IMAX/Image Entertainment Blu-ray/DVD Wave: Grand
Canyon Adventure (2008/Blu-ray +
DVD)/Hurricane On The Bayou (2006/Blu-ray)/Amazon (1997/DVD with WHM HD disc)/The Magic Of Flight (1996/DVD)
Picture: B+/B-/B/B-/C+/B/B-/C+ Sound: B+ Canyon/B (the rest)
Extras: C+/C+/C/B- Films: B-
Image
Entertainment continues to issue IMAX films old and new on Blu-ray and
DVD. Though we were not able to grab
every release they have issued lately, the latest choices are all good films
and it is great to catch up with them, or revisit them in some cases.
Grand Canyon Adventure (2008) was originally issued in
3-D, but these editions sadly do not include that option. Narrated by Robert Redford with others who
appear on screen joining in, it tells how water is being depleted from the area
in a way that would have been unthinkable not that long ago. At 45 minutes, it is rich, beautiful,
engaging, often incredible and its arguments (scientific and otherwise) are
pretty full proof, sound and valid. It
succeeds in making the big statement about how bad things are and is a must-see
IMAX film for all. The Blu-ray’s 1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is often stunning, with plenty of demo
moments and especially when you add the terrific DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
lossless 5.1 mix, this is a state-of-the-art sound mix (including The Dave
Matthews Band) that is a must-own for all serious Blu-ray fans and home theater
systems. The anamorphically enhanced DVD
is not bad, nor it its regular DTS 5.1 mix.
Released in the Sonics-DDP sound format, it is amazing and the best
performer on the list.
Hurricane On The Bayou (2006) is about the disaster of
Hurricane Katrina made worse by inaction by the Bush Administration, but this
film is more interested in showing the side of the culture there and lost in
the storm, as well as the damage, along with its relation to manmade
environmental flux. Meryl Streep
narrates and music sampled comes from artists like Allen Toussaint. The Blu-ray’s 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High
Definition image is really good, but sometimes detail is not where I would have
liked it, but you still get demo moments just the same. The DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) lossless 5.1 mix is also from a Sonics-DDP sound format mix, but is not
always as lively as it could be. At its
best, it can have its moments, but sometimes in fairness to it, it has to be
quiet in nature.
Amazon (1997) includes a bonus disc to
play High Definition on your computer via WMV HD format Microsoft was peddling
before Blu-ray was settled upon. Not as
good as Blu-ray, it still looks better than the anamorphically enhanced regular
DVD, but it is a DVD-ROM that cannot offer the MBPS of a Blu-ray, so it is
amusing to see. The film itself is
really good and has this amazing footage from the Amazon jungle and rainforests
there, telling us about the lands and more.
Linda Hunt does a fine narration job and the regular DTS 5.1 mix is rich
and good. This also happens to have been
a Sonics-DDP sound format release and I hope to see a Blu-ray version down the
line.
The Magic Of Flight (1996) is another release we only
received on DVD, but without a separate Blu-ray and there is not a WHV disc
either. However, this film on The Blue
Angels flying team is narrated nicely by Tom Selleck and traces the earliest
days of flight before going into the amazing fighters that the best pilots in
the world control. In this large-frame
format footage, it is stunning. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is as good as it is going to be for this
format, while its regular DTS 5.1 mix has punch, even though it is not a release
in the Sonics-DDP sound format, but older Sonix format. Still, I liked it.
The DVDs
offer alternate 1.33 X 1 images, but instead of offering the full IMAX frame,
they are actually squares taken out of the 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 frame and are
quickly dismissible. Extras in all
formats include trailers for other IMAX releases, quizzes and text on the
makers and productions. All but Amazon have making of documentaries as
well.
For more
IMAX Blu-rays, start with these links:
Super Speedway
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8441/Super+Speedway+%E2%80%93+The+
Fighter Pilot
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7989/Fighter+Pilot+%E2%80%93+Ope
- Nicholas Sheffo
