While there is a distinct lack of good television on this time of year (save for a few shining lights like “Monk,” “Psych,” and “Eureka“…), I’ve been watching a bunch of movies this weekend. I’ll give the brief run-down, with a few quick thoughts:
1). “300” (2006)
Excellent movie. I borrowed this one from Josh and watched it on Friday night, and geez, does it look nice on Bluray. I hadn’t seen it in a long time and I’d forgotten just how good the movie is. It’s really one of those timeless stories that is hard to dislike, unless you really distaste the over-the-top violence portrayed in the film (which I don’t mind). Either way, if you haven’t seen it, you really should.
2). “In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” (2007)
I have long considered “Battlefield: Earth” to be the absolute worst movie I’ve ever seen (that is, worst movie that was actually trying to be a good movie…), but this one may give it a run for the money. Uwe Boll directed this gem (along with other classics like “Bloodrayne” and “Alone in the Dark“…) and did his best to pull from every “Lord of the Rings” cliche he could. The man shouldn’t be allowed to make movies anymore, but then again, few directors can produce such entertaining crap (and by “entertaining,” I don’t mean in a good way…). It’s the kind of movie you need to be drinking heavily to enjoy. You also should check out the IMDB page for the movie, as it’s unbelievable how many people you’ve heard of are in this movie…
3). “My Name is Bruce” (2007)
Back in high school, I watched a little movie called “Army of Darkness,” and this was my first introduction to the genius that is Bruce Campbell. He’s one of those B-movie actors that has reveled in it and made an entire career out of it. This movie (shown in some independent film halls and, otherwise, was direct-to-DVD) focuses on Bruce, playing himself, as he slowly wallows away in B-movie hell, until a small town nearby gets visited by an ancient Chinese god that starts going around killing people. Of course, since these people revere Bruce as a true monster warrior, they kidnap him and convince him to battle the beast. This movie was, in every way, better than “In The Name of the King,” and likely better than “G.I. Joe”… If you like Bruce Campbell, you must watch it.
4). “Gladiator” (2000)
After watching “300,” I realized I hadn’t watched this movie in a few years….which is truly a crime. It’s such a great movie and one of my favorites and, as I assume most of you know what this movie is, I won’t go into any descriptions (honestly, it’s rather nuts that it’s almost 10 years old now…). However, if you haven’t ever seen it, let me know so I can loan you the DVD. You really need to see it. Correction, you really need to buy it. Everyone should own it.
Does BluRay up convert standard DVDs and if so, does it look any good? I realize for my favorite movies, I’ll probably eventually buy the BR version, but I really don’t want to reinvest my whole collection…
300 is just awesome. I also read the Graphic Novel after buying it for Tina. Amazing how spot on the movie was. Gladiator is also awesome. After reading your post, I might have to watch it tonight. I look forward to watching ‘My Name is Bruce’. He is one of my heroes and I met him once back in 1999 at VT when he spoke about the state of Hollywood (best part was his critique of Congo, which is in line with your critique of GI Joe). I’ve never even heard of #2 above, so thanks for the heads up. You keep watching those crappy movies so I don’t have to! The only movie I watched recently was Bull Durham. I figured I should watch it since it’s the local minor league team around here. Anyway, it’s kind of the standard Keven Costner role a la Tin Cup. Nothing spectacular, I enjoyed the Major League movies much more when it comes to late 80s baseball movies.
Most Bluray players are also DVD “upscalers,” although you can buy an upscaling DVD player for, like, $20 or $30 without having to make the jump to Bluray. If I understand correctly, some Bluray players are better “upscalers” than others – the PS3 is considered one of the better ones.
Of course, an upscaled DVD still doesn’t produce as high res a picture as Bluray does, but for most, it’s “good enough.” The real difference I notice is in refresh rate capabilities, where it sure looks “smoother” on a Bluray picture (at least, when I compare the “Transformers” DVD to the “Transformers” Bluray).
I need to re-watch “Congo.” I just remember Ernie Hudson’s accent being atrocious. 😛