Behind The Yellow Line (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Behind The Yellow Line (Blu-ray Review)

In 1985 Behind The Yellow Line, an entertaining romantic comedy with plenty of sweet-bordering-bitter romance, conquered the hearts of the audiences at the Hong Kong Film Festival and won Anita Mui the prestigious Best Supporting Actress Award. It would be a different name however that would impress film directors hunting for new talent, that of a stunningly beautiful and gifted new actress determined to make it big: Maggie Cheung.

A geeky-looking young man (Leslie Cheung) is exc…

Video

Before I get into discussing the technical strengths and weaknesses of this transfer I must admit that this is the first BR disc I?ve had sent to me that truly puzzled me in quite a few ways. After you read the description below I am certain you would be as intrigued as I was.

Preserving the film?s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and boasting a 1080p transfer housed on a 25GB disc Hong Kong distrib Celestial Pictures Ltd. have provided a transfer that very much feels like something you …

Audio

The audio presentation is just as puzzling as the video treatment is. While loseless tracks are slowly becoming the norm some distribs apparently feel that top notch audio mixes should be optional. Hence, this must be the reason why, I assume, what we have here is only a DD 2.0 track in two variations: Cantonese and Mandarin. Obviously, one can hardly compare it with the strong efforts revealed by other Asian distribs. For better or worse I was clearly able to tell that the producers of this BD …

Supplements

Unfortunately, this disc does not offer any supplemental materials.

…

Final Words

A charming little film about love and the consequences of committing yourself to another human being Behind The Yellow Line will undoubtedly make many Maggie Cheung completists happy. Unfortunately, the technical treatment for this Hong Kong produced BD is far and away from the standards we have come to expect from other, more ambitious, distribs. It is certainly not a paramount disappointment that should prevent one from obtaining the disc if one happens to be a fan of Maggie Cheung but ……

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Sunrise Earth (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Sunrise Earth (Blu-ray Review)

A wonderful concept and a perfect fit for high definition.

O, the power of the star that feeds us! There is arguably no greater entity in our existence, none that wields more influence over our livelihood, than our sun. It warms the Earth, nourishes it, and anchors it in a safe harbor of the vast, inky cosmic seas. Astronomically speaking, the sun is a “middle-aged” star that seems deceptively stable. When studied up close on cold scientific terms, one observes a lively and volatile ball of gas, burning silently through space with a handful of rocks…

Video

As a high definition venture, Sunrise Earth can be frustratingly inconsistent. The nature of the subject matter gives much of the sequences shown in the series a low level of light. We are waiting around for the light of the sun to arrive, after all! As such, black crush is an issue on several episodes, as is macroblocking. Offering a 1080 interlaced picture encoded in VC-1, most episodes average around 15 Mbps, only occasionally jumping into the 20s. This leads to the inevita…

Audio

As is typical for “non-major” BDs, this release boasts no lossless sound options, and comes with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0. It really is a shame for titles like this, which are most likely written off as a low seller anyway, and not worth the effort. But “experiential” programs like Sunrise Earth would benefit immensely from a full soundscape as only a lossless format could provide. Hearing the ambient sound effects of the filmed landscape would have been far more impressive had they b…

Supplements

The sole sol supplement (har, har!) provided on this release is a featurette titled Sunrise Earth: Secrets of the Sun. At about an hour long, it provides a scientific and cultural perspective of the sun’s impact on humanity throughout the ages. Architectural wonders such as the carefully aligned slabs of rock at Stonehenge, and the extravagant temples at Machu Picchu, are touched upon – as are the educated guesses on how and why these ancient civilizations constructed such intric…

Final Words

In Secrets of the Sun, one of my favorite solar quotes is referenced. It is credited to none other that Galileo Galilei. “The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the Universe to do.” It succinctly captures the power and grace of this most important celestial body, as well as our tendency to take it for granted in our daily existence. Sunrise Earth seizes upon a novel and rather be……

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We Were Soldiers (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

We Were Soldiers (Blu-ray Review)

An unforgiving look at the first major engagement of the Vietnam conflict is now a Blu-ray disc
worth owning.

This story is a testament to the young Americans who died in the Valley of Death and a
tribute to the young men of the People’s Army of Vietnam, who died by our hand in that
place.

2002’s We Were Soldiers, I hoped, would rekindle Hollywood’s interest in churning out
high-quality Vietnam War movies, a genre that seemed to dominate the decade of the 1980s.
With films such as 1986’s Best Picture winner Platoon, the critically acclaimed href="http://www.…

Video

We Were Soldiers returns to the front lines of Blu-ray in a 1080p high definition, 2.35:1
framed transfer. This is a transfer sure to be as divisive amongst Blu-ray fans as the movie itself.
We Were Soldiers sports an intentionally rough look to it that lends a gritty, almost
documentary-like feel to the movie. Heavy grain permeates many frames which adds
a raw feel to the movie that befits the unforgiving war films of recent vintage. Much of the
movie is just the sli…

Audio

Unfortunately, Paramount has left We Were Soldiers behind in the audio department,
providing listeners with no lossless audio option, easily the biggest fault to be found on the disc,
but rest assured that both the DTS 6.1 track as well as the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track are
excellent lossy mixes. For the purpose of this review, I watched the film in its entirety with the
DTS soundtrack. Explosions, of which there are many, rattle and reverberate with a might that
truly places …

Supplements

We Were Soldiers fights its way onto Blu-ray with a decent offering of supplemental
material. A feature-length commentary track with director and writer Randall Wallace starts
things
off. All things considered, this is a standard-fare track. Wallace proves engaging and offers some
fine information and anecdotes, much like one he tells early on about placing his son in the film
and
seeing him brutally killed on-screen so as to relate better to the horror and loss of war. Wa…

Final Words

We Were Soldiers, like any War movie worth its salt (and your time), may leave the
viewer
emotionally drained by film’s conclusion, the experience of witnessing the brutality and horrors of
combat on-screen is almost as frightening as experiencing it first-hand, or half a world away, as
we see depicted through the wives who play an integral role in telling this story. We Were
Soldiers
may not be
the finest war movie, or the most brutal, or the most intense, but it ma……

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Protege (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Protege (Blu-ray Review)

Raw, elegantly-subdued, and flawlessly executed Derek Yee?s acidic cop-tale Protégé (2007) investigates the mechanics of narc-traffic in Asia. Tiptoeing between Hong-Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia pic offers a glimpse at a system with secretive players, powerful warlords, and helpless marionettes. The finale is somewhat predictable but strong performances by Andy Lau and Daniel Wu will certainly impress fans of the genre.

Nick (Wu) has been working as an undercover agent for years.…

Video

Deltamac present Protégé on Blu-ray with a strong 1080p transfer preserving the film?s original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The Hong Kong distribs have done a good job of complimenting the film with a nice and overall sharp print where detail is strong. This being said during the first half I noticed a few dust specks here and there which somehow found their way onto the print. The color scheme on the other hand is quite impressive as there are plenty of lush and vivid looking scenes where de…

Audio

Protégé arrives on on Blu-ray with a very proficient Cantonese DTS-HD Master 7.1 mix as well as a PCM 7.1 mix. In addition you will also find a Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital EX 6.1 tracks. Now, this being said this disc is probably an excellent opportunity for you to see, or perhaps I shall say hear, whether or not you could detect a difference in the sound between a PCM 7.1 and DTS-HD Master 7.1 mixes. Specifically there is a scene during the second half of th…

Supplements

In addition to the original theatrical trailer and a gallery of stills this BD offers a selection of interviews with the following actors: Andy Lau, Zhang Jing Chu, Daniel Wu, Anita Yuen, and Louis Koo. Most of these are actually extremely short addressing the nature of the characters each of the actors plays. There is also a standard Making Of which arrives in two version, a shorter one and a longer version with a slightly extended middle section. The majority of the material provided he…

Final Words

Well-acted and packing plenty of raw action Protégé comes close to being the complete package. Some would disagree and argue that the script does not rival the depth and versatility of Infernal Affairs but in my opinion everything else is practically here ?stylish cinematography, good cast, and a gifted director. The Blu-ray disc on the other hand is very well produced and will surely meet the expectations of even the more demanding amongst us. Highly Recommended. ……

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Infernal Affairs II Exceeds Expectations in Audio and Video (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Infernal Affairs II Exceeds Expectations in Audio and Video (Blu-ray Review)

The sequel to Hong Kong’s greatest film is a treat for the ears and eyes on BD, but a letdown
overall.

Sequels don’t live up to expectations. That rule holds true for the second film in the Infernal
Affairs saga. The original
won seven Hong Kong film awards, compared to only one award–best song–for the sequel.
Infernal Affairs II is actually a prequel, set 11 years earlier than the events of the first
film, although it
is separated into distinct “acts” that come at different times. Both
actors who gav…

Video

As much as director Andrew Lau fails to reconcile elements of the plot, he succeeds in his
trademark
visuals, which are paid off gorgeously on the Blu-ray. Scads of detail, deep black level and
dramatic
contrast drench the screen. The video postproduction yielded a more modern look than the film’s
predecessor, even though the story took place years earlier. Part of this cutting edge look lay in
the
gently subdued color palette that stylized the movie, rendering skin tones a bit pal…

Audio

The best feature of Infernal Affairs II is its audio performance. The quality and attention
to
detail that went into the audio production started long before the
6.1 DTS-
HD MA encode of the BD. In both Infernal Affairs
and Infernal Affairs II, the commitment to audio excellence is apparent right from the
start,
as
the opening scenes of each take place in an audio boutique shop, with high-end…

Supplements

The special features are fairly mundane and summed up in four parts:

1. Audio Commentary

2. Trailers

3. Making Of

4. Confidential File

Each of these is what you’d expect. The audio commentary is handled by Anthony Wong, and his
comments are not very interesting to put it kindly. The “Making Of” featurette is the best
supplementary material. At more than 20 minutes, it covers interviews with much of the cast
and production team. The “Co…

Final Words

As enjoyable as the picture and sound are of the Infernal Affairs II Blu-ray disc, I can not
recommend this title. The original is a work of sheer brilliance with excellent acting, pacing and
character/plot development. Compared to the first film, Infernal Affairs II is a train wreck.
The relationship between Hon Sam and Wong Chi Shing is, at times, interesting. But it is not
explored in a meaningful or fresh way, and the supporting actors and plot devices make a mess of
……

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Stealth (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

Stealth (Blu-ray Review)

Should ‘Stealth’ be on your Blu-ray radar?

It’s got no heart but it sure can fly.

Ah, to be a ten-year-old boy again. Underage to see this movie, yes, but that never stopped me
(or the theater’s ticket-takers or the video store clerks, for that matter) from seeing those
oh-so-scary PG-13 and even (gasp!) R-rated films. I grew up on the likes of Aliens, The Terminator, and
href="http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?…

Video

Stealth emerges onto your Blu-ray radar screen with a fairly good 1080p, 2.40:1
transfer. This isn’t the best transfer I’ve seen, but it’s in the upper echelon, and considering it’s
status as a very early Blu-ray release, it’s remarkably good. Some of the non-action sequences,
like a discussion between the Lucas and Biel characters in her quarters on the Lincoln,
have a soft
and dull appearance to them with little attention to detail. The film’s effects are slick and l…

Audio

Stealth never vanishes from Blu-ray, sonically. Boasting perhaps the most active and
loudest PCM 5.1 uncompressed mix yet, this disc is sure to put even the staunchest systems and
their listeners to the test. If you
like your soundtracks loud, raucous, crazy, and extremely active, you need to purchase
Stealth right now — go ahead, click on our Amazon link above. I’ll be here when you get
back. You should own Stealth on Blu-ray just to wow your friends, family,…

Supplements

For a special effects-filled extravaganza, one might reasonably assume that the Blu-ray edition of
Stealth would land with several extra features. Alas, such is not the case, and this early
Blu-ray release from Sony comes with only an Introduction to Blu-ray with ‘Stealth’ Director
Rob Cohen
(1080p, 3:56). The title is a bit misleading as we see some shots of what I can only assume is the
premiere of Stealth, a few clips from the film, and some random shots of su…

Final Words

I cannot get the image of Peter Gibbons telling the Bobs that he “just [doesn't] care” out of my
mind (that’s from the 1999 comedy Office Space if you don’t know, and may I suggest
renting that instead of Stealth). I feel the same way about this movie. After the first
act, I found I had absolutely no cheering interest in the characters, the story, anything, except in
cheering on the counter on the front of my BD-30 to inch ever-so-closer to that magical point in
the mov……

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The Pursuit of Happyness (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

The Pursuit of Happyness (Blu-ray Review)

The pursuit of this Blu-ray disc will bring happyness to your collection.

Don’t ever let someone tell you you can’t do something…you got a dream, you
got to protect
it.
People can’t to do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it.
You want
something, go get it, period.

More often than not, it’s when art imitates life that we see some of the best
movies emerge from
Hollywood. While a
departure from reality brings us films like Star Wars or the Lord of the
Rings
trilogy, it’s when those truly ins…

Video

The Pursuit of Happyness shouldn’t leave any Blu-ray fans feeling
anything but happy
after
watching this wonderful 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. This is a pleasing,
realistic-in-appearance, high-quality transfer. Colors are rich and eye-popping
with every shade in
the book
present and accounted for somewhere in the movie. Every color is vibrant and
lifelike, from the
many shots of the city (both out wide and up-close), to graffiti on the walls, t…

Audio

Boasting a wonderful PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack that is the perfect
compliment to this
film,
The Pursuit of Happyness‘ audio mix makes enjoying the journey of Chris
Gardner all the more
engaging. As good as most Blu-ray discs look, I still find myself enamored by the
wonderfully
pure and high quality lossless or uncompressed soundtracks that accompany
them, and this disc’s
mix is no exception. The theme that plays over the credits is a simple one, yet I
could no…

Supplements

The Pursuit of Happyness shouldn’t leave many Blu-ray fans with a frown
as the disc
comes
loaded with some nice extra content. Leading things off is a feature-length
commentary track by
director Gabriele Muccino. With a thick Italian accent, Muccino’s is a pleasing
voice to listen to.
He
provides some wonderful insight into his selection as the film’s director, working
with the
legendary
Will Smith as well as his son, whom he refers to as the movie’s “secret weapo…

Final Words

The feel-good movie represents one of my favorite genres, and The Pursuit of
Happyness is
another in a storied heritage of such films, including the classics like Rocky
and Field of
Dreams. I cannot think of a better “rainy day” movie than this one, so
uplifting and
inspirational is its story that even the hardest, most depressed situation or
individual
outlook on life
might just look a bit ro……

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16 Blocks (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au

16 Blocks (Blu-ray Review)

Is ‘16 Blocks’ worth the journey?

I was trying to do a good thing.

16 Blocks, a 2006 action/drama film directed by Richard Donner (Lethal
Weapon) and
starring Bruce Willis (Tears of the
Sun)
and
rapper Mos Def (Be Kind
Rewind),
plays
out like a poor man’s version of a Die Hard<…

Video

16 Blocks traverses onto Blu-ray in a remarkably average 2.40:1, 1080p
high definition
transfer from Warner Brothers. Fortunately, “average” is still fairly good, and
16 Blocks,
amidst its decidedly bland appearance and uninteresting visual style, does make
for a decent
viewing experience for fans of this movie. The image has a soft look to it with
dull, lifeless colors,
but this seems to be the director-intended look for the film. Tan and gray hues
permeate
…

Audio

Just as understated and dull as the picture is the film’s soundtrack, presented
here with no
lossless or uncompressed audio option, offering listeners only a Dolby Digital 5.1
soundtrack. Not
much of a rear channel presence is to be heard during the more mundane scenes
where just
a hint of atmospherics are only occasionally heard. The action sequences,
obviously, pick up in intensity and
offer some
discrete sound effects scattered here and there in the back left and right cha…

Supplements

16 Blocks makes the rounds on Blu-ray with a disappointing selection of
extra features.
First up are several deleted scenes (480p, 19:51) with an introduction and
commentary by director
Richard Donner and writer Richard Wenk. We see Donner and Wenk appear every
now and then in
a small picture-in-picture window over the bottom right hand side of the screen.
Next is an
alternate ending to the film (480p, 6:39) that again features an introduction by
Donner and Wenk
dis…

Final Words

16 Blocks seems like the little movie that could. At the end of the day,
it’s not much more
than a standard-fare action/drama flick with a few nice performances, and it’s
hardly a memorable
picture. Nevertheless, every time I watch it, I cannot help but to be drawn in by
the end of the
movie, despite a rather tedious first half that screams for the disc to be ejected or
the channel
changed in favor of something else. What starts as a meandering, lifeless cop
drama bec……

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