2100 replies to this topic

[Ralfi]

ajm, on May 25 2009, 09:57 PM, said:

Seven (or Se7en) - Canadian Import - Region A locked.

PQ: 3/5  In short, fairly average - but perhaps that's for the best.  Plenty of grain but also a little bit of dirt.  It's certainly not the sharpest picture you'll see but, by the same token, this is probably one movie that really benefits from a grungy look.  In a lot of ways the PQ suits the mood of the film.   It makes this hard to rate in terms of PQ, it's a 3/5 but you wouldn't buy this for how flash it looks.

AQ: 3/5 A DTS-HD(MA) soundtrack that does the job really well.  This is most dialogue driven so not a soundtrack that is going to leap out at you - but it was excellent in terms of clarity.  In all honesty I paid almost now attention to how it sounded, I was a bit too into the movie to really take notice and I think that's a big tick.

Film 6/5 If you haven't seen it, see it now!

(Aus release)

PQ (2.40:1): Solidly 'good'. Not poor in any way (even in the many dark shots), but not outstanding either. I'm interested in what others think of this (US release gets high praise & I assumed the Aus was going to be the same, but I wasn't floored by it).
4/5

AQ (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1): Near reference. LFE, surrounds, score & effects are full of detail that really add to the experience. My only complaint was that some dialogue wasn't as clear in parts.
[AVR on -6db]
4.5/5

Film: Seen the Aus release this week. Forgot how much of an engrossing film this one is. Convincing plot/world/performances all round makes you feel care/hate/pity for the characters involved.
4.8/5

Edited by Ralfi, 01 September 2011 - 10:30 PM.

[brake]

Ralfi, on Sep 1 2011, 10:29 PM, said:

(Aus release)

PQ (2.40:1): Solidly 'good'. Not poor in any way (even in the many dark shots), but not outstanding either. I'm interested in what others think of this (US release gets high praise & I assumed the Aus was going to be the same, but I wasn't floored by it).
4/5

AQ (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1): Near reference. LFE, surrounds, score & effects are full of detail that really add to the experience. My only complaint was that some dialogue wasn't as clear in parts.
[AVR on -6db]
4.5/5

Film: Seen the Aus release this week. Forgot how much of an engrossing film this one is. Convincing plot/world/performances all round makes you feel care/hate/pity for the characters involved.
4.8/5

I watched the AUS release a while back and thought it was pretty good PQ I would say.. 4.5/5 AQ was pretty decent too...

I may be forgetting though...

[SDL]

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (Australian Release) Didn't check region coding but being Universal likely Region Free

Story:
What a strange one. Not much of a comic book fan but understand this is from some sort of comic books and is made to look something like one. Lot's of on screen graphic text appearing when someone screams, or during fight scenes and the like. For those that haven't seen it and don't know what it is about...damn hard to describe. Scott is in his 20's and is in a rock band with his friends. It is a kind of relationship movie as Scott starts off dating a 17 year old Chinese school girl called Knives, but is still recovering after 431 days (he counts them as he blames his haircut which he had exactly then) from a break up with his previous girlfriend who has gone on to become a rock star herself. Knives becomes a groupie to the band who joing Battle of the Bands. Scott has a dream about another girl who he has never ever seen, but then sees her in a couple of places and falls in love. She has 7 ex's who he than has to battle one by one, something like a Street Fighter video game as the movie progresses and the story of the Battle of the Bands and his relationship with Ramona (the love interest), his friends, and Knives changes, so he meets the "ex's". As I said damn weird, but it works.
4/5

AQ
DTS HD MA 5.1. Now I am not big on 5/5 but this has to be one of the best BD's I have heard sound wise. The sound is really part of the story. The LFE gets a MAJOR workout. The surrounds have plenty to do. And it all holds together maginficently. There is a funny bit at the start with a mono mix of the Universal standard planet intro made to sound like an old style console game. The dialogue is brilliantly clear throughout.
Absolute demo scene soundwise would be the Battle of the Bands against the Japanese twins where they go Amp vs Amp but really you will find many throughout in fights scenes and music scenes that searching for one isn't necessary.
5/5

PQ
It is a very good picture. The colours are somewhat vibrant and there are lots of them as it is very comic book/video game inspired, but it isn't overtly bright which would have probably been more in keeping with the style. Very clear though it appeared on one scene that there was macro blocking and I thought something wrong. But I did a search to see if anyone else complained and found that it was intentional and is actually on the theatre run of it as well. When I think back I can see how that was the case as it was meant to be like a video game with pixel style graphic swords from an old video game.

Hard one to jusdge this.
3/5

Overall a definate keeper even if just to show off the system.

[yorac]

709er, on Sep 1 2011, 05:16 PM, said:

ZATHURA - A Space Adventure - US Release - Region Free - 1.85:1 - DTS HDMA 5:1

Great family film, especially if your kids are in the 10 - 16 YO bracket.
Very nice PQ and an awesome DTS HDMA track that really delivers

FILM : 3.5/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ: 4.2/5

It was very nice to see Kristen Stewart frozen instead of looking "googly eyed" at Robert Pattinson  

watched this Tuesday night and was going to do a review but rated it about the same, fortunately haven't seen any of the Twilight movies either...............

[:)]

The Bridge on the river Kwai - UK Release - 5.1 DTS Master Audio

Movie - 4.5/5 - Last time I saw this was probably many many years ago, on film ! and for those into war movies it is most definitely a classic. A seven academy award winner. Watching it again I absolutely loved it. And this blu-ray release has done it complete justice. Presenting it as I remember it, infact I am sure even better.

PQ - 4.5/5 - PQ is astounding. From what I found out this is a sony 4K remaster of the movie. and it is done in a way that totally preserves the film nature of this movie. Ie it is not been DNR's to the point it looks like CGI animation. Infact on opening of the film you are presented by grain city ! hehe but then the PQ is really something to behold with the rich colours and overall PQ. there are scenes for instance when later part of the movie they are going through the jungle and nearing the river. And also the scenes in ceylon and boy they have come up well. Great to see a film classic to get such treatment and yet preserve it for what it is

AQ - 3.5/5 - look its a HD audio surround track. But as with any recreation of old source there are limits. so although at times there is some surround presence and a touch of lfe here and there. But ulimately is pretty much front stage driven. And that comes through clean and clear. Probably cant ask for more.

Overall -  4.5/5 -  Its a classic. a war movie. and comes up a treat on blu-ray. For all that you really cant ask for more and for lovers of this kind of film it is a must buy !

[brake]

The Lion King - French Release - English DTS HD MA 7.1 & French DTS HD MA 7.1

Movie
Well, this in my favourite movie of all time. I lost count at 20 viewings, that was over 12 years ago. I can recite every line from it from beginning to end so there is no point putting up a quote from the movie as I would not be able to choose one! Anyhoo, absolutely love this movie, and it's a different kind of love, I can just re-watch it over and over whereas with other films that I love I can not. Well, at least not as often anyway. 4.9/5

PQ
Hmm... Pretty damn good. The almost flawless 1080p transfer highlights the little "imperfections", almost "limitations" of hand drawn animation. Apart from that the transfer is pretty spot on. The problem I had was this: I was trying to watch the movie while being as objective as I possibly could but I kept getting sucked into it and forgetting I should be trying to analyse the transfer. towards the beginning I did notice a rather large, and quite ugly piece of dirt/damage in one shot in the top left hand corner, only for a few seconds though, Still quite annoying as it was very evident and I was very surprised this didn't get picked up on. I saw it and I was not really looking for it. Also, I did notice in one little issue that may have been repeated had I been analysing it properly, in the scene

Spoiler

when Simba is telling Nala about the "really cool place" while she is having a "bath"

towards the beginning, when there are cuts between the characters as they are talking, I noticed Simba's fur colour changing slightly and going a darker orange. I will have to compare it with both the included DVD copy and my other, AUS release DVD copy from the last time the Vault was opened. As I said, this may have happened again a few times but I got lost in the film.

For the record, and to the people that were concerned about the colour of the Zebra's during Simba's iconic "I just can't wait to be king", their stripes are green. Not that it matters anyway but some people kicked up a massive stick about this because they weren't black but the whole damn scene is surreal anyway and filled with off colour animals like purple elephants and yellow water.

Anyway, apart from that the transfer is much better than the DVD and what you would expect from a hand drawn Disney title. I just hope they fix some of the "issues" for the AUS/UK/US/Spanish release (Yep, I'll be getting all of these!)

PQ score 4.25 - 4.5/5

AQ - English DTS HA MA 7.1
In my opinion this is where the disc really shines. From the moment I watched the only DVD on my new system, with it's DTS 5.1 audio, I knew the Blu-ray release of the lion king would be something special. And it is, with just one small complaint: More LFE could have been used. I seem to remember in the DVD there being much more LFE usage. Either way the Blu-ray has a magnificent lossless audio track. This is one of the better tracks I have heard on Blu-ray and seems to be balanced very very well, even with my setup not being configured properly (I made some changes since running Audyssey) and have not re-calibrated it, some scenes are just beautifully enveloping, and the opening scene and song "The circle of life" just seems to be balanced perfectly and if you close your eyes you could swear you are in the same room as the singers. There are quite a few scenes in the film in enclosed areas and echos and these sound amazing, really give you a sense of being there. I really loved this track as it brought to my attention things I have never heard before while watching this movie like the start songs or little bits of the score I haven't heard before.

Ambient noise is amazing, I never realised just how much is going on during this movie, almost every scene has a bird chirping or a cricket, bug or insect buzzing along happily in the background.

I have watched other Blu-rays with very highly rated AQ and was always let down by the lack of something, be it surround usage, dialogue levels or ambient noises. The Lion King seems to blow these all away and apart from the slight lack on LFE, this is an almost perfect audio track. Don't get me wrong about the LFE, it's still there: The elephants thumping along during Simba's "I just can't wait to be king", the geysers in the elephant graveyard scene and even Nala pinning simba down amongst other scenes, it's just that it could be more. Maybe - and I hope this is the case - that my sub isn't configured properly.

All the songs sound absolutely fabulous in lossless audio, as to be expected. Just brilliant. to my surprise, Dialogue is balanced very well and the dynamic range is not as drastic as other films I have seen.

AQ score: 4.9/5

I'll leave it at that because I'm king of in a hurry but I hope I didn't leave anything out!

[709er]

:), on Sep 3 2011, 04:15 PM, said:

The Bridge on the river Kwai - UK Release - 5.1 DTS Master Audio

Movie - 4.5/5 - Last time I saw this was probably many many years ago, on film ! and for those into war movies it is most definitely a classic. A seven academy award winner. Watching it again I absolutely loved it. And this blu-ray release has done it complete justice. Presenting it as I remember it, infact I am sure even better.

PQ - 4.5/5 - PQ is astounding. From what I found out this is a sony 4K remaster of the movie. and it is done in a way that totally preserves the film nature of this movie. Ie it is not been DNR's to the point it looks like CGI animation. Infact on opening of the film you are presented by grain city ! hehe but then the PQ is really something to behold with the rich colours and overall PQ. there are scenes for instance when later part of the movie they are going through the jungle and nearing the river. And also the scenes in ceylon and boy they have come up well. Great to see a film classic to get such treatment and yet preserve it for what it is

AQ - 3.5/5 - look its a HD audio surround track. But as with any recreation of old source there are limits. so although at times there is some surround presence and a touch of lfe here and there. But ulimately is pretty much front stage driven. And that comes through clean and clear. Probably cant ask for more.

Overall -  4.5/5 -  Its a classic. a war movie. and comes up a treat on blu-ray. For all that you really cant ask for more and for lovers of this kind of film it is a must buy !

I haven't watched mine yet, but I did test my disc when it arriived months ago. The PQ looked very nice, but I was aware of a  "wider" look to the picture - making faces appear slightly wider than they should.
Did you notice this at all?

[709er]

TRUE GRIT (1969) - US release, region free - 1.85:1

Another great family film, enjoyed by all.
The PQ was excellent for a 40+YO fim and the Colorado settings were spectacular.  Great to see JW in a sometimes comedic role and apart from the ending, it mirrored the 2011 release completely.
The AQ was OK, but I was aware of an inbalance with the fronts, though I would need to revisit it to work out what was going on there. We listened to the DTS HDMA 5:1 track rather than the original mono.

FILM: 4/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ: 3/5

Almost had a "disneyesque" style flavor. Most enjoyable!

[Chopsus]

Scarface, region B, UK Triple Play version.

Audio:  5/5 an exceptional effort here the 7.1 mix performs like it was filmed today. The nightclub ambience alone is worth the purchase price.

Picture:  4/5 again, given the source material they have done an excellent job. Some will say it is too clean, and yes DNR has been used, but I suspect it would have been a grainy mess without it. Some of the low light shots are only marginally better than the dvd, but again, this is most likely as good as they could get it give the source. Some shots do have some questionable, out of focus elements, this is also the case on the DVD, and are more the result of the camera technology of the day compared to now.

Movie: 4.5/5 For a 3hour film we had forgotten how great this film is. Definitely back on the favorites list and a big improvement over the DVD.

overall it ain't gunna get any betterbthan this.

Edited by Chopsus, 12 September 2011 - 08:17 AM.

[bbar]

Chopsus, on Sep 12 2011, 08:16 AM, said:

Scarface, region B, UK Triple Play version.

Audio:  5/5 an exceptional effort here the 7.1 mix performs like it was filmed today. The nightclub ambience alone is worth the purchase price.

Picture:  4/5 again, given the source material they have done an excellent job. Some will say it is too clean, and yes DNR has been used, but I suspect it would have been a grainy mess without it. Some of the low light shots are only marginally better than the dvd, but again, this is most likely as good as they could get it give the source. Some shots do have some questionable, out of focus elements, this is also the case on the DVD, and are more the result of the camera technology of the day compared to now.

Movie: 4.5/5 For a 3hour film we had forgotten how great this film is. Definitely back on the favorites list and a big improvement over the DVD.

overall it ain't gunna get any betterbthan this.

Thanks for the review Chops, sounds excellent.

[709er]

DEMOLITION MAN - US release - Region Free - DTS HDMA 5:1 - 2.35:1

A total guilty pleasure. Another film that the whole family enjoyed. Lots of corny humor, great action and interesting ideas on a "reformed future society".
Only the last 20 mins or so got bogged down in too much action.
The PQ was great for a near 20 YO film with many scenes showing good detail, but a general softness kept it from really standing out.
The AQ was very good with lots of discrete channel action and some very acceptable sub moments.
The opening scenes before the credits were especially good.

FILM: 3.5/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ : 4/5

Stallone is such an oddity. Mumbles and muscles all the way. What happened to Wesley Snipes?

Edited by 709er, 13 September 2011 - 05:50 PM.

[brake]

709er, on Sep 13 2011, 04:28 PM, said:

DEMOLITION MAN - US release - Region Free - DTS HDMA 5:1 - 2.35:1

A total guilty pleasure. Another film that the whole family enjoyed. Lots of corny humor, great action and interesting ideas on a "reformed future society".
Only the last 20 mins or so got bogged down in too much action.
The PQ was great for a near 20 YO film with many scenes showing good detail, but a general softness kept it from really standing out.
The AQ was very good with lots of discrete channel action and some very acceptable sub moments.
The opening scenes before the credits were especially good.

FILM: 3.5/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ : 4/5

Stallone is such an oddity. Mumbles and muscles all the way. What happened to Wesley Snipes?

Thanks. Been meaning to revisit this on BD

[709er]

JUMANJI - US Region free - 1.85:1 - DTS HDMA

Another totally acceptable family film. I wasn't expecting much from this release, but the story (kind of the original Zathura, but with a better premise) worked well and the  picture quality was very good considering the film's vintage. Nice colour and contrast. SFX were obvious, but if you were enjoying the story, it didn't matter.
The AQ was something else. Excellent use of surrounds and some serious SW action. Nice score by James Horner too.

FILM: 3.5/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ: 4/5

[709er]

JUMANJI - US Region free - 1.85:1 - DTS HDMA 5:1
sorry for the double post. Slowed and unresponsive internet to blame  

Edited by 709er, 19 September 2011 - 05:13 PM.

[bbar]

709er, on Sep 19 2011, 05:04 PM, said:

JUMANJI - US Region free - 1.85:1 - DTS HDMA 5:1

Another totally acceptable family film. I wasn't expecting much from this release, but the story (kind of the original Zathura, but with a better premise) worked well and the  picture quality was very good considering the film's vintage. Nice colour and contrast. SFX were obvious, but if you were enjoying the story, it didn't matter.
The AQ was something else. Excellent use of surrounds and some serious SW action. Nice score by James Horner too.

FILM: 3.5/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ: 4/5

did U watch it twice    

[Ralfi]

cooksta, on Jun 13 2011, 05:13 PM, said:

True Grit 2010 Aus release,Rented.

DTS Master HD 5.1

Movie 4.75/5 The Coen brothers remake of True Grit is reportedly more faithful to the book of the same name By Charles Portius and it works. Rented this on a whim, wife wasn't happy (doesnt like westerns) but wants to now buy it after watching. A story of vengeance dealt out by a 14 year old girl who shines along with Jeff Bridges; although you have to concentrate on his mumbled dialogue at times; it was far better than I expected.

Video 4.8/5 Cant fault it, superb scenery and cinematography combined with fine detailand nice blacks, lacks for nought to my eyes.

Audio 4.8/5 Again superb audio. Not an all in action movie type soundtrack but good use of surrounds when required as well as a very good soundstage.

Well worth a viewing.

Rented it like you, cooksta & agree. This was a great film with plenty of memorable performances, most of all is the lead girl who makes it look very easy. She's got a future for sure. So impressed with the acting, story & writing.

Picture was up there from start to end, as was the sound. Enjoyed the musical score too. Great disc/film overall. Putting it on my "to own" list.

[bbar]

709er, on Sep 13 2011, 04:28 PM, said:

DEMOLITION MAN - US release - Region Free - DTS HDMA 5:1 - 2.35:1

A total guilty pleasure. Another film that the whole family enjoyed. Lots of corny humor, great action and interesting ideas on a "reformed future society".
Only the last 20 mins or so got bogged down in too much action.
The PQ was great for a near 20 YO film with many scenes showing good detail, but a general softness kept it from really standing out.
The AQ was very good with lots of discrete channel action and some very acceptable sub moments.
The opening scenes before the credits were especially good.

FILM: 3.5/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ : 4/5

Stallone is such an oddity. Mumbles and muscles all the way. What happened to Wesley Snipes?

On the shelf so will try and give a spin later in the week.

[brake]

bbar, on Sep 19 2011, 05:07 PM, said:

did U watch it twice    

[cooksta]

:), on Sep 3 2011, 03:45 PM, said:

The Bridge on the river Kwai - UK Release - 5.1 DTS Master Audio

Ordered.

Chopsus, on Sep 12 2011, 07:46 AM, said:

Scarface, region B, UK Triple Play version.

Ordered this one as well.

Ralfi, on Sep 19 2011, 05:17 PM, said:

Rented it like you, cooksta & agree.

Glad you liked it Ralfi, i bought it.

[709er]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - US  Region Free - 1.85:1 - DTYS HDMA 7:1

Despite other reviews, I liked this.
Movie wise, it is cliched and camp. Kinda like "clueless" meets "tremors".
Nice PQ, though not very consistent, but always colorful.
The 7: 1 HDMA mix (I thought) was excellent. At one stage there was a blow-fly. I thought it was in the room (we've had an invasion of "dunny budgies" out in the sticks recently), but I realized it was in the film when Buffy blew it away with a spit/paper ball  

FILM: 3.5/5
PQ: 3.8/5
AQ: 4/5

[brake]

Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope AUS Release DTS HD MA 6.1

Movie
It had been SO SO long since I saw this that I basically had forgotten EVERYTHING about it, so you can say I hadn't seen it before. I remember very very vaguely some brief part of some scenes. I think I saw it when I was about 4 or 5 years old. Anyway, I was very hesistant to watch it on BD because of all the changes made by Lucas, I was going to track down a Laser Disc rip, or a fan made "hybrid" rip that's as close to the original as possible. But, I need to watch the original 3 films ASAP so I can watch the family guy spin off version, so, when I saw the 3 original films at the video store on Tight Ass Tuesday for $1 a pop, I couldn't resist.

So, as a first time watcher, even with all the hype surround the movie (Expectation Vs. Enjoyment) I have to say that I was mesmerised by it at the beginning. I say "the beginning" because that's when I didn't notice as many "changes". There were a few unnecessary changes that just about made me face palm and shake my head and say "How can a writer/director who is responsible for one of the best/most popular films/franchises of all time, and is a seemingly amazing storyteller with amazing talent  (this is what I would have said if I saw the original, unchanged versions all their glory) **** scenes up so bad?" Seriously, it's almost to the point where I would believe it if someone told me that he didn't actually make these movies in the first place.Rather, back in 1973, an alien spacecraft crashed in George Lucas's back yard and he found a completed star wars movie in the wreckage and just went with that.

There are scenes with stuff added into it just for the sake of adding stuff into it, MORE IS BETTER, right? Some are just way to over cluttered, like the scene when

Spoiler

Obe Wan, R2D2, Luke and C3PO arrive in in the dingy red light type district in their hovercraft, just as they are arriving among other creatures buzzing around and general clutered shot composition, a big alien animal walks in bewteen the camera and the characters and for a few seconds all you can see is the side of this elephant like creature, it's very very distracting

The added CG "things" just did nothing but abruptly jolt me out of the experience; Just as I was being overwhelmed by and sucked into the story, the characters and the nostalgic feeling that this epic adventure bestowed upon me, I would see an extremely out of place CG character float by or a massive alien in the background and I would just be taken out of the experience, they stand out like a sore thumb. Case in point: The Jaba the Hut scene in the middle of the Movie....

I loved the movie, I thought it was great. Well, at least the parts I managed to stay awake for AKA original parts. I fell asleep around 6 times during the movie and it has nothing to do with ANYTHING besides me being jolted out of the story by these VERY out of place additions. And, either the audio suffers the same problem is not mixed very well. For that reason I score it 2/5 for the "new" version and just guessing at how amazing this film would be without all those additions I would score it a 4.5 - 4.75/5


The Disc
The disc didn't play in my Panasonic BD 60, the unit just threw up a generic error reading disc message. I popped it into my Soniq 302B and it appeared to pay just fine, although there was some rather disturbing skips in both audio and video. Apparently this is an issue with some of the discs (I did a quick google search regarding it). the first 5 minutes of the film skips momentarily about 10 times, which is annoying but watchable. Then it skips again during the jabba the hut/hans solo scene in the middle. But, the big big problem is the whole last 30 mins of the disc skipped so much that it was pretty much unwatchable. I still sat through it to get the jist of the ending but by this time I was so out of the experience I didn't care about the skipping.

PQ
Pretty average PQ here to be honest. Nothing really worth talking about. 3.5/5

AQ
AQ is a touch better than the PQ, there's some good surround usage and heavy LFE, overall the whole mix has has been reproduced quite well. Still, it's a far cry something you'd want to show off your system with. As mentioned before there are a few scenes where the audio seems off. There seems to be vary dialogue levels in a few scenes and in one particular instance the dialogue, from a female character, sounds a lot more "robust" than the rest... sounded like it had been re-recorded and dubbed recently. 3.5 - 4/5

Overall, if I was a massive fan that was waiting for this film to be released on BD with even half as much impatience as I was waitinf for the lion king, I would be extremely annoyed with the way this film has been treated and Lucas would be on my top 5 list of people I want to punch in the face, right behind Soulja Boy. Thank god that the liong king can be viewed without "The Morning Report".

Edited by brake, 24 September 2011 - 03:25 PM.

[brake]

Sling Blade - US Release - DTS HD MA 5.1

A drama about a mentally disabled man who is released from hospitalisation after serving his sentence for a brutal murder and returns to his small town and befriends a young boy.

Movie
Wow. That's all I can say about Sling Blade. What a brilliant movie. I was surprised that this only got an 8/10 on IMDB, then I realised you need to factor in: a) young kids that don't get it AKA those that give Shawshank a 2/10, "nuts" who give the film a low score because of the "pro abortion" and "justified murder" themes that this movie "teaches" us. Never the less, if you haven't seen it, do it. The ending is quite predictable, but it doesn't take away from the brilliance of the story and the acting at all and on one hand I was hoping for it to end the way I thought it would. 4.75/5

PQ
PQ ranges from very good to great. Some shots are near reference and some are very good. There is some lovely grain evident throughout. 4.5/5

AQ
AQ is quite good too. Not much surround use and ambient noises, not much LFE usage and the track is recorded quite low. Still, the dialogue is clear throughout and does a great job at handling the, umm, "accent" of the protagonist. 4/5

[yorac]

Hey guys will tidy up and link all reviews late this week or early next week so thanks again to all for their reviews, I have quite deliberately not posted Star Wars review in the thread as I preferred to keep the s h i t fight over it out of this thread (and seems to have worked..........

that said YMMV...................






have watched Hanna and X-Men First Class in the last few days so will post some thoughts soon...........

[brake]

yorac, on Sep 27 2011, 08:13 PM, said:

Hey guys will tidy up and link all reviews late this week or early next week so thanks again to all for their reviews, I have quite deliberately not posted Star Wars review in the thread as I preferred to keep the s h i t fight over it out of this thread (and seems to have worked..........

that said YMMV...................






have watched Hanna and X-Men First Class in the last few days so will post some thoughts soon...........

Keen on watching Hanna...

[:)]

yorac, on May 29 2011, 09:56 PM, said:

The Way Back - 2.35:1 - DTS-HD MA

Region A - locked

PQ: 4.2/5 - A lovely transfer on display here and some of the panoramic scenes in this are as good as I've seen in a movie of late with lovely natural colours in many of the locations involved ............

AQ: 4.2/5 - Dialogue driven in the main there are a few scenes where there is some nice actitivity in the LFE area and a good audio mix.....

The Movie: Every now and then a movie comes along that stands out because of the story, the acting and the overall production values, this is Peter Weir's first film since Master and Commander and let me say right off the top it was worth the wait to get a movie of this ilk. based on a true story it tells the story of a group of men that aren't necessarily POW's but more victims of a country invaded in the east and west on one hand by Germany and Hitler and on the other hand by Russia and Stalin.

The movie does not attempt to politicise this but it gives cause to why some of these men are where they are, eventually they escape the prison they are in and their story is one of not just a will to survive but their willingness to die free men rather than live in a hell hole for the rest of their days, they are joined along the way by another person who shares their torment but from a much younger point of view.

This movie is based on a true story and it takes you through an emotional roller coaster through a journey that by anyone's standards is unbelievable when you do eventually grasp the magnitude of the achievement taking place here, I bought this after reading a review on High Def Digest as a blind buy and certainly one of the most inspiring movies I've seen recently.

It is a tad slow to get going and it never gathers amazing pace but the story never drifts away from it's narrative either, all in all one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in some time and a magic cast does the job very very well, a keeper for me and I don't know of local availability at this time......


**Post Production mixing for this done in Sydney and Melbourne...........**

I watched this over last weekend. and I would give this a 5 for PQ, 5 for SQ and 5 for movie if at all possible. what a beautifull movie, and so splendidly made. loved it ! I want to watch it again...will keep to watch on a big screen next time