Sony has brought this digitally shot indie to a MPEG-4 AVC 1080p Blu-ray is a nicely natural way. Shot on a RED Camera, the drama doesn’t look overtly clean, but carries a toned down look that brings a film quality while keeping the clarity of digital cinematography. Some of the brighter daylight scenes have that high-def 3-D quality to them. The color palette is full of earthy tones in the costumes and settings. The balance of the “hippie” vibe between the brighter elements is handled well creating a warm and inviting feeling throughout. Blacks are inky throughout too. Digital anomalies are pretty non-existent, except for a few fleeting banding moments.

While this is a quieter film sonically, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is still well done. The dialogue is clean. The balance between the sound elements – dialogue, music and sound effects – is handled well. The score and the ambient music are perfectly rendered. This is where the LFE track comes in nicely. A bus crash also gets the bass booming too. The ambience across the sound field is subtle, but effective. Directionality is pretty much not present, but not missed either.

The disc features a nice collection of special features. The audio commentary from actress/director Vera Farmiga, actor Joshua Leonard and producer Renn Hawkey (or Farmiga’s husband) gives fans a nice balance between artistic and thematic discussion and stories from the set. “The Substance of Things Hoped For: Making Higher Ground” serves as a nice encapsulation of the commentary and a good history of the production. It’s interesting how Farmiga went from simply starring to making her directing debut. It was a tricky debut for her dealing with three periods of time, while pregnant. The disc also contains deleted and extend scenes, which don’t really add any additional information or perspective to the narrative.

The “Production Diary” just shows one scene and its production. The scene is a nondescript one and seems strangely out of place as a defining moment to look into more fully. The outtakes are just as nondescript.

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This dark comedy isn’t the prettiest looking release, but Sony does bring it to Blu-ray in a quality MPEG-4 AVC 1080p transfer. Dimensionality is the biggest issue with the image often looking soft. This then lowers the depth of field. Colors are natural and balanced well. When more vibrant colors pop up in the palette they do indeed pop. Blacks might not be inky throughout, but they aren’t too murky. Digital issues aren’t problematic, but crush is its biggest issue. Of course night scenes in low lighting suffer the worst. Some noise and banding occur but nothing too awful. Most of the issues with the picture quality presumably stem back to the source, which was a low-budget indie shot on Super 35. The worst thing you could say about the image would be that it is inconsistent. Some darker scenes can be murky and feature pixelization, but daylight scenes can be crisp and deep.

Much like its picture, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is the same – inconsistent. The ambience is subtle, but puts the viewer into the settings. Seaside scenes feature wind, ocean and bird sounds across the soundscape. The mix is well done, but nothing is dynamic. The gunfight at the end is sonically solid even if it’s not as robust as others you might have heard in big budget shoot outs. That said directionality during the gunfight is handled precisely. Dialogue importantly with the Irish accents is clear, but a little low at times, but nothing too distracting.

The audio commentary features director John Michael McDonagh and stars Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson. The jokey threesome gives a heavily antidotal account of the production. It’s certainly a dry wit affair and never gets pretentious. You get less insight into the artistic approach to the film, but it’s still fun. The “Q&A with Actors Don Cheadle, Brendan Gleeson and Director John Michael McDonagh” is much like the commentary in tone and content, but adds new information to the mix.

“The Making of The Guard” is a brief, but solid, behind-the-scenes doc, which gets the thoughts of the filmmakers and cast on the process and the characters. The candid moments of the cast and crew joking around are a joy. They also get into their thoughts on the open-ended conclusion.

The disc also includes McDonagh’s short film THE SECOND DEATH, which is described as the template for THE GUARD, but I felt the tone was radically different. There are also a host of deleted and alternative scenes. None really adds anything, because most of them are just different versions of what is in the film. One scene that stood out though was between Boyle and Gabriela that makes their flirty relationship more obvious.

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Read my review of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Those damn, dirty apes look quite amazing in this 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 Blu-ray. This is certainly one of the best Blu-ray releases of the year. The picture quality is crystal clear adding great depth and detail. Weta’s CG apes really stand out from fur to skin textures to their realistic looking eyes. The color palette is natural and clean with black levels inky throughout. There is a light film grain that runs through the picture, which does not increase during night scenes. Crush in those night scenes is also nonexistent. As for compression issues and other digital artifacts, they are completely absent.

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master soundtrack is just as impressive as the picture. The audio mix never misses a beat either in dialogue scenes or the epic action sequences toward the end. Ape growls and screams rattle the LFE track. Directionality is nicely handled, especially in the action scenes when spears come whizzing by the viewers and apes stampede past. Ambience is also handled wonderfully throughout whether it’s quieter scenes in the redwood forest or the loud ape-filled cages of the animal sanctuary. Patrick Doyle’s great score also surrounds the audience to great effect in getting the audience wrapped up in the plight of Caesar and his fellow apes.

The disc is also filled with a nice assortment of special features. The twelve deleted scenes were either cut for time or alternative choices to various key scenes. When it comes to the alternative choices, I felt in each case the filmmakers chose the correct direction for the finished film. The detailed scenes also show off Andy Serkis’ amazing performance capture acting, because they were cut before a fully rendered Caesar was added.

Another nice feature is the PiP option of seeing the performance capture and previs playing along with the film. It really highlights again how much of Serkis’ performance is right up there on the screen. And if that isn’t enough there is the featurette “Studying the Genius of Andy Serkis.’

“A New Generation of Apes” and “Breaking Motion Capture Boundaries” are the best mini-docs on the disc. They focus is on the Oscar-worthy visual effects and the performers that brought the digital apes to life. I hadn’t known that the film was the first to use an outdoor daylight motion capture set.

“Capturing Caesar – Script to Screen” is your standard behind the scenes press kit featurette and “Mythology of the Apes” does the same with the story and the franchise as a whole. “Composing the Score” is as the title states, but Doyle makes it more fun than you’d expect with his lively personality.

There are also three “nature” mini-docs that fill viewers in on facts about chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.

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Read my review of DETECTIVE DEE

This transfer of Hark Tsui’s epic fantasy is gorgeous. The MPEG-4 AVC Blu-ray has colors so rich that they actually took me aback, especially in the film’s elaborate vfx sequences. Because of the detailed clarity, some of the wide matte-painted backgrounds look strikingly realistic. It shows off the impressive quality of Korean vfx firm AZ Works and their partners’ work. The rich golds and reds of lavish costuming pop and the detail even reveals threads. When the film descends into the underground Phantom City, the contrast of shadow is represented nicely without any noticeable crush. Grain is practically nonexistent in daylight scenes, but does creep up in lower lit sequences. Digital anomalies like banding, aliasing or pixelization were not evident to me.

The Mandarin language DTS-HD 5.1 Master soundtrack is what one would expect from a big epic action flick. Action sequences really utilize all the tracks with some great directionality. Arrow whoosh by the viewer from front to back. Explosions and even some of the strong kung fu fist falls boom on the LFE track. Dialogue sounds clear and the subtitles are easily read and keep up with the film well. The elements – dialogue, sound effects and score – are mixed dynamically. The balance makes for a robust sonic experience. The disc also has a Dolby Digital Stereo English-dubbed track for the subtitle phobic.

As for special features, the four featurettes are your pretty standard press kit stuff. “The Making of Detective Dee” highlights the impressive stats about the film, such as its Chinese record budget of 130 million Hong Kong dollars and the 10 months it took to build the giant, elaborate sets. “Weapons, Stunts and Action” chronicles Sammo Hung Kam-Bo’s fight choreography and stunt work, which is certainly a highlight of the film. “Creating The Characters” looks at the key characters and also goes into the lavish costumes. “The World of Dee” focuses on the design and vfx work, which for me was the most interesting featurette because is was more detailed than the others. The disc also has a photo gallery and trailer.

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Read my review of THE HELP

This MPEG-4 AVC 1080p release is a lush Blu-ray. The color palette glistens. The vibrant colors of the 1960s come out in the clothing and interior design, as well as Hilly’s bright red hair and her emerald green lawn, which fit her faux bright character very well. Black levels are solid and consistent too. Clarity is first rate throughout the disc, giving the visuals added depth. Lines and contours of the actresses’ faces pop out. Digital anomalies are to a minimum. I noticed a little crush during darker scenes and some scenes were a slightly soft. Film grain levels were pretty light throughout.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is equal in quality to the superb picture. For a dialogue heavy film, the subtle ambiance is nicely done. Party scenes fill the soundscape with scuttlebutt and the LFE track gets some strong use during the severe storm scene. The balance between dialogue, score and sound effects is perfect. There is even some nice directionality as Skeeter races down the road in her family truck to make her date.

The special features are limited, but very solid. “The Making of The Help: From Friendship to Film” is a fascinating look at the friendships between many of those involved in the film and the book. Director Tate Taylor and author Kathryn Stockett were friends since high school and when her book became a best seller, she went to bat for her friend so he could adapt and direct the film. Additionally, Octavia Spencer was the real life inspiration for the novel’s character that she plays in the film. It’s quite inspiring to hear how the film came about.

“In Their Own Words: A Tribute to the Maids of Mississippi” is a touching talk with Mississippi maids and their perspective on the civil right movement and working in white homes during the period. Taylor even talks with the black woman who helped raised him. I’ll admit it, it made me tear up.

There are also five deleted scenes included on the disc, which were mostly cut for time or redundancy. I agree with Taylor that the best scene cut was “A Senator’s Son,” because Allison Janney’s reaction to a politician’s son coming calling for her daughter is priceless.

The disc also includes the “The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige.

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Read my review of LIFE, ABOVE ALL

This 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer of Oliver Schmitz’s South African film is rich with detail. The color palette glows with earthly tones from the golden brown dirt streets to clay buildings of the towns. Black levels are solid. African skin tones are so often either too shadowed or blown out, but here they come through beautifully natural. The clarity of the image allows for details to pop whether it be the contours of the actors’ faces or the fabrics of the clothing. The picture is so clear that one gets the sense of added depth in the frame. As for digital anomalies, they are nonexistent.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack matches the picture in quality. Subtlety ambiance marks the entire film. Whether it’s simple touches like the buzzing of a fluorescent light or fuller crowd scenes, the mix doesn’t slip. Directionality is spot on trucks or even people move across the soundscape. The balance between dialogue, sound effects and score is also wonderfully handled. The LFE track isn’t bombastic, but it isn’t forgotten either.

Unfortunately the disc features only one real extra. “The Making of Life, Above All” is a good 14-minute behind the scenes doc that shows how the filmmakers approached translating the book CHANDRA’S SECRETS to the screen. Interestingly the Northern Sotho dialogue was used because the filmmakers wanted to use the natural dialect of the community they were filming in. If they would have found a Zulu community then the dialogue would have been in Zulu. This helped in getting more natural performance from their young inexperienced cast.

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Read my review of ANOTHER EARTH

Your appreciation of this AVC transfer relies heavily on knowing the source of this indie sci-fi drama. Filmed with a 720p camera on a next to nothing budget, the picture contains a great deal of grain that increases exponentially under low lighting conditions. One scene in the snow at night really highlights its digital origins. Banding and aliasing often creep up in higher contrasted scenes. Color are muted and natural, which fits the cool mood. But when compared to the DVD version, clarity is greatly increased with the grain issue minimized. All things considered this 1080p release is about as good as this material can look.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is as minimalist as the film’s story. The front speaker heavy endeavor again underlines the indie origins. Sound effects are few and the electronic score drones on throughout on all channels. However, it never drowns out the dialogue, which is always clear. The balance between what elements there are is good.

As for the special features, the disc has a few deleted scenes that were cut for pacing or changes in the story. It was interesting how the introduction of the doppelganger Earth changed for the better over time. “Creating Another Earth” gives a nice look into how the film came about. Director Mike Cahill and star Brit Marling started filming in his mother’s house without funding and co-stars and let the other pieces fall into place. The three “Fox Movie Channel presents” features are like a brief supplemental to the making of doc talking with Cahill, Marling (who discusses the difference between writing and performing her character) and co-star William Mapother. “The Science Behind Another Earth” is a way-too short and surface discussion of parallel universes with astrophysicist Dr. Richard Berendzen. The disc also has the music video, “The First Time I Saw Jupiter,” by Fall On Your Sword.

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Read my review of BLUE VELVET

I recently watched my DVD copy of David Lynch’s classic and now having seen this new AVC encoded 1080p transfer the two really don’t compare. The picture quality is so decidedly better it’s like seeing the film anew. Lynch supervised the color correction and it is impeccable. One is stuck instantly by the deep blue of the velvet current that shimmers behind the opening credits. The color saturation is deep and moody. But now we also have the clarity. The sharpness creates more depth and detail. On DVD the picture was soft and murky throughout, but now it’s clean, which adds to the surrealism. Darker scenes do get crushed and edge enhancements are also noticeable, but overall the picture quality is a huge leap forward from DVD.

The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is up to the standard of the picture as well. Lynch often uses sound in a disquieting way. He subtly incorporates sounds that have no logic for the scene, but have everything to do with the mood. Listen for animal sounds rumbling on the LFE track or in the background. Angelo Badalamenti’s score was always haunting, but when it surrounds the audience it is even more unsettling. All the elements from the dialogue to the music to the sound effects are nicely mixed and given good directionality.

The disc has no main menu, so one must use the pop-up menu to access the special features. By far the highlight of the disc is “Newly Discovered Lost Footage.” The extensive cut scenes would have made the film nearly an hour longer. Making the new footage more intriguing is that it has been color corrected and scored as well. Most of the footage works as a prologue to Jeffrey returning from college after his father has the seizure. It’s a great deal of unneeded plot. I’m amazed at how the core story was really finalized in the editing process. It’s also interesting to see a young Megan Mullally as Jeffrey’s college girlfriend and all the nudity that was edited out of the final cut.

“Mysteries of Love” is an hour-plus making of doc that delves deep into Lynch’s inspiration and the history of the production. Fans not only get Lynch’s perspective, but also that of the actors, which really enlightens us about the creative process.

Other features include: “A Few Outtakes,” a blooper reel; “Siskel and Ebert ‘At the Movies’;” a classic argument over the morality of the picture; and “Vignettes,” which has Lynch and the cast talking about quick impressions about the film from Lynch’s love of coffee shops, Kyle MacLachlan’s chicken walk; why the robin looks so fake and the way Isabella Rossellini sees at her abused character.

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Read my review of CARS 2

Disney continues their winning streak with this showroom quality release. The 1080p AVC-encoded transfer has impeccable detail from the slightest dents and rust on the cars to the vast crowds of vehicles at the races. Color quality is electric, giving viewers vibrant primary colors, especially the neon in the Japanese sequence. Digital anomalies are pretty much absent. With so much red in the palette, the absence of banding and aliasing is impressive.

Sonically the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track matches the luxury level of the picture. Combining cars and spy action provides for a great many opportunities to impress and the release delivers. From the engine revving races to the explosions and gunfire of the chase sequences the soundtrack utilizes the full range of the sound field. Races and bullets race from left to right speakers and front and back. The LFE track rumbles as racecars zip by. All the powerful sound effects are balanced perfectly with the dialogue and Michael Giacchino’s classic Bond-esque score.

Like Disney’s recent release of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, the vast amount of special features are contained on the 3-D version. The standard Blu-ray only contains three. But at least they are the cream of the crop.

Co-directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis give a passionate look at their artistic inspiration for the film. Lasseter is the primary voice and certainly gives a strong case for what he was trying to achieve. The man with the Hawaiian shirts seems to see a little Mater in himself. It’s a well prepared and polished commentary. What it lacks in spontaneity it makes up in truly revealing information about the artistic and practical decisions that went into the production.

The disc also includes two animated shorts. HAWAIIAN VACATION is the Barbie and Ken focused TOY STORY short that accompanied the theatrical release of CARS 2 and the new Car Toons short AIR MATER, which tells his tall tale of being a stunt pilot and serves as a set up for the upcoming direct-to-DVD/Blu-ray feature PLANES.

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Read my review of ATTACK THE BLOCK

While it’s not perfect, Sony does bring a handsome transfer of this low budget production, which is destined to become a cult classic. The MPEG-4 AVC encoded Blu-ray is true to its source. The color palette is desaturated and dark due to the low light. This lessens detail in the outdoor night sequences, as well as suffers from limited pixelation, but the picture becomes richer in the brighter indoor scenes. Film grain is natural and unobtrusive. Black levels, however, are inconsistent, but shine in the inky black of the alien invaders, which are meant to look like black holes running across the screen. And boy do the glow in the dark teeth of the aliens pop.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless track is very well mixed with some genuine dynamic moments. Dialogue is clean and balanced with the score and sound effects well. This is crucial considering the thick South London accents of the characters. Ambience is subtle but effective. Directionality is surprising at times as fireworks rocket from the front to back speakers or the ape wolf aliens leap across the front sound field. The LFE track booms with the dramatic score as the gang returns to the apartment complex.

The disc does not disappoint when it comes to special features. Three audio commentaries grace the release. All feature director/writer Joe Cornish, but the “Junior Commentary” has the teen actors John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Simon Howard, and Leeon Jones; the “Senior Commentary” feature the older actors Jodie Whittaker, Luke Treadaway, and Nick Frost; and the “Executive Producer Commentary” Edgar Wright. Each does an excellent job of giving each participant a chance to tell their experience working on the film. The teens give a fresh point of view, while the older actors bring experience. The Wright commentary is fascinating in how Cornish looks at Wright as a mentor and we get a perspective on how Cornish’s experiences on the film are similar and different from Wright with his breakthrough cult hit SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Cornish also rips on commentary tracks that are just praise fests of the cast and crew, which I couldn’t agree with more.

The hour-long “Behind the Block” making-of doc is one of the best making-of docs I’ve seen. It not only tells the full story of the production, but also gives a perspective into the fears of a first time feature director. It’s not only a crash course in directing, but managing personalities, which includes your own personality.

“Creature Feature” is a 20-minute look at the creation of the unique aliens chronicling the stunt actor on the set to the digital enhancements later on. It’s a great supplement to the making of doc. “Unfilmed Action” is a fascinating look at scenes that were written and storyboarded, but not filmed due to budget. Cornish gives an honest appraisal of why each scene was cut and how the cut changed the remaining scenes. Some of the cuts really helped with the pacing.

“Meet the Gang” is a short introduction to the young cast and their characters. Standard EPK material. “That’s a Rap” has the cast improvising a rap.

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