HD DVD / Blu-ray Reviews and Recommendations
 

This thread is for discussion on HD DVD releases only, similar to the recommendations thread for the dvd talk forum. Please use this to report your thoughts on releases or if you're looking for feedback on a certain title.

If someone wants to start a Blu-Ray thread separately, feel free.

EDIT: This is now a thread for HD DVD/Blu-ray Disc recommendations. Since I've now joined the BD crowd, I definitely want to hear from others about which BD discs are worth the purchase.

Bone Collector/Spy Game
 

Just got finished watching this one.. Pretty entertaining film but the print seemed to be riddled with grain issues, particularly in a lot of the brighter scenery. I wonder if this is because of either two things:

A. I believe the master print is from the 2000 DVD release. Instead of highly touching up the photo, Universal may have just ported this over.
B. My 34" Sony is only capable of 1080i while this is a 1080p transfer.

Close-ups on faces (two chapters show this.. I believe chapter's 8 and 4) show a lot of washed out colors. My biggest disappointment in this one is the extreme total LACK of any features. Just a commentary and one trailer. A true shame that Universal couldn't do something with all the extra space. This, even though the film was entertaining, puts the title in the 'rental' category instead of a necessary purchase.

As for Spy Game, the transfer was quite nice. Not as good as say, IMO, 'Ray' or 'Training Day', but still quite nice. Probably ranked in the top 5 transfers. As far as the idea of a purchase, I would recommend a purchase only if you don't own the DVD release. Since I like thrillers like this and do highly enjoy Tony Scott's films', I'm glad I grabbed this one.

Keep in mind though, what I think is not the defining factor. If you want to grab these titles, do as you please. I only mean to put my two cents out there for consideration.

Think I'll just stick with Caddyshack tomorrow.

MrChaos, the Toshiba player can only output at 1080i right now anyway.

I had gotten The Bone Collector early last week and was less than impressed with it. My biggest complaint was the dialogue sounded much lower than the rest of the other channels. I cranked up the volume but it still sounded like everyone was mumbling. Very disappointed. Also, the picture didn't look that vibrant either. Kind of had that faded look to it. It just seemed "muddy" looking.

Not sure why, but it seems like several of the releases I've tried out, the center speaker volume is lower. It wasn't as bad as here, but I hate the fact that you have to crank the volume on some movies to hear the speaking, yet the fronts and surrounds are on full blast.

Have nothing but praise for Video PQ and Audio Dynamics** for the following HD DVDs:

1) Sahara

2) Bourne Supremacy

3) Serenity

4) Phantom of the Opera

5) The Rundown

6) Sky Captain

**HD-A1 support equipment:

1) Video: 56" 1080p Toshiba 56HM195 using HDMI
2) Audio: Dolby Digital Plus - Analog 5.1 Outputs
.... a) Audio Calibrated using Toshiba's Internal Test Tones & Speaker Settings (SPKR Levels / Distance / Subwoofer Crossover) @ 75 dBc
.... b) Verified using Digital Video Essentials with minor SPL changes.

Not an issue with my Audio Calibrated HT Setup, ... I thought the DD+ dialog track was superior (audiblility & clarity - especially during the bombastic moments in Sahara & Sky Captain) vs. the basic DD/DTS-5.1/6.1 mixes. Actually the DD+ overall frequency resolution, dynamics, imaging, depth and 360-degree pin-point surround effects completely raises the sonic experience to complement the glorious HD images!!!

Can't wait to hear "The Phantom of the Opera" TrueHD 5.1 track after I update my Firmware to V2.0!!! :D

Meanwhile, ... next HD viewing, ... once it arrives, U-571!

Phil

DolbyTruHD really adds a lot to Training Day. Just thought I would mention. :D Constantine sounds spectacular, as well.

Took a look at Caddyshack. Where this film really shines is in the small details and the close-ups. You can see just about every blade of grass on the field, every tuft of hair on the gopher. The close-ups are clear as can be, you can even see the small dirt stains on Danny's hat. The caddys' red shirts are bright and vibrant, as are the golfers various bright tinted clothes.

The wider shots exhibit a lot of grain, but it's definitely grain, not artifacts.

Easily the worst part of the disc is the 5.1 mix. It's even quieter than other DD+ mixes, and it just sounds soft. The mono works a lot better, in my opinion.

Overall, a decent presentation of a truly hilarious film.

I don't know if this is the right place for a non-PQ post, but here goes...

I read Joshua Zyber's DVD review of Serenity at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=21292 and...

I thought it was friggin' hilarious that JoshZ (or somebody else) had to note that this disc still, in fact, did still use easter eggs. I'm actually a proponent of "simple" easter eggs, such is the one in question, so I got a chuckle on the comment and correction.

A serious question to JoshZ: Did you do all/most of your earlier reviews with analog connections or using the DTS re-encode? Which would you recommend at this stage (assuming we're talking about a DD+ soundtrack such as on this disc).

I use the analog connections and that's what I'd recommend (unless your receiver has an HDMI input).

I hate easter eggs and always have. It's a stupid fad.

Popped Ray into the player last night. Steller picture. This is the kind of film that requires a DolbyTrueHD track, though, and that pisses me off that it's only DD+.

Serenity, Bourne Supremacy, or something else as the first HDDVD, in terms of both content and 'wow/waf' factor?
We have Bourne Supremacy on SDVD, and saw it in the theater; haven't opened it yet; I have watched Firefly, but wouldn't mind watching it again before seeing the movie [which I haven't yet]. Bourne seems to be one of the first titles using some HDDVD interactivity, which would be nice.

Bourne looked good, but it's a very stylized, grainy film and may not give you the "wow" factor you're looking for.

Serenity is a good starting place. That one kept me enraptured from beginning to end. I would also recommend Blazing Saddles, The Searchers, Constantine (which also has IME), Training Day, Aeon Flux, Chronicles of Riddick, or Sahara.

Funny enough, Serenity I would NOT recomment as a PQ demo... just because it's not shot in a "grand style" that shows it off very well... I suspect it's mostly the creative choice of Joss, who's background is pretty strongly rooted in shows with small sets/etc. I'd recomment Chronicles or Riddick or Aeon Flux for PQ, out of the 9 titles I've seen so far.

If someone hasn't seen the TV show Firefly, though they can watch the movie without having seen the show, would watching Serenity ruin watching the show after the fact?

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree, then, as Serenity is easily one of the most stunning HD DVDs, imo.

Don't get me wrong, the facial closeups of Nathon Fillion, for example, are WOW, but overall, the scenes, especially the darker on-ship sets are just not good demo material to me, and the mid-range shots just don't have the detail. My brother-inlaw/wife watched with me on most of the titles we've tried, and we were all in agreement on Serenity.

I guess it shows, opinions are like.... :)

I think the entire robbery/chase/escape scene on that little outpost planet looked extraordinary.

I said WOW when I watched Training Day in HD....

The car chase scene in the taxi cab was all kinds of bad ass. It even impressed my too cool for school 12 year old nephew who thumbs his nose at everything.

My big first wow moment was in Pitch Black when they showed a close up of Radha Mitchell when the blue sun rises in the sky. Absolutly breathtaking. I never realezed TV could look so good. Me and my Girlfriend replayed it like 5 times cause we couldnt belive the clarity. Every single pore and every single bead of sweat is visible. Stunning.

As for my picks so far they would have to be Serenity, Sahara, Bourne Supremacy, Sleepy Hollow, Pitch Black, Chronicals of Riddick, The RUndown and Aeon Flux.

PS....

That's pretty funny because the blue sun moment in Pitch Black was my first wow moment also.

I'd have to say Aeon Flux, Training Day, Chronicles of Riddick, Pitch Black, Sahara, Serenity, Unforgiven, Four Brothers and definitely the Searchers.

It's amazing how great a 50 year old movie can look on HD DVD.

Here's my thoughts on Troy:

Video - Troy makes its HD-DVD debut in a glorious, almost conquering 1080p2:40:1 Widescreen Anamorphic Aspect Ratio. Considering I own Troy on SD-DVD, I figured I would glare at the film and then see the HD-DVD version.

The SD-DVD version boasted a very impressive and clear transfer. Colors were clear, bright, rich, and full creating the world of Greece in a splendid manner. One area of question here was there was a bit of grain and pixelation in some scenes (particular where Agamemnon was speaking to his brother King Menealus). Other from this little error, the transfer was nearly first rate.

Now onto the HD-DVD transfer. As I commented above, the 1080p transfer is conquering. Warner has impressed us before with Good Night and Good Luck, a newer film, and The Searchers, an older film. Again, due to Troy being a newer film, the print is pristine. Colors are ever so bright, crisp, clear, full, rich, powerful, and ruling creating a type of new world for our eyes. One of the film’s most impressive scenes comes via the initial invasion where numerous ships are traveling across the sea. Granted this sea was obviously created using CGI effects, I wondered if Petersen actually used real ships after watching this sea. The level of detail was immaculate and intense. Little things like flags, ripples in the water, pores on Pitt’s face, little hairs on Bana’s face, Bloom’s almost girlish looking face, and Kruger’s always beautiful face were brought to a new level here. I especially enjoyed that Warner ridded this print of nearly all grain and pixelation that somewhat plagued the SD-DVD release. Even though a film like Troy will probably end up Blu-Ray eventually due to WB releasing on both formats, Warner continues to impress me on the HD-DVD front (I have yet to see the WB Blu-Ray comparisons). Troy continues down the seemingly never-ending road of success that WB is creating for itself and, more importantly, for the HD-DVD format.

Audio - Finally, another film gets the Dolby TrueHD Audio Track. Also included are the standard Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and English 5.1 (also French) Audio Tracks. I decided to compare a few scenes first with the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and then with the included Dolby TrueHD audio tracks. The particular scenes in questions where were Hector fights Patroclus (chapter 22 or 23) and the scene where Hector fights Achilles (chapter 33). The first scene was very impressive with the Plus 5.1 creating an enveloping type experience in my living room. Swords clashed, rulers yelled all while creating an scene of true emotion as two people fought to the death. The same scene with Dolby TrueHD sounded incredible. Dynamics were presented in a more respectful manner as I could hear soldiers cheering and jeering in the background as they hoped a particular person would win. Surrounds, in particular, were full and rich as shields hit and swords banged creating a pleasant ringing in my ear.

The next scene in question, a scene of particular demo material, was chapter 33 where Achilles and Hector fight. The first run through with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 was very similar to the first example. Surrounds were present, but not as clear and impressive as they could have been. One note of error I heard was a type of buzzing effect after Achilles launched himself and his weapon at Hector’s shield. Maybe this was my speaker failing (I’m inclined to think not as the Dolby TrueHD did not create this). Speaking of the Dolby TrueHD comparison, I was quite impressed once again. Warner was very smart to include this on this release of Troy Similar to the above experience, everything was richer and had a more powerful realistic type feeling to it. As Achilles and Hector fought, I imagined myself there as the surrounds created such an experience that my brother wondering what I was watching (and his room is on the other side of the house). And this was only with my receiver at 40%.

I personally do hope that Warner reads this review and many other reviews on this Troy HD-DVD release in time for the T3 release. The included Dolby TrueHD literally gives the film a new feeling and does create a new experience. It would be a true shame if the rumors flying around about T3’s lack of a Dolby TrueHD track are finalized. Warner continues to knock films out of the park and Troy is no different in the audio department.

Nice review. It's a shame I don't like the movie. So you were saying the DD+ error you heard was not replicated in the TrueHD track?

Yep.. Like I mentioned, it may be my speakers because they are 6-7 yrs old.. I doubt it though because I would have heard the same thing during the TrueHD listen..

Finally got The Searchers today and just finished watching it. Movie experiences like this make every penny I have spent on HD DVD well worth it. This is easily my favorite HD DVD and has proved that movies of any age can look breathtaking in HD. This transfer stands up to anything I have seen so far and the mono soundtrack was also very full and clear. I want to sell all of my film based DVDs after watching this movie.

I'm ordering Dirty Dozen and Robin Hood tonight. Keep the classic films on HD DVD coming Warner.

Can you imagine Citizen Kane on HD DVD?

Citizen Kane should look great, but those Technicolor films are where the format will really shine. So Robin Hood should be the best looking of the next batch of films.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with Troy. Let me rephrase that, not disappointed but underwhelmed. I was really hoping for a transfer that was similar in quality to the Aeon Flux transfer. There is absolutly no reason why it couldnt have been but in the end it just falls short. They are both very similar in terms of film. Not styilized and very little use of filtration. Just a clean crisp image. While Troy looks great and there is nothing in particular that I would complain about, it just falls a little short of what I was expecting. They could have done better considering its such a new film with such little filtration.

PS...

I watched Space Cowboys and Red Dragon last night.

Space Cowboys is, like many Eastwood films, a generally low-key affair, but the space sequences are fantastic. Sure, the HD shows the seams in many of the special effects, but some of the shots are breathtaking. Also, there's a sequence right at the beginning where a V2 flies at high speed through clouds, and there is not one artifact to be found. Chalk another winner up to VC-1.

Red Dragon looked great. The scenes in Florida look amazing. There's a sequence where Ed Norton and Harvey Keitel are sitting by the beach, and you can see the water rushing over the small rocks in the sand, the level of detail was incredible.

I'd recommend both to anyone who likes the films.

I agree Red Dragon looks great, was generally very impressed with that transfer. Also watched Spy Game tonite and was very happy with that transfer as well especially the really contrasty beginning shots in Vietnam when Pitts character was recruited to do that assassination. Some beautiful stuff.

Popped back in Troy or a 2nd look and was still disappointed with that disc. One of the things that bothers me with that transfer is there seems to be a serious lack of detail in the scenes that should have looked the best such as the boats travelling to Troy and battle scenes with large amounts of people in them. Those scenes just do not contain the detail that we are seeing in other titles. I for one dont understand it as its a very clean image with very little filtration plus its a newer film. Wierd, very wierd.

PS....

What you're describing sounds more like a byproduct of the fuzzy CGI used in all of the "epic" scenes.

I wasnt aware there were CGI problems associated with Troy as I didnt really pay that much attention to it in SD. That would however be a very reasonable explaination with the problems I am seeing with the HD transfer. Why did they have such problems? Who did they use for thier special effects studio? Very weird again that a high budget big hollywood title such as this would have poor CGI sequences. Either way the scenes that should have stood out as the most impressive are simply just ok and again I was expecting so much more from this one. Guess you cant win em all :-)

PS...

Here are my thoughts on the latest three from Universal:

Seabiscuit:

Video - Seabiscuit arrives on HD-DVD courtesy of Universal Pictures in a 1080p Widescreen 2:35:1 Aspect Ratio. Chalk another great transfer from the folks at Universal. Sometimes people wonder why Universal decides to release films like this when they have such larger titles in their catalog (some are coming). Seabiscuit is clearly another example of a title not many think would look as good as it does.

Colors race to your eyes at such a fast rate that clarity is never an issue. In fact, the level of color is so detailed. Take any scene you wish (one particular scene of my choice was the initial race sequence). Pause the film, walk up to your screen and look for a second. Like some other HD transfers, try to find an error. I must have starred at my sceen for a few minutes attempting to find an error. No edge enhancement, grain, washed out colors, or pixilation. In fact, there’s a few scenes where one can see the little fibers on the hat’s of the gentlemen watching the races.

Due to the SD-DVD release boasting quite the fine visuals, Universal didn’t really have to do much to impress us on this HD release. I was quite surprised that Universal improved the image on the level they did. Images look more realistic, defining, and moving. The logo of HD-DVD is truly becoming, well, true. ‘The Look And Sound Of Perfect’ rings extremely correct in this case.

Audio - Presented in the standard Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 with either English, Francais, or Espanol, Seabiscuit sounds amazing. A film of this nature, due to the constant pounding on the horses racing up and down the tracks, cried out for a Dolby TrueHD audio track. However, like a majority of Universal releases, Universal opted out on this release. Trust me here, this is the only possibly shame here.

First up, the dialogue is quite clear especially in some of the powerful scenes (try any of the racing sequences). One could figure that the dialogue may become muddled or hard to hear, but such is not the case, as I never detected a problem. The best part of this track is that the surrounds are so well placed. Little items like the screams of cheering fans and the stamping of the horses’ hooves race past our in ears in quite the delightful manner. Dialogue arrives from the standard front, sometimes a bit too quite, but such is usually the case in a film like this.

The biggest item here is that the pounding sound of your sub. Granted the sub doesn’t allow boom and pound, but when it needs to, you’ll hear it coming from a mile away (well, tis what my neighbors said). Like I mentioned above, the only possible error even the most die-hard audiophile could find here is the exclusion of a Dolby TrueHD audio track. Nothing else is wrong on another great release from Universal.

Red Dragon:

Video - Red Dragon arrives in our arms in a 1080p Widescreen 2:35:1 Aspect Ratio. Compared to the SD-DVD release, Red Dragon boasted quite the impressive transfer. Colors were fine, grain was present but not completely an eyesore, and pixilation was nowhere to be found.

For this HD-DVD release, Universal has cleaned up any real errors that plagued the SD-DVD release. Colors are deeper, richer, and more profound than ever. Due to this being a type of horror film, the blacks really stood out to me giving the film an even creepier feeling while watching it. I had feared that some of the film’s dark settings would look washed out and poor, but that’s the exact opposite here. Grain somewhat plagued the SD-DVD release. The grain has been touched up giving a majority of the sequences a more professional look.

The only possible error that’s present here is some of the sequences, particularly the outdoor sequences, looked overly sharp creating the type of effect that looked like the sequences were overly compressed. This is more a slight problem that something to mark in the severe column. In the end, Red Dragon is a fine transfer, but isn’t as bright and powerful as HD should be.

Audio - Presented in the standard Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, Red Dragonsounds a lot better than it looked. The biggest pro here is the effective use of the surrounds which create an enveloping effect literally grabbing you in some scenes and bringing you into the film.

Dialogue is clean and clear which is a big plus since I had figured that a surround heavy film like this would result in, at least, a few sequences of muddled dialogue. Such wasn’t the case though as the film’s haunting, creepy score by legend Danny Elfman and dialogue compensated each other. This was quite the pleasure for me as too many films can’t get this correct resulting in the viewer constantly having to adjust the film’s volume.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio Track that was found on the impressive Director’s Cut Edition of this film created quite the nice range of dynamics. The newer Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 improves on this 5.1 Audio Track in a few ways. Dynamics, especially the aforementioned surrounds, have been improved. Little things like cars screeching, footsteps in the background, and dialogue in the rear, sound better giving the full home theater experience. Another solid effort on Universal’s part.

Traffic:

Video - Traffic arrives courtesy of Universal onto the HD-DVD format in a 1080p Widescreen 1:85:1 Aspect Ratio. Considering the interesting direction by Steven Soderbergh (in relevance to his shooting style), Traffic probably looks as good as it ever will on any HD format.

The biggest issue some may have with this transfer is the amount of grain. Personally, the grain is probably intentional due to Soderbergh’s visual style of direction. I suppose the message the film conveys allows the grain to showcase the type of world these people are involved in. Colors, on the other hand, seem out of place. Blacks seem overly black creating a few scenes that require one to squint. Whites are too white resulting in scenery that is overly bright and blurred.

Traffic is a mixed bag. Some will hate the transfer due to the expected improvement HD is suppose to have over SD. I found the presented transfer, despite some issues, to be quite fine. This was mainly because I realized that this film is probably the best it will ever look. Very similar to the audio below, the video is nothing demo worthy, but does its job.

Audio - Presented with the standard Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, Traffic isn’t the type of movie that you throw in to demo. With that said, the provided audio track does its’ job, but seemed a bit underwhelming.

Dialogue arrives to our ears in a usually clean, but sometimes muddled manner. This is probably due to the mid’s being so high. When you have higher mid’s in a dialogue heavy film, the dialogue tends to come off somewhat muddled, which is the case here. The bass on the other hand, is low and relatively unheard of for a majority of the film. The overall surrounds are presented in a fine manner that is when they can be actually heard without blasting your setup.

The only real scene you may find yourself playing a few times through is the attack on the drug lord’s home. This is where the aforementioned weak surrounds, are presented in a situation that can truly give them breathing room. Guns boom and bullets zoom creating a nice atmosphere. Bass is relatively low in this scene though. One should expect a huge rocking soundtrack for Traffic. I didn’t and I came off pleasantly surprised with the end result.

I am not sure why you would say that about Seabiscuit. Why or what would make people think that this print would not look good in HD? If anything the opposite is true. I fully expect this to be one of the better transfers givin its a very clean film with very little filtration except of course the tungstun to daylight conversion filter present in much of the film. That combined with the fact that it used the very sharp Vision2 family of films would suggest that this would be a very pleasing HD transfer with very accurate flesh tones with very high image quality.

I am also surprised you found the outdoors scenes in Red Dragon problematic. I found them to be some of the best stuff in the film especially the Florida scenes. Ill have to give it another look as I just didnt see what your describing.

As for Traffic, everything you descibe including the grain to the blacks and whites to the contrast level was not only intentional but overtly so. This film was cross processed or properly called Ektachrome Reversal Processing as they call it in hollywood. I dont know if your farmiliar with these processes but they are done to give more grain and to throw the contrast and colors out of whack. Other movies that used this or a similar process are Pitch Black & Sleepy Hollow.

The HD transfer of Traffic is another good example of a HD transfer that is not trying to be like Aeon Flux. Its not trying to be the sharpest print with no grain and accurate colors with average contrast. It is a highly stylized film and people need to understand what to expect out of a transfer before critiquing it. Given that everything you mentioned was done on purpose, that needs to be taken into account before comparing it to other transfers, especially HD transfers, where the characteristics that most people expect from HD are going to be drastically effected.

Its this sentence by you that is really problematic

"Some will hate the transfer due to the expected improvement HD is suppose to have over SD"


Wether or not you end up liking the final product is another topic all together and you may very well hate it. The fact is these aspects of the film that you have mentioned were in fact done on purpose & that changes everything when your actually critiquing it.

PS...

That would be why I mentioned some may have a problem with the grain. I personally didn't find anything wrong with this as I mentioned above. It felt helped the film's theme. I'm aware that Soderbergh decided to film in this manner. Again the Traffic comment is coming off a conversation I had with a guy at work. He declared that the HD transfer of Traffic was only 10% better (I feel that it's much better than that).

The comment on improving HD would be that the average person would expect HD to be an amazing improvement based on how it's being advertised.

As for the Seabiscuit comment, I meant that not many would think of a film like Seabiscuit in relevance to a demo title. Probably titles like Troy or something would pop up (big titles). Granted Seabiscuit was a great film and was kind of popular, but not many would think the title would look good (I based this comment on a conversation I had with a friend at work). He was very surprised that Seabiscuit looked as good as it did. Possibly this comment was based on him never seeing the film?

The Red Dragon comment, I feel, is kind of true. Keep in mind that not everyone will find the comments to be true. This problem doesn't overly affect the film though, which is what I mentioned. It depends on a lot of factors.

The problem is that not liking the grain, at least when talking about this film, has nothing to do with the HD transfer (Unless of course there is a dramatic change in grain from the SD tranfer to HD transfer, which there isnt). In fact it has nothing to do with the transfer at all. That grain is a part of the film itself and regardless of what medium you watch it on or wether it is in HD or SD, that film grain will always be there. The same goes for everything else you described including the contrast, color saturation and black levels. None of these things are a product of the transfer but a product of the development of the actual film and was present before the first transfer even existed. Again they are signature characteristics of cross processing.

Thats what I was trying to get across with my first post. When your going to critique a film transfer you have to make sure that what it is your actually critiquing is in fact a product of the transfer or a product of the film itself or even something else like what kind of equipment your watching it on. If you go back and reread your original critique youll see that all of the things you were discussing in terms of picture quality were in fact consequences of film choice and film development chosen on purpose by the director. you would then realize that these things have absolutly nothing to do with the HD transfer and has everything to do creative choices made by the director.

Dont get me wrong your critiquing of the contrast and of the colors and grain and of everything else you mentioned is all very valid, its just not valid in terms of it or they being a product of the transfer itself. The fact that you dont like these characteristics would suggest that you dont like the cross processing process and it is within this process where your critique of the quality of the film actually lies.

Its all about understanding just what to expect from each transfer and the only way to do this is to have knowledge on the original film source. If you dont know the main technical details about a particular film, such as it was cross processed, you have no way of determining just what a transfer should and could look like.


I guess I can see what your saying. However I hope that everyone on these boards ,who I assume are a little more educated and open minded than most in terms of film, realize that subject matter really has nothing to do with how nice of a trasnfer a film will end up having.

By the way I hope you dont take my critiquing your critiques in the wrong way. I absolutly love it when people critique and have nothing but 100% respect for anyone attempting to do so. I feel critiquing is by far the most important thing a viewer can do to help further his education, appreciation and understanding of art in general. I have my Bachelor degree in Fine Arts with a Master in Photography and I had numerous classes on critiquing and it really is a field of study all by itself. So please dont take these posts the wrong way. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to write his opinions down for others to read.

PS...

Oh heck no.. I've always felt that the best critics are those who can critique in a fine manner but also take other's compliments/insults/suggestions. No one is perfect in anything they do. We're always learning.

Remember all the times people would post messages about the only movies looking any different in HD would be movies made recently? The Searchers is not only amazing for a 50 year old movie, it's better than a lot of whats being made today!

I would also add that the cinematography in this movie is fantastic and the dvd just doesn't do it justice.

Wizard of Oz my friend .... Wizard of Oz. -wink-

not only Wizard of Oz, but both 'Singin' In the Rain' and 'Willy Wonka' should look stunning in their garish colour schemes..