Into the Blu » Joe Whip

Midnight in Paris

Joe Whip — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:24:29 +0000

Woody Allen for the past few years, well for more than the past few years, reminds of of the star athlete who has hung around a bit past their prime, sure playing well at times, but a shadow of their former glory. However, we continue to watch and follow that athlete hoping that they can still provide us with a glimpse of that former greatness. Every now and then they do just that, whether it is a slugger hitting that big home run in the clutch, of the old pitcher pitching that shutout when we last expect it. While Woody Allen has made some good movies in the past 20 years, too many were rather pedestrian. Such is not the case with his latest film, Midnight in Paris, which is a truly great film and my favorite of 2011.

The video on Midnight in Paris is warm and rich, with the entire film bathed in gold, yellow and brown tones, although a bit on the soft side, as is the case with most Woody Allen films and is simply gorgeous. The audio features a simple 3 channel design with no subwoofer and no surrounds, but captures the dialogue beautifully and presents the musical score with just the right amount of finesse, sounding very intimate. As I guess you can tell, I just love this film and couldn’t recommend it any more highly.

The Help

Joe Whip — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:12:36 +0000

The Help is a moving, beautifully written and acted film about the lives of maids in the deep south and is very highly recommended. This is a GREAT looking film w/excellent levels of color, clarity, detail & fine film grain. The audio is fine but average across the board.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Joe Whip — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:07:58 +0000

Potter ends in fine form. Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a fitting conclusion to this great franchise… this film may be the best of the bunch. Superb is the best word to describe this Blu-ray release, film, audio and video. It is a great ending to a now storied franchise.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Joe Whip — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:28:35 +0000

Crazy Stupid Love is a chick flick but is better than I had anticipated. Predictable yes but it has its funny moments. This disc features a strong transfer with a nice natural color palette & fine levels of detail. The audio has very good fidelity and an immersive mix for a comedy.

Bad Teacher

Joe Whip — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:36:35 +0000

Bad Teacher features solid video with good clarity, detail and color. The audio a pedestrian front heavy mix with average fidelity. The film leaves lots to be desired… but this disc is worth a rental for a few laughs.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Joe Whip — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:46:51 +0000

I was not looking forward to the first Pirates of the Caribbean film before it arrived in theaters. After all, a film based on a Disney theme park ride? I mean come on! However, mostly due to the over the top performance by Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and yet another great performance by Geoffrey Rush, The Curse of the Black Pearl was a very funny and engaging action adventure. As is always the case these days in Hollywood, they couldn’t leave well enough alone and turned Pirates of the Caribbean into yet another film franchise, with predictable results. The second film Dead Man’s Chest was OK, mildly entertaining. The third, At World’s End was simply awful, and droned on for what seemed like forever, a real yawner. That, I thought was that and there was no way Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush would be up for another nor would Keira Knightly or Orlando Bloom. Lo and behold, a 4th Pirates film went into production but without Ms. Knightly and Mr. Bloom but with Messrs. Depp and Rush. Well, it seems that Ms. Knightly and Mr. Bloom had the better sense as I couldn’t believe how bad Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides is. The whole film has this mailed it in quality, as if the whole cast is just going through the paces, for a quick buck. Hopefully it will be the last in the series. It is certainly worth no more than a rental, if that. As for the Blu-ray, the video is very good, with a nice sharp and detailed picture, although with at times, a rather undersaturated color scheme. The only real issue I had with the video is occasional softness in the darker sequences in the film. Other than that, this is a fine video encode. The audio is simply fantastic, with the words rich, lush, dynamic and enveloping leaping immediately to mind. The bass response is deep and tight and the film score sounds superb, with excellent depth and a wide soundstage. I just wish that the film was half as good as the audio and video presentations.

Horrible Bosses

Joe Whip — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:43:57 +0000

I canct say that I am a fan of film that feature crude and vulgar humor and I am not a fan of the film that is the subject f this review, Horrible Bosses. However, the film is interesting due to the over the top performances by two of the horrible bosses played wonderfully and with great energy by Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston. Kevin Spacey is great as always. What took be a bit off guard was Ms. Aniston’s performance which is totally against type. Gone is the sweet girl replaced by a sexually ravenous cougar who uses her position as a dentist, to molest her patients while sedated and how has the hots for her male assistant, making his life intolerable. I would like to see more of this side of Ms. Aniston, who looks great with darker locks. The video is solid if unspectacular and the audio solid as well. The audio design is rather front heaavy and unsophisticated but the musical score sounds superb and is the star of the audio presentation. Rated as a rental, if just for the performances of Spacey and Aniston.

Green Lantern

Joe Whip — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:50:07 +0000

Growing up in the 1960′s, I loved my comics and loved all the Marvel as well as DC Comics superheroes, with Batman and Spiderman being my two favs. It was great seeing Batman made into a motion picture and it was great, but with Batman 2 and the awful Batman and Robin, the whole genre went into the hopper quickly. It was great to see Batman resurrected by Christopher Nolan as well as the wonderful Spiderman. Although Spiderman 2 was OK, 3 was dreadful. While I loved Iron Man, Iron Man 2 left something to be desired. In fact, most of the recent films based on comic book superheroes have been shall we say, less than stellar efforts. While not quite as bad as The Green Hornet, another green superhero has received similar shoddy treatment, namely the Green Lantern. Must be something about the color green. I guess Kermit was right, it isn’t easy being green. Too bad too, as this could have been a much better film. Great audio and video, but a plot stolen right out of Star Wars.

The Lion King

Joe Whip — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:46:45 +0000

When it comes to Blu-ray, the folks at Disney have quite a reputation and once that is richly deserved. Their Blu-ray releases of their films and the Pixar films in particular, have been fantastic. One of the most eagerly awaited of their back catalogue releases since the inception of the Blu-ray format has been The Lion King, with its bright and bold color palette, superb animation and beautiful score, all of which, it would seem, were a match made in heaven for the blu-raay format. Does The Lion King deliver? Yes it does, in spades, and is another reference home theater presentation from Disney and is highly recommended and a must have for any film fan.

The Guns of Navarone

Joe Whip — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:41:43 +0000

Far too many action films these days are just that, action. All action and at times unrelentingly so, with the thinnest of plots imaginable, with the latest Transformers film being the case in point. Are you listening Michael Bay? Call me old school, but I like a plot. I also appreciate good dialogue (listening George Lucas?) and some great acting. I like a plot and action with some nuance, one that unfolds over the course of the film, building to a climax. They don’t seem to make many of these films anymore, and it is too bad. Once such film of yesteryear is The Guns of Navarone, which is a joy of a film and one overlooked. Unfortunately, as is too often the case, these films are left to sit in cans and deteriorate until they are lost. The Guns of Navarone was in horrible shape, both the film and sound elements. Thankfully, these problems were caught in time and a wonderful restoration performed so that the film can be properly preserved and enjoyed. The film for the most part, now looks and sounds great on blu-ray and is a great addition to any film library and is recommended.