Blu-ray Review: No Country For Old Men

Note: No Country For Old Men will be released on Blu-ray on March 11. Click link to pre-order from Amazon.com.

Simply put, this film is an example of filmmaking at its very finest. No Country for Old Men was written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Cohen and is based on The Road a novel by author Cormac McCarthy. The film features a series of tremendous performances by the entire cast, including Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly MacDonald and especially Javier Bardem who turns in a truly amazing performance as totally psychopathic killer intent on recovering money stolen in a drug deal gone bad. He takes the terms creepy and disturbing to a whole new level.

As for the story line, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles on a suitcase containing $2 million at the site of a drug deal gone bad. Fleeing with the money, he is stalked relentlessly by a hired gun Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) from town to town and who will stop at nothing, no matter how gruesome, to recover that money. As Moss flees with the cash, a small town sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), tries to close in on both men. This is a riveting and tension filled film about evil, death and the total randomness of it all. Life and death literally determined by the flip of a coin. Weighty stuff indeed.

No Country for Old Man has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound editing and Best Film Editing. All nominations are richly deserved. This is must see film and is very highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 out of 5

This film boast some absolutely beautiful photography and it really shines in this transfer which is a sight to behold. Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is one great looking film on Blu-Ray. This transfer boasts some gorgeous rich and nicely saturated colors and is bathed in a slight golden hue characteristic of the Texas dessert where much of the film takes place. It simply looks spectacular in high def. Blacks are deep and the image is crystal clear with excellent detail. Shadow detail is excellent as well, as you are able to detect all the subtle background details visible in the darker areas of the film such as the interiors in the seedy motels featured in the parts of the film. The film has that three dimensional you are looking through a window that is characteristic of the best looking high def. This transfer is without a doubt reference in almost all respects. However, the transfer is not perfect as I could detect some slight video noise in a handful of the darker scenes in the film. The video noise was very minor but enough to keep the transfer from rating a 5 out of 5. This transfer is otherwise perfect and a joy to watch.

THE AUDIO: 5 out of 5

As good as the the video on this release is, the audio is even better, rating a perfect score in my book. The high rez audio track is presented here is a 5.1 PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit and frankly is one of the best tracks I have heard. From the opening scene, the quality of the audio is readily apparent with a beautifully recorded narration by Tommy Lee Jones that sounds as though he is sitting in the room with you. The quality of the audio on the dialogue track on this release is amazing. The sound is full, smooth, rich, open and perfectly balanced. Bass is deep and tight. There are dynamics here in spades. Even though it is a dialogue driven film for the most part, the surrounds are used perfectly to create a wonderfully immersive feel. The sound field greatly adds to the tension and pace of the film and makes the amazing performance given by Javier Bardem even creepier and more disturbing than it otherwise already is. This film presents a nearly perfect marriage between sound and visuals which really drives this film. This is wonderful stuff and filmmaking at its finest.

IN CONCLUSION

This is one amazing film. While I recognize that it may not be for everyone due to some rather intense and disturbing violence, it is an example of filmmaking at its very finest. The audio and video on this Blu-Ray release is simply superb. Very highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Michael Clayton

THE MOVIE: 5 stars out of 5

It is rare that I give a movie 5 stars out of 5 but this film sure is deserving of such a rating. Michael Clayton stars George Clooney as a fix it man at a prestigious New York law firm who is in charge of cleaning up messes that develop involving lawyers at the firm as well as clients. It so happens that a huge problem develops with the firm’s top litigator who is defending a $3 billion class action lawsuit on behalf of a large chemical company whose product is accused of causing cancer. This litigator, a close friend of Michael Clayton is actually in the process of attempting to expose the truth behind the effect of the chemical his client has produced when he has a mental breakdown. In the process of helping his friend, Michael Clayton discovers the secret that his friend was attempting to disclose, putting his own life in danger.

Michael Clayton has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including George Clooney for best actor, Tom Wilkinson for best supporting actor, Tilda Swinton for best supporting actress, Tony Gilroy for best screenplay and Achievement in Music for James Newton Howard for his original score. All of these awards are richly deserved as the acting in this film is uniformly excellent as is the screenplay which produces a riveting narrative that pulls you right into the film the whole way through. This is filmmaking at its best. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 45/8 stars out of 5

Michael Clayton is encoded with VC-1 and presented here on a BD-25 disc at its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1. The good news is that this is an excellent looking transfer. The film boasts a very natural looking color palette with spot on skin tones. Black levels are deep giving the film a three dimensional look. The overall image is very sharp and detailed with good shadow detail. The image really pops off the screen. On the downside, there is some noise in the darker scenes in the film of which there are many. However, the noise is not very intrusive and did not detract from my enjoyment of the film or the encode and will really only be noticeable on large screens or for those of you out there that sit very close to your screens. All in all, this encode is the quality that one would expect for a film of this import.

THE AUDIO: 4 stars out of 5

While I loved the video encode on this release, I was somewhat disappointed in the audio. Not that the audio is bad, far from it. It is just that I would have expected a lossless track for such a major release. Instead, the release is provided with a Dolby Digital track encoded at 640 kbps. On the upside, the dialogue is clear and distinct and well placed in the mix and is never difficult to follow which is important given that Michael Clayton is a dialogue driven film. Bass response is excellent as well, with a thumping score that adds to the tension on screen. On the downside, the film is very front heavy with only sporadic use of the surrounds. The overall sound of the film is rather flat lacking the ambiance and immersion of the best encodes. You really don’t feel as though you are in the room with the actors at any time during the movie, unlike a film such as Gone Baby Gone which has a wonderfully immersive uncompressed PCM track. Not being familiar with the sound of the master, I can only surmise that the audio on this release would have really benefitted from either a PCM or a Dolby Digital True HD encode. While the audio on this release is enjoyable, I kept wondering what it would have been with either a lossless track or a full bit rate Dolby DIgital Plus track.

IN CONCLUSION

This an excellent film with a very good video encode and good audio. It is a must buy for movie fans everywhere. Highly recommended.

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HD DVD: Death Of a Format

Well, as expected, Toshiba threw in the towel today and dropped support for the HD DVD format. This announcement was expected and predicted here when Warner Brothers made their announcement at CES that they were only going to support Blu-Ray. Since then, all the dominoes began to fall in a row, from Wal-Mart to Best Buy to Target to Netflix, etc.

It is too bad, too, as the HD DVD format delivers excellent audio and video performance, as good as Blu-Ray. In fact, the best titles that I have seen are still mostly HD DVD. Regardless of your position on the format war and of the two formats, it is clear that the existence of HD DVD has been a benefit to consumers. Remember, Blu-Ray was originally conceived as a recording format and was designed to record an MPEG2 bit stream only. The announcement by HD DVD of their format and their inclusion of VC-1 and AVC resulted in them being adopted by Blu-Ray and completely changed the BD profile.

Even more importantly, the existence of HD DVD has resulted in far lower price points for BD players. Do you recall the price points of standalone BD players at inception? I think it is fair to say that we would not have sub $400 BD players at this juncture if not for HD DVD. I think even the most die hard BD supporter will have to concede that. Let's hope that the prices of BD players will continue to fall without the existence of a rival format.

While it is time to move forward with one format, I thought it appropriate to give HD DVD its props. I for one am looking for blow out prices on HD DVD players and have already added one additional player to my collection, to put in the closet in the event that my HD-A1 dies as I have about 100 HD DVD discs. After all, I do want to continue to enjoy them well into the future as I have no plans to repurchase all of those discs on BD at any time in the foreseeable future.

With the format war over, it will be interesting to track the growth of BD disc sales this year to see if they rally take off or whether DVD will continue to dominate as they are now. One key there will be the prices of the discs themselves. I have said it before and will say it again, it is time for the discs to be priced under $20. More reasonably priced discs will go a long way to increasing the acceptance of BD as a mass market item, especially given the current state of the economy. The same is true for the rental companies. It would be nice to see Blockbusters in my area actually carry BD titles for rental as they currently do not.

Let's face it, most consumers would rather rent a disc than buy it. Wide availability of BD discs for rental may even do more for sales of players than lower prices for hardware or software. Another key is portability. After all, none of the BD discs will play in any of the many DVD players in cars or laptops. I can imagine that many will still choose to buy DVD over BD for this very reason at the current price points, at least for movies that appeal primarily to kids. Who really wants to buy the same movie twice at the outset? Maybe they will include the DVD free with the BD? That would be an interesting idea.

In any event, it is time to move forward with one format while appreciating HD DVD for what is has given us movie lovers in its rather short existence.

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HD DVD Review: Beowulf

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Ladies and Gents, Beowulf is one visually stunning looking film, unlike anything I have ever seen before. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Beowolf tells the ancient tale (didn’t we all read this one in English Lit class in college? Trust me, it is a whole lot easier to follow the story in this film than it was reading the old English version back in the day) of Beowulf, the great warrior who faces many demons both on the battlefield and off. This film uses digitally enhanced live action photography creating its own world and producing visual effect which are amazing. Some of this stuff has to be seen to be appreciated. The film stars Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn and the stunning Angelina Jolie. Highly recommended for stunning visuals and intense action.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

If the reports are correct, and I believe they are, of the impending death of HD DVD, what a way to go out! Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, the video presentation on this release, as far as I was able to discern, is flawless. The visuals are simply amazing. This encode presents excellent color reproduction, amazing detail and a razor sharp totally three dimensional image. I can’t imagine that this film could look any better in the home environment. Particularly impressive is the sharpness and detail even in the film’s many dark sequences. Shadow detail is as good as it gets. The skin textures with very fine detail and subtle color gradations are all very visible as are the fabrics in clothing and backgrounds. Black levels are deep and solid. I literally sat there slack jawed at the quality of the image before me as I watched this disc. Amazing stuff.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

The audio on this disc is presented in Dolby Digital Plus and not Dolby True HD. As is always the case, I am sure it will disappoint many. Perhaps when it is eventually released on Blu-Ray, a lossless encode will be included so we can finally compare Dolby Digital Plus at 1.5 mbps with a lossless track. Since we can’t at this time, we will have to live with the audio on this disc. How does it sound? Well, there are segments on this disc which are of reference quality. Those sequences are the battle scenes which have some of the best sound I have ever heard in the home. The best sound on this release is bold and dynamic with incredible bass and a totally immersive sound field. The final battle scene with the dragon has to be heard to be believed. It is truly spectacular. Why then isn’t the audio rated a 5 out of 5? I felt that I had to drop the total score as the sound of the rest of the film wasn’t as impressive as the battle scenes. The sound in the rest of the film was flatter and less involving, much more quiet sounding and less enveloping, with the dialogue in particular being somewhat thinner sounding. Don’t get me wrong, the sound of the rest of the film is very good, just not up to the level of other films I have recently viewed at home. and certainly not up to the standards set by the rest of this release. Was this the fault of the encode or as was intended by Mr. Zemeckis? At this point, I have no way of knowing. Nevertheless, as a whole, this is a fine sounding release.

IN CONCLUSION

For those of you out there with an HD DVD player, this is a must buy. In addition to being an excellent film, it boasts incredible visuals and at times, matching audio. HIghly recommended.

Note: The HD DVD release is scheduled for Feb. 26.

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HD DVD Review: American Gangster

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

American Gangster stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in a story based on the life of Frank Lucas, a drug kingpin in Harlem in the late 1960’s through the early 1970’s. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, traces Mr. Lucas’ career as a drug kingpin from his days as a driver for another Harlem drug lord through his importation of heroin directly from Southeast Asia to his subsequent arrest and cooperation with the authorities. The film also details the life and career of police officer Richie Roberts who sets out to bring down Mr. Lucas and the dirty cops in New York.

The acting in this film is uniformly excellent. I must say that I did find it interesting that Mr. Crowe and Mr. Washington do not appear together on screen until the very end of the movie. There is no interaction at all between these two titans until the lat 5 minutes of the film. I also find it unfortunate that the HD DVD side of these release contains only the theatrical release of the film. If you want to see the unrated extended cut of this film, you need to flip it over and watch the DVD side of this combo disc. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/4 stars out of 5

This film was encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1. I must say from the outset that while I very much enjoyed the film as a film, I was very disappointed with how it looks on this release. The film itself looks rather dull and flat with a very gritty look. It looks as though the film was shot deliberately to make it look like it was filmed in the 1960’s. The colors are rather drab with mediocre black levels. On the plus side, detail is good but the film just falls flat in terms of the vibrancy and accuracy of the colors and the clarity of the image. Given the significance of this film and what appears to be the death knell of the HD DVD format, I expected a much better looking release.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

The audio here is presented with Dolby Digital Plus and not Dolby True HD as has been the norm with recent Universal releases. I am sure that this will be a bone of contention for many. However, I found the audio on this release to be quite good. Dialogue was well recorded and placed in the mix. The dialogue was never unintelligible and was always easy to follow. I also thought that the overall sound of the film was smooth and open albeit not as rich and full sounding of the better audio tracks. In no way could I describe the audio on this release as thin, just not as smooth as the best sounding tracks. Bass was deep and full as well. The surround speakers were well used and added a good sense of depth and immersion in interior scenes but not as effectively as the best, falling a tad short in that respect. Would the film had sounded better had Dolby True HD been used instead of Dolby Digital Plus? It is really hard to say. What I can say is the sound on this release is quite good in its own right.

IN CONCLUSION

While this is an excellent film and well worth a purchase, I just wish that the video presentation was better.

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Comcast: More Philly Sports In HD, Please

Being a Philadelphia sports fan is a challenge. In addition to suffering through some really bad teams and having our hearts broken by some really good ones ( i.e Super Bowl XXXIV as the latest example), we have also had to suffer from one of the worst facilities in the history of sport, the concrete donut formerly known as Veteran’s Stadium. While we now have great venues for all sports and some good teams, the City has still been without a professional sports champion for 25 years.

I know you are wondering what this has to do with high-def. Well, it has to do with the failure of Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia to deliver the road games of the various teams in high def. Presently, only the home games of the Phillies, Sixers and Flyers are delivered in HD. The production quality of these games is outstanding, delivering clear and sharp pictures with perfect color accuracy and great 5.1 audio. No complaints there at all. However, other than an occasional game or two, the road games are all standard definition and look absolutely terrible. Why not deliver all the games in HD? The answer is probably cost in addition to the dismal history of the teams themselves. Simply put, maybe if we had winning teams, all the games would be in HD, regardless of the increased costs.

I must say that I look on with envy at the other markets where all the games are delivered in HD. The most notable is Boston where all the games of the Red Sox and Bruins have been in HD on NESN. Even the pre-season Red Sox games are in HD for crying out loud! Now that the Celtics look like a challenger for the NBA title, Comcast has announced that all games this season will be in HD. Take a look also at YES. All the Yankees game will be in HD this season. The same is true in Cleveland for the Indians. Ditto the Mariners in Seattle and the Padres in San Diego. Why not in Philadelphia? Why must we be treated as second class citizens in regards to HD? After all, the Phillies did win the NL East last year? What does it take to get all the games in HD for all the teams, starting with the Phillies? Must all the teams win the championship? Why should Comcast make an exception to their present policy in Boston for Celtics road games and leave us in Philadelphia with standard definition garbage? Aren’t we as passionate about our sports as those in Boston, even more so? Why the slap in the face from the hometown Comcast team?

How about being ahead of the curve in Philadelphia for a change. Why does Philadelphia always have to be behind the curve? It seems the last time we were ahead of the curve in Philadelphia was in 1776. Let’s get on the stick CSN. Let’s do all games, home and road in HD. The digital switch is set for February 19, 2009. IMHO, no later than that date, standard definition production of all televised sporting events should be a thing of the past. All games should be shot in HD and uplinked that way to production studios like the one under the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. It is there where a network such as CSN should be able to take the HD feed and do a center cut which they can down rez in 4 x 3 for their SD channel if they must to satisfy their ever dwindling SD audience. Given the HD production facilities available in each market for HD, there is no reason other than pure economics (i.e cheapness) for the all games not to be offered in HD. If it is good enough for Boston, New York, Cleveland, Seattle and San Diego, why not for Philadelphia? Get with it CSN and offer all games in HD, even the PAC-10 games which are shot in HD and offered in HD that you only show in SD.

By no means do I just wish to single out Comcast Sportsnet in this regard. I use them as the lead for this piece as I reside in the Philadelphia area. This should apply to all sports networks across the country. Let this serve as a call to arms across the land to eliminate non HD feeds of all live sports programming. Even at ESPN, they are still showing major college basketball games in SD only on their HD channels. That should end and should end now. The same is true for NBC and CBS and any other sports network you can name. Any network that offers live sports programming and has an HD channel should show all their games in HD. There is no time like the present!

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Blu-ray Review: Becoming Jane

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Becoming Jane is based on the book of the same name and chronicles the story of the late teenage years of Jane Austen, who created modern English prose and who has written some of the best selling novels of all time. The film stars Anne Hathaway as Jane Austin along with James McAvoy as her love interest and co-stars James Cromwell, Julie Walters and Maggie Smith. While the acting in this film is very good, I found the narrative to be a bit on the slow side. In other words, the film dragged along too much. For those of you who have taken the time to watch Pride and Prejudice, you will recognize many of the characters in Jane Austen’s life that formed the basis of such legendary characters in that novel as Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. While this film is very interesting in giving us a glimpse into how and why Jane Austen wrote her novels the way she did, the screenplay is not quite up to the level of Jane Austen’s writing or that of Pride and Prejudice and suffers in comparison. While this film is not for everyone, I would recommend it for fans of Jane Austen’s novels and fans of the movies based upon them.

THE VIDEO: 4 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in is original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, I must say that I was somewhat disappointed the video quality of this release. On the plus side, the film has very good detail. On the downside, the film has very muted colors although the color that is present is very natural looking. My biggest complaint is what I would describe as poor black levels. The weakness in black levels could be seen best in the level of the brightness in the dark scenes. There is a scene at night in a garden where instead of being black, the shadows had a very whitish look to them which really detracted from the look of the image. It should be noted that I did not see the film in theaters and it is possible that this is the intended look of the film. If it is, it is a mistake IMHO as it detracts greatly from the look of the film. I also found this excessive brightness in night time interior scenes as well. I was beginning to wonder for a moment if there was a problem with my display. This film would have qualified for a much higher score with better black levels.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/3 stars out of 5

Presented with an uncompressed PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit, the audio on this release is good but not near the level of the previously reviewed Gone Baby Gone. Dialogue is good, being clear, distinct and well placed in the mix. However, it lacks the fullness and richness of the best releases, sounding a tad on the thin side. As one would expect, the film is very front heavy and does not present a very immersive sound field. However, other than this overall thinness in the sound, the overall sound if the film is still good. Particularly impressive is the sound of the music score which sounds very good with an open and spacious sound with good bass. While the sound of the film did not detract from my viewing pleasure, I would have preferred a fuller, smoother and more dynamic audio presentation, such as was the case with the HD DVD presentation of Pride & Prejudice reviewed previously, which trumps the audio here on every level.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a film that will be best enjoyed by fans of Jane’s Austen’s books and prior films such as Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Sense & Sensibilities and Emma, all available on home video. For the rest, I would rate this release as a rental.

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Blu-ray Review: Gone Baby Gone

THE MOVIE: 5 stars out of 5

You know you are watching a great movie when your are so captured by the narrative that the movie feels like it is over almost before it began. This is what I experienced with Gone Baby Gone, a gripping and compelling story about two young detectives hired by the relatives of a very young little girl who they believe to have been kidnapped by a child predator and there efforts to develop and track down leads about her whereabouts before it is too late. This movie features many unexpected twists and turns which I will not even hint at here so as to not spoil the movie for you. This film is wonderfully directed by Ben Affleck and stars his brother Casey and Michelle Monaghan as the two young Boston area detectives trying to track done the missing girl along with Ed Harris and the great Morgan Freeman as two police officers involved in the investigation. The writing, acting and directing in this film is excellent across the board. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this is a fine looking transfer. It boasts excellent color rendition albeit somewhat subdued and deep blacks and presents a fine looking image overall. Detail was good but not great as was the case with shadow detail. Don’t get me wrong, the image did not look soft at all it just lacked some of the detail of the best looking transfers I have seen. I would not describe the image as being flat at all. In fact, it was quite three dimensional. I doubt that anyone would be unhappy with the look of the film as the somewhat subdued color palette was clearly intentional and fit the overall feel of the narrative. I just thought that the level of detail could have been a bit better.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

Presented with an uncompressed PCM audio track at 48 kHz/24 bit, the audio quality on this release was excellent. Dialogue was rich and full and very natural sounding and well placed in the overall sound field. The overall sound of the film was smooth, open and dynamic with excellent bass reproduction. I also found the film to throw a very immersive sound field where appropriate such as in the interior shots and some night time exterior shots. The wonderful dynamics and fidelity of this audio encode was most apparent in the action scenes. The sound of the gun shots was very realistic and made you almost jump out of your seat. There is really very little to quibble about with the audio presentation on this release. Excellent stuff.

IN CONCLUSION

This is one excellent film with excellent acting and storytelling with very good audio and video although a tad short of reference quality. However, the film is so compelling, I doubt that many would even notice. Go out and get this film. HIghly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Daddy Day Camp

THE MOVIE: 2 1/2 stars out of 5

Daddy Day Camp is a follow-up to the successful and funny Daddy Day Care starring Eddie Murphy. However, Eddie Murphy chose not to participate in this sequel and is replaced by Cuba Gooding, Jr. The reason for this decision is fairly obvious after watching this film. Simply put, it isn’t very good. Basically, Daddy Day Camp is a rehash of Daddy Day Care. The film is full of the same jokes and sight gags that were featured in in prior film. The only difference is that the film is set in a summer camp and a run down one at that. The plot is nearly identical to the first film. In short, Charlie Hinton (Gooding, Jr.), decides to buy a summer camp from his childhood. His chief nemesis is a slick day camp down the hill from the one that he purchased which is owned by a snotty rich kid from his childhood. Charlie goes into hock running up bills to fix the camp and is about to loose his home as a result when his camp is challenged to an Olympiad by the other camp. Needless to say, all turns out well for Charlie and his camp. If you have kids under 8, they will probably enjoy this film. Otherwise, you may want to skip it. This is a rental only.

THE VIDEO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

While the film isn’t very good, the video sure is. Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this is a fine looking transfer. The film boasts bright primary colors and excellent skin tones. Colors are rich and solid. Black level is deep as well. The film has a very nice three dimensional look with a nice sharp picture with very good detail. Skin and fabric textures is very good as is the shadow detail. While I can’t recommend the film, I can recommend the transfer, which is way better than you would have a right to expect.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/3 stars out of 5

The high rez audio track on this release is presented in Dolby True HD. On the plus side, this audio encode has a very nice smooth, rich and open sound with very good bass and very well presented dialogue track. On the down side, this is not a very immersive sounding film with most of the sound field emanating from the front three speakers only. There is little use made of the surround channels. The sound quality of the three front channels is very good. There is really nothing to complain about in regards to the sound quality of this release. Just don’t expect a very dynamic and immersive sound when you watch the film. If you don’t, you will be more than satisfied with the audio presentation on this disc.

IN CONCLUSION

Boasting very good video and more than acceptable audio, I can recommend this film only as a rental for families with very young children.

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Blu-ray Review: The Jane Austen Book Club

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

I am sure that this will come as a shock to my wife but I really enjoyed this movie. This is a really original and creative movie with excellent writing and acting on the art of the entire cast.

Essentially, the movie revolves around 5 women and one male member of a book club that gathers on a monthly basis to discuss one of 6 Jane Austen novels. Four of the women are good friends with the other two members picked almost at random to join the club. What is really creative about this film is how the writers have merged the central themes of the 6 selected books into the lives of the each of the book club members, for good and for bad. Yes, this is a romantic comedy and a chick flick but it is a damn fine one and well worth a look. Check it out with your wife or significant other. You will be glad you did. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented with an aspect ratio of 1:78:1, this is a fine looking encode. With the one exception noted below, this film boasts excellent and natural looking colors. Detail and shadow detail is excellent as well. Black level is deep and gives the film a nice three dimensional look. My only quibble with the look of the film involves the flesh tones which are way too orange looking. This is quite surprising given the excellent colors in the rest of the film. With the exception of the skin tones, this is a very natural looking presentation with excellent detail and depth. This is another in a string of recent excellent looking encodes from the folks at Sony. Great stuff.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

As much as I enjoyed the video on this release, I enjoyed the audio presentation even better. Presented in Dolby True HD, this is an excellent sounding release. As one would expect from a romantic comedy, the sound field is rather front heavy. Certain scenes aside, this is not a release which boasts an immersive sound field. Whey then the high score? The overall sound quality of the film. The sound here is uniformly excellent. The overall sound is extremely smooth, rich and natural sounding. Dialogue is wonderfully recorded with a rich sound which is perfectly placed in the sound mix. With many characters talking on the scene at one time, each of them is properly localized in the sound field making it easy to follow each one. The audio encode on this release will not floor you with pyrotechnics but should floor you with a remarkably rich, natural and smooth sound which was a real joy to experience. Very well done.

IN CONCLUSION

I know I will take some hits for this review from the guys, but this is a wonderful movie and well worth your time. Recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Damages

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Damages is a series that ran on the cable channel FX beginning on July 24, 2007 and is presented here on Blu-Ray in its entirety, consisting of 13 episodes. Set in New York’s world of high stakes corporate litigation, Damages follows the lives of plaintiff’s class action litigator Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), her ambitious associate Ellen Parsons (Rose Bryne) and their litigation target, Arthur Froblisher (Ted Danson) one of the country’s wealthiest CEOs. This series is very well written and acted with plenty of unexpected plot twists. While the Arthur Frobisher character is patterned on some of the executives involved in the corporate scandals of the past several years, the Patty Hewes character is just as dirty and ruthless as he is and is an amalgam of some of the worst attributes of some of the excesses seen in class action litigation which at times borders on legal extortion. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this encode was somewhat of a disappointment. On the plus side, the video has very accurate colors. Primary colors look excellent as do flesh tones which are spot on. Black levels are good but not great robbing the image of the three dimensionality of the best looking transfers. The real issue I have with the look of this release is the general softness of the image. Given that I did not see this series on TV, I can’t compare the two. However, my guess is that the softness is part of the master and not the fault of the transfer and was done for either artistic reasons or reasons related to vanity. While the series looks good, it lacks the sharpness, clarity and detail of the better looking HDTV series such as CSI-NY and the Blu-Ray release of the third season of Lost. While this is far from a bad looking series, it comes short of what I expected of a new TV series.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

The audio on this release is presented in Dolby True HD and is one fine sounding audio presentation. The sound is smooth, rich and open with excellent dialogue which is well recorded and well placed in the mix. The music on this release sounds wonderful with a full dynamic sound and excellent bass The sound field while somewhat front heavy as one would expect from a drama, employs the surrounds very effectively to convey a convincing sense of space, from the law offices, apartments and jail. It sounds as though you are in those spaces as you watch the show. Very well done. I am sure that fans of this series will be very happy with the audio on this release.

IN CONCLUSION

I can fully recommend this release to fans and non fans of this series. While I was disappointed with the quality of the video, I have no reservations at all with either the audio or the quality of the show itself, which are both top notch. Recommended.

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Verizon, Where's My HDTV!?

After being almost invisible at CES, I was hoping that we would have heard more from Verizon by this point concerning their addition of new HD channels to their FiOS service. However, the silence has been deafening. We were promised up to 80 HD channels from the current 30 or so by the spring, but this was back in the fall. Spring is about a month away and yet we have heard nothing additional, with the exception that the MGM HD channel will be added some time before the end of the year. Big deal.

How about an update on their build out with a clear date as to when the build out will be completed? How about a list of the HD channels that will be added once the build out has been completed? How about some real information! While it is impressive that FiOS now has over a million subscribers, Verizon will not be able to continue with their current rate of growth without the addition of a significant number of new HD channels along with the addition of HD VOD. While Verizon’s FiOS service has excellent picture quality especially with standard definition channels, FiOS has no real future as a provider of excellent SD quality. The future is HD.

So, a word of unsolicited advice to my friends at Verizon. Get out and announce your plans. Come out with some specifics as to time tables and channel additions. Show that you are willing and able to compete with Directv and Dish on the number of HD channel offerings as well as Comcast on their number of HD offerings i.e HD VOD. Challenging the competition on both of these fronts along with stellar picture quality will be very hard to beat. Get with it Verizon -- and soon!

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HD DVD Review: Elizabeth, The Golden Age

THE MOVIE: 3 3/4 stars out of 5

In Elizabeth The Golden Age, Kate Blanchett reprises her role from Elizabeth released several years ago along with the great Geoffrey Rush as her counselor and protector. The new film adds Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh and finds Elizabeth and her reign threatened by an assassination plot involving her cousin Mary Queen of Scots who she has imprisoned and an impending invasion by King Philip of Spain. While I enjoyed the performances all of the aforementioned actors, this film is not quite up to the level of its predecessor, lacking the drama, intensity, suspense and darkness of this first film.

THE VIDEO: 4 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, I must say that I was somewhat disappointed with the video presentation on this release. The biggest complaint that I had was with the black level which was not black at all but rather a golden whitish color. The lack of a true black robbed the image of depth and I thought obscured shadow detail. It was quite jarring for me to see some of the shadows in the castle have this odd color. I am sure it was the intent of the director and was tied in to the fact that the title of the film was Elizabeth The Golden Age. Nevertheless I could have done without it and would have preferred the more natural look of the first film. Other than this complaint, the rest of the video presentation was excellent.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby True HD, this film sounded wonderful. The overall sound quality of the film was open, smooth and dynamic. Dialogue was spot on and always intelligible and captured the spacious surrounding including the subtle echo of voices in very large rooms. The sound field is very immersive, making one feel as though you are in the castle and dungeons with the characters. Sound effects were also very well done. The sound of the blade cutting through flesh and bone during the execution scene of Mary Queen of Scots sounded very realistic, enough to make one wince. The same can be said for the cannon blasts and gun shots. Bass was excellent as well with a deep room rattling sound, especially during the naval attack sequences which were very realistic and very effective. All in all, there is very little to complain about with the audio presentation on this disc. Very well done.

IN CONCLUSION

While I did have a quibble with the video presentation on this disc, the film boasts excellent audio and wonderful performances by the lead actors. While it is not up to the standards of Elizabeth, I would recommend the film for fans of that film as well as fans of Mr. Rush and Ms. Blanchett, who makes you really believe you are watching the real Queen Elizabeth.

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Blu-ray Review: Crimson Tide

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Starring Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington, Viggo Mortensen and a thinner James Gandolfini, Crimson Tide is one excellent film. The film centers on a nuclear-powered, nuclear-missile armed submarine, the USS Alabama, which is deployed in the midst of a crisis involving the Russian Republic, where rebels trying to depose the government have taken control of a Russian military base housing intercontinental ballistic missiles aimed at the US. When it is learned that the missiles are being readied for launch, an order is given to the Alabama to fire their missiles in a preemptive attack. However, before the missiles could be fired, a partial message is received which casts doubt on the continued validity of that prior order. The sub’s commander played by Gene Hackman, clashes with his first officer, played by Denzel Washington, over whether the missiles should be fired which would launch World War III, all the while they are being hunted by a renegade Russian submarine. The writing and acting in this film are first rate across the board. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/3 stars out of 5

Right off the bat, it is a safe bet to say that this release on Blu-Ray trounces the prior DVD release in every respect. The film is encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1 and looks very good but not of reference quality. Colors are very accurate although somewhat muted. Detail is excellent as well. The black level is not as deep as I would want which robs the picture of the three dimensional image that you see on the reference encodes. The resulting image is a tad on the flat side. The net effect of all of the above is a picture that is sharp and detailed as one expects with HD but not as sharp and clear as the best looking movies on either high rez formats. Shadow detail is good which is important given how most of the film takes place in low light environment as one would expect with a submarine. While not of reference quality, this release is the best that this film has ever looked in the home environment and well worth a purchase by fans of the film.

THE AUDIO: 4 7/8 out of 5

The high rez audio on this release is presented in uncompressed PCM at 48 kHz/16 bit and sounds fantastic. The overall sound is smooth and clear with excellent detail. Bass is deep and tight and really heightens the intensity in the battles scenes between the two subs. The explosions rock the room. The overall sound field is quite immersive and captures the sound of being in a submarine, as you literally feel as though you are in the submarine with sounds all around you, to the left and right and up the side walls. This effect is particularly effective during the sub clashes as you can fell the room move around in response to the concussive effects of the explosions. Another film with a similar effect is U-571 which has a fantastic sound design. Dialogue is clear and distinct and never gets lost in the mix, even during the action sequences. Excellent stuff and why we spend the money we do on home theater set ups.

IN CONCLUSION

This is one excellent movie with very good although not reference video and excellent audio. Highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Underdog

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here! Yes, the classic 1960’s cartoon has been redone in a live action film. Sounds pretty cheesy, but surprisingly, it wasn’t half bad. Staring Jason Lee, James Belushi, Amy Adams, Patrick Warburton and Peter Dinklage, Underdog tells the story of a beagle, Shoeshine, who flunks out of K-9 training school who falls into the clutches of Dr. Simon Barsinister. When trying to escape, Shoeshine is effected by chemicals that transform him into Underdog, a super powered dog who can not only fly, but can talk as well. He is adopted by an ex-cop and his son and vows to protect the populace of Capital City. Frankly, this in not a movie for everyone but is an entertaining movie for both fans of the old cartoon (although it is not quite as charming as the old cartoon) and families with kids under 13. Recommended as a film that families with young children can all enjoy.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in is original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this film looks way better than I expected it to be. This is one excellent transfer boasting a very bright looking image with excellent color and detail. Blacks levels are deep as well, giving the film a three dimensional look. Shadow detail is excellent as well. Frankly, there is very little to complain about with this transfer. Fans of the film will love the look of this transfer.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 out of 5

Presented with an uncompressed PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit, the audio on this release is excellent as well. The film boasts a smooth, open and dynamic track with excellent bass. Sound effect are well placed in the mix, as it the dialogue, which is never lost in the mix. The audio is presented here at a higher volume than normal so you will have to turn the volume on your processor or receiver down from where you normally keep it. I sure had to. Particularly hot is the audio on the menu which had me running for the remote it was so loud. Frankly. the audio presentation on this release is much better than one would expect for this type of film. Well done Disney.

IN CONCLUSION

Boasting excellent video and audio, This is a fun film that the whole family will enjoy. Recommended.

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