DRAMA PART TWO

TAXI DRIVER

The first unquestionably solid film in an almost unbroken line of amazing films from director Martin Scorsese (I don't count "Mean Streets"...complain as you will), "Taxi Driver" did more than inspire would-be Presidential assassins. It broke new ground in cinema, being for many THE defining film of the experimental and dark American cinema of the seventies. Absolutely essential viewing and now that it's got this brand spankin' new HD transfer with a redonkulous amount of new HD special features...

-CLICK HERE TO BUY Taxi Driver

BLACK SWAN

My favorite film of 2010 makes for an impressive HD release, filled with every conceivable extra except a deleted XXX scene of stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis actually goin' at it...but I suppose the movie in my head of that one is probably better anyway. Genius director (that's right, I said it) Darren Aronofsky delivers what is arguably his finest film yet, lyrical, frightening, unforgettable, and yet accessible. Portman worked hard for the Best Actress Oscar she justly received for her courageous performance as the psychologically broken ballet dancer who descends into hallucinatory madness.

-Click here for the Spill.com Review

-CLICK HERE TO BUY Black Swan

TREME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Trust HBO's original programming to give New Orleans culture and music the engaging television series drama that it deserves to have representing it. Beginning three months after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the show follows an ensemble cast of characters who are all rebuilding their homes, their lives, and their understanding of their place within the local culture. Filled with knock-em-dead musical numbers, great performances, and even a season-long mystery, "Treme" makes for a TV experience unlike any other.

-CLICK HERE TO BUY Treme: The Complete First Season

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Another one of the best films of 2010 got a well-worth owning blu-ray release, this one from the masterful director David Fincher who delivered fully on a project that caused pretty much all film fans to roll their eyes when they first heard about it: a bio-pic about the guy who built Facebook. Even now, it sounds silly, but between Fincher, and Oscar wins for writer Aaron Sorkin and for the soundtrack by Trent Reznor, "The Social Network" is top-notch movie making. The stunning cinematography is well represented on the blu-ray, which also comes with a feature length making-of doc, amongst other worthwhile features.

-CLICK HERE TO BUY The Social Network

RAGING BULL

Martin Scorsese fans with kick-ass home theater systems got a double treat this year as not only did they get a HD "Taxi Driver" release, but also a set of what is often thought of as the director's best film (as well as possibly being star Robert De Niro's best performance), the 1980 bio-pic of boxer Jake La Motta, "Raging Bull". There's a reason it's on almost every 'Best Films Ever Made' list, and even more so reason to pick up this new edition which features a LOT of new HD bonus features that don't fall under the 'same ol' stuff' classification one bit.

-Click here for the Blu-Ray review

-CLICK HERE TO BUY Raging Bull

HEAVENLY CREATURES

While there may be no bonus features on this HD release of Peter Jackson's magnificent 1994 thriller, just having this classic in top quality earns it a place on the list. So, yes, I'm a bit biased: already a slavish Jackson fan after seeing "Dead Alive", this true story of a shocking murder in New Zealand that took place in 1954 when two teenage girls murdered in cold blood one of their mothers, inspired in me more than just a new-found lust for newcomer Kate Winslet. As I walked out of the theater, having watched Jackson extravagantly express the fantasy world inside of these girls' shared imaginations, I said to my theater-going friend, "Now THIS is the guy they should give Lord of the Rings to..." True story.

-Click here for the Remote Viewing Review

-CLICK HERE TO BUY Heavenly Creatures

CLICK HERE FOR PART FOURTEEN OF THE BEST BLU-RAYS OF 2011

CLICK HERE (soon-ish) FOR PART SIXTEEN OF THE BEST BLU-RAYS OF 2011