Randy Walters
2007-10-24 02:04:28 UTC
It's Tuesday night, October 23, and I just finished watching the
Blu-ray release of "2001" on my 108" Sony 1080p projection system.
What a banquet. What a transfer. What a movie, what a master of cinema.
I know, you're thinking "what a crock", and I deserve it, I guess...
I'm just stunned, which is pretty remarkable for a film I've seen many
dozens of times.
Before I go on, I've got to get something out of the way... I just
reviewed the thread "The Stanley Kubrick Collection on HD", and one
person was glibly posting repeatedly as if he was an oracle on the
subject of HD...
I don't like to get into name calling, and ragging on other posters,
but when I read a statement like
"I'm not saying you can't see a difference, I am saying the difference
does not warrant the hype and expectation and if I want the best
picture of all I can watch a Blueray DVD on my computer with the 27"
monitor."
I've just got to cry bullshit. What a load of tripe. This individual
clearly has no experience with a well calibrated high-end system, which
can truly rival the cinema experience - though of course, you still
can't beat that curved Cinerama screen I first experienced the movie on
nearly 40 years ago.
To claim that you're going to get "the best picture of all" sitting
hunched in front of your computer monitor is just daft.
*******
All right, sorry for the negativity.
Since I haven't watched the extras yet (I can't wait!) all I can talk
about is the film itself. The transfer is masterful, revealing things
I've never seen in all the times I've watched "2001" in theaters. Great
saturation, tremendous luminosity, and rich, deep blacks - never milky,
and I never saw any traveling mattes like those painfully apparent in
"Star Wars" transfers.
The level of detail is stunning - I repeatedly paused the disc to get
up and read the tiny little bits of text detail I've never been able to
make out before. I found some amazing things, including the occasional
sly joke hidden in plain sight.
Sometimes, the level of detail revealed flaws - I was astonished to
find that I could actually see strokes left from paint rollers
spreading reflective material on the front-projection screen in the
"Dawn of Man" sequence. Again, I paused the disc and checked to make
sure I wasn't seeing dust smears on my own screen!
I had the uncompressed PCM audio cranked, and it was fantastic. The
slit-scan sequence came alive, without a scratch or fleck of dust...
the best I've seen it since that first showing decades ago.
I know I'm sounding uncritical, like a real fanboy... well, guilty as
charged. Those responsible for this transfer really did a fantastic job
with the most challenging of material, and I can't wait to see the
other new releases. I sincerely hope the same artists can soon bring
their talents to "Barry Lyndon".
To SK's family, friends and associates, I offer my sincere
congratulations on this milestone release of his work. I believe that
while he would certainly prefer his work be seen in a theater, he would
be pleased that individuals now have the opportunity to study his work
at such a high level of quality in their own homes.
And I'm sorry for blowing off steam earlier. After the experience I had
just enjoyed with HD, the level of misinformation really rubbed me the
wrong way.
Blu-ray release of "2001" on my 108" Sony 1080p projection system.
What a banquet. What a transfer. What a movie, what a master of cinema.
I know, you're thinking "what a crock", and I deserve it, I guess...
I'm just stunned, which is pretty remarkable for a film I've seen many
dozens of times.
Before I go on, I've got to get something out of the way... I just
reviewed the thread "The Stanley Kubrick Collection on HD", and one
person was glibly posting repeatedly as if he was an oracle on the
subject of HD...
I don't like to get into name calling, and ragging on other posters,
but when I read a statement like
"I'm not saying you can't see a difference, I am saying the difference
does not warrant the hype and expectation and if I want the best
picture of all I can watch a Blueray DVD on my computer with the 27"
monitor."
I've just got to cry bullshit. What a load of tripe. This individual
clearly has no experience with a well calibrated high-end system, which
can truly rival the cinema experience - though of course, you still
can't beat that curved Cinerama screen I first experienced the movie on
nearly 40 years ago.
To claim that you're going to get "the best picture of all" sitting
hunched in front of your computer monitor is just daft.
*******
All right, sorry for the negativity.
Since I haven't watched the extras yet (I can't wait!) all I can talk
about is the film itself. The transfer is masterful, revealing things
I've never seen in all the times I've watched "2001" in theaters. Great
saturation, tremendous luminosity, and rich, deep blacks - never milky,
and I never saw any traveling mattes like those painfully apparent in
"Star Wars" transfers.
The level of detail is stunning - I repeatedly paused the disc to get
up and read the tiny little bits of text detail I've never been able to
make out before. I found some amazing things, including the occasional
sly joke hidden in plain sight.
Sometimes, the level of detail revealed flaws - I was astonished to
find that I could actually see strokes left from paint rollers
spreading reflective material on the front-projection screen in the
"Dawn of Man" sequence. Again, I paused the disc and checked to make
sure I wasn't seeing dust smears on my own screen!
I had the uncompressed PCM audio cranked, and it was fantastic. The
slit-scan sequence came alive, without a scratch or fleck of dust...
the best I've seen it since that first showing decades ago.
I know I'm sounding uncritical, like a real fanboy... well, guilty as
charged. Those responsible for this transfer really did a fantastic job
with the most challenging of material, and I can't wait to see the
other new releases. I sincerely hope the same artists can soon bring
their talents to "Barry Lyndon".
To SK's family, friends and associates, I offer my sincere
congratulations on this milestone release of his work. I believe that
while he would certainly prefer his work be seen in a theater, he would
be pleased that individuals now have the opportunity to study his work
at such a high level of quality in their own homes.
And I'm sorry for blowing off steam earlier. After the experience I had
just enjoyed with HD, the level of misinformation really rubbed me the
wrong way.