HTF REVIEW: The Life Aquatic... Fan Recommended (1 Viewer)

[EricW]

i picked up the disc at the local FS on the way to work. the cap is not a replica of the ones used in the movie :frowning:

it IS bright red, but there's a big "LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU" embroidered across it, like 5" wide, and there's no white pompom also, the cap is really short - the top will hug the top of your head, whereas in the movie i seem to temember it being much longer.

still, it's free!

 

[Dane Marvin]

Well, living in Omaha, I scored my brand new copy for $9.99 (yep, the 2-disc) at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Don't ask me how or why they had this so cheap. Funny part is, I found out about this deal from DVDTalk.com's Bargains forum or I'd never have known about a great deal right under my nose!

 

[Dan Hitchman]

WTF is up with Buena Vista???

They usually always pull this PQ crap with their live action titles, and even sometimes on their animation stuff!

Are they blind?? Could Wes be blind? Or did they screw the standard def. down-convert up and the HD master was the one Wes liked?

Dan

 

[MatS]

well everyone's eyes and equipment is different and some are more critical for better or worse

here are some other PQ quotes from other reviews I have read

5/5
dvdtalk review #2

 

[JonZ]

On my TV - this picture looked great in 16x9.

My Sony is calibrated with Video Essentials.

They must viewing on a much larger television.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

MatS,

Amazing that those other reviews praise the image so highly.

My guess...they see the "Criterion" on the label and it colors their perceptions. For some reason folks seem to think that "Criterion" is a mark of high-image quality. It absolutely is not. It *may* be...but just like "THX" I've seen quite a few "Crtierion" titles (16x9) that really were sub-par...including this one (others, like the new Criterion Charade, look like actual 35mm film...never can predict).

BTW, DVD file has revised their review since you quoted them...


Dan, have you seen it yet? My guess is (like most Disney DVDs from what I understand) that the film-tape HD transfer looks perfect...and that's what the director approves. It's the subsequent mastering for DVD where things get messed up.

 

[EricW]

the seu jorge songs on the 2nd disc has way better sound quality and is a better performance (i think) than the ones on the actual soundtrack.

after rewatching the film, i think the first 30 min is really slow, but then it just takes off.

i didn't know about the BB keychains... d'oh! oh well, i think i'll still use the cap more than i would the keychain.

"oh no! we forgot cody! we have to go back!" (... humourous silence)

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I haven't gotten around to watching the feature yet, but have been running through the extra features on disc two all morning and have been really happy with the dvd soi far. I have to say from watching the behind the scenes docs and outtakes alone, that Wes Anderson is by far my favorite current/contemporary director making movies. Everytime I watch his films I pick up on new elements and subtelties I'd overlooked. He's such a brilliant filmmaker. I can't even say which of his films is my favorite because they all touch me on different levels. The Life Aquatic is definitely his most ambitious though, and as a screenwriter he is always pure genius.

One thing that did piss me off incredibly about this DVD was the fact that the cover art was plastered with stupid ass stickers all over the place like a Disney movie. I absolutely hate to see useless advertising that is of no interest blurbed all over products. There was a ridiculous $5 off some BVHE discount coupon crap plastered right on top of the slip cover that tore the cardboard right off as I tediously tried to remove it... If Buena Vista has such little dignity or respect for their consumers (as is overtly apparent from the majority of their dvd releases alone), but if they are going to sell their products with boatloads of advertisements and promotional bullshit plastered all over the place with the intention of getting you to buy more - the very least they could do is have a little consideration and slip the damn 4" coupon inside the keepcase instead of gluing it onto the outer slip like a bunch of maroons so that every passing shopper has to see their numerous billboards on the store shelves. Its just a small point really, but when I have to run back to the store 20 minutes after purchasing a product for something as dumb as my cover getting torn up from a sticker coupon for The Last Shot, it pisses me off. I dont know of any other studio that does this, I had at least 4-5 stickers to remove from the slipcase after unwrapping.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

You're probably right. Although my initial viewing of a disc is at about 8 or 9 feet from my 55" set, I always set up a folding chair right in front of the screen and give selected scenes a close examination from about 1-2 feet away for purposes of reviewing the PQ.

 

[Jon Martin]

I think that probably has a lot to do with it. I only have a 27 inch TV and the film looked great on that. I have no complaints about the transfer.

Although the film does make me wish I had a larger TV. In the theatre, each frame was filled with little details, especially in the scene going through the cutaway of the ship. That is lost on a smaller TV.

As for the film, I'm a Wes Anderson fan, but I love BOTTLE ROCKET more than RUSHMORE or ROYAL (both of which I liked, but liked less on second viewings). LIFE AQUATIC is, along with BOTTLE ROCKET, one of my favorites of his. I know this is a minority opinion, but I really liked it.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Aaron,

that's exactly what I used to do when I had my 16x9 direct-view. Only problem was that the shadow-mask of that direct-view CRT monitor introduced it's own artifacts that got in the way of fine detail at that distance...but those watching DLP or CRT-based RP sets shouldn't have those problems on their HD sets (Plasma might be an issue...I haven't seen a plasma that looked good at 1.5 screen-widths).

When I back up to the rear of the room (actually in my hallway) and see the screen from > 2 screen widths it's amazing how it "comes together" and looks fantastic. My guess is that the B.V. mastering guys must be looking at monitors that approximate that viewing angle and so aren't aware of the artifacts in the process that become visible at the wider angle of 1.5-1.7 screen widths...which is where "high end video mastering" should be focused as that's when the "theater" effect starts to take place and DVD...even though just Standard Def...can actually look beautiful at that angle.

Projector prices are dropping everyday and technology continues to improve. It won't be long before budget-HT guys like many on the forum have a 100" screen where their 27" TV used to be!

Good days are comin'

-dave

 

[dpippel]

No offense Jon, but on a 27" TV just about anything is going to look pretty good. At that scale the transfer would have to *extremely* bad before you'd notice anything was amiss. In addition, if your display is an interlaced set with no 16x9 squeeze mode, the image will be affected by the DVD players downconversion of the anamorphic video on the disc.

 

[EricW]

is it just me or do some of the deleted scenes show more picture detail than the feature?

 

[Justin Bauer]

I blind bought the 2 discer yesterday based on my love for Royal. I watched the first hour and felt mixed. I will finish it today.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Projectors are getting crazy cheap. Dunno if one would really work in my HT (due to the room size/ shape and lighting) though.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

As long as you can turn out the lights...you can watch on a PJ.

I have a screen that I pull down in front of my living-room windows...it hides in the valence of the curtains so when I'm not watching you wouldn't even know it's there.

Since a PJ can adjust screen-size to almost anything you desire...you never have to worry about not having enough space between you and the screen...just get a smaller screen or shrink the size of the image if you are projecting on a white wall...

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Easier said than done in South Florida! (More importantly, there's no good place to mount a PJ in our TV room.)

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Remember...having a PJ doesn't mean you need to throw away your TV. Most PJ owners continue to use their "TV" for casual day-time viewing and only fire up the bulb for feature films in the evening when it's dark outside (no black-out curtain needed).

I've got my PJ sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch. Works like a charm.

 

[Ray H]

I felt mixed when I first saw it on theaters. I've had the chance to see this twice since and I've gotta say I'm very fond of it now.

Also, the first two times I saw it, I had no clue Seymour Cassel played Esteban!

 

[GuruAskew]

I agree, it's definitely a joke. It's very clever but it still amazes me when one of these "mockumentary" DVD extras (the Kenneth Loring commentary track on "Blood Simple" and "#1: A Darkomentary" on the "Donnie Darko" Director's Cut disc being two prime examples) manage to fool 99% of the people who watch them. This HTF review is the only one I've read that didn't completely buy the validity of this extra. First of all, I imagine Italian TV has progressed past 1970's production values, I would think they would be smart enough to have an interpreter on-hand and I doubt a show would make it to air and a subsequent DVD release with the video interupted with color bars. Secondly, selecting the "Criterion Collection" logo on the 2nd disc has an introduction to the DVD itself by the "host" of the show. Third, the copyright at the end is credited to Criterion. Also, the interviewer appears in the film as the Festival Director (further digging has revealed that Antonio Monda is an associate producer of the Tisch School of the Arts. Wes Anderson is a TSOA alumnus). Finally, the Criterion "Tenenbaums" disc has a similar feature where "Peter Bradley", the Charlie Rose-inspired talk show host featured in the movie itself interviews a bunch of the supporting cast. As I said before, it's very clever, and the obviousness to me doesn't prevent me from appreciating it, especially when everyone else is falling for it.