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Films I saw for the first time in the month of September

10:05 PM / Cinema / 5 Comments

• Friday, September 3, 2010: KICK-ASS (UK/USA, 2010) 7/10
• Sunday, September 5, 2010: A PERFECT GETAWAY (USA, 2009) 4/10
• Friday, September 17, 2010: HIERRO (Spain, 2009) 6/10
• Sunday, September 19, 2010: FOUR LIONS (UK, 2010) 7/10
• Saturday, September 25, 2010: THE ROOM (USA, 2003) 0/10
• Thursday, September 30, 2010: THE SECRET OF KELLS (France/Belgium/Ireland, 2009) 7/10

BDs and DVDs I bought or received in the month of September

9:58 PM / Blu-ray / DVD / 3 Comments

• Friday, September 3, 2010: KICK-ASS (BD, Region ABC, UK)
• Thursday, September 9, 2010: SE7EN (BD, Region ABC, USA)
• Wednesday, September 15, 2010: INFERNO (BD, Region ABC, UK)
• Wednesday, September 15, 2010: MENN SOM HATER KVINNER [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]: Extended Millennium Edition (BD, Region ABC, Norway)
• Wednesday, September 15, 2010: JENTA SOM LEKTE MED ILDEN [The Girl Who Played with Fire]: Extended Millennium Edition (BD, Region ABC, Norway)
• Wednesday, September 15, 2010: LUFTSLOTTET SOM SPRENGTES [The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest]: Extended Millennium Edition (BD, Region ABC, Norway)
• Thursday, September 16, 2010: AMERICAN BEAUTY (BD, Region A, USA)
• Thursday, September 16, 2010: HIERRO (BD, Region B, UK)
• Wednesday, September 22, 2010: MULHOLLAND DRIVE (BD, Region B, UK)
• Tuesday, September 28, 2010: THE SECRET OF KELLS (BD/DVD, Region ABC, USA)
• Thursday, September 30, 2010: THE EVIL DEAD (BD, Region A, USA)

An expensive month. :(

Just arrived...

12:32 PM / Blu-ray / 14 Comments

THE EVIL DEAD (BD, Anchor Bay, Region A, USA)

Yay for an absolutely superlative transfer. Boo for no mono audio.

A few thoughts on the new Mulholland Drive BD

10:01 PM / Blu-ray / 8 Comments

When Studio Canal released David Lynch's masterful MULHOLLAND DRIVE on a bare-bones French HD DVD back in 2007, they basically gave it a reasonable but far from jaw-dropping transfer and an audio track that was marred, like a number of early Studio Canal releases, by being pitched too high (an artefact of sourcing the audio from a PAL master and slowing it down from 25 to 24 fps but neglecting to also PITCH it down).

Fast forward to 2010 and Studio Canal have finally released it on BD (via their UK division Optimum in this country) as part of their prestigious Studio Canal Collection. This series has been a bit of a mixed bag so far, with some very nice-looking releases (e.g. BELLE DE JOUR) and some not-so-nice-looking ones (such as THE LADYKILLERS, my pre-order for which I actually cancelled when I saw the screen captures). MULHOLLAND DRIVE falls somewhere in between these two, and while I'd like to say it at least matches the quality of the HD DVD, I'm afraid that's not the case.

First, the good news: we get the usual extremely classy digibook packaging and a 20-page booklet featuring a new essay by Adam Woodward. We also get a slew of bonus features, some new, some ported over from the earlier special edition DVD release. Oh, and perhaps most importantly, the pitch problem is gone.

Now, the bad news... and unfortunately it relates to what is, for me, the most important part of the package (besides the film itself, natch): the video. Studio Canal have reused the same master that graced the HD DVD, but this time round they've added a layer of grain reduction on top of what was already a noticeably grain reduced master. The result is something that I've struggled for some time to capture with static images, but ultimately it's something that can only really be appreciated by viewing the disc in motion: grain is still visible, but it's frequently static and almost always looks unnatural. If you pretend the HD DVD release never existed, the BD looks fairly acceptable, but knowing a better version could have existed - nay, DID exist - makes it a bitter pill to swallow.

This is the best representation of the difference between the two I could get, and even then it doesn't come close to conveying the difference that is visible during playback:

HD DVD:

BD:

The bottom line is that, if you aren't overly bothered by the pitch problem, don't mind the lack of extras and still have a means of playing it, stick with the HD DVD. That's a lot of "ifs", though, and I can imagine that for a lot of people the new BD is going to be the only feasible choice - meaning no choice at all, really. I know there's also a Nordic BD release from Pan Vision, but I've no idea how it compares to either of Studio Canal's efforts on the visual front, or whether it suffers from the pitch glitch. If anyone has any idea, or can match the above capture with the same frame from that release, please do let me know.

Just arrived...

11:18 AM / Blu-ray / 7 Comments

THE SECRET OF KELLS (BD, New Video Group, Region ABC, USA)

Really can't wait to see this. I've been excited about it since I first saw footage of it during the Oscars earlier this year.

Just to say...

11:05 PM / General / 2 Comments

...sorry for the total lack of updates of late. I'm super-busy at the moment, redrafting Chapters 3-5 of my thesis ahead of an October 4th submission date. There's nothing major to report anyway, but keep checking back.

Just arrived...

11:22 AM / Blu-ray / 1 Comment

MULHOLLAND DRIVE (BD, Optimum, Region B, UK)

I do intend to write a little more about this release when I get the chance, but for the time being I feel compelled to warn you that Optimum/Studio Canal appear to have taken the same master used for the earlier HD DVD release and blasted an already grain reduced image with yet more grain reduction.

BD impressions: Hierro

1:01 PM / BD Impressions / 6 Comments

I had reasonably high expectations for this "missing child" horror/thriller, advertised as being from the producers of PAN'S LABYRINTH and THE ORPHANAGE. I wouldn't say I was disappointed as such by the end result, but it's definitely in the shadow of those two superior movies (incidentally, of the two, I actually prefer THE ORPHANAGE). Lead actress Elena Anaya and the slick photography by DP Alejandro Martínez carry what is essentially a very straightforward story that does little to step beyond the clichés associated with movies of this type. As pointed out by Mike Sutton in his review at The Digital Fix, it has a lot in common with Robert Schwentke's Jodie Foster thriller FLIGHTPLAN (including the missing child, the "is she deluded or not?" mother and the slick, clinical photography), but for my money that film made much better use of its premise. HIERRO ultimately does what it sets out to achieve, but when you don't set the bar particularly high in the first place that's not exactly a massive accomplishment.

Image quality: Shot in HD using the Red One camera, HIERRO has what I'd called the "Red One look": low in contrast and rather soft. That said, it's a look that suits the tone of the movie, and the whole thing is lensed with skill and precision. Unfortunately, like its stablemate THE ORPHANAGE, the master from which this disc was sourced appears not to have been full HD (1920x1080), resulting in some prominent stair-stepping artefacts (see the window frames in Example 2) and leading me to suspect that the image could have been sharper if taken from a superior source. There's a heck of a lot of video noise in the darker scenes, but that's digital video for you. I also spotted a couple of isolated instances of banding (look at the sky in Example 9), but there are no other apparent faults beyond these. 7/10

Hierro
studio: Optimum; country: UK; region code: B; codec: AVC;
file size: 24.1 GB; average bit rate (including audio): 39.04 Mbit/sec

Input lag sucks...

7:02 PM / Technology / 5 Comments

...as I've come to realise when comparing the results side by side between the high(ish) end S-PVA monitor I use downstairs and the cheapo TN jobbie I keep in my bedroom for less crucial business. The S-PVA monitor, a Dell 2709W, has a lot of inputs - VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, composite etc. - which a lot of people seem to like and which the manufacturers are fond of adding to their products. Unfortunately, all these different inputs requires more work from the monitor, resulting in more input lag.

For general desktop usage, a bit of input lag generally isn't too noticeable unless you're particularly attuned to it. In a fast-paced game, however, like a first person shooter or something like STARCRAFT II, where winning or losing depends on split second decisions, it can be lethal. I was aware, when playing STARCRAFT II, that I would sometimes miss-click when trying to select a certain unit in the heat of battle. Originally, I put this down to my own lack of dexterity, but after hooking up my TN panel this evening and playing a couple of matches, it became abundantly clear that the problem was not with my hand-eye coordination but rather than S-PVA panel's input lag. Playing on the TN panel just felt much more responsive, and I found it much easier to pull off intricate manoeuvres.

Input lag didn't stop me from getting into the Diamond league (the top ladder ranking for STARCRAFT II players, outside of the invite-only Pro league), but I'm now finding myself thinking back to old matches and re-evaluating precisely what led me to lose. I suspect most gamers use TN panels because they cost less than their PVA and IPS counterparts, which puts me at an immediate disadvantage - I personally can't stand the weak viewing angles and uneven backlighting associated with most TN models I've seen, so there's really no question of me using one on a long-term basis. Still, I'll probably be looking into getting a new display before too long (I'd also like one with better gamma tracking), so I'm going to be doing some serious research into PVA and IPS panels with more acceptable lag. I'll probably start by looking for one that doesn't have a bajillion different inputs.

Some thoughts on Arrow Video's new Inferno BD

9:26 PM / BD Impressions / Blu-ray / 35 Comments

The release of Dario Argento's INFERNO on BD is a double cause for celebration. Not only is it the first high definition release of the film anywhere in the world, it's also the first time it has been released uncut in the UK (those few crucial seconds of mouse-chewing are now restored, a testament to the tendency of the British Board of Film Censors' standards to change with the wind). The film's predecessor, SUSPIRIA, experienced something of a problematic BD release via Nouveaux Pictures thanks to the creation in 2007 of an HD master that took considerable liberties with the film's look... so how does the sequel measure up?

The packaging

The cover design fits the mould of previous Arrow Video BD releases like CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD, and I'm sure everyone has formed their own opinions on it by now. Personally, while I'm not a fan of the deliberate attempt to recreate the trashy look of 80s VHS covers (I'm considerably more appreciative of the more "tasteful" approach taken by the likes of Camera Obscura with their Italian Genre Cinema Collection), I can understand why they've gone down this route from a marketing standpoint... and hey, at least they don't call the film they're selling you "trash", as Nouveaux Pictures did with SUSPIRIA. For that alone Arrow deserves some kudos.

[Continue reading...]

Just arrived...

4:58 PM / Blu-ray / 2 Comments

AMERICAN BEAUTY (BD, Paramount, Region ABC, USA)

HIERRO (BD, Optimum, Region B, UK)

The Girl Who Fixed the Umlaut

11:51 PM / Books / No Comments

There's a very funny parody of the writing style of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nora Ephron in the New Yorker (or rather the writing style of Reg Keeland's English translations):

There was a tap at the door at five in the morning. She woke up. Shit. Now what? She'd fallen asleep with her Palm Tungsten T3 in her hand. It would take only a moment to smash it against the wall and shove the battery up the nose of whoever was out there annoying her. She went to the door.

"I know you're home," he said.

Kalle fucking Blomkvist.

As someone who enjoyed the Millennium trilogy but became inured to its flaws, this really made me laugh - it's right on the money. Read the rest here.

Just arrived...

8:17 PM / Blu-ray / 9 Comments

INFERNO (BD, Arrow Video, Region ABC, UK)

Thoughts to follow once I've collected 'em... :)

Also:

The extended television editions of Stieg Larsson's MILLENNIUM trilogy. I've taken a gander at THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE and I'm utterly floored by how much was taken out for the theatrical version and also how much material was re-ordered. I need to get my hands on some subtitles, but I'm already beginning to think the theatrical cut was a hatchet job of KINGDOM OF HEAVEN proportions.

BD impressions: Se7en

8:59 PM / BD Impressions / 13 Comments

Hmm... something tells me this movie didn't get offered the chance to take advantage of the City of New York's tax break programme for movies. ;) This film doesn't really need any introduction, given that it's one of the most highly regarded - and yes, genuinely one of the best - horror thrillers of the 90s, so I'm not going to say too much about it (especially given that I need to have some material left over for my review spot in an upcoming podcast venture in which I'm involved - stay tuned for more info on that). But basically - yeah, terrific movie, and now available on a terrific BD.

Image quality: There have been a handful of BD releases of SE7EN now, including a 1080i, open matte affair from Alliance Atlantis in Canada and a fairly serviceable OAR release in the Netherlands from RCV. The latter was derived from the same master used for the 2000 2-disc New Line Platinum Series DVD, for which the entire negative was scanned at 2K resolution and regraded and reframed to director David Fincher's notoriously exacting standards. Flash forward to 2010 and the whole thing has been rescanned, regraded and reframed AGAIN, with Fincher at the helm once more.

As a result, there are some noticeable differences between this and the previous master, and you might want to check out my captures from the RCV release for comparative purposes (I've duplicated some of the same frames here). It seems fairly pointless to speculate as to which of the two is "correct", given that they both constitute revisionism to a certain extent and were both supervised and approved by the same man. The bottom line is that the new release is darker, more saturated and more contrasty, and I know for a fact that some people are going to take issue with that, feeling that Fincher may have gone too far with the darker scenes (which basically account for more than half the movie). The blacks are now REALLY black, and some shadow detail is lost as a result. I get the impression it's the look Fincher has been shooting for since 1995, however: he has spoken on quite a few occasions about wishing he could get the blacks so solid that they were indistinguishable from the darkness of the movie theatre.

Questions of authenticity aside, I don't think anyone will deny that this is a stunning-looking disc. Detail is outstanding, encoding is well-handled (keep it up, Warner) and the grain looks natural and film-like. I get the impression that a few scenes have been grain reduced (see Example 10), but the selective nature of this makes me lean towards this being a stylistic choice rather than a case of some numpty playing with the controls. Scenes like the one where Brad Pitt enters the lawyer's office (victim #2), which were always pretty heavy in the grain department, are still pretty grainy. I honestly had no complaints when watching this disc, so I'm going to award it a coveted 10/10.

Se7en
studio: New Line/Warner; country: USA; region code: ABC; codec: VC-1;
file size: 33.7 GB; average bit rate (including audio): 38.09 Mbit/sec

Just arrived...

8:46 PM / Blu-ray / 6 Comments

SE7EN (BD, New Line/Warner, Region ABC, USA)

Happy birthday, Dario Argento

7:12 PM / Cinema / 3 Comments

70 years young today!

BD impressions: Kick-Ass

11:46 AM / BD Impressions / 3 Comments

KICK-ASS really didn't grab me in the way that it did some people. It's quite funny. It's quite exciting. It's quite observant. It's a lot of "quite", but it never really comes together to form a single cohesive whole. Tonally it's all over the place, and when you look at the credits - three editors, four music composers - this is perhaps no surprise. It's just never quite sure what it wants to be, and the result is that you end up with a whole lot of extraneous elements all vying for attention. You've got a clumsy character journey (the usual "to be a superhero you just have to believe in yourself" guff), a tacked-on romance subplot (it's telling that, once the final act gets underway, the love interest is completely forgotten about), and the fact that the film seems to start out as a send-up of the superhero genre before, in the second half, just devolving into a generic superhero movie.

As for the much-vaunted Hit Girl, once you get over the fact that you're watching a kid saying bad words and killing people, you start to realise that Chloë Moretz's performance isn't really all that great. Also, while the fact that director Matthew Vaughn financed the entire project himself is an achievement not to be sniffed at, a lot of the CGI and green-screen work is painfully bad, the film's ambition exceeding its budget on a number of occasions.

There's a lot to like in KICK-ASS, and I get the feeling there are two or three great movies in there just itching to get out. The problem is it lacks something to bring it all together, and as a result I ultimately walked away from it feeling unfulfilled.

Image quality: KICK-ASS is one of the most thoroughly unattractive movies I've seen in a long time, and it's hard to determine how many of the BD's shortcomings are a result of deliberate stylistic choices. Most of them, I'd guess. Contrast is dialled up to 11, colours are oversaturated to the point of being blinding, and some judicious grain removal and airbrushing of facial pores makes the image appear incredibly mushy. It actually looks a heck of a lot like another Universal release, MAMMA MIA. If that's the aesthetic Matthew Vaughn was going for, then the BD captures it admirably, but it's one of these cases where it's hard to know where artistic intent stops and technical shortcomings begin. 6/10

Kick-Ass
studio: Universal; country: UK; region code: ABC; codec: AVC;
file size: 24.6 GB; average bit rate (including audio): 29.92 Mbit/sec

Just arrived...

11:57 AM / Blu-ray / 4 Comments

KICK-ASS (BD, Universal, Region ABC, UK)

Fight Club captures

9:44 PM / Blu-ray / 16 Comments

I got 20th Century Fox's UK BD release of FIGHT CLUB for my birthday, having already picked up the German release by Kinowelt when it came out a couple of years back. The German release was disappointing for many, although at the time I suspected it was a fairly accurate representation of how the film looked. The UK version, however, comes from a completely new master and one that looks dramatically different to (read: better than) its predecessor.

I haven't had the chance to watch the UK disc from beginning to end, and I probably won't for a while yet, as I saw the film for the first time (fairly) recently and have plenty of discs of movies that are new to me to work through. As such, these captures are provided "as is" without a final score or any in-depth discussion. It's not hard to see which of the two releases compared below is the better of the two, though. By the looks of it they've gone back to the original negative, and the results are as impressive as you'd expect. (By the looks of it, the new US release of SE7EN - winging its way to me now - heralds similar improvements over its Dutch predecessor.)

These are for Gaeljet, who has been begging me for ages to take a look at the UK release.

Fight Club

studio: Kinowelt; country: Germany; region code: B; codec: VC-1;
file size: 33.2 GB; average bit rate (including audio): 34.18 Mbit/sec

vs.

studio: 20th Century Fox; country: UK; region code: ABC; codec: AVC;
file size: 31.8 GB; average bit rate (including audio): 32.74 Mbit/sec

RIP Movie Grooves

8:15 PM / Music / 2 Comments

Bad news, people: Movie Grooves, probably the best source for 60s and 70s movie soundtracks, both mainstream and off the beaten track, is closing down. They'll be honouring all outstanding orders but are no longer accepting any new ones.

I don't know about anyone else, but I personally used them a bunch of times. Most of my Argento and giallo soundtracks came from them, and I picked up quite a few other assorted gems, including the OMEN trilogy box set, along the way. They weren't always the cheapest, but they consistently provided a great service and offered a number of titles that I wasn't able to find anywhere else. I for one will definitely miss them.