How can I adjust the contrast of video on my MacBook Pro Retina so they don't look like they were filmed with an old sock over the lens?

Question

I'd like to watch movies and TV shows, downloaded from iTunes or Amazon, on my MacBook Pro Retina, but they all look like they were filmed with an old sock over the lens. Daytime sequences look muddy, and night time sequences are incomprehensible with anything but the brightest objects rendered as black. I can watch the same files on my old MacBook Air and everything looks right, but no manner of tweaking seems to let me watch movies on my new machine.
I've tried adjusting the gamma. It's a bit better when gammas is set to 1.0, but I can't seem to set a gamma less than one. I tried using the Accessibility Contrast control, but it just lowers the contrast, swallowing my desktop into the dark abyss. I tried Applecare, but they don't have a clue. I tried the Apple Store. The "genius" confirmed that it is indeed impossible to watch movies shot anywhere but in the brightest sunlight on a MacBook Pro Retina, and it isn't just my machine, but every similar model in the store. He arranged for someone who really understands color profiles to give me a call, but Apple seems to have dropped the ball on this.
Is there some tool for stretching out the darker grays in Apple video? I don't want calibration. My impression is that my display, like the dozens I checked at the Apple Store are calibrated to make all dimmer grays appear completely black. I want uncalibration so I can actually see what is going on in the movies even if something is in a light shadow or shot at night. Hollywood has lots of trained technicians who can light and shoot night scenes that are quite comprehensible. I've watched a number of such scenes on my old MacBook Air. Now, I'd like to enjoy their artistry on my MacBook Pro Retina.

Answer 1

http://www.ifixit.com/ has directions for do it yourself.  Also look at PRAM battery instructions, as sometimes this can fix optical drive issues.
You can get external or internal drives from http://www.macsales.com/
I also suggest in the future, take care of this problem while it is still under warranty. It may have cost you nothing.
See this FAQ* on what may be at issue:
http://www.macmaps.com/cdrfailure.html