kal
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Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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| Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:52 pm Post subject: A Good Day to Die Hard [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
A Good Day to Die Hard (Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy) (2013)
(Hover over link for price, click to purchase and support our forum at no extra cost to you)
| Quote: | The latest installment to the 'Die Hard' franchise is an unfortunate disappointment story-wise with villains that fail to be much of a threat to Bruce Willis's everyday anti-hero. Amazingly, the movie somehow still manages to be slightly entertaining thanks to the work of director John Moore and his crew who create some stunningly elaborate action sequences. The Blu-ray arrives with a tough and gritty picture quality that certainly impresses, while the lossless audio is a fantastic, reference-quality presentation of explosive action. A healthy collection of supplements rounds out the entire set, but in the end, the package is another bad flick arriving on a good disc.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
The fifth installment to the 'Die Hard' franchise debuts with an excellent, near-reference 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode which often wows and amazes yet comes with a rough and gritty appeal. The picture is awash in a thick layer of grain that's very noticeable throughout but stable, providing the image with an appreciable cinematic quality and actually complements some intensity to the action sequences. The rest of the video is highly-detailed and very well-defined. The busy Moscow streets are crystal-clear, exposing every brick along buildings and every crack in the sidewalk. The tiniest debris from explosions and gunshots are resolute and distinct while the threading and stitching of costumes are plainly visible.
Presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio, the freshly-minted transfer displays outstanding shadow details, allowing viewers to revel in the wreckage and mayhem of the big, nighttime finale at Chernobyl. Comparative to the other films in the series, the cinematography of Jonathan Sela is a unique choice, as contrast falls on the lower end of the grayscale, creating a rather downcast and bleak look to the whole film. Still, visibility of background information remains intact, and whites are cleanly resolved. A heavily restrained color palette adds to the dreary appearance, but for the most part, primaries are accurate and nicely saturated with natural, revealing facial complexions. Black levels are also true and spot-on with many scenes of shadows penetrating deep into the frame, giving McClane fans a fantastic video to enjoy.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
Without question, the best part of 'A Good Day' is this explosive, hard-hitting and earth-shattering DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that will overwhelm and leave listeners wishing the movie were actually better. Right from the start, the music of Marco Beltrami spreads to the back speakers and fills the room with a sense of excitement and unease. While several discrete effects during quieter moments widen the soundfield with great directionality, dialogue maintains superb clarity and intelligibility in the front. Once the story shifts into high-gear, namely the spectacular car chase through Moscow, the mayhem of traffic noise is heard all around, enveloping the viewer with edge-of-your-seat realism.
Along the front soundstage, panning is flawless as the movement of the vehicles smoothly travel from one speaker to the next and suddenly rush to the rears effortlessly. The sounds of bullets and helicopters also fly in all directions with stunning authenticity. Through all this, the mid-range remains sharply detailed and superbly dynamic, allowing every shard of glass, the tiniest debris fragment and the grinding of crashing metal to be plainly heard without missing a beat. But the real showstopper is a decisively authoritative and seismic low-end that will undoubtedly push the capabilities of your subwoofer. There are many moments of fun ultra-low frequencies that will make your sofa shake and walls rattle along with several other bits that are highly-responsive and precise. So if your sub can handle it, play this awesome lossless mix loud because it earns my vote for one of the best high-rez tracks of the year. |
Kal
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