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Profile of Sean Bradford

Sean Bradford

Site Reviewer/Proofreader

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Vital Statistics

Age Group Too old. Too slow. Too good!
Video Likes Clean, crisp, pure 16x9 enhanced transfers that reflect as much as possible what the director intended.
Video Dislikes Film to DVD transfers gone wrong. MPEG artefacts, edge enhancement, macro-blocking, incorrect aspect framing, poor source copy when better is available to the distributor. the list could go on. It shouldn't. Did I mention edge enhancement?
Audio Likes Big sound. But it has to be clean and accurate. I love my subbie to get a work out and my rears to blaze as long as it is in service of the movie.
Audio Dislikes Muddled sound mixes. Hard to understand dialogue. Rear sound effects when there shouldn't be any.
Favourite DVDs Superman: The Movie Special Edition. One of the first great comic book heros brought to the big screen in a big way. The DVD does the film justice with all the extras that could have been and a really good transfer. And the sound! Five stars! The Matrix. Great fun. Lawrence of Arabia Special Edition. Classic film done right on DVD. The Godfather Box Set.
Least Favourite DVDs The first version of Dune (Force Video). Please, don't do that ever again. The Ultimate Toy Box (R4). Don't leave out extras that other regions (namly R1) get. Brotherhood of the Wolf (R4). No French 5.1?!?!? You cannot be serious.
Most Eagerly Awaited DVDs I've got Star Wars. What else is left? Blade Runner 3 Disc set? Titanic: REAL Special Edition? I guess the only thing left is the complete Star Wars Saga, Episodes I through VI with extras discs for each of the original trilogy, not just one disc for the lot. Star Wars deserves a disc on its own, and I'd love to see a 4 disc set just for that film alone. If you can do a 10 disc set for the Matrix Trilogy then you can do one for the original Star Wars Saga.

Opinions About Specific Movies and their DVDs

Titanic Yes, I'll admit that I have a copy of this DVD, but still we have to ask the questions: Where is the 16x9? Where is the dts? Where is the director's commentary? Where is ANYONE'S commentary? Where is the second extras disc? Too many questions, too few answers.
The Matrix So it looks like a cross between The Ghost in the Shell and Black Mask. So what. It works! It rocks! A great movie presented on a fine disc.
Terminator 2 It's over 10 years old, and this movie still looks great. Top sound, great story and a great disc from R1. Maybe R4 will get the Ultimate Edition someday.
Star Wars I know this movie word for word, line for line. One of my favorites of all time. No, I don't want the pirate DVD from Bali mastered off the laser disc. I wouldn't even bother. I've waited for the originals to come on to DVD, and boy was it worth the wait! I know there will be more to come in terms of these films, but what we have now is good. Get the box set now and in a few years we'll have another package that will be worthy of our attentions.
Godzilla Saw it once. If I want to see Jean Reno, I'll watch Leon: Integral Version. If I want to see Matthew Broderick, I'll watch Glory. If I want to see dinosaurs, I'll watch Jurassic Park. Don't have the disc. Not interested.
Independence Day What if Ed Wood could actually direct and someone gave him a huge budget, what would he come up with? Maybe this. Plan 10 From Outer Space. Turn off your brain and enjoy. A thorough 2 disc special edition.

Equipment

DVD Player LG DF9921P Upsampling DVD Player via HDMI and Panasonic DVD RP-82 via Component , using HDMI output
Display LG 37LP1D Flat Panel LCD 94cm (37"), 1366x768 8ms (GTG) . Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio Decoder Yamaha RX-V2300 Dolby Digital and dts . Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL).
Amplification Yamaha RX-V2300 110w X 6 connected via optical cable and shielded RCA (gold plated) connects for DVD-Audio
Speakers VAF DC-X Fronts (bi-wired), VAF DC-6 Center, VAF DC-2 Rears, VAF LFE-07 Sub (Dual Amp. 80w x 2)

Top 10 DVDs

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1. The Matrix (1999)
Derivitive, but groundbreaking. Awesome!
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2. Star Wars-Episode IV/V/VI Box Set (1977)
All these years later, here it is in my hand! I know this isn't the last word in the Saga's release on DVD, but it'll do for now. WooHoo!
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3. Lawrence of Arabia: Collector's Edition (1962)
Epic! Absolute Blockbuster. George and Steven must have watched this a dozen times as kids. You can tell.
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4. Superman-The Movie: Special Edition (1978)
Pure classic. What a restoration disc should be. And the type of extras we should see more often.
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5. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Director's Edition (1979)
People who say this film is slow, I say that they're slow. Great film with a wonderful score and special effects that stand up today.
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6. Alien: Legacy (Box Set) (2000)
A Tour-De-Force box set. Definitive in the genre.
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7. The Godfather-DVD Collection (1972)
Classic cinema that stands the test of time. Something that could be made again, but not bettered. Milestone.
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8. 2001: A Space Odyssey: Collector's Box Set (1968)
Enigmatic. Classic. Kubrick. Don't understand? See it again! And again. And again.......
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9. The Terminator: Special Edition/Gold Edition (1984)
Big budget blockbuster on a shoestring. Imagine if this Cameron fella had a BIG budget!
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10. Chopper: Special Edition (2000)
Australia can do it as good as anyone else. A very commendable Special Edition. Eric Bana is a legend.

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