Posts Tagged ‘Blu-ray Review’

  
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Sunday, October 4th, 2009

Blu-ray Review: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition”

by Jeff Giles

61KEUnRRkcL._SCLZZZZZZZ_[1]If you’ve been looking for an excuse to make the jump from DVD to Blu-ray, look no further. Matter of fact, thanks to Disney’s brilliant strategy of bundling DVDs with their Blu-ray releases, you don’t even have to own a Blu-ray player to take advantage of the new face lift the studio has given its 1937 classic — but if you do have one, make sure you put a pillow under your mouth the first time you watch the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition transfer, because your jaw is going to drop.

There have been a fair number of catalog Blu-ray reissues at this point, and consumers have had to resign themselves to the fact that not all hi-def upgrades were created equal — when you’re dealing with source material from more than, say, 20 years ago, you’re going to see a fair number of defects, even after the most painstaking remastering job (see the Batman Blu-ray for an example). Given this, you’d expect the Snow White Blu-ray to be the kind of pleasant-but-not-remarkable upgrade you’d get out of most older films, but you’d be wrong — Disney has been rolling out some truly breathtaking restoration jobs in the last year or so, and Snow White might be the fairest of them all. Is it perfect? Probably not — you can go over any transfer with a magnifying glass and pick out flaws here and there, however minor. But watching Snow White, you won’t want to; you’ll be too busy marveling at just how incredibly lush and beautiful this hand-drawn classic remains more than 70 years after its release. Every feature-length animated film has its roots in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — along with quite a few live-action movies — and this set gives it the fawning respect it deserves. (more…)

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Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Blu-ray Review: “Observe and Report”

by Jeff Giles

61828zJuGAL._SCLZZZZZZZ_[1]One of the year’s most divisive films — and I mean that almost literally — writer/director Jody Hill’s Observe and Report had the misfortune of following the loathsome Paul Blart: Mall Cop into theaters, which, coupled with Seth Rogen’s face all over Observe’s posters, left people expecting a raunchy blast of cheerful lowbrow comedy. Even under the best of circumstances, I think this movie would have left audiences confused, but landing in Blart’s shadow made its uphill climb that much steeper. Ultimately, it was probably always the kind of movie destined to find its most appreciative audience on the home video market — which is where it lands today, arriving on Blu-ray, DVD, and Video on Demand.

Rogen stars here as Ronnie Barnhardt, head of security at Forest Ridge Mall, where he rules, purse-lipped and crazy-eyed, over a lazy and ineffective crew that includes John and Matthew Yuan (as the twin Yuen brothers, natch) and Michael Peña (as Ronnie’s hilarious, lisping second in command, Dennis). As the movie opens, Forest Ridge is dealing with the parking lot shenanigans of a profane serial flasher whose assaults provoke Ronnie by not only upsetting the object of his affection, perfume salesperson Brandi (a congested-sounding Anna Faris), but putting him in the shadow of the police detective assigned to the case (Ray Liotta). It’s a premise ripe with comedic possibilities, and Rogen is one of the few movie stars who can both carry a movie and make you believe he really works in a mall. Observe’s first act takes advantage of all of the above, wringing big laughs out of its outlandish characters (particularly Aziz Ansari, as an unctuous lotion salesman who has an axe to grind with Ronnie) while teasing the dark edges of Ronnie’s fraying psyche. (more…)

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Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Blu-ray Reviews: Mike Stern and Stanley Jordan, “New Morning: The Paris Concert”

by Jeff Giles

Mike Stern – New Morning: The Paris Concert (2009, Inakustic)
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He’s played with Miles and the Brecker Brothers, netted multiple Grammy nominations, and generally helped redefine jazz guitar for over 30 years, but Mike Stern has never reached the “name brand” level of fame enjoyed by other upper-echelon guitarists (see: Frisell, Bill), or sales consistent enough to keep him from making a pair of label changes in the last decade — but he is talented enough to inspire a worldwide following, and long overdue for a hi-def concert movie besides. The recently released New Morning: The Paris Concert, filmed last year at the Paris club whose name graces the title, takes advantage of both of these things, and if you’re an HD-equipped jazz fan — or a music lover with a stomach for fusion that doesn’t suck — you’re in for a 105-minute treat.

If jazz makes you gag, let me try and put Stern’s sound into perspective: In the fall of 1991, a year I spent mostly listening to Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Atlantic sent me a promo copy of Stern’s Odds or Evens, and it kicked off a fascination with his music that has stayed with me to this day. This is not to say Mike Stern sounds like Eddie Van Halen — far from it — but as that album (and much of what has followed) proved, Stern is the rare jazz guitarist who is consistently able to walk the line between pure entertainment and sheer technique. He’s got a signature tone that’s stunningly pretty, and he isn’t afraid to use it in the service of uncommonly melodic songs — but he’s equally at home tracing skittery lines in the sand between skronk and lite FM. As an example, here’s the opening cut from Odds or Evens: (more…)

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Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Blu-ray Review: “This Is Spinal Tap”

by Ken Shane

This Is Spinal TapIt’s an established fact that the core members of Spinal Tap (David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls) are not fans of the 1984 film that bears their name, or of the film’s director, Marty DiBergi. This first became apparent on the commentary track for the DVD release of the film, which is nearly as funny as the film itself. There, Tap (they hate being called Tap) takes many people to task, including former manager Ian Faith, Polymer records publicist Bobbi Flekman, midwest promo man Artie Fufkin, and former record company president Denis Eton-Hogg, who is said to now be running a summer camp for pale young men. Keyboard player Viv Savage and drummer Mick Shrimpton are not spared. There is much discussion about whether these, and other people who appeared in the original film, are alive or dead. The most intense vitriol, however, is reserved for DiBergi, and his fake beard, not to mention his obviously changed name.

Now, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of This Is Spinal Tap, the film has been released for the first time on Blu-ray. The package not only includes all of the extra features that were on the DVD version, but there’s a second disc of brand new bonus features, including Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge” performance at the 2007 Live Earth Festival, and a National Geographic Stonehenge interview with Nigel Tufnel. Finally, the great English band gets a full chance to have their say about that exploitative film, and to demonstrate that they are indeed a great band, and not the bumbling idiots that the bastard DiBergi portrayed them as.

There’s a reason why This Is Spinal Tap is a favorite movie among musicians. The film hits very close to home. To one degree or another, we are all Spinal Tap. Every tour involves some unbearable, cringeworthy moments, along with some triumphant ones. It’s when you get to the point that the latter outweigh the former that you know that you’ve made it. (more…)

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Monday, June 8th, 2009

Blu-ray Review: “Gran Torino”

by Jeff Giles

Gran Torino (2009, Warner Bros.)
purchase from Amazon: DVD | Blu-ray

I enjoy a nice Unforgiven viewing as much as the next guy, but I’ve never really bought into the whole cult of Clint — for movies that are supposed to disassemble and analyze the various aspects of American manhood, Eastwood’s films often strike me as curiously dull. During A Perfect World, for instance — a movie I went to see knowing full well that Kevin Costner was Eastwood’s co-star, and hoping two negatives would produce a positive — I’m fairly certain I had an out of body experience, during which my spirit floated to the ceiling of the nearly empty theater and took a long nap. I went into Gran Torino, in other words, expecting very little; I certainly didn’t plan to feel a bitter swell of nostalgia as the closing credits rolled. But life is full of surprises, and as it turns out, Clint — and by extension Gran Torino — has a few too.

Billed in advance as a sort of unofficial sequel to the Dirty Harry movies, Torino stars Eastwood as Walt Kowalski, a retired auto worker who, as the movie opens, is in attendance at his wife’s funeral. It quickly becomes clear that aside from his dearly departed better half, Walt wants very little to do with anyone — not his kids, nor their kids, nor the young, well-meaning priest that reluctantly promised Walt’s wife he’d look after him. And certainly not the families on his street, which no longer have familiar Polish surnames; Walt’s neighborhood has changed, with an influx of Hmong immigrants replacing the solidly Caucasian blue-collar demographic with which he identifies. He’s a grumpy, openly racist old man, but Nick Schenk’s screenplay does a better job of generating empathy for the character than you might think; surrounded by clueless kids, grasping grandchildren, and neighbors who seem to have no pride in their homes, Walt comes across at first as a sort of seething, epithet-spouting version of Dick Loudon, the character Bob Newhart played on Newhart, a guy who feels like the last oasis of sanity in a world gone mad. (more…)

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Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Blu-ray Review: Neil Young, “Neil Young Archives, Volume 1 (1963-1972)”

by Ken Shane

Neil Young - Archives Volume 1Okay, I confess. I’ve never had to review as massive a project as massive as Neil Young Archives, Volume 1. I was fortunate enough to get a Blu-ray set, which is all of 10 discs long. What I didn’t get was the fancy box and anything that might be in it, so I can’t speak about that stuff. What I did get was the ten discs in an ordinary folder, and a somewhat inaccurate document of the track list, especially as it pertains to the hidden tracks.

I will also say that unlike many other would-be reviewers, I listened to and watched every minute of every disc, both the main elements, and the bonus features. I searched every menu for Easter eggs, I clicked on every hidden track that I could find. I wasn’t satisfied until I was sure that I’d seen and heard everything on each disc. Talk about a journey through the past!

Just think, Archives only covers Young’s career up until 1972. There are more than 35 years worth of archives still to be released. (If the future sets take as long to reach the public as this one did, I probably won’t be around to review the next one.) A number of video clips throughout the set show Young reviewing his archives with photographer/archivist Joel Bernstein and art director Gary Burden. These clips are from February, 1997. So why is it that it took 12 years from that point to assemble the first volume? There’s no doubt that a lot of work went into this, and I’m sure that there were clearances to be worked out, but 12 years’ worth? After immersing myself in this work, I’m prepared to give Young the benefit of the doubt and believe that he waited for the technology to catch up so that he could release this material in the highest quality format. Apparently the advent of Blu-ray marked that point for him. (more…)

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Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Blu-ray Review: “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut”

by Jeff Giles

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut (40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition) (2009, Warner Bros.)
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Good news, home theater-owning former hippies! You can now relive the original Woodstock festival, in all of its muddy, THC-laced glory, through the marvelous magic of a new 1080p hi-def and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound transfer — with an extra disc of bonus performances and assorted extra content — thanks to Warner Bros.’ brand new 40th anniversary reissue of Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar-winning documentary. For once, we’re looking at a title that lives up to the word “ultimate”; not only does this new box collect the four-hour Woodstock director’s cut, but it tacks on two more hours of performance footage, plus another hour of featurettes, plus BD-Live content — and that doesn’t even take into account the box itself, which handsomely houses the movie in a fringe leather case, or its other assorted contents, which include a reprint of Life’s Woodstock issue, a replica ticket, an iron-on patch, a Lucite paperweight, and more. Unlike the vast majority of catalog titles seeing Blu-ray release, Woodstock takes advantage of the new medium’s capabilities; not only do you get a superior picture and sound, but the studio has taken care to add plenty of extra everything, expanding the movie along with its price tag (this set lists for $69.99, but Amazon has it available for pre-order at $48.99 — and their version features an exclusive third disc).

Personally, to put it mildly, I’m not in the target demographic for Woodstock; I’ve never found the ’60s all that fascinating, and although I consider myself a fan of many of the artists who played the festival, the movie has always struck me as a bloated, spaced-out beast of a documentary — the kind of thing you need to have been at Woodstock to enjoy. (Or high.) All that aside, I can’t deny that it’s a beautiful film, and if it seems to go on forever, then it’s just living up to Wadleigh’s original goal; he did, after all, oversee more than 365,000 feet of film, all of which was jealously guarded from Warners executives, and he would have turned in a five or six-hour film if the studio had let him. Like any documentary worth its salt, Woodstock approaches its subject as if it’s endlessly fascinating, and even if you tend to think that seven-plus hours is a mite excessive for a movie about any event, Wadleigh’s enthusiasm is as infectuous as his shots are beautifully framed. Woodstock is as fluid as the spirit of the festival, tumbling from widescreen to split-screen and back again, a visual extension of what was going on all around Wadleigh and his crew. (more…)

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Monday, May 18th, 2009

Blu-ray Review: “Batman: 20th Anniversary Edition”

by Jeff Giles

Batman: 20th Anniversary Edition (2009, Warner Bros.)
purchase from Amazon: Blu-ray

The movie industry seems to break a new record for box-office totals every single year, but if you remember the summer of Tim Burton’s Batman — and all the crazy lengths people went to in order to get tickets for an opening night screening — you know that the movies themselves tend not to inspire the same level of frenzy that they once did. I was 15 when Batman came out, and I remember spending pretty much an entire day looking for a theater that wasn’t completely sold out; I ended up at a midnight screening at a dingy little multiplex over an hour from where I lived, and I went home absolutely thrilled with the experience.

I’ve seen all of Warner Bros.’ subsequent Batman adaptations, but none more than once, including the original, so I was eager to break in my new Blu-ray player with the 20th Anniversary Edition release that hits stores tomorrow. Although there isn’t really anything new here — it just breaks off Batman from the previously released Anthology box — it was all new enough to me, and having never been a fan of the “buy the whole series or you don’t get none” philosophy that studios love, I was staunchly in favor of this edition even before I unwrapped it.

The movie, though? It doesn’t hold up so well. Twenty years can do a lot of things, and not all of them are kind. (more…)

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