Balls to the wall, boys...Balls to the wall.
I think alot of the loudness stuff comes from my drinking days. Back then it was heavy metal and balls to the wall volume. The neighbors didn’t appreciate my "in home concerts" nor did the cops. Since I've matured, heavy metal has been replaced with sweet classic jazz, and the heavy grip on the volume knob happens only occasionally on certain action movies. To say I listen to every movie at Reference Level would not be true...only occasionally.

I was able to watch The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 today. I made sure to close all the curtains to blackout the theater and cranked up the volume to -20 to immerse myself into the movie. My wife read the books and was rather disappointed in the ending of the series, somI was prepared for an unhappy ending (I'll avoid any spoilers here).

PQ was a bit disappointing on this one. The movie was grainy in many of the dark scenes. The black levels were not stellar so the contrast and shadow detail were lacking. The color also looked quite washed out through much of the film. Other than Jennifer Lawrence, there was not much to look at. Some of the brighter scenes were decent, the effects were well done, and the production value was excellent. PQ was an average 3.5/5.

SQ was a bit of a different story. The Atmos mix was well done. There was plenty of surround material mixed in object based, full frequency sound. The movie was also very dynamic. Action scenes packed quite a punch. LFE was solid ans supported the action. Dialogue was pretty good but there were certainly times where it was a bit off. SQ was 4.5/5 for me since it was solid and well done but lacked the impact and wow factor of the very best soundtracks.

Entertainment wise, it was consistent with the rest of the series. Jennifer Lawrence's performance took center stage and she did quite well even though the script and plot is a bit juvenile. The film seemed a bit disjointed at the end: a bit like a dream sequence that they thought up and threw together at the last minute. I'll give the film a 4/5 for entertainment. If you watched the rest of the series, you'll likely be watching this film. If you haven't, this is probably not the place to start. A recommendation seems a bit futile.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Finally had the time to watch The Big Short today. Rick's right, it's a very entertaining movie and definitely highlights a lot of the issues surrounding the economic collapse in 2007/2008. It was a bit infuriating to watch and learn what the banking industry did and what they essentially got away with.

PQ and SQ were both solid and I'd rate them both as 4/4. The SQ actually surprised me a bit. There was a fair amount of surround info and in many parts there was some pretty powerful surround music. The movie was a bit all over the place. It almost felt a bit unfinished and that there was a bit of editing to accomplish. The first few minutes was a bit rough but it gets better.

If rate the entertainment value at. 4.5/5. It's definitely a bit of a thinker and if you're not interested in politics or finance, this might not hold your interest. For me, it was interesting on both levels. The all-star cast certainly didn't hurt. The roles were a bit of a departure from what the stars normally play. I can certainly see why it received Oscar buzz.

Cheers,

T Cobe

New release day today for Blue-Rays. The post office delivered The Hateful Eight and the 2015 remake of Point Break. I wanted to watch Hateful 8 but I'll be waiting for company to join me on this one so it will have to be another day. The original Point Break was a decent movie but nothing special. I wasn't sure how a remake of a mediocre film would turn out. How was it? First, the technical bits.

PQ was pretty decent. A lot of money must have been put into travel because this film was shot on some great locations and they caught all the beauty. Image detail was quite good. Color was a bit cold and did not present a ton of contrast. Much of this film was shot in low light. I'd give the PQ a 3.5/5 overall.

SQ was another story and really stole the show. There was plenty of action, a lot of LFE, and a pretty good score. Dialogue was very clear throughout the film. The bass during landslide and ocean scenes was deep and powerful.

From an entertainment standpoint, the film was a 3/5. The script and dialogue had a ton of holes in it. The story also felt very disjointed with huge gaps. the sound was really the primary redeeming quality of this film. Otherwise, it felt like a promo piece for extreme sports.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Hmm, seems like this thread isn't as active these days. I sure miss Wayne.

Last night it was The Hateful Eight in the home cinema. This was classic Quentin Tarantino along the lines of Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained. Yes, it was violent, graphic and twisted, but I loved it!



PQ was pretty decent. It had everything I look for: good black levels, rich color, high contrast, clarity, and detail. Cinematography was also good for the little that took place outside of Minnie's Habberdashery. I'm going 4.5/5 for PQ. I'm not sure what 70mm film is, but apparently this was shot in that format. I'm assuming this means it was shot in old fashioned film versus digital. The transfer to digital looked great on Blu-Ray.

SQ was equally good. Diolague was clearly intelligible throughout. The ambiance and use of surround channels was immersive. The gunshots were dynamic and impactful. There was not a lot of action in this one but everything was solid. I'm also calling this 4.5/5.

Tarantino's screenplay was brought to life by an expert cast including Samuel Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walter Coggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern. No, I didn't forget Channing Tatum. He was omitted since I used the term expert. If your a fan of Pulp Fiction, Django, and Reservoir Dogs but were not crazy about Planet Terror or Death Proof, this one should be right up your alley. Highly recommended!

Cheers,

T Cobe

T Cobe wrote: Hmm, seems like this thread isn't as active these days. I sure miss Wayne.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Amen to that T Cobe. I got a "thank you" from Wayne recently for a review I posted of a Claudio Abbado Blu-ray. It meant a lot to me.

Rick