I recently got the 4k bluray, for all you guys wondering if it's worth upgrading from regular bluray? No. Heavy sharpening artifacts, sharpness not improved much. Onto the storyline and movie quality. Typical Cruise, runs into trouble, goes looking for help (no Tom, Goose can't help you now) and then...well you know. Scenes often have dialog but lips don't move, acting is ok at best even from the biggest stars. However from a power-head like me, a lot of the movie reflects decently accurate sequences and camera angles that you don't see much in the motion picture industry. On story and acting I'd give it a 5 at best, but I rated 7 for the cinematography efforts and inventive representation of the racing world - even if it's not completely accurate. Suggestions, men go ahead - women stay home.
Reviews
14 Reviews
Elvis
(2022)
Gifted the 4K bluray, wish I could exchange.
27 December 2022
Bluray quality is questionable, dialog terribly difficult to understand - otherwise just ok. The problem is not the technical quality of the media but rather everything about the way the movie was made. I don't think the original mixing of the movie took advantage of sound technology nor was mixed in a fashion where it could ever sound good to begin with. From a video prospective, the editing style was very quick changing scenes, vague representation - almost like a comic book movie. Seems the director wanted an action movie instead of a drama, the movie seemed very confused about it's intentions and genre. If not the director, at least the editing room manager was on something very strong. Acting was mediocre at best, sad and unusual to say but even Hanks. Accents moving in and out, never really convincing. I have to admit, I've never been an Elvis fan - but I've watched many movies that I can appreciate even though I'm not a fan of the subject matter. Sorry Hanks and everybody else, 4 stars from me. Don't get offended, can't satisfy everybody.
My Cousin Vinny
(1992)
I consider the movie a classic, hilarious. Blu-ray remaster room for improvement.
6 August 2022
My Cousin Vinny is hilarious, bordering on classic. It simply never gets old, and the style of comedy is as funny now as when it was filmed (dare I say even funnier as we look back?). All actors in the movie do a fantastic job and the budget was good enough that you never see any areas where they could have improved it. I watch it around once a year, perhaps a little less. My wife doesn't like watching a lot of movies over and over, she's good with My Cousin Vinny. Real comedies like this one are disappearing, I'll always talk about this film when there is conversation about the true greats.
From the technical standpoint, I have to report the blu-ray is a little disappointing. (I recently wrote a review on the movie "Big" which will look similar to this one). They never really spent a lot of time on the blu-ray re-master. It wasn't a massive improvement over the DVD, but enough that I'm happy with the purchase. Dynamic range wasn't improved much, nor was the almost foggy look in some scenes. There seems to be a lot of digital noise in some scenes also, but not as bad as some blu-ray re-masters. Sharpness is improved a lot (in most scenes buy many are still very soft) and oddly sound has improved a lot in terms of surround effect. All in all, definitely a winner - especially if you don't yet have the DVD.
From the technical standpoint, I have to report the blu-ray is a little disappointing. (I recently wrote a review on the movie "Big" which will look similar to this one). They never really spent a lot of time on the blu-ray re-master. It wasn't a massive improvement over the DVD, but enough that I'm happy with the purchase. Dynamic range wasn't improved much, nor was the almost foggy look in some scenes. There seems to be a lot of digital noise in some scenes also, but not as bad as some blu-ray re-masters. Sharpness is improved a lot (in most scenes buy many are still very soft) and oddly sound has improved a lot in terms of surround effect. All in all, definitely a winner - especially if you don't yet have the DVD.
From Paris with Love
(2010)
Movie is horrible, shame on you Travolta.
2 August 2022
I had a hard time sitting through the whole 93min, fast forwarding through the sad cliche gun shot scenes and taking a bathroom break without stopping it also. The acting is atrocious, the worst is John Travolta who should be able to help pull a bad script up a little. Waste of $2.80 for the used bluray, now I have to try to sell it somehow.
Big
(1988)
One of my all time faves, although the bluray version could be better.
31 July 2022
I found the bluray on discount at Walmart, and grabbed it immediately as "Big" remains after watching countless times - one of my all time favorite comedies. (see bottom half of review for the technical). The film itself is filled with laughs and snickers and accurate emotion. Hanks even though one of his first major roles pulls off a truly amazing performance and you always believe him. Supporting actors all do a very strong job in making this film what it is, there is no shortage of good acting in this film. The dramatic attempts are slightly weak, you never loose sight it's a comedy. Overall it's fun, uplifting, timeless and even though it's now 34 years old - you don't feel like you're watching an old movie.
I've owned it on every media to date, but while the bluray is the best overall result in mastering - it's not without flaws. The digital sharpening is overall quite severe, sure it's a big improvement in sharpness but in areas of the scene with plain detail it's always present and obvious. It hits you like a sack of potatoes at the very start but eventually you get into the movie and between the other improvements and the story - you end up not really noticing much anymore. Grain is not really visible due to the severity of the sharpening, this is both good and bad. Colours are great, and the sound is a big step up too. Being a comedy nobody thinks sound it important, but anyone can hear and see an explosion but hearing dialog clearly is one of todays hardest feats (and getting worse).
Overall, a winner in my books, dramatically and technically. The movie is amazing, the mastering of the bluray and improvement overall and I'm happy to delegate my DVD version to the back-up position.
I've owned it on every media to date, but while the bluray is the best overall result in mastering - it's not without flaws. The digital sharpening is overall quite severe, sure it's a big improvement in sharpness but in areas of the scene with plain detail it's always present and obvious. It hits you like a sack of potatoes at the very start but eventually you get into the movie and between the other improvements and the story - you end up not really noticing much anymore. Grain is not really visible due to the severity of the sharpening, this is both good and bad. Colours are great, and the sound is a big step up too. Being a comedy nobody thinks sound it important, but anyone can hear and see an explosion but hearing dialog clearly is one of todays hardest feats (and getting worse).
Overall, a winner in my books, dramatically and technically. The movie is amazing, the mastering of the bluray and improvement overall and I'm happy to delegate my DVD version to the back-up position.
Casino Royale
(2006)
Gave a perfect score, I rate all Bond films against this one.
7 March 2021
It's not a perfect film by any means, but I had to give it a perfect score because it's my favorite bond film and one of my top picks for films in general. I think Daniel is simply amazing in every respect. I find him to be an excellent actor, and does a lot of his own stunts which translates into a smoother movie as they don't have to cut/blend scenes to introduce a stuntman in between. In addition, I found the cinematography, all acting, screenplay - everything simply amazing. Sure, there are some areas that could have been improved on or toned down a little bit - but overall to me this is an example of a near top quality film with little to criticize. I could watch this movie every year and never ever get tired of it. I'm glad Daniel had decided to keep portraying Bond longer than he first planned.
U-571
(2000)
Sorry folks, but have to rate this one high - although don't disagree with lower scores.
7 March 2021
First, don't call me crazy for the 7/10 rating. I over-rated this movie a bit, I figure I enjoyed it enough from a screenplay and acting prospective to give it only 4. I kept waiting for Bon Jovi to break out in song! However, I like Matthew M. and Harvey K. a lot (Bill P. not so much) and I thought in my mind they propelled (mind the pun) movie a bit for me. Also, my opinions on a film are based on the complete experience - story. screenplay, acting, effects, sound, etc. I find the soundtrack was great and so were the sets, camera angles etc. This created an enjoyable experience in my opinion. It's funny to observe, but if you read ratings on this title from home theater buffs - everybody thinks this is a great movie. But critics such as those on this site hate it. I'd like to think I appreciate films from all sides, therefore my 7/10 score.
Phantom
(I) (2013)
Love sub movies, but this one sank.
7 March 2021
Sure, the shots inside seem genuine enough but I find the movie as a whole was lacking in every way. Both Ed Harris David D. and never really convincing to begin with, but I thought the screenplay and much of the other acting bad and poor ol' Ed and David are just not good enough to carry a movie on their own. Everything just seems lost and out of place, with no real direction. The weirdest thing of all was that there was zero effort to indicate it was not an American Sub, most foreign accent attempts can be bad but everyone was speaking in full-blown English with no hints otherwise. (We can all relate to K-19 and Mr.Fords sad wavering in and out accent but at least they tried). I tried to like it, as I spent a few bucks buying it but after watching it twice over 5 years I don't think it will end up in my player again.
Spectre
(I) (2015)
Cannot go wrong with Craig IMO - although not perfect.
6 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
In my mind, none of the Craig movies are bad - I think by far he is the best Bond. The acting is always top-notch and I think Craig does a spectacular job with the character. Bond films have always done a good job of blending drama with action but Craigs introduce a much more complex and realistic character that's not the robot we are used to. I love how they have introduced personality into the character, revealing personal feelings and battles, so real compared to the bland emotionless other versions. I also really enjoy how his films can be enjoyed independently or in order like a series since they all have ties to prior titles. This in mind, I find this is not my favorite title. Getting a bit tired of him destroying the cars after only 1 use, and I do find the story line wandering a little in this title. Cannot put my finger on it, but everytime I watch this film I don't get totally immersed into it like I do the other titles. I really do enjoy it, but somewhere either in the writing, editing, directing - I get a little distracted.
However from a technical prospective I am a bit disappointed in the standards of the latest Bond films in 4k. I think for the money you pay, 4K Ultra disks should always be amazing video and audio. This disks video is simply tremendous, almost no grain and beautiful sharpness in all scenes. The lack of grain or noise in the dark scenes is sublime! Colours are good but I feel overall the cinematography does not really push the envelope in colour or dynamic range as most of the scenes are sort of dark and bland. The sound is where I am disappointed, a 4K Ultra disk IMO - should always be minimum DTS-X or Dolby Atmos, but this film offers best DTS-HD which is not really appropriate to the quality you expect to buy. I spent large dollars on my theater and media to get the sound but got a little cheated in this film. Contrary to bluray.com website, I do notice the lack of object placement sound in this film. However having said this, I found this film is really high on the drama scale with less action than expected so it's a not a total loss. Just the sharpness and clarity of the picture make this copy worth every penny.
However from a technical prospective I am a bit disappointed in the standards of the latest Bond films in 4k. I think for the money you pay, 4K Ultra disks should always be amazing video and audio. This disks video is simply tremendous, almost no grain and beautiful sharpness in all scenes. The lack of grain or noise in the dark scenes is sublime! Colours are good but I feel overall the cinematography does not really push the envelope in colour or dynamic range as most of the scenes are sort of dark and bland. The sound is where I am disappointed, a 4K Ultra disk IMO - should always be minimum DTS-X or Dolby Atmos, but this film offers best DTS-HD which is not really appropriate to the quality you expect to buy. I spent large dollars on my theater and media to get the sound but got a little cheated in this film. Contrary to bluray.com website, I do notice the lack of object placement sound in this film. However having said this, I found this film is really high on the drama scale with less action than expected so it's a not a total loss. Just the sharpness and clarity of the picture make this copy worth every penny.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
(2018)
People pretty harsh on Star Wars after disney
12 January 2020
Not sure why this is, perhaps they forgot the shortcomings in the original films or perhaps they just don't like Disney dominating the whole darn industry! I'm not much of a fan of the monopoly either but Solo is a really decent film and I don't like to use the word spin-off but rather a parallel to the original 9. Solo reveals a lot of missing information about our heroes and bolsters understanding of the episodes that come after it. Acting is quite good (save some, but that's every movie) and the SPX are decent. I'm a fan, don't care what anyone says. I appreciate the story development and more than anything I appreciate the continuity and honesty to the series.
We don't know what everyones problem is!
12 January 2020
In the day and age of cookie cutter comic book movies or silly comedies that are completely non-memorable - I find that the Star Wars series as a whole has been above the bar in every respect. This film does admittedly suffer some of the same as many, such as some questionable actors, excessive CGI and action moving so fast or scenes so dark they save money on detail. However if you look at this film as compared to it's competition, both my wife and I were very impressed and enjoyed this installment of Star Wars immensely - period.
Sure, some things could have been done better, but my wife and I are anxious to add the SW - IX bluray to the shelf when it comes out! The rest of you can sit there and gripe and go watch your cookie-cutter horrible comic book film now.
Sure, some things could have been done better, but my wife and I are anxious to add the SW - IX bluray to the shelf when it comes out! The rest of you can sit there and gripe and go watch your cookie-cutter horrible comic book film now.
Very much enjoyed the movie
12 January 2020
Although sometimes I wonder if we're so attached to the series that we can overlook a lot of things. I think people who grew up with the series would rate most as at minimum "Watchable". Having said that, did not really like I and II very much but Force Awakens was great. I totally Love BB8, he (she?) is the best. Good acting and good plot line. Good combination of drama/SPX/action.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
(2016)
This is no spin-0ff, pure Star Wars at it's best
4 October 2019
In some ways, this installment is better than the original 3 that we've all come to love. Disney is doing a spectacular job with the series, was worried at first but no more. Some of the best acting in the francise can be found in Rogue One, well written and directed. Any SW fan has to appreciate what this movie offers, if they call themselves true movie buffs.
Sad, that sequels almost always get worse as they go along.
4 October 2019
This one is certainly no exception, my wife and I liked pt1, sort of liked pt2 - and I told the person giving me the DVD that I thought I would regret pt3! Was I ever spot on with that. If you took out all the hyper-choreographed fake scenes, you're left with about 15min of weak story line out of a 2+hr movie. Most of the fight scenes were so over the top we considered FF past them just so we could gather the patience to watch to the end to see if a story emerged. Lots of scenes had poor special effects, especially the motorcycle scenes among others. 2 hours I'll never get back, as a matter of fact I am going to quit writing just to cut my losses!
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