Cheap DVD Reviews

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Ken_McAlinden, May 22, 2003.

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  1. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    I continue to be amazed at how the prices of DVDs are plummeting. I have also noticed a distinct gap in reviews targeted at the frugal (i.e. cheapskate) video consumer. My mission in this thread (if I choose to accept it) will be to review at least one DVD available for less than US$15 each week. Feel free to add your own cheap DVD reviews, as our opinions are even cheaper!

    Inaugural offering: MGMs DVD of "Zulu"

    Directed by: Cy Endfield

    Starring: Stanley Baker, Michael Caine, James Booth, Jack Hawkins

    Purchase price/source: 10 bucks at Best Buy

    The Film:

    A large scale "Super Technirama 70" telling of the Battle of Rorke's Drift in which a British storehouse and field hospital manned by 140 Welsh infantrymen (a number of whom were patients at the hospital) faced down a Zulu force of more than 4,000 in Natal, South Africa in 1879.

    Certain liberties are taken with the actual events, and the politics of Colonialism are deftly avoided except for a famous line where one soldier asks about the attack, "Why does it have to be us?", and his sergeant responds, "Because we're here, lad".

    The film does a good job of ratcheting up the tension on the British soldiers facing long odds, using both the historical (they were outnumbered nearly 30 to 1 and this attack occurred quickly on the heels of a crushing defeat in Islandwana in which more than 1,300 British and allied fighters were quickly overrun by a massive Zulu force) and the dramatic (there is tension between the commanding officers who are from different military and social backgrounds and a missionary and his daughter are spreading dissent despite initially noble intentions) to draw the audience in to the soldiers' point of view and state of mind. Aside from a very early scene of a Zulu wedding ceremony, the film's action takes place entirely in and around the outpost. For the most part, the Zulus themselves are portrayed as an ever approaching and encircling danger, which provides little insight into their perspective, but serves dramatically to create a shared empathy between the audience and the British soldiers and add to the sense of impending doom. To be fair, the Zulu warriors are in no way demonized or dismissed as incompetent, it's just that the film is not "their" story.

    The core of the film is the series of waves of Zulu attacks that occur after the stage is set, and they are suitably spectacular. The effect of the literal cast of thousands and extensive location photography in South Africa results in some extraordinary visuals.

    The ensemble cast features an impossibly young-looking Michael Caine in his first significant film role. He is atypically "posh" as a lieutenant from an upper-class background with a distinguished family history of military service. The always dependable Jack Hawkins creates a memorable Reverend Witt, and Stanley Baker (who also co-produced) turns in an excellent lead performance as engineer turned commander and strategist Lieutenant Chard.

    The film is more or less a celebration of British fortitude, which may or may not play to your tastes, but Hollywood has done the same for the US military time and again, and more shamelessly, too. :) It certainly works as an effective combat action film, although those used to more modern battle recreations from films like "Saving Private Ryan" may find the special effects a bit unrealistic.

    The DVD

    The picture quality is outstanding compared to previous offerings I have seen on video, laserdisc and DVD. The 2.35:1 image is enhanced for 16:9 TVs, and the color, density, and compression are all very solid. There is perhaps a slight orange tint to the crimson uniforms, but it is subtle, and not distracting.

    The mono audio is a bit muffled, probably due to excessive noise reduction. John Barry's memorable score is served passably, certainly better than the previous public domain DVDs. I used the English subtitles to pick up some dialog with which I had trouble, but it usually was due to the use of military terms I was unfamiliar with rather than intelligibility.

    The only extra is a theatrical trailer. In the UK, there is apparently an edition with a stereo soundtrack and substantial extras, but for $10, the MGM release is a pretty good deal. Make sure you get the MGM release, and not one of the public domain company ones like the "Roan/Troma" issue which was from an inferior source print.

    Regards,
     
  2. Ed Bishop

    Ed Bishop Incredibly, I'm still here

    Not a great film, but a good one for that type of thing in the '60s. Put Michael Caine on the map. Sorry it's not in stereo, though, as a stereo soundtrack does exist. But good point: for $10, you can't go wrong if the picture quality is there.

    Thanks for the review, Ken!

    ED:cool:
     
  3. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff

    Location:
    NY
    Great idea for a thread, Ken. I often wonder what the quality is like on these budget bin DVDs. Are reasonable restoration techniques used to produce these budget buys, or are they being sloppily mass-produced to feed the DVD hungry???:confused: I appreciate your analysis.
     
  4. aashton

    aashton Here for the waters...

    Location:
    Gortshire, England
    Nice review Ken and by my reckoning it was not only cheap but free :) This film was a staple for me as I was growing up - the scene where the Welsh infantry start singng always raises the hair on the back of my neck and the fact that they are referred to by number is very amusing :)

    The film presenting the British defeat at Islandwana is depicted in the film Zulu Dawn

    This also sells for the equivalent of $10 :)

    All the best - Andrew
     
  5. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Re: Re: Cheap DVD Reviews

    You must know where to shop. It was around £15 (US$24) at Amazon UK. It looks like a nice package, though.

    Regards,
     
  6. aashton

    aashton Here for the waters...

    Location:
    Gortshire, England
    Re: Re: Re: Cheap DVD Reviews

    Indeed I do, indeed I do :) it was £6.99 a month ago it's £8.99 now (Plus free P&P in Europe :) ) http://www.playserver5.com/play247.asp?page=title&r=R2&title=94427

    All the best - Andrew
     
  7. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    btw, I picked up the great Millers Crossing at CC for only $13.99 today.

    now thats a great deal...talk about cheap dvds that are worth the money.
     
  8. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Well, since John G, mentioned it, I'll post my comments on the Miller's Crossing disc from another forum:
    The good news:

    Transfer is very good
    Sound is free of no-noise processing

    The bad news:

    It sounds compressed to me. In addition to hampering the dynamics and making listening a more fatiguing experience, this results in the hiss being louder relative to the average level, and as such, more noticeable.

    Neutral news:

    By going with a discrete 4.0 mix, there is actually less going on in the surrounds than there was due to bleed-through in the previous pro-logic mixes. I consider this more of a feature than a bug, but YMMV.

    Extra!Extra!:

    The Barry Sonnenfeld interview is outstanding. The "sound bite" interview snippets of Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, and John Turturro are good, although brief. I had never seen the trailer for Miller's Crossing before, and it is a pretty good one.

    Torture us, why don't you: ;)

    The Barry Sonnenfeld interview has clips from Raising Arizona in anamorphic widescreen [the RA DVD is non-anamorphic letterboxed].

    Surprise Surprise

    I've seen this film a gajillion times, and never noticed the scene with Albert Finney in drag until it was pointed out at the end of the Sonnenfeld interview.

    ====

    As for the film itself, I've said before that I feel it is the best film of the 90s (sorry Schindler's List, Pulp Fiction, and Goodfellas). Every time I see it, I discover something that I hadn't previously noticed or considered. Those with a watchful eye will spot cameos by director Sam Raimi and actress Frances McDormand.

    Regards,
     
  9. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY

    I agree Ken, when I first saw Millers Crossing in the theater I knew it was a classic. It is still my favorite Coen Bros. film even though Fargo is very close.

    The scene with Albert Finney where he's being hunted down while "Danny Boy" is playing is one of cinema's great treats.

    Also this film has some of the best dialogue I have ever heard.

    Nice to have on DVD!
     
  10. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    I agree with your assessments, and how cool is it that in this film with such great dialog, they also have such a memorable sequence with absolutely no dialog at all.

    As an aside, the audio compression really hurts the "Danny Boy" sequence. If you want to hear how it was supposed to sound, you can flip your DVD to the French pro-logic track which has better dynamics. :)

    Regards,
     
  11. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    By the way, my next write-up will be either "Flight of the Phoenix", "Shenandoah", or the "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea/Fantastic Voyage" twofer. Any preferences as to which you would like to hear about first?

    Regards,
     
  12. aashton

    aashton Here for the waters...

    Location:
    Gortshire, England
    Great idea Ken giving us the opportunity to refresh our memories - I was going to suggest just such a course but then I thought you would come up with the idea in any case :)

    Flight of the Phoenix isn't available to me until after 3rd of june
    Shenandoah isn't a title that resonates with me
    So that leaves my vote for the submarine/subcutaneous 'B'-movies

    All the best - Andrew
     
  13. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    The proper Politically Correctness here is..."Freedom" Pro-logic track...:laugh: Of course the main interest in this DVd is the "MOVIE"...;)
     
  14. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea/Fantastic Voyage" twofer. :thumbsup:
     
  15. njwiv

    njwiv Senior Member

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I second Michael's motion!
     
  16. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    You asked for it...

    Today's Offering: Fox's double feature release of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea/Fantastic Voyage

    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Info

    Directed By: Irwin Allen
    Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Peter Lorre, Barbara Eden, Robert Sterling, Michael Ansara, and Frankie Avalon

    Fantastic Voyage Info

    Directed By: Richard Fleischer
    Starring: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Donald Pleasence, Arthur Kennedy, Arthur O'Connell, Edmond O'Brien, William Redfield

    Purchase price/source: 10 simoleans at Costco

    The Films

    Since Fox has seen fit to package them together, I'll start with what they have in common. They are both examples of 60s sci-fi B-pictures, they both involve submarines, they both were spun-off into not-particularly inspiring television series, and they both borrow at least one key contributor from the granddaddy of all CinemaScope submarine films, Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In the case of Voyage..., it's co-star Peter Lorre, and in the case of Fantastic Voyage, it's director Richard Fleischer. I suspect that most folks will prefer 1966's Fantastic Voyage to 1961's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, but it's all a matter of which type of cheese you prefer. :)

    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

    The basic premise of this film involves a global catastrophe when a radiation belt ignites around the Earth causing temperatures to rise drastically. Walter Pidgeon plays Admiral Nelson, a world-renowned scientist in command of a brand-spanking new nuclear submarine, who determines that the only way to save the planet is to maneuver his sub to a precise set of coordinates at a pre-determined time and fire a missile into the heart of the radiation belt to cause it to disperse outwards. Conflict arises when the world scientific community disagrees with his calculations (even though they were double-checked by Peter Lorre), the submarine is hunted by an international force that knows exactly where it is going and when it needs to be there, the admiral finds himself unable to contact the President of the United States, and both sabotage and mutiny seem to be on the menu for the sub's crew as the Admiral's behavior seems increasingly erratic. I haven't even mentioned the not one, but two giant squids yet, either. :)

    The film is pure 60s Irwin Allen, meaning that nearly every shot is lit like a Christmas Tree (even if it's under water), the story moves more like a checklist of adversity than a dramatic construct, and two attractive ladies are kept on board the submarine at all times. In it's way, this is as pure an example as you are likely to see of the basic Irwin Allen philosophy that "more is more". In fact , there is no clearer illustration of this than when one of the villains of the piece (you didn't think there would be only one, did you?) meets their final fate not by being exposed to a lethal dose of radiation, not by being eaten by a shark, but by being exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and then being consumed by a shark. :thumbsup:. You probably think that constitutes a spoiler, but it barely plays a role in the film's actual climax.

    Fans of this sort of thing will love it. In particular, stuff like the introduction of Barbara Eden and Frankie Avalon (Avalon is playing hot jazz on a horn while a close-up of Eden's shaking posterior fills the CinemaScope frame), the fact that Eden's character is engaged to the Captain and also the secretary for the Admiral, and the "Escape from the UN" sequence where the Admiral and his entourage run out of the UN chased by "UN police"to their nuclear sub that seems to be "parked" nearby. And once again I haven't even mentioned two separate giant squids.

    Fantastic Voyage

    Fantastic Voyage operates on the highly improbable premise that a shrinking technology has been developed that can render people and things microscopic for a period of 60 minutes. The Soviets have this technology as well, and are after a scientist friendly to the west who has figured out the secret to breaking the 60 minute limitation. When this scientist suffers a blood clot in his brain that is untreatable via external surgery, a team of five medical and military specialists is assembled to be shrunken in a nuclear submarine, injected into the ailing scientist, and sent to perform "micro-surgery" in every sense of the term. Almost nothing goes as planned, and the team is forced to overcome one obstacle after another before their 60 minutes are up.

    This film captured my imagination as a kid when I used to see it on an afternoon movie show on TV. Due to the implausible premise, I was somewhat fearful that I would not like it as much as I remembered, but my fears were unfounded. Despite the questionable science and the tendency of Arthur Kennedy's character to wax philosophical with some platitude or other every time the action slowed down, I found it a very entertaining film with just enough charm to get by, and just the right tone in performance to keep it from veering too far over the line towards "camp". Donald Pleasance and Arthur Kennedy toe that line pretty closely at times. The novelty of the premise and the high-noonish element of the 60 minute limit also go a long way towards making the film enjoyable. In the grand 60s tradition, Raquel Welch is the only member of the crew who does not wear a T-shirt under her wet-suit.

    The DVD

    Each film is given one single layer side of a two-sided disc. Each side has the same extras which consist of six film trailers for other titles intended for Fox's double feature series, including both of these films and both the original and remake of "The Fly" with their respective sequels.

    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

    The video and audio transfers are impeccable. The 16:9 enhanced transfer renders the vivid color scheme spectacularly, and there are rarely any artifacts from the source print. The Dolby Digital 4.0 track sounds like a re-purposing of a vintage mag stereo track inclusive of screen-cued directional dialog and infrequent use of the rear channels. You won't see this looking or sounding any better until the Criterion Collection does an Irwin Allen box set some day, and I would not hold my breath for that.

    Fantastic Voyage

    The 16:9 enhanced widescreen transfer is very clean, although colors seem a bit faded. This may be actual fading or just an aesthetic choice to have a muted scheme. Frankly, anything will seem muted after "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea". There are both a mono and remixed dolby surround pro-logic soundtracks available. The Dolby Surround is superior in this case, as it contains much less distortion than the mono track, retains most of its character, and opens up the soundstage a bit.

    In summary, at US$5 per film, this DVD release is a pretty decent time machine for fans of 60s sci-fi.

    Regards,
     
  17. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Great reviews Ken! I remember when this DVD first appeared it was $29.99 LIST! Finally at a great price...:)
     
  18. R. Cat Conrad

    R. Cat Conrad Almost Famous

    Location:
    D/FW Metroplex
    Below are two excellent albeit obscure el cheapo dvds that I consider classics and you may enjoy as well; no reviews yet, but even though it's been quite awhile since I've seen these films I can still recommend the content of each unequivocally! It appears that neither is currently available, but both can be pre-ordered for as little as $5.99 each from vendors like Deep Discount DVD, with free shipping to boot! BTW, be warned, even though these are relatively old movies (i.e., mid-70's & late 60's respectively) they're still disturbing and, for the faint of heart, best not viewed alone:

    1] The Tenant (Director/actor - Roman Polanski)

    2] Targets (Director/actor - Peter Bogdonovich, w/ Boris Karloff)

    Enjoy! :D

    :cheers:
    Cat
     
  19. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    The Batman Movie with Adam West/Burt Ward is out on Fox in nice bright color (only a few spicks and specks pop up). I payed about $20 when I found a copy about 1/2 a year ago, but now I've seen it for under $10 - Frank Gorshin's insane laugh always amazes me... Only yucky thing is the "new stereo" soundtrack option - it's RECHANNELED - GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  20. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    I have a lot of Fox titles with re-channeled stereo soundtracks. I don't think I have any that do not include the original mono soundtrack as well, though, so it doesn't bother me too much. Like a pan & scan transfer, it's a "feature" I just ignore when they offer it.

    BTW, I think in honor of Bob Hope's centennial, I will make "Road to Morocco" the subject of my next review. Other titles in the on-deck circle include:

    Flight of the Phoenix
    Shenandoah
    Rio Lobo
    Man from Snowy River
    The Far Country

    I'm leaning towards "Shenandoah" after "Road to Morocco" since I have yet to see any on-line reviews of it, but I'm willing to take requests.

    Regards,
     
  21. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    I always have to hit the menu and get rid of the "stereo" soundtrack - that delay/reverby mess drives me nuts!
     
  22. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Add to the list:

    10
    3:10 To Yuma
    61*
    Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes)
    The Apartment
    Bend of the River
    Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
    Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
    The Blair Witch Project
    Body Double
    Breaking Away
    Day of the Jackal
    Destry Rides Again
    Down from the Mountain
    El Dorado
    Elmer Gantry
    Excalibur
    Ferris Beuller's Day Off
    The Fisher King
    Fistful of Dollars
    For a Few Dollars More
    The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
    Hard Target
    The Horse Soldiers
    How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
    Indiscreet
    Inherit the Wind
    Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
    Irma La Douce
    Jackie Chan's "Who Am I?" (Columbia release)
    Killer Klowns from Outer Space
    Killer's Kiss
    The Killing
    Kingpin
    The Longest Day
    The Lost Weekend
    The Man Who Knew too Much (1934 - Laserlight release)
    Marty
    My Neighbor Totoro (R1 English Dub)
    National Velvet
    Nightmare on Elm Street
    No Way Out
    Paths of Glory
    Pi
    Predator
    Red River
    Requiem for a Dream (Director's Cut)
    Return of the Living Dead
    Run Silent Run Deep
    Sabotage/The Lodger (Laserlight release)
    The Secret Agent (Laserlight release)
    Secret of NIMH
    Shaft (1971)
    The Shootist
    Sleepy Hollow
    Sleuth (remaster)
    Storefromt Hitchcock
    Strange Days
    When Harry Met Sally
    Winchester '73
    The Witches
    Young and Innocent (Laserlight release)
    Young Frankenstein

    I have access to any of the above, so let me know if you have an interest and I will bump it up on the priority list.

    Regards,
     
  23. Ed Bishop

    Ed Bishop Incredibly, I'm still here

    BTW, this film is now in the $5.88 bins at WalMart, along with another guilty pleasure, CREEPSHOW. For $9.99 I saw THE GREAT ESCAPE and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. However, as the latter now has added footage, I'd wait on a Special Edition with the extra minutes. GREAT ESCAPE is a remarkable war film that works as an action drama and character study. With one of the most memorable scores of the decade, too.

    Another package I'd recommend--provided it's still around $20, as it was when I purchased it--is the 2-fer KOYAANISATSI/POWAQQATSI. Both fine films, the latter not quite as impressive as the former, except for sound: the first is a basic Dolby Surround deal, not really proper 5.1, while the latter has a nice 5.1 mix.

    ED:cool:
     
  24. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Most reviews I have seen indicated that Koyaanisqatsi had a 5.1 soundtrack, are you saying it is actually 2.0 or just that it is 5.1 but doesn't really take advantage of all of the discrete channels?

    I've heard some fairly "improper" 5.1 mixes over the years, so if it was originally released in Dolby Surround, I'll take a well-mastered version of that or a discrete 4.0 if they have the original "pre-mixed" tracks. I wish they would do PCM or higher bitrate DD when the space is available, though.

    Regards,
     
  25. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    On the Road Again...

    This week's offering: Universal's release of "Road to Morocco"

    Directed by: David Butler

    Starring: Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn

    Purchase Price/Source: 11 Smackers in a 2 for US$22 special at Media Play

    The Film

    Perhaps the best of the Bing Crosby, Bob Hope "Road Movies", 1942's Road to Morocco was the third in the series. By this time, Hope and Crosby had their shtick honed to perfection, the ground rules were set (Bob will mock Bing's age, Bing will mock Bob's nose, Dorothy Lamour will wind up with Bing, Paramount will be teased, the fourth wall will be broken), and audiences were familiar enough with them, that they could get comic mileage out of inverting some of the standard gags (in this case, the "patty cake" bit which I won't spoil).

    The premise involves a shipwrecked Bob & Bing (Bob was smoking in the ship's "Powder Room") washing up on the shore of North Africa without a penny to their names. After that, it's one ridiculous but amusing contrivance after another as is normally the case. Dorothy Lamour plays a princess who pledges her troth somewhat strategically, and a very young looking Anthony Quinn plays Mullay Kassim, Lamour's fiery tempered primary suitor. If you are expecting a sensitive, intelligent, portrayal of Moraccan culture and customs, then you have come to the wrong place. If you are expecting a family friendly gag-fest in a Hollywood fantasy Morocco with Hope and Crosby displaying great timing while generally mistreating each other and everyone else, then you have come to the right place. Songs include the amusing title song and Bing Crosby's featured solo "Moonlight Becomes You". There is a funny scene late in the picture where Crosby, Hope, and Lamour reprise "Moonlight Becomes You" singing in each others' voices.

    The DVD

    The picture and sound are above average for films of this vintage. The black and white image is rendered with appropriate density. There are numerous visible instances of wear and tear to the print used for transfer, but nothing extreme or distracting. The mono audio has little high end, but gets the job done. Extras include a 14 minute featurette on the Road Films called "The Road to Success" which strangely seems to mostly ignore "Road to Morocco", an excerpt from a filmed radio broadcast of Hope recorded for overseas troops in 1946, a theatrical trailer, a sing along feature for the title song, a behind the scenes and production still gallery that is accompanied by a jazzy instrumental version of the title song, and a few other text based features.

    In summary, if you are looking for something light and frothy for the whole family, this is the way to go, and Universal has done the film justice. If you are looking for "Change Your Life" cinema, you may have to look elsewhere. :)

    Regards,
     
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