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Movies Worth Owning

NorthSky

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Agree on Baraka. How does Samsara compare to it Bob?

Samsara is even more rewarding. ...Superior quality moving experience all across the board; emotional level, visuals and auditory. ...All higher territory.
It's a Must Have on your Blu collection; definitely, absolutely essential, and deliberately soul moving.

Some films, some documentaries, some animated films, some music, ...helps us to become better receptive individuals in life.
It is that balance that is the strong survival bond that saves us from man's lapse of reason and compassion.
Human nature cannot comprehend the deep secrets of the Earth's spiritual soul, us on it included.

Get Samsara, it's an order. ...Of the highest order. I wouldn't say it like this if I wouldn't have confidence in you and with all my deepest respect.
 

ADU

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Great idea for a topic, Amir!

I tried streaming for awhile with some of the free w/ads services. (Don't have the $$ for any pay services.) And that can be sort of a fun alternative for some kinds of things. But there's really nuthin like watchin a movie front to back, uninterrupted in the highest quality possible, without any commercial breaks, buffering, and so on. So I'm now back to buying discs again, with a little bit of a vengeance!

My collection is pretty small and consists mostly of older fantasy, SF and horror films (esp. the old Hammer and Uni classics) mostly on DVD, but also on Blu-ray. And also some newer releases which are almost all on 2k Blu-ray. I have a few 4k UHD discs as well that I picked up when they were deeply discounted, but don't currently own a TV or player that supports 4k.

Some excellent suggestions here so far.
 

ADU

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Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Wikipedia describes this as "an epic period war drama... set during the Napoleonic Wars". And if that's the kind of thing you're into, then this will be right up your alley! It's also just a good ride from start to finish. I believe this movie also won some awards for its sound, which is excellent. Though I can't fully appreciate all the surround effects, since I listen mostly on headphones. Some of the cannon blasts can really hit you in the gut though. Even on headphones. So watch out y'all! :)

Image quality on the 2k Blu-ray is somewhat dark and dingy and monochromatic. With some occasionally brighter daylight scenes. Detail is somewhat variable. And probably not as high as some more recent releases, which were mastered in higher resolution formats. So the picture isn't quite as impressive as the sound. If you own a display with goods blacks and contrast ratio though, such as OLED, then this is still a pretty decent watch.

The cast is also superb, with Russell in the lead in one of his best roles (though he's done many other excellent films, and I even enjoyed his turn as Robin Hood). But he also gets some great help from a top-notch supporting cast.

This was co-produced by Miramax, btw, which has obviously had some troubles in recent years, due to allegations against one of the company's co-founders, Harvey Weinstein. And that may be one of the reasons this movie fell off alot of people's maps. It was also produced by 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Samuel Goldwyn Films though. And it could probably use a little sprucing/remastering on some of its visuals, and maybe also its sound at this point.

I highly recommend this though, particularly for the sound, story and performances. But also for some great action on the high seas.
 
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ADU

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I am quite surprised of not seeing anything from Kubrick. I would say 2001 a Space Odyssey is a must. I watch it once a year.

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Excellent suggestion, Pennyless. Especially for some of the music and SF fans. I haven't seen any of the most recent releases of this on disc. But the visuals were still pretty outstanding even on the original 2k Blu-ray!
 

ADU

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Mulan (1998 & 2020)

Something new, and something slightly older. :) I recommend both the live-action and also the animated Disney versions of this though. And was lucky enough to acquire them together as a set on Blu-ray for a mere $20! Which was a steal imho. (Though it's somewhat rare for me to spend more than $5-7 on a movie, these days). If you can find either of these together or separately for a similar price, I highly recommend them.

Wuxia fans will undoubtedly find a few Disney-isms, and other details or inaccuracies in the live-action version to gripe about. But for the most part, these are both very well done. And the visuals are just outstanding, particularly in the live-action version. Chinese-American beauty, Crystal Liu (aka Fairy Sister), also does a very good job as the legendary heroine in the live-action version. And this also gets top marks for both sound and picture.

I have nuthin against Will Smith (except when he's digitized into a blue genie), but I'm afraid this movie was just miles better than Disney's other recent live-action adaption of Aladdin. Some younger kids may still enjoy the latter though.

As with most Disney films these are geared a bit more towards a family audience. The live-action version of Mulan is PG-13 though, and contains some fairly graphic scenes of violence, and other adult-oriented themes. So I'd suggest previewing it before letting some of the younger viewers in your family watch it.

Both movies are also available in 4k UHD btw. Though they're not cheap!
 
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Daverz

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Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

This is the film that immediately came to mind when I saw the thread title. It's an amazing film.

(BTW, Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence, so you might want to update your text about "allegations").
 

Count Arthur

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BinkieHuckerback

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ADU

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This is the film that immediately came to mind when I saw the thread title. It's an amazing film.

(BTW, Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence, so you might want to update your text about "allegations").

Didn't know that. :) Thanks for the update, Daverz.
 
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