Official HTF HD Review: Brokeback Mountain (Recommended) (1 Viewer)

Great thanks for the review. Looks like a double dip into HD for me! Maybe the reports of the soft picture are from people playing the SD side in their HD players .

Laters,
Jeff

Should also mention that in reference to 'Shots of the american west' viewers should be aware that it was actually filmed in Canada =)

There are always people who will jump on any thread and say something looks soft. These people generally live in a bizarro world. BBM looks as good as films with 10x its budget and this disk is 10x better looking than the DVD of the film, and I reiterate that there are very few that look better, and those are only due to deep saturation more than anything else.

Sam

Thanks for the review!

Sam,

Thank you for another fine review. While I personally did not like this movie much, I have purchased it, mostly because the dry spell HD-DVD has benn going through with new releases. Anyway, my girl loves this film so I guess I will have to sit through it again.

Although I agree with the 5/5 video rating, for the first time (with this disk), I've seen a downside to the "ultimate in definition" goal.

The disk is so crystal clear that you really can see things not meant to be seen. For instance, the makeup on Heath and Jake as they "age" from their late teens to late 30s. In particular, there are shots of Heath as an older man where you can see the spirit gum around his eyes, and the age spots on his face made with colored pencil.

The video is far clearer than what I saw in the movie theater (and I saw it five times in the theater).

I don't know that there is an answer to this, but makeup in future may have to develop further refinement so it can't be detected at all.

I watched this movie for the first time over the weekend and absolutely loved it. What a great movie. The picture quality was phenomenal. The movie sticks with you for a long time after watching it. I would reccomend it to everyone with an HD-DVD player.

I have mine on the way from Amazon.

I did have a somewhat bizarre experience in trying to trade my old DVD copy. I know that EBGames does trade on titles and I thought I could get at least $5 for it. Their system offered me $2 so I just left with it.

However, the transaction process involved much snickering and stifled laughter. I could hear one employee call another store in the background and say "dude, there's a guy here trying to trade Brokeback Mountain and I'm not joking" proceeded with much laughter.

On retrospect I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I did hesitate before walking into the store but I've seen other "R" rated movies there. I guess I was thinking younger crowd, Academy-award winning movie, Oscar nominated, good word of mouth....but I left rather disturbed by the behavior of a few of the employees in the store.

Yeah, and if you went in to upgrade Beerfest they would probably wouldn't bat an eye.

You should write a letter to corporate and complain.

- Steve

Fantastic review. Much appreciated. Pleased to hear that the softness I observed in the SD-DVD was not part of the original transfer, but just the downfiltered SD image.


That's very interesting to hear. I've noticed this now with several HD discs (including Chicago). My impression of Brokeback in the theater was of a very soft image... not too far removed from the SD-DVD disc. It's curious to hear how sharp/detailed this HD presentation is.

Clearly these HD transfers are being struck from digital IP and not subject to the degradation of "comercial" print-duplication which seems to be pretty lack-luster these days. Even LOTR looked embarassingly bad on EVERY print I saw at every theater.

dave

I saw BROKEBACK in the theater and, of course, bought the SD initial release. I don't have HD-DVD, but I did see the film on HBO-HD a month or so ago, and it did look quite wonderful, especially the panoramas which were just spectacular. I agree. What I saw in HD was far, far superior to the print I saw in the theater on its opening day which, to be honest, was not newly struck but had obviously been shown elsewhere and was only in mediocre shape.

So, I'm quite jealous for the handful of Universal films which I want that are denied me on Blu-ray.