The 101 Blu-rays you must own - Part 2

HCC's ultimate countdown of the 101 best Blu-ray discs around continues below. Click here for numbers 101-81.


080. Halloween: 35th Anniversary Edition

When this seminal horror classic debuted on Blu-ray it did so with a revisionist look that favoured vivid reds and blues in favour of the more neutral look of the original photography. Last year's impressive anniversary reissue not only corrected this but also managed to dig up more picture detail as well.


079. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

There's a lot to admire about David Fincher's American adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestselling novel, but what lifts its up to the position of being a must-own Blu-ray is the exhaustive extras on offer and the skill with which the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix presents Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's multilayered score.


078. The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration

Paramount made film fans an offer they couldn't refuse with this lavish boxset for Francis Ford Coppola's crime saga. Yes, the hi-def masters are now showing their age a little and could be improved upon, but these discs are still the best the films have looked in years. 


077. Quatermass and the Pit

Of all the Hammer horrors restored for Blu-ray by StudioCanal, this remains the very best. Nigel Kneale's superior shocker looks and sounds superb (the improvement from the old DVD is quite simply remarkable) and it comes backed up by a fascinating selection of extra features.


076. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: 50th Anniversary Edition

Fall in love with Catherine Deneuve all over again with this gorgeous new 2K restoration of Jacques Demy’s musical masterpiece served up alongside a medley of extras including two documentaries and a detailed account of the restoration process. C’est magnifique!


075. Rush

This brilliant biopic of Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda does a fantastic job of capturing the look and feel of the sport during the 1970s. And its refined AVC 2.40:1 Full HD visuals and exhilarating DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack make this BD the next best thing to driving an F1 car yourself. Probably.


074. Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection

Calling anything 'essential' is just asking for trouble, but Universal got it spot on with this feature-packed collection of eight legendary monster movies – including the alternate Spanish-language version of Dracula and a 3D version of Creature from the Black Lagoon!


073. The Passion of Joan of Arc

The Masters of Cinema range deserves high praise for its treatment of Carl Theodore Dreyer's silent masterpiece. Not only does the platter include a new restoration of the original 1928 version (in both 20fps and 24fps), but also the 1950s Lo Duca re-edit.


072. Sucker Punch

Less a coherent movie, more a disjointed collection of outrageous action set-pieces, Warner's Blu-ray is indispensable courtesy of Sucker Punch's endlessly inventive, subtle-as-a-sledgehammer DTS-HD audio mix.


071. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

It may not be all that pretty, but there's no getting away from the fact that Sony's hi-def presentation of this classic comedy is as faithful to the source material as anyone could possibly hope for.  Making the disc even more vital for fans is the inclusion of exclusive extras, such as outtakes and 'lost' animations.


070. The Fury

When this telepathic Brian de Palma thriller hit Blu-ray in the US it was limited to just 3,000 copies and was soon commanding high prices on eBay. This subsequent UK release put a stop to that by being widely available and boasting a new and improved restoration based on a 2K scan of the original 35mm negatives.


069. Saving Private Ryan: 2-Disc Special Edition

A firm favourite on DVD due to its aggressive DTS 5.1 soundtrack, Spielberg's World War II tale is even more immersive and powerful on Blu-ray courtesy of its reference-quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix. Just steer clear of the initial run of discs, which had an annoying audio sync issue.


068. Hugo 3D

Martin Scorsese uses cutting-edge 3D tech to celebrate the pioneers of early cinema in this fab family film. And as you'd expect from a filmmaker of Scorsese's stature, the use of stereoscopic imagery is especially impressive, making the outstanding quality of this disc's 3D picture quality all the more rewarding.


067. Man of Steel 3D

Marvel doesn't completely own the comic book movie landscape – DC Comics rival Superman returned to our cinemas last year with this big-budget reboot that moves seamlessly from dramatic origin story to all-out explosive action. The tightly-edited climatic fight scenes have immense scale in 3D, and the soundmix is simply supersonic.


066. Blade Runner: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition

No matter which edit of the sci-fi classic you prefer – US Theatrical Cut, International Cut, Director's Cut, Final Cut or the Workprint – this bumper box has you covered with Full HD versions of all five.  It also comes packed with a model replica Spinner car and other collectible goodies!


065. Cinema Paradiso: 25th Anniversary Edition

Not content with serving up beautiful new restorations of both the original theatrical version and the longer Director's Cut, this Blu-ray also provides some truly informative bonus features. For fans of the award-winning Italian film, it's nothing less than a piece of home cinema paradise.


064. The Expendables 2

As the first Blu-ray release sporting an 'optimised for DTS Neo:X' soundtrack, this bullet-strewn sequel is an imperative purchase for anyone lucky enough to be running an 11-channel speaker array. It sounds BIG!


063. Django Unchained

The best-looking movie that Quentin Tarantino has yet delivered arrived on Blu-ray with a pixel-perfect 1080p transfer. The 2.40:1 image continually pops with vivid colours, and finds detail in the dim interiors.


062. The Long Goodbye

Another fantastic UK exclusive for a classic of American cinema. This hi-def platter of Robert Altman's revisionist film noir gets the best out of the deliberately desaturated visuals, while the in-depth extras add real value to the package. In other words, it would be a crime not to own this.


061. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn 3D

Blistering barnacles! If you're on the hunt for a thrilling mix of action, adventure, exceptional stereoscopic imagery and reference-quality DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio then you can't go far wrong with Steven Spielberg's computer-animated take on the Belgian comic book champion.


 

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