NEWS
Wed
25.1.12
For what it is worth
Dean M
In response to comments that were posted in my review of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo's extended edition, I stated at least once that I did not arrive at my opinion of this product lightly. Previous reviews I have posted of products that originate from Village Roadshow such as Mad Max, The Expendables, and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, will confirm this.
Some of the issues on these previously-mentioned discs are relatively minor (idiotic misspellings in subtitle tracks, for instance). Some are moderate (the misconfigured soundtrack arrangement on Mad Max). Some made me spit chips when I discovered them (false advertising that Charlie was 7.1 channel; I love actual 7.1 channel soundtracks).
Also worth noting is that with the lack of cooperation the distributors have shown to sites like this compared to when they were getting DVD off the ground, publishing reliable and *timely* reports concerning the quality of Blu-ray Discs ranges from extremely difficult to impossible. It is not an exaggeration to say that I have doubts that DVD would have succeeded to the extent that it did if the relationship with the press that distributors maintained was the same as it has been with Blu-ray Disc.
Add to this that certain interests in the IT world want us to download (and pay for every time we use) our home videos rather than own a copy on disc, and one can see why the approach taken to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in this case has me gobsmacked. In spite of the content of one comment, this disc, and those of the two miniseries that follow it, are the very definition of disaster from a visual point of view.
Readers who have carefully read more tertiary things that I have written will know that I do consider it possible for video that has been mis-arranged in the right way to induce seizures (and the right way depends on interlacing to a degree, let us not forget). In fact, one fiction of mine that is in the equivalent of "development hell" is based almost entirely on this fact. I am not even slightly exaggerating when I say that I have to resort to zealous measures in order to protect my health whilst watching this disc of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (and the other two miniseries) because I cannot tell if I am seizing (albeit mildly) or experiencing induced hypoglycemia whilst trying to watch this content.
That I can say this about a disc that is being advertised as 1920 by 1080 and progressive on its cover art (and through implication in the consortium's press releases) is not acceptable. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that for me to go from trying to give a distributor the "benefit of the doubt" to wishing they would make room for someone who can serve the interests of the format and consumer better, something has to have gone horribly wrong. In this instance, that something is the transfers of the Millenium extended miniseries.
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THAT'S MY SAY
Editorial Approach and generalisations
DanielB
As many of you will be aware, it is our policy to allow our reviewers to have their own opinions and to publish those opinions only editing for grammar and to avoid statements which are offensive.
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REVIEWS
Sat
28.1.12
Colombiana (Blu-ray) (2011)
Ray N
Colombiana was directed by Frenchman Oliver Megaton but was co-written and co-produced by Luc Besson, who does have a thing for young female assassins. Colombiana is a stylish, energetic action thriller, with impressive and explosive set pieces and a delicious Zoe Saldana in the lead role.
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Fri
27.1.12
The Outside Man (Le marginal) (1983)
Ray N
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The Outside Man is an action film with some style and decent stunts, but the narrative is fragmentary, much of what happens is obvious and predictable and even the master Ennio Morricone’s score lacks sparkle. While the film is minus the charm and wit of earlier Belmondo films, it is not uninteresting and still worth watching. The Outside Man is included in the four disc set French Screen Icons: Jean-Paul Belmondo 3 from Madman that also includes The Professional (1981), The Loner (1987) and Amazon (2000).
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Wed
25.1.12
The Professional (Le professionnel) (1981)
Ray N
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The Professional is a riveting, intelligent French thriller told with charm and humour, with a superb star turn by Jean-Paul Belmondo and a wonderful score by Ennio Morricone. The film is a must for fans of Belmondo or French cinema. The Professional is included in the four disc set French Screen Icons: Jean-Paul Belmondo 3 from Madman that also includes The Outside Man (1983), The Loner (1987) and Amazon (2000).
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Tue
24.1.12
A Bit of Tom Jones? (2009)
Ray N
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A Bit of Tom Jones? was a low budget, independent Welsh film featuring mainly TV actors. The main plot idea, that of hawking Tom Jones’ severed manhood to the highest bidder, might have sounded hilarious in theory but the execution is patchy.
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Mon
23.1.12
Adventure Time with Finn and Jake (2010)
Trevor D
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What the cabbage, Finn? Adventure Time is a cool, funny new animated show from Cartoon Network which will enchant kids and adults alike. The basic animation and short run time are a plus and the voice work of the leads including Futurama's John di Maggio is a plus. The downside? This is not the whole first season but rather a selection of episodes from the first two seasons. Casual fans will be happy with the 12 episodes included, die-hards will wait for the inevitable complete release.
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