Interested in building a mini Blu-ray library to store up your favorite movies? Then it’s my honor to give you my recommendations about some essential classic movies in Blu-ray that you can never let slip. My list includes some old classic films as well as the latest released movies, like Avatar. Actually, it’s definitely impossible to summarize all the classics here once and for all, so I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas about this. Sharing would be a happy thing.
1. The Wizard of Oz
Starring: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr
Director: Victor Fleming
Time: 1939
Kind-hearted girl Dorothy was blew into a strange and wonderful country – Land of Oz by a tornado, and lost her way home. There, she gradually became acquainted with the Scarecrow without brains, Tin Man with no heart, and a very Cowardly Lion, who in order to achieve their aspiration and help each other, hand in hand collaboration, have gone through hardship and difficulties, and encountered lots of strange things. In the end, by virtue of their extraordinary intelligence and indomitable perseverance, they made their wishes come true.
Although The Wizard of Oz is seventy years old, it still attracts and delights both kids and grown-ups. Magic, music, unforgettable characters and magnificent decorations make this movie a timeless American masterpiece.
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2. Gone With the Wind
Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland
Director: Victor Fleming
Time: 1939
The same with The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind is one of the American masterpieces of 1939, adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel of the same name. It tells a story of the Civil War and its aftermath from a white Southern viewpoint, and the story of Rhett, Scarlett and the fall of the Old South is an undisputed classic. It’s a must for any classic film collection.
3. Casablanca
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid
Director: Michael Curtiz
Time: 1942
Set during World War II, Casablanca focuses on a man torn between, in the words of one character, love and virtue. He must choose between his love for a woman and helping her and her Resistance leader husband escape from the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis.
4. The Terminator
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton
Director: James Cameron
Time: 1984
In the year 2029, the ruling super-computer, Skynet, sends an indestructible cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can fulfill her destiny and save mankind.
This is the film that cemented Schwarzenegger’s spot in the action-brawn firmament, and it was well deserved. He’s chilling as the futuristic cyborg who kills without fear, without love, without mercy. James Cameron’s story and direction are pared to the bone and all the more creepy. But don’t overlook the contributions of Linda Hamilton, who more than holds her own as the Terminator’s would-be victim, Sarah Connor–thus creating, along with Sigourney Weaver in Alien, a new generation of rugged, clear-thinking female action stars. It’s surprising how well this film holds up, and how its minimalist, malevolent violence is actually way scarier than that of its far more expensive, more effects-laden sequel. –Anne Hurley
5. Braveheart
Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Mel Gibson
Time: 1995
In the late 13th century, William Wallace returns to Scotland after living away from his homeland for many years. The king of Scotland has died without an heir and the king of England, a ruthless pagan known as Edward the Longshanks, has seized the throne. Wallace becomes the leader of a ramshackle yet courageous army determined to vanquish the greater English forces. At the historic battle of Stirling, Wallace leads his army to a stunning victory against the English. Knighted by the grateful Scottish nobles, Sir William Wallace extends the conflict south of the border and storms the city of York. King Edward I is astonished by the unexpected turn of events. Unable to rely on his ineffectual son Prince Edward, Longshanks sends his daughter-in-law Princess Isabelle to discuss a truce with Wallace…
6. Gladiator
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris
Director: Ridley Scott
Time: 2000
In the final days of Marcus Aurelius’ reign, the aging emperor angers his son Commodus by making it known that he wants Maximus, a fearsome and respected Roman general, to be his successor. Power-hungry Commodus kills his father and orders the death of Maximus. But the latter flees, only to discover that his wife and child have been murdered by Commodus. Captured, Maximus is forced into slavery, where he is sold to Proximo, a former gladiator who serves as both mentor and slave master. Maximus trains as a gladiator in the arena, where his fame grows. He goes to Rome, intent on avenging the murder of his wife and son by killing the new emperor Commodus. Maximus has learned that the one power stronger than that of the emperor is the will of the people, and he knows he can only attain his revenge by becoming the greatest hero in all the empire.
7. The Pursuit of Happyness
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Time: 2006
Will Smith stars in the inspirational true story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman who’s struggling to make ends meet. When his girlfriend Linda (Thandie Newton) walks out, Chris is left to raise their 5-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Smith) on his own. Chris’ determination finally pays off when he lands an unpaid internship in a brutally competitive stockbroker-training program, where only one in twenty interns will make the cut. But without a salary, Chris and his son are evicted from their apartment and are forced to sleep on the street, in homeless shelters and even behind the locked doors of a metro station bathroom. With self- confidence and the love and trust of his son, Chris Gardner rises above his obstacles to become a Wall Street legend.
8. District 9
Starring: Sharlto Copley, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Kenneth Nkosi
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Time: 2009
District 9 is a 2009 South African science fiction-action film directed by Neill Blomkamp, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James.
Thirty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa’s District 9 as the world’s nations argued over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi- National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens’ welfare. The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe, contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable — he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.
9. 2012 (This title will be released on March 2, 2010)
Starring: John Cusack, Woody Harrelson
Director: Roland Emmerich
Time: 2009
From Roland Emmerich, director of THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and INDEPENDENCE DAY, comes the ultimate action-adventure film, exploding with groundbreaking special effects. As the world faces a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions, cities collapse and continents crumble. 2012 brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.
10. Avatar (Blu-ray will come soon)
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang
Director: James Cameron
Time: 2009
The film is set in the year 2154 on Pandora, a fictional Earth-like world in the Alpha Centauri planetary system. Humans are engaged in mining Pandora’s reserves of a precious mineral, while the Na’vi-a race of indigenous humanoids-resists the colonists’ expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na’vi and the Pandoran ecosystem.
Well, hope my list is worthwhile. BTW, anyone has the needs of backup Blu-ray movies to the hard drive of a PC or an external hard drive, or converting Blu-ray to portable devices for watching, Pavtube Blu-ray Ripper is a pretty good choice for you, no matter what kinds of copyright protections your BD discs have, AACS or BD+, it is able to recognize and work on them all. Or, if you are a Mac user, as long as you have an external BD drive, Mac Blu-ray ripper can do you a favor as the same with AnyDVD HD doing on Windows
