Darkness - 2002 Anna Paquin July 10 Review

[Bad Sandwich]

Originally Posted by psicon

It's the same. The10.5gb was based on binary instead of decimal.

The standalone has MA 2.0 and DD 5.1

Oh ok, thanks for the clarification. Maybe it's just me but I think I prefer the look of those EB single release caps to the Filmax? With EB you get crushed blacks (arguably stylistically preferable for this flick), but with the Filmax you get blooming whites/lights, which tends to annoy me even more than black crush. I just find the color scheme and balance of the EB more appropriate overall, I guess. And I suspect the Filmax has a higher bitrate, but it doesn't seem to manifest as better detail or compression. It just feels surreal to actually be declaring a preference for an EB release over something else. I think I need to go lay down a little while.

[psicon]

Originally Posted by mredman

is it region free?

Nope. Just checked and it will not load up when set to b, when set to c the feature loads but when you try to get to the menu it gives you the region a locked screen.

Originally Posted by Bad Sandwich

Oh ok, thanks for the clarification. Maybe it's just me but I think I prefer the look of those EB single release caps to the Filmax? With EB you get crushed blacks (arguably stylistically preferable for this flick), but with the Filmax you get blooming whites/lights, which tends to annoy me even more than black crush. I just find the color scheme and balance of the EB more appropriate overall, I guess. And I suspect the Filmax has a higher bitrate, but it doesn't seem to manifest as better detail or compression. It just feels surreal to actually be declaring a preference for an EB release over something else. I think I need to go lay down a little while.

I haven't watched the EB one through, but it definitely looks preferable to the Spanish release in the few minutes i compared. The boosted contrast (?) obscures detail. This is fiery noticeable in the screens with Paquin standing at the front of the house.
The Spanish release does have a higher bitrate (i forget what, but the file size is 7 or 8gb higher that the new EB if i recall correctly )

[Omen2002]

Originally Posted by Undeadcow

Darkness is under rated, it's not perfect but there's good tension and it doesn't pull any punches. There some creepy imagery and it's an atmospheric film. I enjoyed it theatrically on release and several times on DVD. Especially for $5.99 you can't go wrong.

Originally Posted by DoubleDownAgain

Agreed, I saw it on DVD without knowing much about it and thought it was a decent watch.

Agreed! I didn't see it in the theater, but on DVD and I'll definitely buy the Blu-Ray. To me, the EB single disc looks the best.. surprisingly. But way to go EB. It wasn't long ago when I thought I'd never buy one of their releases.

[Uncontrol]

Wow from those caps it looks like the Echo Bridge title has the superior transfer by a landslide.

I feel like my eyes are deceiving me or something

[Veronica Mars]

This has a metacritic score of 15. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a number that low. Granted, it's not go a lot of reviews, but only the Christian Science Monitor thought it was good. EVERYONE else called the film garbage.

I'm picking up another one of Paquin's film that was in limbo, Margaret, so I'm going to pass on this one.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by Veronica Mars

This has a metacritic score of 15. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a number that low. Granted, it's not go a lot of reviews, but only the Christian Science Monitor thought it was good. EVERYONE else called the film garbage.

I'm picking up another one of Paquin's film that was in limbo, Margaret, so I'm going to pass on this one.

It's not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, even to devoted horror fans.

[Omen2002]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

It's not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, even to devoted horror fans.

I'm a devoted horror fan and I have to disagree. I think it's a decent film and I love the ending.

I think the only issue I ever had with the movie really was

[Show spoiler]Regina finishes tearing up the floor to reveal that sacrificial circle thing and when the rest of the family comes home, they stay there and act like nothing is wrong, odd, etc.

Now that could be due to the editing the film had before it had its theatrical release and maybe a key bit was cut out. But I'd assume that was added back in for the unrated version. Maybe they just goofed. I don't know. Still an enjoyable, creepy movie.

The PQ of the Blu-Ray was quite a surprise. It looked really good. AQ I can't comment on because I was only listening to the tv speakers. But that sounded fine. If you're a fan of the movie, don't hesitate to pick up the Blu-Ray, specially since it's $5.99 at Best Buy.

[Undeadcow]

Darkness is not an unheralded hidden gem but short of The Orphanage or The Innkeepers there have not been many good "haunted house" standouts in recent years. For me ultimately Darkness is a satisfying movie well worth $5.99 for high definition audio/video experience.

The over use of "darkness" in building suspense is hamfisted, some of the effects seemed dated even on release, at least one pivotal plot point is unbelievable even by horror standards, and some elements are unoriginal. ...However the 4% score on rottentomatoes.com and general low ratings surprise me because Darkness is not without it's merits. Darkness emphasizes atmospheric slow tension rare in many modern films and builds to an interesting conclusion. There is some genuinely creepy imagery that stuck with me.

[WoodyO]

Found about 20 copies at Fry's over the weekend for $5.00, so I grabbed this and went to stand in line.

The guy at the register couldn't ring it up, so he got his manager who had him call back the the video department. They told him the SKU hadn't been entered yet and he couldn't sell it to me.

I had a couple other discs that I was buying, but if I had stood in Fry's stupid line for just this title, then been rejected I probably would have thrown a massive shit-fit.

[dullboy]

Originally Posted by WoodyO

Found about 20 copies at Fry's over the weekend for $5.00, so I grabbed this and went to stand in line.

The guy at the register couldn't ring it up, so he got his manager who had him call back the the video department. They told him the SKU hadn't been entered yet and he couldn't sell it to me.

I had a couple other discs that I was buying, but if I had stood in Fry's stupid line for just this title, then been rejected I probably would have thrown a massive shit-fit.

That's what happened to me. They need to pull that shit from the shelves if they're not gonna sell it yet.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by psicon

It's the unrated cut and the correct aspect ratio. For sound it has DTS HD MA 2.0 and Dolby Digital 5.1

It's unfortunate that EB went with their standard DTS HD MA 2.0 track when the spanish release has a DTS HD MA 5.1 track.

EDIT: Wow, EB is a slacker given that the Masters of Terror Six Pack included a DTS HD MA 5.1 track for Darkness. EB you need to learn to pull your head out of your you know where and give your releases what they deserve.

[remake]

Terrible movie.

[rdodolak]

                                                                                                                Total   Video                                             
Title                                                           Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                          Secondary Audio Track
-----                                                           ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                        ---------------------
00003.MPLS                                                      AVC     1:42:31 20,971,929,600  21,868,834,930  27.28   20.96   DTS-HD Master 2.0 2084Kbps (48kHz/24-bit) DD AC3 5.1 448Kbps

DISC INFO:
 
Disc Title:     DARKNESS
Disc Size:      21,868,834,930 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        No
BDInfo:         0.5.8
 
PLAYLIST REPORT:
 
Name:                   00003.MPLS
Length:                 1:42:31.019 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   20,971,929,600 bytes
Total Bitrate:          27.28 Mbps
 
VIDEO:
 
Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        20960 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
 
AUDIO:
 
Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
DTS-HD Master Audio             English         2084 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 2084 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio             English         448 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -4dB
DTS-HD Master Audio             Spanish         1697 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 1697 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio             French          384 kbps        5.1 / 48 kHz / 384 kbps / DN -4dB
 
FILES:
 
Name            Time In         Length          Size            Total Bitrate   
----            -------         ------          ----            -------------   
00004.M2TS      0:00:00.000     1:42:31.019     20,971,929,600  27,276          
CHAPTERS:
Number          Time In         Length          Avg Video Rate  Max 1-Sec Rate  Max 1-Sec Time  Max 5-Sec Rate  Max 5-Sec Time  Max 10Sec Rate  Max 10Sec Time  Avg Frame Size  Max Frame Size  Max Frame Time  
------          -------         ------          --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  
1               0:00:00.000     0:09:37.660     24,931 kbps     46,232 kbps     00:06:14.123    43,386 kbps     00:06:13.706    40,206 kbps     00:06:13.706    129,970 bytes   702,629 bytes   00:01:36.012    
2               0:09:37.660     0:05:45.720     22,102 kbps     55,735 kbps     00:11:29.438    42,743 kbps     00:11:28.813    36,540 kbps     00:11:28.813    115,228 bytes   494,552 bytes   00:11:29.855    
3               0:15:23.380     0:08:18.498     18,533 kbps     38,787 kbps     00:23:16.561    35,575 kbps     00:16:03.295    35,218 kbps     00:16:00.000    96,621 bytes    424,595 bytes   00:15:28.969    
4               0:23:41.878     0:06:02.361     24,892 kbps     39,152 kbps     00:25:34.866    34,717 kbps     00:25:34.866    34,103 kbps     00:27:25.477    129,774 bytes   438,066 bytes   00:25:41.957    
5               0:29:44.240     0:07:15.268     25,011 kbps     43,750 kbps     00:32:02.503    39,854 kbps     00:34:28.983    38,087 kbps     00:34:24.062    130,397 bytes   475,600 bytes   00:32:38.498    
6               0:36:59.508     0:07:49.802     23,830 kbps     46,331 kbps     00:43:06.750    40,406 kbps     00:43:02.997    38,230 kbps     00:42:58.617    124,237 bytes   549,946 bytes   00:41:34.408    
7               0:44:49.311     0:03:24.579     20,469 kbps     39,926 kbps     00:47:09.785    37,237 kbps     00:47:07.699    35,015 kbps     00:47:55.956    106,715 bytes   390,769 bytes   00:47:06.573    
8               0:48:13.891     0:06:39.023     22,606 kbps     35,009 kbps     00:51:45.602    33,909 kbps     00:51:45.477    32,457 kbps     00:51:43.475    117,856 bytes   445,441 bytes   00:52:25.725    
9               0:54:52.914     0:07:33.286     17,530 kbps     30,485 kbps     00:58:07.609    27,710 kbps     00:57:43.626    26,967 kbps     00:59:50.878    91,392 bytes    476,115 bytes   00:59:48.626    
10              1:02:26.200     0:03:35.757     27,556 kbps     49,497 kbps     01:05:54.867    43,145 kbps     01:05:54.867    36,573 kbps     01:05:51.948    143,667 bytes   538,259 bytes   01:03:25.134    
11              1:06:01.958     0:06:10.995     21,047 kbps     40,708 kbps     01:06:22.144    36,585 kbps     01:08:04.330    35,124 kbps     01:06:06.379    109,730 bytes   500,473 bytes   01:07:46.228    
12              1:12:12.953     0:05:01.801     20,249 kbps     52,373 kbps     01:16:07.187    30,798 kbps     01:15:21.642    27,218 kbps     01:15:21.517    105,571 bytes   626,288 bytes   01:16:07.688    
13              1:17:14.755     0:08:24.003     22,679 kbps     43,049 kbps     01:23:53.528    33,717 kbps     01:23:50.066    32,213 kbps     01:23:36.594    118,235 bytes   459,952 bytes   01:17:36.652    
14              1:25:38.758     0:06:17.752     19,803 kbps     38,203 kbps     01:29:27.487    34,685 kbps     01:26:37.734    33,240 kbps     01:26:33.479    103,243 bytes   380,228 bytes   01:27:50.890    
15              1:31:56.511     0:10:34.508     10,426 kbps     36,551 kbps     01:33:27.977    26,392 kbps     01:36:54.892    25,337 kbps     01:36:27.281    54,361 bytes    473,159 bytes   01:36:19.231    
 
STREAM DIAGNOSTICS:
 
File            PID             Type            Codec           Language                Seconds                 Bitrate                 Bytes           Packets         
----            ---             ----            -----           --------                --------------          --------------          -------------   -----           
00004.M2TS      4113 (0x1011)   0x1B            AVC                                     6150.936                20,961                  16,115,996,149  87,672,532      
00004.M2TS      4352 (0x1100)   0x86            DTS-HD MA       eng (English)           6150.936                2,084                   1,602,607,128   9,688,457       
00004.M2TS      4353 (0x1101)   0x81            AC3             eng (English)           6150.936                447                     343,669,760     1,917,800       
00004.M2TS      4354 (0x1102)   0x86            DTS-HD MA       spa (Spanish)           6150.936                1,697                   1,304,408,184   8,017,911       
00004.M2TS      4355 (0x1103)   0x81            AC3             fra (French)            6150.936                383                     294,574,080     1,726,020

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by victim

Terrible movie.

Indeed.

[Omen2002]

Originally Posted by victim

Terrible movie.

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Indeed.

Too bad neither of you list your Blu-Ray's so we can see what 'bad' films you own.

[remake]

Originally Posted by Omen2002

Too bad neither of you list your Blu-Ray's so we can see what 'bad' films you own.

That's EXACTLY why we don't have our lists up.

[Omen2002]

Originally Posted by victim

That's EXACTLY why we don't have our lists up.

At least you're honest.

[DoubleDownAgain]

Originally Posted by Omen2002

Too bad neither of you list your Blu-Ray's so we can see what 'bad' films you own.

+1 I've seen plenty of 'horrible' movies.. and this wasn't one of tem

[Chloenator]

I just ordered this from Frys.com for $5.00 and shipping was free! I always loved this movie! Anna Paquin is awesome!

Originally Posted by victim

That's EXACTLY why we don't have our lists up.

You should make your list public. I wanna see what movies you have. Why do you care what people think of your collection? It is YOUR collection and noone else's. I don't care if people think some of the movies I own suck. They're not the ones watching them.

[MikeScott]

Can't say I cared for this one, but I enjoyed They and Cursed so what do I know?