Take Shelter (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...A captivating Drama earns a top-quality Blu-ray release from Sony.
That guy's doing something right.
Take Shelter may strike its viewers as a rather dark take on Field of Dreams, a movie featuring a man plowing under his cornfield --
much to his wife's initial disapproval -- and constructing a baseball field in response to voices telling him to do so. In Take Shelter, voices are
replaced by dreams and the baseball field is replaced by a storm shelter, t...
Video
Take Shelter's 1080p transfer is everything one would expect of a Sony new release Blu-ray. The image is stunning from beginning to end,
yielding remarkable clarity, exceptionally sharp details, and strong colors. Facial and clothing textures are wonderfully crisp in every scene. Definition is
first-rate, and the image captures the finest textures on grasses, leaves, wood, the slightly battered metal of the shelter door and cargo container, and
even the pebbles and dirt at Curtis
Audio
Take Shelter storms onto Blu-ray with a powerful and reference-grade DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Audiences will listen in awe as the
Blu-ray practically creates a storm in the listening area in the movie's opening moments. Deep, booming, lingering thunder powerfully envelops the
soundstage. It's the kind of true-to-life bass that gets under the skin and rattles one to his or her very core, exactly the sort this movie demands to
solidify its thematic and visual elements. Si
Supplements
Take Shelter contains a fair array of extras, headlined by an audio commentary track.
- Audio Commentary: Director Jeff Nichols and Actor Michael Shannon offer an evenly-paced and fairly informative commentary. They fill
in
some backstory that the film doesn't explicitly cover, share anecdotes from the set, and discuss special effects, stories behind various scenes, the
process
of the shoot, the work of the cast, and moreFinal Words
Take Shelter is a challenging film on several levels. It asks its audience to engage in the story rather than sit idly and watch it pass on by like
a storm in the night. It places every viewer in the shoes of its lead character, a man who must battle the outward pressures of conformity and the
inward pressures to do what he feels is right, no matter the cost, both monetary and otherwise. The film is wonderfully paced and steadily mysterious;
it's never clear where it's going or e...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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Take Shelter (Blu-ray Review)All Quiet on the Western Front (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...War is hell, but this new Blu-ray is heavenly.
It may as something of a surprise to younger folks who are virulently anti-war and who currently protest against
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but anti-war movements are probably as old as war itself. Many probably
associate the idea of anti-war protest with the Vietnam War, since that seemed to be the movement that first raised
the issue to huge, nightly news consciousness. But even that formulation seemingly forgets an earlier
generations epochal conflictWorld War II...Video
Let the Universal catalog title bashing games begin! Those who didnt like my recent review of To" title="http://ray.com/movies/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-Blu-ray/34352/#Review\">To" target="_blank">ray.com/movies/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-Blu-ray/34352/#Review">To Kill a Mockingbird may very well be similarly
outraged by this assessment, so if youre in that camp and have blood pressure problems, you may want to skip this
section. (I jest, of course). All Quiet on the Western Front is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p
transfer in 1.37:Audio
All Quiet on the Western Fronts original mono soundtrack is presented here in a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 format and if
expectations are appropriately placed, few should have any major complaints about the results. This is one of the first talkies, obviously, and
sound recording was in its infancy, and the technical limitations of the technology back then is quite evident throughout the track. Hiss is
constant and consistent, burying some of the high end and the entire traSupplements
- All Quiet on the Western Front Silent Version (SD; 2:12:54). Just as theaters nowadays are
transitioning between 2D and 3D product, 1930 saw a similar technological breakthrough with the advent of sound, except
not all theaters were equipped to show talkies. A silent version of All Quiet on the Western Front was therefore
also released, with interstitial title cards and several different edits in various scenes. This is an archival print from the
Library oFinal Words
All Quiet on the Western Front has lost little if any of its impact now some 80-plus years after its original release. Is the film dated?
Inarguably, especially with regard to some of the overly indicating acting styles, but that is a fairly minor qualm when thrust up against this
films towering achievement. Rarely have the horrors of war been so brutally and (as strange as this may sound) poetically rendered. When the
film was released, a famous review stated that the League...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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All Quiet on the Western Front (Blu-ray Review)Adventures of Milo and Otis (Koneko monogatari) (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Family filmmaking at its simplistic finest.
Deep down inside we're all cats.
The Adventures of Milo and Otis may not be a work of art, but it is a work of the heart. Even setting aside the cute animals, easygoing
adventure, and honest themes, the movie plays with an underlying tenderness and always-evident gentleness that's touching and refreshing alike.
The movie's plot is simple, its characters real, and their challenges many; it's a genuine slice-of-life movie that shows that pure storytelling still lives...Video
The Adventures of Milo and Otis debuts on Blu-ray with a steady and film-like 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. Opening credits wobble slightly,
darker scenes are prone to slight crush, and light blocking dots a few backgrounds, but the transfer is otherwise sound and pleasant, looking rather good
in high definition. Fine detail is solid, but somewhat unremarkable. Animal fur in close-up shots appears to flow naturally, each strand generally
distinct from the others. Detail is alsoAudio
The Adventures of Milo and Otis features a steady DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The movie doesn't serve up any sort of significant sonic
elements, but everything is in order. The track is full-bodied and yields good clarity in all elements. Music is satisfying, nicely balanced and spaced and
never shallow. Light ambience helps to create a more realistic environment, even if it is limited to light rushing waters, clucking inside the henhouse, or
barely-audible meows and barkSupplements
The Adventures of Milo and Otis comes to Blu-ray without any supplements beyond a trailer. A DVD version of the film is included on a separate
disc.- The Adventures of Milo and Otis Trailer (1080p, 1:24).
- Previews: Additional Sony titles.
- BD-Live.
- Picture Dramas (HD; 1:17:33) recounts some of the same material as the series covers, as well as new
Final Words
The Adventures of Milo and Otis is a superb film about life. It doesn't hide its parallels and lessons, but it shares them with such a gentle breath
and reassuring touch that they just sink in whether the viewer chooses to fully embrace the important life-teaching simplicity of the story or not. It's so
tenderhearted, warm,
and pure that it's easy to become lost in the basic adventures of two adorable animals and the friends and enemies they meet along the way, but no
matter how...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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Adventures of Milo and Otis (Koneko monogatari) (Blu-ray Review)Monkeybone (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Sometimes "odd" is just too "odd."
You got fifteen minutes of fame and you're going to sleep right through it.
Imagine Who Framed Roger Rabbit? meets the dark and disturbed mind of Tim Burton. Imagine the creepiest Halloween and Horror movie
characters meeting Saturday morning cartoons. Imagine the stuff of nightmares embodied in a "cute" little plush monkey. Imagine the blending of
the real world and the dream world. Add all of that up, throw in a well-cast but unusually goofy Brendan Fraser, and...Video
Monkeybone's 1080p Blu-ray transfer won't dazzle any audience members, but it gets the job done. No flair, no eye-popping HD visuals; this is
a workmanlike effort that features everything in order but nothing to any high level of excellence. Fine detail is fair at best. The texture of artist's
canvas and clumpy paints as seen over the opening credits looks good enough, but the bulk of the movie features flat details. Faces in particular lack
complexity, looking smooth and undefiAudio
Monkeybone features a stable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation, like the video, won't wow any comers, but it handles
the movie's sonic elements efficiently enough. Music never really opens up; it's fairly spaced, suitably clear, and plays with both a fair low end and some
surround support, but it always feels somewhat hesitant in delivery. The low end throughout is a strength; bass is strong and rather tight, whether in
music or
sound effects, like a revvinSupplements
This Blu-ray release of Monkeybone contains no supplements.
Final Words
Despite good production values and a decent performance from Brendan Fraser, Monkeybone just falls on its face and never does gel into a
cohesive or worthwhile picture. The jokes fall completely flat, and worse, the movie is too dark and macabre for its intended audience. It's too much of
too many things and never finds its stride. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Monkeybone delivers
decent-to-good video and audio but includes no supplements. Skip it. ...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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Monkeybone (Blu-ray Review)Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (Complete Collection) (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Ein, zwei, drei. . .
Is there some kind of requirement in modern media that world class operatives (not to mention assassins) must suffer
from amnesia? The most recent famous example of course is one Jason Bourne, who at least was able to reclaim his
identity, for all the good it did him. But there are a number of anime series where the hero at the very least isnt quite
sure who he is or what situation he finds himself in, and thats the case once again with Phantom: Requiem for the
Phantom, a fai...Video
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer
in 1.78:1. This is generally a very sharp and appealing looking high definition presentation, with nicely saturated colors and some excellently
sharp line detail. What prevents this Blu-ray from receiving a higher score is the sort of slapdash look of a lot of the animation. While some of
this series is impeccably drawn and designed (look at the secondAudio
Two lossless audio options are included on this new Blu-ray set of Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, the original Japanese language
track presented via a Dolby TrueHD 2.0 mix, and an English dub presented via a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix. The Japanese language track is a good
deal more subtle than the English track, from a voice actor perspective, and of course the action sequences have nowhere near the same activity
level as the 5.1 mix offers. The English language track sports brilliSupplements
stories featuring the characters, in minimally animated shorts. Most of these feature still panels that the camera pans
across, with occasional added elements like blinking stars and the like. There are twelve of these shorts included in this
section. - Original Commercials (1080i; 4:08)
- Textless Opening Song Karma (HD; 1:32)
- T
Final Words
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom is an often fascinating and even intriguing anime that manages to keep the audience guessing for
large swaths of its running time. While a couple of the sudden shifts in character strain credulity to the breaking point, the slow surfacing of
Zwei and Eins stories make for some compelling viewing, and the omnipresent action elements means that you never have to wait very long for
a lot of shooting and fighting to break out. The only real downside ...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (Complete Collection) (Blu-ray Review)Flash Point (Dou fo sin) (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Make his day.
Is Donnie Yen Chinas answer to Clint Eastwood? Lets just put it this way: before the credits even role in Flash
Point, Yen has beaten a couple of career criminals to within an inch of their lives and seems positively on the verge
of staring straight into the camera and saying, Make my day. Yen has often played this kind of hard bitten police role
before, but the Dirty Harry comparison is especially apt with regard to his portrayal of police Sergeant Ma Jun, a
detecti...Video
Flash Point is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This is
overall an incredibly sharp and clear presentation that offers extremely strong contrast and solid black levels. The film has
been manipulated somewhat at the DI stage, with the now expected filtering and color timing that gives several sequences
an ice cold blue tint. This film features a number of exterior sequences that really pop magnificently in this presentationAudio
Though this domestic release of Flash Point doesnt feature the lossless 7.1 audio that the Hong Kong edition did, the lossless DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1 mixes (in Cantonese and English) included on this release suffice quite nicely. I personally found the
English track more or less unlistenable simply due to the expected bugaboo of poor dubbing choices, where lip movements
dont even come close to the dubSupplements
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 3:19) has a couple of extra moments, including one with the addle-pated mother of
the criminals. - Making Of (SD; 19:23) is pretty standard fare, with lots of film clips interspersed with interviews with Yen and
most of the principal cast and crew, as well as several moments of scenes being shot. - The Fight Club (SD; 2:31) concentrates on the films complex fight choreography.
- Shooting Diary (SD; 3:02) r
Final Words
Flash Point is one of those genre pictures that may well please fans, but which never is really as good as it ought to have been,
especially considering its impressive pedigree. The film has some undeniably exciting action sequences, and Yip stages the bulk of the film very
well (though his odd use of so many close-ups in fight sequences is a head-scratcher), but a lot of Flash Point just seems to coast along
on its generic momentum, rather than doing or saying anything even...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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Flash Point (Dou fo sin) (Blu-ray Review)Lady and the Tramp (Diamond Edition) (3-Disc) (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Another treasured Disney classic, another wonderful Blu-ray release...
Disney has a knack for encapsulating an animation classic in a single iconic image. A scarlet-lipped princess leans down to kiss a kindly dwarf on the forehead. A wooden puppet listens intently to the cricket perched on his foot. A flying elephant soars over the clouds with a feather clenched in his trunk. A fawn encounters a bashful skunk nestled in a flower bed. A slipper lies discarded, the only clue to the identity of a mysterious but beautiful woman. A boy sits on a bear's stomach as the tw...
Video
All bark and all bite, Disney's magnificent frame-by-frame restoration and equally magnificent 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is, hands down, one of the finest animated classic presentations to roll out of the studio's doors. Everything, and I mean everything -- every hand-drawn line, splash of color, subtle personal touch, painted storybook background, and patch of scruffy fur -- almost looks as if it were animated yesterday, no small feat when it comes to a fifty-seven year old film.
Audio
Now this is an audiophile's classic animation dream come true. Two excellent lossless options are available: an exacting DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track and -- yes, dear purists -- a much-appreciated DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 presentation of the film's original mix, restored and rejuvenated but otherwise unaltered. Both tracks are excellent, and only fall short when unjustly compared to the audio featured on Disney's recent feature film releases. The 7.1 remix is a whole new experien
Supplements
- Disc Introduction by Diane Disney Miller (HD, 2 minutes): Walt Disney's daughter briefly touches on her father's work, his love of animals, and his love of Lady and the Tramp; as Miller recalls, one of the legendary filmmaker's personal favorites.
- Audio Commentary: Inside Walt's Story Meetings: Time travel, dear readers. Time travel. "Inside Walt's Story Meetings" is an audio t
Final Words
I find myself getting more and more excited every time one of Walt Disney's animated classics appear on the horizon. Even when the film itself isn't one of my absolute personal favorites (many of which have yet to be released on Blu-ray), I turn to mush, smitten with the studio's jaw-dropping restorations and marvelous high definition presentations. (The lone exception being The Fox and the Hound.) Lady and the Tramp still has a lot to offer modern audiences, young and old, and it'...
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Lady and the Tramp (Diamond Edition) (3-Disc) (Blu-ray Review)World on a Wire (Welt am Draht) (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Recently restored, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "Welt am Draht" a.k.a "World on a Wire" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's theatrical trailer; new and exclusive video interview with German-film scholar Gerd Gemunden; and Juliane Lorenz's documentary film "Fassbinder's World on a Wire: Looking Ahead to Today". The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Ed Halter. In German, with option...
Video
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's World on a Wire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
Recently restored, World on a Wire looks great on Blu-ray. The high-definition transfer has that very pleasing thickness which newly restored older films have when they transition to Blu-ray without problematic post-production corrections (excessive sharpening, severe denoising, etc).
Audio
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: German LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The improved range of dynamics is very obvious if you have the R2 DVD and decide to run a few tests. The audio effects/noises that pop up with Stiller's headaches are also slightly more clear. Gottfried Hüngsberg's psychedelic music score also gets a decent boost - the sound is notably thicker and fuller. The dialog is crisp, cl
Supplements
- Trailer - the original trailer for the 2010 theatrical release of World on a Wire. In German, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).
- Interview - in this interview, German-film scholar Gerd Gemunden discusses the production history of World on a Wire, its unique structure, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's image in Germany and abroad, the common themes in his films, etc. The interview was recorded for Criterion in 2011. In
Final Words
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's World on a Wire is a glorious sci-fi mind bender that was clearly well ahead of its time. Recently restored by the Fassbinder Foundation, the film is undoubtedly a masterpiece of German cinema waiting to be discovered. If you could afford to buy only one Blu-ray this month, get this excellent Criterion release. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ...
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World on a Wire (Welt am Draht) (Blu-ray Review)In Time (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Tick, tock, Timberlake can't stop.
Time is money, so goes the expression, but what if the seconds, minutes, and hours in a day were actual currency?
Thats the core premise of
the sci-fi snoozer In Time, which over-stretches the pithy little saying into a feature-length extended metaphor about
immortality, the value of
life, and the injustices of capitalism. Whats next? A horror version of nothing is certain but death and taxes, featuring
a knife-wielding IRS
auditor? A legal thriller based onVideo
I know I've talked some smack about In Time, but damn is this a good-looking film on Blu-ray. It was shot by
the legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, who's best known for working on just about all of the Coen brothers' movies,
including the gorgeous No Country for Old Men. Deakins simply has an uncanny understanding of how to manipulate
light and shadow. I mean, look at that screenshot of Justin Timberlake looking out the window--it's practically a Vermeer
paintiAudio
The film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track might not be as immediately striking as the sumptuous high
definition visuals, but this well-grounded action movie mix definitely deserves its share of praise. From the clanging factory
noise we hear early on at Will's workplace, it's clear that a good deal of thought has been put into the sound design. While this
isn't the most immersive or hardest hitting track, the rear channels are put to use fairly often for ambience and effecSupplements
- The Minutes (1080p, 16:35): A rather goofy faux-documentary that features all of the main actors and gives
a backstory for how scientists discovered immortality. - Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p, 12:52): Ten short excised scenes, mostly dispensble, but a few of which
develop a subplot about Will's father. - Sneak Peak (1080p, 14:13): Trailers for This Means War, Immortals, Haywire,
Machine Gun Preacher, MarthaFinal Words
In Time could've been so much better if it were a good thirty minutes longer--the characters and sci-fi world are
criminally underdeveloped--and way less obvious when it comes to the script's overarching metaphor, a simplified
Marxist fable built more out of cliches than real ideas. It's not awful, and it's certainly watchable, but I just didn't find anything
particularly special about it. That said, it looks fantastic on Blu-ray, so if you're the sort that's easily sw...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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In Time (Blu-ray Review)In Time (Blu-ray Review)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Tick, tock, Timberlake can't stop.
Time is money, so goes the expression, but what if the seconds, minutes, and hours in a day were actual currency?
Thats the core premise of
the sci-fi snoozer In Time, which over-stretches the pithy little saying into a feature-length extended metaphor about
immortality, the value of
life, and the injustices of capitalism. Whats next? A horror version of nothing is certain but death and taxes, featuring
a knife-wielding IRS
auditor? A legal thriller based onVideo
I know I've talked some smack about In Time, but damn is this a good-looking film on Blu-ray. It was shot by
the legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, who's best known for working on just about all of the Coen brothers' movies,
including the gorgeous No Country for Old Men. Deakins simply has an uncanny understanding of how to manipulate
light and shadow. I mean, look at that screenshot of Justin Timberlake looking out the window--it's practically a Vermeer
paintiAudio
The film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track might not be as immediately striking as the sumptuous high
definition visuals, but this well-grounded action movie mix definitely deserves its share of praise. From the clanging factory
noise we hear early on at Will's workplace, it's clear that a good deal of thought has been put into the sound design. While this
isn't the most immersive or hardest hitting track, the rear channels are put to use fairly often for ambience and effecSupplements
- The Minutes (1080p, 16:35): A rather goofy faux-documentary that features all of the main actors and gives
a backstory for how scientists discovered immortality. - Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p, 12:52): Ten short excised scenes, mostly dispensble, but a few of which
develop a subplot about Will's father. - Sneak Peak (1080p, 14:13): Trailers for This Means War, Immortals, Haywire,
Machine Gun Preacher, MarthaFinal Words
In Time could've been so much better if it were a good thirty minutes longer--the characters and sci-fi world are
criminally underdeveloped--and way less obvious when it comes to the script's overarching metaphor, a simplified
Marxist fable built more out of cliches than real ideas. It's not awful, and it's certainly watchable, but I just didn't find anything
particularly special about it. That said, it looks fantastic on Blu-ray, so if you're the sort that's easily sw...Read full review: Blu-ray.com
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In Time (Blu-ray Review)
- The Minutes (1080p, 16:35): A rather goofy faux-documentary that features all of the main actors and gives
- The Minutes (1080p, 16:35): A rather goofy faux-documentary that features all of the main actors and gives
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 3:19) has a couple of extra moments, including one with the addle-pated mother of
- All Quiet on the Western Front Silent Version (SD; 2:12:54). Just as theaters nowadays are
(4.67 out of 5)