Watched Close Encounters on the weekend. Loved this movie back in the 70's as a kid and it didn't disappoint now. The disc has three versions of the movie and comes with a whole raft of extras. The picture was a little grainy but still great, but the sound. This was great sound in the 70's but the DTS HD MA track is still fantastic today. The sub just rumbles away as the UFO sits over the truck and even better when the aliens visit the country house and take the young boy. The second half of the movie gets even better. Sure being a 70's movie the rear effects don't do huge amounts and the ambience during the dialogue scenes isn't quite the same as a modern movie, but the UFO scenes and the rumbling bass are what I enjoyed. Yes as most would know this is no fast paced shoot em up Alien movie, but if you like it then go grab it as 30 years have not wearied this one IMO.
0
Blu-Ray Disc Reviews A To L
Started by
yorac
, Jun 03 2008 10:11 PM
2100 replies to this topic
#52
50MXE20
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Posted 08 July 2008 - 04:57 PM
SimonNo10, on Jul 8 2008, 07:42 AM, said:
Can someone review Cloverfield. I've read the Hifi Digest review just curious what others think of the audio. I puchased this off Ebay just over 1 month ago and the person is claiming that USPS are holding her items and the first one she sent me came back with unknown address?? Confirmed address with her all good so 2nd one despatched last Friday fingers crossed it arrives. By the time it arrives I reacon the local version will be out. 
Cloverfield
and there's
I'm Off To See Cloverfield Tomorrow Night
#53
ajm
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Posted 08 July 2008 - 05:02 PM
I'm not too 
ashamed to admit that Close Encounter still brings a tear to my eye.
ashamed to admit that Close Encounter still brings a tear to my eye.
#54
AK Anthony
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Posted 08 July 2008 - 07:33 PM
I've always had a soft spot for Tears of the Sun as demo material.
Then there is Close Encounters, which just screams a replay for me whilst i have the chance.
Then there is Close Encounters, which just screams a replay for me whilst i have the chance.
#55
The D-Train
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Posted 08 July 2008 - 08:05 PM
ajm, on Jul 8 2008, 04:32 PM, said:
I'm not too ashamed to admit that Close Encounter still brings a tear to my eye.
ashamed to admit that Close Encounter still brings a tear to my eye.
#56
ajm
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Posted 08 July 2008 - 08:10 PM
The D-train, on Jul 8 2008, 08:05 PM, said:
just be ashamed like me when ET still does.
#57
The D-Train
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Posted 08 July 2008 - 08:18 PM
ajm, on Jul 8 2008, 07:40 PM, said:
I howled at the end of the last episode of Band of Brothers when they revealed who the soldiers being interviewed during the prologues actually were. Seeing them still try to deal with the loss, the fear and the pain of what they went through is just heart breaking.
#58
SimonNo10
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Posted 09 July 2008 - 10:06 AM
Quote
Didn't you do a review yourself?
Your point?? That was the movie not the BD disc. I asked for others to voice their opinions on the BD disc as I'm very interested in their thoughts
Is there a problem with that? I'm surprised to see you bothering to post what you did considering your post number. By the way that first link doesn't work. Anyway.... I did in fact receive the disc yesterday and gave it a short spin last night. I was presented with a very nice picture in 1.85 ratio filling my 100" nicely. The audio on this disc is incredible with very powerful bass in almost every scene that the creature appears. You know your in in for some serious rumbling as there's very low bass at the start of the credits similar to the 5th Element. I totally agree with the review done by H-Fi Digest and also agree with their score.
#59
Chesty
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Posted 09 July 2008 - 10:32 AM
Patton - Region A
Most with even a passing interest in war movies and World War 2 will know what this movie is about. It is rather long though, clocking in at 3 hours or so.
Now while I love my war movies, I had not seen this in its entirety. Only bits here and their. It actually stacks up quite well for a movie so old. George C Scott is fantastic as Patton and the support cast does a great job also.
PQ
Simply awesome. You have to remember that this movie was made in 1969 and it puts a lot of new releases to shame.
Just check out the detail on Pattons uniform when he does his famous speech at the start. This transfer really is top notch. You will never have seen a movie so old look this good.
AQ
While the DTS HD MA encode does an admirable job, the fact is that it just does not have a lot to work with. While the mix is lively enough, with some good use of the rears during the battle scenes, as one would expect is really quite shallow and with no real depth. I doubt my subwoofer even had any use during the whole movie.
Dialogue is quite clear though and for a movie of this vintage, its the best you will ever hear it.
Oh and the extras on this disc are great. An extra disc no less.
A worthy addition for sure to any ones collection.
Most with even a passing interest in war movies and World War 2 will know what this movie is about. It is rather long though, clocking in at 3 hours or so.
Now while I love my war movies, I had not seen this in its entirety. Only bits here and their. It actually stacks up quite well for a movie so old. George C Scott is fantastic as Patton and the support cast does a great job also.
PQ
Simply awesome. You have to remember that this movie was made in 1969 and it puts a lot of new releases to shame.
Just check out the detail on Pattons uniform when he does his famous speech at the start. This transfer really is top notch. You will never have seen a movie so old look this good.
AQ
While the DTS HD MA encode does an admirable job, the fact is that it just does not have a lot to work with. While the mix is lively enough, with some good use of the rears during the battle scenes, as one would expect is really quite shallow and with no real depth. I doubt my subwoofer even had any use during the whole movie.
Dialogue is quite clear though and for a movie of this vintage, its the best you will ever hear it.
Oh and the extras on this disc are great. An extra disc no less.
A worthy addition for sure to any ones collection.
Edited by Chesty, 09 July 2008 - 10:33 AM.
#60
AK Anthony
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Posted 09 July 2008 - 02:51 PM
Great review Chesty; Patton BR is one disc that showcases what can be done if studios sit down and do the hard work.
Simon, easy up mate. I don't think anyone was jumping down your throat and your reaction, a bit hasty. Thanks for the heads up on Cloverfield anyways.
Simon, easy up mate. I don't think anyone was jumping down your throat and your reaction, a bit hasty. Thanks for the heads up on Cloverfield anyways.
Edited by the_wonderchild, 09 July 2008 - 02:52 PM.
#61
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Posted 09 July 2008 - 04:31 PM
Quote
Simon, easy up mate. I don't think anyone was jumping down your throat and your reaction, a bit hasty
I think my reaction is justified and not hasty (I would use that description for Lyles post) as Lyles comments had no relevance and added nothing positive to the thread. I think my reaction is warranted considering the nature of this particular thread. Thanks for the comments though and try Cloverfield it's well worth a look.
#62
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Posted 09 July 2008 - 07:17 PM
The D-train, on Jul 8 2008, 08:18 PM, said:
Ive never watch that series but sounds like I should.
Absolutely you should. Its an oustanding series and I cant wait for the next one.
#63
yorac
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Posted 09 July 2008 - 07:37 PM
Now updated, thanks all
#64 Guest_TheBlackFlash_*
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Posted 10 July 2008 - 05:20 PM
Almost Famous: I bought this in Amazon.uk's current buy two get one free. It's region ABC. This is the extended version clocking in at a whopping 161 minutes and boy do you realise at the end that you've sat through a long movie suggesting it could easily survive some judicious editing. But that would defeat the purpose, I suppose There seem to be Java based menus or maybe BD+ since the disc is quite slow to load taking a couple of minutes on my player before the menu is reached. Picture quality was overall pretty good. But more like watching a good SD DVD on a non-HD television than having that WOW factor when it comes to detail level. Now and then I noticed some problems when it came to skin tone being a little too red but only in some close-up darker shots. One scene where they are pulling up in a black limo at the hotel in New York struck me as particularly well rendered. The shininess of the black limo was captured to perfection as was the yellow of the famous New York cabs, one of which was in the background. Again, I felt as if I could reach into the screen and touch them. There is a 5.1 TrueHD soundtrack which I imagine would give someone's receiver and speakers a good workout given all the music which seems to consist mostly of Led Zeppelin ballads and those songs written for "Stillwater" conflicting with my memory of this movie when I first saw it...I had thought the soundtrack was more diverse. Copyright problems perhaps? I'd rate picture quality at 7.5 out of ten and leave it to someone else to quantify the soundtrack.
A good purchase if you like this film. Cheers.
There seem to be Java based menus or maybe BD+ since the disc is quite slow to load taking a couple of minutes on my player before the menu is reached. Picture quality was overall pretty good. But more like watching a good SD DVD on a non-HD television than having that WOW factor when it comes to detail level. Now and then I noticed some problems when it came to skin tone being a little too red but only in some close-up darker shots. One scene where they are pulling up in a black limo at the hotel in New York struck me as particularly well rendered. The shininess of the black limo was captured to perfection as was the yellow of the famous New York cabs, one of which was in the background. Again, I felt as if I could reach into the screen and touch them. There is a 5.1 TrueHD soundtrack which I imagine would give someone's receiver and speakers a good workout given all the music which seems to consist mostly of Led Zeppelin ballads and those songs written for "Stillwater" conflicting with my memory of this movie when I first saw it...I had thought the soundtrack was more diverse. Copyright problems perhaps? I'd rate picture quality at 7.5 out of ten and leave it to someone else to quantify the soundtrack.A good purchase if you like this film. Cheers.
Edited by TheBlackFlash, 10 July 2008 - 10:11 PM.
#65
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Posted 10 July 2008 - 07:01 PM
Almost Famous as a flim is certainly a close favourite of mine. Why and how i haven't purchased it yet is beyond me, but sounds alright.
By the way, which player are you using for your BR movies BlackFlash; just to know whether the loading times are more likely disc or player specific.
By the way, which player are you using for your BR movies BlackFlash; just to know whether the loading times are more likely disc or player specific.
#66 Guest_TheBlackFlash_*
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Posted 10 July 2008 - 07:18 PM
the_wonderchild, on Jul 10 2008, 07:01 PM, said:
Almost Famous as a flim is certainly a close favourite of mine. Why and how i haven't purchased it yet is beyond me, but sounds alright.
By the way, which player are you using for your BR movies BlackFlash; just to know whether the loading times are more likely disc or player specific.
By the way, which player are you using for your BR movies BlackFlash; just to know whether the loading times are more likely disc or player specific.
Hi Wonderchild, I'm using a Sony BDP-S500 (chipped so I don't have to worry about regions). Loading times vary depending on disc. Some are like lightning, loading as fast as my old Pioneer dvd player and others....well, like molasses
Worst case so far has been Run Lola Run. It felt like it took an hour to load but was it was probably somewhere between 2 and 3 minutes! Almost Famous I'd say loaded in about 2 minutes. I must start timing them.......Cheers!
#67 Guest_TheBlackFlash_*
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 05:30 PM
Life of Brian: Again this was bought in Amazon.uk's recent buy two get one free promo. The disc is region free (ABC) but took almost 2 minutes and fifteen seconds to load on my Sony player from the moment the tray closed until I saw the Sony logo! I was a little wary of buying this after the fiasco of Die Hard and Wall Street since it's an older film. But it's not 20th Century Fox and I have to say that Sony Pictures have done an incredible job transferring this. It's difficult to believe that it's older than the two Fox movies as the colours are perfectly rendered, I saw little noise and there is an excellent level of detail noticeable in the textures of walls and people's skin. That 3D effect is definitely apparent in a lot of scenes most notably when Brian disturbs the "vow of silence" man in the hole in the ground while being chased. As he remonstrates with the nutters chasing him, the crowd really does "stand out" from the background. Also notable for an excellent level of detail are those scenes in Pilate's audience chamber. While the humour has worn a bit thin over the years, it's still an enjoyable movie and all the more so given the fantastic transfer. Since the movie is dialogue driven, your speakers won't get much use but the sound is clear. I'd give the picture quality 8 or perhaps 8 and a half out of ten
If your a fan, purchase with confidence! Cheers.
If your a fan, purchase with confidence! Cheers.
Edited by TheBlackFlash, 12 July 2008 - 12:18 AM.
#68
AK Anthony
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 08:06 PM
Out of curiosity BlackFlash, how's the disc (Life of Brian) rate in the extras department? That is, is there anything included or a bare-bones package?
#69 Guest_TheBlackFlash_*
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Posted 11 July 2008 - 09:05 PM
the_wonderchild, on Jul 11 2008, 08:06 PM, said:
Out of curiosity BlackFlash, how's the disc (Life of Brian) rate in the extras department? That is, is there anything included or a bare-bones package?
There are definitely extras, Wonderchild. I'll take a look later and post what's on the disc.
And they are:
An all new hour-long revelation "The Story of Brian" (Bwian??
) from Monty Python;An original illustrated 110 minute recording by the Pythons of their early screenplay in progress;
Commentary by Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Terry Jones;
Commentary by John Cleese and Michael Palin;
Original radio ads by Mrs Cleese, Mrs Idle, Mrs Gilliam and Michael Palin's dentist;
Deleted scenes.
I haven't watched or listened to any of them yet. They are in SD.
Cheers.
Reason for edit: additional information.
Edited by TheBlackFlash, 12 July 2008 - 04:02 AM.
#70
AK Anthony
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Posted 12 July 2008 - 10:07 AM
Suprisingly not a bad lineup; thanks for the info mate.
#71
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Posted 12 July 2008 - 11:41 AM
First of the blu-ray reviews from me. Just got my PS3. 
Shakira Oral Fixation Tour Region A
I fell in love with concert titles after watching Roy Orbison Black & White Night on HD DVD, so this was one of the first blu-rays I bought.
PQ 4/5 - Noise free even in darker crowd scenes, the stage was colourful & vibrant with good cinematography to capture Shakira shakin' it. Very pleasing to the eye.
AQ 4/5 - watched it in PCM 5.1. If Roy Orbison was a perfect balance between vocals & instruments (sorry for referring to HD DVD), I felt Shakira was slightly vocal heavy. The concert was still excellent with Shakira's powerful voice, good mid range, bass & that concert ambienece.
One can't become a world-wide phenomenon with just a pretty face & hot body. And Shakira does a great job showing off her many talents in this concert.
More than half the 17 tracks are in Spanish but they sound as good as more well-known hits (Whenever Wherever, Underneath Your Clothes, Hips Don't Lie).
This one is definitely a keeper for me.
Shakira Oral Fixation Tour Region A
I fell in love with concert titles after watching Roy Orbison Black & White Night on HD DVD, so this was one of the first blu-rays I bought.
PQ 4/5 - Noise free even in darker crowd scenes, the stage was colourful & vibrant with good cinematography to capture Shakira shakin' it. Very pleasing to the eye.
AQ 4/5 - watched it in PCM 5.1. If Roy Orbison was a perfect balance between vocals & instruments (sorry for referring to HD DVD), I felt Shakira was slightly vocal heavy. The concert was still excellent with Shakira's powerful voice, good mid range, bass & that concert ambienece.
One can't become a world-wide phenomenon with just a pretty face & hot body. And Shakira does a great job showing off her many talents in this concert.
More than half the 17 tracks are in Spanish but they sound as good as more well-known hits (Whenever Wherever, Underneath Your Clothes, Hips Don't Lie).
This one is definitely a keeper for me.
#72
yorac
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Posted 12 July 2008 - 04:42 PM
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Region A
PQ: 4.25/5 - Another very good transfer of a recent release
AQ: 4.5/5 - I listened to this in Dolby True, a largely dialogue driven movie with some solid LFE in the right places
The movie - Been looking forward to this one for sometime and not disappointed, for those with kids under 10 I would definitely recommend they watch with an adult as there are a couple of scenes that young one might baulk at though nothing too bad, if you're into these types of movies it is well worth a watch
and Page 1 updated with all submitted
Region A
PQ: 4.25/5 - Another very good transfer of a recent release
AQ: 4.5/5 - I listened to this in Dolby True, a largely dialogue driven movie with some solid LFE in the right places
The movie - Been looking forward to this one for sometime and not disappointed, for those with kids under 10 I would definitely recommend they watch with an adult as there are a couple of scenes that young one might baulk at though nothing too bad, if you're into these types of movies it is well worth a watch
and Page 1 updated with all submitted
Edited by yorac, 12 July 2008 - 04:49 PM.
#73
yorac
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Posted 12 July 2008 - 09:11 PM
Men in Black
Region A
PQ: 3.8/5 - This can go from reference to poor in some places, with grain and noise prevalent in a couple of outdoor scenes that are certainly the worst I have seen on BR so far
AQ: 4.5/5 - No complaints audio wise, a great soundtrack IMO
The Movie - If you're a fan definitely worth the upgrade, the grain and noise scenes only last a couple of minutes, if you're not sure I would hire first, a keeper for me and enjoyed watching it again and I feel it has held up well given it's release date
Region A
PQ: 3.8/5 - This can go from reference to poor in some places, with grain and noise prevalent in a couple of outdoor scenes that are certainly the worst I have seen on BR so far
AQ: 4.5/5 - No complaints audio wise, a great soundtrack IMO
The Movie - If you're a fan definitely worth the upgrade, the grain and noise scenes only last a couple of minutes, if you're not sure I would hire first, a keeper for me and enjoyed watching it again and I feel it has held up well given it's release date
#74
minbinpin
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Posted 12 July 2008 - 09:13 PM
Watched Enchanted region A last night - another great family movie.
PQ 4.5/5 - To my eyes, it's as good as it gets. I'm just leaving out half a point just in case that perfect transfer better than all others turns up in the future.
AQ 4.5/5 - In 24 bit TrueHD, again as good as it gets. Crystal clear dialogue, songs & dynamic punch in action sequences... It was unexpected for a family movie & very pleasant. Even my wife commented on the "better sound" (& she never cares about the AQ).
Despite the flawless video & audio though, what stands out the most in this film is the classic enchanting storyline. Amy Adams is fabulous & totally believable as an animation character in the real world. The movie has just the right amount of animation & CGI to get kids' imaginations going. And the scores! Absolutely loved the sequence at the Central park & the dance at the ball.
Can't recommend this movie enough for young families. Another keeper & not just for my children!
PQ 4.5/5 - To my eyes, it's as good as it gets. I'm just leaving out half a point just in case that perfect transfer better than all others turns up in the future.
AQ 4.5/5 - In 24 bit TrueHD, again as good as it gets. Crystal clear dialogue, songs & dynamic punch in action sequences... It was unexpected for a family movie & very pleasant. Even my wife commented on the "better sound" (& she never cares about the AQ).
Despite the flawless video & audio though, what stands out the most in this film is the classic enchanting storyline. Amy Adams is fabulous & totally believable as an animation character in the real world. The movie has just the right amount of animation & CGI to get kids' imaginations going. And the scores! Absolutely loved the sequence at the Central park & the dance at the ball.
Can't recommend this movie enough for young families. Another keeper & not just for my children!
#75
yorac
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Posted 12 July 2008 - 09:15 PM
Thanks Min and all, post 1 updated
