapped in a large environmental science project and mayhem ensues. Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin are not the best comedic duo, but they make it work with their zany antics. Co-stars William Atherton, Kylie Minogue and Joey Lauren Adams help round out the picture with their respective roles, and play well off of Shore and Baldwin. The cameo by Tenacious D is nice too, and well fitting.
To be honest, I know Bio-Dome isn’t a good picture. It relies heavily on Shore’s waning star power and it is a pretty typical mid-90s dumb humor movie. But that’s part of the charm. Remembering the (good?) days of years past when things were a little simpler and thinking Pauly Shore was funny was still okay. In any event, I’d love this guilty pleasure to come to Blu-ray in the future.
Jonathon Ponce
The guilty pleasure film I await on Blu-ray is “Pink Floyd The Wall”. This movie is an absolute experience of sight and sound, and I think it’s quite a worthy supplement to the album, despite Roger Waters’ gripes. The album loses none of its grim beauty in its translation to the screen, and is only further enhanced by Gerald Scarfe’s animation, being sublime, evocative and resonating. To see his “Goodbye Blue Sky” or “Empty Spaces” sequence restored to immaculate condition in full 1080p with restored 7.1 surround sound would be wondrous to behold.
FLskydiver
I also hope for this to be released someday. You can see it periodically on HDNet Movies, fwiw.
(My vote: Fandango / Hooper – See below)
Comixguru
Guilty pleasures are something you shouldn’t like but do. That’s tough for me.
I love a lot of different types of movies. Being young and not knowing any better, I grew up in the 80s seeing every teen comedy, action schlock-fest, and jump-fright horror that came along. Then in late 80s and early 90s, my eyes opened a bit and art house and revival movie theater trips got me interested in foreign and classic films. In the late 90s, I jumped on the indie film craze and now devour those, too.
I’ve always been something a geek, in love with comix, and I attribute that to my love of animation. Mrs. Guru is younger than me by a decade and brings along a love of new genre films that I probably wouldn’t have the time for, but still thoroughly enjoy.
After thirty year love affair with movies, there’s not much I don’t like. My initial ideas were movies I’d just love to see in high definition.
For instance, I don’t think 1993’s Searching for Bobby Fischer qualifies as a guilty pleasure for me. It’s about chess. I was, sadly, in chess club in middle and high school. Conrad Hall’s wondrous photography and the excellent sound design of this film made chess come alive along with a thrilling story about genius, mentoring, and the teetering potential for lost childhood. Blu-ray would make extreme close-ups of towering pawns and rooks all that more thrilling to watch on my home theater while wrapped in James Horner’s score.
With my background, the only thing I’m left with that I don’t fall over myself trying to see are musicals, chick flicks, weepy or meaningful dramas, and those that lie somewhere inbetween. There’s always a few of these, though, that get through the cracks. I kept coming back around to one film that brought it all together — Gary Ross’s Pleasantville.
In late 90s, I would sometimes go to the theater and just see something I hadn’t seen before. Take a plunge and just enjoy something I wouldn’t normally pick out of the movie section of the local free weekly. I remember looking at descriptions of Rounders and Apt Pupil on the glass of the ticket booth and picking this at the least likely for me to see.
There’s plenty of reasons why I should like this film. Neither Maguire nor Witherspoon are of any interest to me. I have no love of 50s television. The movie opens with atrocious TV Time intro and follows with “Once upon a time…” as if it is about to launch into a fairy tale. I think I actually groaned in the theater when I saw that. In 1998, I particularly remember seeing a fairy tale remake, Ever After, and absolutely loathing every last minute of the thing.
Pleasantville, though, turned out to be just the thing for a gray November weekend.
What I love and would like to see on Blu-ray from this movie is the massive shift from black and white to vibrant color. That would be the eye candy backdrop for all the other amazing things that come together in this film. Randy Newman’s score given new life with a lossless presentation would be the last bit necessary to transport you to the fantasy of this film. Then, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy.
And the supporting performances here. Spectacular performances from Joan Allen, William Macy, Jeff Daniels, and J.T. Walsh are a pleasure unto themselves. I can’t think of a movie with so much story told through the the supporting cast. For once, we get to see these lesser stars rise and shine.
Lastly, I long to see the visual delights this film has to offer given a perfect film-like presentation in the home. The color fire on the tree. The painted glass windows of the diner. The red lips of girl.
Seeing this on Blu-ray would be like a kiss from those lips.
Darrin DeFouw
I would really like to see “Strange Days” on BD. I know this movie didn’t do so well at the box office but it did find a bit of a cult following on home video. Back in the day, this was one of those that I purchased on VHS and it was part of the “Fox Widescreen Series.”
I love this movie! There are some awesome performances by the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, and Tom Sizemore. I like the way it was directed and the screenplay was co-written by some guy named James Cameron.
Watching it today, it feels a little dated because it kind of plays on the (then-said-to-be-upcoming) Y2K “crisis”, but the dystopia of Los Angeles feels very real. The technology used by the “squidheads” is very cool and even though it plays a big part in the movie, it isn’t the whole reason for the movie. The overall plot line turns out to be a tricky murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end.
I never updated my VHS copy to DVD and I don’t want to buy new DVD’s today so I would love to see this title brought back to life on Blu.
Chris
I’m gonna go with the two ‘Major League’ sequels. Yeah, laugh if you want, but a trio of films starring the legendary Bob Uecker as Cleveland Indians fictional broadcaste. Harry Doyle is near the top of my wishlist. I’ve been a diehard baseball fan for my entire life, and the original Major League united my baseball love and comedy that my father enjoyed, giving us a movie that the two of us would watch together everytime it was on TV. The two sequels are nowhere near the quality of the first, but Harry Doyle still shines and continues to make me laugh. Fast forward to college and one of my best friends and I quote the three films all the time. I can’t wait to hear the sounds of the game on my surround sound in high-def audio. And let’s not forget the awesome (/sarcasm) CGI when Tanaka fires the ball in from left field.
David Clayton
I’d love to see Dead Alive on blu ray! The buckets of blood would look wonderful in high definition.
Wade Roberts
Guilty Pleasure Movie is True Lies…not sure if this was ever even released on DVD and I know there was not a special edition. It is just a fun movie and I would love to see what the bridge destruction scene looks and sounds like on Blu-ray. One of my favorite action sequences ever. Being a Cameron movie, if transferred under his descretion, I am sure it would look fantastic and some making of extras would be great maybe even a commentary?
Victor
a simple guilty pleasure i’d like to see on blu? The Crow…. plain and simple.
my original dvd had disc rot, ordered a second copy and when i finally got around to opening it, it only had disc 2…. unfortunatly, i opened it 2 months later, beyond the return period. 3rd copy had both discs finally, but since the movie is visually dark to begin with, i believe a blu release would definitely showcase this movie the way it was meant to be seen.
Chris
Lost in Space (1998)
Anthony
Coming in September.
Mike C
I’m hoping (without holding my breath) for “Howard The Duck”. I’ve always liked this movie and have championed for it foe decades. It’s really the best kind of bad movie, full of campy lines, bad acting from good actors, and special effects galore. The special effects and sound design would be a lot of fun to see in High-Def which is exactly why I’d like to see it on Blu-ray. The DVD looks better than I hoped it would, here’s hoping for a Blu in the near future!
phil harbath
I have thought long and hard about this and this is what I have come up with… Lost in Space (1998), I am well aware it is a POS, and I lose brains cells watching it, yet every couple years I end up watching it again, hoping it will get better (that and the childhood connection to watching the show as a kid). As for why on Blu-ra, as Bluto says “Why not!”.
Now give me my damn used blu-ray machine, so I can watch another POS, Avatar.
Anthony
Lost in Space has appeared on two peoples list so repeating the info.. announced as coming in September.
Jay F
My guilty pleasure is Nicolas Roeg’s “Don’t Look Now” with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. It is suspenseful and frightening in ways that,I don’t believe, any other movie has replicated.
At the same time, it contains the most erotic, uniquely edited sex scene that I’ve ever seen in a mainstream movie.
What would make this film better on Blu-ray? Most of it is shot in Venice. This beautiful city is truly a main character in the film. A high definition release would be a wonderful tribute to this amazing film.
J.J.
My guilty pleasure on Blu-ray would be the movie Kuffs starring Christian Slater. It’s the perfect marriage of serious cop drama and screwball comedy. I haven’t seen anything like it.
Kuffs is a movie that doesn’t have to explain itself to anyone. Yes, it doesn’t make sense when they’re about to chase the bad guys, but not before the two cops have a heated argument, and the one swears so much that the movie is bleeped with guitar sound effects (only to leave one bleep out for you to actually hear a serious “Fuck you!”).
Kuffs slaps you with irony, where George casually jokes to the camera, then rushes in to see his brother murdered, bringing him to a complete halt. Yet along this possible serious path, Kuffs runs into silly situation after silly situation. For example, he actually fights another cop to determine who the boss should be of the district. It’s strange and silly, but it’s a great disruption in the film.
The point is, Kuffs should stand the test of time because it does follow the script formula well while still pushing against it. I love how someone who wrote Stand By Me, Cutthroat Island and Mr. Brooks can also write something as bizarre and engaging as Kuffs. Kuffs pushes the boundaries of film while still working within them.
What would be sweet to see in the movie in HD? How about the ballsy scene of blowing up a Corvette? Or maybe a frozen turkey skipping across the road only to be flattened by a truck.
Okay, so Kuffs isn’t probably a movie that begs for a high definition overhaul, but if it comes out on Blu-ray, you bet I’m pre-ordering it!
Nick
Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight
William Sadler killing demons + CCH Pounder going out with a belt of hand grenades + Jada Pickett Smith killing Billy Zane = guilty pleasure.