The New PQ Tier thread for Blu-Ray - Discussion - Page 664

Was there *some* teal and orange in the movie? Yes! Was it a teal and orange mess? No!

The only time where I thought the color timing was a mess in TDKR, is the formal party at Wayne Manor and some interior shots. I had flashbacks to Godfather III with those scenes.

Looks like you guys watched Prince of Persia

Orange mess - Have a look at Ocean's 13.

This Means War

Color grading to the max. Want Orange? You Buy 1 and get 10 for free.

Recommendation: Tier 2

Since it is Christmas already in some parts of the world, I will wish everyone a very merry Christmas and happy holidays! May Santa leave you all the Blu-rays you want, hopefully from the better tiers.

Every movie or special in the Tiers list with "Christmas" in its name:


A Christmas Carol (2009) Tier 0

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Tier 1.25

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol Tier 1.5

Nightmare Before Christmas, The Tier 1.5

White Christmas Tier 1.75

Four Christmases Tier 2.5

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) Tier 2.5

A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas Tier 2.75

A Christmas Story Tier 4.0

'Twas The Night Before Christmas Tier 4.5

A Charlie Brown Christmas Tier 4.5

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Tier 4.5

Ice Age: Continental Drift


Once again GRG expressed my EXACT sentiments! I must confess though that as far placement goes, it's getting virtually impossible to make a precise placement recommendation for current animated titles. Having said that, this was definitely better than my last animated viewing (Finding Nemo) in that the details, texture, contrast, and sharpness were simply incredible from beginning to end. I'm not going to pick my brain for placement; I'm going to use GRG's brain instead....

Tier Recommendation: Tier 0* (Above Incredibles)

PS The audio was NOT impressive, especially in the LFE department.

Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment listed below....
Edited by djoberg - 12/26/12 at 7:57am

Denny, it does seem to be getting tougher to differentiate the discs at the very top of the list. For the CGI films I tend to prefer placing the newer ones higher on the list, as the computer animation is only getting more and more sophisticated by the year. I would say there are differences between the studios producing the animation and that is one way to narrow the placement down.

Good points Phantom; I concur!

To illustrate what you say about newer releases being more sophisticated, the differences between the first release of the Ice Age series and the last are really quite remarkable. There is so much more texture, detail, depth, and even better contrast and color. I was really blown away by Ice Age: Continental Drift. Fox Studios has come a very long way and their animation is now giving Pixar a run for their money.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom


Well, our love-fest is over, for I can't agree in all points with GRG on this one. I thought this fared just as well the first installment and IMHO it was very film-like, with a consistent layer of grain from beginning to end. Having said that the grain looked, on occasion, a bit heavy (or was it noise?), especially in some of the interior scenes (most notably the opening scene in the night club and then several scenes inside the temple). It was also noticeably soft in numerous interior scenes.

Details were just as impressive with many facial close-ups rivalling those of most contemporary titles sitting in Tier 0. Details in general were just as good, whether we're talking about clothing, furniture, foliage, rocks, and, lest I forget, ELEPHANTS (you could see every hair on the top of their heads) and the texture in their leathery hides was exemplary. Colors too were really a treat when the primaries were on display. Check out the last scene when Indy returns to the village....the bright red, blue, and orange clothing worn by the villagers was dazzling!

All things considered, there were drawbacks in TOD that weren't in ROTLA, but the pluses just mentioned balanced the scales, sooooo.....

Tier Recommendation: 2.25*

Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment listed below....

Total Recall

Sharpness and details win the day with this title, though I was put off, in measure, by the drab color palette. Some of the CGI scenes were less than stellar. Facial details were simply amazing with the exception of the two female leads (especially Kate Beckinsale). Blacks were good, but not amazing. All in all a very good transfer and one that I would put on my "demo" shelf (not "reference," mind you, but "demo"). I'm going with....

Tier Recommendation: 1.75*

Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment listed below....
Edited by djoberg - 12/28/12 at 7:37pm

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

recommendation: Tier 3.0*

Argento's first giallo is lovingly presented in a very pleasing and largely filmic transfer, on Blue Underground's sadly out-of-print Blu-ray. The 1970 film's transfer is bestowed a high-bitrate video encode in AVC, from what appears to be film elements in very solid shape that have been given an excellent scan. Brief bouts of ringing and possible DNR in one or two scenes do not take away from the overall quality on display. A rich color palette highlights the deep reds and lush greens of the Italian production. Clearly the best extant version of Argento's shocker for picture quality. In earlier times I might have recommended this disc for a place in tier two, but I am not sure it really qualifies anymore as we near 2013.

BDInfo scan (courtesy of Cinemasquid):
http://www.cinemasquid.com/blu-ray/movies/releases/the-bird-with-the-crystal-plumage/4b06882e-e87b-4d1d-b0da-6ece5e44d1b2#specs

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade



To a point I can agree with GRG (regarding *some* sharpening), yet I agree much more with mweflen in the observations that he highlighted. This was most definitely the best of the trilogy (I don't even care to mention, at this point, the debacle that came our way in 2008). This outing was much more sharp (with the exception of some fleeting softness in the library and then in the last scene where they obtained the holy cup), with amazing clarity and details. You would think you're watching a contemporay release, including the remarkable facial details. Black levels were also a notch above the two previous releases. I was VERY PLEASED throughout and highly recommend this to all PQ lovers.

Let me add that the AQ were also superb, with enveloping action in the surrounds and some fairly good low to midbass in the LFE department.

I thought this was so much better than the first two that I was going to recommend 1.75, but I'm feeling generous tonight so I'll join my colleague and give it a....

Tier Recommendation: 1.5*

Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment listed below...

Midnight In Paris

Just got around to this after seeing it on cable, decided to get it on bluray. The movie moves from the present in Paris to the past (1920's Paris) and even back to 1870's Paris. The modern times PQ is very good, the scenes of Paris both day and night are striking and detailed. The scenes back in time are more hazy, but still have plenty of good definition. All of the older scenes are at night (hence the title) and mostly indoors. The palette is tinted with yellow throughout, I think more pronounced in the scenes in the past (purposely, I believe) - especially the 1870's.

No signs of any processing, just a clear presentation of the movie, again - a lot of use of indoor light, with plenty of candles, 1920's lighting, etc. I thought the modern scenes, especially outdoors were about 1.75, but the older scenes were not as sharp, using a lot of indoor lighting and more of a gauzy effect to evoke a mood, they seem to me at about 3.0 if you look at sharpness of the scene.

Soo...

Tier Recommendation 2.25

I know the math doesn't work out, but there it is. I thought it was a great looking movie. With a very good 3.0 audio track that focused on dialogue, it was actually very enjoyable.

Viewed at 9' using a Vizio 47" LED screen, Pioneer Elite VSX-33 receiver, Energy RC-LCR, RC-50's, RC-10's side, RC-mini backs, 2 Energy S10.3 subs, Oppo BDP-83 bluray player.
Edited by hernanu - 12/30/12 at 6:52pm

As 2012 nears its end, I would like to thank everyone here that continues to spend the time to give their reviews and opinions which constitute the Blu-ray Picture Quality Tiers. Without new recommendations, the list would quickly become a relic of the past. I recently realized as the universe of available Blu-ray selections increases beyond the scope of a single person to keep up with, that fewer and fewer discs will get multiple votes beyond the extremely popular catalog classics and the hottest new releases.

Have a happy New Year!

I want to thank you again Phantom for all the time and energy invested in making this thread possible in 2012 and I trust you'll carry on the good work in the year to come. I also echo your wish to everyone, "Have a Happy New Year."

My wife and I just received the Blu-ray Newsies, one that we watched multiple times with our daughters when they were quite young. Christian Bale was only about 17 years hold in this movie but his acting was spot on and I knew he would rise to higher heights after that role. I had no idea though that his "RISE to higher heights" would be as the Dark Knight . We may watch it tonight as we see the old year out.

Newsies

Well, my wife and I took a trip down memory lane tonight by watching this...we must have watched this at least a half dozen times with our five daughters when they were really young and being we couldn't be with them tonight we thought we'd watch one of their favorite *musicals*.

By today's standards this Blu doesn't fare too well. It's quite soft in a majority of scenes with heavy grain sprinkled in occasionally. Add to that some murky blacks in a few night time scenes and a drab color palette and it's not exactly eye candy. But compared to its VHS and DVD release (which were deplorable), it's a looker, so I'm a happy camper. It had its moments where there was appreciable depth and some nice details (especially in clothing), and towards the end there were even some shots you could call sharp. Being a definite improvement over the DVD, I'm inclined to nominate it for....

Tier Recommendation: 3.5*

Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment listed below....

Wishing everyone a Very Happy and Prosperous 2013.

Happy New Year!....


Thanks Phantom and all who keep this thread going.

Hugh

There is no need to thank me, we are all part of the same team. No one ever truly knows what the future will bring, but no one should worry about me suddenly orphaning the PQ Tiers in 2013. I remain as committed as ever to keeping it up and going for the present moment.

It's funny you bring up Newsies, a film I have unfortunately seen one too many times. A former girlfriend, years past, believed it was the greatest thing ever committed to celluloid...


Being John Malkovich

recommendation: Tier 2.5*

Criterion licensed this movie from Universal and released it in May of 2012. Originally made before the era of digital workflows took over in Hollywood, it looks satisfactory in 1080P. Some soft photography and a flat color palette dominate a sizable portion of the running time, preventing a much higher placement. The cramped cinematography lends some purpose to the film itself but does nothing for the picture quality ranking.

The transfer is a solid effort for a property from Universal's library, with only a few hints of ringing early in the film that stuck out in any way. Criterion has bestowed upon the AVC video encode a very generous bitrate, which leads to an artifact-free presentation of the stable and clean film print. If someone put forth a score for a slightly lower placement, you would get no argument.

Branded

One of the most incomprehensible movies ever released theatrically is erratic looking on Blu-ray. Weird color timing choices, wiped out blue contrast, pale flesh tones, off and on detail, compression problems, 4x3 framing. Ugh. Points for the definition at times, that's looking for something positive.

Tier 3.5*

Now that is 2012 is over, anyone have a best-of list for the year on Blu-ray? I would guess that the transfer for Lawrence of Arabia would be high on everyone's list.

In PQ order (IMO):

Madagascar 3
Lawrence of Arabia
The Amazing Spiderman.
Patton (remastered) - or Fox makes amends.
The Avengers
Samurai Trilogy - Typically great Criterion effort - the best that could be done with the material is still excellent.

I had mostly forgotten about the new transfer and disc for Patton, that is a good choice. I don't remember if anyone has ranked it yet or not. Pixar's releases are always solid candidates, such as Brave and Finding Nemo.

Yeah, waiting for a good transfer for that and Gladiator was worth it. The Samurai Trilogy was a treat, had caught it at several Artsy Theaters with horrible projection quality and very old speakers.

Looper

Slightly out of focus at times, but always clean, bright, and easy to watch. Detail can soar, and definition is crisp. Color palette is a bit dry for a high ranking, although a handful of hues will bring this one out significantly.

Tier 1.75*

I would agree with your first three picks and The Avengers. I haven't seen the others but I'm elated that they remastered Patton; I'll have to check that out.

I would add to the list:

Finding Nemo
Chariots of Fire
The Dark Knight Rises (this may not be the best movie, but it had exceptional PQ in the IMAX scenes and the audio rocked)

There is a significant difference with Patton vs. the first release. All of the blurriness is gone, great battle and outdoor scenes. Even the indoor scenes shine.

I saw snippets of the first release and the DNR was horrendous. I'm not usually that sensitive to DNR post-processing, but it was so bad that George C. Scott's face looked like a wax museum figure. So, I'm assuming you can now see details (wrinkles, pores, etc.) in his face, right?

BTW, where did you buy your copy? I ask this because on Amazon some are warning people to make sure they are ordering the remastered version; it sounds like some sites may be calling it the remastered version when it's not.

I got it from Amazon. Thanks to the Patton thread here, I was able to pick out the right version to order, since both are for sale at Amazon, and it's easy to get the wrong one.

The right one has a Nov. 6, 2012 release date and has this cover:



The wrong one has a June 3, 2008 release date and has this cover:



Like I said, it's easy to order the wrong one if you're not aware of this. Yes, you do see good details. The beginning scene is really good.

Thanks hernanu....I appreciate it!

Amazon has the new Remastered Patton at an amazingly low price. I ordered it thru Amazon Prime and it will be here Monday.