Blast From The Past … Genesis of a Calibrator … Part 1

ABSOLUTE POWER:                                      Warner

A005

7.5

2.35 16×9; 1.33

5.1

Trailer

Two Sided

Category: Drama / Documentary / TV

I didn’t add this one, but David picked it up a Costco for $21.49.  This is certainly yet another one of those films that I have been curious about, but would never pay any money for renting it or buying it.  I question the replay value, but Dave added it so it makes the list.  This is the first time in four years that the Abyss title has actually been moved.  The film is interesting, but it also stretches believability as it draws to a close.  The image quality is typical for DVD and the AC-3 is surprisingly vibrant for a real life drama.  Not much of a story here since Clint has God like powers and is always one step ahead of everyone else.  He is also stronger than everyone else.  And then he starts showing up everywhere.  Not too many extras on this disc, only a trailer.  I just haven’t found too many interesting things to say about this film.  The ending is also somewhat silly.  Soon, it will be time to watch this one again.  Just a typical political thriller.

 

THE ABYSS:                                        CBS/FOX

A010

7.0

2.35

DPL

Extras

Mitsubishi Japan

A011

7.5

2.35

4.1

Extras

DVD-9×2

Category: Science Fiction / Documentary / TV / Comedy / Drama / OAV / Western / Adult

The film has inMV5BMTIwMDA4MTEzMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTcxMTU1MQ@@._V1_SY317_CR5,0,214,317_credible action and sfx as well as some genuine emotion.  I recommend this film as a demonstration quality feature for both sound and vision.  The picture is incredibly sharp although with some grainy sequences that may be intentional.  The film was shown theatrically with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 from the Super 35 mm original.  It masked off some of the top and bottom sections of this 1.85:1 ratio to achieve the wider ratio.  So even though this disc version shows more … the theatrical version is more correct.  This version is unfortunately missing the 30 minutes of excised footage that the director removed for his own reasons.  This footage includes some major effects work done by ILM including massive tidal waves that threaten earth’s coastal cities. The inclusion of this footage would have meant a change of the entire tone of the film.  The aliens were more nasty than they appeared to be (Latest word is that FOX video is preparing in conjunction with James Cameron a CAV boxed set containing lots of other goodies for release in late ’92 to ’93 … It’s now official and it is set for December 1992 and the new running time is 177 minutes.).  The “Making Of” featurette is 10 minutes long.  The first copy was returned to Sight & Sound because of inclusion problems and this new copy still has some problems with rolling lines.

Due to the release of the special edition, I must down grade the video rating from 8.5 to 7.0 because the new one is really that much better than this one.  Now this one has been pushed to some time in the new year, like February. (Actually more like the middle of March, but at least now it is official.)  This is the first THX approved laser disc so the sonics should be the best it has ever been.  It’s looking like the disc is coming out in February as the hype from Image Entertainment has begun.  The film is still going to be presented in CLV on two discs over four sides.  The supplemental material is in CAV and CLV.  The running time of the film is 178 minutes.  The film was a Super 35 effort, but I think the intent was to show the film at 2.35:1 so this version could be in this correct format.  From the James Cameron interview in the Perfect Vision, this will indeed be at 2.35:1 as it was shown in the theatre.  The film has been delayed again as expected in order to let it open in limited release in the U. S. theaters.  According to David, the film has opened to limited screens in L.A. as of March so it may actually make its scheduled release date now in May.  It’s the middle of April and I’ve seen it in the store in Calgary.

It is on its way to me now.  I got it yesterday and it plays superbly.  The image is vastly superior to the previous edition as is the audio.  The flesh tones look blue on the old one when compared to this copy.  The one hour documentary is called “Under Pressure” and it was put together especially for this release (World Premiere).  The video quality during the documentary can be used as a reference source for determining television quality.  The playback via the RCA 35” and the Mitsubishi projection shows a creamy colour scheme.  The RCA 46” displays the program very differently and feels much harsher (cooler?) than the other two sets.  The answer may just lie with the color temperature, but this harshness sort of makes the entire program more film like.  There is a THX theatrical opening as well as an undocumented trailer to “Aliens.”  This probably makes up for Jim Cameron not getting one in on the Aliens Box Set.  The director rightly assumes that those who bought that film would buy this one as well.  This completes the collection for trailers.  The top of the print is identical to the previous edition, but the bottom is cut off to create the 2.35:1 aspect ratio.  I have yet to watch the feature itself, but the wealth of supplementary material is already enough to last for quite a while.  I have found a second “Aliens” trailer stuck at the end of the main feature.  It is a teaser with no talking or sound effects and it is also letterboxed.  There are a group of signal patterns following the teaser.  There is no closed captioning of this disc set.  This is not the so called “Director’s Cut” since it represents a sort of alternate universe version of the film.  The theatrical presentation is still a legitimate presentation.

The box sets are now available from Ken Cranes as punch out items and I find myself actually considering the Director’s Pan & Scan version.  The AC-3 version of this film has been released after about three years since this one first showed up.  According to a recent review of that reissue, the AC-3 track does not add anything to the film and actually removes a large portion of the matrix ambiance.  FOX has yet to jump into the DVD market, but in time, I’m certain that they will.  I do not anticipate upgrading this title to the DVD version.  It will also take some time before this special edition surfaces … so to speak … versus the original theatrical version.  There is some confusion about which version has been announced for the first DVD release.  I suspect that it is the same AC-3 version as the recent theatrical version on Laserdisc.  Fox is selling the title for $30 like the Disney stuff.  It will also be interesting to see if the material is presented in anamorphic format or if they give both the cropped version and the wide version.  The film release on DVD was subsequently canceled and replaced with “Speed.”  Word has it that James Cameron had a lot to do with this as he wanted both extended versions on the same disc which means a dual layer dual sided effort or DVD-18 type disc.  They are still developing these discs now and Titanic will likely be the first disc that is issued in this format.

Do not expect this one to show up until well into the year 2000.  The guessing game for the moment is whether or not this film will be given the anamorphic treatment or be like all the other Fox titles that are terribly disappointing.  Domestically, this film may only cost about $20 which is a very nice price for the Canadian DVD collector.  The first programs spread to two discs have started to appear in the format so the film may likely show up sooner than later after all.  Epics like Dances With Wolves and Ten Commandments were both spread to two discs.  And with the advent of 16:9 DVD’s from FOX with the Alien series, this one is sure to please when it arrives.  There is a good news bad news thing to the 16:9 announcement.  While releasing the Alien series as a full blown collector’s edition with tons of extras, another Cameron film True Lies was released with absolutely no fanfare and no extras except a measly trailer.  What was worse was that the film has simply the same Laserdisc transfer from 1995 so no 16:9 enhancement was even contemplated.  Bad news coming Dr. Jones.  Fox has decided to completely forego any future 16:9 enhancements on their releases.  This flies in the face of an industry trend moving toward 16:9 when ever possible.  The special edition of the DVD is being prepared now for a March 2000 release, but alas, it will still lack the 16:9 treatment although it will be a two disc set and both versions of the film will be made available.  Pricing will be in the $20 range like Patton I gather.  Still, it is disappointing to hear the news.  The effort is being made by those putting the disc together, but no anamorphic support.  The only real bonus features are the seamless branching for both versions of the film.  I don’t think that it will be completely transparent since there are plenty of jump cuts with the deleted material.  The audio is also only DD 4.1 instead of 5.1.  The two disc set comes in an Alpha case and both discs are dual layer.  The menu system is rather inventive and elaborate.  There are seven or eight Easter eggs spread throughout the second disc.  They are all trailers for other James Cameron films.  Aliens, Strange Days, and True Lies.  Follow the Harrier Jet, the optical disc and the movie posters.  Watch out for the face hugger though on top of the loudspeaker and elsewhere.  The documentary’s image quality is surprisingly identical to the Laserdisc if not a bit worse.  It does not look any better and it should have too.  The disc also includes the original 10 minute featurette that was on the first LV release as well as a 20 minute special effects reel for the Oscars.  There is also a Dolby Digital sound promo that is hidden on Disc 2 in the audio section.  There are three trailers to be found on the wall where the Abyss trailers are.  For some reason, this delayed purchase was better timed because the discs are the ones made for the US market.  The Canadian version drops the 4.1 audio track in favour of the French DPL track.  The typed commentary track is very informative and humorous as well.  It is scene specific and relays a lot more information about the film than we would actually like to hear sometimes.  The stuff about the story telling style is most interesting to follow.  Well worth the $24.79 and change from A&B Sound.  It’s pretty obvious as you go through the material that the stuff is from the Laserdisc edition.  Much of the titles still refer to the Laserdisc chapters.

 

ACE VENTURA – PET DETECTIVE:                   Warner

A015

6.5

1.85

DPL

DADC

Category: Comedy / Fantasy / Documentary / TV

I picked this one up from Sam’s for $40.  The show runs 87 minutes so side two is in CAV.  There is one additional scene included in the film which was not shown theatrically, but since I never saw it in the theatre, it makes no difference to me.  The jacket denotes where the one new scene has been restored.  The film is incredibly stupid though very funny.  The “Crying Game” twist was unexpected and hilarious.  Good video quality is now standard for Warner releases as this disc would attest.  The colour saturation is good with little or no visible grain.  The audio has limited surround effects.  The humiliating sequence at the end with Ray Finkle is actually kind of disturbing.  Of note, the Showtime presentation of the film did not include the trimmed scene included on the Laserdisc release so premium channels do not always deliver all the goods.  A sequel to this one called ” When Nature Calls” is in production.  During the television version, even this film was significantly edited for content.  Note that the release is in a windowbox format which is consistent with most other Warner releases.  You lose very little to left and right overscan as opposed to the standard open end letterbox release.  The DVD version of the film is cropped only, but it does include directory commentary which is lacking in this original release.  Image quality is apparently not much better than this excellent issue.  This is a relative term since most DVD’s are a major improvement.

Michael Chen

Michael Chen is the only THX Video Systems Instructor in Canada, and beyond these borders, is one of just two THX Video Instructors in the entire world.  He has actively consulted with Spectracal and ChromaPure and has created numerous education videos on the calibration process with still more to come.  His Video Calibration Training Series has quickly become the most comprehensive and simple to understand learning tool on the market today.  He has also taught classes for both the ISF and Spectracal as well and is now spearheading his all new TLVEXP calibration training program. Let Michael teach you Video Calibration and add that additional income stream to your installation and integration business

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