Peter S. mentioned that a Predator: SE would be here in time for Alien vs. Predator (August). However, I wonder if this next release of Predator will feature a new tranfer, or just the existing transfer with extras.
Most of the numero uno candidates have been listed, so I'll try and list some gems that either have an all-out shit transfer or are simply lacking anamorphic encoding.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers - Both the legendary original and the hugely underappreciated 1978 version by Phil Kaufman, which has a decent transfer, but is not anamorphic.
Chushingura - Brilliant samurai film from 1966. Dodgy non-anamorphic transfer with subtitles on the lower letterboxing bar, so that when you zoom in on a 16x9 TV, the subtitles get chopped off. Gah!
High Noon - An over-processed 'restoration' that is THX-certified, whatever that means these days.
The Seven Percent Solution is indeed a great little film, Dennis, and Universal should revisit it.
A couple of people have listed Top Gun. Fortunately for them (and me, 'cause I want that bad boy too) a Special Edition is in the works, with a new anamorphic transfer, commentaries, and more. Hooray!
My own list of I'd-love-to-see-this-remastered includes:
Heat (which I know is getting the SE treatment shortly; yay!) The NeverEnding Story (at least it's anamorphic, but it could benefit from some digital cleanup) Never Cry Wolf (non-anamorphic) Grosse Pointe Blank (non-anamorphic) Blade Runner (definitely needs digital cleanup and a decent SE)
There are more but I can't think of them at the moment because I'm not at home and can't look at my collection.
Andrei Rublev - It would be so great if Criterion created a new hi-def anamorphic transfer.
And Universal really ought to remaster The Thing. I tried to watch it last night and couldn't. It's a low bitrate (4.5 mbps) non-anamorphic transfer. It could use a little debris clean-up, high bitrate (7-9 mbps) anamorphic encoding and to entice fans even more, a DTS track. Oh, and ALL the deleted scenes should be included in anamorphic 2.35:1. Keep all the extras from the current edition, but put them on a second disc. If the documentary was divided into seperate featurettes, then royalties wouldn't have to be paid (am I right in assuming this?). But basically, I NEED a new anamorphic transfer of this film, so losing any extras wouldn't bother me. I could always house the old and new discs in a double keep case.
I started a thread last week regarding the picture quality on the current disc and it was pretty unanimous that this movie could use a new transfer as the disc is very soft looking.
I'd want: (this is quite a list I compiled from other people's posts.)
BATMAN (1989) BATMAN RETURNS big Backdraft The Abyss (Special Edition) Vertigo Bram Stoker's DRACULA Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN DRACULA (1931) TREMORS The Game OUTLAND Grosse Point Blank All of Me (WS) BLADE RUNNER (trapped in legal bullmongo...) Arachnophobia Event Horizon The Karate Kid Excalibur First Knight Forbidden Planet John Carpenter's THE THING Office Space The Shadow (WS) GOODFELLAS Mission: Impossible BEN HUR The Jerk (WS) The Rocketeer PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock)