My review: A&E Python episodes, The Matrix
10-06-99, 10:48 AM
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Well, here's a couple reviews of my own.
First: The A&E DVDs of Monty Python's original episodes. I watched episodes 8 and 9 last night. I've always been more of a fan of the original series than the movies; I was real happy to see these sets come out on DVD.
The transfer is pretty decent considering the age. Especially notable are TV studio scenes. They never looked better - they are very clear and incredibly sharp and details, with no MPEG artifacts that I could see. I was very surprised to see these scenes done so well. Scenes filmed outdoors and Gilliam's animation, however, still carry lots of film speckles and was fuzzy (as I've seen before). Considering the source, its alright. I would've marvelled a lot more if a full digital restoration was done. But maybe the lo-budget feel of Python would've been lost. (:
I had the sound crackle in the left channel at the end of episode 8, "Full Frontal Nudity". Is this only my disc? I might have to return it... <sniff> Elsewise, the mono audio is pretty well rendered (especially considering the source). Not reference quality by any means, but a nice, clear transfer.
Extras are ok: a cast bio, previews of upcoming episodes, Gilliam animation, a Python dictionary, and the Lumberjack sketch live at the Hollywood bowl were on my CD. I did not check for hidden features. The menus are quite delightfully rendered, in Gilliam-style animation, tuned pretty well to Python, I thought.
There are only 3 episodes on a DVD. I thought there could've been more than that! The episodes are only 30 minutes each.
A pretty good DVD set, it could've been better, but it'll do for the fan. (:
***
The Matrix has been reviewed a lot before, I just have one addition to it.
After watching it on DVD, I gained *A LOT* more respect for it than when I saw it in theaters.
I saw The Matrix in theaters near the end of its run. This meant: a theater with sub-par picture, a print that was decaying, and sound that was fuzzy and muted.
When I saw the DVD last weekend, I was viewing it from my "home theater". Sound quality was about 100X better than the theater I saw it in, and I could crank it as loud as I wanted. (: Even on my TV (27" is a little small for 'scope films), the detail and clarity was so much better than the theater I saw it in. And I didn't have to pay $3 for popcorn. (:
Now, I still love the THX-style stadium-seating theaters that you get for top-notch first-week movies - the sound and picture is magnificent. But if the film you see is a little offbeat, or is out of the first couple weeks of the run, chances are its going to be thrown into a subpar theater like the one I saw The Matrix in. And it does affect how you perceive films.
As home theater technology becomes more affordable, you wonder what's going to happen once more and more people recognize this...
First: The A&E DVDs of Monty Python's original episodes. I watched episodes 8 and 9 last night. I've always been more of a fan of the original series than the movies; I was real happy to see these sets come out on DVD.
The transfer is pretty decent considering the age. Especially notable are TV studio scenes. They never looked better - they are very clear and incredibly sharp and details, with no MPEG artifacts that I could see. I was very surprised to see these scenes done so well. Scenes filmed outdoors and Gilliam's animation, however, still carry lots of film speckles and was fuzzy (as I've seen before). Considering the source, its alright. I would've marvelled a lot more if a full digital restoration was done. But maybe the lo-budget feel of Python would've been lost. (:
I had the sound crackle in the left channel at the end of episode 8, "Full Frontal Nudity". Is this only my disc? I might have to return it... <sniff> Elsewise, the mono audio is pretty well rendered (especially considering the source). Not reference quality by any means, but a nice, clear transfer.
Extras are ok: a cast bio, previews of upcoming episodes, Gilliam animation, a Python dictionary, and the Lumberjack sketch live at the Hollywood bowl were on my CD. I did not check for hidden features. The menus are quite delightfully rendered, in Gilliam-style animation, tuned pretty well to Python, I thought.
There are only 3 episodes on a DVD. I thought there could've been more than that! The episodes are only 30 minutes each.
A pretty good DVD set, it could've been better, but it'll do for the fan. (:
***
The Matrix has been reviewed a lot before, I just have one addition to it.
After watching it on DVD, I gained *A LOT* more respect for it than when I saw it in theaters.
I saw The Matrix in theaters near the end of its run. This meant: a theater with sub-par picture, a print that was decaying, and sound that was fuzzy and muted.
When I saw the DVD last weekend, I was viewing it from my "home theater". Sound quality was about 100X better than the theater I saw it in, and I could crank it as loud as I wanted. (: Even on my TV (27" is a little small for 'scope films), the detail and clarity was so much better than the theater I saw it in. And I didn't have to pay $3 for popcorn. (:
Now, I still love the THX-style stadium-seating theaters that you get for top-notch first-week movies - the sound and picture is magnificent. But if the film you see is a little offbeat, or is out of the first couple weeks of the run, chances are its going to be thrown into a subpar theater like the one I saw The Matrix in. And it does affect how you perceive films.
As home theater technology becomes more affordable, you wonder what's going to happen once more and more people recognize this...
10-06-99, 12:04 PM
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I also noted severe crackling in the "Hell's Grannies" segment of Full Frontal Nudity. I thought there was something wrong with my stereo. Glad to hear it's just the disc. The set is awesome in it's own right, though.
10-06-99, 07:35 PM
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You guys scared the bejeezus out of me!
I read this, then quickly threw my copy of disc 3 in the DVD player and watched Hell's Grannies. I heard a crackle, but it was very slight. So, consider this a confirmation of the crackle, but I'm breathing a sigh of reliefe that it's nothing major. It only seemed to come and go a couple of times very briefly.
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Poo.
I read this, then quickly threw my copy of disc 3 in the DVD player and watched Hell's Grannies. I heard a crackle, but it was very slight. So, consider this a confirmation of the crackle, but I'm breathing a sigh of reliefe that it's nothing major. It only seemed to come and go a couple of times very briefly.
------------------
Poo.
10-10-99, 02:11 PM
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A note on the Python discs:
This probably doesn't come up much, but I got stuck without my remote this weekend. And come to find out you an only get to the first episode on each disk without being able to play with the menus. Not a major flaw, but a REALLY annoying one when it comes up.
aron.
This probably doesn't come up much, but I got stuck without my remote this weekend. And come to find out you an only get to the first episode on each disk without being able to play with the menus. Not a major flaw, but a REALLY annoying one when it comes up.
aron.
