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Review: Downton Abbey: A New Era

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Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

review | Downton Abbey: A New Era

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The second—and possibly final—film based on the series might be overripe with characters and twists but still adds up to a satisfying whole 

by John Sciacca
July 5, 2022

Full disclosure: I have no interest in Downton Abbey. I never even watched a single episode from the six-season run on PBS or saw the self-titled film from 2019. My wife, Dana, however, is a huge Downton fan. And she was all set to dress up in era-appropriate attire and go to a viewing party of A New Era with a group of girlfriends that had rented out a local theater for the event when I brought COVID home from work, and then promptly infected the entire family. So when the film became available in 4K HDR from Kaleidescape, it felt like downloading it and watching with her was the least thing I could do.

Since I was totally out of my element, I asked Dana to offer some commentary and context to the movie, though after about 30 minutes of “Who’s this?” and “Why are they important?” and “Are they related?” she grew weary of my company and said I just needed to keep quiet and try to keep up. To the uninitiated, A New Era is a crash course in learning about the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era and their doings at the family’s Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey. There are loads of characters and seasons’ worth of backstory and complex relationships, and jumping in is just a bit less complicated than keeping up with the families and backstabbing among the family houses of Game of Thrones—but with none of GoT’s sex, violence, (literal) backstabbing, or dragons. 

A couple of years have passed since the events of 2019’s film, and the Crawleys are getting ready to head into the 1930s. There are essentially three separate stories going on, and it feels like there’s a lot of jumping and cutting back and forth between the different subplots. I imagine some of this is fan service, as it’s difficult to give a cast this large any meaningful screen time, even with Era’s 124-minute runtime, and trying to give the major characters something interesting and compelling to do. Even so, Dana complained that many of the servants don’t play as big a role, Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) and Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) are barely in the movie, and Lady Mary’s (Michelle Dockery) husband, Henry Talbot, is completely absent.

The film opens with Tom Branson (Allen Leech) marrying Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton), which I gather from Dana is a relationship fans have been following. This also blossoms into the big subplot of why a villa in the south of France has been mysteriously willed to Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) by the recently deceased Marquis de Montmirail. Violet is the Dowager Countess of Grantham, which basically means she doesn’t own the mansion but kind of runs the show and everyone walks around in fear of her. (My six-year-old asked, “Is the she Queen?”) Dana was happy Violet is back after hinting at a serious illness in the last movie. The Dowager intends to leave this villa to her great-granddaughter, Sybbie (Fifi Hart), who is Tom’s daughter from his marriage to Sybil Crawley. To get to the bottom of this “Why did the Marquis leave you his villa?” intrigue, Lord Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and his wife Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), along with ex-butler/faithful manservant Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and others travel to the villa.

The second plot involves a crew coming to shoot a silent film at Downton, the income from which will help pay for upkeep of the house and cover replacing the abbey’s leaking roof. This gives the film an opportunity to introduce new characters and relationships, including director Jack Barker (Hugh Dancy), and stars Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and Myrna Dalgeish (Laura Haddock). Lady Mary stays behind to deal with the production, and Downton’s “new” butler Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier) must attend to the staff and juggle the demands of the cast. Oh, and adding to the drama, the production company wants to pull the plug because silent films aren’t making money any longer and they only want to fund talking pictures. 

There’s a third story about another couple—Andy (Michael Fox) and Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera)—and a family house or something that honestly didn’t seem really important. But, if you’re a Downton fan, I’m sure you’ll pick right up on it, and Dana commented she liked that they were happily together.  Ultimately, Dana felt there were too many little plot twists, and that they tried to cram too much in, give everyone happy endings, and tie up loose strings in case this is the last movie.

The technical specs say New Era was shot on Sony CineAlta Venice 6K cameras, with no listing of the resolution of the digital intermediate for the 4K HDR transfer. I found the picture quality to be mostly terrific, especially in closeups or long establishing shots. During the opening scenes both inside and outside the wedding, faces are held in clear, sharp focus as the camera pans through the pews of attendees and crowds. Outdoor scenes look lovely, especially the beautiful exterior shots in the south of France, with white walls, emerald-green grass, vibrant blue waters and skies, and colorful boats and walls. Some long establishing shots either of castles or groups of people had great depth of field and focus, letting you see nearly every leaf and branch on a tree, but when the focus changed to a foreground character it could turn the background to mush.

With the enhanced sharpness, clarity, and resolution, it has never been easier to appreciate the fabrics and finery of the set dressing. You can really see the rich interiors of the mansion and practically feel the sumptuous fabrics and textures on clothing and furniture. Closeups reveal the intricate detail of wood carvings and stonework or the fine checks, tweeds, plaids, and patterns in clothing. 

The HDR grade certainly isn’t aggressive but designed to give images a natural, lifelike quality. There are some nice interior scenes with deep shadows from lamps or the glow of lights from under shades, and some extra pop to the gleaming whites of men’s shirts, vests, and bowties.

While the Kaleidescape download includes a lossless Dolby TrueHD Atmos soundtrack, don’t expect this to be a title you queue up to wow guests. Much of the sound is restricted to the center channel with a bit of left/right spread, with the surround channels used sparingly and mainly reserved for bits of outdoor atmospherics like the twittering of birds, rustling of wind, and far-off voices in crowds. The score is also spread out beyond the front channels, expanding the soundstage. There was a scene with some background rain and thunder with rain pattering down overhead that actually engaged the height channels, but suffice to say, this isn’t the stuff of sonic demos. Downton is primarily a dialogue-driven film, and fortunately the speaking is clear and anchored to the center channel, though it can be a tad forward-sounding at times. 

Honestly, even though the plot didn’t do much for me as a non fan, Downton was beautiful to watch and appreciate for all the attention that went into crafting its look. Also, I know this is a series my wife likes to revisit, so having it available in our library at best quality means it will likely get a rewatch or two.

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

PICTURE | The picture quality is mostly terrific, especially in closeups or long establishing shots, with the HDR grade designed to give images a natural, lifelike quality

SOUND | The Atmos mix is restricted to the center channel with a bit of left/right spread, with the surround channels used sparingly, mainly for bits of outdoor atmospherics

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Review: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey (2019)

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The popular PBS series translates well to the bigger screen in this stunning 4K HDR transfer

by Dennis Burger
November 27, 2019

Home cinema fans are increasingly being presented with something of a dilemma: Buy into the digital home video release of a film a few weeks early and miss out on some enticing bonus features or wait  and buy the full-fledged disc release, complete with all of the supplemental trappings but yet another damned box to clog our shelves. 

In the case of Downton Abbey—the big-screen continuation of the smash-hit ITV/PBS soap opera about the decline of the aristocracy in post-Edwardian England—the calculus gets a little more complicated. While it’s true the disc slated for release on December 17 promises to deliver all manner of goodies—from cast interviews to documentaries to deleted scenes to an audio commentary by director Michael Engler—that release will be limited to Blu-ray quality at best. The Kaleidescape release, like all the other digital releases aside from iTunes, presents the film completely devoid of extras, but does come home by way of a 4K HDR transfer.

So, do you go for the best presentation of the film now or do you wait for a lesser presentation that’s backed up by some significant behind-the-scenes insight? (Or, for you Apple TV owners, do you opt for the feature-packed download?) 

I can’t answer that question for you, but what I can say is that Kaleidescape’s presentation of this delightful little film is simply stunning. I saw Downton Abbey twice in local cinemas, both times in BigD (a competitor of sorts to IMAX that focuses more on wide-aspect-ratio films) and neither of those experiences came close to the sheer visual splendor of the Kaleidescape download.

That is largely due to the fantastic (although subtle) use of high dynamic range, which gives the image more pop, depth, and sparkle when such is called for. The cinematography of Downton Abbey was always one of its most undeniable strengths on the small screen, and this big-screen continuation doesn’t stray far from the style of the series. But Kaleidescape’s presentation does make me wish someone would go back and do an HDR grade for all six seasons. 

One substantial way the look of the film differs from the series, aside from the HDR, is its aspect ratio. While the show was framed for 16:9 TVs, the film is presented in 2.39:1, and this does make a substantial difference in how things are framed. Wider, longer shots of the estate and the adjacent village plant Downton Abbey more firmly in its geographical surroundings. Dinners, of which there are of course plenty, also feel quite different in the movie as compared with the series. With a wider canvas to play with, cinematographer Ben Smithard manages to make each table feel like a continent instead of a collection of loosely interconnected islands. 

I can’t say for certain whether this transfer was taken from a 4K digital intermediate, but I have to imagine it was, as it wants for nothing in terms of detail. I can, on the other hand, say for certain that it was shot digitally on Sony Venice cameras, which are capable of capturing images at up to 6K resolution in 2.39:1. Forget the pixel count, though. What matters is that Downton looks better than ever here, in terms of sharpness, shadow detail, depth of field, contrast, and color. The largely brown-and-grey palette, punctuated by golds, reds, oranges, and lavenders throughout, is delivered with all the lushness and warmth it deserves, and skin tones are spot on.

It should come as no surprise that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a largely front-focused affair, although it does lean on the surround channels a good bit to accentuate John Lunn’s iconic and familiar score. Aside from that, the surround soundstage does come into play occasionally to accentuate ambience, be it the chirping of birds or the exuberant crowds at the royal parade; but by and large you won’t be pulling this one out to blow anyone’s hair back or shake their britches legs. For the most part, this is a dialogue-and-music-driven mix, and the lossless 5.1 track renders it with wonderful clarity and richness. 

It should probably go without saying that the Downton Abbey film is primarily aimed at those who are already smitten with the characters and locations (which are, in some respects, characters in and of themselves). In many ways, it feels like a Christmas special for a seventh season that never existed. (For the uninitiated: Each season for Downton Abbey since Season Two was bookended by a made-for-TV movie with a bigger budget and longer running time, broadcast on Christmas Day in the U.K. and presented as a special season finale when each year’s crop of episodes was broadcast a few months later here in the Colonies.)

I can’t see the film through anything other than the eyes of a longtime devotee, but I have to imagine those who haven’t seen the series will be a little confused by stray references to characters who aren’t introduced and relationships that aren’t spelled out for new viewers. Of course, little of this is essential to understanding the plot of the film, which is pretty self-explanatory. The King and Queen are coming to Downton, and everyone is all aflutter. Who forgot to polish the silver? Who’s responsible for cooking the big dinner? Who’s going to be whose heir? What personal tragedy will befall poor Lady Edith this time?

The magic of Downton Abbey (as both a series and film) is that, like the best of the Merchant Ivory catalog it so evokes, it manages to make such low-stakes controversies seem like a Big Deal. And the details of the plot are, as always, secondary to the wonderful character interactions and performances, especially from Dame Maggie Smith, who seems bound and determined to make this, likely her last turn as the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the performance of her life. 

Thematically speaking, the screenplay by showrunner Julian Fellowes does tinker with the Downton formula a bit. The series has always ultimately been about the conflicting forces of progress and tradition, and that remains true here. As always, this struggle is presented without a thumb on the scales, and those two opposing points of view don’t split across upstairs/downstairs lines as you might expect. There are agents of progress both in service and in the aristocracy, and bastions of tradition above and below the main floor. What makes the movie a bit of cheeky fun is that Fellowes pushes many of the characters into positions of role reversal, with traditionalists defending a bit of change and change-seekers going to bat for the way things have always been done, right and proper. 

When you get right down to it, the Downton Abbey film feels like returning home for a big holiday dinner. If you’re part of the family, it can be a wonderful exercise that recharges the soul. If you’re new to the family, you can feel a little awkward and out of sorts. In this case, though, the family happens to be so delightful that many a newcomer (if they bother to watch this film at all) will be drawn in enough to explore the entire run of the show, if only to have a better understanding of the relationships at the heart of this wonderful little melodrama. 

Dennis Burger is an avid Star Wars scholar, Tolkien fanatic, and Corvette enthusiast who somehow also manages to find time for technological passions including high-end audio, home automation, and video gaming. He lives in the armpit of Alabama with his wife Bethany and their four-legged child Bruno, a 75-pound American Staffordshire Terrier who thinks he’s a Pomeranian.

PICTURE |  Kaleidescape’s presentation is stunning due to the fantastic (although subtle) use of high dynamic range, which gives the images appropriate pop, depth, and sparkle

SOUND | The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is largely front focused, although it does lean on the surround channels to accentuate John Lunn’s iconic and familiar score

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Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange (2022)

review | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

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Not the best entry in the MCU but certainly not the worst, Strange makes for a diverting, visually and sonically engaging experience

by John Sciacca
June 24, 2022

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the 34th entry in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe—including series like Loki and Hawkeye on Disney+—with No.  35, Thor: Love and Thunder, set to be the next big release just two weeks from now on July 7. And at this point in the MCU, you’re probably either all in or over it. But, if you happen to be in the middle ground of “take it or leave it” when it comes to superhero fare, read on to see if Multiverse is worth your time.

Sam Raimi is an interesting choice as director. While he certainly has experience with the superhero genre, having directed the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy (not part of the MCU, though that is possibly debatable after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home), he also has a strong horror background with a zombie penchant on his résumé, including The Evil Dead 1 and 2, Army of Darkness, and Drag Me to Hell. You can clearly see Raimi leaning into the more frightening and horror elements of Multiverse as the film has an overall dark and sinister tone, with parts feeling like the classic “being chased by an unstoppable monster” horror trope and one very literal zombie. In my review notes, I wrote, “This is less superhero and more supernatural,” so keep that in mind if you have younger or sensitive viewers in your home. 

The last time we saw Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) was in No Way Home, where he played a fairly significant role. That film certainly introduced us to the concept of the multiverse, opening portals, and traveling between them, and it seemed like it would be a perfect springboard for Multiverse’s plot to leap from, But there in no strong connection to Home and only passing mentions of Spidey. Of course, Thanos’ “snap” from Avengers: Infinity War continues to resonate through the films that have followed and it’s referenced again here, as are other Avengers, helping to make Multiverse feel like part of the bigger story. 

While this film can be viewed on its own, getting the most out of it requires some basic knowledge of the MCU. But if you don’t have the time to go back and watch hundreds of hours to catch up, I’ve got you covered. Naturally, the best prep would be to watch Doctor Strange (2016), which introduces you to the title character, explaining his background and how he obtained his powers. This film also includes Wong (Benedict Wong), who is currently Sorcerer Supreme, Strange’s frenemy Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and provides some context to the relationship between Strange and Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). Since Multiverse is tied so closely to Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), giving Avengers: Age of Ultron a look will introduce you to her. But you could just watch the Disney+ series WandaVision (which this movie is most closely tied to) as it provides far more insight into her powers and motivation. Finally, for some extra credit, you could check out Episodes 1, 4, and 5 of the Disney+ series What If . . ?, as they help flesh out some of the story points. You should also watch No Way Home just because it’s so good and will give you glimpses into the multiverse.

Without spoiling anything, we learn that dreams are actually glimpses of our other selves in the multiverse, and Strange encounters a young girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) who has the power to open portals and travel between universes. This is a power Wanda desperately wants and she is willing to stop at nothing to get it, and the movie is essentially Strange trying to keep America safe from falling into Wanda’s clutches.

You expect a big-budget (estimated at $200 million) film to look fantastic, and Multiverse doesn’t disappoint. Shot in 8K, the home transfer is taken from a 4K digital intermediate, and images are clean, sharp, and detailed. The movie is filled with captivating visuals and effects, and it’s just cool to watch. A couple of noteworthy scenes include when Strange and America take a mind-bending genre and style trip through the multiverse (pre-bookmarked on the Kaleidescape download as “A Multiverse Escape”) that you’ll want to rewatch and pause your way through to fully appreciate, a puzzle “fun house” room in the Kamar-Taj, and a crumbling universe with physics-bending buildings that is reminiscent of the dream collapsing in Inception or the Mirror Dimension in No Way Home. 

While closeups give plenty of facial detail—perhaps a little too much, as some of the eye makeup on one character near the end was a little too obvious—or letting you see single, wispy white strands of hair on the sides of Strange’s head, what really struck me were the fine details and texture in costumes. During an early wedding, Strange’s white dress shirt has a clear, fine pebbled texture, and you can also see the intricacy in Wong’s robes and Strange’s cape, err, I mean cloak. Black levels are also nice, deep, and clean, delivering full, pitch-black levels on my OLED. 

The magic elements and effects cast from Strange, Wong, and Wanda in glowing yellow or sizzling red, along with the brilliant white star-shaped portals opened by America, are the perfect fodder for HDR, making for bright, vibrant images. Another scene has deeply saturated reds from a glowing landscape conjured by Wanda. Exterior day scenes in New York, the Kamar-Taj, or Earth-838 also look appropriately punchy. There are also a lot of dark interiors that benefit from nice, realistic shadow detail. 

There has been a lot of grumbling over Disney’s less-than-impressive sound mixes for the home market, but the lossless Dolby TrueHD Atmos track here is deep, powerful, immersive, and engaging. Objects are frequently thrown overhead, or reach far off into the side walls and corners of the room, or fly up to impact high on the front wall. There is a mirror room where Wanda throws a fireball blast that bounces all around the room, or a collapsing building where there is the steady dripping of water all around, followed by the crunching and crumbling of concrete overhead and splintering out around the room. Another really creative moment is a battle with enchanted musical notes as the weapons (bookmarked on the Kaleidescape download as “A Strange Musical Duel”), with sonic notes traveling around the room.

As mentioned, there are some definite horror elements here, and the sound mix picks up on that as well with strange creaks and groans in a house that sonically reminded me a bit of It. Bass can also be loud and dynamic, with room-rumbling and couch-energizing low end. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness isn’t the best nor is it the worst of the MCU entries. While the story is a bit thin, the movie is certainly entertaining, filled with engaging visuals and packing a dynamic surround mix that will show off your system. Raimi’s style might also appeal to viewers not traditionally fans of superhero films. Plus, there are some really interesting character crossovers—including a new character’s introduction in the now requisite MCU mid-credits scene—that could point the way to future installments in the franchise.

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

PICTURE | The movie is filled with captivating visuals, and the magic elements and effects cast from Strange, Wong, and Wanda are perfect fodder for HDR, making for bright, vibrant images

SOUND | The lossless Atmos track is deep, powerful, immersive, and engaging, with room-rumbling and couch-energizing bass

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Review: Uncut Gems

Uncut Gems (2020)

review | Uncut Gems

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Standout performances and obvious talent behind the camera add up to a film that’s ultimately just unpleasant to watch

by Dennis Burger
March 2, 2020

I can’t remember the last time any film left me feeling so conflicted as Benny and Josh Safdie’s Uncut Gems; conflicted because, on the one hand, it’s as distinctive an artistic expression as I’ve seen on film in who knows how long—meticulously scripted, inventively shot, masterfully edited, with performances that are award-worthy down to the level of the most minor secondary roles. On the other hand, I can’t remember any film in recent memory that filled me with such anxiety as this one did, from the opening scene straight through to the closing credits.

 The film stars Adam Sandler, who turns in a pitch-perfect performance as Howard Ratner, a jewelry store proprietor and compulsive gambler who’s always one side-hustle away from either striking it rich or getting fitted for cement shoes. His fortunes seem to change when he comes into possession of a rare black opal that quickly becomes the obsession of basketball player Kevin Garnett (played equally effectively by basketball player Kevin Garnett). Rather than selling the stone to Garnett for a ridiculous sum of money, Ratner decides to scam him by way of an auction, and, well . . . so it goes for the rest of the film. 

In some ways, I suppose you could call Uncut Gems a morality play, but the morality espoused seems to be pure nihilism. There isn’t a sympathetic character in the film—no one to root for, no opportunity for a satisfying resolution that isn’t morally bankrupt. And I’m not saying that makes it a bad film; I’m merely saying it was one I couldn’t enjoy–which is a shame because the Safdies draw inspiration from some of my guilty pleasures, especially the late-’80s/early-’90s output of Michael Mann, whose style they manage to evoke without aping, both visually and aurally.

Shot on the same Kodak Vision3 500T 35mm film stock that gave Marriage Story its distinctively cinematic look, Uncut Gems is the perfect marriage of photochemical chaos and cutting-edge digital precision. It’s all unapologetically crushed blacks and cranked primary hues, and in one scene in particular—at a glitzy nightclub performance by The Weeknd—the 4K HDR presentation (sourced from a 4K digital intermediate) uses its enhanced dynamic range to effectively recreate the blacklight illumination and the DayGlo neon colors that result.

Even the soundtrack is a captivating mix of retro and bleeding edge, thanks in part to a score by Daniel Lopatin that breaks all the rules of both composition and mixing. The music at times evokes the Michael Mann aesthetic, with ’80s-tastic droning synths and a pulse-pounding tempo that pushes the visuals forward; at other times, it veers into Blade Runner territory, and at other times still ventures into what can only be described as artistic porn-music territory. 

The one consistent aspect of the soundtrack—and indeed the sound mix as a whole—is that supervising sound editor Warren Shaw acts as if he’s the first person to ever work in surround sound, much less Dolby Atmos. The mix exhibits a level of aggression I would normally find irritating and distracting, but here it simply works. Dialogue is forced into the left or right channels at times when it would traditionally be locked into the center. Score music often uses the surrounds as the primary channels instead of the fronts. If it weren’t all so skillfully mixed, it would come across as pure chaos, but I find myself loving it in spite of myself.

In the end, though, I have to put Uncut Gems into that growing pile of films I appreciate but just can’t enjoy. For all the visual and auditory allusions to Mann, the film ends up playing as more of a horror movie in which the lumbering antagonist isn’t a machete-wielding psychopath but rather karma itself. It could have just as easily been titled A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Person Has a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week. 

And I’m not quite sure if the Safdies have created a window or a mirror. Am I supposed to feel any sympathy or empathy for Sandler’s awful character? If so, Uncut Gems fails in that respect, because I can’t. Am I supposed to root for his comeuppance? I hope not, because that feels just as gross. 

And yet, for all the anxiety, conflicted feelings, and desire to bleach my eyeballs after the credits rolled, I have to admit I was absolutely captivated by the sheer talent on the screen and behind the scenes. And I don’t really like the way that realization makes me feel about myself.  

Dennis Burger is an avid Star Wars scholar, Tolkien fanatic, and Corvette enthusiast who somehow also manages to find time for technological passions including high-end audio, home automation, and video gaming. He lives in the armpit of Alabama with his wife Bethany and their four-legged child Bruno, a 75-pound American Staffordshire Terrier who thinks he’s a Pomeranian.

PICTURE |  The perfect marriage of photochemical chaos and cutting-edge digital precision, Uncut Gems is all unapologetically crushed blacks and cranked primary hues

SOUND | The Atmos mix exhibits a level of aggression that would usually be irritating and distracting but here it simply works.

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Review: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

review | Everything Everywhere All at Once

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Both zany and thought-provoking, this Michelle Yeoh vehicle somehow manages to be about everything, everywhere without taking on too much

by Dennis Burger
June 16, 2022

Perhaps the most troubling thing about modern popular culture—especially as it pertains to genre fiction—is that metaphors have lost all meaning. Our totems have lost their functional connections with the things they’re supposed to symbolize and have taken on disproportionate importance on their own. The trappings have come to be the entire point. 

Fantasy fiction isn’t about where we’ve come from and what we’ve lost along the way—not anymore, anyway. It’s about dragons and hot chicks with pointy ears in impractical armor. Star Wars as a franchise isn’t about emergence into adulthood and a postmodernist twist on early Jungian notions of the father complex anymore, nor is it a thinly veiled critique of American imperialism, as it once was; it’s about laser-swords and space wizards and big walking weapons of war. And when it tries to be anything more than that, the loudest but least significant contingent of its fanbase makes headlines with their toxicity. 

The seasoning has become our substance, the dessert our main course, and we’re paying a price for that, culturally speaking. And I say that as someone who really, really likes dessert. 

If you want to understand anything about Everything Everywhere All at Once before diving in, it’s that it seems to be an outright rejection of all of the above. To point that out does run the risk of painting the film in a misleading light because it unfairly places it within the tradition of genre fiction. And when you get right down to it, Everything Everywhere doesn’t really belong to any particular genre—or so I thought on my first of four viewings in the span of 24 hours. 

Sometime during my second viewing, I decided it’s actually a mashup of every genre—although mashup isn’t quite the word I’m looking for, as it connotes a sort of haphazard cribbing of the most superficially popular aspect of genres like science-fiction, fantasy, kung-fu, comedy, surrealism, drama, wuxia, and absurdism, with no real attempt at meaningful synthesis. Instead, writer/directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as “Daniels,” seem far more interested in borrowing the most resonant and meaningful aspects of these genres and assembling them into a new whole such that each distinctive element reinforces the other on some deeper level.

But none of that really matters, because in my third viewing I realized that to really understand it, you have to come to terms with the fact that it is every genre and no genre simultaneously. There’s never been a film like it and there never will be again, because any imitation would sully the intent. 

Of course, that’s not to say no one will try. I imagine we’ll see all sorts of lazy attempts at putting Camus, Douglas Hofstadter, Kafka, Daniel Dennet, the Shaw Brothers, and the Wachowskis (before their work became self-parody) into a big boiling pot and stirring it all with a Grant Morrison-shaped ladle with a Salvador Dali-inspired handle. But ultimately, any such attempt at imitation will be derivative, and derivative is certainly the one thing Everything Everywhere is not, despite the numerous traditions from which it borrows. 

Here is perhaps the weirdest thing about the film, though: Despite being a work of legitimate cultural significance, with a message that will still be sending shockwaves through my brain years from now, it is also incredibly accessible and wildly entertaining, not to mention slap-happily zany. 

Superficially, it’s a story about a Chinese-American laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) who’s unknowingly on the verge of being served divorce papers by her husband (Ke Huy Quan, aka Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and who has nearly alienated her daughter (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Stephanie Hsu) past the point of reconciliation. 

During an IRS audit, she gets dragged into an adventure in which the fates of all realities are imperiled and she is the key to saving them all—including alternate universes in which she is a boulder, in which she is sort of Michelle Yeoh, in which humans evolved useless sausage appendages instead of fingers, and in which Randy Newman did the music for Ratatouille and also voiced Remy (except in this case Remy is an animatronic racoon and not a CGI rat), to name just a few. 

It’s easy to read all that and think you know exactly what sort of film this is. Whatever you’re imagining, you’re wrong. This is not the Hero’s Journey, it’s not The Matrix or the MCU, and it’s not quite the film being sold by the trailer, either.

My first viewing, I thought I had settled on an interpretation of the story as sort of grappling with the anxiety of living in the modern world, where we all feel stretched too thin and are all simply cogs in the machine of bureaucracy, with no real agency. The second time around, it struck me more as a meditation on libertarian free will, and a question about whether different lived experiences would fundamentally change who we are as individuals. 

The third time through, it seemed obvious the film is a juxtaposition of a mother and daughter, both at turning points in their lives. One has to contend with the near-limitless and crippling well of possibilities her life could be; the other is forced to reflect on all the choices she could have made but didn’t and contend with what could have been. And the more I think about it, the more I realize the film is all of those things and more. It kinda is about everything, everywhere, all at once. 

It if isn’t clear by now, this one is a keeper, so in one sense I’m glad I have it on Kaleidescape. It’s a distinctively weird-looking film, captured as it was in the ArriRaw format in a mix of 2.8K and 3.4K resolutions and finished in a 4K intermediate, but perhaps more importantly shot through a variety of idiosyncratic lenses, including vintage Todd-AO anamorphics. 

It’s not the sort of so-razor-sharp-I-can-see-every-pore perfection that delights enthusiasts, but it’s such a deliciously textural, colorful, and high-contrast image that you’ll still want to watch it on the best screen in the house. Kaleidescape’s UHD HDR10 image is practically indistinguishable from the iTunes version (viewed via the Apple TV+ app on a Roku Ultra), aside from the first few frames of the A24 logo while the stream is buffering up to full resolution. But that’s not a knock against Kaleidescape, because there’s simply no room for improvement over Apple’s encoding of the film, no matter how many extra bits you throw at it. Both are A+ presentations.

You may be wondering why I purchased the film on iTunes if I already had it on Kaleidescape. It wasn’t purely for the sake of visual comparison. The one thing iTunes has over any other provider in the digital domain is the audio commentary by Daniels, which I couldn’t resist listening to in my fourth viewing. Thankfully it doesn’t impose too much in terms of interpretation, instead digging into anecdotes about the production and post-production, including the fact that the incredible visual effects (500-ish shots in total) were created by a team of five who learned how to do effects by watching After Effects tutorials online. 

It’s a real shame Kaleidescape wasn’t given access to the commentary, because the home video release isn’t a complete package without it. To be fair, though, Kaleidescape does have the full-bandwidth Dolby TrueHD version of the Atmos soundtrack, which is as perfect a blend of the sublime and the ridiculous as everything else about Everything Everywhere. Seriously, your subwoofers will need smelling salts after the closing credits roll, but it isn’t about spectacle or high-impact sound purely for the sake of high-impact sound; it’s about tying the whole chaotic and meditative audiovisual and narrative experience together into one mind-blowing whole. 

Dennis Burger is an avid Star Wars scholar, Tolkien fanatic, and Corvette enthusiast who somehow also manages to find time for technological passions including high-end audio, home automation, and video gaming. He lives in the armpit of Alabama with his wife Bethany and their four-legged child Bruno, a 75-pound American Staffordshire Terrier who thinks he’s a Pomeranian.

PICTURE |  It doesn’t offer the so-razor-sharp-I-can-see-every-pore perfection that delights enthusiasts but the image is so deliciously textural, colorful, and high-contrast that you’ll still want to watch this movie on the best screen in the house

SOUND | The Atmos soundtrack is a perfect a blend of the sublime and the ridiculous that will have you giving your subwoofers smelling salts after the closing credits roll

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Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

review | Ant-Man and the Wasp

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A modest, family-friendly addition to the MCU, with engaging performances by Rudd and Lilly

by John Sciacca
November 6, 2018

The Disney/Marvel team really has the formula dialed in when it comes to creating successful and enjoyable superhero movies. Through a deft mix of writing, casting, humor, big action pieces, and a 10-year storyline that both lives on its own and weaves between all films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Marvel films are entertaining and re-watchable, making them fantastic for viewing at home. And while many carry a PG-13 rating, as does this film, they are very family friendly in nature. 

While Ant-Man and the Wasp is technically a sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man, don’t worry that you’ll be lost if you are diving in here. The opening scene lays the groundwork for the primary plot of this film: Years ago, the original Wasp (Michelle Pfeiffer) went sub-atomic to disable a missile, and she was thought to be lost forever to the Quantum Realm. Now her husband, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and daughter, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) think there is a way to bring her back. Of course, doing so requires dealing with some shady characters to obtain illegal black-market tech, causing mayhem to ensue. 

The film’s big hook is that Dr. Pym’s tech can shrink—and grow—a variety of objects, adding another layer to fight and chase scenes. These Honey, I Shrunk the Kids moments work very well, both visually and for moving the story forward, as well as providing some comedic moments.

Paul Rudd (Ant-Man/Scott Lang) carries most of the film, balancing his roles as superhero and father while under house arrest for events that happened in Captain America: Civil War. (This is all explained early on by FBI agent Jimmy Woo, played with great comedic effect by Randall Park.) Rudd is just incredibly likable and easy to watch, similar—but far less foul-mouthed—to Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool, with an ability to organically inject humor into scenes without making it feel forced. Lilly is also fantastic as the Wasp, demonstrating she’s picked up some fierce fighting skills since leaving the island. (That’s a Lost reference, for those who missed it.) 

The movie was filmed on a variety of Red and Arri cameras at resolutions ranging from 3.4K to 8K, while the home release comes from a 2K digital intermediate. This means it doesn’t mine every bit of resolution possible but still looks pretty terrific. A great example is the early scene where Jimmy Woo explains why Lang is under house arrest. He’s wearing a shirt with incredibly fine pinstripes that are almost a 1:1 4K resolution test. Other scenes reveal the pebbled texture and detail in Ant-Man and Wasp’s uniforms. The film’s color palette is mostly muted and natural, with a more restrained HDR pass. But the image still pops when it needs to—for example when heading into the Quantum Realm, or the computer screens in Dr. Pym’s lab. Black levels are also deep and noise-free, with lots of shadow detail.

There has been quite a bit of angst over recent Disney/Marvel home releases with their sub-standard, heavily compressed audio mixes. In fact, a petition was started to get Disney to change the audio quality in future releases, currently with over 1,000 supporters. I’m happy to say that the Dolby Atmos audio quality on Ant-Man and The Wasp is far improved over recent D/M fare. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout, but more importantly to luxury home cinema owners, the sound mix is far more dynamic, with the overhead speakers used wisely and frequently throughout. This height layer is used for creating ambience and space in the scene, as well as creating directional cues—for example, The Wasp and other insects zipping around the room. If I had one complaint about the mix, it would be that they were a little light-handed in the deep-bass department, with moments—such as during a big chase and fight scene near the end—that would have benefitted from some extra dBs in the LFE channel. 

Two scenes that really show off the strength of the audio mix are “Lost in the Quantum Realm” at just over 11 minutes in, as well as Lang’s first visit to Dr. Pym’s lab at the 16-minute mark. “Lost” has audio that swirls and shifts all around the room, simulating Lang’s travel through the realm, with voices mixed in all channels to simulate a dream state. The lab scene wonderfully uses subtle cues like buzzing fluorescent lights, flying and crawling insects, and cavernous echoes to place you smack in the middle of the screen environment. 

Oh, and without spoiling anything, definitely watch through the credits as the team does a fantastic job of tying this film into the Infinity War timeline. The film also includes a host of extra features including a director’s commentary, a variety of making-of featurettes, outtakes, and deleted scenes.

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

PICTURE | This transfer from a 2K digital intermedia doesn’t mine every bit of resolution possible but still looks pretty terrific

SOUND | Dialogue is clear and understandable and the Atmos mix is dynamic overall, with the overhead speakers used wisely and frequently throughout

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Review: The Avengers / Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers / Age of Ultron

review | The Avengers / Avengers: Age of Ultron

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By bringing together most of the major players for the first time, the two initial Avengers films solidly took the MCU to the next level

by John Sciacca
May 2, 2019

Like millions of others, my family and I went to see Avengers: Endgame last week when it was released. Rest assured, this won’t reveal anything about that film, short of it further cementing my feelings that I would way rather watch movies in the comfort and seclusion of my own home, and that I’m an alpha candidate for day & date viewing. (Someone actually brought a toddler, who sat and watched an iPad during the entire movie! Fortunately, the Pad was out of my eyeline or I think I would have flipped out!) 

After seeing Endgame, we decided we should really go back and watch some of the other 21 films that had led us to this, many of which we haven’t seen in years. Since my 12 year old had never seen the first Avengers or the followup, Age of Ultron, those seemed like two good choices to start our re-watch journey.

Fortuitously, both of these films have been recently re-released with new 4K HDR transfers with Dolby Atmos soundtracks, so that made another terrific reason to revisit. After downloading from the Kaleidescape store, we watched The Avengers on Monday and Ultron on Tuesday.

The Avengers is part of Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which includes the six films released between 2008 and 2012, and comes after each of the principal characters—Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Loki, and Captain America—have been introduced in their own films. (Clint Barton/Hawkeye [Jeremy Renner] had been introduced via a small cameo in Thor, and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow [Scarlett Johansson] was introduced in Iron Man 2.) 

After teasing us with the Tesseract in a post-credits scene in Thor, and then making it a major part of Cap’s focus in Captain America: The First Avenger, the Tesseract (which holds the Space Infinity Stone) has a starring role in Avengers. While the previous films had been hinting and playing at cross-pollinating the MCU’s heroes, here they bring all the heroes together, which makes for a far more entertaining experience. I was impressed with how Joss Whedon—who both wrote and directed—was able to build a story by slowly and organically bringing all the characters together and then giving them near-equal screen time, which allowed them to interact with each other and play to their strengths and personalities. 

Avengers definitely lays the groundwork for the various relationships between the characters that continues to play out over the next films. We see the ties between Hawkeye and Black Widow, the roots of animosity between Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), which culminates in Captain America: Civil War (which should really have been titled Avengers 3), and the developing frenemy-ship between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), which plays out in Thor: Ragnarok. Also, the mid-credits scene reveals ultimate baddy, Thanos—though his skin here looks far more purple than blue.

The 4K HDR transfer looks fantastic, with tons of detail and with HDR used effectively throughout, bringing pop and detail to images. The terrific detail in the costume design is revealed, letting you see the weave in Cap’s suit, and all the scrapes and damage to Iron Man. During one scene between Romanoff and Barton, you see the wear and pores in Barton’s face starkly contrasted with the smooth foundation makeup that makes Romanoff’s skin glow. The added resolution really does a wonderful job revealing those micro-details and textures throughout. 

HDR is apparent from the outset, illuminating the Tesseract in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secure fortress as well as the multiple explosions. Tony Stark’s Arc Reactor, boot jets, and energy blasts also benefit nicely from the brightness boost, as does Loki’s glowing scepter and Thor’s lightning blasts. Color is rich and vivid, and wonderfully saturated. The film looks fantastic, and you’d be hard pressed to tell it is seven years old.

Sonically, The Avengers follows in Disney’s frustrating habit of recording at significantly lower levels and being inconsistent with the depth and impact of bass performance. Fortunately, the first issue is solved by just playing the film back at a higher level than you’d normally use. In my case, we went about 6 dB louder on my Marantz preamp than normal movie-watching levels. With this adjustment, Avengers delivers a pretty engaging Dolby Atmos mix, with a lot of surround- and height-channel information, specifically in the opening sequence with Loki stealing the Tesseract, the bit battle scene aboard the flying aircraft carrier, and the final battle scene in New York. 

Other scenes benefit from added sonic spaciousness that really opens up both the scenes and your listening room. Bass performance is fairly uneven, providing nice thuds and low-end during some scenes, but is missing or non-existent in others. Overall, though, the Atmos mix does a good job of immersing you in the swirl of action happening onscreen, and dialogue is well recorded and easily understandable throughout.

Released in 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron has Whedon reprising his role as writer and director, and is part of Phase Two of the MCU, which includes six films released between 2013 and 2015. Taking place approximately three years after Avengers, Ultron sees our heroes called on once again to band together to retrieve Loki’s staff Ultron (voiced by James Spader), intended to be a Stark global defense program to protects the earth, but which becomes a sentient being intent on wiping out humanity to save the earth. Ultron brings James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) into the action and also introduces us to twins Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), as well as Jarvis-brought-to-life, Vision (Paul Bettany), making for a fuller character ensemble than the first film. 

Something about James Spader voicing Ultron just takes me out of this movie. Maybe it’s his smug attitude or maybe it’s from watching him as Robert California on the The Office or as Raymond Reddington on Blacklist. But for whatever reason, this voice casting didn’t work for me, and kept Ultron from being as intimidating as he could.

While some of Ultron feels a bit like “let’s build another Death Star” in that you have our band of heroes battling a huge horde of enemies—the Chitauri in Avengers, Ultron’s robot army here—relentlessly attacking a city—New York in Avengers, Sokovia here—it still offers a lot to enjoy. The developing comradery and interactions between our heroes offers some funny moments (the group trying to pick up Thor’s hammer for one) and continues the MCU storyline that eventually brings us to Endgame. The biggest contribution to the story is that the gem inside of Loki’s scepter is actually the Mind Stone, which ends up being implanted in Vision, and revealing just how powerful Scarlet Witch is. The mid-credits scene also shows us Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet saying, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.” (Cue ominous music . . .)

Visually, Ultron is a treat, with tons of detail in every scene. As with Avengers, HDR is used effectively to enhance bright objects like lightning blasts, explosions, and the glowing blue trim on Black Widow’s suit. Perhaps one of the best examples of how HDR improves the image is when you see the visualization of Jarvis as an orange glowing sphere of light along with Ultron as a blue light sphere inside the Avenger Tower. This scene just glows off the screen in this version, and has far better color depth. 

Sonically, the levels are once again low, requiring a liberal adjustment of your normal listening level. Other than that, the audio is really inconsistent and anemic in the low-bass frequencies. For example, the Hulkbuster versus Hulk scene has plenty of moments that should be pounding you in the chest and making your sub flex its muscles, but there is virtually nothing in the low end until the building destruction at the end of the scene. 

Same with the conclusion. There is some really low-end info when Sokovia is lifting off the ground, but very little in the remainder of the battle. For a big action film, this is definitely disappointing. The rest of the Atmos mix is enjoyable, though I didn’t find it as aggressive as Avengers, and the lack of deep-bass engagement keeps this from being as demo-worthy as it could be.

For Marvel fans, these films connect the dots to get us to where Endgame finishes this cycle of the MCU, and now in a 4K HDR presentation, they look as good as you’ve ever seen.

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

THE AVENGERS

PICTURE | Images are super clean, tack-sharp, and highly detailed, and the HDR grade provides nice deep blacks and lifelike shadow detail, with black levels that are truly black and noise-free

SOUND | The big star here is the fantastically immersive Dolby TrueHD Atmos soundtrack, which features terrific audio tracking as sounds move around, off screen, or overhead

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

PICTURE | Ultron is a treat, with tons of detail in every scene. HDR is used effectively throughout to enhance bright objects like lightning blasts, explosions, and the glowing blue trim on Black Widow’s suit

SOUND | Levels are once again low, requiring a liberal adjustment of your normal listening level. Beyond that, the audio is really inconsistent and anemic in the low-bass frequencies. 

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Review: Venom

Venom (2018)

review | Venom

This one might not go as deep as some of the other Marvel films but works as a check-your-brain-at-the-door actioner

by John Sciacca
December 27, 2018

I’ll freely admit that I’m a superhero-movie fan. Ever since seeing the Christopher Reeve Superman: The Movie as an 8-year-old, I’ve loved watching these heroes battle to save the planet up on the big screen, and now in the comfort of my own home.

No franchise has done more to raise the bar of the superhero genre than Marvel, which, for the past 10 years, has been crafting a spectacular, epic tale that has gradually been drawing an entire universe of characters together in a battle for half the galaxy that began in Avengers: Infinity War and will culminate in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. (Not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but still spectacular superhero viewing includes Wonder Woman and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, especially The Dark Knight, which transcends the superhero genre into the realm of simply spectacular cinema.)

I bring this up because as much as I enjoy superhero films, I knew virtually nothing about Venom prior to watching it. In fact, my only previous knowledge of the character was his appearance in the 2007 Spider-Man 3. From that film, I learned that Venom was an alien entity that bonded with Peter Parker and kind of became like a bad version of the character, wearing a black version of Spidey’s costume.

With this latest reboot of the character, I expected Venom to continue the MCU trend of bringing multiple characters together or would at the very least include Tom Holland, who has taken over Spidey’s mantle starting in Captain America: Civil War and continuing in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War. Well, umm, no.

While this was made in association with Marvel Studios, Venom is a standalone Sony Pictures release bearing no obvious connection to the MCU or even to Spider-Man. This is part of a complicated legal and licensing agreement between Sony and Marvel that you can read more about here. 

So, unless you’re a hardcore Venom fan, you can scrap everything you think you might know about the character and just go into this cold. In fact, knowing nothing might actually be the best way to go, as you aren’t burdened by any required geek-cred knowledge of back stories, interwoven plot lines, or fear of missing any fanboy Easter eggs.

This is an origin story, attempting to introduce and launch a new expanded universe of Spider-Man characters. But the film’s biggest shortcoming is the casting of (or maybe it’s the direction or the dialogue given to) Tom Hardy, who plays both Edie Brock and Venom. Brock is supposed to be this killer investigative journalist but, honestly, Hardy comes across as just too slow, clunky, and dim-witted to be even close to believable in this role, and the early scenes with him as a journalist were the hardest for me to just sit back and enjoy.

Fortunately, your suspension of disbelief over Hardy’s journalistic prowess doesn’t need to last long, as he soon bonds with the alien symbiote Venom, who was brought back from a space exploration mission and kept locked in a lab looking for a compatible host. Once Hardy absorbs Venom, the rest of the film has him coming to terms with his new amorphous, shape-shifting, and head-chomping alter-ego as the movie transitions from one action piece to another as the duo looks to take down the techno-billionaire bad guy. Actually, I found Hardy more believable post-infection since his body adapting to the “parasite” offers an explanation for his semi out-of-it behavior. 

One thing Sony knows how to do is release fantastic-looking 4K HDR films, and Venom is no exception. Detail and color are first-rate throughout, but especially during the multiple night scenes in San Francisco, where the city looks stunning. These shots take full advantage of HDR to produce bright lights and vibrant colors while retaining deep and solid black levels. 

Venom has no shortage of big action scenes and visual effects, which all look terrific. One of the best scenes is a chase through downtown San Francisco (happening around the 54-minute mark) that highlights the best of what Venom is: Pure balls-out mayhem, with a liberal dose of SFX thrown in for good measure. Just don’t count how many times The Rialto theater appears in the background. Rather, sit back and enjoy the cars smashing and Brock/Venom racing manically through the crowded streets on a motorcycle. 

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is equally impressive, offering a very dynamic mix that will definitely give your system a workout. There are tons of moments where the height channels are called into action, whether it’s drones or helicopters flying overhead, gun mayhem, or just the ambience representing the acoustic space on screen. Bass is particularly impressive, having a ton of weight and impact, with explosions that you’ll feel in your chair. Venom’s voice is also recorded with a very cool effect, booming from all around and sounding like it’s coming from inside your head.  

The Kaleidescape download includes five pre-marked scenes, along with several bonus features, including multiple making-of docs, deleted scenes, and a special “Venom mode” that engages “informative pop-ups throughout the film to provide insight on the movie’s relationship to the comics and to reveal hidden references that even a seasoned Venom-fan may have missed!”

Venom belongs to that increasing group of films that sees a real divide between critics and fans. While scoring a meager 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, it managed an 85% audience score. In short, I’d say Venom is a classic big summer, popcorn action film where it pays to check your brain at the door and just sit back and marvel (no pun intended) at the terrific visual effects and pummeling Atmos audio track. If you’re looking for some home theater eye and ear candy, Venom won’t disappoint. 

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

PICTURE | Detail and color are first-rate throughout, but especially during the multiple night scenes in San Francisco, where the city looks stunning

SOUND | The Atmos soundtrack offers a very dynamic mix that will definitely give your system a workout, including tons of moments where the height channels are called into action

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Review: Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel (2019)

review | Captain Marvel

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This controversial entry in the MCU helps to fill in some of the holes in the various plotlines leading to Endgame

by John Sciacca
May 29, 2019

Like millions of other people, my family and I have been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as it gradually built to the global phenomenon of a climax that was Avengers: Endgame. But my favorite film in the franchise remains Avengers: Infinity War, and if you’ll recall from the end-credits scene, just as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is about to disappear into a Thanos-snapped dust cloud, he pulls out an ancient-looking pager and manages to send off one final message. As the pager falls from his fingers and starts sending the message, its screen changes to reveal a logo familiar only to hardcore Marvel fans.

That brief scene introduced us to one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and perfectly set up the 21st and final Marvel film that would precede Endgame. I’ll admit, I didn’t recognize the logo, nor did I know who Captain Marvel was or anything about her story, so I went into the film fresh and curious about what bits of the MCU puzzle this might fill in. For the record, Marvel Studio’s president, and producer of every film in the MCU, Kevin Feige said, “Captain Marvel is going to be the most powerful superhero in the MCU,” so that should give you some perspective. (And those who have seen Endgame—which, seriously, by now should be all of you—will attest to her abilities.)

While Marvel films are usually met with excitement and anticipation, there was actually a lot of hate surrounding Captain Marvel’s release. So much so that Rotten Tomatoes adjusted its rating policy when it was clear trolls were posting negative reviews and hatred over Larson’s casting and acting before the film was even released. Adding to the controversy, Captain Marvel was originally a male character in the comics (although different characters have taken up the Captain Marvel mantle, and there is precedence for the character to be a woman), and many felt casting Larson was a way to push a social agenda. All of which didn’t interest me or sway my opinion in the least. 

Give me a good movie I can sit and enjoy for two hours, and I don’t care if the lead is a man, woman, animal, or robot. I’ve got two daughters and I’m all for female empowerment. (And for the record, my 12-year-old loved it, saying “Captain Marvel was so cool and tough!”) And, if you avoided Captain Marvel for fear it would try to cram some social agenda down your throat, I’d strongly suggest you reconsider. 

The first thing you’ll notice about Captain Marvel is a change to the opening credits scene. I won’t spoil it here, but let’s just say the folks at Marvel once again know how to give you the feels.

It seems like the Marvel team knew Captain Marvel would be a new character to many and they chose a storytelling style that played into this, as we discover things about Larson’s character’s past along with her. The story opens with Vers (Larson) as an elite member of the Kree Starforce Military living on planet Hala. Vers suffers from amnesia and just has snatches of visions and images of a previous life but none of which she can assemble into a cohesive whole. 

During a mission to rescue a deep-cover operative from a band of alien shapeshifters known as Skrulls, Vers is captured and her memories are probed by the Skrulls as they try to determine the location of some experimental tech she was involved with in her previous life on earth as Air Force fighter pilot Carol Danvers. 

These memories lead both the Skrulls and Vers to Planet C-53—aka Earth—where we encounter a digitally de-aged and fresh-on-the-job S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with two working eyes by the name of Fury. (“Not Nicholas. Not Joseph. Just Fury.”) From here, the film moves forward with a steady stream of action, with Danvers gradually regaining memories of her life on earth as they piece together clues to hunt the experimental tech developed by Dr. Wendy Lawson (Annette Bening) and avoid Skrull shapeshifters hot on their trail.

Taking place in 1995, the movie features a soundtrack that includes lots of era-appropriate tunes including “Waterfalls,” “Come as You Are,” “Just a Girl,” and “Man on the Moon.” Sometimes the songs are subtle and in the background, other times they take center stage à la Guardians of the Galaxy and Star-Lord’s Awesome Mix Tapes. There are also some other nice ‘90s-era references to bygone culture like Blockbuster and Radio Shack. 

Visually, Marvel is a treat. Filmed in a combination of 6.5K and 8K and taken from an 8K negative, the movie has gobs of detail in every scene. Closeups abound with texture, letting you see the pebbling and grain in Fury’s shoulder holster or an alien’s skin or the metallic surfaces of the various spaceships. There’s a scene about 10 minutes into the movie where they visit a planet that’s covered in a smoky, hazy mist. This is a total video torture test for noise and banding, especially as the smoke is illuminated in a variety of ways from lights, fire, and streaking laser bolts, but the image is always stable, clean, and noise-free. 

The movie also greatly benefits from HDR, with lots of brightly lit screen displays and readouts throughout that really pop. There are also lots of scenes in dark interiors that benefit from the wider dynamic range, letting you appreciate the detail of the set design. Near the end, when Marvel embraces her full powers, she literally glows with energy and power, and the effect works especially well in HDR.

Sonically, while many recent Disney releases have stumbled, Captain Marvel’s Dolby Atmos mix does a lot to correct this. They seemed to have eased off on the heavy-handed compression and uneven bass mixes that have plagued other releases (see my review of Avengers: Age of Ultron), and this movie has some very scene-appropriate low end that will take your subwoofers to church and flutter your pant legs. Explosions have dynamic depth and punch, and space engines thrum with authoritative bottom end.

The audio mix is definitely active and immersive but not overly aggressive. The height speakers are used to good effect to expand the sonic ambience and sense of space, and come into play during the big action scenes. One especially nice and clever use of the height channels is during the scene where they’re picking through Danver’s memories, with off-camera voices moving about overhead.

While not required viewing prior to seeing Endgame, Captain Marvel does a nice job of filling in some little holes and fleshing out the MCU, and would technically be the first film in the timeline (if you start counting from when Captain America comes out of his ice coma). Its end-credits scene also does a nice job of marrying right into Endgame and explaining why Captain Marvel was absent from the big battle in Wakanda. 

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.

PICTURE | Captain Marvel is a treat, with gobs of detail in every scene and closeups that abound with texture

SOUND | The Atmos mix helps correct the anemic soundtracks of other Marvel releases with some very scene-appropriate low end that will take your subwoofers to church and flutter your pant legs

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Review: Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame

review | Avengers: Endgame

The first, long chapter of the MCU saga comes to satisfying close in this three-hour film, which also makes for a satisfying home viewing experience

by Dennis Burger
July 31, 2019

Avengers: Endgame comes to the screen with an incredible amount of baggage for any one film to carry. It has to serve as the emotional and narrative conclusion of 11 years’ and 21 films’ worth of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) stories. It has to serve as the second half of a film released a year earlier. It also has to work as a self-contained narrative on its own terms—one that satisfies both hardcore fans who’ve seen all 21 of those previous Marvel movies numerous times as well as more casual moviegoers who may have seen some of them only once, if at all.

The fact that Endgame manages to check all of those boxes without crumbling under its own weight is a bit of a minor cinematic miracle. That it ends up being so much more than a mere obligatory box checker is a testament to the talents of the film’s directors (Joe and Anthony Russo) and writers (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely).

To get into why, though, we need to dip our toes into spoiler territory, for both Endgame and 2018’s Infinity War, but I’ll try to keep things as vague as possible on both fronts, for the pair of you who’ve seen neither film. At the end of Infinity War, we were left in a weird place for a big, blockbuster superhero franchise. The villain had won. Half the population of the universe—and half of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes—had been “blipped” out of existence at the snap of a finger. Mind you, we live in a world where films are announced years in advance, and it didn’t take a savvy viewer to put two and two together and realize some of those dead heroes were only a film or two into a multi-film contract, which meant they would be coming back, somehow or another, by the end of this film.

Think about that weird conundrum for long and it quickly becomes apparent that Endgame ran the serious risk of not only narratively undermining Infinity War by undoing its deaths but also of emotionally undermining it so severely that the first part of this two-part story lost all impact for future viewings. I think the most dedicated Marvel fans amongst us all sort of went into Endgame knowing this would be the price we had to pay in order to see the resolution of this storyline.

Except that ends up not being the case at all. Instead of undermining Infinity War—narratively and emotionally—Endgame ends up enriching it, making it more interesting and impactful. If the thematic arc of Infinity War could be boiled down to coming to terms with defeat, Endgame at its core is a film about consequences. As with any good epic (in the Tolkien, not the Hollywood, sense of the word), Endgame is a film about the high cost of victory. So, rather than robbing Infinity War of emotional and narrative weight, this film piles an extra heaping helping of solemnity on its forebear and all the films that came before it. 

Once its end credits roll, what we the viewers are left with is not only a satisfying yet bittersweet conclusion to the rambling and seemingly disconnected narrative that began with 2008’s Iron Man, but also one that makes us reflect on everything that has happened to the MCU’s characters along the way. It even redeems some of the MCU’s weaker efforts, like 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, although perhaps only in retrospect. (And no, I’m not confident enough in this statement to actually suffer through that movie again to find out for sure.) 

But as I said, Endgame would be a wholly unsatisfying film if it were merely a massive nostalgia romp. I won’t recount the plot here, because if you’ve seen the movie you already know it, and if you haven’t, I would sound like I was having a stroke. But what makes the film work on its own terms is, in part, the economy of its storytelling. That may seem an ironic statement to make about a three-hour film, but the Russos, Markus, and McNeely have managed to craft an engrossing narrative that feels perfectly paced, because when the plot is simple and straightforward, they use that opportunity to ramp up the richness and diversity of the story’s themes. And by contrast, when the narrative gets more complex (as will happen when you’re playing around with comic-book quantum physics and the fabric of spacetime), they use simpler and more straightforward thematic underpinning to maintain a coherent through-line. 

The film also uses the luxury of its relatively long running time to give the characters a lot of room to breathe. Upon second viewing, I was taken aback by how much of it is devoted to people sitting around, simply talking to one another. It’s refreshing, and it’s exactly what was required to give these characters one last chance to grow, and express their growth, in shockingly adult ways. Coming out the other end of the film, I wonder if most viewers realize that only about half an hour of screen time is really dedicated to stereotypical blockbuster comic-book action scenes.

Unsurprisingly, it is those scenes that shine the brightest in Kaleidescape’s 4K/HDR presentation. And I mean that literally. This is some of the most effective use of HDR I’ve seen, especially in the big battle at the end, where stunning contrasts are used not merely for eye candy but to reinforce the emotions of the sequence. I watched this epic throw-down back-to-back in Blu-ray quality and 4K with HDR, and while it certainly got my nerd heart pumping in mere 1080p HD, I was literally moved to tears by the climactic turning point of the battle as it played out in high dynamic range. 

But if you’re just in it for the eye candy, the Kaleidescape transfer works on that front, too, even if the vivid and detailed presentation does at times make some of the special effects ever-so-slightly too obvious. Audio enthusiasts who’ve grumbled at Disney for their sometimes-lackluster audio mixes will also be delighted by the richness of the soundtrack and its effective use of bowel-loosening bass and the aggressiveness of the Dolby TrueHD Atmos track’s height channels. Truth be told, those effects were a little too distracting for my tastes and I preferred the included DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix but it’s nice that both options are available. 

There is one other audio track that absolutely cannot be ignored, although you’ll only find it on the Blu-ray quality download (which is included with your 4K HDR purchase): The audio commentary by the Russos,  Markus, and McFeely. If you listened to their commentary for Infinity War, you know what you’re in for. If not, I’m jealous that you get to experience it for the first time. As with the previous film, their commentary is less a scene-by-scene breakdown of how the film was made and more a masterclass in storytelling, character development, and filmmaking, making it essential listening even if you typically skip commentaries.

It’s a shame that the rest of the extras don’t rise to the same level. Also included with the Blu-ray quality download is about an hour’s worth of bonus documentaries that you can mostly ignore, except for the eight-minute tribute to Stan Lee that was included after the film in its soft theatrical re-release back in June. You’ll also want to check out the last of the six deleted scenes (which, by the way, doesn’t include the excised clip that was tacked onto the aforementioned theatrical re-release). 

Hopefully, at some point Endgame will get a double-dip home video release whose bonus features dig a little deeper into the rich tapestry that is this film. Until then, though, this one is a must-own. 

Dennis Burger is an avid Star Wars scholar, Tolkien fanatic, and Corvette enthusiast who somehow also manages to find time for technological passions including high-end audio, home automation, and video gaming. He lives in the armpit of Alabama with his wife Bethany and their four-legged child Bruno, a 75-pound American Staffordshire Terrier who thinks he’s a Pomeranian.

PICTURE |  Some of the most effective use of HDR ever, especially in the big battle at the end, where stunning contrasts are used not merely for eye candy but to reinforce the emotions of the sequence

SOUND | Anyone who’s grumbled about Disney’s sometimes lackluster audio mixes will be delighted by the richness of the Atmos soundtrack and its effective use of bowel-loosening bass and the aggressiveness of the height channel effects

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