The Blu-ray Blog » Richard Dreyfuss

The Blu-ray Blog » Richard Dreyfuss http://www.theblurayblog.com Blu-ray disc news, reviews, releases, movies, films on PS3, Playstation, players, drives, Apple, Mac, OSX, HD, HDTVThu, 06 Jan 2011 21:19:54 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4James and the Giant Peach Blu-ray Disc Review http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/james-and-the-giant-peach-blu-ray-disc-review/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/james-and-the-giant-peach-blu-ray-disc-review/#commentsFri, 06 Aug 2010 14:13:59 +0000Brendenhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=11300JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (1996, Blu-ray released August 3, 2010 – MSRP $39.99)

James and the Giant Peach quite often reminds me of the best intentioned but ultimately flawed Terry Gilliam films – films which craft beautiful, imaginative moments that hit all the right notes, only to shift tone at the drop of the hat, sacrificing pacing and an overall sense of cohesion. But like Gilliam’s work, the parts that really shine are like the finest diamonds. Or in this case, the ripest Peach.

I’ve been waiting to see Henry Selick‘s adaptation of James and the Giant Peach for almost 15-years now. And I would be lying to you if I told you that I wasn’t disappointed. Unlike most who saw it in theatres back in 1996, I wasn’t expecting a repeat of his very successful Nightmare Before Christmas – another Selick outing produced by (and in that case, conceived and designed by) Tim Burton. To his credit here, it’s Selick’s fully animated scenes that are the highlight of the picture. Some of the stop-motion work is truly inspiring – a showdown with a giant mechanical shark and underwater battle with pirate-skeletons come immediately to mind. But the film, sadly, falls apart in its clunky, live-action opening and closing scenes.

The first act of this adaptation of the famous Roald Dahl novel feels off kilter, as a live-action James loses his parents and moves in with his abusive aunties who make him work day and night, with only left over fish heads to eat. It isn’t until a magical giant peach grows in their yard that the film comes to life. James and his world become stop-motion animated as he meets a group of insects who join him on a journey over the wild seas to New York City in their giant-peach mobile, flown through the air by a flock of captured seagulls. Sadly, after all the wonderfully rendered scenes of high adventure, it ends as it began, with real-life actors on real-life sets and some really stiff, uncomfortable-looking performances. Perhaps Selick just isn’t comfortable directing actors. He should stick to animation.

Clearly, the animation is the highlight of James and the Giant Peach. That’s why this Blu-ray disc presentation will be such a disappointment to most who’ll pick it up. It appears quite soft and aged, like a film from a much earlier decade, rich with grain and a seemingly colour-shifted palette. Disney has cleaned the film up and granted it a great transfer for this new Blu-ray. I’m certain that most of the gauzy haze that seems to overpower some scenes here (notably the live-action ones) is intentional and part of the style of the picture. The image may not appear clean and modern here but the dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack goes a long way toward making the film feel fresh. This is a powerful, explosive mix that is sure to please.

I enjoyed the film well enough and was pleased with the vintage look of the Blu-ray image but the big let-down of this new James and the Giant Peach disc release is the lack of engaging bonus features. There’s a brand new, Blu-ray exclusive “Spike the Aunts” interactive game that’s probably all right for the little ones in the family. Leaving me only the 5-minute long, EPK style featurette, a Randy Newman music video (blech!), a still frame gallery, and the film’s original theatrical trailer to enjoy.

]]>http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/james-and-the-giant-peach-blu-ray-disc-review/feed/0Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of August 3 http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/top-5-new-blu-ray-releases-for-the-week-of-august-3/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/top-5-new-blu-ray-releases-for-the-week-of-august-3/#commentsWed, 04 Aug 2010 15:35:09 +0000Brendenhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=11091

I’m out of town for the week, on vacation and visiting my folks in the country where internet access is as rare a thing as social interaction. As I’m a day late getting you this Top 5 New Release list and my time online is sadly quite brief, let’s just bust into it. It’s an exciting week on Blu, with a lot of kick-ass catalogue titles being released alongside Kick-Ass the movie…Sorry. Bad pun.

1. THE GHOST WRITER

Roman Polanski‘s The Ghost Writer is one of the best films I’ve seen all year. It might not be the most high-profile Blu-ray release of the week, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s the best thing going. It’s a great script by Robert Harris (adapting his novel of the same name) with some incredible performances by some of my favourite actors (I’ll watch pretty much anything starring Ewan McGregor.) Highly Recommended.

From the Blu-ray:

When a gifted ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is hired to write the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), he quickly finds himself trapped in a web of political and sexual intrigue. Lang is implicated in a scandal over his administration’s harsh tactics, and as the ghostwriter digs into the politician’s past, he discovers secrets that threaten to jeopardize international relations forever. Co-starring Olivia Williams and Kim Cattrall, it is a taut and shocking thriller from acclaimed director Roman Polanski (The Pianist).

Special Features:

An Interview with Roman Polanski
The Ghost Writer: Fiction or Reality?
The Cast of The Ghost Writer

Amazon: $26.99

2. KICK-ASS

I enjoyed Kick-Ass well enough when I saw it in the theatre but thought it well beneath the hype that was surrounding it. I could happily go without seeing the film again but I’m curious to see how the image turned out in the Blu-ray disc transfer seeing as how the visuals were notoriously drenched in DNR from the get-go – a stylistic choice by DOP Ben Davis and director Matthew Vaughn. Kick-Ass grabs the number two position this week by heat-factor alone. It’s the disc that most people want to get their hands on right now (it’s still the #1 Blu-ray on Amazon as I type this!)

Amazon: $22.99

3. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

Escape from New York on Blu-ray. ‘Nuff said. If you’re not down with classic John Carpenter and classic Kurt Russell I’m not sure there’s any hope for you. This is one of their finest collaborations ever – the first and best outing of the tough-as-nails, gruff Snake Plissken character. I pray that this new Blu-ray edition lives up to the quality of the film itself but I fear the original elements might not have given MGM much to work with.

Amazon: $18.49

4. JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

Henry Selick hasn’t really been grinding out a million films since his big breakout animated extravaganza The Nightmare Before Christmas. But the few movies he has managed to produce in that time are true gems. James and Giant Peach might not be a picture perfect Blu-ray disc but it’s a welcome addition to my animation collection. Full review coming this week.

Amazon: $24.99

5. A PROPHET

Combine the HBO prison drama OZ with a touch of the Godfather and you’ve got a glimpse of where Jacques Audiard‘s A Prophet will lead you. It feels epic at its monster 149-minute run-time but honestly doesn’t waste a minute of screen time. This is two-and-a-half very tense hours that will fly right by. One of the best films of 2009 and highly recommended on Blu-ray!

Amazon: $28.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

]]>http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/top-5-new-blu-ray-releases-for-the-week-of-august-3/feed/1Poseidon Blu-ray Disc Review http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/05/poseidon-blu-ray-disc-review/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/05/poseidon-blu-ray-disc-review/#commentsSun, 16 May 2010 14:06:00 +0000Howardhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=9693POSEIDON (2006, Blu-ray released April 6, 2010 USA – MSRP $24.98)

Poseidon has resurfaced on Blu-ray. In 2006, the director that brought us Das Boot and The Perfect Storm completed a watery trifecta. This ill-fated luxury ocean liner returns at a time when it can benefit from a sharp digital transfer. There is room for this title on your shelf in the disaster movie section.

Wolfgang Petersen’s Poseidon is more of a re-imagining of The Poseidon Adventure rather than a remake. A new screenplay was written based on the book, and beyond a couple of homage moments, there are very few things (other than the disastrous situation) that are the same. Thankfully forgotten, is the 2005 made-for-TV attempt that involved terrorists, no less. You have to wonder why they bothered. Petersen’s Poseidon offers a more serious and action-oriented story than the 1972 Adventure… .

Technically, there cannot be many complaints about this film or its transfer to Blu-ray. Even though water effects have improved somewhat since its initial release, the giant wave jeopardizing our never-say-die band of characters is very impressive. However, there are drawbacks to viewing SFX-heavy films in 1080p where the higher resolution can sometimes bring out the “generated” in CGI in some shots. I experienced a brief moment of color banding before a wave hit and an obviously corrected low-lit shot in order to give us a better view of terrified eyes in the bowels of the ship. That aside, the blacks are well balanced for the most part–Generally, deep and rich. The colors are bright and clear and pop when they should.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound gurgled and rumbled and kaboomed spectacularly–All channels adding to the background chaos while keeping the dialogue intelligible and clear. The music overpowers slightly in a couple of ballroom scenes, but the dynamic range of the sound is still noteworthy.

The disc has honestly, the most languages and subtitles choices I’ve ever seen! It was fun to switch through the audio tracks while watching the film. Did you ever want to hear the differences between a French and a French Quebec dub track of a film? This is a perfect opportunity to hear the subtle differences in expression and translation choices. Unfortunately, the disc isn’t anchored down or bloated with loads of extras. We get to see more of the extensive make-up artists’ work than is really perceivable in the film and, the even more remarkable, achievements of the set builders, in a couple of featurettes. They reveal how they constructed shots using both CGI and the well-built, moving sets, adding believability to the to the devastation of a massive ship filled with people. In my opinion, the final cut of the film didn’t always best illustrate the extent of the craftsmanship and creativity that went into the make-up and set construction feats.

There is an interesting History Channel documentary explaining just how real and deadly the phenomena of rogue waves is, but sadly, there is no commentary–Some director insights would have been welcomed. A filmmaker with his “experience” with the sea must have been asked several times over the years about his affinity for the open water and all of its power and desolation. There is however, a feature that is a production assistant’s view of the huge undertaking of Poseidon that does yield some candid moments.

Watching this film is as close to taking a cruise, as I want to get, but that has nothing to do with the film –I’m just not a boat person…but if I were…I’d reconsider. In case you find yourself in a similar situation, remember the keys to survival: You are stronger as a team than as individuals, and never, ever leave your child unattended on a big boat.

]]>http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/05/poseidon-blu-ray-disc-review/feed/0[VIDEO] James and the Giant Peach Blu-ray Trailer http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/02/video-james-and-the-giant-peach-blu-ray-trailer/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/02/video-james-and-the-giant-peach-blu-ray-trailer/#commentsTue, 23 Feb 2010 14:48:58 +0000Brendenhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=8141

I’m not sure how I missed this one last month. A trailer for Henry Selick‘s (Coraline) stop-motion animated James and Giant Peach has turned up on YouTube! Disney has yet to announce the title so all that’s known about the release is what you can see in the trailer. However, it seems as if the Blu-ray disc is being marketed to take advantage of the upcoming Tim Burton film, Alice in Wonderland (Burton was a producer on Peach). It seems likely that we’ll see James and the Giant Peach on Blu-ray in a release that coincides with Wonderland, sometime in June.

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