Just The Discs is a podcast about Blu-rays. Each episode, Brian Saur (of The Pure Cinema Podcast) will go through a stack of discs from various distributors and talk about them.
Rob Galluzzo returns again to talk about Imports and why collectors should be all-region compatible. To demonstrate, Brian and Rob go through ten picks each of titles that they love that are only currently available on Blu-ray outside the U.S.
This was such a great episode! I hope you guys will revisit this topic again (although I'm not sure my wallet can handle another episode!). You also inspired me to blog about my own journey to region-free living.
What an entertaining podcast guys! As an European blu-ray collector I'm region free in my viewing, and often envious of all those great USA releases (which I duly import). That said, with this episode the tables are turned, and it's true that great releases on our side of the globe have become more frequent. So to add to your choices I offer the following, and I've focused on english friendly releases:
1. Wages of Fear (BFI restored, UK) The image quality on a large screen plasma is so much better than the Criterion, it ain't funny
2. Sonatine (Bandai, Japan)/ Hana-Bi (Third Window, UK) Tow essential Takeshi Kitano movies, probably his 2 best, although Scene at The Sea, Kid's Return end Kikujiro (all available from Third Window) are keepers as well for a Kitano fan like me.
3. Le Trou (Studio Canal, UK) Great 1960 Jacques Becker movie, which was released as a dvd from Criterion but only available on blu-ray in this restored version in Europe at the moment.
4. Solaris (Filmconfect, Germany) German only blu-ray for Steven Soderbergh's excellent 2002 take on the story first filmed by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972
7. Memories of Murder (CJ Entertainment, Korea) Unavailable at this time, but still the only english friendly release of this utterly fantastic movie. The blu-ray I paid the most for.
10. Comrades (BFI, UK) A truly forgotten gem from 1986. Director Bill Douglas didn't make a lot of movies but the fact that this is so little known is hard to understand once you've seen it. All the more amazing that BFI put out this wonderful disc, with stunning extras and transfer. Probably my most non-USA cherished blu-ray disc.
https://www.andywolverton.com/blog/imports-and-the-region-free-lifestyle
Keep up the great work!
1. Wages of Fear (BFI restored, UK) The image quality on a large screen plasma is so much better than the Criterion, it ain't funny
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Wages-of-Fear-Blu-ray/137979/
http://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=11028&d2=11029&s1=108002&s2=108012&i=10&l=0
2. Sonatine (Bandai, Japan)/ Hana-Bi (Third Window, UK) Tow essential Takeshi Kitano movies, probably his 2 best, although Scene at The Sea, Kid's Return end Kikujiro (all available from Third Window) are keepers as well for a Kitano fan like me.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hana-bi-Blu-ray/123537/
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Sonatine-Blu-ray/184294/
3. Le Trou (Studio Canal, UK) Great 1960 Jacques Becker movie, which was released as a dvd from Criterion but only available on blu-ray in this restored version in Europe at the moment.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Le-Trou-Blu-ray/174955/
4. Solaris (Filmconfect, Germany) German only blu-ray for Steven Soderbergh's excellent 2002 take on the story first filmed by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Solaris-Blu-ray/188317/
5. Mirror (Artifcial Eye, UK) Speaking of which, Tarkovsky's 1975 movie gets a great treatment on this blu-ray, one for the ages.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Mirror-Blu-ray/147667/
6. Oslo, 31. August (Memento Films, France) This blu-ray is hard to find nowadays, but what a great modern classic. Pay extra, it's worth it.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Oslo-31-August-Blu-ray/46375/
7. Memories of Murder (CJ Entertainment, Korea) Unavailable at this time, but still the only english friendly release of this utterly fantastic movie. The blu-ray I paid the most for.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Memories-of-Murder-Blu-ray/10449/
8. The Beat That My Heart Skipped (Artificial Eye, UK) Another great recent movie on a wonderful disc, so happy to have this in my collection
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Beat-That-My-Heart-Skipped-Blu-ray/147664/
9. Long Good Friday (Arrow, UK) Blows the USA Image/Anchor Bay blu-ray release from 2010 out of the water, both with the transfer and the extras.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Long-Good-Friday-Blu-ray/202657/
10. Comrades (BFI, UK) A truly forgotten gem from 1986. Director Bill Douglas didn't make a lot of movies but the fact that this is so little known is hard to understand once you've seen it. All the more amazing that BFI put out this wonderful disc, with stunning extras and transfer. Probably my most non-USA cherished blu-ray disc.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Comrades-Blu-ray/5603/#UserReviews
Keep it up Brian, you're doing a mighty fine job.
greetings from the city of Utrecht in The Netherlands