RocknRolla
THE MOVIE- 2 stars out of 5
Directed by Madonna’s ex, RocknRolla is a real mishmash of a film. The film takes place in London and involves a Russian mobster who comes to London to build a building that is prohibited by London’s building code. He hires a local mobster, Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson), to persuade the lawmakers and zoning officers to approve the deal. However, some small town hoods who Lenny swindled out of a building and funds, get involved and play both sides without knowing it. Interwoven into this is Lenny’s stepson, a drugged out rocker, who steals the Russian’s good luck painting, and starts to unravel the entire scheme. As I noted above, this is a rather disjointed film which frankly, was hard to follow at times, jumping from one subplot to another, without mush in the way of coherency. It is almost as if bits of three different films were woven into one. Make no mistake, the film has its moments, just not enough of them to warrant a recommendation other than as a rental.
THE VIDEO- 4 stars out of 5
RocknRolla is encoded with VC-1 and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1. This is a very odd looking film featuring a washed out and very unnatural looking color palette. If you are looking for a film with a bright and natural color scheme, this is not the film for you. On the plus side, black levels are fairly deep resulting in an image with good depth. Detail is better than average as well with nice facial detail and background details. Shadow detail is also well presented. While there are a number of positive elements in the look of this film, the color scheme is so bizarre that I really can’t give it a rating more than 4 stars.
THE AUDIO- 4 1/3 stars out of 5
In a nice surprise from the folks at Warner Brothers, RocknRolla is presented with a lossless Dolby True HD track. The dialogue track is well recorded and well placed in the mix. The overall fidelity of the track is very good with a smooth and open sound with good transparency and imaging. Gunshots were well presented with the appropriate heft, sounding very realistic. Dynamics are good as well with very good bass response. The musical score in particular is well well presented. On the down side, the sound mix is a bit more front heavy than I would have expected for an action type film, lacking the overall sense of immersion that I would expected. Other than the lack of immersion, RocknRolla presents a solid audio presentation that will please fans of the film.
EXTRAS
RocknRolla has several extras including a digital copy of the film compatible with PCs and Macs. Also included is a commentary with Guy Ritchie and Mark Strong and the featurette Guy’s Town: Guy Ritchie shapes a crime saga around London’s evolving landscape, Blokes, Birds and Backhanders: Explore the World of RocknRoIlla.
IN CONCLUSION
RocknRolla is an interesting if disjointed film which features an odd video presentation and a solid if not spectacular audio track. Recommended as a rental only.
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APPALOOSA
THE MOVIE- 3 stars out of 5
Appalossa is based upon the novel by Robert B. Parker. The film is produced and directed by Ed Harris who also co-wrote the screenplay as well as starring in the lead role of Virgil Cole. Virgil Cole is quite a character who along with his “deputy” Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) travels from town to town in the New Mexico territory in the late 1800’s and is hired by the locals to clean up their towns, either jailing or killing the outlaws, with the attitude that it is better to shoot first and ask questions later. They are given carte blanche to do what they think is necessary to clean up the town. When they arrive in town they set out to capture and execute the local outlaw played by Jeremy Irons who they suspect of killing the previous marshall and his deputies. However, Virgil’s life in the town of Appaloosa is complicated when he meets and falls for a local woman played by Renee Zellweger, who is more than she seems.
Appaloosa is a well written and well acted western with plenty of suspense and action. Overall, it was a enjoyable two hours of viewing and well worth a look. Recommended as a rental only.
THE VIDEO- 4 1/3 stars out of 5
Appaloosa is encoded with VC-1 and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1. This is a fine looking film with a very natural and well saturated color palette which captures the old west vistas beautifully and was a feast for the eyes following the prior reviewed film, RocknRolla. Skin tones are spot on as was the entire color gamut. The film features very natural looking and varying shades of brown, with occasional splashes of green and captures the look of the terrain in the old west beautifully. Black levels are also deep and stable, presenting an excellent sense of depth. Clarity is good although not on the level of the best looking Blu-Ray encodes. Where this film falls a bit short is in the level of detail, especially on distance shots which look a bit soft. The level of detail also falls noticeably short in darker interior scenes. Other than this short coming, this is a fine looking film and will no doubt please fans of the film.
THE AUDIO- 4 2/5 stars out of 5
The audio track on Appaloosa is encoded with Dolby True HD and sound fantastic with a very smooth and open sound with no hint at all of harshness. The dialogue track boasts very high fidelity especially the narration by Viggo Mortensen and the musical score. The sound also boasts very good transparency and imaging. Dynamics are good as well with good bass. The dynamics are best illustrated in how the sound of the stream engine is captured and the gunshots which all have the appropriate weight and heft and sound very convincing, especially the train which sounds though it is plowing right through your room. Where the sound design falls a bit short is in the engagement of the surrounds which while active throughout the film, just don’t deliver the total sense of immersion which are the hallmarks of the best sound designs. Other than this minor, this is a fine sounding film.
EXTRAS
Appaloosa boasts several extras including a commentary by Ed Harris and Robert Knott as well as additional scenes with selectable commentaries by Ed Harris and Robert Knott. This latter extra is in high definition. Also included are 4 featurettes including Bringing the Characters of Appaloosa to Life, Historic Accuracy of Appaloosa: The Town of Appaloosa and Dean Sender’s Return to the Western.
IN CONCLUSION
Appaloosa features good audio and video and is a fine film and is well worth a look. However, I don’t view the film as one that you will want to watch more than once and therefore rate it as a rental only.
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ZODIAC
THE MOVIE- 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Zodiac, presented in high def for the second time (previously released on HD-DVD) as a two disc director’s cut, is a fascinating and compelling account of the hunt for the “Zodiac” killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1960’s through the early 1970’s. The film is directed by David Fincher (Se7en and Panic Room) and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey, Jr. The film contains some rather graphic violence and starts off with a rather gruesome shooting. Robert Downey, Jr. ‘s character is a boozing and drug taking investigative reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. Jake Gyllenhaal;s character on the other hand is the paper’s cartoonist who takes a keen interest in the investigation after the first of the Zodiac killer’s letters arrives at the paper taking credit for his murders and predicting more. In fact, it is this character’s relentless pursuit of the killer’s identity over the years, much to his personal detriment, which drives the film. While the film is long, clocking in at over 3 hours, the time does seem to fly by as you are sucked into the pursuit of the killer and experience the fear that gripped the Bay area during those days. Highly Recommended.
THE VIDEO- 4 3/4 stars out of 5
Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is a rather stylized film with the overall color scheme skewed to what I would describe as a California gold which was popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s. As such, the film does not present very accurate looking colors and appears to be processed in a manner so that the film appears to have been made in the 1960’s. Black level is deep and solid presenting an excellent sense of image depth. There was no visible noise that I could see in the film. The print is as pristine as one would expect from a new film. My biggest complaint about this presentation is the softness of the opening sequence. The overall color palette is also rather drab. However, this encode boasts an excellent level of detail that is a sight to behold with a exceptional level of clarity. Once you get through the opening sequence and past the drab and skewed color palette, you will be impressed with the level of detail in this presentation. From skin textures to background details, to the letters from the killer and even newspapers on desks, all details are clearly visible. This is one fine looking encode and will thrill fans of the film.
THE AUDIO- 4 stars out of 5
Unlike the prior HD DVD release, Zodiac is presented on Blu-Ray with a lossless track encoded with Dolby True HD which is an improvement in overall audio quality from the Dolby Digital Plus track. The overall fidelity of the sound is very good with a smooth and open sound with good transparency and imaging. However, where the sound mix fails to deliver is in the lack of immersion as the film is very front heavy with little use of the surrounds. Considering the tension and suspense of the film, I thought that there would have been a better sound mix accompanying the video. The audio just does not contribute much to the overall feel of the film. While the screenplay keeps you on the edge of your seat, the audio track doesn’t, failing to contribute at all to the sense of suspense. Dialogue is well recorded however and easy to follow which is very important given the nature of the film. Bass response is good as well as is the fidelity of the musical score.I just wish that more care was taken to deliver a more immersive sound mix.
EXTRAS
There are some excellent extras included on this two disc set in high definition. My favorites are those involving interviews with the real people who are depicted in the film. The interviews are compelling and well worth a look.
IN CONCLUSION
Zodiac is a riveting and compelling look into the hunt for the Zodiac killer, even given its rather extensive running time. It features excellent video and good audio and is well worth your time. Highly recommended.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
