Blu-ray

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Anton van Beek  |  Mar 13, 2013  |  0 comments

Against all the odds, director Joe Wright has managed to find a fresh approach to Tolstoy's novel with this 12th bigscreen adaptation. Wright stages the story within the confines of an artificial theatre setting to act as a 'metaphor for Russian society at the time' and 'the roles we all play in life'. If this all sounds rather dull and conceptual, it's not – instead it adds a lavish visual conceit to this well-worn story of love, and those visuals look great in 1080p courtesy of the Blu-ray's richly saturated VC-1 2.40:1 encode.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 12, 2013  |  0 comments

When Jaws broke box office records in 1975 it led to the release of countless copycat films. While the vast majority of these cash-in flicks were utter trash, 1978's Piranha managed to buck the trend – even Steven Spielberg went on record saying, 'It's the best of the Jaws rip-offs', and convinced Universal not to take out an injunction blocking the film's release.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 11, 2013  |  0 comments

The year is 2047 and time travel hasn't been invented… yet. Three decades later it will be, and the outlawed technology is quickly leapt upon by criminal organisations. Now, whenever they want somebody to 'disappear', they simply send them back to a prearranged time and place in 2047 where an assassin called a 'looper' kills them and disposes of the body – completely eliminating them from the future and leaving no pesky evidence behind.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 11, 2013  |  0 comments

Horror anthologies are tricky things to pull off, but this creepy collection of six shorts gets more right than wrong – and injects some new life into the 'found footage' genre in the process. Naturally, given the nature of the content (camcorder, VHS, etc) the issue of picture quality is fairly subjective – but from a technical standpoint it's hard to fault the disc's AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode for its faithfulness to the source material. Helping to raise the scare-quota is an atmospheric DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. Sadly the commentary from the US release is missing, but we still get a couple of interviews, an alternate ending for one short, and behind-the-scenes footage from another.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 09, 2013  |  0 comments

This 1930 tale of obsession is now mainly talked about for being the film that launched Marlene Dietrich on the path to stardom, but it remains a thrilling slice of German melodrama in its own right. Eureka's hi-def release boasts restored AVC 1.19:1 1080p presentations of the German- and English-language versions. Both display some print damage (especially the English version), but represent a huge step forward in quality from previous releases. Bonus features include a commentary, Dietrich's screen test and much more.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 08, 2013  |  0 comments

Best approached with as little foreknowledge as possible, this fascinating, heartwarming documentary tells the story of two South African fans who set out to uncover the truth about '70s folk musician Sixto Rodriguez. While the nature of the source material dictates the quality of the AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix excels with its treatment of Rodriguez's music. An audio commentary, 31-min Making of… and theatrical trailer make up the Blu-ray's platter's worthwhile extras.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 08, 2013  |  0 comments

Avoiding each and every mistake the 1995 Sylvester Stallone flick made, this $48m take on British comic book icon Judge Dredd is an absolute blast.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 06, 2013  |  0 comments

Director John Hillcoat and writer Nick Cave (yes, the musician) team up once again for this Prohibition-era tale of outlaws and illegal booze. It doesn't match up to the lofty standard of their previous collaboration, The Proposition, but still captivates as it recounts the true exploits of the Bondurant brothers.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 05, 2013  |  0 comments

Filmmaking duo The Soska Sisters made a bit of a splash with their debut outing Dead Hooker in a Trunk. So much, it would appear, that Universal picked up the UK distribution rights for their second film – a twisted tale starring Katherine Isabelle as a medical student with a talent for 'body modification'. Behind the ugly Blu-ray menu lurks a very attractive AVC 2.40:1 1080p encode full of rich colours and inky shadows, although the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix is disappointingly front-heavy. Extras are limited to on-set footage and a video of the filmmakers attending FrightFest 2012 in London.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 05, 2013  |  0 comments

This franchise continues along its curious route of serving up made-for-DVD sequels that actually improve on the 1992 original. This fourth in the 'official' series brings back Van Damme and Lundgren, but its mix of action and psychological horror follows a new protagonist played by English martial artist Scott Adkins. The Blu-ray's 2.40:1 1080p encode can be watched in 2D or 3D, with the latter working particularly well (it was actually shot stereoscopically). Extras are limited to the trailer and short interviews with the stars and director.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 04, 2013  |  0 comments

The end always justifies the means – that appears to be the message Nick (The Business) Love wants to impart in this celebration of police brutality masquerading as a cinematic update of the '70s TV show. But, while the film may be brain-numbingly banal, this BD proves that you can polish a turd by delivering gleaming AVC 2.40:1 1080p visuals that get the best out of the film's Dark Knight-inspired glass and steel cityscapes. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio also punches above its weight whenever the gunfire and/or shouting starts. Extras are numerous, if not always interesting.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 04, 2013  |  0 comments

Pretentious and muddled, Fear and Desire would surely have faded into history if it wasn't the little-seen 1953 directorial debut from Stanley Kubrick. Judged on those terms this hour-long war drama is a fascinating curiosity that teases viewers with glimpses of the greatness he would eventually achieve. This Blu-ray serves up an impressive AVC 1.37:1 1080p restoration, alongside three of the filmmakers' other short films and an informative interview with Kubrick scholar Bill Krohn.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 03, 2013  |  0 comments

Oscar-nominated indie film that's either a heart-warming piece of fantasy-drama or a cynically romanticised look at black rural poverty, depending on your point of view. Here at HCC we're caught somewhere in the middle. While the 16mm source hardly makes for the glossiest hi-def experience, those who take to the film's pop music video aesthetic will find plenty to admire in the accuracy of the textured, grainy AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix is far more cutting-edge, bringing the film's reanimated prehistoric creatures (seriously) to life with relish. Extras include a 22-min Making of..., a 15-min featurette on the cast, nine deleted scenes with optional commentary, the trailer and a 26-min short film.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 02, 2013  |  0 comments

In 1994, 13-year-old Texan Nicholas Barclay disappeared. Three years later police in Spain contacted the family saying that they found him. In fact they had been taken in by 23-year old French con-man Frédéric Bourdin, but the Barclay family still accepted him as their own despite all of the evidence to the contrary. Equal parts thriller, family drama and true crime story, this unsettling documentary relates a tale so weird that you simply wouldn't believe it if it hadn't actually happened.

Anton van Beek  |  Mar 01, 2013  |  0 comments

E4's 'superheroes with ASBOs' show finds itself trapped in a transitional point as old characters leave and a host of newcomers are introduced. It's therefore not always smooth sailing, lacking the cohesive storytelling of earlier runs – but still funny and filthy.

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