Michael Osadciw
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2003
- Messages
- 1,460
- Real Name
- Michael Osadciw
Blu-ray Disc REVIEW
kiss
kISS
bAng
banG
Studio: Warner Bros.
Film Year: 2005
Film Length: 103 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Mystery
Aspect Ratio:
2.40:1 Theatrical Ratio
Film Resolution: 1080/24p
Special features: 480/30i/p
Video Codec: MPEG-2
Colour/B&W: Colour
Audio:
English
5.1 Surround
French
5.1 Surround
Spanish
2.0 Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Film Rating:
Release Date: AVAILABLE NOW
Film Rating: :star: :star: :star: :star: / :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. (Harry Lockhart), Val Kilmer (Gay Perry), Michelle Monaghan (Harmony Faith Lane)
Screenplay by: Shane Black
Directed by: Shane Black
SeX. MurdEr. MyStery. Welcome to the party..
Well, it’s that time of change in the air. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray product introductions have come and gone, early adopters have geared up with their support of one format or another, and most are ready to blast harsh comments at the other camp. My guess is that through this madness they are hoping to bring new supporters by scaring them away from the ‘other format.’ Think of it as a duty to protect their investment…after all, who wants their HD player to become an obsolete paperweight?
Warner Brothers is one of the two studios who are refusing to be exclusive to HD-DVD or Blu-ray. By offering their high definition titles on both formats they are letting the market decide what format they want to buy their titles on. On each of the format’s introductions, Blu-ray has taken heat on image quality while praise was sung for HD-DVD. Bad source elements and a questionable output was part of BDs stumble, but with some care it has been proven that the format is equal to HD-DVD.
Warner’s first four Blu-ray titles were encoded in the much-maligned MPEG-2 video compression codec. Blamed for being inefficient compared to the touted superiority of Microsoft’s VC-1, Warner Bros. proved that video compressed with MPEG-2 can look stellar.
As of the beginning of September, Warner’s use of MPEG-2 was pretty much history. The second “wave” of titles (except one) and all upcoming titles use VC-1. It’s a smart move to save space if adding additional features or better audio as long as the integrity of the image is maintained. So why have I gone back to review Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a now month old title from Warner Bros. with outdated MPEG-2? Basically to tell BD owners (and their HD-DVD rivals) that this is an excellent disc and there is nothing to fear about MPEG-2. It delivers a great image.
Here follows Herb Kane’s synopsis of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as found in his HD-DVD review here. I must confess my impressions of this title on Blu-ray are the same as Herb’s descriptions of the HD-DVD.
HTF DVD Reviewer Herb Kane writes: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the directorial debut of Lethal Weapon screenwriter Shane Black. He stylizes the film by employing a voice-over narrator which pokes fun at many film noir clichés (not surprising, after apparently spending much of his spare time reading Raymond Chandler novels). Although the tone is never more than semi-serious, we build a relationship with the characters as we come to enjoy their quirkiness. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang takes us on a different and somewhat off beat journey offering several laughs along the way. In typical noir fashion, the film is voice-over narrated by Robert Downey Jr.'s, Harry Lockhart character. Clearly his style makes it apparent he's talking to a movie audience in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. Occasionally, Hollywood uses offbeat narration, but this is flippant, in a welcoming and refreshing kind of way.
Harry is a two-bit thief who breaks into a casting call in an attempt to escape the police. Upon his arrival in Hollywood, he is teamed with a P.I. named "Gay Perry" (played by Val Kilmer), who takes him under his wing to show him the ins and outs of trade. He is reunited with his high school sweetheart, Harmony (played by Michelle Monaghan) who he still has a crush on. However, he gets more than he bargains for when he discovers two bodies in less than 24 hours.
Robert Downey brings the right mix of cynicism and confidence. Val Kilmer adds a flair of arrogance to his part as the enigmatic Gay Perry. Michelle Monaghan assumes the femme fatale role. The plot moves along at a rapid pace and periods of time go by without Harry's voice offering comments or observations. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang isn't necessarily an original piece of noir however the end result, a parody of the movement, is an entertaining one.
VIDEO QUALITY 8/10 :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
I’ve decided to rank the video quality of these discs on a 1-10 scale. A Blu-Ray score of 5 will mean that it is similar to the best-looking DVD I can think of and the remaining 5-10 will be based on the extended resolution of Blu-Ray disc. I think this is the best way to rank these titles for now so I hope this will help you to determine what a reference HD disc is. As more BDs become available and authoring improves (as was in the early DVD days) the earliest titles I’ve ranked as “10” may not appear as “reference quality” anymore. Please note that I’m currently viewing this on a 1280x720 projector and I’m not even able to see half of the 1920x1080 information on this disc. In the simplest terms, instead of seeing 6x the resolution of DVD I’m only seeing 2.6x the improvement. Our display devices have a long way to go before we can see all of the picture information contained on these discs. This disc was reviewed on the Samsung BD-P1000 on a 35-foot Monster M1000HDMI to a calibrated PT-AE700 (6500K/5400K-B&W). The screen is a D110" (8-foot wide) Da-Lite Cinema Contour (w.Pro-Trim finish) and Da-Mat fabric.
I was very impressed with the transfer of this film. There is virtually no film grain and no edge enhancement noticeable on this disc. If I were to nitpick about just one little thing I’d have to say there *could have* been very few instances when I noticed compression artefacts. I’m not that used to seeing these artefacts on HD discs and I’m not sure how different they are from DVD, so I’m going to use that comment with caution.
The theatrical aspect ratio of the film is 2.40:1 and seems correctly framed on this disc. Many scenes in the film are at night. Black levels are very deep and shadow detail is superior-looking to some other titles I’ve viewed recently. It’s just awesome to see. Plus, our main characters never look under-contrasted in these dark scenes. The perfect amount of light is cast upon the characters so we can see them well – that shows great effort during the production of this film because it stands out on this hi-def release.
The colours in this film are a bit odd. I can’t claim that it looks natural all of the time because it’s clear they have been altered in many scenes. Some pop out more than others, mainly green, and it occasionally has a green cast in other colours. At other times, skin tones look natural but can also look slightly warmer than necessary. …but then that’s the artistic decision of the filmmakers so who am I to question it? In the end, the image is a bit variable in consistency which seems to be the intended approach for viewing.
DOLBY DIGITAL AUDIO EXPERIENCE: 6.5/10 :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
For the sake of consistency with the video, I’m going to rate uncompressed PCM (and eventually the lossless audio compression formats when available), as well as lossy codecs from Dolby Digital and DTS on a scale from 1-10. This rating is based on “satisfaction” – the highest score delivering the greatest amount of satisfaction and the lowest delivering the least. When defining satisfaction, I mean both the resolution of the audio as well as the sound design for the film. I’m listening for the best experience possible. Audio is reviewed using the Samsung BD-P1000’s decoding & DACs, a Marantz SR5400 for preamp/pass-through, 2 Anthem MCA-30 amps each on Transparent PowerLink Super. All speakers are set to LARGE: Dunlavy SC-IV (front), Dunlavy SC-I (center), Focus Audio FC-50 (surrounds), Mirage BPS-400 subwoofer (LFE), 4 Paradigm PW-2200 subwoofers on 2 Mirage LFX-3 crossovers (one sub for each main channel for audio
kiss
kISS
bAng
banG
Studio: Warner Bros.
Film Year: 2005
Film Length: 103 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Mystery
Aspect Ratio:
2.40:1 Theatrical Ratio
Film Resolution: 1080/24p
Special features: 480/30i/p
Video Codec: MPEG-2
Colour/B&W: Colour
Audio:
English
5.1 SurroundFrench
5.1 SurroundSpanish
2.0 SurroundSubtitles: English, French, Spanish
Film Rating:
Release Date: AVAILABLE NOW
Film Rating: :star: :star: :star: :star: / :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. (Harry Lockhart), Val Kilmer (Gay Perry), Michelle Monaghan (Harmony Faith Lane)
Screenplay by: Shane Black
Directed by: Shane Black
SeX. MurdEr. MyStery. Welcome to the party..
Well, it’s that time of change in the air. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray product introductions have come and gone, early adopters have geared up with their support of one format or another, and most are ready to blast harsh comments at the other camp. My guess is that through this madness they are hoping to bring new supporters by scaring them away from the ‘other format.’ Think of it as a duty to protect their investment…after all, who wants their HD player to become an obsolete paperweight?
Warner Brothers is one of the two studios who are refusing to be exclusive to HD-DVD or Blu-ray. By offering their high definition titles on both formats they are letting the market decide what format they want to buy their titles on. On each of the format’s introductions, Blu-ray has taken heat on image quality while praise was sung for HD-DVD. Bad source elements and a questionable output was part of BDs stumble, but with some care it has been proven that the format is equal to HD-DVD.
Warner’s first four Blu-ray titles were encoded in the much-maligned MPEG-2 video compression codec. Blamed for being inefficient compared to the touted superiority of Microsoft’s VC-1, Warner Bros. proved that video compressed with MPEG-2 can look stellar.
As of the beginning of September, Warner’s use of MPEG-2 was pretty much history. The second “wave” of titles (except one) and all upcoming titles use VC-1. It’s a smart move to save space if adding additional features or better audio as long as the integrity of the image is maintained. So why have I gone back to review Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a now month old title from Warner Bros. with outdated MPEG-2? Basically to tell BD owners (and their HD-DVD rivals) that this is an excellent disc and there is nothing to fear about MPEG-2. It delivers a great image.
Here follows Herb Kane’s synopsis of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as found in his HD-DVD review here. I must confess my impressions of this title on Blu-ray are the same as Herb’s descriptions of the HD-DVD.
HTF DVD Reviewer Herb Kane writes: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the directorial debut of Lethal Weapon screenwriter Shane Black. He stylizes the film by employing a voice-over narrator which pokes fun at many film noir clichés (not surprising, after apparently spending much of his spare time reading Raymond Chandler novels). Although the tone is never more than semi-serious, we build a relationship with the characters as we come to enjoy their quirkiness. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang takes us on a different and somewhat off beat journey offering several laughs along the way. In typical noir fashion, the film is voice-over narrated by Robert Downey Jr.'s, Harry Lockhart character. Clearly his style makes it apparent he's talking to a movie audience in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. Occasionally, Hollywood uses offbeat narration, but this is flippant, in a welcoming and refreshing kind of way.
Harry is a two-bit thief who breaks into a casting call in an attempt to escape the police. Upon his arrival in Hollywood, he is teamed with a P.I. named "Gay Perry" (played by Val Kilmer), who takes him under his wing to show him the ins and outs of trade. He is reunited with his high school sweetheart, Harmony (played by Michelle Monaghan) who he still has a crush on. However, he gets more than he bargains for when he discovers two bodies in less than 24 hours.
Robert Downey brings the right mix of cynicism and confidence. Val Kilmer adds a flair of arrogance to his part as the enigmatic Gay Perry. Michelle Monaghan assumes the femme fatale role. The plot moves along at a rapid pace and periods of time go by without Harry's voice offering comments or observations. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang isn't necessarily an original piece of noir however the end result, a parody of the movement, is an entertaining one.
VIDEO QUALITY 8/10 :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:I’ve decided to rank the video quality of these discs on a 1-10 scale. A Blu-Ray score of 5 will mean that it is similar to the best-looking DVD I can think of and the remaining 5-10 will be based on the extended resolution of Blu-Ray disc. I think this is the best way to rank these titles for now so I hope this will help you to determine what a reference HD disc is. As more BDs become available and authoring improves (as was in the early DVD days) the earliest titles I’ve ranked as “10” may not appear as “reference quality” anymore. Please note that I’m currently viewing this on a 1280x720 projector and I’m not even able to see half of the 1920x1080 information on this disc. In the simplest terms, instead of seeing 6x the resolution of DVD I’m only seeing 2.6x the improvement. Our display devices have a long way to go before we can see all of the picture information contained on these discs. This disc was reviewed on the Samsung BD-P1000 on a 35-foot Monster M1000HDMI to a calibrated PT-AE700 (6500K/5400K-B&W). The screen is a D110" (8-foot wide) Da-Lite Cinema Contour (w.Pro-Trim finish) and Da-Mat fabric.
I was very impressed with the transfer of this film. There is virtually no film grain and no edge enhancement noticeable on this disc. If I were to nitpick about just one little thing I’d have to say there *could have* been very few instances when I noticed compression artefacts. I’m not that used to seeing these artefacts on HD discs and I’m not sure how different they are from DVD, so I’m going to use that comment with caution.
The theatrical aspect ratio of the film is 2.40:1 and seems correctly framed on this disc. Many scenes in the film are at night. Black levels are very deep and shadow detail is superior-looking to some other titles I’ve viewed recently. It’s just awesome to see. Plus, our main characters never look under-contrasted in these dark scenes. The perfect amount of light is cast upon the characters so we can see them well – that shows great effort during the production of this film because it stands out on this hi-def release.
The colours in this film are a bit odd. I can’t claim that it looks natural all of the time because it’s clear they have been altered in many scenes. Some pop out more than others, mainly green, and it occasionally has a green cast in other colours. At other times, skin tones look natural but can also look slightly warmer than necessary. …but then that’s the artistic decision of the filmmakers so who am I to question it? In the end, the image is a bit variable in consistency which seems to be the intended approach for viewing.
DOLBY DIGITAL AUDIO EXPERIENCE: 6.5/10 :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
For the sake of consistency with the video, I’m going to rate uncompressed PCM (and eventually the lossless audio compression formats when available), as well as lossy codecs from Dolby Digital and DTS on a scale from 1-10. This rating is based on “satisfaction” – the highest score delivering the greatest amount of satisfaction and the lowest delivering the least. When defining satisfaction, I mean both the resolution of the audio as well as the sound design for the film. I’m listening for the best experience possible. Audio is reviewed using the Samsung BD-P1000’s decoding & DACs, a Marantz SR5400 for preamp/pass-through, 2 Anthem MCA-30 amps each on Transparent PowerLink Super. All speakers are set to LARGE: Dunlavy SC-IV (front), Dunlavy SC-I (center), Focus Audio FC-50 (surrounds), Mirage BPS-400 subwoofer (LFE), 4 Paradigm PW-2200 subwoofers on 2 Mirage LFX-3 crossovers (one sub for each main channel for audio
