Rick Steves: Celtic Charms (Blu-ray Review)

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Perseus | 2000-2010 | 210 min | Not rated | Aug 17, 2010

Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (less)
Subtitles

Discs
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Price
List price: $19.95   Not available to order

Price
List price: $14.99   Best Buy: $14.99

Playback
Region A (B, C untested)



Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, September 11, 2010

Rick Steves often gives his viewers little surprises sprinkled in with his various travel adventures, and we get one right off the bat at the beginning of this new Blu-ray compilation featuring episodes dealing with the Celtic Charms of Europe: Steve in a kilt! He may in fact be an unwitting fashion victim, at least in this prelude to several picturesque episodes, but at least he seems to have a sense of humor about it. Steves' travel program has been a mainstay on Public Television for decades now, and his understated, often wryly humorous style has made him the closest thing to a superstar that PBS offers. Entering into the Blu-ray arena with four volumes culled from his long running series, fans can now experience these gorgeous locales in high definition. This third volume offers some of the most jaw dropping scenery imaginable, as Steves explores the nooks and crannies of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in seven episodes.

Rick Steves goes native.

Edinburgh takes us on a whirlwind journey through Scotland's signature city, one which classic film lovers will recognize from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The city has one of the most iconic structures of Europe, the huge fortified castle which is over one thousand years old. To the semi-soothing strains of bagpipe music, Steves then takes us down the Royal Mile, a close quartered boulevard which unites the castle with the Royal Palace. St. Giles Cathedral is also featured, a huge gothic structure which is topped by a distinctive spire made to resemble the Crown of Thorns. The Cathedral makes a natural segue to a discussion of the Reformation and John Knox, the founder of Presbyterianism.

North Wales: Feisty and Poetic lives up to its title, with an emphasis on the iconoclastic Welsh spirit. This episode made me laugh a time or two as I longed for subtitles as Steves ripped through one vowel-challenged Welsh place name after another. Luckily, there are occasional titles superimposed alerting us to the biggest locales he visits, places like Llandudno, a gorgeous coastal town with a lovely long pier jutting out into the water. Wales' tempestuous relationship with England is also examined. Once seen as invaders and usurpers, some Welsh towns now exist largely due to English tourists. One of the best place names Steves visits is the impossible to pronounce (at least for neophytes like I am) Blaenauffestiniog, where Steves looks at the slate mining industry which once supported Wales' economy. Steves skips over the border to Liverpool for a nice look at the Beatles' home turf.

Dublin. Ireland is described here by Steves as "the friendliest and youngest country in the EU." That youth and vigor shows up in some unusual ways. While Dublin is the very model of a symmetrically organized Georgian city, the rascally side of the Irish character comes out in the panoply of wildly colored painted doors which spice up the city's visual splendor. Steves then visits some of the ancient burial mounds which dot the Irish landscape, including two very interesting sites at Br? na B?inne, where Steves goes inside a 5,000 year old tunnel tomb which was engineered to receive sunlight at both the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.

The Best of South Ireland. Steves gets his hands dirty digging peat in this episode, which also spends a peaceful stop by Glendalough, which translates roughly to "valley of two lakes." A really interesting side trip journeys to St. Kevin's Church, a sixth century structure which actually withstood repeated Viking raids. Steves then drops by the Waterford Crystal factory, where we get to see that iconic glass being fired in historic kilns. The Rock of Castel is an impressive structure which housed Irish kings for seven centuries, and is so ancient that St. Patrick himself actually baptized a King there.

The Best of West Ireland. From the south, Steves journeys west, in fact so far west?to the Aran Islands?that the locals joke that "the next parish over is Boston." Starting at Inishmore, Steves takes us on a really captivating journey that includes the remarkable D?n Aengus, a 2,000 year old fortress which clings impressively to a stark and frankly scary cliff edge. We also visit Galway, a town whose name reveals its history. "Gal" means "foreigner," and the town was actually a refuge for invaders, who actually kicked the native Irish out and then built a fortress wall around their enclave. Next comes the Dingle Peninsula, a lovely and spectacular locale which is filled with over 2,000 monuments dating back to 4,000 B.C.

Belfast and the Best of Northern Ireland. Belfast may (perhaps unfairly) be best known as the seat of "the Troubles," but Steves emphasizes a happier history here, taking us through the town's industrial past. Belfast was nicknamed "Old Smoke" due to its burgeoning industrial activity, activity which saw such icons as the Titanic being built there. (Steves elicits a nice chuckle when he states that Belfast also built many ships which didn't sink). We also journey even further north to the "Coney Island of Ulster," the family playground of Portrush. Steves gets to enjoy a whiskey distillery, and the viewer gets to enjoy some of the most amazingly green coastal water imaginable.

Scotland's Islands and Highlands. As in the other Steves compendium I recently reviewed for Blu-ray.com, the final episode of this set is considerably older (circa 2000 in this instance) and predates HDTVs. It's therefore in its original standard def-looking "glory" of 1.33:1 and does not compare very favorably from an image standpoint with the newer, more glamorous, episodes which precede it on this Blu-ray. That said, Steves takes on a lovely enough trip through several Scottish islands and the very beautiful Scottish highlands, vistas filled with valleys full of wildflowers surrounded by towering mountains. Because of the remoteness of some of these locations, and the lack of public transit, officials allow travelers (including tourists) to hitchhike with the local postman, and Steves gets a one on one travel guide that way to some of Scotland's back roads and byways.

 

Celtic Charms of Europe is offered on Blu-ray with an AVC encode, in 1080i and (for all but the last episode, which is 1.33:1) 1.78:1. As in the first volume of these new releases, the image is often breathtakingly beautiful, with excellent sharpness and some especially lovely and well saturated color. In fact it's the color that may stand out for most viewers of this particular volume. Some of the reds, blues and especially greens (fitting, perhaps, for the "Emerald Isle") are gorgeous and virtually pop off the screen. Depth of field is also extraordinary in several of the outdoor shots. As with most interlaced video presentations, there are occasional bugaboos which pop up from time to time, notably some minor shimmer and moir? issues. There's nothing bad enough that is ultimately going to detract from the beauty of at least six of these seven episodes. That final episode, in 1.33:1 and from the now distant video age of 2000, looks noticeably soft and desaturated when compared to its forebears. But the bulk of this presentation is top notch television fare.  

Steves' outings are largely narrative and onscreen voice driven, so while some audiophiles may lament the lack of a lossless audio option here, the fact is the standard Dolby Digital 2.0 track does just fine. In fact, there are actually relatively few uses of ambient sounds throughout this series. Instead we get Steves, either on screen or via voiceover, and the occasional well chosen source music underscore. Fidelity here is just fine, if unremarkable, with good enough dynamic range to support this almost exclusively voice driven piece.  

No supplements are offered on the disc.  

These new Blu-rays from Steves are proving to be immensely enjoyable and at times spectacularly beautiful to watch in high definition. The evocative locales of Ireland, Scotland and Wales may be particularly well suited to the world of hi-def imagery, because the first six episodes featured here look "mah-velous." Steves is his usual affable self, even in a kilt, and any armchair traveler should get a wealth of information, and some beautiful sights, out of this excellent compilation.

No related news posts for Rick Steves: Celtic Charms Blu-ray yet.

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Bloodsport / Timecop (Blu-ray Review)

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Warner Bros. | 1988-1994 | 190 min | Rated R | Sep 14, 2010

Video
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.85:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: Dolby Digital Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: Dolby Digital Mono (less)
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish (less)
Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)

 (1988-1994)

Action

Bloodsport: Inside a hidden Hong Kong arena, elite combatants clash in the Kumite, the little-known but hotly contested world championship of full-contact fighting. No Westerner had ever won this titanic tournament - until iron-willed American Frank Dux entered it.
Timecop: the future could be history, as a dangerous, time-traveling politico sets out to change the past so he can pave his career path to the White House. But Time Enforcement Commission cop Max Walker is on his trail. Where he goes, searing action and soaring thrills follow.

For more details about Bloodsport / Timecop on Blu-ray, see the Bloodsport / Timecop Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, September 29, 2010

The cinematic landscape could do with a few more movies like Bloodsport and Timecop, two of the most unpretentious Action flicks of the past several decades and arguably the two movies that form the pinnacle of the career of one of the genre's top stars, Jean-Claude Van Damme (Universal Soldier: Regeneration). Fans might passionately and not without merit counter that argument with the likes of Universal Soldier, Sudden Death, Hard Target, and Kickboxer as the actor's finest, but for Van Damme in the raw and in top physical form (Bloodsport) and in his most polished movie (Timecop), they don't get any better than what's included in this latest two-fer from Warner Brothers. Unfortunately for fans of the JCVD star, this double bill gets the royal shaft from Blu-ray's biggest but also most inconsistent studio. Fans will applaud the included lossless soundtracks, find the positives in the mid-grade 1080p transfers, but balk at the complete absence of extra content. Nevertheless, it's the movies that matter most; whether they're accompanied by umpteen hours of bonus features or not, that they've made it to Blu-ray and look and sound worlds better than anything found on home video releases past is the real headline here.

Damme!

Bloodsport
Rating: 3.5/5

I love anything full contact.

American Frank Dux (Van Damme) has skipped out on his duties for Uncle Sam to partake in a deadly underground no-holds-barred martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. The "Kumite" attracts fighters from all over the world, but this year's tournament is all about defending champion Chong Li (Bolo Yeung), a fighter known for his crippling power and no mercy style of combat. While in Hong Kong, Frank dodges two American law enforcement officials (Norman Burton and Forest Whitaker) with orders to bring Frank back to the States ASAP. He also befriends both a grizzly XL American named Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) who's in town to participate in the tournament and a female reporter named Janice Kent (Leah Ayres) who's hoping to find a good story about the dangers of the Kumite. Frank quickly finds himself an inviting target for his fellow Kumite warriors and must fight with everything he has and all he's learned from his boyhood master, a Japanese-American named Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao). With more than pride on the line, Frank fights his way through a series of tough opponents, and the stars seem bent on aligning for a final showdown between the honorable Dux and the malicious Li, a fight that's going to be one for the record books.

Bloodsport represents everything the long-since deceased but never forgotten Cannon Group -- the symbol of 1980s action, purveyors of delectable cheese-as-film, and home to such beloved franchises as Missing in Action and American Ninja -- was all about. Here's a movie that's got it all, a quintessential mid-budget 1980s martial arts Action flick that's red, white, and blue through and through and that perfectly captures what the decade was all about. Built around a very basic good guy-bad guy permise that pits the diminutive but strong-willed and unassuming hero who fights only for honor against the larger-than-life, mean-spirited villain who fights for his own personal gain and to prove his worth as the world's best fighter was a constant theme through the decade; whether The Karate Kid or even Van Damme's own Kickboxer -- the latter picture little more than a lesser clone of Bloodsport -- Action movies seemed either all about the little guy fighting the odds or the larger-than life heroes played by the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger taking out the trash like nobody's business. The 1980s was all about extremes, and Bloodsport is no exception.

Indeed, Bloodsport doesn't do anything that's not pushed to the extreme. Whether over-the-top acting, montage overload, destructive slow-motion violence, and exaggerated body and facial expressions, Bloodsport milks its every element for all that they're worth, and the result is a movie that's downright goofy but that's still centered around an undeniably alluring heart and soul that makes it impossible to ignore and likely to engender in its viewers a stand-up-and-cheer reaction. Bloodsport stirs its audiences' most basic emotions of right and wrong; the picture paints its characters to such extremes that there's no gray area to be found amongst them, allowing viewers to effortlessly sort out hero and villain and promote a basic sense of satisfaction whenever good overcomes evil. Otherwise, Bloodsport has no real redeeming qualities other than as an example of 1980s Cannon Group filmmaking and as mindless entertainment that still holds up today not as a serious Action picture but as a beacon of cheesy goodness that's more fun and more honest in what it wants to accomplish than are many others of its kind. It might not be the best martial arts Action movie out there, but there's nothing but love and sincerity behind every frame, making Bloodsport a movie that works despite is numerous flaws and a style that doesn't hold up all that well under a dispassionate critical eye.

Timecop
Rating: 3.5/5

There is never enough time.

In the year 1994, time travel is no longer a theory but instead a stunning accomplishment of science. Though travel forward through time isn't possible, travel into the past has become a reality, and with that reality comes the dangers of manipulating the past to alter the present. To protect time and maintain the status quo, the government has erected the Time Enforcement Commission, or TEC, to safeguard the past. The organization is sponsored by a young Senator named Aaron McComb (Ron Silver, Blue Steel) who immediately sees the potential in wielding control over the TEC and using it to his personal advantage. Meanwhile, D.C. cop Max Walker (Van Damme) has accepted a position at the new agency, but before he can start, his life is irreversibly altered when he's attacked and his wife (Mia Sara) is murdered. Ten years pass. McComb is on the verge of buying the Presidency, and Walker is a hotshot TEC agent who's learned that the Senator is manipulating time to amass the funds he needs to become President, all the while working to shut down the TEC for good. Walker becomes embroiled in a deadly engagement with McComb and his cronies that spans a decade and has repercussions for each man that will come to define both their pasts and futures.

As insignificant to the overall plot as it may be, Timecop is probably best remembered for its opening sequence that's one of the flat-out coolest in Action movie history. A driving rainstorm is the setting for a Civil War-era shootout between a handful of Rebels transporting a stash of General Lee's gold and a lone gunman wielding a couple of automatic pistols wearing bulky laser sights. It's the kind of stuff that only exists in fantasy, but Timecop serves up one of the neatest "what if" scenarios ever captured on film. While the rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to that level of excellence, Timecop is nevertheless a fun and energetic Sci-Fi/Action movie that's aged rather well and is arguably the most technically proficient and most intelligent movie in the Jean-Claude Van Damme canon. Of course, that's like picking out the nicest frozen dinner out of the Wal*Mart freezer; they're all pretty much identical but there's always that one that stands out with a pretty box and that manages to taste just a bit better than the rest. Timecop certainly has its faults -- namely in the form of plot holes big enough to drive a time machine through, various liberties taken with the science as it's presented in the film, and, oddly enough, time management in the form of a bomb on a countdown that lasts several minutes longer than its readout suggests -- but it overcomes them with a decent enough story, good special effects, and quality acting from its leads.

Timecop, like Bloodsport and, honestly, almost any Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, is best enjoyed as a mindless guilty pleasure where leaps in logic and impossible plot developments are met with an understanding that it's just a fun Action movie and not some theorem on what might really happen in a world where time travel exists. Everything in Timecop is plausible enough to lend to the picture an air of credibility within its established parameters. The movie still works in that regard, even if time hasn't been too kind to several of its less-critical components, such as the mostly ridiculous futuristic weapons and vehicles and JCVD's kickin' hairdo. Fortunately, the cast is uniformly good and, in a few instances, excellent. Van Damme impresses in what might be his best raw performance as a troubled TEC agent with the technology to change his past at his fingertips but the honor and respect for the natural course of things in his heart to keep him from fiddling with time. Ron Silver steals the show as the devious Senator McComb; he's superb as both the heartless Presidential candidate and the confused young Senator who at several junctures comes into contact with his future self. Mia Sara plays the part of Walker's wife well, and Bruce McGill's turn as TEC Director Matuzak is seamless and believable, particularly in the way he and Van Damme so effortlessly convince the audience of their longtime friendship, a credit to both their efforts and Mark Verheiden's surprisingly tight and well-constructed script.

 

Bloodsport
Rating: 3/5

Bloodsport's 1080p Blu-ray transfer isn't one that miraculously makes the movie look brand new, but it does breathe new life into the Van Damme classic and represents the best the film has ever looked for home viewing. It's a transfer not without drawbacks -- there are some noticeably soft and fuzzy elements, slightly blooming whites, and orange flesh tones -- but most of the movie looks rather good, all things considered. Detail comes off as flat and lifeless in some scenes, but borders on the exemplary in others, particularly those scenes shot during the daylight hours that showcase various Hong Kong exteriors. Otherwise, faces, clothing, and other assorted objects clearly benefit from the resolution afforded them by the 1080p transfer, but rarely does the image flat-out dazzle. Clarity is generally strong and the color palette is balanced but not eye-catching. Bloodsport by its very nature seems like a visually uninteresting picture; Warner Brothers' 1080p transfer does the material justice, and fans can rest assured that this is about the best the film has ever looked for home viewing.

Timecop
Rating: 3/5

Timecop travels onto the Blu-ray format with a steady but underwhelming 1080p transfer. Though it occasionally appears a bit over-sharpened, Warner Brothers' transfer yields a highly watchable Blu-ray image that shows the film's age but nevertheless allows it to benefit from the 1080p treatment. Detail isn't going to wow anyone who's seen more than a handful of high-def discs, and the film sports a fairly muted color palette that's not going to dazzle the senses, but both prove adequately reproduced through the course of the film and within the context of its intended appearance. Moderate grain and some background noise are seen over the image, but Timecop's transfer is also accompanied by several noticeable but not transfer-destroying problems: blacks tend to be too absorbing, flesh tones capture a red tint, whites occasionally bloom, minor compression artifacts occasionally enter into the equation, and several pops and speckles appear intermittently through the movie. It's certainly not a great transfer, but neither is Timecop a disaster on Blu-ray; fans still clinging to old LaserDisc versions or non-anamorphic DVD copies would be wise to upgrade.

 

Bloodsport
Rating: 2.5/5

Warner Brothers pounds out a decent enough DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack for this release of Bloodsport. Range is limited and clarity is often left wanting, but Warner's audio presentation generally serves the movie well enough. This is a fairly robust mix that's not lacking volume, with music and sound effects competing to see which can be the loudest. Fortunately, things never get out of hand, and the result is an engaging and fun track that, like the movie it accompanies, lacks spit-and-polish but more than makes up for its shortcomings in effort. There's a slightly unnatural pitch to some dialogue elements, making them sound detached from the image rather than part of it, but such instances are rare. Atmospherics are steady across the two channels, with the track doing just enough to create a noticeable environment in several locales. Unfortunately, it's just not enough to completely absorb the listener into the bustling Hong Kong streets or the rowdy underground tournaments. Bloodsport won't stretch the limits of audio engineering or give even the most modest of sound systems much of a workout, but Warner's lossless DTS track gets the job done without being too much of a disappointment.

Timecop
Rating: 3.5/5

Timecop blasts onto Blu-ray with a potent but not quite perfect DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is certainly aggressive and loud -- evidenced from the get-go during the opening Civil War sequence with room-filling rain and automatic weapons fire -- but it lacks that pinpoint spacing and absolute clarity that define the top soundtracks. The surround channels are put to good use throughout in support of both atmosphere and action-oriented effects. Neither are supremely convincing, but both are admirably implemented into this mid-90s Action flick's soundtrack. General ambience often sounds rather plain, but the track delivers several subwoofer-happy moments accompanying the bass-heavy time travel sound effects. The low end lacks the precision of the finest tracks, but it's in no way sloppy or undefined, either. A few directional effects add some spice to the mix, while dialogue is steady and never in competition with other elements. Much like its video transfer, Timecop's soundtrack is a step above anything found in previous releases, but this DTS track doesn't magically make things immeasurably better.

 

No supplements are included with either film.

 

Bloodsport and Timecop are the very definition of "guilty pleasure." They're mindless but well-made action flicks that boast good acting and intriguing story lines, a recipe for success that allows each to achieve lofty heights amongst their mid-grade Action movie brethren. Both pictures have withstood the test of time on their own merits and thanks to fan bases that can look past whatever shortcomings may exist and simply enjoy the movies as they were meant to be seen and without any preconceived notions that these pictures strive to be anything more than good old-fashioned entertainment without any excess baggage or unrealistic visions of grandeur. Neither is an out-and-out genre classic, but both get the job done admirably and without cause for any real complaint within the context of the Action movie landscape. Warner Brothers' double feature Blu-ray release yields passable technical specs but absolutely no extra content. Individual releases with meaty bonus features would be nice, but as it is, this is probably the best either film will look and sound for many years to come. Recommended for diehard Van Damme fans.

• Warner Announces Three More Blu-ray Double Features - June 9, 2010

Warner Home Video has announced three double-feature Blu-ray titles for release on September 14. Two of them belong squarely in the family genre: A Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story and Shiloh / Saving Shiloh (for some reason, Shiloh 2: Shiloh Season ...

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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Blu-ray officially announced

Guess what? That’s right – I still haven’t seen the Scott Pilgrim film. Such is the life of a guy pulling double duty at the office during the day, musician in a band by night and Blu-ray reviewer in the spaces between. Sigh… Nevertheless, this Blu-ray disc looks to be something to get excited about – far more feature-rich than the rumours made it out to be. So, maybe, if the stars align, if everything is in its right place, I might just get a chance to see Scott Pilgrim when it comes to Blu-ray on November 9th. Here’s hoping…

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
(November 9, 2010 – MSRP $39.98)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Special Features: Commentaries: Director/producer/co-writer Edgar Wright, co-writer Michael Bacall and author Bryan Lee O’Malley Technical Commentary with director/producer/co-writer Edgar Wright and director of photography Bill Pope Cast commentary with Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong and Brandon Routh Cast commentary with Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin and Mark Webber U-Control: Storyboard picture-in-picture (BD-exclusive) Trivia track Deleted and alternate scenes with commentary from Edgar Wright Insider documentaries (BD-exclusive) Making of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Music Featurette You Too Can Be Sex Bob-OmbAlternate footage: A special look at alternative edits to the film (BD-exclusive) Pre-production: A look inside the film’s pre-production process including storyboards, pre-visualizations, animatics, motion capture tests, rehearsal footage, casting tapes, hair/make-up tests and more (BD-exclusive) The Music of Scott Pilgrim vs. the world: including four complete music videos and video remixes from legendary DJ Osymyso (BD-exclusive) Visual effects (BD-exclusive) Sound work (BD-exclusive) Trailers and TV spots (BD-exclusive) Scott Pilgrim vs. the Bloopers Behind-the-scenes Adult Swim™: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation (BD-exclusive)(BD-exclusive) Scott Pilgrim vs the Censors: TV-safe version (BD-exclusive) Behind-the-scenes production blogs by Edgar Wright from the set of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (BD-exclusive) Behind-the-scenes photo galleries including Edgar Wright’s photo blog Galleries: production photos, art galleries and marketing concepts Pocket Blu (BD-exclusive) Advanced Remote Control Video Timeline Mobile-To-Go Virtual KeyboardBD-Live

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Kurokami: The Animation Vol.2 (Black God) (Blu-ray Review)

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Black God
Bandai Visual | 2009 | 100 min | Unrated | Jul 20, 2010

Reviewed by Dustin Somner, September 16, 2010

Kurokami: The Animation is an anime adaptation of the "Black God" Japanese manga series published by Square Enix. Interestingly enough, the series was written and illustrated by an all-Korean team, reflecting a growing trend in Japanese manga production. The resulting 23-episode anime series was licensed and produced by Sunrise animation studio, and directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi (The Twelve Kingdoms). Initially released throughout Japan and North American during the first half of 2009, the series has been chosen by Bandai as their first anime television production to be released on the Blu-ray format within North America. This second release contains episode five through eight, with subsequent volumes expected every two months or so.

The animation style is simple yet effective.

Keita Ibuki is a troubled high school boy who can't shake intense memories of his mother's untimely death. Night after night, he recollects the image of her body making contact with a truck, while he helplessly witnessed from the adjacent sidewalk. Now that he's grown older, he shares an apartment with his childhood friend Akane, who assists him in looking beyond the circumstances surrounding his mother's death. This becomes increasingly difficult when two additional girls in Keita's life fall prey to "accidental" deaths immediately following an interaction with a carbon copy of themselves. What's most troubling in all of this is Keita's belief that his mother's death had something to do with a similar interaction the day before her death, as if she'd been marked by the glimpse of an unknown twin. Everything becomes clearer when Keita happens upon a mysterious young girl at a restaurant one night, claiming to be a Tera Guardian. According to this girl, each human is born with two Doppeliners that share the same fate and split varying levels of luck between them. There's always a root and two subs within the relationship, so the death of a sub equates to an increase in luck bestowed on the root. Tera is a spiritual life force that each human possesses in varying amounts, creating a need for Tera Guardians (or beings from someplace beyond Earth), who maintain the delicate balance between Doppeliners and the Tera they possess. Keita soon plays an important role in this balancing act, since he discovers there's someone within the city who's manipulating the existence of subs for personal gain, creating a rift in the equilibrium the Tera Guardians swore to protect.

The second volume of Kurokami continues to build on the interesting concepts introduced in the first four episodes by digging deeper into the relationships between Tera Guardians and the contractee they form a relationship with. In the primary story arch, those two individuals are Kuro (Tera Guardian) and Keita (contractee), who both harbor a family history that looks to define the future of the series. During this four episode run, we're introduced to Kuro's brother Yakumo and shown events that led to her departure from Reishin. Yakumo's history isn't fully explained by the end of this release, but the tragic tale of a recent massacre indicates he'll emerge as one of the primary villains in the series. Additionally, the story of Keita's mother takes center stage in the latter two episodes of this volume, as a photograph guides our protagonists to Okinawa in search of answers. These two extensions to the plotline form the building blocks that hold this second installment together, and provide enough revelations to hold our attention into the final minutes of the eighth episode.

In addition to the strengths in the continuing mystery unfolding in the second wave of the series, the writers go to great lengths in developing the primary characters from the first four episodes, while still introducing plenty of new faces along the way. Fresh villains are tossed into the equation, additional allies emerge, and characters such as Steiner and Excel (Nobel Ones) are explored in greater detail--clarifying their role in the investigation regarding the assembly of Master Roots under the Kaionji Group.

If asked to mention one complaint about the second volume in the 26 episode series, it would be the slow development of the overall story arch, which remains interesting enough to hold our attention, but never registers at a level I'd call engrossing. This shouldn't be a huge surprise when you consider anime series often take time to build a strong foundation before actually hitting their stride, so I'm holding out hope that Kurokami follows the same path.

 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 22Mbps), Kurokami: The Animation looks impressive on Blu-ray despite the inherent budgetary limitations of the production. It's easy to become spoiled by the precision of theatrical anime productions dominating the Bandai release slate, but it's great to see more anime studios turning toward their television catalog for Blu-ray options. When you remove the aspects attributable to the source material, this is a fine transfer with little room for complaint. Hand-drawn lines remain crisp, avoiding stair-stepping, aliasing, or blurring, and background art reveals adequate texture/shading, bringing a nice sense of balance to the environmental designs of the artists. Regarding the color palette of the series, this is fairly standard material, with naturalistic tones emerging from the real-world setting, and hues that never strive for an overly saturated spectrum. Black levels avoid ascensions into dark-gray territory (certainly a good thing), and contrast provides a nice balance between the lighter and darker elements within the image. All in all, this is a strong visual presentation that mirrors the opening chapter of the series, demonstrating a level of consistency I'd expect to continue through the rest of the series.  

This is the one area that may stand as a deal breaker to some anime fans. If your taste is similar to mine, you prefer the native language track on most anime series. As such, I was notably disappointed to learn Bandai would be releasing Kurokami with nothing more than a dubbed English version available. Given the nature of licensing rights in various international territories and varying pricing structures within "Region 1" countries, I'm left to assume this is one of those situations where Bandai had little choice. However, I still recognize the potential disappointment arising in some of the more hardcore anime fans. For those of you who are still with me at this point, I'll assume you're at least willing to hear an assessment of the English dub, and give it the benefit of the doubt.

First and foremost, Bandai assembled a talented pool of English voice actors to play the various roles in Kurokam, and the result is quite remarkable. Despite preferring the native language, I've listened to plenty of dubs over the years, and Kurokami definitely ranks within the top 10%. Each actor nails the tone of the character they portray, and the timing of the vocal delivery matches up nicely with the facial movements within the animation. Stepping away from the dialogue delivery within the show and moving toward an assessment of the actual audio presentation, I can't say I'm nearly as delighted. As commendable as it is to receive a lossless audio presentation, the fact that the show only encompasses a 2-channel track is somewhat of a let-down. Not all television series are produced with a surround sound focus, but considering Kurokami was released in 2009, I'd have expected more than simply a stereo mix. As such, we end up with an audio experience that's well-balanced and crisp, with solid fundamental framework, but merely adequate in comparison with other productions currently on the market.

 

The supplements included in volume two include clean opening/closing songs, and three trailers for other Bandai releases (Freedom, Gurren Lagann, and Sword of the Stranger).  

Considering we're only 8 episodes into the 26 episode run, it's difficult to offer much of a recommendation on how well this stacks up to other television anime productions on the market. There's plenty of potential to be found in the second installment, but until we hold a better grasp on how the various character interactions play into the big picture, we can only speculate on the success of the final puzzle. At this point I'd still recommend a rental, though I could see this emerging as one of the better series of the year.

No related news posts for Kurokami: The Animation Vol.2 Blu-ray yet.

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Battle 360: The Complete Season One (Blu-ray Review)

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A&E Home Video | 2008 | 580 min | Unrated | Sep 28, 2010
 (TV) (2008)

Documentary

For nearly a decade, the legendary World War II aircraft carrier USS Enterprise held a pivotal place on the turbulent seas of war, engaging in some of the fiercest multi-front battles ever witnessed in modern combat. The only carrier to be front and center in every major sea conflict in the Pacific, the Enterprise and her crew?s battles were marked by intense firepower, instinct and a 360-coordination between the ship, the destroyers, the aircraft above and the submarines below. In each of ten episodes, and using incredible CGI visualizations, BATTLE 360 follows the Enterprise and its men through another conflict of WWII as they fight off the enemy from the air, the sea and underwater.

For more details about Battle 360: The Complete Season One on Blu-ray, see the Battle 360: The Complete Season One Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, September 19, 2010

The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard may be the largest facility of its kind on the west coast, but it's also a curiously unadorned affair and is strangely uncelebrated by people not familiar with its storied past. In 1943 the shipyard was home, at least for a while, to the USS Enterprise, the most honored aircraft carrier of the Second World War, which came in for drydock repairs and left some time later completely refitted and upgraded, able to make it through the rest of the epochal conflict despite being severely damaged by among other things several kamakazi attacks. Anyone who has ever set foot on an aircraft carrier, or stood next to them while they were in port, knows how improbably massive these structures are, and indeed this first season of Battle 360, which focuses pretty much exclusively on the Enterprise, calls the ship (quite rightfully) a "city of steel." I myself stood next to some aircraft carrier whose name I can't recall anymore at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at some sort of official shindig that my father, a U.S. Army General, was invited to when I was a kid. I still remember being awestruck at the sheer size of the ship, something that seemed to tower as high as any skyscraper I had ever seen, and perhaps even more impressively, stretched from side to side several times the mass it attained in height. Battle 360 does an excellent job of recounting the Enterprise's storied history from Pearl Harbor to the doorstep of Japan, four years of incredible conflict and a series of battles which helped define the Pacific campaign. If it's not always easy to get a real feel for the physical size of the Enterprise, the more figurative scope of the ship's contributions to the Allied victory in the War comes through loud and clear.

You were expecting Pixar?

Battle 360 follows the established History Channel tradition of mixing in copious segments of at time pretty basic looking CGI with first hand interviews and expert commentary, as the series moves through Enterprise's history. In fact while the series emphasizes the visual bells and whistles (to mix metaphors) of the computer generated scenes, it's really the interview segments where this series comes fully alive, as some of the few surviving crewmen who once numbered around 2800 on board the ship recount their adventures in several of World War II's most famous battles. Listening to these now quite elderly men discuss coming to terms with fear, or rising above their preconceived notions of what they could accomplish, is a lesson in humility and grace, and is yet another perfect example of why men of this era are so suitably called The Greatest Generation.

Among the epochal battles Enterprise engages in are Midway, where the massive ship's aircraft helps to sink two Japanese ships, the Kaga and Akagi. The Enterprise is accompanied by the Yorktown and Hornet. The Hornet will perish several years later in another battle essayed by the series, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. But of course the Enterprise's story begins, at least with regard to World War II, a bit earlier with the attack on Pearl Harbor, whose carnage the Enterprise escaped by being out to sea on December 7. The ship hauled into port, or at least what was left of it, on December 8, and some of the first hand accounts of witnessing the horrible destruction 24 hours after the "day which will live in infamy" give the episode a really visceral power.

Though the Enterprise was nicknamed "Lucky E," the fact is the ship suffered its own series of misfortunes over the course of the several years it saw action in World War II. Not only was it struck by a devastating bomb in the Battle of Guadalcanal, it later became the victim of Japanese suicide bombers toward the end of the War, when the Land of the Rising Sun became increasingly desperate in its use of tactics, hoping against hope it could cling onto control of the Pacific islands which the Enterprise, along with several other carriers and Marine and Army battalions, were slowly claiming one by one.

While Battle 360 does an artful job of depicting the strategies the Enterprise and her sister ships utilized in various Pacific campaigns, strangely that is not ultimately what most viewers will probably remember once the series comes to a close. While watching various encompassing views of how battles played out is fascinating, and helps to give a literal bird's eye view of huge swaths of area, it's really in the personal stories that the series comes fully alive. While the vets who are interviewed may be close to the end of their lives, their memories are sharp as a tack, no doubt magnified by the traumatic events they lived through. While it's somewhat ironic that Battle 360's sister series, Patton 360, actually tended to focus more vibrantly on the actual battles than the personalities involved (even Patton's famously volatile one), here in Battle 360 while we're still privy to seeing how exactly individual campaigns played out, it's actually how these campaigns affected their participants that becomes the most compelling part of the viewing experience.

Battle 360 offers 10 episodes spread over three Blu-rays:

Call To Duty
Vengeance at Midway
Jaws of the Enemy
Bloody Santa Cruz
Enterprise vs. Japan
The Grey Ghost
Hammer of Hell
D-Day in the Pacific
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Empire's Last Stand

 

I used to take History Channel to task, back in the "olden days" of SD-DVDs, for not anamorphically enhancing their releases. They finally took my advice (no, really, I'm sure of it) and came to their senses, but now they're making the equal and opposite mistake. On both this AVC encoded 1080p release (in 1.78:1) and its sibling Patton 360, virtually all the archival footage has been anamorphically stretched to fit 16:9 screens. Really, do the producers and distributors of these product not realize that the vast majority of viewers are educated enough about aspect ratios to realize when a brigade looks wide enough to be at least a brigade and a half? Of course, I'm joking, but the odd stretching is completely annoying and unnecessary. Future seasons of any 360 series simply need to blow up and matte 1.33:1 segments as needed, or, preferably, simply pillar box them and show them as they were intended to be seen (which of course used to be the mantra of the widescreen fanatics). On the whole, Battle 360 looks decent enough, and better than that in the contemporary interview segments, which feature excellent detail against some great, inky black backgrounds. CGI is laughably bad at times, almost like an analog to the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons?simple, basic and not very well developed. Stock footage has a slew of problems, from scratches, dirt and debris to the odd decision to frequently superimpose maps and other graphic data on top of the footage, making it even harder to decipher.  

Battle 360 really could have benefited from a 5.1 mix in light of its many exciting battle sequences. But at least we're given a rather respectably robust DTS-HD 2.0 mix which helps to beef up those action segments with some really excellent and thundering LFE. I kept hoping for more directionality, however, especially as planes zoomed overhead or the gigantic aircraft carriers plowed through the turbulent ocean waters. What is here is remarkably vivid, however, with crisp fidelity and some really great dynamic range. The voiceover narration by Wally Kurth is always clear and authoritative, and the onscreen interview segments are also clean and easy to hear. Sound effects abound in this series, as is probably to be expected, but they never overwhelm the spoken material. History really should up the ante, though, and provide a full lossless 5.1 mix for any future seasons of this battle-centric series.  

A middling to pretty good Making of featurette (SD; 29:12) is included on the third disc. It features some interesting interviews with the CGI house as well as some in depth looks at various segments.  

The USS Enterprise is obviously one of the most storied names in the history of United States warfare. There's a reason Gene Roddenberry chose it for Star Trek. This excellent overview of the Enterprise's birth in 1936 through the close of World War II hits all the high points, giving some great accounts of the many important battles in which Enterprise played a leading role. But it's the interview segments with the Enterprise's surviving crew that really hit home here, and make Battle 360 such a gratifying and worthwhile. . .enterprise. Recommended.

No related news posts for Battle 360: The Complete Season One Blu-ray yet.

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Breathless (À bout de souffle) (StudioCanal Collection) (Blu-ray Review)

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? bout de souffle / StudioCanal Collection
Optimum Home Entertainment | 1960 | 90 min | Not rated | Sep 13, 2010

Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

Audio
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (less)
Subtitles
English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Japanese, Turkish English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Japanese, Turkish (less)
Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
DigiBook


Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, September 16, 2010

Winner of Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, Jean-Luc Godard's "A bout de souffle" a.k.a "Breathless" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an introduction by film critic and Godard expert Colin McCabe; "Godard, Made in USA", a documentary by Luc Lagier; "Room 12, Hotel de suede", a documentary by director and popular French television host Claude Venture; photo gallery; posters; and more. The disc also arrives with a 20-page illustrated booklet. In French, with optional English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Japanese, and Turkish subtitles for the main feature. Region A/B "locked".

Come with me to Rome...

Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless is the film that changed everything ? perceptions, expectations, the way movies were made. After it, Cinema was no longer the same. The rules were broken. Or to be perfectly clear, there were no more rules to be followed.

Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Pierrot le fou), a tough looking criminal who worships Humphrey Bogart, steals a car, kills a cop, and heads to Paris where he meets Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg, Bonjour tristesse), a beautiful American girl who sells the Herald Tribune in the Champs-Elysees. He falls in love with her and asks that she comes with him to Rome.

While Patricia is trying to make up her mind, Michel wanders around Paris, meeting people who own him money. Occasionally, he also steals from people who do not own him anything. Patricia follows him around, clueless about his dealings.

Michel smokes a lot but Patricia does not mind. The two spend plenty of time together talking about love, money, and happiness. Occasionally, they also make love. When Patricia works, Michel runs around stealing. Then they meet again, talk and make love.

The cops begin looking for Michel. They also question Patricia. She wants to stay with Michel but eventually realizes that there is no future for the two of them. After spending the night with Michel in a chic private photo studio, Patricia calls the cops to let them know where her lover is hiding.

Arguably the most influential of the Nouvelle Vague films, Breathless is brash, raw, and unpretentious yet remarkably elegant piece of cinema. It is hilarious, at times offensive, and though suggesting otherwise incredibly serious about everything it shows. It is the coolest film ever made.

Godard's great innovation lies in the distinctive camerawork - jump cuts, fast zooms, and unusual close-ups - and unorthodox treatment of his characters. The plot of Breathless is hardly original but observing Michel and Patricia is fascinating; time and space are handled in a unique manner creating something that could be best described as a sense of three-dimensionality.

Then there is the sense of freedom that permeates Breathless. The improvisations are wild and strange but also rejuvenating. Many of the lines Michel and Patricia utter make little sense but it is incredibly easy to tell what is on their minds. He wants to love her. She wants to be loved. That is all that matters. That is the whole story Breathless tells.

Godard dedicated Breathless to Monogram Pictures, the famous Hollywood studio that specialized in the production of B-movies, in an attempt to prove that interesting films do not have to be expensive films. He was assisted by legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard, who collaborated with the French director on many of his most renowned films, including Une femme est une femme (1961), Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962), Le mepris (1963), Bande a part (1964), Pierrot le fou (1965), 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle (1967), etc.

In 1960, Breathless won Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1961, the film won the Critics Award for Best Film granted by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

The following message is included on this Blu-ray disc:

"This high-definition Blu-ray involved a large amount of 2K restoration work. Director of photography Raoul Coultard supervised the color timing. Frames had disappeared from certain shots in the film and could not be replaced using current techniques."

This high-definition transfer is not identical to the one used by Criterion for their Blu-ray release of Breathless. Still, it is a very strong one. Generally speaking, fine object detail is very good and clarity levels pleasing. Compared to the Criterion release, the outdoor scenes tend to have a slightly rougher look - they appear brighter and occasionally noisier. The grain is also more prominent. On the Criterion release everything looks slightly darker, toned down and better balanced; some of the indoor scenes, however, are also not as detailed as they are on this release. The close-ups are very pleasing on both releases. Once again, I noticed traces of mild edge-enhancement; macroblocking, however, is not an issue of concern. The color-scheme does not disappoint; blacks are rich and well saturated while whites and grays look fresh and unmanipulated. Finally, there are no serious stability issues. I also did not see any large cuts, marks, stains, or debris to report in this review. (Note: This Blu-ray disc is Region A and B "locked". Therefore, if you reside in a territory covered by one of these two regions you will be able to play it on your PS3s or SAs. Please note that there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu. For the record, the main menu can be set in one of the following languages - German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, English, and Japanese).

 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono), German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono), and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Japanese, and Turkish subtitles for the main feature. (Please note that some of the English dialog in the film - such as the English dialog from Patricia's lunch meeting - has embedded French subtitles).

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is very pleasing. As far as I am concerned, its dynamic amplitude is identical to that of the French LPCM 1.0 track from the Criterion Blu-ray release of Breathless. Once again, there is sporadic mild background noise that I was able to hear, but it is well within the limitations a film of this age is likely to possess. Lastly, there are no serious balance issues with Martial Solal's music score. I also did not detect any annoying pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in either 480/60i or 1080p. Therefore, they are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs.

Introduction - film critic and Godard expert Colin McCabe introduces Breathless and points out what makes it such an important and unique film. In English, with optional French, Dutch, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles. (5 min, 480/60i).

Godard, Made in USA - a wonderful documentary by Luc Lagier focusing on Jean-Luc Godard's career as a filmmaker, his love/hate relationship with American cinema, the production history of Breathless, the impact the film had on other directors, etc. In French, with optional English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and German subtitles. (51 min, 1080p).

Room 12. Hotel de suede - a lengthy documentary, from 1993, in which director and popular French television host Claude Venture interviews different people who were involved with the production of Breathless. Amongst the interviewees are director Claude Chabrol, Jean-Paul Belmondo, cinematographer Raoul Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, editor Cecile Decugis, etc. In French, with optional English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and German subtitles. (79 min, 480/60i).

Jean-Luc according to Luc - Luc Moullet, long-term friend and Godard connoisseur, discusses the legendary French director's work. In French, with optional English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and German subtitles. (8 min, 480/60i).

Photo gallery - a selection of photographs taken by Raymond Cauchetier during the filming of Breathless. (1080p).

Trailer - the original French theatrical trailer for the film. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (3 min, 480/60i).

Posters - a collection of posters for Breathless from Belgium, Finland, Italy, and Germany. (1080p).

BD Live functionality -

Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet.

 

British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment have put together a strong package for Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, and I tend to like it a bit more than the one Criterion released earlier this week. The film looks rougher and slightly nosier here while on the Criterion release it looks marginally darker and better balanced. I think that the rougher look is more appropriate, but I am sure plenty of people would disagree with me. Either way, we have two strong releases of this terrific film now so choose the one whose look you prefer. Keep in mind, however, that the two releases have different supplemental features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

• Studio Canal September Wave Detailed - August 13, 2010

Confirming earlier reports, Optimum Home Entertainment has announced seven titles for Blu-ray release in the UK on September 13 as part of the Studio Canal Collection: Breathless (? bout de souffl?, Jean-Luc Godard, 1960); Le cercle rouge (Jean-Pierre Melville, ...

View the original article here