Rick's Flicks Picks on AWN: Blu-ray Screening Room

Blu-ray: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011)

rdemott2 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:39:33 -0800

Those damn, dirty apes look quite amazing in this 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 Blu-ray. This is certainly one of the best Blu-ray releases of the year. The picture quality is crystal clear adding great depth and detail. Weta's CG apes really stand out from fur to skin textures to their realistic looking eyes. The color palette is natural and clean with black levels inky throughout. There is a light film grain that runs through the picture, which does not increase during night scenes. Crush in those night scenes is also nonexistent. As for compression issues and other digital artifacts, they are completely absent.

Blu-ray: ANOTHER EARTH (2011)

rdemott2 — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:18:02 -0800

Your appreciation of this AVC transfer relies heavily on knowing the source of this indie sci-fi drama. Filmed with a 720p camera on a next to nothing budget, the picture contains a great deal of grain that increases exponentially under low lighting conditions. One scene in the snow at night really highlights its digital origins. Banding and aliasing often creep up in higher contrasted scenes. Color are muted and natural, which fits the cool mood. But when compared to the DVD version, clarity is greatly increased with the grain issue minimized. All things considered this 1080p release is about as good as this material can look.

Blu-ray: CARS 2 (2011)

rdemott2 — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:30:58 -0700

Disney continues their winning streak with this showroom quality release. The 1080p AVC-encoded transfer has impeccable detail from the slightest dents and rust on the cars to the vast crowds of vehicles at the races. Color quality is electric, giving viewers vibrant primary colors, especially the neon in the Japanese sequence. Digital anomalies are pretty much absent. With so much red in the palette, the absence of banding and aliasing is impressive.

Blu-ray: ATTACK THE BLOCK (2011)

rdemott2 — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:26:53 -0700

While it's not perfect, Sony does bring a handsome transfer of this low budget production, which is destined to become a cult classic. The MPEG-4 AVC encoded Blu-ray is true to its source. The color palette is desaturated and dark due to the low light. This lessens detail in the outdoor night sequences, as well as suffers from limited pixelation, but the picture becomes richer in the brighter indoor scenes. Film grain is natural and unobtrusive. Black levels, however, are inconsistent, but shine in the inky black of the alien invaders, which are meant to look like black holes running across the screen. And boy do the glow in the dark teeth of the aliens pop.

Blu-ray: WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (2011)

rdemott2 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:40:44 -0700

From Fox comes a beautiful transfer of Francis Lawrence's romantic ode to the circus. The AVC encoded 1080p transfer is a nearly perfect. The color palette is rich and nuanced. The bookend sequences, which have a heavier film grain, have a more natural tone. When the film moves to the Depression era, the saturated colors pop. The lavish red of August's ringmaster jacket. The rustic circus banners. The detail provides that virtual 3-D appeal. Look at the detail of the face of elephant and the vintage costumes. The only blaring problem is pixilation during the scene where Jacob catches the train at night. This is probably due to the scene being shot day for night and digitally rendered dark.

Blu-ray: WINNIE THE POOH (2011)

rdemott2 — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:07:17 -0700

Disney proves once again why Blu-ray is so great for animation. This 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer of the new WINNIE THE POOH feature shows off the richness of the hand drawn animation. Line quality is detailed throughout. The watercolor backgrounds are painterly. Colors range from the subtle to the striking primaries used for Pooh's shirt for instance. Blacks are inky and consistent. Digital compression issues are nonexistent. The picture is about as flawless as it can get.

Blu-ray: BATMAN: YEAR ONE (2011)

rdemott2 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:12:45 -0700

Visually this is one of the better looking DC Direct animated titles. The 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer contains a muted color palette that sets the somber mood. Neon signs pop, while not creating digital interference. Banding issues that have been on all of the DC Direct titles are reduced and are only visible if you're really looking for them. The 2D animation is cleanly presented, but the integration of cel-painted CG does stick out because of the sharpest (and movement). Other digital problems are minor and like I said of the banding, you really have to be looking for it.

Blu-ray: THE TREE OF LIFE (2011)

rdemott2 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:39:23 -0700

Certainly one of the very best films of the year, now is one of the very best Blu-ray releases of 2011. Fox's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer captures every nuance of Emmanuel Lubezki's poetic cinematography. Shot in both 35 and 65mm, the picture has the filmic grain expected for a film that was made with natural light. The noise, however, is light and never dampens details. Colors are are a heightened natural feel, almost painterly. Blacks are deep and rich. The big bang sequence shines with an even richer color palette. The lava explosions glow with rich reds. The CG dinosaurs blend perfectly into the soulful imagery. Digital issues are non-existent.

Blu-ray: DUMBO (1941)

rdemott2 — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:09:27 -0700

This restoration of the Disney classic is brought to Blu-ray in a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer exquisitely. Unlike some restorations, this one doesn't turn the hand drawn feature into something that looks like TV animation. The subtleties remain, especially in the watercolor backgrounds, where the artists' touch really pops in hi-def. Color is a huge element in this film and the range is kept under control in that nothing seems unnaturally bright. Black levels are inky. Digital anomalies are absent from the release as far as I saw, but others have pointed out some ringing.

Blu-ray: INCENDIES (2011)

rdemott2 — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:08:31 -0700

Mostly filmed using natural light, this Oscar nominated film benefits greatly from the detail of this 1080p transfer. Andre Turpin's cinematography could have come off dim and murky in a bad transfer or heaven forbid DVD, but this first rate job has keep its visual integrity. The color palette is natural and the black levels are solid. The natural lighting does dampen the crispness of the image, but that doesn’t mean details don’t pop.