Chocolate
(2008/Magnolia/MagNet/Blu-ray)
Picture: B-/C Sound: B/B- Extras: C- Film: C
We have had
one too many films called Chocolate
(counting different spellings or not) and none really are about the subject,
yet here is another one and this time, it is from Protector and Ong-Bak
Director Prachya Pinkaew. In this tale, a
newly motherless woman finds out her mother was owed a bit of money by others
who thought they would not have to pay.
Now, she is going to collect and here comes the parade of martial arts.
The
fighting is the only thing to barely recommend here and though there is an
attempt to tell a story, it is a formulaic one, even when it is told with some
ambition. At 92 minutes, it almost knows
how to quit while it is ahead, but unless you like this kind of storytelling
(complete with a Japanese Yakuza organized crime angle) then you might just
pass.
The 1.78
X 1 1080p digital High Definition image was shot in digital High Definition
video and has noise in spaces it should not.
The anamorphically enhanced DVD is even poorer, making both versions
difficult to watch. The DTS HD Master
Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 mix exclusive to the Blu-ray is better than the Dolby
Digital Thai 5.1 on both releases, but there is nothing special about it either
and it can be harsh on the edges at times.
The only extra is a making of featurette.
- Nicholas Sheffo
