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Number 142 - January,
2007 - Part I Number 142 - January, 2007 - Part III
"Courage Under Fire" (Blu-ray) Synopsis The pilot of a rescue copter, Captain Karen Walden, dies shortly before her helicopter crew is rescued after it crashed in Operation Desert Storm. It first appears that she made a spectacular rescue of a downed helicopter crew, then held her own crew together to fight off the Iraqis after her copter crashed. Lt. Colonel Serling, who is struggling with his own demons from Desert Storm, is assigned to investigate and award her the Medal of Honor. But some conflicting accounts from her crew and soldiers in the area, cause him to question whether she deserves it. Commentary A decent military thriller with Washington providing another powerful role. Courage Under Fire is entertaining but one of those "see it once, seen it all you need to" kind of films. Set after Desert Storm, Washington plays a Major in the Army that investigates a Medal of Honor nominee while fighting his own demons. Technical I never had the opportunity to see this one on D-Theater, but overall, I though it was about average in the picture department. Contrast was a bit lacking, and the image was a bit flatter than I prefer. This isn't that old of a movie, so I think it could have been a bit better. Detail wasn't bad on close-ups and medium shots, but in longer shots, it wasn't as good as I've seen from most of Fox's efforts so far. The DTS soundtrack is quite good and takes advantage of the action scenes in this film. Some of the dialogue sounded a bit off. Voices didn't seem as natural as they usually do, almost like the mic was muffled. Surrounds are used aggressively at times and add a great amount of ambience and excitement to the battle sequences. Extras Extras include a commentary, trivia track, and theatrical trailer. This release is also D-Box enhanced. - Kris Deering -
"The Mummy Returns" (HD DVD) Synopsis Another legend. Another monster. Another quest for the world! The Scorpion King is a legendary warrior who sold his soul to Anubis, and was erased from record in the ancient kingdom. His existence was lost to the sands, preserved only in mythology. But there is truth to the myth. In the desert of Ahm Shere, in a golden pyramid, sleeps the Scorpion King. And he, or whomsoever may kill him, may command the demonic and undefeatable Army of Anubis! Ten years after the cursed high-priest Imhotep was resurrected and defeated by Rick O'Connell, Evelyn, and Jonathon, he is resurrected once again by a mysterious woman, Meela, armed with the knowledge of centuries! Together, Imhotep and Meela have one goal: Defeat the Scorpion King and use his army to destroy mankind! Commentary After The Mummy did so well in theaters, you knew there was going to be an inevitable sequel. Luckily, the full cast returned along with the same director. The result is a sequel that is actually a bit better than the original in my opinion. The balance of comedy and action, along with a more refined production design, results in a fun ride! Technical A stellar transfer from Universal here. I didn't have this one on D-Theater, so I couldn't compare to that one, but I imagine owners of the former won't be disappointed. Depth and detail are excellent in this one, and I was really impressed with how solid blacks and shadow detail were. Some of the CGI is a bit softer than the live action, but it was like that in theaters too. One of the best I've seen from Universal! Like all big summer action flicks, this one gets a powerful soundtrack that took full advantage of its budget. Lots of dynamics with a low end that REALLY kicks sometimes. Surrounds are used aggressively, and the front soundstage has a nice wide presence with great imaging. I really wish Universal would have included at least a TrueHD soundtrack here! Extras All of the extras from the DVD special edition are included. These include commentaries, production features, deleted scenes, and more. - Kris Deering -
"The Devil's Rejects" (Blu-ray) Synopsis Sequel to House of 1000 Corpses is set some months later with the Texas State Police making a full-scale attack against the murderous Firefly family residence for the 1,000+ murders and disappearances of the past several years. But three of the family members escape, including Otis, Baby Firefly, and Baby's father Captain Spaulding. The evil trio go on a road trip, leaving dozens of mangled bodies in their wake. Commentary I was really excited about seeing the predecessor to this film, House of 1000 Corpses. I am a big fan of the horror genre and Rob Zombie is synonymous with the genre. Unfortunately, that movie seemed to lose its focus early on and ended up a disappointment. Zombie definitely didn't disappoint this time though. Rejects is a better script, better film, and better production. The acting isn't as cheesy, and the film doesn't wander nearly as much. This is the return to hardcore 70's horror that everyone was hoping for with the first. Technical Lionsgate did a great job with this Blu-ray release, and it may be my favorite of their first run titles. Colors are excellent, and detail overall is impressive. This film is stylized to look like its 70's brethren and the transfer does a great job of delivering that. Film grain is left intact, and I only saw some minor compression problems. The DTS-HD soundtrack is quite good and a bit of a step up from the DVD that I previously owned. Dynamics and ambience seem to have improved. Bass feels tighter, and the sense of being there is heightened. The film's soundtrack also fills the room really well, adding to the intensity of the action onscreen. Extras Extras include some deleted scenes and two commentaries. The menus are also pretty cool. - Kris Deering -
"Resident Evil: Apocalypse" (Blu-ray) Synopsis The nightmare isn't over, General Cain has ordered The Hive to be reopened, and in doing so, has contaminated all of Raccoon City, a city of the dead, with Alice stuck right in the middle. Now, along with other survivors, Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliviera, and his Captain, Nicholai, they must fight to survive, to escape the nightmare that has plagued Raccoon City. But now there is a new threat: Matt Addison has fully mutated into a seemingly unstoppable creature, code named Nemesis, who will stop at nothing until everything around it is dead, but it also has another agenda . . . Commentary Ugh. I am one of those that thought the first Resident Evil film was only just passable as entertainment. This film took everything that was wrong with that one and turned it to 11. The acting, the action, the cheesiness, all WAY too overdriven here. I would say to just STAY AWAY. Technical The first film was a treat on DVD in the picture department. In fact, I remember seeing it a lot at tradeshows for demos. This new film had a bigger budget, but the video is definitely different. Black levels are elevated, which results in a flatter look that lacks the depth of most of the better HD presentations I've seen so far. Detail is good though. Film grain is apparent from time to time but never really distracting. While I wouldn't say this is a bad transfer, it just wasn't that great either. The audio is what you'd expect from an action/horror film, LOUD. Lots of dynamics, lots of surround use, and LOUD. Dialogue sounds natural and never gets overshadowed by the action onscreen. Surrounds do a great job of pulling you in, and the low end has plenty of punch. A solid soundtrack! Extras One of the more feature-laden releases from Sony. This is the second title I've seen with the Blu-Wizard feature that allows the end user to choose what he wants to see and when. Included are commentaries, a ton of deleted scenes, production features, and a documentary on making this horrible film. - Kris Deering -
"Stargate" (Blu-ray) Synopsis An interstellar teleportation device, found in Egypt, leads to a planet with humans resembling ancient Egyptians who worship the god Ra. Commentary Back before Independence Day and Godzilla hit the screen, Emmerich and Devlin released a sci-fi film that went on to become a cult classic: Stargate. A great sci-fi film that combined interstellar travel with Egyptian history. If you haven't seen it and are a fan of the genre, you are really doing yourself a disservice. Glad to see Lionsgate release this one so early. Technical I don't think I've ever seen this movie look "good". It always seems to be missing something. This transfer is a step in the right direction though. Detail has improved tremendously since the DVD release. Depth overall is good, but not great. Colors are somewhat muted, and contrast overall is only fair. A lot of this might have to do with the film stock used and budget constraints, but overall this is by far the best I've seen this film look to date. The audio is quite good for its time and better than I remember the DVD sounding. Lionsgate has included a DTS-HD soundtrack, and it takes full advantage of the rear soundstage. This film always had a nice sense of ambience to it, and this presentation captures that perfectly. Some of the sound effects are cheesy, but the dynamics and lower end are nice. Extras A feature commentary is included. - Kris Deering -
"All The King's Men" (Blu-ray) Synopsis Based on the Robert Penn Warren novel. The life of populist Southerner Willie Stark, a political creature loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana. Commentary I remember all the buzz about this one long before it came out. Just look at the cast list and you can understand why. The film ultimately failed at the box office though, and critics weren't as impressed as one would have thought. The acting in this film is great, the problem was the script. This is a political thriller of sorts, but it has problems keeping the audience in the know. It took a long time to understand just what was going on because the film only gave you glimpses of what the issues were. Too bad, I think I could have really liked this one. Technical Sony has done an amazing job with this transfer. I don't know how many times I said, "Wow" while I was watching it, but it was a lot. Fine detail and depth are the standouts. The film's color is a bit de-saturated to give it more dramatic tone, but it helps the contrast dramatically, which in turn helps depth. The dimensionality of most of the frame is better than most films I've seen in HD so far. Excellent blacks too! For more of a drama than anything else, this film boasts an impressive soundtrack. The sound design is a bit more aggressive than one would expect from the genre and helps keep you more engaged than the story will. Dynamics are quite good, and the sense of ambience is unsettling at times. Dialogue sounds dead on, and imaging across the main soundstage is excellent. One of the best presentations I've seen from Sony overall so far. Extras Nothing, not even the trailer. - Kris Deering -
"Rising Sun" (Blu-ray) Synopsis At the offices of a Japanese corporation during a party, a woman who's evidently a professional mistress is found dead, apparently after some rough sex. A police detective, Web Smith, is called in to investigate, but before getting there, he gets a call from someone who instructs him to pick up John Connor, a former police Captain and expert on Japanese affairs. When they arrive there Web thinks that everything is obvious, but Connor tells him that there's a lot more going on. Commentary Been a long time since I've seen this one. Rising Sun is a good thriller that fits the time it came out. It reminded me a bit of some other sexy thrillers that were trying to press the limits a bit like Basic Instinct. While I wouldn't call this the best film for either actor, both did a good job with the material, and Connery definitely makes it worth at least a rental. Technical Image quality overall here is decent, but nothing too stellar. You can tell this is an older film. The image comes off a bit flat, with colors never reaching the vibrant hues you see from most of the newer films. Detail is good though, and the print seems to be in better than average shape. Contrast is lacking a bit, with blacks elevated slightly, but I imagine that has more to do with the intended look of the film rather than the transfer. The 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack is also quite good. Dynamics are better than I expected for this genre, and some of the musical moments at the party are quite good. Dialogue is natural, and imaging across the main soundstage is excellent. Surrounds are used on occasion but don't expect too much atmosphere. Extras Just the trailer. - Kris Deering -
"Pulse" (HD DVD) Synopsis Imagine our wireless technologies making a connection to a world beyond our own. Imagine that world using the technology as a doorway into ours. Now, imagine the connection we made can't be shut down. When you turn on your cell phone or log on to your e-mail, they'll get in, you'll be infected, and they'll be able to take from you what they don't have anymore -- life. Commentary I saw the original Japanese horror film this is a remake of about a year ago and absolutely hated it. It wasn't that creepy, and it made me want to go to sleep over half of the time. This remake is somewhat faithful to that one, but they make it a bit more engaging. Ultimately though I still didn't care for it. The chills are too few, and like most of today's horror, I feel like I am watching a bunch of Gap ad kids being overdramatic and hacked up. I guess this is the unrated edition but I couldn't find anything that would likely warrant more excess. This isn't a violent film, there is no sex, and the language is pretty tame. I am actually surprised it isn't PG-13. Technical Pulse is a great looking HD DVD. Image detail and depth are consistently good throughout, and aside from some annoying banding toward the end of the film, shadow detail and black levels are excellent. I was really impressed with how dimensional the film looked, even with the obvious stylization you see from every horror film nowadays. The Weinstein Company continues to impress. Like Clerks II, Pulse gets an unadvertised Dolby TrueHD soundtrack included. I don't know why this isn't being advertised on the back of the case, but it is there in the audio options. Sound design here is what you'd expect from the genre, lots of atmosphere and low end. The bottom end of this soundtrack is system threatening, so be wary if your subs aren't up to the task. Surrounds are used nicely to compliment the mood of the film, and imaging overall is excellent. Extras Extras include some deleted scenes, production features, commentaries, and the trailer. - Kris Deering -
"Gridiron Gang" (Blu-ray) Synopsis Teenagers at a juvenile detention center, under the leadership of their counselor, gain self-esteem by playing football together. Commentary I'm not going to lie, this is the same warm hearted sports film we've all seen time and time again. The twist here is it takes place in a detention center with young kids from the rougher neighborhoods. Yes it is uplifting, but I always find it hard to feel sorry for kids who allow themselves to get into these situations in the first place and continue to make it worse for themselves no matter what opportunities they may get. I did enjoy the film, but it is nothing groundbreaking. Technical Wow! Sony seriously stepped up to the plate with this one and hit a homerun right over the fence. I was constantly impressed with the level of detail and depth in this transfer. Some of the football games look exquisite, with amazing color and detail in the fields. Contrast is exceptionally good throughout, and the print seems to be in pristine condition. This could quite literally be the best presentation I've seen from Sony on Blu-ray yet! A stellar reference transfer. The 5.1 uncompressed PCM mix is equally good. Dynamic range is impressive, and the football games pack plenty of punch. This is a more dramatic film, so don't expect too much going on, but don't be fooled into thinking that this won't be engaging. Even subtle passages have plenty of ambience in the main and rear soundstage, and dialogue sounds perfect throughout. Extras Extras include the trailer and some featurettes that show the real people from this film. There is also a commentary. - Kris Deering -
"Men of Honor" (Blu-ray) Synopsis The story ultimately revolves around two "men of honor": their relationship, their individual and joint failures and triumphs. Carl Brashear is determined to be the first African American Navy Diver in a time where racism is strife. Leslie Sunday is his embittered trainer, determined to see him fail. Fate, challenges and circumstances eventually draw these two men together in a tale of turbulence and ultimate triumph. Commentary Being in the Navy myself, I think I have a high bar for what I expect out of a Navy film. Too many are clichéd into stereotypes that just don't fit the mold anymore. Either that or they're too dramatic for my tastes. Men of Honor does skirt most of this, but it is close. I have a lot of friends who are Navy divers, who have met Brashear, and all of them say that Cuba did an excellent job in his portrayal. It is sad to think that such a great man had to endure this kind of treatment. Technical I wanted to be really impressed with this presentation. Fox has been doing a great job on Blu-ray so far, and I heard this one had a nice presentation on D-Theater (one of the few titles I didn't own on that format). While I do admit that at times the level of detail and depth is striking, the presentation comes off very inconsistent. One moment depth is great, the next scene the image is soft and on the flat side. This could be a filming style, but a lot of the time it was all in the same scene. While this isn't a bad transfer by any means, I just thought it could have been a bit better. The DTS soundtrack is quite good, though this isn't really an action film. Dialogue sounds clean and clear, and the front soundstage is nicely detailed and airy. Some of the diving sequences are immersive with nice support from the surrounds, and dynamics are never an issue. Extras Extras include a feature commentary, trivia track, and trailer. - Kris Deering -
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