Robert George
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 1,176
While a rarely post anymore there rare instances of a topic that has inspired me to share a thought or refection. Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray edition of Last of the Dogmen is such a topic. As I have not seen a thread for this recent release from Kino Lorber (surprisingly), I will share a post I made elsewhere (that also did not have a thread for this disc).
Last of the Dogman became a personal favorite, a film that I "discovered" on home video as have been so many. Such is the nature of a movie collector. Though many lesser films have seen their fortunes enhanced with the advent of the Blu-ray format (and even UHD), many others have been lost to studio ambivalence and copyright purgatory. I suspect that has been the issue with this criminally underappreciated film.
Last seen in 2000 in a badly over-processed non-anamorphic letterboxed DVD from HBO Home Video, that disc was still enough to kindle a fondness for this beautifully photographed film, as well as a desire to see it treated properly on home video. It only took 22 years.
Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray is, to a fan of this film, manna from heaven. KL's marketing blurb states, "newly restored from a 4K scan of the original camera negative - color graded and approved by director Tab Murphy and cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub". This disc easily lives up to that hype. The image is perfectly stable with all the attributes expected of a modern Blu-ray transfer. Colors appear spot-on and contrast and brightness are as good as the format allows giving the image a very natural, filmic look. Sharpness and detail are near perfect without any hint of digital over-processing. Film grain is light and looks as one should expect from a 35mm widescreen Panavision negative.
The disc offers four audio options, though none are noted on the packaging. The original 2-channel Dolby Stereo by way of DTS-HD Master encoding is the default audio. There is also a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track included. Additionally. the film has been shown with a narration by Wilford Brimley. This audio is included in both 2.0 and 5.1 options, also DTS-HD MA. My preference is to let the film tell the story without Mr. Brimley's able assistance. I found the 2.0 track strong with very good clarity. Dialog is well balanced and the very fine score lacks any stridency or harshness.
Minimal bonus material is highlighted by a commentary track with Writer/Director Tab Murphy and Producer Joel B. Michaels. A theatrical trailer and TV spots are also included.
It feels like I've waited 20 years for this disc. That said, I spent a very satisfying 2 hours this afternoon.
Robert "Obi" George
Video reference:
LG OLED83C1 (calibrated)
Panasonic DP-UB820
EDIT: If you have trouble finding this disc at the usual discounters, I gave up on Amazon and ordered directly from Kino Lorber's website. Price difference is only a couple bucks but shipping is...more. This one is worth it.
Last of the Dogman became a personal favorite, a film that I "discovered" on home video as have been so many. Such is the nature of a movie collector. Though many lesser films have seen their fortunes enhanced with the advent of the Blu-ray format (and even UHD), many others have been lost to studio ambivalence and copyright purgatory. I suspect that has been the issue with this criminally underappreciated film.
Last seen in 2000 in a badly over-processed non-anamorphic letterboxed DVD from HBO Home Video, that disc was still enough to kindle a fondness for this beautifully photographed film, as well as a desire to see it treated properly on home video. It only took 22 years.
Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray is, to a fan of this film, manna from heaven. KL's marketing blurb states, "newly restored from a 4K scan of the original camera negative - color graded and approved by director Tab Murphy and cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub". This disc easily lives up to that hype. The image is perfectly stable with all the attributes expected of a modern Blu-ray transfer. Colors appear spot-on and contrast and brightness are as good as the format allows giving the image a very natural, filmic look. Sharpness and detail are near perfect without any hint of digital over-processing. Film grain is light and looks as one should expect from a 35mm widescreen Panavision negative.
The disc offers four audio options, though none are noted on the packaging. The original 2-channel Dolby Stereo by way of DTS-HD Master encoding is the default audio. There is also a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track included. Additionally. the film has been shown with a narration by Wilford Brimley. This audio is included in both 2.0 and 5.1 options, also DTS-HD MA. My preference is to let the film tell the story without Mr. Brimley's able assistance. I found the 2.0 track strong with very good clarity. Dialog is well balanced and the very fine score lacks any stridency or harshness.
Minimal bonus material is highlighted by a commentary track with Writer/Director Tab Murphy and Producer Joel B. Michaels. A theatrical trailer and TV spots are also included.
It feels like I've waited 20 years for this disc. That said, I spent a very satisfying 2 hours this afternoon.
Robert "Obi" George
Video reference:
LG OLED83C1 (calibrated)
Panasonic DP-UB820
EDIT: If you have trouble finding this disc at the usual discounters, I gave up on Amazon and ordered directly from Kino Lorber's website. Price difference is only a couple bucks but shipping is...more. This one is worth it.
