The Blu-ray Files #008

Psycho – Psycho is the first blu-ray I watched which was filmed in black and white, and it was fantastic.  The shades of grey were brought out brilliantly and the images looked pristine and full-fleshed.  Just beautiful.  The sound, which is such an integral part of this Hitchcock classic, hit just the right frightening pitch at all times.  This is a great release of a great movie.

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Braveheart – And then there’s Braveheart.  I’ve seen some pretty great blu-ray transfers so far: Apocalypse Now, 2001, Lord of the Rings.   Braveheart is right up there with the best.  This is a simply stunning transfer.  The greens and browns of Scotland just pop, and detail is very high.  You can even see the texture of the clothing, and the blue warpaint looks far more authentic than ever before. Simply put, one of the best looking blu-rays I have ever seen.

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Star Trek – Older films are one thing, but you just expect the newer movies to look fantastic on blu-ray.  But even with this automatic expectation, Star Trek still manages to impress.  A wonderfully sharp image graces the screen on this revival of the classic series.  The ever abundant light flares really work well, and some scenes looks so amazing they damn near look 3D (especially those involving the Romulan drilling vessel).  So Star Trek wraps up this edition of The Blu-ray Files trio, making it a full three for three for fantastic blu-ray releases.