Articles

"Frozen Planet"

April 2012

The Latest, and Best, of BBC's Nature Series

BBC Earth
Format: Blu-ray

Overall Enjoyment
Picture Quality
Sound Quality
Extras

One of the supplements on this magnificent three-disc set is "Frozen Planet: The Epic Journey." You might want to call it "Frozen Planet Lite," since it shows highlights of the first six parts of the series. I found myself wishing I had watched it first, like a very long trailer, but others might prefer to watch it after, as a remembrance of favorite scenes.

And what memories! Penguins springing out of the water and onto the ice; narwhals, the unicorns of the sea, traversing small paths of water through the ice and showing their magical horns when they surface for air; the birth of polar bear cubs; a raven and a wolverine forming an unlikely alliance to find food; and much more. Those who are familiar with the BBC's Planet Earth and Life will need no urging to watch Frozen Planet, while those new to the series might well start with this one, the best edited and organized of them all. It devotes an episode to each season of the year bookended by episodes that serve as prologue and epilogue. Each episode is divided fairly evenly into footage of the Arctic and the Antarctic.

This time David Attenborough not only narrates the collection but also appears in a seventh episode devoted to global warming and the significant geographic changes occurring at the poles. It's quite impressive to see this robust octogenarian speaking at the South Pole, gesticulating emphatically with his hands. Be sure to buy the original UK edition, which includes Attenborough. BBC has been known to play down to American audiences by using Hollywood stars as narrators. They might do it satisfactorily, but no one does it like Attenborough!

"Winter" was the episode that really grabbed my attention, and it's perhaps the most dramatic segment of them all. It starts in the Arctic with blowing snow creating a near whiteout while the shrill wind wails around the listener thanks to some very excellent surround sound. This opening sets a chilly stage, leading you to wonder what in the world could live under such conditions. The episode answers by showing us tiny voles tunneling underground and the great grey owl that hunts them. We see a mother polar bear digging a burrow where she'll give birth to two cubs before trekking out on the frozen ocean in search of food. We meet the mighty bison, the largest mammals in North America, and we're treated to a thrilling aerial view of two wolves pursuing them. The herd thunders on like a stagecoach fleeing from Indians in the Old West until one young bison is separated from the group.

Things are bleaker at the South Pole. Above ground there are only the male emperor penguins, huddled together, holding their mates' precious eggs on top of their feet while the females are away at sea foraging for food. They return in the spring to take over the care and feeding of their chicks. Under the thick ice of the frozen sea is the Weddell seal, which must surface occasionally but lives mainly under the ice where the climate is as still as that above ground is turbulent. The Antarctic winter is the harshest on earth; it’s amazing that the emperor penguins and Weddell seal can tough it out.

There's a "Freeze Frame" supplement for each episode that shows how the cameramen obtained some of their amazing footage -- with consummate skill, and often great difficulty, while avoiding almost always present danger. One member of the crew seems truly moved by being close enough to killer whales to reach out and touch one. Better him than me! It reminds me that these brave cameramen have taken great risks so I can enjoy the sights on my 65" screen in a safe and secure home theater. The awesome HD footage has been transferred to Blu-ray with meticulous detail, and the surround sound engulfs the viewer with atmosphere and George Fenton's monumental music score.

If you own HD equipment and haven't seen any of the BBC nature-series films, or you've seen them only on broadcast TV, you owe it to yourself to see this new one. It's more exciting and better reproduced than 90 percent of the feature films out there.

Be sure to watch for: Chapter 1 of "Winter" focuses on the spectacled eider (a sea duck), their flock hedging its bet against migration by finding an open spot in the ice. There are hundreds of thousands and the cameras capture them from many different angles. These breathtaking scenes perfectly showcase the sharpness and definition of the Blu-ray format.

. . . Rad Bennett
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"Fringe: The Complete Third Season"

September 2011

The Best Science-Fiction Show on Television Gets Blu-ray Treatment

Warner Bros. Entertainment
Format: Blu-ray

Overall Enjoyment
Picture Quality
Sound Quality
Extras

Fringe, though popular with fans, was teetering on the brink of extinction as it neared the end of its second season. But Fox gave it more time, and both the network and the fans have been richly rewarded. Fringe is the best science fiction procedural since The X-Files, and (sorry, Mulder and Scully) in many ways it's even better.

The plot involves a parallel universe and a slew of problems that start in a flashback when super-scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) visits the other universe to bring back the double of his deceased son. Walternate, Bishop's alternate-universe guy, is an often vicious, always ambitious political leader bent on revenge. And when both worlds begin to experience wormholes and start to shatter, Walternate declares war with the alternate world and it becomes a case of "them or us."

Both sides have a division of the FBI called Fringe Division, and each employs a heroine agent. In our world it's Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), and to keep things clear her counterpart is named Fauxlivia. This richly layered third season starts off with the Olivias mixed up. Our Olivia is a captive in the alternate world, while Fauxlivia is a spy who passes for Olivia in this world, where she even successfully seduces Walter's now grown son and Fringe agent, Peter (Joshua Jackson).

I've always been a sucker for parallel-universe plots, and Fringe is the best of them all, eclipsing Sliders, which used to be my standard. Parallel worlds usually fall into the "what if" category; you know, What if John F. Kennedy had survived the attempt on his life? or What if the South had won the Civil War?

Fringe uses icons to let us know where we are -- the Statue of Liberty is gold, there are still two towers in lower Manhattan (though not copies of the familiar twin towers), and dirigibles cruise over the city and dock at the Empire State Building (because apparently the Hindenburg tragedy never occurred). If you look quickly (or stop the Blu-ray Disc to study), you'll see many small differences like unusual road signs, currency, and posters. Of course the biggest difference is that the Fringe Division of our world is in Boston, while the other one is in New York.

Many science-fiction television shows put SFX first and coast on the characters, but not this one. Fringe presents award-caliber performances week after week. Anna Torv is a marvel. She not only plays Olivia and Fauxlivia but also gets a crack at imitating Leonard Nimoy when Walter's former partner, William Bell, becomes embedded in her consciousness. Also right on the money is John Noble, who makes the eccentric Walter a lovable and fascinating character. The other parts, including guest spots, are immaculately cast characters you'll grow to love and look forward to in each episode.

The show is still shot on film, and the picture's richness and definition are top quality. But as good as the broadcasts have been, these 1080p discs are even better. A lot of the action shots occur in dark places that are beautifully rendered with inky blacks and good shadow detail. The sound is also movie quality, with excellent frequency response and a clever use of the surround channels.

The extras, which are a little on the weak side, include some featurettes on parallel existence that never stray beyond the show itself to let us know about other works on the same topic. There's also a gag reel, and two of the episodes have commentary. One of them comfortably uses animation, and there's another featurette dealing with that aspect of production. If you haven't seen Fringe, you've missed the best that television has to offer -- a perfectly executed show that's challenging, provocative, and always evolving, with each episode richer than the last.

Be sure to watch for: All of the show's establishing shots are impressive. Typical is a city overview at the beginning of chapter 4 in the first episode. The camera pans down, showing teeny-tiny vehicles and people in detail even though they seem a mile away. Upconversion can't do that. Blu-ray can.

. . . Rad Bennett
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"The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall"

February 2012

The Phantom Done Justice on Blu-ray

Universal 61121260
Format: Blu-ray

Overall Enjoyment
Picture Quality
Sound Quality
Extras

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera is one of the biggest crossover productions in the history of theater. When touring companies have come to nearby Washington, DC, I've seen friends who normally listen to rock music eagerly order prime seats right alongside typical fans of classical music or Broadway shows. Perhaps this crossover appeal explains its 25-year run in London; its record-breaking 24-year run on Broadway, which will surpass 10,000 performances on February 12, 2012; and an original cast recording that has gone platinum four times in the US. Everyone seems to enjoy the story of a rising soprano coached by a disfigured madman who haunts the shadows of the Paris Opera and lives in its underground waterways.

Most of the millions who love this work were extremely dissatisfied with Joel Schumacher's 2004 movie, in which he made a succession of disastrous decisions, not the least of which was casting a non-singer (Gerard Butler) in the lead. Those enthusiasts can rest assured that this 25th-anniversary production is almost totally satisfying. Its few deficiencies are trifles considering the strength of its cast and the overall production.

Canadian Ramin Karimloo plays the Phantom, and he's simply terrific, bringing all the pathos and scattershot rage of the character to life. His Phantom isn't just a dangerous psychopath; he's a wronged man who became a monster. His last cry of anguish at the end of Act II left me breathless.

The rest of the cast is just fine, too. Sierra Boggess is a pretty Christine, who evolves believably from chorus-line status to super diva. Hadley Fraser is dashing and steadfast as Raoul, the other man who loves Christine. The scene with Christine, the Phantom, and Raoul near the end of Act II really strikes sparks and catches fire.

To put this show on at the Royal Albert Hall, the crew had to construct a stage. And since the venue had no overhead space to fly scrims in and out, they used video projections on gigantic panels that could slide sideways or rise out of the stage. This technique presents my only real gripe with this handsome production: these panels kick ass when seen from even a short distance, but when a camera goes in close to catch a performer, you can often see the pixels. Thankfully, the camera work is so skillful that you'll rarely notice, and the drama is so captivating that you won't be overly bothered. The Blu-ray picture is also sharp as a tack, with good contrast and shadow resolution, and the audio is full bodied and has excellent presence. The thumping electric bass that accompanies some of the Phantom's music is focused, forceful, and clean.

At the end of the production, after the initial curtain calls, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber comes out to introduce the original Christine, his ex-wife Sarah Brightman, as well as a handful of significant singers who have played the Phantom, including the original one, Michael Crawford. I wish this had been added as an extra, as it takes away from the dynamic ending of the show. You might want to use your pause button and come back to it later. As for planned extras, there's an entertaining production featurette that details, among other things, the creation of the Phantom's iconic mask, and a trailer for the show's sequel, Love Never Dies, which Universal promises on Blu-ray and DVD sometime in 2012.

The Phantom of the Opera has broken records all around the world, and this production sums up 25 years of success. It arrives on Blu-ray with excellent picture and sound that reveal a production rich in both dramatic flair and nuance. Don't miss it.

Be sure to watch for: The costumes for the show are eye-popping, and just about the whole chorus is on stage in the ball scene at the beginning of Act II. The colors are so outrageous that they reminded me of early Technicolor movies where hues were contrasted in almost garish ways -- red against burgundy against magenta against strawberry blond -- just to show off. It's a true riot of color, which my DLP set displayed with ease.

. . . Rad Bennett
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"Ring of Fire"

July 2011

The Feature Is Good, but the Extras Are Better

Inception Media Group IMG1010BD
Format: Blu-ray

Overall Enjoyment
Picture Quality
Sound Quality
Extras

I've always been fond of Ring of Fire, which is one of the earlier IMAX films, having been released in 1991. Several different companies released it on DVD with disastrous results, and due to substandard transfers it received low ratings from consumers and critics, indicating that IMAX images are apparently hard to transfer to disc. I've seen several that were genuinely disappointing, but lately more effort seems to be going into their Blu-ray transfers. Ring of Fire looks many times better than those awful DVDs. That's not to say it's the best-looking Blu-ray around, but it's quite good.

The "ring of fire" relates to a line of volcanoes girdling the globe. The documentary crew visits several of the mountains on the ring, including Mount St. Helens in the United States. There are some spectacular shots throughout Ring of Fire, especially those of the clouds of ash that are spewed heavenward to amazing heights when a volcano erupts. There's almost equally fine footage of lava flowing like a red-hot river, but Ring of Fire isn't just about eruptions and magma. It examines various cultures that live in close proximity to volcanoes. Miners in Chile dig sulfur from ash in the heart of a volcano, knowing it's unlikely they'll live longer than 30 years after being exposed to the fumes. Japanese snow monkeys lounge in hot springs created by a volcano with faces resembling humans at the spa, bored and just soaking it in. All of these scenes are presented in sharp, colorful video that's just short of reference quality. If you like low rumbling to show off your woofers and subwoofers, you'll find that effect in about half of the film's 38 minutes. In addition to having commanding bass, the sound is wonderfully immersive; there's something going on in the surrounds throughout almost the entire disc.

That's all well and good, but this disc stands apart for another reason: the supplement section comprises a baker’s dozen of trailers for other IMAX films, most of them of demonstration caliber. When friends come over and you want to show off your big screen (and let's face it -- we all want to do that), rather than tying up two hours of their time, you can pop on one of these trailers, and then if your guest wants more, you can pull out Avatar (still one of the very best HD transfers) and spend three hours with it. The trailers all have good video and surround sound. The latter is regular DTS 5.1, but it still registers a sampling rate of 48kHz on my processor's readout, and it sounds virtually indistinguishable from the feature's DTS-HD Master Audio tracks. 

Be sure to watch for: The trailer for The Alps ends with an avalanche coming right at the camera. It's a cool scene, greatly aided by the excellent surround sound.

. . . Rad Bennett
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