Collection Updates (March 2015)

Their was another 20% of sale and thus I picked up a number of blu-rays. I will also take this moment to note I am hoping to post Sunday every week, which I have stumbled in doing so recently. I however should be back on track for a review most Sundays with the occasional collection update or other movie related post.

 Lucy is a film that whilst a gigantic box office success seems to have received a rather mixed response which after viewing some trailers and promotional materials I can understand why. The film itself has an exceedingly fast pace yet contains very little action which is what the film advertising material promised. It likewise is a film that I imagine will be divisive, I myself found it to be a stylish, brisk and silly ride that was a joy to view. The blu-ray itself is absolutely stunning with reference audio and video.

The Young and Prodigious T.S Spivet is a film that few will have seen as it has struggled to even have a release in numerous markets. It is a fantastic film with absolutely stunning 3d that I can't recommend highly enough. The 3d is amongst the best available which is certainly a nice bonus for those who are enthusiasts of the format and those who are 3d ready. As is the cost of the 3d and 2d release being the same price that a 2d only blu-ray release usually is.

Life of Pi is another film that features reference 3d and along with The Young and Prodigious T.S Spivet and Hugo are amongst the format has to offer. None of which are action films which despite the common view that 3d is only beneficial for sci-fi and action films the 3d here adds far more then 3d has for any action film.

Not much has to be said about Game of Thrones as their is little to nothing I could say about season 4 that hasn't already been repeated ad nauseum. I will note that if you like me don't often veiw any television shows, I would strongly recommend considering giving it a chance.. I must also note though that whilst the Australians rating logo is always horrid, it is particularly bad with simplistic designs as it is in the above. I have only viewed one episode thus far on blu-ray but the transfer is as stunning as the previous seasons. Which brings me to the end of this rather small collection update.

Collection Update (February 2015)

The Double whilst a terrific film is also a blu-ray release that has cause me numerous issues. Having replaced the first copy I have yet to check if this disc works (though I really must ensure it works properly soon). The first disc I had continuously had audio pops and some scenes simply refused to play. I hope this isn't a wide spread issue with the Australian release, which sadly wouldn't be unheard of for a smaller film released here. Thankfully both Awakening and Frances Ha have very nice transfers with no issues to speak of from a technical stand point.

Whilst I don't wish to concentrate on negative aspects of the release I have purchased I fell obligated to mention Transcendence. Regardless of what you think of the film, to say Transcendence was seen in cinemas was quite a beautiful film would be a dramatic understatement. Which given the director is not at all surprising. Sadly the blu-ray release is plagued with unforgivable amounts of dnr, edge enhancement and black crush that was not present in the theatrical release. Whilst it is likely you have already bought Transcendence if you are a fan, if you have not, do not expect to not be thrilled by what you see regarding the transfer and ensure you get it on a nice, big sale. It is sad to see such a gorgeous film, that was released so recently with a large budget get such poor treatment.

On a more positive note The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has an extremely competent transfer for what I believe was a very early release for the blu-ray format. It was also available for a ludicrously low price and whilst I don't enjoy it as much as the books or radio show it is based on, it is still an enjoyable film that whilst it falters in some aspects, mostly retains the tone and humour of its source material (though some of the changes still feel entirely unnecessary).

Likewise Thirst is a film that all horror fans should check out. I myself picked up the South Korean release as it contains the directors cut and doesn't have the overly bright and saturated colours that unfortunately plague the other releases that I have looked into. It was more costly then I would have liked but for fans of the film this does seem to be the release to purchase and it is a gorgeous blu-ray.

With all the above said I hope we can look forward to less problematic release in Australia as the cost of importing is becoming less feasible whilst also becoming less worthwhile. Sadly many smaller release still struggle to get a release at all, and when they do they often have problematic releases (going as far as not having features that are claimed to be present on the disc case) which leaves importing the only option, which as stated above is less attractive then it has been in a very long time. I hope we get more consistent releases of high quality, which given that currently smaller films releasing on blu-ray is seemingly not worthwhile and I must wonder how uhd (4k) will far in smaller markets. I do hope it isn't simply relegated to some blockbuster releases. Likewise, I hope that the prices and selection will be reasonable compared to that in the UK, America and similar. I however am not holding my breath.

Collection Update (December 2014 part 2)

The final part for this two part collection update contains both the 3d and Disney blu-rays I have purchased this year.

It may come top a surprise to many that their are numerous 3d films are available from the 1950's. These are not films that have been converted into 3d in recent times, rather they where shoot in 3d. Not only that but they where also presented in 3d using polarized glasses (as most cinemas currently show theatrical 3d films). The results are stunning as the film makers don't have the fear of depth that modern 3d has suffered through in recent times (though that trend thankfully seems to be mostly over with most 3d films pushing higher levels of depth). If it is indeed a surprise that 3d films in the past where not simply the territory of anaglyph 3d (most commonly using red and blue filters in the glasses) it may also surprise many that Alfred Hitchcock directed a 3d film (Dial M for Murder).

How to Train Your Dragon is a film that I would strongly urge people pick up in 3d, even if they are not 3d compatible currently. Not only is the film an exciting funny breath of fresh air in an industry with a low number of quality recent animated titles, but it features amongst the most stunning 3d I have seen. On the other side I had seen the extended cut of Hansel and Gretel and thought I would pick up the 3d release. Whilst it isn't an entirely lost cause I don't think I will ever watch the 3d release again as the extended edition (which is only available in 2d) is by far the superior version of the film.

Lastly for this two part update are the Disney release from the last year. I could write extensively about the poor practices Disney have been undertaking with their recent blu-ray releases but that would be best left for a latter time. 

In what is somewhat of a sweeping statement I would recommend all of these release in 3d except for Captain America. Whilst it is true that not all of these films where originally intended for 3d, it's presence certainly enhances the films. In particular Frozen and Oz The Great and Powerful are stunning examples of intended and native 3d. Likewise Guardians of the Galaxy has stunning 3d that whilst it is a 2d to 3d conversion was made as a 3d film with the director overseeing the 3d conversion of "every shoot".

So the above (along with the prior post) finishes my home film purchases over the last year. I intend for future collection updates to be far more regular but that will of course depend on when I pick up films. Of note is that I bought zero dvd's in the last year. This is simply as their where no films released that I wanted that where only available on dvd.

Collection Update (December 2014 part 1)

How time can fly. It has been a year since my last collection update and having bought more then a small number of films this year I have decided to split this up over the next few weeks in several different posts. Due to the number of release I will only be commenting on specific releases that I fell attention should be brought to. So without further adieu part one of this rather massive collection update.

The film from the above which was easily among the larger surprises of the year was Blue is The Warmest Color. With near universal  acclaim it was a film that I found to be an overly long and bloated film that had plenty of potential that I didn't fell was realized (click here to see my full review). As a fan of Spike Jonze I was very happy to pick up Being John Malkovich which is a film that comes with my highest recommendation. Likewise Edge of Tomorrow was possibly the nicest surprise of the year. I wasn't expecting much and what I got was a tremendous sci fi action film with superb 3d.

Her is another film by Spike Jonze that I can't recommend highly enough. At times purposefully awkward, at other times bitter sweet. It is a film that on paper would likely appear to be a disaster waiting to happen. However thanks to some brilliant direction, acting and of course writing it stunningly is easily amongst the better films of recent memory. Catching Fire is another film I would highly recommend and the blu-ray alternates between it's scope ratio and 1.78:1 (full screen) for the imax scenes which is present throughout the entire time spent in the arena. Sadly the blu-ray does have some flaws, most notably is the film seems bit starved and thus some obvious and ugly banding is sadly present. Of note is this is the American release (which is region locked). The local Australian release does not alternate aspect ratios which some may prefer (especially those with CIH setups).

Whilst the sequel Silent Hill revelation was a travesty (click here to see my full review), the first Silent Hill is personal favourite of mine. Unfortunately the only competent blu-ray release is the French edition which I took the plunge and bought. It not only is the only release approved by the director it is the only one that doesn't have risen black levels that starves the image of any 'pop' resulting in a murky mess (the darkest black appears to be light grey). Thankfully the French release does justice to the film and its gorgeous cinematography. Likewise Super is a film by the director of Guardians of the Galaxy that few seem to have seen. It's premise is very similar to that of the first Kick-Ass film. It however doesn't drop the idea of a nobody trying to act like a super hero in favour of having 'real heroes' (such as Big Daddy and Hit Girl). This is most apparent in the final act and is a film I would recommend to those who are fans of the first Kick-Ass film.

Collection Update (December 2013)

It has been that time of year, and Christmas combined with the inevitable (yet disappointing) sales has lead me to once again buying (possible) more blu-rays and dvd's then I probably should have. None the less I am happy with the purchases I have made and the gifts I have received.

The below is what I have recently picked up:

Of the above the only blind buy was The Debt (which I had previously seen parts of when travelling and been quite absorbed in the little I had been able to see) and Before Midnight. Before Midnight was a must buy for myself as the two before films that proceed it are among my favorite films. The Artist I had not seen but was a gift for Christmas that whilst good was not able to live up to the hype that has surrounded it. The rest are films that I had been meaning to pickup for quite some time and I would highly recommend.

 Oblivion and The Muppets where blind buys that I am very happy with. The rest I had seen before many times and I had just been waiting for them to be available at a reasonable price. I would in particular strongly recommend Never Let Me Go which is at times a very hard film to watch (especially towards the end) but is a very absorbing watch all the same.

 The top three blu-rays where blind buys and I have thus far only managed to see Silver Linings Playbook, which was a very strong film (although its ending was on the weaker and cliched side). I have of course seen The Wizard of Oz many times and can report that this is most certainly a 3d conversion done right. Tintin I saw once in cinemas and whilst I wasn't blown away be the film as a whole their are several scenes that are not only pure spectacle, but where able to be shoot in such a way that had the film been a live action film would simply have not been possible (which I fell far to few animations take advantage of). I am both happy to see a sequel is planned, though after the thus far disappointing Hobbit films I am far from ecstatic that Peter Jackson is set to direct instead of Stephen Spielberg.

As I am unable to find my dvd copies, and as the release of Before Midnight has not lead to Before Sunset and Before Sunrise being released on blu-ray, I picked up the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset double pack which was available rather cheaply. Likewise I finally picked up Stop-Loss from director Kimberly Pierce, only to find that it is scheduled for a blu-ray release in February (which I will likely purchase). In any case the dvd was extremely cheap and I had been wanting to watch it again for quite some time so it was of little to no loss.

I myself love music scores, and the scores of movies is what I overwhelmingly tend to gravitate towards as my choice of music. Above is my recent modest additions to my slow but ever growing score collection. The Kick-Ass 2 score was particularly impressive albeit unable to live up to the dizzying highs the first set. Likewise when I first watched Byzantium I knew the score was a must buy early on for myself when the character Elenaor plays one of the themes of the film on the piano.

As always I am pleased with my pickups, though I do wish someone would pick up the rights to Before Sunset and Before Sunrise and release them on blu-ray with a new well done transfer (my fingers are crossed that Criteron may do this).

Collection Update (September 2013)

In the last months or so I have purchased several more films then usual largely thanks to multiple sales that JB HI FI was so kind to combine (20% of the blu-rays along with buy two get one free). Below is what I have recently picked up.

Adaptation is a film I have been wanting to release on blu-ray for quite some time and now I finally have it. This means I can finally get rid of my rather degraded dvd that was heavily damaged yet somehow still ran, though I doubt it would have for much longer. Another Earth is a fantastic little indie film that I recently watched and am currently working on a review for and Hick is a blind buy that I know absolutely nothing about outside of what the front cover shows. Speaking of blind buys below are three further blind buys for films that I have been wanting to see for quite some time but simply never managed to get around to doing so.

Lastly are the 3d blu-rays I have recently picked up (and Super 8), all of which are for films that where intended to be seen in 2d and not 3d. None the less given the small price difference I decided to go with the 3d versions and despite being a 3d advocate I imagine I will generally watch the 2d versions. Note: Iron Man 3 was a gift and not a film I would have picked up given how disappointing I found it. Maybe a second viewing will change my mind I however doubt it shall as it is a very flawed film.

I am most excited to see Jurassic Park in 3d largely as it has been years since I have seen the film bus also as I have been told it is close to the quality of the Titanic 3d conversion. Super 8 is a film that is a great throwback to how blockbusters use to be (for both better and worse) and thus 'only' being available in 2d is rather suitable.

I am rather happy with this haul though I can't help but fell as if I should have been a little less open to the blind buying of films.