Blu-ray Movie Reviews
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Living Landscapes: Pacific Coast (Blu-ray Review)
One of the more peaceful and tranquil entries in the Living Landscapes series offers beautiful scenes of the Pacific blended with one of the better soundtracks in the series.
United States highways are numbered more or less sequentially, as you trivia hounds may be aware. The roads running north-south start at the west coast and proceed eastward, while those running east-west, start at the south and jump by numerical degrees as they traverse more northerly latitudes. My wife, sons and I decided to start at the beginning, as it were, a couple of years ago, and take a leisurely trip southward from Portland, our home, to Los Angeles, courtesy of the largely interchang...Video
Most of Digital Environment's releases have been at the least above average, and several have been rather excellent. I'm please to report that Pacific Coast falls in that latter category, with a sharp and good looking 1080i AVC encoded transfer delivered with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. What might occasionally disappoint some viewers is the rather pallid palette of a lot of these beach vistas, but as someone who lives close to the Pacific coast, I can attest that this is indeed the color spe...Audio
No, there's no lossless track on this offering, as is the case with all of the Digital Environments releases I've reviewed thus far. That said, both of the Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are quite good for what they are. There is one track that provides only ambient nature sounds, and another which blends those sounds with the excellent music score by Raphael. Personally, I recommend the music score only because it's so beautiful in and of itself and is also well blended with the ambient noises. As...Supplements
As with all of these budget priced Digital Environments releases, no extras are offered....Final Words
Soothing, relaxing and more than a bit hypnotic, Pacific Coast is one of the better Digital Environments releases, aided by a really nice music score by Raphael. And the best part is, you won't need any Dramamine to get to the ocean to enjoy it--just your local or online Blu-ray shop.......
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Ninja Assassin (Blu-ray Review)
Guilty pleasure? Perhaps. I'm just surprised I enjoyed this one as much as I did...
Operating Surgeon. Salty Seadog. Investigating Detective. Dishonest Politician. Wordy Writer. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present, without further ado, Ninja Assassin: a brazen, bloody ode to all things ninja from producers Andy and Larry Wachowski, screenwriters Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski, and upstart director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta). It isn't a film that will appeal to everyone. It...Video
Ninja Assassin storms Blu-ray with a strong (albeit imperfect) 1080p/VC-1 transfer that allows McTeigue's furious action scenes to spill into your home theater. Karl Walter Lindenlaub's searing reds, earthy hues, beautiful skintones, and inky blacks are absolutely gorgeous in high definition. Whether lit by raging firelight or bathed in shadow, his photography is one of the film's greatest assets, making Warner's presentation a striking one regardless of how stark or somber his palette ...Audio
Warner's head-snapping DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is even better, celebrating every errant shuriken that hurtles across the battlefield, every chained blade that encircles a doomed ninja, and every blood geyser that erupts from a fallen foe. Where to begin? Rear speaker activity is both nimble and unrelenting, effortlessly distributing sound effects across the film's eerily immersive soundfield and lending their full support to the on-screen action. Likewise, LFE output is brisk a...Supplements
What is it about the Wachowskis and their anointed disciples that make them run for the hills whenever a behind-the-scenes crew attempts to document one of their film's productions? Ah well, while the Blu-ray edition of Ninja Assassin doesn't include an audio commentary or a meaty documentary featuring the filmmakers, it still gives its star, action coordinators, and second-tier team members a chance to shine. It's just too bad the entire package can be exhausted in less than an hour.Final Words
From its rather redundant title to its fire-born action sequences, Ninja Assassin makes its blood-soaked intentions known from the outset. However, I wasn't prepared to actually sink into its story. I know I'm in the minority, but McTeigue's commanding presence behind the camera, Straczynski's sharp genre script, and Rain's unexpectedly potent performance gave me plenty of reasons to enjoy most everything the film had to offer (pesky Europol agents notwithstanding). Warner's Blu-ray re......
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Analyze This / Analyze That (Blu-ray Review)
A Ramis twofer is hindered by a mediocre Blu-ray release...
It's an age-old question: which came first, David Chase's acclaimed HBO series, The Sopranos, or director Harold Ramis' casting-coup comedy, Analyze This? Sure, one debuted in January of 1999 and the other arrived in theaters in March of the same year, but neither one was made overnight. They share strikingly similar stories and characters -- a rough-n-tumble mob boss begins suff...Video
Even though a full 25GB layer of a BD-50 disc has been devoted to each film, Warner's first Blu-ray Double Feature is undermined by two average 1080p/VC-1 transfers, both of which suffer from a variety of issues. Analyze This certainly offers the warmer image, basking in Stuart Dryburgh's sunlit-Miami hues, inviting interiors, and overwhelming shadows at every turn. Unfortunately, skintones are often oversaturated, delineation is quite poor at times, and detail is all over the place. F...Audio
Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks are an improvement, even if they're limited by their corresponding films somewhat limited sound design. Analyze This kicks things off properly: with the best wiseguy narration Robert De Niro can muster, a diatribe the lossless mix presents with authority. Barring a few swampy lines that drown beneath some of the film's slapstick action sequences, dialogue is clear and nicely prioritized, and effects pack a decent punch. The LFE channel d...Supplements
Sadly, neither Analyze This nor Analyze That include any supplemental content, despite the fact that their 1999, 2003, and 2007 standard DVD counterparts offer a selection of commentaries and other features. And I have to say, Warner's decision is a strange one. Considering a 25GB layer of a BD-50 disc has been afforded to each film -- leaving more than enough room to squeeze in the aforementioned features -- their absence is frustrating. I certainly appreciate the low price, bu...Final Words
I remain unimpressed by Warner's Double Feature releases. The concept is sound -- two flicks for the price of one -- but the execution is lacking. Analyze This and Analyze That haven't been given the ground-up overhaul they deserve, and it shows. Their video transfers are hobbled by persistent technical issues and their DVDs' supplemental packages have been left on the cutting room floor. The Double Feature's lone saving grace is a pair of commendable DTS-HD Master Audio tracks......
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Cavalli: Ercole Amante (Blu-ray Review)
When was the last time you actually had fun at the opera? Well, prepare yourself for the carnival ride that is 'Ercole Amante'.
You think your family is dysfunctional? Take Hercules crewplease. The half-god, half-mortal strongman has problems galore, woes which tended not to make it into any of those Steve Reeves Italian opuses from half a century ago. You have to go several centuries further back, in fact, to get to Francesco Cavallis little known and very rarely performed Ercole Amante, a wonderfully silly (at least in this production by the Nederlandse Opera) piece which takes nothing seriously as ...Video
I get occasional complaints from some readers who want these usually live-for-television HD tapings to look more like feature films. They decry the typical 1080i resolution as if it were a throwback to VHS days. All I can tell them is I find a lot of Opus Arte's AVC encoded 1080i 1.78:1 images absolutely spectacular, if at just a hair less than full 1080p splendor. Ercole Amante is one of the best opera releases we've been treated to from an image standpoint, with absolutely jaw-droppi...Audio
Likewise, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 recording is, to put it simply, practically perfect in every way. Cavalli's music is frankly lesser known than the major composers who more frequently dot Opus Arte's releases, but this performance, helmed by conductor Ivor Bolton leading the marvelous Concerto Köln, is a model of Baroque floridity grounded by a more classically restrained balance, especially in the gorgeous choral singing of the Nederlandse's chorus. This is a warm and inviting soundtrack with exc...Supplements
Several excellent supplements are on disc 1 of this two-BD set. Along with the expected illustrated synopsis (which due to Ercole's rather labyrinthine plot runs well over 10 minutes) and cast gallery, there are 10 minutes each devoted to costars Pisaroni and Johannette Zomer. A 29:27 Making of featurette rounds out the extras....Final Words
We reviewers tend to be an awfully jaded lot at times. But every so often a wonderful little surprise comes down the pike to reawaken our love and enthusiasm. Ercole Amante is a near perfect soufflé, wonderfully melding Cavalli's gorgeous music with an outlandishly expressive physical production. Thank Heaven (literally in this case)--it's time to have fun at the opera again!......
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Import/Export (Blu-ray Review)
Nominated for Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Austrian director Ulrich Seidl's "Import Export" (2007) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment. The only supplemental features on the disc are the film's original theatrical trailer and an excellent interview with Ulrich Seidl recorded for Film4 in 2008. With optional English subtitles. Region-Free. Please be advised that the film contains disturbing footage that is not appropriate for minors! ...Video
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ulrich Seidl's Import Export arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment.
Before I address the quality of the transfer, I would like to quickly point out that Import Export was shot on Super 16 (16 mm - Kodak Vision II) and therefore there are a number of natural limitations with the image. Import Export has a cold yet soft look, wit...Audio
The back cover of this Blu-ray disc insists that Import Export arrives with two audio tracks, a German/Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German/Russian/Ukrainian Stereo 2.0, but my disc contains only one audio track - German/Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Trinity Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
Import Export is a dialog-driven feature with strong organic qualities. The dialog is clean and mostly easy...Supplements
Note: The supplemental features listed below are encoded in 720p. Therefore, they are perfectly playable on all Region-A PS3s and SAs.
Interview - an interview with director Ulrich Seidl, recoded in London on September 25, 2008 for Film4. Here the director answers a series of questions about the history of his film, its message, the social political status quo in West and East Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the thoughts and feelings he aims to expre...Final Words
Bold and uncompromising, Ulrich Seidl's Import Export offers a bleak and genuinely disturbing look at borderless Europe. I would also like to specifically point out that there isn't even a hint of political correctness in this film - so be prepared when you sit down to watch it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment, is competent. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ......
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