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nitin · 03-27-2020, 12:31 PM

I know it’s a blu ray review thread but just consolidating some DVD watches from the last few days that I would like to see blu upgrades of:

I hope with Criterion putting out some of Noah Baumbach’s filmography that they get around to Margot at the Wedding (assuming Paramount lets them).

Even though it’s not as polished as his more recent Marriage Story, I prefer its rawness and Baumbach seems much more comfortable with letting the bitterness linger in the air, rather than cut it from becoming too uncomfortable (which I personally found Marriage Story to do quite a few times). Although that means a lot of the characters are much more unlikeable, it also means some of it is more hilarious if you like comedy that bleeds.

And there’s a scene with Nicole Kidman (absolutely superb) and John Torturro that is absolutely heartbreaking, which is quite an achievement considering that in the scene itself, Kidman’s Margot basically goes past the point of no return in terms of likeability.

Paramount’s DVD does an adequate job of conveying Harris Savides’ Rohmer/Almendros inspired cinematography but it really needs a new scan and blu treatment to properly reflected.

I assume the chance of seeing any of the Garbo silents on blu is next to negligible. Which is a bit of a shame as I recently watched The Mysterious Lady via WA’s DVD set and it’s a pretty good movie.

The plot is nothing to write home about but Garbo does well in a Mata Hari type role and the movie is well made with some good tension and moody production design. There is a lot of damage on the DVD, especially in the first 10 minutes, but after that it generally looks pretty sharp and good. A blu might be a pipe dream but it would look and sound glorious (the score on the DVD was tops).

Also checked out Drive a Crooked Road from my Columbia Noir set and it’s a pretty underrated and unheralded noir.

Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster excel in the two main roles (but the supporting cast is also well cast and performed) and the movie has a terrific buildup and one of the all time great final shots in noir. Where it falters a little and stops short of being a truly great noir is in the execution of the payoffs for the long buildup (trying to avoid spoilers).

Richard Quine’s direction is pretty solid, with great attention to character, and good use of space in his framing. It’s primarily a sunlit LA noir but when the mood gets darker in the last third, the cinematography follows suits.

Sony’s DVD looks pretty good and if the same underlying HD master is upgraded to blu, it should look even better. I was surprised it was not in the Noir Archive sets by Kit Parker so maybe Arrow have it for a release later.

03-27-2020, 12:31 PM	#6
nitin Blu-ray Knight Top contributor Member since:Feb 2010 Trading Score:9	I know it’s a blu ray review thread but just consolidating some DVD watches from the last few days that I would like to see blu upgrades of: I hope with Criterion putting out some of Noah Baumbach’s filmography that they get around to Margot at the Wedding (assuming Paramount lets them). Even though it’s not as polished as his more recent Marriage Story, I prefer its rawness and Baumbach seems much more comfortable with letting the bitterness linger in the air, rather than cut it from becoming too uncomfortable (which I personally found Marriage Story to do quite a few times). Although that means a lot of the characters are much more unlikeable, it also means some of it is more hilarious if you like comedy that bleeds. And there’s a scene with Nicole Kidman (absolutely superb) and John Torturro that is absolutely heartbreaking, which is quite an achievement considering that in the scene itself, Kidman’s Margot basically goes past the point of no return in terms of likeability. Paramount’s DVD does an adequate job of conveying Harris Savides’ Rohmer/Almendros inspired cinematography but it really needs a new scan and blu treatment to properly reflected. I assume the chance of seeing any of the Garbo silents on blu is next to negligible. Which is a bit of a shame as I recently watched The Mysterious Lady via WA’s DVD set and it’s a pretty good movie. The plot is nothing to write home about but Garbo does well in a Mata Hari type role and the movie is well made with some good tension and moody production design. There is a lot of damage on the DVD, especially in the first 10 minutes, but after that it generally looks pretty sharp and good. A blu might be a pipe dream but it would look and sound glorious (the score on the DVD was tops). Also checked out Drive a Crooked Road from my Columbia Noir set and it’s a pretty underrated and unheralded noir. Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster excel in the two main roles (but the supporting cast is also well cast and performed) and the movie has a terrific buildup and one of the all time great final shots in noir. Where it falters a little and stops short of being a truly great noir is in the execution of the payoffs for the long buildup (trying to avoid spoilers). Richard Quine’s direction is pretty solid, with great attention to character, and good use of space in his framing. It’s primarily a sunlit LA noir but when the mood gets darker in the last third, the cinematography follows suits. Sony’s DVD looks pretty good and if the same underlying HD master is upgraded to blu, it should look even better. I was surprised it was not in the Noir Archive sets by Kit Parker so maybe Arrow have it for a release later.