One thing to love about Blu-ray is that it makes nearly any movie look pretty darn good, and while there are exceptions of course, with a big TV and good home entertainment system you can pretty much skip the movie going experience and enjoy the show from the comfort of your couch. The best part is no sticky floors and no annoying chatter (although my husband Peter Suciu can be almost as annoying with some movies).
One thing that Blu-ray has really done for me this year is to let me enjoy lesser-known movies that I didn't even hear about when they were in theaters, or were "blink and you miss it" type releases. So with a large HDTV, DTS surround sound, Blu-ray and my whirly-pop stovetop popcorn popper I have the next best thing to the movie theater. Actually, if you go to some of the smaller, art house theaters in New York you might agree that watching at home is even better.
The year was filled with gems such as two movies about Coco Chanel including Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky and Coco Before Chanel. The release of rock-inspired The Runaways was short lived in theaters, but universally available on Blu-ray, plus I was able to catch the classic The Who rock opera Tommy and of course saw plenty of movies that I am glad I didn't spring to see at the theaters (let alone waste the time involved). That said, for me the best Blu-rays of the year weren't titles such as Avatar or Toy Story 3 but movies I might have otherwise missed.
With the legendary fashion powerhouse that still stands for the ultimate in coterie today, it isn't always easy to remember the fashion house was started by one woman, and Coco Chanel was quite a woman. In the film Coco Before Chanel you see her life was anything but privileged and easy. Her struggles make the Chanel company that stands today that much more impressive. Audrey Tautou seems practically born to play the role, though it's a much more serious role than the actress' mischievous Amélie.
I don't really get super heroes. Why dress up in a costume? And what powers exactly does Batman have? I mean he can't fly, he doesn't have super strength, isn't he just a damaged and somewhat spoiled rich kid? Maybe that's why I found this movie about comic book fans who take matters into their own hands so, well, kick ass. The main character wants to be a hero but there is nothing exactly "super" about him, and yet he's willing to stand up to the bad guys. The Blu-ray is also packed with extras that give the movie extended enjoyment. That's why this was one of my favorite Blu-rays this year - that and the lovable but supremely dangerous Hit Girl. But perhaps the reason I am most intrigued is that I know deep down my husband is probably one lab accident away from becoming a super villain.
It wasn't just movies for me this year, as I remained a TV junkie in 2010. The show about a northern California motorcycle gang has become one of F/X's most popular programs with males 18-34, but it the complex storylines that evoke Shakespeare's Hamlet that move this a notch above a nice guilty pleasure. It is one of those TV series that actually features few likeable characters, and yet you can't help but root for the bad boy bikers, their porn star girlfriends and the corrupt police chief. The introduction of Henry Rollins and Adam Arkin as white supremacists who look to make the city of Charming even less charming up the drama ante. Everything is rotten in Charming, and this Blu-ray let me ride back in town to see how rotten it was.
For a period piece, A Single Man went way beyond retro. The story of a gay man's grieving for his ex lover, and what pushes him over the edge whether to end his life or keep living offered so much in the form of a look in a tense period of American history. The film looked fantastic with dark, rich tones and a stylized 1960s Los Angeles. While everyone else in the country paid attention to the Bay of Pigs, this Brit had struggles and turmoil closer to home.
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
I'm not a dog person, but the American telling of an old Japanese true story, Hachi: A Dog's Tale was so touching I cried during the entire second half of the film. While the film is based on a true story and speaks quite a bit to the Akita breed of dog, the interaction between Richard Gere and his dog Hachi was universal and easy to relate to. Extras including a nod to the original story, where a statue of the Japanese dog Hachi still stands at the train station in Japan, add more depth to the Blu-ray.
