LATEST ADDITIONS

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 15, 2013  |  0 comments

Arrow Video unearths another gem from the MGM catalogue in the form of Kevin Connor's horror-comedy about farmer Vincent Smith and his 'special' smoked meats. Given the miserable treatment Motel Hell received on DVD in the past, this Blu-ray's colourful AVC 1.85:1 encode is a revelation. The accompanying LPCM 2.0 soundtrack is less immediately exciting, but is a fine reproduction of the source elements. As usual Arrow has also cooked up some fantastic supplementary features including a commentary by the director, interviews and a look at what makes a great female horror baddie.

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 14, 2013  |  0 comments

Now in his third decade as a filmmaker, Takashi (Audition) Miike shows no signs of slowing down or curbing his genre-hopping ways. This time around he's transformed a popular mid-'70s manga series about two star-crossed lovers into a live-action musical. In the process, Miike appears to have rediscovered his more playful edge, mixing edgy violence and tongue-in-cheek musical numbers with an eclectic and striking visual style. Given how exquisitely the Blu-ray's 2.40:1 1080p encode handles the film's imagery, the only real issue with this disc is the surprisingly front-heavy nature of its DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix. The only extra feature of any note on the disc is a 35-minute Making of... documentary.

Ed Selley  |  Aug 14, 2013  |  0 comments

German brand Quadral has been selling in the UK for some years now and its range of technically innovative speakers is designed to be as comfortable in multichannel as they are in stereo, hence the need for dedicated subwoofers. The Qube 10 is one of three new arrivals. 

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 14, 2013  |  0 comments

Given the reverence so many fans have for the legendary 1939 MGM musical, it's no surprise that some consider any plans to do a prequel to The Wizard of Oz to be completely sacrilegious.

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 13, 2013  |  0 comments

Inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage, The Brood is basically David Cronenberg's take on Kramer vs. Kramer. Only – instead of boring custody hearings – Cronenberg gives us a mother whose anger is personified in the form of murderous dwarves she grows in an external womb! While not as badly served on DVD as some of the director's other work from the same era, this BD's AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode is a major step-up in quality, particularly when it comes to the colour accuracy and grain retention. It also includes five interviews – including a 13-minute chat with Cronenberg about his early flicks.

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 13, 2013  |  0 comments

The year is 2084 and in the city of Neo-Paris more than 99 per cent of the population now uploads and shares its memories thanks to a brain implant called the Sensation Engine (Sensen). Given the device's other abilities to alter or remove memories altogether, its developer Memorize has been able to take control of the populace and turn the city into a surveillance state under its strict control. Fighting against them is a small band of rebels known as Errorists, which is where you come into the picture…

Mark Craven  |  Aug 13, 2013  |  0 comments
1. The Evil Dead (2013)

The 2013 reboot/remake of Sam Raimi's classic horror arrives on BD from StudioCanal armed with a bundle of bonus featurettes and DTS-HD MA 5.1 sonics. Gory as hell, although the version here is the same as the theatrical release, so not the original print that so annoyed the US censors.

Richard Stevenson  |  Aug 12, 2013  |  0 comments

The avalanche of super-sized TVs hitting the market this Summer has got me thinking about that lynch-pin of serious home cinema, the projector. These thoughts go along the lines of, ‘how long before projectors are redundant in most installs?’

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 12, 2013  |  0 comments

This suitably epic screen adaptation of the hit West End musical definitely gets the most out of this hi-def platter. The opening act's frequently dark and gloomy imagery reveals a wealth of fine detail in close-ups, while the second half of the film is awash with golden hues. Fans of the production will also savour the director's commentary and hour-long Making of… documentary also included on the Blu-ray. However, it's the DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack that really dazzles – not just in the big musical numbers (although they sound fantastic), but through its forceful employment of the entire speaker array.

Anton van Beek  |  Aug 11, 2013  |  0 comments

It hasn't received the same kind of TLC that Hammer has been giving its classic chillers on Blu-ray in the UK, but this US hi-def outing for The Vampire Lovers is still worth importing. The AVC 1.85:1 1080p transfer exhibits minor damage and sparkles, but is a vast improvement on previous home releases. The disc also includes some choice extras include a commentary and a 20-min interview with the delightful Madeline Smith. Best of all, while Shout's discs are usually locked to Region A (as the sleeve on this one also states) our Blu-ray proved to be region-free! Check before you buy!

Pages

X