The Endless Summer (1966/Monterey Media Blu-ray) + Highwater (2010/Image Blu-ray) + Image IMAX Blu-ray 3D Wave: Ultimate Wave Tahiti (2009) + Dinosaurs: Giants Of Patagonia (2007) +
Mummies: Secrets Of The Pharaohs (2007)
+ Ultimate G’s: Zac’s Flying Dream
(2000)
Picture:
B/B-/B+ & B-/B+* & B/B/B Sound: B-/B-/B+/B+/B-/B+ Extras: C/B/B-/B-/C+/C+ Films: B/B/B-/B-/B/B-
Surfing makes
for some of the best documentary special interest programming around, lending
itself to classic moments and formats beyond standard video and even standard
film. This includes IMAX 70mm and 3D
shooting. We will look at three great
surfing releases on Blu-ray, one of which is an IMAX 3D presentation, then look
at three more IMAX 3D presentations.
One of
the most significant documentaries ever made, Bruce Brown’s The Endless Summer (1966) helped put
surfing on the map, added to the legend of the sport and the idea of California
dreaming (although this film traveled the world) then proved that documentaries
do not have to be merely educational and political. This one also proved they did not have to be
boring.
Nicely
restored from the original 16mm elements, the film was shot on a silent camera
in all the locations the surfers hit and because the music, comedy, editing and
outstanding voiceover by Brown are so good, it is easy to forget this basic
fact. However, it works exceptionally
well and despite dating a bit (which just makes it a time capsule, including a
few innocent moments of what we would hear marked as politically incorrect), it
is a truly beautiful film that was part of the beginning of an American New
Wave of filmmaking that has made this a classic.
It is
must-see filmmaking for anyone serious about it, the sport, the purely
cinematic experience and on Blu-ray is the best you are going to get next to a
really good film print if you can find one.
Brown is a natural filmmaker and talker (as he is a surfer) and this is
an all-time labor of love that also casts a huge shadow over the many surfing
films and videos, plus their younger skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding and
other extreme sports counterparts.
The only
extra is a Digital Copy for PC and PC portable devices, though I would like to
see a special edition of this sometime down the line. It also spanned a sequel and Brown’s son Dana
has turned out to be as formidable a filmmaker with releases like Dust To Glory (long overdue on Blu-ray)
and Step Into Liquid, which we
reviewed in its terrific Blu-ray edition at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7086/Step+Into+Liquid+(2003/Lionsgate+Bl
Now, Dana
Brown has delivered another surfing film called Highwater (2010) and it is every bit as excellent as his previous
work and another key work on the subject of surfing. This time, brown goes to the North Shore of
Oahu for a classic Triple Crown event that turns out to be one of the most
important in the history of the sport for so many reasons. Some legends will compete for the last time,
while new up and comers shine, the women make their case for being the
full-fledged equivalent of their male counterparts, the biggest names around
are there and the film even flashes back to Endless Summer and Step Into
Liquid in ways that male this a must-see once you have seen those classics.
Also on
hand is tragedy, a debate about if commercialism is killing the sport, the true
meaning of a soul surfer and if the soul of the great land of Oahu
is also at stake. Like its priceless
predecessors, it brings the experience home and really allows you to get to
know the people and the sport in a way that shows why it is so great and
important. This is great filmmaking as
well and deserves as much attention as it can get. A trailer and extended interviews are the
extras.
Among the
great surfers featured include Kelly Slater and he is the focus of the
never-can-be-long-enough IMAX 3D production The Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D
directed by Stephen Low. Awesome in its
scope of history and visuals, Slater, the brilliant Tahitian surfer Raimana Van
Bastolaer and company go to the mighty surf spot Teahupo’o for waves so huge,
only IMAX 70mm film could do justice to them.
Add the 3D and you get some stunning shots no matter what.
It too
delivers the essence of why surfing is a beloved way of life and is as stunning
as the other titles we covered. Extras
include trailers, five vignettes about the film, more about beautiful Tahiti and BD Live interactivity.
Marc
Fafard’s Dinosaurs: Giants Of Patagonia 3D is another IMAX dinosaur release and the
second on Blu-ray 3D, also from Image Entertainment. Not to be confused with the also from 2007 Dinosaurs Alive! We reviewed that Blu-ray 3D release at this
link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10535/IMAX/Image+Entertainment+Blu-ray
Giants Of Patagonia
3D is even a
little better with less animation and more science, though they are compatible
and both well made, this one does not age as much and focuses on the larger of
the species, some of which you may not have heard of before. I would screen both at the same time,
especially if you have a 3D set-up.
Extras include trailers, Lizard
King documentary and BD Live interactivity.
We
previously reviewed Mummies: Secrets Of
The Pharaohs 3D in its 2D-only Blu-ray at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9422/Mummies:+Secret+Of+The+Pharaohs
I really
enjoy Christopher Lee’s narration and the 3D is not bad, though not enough to
outdo the 2D version, both of which are supposedly scanned at 8K. Extras are the same too including BD Live
interactivity.
Finally
we have the entertaining Keith Melton/Carl Samson film Ultimate G’s: Zac’s Flying Dream 3D which stars a very young
Michael Cera as the title character who loves the idea of flying and the
freedom that comes with it. The acting
is mixed, but this is not a narrative-heavy film. It is about flight and delivers some great
moments, though it is shorter than I would have liked it to be, 37 minutes
makes it below the average regular IMAX production. However, Cera was a natural for the camera
and when the flight moments kick in, it is worth the wait every time. I like the location and overall visuals,
including the least amount of digital animation in the four IMAX 3D releases
here. Extras include seven trailers for
other IMAX titles and BD Live interactivity.
All six
Blu-rays offer 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition images and the non-IMAX
offering as expected are the runner-up performers. Endless
Summer was shot entirely in 16mm film, but purists might have preferred a
1.33 X 1 transfer. What we do get has
some detail issues here and there, but color is consistent and some footage is
outright impressive. Any special edition
should offer both frames, but the restoration is nice. Highwater
is a mix of 16mm film, HD video and low def video, so the results play like a
multi-media show on some level, but there are still good shots throughout. I would like to see Brown do an IMAX 70mm production.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 MVC-encoded 3-D – Full Resolution digital High Definition image on the
four IMAX Blu-ray 3D releases are at least as good as their 2D 1080p versions
(3D and 2D are on the same Blu-ray disc in all cases) and in the case of Ultimate Wave Tahiti and Dinosaurs: Giants Of Patagonia,
definitely exceed the 2D editions, though some people are reporting issues with
Patagonia since we first posted this
review with instability throughout and now seems more noticeable on larger
screens and is something we will reexamine as we try the title (along with Dinosaurs Alive!) on more systems. Only an overuse of digital work holds the
performance back a bit, but you get demo moments on all four discs just the
same.
Endless Summer has a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that
tries to upgrade the sound, but it still shows its age, though this is mostly a
narrative film with some great music and fun sounds originally issued in
monophonic film prints. Maybe a lossless
track might help. The other Blu-rays offer
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mixes that in two cases are barley better and
three cases are exceptional. Highwater has a mix of stereo, mono,
sometimes flawed location audio and studio recordings (including music) that
make for a mixed mix, but this is as good as could be expected. Mummies
repeats the soundfield limits of the 2D-only Blu-ray despite originally being a
Sonics-DDP presentation, but it is still well recorded.
That
leaves Ultimate Wave Tahiti, Dinosaurs: Giants Of Patagonia and Ultimate G’s: Zac’s Flying Dream as the
sonically impressive presentations with enveloping soundfields at their best
and demonstration quality sections that will challenge the best home theater
systems. Ultimate G’s has the kinds of flight surrounds the Top Gun Blu-ray should have had and
only some quiet moments and narration in the center channel hold back the sound
mixes.
I really
liked all six films and recommend them all!
For more
IMAX Blu-ray 3D coverage, try these links:
IMAX: Deep Sea
3D
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10895/IMAX:+Deep+Sea+3D+(2006)+++Pol
Ultimate Wave Tahiti/Dinosaurs:
Giants Of Patagonia/Mummies: Secrets Of The Pharaohs/Ultimate G’s: Zac’s Flying
Dream
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10879/The+Endless+Summer+(1966/Monter
- Nicholas Sheffo
