Carl's Pick of HD DVD Titles

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Carl 's Pick of Released Titles

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Recommended HD-DVD Releases

Here are some of my favorite 'experience' films released on hidef. No apologies given for my opinionated descriptions.

12 Monkeys  
Yes I'm a sucker for time travel, add a romantic element and some Terry Gilliam bent and it becomes truly great, despite the presence of Brad Pitt. The commentary and extras are a fantastic tale by themselves.
American Gangster  
At its core this is a fairly standard crime thriller, but its execution is deft, direct and engaging. Another home run by Ridley Scott, perhaps the best director we have alive today.
Big Lebowski, The  
Cohen Brother's unconventional comedy of an old stoner's tale in LA. So easy to watch over and over. It isn't some peoples cup of tea, but is a cult classic to many.
Carlitos Way  
A Brian De Palma mob movie with lots of cinema homages used well. One of Al Pacinos more sympathetic and likeable roles.
Casablanca (1942)  
An all time classic with a fantastic restoration and hidef transfer. Play it again.
Casino (1995)  
You know, when it was first released I thought it didn't live up to Goodfellas. But after watching both many times, I now prefer Casino. Any which way you look at it, its more Scorcese brilliance.
Children of Men  
A bleak dystopian movie that somehow seems to have more uniqueness and humanity than the majority of recent Hollywood movies. Gritty but great camera work and production design.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)  
Perhaps the best zombie film to date - and its a remake! Yes I love the originals and have seen all of the best, but this remake stays true and does one better. I can watch it over and over.
Eastern Promises  
A tale of an ill deed amongst Russian Mafia in London. More dark brilliance from Cronenberg.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  
Imagine if Phillip K. Dick wrote a romantic comedy, this would probably be the result. Seriously, this Kaufman/Gondry collaboration is an exploration of reality, psychology and love with Jim Carry delivering the goods in a serious role.
Fast and the Furious, The  
A big dumb action film, that doesn't insult ones intelligence (too much) despite having Vin Diesel and lots of street racing scenes.
Forbidden Planet (1956)  
The quintessential 1950's Sci-fi film. Still more than watchable today thanks to its serious approach to the subject matter and a narrative loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. Great restoration work for this hidef release.
Heroes-Season 1  
An excellent comic book styled sci-fi drama. Great concepts executed well with many story strands weaving through the series.
King Kong (2005)  
An over-long remake that isn't as good as the 1933 original, but a spectacular adventure all the same. For me it was the first time ever that a computer generated character actually seemed real.
Lost in Translation  
A special film where very little happens narrative-wise, but it captures and celebrates the feeling of travel and the connections one makes when alone in a foreign land. Subtle and beautiful.
Matrix Trilogy, The  
Over hyped and over styled, but still a great visual action adventure. The first movie raises some good philosophical concepts and the second and third films spray the viewer with lots of entertaining stunts and visual effects.
Miami Vice (2006)  
Michael Mann often portrays cold emotionally gagged characters. He has also taken to using video cameras at the very limit of their ability to pick up light in order to capture locations without stage lighting, which results in an image awash with video noise. The result of the technique and the characterizations is less than accessible and on the first viewing it didn't grab me. But with subsequent viewings I appreciate and revel in its deftly constructed brilliance.
Thing, The (1986)  
A really good horror film from the 1980's, that despite lots of makeup effects that are starting to date, its still a chilling experience of isolation and paranoia.
Transformers (2007)  
Teen-boy fantasy nonsense that is hard not to love if you don't take it seriously. Michael Bay takes his effects and cinematographic style to the next level. It shouldn't be, but its great.
Zodiac (2007)  
Underrated perhaps for its dry 1970's style and unconventional structure, for me this was one of the stand-out films of 2007. Only after reading the Cinefex on the film did I realize it is full of effects shots, which only goes to show how seamless and convincing it is in reconstructing the era.

Carl's new & upcoming picks: