They say timing is everything. Dan Brown's books, including The Da Vinci Code, were huge at one point! That was more than a decade ago. Had these movies been made back then, they would have made a fortune. It's not like the studios to miss a golden ticket, but they certainly did here!

It didn't help the franchise when Angels and Demons turned out to be a dud. I really enjoyed The DaVinci Code: film and book. Inferno was a come back movie for the potential franchise, IMO. 4.5/5 rating for the film itself.

Picture Quality was phenominal! Detail was there in spades. You could make out the complexion of each actor. Color and lighting were also very well done, providing for plenty of contrast and pop. 5/5 for PQ. This will be an early demo disk once I have HDR fully implemented in my HT setup.

SQ was good, but probably not quite as stellar as the sound. LFE was good and there was some good surround material. In particular, the scene where they are running from a drone is pretty fun from a surround perspective. I will have to check it out once I have Atmos up and running as well. Dialogue was solid and I never found myself straining to understand what was being said. Everything sounded like you were right in the middle of the film. I could have gone for a bit more LFE and dynamics to make this a reference pick. 4.5/5 for me but YMMV.

Well, there you have it. This was a good film and is was very technically impressive as well. This is an easy recommendation. If you liked The Da Vinci Code but felt Angels and Demons was a bit of a bust, my guess is you will like this one. I found the film very entertaining and the technical bits were the icing on the cake!

Cheers,

T Cobe

Thanks Bro T. for this great review, again!!!! You are very good at this!!!!
I sorta felt opposite, I read and sorta enjoyed Angels and Demons, some interesting ideas in it. Then in Da Vinci I felt he was messing with, and trying to sensationalize a crap theory about High and Holy things just for fame and money. Probably will give this one a go after your review.
Rather than look back to I don't know where, I think someone, T. or Imahawki has already reviewed this, but mine will be different I am sure, and I do not mean to say better, just put in my .02 worth. Watched "Star Trek Beyond", a mixed bag here. It is fake 3D, but the opening has some pretty good 3D and the closing credits are DEMO worthy 3D, REALLY great space type images!!!!!
Most of the middle of the movie it is obvious this is not native 3D, not very well done, but the PQ is still pretty good.
SQ uses the 7.1 I love and sometimes fairly well. There is good surround info a few times and it is meaningful, helpful, but I found the LFE lacking in real impact. Even when there was a BIG crash!
Speaking of sound, I guess we have to forget science altogether when watching a Sci-Fi flick now????? I mean, explosions in space?? Sound in space outside the ship????? Gravity, oh don't get me started, OK just suspend all belief for the movie.
The story was co-written by Simon Pegg, "Scotty". Well, blow up me kilt, I am impressed!!!! I thought he was an idiot!!!!
OK, I am NOT a fan of the franchise, NEVER liked it at all until the one that introduced Chris Pine as Kirk, is this the 3rd one now?? It (them?) was pretty OK, watchable, semi-enjoyable. But this to me was the BEST STAR TREK EVER!!!!!! IMHO. Of any kind, tv or movie, any.
This one has Zoe Saldana in it, and Sophia Boutella. Sorry, I mean this one has a LOT of well done humor, does not take itself too seriously for once! The characters are well developed, relationships, etc. we actually care about them (well you might already but first time for me!) It is not all great, a hokey motorcycle ride, running on what???? sorta thing, but I was prepared to declare a more boring "Arrival" as a clear winner in the Sci-Fi ring, but not, this was pretty durn good!!!! YMMV
Oh, check out Sophia Boutella and Zoe Saldana in this one.
God Bless, Wayne

Another pleasant surprise today on the big screen! When I initially saw the trailer for Hacksaw Ridge, it looked like a two hour movie with the sole purpose to make the audience weep. Since I have no interest in those types of movies, I skipped this in the theater. After speaking with a few people I trust about the movie, I decided to give it a go.

Andrew Garfield, from the most recent Spider-Man reboot, stars as Desmond Doss: a WWII Army medic who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Additional cast members included Teresa Palmer, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, and Hugo Weaving. The performances were decent and Teresa Palmer was certainly easy on the eyes. The script and screenplay were okay, if not a bit predictable and heavy handed. The flow of the movie from start to finish just felt right. 4.5/5 for the movie itself for capturing the story of a true American hero.

PQ was vey good. All of the critical elements I look for were there. Color, clarity, and contrast were all highlighted by some pretty good cinematography. My only complaint would be that the sets seemed a bit small and low dollar. If not for that, the eye candy would have been complete. 4.5/5 for PQ.

SQ was much the same. The sound was dynamic and contained sufficient surround material. LFE kicked in big time during the combat sequences. My only critique was the clarity of the dialogue. The levels and clarity were a bit off, and I'm a stickler for dialogue. 4.5/5 for SQ.

Based on the previews and the fact that it was directed by Mel Gibson, I guess I didn't have very high expectations. While it could have been done better, I believe the film still warrants an enthusiastic recommendation. What can I say, I'm a sucker for true stories of real American heroes and the fact that he was a medic and a man of virtue struck a chord with me.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Bro T. great report, review!!!
Thanks for that, I was and am gonna watch it, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, as we say where I come from.
I am glad it is better than you thought it would be. I am expecting to love it, it hits REALLY close to home for me, my grandfather being a CO in WW1 and all.
Still trying to get me a copy.
Listening to CDs right now, those did come in from Amazon. Most of them anyway.
Will report on those over on the other thread.
Thanks, keep em coming!!!
God Bless,
Wayne

OK, I finally got and watched "Deepwater Horizon" last night.
It was VERY hard to watch. It was extremely well done, and the set was close enough in detail to make it un-nerving. The helicopter ride, the handover on the helideck, walking up on the rig floor, the smells of mud, oil and gas fumes, even the underwater shots of the subsea BOP, the control room, the driller's shack, all came packed with added import and senses to me.
Yes, there was enough inaccuracy, gas coming out of the seabed, some funny things like Mark Wahlberg seemed to be the only one who could not pronounce Schlumberger correctly, the slips did not fit around the drill pipe correctly in the rotary table, etc. Some of the pressure test stuff was inaccurate, but more importantly for me, the TONE of the movie, the respect for those lost and the impact on the families was pretty well done!
One thing I can't let pass, almost the most dramatic point, the jump off the helideck into the water, that was WRONG. We had 2 guys got killed offshore Nigeria jumping off the rig (it was on fire) from 80 ft high, with life jackets on, when they hit the water the lifejackets immediately snapped their necks!!! I always taught the guys if they had to get off the rig, into the water get as LOW as possible!!!!
Russell was really good, Malkovich was great up to a point. It was not all BP's fault, but the pressure to take short cuts because of money, the bottom line, was at fault.
All in all a credible job of making a movie about a true human and environmental tragedy.
God Bless,
Wayne

Followup on above, Deepwater Horizon,
My daughter asked me what IF there were no other choice but to jump in the water from so high up? I always trained guys to never get in the water if possible (lifeboat, then liferaft are preferred), but get in from the lowest point IF you have to enter the water, and then last case, worst case scenario, throw your lifevest in the water first and then jump in after it, or hold on by one hand. NEVER jump with it on from more than above a few feet high.

One a nother note. I watch and enjoy "Game of Thrones". I have always bought the DVD series, season by season. This year I got the blu-ray season 6. The pic quality is not much improved as my Oppo up converts normal dvds to near the HD quality anyway. But the sound is very much improved, especially the surround sound. Quite enjoying this season.
God Bless,
Wayne