Blu-ray Movie Reviews
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Twister (Blu-ray Review)
Written by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin, Jan de Bont's "Twister" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal-UK. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with director Jan de Bont and visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier; "The Making of Twister"; "Anatomy of a Twister" - on-site footage from the shooting of the film; "Nature Tech: Tornadoes" - a History Channel episode about the progress scientists have made in predicting dangerous storms; Van Hale...Video
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.41:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Jan de Bont's Twister arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal-UK.
I have two complaints about this high-definition transfer. The first one has to do with the use of noise reduction, which is quite distracting at times. There are key scene throughout the film where fine object detail and clarity are obviously affected by it. I think that the larger your screen is, the easier it would be for...Audio
This Blu-ray disc contains the following audio tracks: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1, and Japanese DTS 5.1. For the record, Universal have provided optional English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese (Traditional), Japanese, and Korean subtitles for the main feature.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (24-bit) sounds good. The low frequencies...Supplements
Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs.
The Making of Twister - the standard featurette recaptures the production history of the film. Cast and crew members also discuss their roles and work on the film. In English, with optional Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Korean Norwegian, Portuguese and Swedish. (480/60i, 14 min).
Final Words
If you are a fan of Jan de Bont's Twister and have not yet purchased it on Blu-ray, I would suggest that you opt for the UK release herein reviewed. In my opinion, it offers some marginal improvements over the U.S. release. The disc is Region-Free, and all of the supplemental features on it are perfectly playable on Region-A PS3s and SAs. Recommended. ......
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Sorority Row (Blu-ray Review)
Theta Pi! Theta Pi! Die! Die! Die!
The slasher is perhaps horrors most codified sub-genre. Yes, zombies and werewolves and vampires all have their mythologies and cinematic rules, but the slasher film is a different beast altogether. Theyre usually simple morality tales about reckless youth on the cusp of adulthood, an age rife with sex and drugs and rebellion. Often, theyre staged around holidays or special events. The masked killer, armed with some kind of iconic weapon, whittles down a group of attractive, unsupervi...Video
Sorority Row comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer thats strong but inconsistent, sometimes as stunning as Jamie Chung in a towel, and other times looking like a pledge with a post-hazing hangover. Clarity varies between tack-sharp close-upssee the beads of water on Claires face as she gets out of the shower, and notice the fine details of her skin texture to sequences that look somewhat soft and indistinct, like the scene with Cassidy and her boyfriend lying in ...Audio
When things go bump in the night at a sorority house, its usually because one of the girls has snuck her boyfriend in, but in Sorority Rows DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, youre more likely to hear a killers blade whistling through the air than a headboard smacking rhythmically against the wall. Audio is an essential part of most horror films, and though Sorority Row doesnt use sound as intricately as other genre entries, this is still a solid track, with bo...Supplements
PIP Feature Commentary with Director and Cast
Director Stewart Hendler and four of his sorority beautiesBriana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, and Margo Harshmangive a video commentary that's extremely, perhaps overly chatty, which is unsurprising considering the number of participants. The picture-in-picture window is kind of small, though, so unless you have a 100" screen, you'll have to be sitting pretty close to really see the actors' expressions.
Sorori...Final Words
Less discerning genre fans might take to Sorority Row, the latest paint-by-the-numbers slasher to bloody up Blu-ray, but more demanding horrorphiles will find it endlessly derivative and lacking in both intensity and innovation. Not every horror film has to raise the bar or change the rules, but Sorority Row sticks so staunchly to convention that it all but disappears into the plots, kills, and characters of its predecessors. If you're planning on pledging to this Soro......
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Delibes: Sylvia (Blu-ray Review)
Leo Delibes offers some of the most sumptuous ballet music ever written with his 'Sylvia.' If only the story supported it.
There are at least three salient quotes to keep in mind when you first come to Sylvia, one of the iconic pieces of 19th century ballet (even if, in fact, it didnt make much of an impact back then, having to wait until Frederick Ashtons early 1950s mounting to really find its en pointe legs). Two are from none other than Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky, who like Sylvias own composer Leo Delibes, could not escape the sometimes oppressive influence of Richard Wagner...Video
Perhaps because so much of Sylvia plays out in mist-laden or darkened stage areas, this Blu-ray's AVC encoded 1080i image (in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio) seems decidedly softer than a lot of other Opus Arte titles I've reviewed. While detail pops nicely and is at least acceptably sharp in medium to close-up shots, as you will see from several of the screen captures included in this review, anything further away than a medium shot has an unappealing murkiness at times. Contrast is decent, b...Audio
Luckily, Delibes' music is brilliantly performed and lovingly recorded on the exceptionally clear LPCM 5.1 mix included on this Blu-ray. As noted above, none other than Tchaikovsky stated that the ballet itself is nothing, it's the music that matters, and so the image quality of this Blu-ray can perhaps be forgiven given the wonderful soundtrack presented here. Delibes is a master of unusual instrument groupings, and everything from the alto sax to flutes to the oboe is clear as a bell and ext...Supplements
Darcey Bussell provides a brief, though interesting, introduction on the Blu-ray disc. The disc also features the usual illustrated synopsis and cast gallery. The insert booklet has a nicely informative essay by David Nice, who does an exceptional job tracing Delibes' influence on everyone from Tchaikovsky to Elgar....Final Words
Sylvia offers some of the most gloriously sumptuous ballet music of the 19th century, a score which very subtly points the way toward the more modern French era of Debussy and Ravel. If the ballet itself is frankly something of a snooze-fest, this Royal Ballet production is a classic production of a piece that perfectly highlights Frederick Ashton's melding of historical and modern idioms. ......
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IMAX: Under the Sea (Blu-ray Review)
A formulaic IMAX documentary earns a rousing AV presentation...
As gorgeous as they often are, as readily as they sweep audiences away to distant lands and undersea kingdoms, IMAX documentaries aren't very filling. Blame it on their limited runtimes or the all-ages nature of their productions, but it's rare that one offers much more than a snapshot of its subject matter. Under the Sea is no different. Arriving with all the usual underwater suspects in tow -- squid, mollusks, and jellyfish, oh my -- it sometimes amounts to a glorified screen saver; ...Video
Video reviews of IMAX titles tend to boil down to "beautiful photography, haphazard encode." However, the Blu-ray edition of Under the Sea is an entirely different beast. Bubbling to the surface with a magnificent 1080p/VC-1 transfer, Hall's forty-minute film is blessed with a stunning source and a proficient presentation. The brilliant blues of the sea, the dark shadows of the ocean floor, and the blazing hues of the tangled coral beds are a sight to behold. Contrast is strong...Audio
But wait, there's more! Under the Sea boasts an immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track; one that does justice to Hall's lively soundscape, New Guinea and Indonesia's enveloping waves, and Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon's diverse music. As expected, Jim Carrey's crystal clear, perfectly prioritized narration pulls the soundfield forward, sometimes bringing the sonic proceedings to a two-dimensional halt. But every time he finishes a sentence, the waters of the Indo-Pacific rus...Supplements
The back cover of IMAX: Under the Sea touts a laundry list of special features, but the content itself is quite underwhelming. "Filming IMAX: Under the Sea" (HD, 7 minutes) is an extended preview at best, a gushing EPK at worst, and the disc's five "Expeditions" (HD, 12 minutes) are actually short webisodes that do little more than introduce the various locales where Howard Hall and his crew shot the documentary.
Please note: while Warner's press release, online cove...Final Words
Under the Sea doesn't bring anything new to the IMAX fold, but its Blu-ray release certainly does. While similar documentaries have been crippled by mediocre AV presentations, Warner has granted Hall's fourth underwater adventure a stunning video transfer and a satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. I'm sure documentary fans would have appreciated some more substantial special features, but anyone who picks up Under the Sea will be too entranced by their screen and sp......
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Mozart: Piano Concerto No.25 / Piano Sonatas (Acoustic Reality Experience) (Blu-ray Review)
Though I'm loathe to admit it, I'm not a huge Mozart lover. But even I enjoyed this lovely performance by Alfred Brendel and Sir Charles Mackerras leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Is there something in your professional life that makes you wince slightly with embarrassment? No, Im not talking about actual tasks you need to accomplish in your workaday world, but some perhaps tangential information about your likes and dislikes that makes workplace conversation a tad strained at times. Maybe you have an odd bias against Number 2 pencils, for example, even as you toil away at a pencil factory. Or your work at a crayon emporium is hobbled by your abhorrence of periwinkle ...Video
...Audio
As with most of Alexander Jero's Surround Records product, we're offered a re-purposed DTS HD-MA 7.1 mix that recreates hall ambience very well, while sacrificing little if any focus from the instruments themselves. The front three channels are used very well for the piano and orchestra, with the sides and surrounds utilized for ambient spill over and acoustic hall effects. This is a very pleasing recording. Because Jero tends not to supply a lot of supporting information in his insert book...Supplements
...Final Words
I guess I could paraphrase an old ad campaign and say you don't have to be a Mozart lover to love this particular recording. Brendel's playing is precise and nuanced, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under the very capable baton of Sir Charles Mackerras sounds elegantly lustrous. The surround sound repurposing of this recording sounds very good indeed, immersing the listener as if he's in a private listening room with these magnificent artists.......
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