Birds
Like Us (2022/Lionsgate
DVD)/Clifford The Big Red
Dog (2021/live
action/Paramount Blu-ray)/Encanto
4K (2021/Disney 4K Ultra
HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/The
Three Musketeers
(1948/MGM/Warner Archive Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: C+/B/B/B Sound: C+/B+/B+ &
B/C+ Extras: C-/C/B-/C+ Films: C+/C/B-/B-
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Three Musketeers
(1948) Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their
Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Now
for the latest group of family-friendly releases...
Faruk
Saranovic's Birds
Like Us
(2022) is an interesting, if not always successful addition to thew
cycle of 'animal kingdom' animated films where the animals actually
live in an organized society and not usually a democracy. The CGI
animation is not top rate, but we've seen worse and the artist here
is that no less than Jeremy Irons joins Alicia Viklander, Jim
Broadbent and Khalid Abdalla as the English language voice actors and
the music score is by the amazing Peter Gabriel (in his first
feature-length movie score since Rabbit-Proof
Fenced
about 20 years ago) and Timothy Bruzon.
At
83 minutes, it still plays long and we have seen some of this before,
but a few amusing moments and just the different style make it a
curio you might want to see if you are really interested.
A
trailer and Peter Gabriel music video for the song ''Everybird''
are the extras.
Walt
Becker's Clifford
The Big Red Dog
(2021) attempts to make the beloved book and animated cartoon
character work in a live-action world, which we just saw with the
recent Tom
& Jerry
revival and will see with other such characters soon. Since I was
always amused with the lead character and find him one of the most
consistent of the new hit characters, I knew it would be hard to pull
off and the results are very mixed despite what does look like a
valiant attempt.
The
script wants to start with him as a puppy who already stands out
because of his color (though at least here, the 'Video Red' is not as
good as it could be) and then he grows to his enormous size and all
madness breaks loose. Some of the effects are not bad and the makers
were moving the an effective direction, but the screenplay takes too
long to start and this never totally works.
Non-CGI
humans include Darby Camp, Jack Whitehall, David Alan Greer, Kenan
Thompson, Russell Wong, and John Cleese, but even they cannot get the
96 minutes here to add up. At least there was nothing questionable
about it as far as inappropriate behavior or moment like some titles
we have seen lately, so this is for younger audiences only who are
really interested. Hopefully they won't be too disappointed.
Extras
include Digital Code, a Making
Of
featurette and Deleted
Scenes.
Jared
Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith's
Encanto
4K
(2021) may have some things we have seen before and I am not the
primary audience for this (it is younger children, as it should be,)
but it is often more surprisingly a good CGI feature film (Disney's
60th animated feature film overall without PIXAR since 1938!) and has
some very interesting things going on in it.
Mirabel
is the least eccentric of her wild, fun, mostly lovable family, which
has some sense of magic going on for it, but she soon discovers this
is in danger of fading and unravelling, so she has to do what she can
to stop that and keep the family and its home in tact any way she can
in the Colombia Mountains.
With
that as the storyline, inanimate objects like brooms and windows come
to life (the hallmark of the Folk Musical) and that is always fun,
but prolific Musical genius Lin-Manuel Miranda keeps the melodrama
going and at the same time, takes the Folk Musical to new 'heights'
(yes, I could not resist that one) as almost 'everything' inanimate
in the film comes to life and not just in some random, sloppy, lame
way. It happens because he has thought this out to a very advanced
degree and that helps power the film and supports its drama very,
very well.
That
has helped the film slowly gain steam as a hit and possibly minor
musical classic, given Disney its first chart-topping hit record in
about three decades and Miranda another chance at getting his first
Academy Award. I was impressed with some of what it accomplishes
visually and sonically (see the tech review below) and the result is
a quiet triumph that is getting slowly louder, louder and louder. If
interested, you need to make this a must-see film on your watch list!
Extras
include Digital Code, plus
the discs add a ton more including (per the press release):
Sing
Along with the Movie: Sing along with your favorite songs with
on-screen lyrics as you watch the movie.
Familia
Lo Es Todo: Members of the Disney Animation 'Familia' cultural
trust share real-life experiences in this exploration of the lovable
Madrigal family members. We learn what inspired each character, and
about how the artists’ designs bring realism to their
personalities.
Discover
Colombia: The filmmaking team discusses how the multiple
cultures, biodiversity and vibrant colors of Colombia are expressed
in Encanto. They
describe how satisfying it was to fully celebrate this beautiful
country and support the theme of magical realism.
A
Journey Through Music: The filmmakers invite us to discover how
each character came to be represented musically. We follow the
creation of Encanto's Colombian-inspired music, featuring
Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs and Germaine Franco's score, from concept
to final recording.
Let's
Talk About Bruno: Learn how the now surprise chart-topping song
''We Don't Talk About Bruno,'' with its intriguing
undertones, was created. Discover the extensive collaboration
between Lin-Manuel Miranda, choreographer Jamal Sims, the voice cast
and animators in bringing it to the screen.
Our
Casita: La Casa Madrigal is alive with magic, and its emotional
state is affected by other family members. From its colorful doors
to its fine stonework, the magical house was designed using
principles of Colombian tradition.
Outtakes:
From the thrill of 'nailing' a take in the presence of an
entertainment industry icon to the hilarity of losing a wrestling
match with tongue-twisting dialogue, join the cast for some
good-natured fun from behind the microphone.
Journey
to Colombia: With the help of the Colombian Cultural Trust, a
dedicated team of consultants, the filmmakers of Encanto
embark on a journey of discovery to learn more about Colombia and
how best to reflect the country's cultures and environments on the
big screen.
An
Introduction to Far From the Tree: Writer and
director Natalie Nourigat introduces the Walt Disney Animation
Studios short film Far From the Tree.
Far
From the Tree: Parenting is hard, especially when curiosity tugs
at a young raccoon whose parent tries to keep them both safe. In
the Walt Disney Animation Studios short Far From the Tree,
this youngster learns to live with an open heart... even as danger
lurks.
Deleted
Scenes
Introduction:
Heads of Story Jason Hand and Nancy Kruse present four scenes not
seen in the film's release, but were part of the journey toward the
final version of the story.
Chores!:
Abuela has sent most of the family to town on various assignments
that bring them acclaim, while Mirabel, her father and uncle are
asked to clean the house.
Another
Way In: Mirabel attempts to understand a clue found in her
uncle's vision. To make this happen, she must go through Antonio's
room, where adventures unfold.
Isabela
Goes Into the Woods: When Mirabel sees her sister head for
apparent danger in the woods, she races to save her, and encounters
the surprise of a lifetime!
Back
to the Mural: Feeling rejected, Mirabel goes back to town.
Abuela seeks her out and reveals a part of her personality that her
granddaughter has never seen.
The
Family Madrigal
Colombia,
Mi Encanto
Waiting
on a Miracle
Surface
Pressure
We
Don't Talk About Bruno
What
Else Can I Do
Dos
Oruguitas
and
All of You
George
Sydney's The
Three Musketeers
(1948) is not a musical, but it goes over the top all the way to its
use of color in being a grand adaptation of the all-time classic
Alexandre Dumas adventure novel that has been remade more times than
it should have been, especially since this version, but the money in
its cast, costumes, action sequences, sets, production values and
overall blast of the production is top-rate filmmaking that deserves
to be seen and re-seen, especially in this gloriously restored
edition.
The
cast, which is so great as to be unreal and rare, includes Lana
Turner as Lady de Winter, Gene Kelly as D'Artagnan (and nearly 75
years later, one of the most athletic and physically capable of all
time,) Vincent Price as Richelieu, Angela Lansbury as Queen Anne,
June Allyson as Constance, Frank Morgan as King Louis XIII, Van
Heflin as Athos, Keenan Wynn as Planchet, Gig Young as Porthos,
Reginald Owen as Treville and uncredited turns by soon to be Superman
Kirk Alyn, Shazam! of the day Tom Tyler, Paul Kruger, and Marie
Windsor.
Running
126 minutes, it is never boring, always offering something new and
everyone involved obviously loves the book and the script, so it has
the energy, cast and directing to make it still one of the best
adaptions of the book ever and will likely remain so for good.
Definitely see it again, especially in this fully restored version so
good, only a mint 35mm or 16mm film print with the proper color could
compete!
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer, radio promo for the film's
release, live action Technicolor short Looking
At London from the
FitzPatrick TravelTalks
shorts series and classic Technicolor MGM cartoon What
Price Fleedom?
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HECV/H.265, 1.85 X 1, HDR
(10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on
Encanto is easily the best-looking performer here as expected,
but it especially shows how good the subtle use of advanced, superior
color. Thus, there are moments in the film that exceed my rating,
but that is in strategic places. The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High
Definition image on the Blu-ray version is not bad, but it cannot
handle or offer those color spots as much, so the 4K is the preferred
way to view this.
The
Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems)
lossless mix on the 4K version can be dialogue-based, but you get
plenty of action, music and sound effects throughout that really kick
in nicely when they do. The Blu-ray version only offers a DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix and it is a mixdown as well, so you
miss out on some sound details and smart sound editing, but it is not
bad. I like the Atmos better.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Clifford
is not bad, but can have small spots of motion blur and the CGI
Clifford is not always 100% convincing, though color is mostly
consistent in this HD shoot. I just wish they had done more color
and form-wise. The Dolby Atmos 11.1
(Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) lossless mix is the
default highlight of the release, with good sound and sound editing.
It may not be as imaginative as Encanto because it is stuck in the
live-action world, but it is well recorded and professionally
finished. Would probably work better with a 4K version of the film.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 High Definition image transfer on Musketeers
rarely shows the age of the materials used, but this is far superior
a transfer to all previous releases of the film with this new
restoration by Warner Archive a fine approximation of a 35mm,
dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor version of the film, so you can
see where the money went from its sizable budget.
Director
of Photography Robert H. Planck, A.S.C., (Ship
Ahoy,
Above
Suspicion,
Royal
Wedding,
Summer
Stock,
Torch Song,
Moonfleet,
The
King's Thief,
and the 70mm version of The
Bat Whispers)
is a very underrated cameraman who knew what he was doing and in all
kinds of formats. His work holds up extraordinarily well here and it
is another reason this version of the book stands up to dozens that
have been made since. Impressive. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0
Mono lossless mix of the original monophonic sound is as good as this
film will likely ever sound. The combination melds well and is a
real treat.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1
sound mix on Birds
play about as well as they can in this format, but despite the limits
on the CGI technology, I bet at least a Blu-ray version would yield
better color and clarity.
To
order The
Three Musketeers
Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for them and many more great
web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo
