While we're in the midst of a sell-off on Wall Street, HD-DVD enthusiasts are definitely in a buy buy buy market. You need to buy now because prices on new HD-DVDs keep falling, along with inventory. After listing The Adventures of Robin Hood at a record low price of $9.99, Amazon then described it as "discontinued by the manufacturer" and is now simply "unavailable." At DVD Panache favorite Deep Discount, their best stock of HD-DVD (including The Warriors, Apollo 13 and Hot Fuzz) is listed as "discontinued." Amazon's stock is still strong, and most of their titles have been reduced to $9.99. There's clearly a day on the horizon when retail HD-DVDs are non-existant online and eBay and other used outlets will be the only way to go. The bright side of this is that prices everywhere are extremely appealing, and if you've created a wish list for HD-DVDs, you should be able to cross many of them off these days (I know I have). On to this issue's scores:
Forbidden Planet: I was really looking forward to this one, as it has some of my favorite visuals of any movie. From the striking opening credits to the Id Monster's assault on the Krell lab, it's all among the best sci-fi imagery ever put on film. With that said, the transition to HD isn't all that groundbreaking, and the differences may only be noticed by those who have seen the movie multiple times. If you are one of those people, prepare to be delighted by how the Altair landscapes now look more realistic and certain scenes (like Altaira's walks in the jungle) have a 3-D quality to them due to the contrast created with the lush artificial backgrounds. Everything looks fantastic, but because it was filmed on a stage and not with natural light, Forbidden Planet's visuals don't "pop" like other HD-DVDs. Score: 6
Dune: This was a great surprise. Some HD-DVDs really give you the whoa factor, and this is one of them, where you find yourself wondering how it could ever look any better. Credit some of this to David Lynch's fantastic production design -- every scene in the Emperor's chambers looks amazing, with the gold costumes and objects naturally shimmering. It honestly looks like it was filmed a couple of years ago, not in 1984. Unfortunately, some of the special effects don't hold up under the increased visual scrutiny, but it's a minor quibble. Score: 9
Grand Prix: I'm really glad I picked this up for $9.99 when I did, it's now listed as "unavailable" on Amazon, with used copies starting at $30.35. Since it was filmed in the Cinerama format, I had high hopes for Grand Prix, and was not disappointed. In particular, the opening scenes at the Monaco Grand Prix are a true wonder. Helicopter shots of the Monte Carlo crowd leave your eyes darting back and forth at all the perfect detail on display, and director John Frankenheimer's famous bumper-cam shots during the race are everything you would hope for. Along with The Searchers and The Adventures of Robin Hood, this disc can truly show off the format. Score: 10
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: Didn't know what to expect with this one, but was excited to see how it would translate. The result is good, but certainly not great. The movie is obviously filled with color, but it's also shot with a mostly soft lens that keeps it from making a big leap with HD. Certain shots really pop, like the early candy shop scene, but once we get inside the factory, it starts looking ordinary. The "Pure Imagination" scene is an all-time favorite of mine and never fails to impress, but beyond presenting perfectly-defined colors, the scene in HD never really leaps off the screen the way you would want it to. Score: 6
Monday, October 20, 2008
The 1080 Times, vol. 4
Monday, July 21, 2008
The 1080 Times, vol. 3
Universal was HD-DVD exclusive (along with Paramount and DreamWorks) and the studio provided the format with its best vein of support, and perhaps helped extend its lifespan. This month saw the first Universal Blu-Ray discs released (among them: the Mummy trilogy and Doomsday), so BD owners will soon get a taste of the catalog titles HD-DVD converts have enjoyed. What sticks out to me about Universal's HD support is their eclectic choices for the format: Darkman, The Jerk, The Last Starfighter, Meet Joe Black, Mobsters, Sea of Love ... even Timecop!
These are obviously not the most popular movies in Universal's catalog (or movies that anyone would clamor to see in high def), but it's nice to know that it's possible to watch Navin R. Johnson in 1080p. In addition to putting a diverse selection on HD-DVD, Universal's discs are arguably the highest quality (and value) in the HD lot. I've yet to be disappointed by a Universal HD transfer, and almost all of them have an MSRP of $29.98 (compared to $39.99 for most), so they are all available now for only $13.98. Most interestingly, Universal HD-DVDs all have a special feature not found on others: an extra called My Scenes that allows you to save snippets of the movie. It's similar to the A-B feature found on any DVD player, but My Scenes are available for future viewing even after you stop the movie. This week I touch on three Universal HD-DVDs: The Big Lebowski, Tremors and The Thing.
Casablanca -- You can tell from the opening Warner Bros. logo that you're in for a treat with Casablanca in HD. If this is a good indication of what classic movies look like in this format, then Blu-Ray owners need to save their money for Criterion's initial batch of HD releases this fall. My first impression of Casablanca was that it looked more like a B&W movie from the 1960s, but it's actually better than that. Like The Adventures of Robin Hood, certain shots have a near 3-d quality, and the blacks are all dark as midnight. Only a handful of B&W movies were released on HD-DVD, thankfully Criterion will put plenty of these classics on Blu-Ray. Score: 10
The Big Lebowski -- This is a great example of an eye-popping Universal HD transfer, it just doesn't seem like it should look this good. In the bowling alley scenes you can see how the concourse (?) area behind the lanes are dimly lit, and the trophy case is illuminated by maybe one light bulb. In HD, the Los Angeles of The Big Lebowski comes to life even more, with all the neon and florescent lights looking perfectly crisp and natural. This is a must upgrade for fans of the movie. Score: 9
Tremors -- A nice surprise. From the opening shot, the image is 200% better than you could hope for on DVD, and it's probably due to most of it being shot under the hot desert sun of Nevada. The stark natural light takes full advantage of HD, and the result is something you can't turn away from. It's also fun to see that the excellent creature effects hold up with the increased resolution -- in fact, they might even look more realistic. And just how awesome is this movie? I loved it at the time, but hadn't seen it in a long time -- glad to see it hasn't faded at all. Score: 9
Rio Bravo -- My first chance to watch a movie with heavy grain in HD, and while the result isn't very impressive, it is still a good improvement. I was unsure about how movies like Rio Bravo or The Sting would look in HD, since both have prominent film grain by design. With Rio Bravo, the movie is also shot in a unique color palette, and when cranked out in HD it won't catch the casual observer's eye. Having seen it many times, I was impressed with how much more detail you see in the interior scenes -- paintings on the wall stand out, and you can see fingerprints on beer glasses. But it's ultimately not a very worthy upgrade, especially with the price still hovering around $20. Score: 5
The Thing -- Another flawless Universal effort, this time with a movie that features very little natural light. This classic still shines due to Rob Bottin's epic creature effects, which look even more gruesome in HD. The Thing is also helped in the overly dark scenes where on VHS or DVD it was a little hard to make out faces and details. These scenes now have greater definition and are easier to follow. Although I've seen this movie countless times, in HD it somehow seemed more intense. Score: 8
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The 1080 Times, vol. 2
A lot of HD-DVD reviews this week (including the best one yet), but first some odd goings-on in HD-DVD land: Some time last month, all the Warner Bros. HD-DVDs jumped in price. While they used to be going in the $12-15 range at online retailers, now it's hard to find even one below $21. This may not seem very strange, but consider that most of these are more expensive than even their Blu-Ray counterparts. A good example is the high-def-exclusive Blade Runner 5-Disc Complete Collector's Edition, which has an MSRP of $39.99. Amazon has the Blu-Ray version for $19.99 (up from $14.95 last week), and the HD-DVD for $27.95. Shouldn't it be the other way around? I hope this is only a temporary price hike, and that it's not motivated by Warner Bros. trying to entice more Blu-Ray converts.
Now, on to the reviews. And remember, these scores are for HD-DVDs, but many are available on Blu-Ray and feature the same high-def transfer.
The Wild Bunch -- This HD-DVD is proof that not every movie will translate well to high def. Peckinpah's classic still looks great, but it's barely an upgrade from the standard disc, and this may be due to the way it was filmed. The Wild Bunch is color-wise not very vibrant, brown and dark Earth tones typically fill the frame, not leaving much to be exploited by the HD upgrade. There are a few exceptions: the Bunch's send-off at the village with sunlight pouring through the trees is even more breath-taking, and the day-for-night shots after the opening shootout have more clarity. Still, this is easily the least-impressive HD-DVD I've come across and not worth the upgrade even for fans of the movie. Score: 3
Cat People -- An odd choice to be included in one of the first batches of HD-DVDs, Paul Schraeder's re-imagining of the Val Lewton classic is a stunner in high def. Set in New Orleans, there are shots that you will want framed after seeing them in this eye-popping presentation. Maybe the best example of what HD can do with dark scenes, as a shot of Nastassja Kinski disrobing in the moonlight retains a stunning amount of detail. Score: 9
2001: A Space Odyssey -- I was eager to see what HD-DVD could do with a 70mm movie, and the result is perfect, if not a tad disappointing. Maybe this is the kind of disc that deserves to be seen in 1080p (I watch in 720p) to really feel the full effect, because I was never truly blown away. Everything looks crisp and perfect (particularly in the final act), but compared to the remastered standard disc, it's not a startling upgrade. These releases in 2007 represented the first time 2001 was available in widescreen, and again I ask: how did we ever tolerate this in full screen? Score: 8
Miami Vice -- Another movie filmed in HD, putting it on a different level when viewed in this format. The opening boat race is a satisfying introduction to what you'll experience for the rest of the movie, and it only gets better with Michael Mann's usual dazzling nighttime urban photography. And yes, the mojitos look so good in HD, the mere sight of them could throw a recovering alcoholic off the wagon. Score: 9
Children of Men -- Like all recent movies on HD, there's a slight bit of disappointment since it looked great to begin with, but it's hard not to be impressed with Children of Men's realistic natural lighting and how it translates. The sudden, hot scorches of sunlight on the frame almost make you squint, and the violence seems more vicious. Score: 8.5
Black Snake Moan -- Another movie with cinematography that translates well to HD, as Craig Brewer's heat-soaked South fires up every pixel on your screen. The early shot of Samuel L. Jackson bulldozing a blooming rose garden is one of those visuals where you know you're not watching standard DVD any more. Score: 9
The Searchers -- Here it is, the best possible example of HD-DVD. I honestly don't know how it could get any better than this. What looked great on standard DVD causes you to drool in HD. I watched this twice in two days just because I had to get a look at it again. John Ford's photography deserves a lot of credit, but I really think it's due to it being filmed in VistaVision, which was billed as superior to CinemaScope. There are so many details on your screen, and life-like colors, it seems too good to be true. A 10 score doesn't do this justice, if you upgrade to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, this should be your first purchase. Score: 10
King Kong -- In the previous volume, I mentioned how I was unimpressed with 300, and wondered how well CGI movies in general would fare in HD. King Kong somewhat supports that guess, but a few scenes prove me wrong. The shots of King Kong in a neon-filled Times Square almost looks 3-D, and is one of the best examples of HD visuals I've seen. In general, though, the many CGI effects look how you would expect them to, and don't amaze you that much. Score: 7
The Sopranos -- A true rip-off in many ways, good thing I only paid about $7 for it. With an MSRP of $129.95 (and still $84.95 on Amazon), The Sopranos barely registers a blip in HD. It could be due to inferior camera work, but whatever it is this is hardly better than a standard DVD and most people won't even notice a difference. Score: 2
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford -- Even better than I expected, with Roger Deakins' lauded cinematography looking more amazing in HD. The opening night train robbery is a true show stopper. Score: 9
Monday, May 26, 2008
The 1080 Times, vol. 1
"It's...beautiful!"Since getting player I've watched many HD-DVDs, either from online rental or buying them with a dramatic discount from Amazon. With my capsule reviews I'm assigning them a 1-10 score based on their HD Amaze-ability. These scores won't be entirely based on a movie's transfer, but simply how much the HD image will blow you away.
300 (combo format, $20.95): This was one of the pack-ins with my HD-DVD player, and while I was expecting to be amazed by the picture, like the movie itself it didn't really impress me. The HD 300 looks like...300, exactly as you saw it in the theater or on standard DVD. This is the only CGI-heavy HD-DVD I've watched, but I suspect that digital special effects don't receive too much of an upgrade in HD. There's nothing to complain about here, but I don't think casual viewers will notice much of a difference. Score: 5.
The Bourne Identity ($13.95): The other pack-in disc, The Bourne Identity looks fine but because of its subdued color pallet and dark locations never really shows off the HD format the way you think it would.. But the disc does have impressive extras, showing off the picture-in-picture capabilities by switching to a satellite view of where the action is taking place, with facts about the locations. Score: 6
Flags of Our Fathers ($18.95): The battle scenes definitely enter eye-popping territory, with the amazing shots of battleships filling the Pacific and their beach landings. Natural light always comes through beautifully in HD, and there's plenty of it in the Iwo Jima scenes. This movie also introduced me to a cool HD-DVD feature, where some discs come with a progress bar that pops up when you fast forward or pause (much like how a DVR works). Score: 8
Eastern Promises (combo format, $17.95): The best of the recent movies I've seen on HD-DVD, in content and picture quality. While a lot of it is shot in dark streets and alleys, there also scenes like the Christmas dinner, which is an true show stopper in HD. The higher resolution also adds to the tattoo imagery, which is a prominent aspect of the plot. Score: 9
The Adventures of Robin Hood ($15.95): Without a doubt, the best example of what the HD format is capable of. I had heard a lot of good things about this disc, and it has to be seen to be believed. While the movie already has legendary Technocolor, in HD it's almost like watching it through a Viewmaster, taking on a near-3D quality in some focuses. Warner Bros also made the right move in porting over all the great extras from the original DVD, making this a must buy for HD-DVD converts (not yet available on Blu-Ray). Score: 10
The Cowboys ($14.95): This probably would have impressed me more if I had seen it before in non-HD. It's a great presentation, but nothing that will blow your socks off. However, there are a couple moments where you think "wow, this is HD," like when we see John Wayne wearing a coat that looks like it was stitched together by a costumer hours before. On a lesser format it would look like an ordinary coat, but in HD it looks recently-pressed with perfect seams -- not the kind of coat a rough rancher would be wearing. Score: 6
Into the Wild ($18.95): I was excited about this one, but it was strangely unspectacular. The Alaska scenes are what you would expect, but they're not as vibrant as I had hoped, maybe due to the lack of bright sunlight in the wilderness. Score: 7
The Road Warrior ($14.95): I had been dying to see this on HD since the early reviews raved about its unexpectedly amazing transfer. This is a personal reference movie for me, since I saw it probably 20 times on VHS and probably half that on the inferior DVD. Having said that: Wow! In HD your eyes start wandering away from the action and into the Australian hills that are now populated with greenery (who knew?). Lots of surprises: when a baddy punches through the window in Max's semi, you can see all the glass shards hurtling toward the screen; a few of the sunsets seem un-Earthly; and all the flames look like they're about to burn through your screen. A dream for Road Warrior lovers, or any action movie fan. Score: 10
Zodiac: Director's Cut ($18.95): This is realistically the best-looking HD-DVD out there, but it's in a different league than Adventures of Robin Hood because it was filmed in HD. This makes the movie look almost too lifelike, with almost no film grain and a quality from some light sources that make you want to jump inside your TV. Zodiac was my favorite movie of 2007 (not the best, but my favorite), so these discs seem to always be in my player. Beyond the fantastic visuals, it's just one of the best DVDs I've come across in the last couple years, mostly because of the outstanding documentaries. Score: 10
Blade Runner: 5-Disc Complete Collector's Edition ($21.95): Remember, while regular DVD consumers had to buy the big, pricey briefcase to obtain the fifth disc (containing Ridley Scott's "work print"), next-gen converts could buy a non-briefcase 5-disc version for roughly half the price. I traded in a few movies I hope to upgrade with HD-DVDs and only paid $1 of my money for it. The HD Blade Runner is everything you've dreamed of but somehow ... it disappointed me a little bit, and I think I know why. Since I already bought this on standard DVD and was amazed by the new transfer on it, the HD version wasn't able to quite blow me away. Nonetheless, this movie looks great on HD. For the first time you can see every layer of Scott's visual feast, with walls of rain, fog and steam clearly visible in each scene, with neon lights reflecting off windows and lights from flying cars bouncing off puddles on the street. Score: 9
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*Note: I actually watch my HD-DVDs in 720p, because my clunker TV doesn't do 1080p, and its 1080i setting irritates me. Honestly, I chose The 1080 Times because it sounds better than The 720p Picayune.
