Mainstream Cinema

DVD review: Peter Pan: Platinum Edition

It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to consider Peter Pan to be the most disappointing release yet in the Platinum Edition series. While Disney has released other, poorer DVDs, it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect something more from a line that the studio itself claims delivers "state-of-the-art bonus features" and top-notch audio-visual presentations. Those who don't already own this title on DVD should pick this release up, if only for the inclusion of the mono audio, but those who have one of the earlier editions would be advised to consider whether it's worth it in the long run.

Following the the second star to the right, I've flown away to Never Land to do battle with the nefarious Captain Hook in a review of Disney's recent Platinum Edition release of Peter Pan...

April 1st Criterion extravaganza

The Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has just announced the addition of several extremely prestigious titles to their ever-growing library. Why, there's Problem Child, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Crossroads: A Britney Spears Tale, and even Road Trip! With prices ranging from $39.99 to $79.99, this is clearly an exclusive range, so which one will you be purchasing first?

DVDs I bought or received in the month of March

• Asterix and the Vikings (R2 UK, DVD)
• Casino Royale (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Children of Men (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• The Devil's Rejects (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• District B13 (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (R0 Germany, HD DVD)
• Peter Pan: Platinum Edition (R1 USA, DVD)
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse (RA USA, Blu-ray)

It occurs to me that I haven't received a a single standard definition DVD that I've actually paid for in over a month - Peter Pan and Asterix and the Vikings were review copies. This is a trend that I expect will continue in the foreseeable future: broadly speaking, I feel less and less compelled to actually pay money for standard definition titles. Obviously, it's a different story with something obscure like the Bava box set I ordered earlier this week, which I know is unlikely to come out in high definition in the near future, if at all, but by and large, I'm finding myself with increasingly little desire to buy mainstream titles on DVD.

HD happenings

This morning, I received a copy of the Korean Blu-ray release of Casino Royale from YesAsia. The Korean release, as you may be aware, is, unlike the US version, supposed to be uncensored. Warning lights should have gone off immediately when the disc booted in English and with exactly the same audio and subtitle configurations as the US disc I already own, and a brief glance at the black and white bathroom beating which opens the film confirmed my worst fears: whatever the state of the theatrical and standard definition DVD releases of the film in Korea, the Blu-ray version is the same butchered PG-13 rated cut released in America. Actually, it's the exact same disc, right down to the "Made in the USA" text on the label. Naturally, I'll be selling one of them as soon as possible.

Needless to say, I would still like to get my hands on an uncut copy of the film, but I won't be doing so until I've had explicit confirmation that a version exists on Blu-ray that hasn't fallen foul of the scissors of either the MPAA, the BBFC or the FSK (the body in charge of film and video ratings in Germany, who also saw fit to interfere with Casino Royale). Of course, the real culprit in all this mess is Sony for insisting on low age ratings, but, having seen the film in both its cut and uncut states, I have to say that I find the censors' editorial decisions to be rather silly. I mean, how can a shot of a bad guy grabbing Eva Green's leg elevate the film from PG-13 to R territory?

Je suis pissé, as the French would say.

There's better news all round for the HD DVD camp, however. After a slow few months, sales figures are continuing to rise. Cue the Blu-ray camp once again claiming that the Amazon.com sales figures are meaningless - funny how the boot was on the other foot a couple of weeks ago when the Blu crew had a clear lead. Meanwhile, I received a review copy of the HD DVD/DVD combo release of Children of Men, and I'm pleased to report that it features an excellent transfer and a top notch audio mix (only Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1, no TrueHD, but I doubt many people will complain when they hear it). In fact, I'd go so far as to place them both in the lower 10/10 band, or at the very least upper 9/10. The film is brilliant too. I wanted to see this when it was on at the cinema, but, as is usually the case, I never got around to going. Watching it in high definition with an excellent transfer on Lyris's brand new 5.1 setup is, I suppose, the next best thing. I highly recommend checking it out if you get the opportunity, although a glance at the DVD side of this combo release reveals that the standard definition transfer is, erm, not very good.

The king is dead - long live the king!

Source: Animation World Magazine

The Disney direct-to-video animated sequel is dead.

What more need be said? All hail Big John!

Seriously, I can't even begin to describe how happy I am to finally see this news given official confirmation. I harbour no ill will towards the artists who worked on the likes of Bambi II, Cinderella III: Dreams Come True and, erm, Leroy & Stitch, but these "films" have run the Disney label into the ground for far too long. This should be proof, if proof was ever needed, that John Lasseter is absolutely serious about making the brand respectable again. Okay, I can't say I'm too thrilled by the prospect of a CGI Tinker Bell movie, but it's a long, long way from the sacrilege that has been committed since the concept of Disney cheapquels first came into being in 1994 with The Return of Jafar.

70 new HD DVDs between now and July

Source: AV Science Forum

LOS ANGELES, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The top studios backing HD DVD, including Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Paramount Home Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, Genius Products, and Eagle Rock Entertainment today announced more than 70 specific titles and release windows through July 2007. With movie titles like Smokin' Aces, The Complete Matrix Trilogy, and DreamGirls, HD DVD continues to deliver on promises made to fans of high definition. Additional titles for the remainder of 2007 will be announced this summer.

With attach rates that still far exceed other high definition formats, HD DVD movies continue to sell briskly at retail to a growing consumer base. The 2007 title line-up from the core HD DVD studios, combined with a strong HD DVD title and hardware presence in North America, Europe and Asia, showcases the format's global appeal and unmatched technology features. Effective April 1st, Toshiba is implementing strategic retail price reductions on its full line of HD DVD players for the U.S. market. The entry level HD-A2 will have a suggested retail price of $399.99; and the new HD-A20, with 1080p output, will be introduced at $499 (available in stores in April). The top of the line HD- XA2 was already repositioned to $799.99 on March 1st.

"The spring is ramping up well for HD DVD, with an incredible list of movies and the best priced hardware on the market," said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president, HD Strategic Marketing, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "Our consumer base continues to buy movies at rates that outpace DVD in its early years, which shows the willingness of consumers to make the transition to high definition."

"HD DVD continues to perform exceptionally well for Warner Home Video, and we see this continuing as more titles from the HD DVD studios roll out and more hardware hits the market," said Steve Nickerson, senior vice president of market management for Warner Home Video. "Fans of high definition have a lot more to choose from with the release of long-awaited blockbusters like The Complete Matrix Trilogy on HD DVD." "As hardware prices continue to fall, this is a great time to experience HD DVD," said Chris Saito, vice president, marketing, Paramount Home Entertainment. "Our HD DVD line-up for Spring and Summer 2007 has something for every audience, with hits ranging from Dreamgirls to Flags of Our Fathers."

I was a little sceptical at first, but I've had a look and the numbers do add up. Unfortunately, I can't say that a huge number of them are titles I'm absolutely dying to get my hands on, in high definition or otherwise. Still, there are some big titles in that list that should help shift both discs and players.

The nightmare of Pan

Yesterday, I received a review copy of the new 2-disc Platinum Edition of Walt Disney's classic, Peter Pan, from DVD Pacific. Mindful of both the unnaturally harsh look of the earlier (2002) DVD release of the film, as well as Disney's unfortunate habit of going overboard during the restoration process of their older titles, I was rather curious to see how this enjoyable 1953 lark had fared on of what the publicity describes as Disney Home Entertainment's most prestigious line-up of DVD releases.

Unfortunately, the new edition really is a bit of a mixed bag. While the rampant edge enhancement of the previous release is nowhere to be found, it seems that DTS Digital Images (formerly Lowry Digital), Disney's regular partner in these ventures, have once again thrown artistic intent out of the window in an attempt to deliver an impossibly clean, "flawless" digital experience for the 21st century. By far the biggest problem is that the overall colour, brightness and contrast values of the image have been tweaked into oblivion. Tinkerbell was originally supposed to have an overexposed glow, which, on this release, has been dulled down severely, making the glow look more like a muddy shadow. Actually, "muddy" is the word of the day here: the colours are generally dull and sickly. The decidedly red Indians are now a gloomy shade of brown, more suited to something like Pocahontas than this altogether more fun and colourful cartoon world, while Captain Hook now looks like he has liver damage. Everything is so murky that the hand-inked, cel-animated characters, who should be vibrant, threaten to disappear into the backgrounds. I've inspected the DVD on both a monitor and a calibrated TV: it just doesn't look right.

Respected cel restoration expert Stephen Worth, and animation directors Oscar Grillo and Milton Gray, have all criticised this new restoration, while Chuck Pennington has provided visual evidence that each subsequent home video release of Peter Pan has taken its visuals further and further away from Walt Disney and co's original intentions. I've never personally seen the film on an actual print, but I feel more inclined to trust the informed opinions of experts like Stephen Worth than the staff of DTS Digital Images, who have shown a cavalier attitude towards artistic intent several times in the past, perhaps most significantly with Bambi, which was so heavily noise reduced in an attempt to remove any semblance of the movie ever having come from film that the image smeared and warped during camera movements.

Captain Hook is the greatest bastard ever.

Even the bonus content turns out to be rather disappointing. There really is very little here that wasn't present on the 2002 release. In the past, just about every Platinum Edition has included a lengthy documentary or at least a series of informative featurettes on the film's history and production. Not so with Peter Pan, which has to make do with a 15-minute made for LaserDisc featurette, a 20-minute piece showing ideas that didn't make it into the final film, and a couple of other miscellaneous featurettes. The commentary, moderated by Roy Disney and featuring the observations of a combination of animators and critics, is of a high standard, but it too was already to be found on the previous DVD release. Of the new additions, the most significant is an abridged narration of an essay by Walt Disney explaining his reasons for making the film, while the games, read-along storybook and preview for a horrendous-looking CGI Tinkerbell movie can go hang for all I care.

It's not the end of the world, though. Unlike the previous DVD, the original mono track has been included, at least on the US release (the European versions predictably lose this vital component of the original film, no doubt in order to make room for additional dubs). It's too bad that, despite allowing the film to sound as was it was intended, those responsible for the DVD made no attempt to ensure that it looked as it was intended.

You take the blue pill...

Oh, wait. Sorry - the blue pill isn't ready yet. It's been delayed due to continued BD-Java problems. The red pill will, however, be ready for you to swallow on May 22nd, at which point you'll be able to see just how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

What am I babbling about? Why, the announcement of The Ultimate Matrix Collection for HD DVD, of course. The Matrix was one of the most hotly anticipated high definition titles last year (and rightly so - it certainly helped sell plenty of DVD players, so chances are it will do the same for HD DVD), with many expecting it to arrive at some point in the run-up to Christmas. When it failed to materialise, customers were understandably disappointed, but it seems that Warner are intent on making up for lost time by releasing what looks set to be the single most comprehensive and all-inclusive high definition box set to date. In addition to the first film, the shoddy The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (which I haven't actually seen - Reloaded was that bad), each film will include an In-Movie Experience feature and all of the extras from both the original and Ultimate Matrix Collection standard definition releases. (Read the full press release at the AV Science Forum. (A slightly cheaper, less extras-intensive version, The Complete Matrix Trilogy, will also be available.)

Part of me is slightly disappointed that the films are not being released separately, given that I only really want the first one. Then again, this does sound like the HD DVD box set to die for, and part of me really wants to listen to the notorious "critic commentaries", in which an increasingly disgruntled group of film reviewers lay into the trilogy. Knowing me, I'll end up splurging on the full package - unless, of course, I can get a review copy.

Oh yeah, and in case it wasn't clear enough from the little reference to one of the film's iconic scenes at the start of this post, the Blu-ray release will be arriving "later", giving the HD DVD version free reign until it deigns to put in an appearance. Many will no doubt say "Oh, it'll come eventually," but how many format-neutral customers are going to wait for that? It certainly looks like Warner have delivered a Pirates of the Caribbean beater to wipe the smirks off the Blu-ray fanboys' faces come May.

Casino Royale high-def comparisons

A nice chap has put together a comparison between the standard definition and Blu-ray releases of Casino Royale - well worth checking out if you remain unconvinced as to the benefits of high definition. I particularly recommend having a look at the third image - when watching the film, this shot was the one that leapt out at me personally as the most obvious example of the stunning amount of detail that you can get from 1080p. You can even read the lettering on the wine bottle - HD product placement!

By the way, I've pre-ordered the supposedly uncut Korean Blu-ray release of the film from YesAsia. It's due for release on March 29th, at which point I'll sell off my cut US copy.

Update, March 21st, 2007 05:43 PM: There's a whole thread filled with comparison screengrabs, from both HD DVD and Blu-ray, at the AV Science Forum.

Is it a sign of the apocalypse when an MPEG2 encode looks this good?

My copy of the Blu-ray release of Resident Evil: Apocalypse arrived today from Amazon.com. Slowly but surely, my DVD collection is being replaced with high definition editions!

Anyway, this guilty pleasure looks very impressive indeed in high definition, especially given that it is an MPEG2 encode (although, to be fair, Sony did have 50 GB of disc space to play around with). It's far from the best HD title I've ever seen, and there are a few instances of noticeable compression artefacts (Lyris has a screen grab of the most offensive one), but this is yet another smooth, crispy, grain-filled title that looks as if remarkably little, if any, digital tampering has gone on. There is a minute amount of ringing at the top and bottom of the frame, suggesting some very mild low-pass filtering, but, for the most part, I am very pleased with how this looks. A mid-range 9/10.

On a side note, as Lyris points out in his review, certain reviewers have been critical of the image quality of this release, seemingly confusing aesthetics with cold technical facts. I'll grant you this: Resident Evil: Apocalypse is not the world's most visually impressive film. In fact, it looks downright shoddy in some places. However, this has got nothing to do with the quality of the disc itself. Aesthetics are a matter of taste, whereas technical issues are not. No-one in their right mind would seriously say "Well, personally, if it's all the same to you, I'm not a fan of detailed, untampered transfers that are transparent to the source - I'd prefer something edge enhanced and DVNR'd, with some compression artefacts for good measure." We all want the best-looking discs possible, I'm sure, but certain reviewers seem to have trouble differentiating between personal preference and actual quality, and reviews criticising discs that correctly represent the source material are, in my opinion, doing damage to home cinema.

Royale cuts

Source: Mobius

Much has been made of cuts made to Casino Royale's infamous torture sequence in the UK in order to secure a 12 rating. All well and good, but few people seem to be aware that the US release is in fact cut as well. The MPAA took the scissors to it (by proxy, at any rate), with two key action scenes being cut quite substantially. The first is the black and white bathroom beating that runs before the opening credits, and the second is the stairwell fight at Casino Royale. In both cases, several shots have been removed entirely, shortened or substituted, although, in practice, these don't make a huge amount of difference to the way the film plays. I've compared my Blu-ray copy with an, erm, other version, and noted the following differences. (Obviously, spoilers abound, although none of them particularly major.)

At 00:01:50:
Dryden: "Your file shows no kills, and it takes - "
Bond: "Two."
CUT to a flashback of Bond's first kill. He kicks Dryden's contact in the chest, sending him crashing backwards into a toilet cubicle.
CUT to a higher angle as the contact flies backwards.
CUT to a close-up of Bond advancing on him.
CUT to a wider shot as Bond punches the contact in the face.
CUT to a slightly different angle as Bond punches again with his other hand. This time the contact dodges. The door to the cubicle shuts in the process.
CUT to a close-up of the two men struggling.
CUT to an overhead shot as Bond barrels the contact backwards, smashing down a wall in the process.
CUT to Bond elbowing the contact in the chest. NOTE: the first and last few frames of this shot are missing in the US version.
CUT to Bond smashing the door into the contact's face. NOTE: missing from the US version.
CUT to Bond and the contact both barrelling through the door.
CUT to a wider shot as they both land on the ground.
CUT to a different angle as Bond gets to his feet.
CUT to a different angle as Bond kicks the contact in the face NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond grabbing the contact, who in turn grabs a garbage can, which he hurls at Bond. NOTE: in the US version, we only get the last few frames of this.
CUT to Bond kicking the bin away.
CUT back to Dryden's office, where he points his gun at Bond.

At 00:02:27:
Dryden: "How did he die?"
Bond: "Your contact? Not well."
CUT to Bond hurling the contact into a row of sinks, one of which smashes as he hits the floor. Bond hauls him to his feet and manouevres him towards another sink.
CUT to a low angle shot showing the contact's face as he struggles. NOTE: the US version loses many frames at the start of this shot.
CUT to a wider shot as Bond tries to force the contact's head into the sink.
CUT to a close-up a gun on the floor, which the contact picks up.
CUT to a wider shot, as the contact tries to aim the gun at Bond. Bond deflects it, causing the bullet to hit another sink.
CUT to a higher angle shot as Bond smashes the contact's hand into a mirror, causing him to drop the gun.
CUT to a close-up of Bond's face as he pushes the contact's head underwater.
CUT to a close-up of the contact as he is held under. NOTE: in the US version, much of this shot is replaced with a shot of the contact's legs kicking.
CUT back to a close-up of Bond's face. NOTE: missing in US version.
CUT back to the contact as his struggles weaken. NOTE: missing in US version.
CUT back to a close-up of Bond's face.
CUT back to a close-up of the now-lifeless contact as he falls.
CUT to a wider shot as the contact hits the ground.

At 01:19:52:
Bad Guy 1 enters the stairwell. Bond grabs him.
CUT to Bond kicking him over the bannisters.
CUT to a low angle shot of him falling. Bad Guy 2 comes in, swinging his sword and knocking the gun out of Bond's hand. Bond and Vesper retreat down the stairs and BG2 continues swinging, hitting the bannister and causing sparks to fly.
CUT to a high shot showing BG1 hitting the ground below. NOTE: missing in US version.
CUT back to BG2 continuing to swing his sword. NOTE: in the US Version, this is a continuous shot with the shot immediately before the previous one.
CUT to a tight shot as BG2 kicks Bond.
CUT to a higher shot from behind as BG2 swings and Vesper runs away.
CUT to a close-up of Bond's face as he throws BG2 past him.
CUT to a close-up of BG2 as Bond smashes his head into a window, shattering it. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wider shot as BG2 recovers and swings again. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond throwing him against a wall. NOTE: the first few frames are missing in the US version.
CUT to a wider shot as BG2 swings again. Bond dodges under him.
CUT to a low wide shot showing Bond, Vesper and BG2.
CUT to a close-up as Bond grabs BG2's arm.
CUT to a wider shot as Bond tosses him down the stairs, flipping him over.
CUT to BG2 landing on his back, narrowly missing Vesper.
CUT to Vesper running.
CUT to BG2 grabbing Vesper's leg. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Vesper falling but stopping herself in time. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond getting up.
CUT to an overhead shot as Vesper runs away and Bond leaps down a few steps.
CUT to Vesper running as Bond and BG2 struggle.
CUT to a behind overhead shot as Bond and BG2 fight.
CUT to a close-up of BG2 swinging at Bond.
CUT to Bond aiming at BG2 with his elbow.
CUT to a wider shot of Bond elbowing BG2 in the face.
CUT to BG2 grabbing Bond from behind and hurling both of them down the stairs.
CUT to an overhead shot as they fall.
CUT to them falling behind Vesper.
CUT to an overhead shot as they hit the floor.
CUT to BG2 getting up and lunging.
CUT to Bond jumping out the way as BG2 swings his sword.
CUT to the opposite angle as Bond falls down the stairs backwards.
CUT to a close-up of Vesper looking up.
CUT to BG2 swinging and Bond dodging.
CUT to a close-up of Bond as BG2 swings again.
CUT to a high wide angle as Vesper runs down another flight of stairs.
CUT to Bond blocking the sword with his jacket.
CUT to BG2 kicking Bond down the stairs.
CUT to Bond hitting his head on the wall.
CUT to a low shot as BG2 jumps down the stairs, waving his sword.
CUT to a wide shot as Bond rolls backwards and gets to his feet. BG2 swings again.
CUT to a lower shot as BG2 drops his sword.
CUT to Vesper running to the emergency exit and trying to open it.
CUT to a wide shot as BG2 shoves Bond pulls back in anticipation of headbutting him. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wide shot of BG2 falling back. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to BG2 reacting as Bond kicks him. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wide shot as BG2 rams Bond against the wall. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a close-up of Bond hitting BG2 and then dodging another blow.
CUT to a wide shot as Bond smashes BG2's head into the wall, then throws them both over the bannister.
CUT to a different shot as they fall.
CUT to an overhead shot as they both hit the ground.
CUT to Vesper reacting to the sound of them falling.
CUT to a close-up of Bond and BG2 struggling on the floor, Bond choking BG2.
CUT to BG2's legs kicking.
CUT to a different shot of his legs kicking. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a close-up of BG2's face as he chokes.
CUT to him reaching for the gun on the ground. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to a wider shot of them struggling. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to him reaching for the gun again. NOTE: missing from US version.
CUT to Bond's face.
CUT to BG2 grabbing at the gun.
CUT to Vesper rushing forward.
CUT to a high wide angle as Vesper grab's BG2's gun hand.
CUT to a close-up as Vesper smashes his hand against the floor.
CUT to a close-up of BG2's face.
CUT to a wider shot of Vesper smashing his hand on the floor.
CUT to the gun flying out of BG2's hand.
CUT to a close-up of Vesper as the gun fires.
CUT to Bond's face.
CUT to BG2's face.
CUT to BG2's legs kicking, slowly.
CUT to Vesper watching.
CUT to BG's legs slowing. NOTE: only in US version.
CUT to BG2's face as it goes lifeless and Bond lets him fall.

Note that I'm not aware of the status of the UK release. It may be that the only cuts are to the torture sequence, or it may be instead that it also includes these MPAA cuts. Either way, the Region 3 release is currently considered to be director Martin Campbell's approved cut.

Come one, come all

She has a gun for a leg! How can you not love that?

This is going to be pretty old news for most people, but I've been reading up on the upcoming Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez collaboration Grindhouse. Described in the tagline as "the sleaze-filled saga of an exploitation double feature", this throwback to the 70s features everything you could hope for in a good old-fashioned guilty pleasure: guns, exploding cars, death-defying stunts, saucy ladies, and the perennial favourite: beat-up, scratched-to-hell, grainy film stock (something which, judging by the trailers, works wonders for the aesthetic and overall mood).

There's a fairly decent making-of available at Rose-McGowan.com, featuring Tarantino, Rodriguez and their compadres spazzing out over how cool the show is going to be. And it's certainly infectious - I can't wait to see the finished film when it launches (it's coming out in the US on April 6th, although a UK release date has yet to be announced), although I'm slightly worried by the news that the distributors are considering splitting the two segments into separate movies outside the US. Apparently, this is because of a fear that non-American movie-goers will not be familiar with the whole double bill concept. This strikes me as more than a little naïve: surely the whole point, with this film, is to bring back a long-dead phenomenon and introduce it to a generation that has never experienced the thrill of the grindhouse? Ah well, whatever form it shows up in, I definitely intend to catch this one at the cinema... and of course, there's the HD DVD to look forward to.

Update, March 16th, 2007 11:26 AM: Seems you now have to register as a member at the Rose McGowan site to see the videos.

Royale with cheese

My copy of the Blu-ray release of Casino Royale arrived this morning from Deep Discount (formerly Deep Discount DVD). Given that this looks set to be the fastest-selling high definition title so far (as of writing, it's number 9 on the DVD chart at Amazon.com - an incredible number for a niche product), it's the sort of release that can, in many ways, make or break a format's reputation (I'm sure it will be many customers' first ever Blu-ray title, with a number of people even buying into the format especially to see it).

Luckily (or unluckily, if you have a vested interest in Blu-ray's failure), it has been granted a stunning-looking transfer. Actually, I'm tempted to call it the best I've ever seen. Some rather puzzling reviews have predictably materialised, criticising the picture for a handful of supposed defects, ranging from a lack of "realistic skin textures", to "motion-drag and aliasing" to, "too much digital noise reduction" being applied, to, in the most general case, a statement by one reviewer that he "was expecting just a bit more". These reviews are wrong. Casino Royale is astounding more or less from start to finish. It's highly detailed, contrasty and film-like, with no visible compression artefacts: Sony have finally ditched the aged MPEG2 codec in favour of AVC, and the result is their first 10/10 title that I've seen. Sony's European division have made a wise choice in dishing out copies of this title to early Playstation 3 adopters.

Lyris has written some more pleasing words about this disc, and highlighted some of the film's most hilarious examples of product placement.

I also received a copy of The Devil's Rejects - a gift from Gary Tooze of the excellent comparison site DVD Beaver for some HD DVD screen captures I supplied for him from Casablanca and The Adventures of Robin Hood. It's not as good-looking as Casino Royale, but it put a smile on my face all the same. It's interesting, given the false belief, held by certain individuals, that a film has to actually be shot in HD to look good on an HD disc (a perfect example of the sort of misinformation that is likely to be putting a lot of people off adopting either format), that 16mm material seems to shine so much in high definition, with both this and the Moroccan segments of Babel looking particularly luscious. (Now I really hope Universal UK gives Thirteen a whirl on HD DVD - or Fox on Blu-ray if they promise to tame the rampant DVNR plaguing the DVD release.) Unfortunately, The Devil's Rejects is an MPEG2 title on a single layer BD25 disc, so there are some noticeable compression artefacts (and a dearth of extras in comparison with the 2-disc DVD), but it's an impressive presentation all the same - a high 8/10 on my scale.

So who's in on this HD DVD thang?

With no new HD DVD releases in the US until near the end of the month, it's sometimes a little tempting to think that Toshiba and their buddies have forgotten about us (and this is not help by the jeering of the Blu-ray fanboys, who seem to be in high spirits about the fact that Amazon has a Blu-ray sale on, which is causing titles to fly off the shelves). Therefore, this post is for any HD DVD-only people who are currently feeling a little down in the dumps. This morning, I came across a link to a PowerPoint presentation with Toshiba's name plastered all over it, presumably intended as a morale booster for current HD DVD partners, as well as an advertisement for any companies considering joining the party. Anyway, it gives some rather insteresting details regarding the state of the format at the moment, and what we can expect in the next year or so.

HD DVD supporting hardware manufacturers:
Toshiba
Onkyo
Meridian
Shinco
RCA
Jiankui
Liteon
Alco
Microsoft
Hewlett-Packard
Acer
LG
Fujitsu-Siemens
Samsung
Alpine
NEC
Broadcom

HD DVD encoding partners:
Toshiba
Microsoft
Memory-Tech
DTS
Dolby
Ulead
Sonic
Plasmon
Datarius
Singulus Technologies

HD DVD authoring and disc replicators:
Imagion
CMC
Digital Media Production
DVDPartners
Infinia
Deluxe Digital Studios
Technicolor
Sonopress
Cinram
MPO
QOL
Duplico

HD DVD supporting distributors:
Paramount
Universal
Warner
Eagle Rock
DVD International
Studio Canal
Pathé
France Télévisions Distribution
LCJ
Wild Side Video
2 Entertain
Imagion
EMS
Universum Film
Kinowelt
Nixbu
Opus Arte
SPV
Optimum
Momentum
Twister
ILC
PIAS
Filmax
DeAPlaneta
Sandre Metronome
Cecchi Gori
Contantin Film
Concorde
Inakustik

Projected number of titles by end of 2007:
UK/Ireland: 250
France: 270
Germany/Austria/Switzerland: 250
Spain: 180
Italy: 170
Benelux: 200
Nordic countries: 200

If you have PowerPoint, I strongly urge you to check out the full document. It's full of lots of interesting information about available and upcoming hardware and titles, including a lot of stuff that, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't been replicated elsewhere. For instance, did you know that Wild Side Video in France (I think) is planning to release Pan's Labyrinth on HD DVD in April?

And yes, that's right, Samsung are getting on board the HD DVD gravy train, at least as far as laptops are concerned. Perhaps this is a direct result of Sony throwing them under the bus last year during the whole Blu-ray image quality debacle?

Blu-ray review: American Psycho

Looking at this Blu-ray release of American Psycho, I am left with the unshakable feeling that Lions Gate put the least possible amount of effort into it. With a shoddy transfer that should never have been allowed through quality control, and a greatly pared-down array of extras, this disc really should not have been released in its current state.

I've provided a review for the transfer, audio and bonus content of Lions Gate's recent Blu-ray release of American Psycho.

I haven't reviewed the film itself this time round, just the technical elements of the disc. American Psycho is a film that demands an in-depth treatment which, at the moment, I don't really have the time, inspiration or motivation to give. Therefore, rather than waffle out a couple of putrid paragraphs, I've skipped the film portion of the review so I can get the word out regarding this crummy-looking disc as quickly as possible. If you're interested in reading about the film itself, I recommend D.J. Nock's coverage of the standard definition release. It's an appraisal that I more or less agree with 100%, and it's better than anything I could have written within a reasonable time frame.

HD cross-contamination

A couple of interesting high definition title announcements have been made in the last few days, not because of the films themselves, but because of how they play into this whole format war. As you probably know, the rights to many films are owned by different studios depending on where you live in the world - so, for example, Paramount owns Titanic in the US, but 20th Century Fox has the rights in Europe. This, as you can probably imagine, is pretty significant as far as the HD format war is concerned, because it means that a title that might be Blu-ray or HD DVD exclusive in one region may be available in the other format (or both formats) in another, as is the case with Gangs of New York, which is owned by the Blu-ray exclusive Disney in the US, and the Blu-ray exclusive EIV in the UK, but the format-neutral Manga Films has it in Spain (and is planning to release it this month).

Recently, a Sony Pictures title, The Holiday, was announced for release on April 2nd in Europe on HD DVD by Universal (just under a month after its Blu-ray release in the US). Meanwhile, Basic Instinct, already available on HD DVD from Studio Canal in Europe, has just been announced by Lions Gate in the US for release on Blu-ray on May 29th.

It's a confusing situation, but an exciting one all the same. It means that, in several cases, it's wrong to call a title "exclusive", because just because it is released on one format only in, say, North America, doesn't mean that it won't be released on the other elsewhere. This is made doubly fun by the lack of region coding on HD DVD releases. Blu-ray releases are more problematic, given that the format is split into three regions - although, of course, region coding is optional, and the likes of Warner and Paramount have yet to use it at all, while Sony only uses it on catalogue releases. (Fox, as usual, is region coding everything, and overcharging for the privilege of owning these booby-trapped discs.) Of course, where this really becomes interesting is when you factor in variables like image quality and extras. The Studio Canal HD DVD of Total Recall, for example, is widely regarded to feature a better transfer than its Blu-ray counterpart from Lions Gate - although, like a number of Studio Canal titles, it suffers from an audio glitch, whereby the sound is pitched a semitone too high (note that this is not PAL speed-up, which many people are mistaking it for). Additionally, Basic Instinct is presented on HD DVD without any extras: the rights to the various bonus materials from the standard definition release are presumably owned by Lions Gate, so it will be interesting to see whether any of them make it on to the upcoming Blu-ray release. I'll also be interested to hear how the transfers compare: Basic Instinct on HD DVD looks rather poor, with a lot of DVNR artefacts and some distracting softness (of course, the Blu-ray release could end up looking even worse, if American Psycho is any indication of Lions Gate's treatment of catalogue titles).

It's an intriguing situation, to say the least. I intend to pick up HD DVD copies of the "Blu-ray exclusive" Gangs of New York and Underworld: Evolution from Spain, plus any other titles which catch my eye. The moral of the story is that, just because your favourite film is not available on your format of choice in one country, doesn't mean that you won't be able to get it elsewhere. (Of course, there are plenty of cases where the same studio owns the rights to a title throughout the world, as is the case with Disney's animated features, and Sony's Spider-man, and Universal's King Kong, so don't get your hopes up too high.)

Business is booming

Blu-ray sales have just shot through the roof at Amazon.com, thanks to the site discounting over 40 titles to half price (meaning that 20th Century Fox titles now cost the same as a normal Blu-ray disc). If this is part of a concerted effort at Camp Blu-ray to boost their sales, it seems to be working. Indeed, they've managed to sucker me in - the opportunity to upgrade to a high definition copy of the delightful cheese-fest that is Resident Evil: Apocalypse for only $14.49 was to enticing to pass up. You may remember that I pre-ordered this title back in May 2006, when my first HD player was going to be of the Blu-ray variety, and when the title was going to be released in June. When those plans fell through, I cancelled it - as did Sony, who, in the end, didn't actually release this title until January 16th 2007. Well, now it seems that what was originally going to be one of my first ever HD titles will be winging its way to me after all, a mere nine months later than originally planned.

Predictably, certain Blu-ray fanboys are whooping and cheering, clearly of the belief that this is proof that HD DVD is finished. Obviously, they fail to understand the concept of a sale: the whole point is to shift more copies. What did people expect to happen? Do they not think that something similar would happen if a bunch of HD DVD titles got a 50% discount? Of course, the massive rise in sales can only be followed by an even more massive plummet as customers, having frittered away their entire movie-buying budget in the sale, hold off on the buying for the next several weeks.

DreamWorks goes fishing in the HD pond

Source: DVD Times (1, 2)

Back in February, I reported on a rumour that DreamWorks was preparing to jump into the world of high definition with HD DVD and Blu-ray releases of Dreamgirls and Flags of our Fathers. The rumours, it would seem, were true, as an official announcement was made today about both titles. They will be coming to both formats in May (the 1st for Dreamgirls, the 22nd for Flags of our Fathers). Distributed by DreamWorks' parent company Paramount, both will be 2-disc special editions, reproducing the extras from their standard definition counterparts in 1080p or 1080i high definition (although, for some reason, Dreamgirls' image gallery seems to have gone bye-bye). Neither film is one that I'm wild to see, but it's great to see DreamWorks finally jumping into the fray, and with what appear to be extremely impressive releases to boot. I really hope to see HD releases of American Beauty and Gladiator before too long...

Lost in high definition

Source: HD DVD Format Blog

It seems that we finally have official confirmation from Universal of their second slate of HD DVD titles to be released in May. Coming on the 29th are the remainder of the titles that were recently leaked to The Digital Bits: The Big Lebowski, Dragonheart, The Frighteners: Director's Cut, Lost in Translation, Midnight Run and The River. Lost in Translation is a shoe-in for me, and I'm also tempted to give The Frighteners a look. The rest don't particularly appeal, but I'm sure plenty of people will want to pick up The Big Lebowski.

That Trojan horse never looked so wooden

According to the News of the World, Troy is "the greatest sword and sandal epic of all time". Well, I don't know about that (although something tells me that this is a little unlikely), but I do know that this is yet another high definition title that received rave reviews despite being, well, fairly average-looking. It's simply not very detailed at all, and there is some ugly ringing around highly contrasted edges. Odd, then, that the Warner logo at the very start of the film basically looked flawless, and yet, as soon as the first image appeared on the screen, it immediately felt as if I was watching the thing through a dirty window.

Where did I get a hold of Troy from? Well, Lyris received a Toshiba HD-E1 (the European equivalent of the American HD-A1) HD DVD player to review today, and Toshiba were kind enough to bundle the disc with it. These companies really need to start selecting better titles to include as review samples! Panasonic, after all, included the mediocre-looking Fantastic 4 with their DMP-BD10 Blu-ray player as well. Discs like these really don't make good first impressions - why not throw in something that's more or less flawless like Corpse Bride, if you want that pristine digital look, or Serenity or The Descent if you want something rich and film-like? At least Microsoft had the right idea and included a copy of the magnificent-looking King Kong with the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on.

On a related note, Lyris has done a very nice rant about the underwhelming quality of so many Blu-ray releases on his new site. It's well worth a read, and there's even a nice picture of the hideous-looking American Psycho for you to marvel at.