Bush:
Live In Tampa (2019
w/Blu-ray*)/Inside Daisy
Clover (1965/Warner
Archive Blu-ray)/Joe
Walker Lewis: Viva Las Vegas Live
(2018/*both MVD/Cleopatra DVD w/CD)/Sonic
The Hedgehog 4K
(2020/Paramount 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
4K
Picture: A- Picture: B & C+/B/C+/B+ Sound: C+/B-/C+/A-
Extras: C/C-/C+/B- Main Programs: B-
PLEASE
NOTE: The Inside Daisy Clover Blu-ray is now only
available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and
can be ordered from the links below.
The
following releases involve music directly or indirectly...
We
start with Bush: Live In Tampa (2019) with the band still in
top form playing hits like Machine Head, Glycerine,
Everything Zen, Swallowed and Comedown in this
show that features 12 songs with interview moments in between by lead
singer Gavin Rossdale, who has some very smart and interesting things
to say. Though their Pop Chart success was limited, they kept
topping the Rock chart and remain as popular as ever. They can still
play and he can still sing.
The
show is here on a so-so CD and a DVD that is not bad, but the best
way to watch is on Blu-ray, with the show shot and edited just well
enough to enjoy. Fans will not be disappointed and save the weak
sound (see below), this is a solid introduction (or reintroduction)
to the band. This is one of the better concert releases we've seen
lately and it is definitely worth a look.
Extras
include an illustrated booklet with no text, previews for other
Cleopatra concerts on disc and on-camera interview with Rossdale.
Robert
Mulligan's Inside Daisy Clover (1965) is another star vehicle
for Natalie Wood, playing the title character, a rough tomboy living
in a too-small place with her mom (Ruth Gordon) when she is
discovered and becomes a singing star (!!!) with help from no less
than Christopher Plummer, then gets a marriage proposal from no less
than Robert Redford, so the film wants to switch back and forth from
grit to ritz all the time. It has musical numbers (directed by the
very capable Herbert Ross, a director in his own right) that make it
sometimes a backstage musical (Andre and Dory Previn (Valley Of
The Dolls) supply the music), but then it becomes a drama and
melodrama and then back to be a rough story.
Wood
is convincing at both ends of the spectrum, taking place just
convincingly enough in the 1930s, then there are good supporting
turns form the likes of Roddy McDowell, et al, but the film is a
little too all over the place for its won good despite tis ambitions.
Also, is is haunted by the 1954 Judy Garland/George Cukor A Star
Is Born more than a little, for better and worse. I give the
makers credit for trying something different ambitiously and going
bonkers in the process, but I did not always buy it. Still, it has
enough moments to make it worth a look.
A
Road Runner/Coyote animated short War
and Pieces (in low def with lossless DTS-MA Mono sound?)
and an Original Theatrical Trailer are the extras.
Showing
that Blues music is still alive, Joe Walker Lewis: Viva Las Vegas
Live (2018) has the singer/guitarist with 12 songs sung very
blue, with gusto and energy, backed by solid band and as good as any
such show in the genre we have seen in the last few years. I admit
that this is not my kind of music, but this plays as authentically as
you could imagine and is a nice change of pace from some of the
disposable music we get tortured with lately on what seems like a
daily basis. Fans will be interested.
Extras
(unlisted on the label) include previews for other Cleopatra concerts
on disc, a slide show and on-camera interview with Walker.
Finally,
most films based on video games are a miss with audiences, but not
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), a sleeper hit that rocked the box
office and has now landed at home on 4K UHD and Blu-ray disc. The
film is really held up by its villain, Doctor Robotnick played by Jim
Carrey, who steals the show and is a great opposite to the cartoony
looking Sonic, whose look is now accurate to that of the video games.
Infamously, the studio pulled the film and changed the design of the
character after internet backlash of his eyes being too far apart. I
mean if you're going to adapt Sonic at least make him look like the
character!
From
another world, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is transported to Earth
near a small mountain town. Due to his immense talent for speed, he
accidentally knocks out a power grid. Afraid to be seen, he soon
befriends a honest Sheriff, who he affectionately calls 'Donut Lord',
(James Marsden, who played Cyclops in the Bryan Singer X-Men
films) helps him flee the evil Dr. Robotnick (Carrey), and help him
retrieve his lost magical rings that help him jump from dimension to
dimension. As Robotnick deploys an army of vicious robots and armed
bad guys to track down the alien creature, Sonic knocks items off his
bucket list, and lives his best life with his newfound human friend
and his gorgeous wife (Tika Sumpter).
Sonic
is fine for kids and family, and already has a sequel on the way (at
the time of this writing) that is supposed to bring other characters
from the games into the fold. Some moments, such as Sonic slowing
down time to 'bullet time' to change and help his fate, is a trick
that has been seen before in the X-Men and the Justice League film
with the character of The Flash. However, it's passable even if it's
not completely original due to the nature of the character being so
fast that it can change reality around its human counterparts. The
film does a fun job of subtly including elements from the game such
as locations and references that gaming nerds are sure to enjoy as
icing on the cake as well.
Special
Features include:
Audio
Commentary by director Jeff Fowler and the voice of Sonic, Ben
Schwartz
Around
the World in 80 Seconds - See Sonic's next adventure!
Deleted
Scenes - Director Jeff Fowler introduces deleted scenes
Bloopers
- Laugh along with Jim Carrey and the cast
"Speed
Me Up" Music Video
For
the Love of Sonic - Jim Carrey and the cast discuss what Sonic
the Hedgehog means to them
Building
Robotnik with Jim Carrey - See Jim Carrey bring supervillain Dr.
Robotnik to life
The
Blue Blur: Origins of Sonic - Explore the origins of the
legendary Blue Blur
and
Sonic On Set - Visit the set with the voice of Sonic, Ben
Schwartz.
One
of the better video game adaptations in recent memory, Sonic The
Hedgehog may not be completely original, but is still a lot of
innocent family fun and slapstick humor.
Now
for playback performance. Sonic
the Hedgehog 4K is
presented in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced
Ultra High Definition image and a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1.
There are several nice audio mixes here include a Dolby Atmos 11.1
lossless mix (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mixdown for older
systems), as well as several foreign language tracks. The major
differences between the formats here is the level of detail on the
animation and wider color range. For a film as heavy on digital
special effects as this one, it is definitely worth the 4K UHD
update. Also included is the 1080p version on Blu-ray disc with a
more compressed image and the same audio mixes.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on Daisy
was shot in real anamorphic 35mm Panavision and produced in 35mm
dye-transfer,
three-strip Technicolor prints in its original run. This looks
pretty much like what you would expect from such a print and results
in yet another gem of a restoration from Warner Bros. and Warner
Archive. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix is as
good as it is ever going to sound, though one wishes it was in stereo
when the music kicks in.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on the Bush
concert looks decent, with only a few flaws and some decent color,
far above the anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 image DVD version also included, though both oddly
only offer lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. The Walker
DVD has the same specs and limits, while both come with bonus CDs
(PCM 16/44.1 Stereo each) that are barely warmer or richer than the
sound offered on the video disc versions.
To
order the Inside Daisy Clover Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to
this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:
http://www.wbshop.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James
Lockhart (4K)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
