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.
Matt O.
Can a film directed by Martin Scorsese really be considered a “guilty pleasure?” I mean, sure, most of his films have some form of Catholic guilt going on in them, but are any of them “bad” movies? If you go by Rotten Tomatoes ratings, then NEW YORK, NEW YORK (his lowest rated directorial effort aside from the Corman cheapie, Boxcar Bertha) is a bad movie. And I love it!
When the film came out in 1977, Scorsese was on top of the world. He had established himself with Mean Streets, showed range with Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and directed one of the landmark films of the 70s, Taxi Driver. He had a kinetic, gritty, urban shooting style and an unmatched knowledge of film history. He was teaming up yet again with Robert De Niro in a gritty, urban, musical. Wait, what? Apparently, that is what critics said to. As for the box office, the film was released against Star Wars, so I guess you can figure out how it fared. NEW YORK, NEW YORK damn near ended Scorsese’s career in Hollywood. Can the film really be that bad?
Not at all, NEW YORK, NEW YORK marked the first, but not the last (see: Shutter Island) time that critics would attack Scorsese for going outside his gritty, NYC, dark character study box and trying to fuse film genres and styles. It is no secret that Scorsese longed to be an Old Hollywood director, making the films he grew up loving. NEW YORK, NEW YORK was his foray into the musicals of the 40s and 50s, but also his first attempt at a genre homage film. Scorsese fuses the lush set design and musical set pieces of classic musicals with his 70’s era gritty realism. The result is a personal film from one of America’s greatest auteurs. Perhaps too personal for critics.
The film makes the statement that artists have something in them that makes them want to rail against the system, any system. Whether it an auteur working within the confines of the Hollywood studio system or a jazz musician playing in the same band as his lover, certain artists need conflict in order to spur creation. Scorsese further explored this theme in “Life Lessons,” his contribution to New York Stories. Robert De Niro is the jazz musician in this film and plays the part with his trademark intensity and dedication seen in his other great films of the 1970’s. It was his character, dark and brooding, that was the square peg in the round hole of the studio musical backdrop, which turned people off to the film. I love that De Niro’s approach to the character went against expectations of what you will see in a traditional 1940’s MGM musical. This stylistic conflict was just another example of art borne out of conflict, this time it was a conflict of artistic styles versus that of people.
Liza Minnelli fits the musical mold perfectly and is the yin to De Niro’s yang in the film. The daughter of Judy Garland cannot help, but look natural against the beautifully painted backdrops and elaborate set design. It is said stage design and backdrops that make this my most wanted “guilty pleasure” on Blu-ray. As such already-released musicals like Gigi and South Pacific have shown, the elaborate work of expert craftsman that go into the set design of these lush musicals deserves to be seen in all the fine detail that even a bare minimum of an upgrade to 1080p provides. Unfortunately, the film rights are owned by MGM, so a release is not likely coming soon, if ever, but I at least I can dream. If there was ever a film in need of the critical re-evaluation an excellent (technical) Blu-ray release can provide, it is NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
Carter Yang
The guilty pleasure I would most like to see released on Blu-ray is ‘Tron’, that splendid once state-of-the-art Disney tale about a computer programmer who is transported into the computer world and does battle with bad guys in deadly videogame-like combat. Why do I like ‘Tron’? Why do I want to see it released on Blu-ray? Oh let me count the ways! Oh to see in glorious high definition those cheesey early nineteen-eighties special effects that so dazzled and mesmerized me as a child! Plus a sequel is on the way and what better way to get ready than to see the original in beautiful 1080p? ‘Tron” is a worthy guilty pleasure indeed and one I can’t wait to see on Blu-ray!
Daryl Heinsohn
My guilty pleasure would definitely be ‘The Beastmaster’…the scantily-clad Tanya Roberts in her prime is still etched very strongly in my (then) 12-year old mind.
Tracy
I would like to see Slapshot. I am a huge hockey fan and I know this movie is dated and all. I just want to have it in my library.
allen morris
I love Ninja Assassin! With a Pioneer Kuro and blu-ray player, the ninjas will appear from nothing. That movie was made for blu-ray, the superior blacks and contrast will be AMAZING!
Josh Terzino
My guilty pleasure flick would have to be Killer Klowns From Outer Space. I don’t know that it would make all that of an impressive disc, but it’s a movie from my childhood that I have a lot of great memories around. My brother and I used to catch it on cable all the time, and it was a rare occasion that we would agree on anything. Killer Klowns was kind of OUR thing. We both loved it. Particularly the scene in the police station, when one of the clowns is using the chief like a ventriloquists dummy!! Hilarious!! The visuals wouldn’t be any worse than Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, which I do own on blu, and love it. I just think it would be nice for some more niche movies like Killer Klowns to be released in the US. There’s certainly a market for it. At least two people would buy it on day 1.
Adam Costello
I have to go with Bring It On for my guilty pleasure. The sound could be great on Blu-ray and who doesn’t want to see more Eliza Dushku in high definition?
Kevin
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie/Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.
They’re probably two of the worst movies of the 1990s. But, if (like me) you enjoy(ed) the tv shows, and/or like Godzilla and other similar types of sci-fi/action films, then these are essential viewing.
In the case of both films, what I’m most looking forward to is the Megazord battle at the end.
John
Batman Mask of the Phantasm
Its a great cartoon but its also a great Batman movie.
It had good twist, more insight on Batman’s past, and a good epic fight.
Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill ftw! !!!
Nathan
I want to see Tank Girl on blu-ray. This movie reminds me of my mom back before she got a terminal brain injury in a car accident when I was 16. We used to watch it with her all the time as kids, and she even took us to MGM on Ice because she heard there was a Tank Girl section. That’s right, I saw Tank Girl ON ICE. And it. Was. Awesome. It’s just one of those things that reminds me of a better time in life before a lot of really bad things happened.
Ehhhn. That post brought me to a sad place. Anyway. Tank Girl.
John K
I want Multiplicity on Blu-ray for two reasons: first, it is one of the 5 movies that I’ve rated highest on Movielens, compared to the average of all other ratings (why doesn’t everyone LOVE this movie?). Second, I want it in high-def so I can better pick out who’s who of the other actors who play Michael Keaton’s clones.
HuskerGuy
She touched my pepe Steve :)) Great movie!
Dan Green
I’d like to see them come out with Wisdom, starring Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez.
It’s a take off on Bonnie and Clyde, where Estevez and Moore fall on hard times and start robbing banks. They become heroes to the everyday man, since they decide to burn up all loan notes, keeping the banks from collecting on debts.
It’s a total cheeseball movie, but I’m a fan of Demi Moore and would like to see the young, pre-enhanced Demi in all of her high-definition glory. Plus, I’m hoping to get some extra credit for talking about a totally random movie.
FLskydiver
For me, it’s a tie between two movies:
“Fandango” (1984) directed by Kevin Reynolds.
For the best and most hilarious skydiving footage EVER CAPTURED ON FILM. Truman Sparks!! Greatest One-Man Instructor / Pilot / Rigger / Dropzone Bum in history. My personal HERO. Sample Quote: “Hey, is something the matter dude? Ok, look, if it will make it easier, I, I’ll take a chute up and jump first so’s you can watch how it’s done. (Silence.) Oh, haha, oh, God. What a space cadet I am, huh? Haha. Well, I can’t do that! If I do that, who’s gonna land the plane?”
Can’t wait to see Truman’s paintjob on that plane in HD!
Also,
“Hooper” (1978), Directed by Hal Needham.
Why? Why Not! This is one of the greatest films ever made. Amazing stunts, great one liners, fast cars, bar fights, explosions, Burt Reynolds & Sally Field. In HD?? Can’t wait!
And what does these films have going for them the most? NO CGI! They come from a time when people really lay it all on the line for Cinema Immortality.
Guilty pleasures sure, but these just scream to be seen in HD.
FLskydiver
Re: Hooper:
I said “fast cars”. I should have said “rocket cars”. I mean, seriously, this movie has a friggin’ rocket powered car jump a huge gorge from a blow’d up bridge!
And a great theme song too. And the DVD is a sad, non-anamorphic, 4.01 gb travesty.
huntergray
My guilty pleasure i would like to see on blu-ray is Leathal Weapon 4. many fans consider it to be their least favorite of the series, but i strongly disagree. I would like to see a DTS Master HD 5.1 on this as well as a quality video transfer.
Jason Lee
My guilty pleasure would have to be ‘Kindergarten Cop’ hands down. Great mix of action, humor and many lines that me and my friends can still quote…
“We’re going to play a wonderful game called ‘Who is your daddy, and what does he do?'”
Sure, it’s not the first movie that comes to mind that needs the bluray treatment – but hey, we’re talking guilty pleasures here.
puddy77
Harold and Maude. It deserves a full-on restoration and lossless Cat Stevens soundtrack.
spartan600
I would love to see BORN IN EAST L.A. finally arrive on Blu-ray. I love the “carnalismo” layers of comedy that Cheech shows off in this film ranging from soft hearted to wannabe “cholo” tough guy. I also like the beautiful Kamala Lopez as “Dolores” as she lets out her charm with her accented dialogue scenes. I can’t wait to see the vibrant colors of Tijuana be brought to life in HD and i beg to Universal to add the “full” ending which is 15-20 minutes that were not added on the regular DVD.
FreddyC
My dirty little guilty pleasure is “Smiley Face”.
The film didn’t get a wide release, but lots of people are finding out about it. I really enjoy the over the top situations that the title character (played by Anna Farris) gets herself into, because she has ingested way to much marijuana. I like to take the pot from time to time and I really can relate to how a simple task can turn into a fiasco, because you can’t get your head together. Plus, the internal dialogues she has with herself are awesome. Like the lasagna monologue! Framing pictures of your favorite things…..brilliant! Frame a picture of lasagna because you love it. Garfield the cat loves lasagna, so frame a picture of him to remind yourself of lasagna. Or, better yet, frame a picture of President Garfield, which will remind you of Garfield the cat, which will remind you of how much you love lasagna! That’s SO inside! Who else but a stoner comes up with something like that? Come on give that to me in 1080P with a 5.1 audio track of sweet Anna’s voice! It’s a travesty that ANY film with Anna Farris in it is NOT on blu-ray!
I gotta have this on blu-ray. What’s not to love? It’s like The House Bunny being thrown right into all the shenanigans of Pineapple Express. Plus, hearing Roscoe Lee Browne and his “conversation” with Farris is priceless. The blu-ray soundtrack would surely bring Browne’s already distinct bass voice to a kick ass level. “A glass of orange juice sure would hit the spot.” And if seeing Anna Farris in beautiful blu-ray, with her smiling eyes and bright smile doesn’t get your attention, you don’t have a pulse! So there it is, my guilty pleasure! Thanks for your consideration. And yes, I’m thinking about how good a glass of orange juice and some Tostitos would be right about now!
Ryan Morgan
This one is a toss up for me. I’m hard pressed to choose between Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Split Second. I find homicidal clowns comforting and Rutger Hauer is just a badass. I already own Monster Squad, Big Trouble in Little China and Michael Bolton: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, so they will get me through until the real guilty pleasures are released. Ok, I lied about owning the last one, just trying to increase the cheese meter.
david
The guilty pleasure movie not yet available on Blu-ray that I’m hoping will be released in the future is One Million Years B.C.. The dvd release wasn’t really wide screen just a cropped full screen. It was missing several minutes of the amazing animation by Ray Harryhausen. Such a quality job of has been done on other Harryhausen classics that this would be a no brainer. The excellent score by Mario Nascimbene would also benefit from a remastering. Plus the biggest reason of all, Raquel Welch in a two-piece fur bikini!!
Will
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure!
Tim Burton directing and Phil Hartman as a co-writer!
I saw this movie as a kid and loved it and I still love it to this day. Not only does it have an awesome bike, but it also has so many quotable lines and great scenes. The bar scene where he has to dance on the bar, the movie of his adventure, etc…
“There’s no basement at the Alamo!”
Doug Booth
My pick is a really obscure SF film but cool in its own way. Title is ‘Dark Star’. Produced and Directed by John Carpenter with Dan O’Bannon (of eventual ‘Alien’ fame.) Both of them are in the film which was shot for about $10,000. Funny as hell with a unique premise. They both went of to fame and fortune, but this was where it started for both of them. Second choice (is that allowed?) is another SF film called Saturn 3 with Farrah Fawcett (in her drop dead beautiful days) Kirk Douglas and Harvy Keitel. Movie had a badass killer robot, (think a twisted Terminator) cool sets and photography and a pretty tight script.
John M Messick
Guilty pleasure movie – all episodes of Cheer.
This is my all-time favorite tv series!
Sam (Ted Danson)is just awesome in this tv series and who cannot appreciate the comedy of Norm and Cliff!. I think it is out in DVD, but would absolutely purchase it, if it was available on Blu-ray.
chad5871
Guilty pleasure: “The Goonies”
Why I Like It: What’s not to like – typical teenage drama, a crazy adventure with friends, discovering an incredible treasure, and saving your town from being obliterated off the map. Needless to say, “The Goonies” was one of my favorite movies as a kid and now as an adult I love sitting down for a couple of hours and being whisked away into the little world of Astoria, Oregon.
Why it needs to be in HD – Because I want to see the sights of the Goonies’ adventure in HD – the wishing well, the caverns, the sunken ship. Not only that, but hearing Dave Grusin’s awesome score (with some Cyndi Lauper thrown in) in 7.1 Dolby TrueHD would be pretty nice, too. Plus, seeing the Truffle Shuffle in HD would simply be classic.
Mark Huang
There’s really only one title that truly fits on this list: Beastmaster. The dude from V impossibly ripped, the milf from That 70’s Show back before she was an “m” (and naked!), the dad from Good Times all macho and wise, and freakin’ Artie from The Larry Sanders Show, as the head bad guy! Birth from a cow, Jun hordes, a black tiger, twin ferrets, child sacrifice ceremonies, masked berserkers, flying flesh eating humanoid creatures (who are good guys), and nudity, all in a PG rating! This was one of the first movies I ever saw on cable, and I was the right barely pubescent age to appreciate it for all of its glories and excuse all of its ridiculousnesses. And now? It’s out of print AND Netflix doesn’t stock it anymore. If any guilty pleasure deserves an all out, balls to the wall, multi-disc special feature laden blu-ray release it’s Beastmaster. Criterion, are you listening?
Jason Patterson
I wouldn’t mind seeing “Demolition Man” in HD. I didn’t think all that much of this movie in the theater, but it really grew on me over the years. This movie is loaded with delightfully off-beat acting, particularly by Sandra Bullock, who steals every scene that she’s in. The action sequences are also well shot and choreographed, and this movie’s rich and detailed production design is always interesting to look at. It should translate well to HD. The costumes, the sets, the vehicles, and of course Wesley Snipes’s hair. I’d be interested to see what little details I missed on previous viewings. It should be a blast!
Jonathan
Double Impact – Who out there DID NOT want to be one of the Wagner Twins when they were little? One Van Damme sold me. Two made a drip of pee hit my pants as a kid. Seeing Van Damme portray Alex and Chad Wagner was pure genius back then. I could never get enough JCVD! Let’s not forget about the sex scene with Danielle. Ass kicking and one sex scene = one happy kid back in the 90’s.
I’d be interested in seeing what if anything they could do with the picture quality. A nice DTS-HD audio would be appreciated as well.
Lance Files
My guilty pleasure is, and always will be, Halloween 3: Season of The Witch. I can see where some didn’t like it but is it possible for people to get past the fact that Michael Myers was not the subject of the film and judge it on it’s own merit. 90% of the people I have argued with always go to the “it was stupid, it didn’t even have Michael” card. To which I reply … IT WASN”T SUPPOSED TO HAVE MICHAEL IN IT!” Generally to no avail. In my humble opinion, it is a fun little thriller with some great suspense and I have loved it since my first viewing many moons ago. Plus, I am a huge Tom Atkins fan, and I would love to see it on blu-ray. As for the video portion, there were some cool shots of the kids out trick-or-treating that I think would look great on blu-ray. In addition to the inventive death scenes such as “misfire, and the demonstration scene where the kid in the pumpkin mask and his family meet an untimely end. But the audio wouldn’t lack much either. The score by Carpenter and Howarth is hands down, one of my favorites. Creepy and atmospheric, like the film. Plus, there are plenty of freak out moments with that accompanying “boom” that I would love to hear on blu-ray. I don’t know if Halloween 3 would be a big seller, but I know at least one person that would buy it!
joeags
Easy call here, although I have some others that are more qualified but are already on blu-ray (Aeon Flux!). But my call is Smokey and the Bandit. Many people like it, but it is definitely a movie that can be classified as a guilty pleasure!
I absolutely despise country music, but the songs on this one had my feet tapping. It has a story that could be hilarious in a 5 minute skit from Jeff Foxworthy, but still can stretch 90 minutes and be completely entertaining. Heck, Burt Reynolds read the script and thought it was the worst script ever written, and he still did it and made it dang entertaining! It’s got a sexy car in the Pontiac Trans Am, sexy women talking on cb radios (could the shorts be any shorter at the end of the movie at the drive in?!?), and tractor trailers smashing cop cars and motorcycles!
Most importantly, this movie was released on HD DVD, but could really stand for an improved video experience as well as a new suite of extras. Definitely a guilty pleasure!!
Cameron Hurtado
Guilty Pleasure Movie: Wild Wild West
Why I like it: First off I have to mention the cast. With a line up of Kenneth Branagh (my favorite actor), Kevin Kline, Will Smith, Ted “Buffalo Bill” Levine, and Salma Hayek’s cleavage, how can you not enjoy it. Some call the acting just straight bad, but I find the performances to be gloriously cheezy and I mean that in the best way possible. The dynamic between Smith and Branagh telling racist and wheelchair jokes back and forth always gives me a huge laugh. The dynamic between Smith and Kline was also so much fun which is really what it’s all about. Throw in Kenneth Branagh doing a Georgia accent and Salma’s cleavage and its gold.
Also I have to mention that Kenneth Branagh was my favorite actor and director for a good 5 years before I knew he was Dr. Loveless. One day I was on his imdb page and saw Wild Wild West….Arliss Loveless. I thought well IMDB made a mistake thats strange. I then put on the movie and was shocked to see it really was him. It speaks to the amazing talent of Mr. Branagh to pull off that look and accent. Just watch Hamlet and Harry Potter 2 and tell me that isn’t crazy that it is the same actor. Just amazing.
Why I can’t wait to see it in HD: The look of the film whether you like the movie or not is really quite cool. You have a modernized victorian era with fun Gordon inventions and Salma Hayek’s cleavage, all of which would be amazing in HD. Also, who doesn’t want to hear the amazing sound effects and the epic HD glory of a giant Tarantula!
Thanks for the chance to vent about this very very FUN movie. I put emphasis on fun because this movie wasn’t meant to be an Oscar winner. It is meant to be a fun ride and the movie is just that, and must be removed from the Delayed Blu-Ray list and made available now!