Absolute
Beginners
(1986/Virgin/Orion/MGM/Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-ray)/Slash
featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators: Live At The Roxy
9.25.14 (2014/Eagle
Blu-ray)/Song One
(2014/Cinedigm Blu-ray)/Thank
Your Lucky Stars
(1943/Warner Archive Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B/B/B-/B- Extras: C+/C/C/C+ Main Programs:
C+/B-/C+/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Absolute
Beginners
Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Twilight Time, is
limited to only 3,000 copies and can be ordered while supplies last,
while the Thank
Your Lucky Stars
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series. Both can be ordered from the links below.
Here
are some new music programs for you to know about...
Julien
Temple's Absolute
Beginners
(1986) is
finally on Blu-ray, even if it is a limited edition, but the U.S. DVD
was issued back in 2003. We covered a more recent import at this
link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9699/Absolute+Beginners+(1986/Umbrella+Entertainment
Now,
thanks to Twilight
Time, the Virgin Records-produced film (issued by Orion at the time)
has David Bowie and
Patsy Kensit from Lethal
Weapon 2,
so that should be enough to make it a curio. Though I was not the
biggest fan, I know there is a larger audience for this one and this
is now easily the best way to enjoy and experience it. At least it
is ambitious and I expect Bowie fans might make this one sell out
quickly.
However,
there is a new development that has happened recently that should
make fans and collector's take notice. Bowie is rumored to be
co-creating a musical version of his feature film classic The Man
Who Fell To Earth (reviewed elsewhere on this site). That will
push this disc over the top in value and collectibility, so if you
want one, you should get one (or more) ASAP.
Helping
those causes, we finally get some
extras on this film including a nicely illustrated booklet on the
film including informative text and essay by Julie Kirgo, while the
Blu-ray adds an isolated music score.
Slash
featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators: Live At The Roxy
9.25.14
(2014)
has the great guitarist (of Velvet Revolver and Guns-N-Roses) with an
established act covering music by them and his two bands. In the
case of the latter, we get You
Could Be Mine,
Sweet
Child 'O Mine
and Paradise
City,
which are decent semi-covers fans should enjoy. I just wished this
were longer and had more memorable moments. Otherwise, this is a
solid release fans should check out.
Extras
include an illustrated booklet with track listing and some text,
while the Blu-ray adds four bonus tracks.
Kate
Barker-Froyland's Song One (2014) with Anne Hathaway is back as
Cinedigm was happy enough with its DVD-only release that they have
issued it on Blu-ray. Here is my coverage of the DVD:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13391/Car+Men/Kylian+(1993+-+2006/ArtHaus+Blu-ray
Though
the film did not improve for me, my ability to enjoy it and take it
in did because this is a fine upgrade worth seeing and for the
company to release. If you have not seen the film, this is now the
way to go so you can judge for yourself.
Extras
repeat those of the DVD and include some brief Deleted Scenes running
just over 4 minutes, an Original Theatrical Trailer and 16+ minutes
look at the making of the music for the film.
David
Butler's Thank
Your Lucky Stars
(1943) is
Warner Bros. Big wartime backstage musical where all their major
stars show up whether they sing (or can
sing) or not, with a silly story build around the slapstick of Eddie
Cantor and several big music numbers featuring Dinah Shore in her
early prime. Since the script is weak, it becomes a mix of so-so
songs and waiting to see who the next big surprise star will be to
support the war effort. The latter includes Dennis Morgan, a top
billed Humphrey Bogart who is barely there, Bette Davis, John
Garfield, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Leslie, Ida Lupino,
Ann Sheridan, Jack Carson, Alexis Smith, George Tobias, Alan Hale,
Ruth Donnelley, Edward Everett Horton, Hattie McDaniel (singing in
the boldest musical number in the film, Ice Cold Katy), Don Wilson
and more. A real curio beyond its star appeal and propagandic
purposes, this gets campy and gas some unexpected moments making it
worth a look despite its unevenness.
Director
Butler (Sunnyside
Up,
Just
Imagine,
Down
To Earth,
several Shirley Temple hits) had established his comedy and musical
capacities in may films for Fox, so Warner felt he was right for this
project and he makes as good a film as possible and would make more
hits for the studio. It is worth a look for what does work and is
deserving of this top rate Blu-ray.
Extras
in this great slipcase packaging include two classic Bugs Bunny
Technicolor cartoons in HD: Falling
Hare
and Little
Red Riding Rabbit,
an Original Theatrical Trailer, Watch
On The Rhine
trailer, Food
& Magic
live action b/w
wartime
public short about not wasting food that some might find a bit
sexist, three more live action shorts in regular definition: Three
Cheers For The Girls,
The
United States Army Band & a
silent newsreel shot at the Hollywood Canteen and an audio-only
Screen
Guild Theater Radio
broadcast from Sept.
27, 1943 has a half hour of music highlights from this film with
Cantor, Shore and Morgan showing up for the fun and promotion.
All
four 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition releases look as good as expected
with the 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on Absolute
a welcome upgrade from the DVD we covered with much sharper clarity,
detail, depth and color range, showing off the scope frame more
clearly and you can see the money and effort in the film.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image on Slash
is one of the best HD shoots of any concert we have reviewed to date
with good color and few flaws, while the 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High
Definition image on Song
shows detail and smoothness the DVD version was missing.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer on Stars
can show the age of the materials used, but this is far superior a
transfer to all previous releases of the film
and even has its share of demo shots. This is Warner black and white
film at its glossiest.
We
get DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes on all Blu-rays here
except Stars,
which can only offer a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 1.0 Mono lossless
mix, but to sounds as good as it ever will with the sound cleaned up
as much as possible without ruining it.
The
lossless 5.1 on Absolute
is a huge improvement over the stereo-only DVD, was a film originally
designed for 4.1 Dolby 6-track magnetic sound in its 70mm
presentations and though it can be a little edgy at times, that's
more like it. Still, non-music moments have a dip in fidelity, but
that was still the case for musicals of the time. The isolated music
score is a little more naturalistic, but it is in DTS-MA lossless 2.0
Stereo sound.
The
lossless 5.1 on Absolute is loud as expected and the most
consistent soundtrack here, though it is not a sonic knockout, it is
well mixed and recorded. Good micing is a plus.
The
lossless 5.1 on Song
definitely improves the music portions, but cannot improve the quiet
dialogue and outright quiet moments of the film since they're
obviously not that dynamic, though this is a notable improvement over
the DVD's sound overall.
To
order the Absolute
Beginners
limited edition Blu-ray, buy it and other great exclusives while
supplies last at this link:
www.screenarchives.com
… and
to order the Thank
Your Lucky Stars
Warner Archive Blu-ray,
go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive releases at:
http://www.warnerarchive.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo