Blu-ray Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

THE MOVIE: 2 3/4 stars out of 5

As I guess you can tell by my score, I was not thrilled with this film. I loved Curse of the Black Pearl which was a wonderfully engaging film with a masterful and truly inventive performance by Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Dead Man’s Chest (the sequel) unfortunately was too long and lacked the spark of the original. At World’s End (the third in the trilogy) is more of the same. When I saw it at the theater, I was wondering if it would ever end. Thankfully, it did. Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack and gives another excellent performance as he is rescued by the gang from Davey Jones’ locker. Keira Knightly is as smashing as ever and the rather wooden Orlando Bloom returns as Will Turner. Also back from the dead is Geoffrey Bloom as Captain Barbosa who turns in another excellent performance, as Mr. Rush always seems to do, regardless of the role.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/5 stars out of 5

This is another excellent encode from the folks at Disney. Encoded using AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, At World’s End looks excellent. Although a lot of the film takes place in darkened environs, detail, especially shadow detail is excellent. Colors are very accurate as well and the film looks just as it did in the theater. In bright scenes, picture detail is excellent, with a crystal clear image. My only quibble with the picture quality is that some scenes look rather flat and lack the utter three dimensionality of the best looking high def films. All of the flat looking scenes are rather dark. Perhaps that is just a by product of the lighting conditions used. If all of the movie had the same pop and depth of the brighter scenes, this encode would rate 5 stars.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

The folks at Disney have done it again with an awesome sound track. Simply put, this track kicks butt. Presented in uncompressed PCM at 48 Khz/24 bit, the audio on this disc is marvelous with a totally smooth and open sound that is a pleasure to listen to. Dialogue is clear and strong and well placed in the mix. The sound stage is totally immersive, placing you right in the middle of the action. Dynamics is excellent as well with thunderous bass. I wish all discs had audio that is one this level. There is nothing to complain about about the audio on this one. It is that good and about as good as it van get in your home theater and easily rates a perfect score. Well done guys.

IN CONCLUSION

While this disc boasts excellent video and truly exceptional audio, I would personally rate this one a rental due to the fact that this is not a very good film. However, It does boast demo material audio and you may very well find that the audio alone is worth a buy. The audio is that good.

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HD DVD Review: Shrek the Third

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

The third installment in the Shrek series and my least favorite of the three arrived on home video on November 13, 2007. The film stars the usual cast of characters and adds a new character, Arthur, voiced by Justin Timberlake. Briefly, this film takes up where Shrek II left off, with Shrek and Fiona living in Far, Far Away and longing to return to their swamp. However, fate intervenes and Fiona’s father, the King, takes ill and passes away, leaving Shrek first in line for the throne. Naturally, Shrek has no interest in being King and sets off with Donkey and Puss in Boots to find the next person in the line of succession, somewhat predictably named Arthur, and bring him back to be king. While they are away, Charming returns with a band of thugs and assumes control, waiting for Shrek to return so that he can finally do him in.

As I noted previously, this is my least favorite of the three Shrek films with the original being the best by far. The humor which worked so well in the first becomes rather tiring the third time around. The film essentially repeats the same gags that were done in the first two but not nearly as well. The humor is predictable and juvenile. While I enjoy juvenile humor, it was carried off better in the first two installments. It is truly unusual for the third film in a series of films to be as good as the first two and Shrek 3 suffers the same fate in this regard as did Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 earlier in the year. While all three did well at the box office, they were all rather lackluster films. It would be great if all third installments were the best in the bunch like was the case with the Indiana Jones Trilogy and The Bourne series. Alas, such was not the case here. Sometimes it is just better to stop at number 2 or even better, let number 1 stand on its own.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

While I have reservations regarding the quality of the film, I have no such reservations about the video quality. This is a stellar transfer, every bit as good as Ratatouille and Cars released on Blu-Ray. The film was encoded using VC-1 and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1 and boasts great colors and astounding clarity and detail. The texture of Shrek’s skin and the face of the Pinocchio character are amazing as are the backgrounds, clothing, etc. Blacks are excellent as well. There is really nothing to complain about with this transfer, it is that good.

THE AUDIO: 4 stars out of 5

While the video is excellent, the same can’t be said of the audio. Presented in Dolby Digital Plus, the audio on this disc is surprisingly flat and for want of a better description, unexciting. Would it have sounded better with Dolby True HD? Who knows? All I know is that I have heard Dolby Digital Plus sound much better. While the dialogue is clear and well presented in the mix, the overall sound field is flat with little air and less dynamic flare than one would have expected. The overall sound of the audio track can best be described as muted. Bass is only OK and never really kicks in. One never feels totally immersed in the sound field as was the case with Cars and Ratatouille. I had really hoped for a better sounding audio track on this release.

IN CONCLUSION

If you loved the first two Shrek films, you will want to consider purchasing the third, if for the video quality alone. However, as far as the actual film is concerned, I would rate it as a rental.

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Blu-ray Review: Ratatouille

THE MOVIE: 5 stars out of 5
What more can be said other than that Brad Bird has done it again. First The Iron Giant then The Incredibles and now Ratatouille. This is simply a wonderful film and should appeal to fans of all ages. That is what I love most about Brad Bird’s movies. They work on all levels. Whether you are a kid, a kid at heart or a grumbly old curmudgeon, it is hard not to love his films and this one in particular. All I can say is that if you don’t love this film, you need some professional help. It is that good. The film centers on a rat named Remy who has a real talent and love of cooking, who becomes the best chef in Paris. The animation from the folks at Pixar hits a new high and is simply astounding as is the writing, character development and story line. Simply put, animated films don’t get better than this. Even if you don’t love animated films, you will be won over by this one, just like the jaded food critic, Mr. Ego in this film. This film gets my highest recommendation.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

This is really a no brainer. This presentation encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:39:1 is as good as it gets. It is one of the best high def transfers I have ever seen. The colors are simply gorgeous and just pop off the screen. Black levels are deep and give the film a totally three dimensional look. Detail and shadow detail in particular is spectacular, from the hair on the rats, the eyes, skintones, the fabrics, the scenes of Paris. All perfectly rendered.This is amazing stuff and not to be missed. I can’t imagine anyone being able to find one fault with this transfer. I sure can’t. This is one amazing effort from Disney. This is a must have for fans of animation and for fans of HD alike. Truly demo material. It is great to find demo material like this that not only looks amazing but is an amazing piece of film making and storytelling. The two don’t always go together.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

The audio on this release is presented in uncompressed PCM encoded at 48 kHz/24 bit and is as good as the video. The overall sound is smooth, rich and warm with deep bass and a totally immersive soundfield. Dialogue is beautifully recorded and rendered and perfectly placed in the mix. Just like with the video, there is nothing to complain about the audio presentation. It doesn’t get any better than this. Fellow audiophiles out there will love this audio presentation.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

This disc is just chock full of many extras including interactive features such as Gusteau’s Gourmet Game and Cine-Explore. However, due to time constraints, I was not able to sample them. When I get the time, I will and do a follow-up.

IN CONCLUSION

This release gets my highest priase, not only for the quality of the audio and video presentations but as a movie as well. Very, very highly recommended.

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HD DVD Review: Pride and Prejudice

Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice.

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

This 2005 film adaptation of the Jane Austin novel of the same name stars Keira Knightley in the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet, one of five daughters of the Bennet family living outside of London. The Bennet family is one of let's say, modest means. The whole point of the film it seems, consists of the trials and travails of the Bennet family in trying to marry off their oldest daughters to men of means. However, when Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy, played by Matthew Macfadyen, she belives that he is the last man on earth she would ever marry. Needless to say, as the film progresses, she comes to change her mind. The film also stars Donald Suttherland as Mr. Bennet and Judith Dench as the loathsome Lady Catherine.

Clearly a chick flick, the acting in this film is first rate from the entire cast. Although a slow paced film, the story unfolds before you and gives you the opportunity to think along with the characters, a rare opportunity these days. I rather enjoyed the film as the acting and storytelling is superb as is the musical score. Well done and highly recommended.

THE VIDEO-: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

This is an excellent transfer from Universal. Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this film looks marvelous. The cinematography is wonderful and totally captures the look and feel of the English countryside. The colors in this film are beautiful and I particularly enjoyed the way the director used sunlight to set the mood of many scenes and to light the faces of the actors. This transfer captured the colors perfectly. The skintones are spot on as is the color of the trees, grass, lakes and hillsides. Black level and shadow detail was excellent and the details in each scene were rendered to perfection, from the lettering on the books in a bookcase to the lettering on the pages of a book, to the blue painted walls in the Bennet home. The visual presentation of this film is not in your face but very subtle and very effective. Some scenes look a tad soft but this appears to be the intent of the director. This is a marvelous looking film and an excellent transfer.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

I enjoyed the audio presentation on this disc as much as the video. Presented in Dolby True HD, this film sounds fantastic as well. Dialogue is clear and rich and perfectly placed in the mix. While it is primarily a dialogue driven film, the surrounds are used appropriately and effectively. A perfect example is the ball at the beginning of the film. The sound of the ballroom envelops you and makes you feel as if you are in the room. The classical music used throughout the film sounds fantastic, with a very open, smooth and spacious sound with the various instruments layered in the front of the soundstage with a tremendous sense of depth. As far as I was concerned, the presentation of the musical score was the highlight of the audio track. Very well done.

IN CONCLUSION

I can highly recommend this film for fans of great acting, storytelling and cinematography. I didn’t know what to expect when I popped this disc in for a spin but was pleasantly surprised with the results. Highly recommended.

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HD DVD Review: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Jessica Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

A brief synopsis: Adam Sandler and Kevin James star as best friends and fellow NYC firefighters Chuck Levine and Larry Valentine. Chuck owes Larry after Larry saves Chuck’s life in a partial building collapse as part of a fire investigation. Larry calls in the favor big time by asking Chuck to pose as his domestic partner so Larry’s kids can be named the beneficiaries under his city benefits program. It seems Larry forgot to change the primary beneficiary designation from his wife to his kids within one year of his wife’s death and now needs to fake a gay marriage with Chuck to get around this little error. Needless to say, a fact checking bureaucrat becomes suspicious and the two are forced to try to live as a gay couple. The film co-stars Dan Aykroyd as the fire chief and Jessica Biel as a lawyer who represents Chuck and Larry when their ruse is discovered. This is your typical Adam Sandler movie so don’t expect high brow humor. There are plenty of fart, fat and gay jokes if that floats your boat. At least Jessica Biel looks spectacular in high def.

THE VIDEO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this is another very good transfer from Universal. The colors on this transfer are excellent with very accurate colors and spot on fleshtones and deep blacks. The picture has a three dimensional look although there is a slight softness to the picture on occasion which prevents me from giving it a higher grade. For the most part, detail is excellent. The print looks to be in excellent shape as one would expect from such a new film. I was not able to detect any dirt or scratches in the print. There were no artifacts or pixelation visible in the image. Other than the occasional softness, there is little to quibble with about this transfer. For those concerned about the fact that this is a combo disc, the HD side played flawlessly for me. It looks like the days of performance issues with Universal combo discs are over, hopefully.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby True HD, this audio track is very good as well. The dialogue track is full, rich and clear and well placed in the mix. Bass is deep and tight and the surround speakers are used appropriately. The overall sound can be best described as smooth and open. There is not a hint of thinness or shrillness in the soundtrack. While it is a comedy, an effective soundfield is employed, especially during the fire fighting sequences which sound very convincing. Fans of this film will not be disappointed with this audio track.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a solid effort from the folks at Universal with very good audio and video. Fans of this film will be very happy with this release. Highly recommended for fans of Adam Sandler.

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Blu-ray Review: Pixar Shorts Collection

THE MOVIE: 5 stars out of 5

Most of this release is a documentary presenting the history of Pixar, from its beginnings as a hardware company making computers with a few guys in the back room playing with and stretching the boundaries of computer animation to its present status as the king of computer animation. Presented in full high definition with some standard def thrown in, the main feature presents the history as told by the individuals who made it. I found it to be very informative and to be very enlightening. As good as the documentary is , the real stars of this release are the wonderful Pixar animated shorts. Included are The Adventures of Andre & Wally B, Luxo, Jr., Tin Toy, Red’s Dream, Knick Knack, Geri’s Game, MIke’s New Car, For the Birds, Jack-Jack Attack, Mater and the Ghostlight, One Man Band and Lifted. While all are excellent and all groundbreaking in their own right, my favorites are For the Birds, Jack-Jack Attack and One Man Band. Wonderful stuff and a must have for all fans of animation, computer or otherwise.

THE VIDEO: From 3 to 5 out of 5 stars

The video on this title ranges from good to great. The main feature is presented in HD with some SD cut in with side “curtains”. The video on the documentary rates 4 stars overall, good but not outstanding. It looks about what you would expect it to. The earliest documentaries also look good but are obviously not up to the level of the later ones. Given their age and the state of the art back then, they are nonetheless amazing. However, the video on the later Pixar efforts is simply astounding. My particular favorite is For the Birds. It looks utterly spectacular with rich bold colors and incredible detail and deep blacks that just jump off the screen. The details in the feathers, with their subtle color variations, as well as the lines on the beaks and feet are clear, sharp and distinct. The birds look totally three dimensional. It is amazing that you can get this quality video at home. The same is true of Jack-Jack Attack, so much so that one must drool over the propsect of the release of The Incredibles on high def. They all look great, from Luxor, Jr. to the last, Lifted. Truely state of the art. Outstanding and a joy to watch.

THE AUDIO: From 3 stars to 4 3/4 stars

My comments for the video also apply to the audio. The audio on the feature is clear and distinct but is essentially all dialogue. The audio on the earliest shorts is good and the audio on the last few shorts is excellent, although falling short of the audio on Cars. All of the shorts are presented in Uncompressed PCM 48 kHz/24 bit ranging from 5.1 to 2.0. The overall audio is smooth and well balanced. The earliest shorts are in stereo and overall, kind of flat sounding and a little on the bright side. The audio on One Man Band is excellent and almost up to the standard set in cars and the other Pixar feature films with full and deep bass, excellent detail and an immersive soundfield.

IN CONCLUSION
This is another stellar presentation from the folks at Disney and is a must have of all fans of animation. Highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Cars

THE MOVIE: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

Another in a string of excellent animated films from the folks at Pixar, Cars tells the story of race car Lightning McQueen, who is living life in the fast lane until he hits a detour on his way to the final race for the Piston Cup. Stranded in a forgotten town of Radiator Springs before the race, Lightning meets Sally, Mater, Doc Hudson and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there is more to life than trophies and fame. The film features the voices of Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen and Paul Newman as Doc Hudson along with Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, George Carlin, Cheech Martin as well as Pixar favorite John Ratzenberger, who, it seems, must appear in every Pixar film.

While I enjoyed this film in the theater, it did not impress me as among Pixar's best. However, the film has grown on me after several viewings. This is one film that gets better the more you see it. While the story is not quite up to the level of those in the two Toy Story films as well as Bugs Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and my personal favorite, The Incredibles, it is only a small notch below. The animation is spectacular however, and every bit as impressive as those other films. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

Simply put, the video presentation on Blu-Ray is flawless. Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:39:1, this disc looks amazing. The colors really pop. Black levels are deep producing a totally three dimensional image. Detail is simply amazing from the sheen of the cars to the sparkling paint to the backgrounds, there is simply nothing to fault on this transfer. This is the best looking animated film I have seen on either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, surpassing the recent Meet the Robinsons.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

The audio is presented in uncompressed PCM at 48 kHz/24 bit and sounds superb. The overall sound is smooth and dynamic with an open soundstage. All sound elements are presented beautifully in the mix. Bass is clean and tight and not overblown. Dialogue is full, rich, clear and distinct and well placed in the soundfield. Audio details are impressive, from being able to hear air around the voices in the dialogue track to the music which is rendered beautifully. Needless to say, the racing scenes sound amazing, with cars flying all around the room as well as directly over your head. The opening Pixar sequence has never sounded better to me either at home or in the theater. You are able to hear every little squeek of the bouncing lamp as he moves and turns and jumps on the I in Pixar. I was never able to hear these details as clearly even in the theater. I know that is a little detail, but it shows just how much care went into producing this audio encode. Very well done.

EXTRAS

This disc is chock full of extras including Cine-Explore, a Car Finder game (featuring BD-Java interactivity), a never before seen deleted scene, Radiator Springs featurettes and a movie showcase which provides instant access to select movie scenes. Also included are the features included with the original DVD release.

IN CONCLUSION

To those fans of the film and Pixar in general, this is a must have disc. The audio and video presentation in Blu-Ray surpasses that on the DVD release by leaps and bounds, which is impressive, given that the DVD release was no slouch. Highly Recommended.

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Verizon HD: What's Taking So Long?

I am sure that you have already seen the press release from Verizon announcing that they will be carrying over 150 HD channels by the end of 2008 with around 60 added in the spring of 2008. I was able to also confirm this afternoon with Verizon's press liaison that Verizon would in fact be adding a few more HD channels by the end of 2007, even though their primary HD push will not be until the spring of 2008.

I was not able to confirm as of the time of this posting whether those new HD channels would be national ones or regional sports networks such as Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic. However, my somewhat educated guess is that they will be the new Discovery networks, namely Discovery HD, TLC-HD, Animal Planet HD and Science HD. Not great, but better than a stick in the eye. I will provide more information on that as soon as I get it.

The really interesting part of the press release is what was not stated and that was why there was an announcement at all for a deployment so many months away. My take is to stem the tide of lost subscribers. Verizon really miscalculated by not offering more HD in response to the pending large HD deployment by DiIRECTV and Dish Network. Even worse was their failure to add TBS-HD in time for the MLB playoffs. There were a lot of very upset subscribers in the Philadelphia and Boston markets in particular over this oversight (yours truly included) who not only voiced their concerns en mass and very loudly but who switched back to Comcast over this issue.

While Verizon has been adding subscribers, they can’t afford to have a high churn rate due to their costs in doing the installs in the first place. This press release was designed as a way to placate angry customers either thinking or threatening to switch back. The head honchos at Verizon now realize their blunder and are moving to minimize its effect. They are saying, in effect, please wait, we will be adding the HD channels you want, don’t leave. It will be an interesting several months. If I were advising Verizon, I would tell them to take the DIRECTV approach and announce what channels you will be carrying and give a more specific timetable.

That may be enough to stem the tide. Maybe, just maybe.

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The Real Future of Television

After my comment on HD VOD, I have received several comments telling me that I was wrong and that VOD is the future of cable television. I will agree that VOD is the future not of cable television, but though the distribution of all video content in ways those critics have not yet considered. Let me peer into my crystal ball and explain.

First and foremost, let me start off by stating that the overwhelming majority of video content in the future will be in HD. There will be stragglers out there to be sure, most likely low power UHF channels and some religious broadcasters. The HD content will not be limited to 720p and 1080i but will include 1080p as well as higher resolutions such as 4k which will become available. Most of this 1080p content will be from cable channels and not broadcast, at least initially. Second, my time frame for this distribution system is 15 years. It may be sooner, but 15 years seems just about right, or so says my crystal ball.

The cable and DBS systems we see in place and the present practice of bundling channels into digital tiers will cease to exist in 15 years. ALL video content will be IP based and streamed over the internet with compression schemes that will insure instant download speeds with no loss in quality. HD content in all resolutions and audio codecs will be streamed to your home and stored in your server. All homes will be equipped with a central server which will be able to stream all of the available content wirelessly to any device in your home or to any handheld portable device. It will also be able to stream that content to you anywhere in the world to be accessed by you with a broadband connection. Broadband speeds will be many orders of magnitude over what is available today.

You will no longer order your content from your cable company. You will order directly from the content provider. Yes, you will order directly from CBS, ABC, Discovery or whatever providers are available then. That content will be streamed to you to watch when you want as soon as it is available. We will no longer be tied to a broadcast schedule. Simply put, the content providers will cut out the middle man, that is your cable company or DBS provider. Unless the cable company invests in content, like Comcast Sportsnet for example, all the cable company will be is a pipe into your home. Nothing more. Too early to sell that stock, but that is where we are heading. Within 15 years, content will truly be king. You will no longer have to buy channels you do not want. Bundling will be a thing of the past. This is pure a la carte as well as VOD. The future will be amazing.

This content distribution model will apply to all video content not just what we presently think of as TV. That includes movies and music. Despite all the bloviating involved in the current format war, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD and DVD for that matter will no longer exist in 15 years. Oh you may still have them in your homes but no new content will be distributed by that method. What discs you have will already have been loaded into your server. All those discs will look mighty pretty on your bookshelf, but will no longer be used, other than to collect dust. All content currently being distributed via DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will be distributed solely via the web. Period. That includes audio as well, other than a still viable vinyl market for those real old schoolers out there. (Yes, I still have a turntable and love it, so consider me an old schooler on that issue).

An interesting by product of this distribution model will be in the distribution of sports. Yes, sports will no longer be on broadcast TV and will be distributed live, streamed via the web, in full HD. The NFL is already considering this idea. Think about all the money the NFL gets from broadcast and cable. That will be a drop in the bucket compared to what they can get distributing the content themselves. They will have total control over the way the games are presented, being able to pick the announcers and control what they say. They will use the same independent production trucks used now at low cost. They will keep all the subscriber fees as well as all ad revenue. Their only real cost will be the cost they will incur to whoever owns the pipe by then. Whatever that cost will be, it will be small. That is one huge pile of cash folks, a huge pile and it all will go to the NFL. All sports leagues will move to do the same. No more Sunday Ticket or Center Ice or League Pass. All games will be available to anyone with a broadband internet connection, for a steep cost however. Get ready to open those pockets folks.

I know there will be some of you who will think this is all pure hogwash and pie in the sky. Yes, I am thinking of you Mark Cuban. Sorry but this is the way it will be done. Say goodbye to the cable companies. HD will be streamed by the web. Just think about what the internet was in 1995. Imagine, just imagine what it will be like in 2020 and beyond. Not only is it possible but it will happen. Book it Danno!

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HD DVD Review: Talk to Me

Talk to Me stars Don Cheadle as the legendary Washington, D.C. area radio talk show host, Petey Greene, and is a wonderful, funny and engaging film. Based on Petey Greene’s life story, it chronicles his rise from convict to a radio and TV talk show host famous for speaking his mind to the African American community in D.C. on radio station WOL-AM. Petey is one of those characters I had heard about on the radio but never had the opportunity to listen to or see on TV. Few if any of his TV shows survive as it was on a small TV station with limited resources, so much so that I have been told that the videotape of each show was recorded over with the next. Too bad as it would have been interesting to have seen Howard Stern’s legendary appearance in black face on his show. Maybe someday it will show up on U-Tube. In any event, while it is likely that some liberties were taken with the true history of Petey Greene to make this film, it is nonetheless very enjoyable film in its own right, chock full of laughs as well as another in a string of excellent performances by Don Cheadle as well as co-stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric The Entertainer and Martin Sheen. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 3 3/4 stars out of 5

While I loved the film, I was not in love with the video presentation on HD-DVD. The film was encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. As one would expect with a new release, the print looked to be in excellent shape with no obvious defects such as dirt, scratches, etc. However, the overall look of the film was kind of dull, with muted colors and lack of depth along with a very soft look. While the colors were accurate, the film lacked the detail and depth as well as clarity that one has grown to expect with high def releases. I also found the black levels to be lackluster. As I have not seen the master and did not see this film in the theater, for all I know, this transfer is very transparent to the source and is exactly as the director intended.
However, it is not a great looking film.

THE AUDIO: 4 2/5 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby True HD and Dolby Digital Plus, the audio encode is much better than the video. The dialogue track is excellent, with a deep, clear and full sound that is beautifully placed in the mix. The period R & B music used in the film sounds great. While it is primarily a dialogue driven film with a front heavy mix, the surrounds are used very effectively, especially in the action sequences of the film which involves the violence the night of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I also thought that the mix captured the ambiance of the pool hall where several scenes in the film are set as well as The Tonight Show set towards the end of the film.

IN CONCLUSION

While this is not the type of film that you would want to use to demo your theater system, it is a great film to simply watch and enjoy for what it is, a couple of hours of great entertainment. After all, isn’t that what it is all about. Recommended.

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