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The New PQ Tier thread for Blu-Ray - Discussion - Page 644

post #19291 of 20368
4/4/12 at 9:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rusky_g View Post

Denny, I quite agree.

1.25

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post #19292 of 20368
4/4/12 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mweflen View Post

Melancholia

This movie was shot with the Arri Alexa camera (Hugo being the other big one) but it is nowhere near as visually appealing. Why? Shaky-cam is the biggest culprit here. Lars Von Trier just can't leave the f-ing camera be. It makes for a very tiring experience on the eyes. During the 40% or so of the movie where things are somewhat stationary, detail is very strong. There is no grain or digital noise, as was the case in Hugo. The color palette is quite yellow for the first hour, given the atmospheric lighting. Space shots show some very good blacks at times, but other ones do not. There are some examples of quite beautiful imagery to be found here. It's just not a drop-dead gorgeous HD presentation with any consistency.

I should also just add that this movie will not be everyone's cup of tea and I strongly recommend renting before buying. It's kind of long and droning and bizarre. It is better than the travesty that was "Antichrist" though.


Tier Recommendation: 2.0

After watching it on cable, I would have thought the BD would turn out better than your comments indicate. There is a lot of striking imagery, though I completely agree with your synopsis of the plot.
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post #19293 of 20368
4/4/12 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

After watching it on cable, I would have thought the BD would turn out better than your comments indicate. There is a lot of striking imagery, though I completely agree with your synopsis of the plot.

Had the photography been more stable, it would definitely be in the top of tier 1 (Hugo, shot with the same equipment, is far better in terms of detail, though). When it looks good, it looks very good. But I just can't consider it so highly when so much of the movie is blurry/smeary due to constant camera movements, loss and recovery of focus, etc. I'm not saying it's at "Cloverfield" levels, but it significantly detracts from enjoyment in my book.
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post #19294 of 20368
4/5/12 at 7:17am
FernGully

Too brightly saturated, mildly sharpened, and damaged heavily. Grain is slightly noisy, enough to be noticeable. It looks sourced from a low resolution scan, because the information isn't there.

Tier 3.0*
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post #19295 of 20368
4/5/12 at 2:23pm
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Kudos to WETA for producing another top quality photo-realistic CGI feature which looks splendid for most parts except for couple of dark scenes which makes it look a bit soft.

Recommendation: Tier 0.5
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post #19296 of 20368
4/5/12 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lgans316 View Post

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Kudos to WETA for producing another top quality photo-realistic CGI feature which looks splendid for most parts except for couple of dark scenes which makes it look a bit soft.

Recommendation: Tier 0.5

I agree Igans...the photo-realism is absolutely superb!

I'll take this opportunity to say that I purchased War Horse yesterday and I'm really looking forward to seeing it. However, I may not get to it for a few days, so I'm wondering if anyone has seen it yet and if so, what did you think? It's getting rave reviews elsewhere, but I especially value the input from those who contribute to this thread.
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post #19297 of 20368
4/5/12 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lgans316 View Post

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Kudos to WETA for producing another top quality photo-realistic CGI feature which looks splendid for most parts except for couple of dark scenes which makes it look a bit soft.

Recommendation: Tier 0.5

Looks good, but what a bland, boring movie.
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post #19298 of 20368
4/6/12 at 1:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

I agree Igans...the photo-realism is absolutely superb!

I'll take this opportunity to say that I purchased War Horse yesterday and I'm really looking forward to seeing it. However, I may not get to it for a few days, so I'm wondering if anyone has seen it yet and if so, what did you think? It's getting rave reviews elsewhere, but I especially value the input from those who contribute to this thread.

Not seen War Horse Denny as it is not yet released in the UK. I am sure it will be somewhere in the top or middle of Tier 1 based on the reviews.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pbarach View Post

Looks good, but what a bland, boring movie.

Yeah, it was a bit boring at times but certainly not that bad.
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post #19299 of 20368
4/6/12 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

I agree Igans...the photo-realism is absolutely superb!

I'll take this opportunity to say that I purchased War Horse yesterday and I'm really looking forward to seeing it. However, I may not get to it for a few days, so I'm wondering if anyone has seen it yet and if so, what did you think? It's getting rave reviews elsewhere, but I especially value the input from those who contribute to this thread.

War Horse story or the PQ? Both are good...tier 1.5 give or take and I really enjoyed the story and cinematography, and the soundtrack was awesome. I thought it had gotten poor reviews or I heard wrong...meanwhile one of the better ones from last year.
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post #19300 of 20368
4/6/12 at 10:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hughmc View Post

War Horse story or the PQ? Both are good...tier 1.5 give or take and I really enjoyed the story and cinematography, and the soundtrack was awesome. I thought it had gotten poor reviews or I heard wrong...meanwhile one of the better ones from last year.

Sounds good Hugh...thanks for whetting my appetite!
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post #19301 of 20368
4/7/12 at 8:00am
Bounce

Light DNR, edge enhancement, print damage, eye-injuring judder, pasty color, and occasional fine detail. It's not pretty. Grain is an issue, noisy and handled poorly by the codec.

Tier 3.75*
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post #19302 of 20368
4/7/12 at 5:17pm
Priest

Superb looking title from Sony except for a some black crush resulting in poor shadow details and a bit of banding.

Recommendation: Tier 1.5
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post #19303 of 20368
4/7/12 at 7:12pm
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

I was so looking forward to this "Spy/Thriller" with its all-star cast (Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, et al.), with hopes that I would be entertained mentally and visually. I was NOT!!

This thread is all about PQ, so let me just say that this is a drab (color-wise), grainy (with many instances of noise), and soft (with the exception of *some* sharp scenes, though I have no idea where they came from) movie.

The black levels were a real disappointment, which I suspected might be the case with the opening scene (it was murky and filled with noise). There were a few exceptions to this rule, but they were, as the old adage goes, "few and far between."

Details were good when sharpness prevailed, but as intimated above they were rare. When the camera-man zoomed in close on an actor's face, we are treated to the greatest redeeming quality of this otherwise lackluster title. Several shots of Gary Oldman and John Hurt were especially good (check out, for instance, the 1 Hr. 15 Min. time stamp and you will revel in the texture of Mr. Oldman's well-defined face for up to 60 seconds).

When you have such inconsistency it is virtually impossible to determine the exact placement value, but after weighing all the pros and cons I've decided on....

Tier Recommendation: 3.5*

Pioneer 60" KURO Elite (1080p/24)....Pioneer Elite 05....Viewed from 7.5'

PS Now for a quick word about the movie itself: BORING!! Just so you know, I don't mind a slow-paced movie if the character development and dialogue rewards you, but this was sorely lacking. Action was limited to a few scenes and even there I was let down (with the exception of the last action shot). These are two hours I wish I could retrieve!
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post #19304 of 20368
4/7/12 at 9:17pm
May everyone have a happy and blessed Easter. An older review of mine from March of 2009 for a BD that still holds up quite well against the latest releases. On a related note, Jesus of Nazareth (the 1977 miniseries) recently came out in Mexico on Blu-ray in reputedly decent quality. I've been tempted to pick it up to give the disc a ranking in the Tiers.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

The Passion Of The Christ

recommendation: Tier 1.75

A blockbuster when it first launched to theaters in 2004, Twentieth Century Fox released the Blu-ray on February 17th of this year. Two versions are included on the disc by way of seamless branching. A re-cut version that is less graphic and the original theatrical version. For the purposes of this review I have only watched the theatrical cut, which runs 126-minutes in length. The re-cut version runs for 121-minutes.

The main features are encoded in AVC on a single BD-50. The average video bitrate for the theatrical version is 22.39 Mbps per the BDInfo scan. Fox themselves list the average video bitrate on the back of the case at 22.5 Mbps. The encoding and authoring of the disc is credited to Deluxe Digital Studios. While the encode peaks around 36.0 Mbps late in the movie, most of the time it stays within a much lower range from 18.2 Mbps to 26.4 Mbps.

This is a very good video encode in terms of compression with a couple of slight flaws the only visible problems. There is a short instance of banding at the end of the movie when the rock is rolled away at Jesus' tomb. Some false contouring appears in the opening scenes that is not easily noticeable but still present. There are no motion artifacts or macroblocking throughout the entirety of the movie. I do have to wonder whether the encode would have looked slightly more transparent to the master if it had a higher average bitrate.

The original source material simply looks in phenomenal shape. There are no print marks, anomalies, or debris that affect the integrity of the image. Without having seen the master myself, it looks like a light application of temporally-filtered grain reduction has been applied at selective points. This would definitely not be picked up by a casual viewer, as high-frequency information appears virtually untouched and a constant layer of grain remains in darker scenes. It does not alter the overall look of the film but may be noticeable to eagle-eyed viewers who have familiarity with a theatrical screening of this film.

While the use of digital noise reduction barely impacts the picture quality, the real negative seen in this transfer is the overzealous use of edge enhancement. Halos appear regularly and they vary in amplitude from unobjectionable to easily noticed. A notable example for an egregious instance of this problem is the scene where the crowd has to choose between Jesus and Barabbas to free. That is not the only scene with a thick presence of added sharpening apparent. It was objectionable enough at times to drop my final ranking over half a tier in consideration. Viewers on smaller displays will ignore this problem but projection owners might want to take note.

The opening scene, set at night in the Garden of Gethsemane, looks the lowest in terms of picture quality for the movie. There is a bluish tint to the proceedings and black levels appear average at best. Fine shadow detail is resolved nicely but it does not look worthy of tier one. But once the movie shifts to daylight and the aftermath of Jesus' arrest, the image picks up strongly in quality. Watch the interior scene where Caiaphas interrogates Jesus. The tremendous depth of field and clarity exhibited are stunning. Objects look like they are going to come off the screen with excellent dimensionality to the image. These scenes have more of an amber coloring to them. Flesh tones do not look problematic but this is a highly stylized image at various points.

As the movie progresses the superior detail and resolution in the image becomes apparent. The lavish production and costume design are shown down to the finest detail, with coarse and very fine textures revealing the quality of the fabrics worn. Every wound is explicitly laid out to bare during the scourging and the makeup used for that effect is visually effective and realistic, even in 1080p. But the image reaches new heights of visual quality during the crucifixion. That scene on its own would not be awkwardly placed in tier zero. The cinematography is simply incredible throughout the film and never looks better than at that moment.

Outside of the extra sharpening, I was pleased with this transfer. I was contemplating a higher placement even considering that problem, but concluded it occurred too frequently to merit a better ranking. My recommendation is for tier 1.75, though some moments look nearly in caliber to tier zero.

Watching on a 60” Pioneer Kuro plasma at 1080p/24 fed by a PS3 (firmware 2.60) at a viewing distance of six feet.

BDInfo Scan:
http://www.avsforum.com
/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9044310#post9044310

Video Bitrate Graph:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRe...st_blu-ray.htm
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post #19305 of 20368
4/8/12 at 3:22am
I agree with Denny that Tinker Tailor is a very boring overrated film. There is not much of acting or suspense going on. PQ was faithful but I remember seeing some halos and noise.
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post #19306 of 20368
4/10/12 at 10:56pm
Anonymous

It's starting to become pretty easy to pick out movies shot on the Arri Alexa camera. I suspected this was the case within about two minutes of watching this flick. They all share utterly spectacular detail, black levels as deep as the director's intention will allow, and a perfect sort of crystal smoothness, without any film grain, digital noise, or the need for any artificial enhancements. Well, that pretty much describes Anonymous. The opening scene featuring Derek Jacobi on a modern stage demonstrates the complete blackness this transfer is capable of, with dazzling contrast and near three-dimensionality. The period material, which is of course the bulk of the movie, is more varied, with some scenes quite hazy with atmospheric smoke and dim fire/candle light sources. So perhaps this shifts from "ultimate eye candy" to "quite good" and then back again. But the detail remains consistently superb, with every thread of the period costumes, and every hair on a given head easily discernible. The 3-D effect remains through the lion's share of the scenes. The CGI depicting the architecture of ancient England looks absolutely superb.

I don't think it's the equal of Hugo, but it remains as good looking as every disc that I've watched from Tier 1. So, I think this belongs at the top of Tier 1.

Tier Recommendation: 1.0

I can't help but add that I find this movie to be problematic in the extreme, and borderline offensive in its treatment of Shakespeare. I think it is quite competently directed and acted, and I'm willing to entertain theories that claim Shakespeare was a fraud, but turning Shakespeare into an illiterate, murderous, vain, whoring drunkard just to illustrate the contrast between him and the noble Earl of Oxford seems both manipulative and irresponsible, and verges on outright character assassination. If you care at all about Shakespeare, or value intellectual probity in your historical fiction, I recommend a rental before you consider purchasing.

Sony KDL-52EX700, 8 foot viewing distance
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post #19307 of 20368
4/11/12 at 7:34am
The Darkest Hour

Some great black levels highlight a bright, sharp presentation. Colors are dulled yet still peppy. Fine detail is lacking in close, but it can be dazzling at a distance.

Tier 2.0*

___________

Thumbelina (1994)

Heavy dirt and damage highlight what looks like a fairly recent scan. Saturation is pleasing without going overboard. Mosquito noise can be bothersome.

Tier 2.75*
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post #19308 of 20368
4/12/12 at 7:56am
War Horse

Generally appealing encode that resolves a minute grain structure cleanly. Colors can be remarkable. Black levels falter from time to time, the only apparent flub in this grand visual presentation. Fine detail can be spectacular, and contrast is hearty.

Tier 1.75*

Note: I HATED this movie. Absolute tripe.
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post #19309 of 20368
4/12/12 at 8:35pm
Rushmore (Criterion Collection)

EXTREMELY impressive transfer. Criterion did a fresh 2k scan under the supervision of director Wes Anderson, along with a thorough clean-up of dirt and print damage. Detail is superb both in close-ups and wide-angled shots. Facial detail is outstanding, among the best on the format. So is cloth texture - some of the tweedy and hounds-tooth jackets are amazing. Colors are lush and vibrant but free of any bleeding or over-saturation. Black levels are stout and never waver, but still retain perfect detail near black. Grain is stable, light, and omnipresent. There is no edge enhancement, noise reduction, or anything untoward or artificial. This looks as much like the film as a Blu-Ray can, and I say this having seen it three times in the theater.

Tier Recommendation: 0 (right below Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.)
Sony KDL52EX700, 6 foot viewing distance
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post #19310 of 20368
4/12/12 at 10:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mweflen View Post

Rushmore (Criterion Collection)
Tier Recommendation: 0 (right below Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.)

Sic transit gloria...
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post #19311 of 20368
4/13/12 at 7:34am
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

If nothing else, these movies have been visual showcases, and really, this one is no different. The only difference is a lack of depth in the black levels. They crumble here for some reason. Everything else is top tier, from the color to the fine detail, right on par with the other two.

Tier 1.5*
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post #19312 of 20368
4/13/12 at 9:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

Sic transit gloria...

The glory only faded ever so slightly during the extracurricular montage scene - due to optical compositing with each club title.



Edit: I just did some comparisons between this and the Criterion DVD. The difference is astonishing, even more pronounced in motion than the screen caps on Blu-Beaver. I've sealed the envelope in which I am reselling the DVD on Amazon. There is no reason in the world to keep it.
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post #19313 of 20368
4/14/12 at 8:47pm
Stake Land

recommendation: 1.25

Shot on the Red One camera, the transfer on the BD taken from a digital intermediate looks superb. The video encode holds up well and shows off excellent detail with perfect black levels. You would not know by the cinematography or production values that this is a fairly low-budget affair made outside of a Hollywood studio. There are no real flaws to the picture that one could criticize. Its lack of extreme close-ups and good, but not great, depth hinder a higher placement.

BDInfo scan (courtesy of Cinema Squid):
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...2#post21085302
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post #19314 of 20368
4/15/12 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Tier Recommendation: 1.25*

I'll mostly agree with this one, but once again found the teal overwhelming. Whites are rarely allowed to breathe, but instead tinted, and it drove me nuts. Detail was spectacular though, especially of the kid, which is even more impressive.

Tier 1.5
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post #19315 of 20368
4/16/12 at 10:10am
I'm just chiming in to say I haven't been on the Forum lately because my wife (Jenny) was in a serious car accident last Thursday and had to be life-flighted to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. She is in stable condition with broken bones in her neck and two broken ribs which caused a blockage in her right lung. If any of you believe in prayer (as we do) I would appreciate them.

I would not normally think of posting this on the Forum, but I know I've often been curious when a regular participant isn't heard from in awhile and I didn't want to get to that point to cause some on here to wonder. I will probably be here, by Jenny's side, for close to another week (we hope she's released by then). I look forward to her recovering, and then to my return to Blu-ray viewing and giving reviews.

Denny
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post #19316 of 20368
4/16/12 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

I'm just chiming in to say I haven't been on the Forum lately because my wife (Jenny) was in a serious car accident last Thursday and had to be life-flighted to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. She is in stable condition with broken bones in her neck and two broken ribs which caused a blockage in her right lung. If any of you believe in prayer (as we do) I would appreciate them.

I would not normally think of posting this on the Forum, but I know I've often been curious when a regular participant isn't heard from in awhile and I didn't want to get to that point to cause some on here to wonder. I will probably be here, by Jenny's side, for close to another week (we hope she's released by then). I look forward to her recovering, and then to my return to Blu-ray viewing and giving reviews.

Denny

You and your wife are definitely in our thoughts and prayers, Denny. Hope everything turns out all right for Jenny. Keep us updated.
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post #19317 of 20368
4/16/12 at 10:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

I'm just chiming in to say I haven't been on the Forum lately because my wife (Jenny) was in a serious car accident last Thursday and had to be life-flighted to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. She is in stable condition with broken bones in her neck and two broken ribs which caused a blockage in her right lung. If any of you believe in prayer (as we do) I would appreciate them.

I would not normally think of posting this on the Forum, but I know I've often been curious when a regular participant isn't heard from in awhile and I didn't want to get to that point to cause some on here to wonder. I will probably be here, by Jenny's side, for close to another week (we hope she's released by then). I look forward to her recovering, and then to my return to Blu-ray viewing and giving reviews.

Denny

I'll say a prayer tonight Denny, and here's to a speedy recovery and return to reviewing.

Russ
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post #19318 of 20368
4/16/12 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

I'm just chiming in to say I haven't been on the Forum lately because my wife (Jenny) was in a serious car accident last Thursday and had to be life-flighted to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. She is in stable condition with broken bones in her neck and two broken ribs which caused a blockage in her right lung. If any of you believe in prayer (as we do) I would appreciate them.
Denny

That is awful to hear, Denny. Your wife will be in my thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
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post #19319 of 20368
4/16/12 at 2:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deltasun View Post

You and your wife are definitely in our thoughts and prayers, Denny. Hope everything turns out all right for Jenny. Keep us updated.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rusky_g View Post

I'll say a prayer tonight Denny, and here's to a speedy recovery and return to reviewing.

Russ

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

That is awful to hear, Denny. Your wife will be in my thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

Thanks much guys; I deeply appreciate your concern and prayers.

I had said that broken ribs caused a *blockage* in Jenny's lung...I meant to say *collapse*. The rib punctured the lung causing it to collapse. Because of this she is on oxygen at all times. They say it will heal on its own in time, but until then it is extremely painful, though they try to keep her medicated enough to alleviate most of the pain.

Again, I never meant to hijack the thread, but you guys have become like an extended family to me so I feel free to share this burden with you.
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post #19320 of 20368
4/16/12 at 4:47pm
Sorry to hear that Denny. I hope Jenny gets well soon. Wishing her a speedy recovery.
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