What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Graham Ritchie]

Well tonight it was a blast from the past of a movie I had not seen since 1999 when at the time I ran the 35mm print at the cinema called "Bowfinger", starring Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy. Its a fun movie to watch, and only just picked up the blu-ray today, so screened it tonight. Cant believe its now 24 years since I last watched it, boy the years certainly pass quickly.
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[Ed Gordon]

Opening scene: a friend is dead...

This is one of those movies that is always a pleasure to re-watch. I find that I pick up something I missed in earlier viewings. Roger Ebert's review summarizes the film better than I can:

"Hearts in Atlantis" weaves a strange spell, made of nostalgia and fear. Rarely does a movie make you feel so warm and so uneasy at the same time, as Stephen King's story evokes the mystery of adolescence, when everything seems to be happening for the very first time.

Set in 1960, the movie tells the story of an 11-year-old named Bobby (Anton Yelchin) whose father died when he was 5, whose mother (Hope Davis) seems too distracted to love him, whose life centers on his best friend Sully (Will Rothhaar), and Carol Gerber (Mika Boorem), with whom he will share a first kiss by which he will judge all the others. As is often the case in King stories, the period is recreated through an intense memory of cars, radio shows, clothes, baseball mitts--material treasures in an uncertain world.

...a first kiss by which he will judge all the others

Then a man comes as a boarder in the upstairs apartment at Bobby's house. This is Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins). "I never trust a man who carries his possessions in grocery bags," says Bobby's mother, as Ted stands on the curb without much in the way of possessions. Bobby is often home alone (his mother is much distracted by her office job), and Ted offers root beer, conversation, and even a dollar a week to read him the paper. Then he reveals a more shadowy assignment for Bobby: Keeping a lookout for Low Men, who are seeking Ted because they want to use his gift.

By now Bobby does not have to be told that Ted can sometimes foresee the future; Bobby has the same ability, but muted. "One feels them first at the back of one's eyes," Ted tells Bobby, and we note how Hopkins takes this line, which could come from a cheap horror film, and invests it with nuance.

Kids and Ted scene

The Low Men themselves are as symbolic as real. In the King story it's hinted they may come from another world or time, and in the movie they may be FBI agents who want to use Ted's powers for the government, but it hardly matters; in either version, they are the hard realities of an adult world that takes the gifted and the unconforming and either uses them or destroys them.

Scott Hicks and Piotr Sobocinski, who directed and photographed the movie, have wisely seen that atmosphere is everything in "Hearts of Atlantis." They evoke a shady lower-middle class neighborhood in a town of hills and trees, and evoke the sleepy Sunday 1950s feel of the newspaper, root beer, Chesterfields, and a game on the radio.

In this world, Bobby grows up. He is threatened by an older neighborhood bully, he is in love with Carol Gerber, he is in awe of Ted. When Bobby's mother gives him an adult library card for his birthday, it is Ted who advises him which authors bear reading.

There are wonderful set pieces in the film. One of the best is the way Ted tells Bobby for story of the great Chicago Bears running back Bronco Nagurski, who came out of retirement, old and hurt, and seemed to carry the whole Chicago Cardinals team on his back as he marched down the field in a last hurrah. Another is a visit to a pool hall in a neighboring town, where Ted wants to place a bet, and Bobby meets a woman who knew his father.

The movie ends as childhood ends, in disillusionment at the real world that lies ahead. Bobby's mother is cruelly divested of her illusions, and later lashes out at the innocent Ted, and then the Low Men come, as they always do. But Bobby's summer had to end, and at least he experienced the best of all possible kisses.

A movie like this is kind of a conjuring act. Like a lot of Stephen King's recent work, it is not a horror story so much as an everyday story with horror lurking in the margins. It's not a genre movie, in other words, but the story of characters we believe in and care about. Anton Yelchin is not just a cute kid but a smart and wary one, and Mika Boorem is not just the girl down the street but the kind of soul who inspires the best in others. And Anthony Hopkins finds just the tired, truthful note for Ted Brautigan--who knows the worst about men and fears for his future, but still has enough faith to believe it will do a kid good to read the right books.

Last Scene from "Hearts in Atlantis (2001)"

This is the only film I ever saw in theater that got the whole audience to clap at the end.

- Comment from Youtube

[Graham Ritchie]

The blu-ray of Mad Max "Beyond The Thunderdome" using the Epson VP. Its been a while since I last watched it, I must say, the casting, the story, the music, of this Australian production is really brilliant. I don't often watch the same movie twice in one night that's for sure, but did last night with this one, its an exception. Its a film that ticks all the right boxes for me. Apart from Tina and Mel, the rest are either Australian or New Zealand actors. There is a lot of what I would say, typical Aussie humor in it as well, which is something I really enjoyed watching.

Highly recommend it, its brilliant in every way both picture and DTS5:1 is excellent

[Graham Ritchie]

Well tonight it was "Passengers" Incredible special effects. I usually watch the 3D version which looks great, but tonight it was the usual 2D one.

Highly recommend it.

[Graham Ritchie]

Forgot to add those last screen shots from the other night this viewer caught my eye

[Ed Gordon]

The blu-ray of Mad Max "Beyond The Thunderdome" using the Epson VP. Its been a while since I last watched it, I must say, the casting, the story, the music, of this Australian production is really brilliant. I don't often watch the same movie twice in one night that's for sure, but did last night with this one, its an exception. Its a film that ticks all the right boxes for me. Apart from Tina and Mel, the rest are either Australian or New Zealand actors. There is a lot of what I would say, typical Aussie humor in it as well, which is something I really enjoyed watching.

Highly recommend it, its brilliant in every way both picture and DTS5:1 is excellent

Graham, I watched it again last night and enjoyed it. I found the second half of it (after Mel leaves Barter Town) to be weak compared to the first half featuring Thunderdome. What a great cast! When the credit roll started I reached for the remote to stop it, but when Tina started singing "We Don't Need Another Hero" I let the credits roll!

The Thunderdome section would make a great extract, but I don't see anything in the Super8Database.

[Graham Ritchie]

One thing I thought was really good, was Maurice Jarre score, some might say it was a bit much, but I think the score was brilliant. Maurice Jarre really used the symphony orchestra to full effect, which really suits this of the wall film. As we know Maurice Jarre did the music for "Lawrence Of Arabia" and I could not help but to think there is a bit of that here, when Mel is crossing the desert in this film. In a way "Thunderdome" reminded me a bit of those long ago Saturday morning serials at the cinema of full on action. Anyway to finish with I will throw in the chase scene. Some really good stunt work going on here, the final final part where the kid says...we are all dead meat...made me smile, his dad a New Zealand actor was brilliant as well

[Graham Ritchie]

Last night from 1972 "Jeremiah Johnson", well folks if you get tired of all this CGI stuff and like the great outdoors, then this blu-ray might be for you. I got this one from Amazon Germany a couple of years ago, and its light years ahead of the DVD I once had. With this particular blu-ray, all you need to do is go to the menu to select English to get the DTS 5:1. Both image and sound are very good, its certainly one I would recommend getting

A couple of screen shots from last night using the Epson VP, hard to imagine this film was shot just over 50years ago, time certainly passes.

[Ed Gordon]

Whenever Will Geer appears, he owns the movie. It is one of those films you can re-visit and always enjoy.

[Mike Newell]

Whenever Will Geer appears, he owns the movie. It is one of those films you can re-visit and always enjoy.

Old Grandpa Walton. His career never really recovered from Mc Carthyism. In his case he was a real red. Good actor. Very sinister in Executive Action and Seconds.

[Graham Ritchie]

Jump forward 43 years from "Jeremiah Johnson" to "Pete's Dragon", Robert Redford is still acting in movies and did well in this one "certainly older but hasn't changed that much". Now I picked up this blu-ray a while ago second hand but to be honest, I was not sure about it. I did project it a while back, but after 10 minutes decided, not for me.

Last night thought mmmmm OK lets give it another go, and I actually thought it was well done, what did catch my attention.....was this made in New Zealand?...as the buildings etc certainly looked like it. Well it was, its not the first time I have picked up on New Zealand in the movies. One Disney 35mm print we ran at the cinema way back was "Bridge to Terabithia" which I still think was very well done. One New Zealand actor in Pete's Dragon Karl Heinz I remember in another New Zealand film a few years ago "Out Of The Blue", and to this day consider it one of the most disturbing films I have ever watched, when a local man used a high powered automatic weapon killed 13 of his neighbours back in 1990 in Aramoana in the South Island. Karl Heinz played one of the policeman involved.

Anyway back to "Pete's Dragon", its actually quite a good movie, glad I gave it another chance the CGI of the dragon is impressive, all up, its well made, nice story, good cast, worth watching .

PS Its quite amusing to see American flags and american cars driving on the wrong side of the road in NZ on the film "we drive on the left side" here on New Zealand roads

[Graham Ritchie]

From "Pete's Dragon" the other night to this blu-ray I picked up on my weekly travels to my favorite second hand shop "Clear and Present Danger", is one of those films I have not watched in few years, always considered "a really" good movie, so when I saw it in the $5 dollar pile I had to grab it. That night I screened it using the Epson VP and the transfer to blu-ray is excellent in both picture and sound. Even though this title has been out for a while now, I had forgotten all about it until the other day seeing it on the counter.

Highly recommend getting it, I think it may be out on 4k as well, not sure on that one, but it makes a great nights entertainment.

[Graham Ritchie]

My favorite record store and everything else, had a sale on lately, for anyone with a VP at home this place is paradise

[Ed Gordon]

..."Clear and Present Danger", is one of those films I have not watched in few years, always considered "a really" good movie, so when I saw it in the $5 dollar pile I had to grab it. That night I screened it using the Epson VP and the transfer to blu-ray is excellent in both picture and sound. Even though this title has been out for a while now, I had forgotten all about it until the other day seeing it on the counter...

Graham, your post prompted me to re-visit this one. I would also recommend it. I did see this when it was released and enjoyed it. The only thing I did not like is the 2.5 hour runtime. Apparently they did not want to leave any footage on the editing floor, which explains the uneven flow of the story. If they had cut an hour or so out of it, it would have been even better!

[Ed Gordon]

Lord Jim: The Roadshow movie that went nowhere

I've been a so-called coward and a so-called hero and there's not the thickness of a sheet of paper between them. Maybe cowards and heroes are just ordinary men who, for a split second, do something out of the ordinary. That's all.

Credit: Petet O'Toole in Lord Jim (1965)

I am apparently one of the few who saw Lord Jim presented in Super Panavision 70 on a huge wall to wall screen, and enjoyed it.

Quote:

Moving story of an idealistic seaman forced to deal with his act of cowardice and how he ultimately redeems himself. The film has good action sequences and a moving love story. Performances by Eli Wallach and James Mason are colorful and solid, and there are plenty of Peter O'Toole's trademark "vacant stares". Daliah Lavi is gorgeous and her role more substantive than those of her other films. I love Peter O'Toole's films from this period (Lawrence of Arabia, What's New Pussycat?, Night of the Generals) and this one is as good as most of them. I looked for this film on DVD and finally had to tape it off of AMC (in the good old days before they saturated their programing with commercials). I'd like to see it restored and re-released.

Credit: IMDB

I have been looking for a good copy of this film like the reviewer above. It took a long time for it to be released on Bluray, and sadly these releases have been sub-par. I recently purchased the Spanish Bluray release, and it is an improvement over the DVD, but even the DVD had Dolby Surround, which is missing from the Bluray.

In London this film was the Royal Film Performance for 1965, with Queen Elizabeth II attending the premiere. James Mason was among the stars presented to the Queen, and he was able to secure free tickets for the evening for his parents, who were both octogenarians by this time. However, they disliked the film so much that they discreetly left the theater at the intermission - even though their son had not yet appeared on-screen.

Credit: IMDB

Here is what James Mason's parents missed:

Here is a clip from the my copy of the Spanish Bluray release. Change the settings on Youtube to view in 1080p. Youtube will default to a lower resolution.

Don't be like James Mason's parents! Buy the Bluray (Spanish release) and watch it; you won't be disappointed!

Note: The Spanish release had DTS Master Audio, in English and other languages. No surround sound however.