A chocolate and Tarantino-inspired purchase
Ben and I finally watched Inglourious Basterds last night. And… wow. There’s no question that Quentin Tarantino’s films push my boundaries when it comes to violence and gore, but he is an auteur who creates some really amazing films.
I didn’t always think so, though. I generally dislike gory films and still get nightmares from psychological thrillers. But I was forced to watch Pulp Fiction for a (really awesome) creative writing class at Miami University in 1999, and not surprisingly I had a hard time with the violence. But I toughened up enough to want to see Kill Bill in the theater a few years later—and was blown away. (Har har.) The second Kill Bill was just as amazing and made me brave enough to watch Pulp Fiction again. I love it more every time I see it, even though certain scenes still make me cringe.
I kept waiting for both Kill Bill films to be released as a special edition set on DVD before I would buy them. Not long into my wait, though, I was introduced to HDTV and started paying attention to the HD-DVD/Blu-ray war (March 2007). Kill Bill jumped off the DVD wait list to Priorty One on my future high-def home video want list. But eleven months later, when HD-DVD officially died, I knew it would still be a while until we bought a Blu-ray player. And so I have waited. Blu-ray players, and the discs to some extent, have come down in price over the last two years.
BEN ORDERED A BLU-RAY PLAYER FOR US YESTERDAY.
I would like to officially thank Quentin Tarantino for the film Inglourious Basterds, which reminded us how much we’ve wanted to own Kill Bill on home video, and thus directly tipped the scales on the final decision to purchase a Blu-ray player.
(I am vaguely suspicious that the Ghirardelli caramel-filled chocolates I gave to him for that recent hallmark holiday also had something to do with it.)
We won’t be replacing/upgrading any of the films or shows we already own on DVD, but we did order a few Blu-ray discs (are we calling them BRDs yet?) to start off our collection: Kill Bill I and Kill Bill II, Bourne Identity, Wall-E, and Gattaca.
Next up on the wish list (Pi Day is coming up soon!): Battlestar Galactica complete series (the new one, yes, even after the last episode), Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum, Iron Man, Ratatouille, and Up. Go ahead and judge me if you like. 
I’m also looking forward to renting delicious eye candy via Netflix.
What are the first five movies you would purchase (or have already purchased) in high def?
I still haven’t invested in a HDTV or a Bluray player yet (although I have a PS3, so technically I can play Bluray DVDs), mainly because the main thing I watch is still TV shows and I think they still look really bad on a HDTV. It just takes all the atmosphere away.
I love your choice in discs to order! Those are all great movies. I love Gattaca, although it’s been at least 5 years since I last saw it. Must make a visit to Amazon…
Yeah, if you don’t have HDTV, some channels can be painful to watch. But if you have a PS3, all you have to do is buy a new TV to be able to reap the benefits! That’s a great thing if/when you decide to switch over.
Gattaca is one of those movies I can watch over and over and still love it. Good to know that my choice in movies gets at least one positive vote.
If you’re headed over amazon anyway… click on this link: Gattaca (Special Edition DVD)
and I’ll get an 1/8 packet of ramen noodles if you buy something after clicking! 
Who wouldn’t want to see Damon’s Jason Bourne in high def? An idiot, that’s who. Gattica is a guilty pleasure of mine too.
Iron man is a must for Blu-ray, it is incredible. I would also recommend Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Note about Blu-ray discs: If they didn’t film it in HD then its not really worth getting. I mean the quality is still better than normal DVDs but not enough to fork out the extra $6-$9.
Mmmmmmmmmmatt Damon. The Bourne trilogy is so awesome, too. I also want to snog Ethan Hawke. (Ben will understand. Hopefully. See: on my list.)
Sydney: For the most part, I agree. Gattaca (1997) wasn’t filmed in HD, but since it’s a beautiful movie we both love and don’t already own, we sprung for it. It’ll be interesting to see how the graphics compare to movies actually filmed in HD. (Will being able to see Ethan’s individual eyelashes make him more likely to whisk me away to Rio for a night? I HOPE SO.)