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- First reviewAugust 5, 2015
- Last reviewAugust 15, 2018
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![Videodrome [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [1982]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/477621d1-222d-4692-8e36-b0a4169d75ec.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
Would you like to try new things?
on August 15, 2018
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
Back in 2010 Criterion upgraded their already seminal 2-disc DVD set of Videodrome to Blu-ray with thankfully flying colors.
Videodrome tells the story of Max Renn (played by James Woods), executive at a controversial TV station out of Canada. When his tech wizard finds a broadcast featuring a brutal murder for an underground show called Videodrome Max gets interested and seeks it out with the help of a radio host played By Blondie's lead singer Deborah Harry. When Max starts to have violent and erotic hallucinations he finds himself in the middle of dark political conspiracy orchestrated by a shady government agent played by Leslie Carlson.
Criterion's Blu-ray boast a solid transfer approved by director David Cronenberg and cinematographer Mark Irwin. Despite the disc's age the transfer holds up perfectly capturing Cronenberg's gray, industrial Toronto with no hiccups. Also solid is the restored Mono audio which is up to Criterion's usual standards. The release is packed with bonus features from an interesting short film featuring Carlson called Camera which Cronenberg shot in 2000, documentaries on the films special effects, a 1982 round table discussion with Cronenberg and Horror legends John Carpenter and John Landis, and two excellent commentary tracks one featuring James Woods and Deborah Harry and the other with the director himself. Both are never boring and worth a listen. The film comes package in Criterion's usual plastic box this time with a neat slipbox and 36-page booklet with multiple essays.
Videodrome is a dark and sleazy classic with a lot to say about the rise of technology and it's effect on the human condition. Loaded with gore and sexuality but nevertheless an important and profound work that anyone interested with the stomach for it should see. Highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
Mobile Submission: False
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![Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [1992]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/58e4364d-b876-4ed3-b6a8-ee8d113226ae.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
We live inside a dream.
on August 15, 2018
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
After two excellent releases (Eraserhead and Mulholland Dr.) by Criterion of Lynch's body of work they struck gold a third time last Fall with this solid release of Lynch's controversial prequel to his seminal TV series.
Fire Walk With Me follows multiple stories leading up to the events of the TV Series. Two idiosyncratic FBI agents played by Chris Isaak and 24's Kiefer Sutherland who head to the not so welcoming town of Deer Meadow when the body of a local waitress is found. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, FBI chief Gordon Cole (played woderfully by Lynch) and his top agent Dale Cooper experience a strange occurrence before the sudden appearance of long lost FBI agent played by David Bowie. Finally we get the meat of the film which is the last days of ill-fated Laura Palmer and her troubled life quickly spreading out of control. Beside the aforementioned performances and Sheryl Lee's Oscar-worthy as Laura the film boast a number of good performances from Ray Wise as Laura's unstable father Leland to Harry Dean Stanton as a cranky, foul mouthed trailer park owner.
It's worth noting this is the second Blu-ray of this film. Released before in the now out of print Twin Peaks: Entire Mystery set sporting a new 5.1 mix and 4K restoration. The new release ports that transfer over essentially but due to the use of a 50gb disc rather than the 25gb the previous disc used and Criterion's usual care towards getting a top notch transfer the film actually looks crisper and with the restored 2.0 stereo track sounds better than before. Much like the previous disc the release also has around 90 minutes of deleted scenes including a longer version of the David Bowie scene that gives a bit more detail on his disappearance. The previous release was troubled on this end because a lot of people experienced audio issues with the audio not syncing up with the picture on the previous release. The scenes here appear to have been mastered with a different audio mix and I noticed no issues on that end. This release also has a couple of new interviews with Sheryl Lee and composer Angelo Badalamenti both of which are very solid. Packaging for this film is the usual digipak box with a 46-page booklet with a reprint of Chris Rodley's interview on the film from his book Lynch on Lynch.
Overall Criterion does Lynch proud again and gives this film a definitive release. If you don't own this film on Blu-ray this release is utterly perfect and is essential viewing for fans of the newer show. Can't recommend it enough.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
Mobile Submission: False
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![Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery [DVD] [1997]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/8248fa5b-0d6d-457f-b4a8-10660e0980d8.jpg)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery features both widescreen and pan-and-scan versions of the film; however, the original theatrical aspect ration of 2.35:1 has been changed by director Jay Roach to a 2:1 aspect ratio, perhaps to better accommodate its widescreen enhancement. The commentary track allows Roach and Mike Myers to tell what is improvised and what is scripted in the film, specifically to point out the different inspirations and homages, and joke around some as well. The deleted scene menu features two original endings and five scenes that were either cut for time or because they were expendable. One of the original endings is particularly hilarious and at least two of the deleted scenes ("The Henchman's Wife" and "Fendi Briefcase") could have been left in the film. The "Spy Genre Retrospective" is disappointing, just a series of pages to read about the movies that inspired the film instead of a featurette. Meanwhile, the animated "Music to Shag To" sequence, a celebrity cameo menu, and the "Swedish-Made Penis Enlarger Pump" features aren't exactly substantial but do add to the zany feel of the DVD. The theatrical trailer is also included. Austin Powers can't compete with current special editions, but it is nonetheless a fun disc for an enjoyable film.
Customer Rating
5
Allow myself to introduce ... myself.
on June 16, 2017
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
The Austin Powers series was and still is one of the most premier spy comedies on the market. A smashing blend of then-modern pop culture mythos and classic '60's spy/mod culture particularly taking inspiration from the James Bond series, Derek Flint, and even the '66 art house classic Blow-Up. The first film got the series off to a great start with Austin traveling through time to stop his ultimate nemesis, Dr. Evil (both played of course by Mike Myers) and having to cope with changing attitudes towards his era of 'free love' and various battles Evil's colorful henchmen (my personal favorite being Mustafa played by Will Ferrell). The cinematography and set design are both top notch as well as a groovy soundtrack with tunes from Burt Bacharach, Nancy Sinatra, Divinyls, and of course the theme by Quincy Jones.
I opted for the original 1997 New Line Platinum DVD as I already have the other two on DVD and the price was hard to pass up. The transfer while somewhat aged still holds up and doesn't distract from the action. Audio is still solid, your standard 5.1 mix. The 2.1 aspect ratio is a bit odd sounding at first but the director requested it for this release. Special features aren't quite as plentiful as the ones for the other two Austin Powers films but the deleted scenes and alternate endings are worthwhile (especially the cameo by Bond girl Lois Chiles). I also really like the cover art for this one. Really captures the spy/psychedelic vibe well and the yellow color palette looks pretty good next to the red and blue covers for the sequels (I know it might seem like a small thing to mention but as someone who owns a lot of DVDs I do get annoyed when the cover for film series don't line up well together so it's worth noting when they do).
Overall this film and it's sequels will probably be remembered for years to come as comedy classics. The amount of references and homages will keep any Bond fan pleased and replaying the DVD over and over to catch all the little details and those looking for a fun spy-comedy will not find much than can top this film. Fabulous and highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Al Pacino and Robert de Niro appear on-screen together for the first time in writer/director Michael Mann's intense crime drama. Frazzled LAPD detective Lt. Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is out to stop a group of highly skilled professional thieves headed by mastermind Neil McCauley (De Niro), who's looking for one last score. The stakes rise to dangerous levels as Hanna and McCauley become locked in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Tom Sizemore, and Jon Voight co-star. 170 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1, French DTS 5.1; Subtitles English (SDH), Spanish, French; featurettes; theatrical trailers; deleted scenes; more.
Customer Rating
5
I do what I do best, I take scores.
on May 10, 2017
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
After a fairly solid but troubled Blu-ray from Warner Brothers back in 2009, Michael Mann has given it another go and along with 20th Century Fox given us an excellent new release with the 'Director's Definitive Edition' as mentioned on the front cover.
Heat is perhaps one of the most definitive cops and robbers movie ever made. A dark, realistic tale that not only gives us a very authentic look at heist crews and the detectives who take them down but the toll it takes on their personal lives. Al Pacino gives a startling and lively performance as an overworked cop named Vincent Hanna who is slowly losing touch with his family and possibly his sanity. Robert DeNiro in another one of his sterling roles as a professional but ultimately ruthless thief named Neil McCauley whose code of conduct is shaken a bit by the love of a designer named Eady (played by Amy Brenneman). Both men despite respecting each other in some aspects become hunter and hunted on the streets of L.A. as Vincent sees his marriage fall apart and Neil sees multiple betrayals and a number of his crew picked off as he pulls off a major bank heist. The supporting cast for this film is tremendous with great performances from Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Ted Levine, William Fichtner and small but memorable roles for Henry Rollins, Tom Noonan and Hank Azaria who gets the brunt of Vincent's beratement.
As mentioned before this film had been given a solid but flawed release before by Warner Brothers. Solid in that it had fairly good picture quality but flawed in that the audio quality was not up to par. Warner has a habit of setting the sound levels for voices a bit too low and then setting the sound for action sequences very, very high. Here thankfully this has been fixed. The audio sounds very good and much more balanced. Now dialogue is clear as ever and the action sequences still sound very explosive (especially the pinnacle shoot-out scene following the robbery which is still one the best scenes of it's kind ever filmed). The picture quality has been given a very good 4K upgrade over the first Blu-ray, eschewing the more colder, grayer look for somewhat warmer and more realistic-looking skin tones and natural looking lighting. Don't worry, it's still a dark, shadowy picture though but the scenes in daylight look like scenes in daylight and scenes at night are much more refined and natural looking. Also the film does look a bit more detailed than the previous release did and given this is a 2-disc release the new transfer is housed on it's own disc with the special features on the second disc so compression is pretty much non-existent here.
The special features for the most part are the same from the previous release with several documentaries, deleted scenes and commentary by director Michael Mann. The new stuff though is very good with a new hour-long Q&A segment from last year's Film Academy screening with most of the major cast included and a thirty-minute Q&A with Mann from 2015's Toronto Film Festival screening. Also have to commend 20th Century Fox for their new, excellent box art. Instead of the usual "floating heads over explosion" with a lot of movie covers they went with a more minimalistic and blue-colored view of L.A.'s skyline which looks absolutely gorgeous especially on the slipcover. I should also note though that this Blu-ray is like the previous one based off of Mann's changed version of the film which omitted the "Ferocious, aren't I?" line from Pacino's scene with Hank Azaria. Why this is still left out I'm not certain of although no further changes seem to have been made to the film that I can see.
Overall this release lives up to its subtitle and hopefully will see a 4K UltraHD release in the near future so both Blu-ray enthusiasts and 4K enthusiasts get what they want. I'm personally happy previous issues have been corrected and can say this release is highly fabulous and recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![Dead or Alive Trilogy [Blu-ray] [2 Discs]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/6c61bf13-de36-4ea0-89fb-cecff8a0c535.jpg)
Director Takashi Miike weaves a trilogy that surpasses time and space in this action fueled crime series helmed by Sh~ Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. The two main characters meet time and again: as yakuza and cop, android and human, and rival assassins. Blu-ray discs include special edition contents and bonus features.
Customer Rating
5
One. Two. Three. Four.
on April 18, 2017
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
U.K. Market powerhouse Arrow Video has given Takashi Miike's lurid and exciting Dead or Alive a very solid new release here in the U.S. for fans and newcomers alike. Miike's DOA trilogy much like a lot of his work is a fast-paced, graphic, crazy, and sometimes surreal set of films that despite having the two same leads (Show Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi, both already staples of Miike's film by the time this series rolled onto the scene) are story-wise very, very different films. The first film is a more traditional sounding affair on paper, a dedicated cop trying to put an end to a bloodbath among Chinese and Yakuza gangs kickstarted by Takeuchi's trenchcoat-wearing Takeuchi and his "family" of outcasts. Of course Miike took a traditional story in a wild direction with an opening encompassing nearly every vice known to man cut between one bloody hit after another. The ending in particular takes this great and actually quite human film into uncharted territory and I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. The second film is a bit different, both Riki and Show are now hitmen who grew up at the same orphanage together on an island, they retreat there after a hit leaves them wanted by the police and angry Yakuza. There they come up with a plan to continue their trade but donate the money they make to poor children. Again, a very human and and odd film that while not quite as good in my opinion as the first is still a very solid sequel.
The third film really took things into a different direction. Eschewing the gangs vs. gangs background of the first two we find ourselves in a near -future Blade Runner-esque Yokohama (actually filmed in Hong Kong) where an authoritarian mayor forces his citizens to take a form of birth control ... or else. A group of rebel enlist the aide of a replicant played by Show to fight against the mayor and his goon played by Riki. It's honestly not that great compared to the first two, it has ideas but never felt fully fleshed out and the lower budget doesn't do well for films of this genre. The ending was crazy although not as perfect a fit as the ones for the first two.
The third film really took things into a different direction. Eschewing the gangs vs. gangs background of the first two we find ourselves in a near -future Blade Runner-esque Yokohama (actually filmed in Hong Kong) where an authoritarian mayor forces his citizens to take a form of birth control ... or else. A group of rebel enlist the aide of a replicant played by Show to fight against the mayor and his goon played by Riki. It's honestly not that great compared to the first two, it has ideas but never felt fully fleshed out and the lower budget doesn't do well for films of this genre. The ending was crazy although not as perfect a fit as the ones for the first two.
On the technical side I can say the first two movies look pretty solid, DOA 1 in particularly looks clearer than the previous DVDs by Kino. The third film though sadly isn't a particularly good looking transfer although explained in a notice at the beginning of the film was shot in standard-definition making a full HD transfer almost impossible. It's a shame but another thing that can simply be chalked up to budget issues as it was a direct-to-video film in Japan. The extras are pretty tremendous much like a lot of Arrow's releases. The Riki Takeuchi interview here is my favorite one as it does span pretty much his entire career and he's very honest and forthcoming about his thoughts on the trilogy. The interviews with Show Aikawa and producer and screenwriter Toshiki Kimura are also very solid and informative. The sound quality is across the board excellent on this set, gunshots sound particularly thunderous compared to the older release.
Overall if you are a newcomer with a strong stomach or a longtime fan this makes a great addition to your collection if you overlook the technical quality of the third film. Alongside the great packaging and lengthy booklet this is a very good collector's release of the series and should hopefully set in motion for a similar one of Miike's Ichi the Killer in the near future. Fabulous and Recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![Bound [DVD] [1996]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/fe7a0295-d058-4489-8d71-a3953c24a6c6.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
We make our own choices, we pay our own prices.
on April 17, 2017
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
The Wachowski Sisters' directorial debut has been given solid treatment with Olive's DVD/Blu-ray of one of the '90's best Noir films. Taking a new twist on the classic genre, ex-con handywoman Corky (Gina Gershon) takes a job fixing up a Chicago apartment which happens to be next door to a vicious Mafioso, Caesar (played excellently by Joe Pantoliano) and his alluring mole named Violet who's played by Jennifer Tilly. After beginning an affair with Violet they wind up setting into motion an elaborate plan to steal the money Caesar is holding for the local crime family all the while mob bodies start to pile up at Caesar's feet. In a genre that rarely if ever has likeable LGBT characters this film is a breath of fresh air and will probably go down as a classic in the genre and gay cinema. Wachowskis' directing skills were already at the top of their charts here with some very creative camerawork and moody cinematography plus the film's leather-focused wardrobe accentuates the mood as well.
As I said the transfer is pretty solid whichever format you go with. I personally just picked up the DVD version for this one given the lack of special features and was not disappointed. Despite housing two cuts on the same disc the picture quality never falters, the mood and atmosphere clearer than ever before with no excessive tinkering to be noticed. Just a solid, filmic presentation and possibly the best the film will get on U.S. shores. The sound quality is very solid too, both the DVD and Blu-ray are reported to have the same Stereo 2.0 track which actually deliver the film's heart-pumping sound and score quite effectively. Given Olive Film's M.O. this was probably what the film was originally shot with given it was lower-budget Indie film. Overseas releases do have 5.1 mixes on their releases but judging from screencaps online I notice the picture appears to be more cropped and zoomed in on those releases than the American one is. The only true flaw is of course the lack of bonus features even the commentary on the old letterboxed DVD from back in the day. I'm not sure why it was left off but this was as stated before really my only knock against this release. On the plus side of this though the lack of bonus features does leave more disc space to the transfer to breathe without unnecessary compression issues.
Overall if you are fan of Noir, any of the stars (especially Gershon or Pantoliano who are both at the top of their games here), The Wachowskis' or are looking for a more gay-friendly film in a genre other than Comedies or Coming-of-Age Dramas then this is an excellent film to check into. This film was destined for cult status and has probably already achieved it. As usual, fabulous and highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Critically acclaimed thriller about an ex-con's vengeful rampage through L.A.'s deadly criminal underworld. 1999. 89 minutes.
Customer Rating
5
I'm looking for a different kind of satisfaction.
on February 1, 2017
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
Steven Soderbergh directed this excellent love letter to 60's/70's crime thriller with a British twist on top. Terence Stamp gives the performance of a lifetime as the titular englishman, an ex-con who visits Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death. Peter Fonda is his potential nemesis, a shady record producer who has gotten himself mixed up with a drug smuggling ring alongside Barry Newman (Kowalski from the classic chase film Vanishing Point). Alongside these main players are great performances from Luis Guzman, Lesley Ann Warren, Bill Duke and cult movie legend Joe Dallesandro as a hitman. The overall look and feel shows off Soderbergh's excellent directing skills with editing techniques very reminiscent of the John Boorman crime classic Point Blank (Soderbergh provided commentary for the DVD of that movie, BTW, also highly recommended especially for fans of this film) plus the film has a great soundtrack with music composed by now-Nicolas Refn frequent collaborator Cliff Martinez plus tunes from The Who, The Byrds, and The Hollies.
This DVD was first released in 2000 soon after the film's theatrical release. The transfer I'm pleased to say has held up really well and doesn't have the noisy, compressed look some other Artisan DVDs suffer from that era. Fairly pristine anamorphic print alongside a strong 5.1 sound mix. The DVD has a decent amount of features with trailers, production notes, an isolated music score plus two very good commentary tracks.
Overall, The Limey is another great chapter in the Noir/Crime film revival we saw back in the nineties. Soderbergh is a master filmmaker and Terence Stamp is a fairly undervalued talent compared to some of his peers but thankfully he was given a top-class role here. If you like slower paced, more existential crime films then this will feel right at home. As usual fabulous and highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![To Live and Die in L.A. [Collector's Edition] [Blu-ray] [1985]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/304b2327-370a-41e7-956a-951dd4939472.png)
Customer Rating
5
You're working for me now.
on December 2, 2016
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
William Friedkin's 80's masterpiece To Live and Die in L.A. has been given the Shout! Factory treatment with this excellent new Blu-ray release. To Live and Die in L.A. is a brutal, uncompromising and slickly filmed tale of two treasury agents hunting down a ruthless counterfeiter played by Willem Dafoe in sun-drenched L.A. all the while getting into hot trouble themselves. William L. Peterson who would soon after this go onto Michael Mann's Manhunter (Shout! Factory gave that film a darling release earlier this year which I also recommend) gave a tremendous performance as the daredevil treasury agent Richard Chance who stops at nothing to bring down Dafoe's Eric Masters which also a strong early performance. John Pankow is great as Chance's new partner who finds himself losing his cool when he realizes his pal is taking him way over his head. Also a strong supporting cast such as Debra Feuer who played Sonny's girlfriend in the Season Five opener of Miami Vice, a young John Turturro as a bagman and Dean Stockwell as a shady lawyer who doesn't take kindly to his client Masters ordering him around.
Shout!'s new transfer is absolutely tremendous and a fairly radical upgrade over the older releases. Friedkin supervised a new 4K scan for this release which puts more emphasis on a scorching orange aura from the L.A. sun and drenched in saturation that gives the film a more vintage look. From what I understand this is how the film actually looked when it was originally released but because analog TVs couldn't handle such higher saturation of reddish-orange coloring so well the home video releases were toned down dramatically picture wise. Now with TVs that are about what you would see out of a movie theater you can now see a much closer approximation as to what the film initially looked like to theater-going audiences back in the eighties. The audio is also rock solid with both the 5.1 mix and 2.0 mix (oddly unlisted on the back of the box but there if you check the options) in lossless. The 5.1 particularly blows the doors off music-wise with Wang Chung's pulse-pounding music practically knocking me out of my seat. The 2.0 mix also sounded pretty great and works well if you are just looking for something simpler for late-night viewings.
The extras of course much like other Shout! releases is a trunkload of goodies with the original 2004 DVD "Counterfeit World" documentary still here, the alternate ending, commentary, and of course the new goodies such as a 20 minute interviews with William L. Peterson, stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker, the duo of Wang Chung about how the soundtrack came about, and two oddly also not listed on the back with Dwier Brown who had a small role as a doctor and Debra Feuer whose interview is probably my favorite for giving a bit more insight into the character and Friedkin's filming methods. Also includes a still gallery, trailer, and radio spot. Also worth noting Shout! Factory again up to par with beautiful packaging. The new cover while minimalistic from afar up close looks great and is a nice painting of L.A. in silhouette with a faded dark pink color scheme. The cover does come as a nice slip over the Blu-ray case itself and like previous releases from Shout! the cover insert is double-sided with one being the new art and the other being the classic poster with tagline. Thanks to the slip much like the Manhunter release you get the best of both worlds and the slip on my copy was plastic wrapped over the slip with the Blu-ray case in it rather than only the Blu-ray case itself in case you are worried about not winding up with one.
Overall this is a release I was hoping for and got more than my expectations. Any fan of the film should check this release out and anyone who can stomach a dark, gritty, uncompromising crime drama from the eighties should look into it. Totally fabulous and highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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![The Nice Guys [Blu-ray] [2016]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/329a3622-2ab1-4438-a2b4-a858d297c401.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
You're the world's worst detectives.
on December 1, 2016
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
Shane Black (Writer of the eighties classic Lethal Weapon) penned and directed this exciting and fun romp through 70's L.A. about two mismatched guys looking for a justice officials daughter who holds the key to why members of L.A.'s adult film industry are suddenly turning up dead. Ryan Gosling shines here as P.I. Holland March, an alcoholic widower whose young daughter has to pull him out of jams and even conduct the interrogations herself while her Dad is falling off a balcony or swimming in a pool with topless mermaids (yes, I just said that and it is in this film). Russell Crowe is also solid as the tough but caring enforcer Jackson Healy who teams up and tries to work with the more reluctant detective. The supporting cast is also quite excellent with Keith David as an aging goon, Matt Bomer as a cold-blooded hitman, and Beau Knapp as an equally psychotic but ultimately more pathetic goon who winds up taking a new nickname after getting sprayed in the face with blue dye.
The overall film captures the seventies pretty well and feels natural. Much like P.T. Anderson's Inherent Vice it doesn't feel forced or knocks you over the head with countless references other action-comedies might try for. Also much like Inherent Vice the film's overall plot is fairly thick and owes a bit to the classic noirs of past. Especially Chinatown given the environment plays a part in the story. Although this film unlike Vice feels very much in the same vein as Lethal Weapon with plenty more action and humor to be had. Also worth noting the great soundtrack especially the opening Temptations song and the closing "Love and Happiness" by Al Green over the end credits.
The Blu-ray quality is as usual for Warner up to par with no issues to be noted with the transfer. Sadly though the usual Warner Brothers M.O. with a rather paltry amount of special features (about twelve minutes between two otherwise decent featurettes) and surprisingly a lack of the very good trailers this film had (although plenty of other films' trailers played when this movie booted up). Overall this is a solid and fun return for the detective film that will hopefully garner some sequels as it would be a shame if we don't see these two guys show up in future films together. I highly recommend it to any fan of detective films or at least ones with a humorous bent and certainly to Lethal Weapon fans.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Customer Rating
4
It's the Smugglers Blues
on November 1, 2016
Posted by: DWolfe47
Verified Purchase:Yes
Michael Mann's iconic 80's powerhouse Miami Vice has made it's way to Blu-ray with this good but sadly controversial set. Miami Vice is the show that really defines and in a way chronicles the eighties through the lens of a squad of Vice cops battling everything from drug barons to outlaw bikers to even corrupt government officials. Of course as noted many times before the show has a treasure trove of guest stars such as Bruce Willis, Liam Neeson, and Pam Grier often giving strong and memorable performances.
As mentioned above the set has been quite controversial due to some troublesome glitches and such. To start off the show is presented in its original 1.33 aspect ratio which means for Widescreen TV users of today the show is presented with black bars on the side to keep the intended look. I've noticed a fair number of complaints online about this but for Universal/Mill Creek to change this they would have had to either cut off significant portions of the frame which would not have been possible anyways as there's a lot of shots throughout the series where every inch of the 1.33 is used especially on close-ups or they would have to stretch the picture which would have given whatever is on-screen a bloated look as well as given it a blurry glaze that would have compromised the detail and clarity Blu-ray offers. On the subject of detail and clarity while obviously taken from the same masters as the DVDs came from the show is still a significant if not uneven upgrade over the DVDs with better colors and detail especially on Season Two plus a lot of the print anomalies such as scratches and dirt have been mostly cleaned up. Grain levels are mostly even except on Season One where some episodes like Milk Run have an uneven look due to moderate amount of noise reduction applied to some scenes and not to other scenes. Smuggler's Blues though on Season One is a huge leap over the muddy and beat-up print from the 2004 Universal DVD set. Season Three through Five looked pretty consistent though (although Lend Me an Ear on 3 had some mild compression in a shot of the causeway at the top of the screen) and Season Two did as well minus The Prodigal Son.
Audio-wise is where the real gaffe took place though and why I couldn't give this set a full five-stars. As of writing this Season One has some nasty audio bugs such as echoing on the 5.1. mixes for Heart of Darkness and Evan plus a total lack of 5.1 on The Home Invaders. Luckily the problems are being addressed by Mill Creek according to their Facebook page as they are going to send replacement discs with fixed audio for those who provide proof of purchase. Otherwise this release unlike the Universal DVDs has the original 2.0 Stereo tracks which honestly best both the 5.1 mixes on not only this set but the original DVDs as well. The show fully utilizes its Stereo track with plenty of range and details that doesn't seem to be as audible on the 5.1 mixes. As of now I haven't noticed any issues regarding the Stereo mixes and can easily say the are the most optimal way of hearing the show.
Two other complaints I'd like to address would be the packaging and of course the lip-sync. On the packaging front yes this is a fairly cheap way to package the discs. Each season is four discs each but rather than have a standard Blu-ray case with a smaller flap in the middle so each disc gets their own slot they chose to have two slots with two discs each stacked on top of each. Granted since Blu-rays have scratch-resistant coating on the back of the disc this isn't as big a problem if it was done for DVD but it still seems like penny-pinching at it's worst otherwise the set is nice and simple with five individual cases in a cardboard box. Lip synching also has been cited as an issue here. It must be noted first that a lot of shows and even movies then when on a tight schedule would later utilize techniques such as automated dialogue replacement in post-production to add or re-do dialogue missed or messed up during filmmaking and it was employed often enough on Miami Vice to be noticeable especially with the show being presented as a much higher resolution. I didn't encounter much lip-synching issues myself outside of a handful of places where post-dubbing was obviously used. Granted much like the CBS Twin Peaks box back in 2014 this could also vary from player to player as well.
Overall this is still quite a solid release with some hiccups. A lot of the issues can simply be chalked up to the original source and some gaffes on Mill Creek's part regarding the audio. It's not as perfect as it could have been and lacks a few bells and whistles such as subtitles and the bonus features from the Universal Season 1 DVD but even at it's worst still bests previous releases of the show plus the original Stereo tracks are a revelation compared to previous audio choices. If you can accept the limitations the show has then this still comes highly recommended.
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
My Best Buy number: 0562179756
I would recommend this to a friend!
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