The
Covenant (2023/MGM/Warner
Blu-ray w/DVD)/Damage
(1992*)/Malena
(2000*)/Not One Less
(1999/*all Imprint/Via Vision Region Free Import Blu-rays)/Sweetheart
(2021/Film Movement DVD)
Picture:
B- & C/B/B-/B-/C Sound: B+ & C+/B/B-/B-/C+ Extras:
D/B-/B/C-/C- Films: C/B/B/C+/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Damage,
Malena
and Not
One Less
Import Blu-rays are now only available from our friends at Via Vision
Entertainment in Australia, can play on all 4K and Blu-ray players
and can be ordered from the links below.
Next
up, a group of dramas, old and new....
Guy
Ritchie's The Covenant
(2023) is a belated entry in the 'Gulf War' cycle of tales that might
have, or in this case, did take place. It brings Jake Gyllenhaal
back to the cycle he made an impression with in the moderate hit
Jarhead,
but this is no sequel. This time, his U.S. Army Sergeant becomes
inter-dependent on an Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim, more than
holding his own) who despite his hard work with the U.S., is NOT
allowed to bring him and his family to the U.S., so the soldier has
to go back to save them.
There
are a few good moments here, but this film is years too late and the
tale, often too familiar at this point, yet is worth a look for those
interested. Ritchie tries to keep the pace going and in lesser
hands, this would have been even more problematic. Jonny Lee Miller
rounds out a solid cast.
Save
Digital Code and maybe the DVD, if you want to count that one, this
set has no extras.
Louis
Malle's Damage
(1992) shows the director's knack for subtle detail as a big-time
politician (Jeremy Irons) meets his son's fiancee (Juliette Binoche)
then falls for her sexually, and vice versa!
Of
course, once they start, they cannot stop and if it becomes known,
all hell will break loose. The actors are fearless and the
screenplay makes the whole affair its own kind of character study
when such scandals would have been more shocking. Sad this is now a
sort of time capsule of better times, while this is also the kind of
mature, adult cinema we do not see anymore that can deal with people
and sex. Definitely recommended.
See
more at the link below.
Giuseppe
Tornatore's Malena
(2000) helped put actress Monica Bellucci on the map as the title
character, as a woman who during WWII infatuates a young boy in a
backwards Italian town of the time. We reviewed two DVD versions of
the film many years ago at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1839/Malena+(Miramax+R1+vs.+Spectrum+R
This
is the longer-version of the film (Miramax cut it down to get a more
commercial rating at the time) and is more impactful than the edited
release, one that too few have seen, so it is a pleasure to see the
film get the respect it deserves and with a bunch of extras. It
remains one of Tornatore's best films and is very recommended.
See
more at the link below.
Zhang
Yimou's Not One Less
(1999) is a decent drama about a young woman (Wei Minzhi) ordered by
the government in her home country of China to be a substitute
teacher in a small village. Already facing hardship, it might at
least be a change of pace, but any adjustment disorder will have to
wait when one of the young boys runs off to the city. She is
determined to find him and bring him back.
A
slow-paced, gentle, quiet film, it has some nice looking shots,
pleasant moments and sad ones, but it never exceeds expectations save
that it was one of the still-rare Chinese cinema releases to make it
to the U.S. early on and had some good notice in its time. Now, it
is more of a curio and works a little more often than not. Now you
can judge for yourself.
See
more at the link below.
To
conclude, we have Marley Morrison's coming-of-age drama/comedy
Sweetheart
(2021) with a somewhat antisocial teen AJ (Nell Barlow) being pushed
to go on a vacation with her family, when she sees life-loving
bodyguard Isla (Ella-Rae Smith) swimming and standing around. A
twist for some here will be that this is a British release, so that
might make it more interesting to some just to see who this differs
from indie material in a U.S. equivalent. The cast and locales are
not bad, but we have seen most of this before, straight, gay, lesbian
or otherwise. However, the cast is good and those interested should
give it a good look.
Extras
include Cast/Crew Interviews, Emma Aikman's short film Admit
One and trailers.
Now
for playback performance. The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High
Definition image on Covenant has been styled-down to look like
other films in its genre, but is also an HD shoot that has more
softness than it ought to. The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on the included DVD is much
softer, worse and much harder to watch. Add the lossy Dolby Digital
5.1 mixdown and the DVD is additionally difficult to endure.
However, the lossless Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for
older systems) mix on the Blu-ray actually works and is default
highlight of the set, as well as the best-sounding disc here. Too
bad the film and the other technicals are lacking.
The
next three films all come from 2K scans. The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital
High Definition image transfer on
Damage
looks really good, Criterion-worthy and color-accurate. Originally
issued in Dolby's advanced, analog SR (Spectral Recording) noise
reduction system, the lossless PCM 2.0 Stereo mix has solid Pro Logic
surrounds and the film sounds really good for its age. The
combination is effective and well done.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer Malena
is solid, with the style the film has always had, but is still a
little limited in overall fidelity, while the DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless mix continues the 5.1 mixes from the previous
DVDs. However, it can show its age sound-wise and maybe it could use
some restoration work down the line, especially possibly getting the
original music masters for Morricone's score.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Not One
Less can show the age of the materials used a bit, but it is
color-accurate enough and the lossless PCM 2.0 Stereo plays just fine
for a dialogue-based film from its time.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on Sweetheart
is a bit too soft as well, despite some good color and it is a draw
sonically between its lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and lossy Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo mixes. You can only expect so much from an indie
production and in the older format.
To
order
any or all of the
Region Free Imprint/Via Vision import Blu-rays, go to these links for
more information; all with limited edition slipcases while supplies
last:
Damage
https://viavision.com.au/shop/damage-1992-imprint-collection-230/
Malena
https://viavision.com.au/shop/malena-2000-imprint-collection-227/
Not
One Less
https://viavision.com.au/shop/not-one-less-1999-imprint-collection-228/
-
Nicholas Sheffo
