Contagion
4K
(2011/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/Cracked
(2022/Film Movement DVD)/A
Creature Was Stirring
(2023*)/The
Fifth Thoracic Vertebra
(2002/IndiePix DVD)/Latent
Image
(2022/Cinephobia Releasing DVD)/Polar
Rescue
(2022/*both Well Go USA Blu-rays)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: X/B-/B+/B/B-/B- Sound:
B/B-/B+/B/B-/B- Extras: C/D/D/B/C+/C- Films: B-/B/D/D/C-/C
Now
for a a new and varied group of thrillers...
Steven
Soderbergh's Contagion
4K
(2011) is one of the director's films that falls between his
blatantly commercial ones (the Ocean's
Eleven
revivals) and more serious, mature fare (The
Limey,
Erin
Brockovich)
as he and screenplay writer Scott Z. Burns (just off of working with
Soderbergh on their ever-amusing The
Informant!
two years before) imagine what would happen if a pandemic or epidemic
broke. Of course, we have the latest science, everyone would listen
and the effects would be limited. Right?
Despite
the horrendous differences that would happen about a decade later,
they got most of what happened correct and without knowing it. They
do leave no stone unturned, so versus when I first saw it upon
release, what was the sadly unthinkable had happened and worse and
actually, is still happening (albeit in a declined way, for now?) as
you read this. However, they did their job and adding to past films
that dealt with such crisis (The
Andromeda Strain
and The
Satan Bug
would likely be on their minds more than most) are up there with the
best of them. It is never exploitive.
The
cast is also strong, including Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Lawrence
Fishburne, Jude Law, Brian Cranston, Elliott Gould, an
always amazing Kate Winslet and a turn by Gwyneth Paltrow that is as
shocking now as it was when she did it. A glamorous Oscar-winning
actress whose work endures, she could have played things safe and not
even done this film, but her character is most graphically affected
by the virus early and the film is near NC-17 graphic and ugly in not
holding back and showing how it destroys her, her body, her face, her
image and her soul! One shot even reminded me of her mother's turn
in the underrated Futureworld
(the 1976 sequel to the 1973 classic hit movie Westworld
that also inspired the great HBO TV series) that is just remarkable
and brutal.
It
was a warning about what was to come and could come, but sadly, most
people did not get it and many of them are now gone!
Cheers
to to the supporting cast of mostly (still?) unknown actors who
deserved to be more known after all their great work here. Yes, a
few things have dated since the real thing happened and technology
has changed a but, but Contagion
holds up well and this 4K upgrade could not arrive soon enough.
Already, some are forgetting what happened (for personal and
political reasons, unbelievably) so its timing is as prime as ever
and I highly recommend it, even if you have already seen it, but
especially if that was long ago.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.78 X 1, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra
High Definition image is an early 4K shoot and Soderbergh (who lensed
it under a pseudonym as cinematographer) for better and maybe worse,
was an early switcher to high definition video. Being as visually
adept as he is, this looks pretty good and should get credit for
being one of the early (and few) good HD (and certainly Ultra HD
shoots of the time, not as colorless and repetitive as so many, even
to this day. Compositions are really good here too.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is also just fine as it is,
as it was upon its original theatrical release and like all of his
films, are always as professional as they are sonically interesting.
Composer Cliff Martinez is ever underrated and delivers another solid
score.
Extras
include Digital Movie
Code, while the disc adds three featurettes:
A
creepy
and well made horror thriller, Cracked
(2022), is a creepy Thai horror film that centers on a woman who
returns to New York from Thailand to settle her father's estate and
brings along her nearly blind daughter. She inherits two paintings
that her father created that hold supernatural elements beneath
cracks in them. When a painting restoration artist comes to fix
cracks in the paintings, an unthinkable horror is released. The film
is pretty entertaining and reminded me a little bit of the Grudge
series.
The
film stars Chayanit Chansangavej, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Nutthatcha
Padovan, Byron Bishop, Nichkhun, and Machida Sutthikunphanit.
Cracked
is presented in anamorphically enhanced, standard definition on DVD
with a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Thai-language
Dolby Digital Audio mix with English subtitles. The compression
issues do detract from the otherwise nicely shot film which could
benefit greatly from an HD release.
The
only extra is the trailer for the film and other releases from Film
Movement.
Damien
LeVeck's feature film debut, A
Creature Was Stirring
(2023) lands on disc from Well Go USA. The Christmas themed horror
film features Rob Zombie Halloween
series star Scout Taylor-Compton who does what she can with the
limited amount she has to work with.
The
film also stars Annalise Basso, Chrissy Metz, Connor Paolo, and
George Schichtle.
A
drug infused mother is trying to keep her daughter from transforming
into a strange creature. Snowed in during the Christmas holiday, two
intruders enter the home only to come across this troubled family.
As the daughter starts to transform and mysteries surrounding her
condition unravel, the strangers must fend for themselves against
these maniacs. Or is it all in the head of one character and our
point on view on the story is obscured?
The
result is a decent looking indie horror film (heavily influenced by
the lighting of Dario Argento in parts) with not much else going for
it. I thought this was going to be a Christmas fable come to life
similar to the Krampus
film as the marketing leads you to believe. The monster itself looks
better when not too much of it is shown. Seeing a tail or a few
spikes pop up and slither around a corner looks good, but the final
reveal of the monster comes across a little cheesy.
A
Creature Was Stirring
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a lossless English
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and lossy Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo. The film is very colorful and this translates fine to
1080p Blu-ray disc although a few shots here and there they pushed
the multicolored boundaries a bit too much. The film on the whole
doesn't look back for an independent production. The sound mix is
fine and all the whole the film looks passable here.
The
only extra is the trailer for the film and previews for other Well Go
discs.
If
you're looking for a film that is just downright gross and weird in
every regard, then you might want to check out The
Fifth Thoracic Vertebra
(2002,) a film from South Korean filmmaker Park Syeyoung, which tells
a story centered on the life and death of a relationship and the life
of mold left behind on a mattress that grows into a creature that
steals the vertebrae of humans who sleep on the bed. Yes. This is a
movie where the main character is a piece of mold.
Shot
and produced well enough, the film tries to be David Cronenberg
levels of weird, but ends up being a bit too out there for its own
good. I'm not sure what drugs these filmmakers were on when they
made this project, but something strong by the looks of it.
The
film is presented in standard definition on DVD with an
anamorphically
enhanced
1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Korean
stereo mix with optional English subtitles. The filmmaking reminds
me a lot of a music video and this is conveyed in the way its shot,
its use of sound effects, and overall feel. It looks fine on DVD,
though compression is evident when watching on high resolution
monitors.
The
only extras are teaser and theatrical trailers.
The
Latent Image
(2022) is a psychological thriller where a gay writer's horror story
ends up coming to terrifying life in a remote cabin in the woods when
a drifter visits him and isn't all that he seems. In many ways it
was hard for me not to compare the movie to the Johnny Depp-led
thriller Secret
Window
as it also features a writer going up against his story coming to
life. This is definitely a more homo-erotic take on that plot line,
which felt a little too forced at times.
Directed
by Alexander McGregor Birrell, the film stars Joshua Tonka, Jay
Clift, and William Tippery.
The
Latent Image
is presented in anamorphically enhanced standard definition on DVD
with a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital
Audio mix. Compression is evident in the image, but doesn't detract
too much away from the presentation.
Special
Features:
Short
Film with optional commentary
Feature
Film commentary
and
Cinephobia Releasing Trailers.
Lastly,
Donnie Yen's Polar
Rescue
(2022) has the actor/martial artist continuing to take over more of
his own career, playing half of a couple looking for a missing young
boy who has disappeared after a really horrendous snowstorm, but time
is of the essence. Can they find him and if so, will he be alive?
Well,
the screenplay is alive with all kinds of cliches and predictability,
plus this does have some problematic 'child in jeopardy' issues that
also get in the way. At 103 minutes, that means this drags on and on
and on and on more than a little bit too, but it is assumed by the
makers that the audience in its home territory has not seen this kind
of film enough (versus the 1970s Hollywood natural disaster cycle, et
al) so it is limited in scope and also assumes you don't watch many
films. Either way, a surprising dud, most viewers will not want to
be 'rescued' at all.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is a little
softer throughout, but might look better in 4K, but still, there are
more than enough CGI visual effects and too much for being a film
that is supposed to take place in areas of danger. The
Mandarin DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix has some good
moments, but also sounds on the boxy side and does nto have the most
consistent soundfield, for some weird reason. The combination is a
little disappointing and undermines any impact the film intends.
Trailers
are the only extras.
-
Nicholas Sheffo (4K, Polar)
and James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
