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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Fantasy > Melodrama > Adventure > Korea > Action > Cable TV > Animation > Literature > Children > Come > A Wrinkle In Time (2018/Disney 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds (2017/Well Go DVD)/Great Summer Campout (2018/Nickelodeon DVD)/Peter Pan (1953/Disney Signature Blu-ra

A Wrinkle In Time (2018/Disney 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds (2017/Well Go DVD)/Great Summer Campout (2018/Nickelodeon DVD)/Peter Pan (1953/Disney Signature Blu-ray w/DVD)/Steam Engines Of Oz (2018/Cinedigm Blu-ray w/DVD)



4K Ultra HD Picture: A Picture: B+/B/C+/B & C+/B- & C Sound: A/B/C+/B- & C+/B- & C+ Extras: B/B/D/B/D Main Programs: C/A/C+/B/C



A misfire at the box office, A Wrinkle in Time (2018) is a mediocre young adult fantasy that's high concept and high budget but can't escape the fact that 90 percent of it was shot on a green screen stage. While it aims to be for kids and a younger audience, the film is riddled with complicated scientific babble that's sure to go over their heads (and most of the adult audience too). While the film boasts a decent cast (seen below) and some interesting visual effects, the end of the film is a little too convoluted, weird, and silly for its own good.


The film is directed by Ava Duvernay (Selma), which is surprising that she would choose a film like this after many of her films seem to be more based in realism.


Wrinkle stars Storm Reid, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Opera, Zach Galiflankis, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Deric McCabe, Levi Miller, and Bellamy Young to name a few. The film is based on a (pre?) YA novel from more than 50 years ago written by Madeleine L' Engle.


After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg (Reid), her genius kid brother Charles (Deric), and Meg's friend Calvin (Miller) to space in order to find him. Along the way, they end up in a fantasy world and go from dimension to dimension through space and time until they come across him again. But nothing is as it seems...


The film looks incredible on in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image, with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2:39:1 and a stellar Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless track, both of which are as close to a theatrical presentation that you can get at home. The film is quite colorful and has several different (digitally created) worlds. Textures and details on characters and clothing is incredible here but again the format looks a little too good and at times exposes some weak digital effects moments. Also included is a 1080p high definition Blu-ray with similar specs and a digital copy.


Special Features:


A Journey Through Time - Take an up-close look at the making of this magnificent movie with Director Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, and the cast and crew.


Deleted Scenes (with optional director audio commentary)


Ant on a String


Aunt Beast


Meg Learns About Calvin's Dad


Papergirl


Feature Length Audio Commentary w/Director Ava DuVernay, Producer Jim Whitaker, Co-Screenwriter Jennifer Lee, Production designer Naomi Shohan, First assistant director Michael Moore, Editor Spencer Averick, and VFX supervisor Rich McBride


Bloopers


Original Songs/Music Videos


There are also various editions of the film available at Target and Best Buy in collectible packaging as well.



Ja-hong was a fireman... but then he died! Upon dying, he is suddenly greeted 3 guardians of the afterlife and they tell him that he has lived an honorable life and is subject to reincarnation. BUT he has to first past the trials set by the gods, each god will look back over aspects of his lives and test him and then judge if he is worthy in Kim Yong-hwa's Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds (2017).


Ja-hong never expected to die either, much less when he finds out he is the first 'paragon' in years and that he has a chance to reincarnate, but he could care less about reincarnation, he only wants to visit his mother one last time. As his 3 guardian spirits take him from trial to trial each god is a virtue and they test Ja-hong. The 3 Guardians then must defend the virtues in his life, was he selfless? Was he caring? Was he honest? Was he greedy? Was he faithful? ...etc. But when suddenly his brother is murdered on Earth and becomes a vengeful spirit, his trial suddenly changes... demons and monsters (who do not want Ja-hong to reincarnate) believes his brother's death is a sign that he is not worthy. The 3 Guardians must not only to save Ja-hong, but also solve his brother's murder.


This was a heart moving movie with fantastic graphics. Along with a drama filled story it is also has a lot of action fighting evil spirits as the characters search for the truth. It is a story about family and strength of their connections. For those who believe in karma, what you do in life effects what you have in eternity.


The anamorphically enhanced image and lossy Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on this DVD are as good as they can get, but (and so), it deserves a Blu-ray and maybe even 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release. Extras include character intros, behind the scenes and trailers, and know a sequel is arriving soon!



Nickelodeon's Great Summer Campout (2018) is simply a basic single DVD with no extras and is fine if you do not already have a gut of DVDs from this or any other child-friendly video label. One episode each from Bubble Guppies, Shimmer & Shine, Blaze & The Monster Machines, Sunny Day and Nella The Princess Knight are featured, running a decent 90 minutes. Guess it will depend if a child likes most of these shows to even go and get this one, but here it is and its not awful. Now, you can decide.



Next, Disney's all-time animated classic Peter Pan (1953) has been out of print for a while, but the Blu-ray and DVD are being reissued in one of Disney Signature Blu-ray w/DVD sets, offering the same exact transfers as the previous edition we reviewed years ago at this link...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12020/Ghoul+(2012/Chiller/Image+DVD)/Peter+Pan+(19


The difference is that some extras have been removed (but we still get digital copy) and a few new ones introduced, including two sing-alongs, A Darling Conversation with Wendy & John: Kathryn Beaumont and Paul Collins that was taped since the last Blu-ray release and the archival Stories from Walt's Office: Walt & Flight that shows how the founder of the company loved airplanes, flying and suggests how that fits into this classic, among others.


Guess a 4K UHD edition would be the next stop for this classic, but if you missed the last set or want to add it to that one if you are lucky enough to own it, this is worth your time.



And finally we have tSean Patrick O'Reilly's extremely odd Steam Engines Of Oz (2018) kicks around the term 'cyberpunk' to semi-animated a brand new story that trashes any child-friendly aspects of the original books (or 1939 classic film or anything that tried to be like it) for this highly unlikely, quasi-depressing dud on how The Tin Man loses his heart and turn Oz into a mechanical police state. Guess high quality animation was outlawed too.


Ron Pearlman, William Shatner and Julianne Hough are among the voice actors, but they seem as bored as I was and was puzzled as to the point of this and can tell you it was very forgettable. The animation here is very dated CGI, slow-moving and it does not move much. Color is even lacking in range and this Cinedigm Blu-ray/DVD set is not making any errors in its 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Blu-ray or anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 DVD image version. It just does not work.


Sound is hardly better with a mixed soundfield in the Blu-ray's DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix and DVD's lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. This is a flat production all around and again, there are no extras, but that's fine with me.



- Nicholas Sheffo, Ricky Chiang (Along), and James Lockhart (4K)

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/


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