Brazil
4K
(1985/Terry Gilliam/Universal/Criterion 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
w/Blu-rays)/Mickey
17 4K
(2025/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/Presence
(2024/Neon Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A-/B Picture: B/X/B Sound: B-/B+/B
Extras: A-/C+/D Films: A-/C+/C
Now
for films that take the surreal approach...
Terry
Gilliam's Brazil
4K
(1985) is a masterwork of filmmaking, one of the best films of the
1980s and now more relevant than ever, now issued by Criterion in
Ultra High Definition, simply adding a 4K disc to the set we reviewed
a while ago at this link:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12214/Beyond+The+Black+Rainbow+(2010/Magnolia/MagNet
Part
of a trilogy of sorts that also includes 12 Monkeys and Zero
Theorem, both reviewed elsewhere on this site. Some moments in
it are simply uncanny now, sadly so considering how bad some things
have become and in our senseless surrender to technology that has
gone too far, but the film is not an 'I told you so' film or simple
warning about a dystopian future, but a character study of how it
affects people and all that makes it a classic in its original cut.
Everyone is so good here too, in peak form and rare form, adding to
how well this works. On its 40th Anniversary, everyone
serious about filmmaking and films with so much to say have much to
celebrate.
Extras
repeat all the extras on the Criterion Blu-ray set, some of which are
repeated on the new 4K disc.
Bong
Joon Ho's Mickey
17 4K
(2025) is a sometimes ambitious tale of a young man (Robert
Pattinson) who decides to willing join occupation of sorts were he
will be killed and brought back to life no matter how ill-advised
that might be. A science fiction semi-comedy (satire) because of
this high concept, the screenplay is too derivative of too many other
films in the genre, plays out this concept until it is so thin it
rips like paper and never, never finds its own identity.
I
doubt that latter was the intent, though I was struck by how this
reminded me of the book and especially film Slaughterhouse
Five,
but it never adds up despite its budget, decent cast and some fairly
good moments.
Thus,
I could see why this did not do well commercially, but it might be a
cult item eventually and curiosity interest might allow it to break
even financially. Look for Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo too.
Extras
include Digital Movie Code, while
the disc adds Original Theatrical Trailers, Behind
the Lens: Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17
(11:32,) Mickey
17: A World Reimagined
(9:44) and The
Faces of Niflheim
(8:00).
Steven
Soderbergh's
Presence
(2024) is one of his recent collaborations with the highly successful
writer David Koepp, with a family moving in their property with their
personal issues, little do they know they are being watched. The
camera for pretty much the entire film is this single-camera and that
approach could work, but usually backfires. Despite some good ideas
and talent involved, it just never takes off.
Lucy
Liu leads the decent cast that includes Julia Fox and you do believe
they are a family, et al, but the film also never takes off and is
also a victim of its own repetitions. However, this too might become
a cult film and without the giant budget of a Mickey
17.
Now you can see for yourself.
There
are no extras.
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, Dolby
Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition
image on Brazil
4K is
a fine upgrade from the already solid 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High
Definition Blu-ray version of the film Criterion issued a while ago.
That disc has the same exact, quality transfer from the previous
Criterion Blu-ray and is just fine for the format, but no match for
the new 4K edition. The
same goes for the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo lossless mix on
both discs of the movie from the previous Blu-ray, with its Pro Logic
surrounds, which is about as good as this film will ever sound.
So
where the 4K disc improves is in color richness, a more solid image
presentation, more warmth, more of a natural flow and resolving some
sequences (like the fantasy flight sequence) in more palpable,
realized ways. You will be impressed.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Mickey
17 4K
is a mix of good and soft shots, partly due to the editing, also due
to the digital work and overall approach to the film, so you get a
hybrid result that is consistent, but not great or particularly
memorable. The
lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems)
soundmix fares better with the best sound design here as expected and
by default, yet nothing too memorable either. The combination is
professional, but limited.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Presence
is not bad, also issued in a 4K version we hope to catch up to later,
but the point of view approach gets played out quickly and it is only
as consistent as it is because of its director. The
Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) and DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes are about even in sonic quality
that understands the value of silences, but manages to hold a
soundfield. Otherwise, it is fine for what it is, but no standout
either.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
