William ArnottKasdan on Blu-Ray
October 9th 2008 17:45
So, I've done what I said I wouldn't do. I have become completely obsessed with Blu-Ray movies. I have bought hundreds of DVDs over the years and can't imagine replacing them all with Blu-Ray copies. I still think that DVD quality is good enough, but as I watch more and more movies on Blu-Ray, I become more and more blown away.
When DVD came out, I said I couldn't imagine much better. Then TVs got bigger, digital technology began seeping into the mainstream and as Americans, we want the biggest and the best.
I will not say that I can't imagine anything better than Blu-Ray because as soon as I do something more amazing will be developed (3-D home systems anyone?). But instead, this time around, I am just as excited about the quality of Blu-Ray DVDs as I am about the promise they hold for future technology.
I think what blows me away the most about Blu-Ray DVDs is that they take the movies you don't think would benifit from the Blu-Ray treatment and truly make them an all new experience.
So with that in mind, I bought Lawrence Kasdan's directorial debut "Body Heat" on Blu-Ray. Not a big special effects movie or shot with digital cameras, but it was a movie I saw years ago on VHS and I remember really liking it at the time, but it wasn't something that ever stayed with me.
This time it was different. This time I noticed what a visually striking movie it really is. It's really beautifully shot. And all the fog and smoke (everyone smokes and I love it!) and how Kathleen Turner looks in that white dress or how she looks naked or just how she looks all the time in this movie... wow, what a movie.
I LOVED this movie this time around. Kasdan is somebody I really let slip by me over the years. His writing on 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' are way better than those movies needed to succeed. He took them from really good movies to great movies that are true classics. And those were really my biggest experiences with Kasdan's work. But then I saw this movie and it really opened my eyes. I love his dialouge. He really needs to write more.
Immediately after watching 'Body Heat,' I DVRed 'Grand Canyon' on TV. I sat down and watched it last night and this one blew me away too. It's another one I saw years ago and didn't remember much about. The screenplay is so sharp and the cast is so perfect. It is like 'Crash' only a decade before and with a bigger heart. I loved it. Also, Danny Glover steals every scene he has and that is a huge accomplishment considering the cast. How is this guy so underused these days? How did he not get nominated for this?
Immediatlely after watching 'Grand Canyon,' I went and put as much of Kasdan's stuff on my Blockbuster queue. I can't wait to devour the rest of his stuff.
So now I am a Blu-Ray and a Kasdan junky. This movie did it. Up until now I had stuck mainly to newer movies shot digitally or big special effect movies that would really benefit. Not anymore. I am on the hunt for anything on Blu-Ray. I am really excited about seeing 'The Godfather' Blu-Ray that was recently released.
Buying 'Body Heat' was the best 15 bucks I have spent in a long time.
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