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 Dec 12, 2011 2:31 pm Post subject: Cowboys & Aliens [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
Cowboys & Aliens (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy in Blu-ray Packaging) (2011)
(Click on picture to order from Amazon and support our forum, hover over for price)
| Quote: | Jon Favreau's 'Cowboys & Aliens' is an entertaining blend of two much loved film genres: the western and sci-fi. With strong performances of western archetypes, the mash-up of frontier-justice gunslingers and alien invasion disaster is far from perfect, but the story sticks to what it promises and delivers without completely going overboard. Daniel Craig stands out as our morally ambiguous anti-hero and it would be great to see him again in the same genre with stronger material. The Blu-ray invades homes with an excellent near-reference audio and video presentation, and features a wealth of exclusive supplements, making it a recommended package for fans and the curious alike.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'Cowboys & Aliens' debuts on Blu-ray with an excellent, near-reference 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode, filling the entire screen with tons of beautiful panoramic shots of New Mexico.
Framed in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, Matthew Libatique's cinematography simply looks stunning, displaying incredible vistas of the desert plains and natural rock formations. The freshly-minted transfer shows remarkable clarity and definition, exposing the small, fine lines in the various wood buildings, the stitching on costumes and every pebble scattered about the ground. Facial complexions are beautifully detailed with lifelike textures, revealing the tiniest blemish, wrinkle and smudge of dirt on the faces of actors.
Part of this rich, distinct clarity comes from a pitch-perfect contrast balance, extending visibility into the far distance. The picture carries an attractive cinematic appeal that's vibrant, crisp and glossy all around without feeling artificial or ruining highlights. The color palette is equally flashy with terrific, bold saturation, providing the image with lots of energy and pop. Being a western, of course, saturation hues pull their weight with a good deal of warmth and giving facial complexions a healthy tone that's accurate to the region. Blacks, on the other hand, are where we run into a bit of trouble, appearing inky and intense for a good chunk of the movie, but once indoors with natural, dim lighting, they look rather drab and murky. Since shadow delineation doesn't falter greatly during these sequences, it's possible it could all be the result of the photography and not a fault in the transfer.
Taken as a whole, Jon Favreau's sci-fi western is spectacular on Blu-ray.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
The genre-bending actioner audio track also serves as the perfect partner in crime, furnishing the excellent video with an equally exceptional DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.
Being a cross with the science-fiction genre, the original design features a great deal of activity in the rears, especially during scenes with the alien spacecrafts. What appear like scout drones whiz by overheard convincingly and pan between the speakers with persuasive ease, extending the soundfield with exciting effect. Imaging is widespread as other small atmospherics fill the back area, most notably when the posse spends the night inside an upside down steamboat. Even in the many segments of supposed silence, the track brings a satisfyingly immersive experience.
Things remain first-rate in the front soundstage, feeling quite expansive with lots of detailed clarity. Off-screen effects and channel separation provide spacious warmth that's highly engaging thanks to a brilliant, room-penetrating mid-range. The upper frequencies are sharp and crisp, maintaining the loud noise amid the many moments of action clear and discernible. The low-end, also, comes with a heaping helping of powerful, very responsive bass, giving each gunshot and explosion a compelling force and weight. Dialogue and a few whispered conversations are delivered with great intelligibility and nicely focused in the center of the screen, never drowned out by the rest of the action.
Ignoring a very small numbers of inactive scenes, this lossless mix of 'Cowboys & Aliens' sounds absolutely amazing and is exceedingly satisfying. |
Kal
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