Electric Shadow

Now & Then 5: Ong Bak, Walk the Line, King/Scotland

I don't have photos or screencaps on these, unfortunately, but I wanted to address them. Ong Bak is the most marginal audiovisual upgrade, but it looks a hell of a lot better than the extremely lackluster DVD transfer. That's not really saying too much, however. I'd wager that the same HD master that was used on the DVD got re-used for Blu-ray. Even though it's higher resolution, this looks like a master intended for the much lower-rez DVD world.

Walk the Line and The Last King of Scotland are solid blugrades, but one should be aware that Line does not include the Extended Cut via seamless branching. All the same DVD SE extras remain on all three, albeit in SD.

Now & Then is a sub-feature of the HD Guide that gives a look at what's gained and lost as various titles make the leap to Blu-ray from DVD.

Now & Then 4: Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas


This is yet another case of "keep your Criterion DVD" blugrade. Unlike the Do the Right Thing release from last year, Universal opted not to license the copious Criterion extras for their Fear & Loathing Blu-ray. The picture and audio quality are indeed a step up, but dirt, grain, aliasing and edge enhancement crop up in the video enough to keep this from being a full-on home run.

Say goodbye to all of the Criterion supplements save the deleted scenes and trailer, and then add a ten-minute on-location featurette and you've got the Blu-ray extras. There's no telling if or when the Criterion DVD may go out of print, so Gilliam followers or fans should make sure they put it on the "priority buy" list before too much longer.

As for the Blu-ray, I can't say "rush out and get it now!", but that won't stop die-hards from grabbing it. This isn't an embarrassment by any stretch, but the color of this piece would be a lot more vibrant if they'd just bit the bullet, shared the profits, and let Criterion do their job.
Now & Then is a sub-feature of the HD Guide that gives a look at what's gained and lost as various titles make the leap to Blu-ray from DVD.
Read More

HD Guide: Now & Then 3 (Mystic River)


The picture and audio upgrade on Mystic River looks as good as one would expect from a film from the last ten years. All the 3-DVD special edition extras are retained with the exception of the score CD. The slimmer, sleeker container for the same content in higher definition is much preferred. I also do not miss the reams and reams of quotes and accolades.

Everything being on one disc is nice for convenience, and there aren't so many extras that this would adversely affect audio or video bitrate. Also not missed is the reference to the disc including "The Academy Award-winning film by Clint Eastwood". We got it, already.

Read More

HD Guide: Now & Then 2 (Ran)


I'm withholding final judgment on StudioCanal/Lionsgate's Ran blu-grade until I've put it through the proper paces, but I've looked into it enough that I can do one of these comparing the raw content relative to Criterion's DVD edition. It was to have been blu-graded last year in the slot that became occupied by Kagemusha. The paper slipcase on the Blu-ray has the visual appearance of being textured paper, but is in fact your standard coated (non-gloss) job.

The back covers reveal the extras on each. The only item that appears on both releases is A.K., a 74-minute doc by Chris Marker. What I have yet to do is make sure none of the features overlap content or are simply the same thing by a different name, so this post may be edited after I've gone all the way through both. [Nothing else overlaps. 9 Feb, 9am]

The new edition adds three features not on the Criterion set. Art of the Samurai is an interview with a Japanese art-of-war expert. Akira Kurosawa: The Epic and the Intimate is another documentary about the director, billed above A.K. in the listing on the back cover. The Samurai delves into samurai art, costume, and weaponry. It also features sections of the film dubbed in French.

The Criterion extra that leaves the biggest hole for me is the 2005-vintage interview with star Tatsuya Nakadai, Kurosawa's latter-day Mifune. Also gone are the Stephen Prince commentary, Sidney Lumet "appreciation", and 35-minute video reconstruction of Kurosawa's sketches and paintings. The one thing that I suspect appears under a different name on the blu-grade is Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, a 30-minute excerpt from the Toho Masterworks series.

The disparity in the included booklets and essays is miles apart. Time Out London's David Jenkins has put together a well-pondered and informative essay. Nothing against him, but...

...I sincerely feel the absence of an 8-page excerpt of an interview with Kurosawa, a full interview with composer Toru Takemitsu, and a bang-up essay from the Chicago Tribune's Michael Wilmington. Post-OOP scalpers will love me for saying this, but: Kurosawa completists and Ran fans should bite the bullet and find a copy of the Criterion edition whilst they can.
Read More

HD Guide: Now & Then 1 (Magnolia/Boogie)

I'll be running these Now & Then pieces as part of the HD Guide as I have the opportunity to show how disc packaging is both evolving and stepping backward in other respects when it comes to design.

The most notable design difference between the original DVD slipcase editions of Magnolia and Boogie Nights and this Tuesday's (19 Jan 2010) Blu-rays is artistry. The Blus include all of the same extras, but lack the old-school, "LP feel" of the DVDs. I don't miss the bulk, but the "wow" factor of before has been deleted. I can definitely support the HD upgrade in sound and video, however (both are glorious and color-rich, I might add).

The primary culprit is the nothing-special standard Blu-ray plastic cases.


The original Platinum Series case that was a major standout in its day. PT Anderson had a direct hand in designing these just as David Fincher did on the Seven one that reproduced the killer's journals.

The one missing feature that didn't make the shift to Blu-ray on Magnolia is the Gag Reel that was hidden in the color bars option.


The essay written out on the inner flaps of Boogie Nights' deluxe set is nowhere to be found on the Blu-ray. Otherwise, all of the on-disc features remain, not including easter eggs. I like having all the extras on one disc and in a smaller, thinner package, but I have to admit that I miss the printed material. At least put it on the disc in digital form, y'know? This is a trend seen also evident on the Clerks Blu-ray, which lacks the excellent booklet included with the Clerks X set.



The HD Guide is an ongoing series focusing on the evolving world of HD in the home: getting started, understanding the lingo, and appreciating the best (and worst) discs that are out there.
Read More