Must Own Blu-rays?

[ryanw2050]

What movies or series, in your opinion, absolutely deserve to be owned on Blu-ray?

So far my list is short:
Planet Earth
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series

[doowttam]

I'd say Dark Knight and Star Trek for sure. Pixar movies are also fantastic in HD. I've also got Blade Runner which looks really good, but it's tough to say it's a "must own."

[joeyrock]

Planet Earth always comes up in these lists. You guys, Americans etc, do know that the BBC make those amazing documentary series at least every year and have done for the last 2 or 3 decades? The current series airing at the moment is called "Life" and it's even better than Planet Earth imo. The macro photography in particular is extraordinary!

Check out this Gecko which is so small it can stand on water.. 1080p youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWOKjfBmy4

The Blu-Ray comes out at the end of the month here and I'll be getting it for sure. Also might get the Natural History collection (http://www.amazon.co.uk/BBC-Natural-History-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B002PXHRJM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1258873083&sr=1-2) which has a few smaller series that have all aired in the last 18 months.

[cashbailey]

THE DARK KNIGHT. Especially for the IMAX stuff which is just eye-popping in 1080p.

HELLBOY 2 for the extraordinary colours and detail in the design. And it's a top movie, too.

Any of the LOST box-sets. It's probably the best-looking show on TV and the HD transfers are simply stunning.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN DIRECTOR'S CUT. An outstanding, totally under-rated Ridley Scott medieval epic. It looks fantastic. Shame the disc is bare bones and hopefully we can get a port of the amazing 4-disc DVD set on Blu one day

The new Stanley Kubrick releases are all great. Especially THE SHINING which, apart from a few minor colour timing issues, looks as good as if it was made this year.

[darknessgp]

Firefly. Really the only thing that I feel is a must buy on blu-ray.

[punk0]

Funny thing. I only own 2 blu rays and they are both already mentioned: Planet Earth and Blade Runner (5 disc ce). Love them both. Been thinking about picking up Band of Brothers. Anyone watched it on blu ray? How's the quality?

[royterp]

For a classic movie, I'd suggest The Searchers. You can usually pick it up for a few bucks (it's $8 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Searchers-Blu-ray-John-Wayne/dp/B000JLSM00/) right now), and it shows how amazing an older film can look on blu-ray. Even if 1080p highlights some of the flaws of '50s moviemaking, the vistas John Ford captures were seemingly made for high-def.

[aerodash84]

Some good ones I have on Blu-Ray are some have great features as well:
Watchmen (Director's Cut)
Iron Man
Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy
Bourne Trilogy
Serenity
Star Trek
The Incredible Hulk

Would like:
Pixar films
Disney films
Spider-Man trilogy
X-Men trilogy (had issues of SD DVD w/ X-2)

[ruiyo]

Great thread,

My favourites are Blade Runner and Wall-E.

[ruiyo]

Funny thing. I only own 2 blu rays and they are both already mentioned: Planet Earth and Blade Runner (5 disc ce). Love them both. Been thinking about picking up Band of Brothers. Anyone watched it on blu ray? How's the quality?

I've watched Band of Brothers on blu ray, thought it was excellent.

[geekdw]

I own one blu-ray movie and it's Planet Earth. Was thinking about getting Watchmen next.

[joeyrock]

Lost season 5 blu-ray looks awesome. Better than season 4.

[tsmith15]

I've heard The Thing looks FANTASTIC on blu-ray, but I haven't seen it except on DVD. Obvs a great movie though.

[dolson]

Check out this Gecko which is so small it can stand on water.. 1080p youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWOKjfBmy4


I really wanna see that, but I just get this message: "This video is not available in your country due to copyright restrictions." Stupid. I will keep my eye out for the Blu-ray documentary, though. I actually imported the real BBC version (with the dude narrator, not the chick from the US version) when I bought Planet Earth (through Amazon.co.uk). I love documentaries, and I love macro... Sounds good to me.

As for the thread, I have HEARD that 2001: A Space Odyssey is amazing on Blu-ray, especially for such an old movie. I own it due to that recommendation, but I haven't watched it yet. Also, Gladiator is said to not be too hot, which I agree with (better than DVD, but could be better). Another I own but haven't checked is Braveheart, which is supposed to be really good on Blu-ray.

[joeyrock]

I really wanna see that, but I just get this message: "This video is not available in your country due to copyright restrictions." Stupid. I will keep my eye out for the Blu-ray documentary, though. I actually imported the real BBC version (with the dude narrator, not the chick from the US version) when I bought Planet Earth (through Amazon.co.uk). I love documentaries, and I love macro... Sounds good to me.


Sorry didn't know it was region locked. It's only a short clip, it can only serve to sell the show around the world. It's a stupid world we live in. I'd get it "elsewhere" on the internet. You'll certainly want to buy the proper version if you could see it.

My HD DVD of Planet Earth was imported from the US. That, and the blu-ray that was out at the same time, was the proper version with David Attenborough. So there were two versions released in the US. It was the Discovery Channel that released the butchered version. As long as you buy the "2 Entertain" releases then they should be the proper BBC releases. They have a pre-order page up for the US release of "Life" on amazon.com already.

[dolson]

I wasn't sure how to tell which was which, but I really only did the import because Amazon.co.uk had a killer sale on for the set. It also had a bonus disc that apparently wasn't in [at least some of] the North American version.

In any case, I'm sure I'll like Life, so you've put it on my radar. Thanks for that.

EDIT: just looked it up on Google, and I read that Oprah is gonna narrate the US version. I wanna punch her in the face for various reasons, so I'll be thoroughly investigating before I place any orders. I want the Attenborough version again.

[joeyrock]

EDIT: just looked it up on Google, and I read that Oprah is gonna narrate the US version. I wanna punch her in the face for various reasons, so I'll be thoroughly investigating before I place any orders. I want the Attenborough version again.
I'm glad to here you say that. Attenborough has been the figure head for the BBC natural history unit for 50 years! He's responsible for the unit's film survey of all Life on Earth. Replacing his narration, which he wrote, is an insult.

[suurge]

I've heard The Thing looks FANTASTIC on blu-ray, but I haven't seen it except on DVD. Obvs a great movie though.

Yeah it does look amazing, great film too. I'd say you have to have the Godfather collection, they're beautiful films and looks great on blu-ray, even though the 3rd doesn't stack up to the amazing first 2. Also The Dark Knight, Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Zodiac, Wall-E...some of my favorites. Oh yeah and 2001: a space odyssey, almost forgot.

[mrpopular]

Alot of movies i was thinking are already on the list... So i'll say

Taken

[jon-f]

For those of you with strong subwoofers who want a good demo disc I think Cloverfield is a must-have.

http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss344/jfurst81/K20D5227s.jpg

[cashbailey]

I've heard The Thing looks FANTASTIC on blu-ray, but I haven't seen it except on DVD. Obvs a great movie though.

To not start a riot, but I imagine the HD-DVD of this is better than the Blu-Ray because it presents the excellent 'Terror Takes Shape' documentary in its entirety, rather than cutting it up for the Blu-Ray edition.

But I hear the film transfers are the same and yes, this masterpiece looks terrific in high-definition.

[useless]

* Planet Earth (of course)
* Batman: Dark Knight
* Transformers 1 & (especially) 2

[jobee]

Just got in to Blu-ray,

Up
Star Trek
Hellboy II

Are in fact, quite incredible.

[aerodash84]

Actually, I keep seeing Hellboy 2 and I forget that Hellboy is another note worthy Blu-Ray. I got my copy pretty cheap and it's a great movie that looks good too.

[giggleloop]

All the ones I could think to mention have already been mentioned, except for Coraline, which I thought looked amazing on Blu-Ray. Of course, I didn't get to see it in theaters, so I don't know how it compares to that.

And also, even in blu-ray, in a completely dark room, I could NOT really get the 3D to work as intended, which makes me sad. I wish they would find a cheap easy way to come out with 3D dvd technology that actually works. (Especially for someone like me who has glasses, which always interferes with wearing 3D glasses)

Wow, that was an unintended aside. :)

ANYway, the reason I was really replying was because I saw this Warner Brothers site where they are encouraging people to upgrade their DVDs to blu-ray, & I thought it was relevant to the discussion, so here's the link:

http://www.dvd2blu.com/

[bboysno]

Planet Earth always comes up in these lists. You guys, Americans etc, do know that the BBC make those amazing documentary series at least every year and have done for the last 2 or 3 decades? The current series airing at the moment is called "Life" and it's even better than Planet Earth imo. The macro photography in particular is extraordinary!

Check out this Gecko which is so small it can stand on water.. 1080p youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UWOKjfBmy4

The Blu-Ray comes out at the end of the month here and I'll be getting it for sure. Also might get the Natural History collection (http://www.amazon.co.uk/BBC-Natural-History-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B002PXHRJM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1258873083&sr=1-2) which has a few smaller series that have all aired in the last 18 months.

Damn, can't view the video here in the states. Now I know what it must feel like for you when someone posts a Hulu link.

Thanks for mentioning it though. I'm really excited for it now and hopefully there will be some way of getting the blu-ray here fairly soon. The US Oprah version isn't airing until March apparently so they might release it after that. It better be the Attenborough version though.

[dolson]

OK, so last night I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I can't recommend it to anyone unless they just want to spend money on a movie that shows how visually amazing a movie from 1968 can be on Blu-ray. The visuals are great, but the movie is two and a half hours I could have spent better playing Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing or something.

[muddi900]

I came in here to say 2001. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but I would say this, it is the greatest sci-fi movie of all time. Yes some people might say Blade Runner, but they would be wrong. Yes, you might prefer it, but its not even in the same league. 2001 is the only time cinema has come close to something on the scale of Asimov or Ellison or Gibson.

Speaking of Blade Runner, it is also great on Blu-ray.

The Matrix is friggin fantastic and so is T2. These are movies I have watched 9 billion times before, I think I had been doing it wrong. Its a shame that the Animatrix is only available in an expensive collection with The Matrix and 2 other, totally unrelated movies.

[stubadub]

OK, so last night I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I can't recommend it to anyone unless they just want to spend money on a movie that shows how visually amazing a movie from 1968 can be on Blu-ray. The visuals are great, but the movie is two and a half hours I could have spent better playing Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing or something.

I cannot disagree more. 2001 is an amazing film that has aged very well. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's a film that I revisit every few years or so, and my love for it only grows.

[dolson]

I cannot disagree more. 2001 is an amazing film that has aged very well. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's a film that I revisit every few years or so, and my love for it only grows.

Visually, it has aged well. It looks better than many recent movies on Blu-ray. I love screwed up movies, but aside from the middle bit with HAL, I didn't enjoy the other 39 hours. I would love to know what makes it so great, because I am obviously missing something. I've never done drugs, so maybe that's it?

[muddi900]

It has to do with what scientists today call a Type-0 civilization, people like us, coming in contact with a type-3 civilization, people who either have found infinite sources of energy, or people who are "made of energy"(I do not make this up). It was also hinted that the human evolution was accelerated by such a species, It is basically a first contact movie, but without all that stupid sentimentality we have in the post Spielberg sci-fi.

Regardless of the fact that I would rather watch ET than 2001 on any given day, the latter is still a better movie and I am better off every time I watch it. Nobody ever made movies like these and nobody has the balls to take on ideas like this anymore. There aren't any hard sci-fi movies anymore.I've heard the original Solaris was the Soviet answer to 2001, but I haven't seen it yet, so I can't say.

[funkarius]

Forrest Gump!

That damn movie makes me cry every damn time :(

[stubadub]

Visually, it has aged well. It looks better than many recent movies on Blu-ray. I love screwed up movies, but aside from the middle bit with HAL, I didn't enjoy the other 39 hours. I would love to know what makes it so great, because I am obviously missing something. I've never done drugs, so maybe that's it?

At a very high level, the film depicts assisted evolution. The apes come into contact with the obelisk and develop the ability to use tools, eventually leading to modern man and beyond with the creation of the star child at the end of the film.

I find it interesting that at the beginning of the film no real violence occurs during the dispute for the land near water. Once they encounter the obelisk the first idea they have once they develop the concept of tool use is to violently dominating the other group of apes. The only other act of violence we see during the film occurs when HAL works to prevent the astronauts from learning the true purpose of their mission. He seems to evolve past programmed machine, conflicted between his need to care for the humans and protect his mission, and taking on human emotion beyond his programming as a result, leading to the decision to murder the crew. Why is murder the first thing to occur in both of these instances?

Every time I watch it I find myself focusing on different aspects of the film and walking away with new ideas. It's created in a way which pretty much forces individual interpretation. I don't think enough films attempt this, and I can't think of any off hand that are as succesful at achieving this goal. It's not a film I'll watch any given day, but when the mood strikes me I find it incredibly rewarding.

[someaudioguy]

Kinda silly, but I'm really excited to be picking up some classics on Blu-Ray. Like The Omen. I found it for $8. Freaking rad!

[dolson]

At a very high level, the film depicts assisted evolution. The apes come into contact with the obelisk and develop the ability to use tools, eventually leading to modern man and beyond with the creation of the star child at the end of the film.

I find it interesting that at the beginning of the film no real violence occurs during the dispute for the land near water. Once they encounter the obelisk the first idea they have once they develop the concept of tool use is to violently dominating the other group of apes. The only other act of violence we see during the film occurs when HAL works to prevent the astronauts from learning the true purpose of their mission. He seems to evolve past programmed machine, conflicted between his need to care for the humans and protect his mission, and taking on human emotion beyond his programming as a result, leading to the decision to murder the crew. Why is murder the first thing to occur in both of these instances?

Every time I watch it I find myself focusing on different aspects of the film and walking away with new ideas. It's created in a way which pretty much forces individual interpretation. I don't think enough films attempt this, and I can't think of any off hand that are as succesful at achieving this goal. It's not a film I'll watch any given day, but when the mood strikes me I find it incredibly rewarding.

You must've either read a book about it, or watched a completely different movie than I did, because what you just explained makes it sound way deeper and awesomer than it was when I watched it. And I was trying to figure things out. There were apes, and a giant domino, and a lot of boring things.

Since I own it, I'll go back and re-watch it some day soon with your explanation in mind (maybe if there's a commentary option, I'll turn that on).

This must be how Jeff feels about Donnie Darko.

[stubadub]

You must've either read a book about it, or watched a completely different movie than I did, because what you just explained makes it sound way deeper and awesomer than it was when I watched it. And I was trying to figure things out. There were apes, and a giant domino, and a lot of boring things.


Lol, I definitely had no clue what had just happened after my first viewing. It was also in pre-Web days, so there was no convienent way to read what others had to say about the movie. After a second viewing with friends I had some ideas, and we spent what I remember as hours discussing our interpretations. It was either after the second or third viewing that I picked up Arthur C. Clarke's book that he wrote after developing the film with Kubrick. We were on the right track, but that definitely made many things more clear in my mind than they were before I'd read it.

Of course, both Clarke and Kubrick stated that the book shouldn't dictate how you interpret the film. It seems pretty clear that it was important to Kubrick that things stay more ambiguous than they are presented in the book.

[muddi900]

Lol, I definitely had no clue what had just happened after my first viewing. It was also in pre-Web days, so there was no convienent way to read what others had to say about the movie. After a second viewing with friends I had some ideas, and we spent what I remember as hours discussing our interpretations. It was either after the second or third viewing that I picked up Arthur C. Clarke's book that he wrote after developing the film with Kubrick. We were on the right track, but that definitely made many things more clear in my mind than they were before I'd read it.

Of course, both Clarke and Kubrick stated that the book shouldn't dictate how you interpret the film. It seems pretty clear that it was important to Kubrick that things stay more ambiguous than they are presented in the book.

I never read the book. Yes, yes, my epeen is bigger than yours.:)

Fun fact: though, Sir Clarke was supposed to write the script based on ideas developed by him and Stanley Kubrick. But he couldn't write the script, so he wrote a novel and the script was adapted from it. Its all Kubrick's vision though.

I think people don't want exercise their imagination when they watch movies, which is not really a problem, because most movies don't require them. 2001, though really requires it. It can be likened to a good prog. rock album. First listen sounds like a bunch of hippies making weird noises.

[dolson]

Don't accuse me of not trying to exercise my imagination while watching 2001. I had no choice BUT to exercise it. I was imagining I was watching something good. :P

Seriously, though, it is a movie that I should have liked. But the lengthy pauses are just overboard, like cutscenes in a Metal Gear Solid game.

[descartes]

I received another package of blu-rays from Amazon today and I would recommend all of them.

2 are recent Criterion releases; Wings of Desire (German), and Gomorrah (Italian). Both are amazing movies and well worth having on blu. Wings of Desire is easy to describe... City of Angels was based on it, but pales in comparison. And it was filmed in Berlin in the 80's, before the wall came down. Gomorrah is an infamous movie in Italy. It's about the organized crime in Naples, and was done with such accuracy that the author had to disappear in protective custody.

I also received the 50th anniversary of "North by Northwest". One of Hitchcock's best, and a very nice blu edition. The last one I received is the blu of the MET performance of Turandot, but if you're not an opera fan or a Puccini fan, then that one could probably be skipped.

The blu-ray I'm waiting most anxiously for, that isn't your standard fare (like LotR), is Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. Dan mentioned it on the show a couple times and I agree with him about how fabulous it is. But the visuals are so exquisite that I am chomping at the bit to get it on blu instead of just settling on DVD.

[dolson]

I received another package of blu-rays from Amazon today and I would recommend all of them.

2 are recent Criterion releases; Wings of Desire (German), and Gomorrah (Italian). Both are amazing movies and well worth having on blu. Wings of Desire is easy to describe... City of Angels was based on it, but pales in comparison. And it was filmed in Berlin in the 80's, before the wall came down. Gomorrah is an infamous movie in Italy. It's about the organized crime in Naples, and was done with such accuracy that the author had to disappear in protective custody.

I also received the 50th anniversary of "North by Northwest". One of Hitchcock's best, and a very nice blu edition. The last one I received is the blu of the MET performance of Turandot, but if you're not an opera fan or a Puccini fan, then that one could probably be skipped.

The blu-ray I'm waiting most anxiously for, that isn't your standard fare (like LotR), is Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. Dan mentioned it on the show a couple times and I agree with him about how fabulous it is. But the visuals are so exquisite that I am chomping at the bit to get it on blu instead of just settling on DVD.

Are either of those Criterion movies in English? I can't stand subtitles. Either I read or watch, I can't do both. I hate it in games when I can't turn off subtitles - it's too distracting. I know, this makes me so uncool and shit, but whatever. I only know English, and don't get any enjoyment of hearing languages I don't understand. It reminds me of living in Toronto.

[stubadub]

Are either of those Criterion movies in English? I can't stand subtitles. Either I read or watch, I can't do both. I hate it in games when I can't turn off subtitles - it's too distracting. I know, this makes me so uncool and shit, but whatever. I only know English, and don't get any enjoyment of hearing languages I don't understand. It reminds me of living in Toronto.

I'm exactly the opposite. I hate dubbed films. When I hear an english dub on anything other than an animated film I feel like I'm watching Kung Fu Theater again. The dubbed version almost always seems very cheesy.

It also seems pretty rare that the dubbed performance compares at all to the original. I remember someone showing me a scene with Toshiro Mifune in both the dubbed and subtitled version, and the dub completely destroyed the performance. All of the emotion and intensity was lost.

Additionally, when there is an english remake of a foreign film, 99% of the time I prefer the foreign version. My wife made me watch City of Angels when we first started dating, and it was a complete chore. Wings of Desire is such a great film, and City of Angels was pretty mediocre in my opinion. I told her that she should see the original, but I've never gotten her to do so. Since then I've gotten her addicted to foreign films through the gateway drug of Kurosawa films. I've contemplated buying the new Blu-Ray for my wife for Christmas. I know she'd love it.

[cashbailey]

Are either of those Criterion movies in English? I can't stand subtitles.

Are you kidding!?!

[dolson]

Are you kidding!?!

Yes, this is exactly what I was talking about. You are so much better than me, because you like to read your movies. AWESOME, YOU ROCK!!

[muddi900]

Well if you ever happened upon a english dub of non-english movie, you'll rather read the movie. It also works the other way around. Being bilingual, I can assure you that urdu/hindi dubs of Hollywood movies are also on the same plane. Watching the Matrix in hindi is a whole other experience.

Or maybe bailey was surprised that as a movie lover, you seem to no know about Criterion standards since they produced LD. They consider changing the aspect ratio of the movie blasphemy! The Blu-rays don't even have a surround track. Their goal is to reproduce the filmakers intended vision as much as possible. So, no they don't do dubs of any kind. Maybe Hard Boiled or The Killer had a dubbed cut, but those discs is out of print.

[descartes]

I'm not going to put you down for preferring dub to sub. While I prefer sub by a long shot in most cases, there are a couple dubbed anime that are done well. But since you can do things to match animation, really that is only a question of getting a good performance from actors. I think that spending so much of my time reading probably helps me just not notice subbing. It really took someone else pointing out how much subtitling there was in my favorite movie of the year, "Inglourious Basterds". But to each their own, watch them how you enjoy to watch them. After all... being entertainment, that is kind of the point.

But, I digress. Owning many Criterion movies, both DVD and Bluray, they are correct that you don't really find dubbing there. And likewise for "Gomorrah" and "Wings of Desire". Both do not have a dub track, only commentary tracks. One thing I did really like for "Turandot" though is that the default is no subs, but you can turn on the Italian subs to follow along or the English subs to translate. Call me a bit of an opera nerd, but I like all 3 options.

I also just purchased "Fight Club" on blu-ray and I must say one thing about it. The movie is even better in hi-def. There are actually several things that I either missed before or have much more impact in 1080p. And this is a really well done transfer. I love Fincher in general, but going back and seeing an earlier one in hi-def has been quite a treat and the special features are good sauce on top.

[dolson]

Thanks for the replies that don't criticize me due to the fact that I am clearly not a part of the elite group who roam the world thinking they are superior to 99.9% of the rest of us who like to consume our media in our own language.

Bad performances in dubbing, I can understand dislike for that. But I'll take that over having to try and read while listening to distracting, incoherent babble any day. I don't have a problem with simply not watching lip sync, because if I had to sit there and read everything, I wouldn't even be looking at the lips anyhow - in fact, I wouldn't be looking at anything but text. I may as well just read books. And I don't read books because I never learned how.

[cashbailey]

Thanks for the replies that don't criticize me due to the fact that I am clearly not a part of the elite group who roam the world thinking they are superior to 99.9% of the rest of us who like to consume our media in our own language.

Oh, grow up!

Yes, there are other countries in the world that produce great films. And those films will often be presented with subtitles to preserve the performances of the actors and the director's original vision.

If that upsets you so much then I'm sure you can avoid those pesky foreign pictures. And there's a ticket to NEW MOON with your name on it.

[dolson]

Oh, grow up!

Yes, there are other countries in the world that produce great films. And those films will often be presented with subtitles to preserve the performances of the actors and the director's original vision.

If that upsets you so much then I'm sure you can avoid those pesky foreign pictures. And there's a ticket to NEW MOON with your name on it.

I don't know what NEW MOON is, but it's obviously some kind of trash based on your superiority complex.

[7h0m45]

Pushing Daisies looks freaking FANTASTIC on blu.

Australia looks amazing but personally I did not care much for the movie.

[az0madman]

The Fall and Baraka are some beautiful movies to watch on Blu.

[descartes]

I agree about Baraka on blu, I have watched a friend's copy and plan on getting it. Similarly, I also have the Planet Earth set, BBC version of course. Watching nature pieces is quite nice, watching ones that were filmed in HD, even better.

I have another blu-ray coming this week that will also be interesting. It will be my first silent movie blu-ray. "The General", Buster Keaton's masterwork. Definitely sliding over into auteur territory by having a silent on blu, but since I don't already own it... may as well get the best version available.

[muddi900]

I'm not going to put you down for preferring dub to sub. While I prefer sub by a long shot in most cases, there are a couple dubbed anime that are done well. But since you can do things to match animation, really that is only a question of getting a good performance from actors.

The fact, most anime's are not very well written to make a difference. Weather you watch subbed or dubbed, it will still feel inane. I say most, not all, because there's a lot of good stuff there as well.

As a person who watches and movies in many languages, I think people would have less of a problem with subtitles if they were better composed, like they did on the Heroes and Slumdog Millionaire, where he subs were embedded around the characters faces, like comic book speech-bubbles, rather than plastered below the screen. This way they are less distracting and more "natural". But that requires more effort, and costs more money, money nobody will spend for a niche audience, because people dislike subtitles, because they are distracting. Catch-22.

That said, I'd rather be distracted by words than by bad voice acting.