Bodyguard:
Series One (2018/Via
Vision Region Free Import Blu-ray Set)/Jimmy
Zip Reloaded (2000/Boom!
Cult DVD + Traction CD Motion
Picture Soundtrack)/King
Solomon's Mines
(1950/MGM/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/Waterworld
4K (1995/Universal/Arrow
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-rays)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B-/C+/X/B/B Sound: B-/C+ &
B/C+/B Extras: C/C-/C-/C-/B- Main Programs: C+/B/C+/C+/C
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Bodyguard:
Series One
Import Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Via Vision
Entertainment in Australia and can play on all 4K and Blu-ray
players, while King
Solomon's Mines
(1950) is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series. All can be ordered from the links below.
Here's
a very wide-ranging and eclectic group of action thrillers....
Bodyguard:
Series One
(2018) has noting to do with the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston hit
feature film, but is a drama about terrorist attacks, this one taking
place on a train, a locale I always like for mystery, suspense and
action. Unfortunately, despite some good performances and leads
Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes holding their own, the 'Middle
Eastern Terrorist' angle is long beyond played out and I could not
get into this show.
It
is worth adding that even if this arrived a decade ago, I still would
not have been that impressed and even as far as train thrillers of
all kinds are concerned, it is just not that good. There have even
been TV shows with episodes set on trains that were more effective,
so this is only for the most curious only. I'll be curious to see
where they went with the follow-up season.
Extras
are listed at the link below.
Robert
McGinley's Jimmy Zip
Reloaded (2000) has been
reissued under a new title for 2023 (the original film is simply
called Jimmy Zip)
and it was almost the beginning of a new cycle of independent films.
To read more about my original coverage and impressions of the film,
go to this link of a much older DVD version at:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/796/Jimmy+Zip
Without
ruining any of the storyline, some parts have aged remarkably well,
while others are a little dated, but when you are taking risks and
trying to do something different in what used to be raw filmmaking,
that is what you get. Hard to believe Brendan Fletcher, who went on
to become a very successful character actor, is really good here as
he was from the start of his career. It is a massive loss for us
that he did not become the lead actor star he should have, even after
the even more remarkable Rollercoaster
a year before. Still, all the actors are really good here and I like
the look, feel and pace very much.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer and vintage Director's Intro
exactly what the older DVD had, but I wish we at least had a
restoration featurette. You can read more about RollerCoaster
in my DVD review of that gem at:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/348/Rollercoaster+(1999/Ardustry+DVD
Also,
a CD soundtrack for the film has been issued (its cover is the same
picture as the old DVD) and it great to hear how well this music was
recorded, produced, mixed and mastered. Geoff Levin recorded the
instrumentals that worked so well, did the music with the director
(who is actually credited as the last music artist on the ten tracks
her) and the other six tracks are songs by six artists that are
interesting enough that I would like to hear more of their work.
This release is long overdue and a very, very pleasant surprise. I
can just add that some of those tracks work better than others, yet
again, all are ambitious and it all makes me miss this kind of
filmmaking.
Compton
Bennett & Andrew Martin's King
Solomon's Mines (1950) is
really a British film from a British genre of people from a
first-world country (the U.K. in this case) going to a 'jungle' or
'third world country' that is 'wild' and you might not be able to
'tame' which we did have in the Tarzan films from Hollywood, but this
is also what some people would consider 'imperialist' and some of
this might now even be considered 'racist' if not all of it.
A
Best Picture contender in its time, the undeniable Deborah Kerr is
the woman who reaches out to Allan Quatermain (Stewart Grainger) to
find her husband, who has gone missing in these lands so far away.
Considered a solid adaption of the 1885 novel (versus the two action
films with Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone that were dying to be
Raiders Of The Lost Ark,
but might get new respect after the recent fifth film release) won a
Best Cinematography Oscar for its outdoor Technicolor work at a time
when exposing film outdoors in color was very difficult. That does
not make it Jean Renoir's The
River either.
Still,
it has it moments and Kerr was always great. Definitely see it if
you never have before, but only have expectations so high.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer and a vintage
Behind-The-Scenes featurette on the making of the film.
Kevin
Reynolds' Waterworld 4K
(1995) is the Ultra High Definition release I was not expecting or at
least this soon, of the controversial box office bomb (was it made on
purpose to force the sale of the studio, et al) but this
most-expensive Mad Max
knock-off where everyone is somehow dirty despite the whole world
being allegedly covered in water seems even worse and odder than
ever. Dennis Hopper as the villain is almost a plus, but even he
seems off in a way he has never been before. He had made a comeback
at this point and Costner was still high on the A-list.
Some
people love a train wreck and others obviously would find this a
curio or one to revisit. We covered this same set with only a
standard Blu-ray from Arrow at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15404/Waterworld+(1995/Universal/MVD+Arrow+Blu-ray
Once
again, Arrow has left no stone unturned, so no one can say they are
neglecting the film, nor can they say that of the studio that made
it, Universal. The only other thing to say is, it was shocking when
it lost so much money, but with so many movies losing big money just
this summer of 2023 as we post, this is the one sad novelty it has
now lost!
Extras
repeat the previous set, which are more than you'll ever need.
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, Dolby
Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition
image on Waterworld 4K looks as good as the film can, as I
remembered the 35mm prints and this includes its limits and flaws.
That includes some lesser shots and some very early CGI work (like
putting gills on Coster's head) has aged in unexpected ways.
Fortunately, color (as it is) is consistent enough, so this is the
disc to get
When
the film was originally released, It was considered a great, key demo
for digital sound on film, specifically DTS as it was exclusive to
the format and it sounded really good for its time. Now upgraded for
lossless 12-track Dolby Atmos (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for
older systems,) the upgrade is a valiant effort, but I was only so
convinced. Fortunately, a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix
has also been included that is closer to the original film's sound
mix and arrangement, but only expect so much sonically. Still, it is
still best best-sounding release on the list.
The
1080p 2.00 X 1 digital High Definition image on Bodyguard uses more
CGI than one would like and that becomes a problem, making the
overall look just a little too soft, especially over all these
episodes. The DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes on all the episodes are decent, but they
lacked a consistent soundfield throughout and some aspect of the
recording are a little off.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Solomon
can sometimes show the age of the materials used, but this is far
superior a transfer to all previous releases of the film and once
again, Warner has delivered a remarkable restoration. The film was
originally issued in dye-transfer,
three-strip Technicolor version of the film, so you can see how good
the color was despite some stock-like footage. A theatrical
monophonic film, the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix
has definitely had some fine work done to make this sound as good as
possible and this is the best this film will ever sound. However, it
has more than a few sonic limits and cannot escape its age.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on Jimmy
Zip
is more color-rich than the much older DVD we covered eons ago, so
the upgrading was worth it. Shot on Eastman Color negative 35mm
film, it holds up nicely and fortunately, the film was preserved
properly, something smaller and independent film production made
photochemically have a higher chance of survival with versus all
digital video and HD productions. I like the look of this film and
its too bad we did not see more films from the time with said look.
The
soundtrack is here in both lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and lossy Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo, with the 5.1 having a slight edge, but this was
issued in the old, infamous, analog Ultra Stereo format, which had
more harmonic distortion than Dolby's old A-type Dolby System noise
reduction format and by then, Dolby had introduced the superior SR
(Spectral Recording) noise reduction system. I wish this film could
have afforded that one. Still, this is a little clearer and warmer
than the old DVD's sound, so it too is an improvement. Too bad no
Blu-ray with lossless sound of some kind has not been announced yet.
However, the PCM 16/44.1 Stereo CD sounds really good for its age and
gives us an idea of how good this film could still sound.
To
order the
Via Vision import Blu-ray Bodyguard:
Series One,
go to this link:
https://viavision.com.au/shop/bodyguard-series-one-blu-ray/
...and
to order the King
Solomon's Mines
Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for it 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
