DVD review of Open Range? (1 Viewer)

[Chad Gregory]

It was shot in Calgary, not sure what it was supposed to depict.

 

[Blu]

Well it is beautiful country!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'd be very interested in hearing whatever you find out.

Is there a definitive list somewhere of films made using the DI process that were imported from digital files directly to DVD, rather than from a film print?

 

[Martin Jeeves]

Anyone know what the Sneel Peeks are on the DVD?

 

[Ernest Rister]

Off the top of my head:

Hidalgo
Veronica Guerrin
Cold Creek Harbor
ESPN
Haunted Mansion

 

[Martin Jeeves]

Thanks Ernest! Do you know if "Under The Tuscan Sun" starring Diane Lane was one of them? Thanks.

 

[Ernest Rister]

No, the Tuscan Sun trailer is not among them. Sorry.

 

[Martin Jeeves]

Thanks for checking, Ernest. Cheers

 

[dpippel]

I watched Open Range for the first time last night and, despite some stumbles around the end of the film, enjoyed it immensely. The story was pretty standard western fodder, but the script was smart, the characters well written, and the acting top-notch. Believable people reacting in believable ways in a realistic framework with great pacing and timing. In fact I think that the pacing of the movie works almost perfectly. Costner takes his time unfolding the story and lets you get to know his characters in a very natural way. This is one of the film's primary strengths.

I agree that Robert Duvall should get a nomination for his portrayal of Boss in this film. He's the heart around which the rest of the story revolves. Just wonderful. Annette Benning was also a pleasant surprise. As for Costner, I think this is easily his best work since A Perfect World. He actually *acted*, and gave his Charlie Waite genuine pathos and depth. His direction was equally superb. Open Range is definitely on my top ten list for 2003. I loved it.

I haven't had time to go through any of the supplemental material yet so can only comment on the film itself. Like Ron I found the transfer to be a little on the soft side, perhaps due to overly aggressive horizontal filtering. Not the best but certainly acceptable. The DD track was immersive and strong. I didn't listen to the DTS track this time.

 

[Adam Gutierrez]

First of all I loved this movie and the dts track rocked, but am I the only one who noticed alot of EE? From the opening credits I knew I was in trouble, halos around the title credits. An the strange part is it made the picture somewhat soft like Ron mentioned. Touchstone really dropped the ball on the transfer on this one.

 

[Tim_P_76]

I so fell in love with this movie last night watching it for the first time. Equally I think one of the films themes was redemption not only for Costner's character but for his career! I did notice the transfer was soft especially in the faces as well as being to contrasty being that most of it was washed out from the sun's brightness. The film: A must buy for me.

 

[Angelo.M]

Very interested in seeing this based on this thread.

I think it's interesting that Pale Rider is rarely mentioned as one of the better, relatively recent Westerns. I think it's a criminally-overlooked gem.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Adam,

I noticed a large amount of EE as well and I had the same reaction to those opening credits.

Loved the movie, although I think it takes too long to wrap up after the great gunfight climax.
Did anyone else feel badly when that last gunhand was chased down and shot by the townsfolk?

 

[Yumbo]

hi,

I noticed the opening EE as well - happens on a LOT of discs but not recently (GONYork last one? But haven't watched much since). Nothing noticeable too much after that.

Thought the colour scheme was great.

Sound rocks!

 

[Andy_MT]

disney haven't dropped the ball ... because it was already dropped a long time ago. gangs of new york, shanghai knights, pirates & now this ? it's just one big tidal wave of shit looking dvds from this studio these days. there's no excuse for it. they just don't seem to take any pride in the way their dvds look these days.

 

[Shane Martin]

Todd,
No not one bit.

Open Range is easily in my top 10 of 2003 and I thought the dvd was fantastic. I can't judge the video quality however but the audio in DTS was fantastic.

 

[Jack Shappa]

Takes its time in an almost "Solaris" kind of plodding way, but I did not mind this. It was refreshing actally. This is a great audio demo disk, with the surround-sound rain downpours and the crack of those guns going off. Not the usual hollywood gun sounds, but what REAL guns of that era sound like.

Gorgeous scenic vistas in many scenes... Too bad there is lots of EE (which I would never have noticed before you bastards showed me what it was). The dialogue was occasionally George Lucas cringeworthy, but the actors pulled it off

- Jack

 

[David Judah]

While there was some haloing in certain scenes, I don't think it would be accurate to say there was alot of EE. It certainly didn't stand out throughout the entire movie like some discs.
A very keen observation which I happen to agree with.

 

[Ernest Rister]

My beef with Pale Rider is that I just didn't take much away with me after viewing it. There isn't a central performance or character that stands out for me, and since most Westerns share a familiar plot, ultimately it is the characters and the writing that elevate one Western over another. There's an overcast sadness to Pale Rider, a bleak and forlorn attitude befitting Eastwood's resurrected gunslinger, but this is not balanced out by life -- there's no spark, either. The film was heavily criticized for being underlit when it premiered in the mid-80s. I can take some shadows and a dim world, just give me some great characters in the bargain. As a style piece and a genre piece, Pale Rider is a gem. Is it one of the great modern westerns? Not on the order of a Silverado, Lonesome Dove, and Unforgiven, or even Tombstone and Open Range, all of which have indelible characters that linger in the mind like old friends. Pale Rider is a good western, I just don't think it is a "great" western, though I can see why people admire it.

 

[Angelo.M]

Well, to each his own of course.

I consider PR "great;" I rank it below Unforgiven and on par with Tombstone, but above the others you mentioned, Ernest (OR excluded, which I haven't seen yet).