Born
In China
(2016/DisneyNature Blu-ray w/DVD)/Megan
Leavey (2017/Universal
Blu-ray w/DVD)/Paw Patrol:
The Giant Pirate Rescue
(2014 - 2015)/Shimmer and
Shine: Magical Pets Of Zahramay Falls
(2016 - 2017/both Nickelodeon DVDs)/Unlocking
The Cage (2016/First Run
DVD)
Picture:
B+ & B-/B+ & B-/C+/C+/B- Sound: B+ & B-/B+ &
B-/C+/C+/B Extras: B/C+/D/D/C Main Programs: B/C+/C+/C+/B
More
than even we see in one group than usual, here's five new releases to
prominently feature animals...
Born
In China
The
latest installment in the DisneyNature series (which also includes a
growing library of inspiring films such as Earth,
Bears,
African
Cats,
Chimpanzee,
Wings
of Life,
Oceans
and Monkey
Kingdom
to name a few that usually play in theaters around Earth Day) comes
another breathtakingly filmed look at the wonders of our great
planet, Born
In China
(2016).
Narrated
by John Krasinski (The
Office),
the film takes you to places in China where few have been with
beautiful looks at the lives of Pandas, the Wetlands, Leopards,
Monkeys, and more in their native habitats. The long lenses on the
cameras get up close and personal views of the animals, which is very
interesting to see and are expertly edited and rendered in HD.
Similar
in tone to something that you would see on IMAX film, Discovery
Channel, or the BBC Planet
Earth
series, the film is educational while showing you breathtaking
images. Born
in China
is directed by accomplished Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan, and produced
by Disney's Roy Conli and renowned nature filmmakers Brian Leith and
Phil Chapman.
A
great candidate for the 4K UHD format, the film is presented here in
1080p high definition
Blu-ray
with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
5.1 lossless track that presents the film nicely. Time-lapse shots
are beautifully detailed and overall the colors and tones nearly
transport you to the exotic locations. The little bit of upscaling
to 2160p (or was it shot that way?) would be even grander as
mentioned, but this is fine for now. The included standard
definition DVD shows a drastic drop in quality, with not nearly as
much detail in the image and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital track.
There's also a Disney Digital Copy included.
Special
Features:
Panda
Suits & Bamboo Shoots
Walking
with Monkeys
Masters
of Camouflage
Wading
Through Wetlands
''Everything
Everything''
Music Video Performed by American Authors
Disneynature:
Get Inspired, Get Involved
An
educational adventure that the whole family can enjoy, Born
in China
is another fine edition in the DisneyNature movie library.
Megan
Leavey
One
Marine and her dog, this is the basis for Gabriela Cowperthwaite's
Megan
Leavey
(2017) - a tale of heroism and companionship that's based on a true
story.
Starring
the underrated Kate Mara (The
Martian,
Morgan),
the film centers around Megan, who leaves her home behind and decides
to join the marines, where after rigorous training, gets a new best
friend in the shape of a combat dog - who together save lives during
their deployment in Iraq. Blackfish
(2013) Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite crafts a visually interesting
film with decent direction and a realistic feel that plays out as
authentic and not cheesy.
The
film also stars Bradley Whitford, Tom Felton, Common, and Edie Falco.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and
a nice sounding English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless track,
the film looks and sounds fine on Blu-ray disc. The character detail
is on point with a natural and not too stylistic cinematic look.
Also
included is the standard edition DVD with an anamorphic widescreen
aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which is pretty
compressed when compared to the Blu-ray.
A
digital HD copy is also included.
The
only special feature is a featurette entitled Never
Give Up
and previews for other Universal releases. All in all,
Megan Leavey
is a fine film that tells a touching story that will attract not only
lovers of War/Military films but animal lovers as well.
Of
course, animals in animation and on TV are always there and the two
latest, basic, single-DVDs from Nickelodeon from two of their newer
hit TV shows have arrived: Paw
Patrol: The Giant Pirate Rescue
and Shimmer
and Shine: Magical Pets Of Zahramay Falls.
Both run just over 90 minutes and do deliver enough for fans
everywhere of each show. The former poised to capitalize on the a
certain Disney movie franchise and both continuing Nickelodeon
franchises. However, following this formula has its ups and downs.
It delivers consistently, but does nothing beyond issuing the various
shows compiled on each disc respectively to make this more exciting.
Still,
the anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital
5.1 sound on each disc is as good as it can get in the format, yet it
reminds one that these shows are not coming out on Blu-ray hardly at
all. Why? It makes little sense, then as for the content, you can
read about the show in the many previous DVD releases of each (and
will have in the (near) future) elsewhere on this site, so its good
enough for fans, but I hope the company does not get stuck in a
corner it cannot get out of.
Unlocking
The Cage
In
the thought provoking new documentary, Unlocking
the Cage
(2016), we follow Lawyer Steven Wise and others in the Nonhuman
Rights Project file as they file several lawsuits to give animals
such as chimpanzees, whales, dolphins and elephants limited
personhood rights. The legal hurdles that he has to go through are
crazy and his passion against animal abuse is respectful and
insightful.
Directed
by documentary filmmakers Chris Hegedus (Kings
of Pastry)
and DA Pennebaker (The
War Room),
the film is intelligently edited and produced. The case is presented
at first as just representing a few animals, mainly those that aren't
native to America, to try to get legal backing on a sensitive subject
with some potential bad outcomes.
The
presentation on standard definition DVD, gives us the film in a
1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
track. The film could most definitely benefit from being viewed on
Blu-ray as there are many flaws in the picture when viewing the disc
on a 4K television, however standard viewing is passable.
Special
Features include...
Music
Video ''Meant
to be Free''
(Original song by Steve Wise and Alex Forbes)
Director's
Statement
Filmmaker's
Biography
For
those interested in Animal Rights, this is definitely a documentary
for you.
-
James Lockhart & Nicholas Sheffo (Nick DVDs)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/