I got several telephone calls this afternoon, one of which lasted almost thirty minutes, so I didn't have a chance to get through even a single movie.
The movie was THE LAST SAMURAI. I never saw this in the theater, and I didn't watch it on HBO when it aired, so the Blu-ray disc was my first experience with it.
I think it's too long (though I understand the reasoning behind the length), but it's thoroughly engrossing. I really liked Ed Zwick's GLORY (even with Matthew Broderick the weakest of the actors), and this has the same kind of stateliness in tone. Cruise stays in character and has been very strong. Ken Watanabe earned his Oscar nomination for this, a very intense, commanding performance.
As for the Blu-ray transfer, well, it's another slam drunk for Warners (THE SEARCHERS was also from them.) That three dimensional look that the best HD transfers has is here in spades, and it's just so easy for the image to mesmerize you with its color, sharpness, and detail. Rock solid.