HighDefDiscNews
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- May 25, 2007
- Messages
- 80
- Real Name
- Justin
5 out of 5 stars - The Movie Itself (has an average rating of 8.4 on IMDb)
5 out of 5 stars - Video Quality (1080p in AVC MPEG-4 on a 50gb disc)
5 out of 5 stars - Audio Quality (PCM 5.1 @6.9Mbps & Dolby Digital 5.1)
5 out of 5 stars - Bonus Materials (include Cine-Explore & lots more!)
Rated: - G
Year: - 2007
Length: - 110 minutes
Studio: - Disney / Pixar (Buena Vista)
The Movie Itself comes from Academy Award-winning Director (and also Screenwriter on this film) Brad Bird of “The Incredibles” fame and the combination that is synonymous Disney / Pixar. It’s “the best reviewed film of the year” according to movie site Rotten Tomatoes.
The film tells the story of a rat named “Remy” (voiced by Actor/Comedian Patton Oswalt of “King of Queens” fame) who has an extraordinary sense of taste and smell, after all he is a rat. Unlike his brother “Emile” and his father “Django” (voiced by Brian Dennehy) he wants something more than just garbage (literally) to eat. Remy’s hero is a chef named “Aguste Gusteau” (voiced by Actor Brad Garret of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame) who has a book called “Anyone Can Cook.”
Our lead character takes this literally and with of the help of a new friend he finds in Guesteau’s restaurant’s shy garbage boy named “Linguini” (voiced by Pixar veteran Lou Romano) these two form a partnership. With a little help from his “little chef” (Remy), Linguini becomes a chef and able to do things he never imagined possible. Rounding out the supporting voice cast is Peter O’Toole, Ian Holme, Janeane Garofalo and Will Arnett.
Easily the most breakthrough yet of the Pixar films not only visually but it’s storytelling shines through just as bright. The unique idea of casting Actor/Comedian Patton Oswalt as the lead role of the rat “Remy” by Brad Bird and the folks over at Pixar was absolutely amazing and totally pays off. As Screenwriter/Director Brad Bird discussed during a Q&A Session during “Blu-ray Festival” last month, Patton just has this voice that fits the tiny character so well. Yes his Comedy he’s known for is a bit more for the adults but that doesn’t mean he can’t be an amazing voice actor because F.Y.I. people, HE IS an amazing voice actor.
This is easily one of THE BEST films of 2007 and definitely a MUST OWN Blu-ray Disc!
Video Quality on this release is 1080p in AVC MPEG-4 on a 50 gigabyte Dual-Layered Blu-ray Disc. Even on the DVD release (which I was lucky enough to receive in advance and watch) seemed to be pushing that older format to it’s max. It only had a few small problems with artifacts and pixilation on the DVD release. Those are all obviously not a problem on the Blu-ray Disc video transfer, in fact there are NO PROBLEMS to speak of here. There’s only things to showcase that stand out so much more in High Definition that didn’t before on DVD. For example the hairs of the rats (namely our lead character “Remy“) look so lifelike in High Def but don’t honestly on the DVD. Other things look lifelike such as the food (which is obviously a great idea for a film about food), the character movement and the water effects. This is truly “eye candy” by all means but it’s got the awesome story to go with it is what makes this great. It’s almost lifelike blend with an almost animated style at times makes for such a compelling visual experience.
Brad Bird himself stated during a Q&A Session at “Blu-ray Festival” last month, that this transfer looked pretty good in a side by side comparison to the source material over at Pixar on their $100,000+ projector. I’m going to totally take his word for it after seeing the Blu-ray in my own home. Most important the black level is absolutely solid and this makes for one of the most visually appealing presentations yet in High Definition. This is definitely “THE MUST SEE Blu-ray Disc of 2007!” 2nd place in that running goes to another one of Pixar’s titles released today, “Cars.” Be on the look for the Review for that soon, it’s another amazing video transfer. I’m very impressed by both Disney and Pixar with both efforts.
Audio Quality on this release is in Uncompressed Linear PCM 5.1 @6.9Mbps and Dolby Digital 5.1 @640kbps. Again, even the DVD version had great sound but this a major improvement with the PCM track. The surround presence is used mostly only for the score and the surrounding environments our characters encounter. I’ll definitely say the sound of thunder, shotgun blasts, water do sound totally lifelike (without giving anything away with the story). Dialogue is perfectly driven from the center channel and occasionally out of the other speakers to fit the sound environment. The 5.1 mix is absolutely flawless and I can’t say anything but positive things about it.
Overall this film isn’t really one you’d think would require too much for the sound mix but honestly it gets the job done perfectly for the subject material at hand. Sure this isn’t an action film with tons of explosions and the Score is pretty subtle yet beautiful but this does merit a perfect “5 Star Rating” for even the audio quality. This Blu-ray Disc release is 100% solid in all ways possible.
Bonus Materials
* “Cine-Explore” is a revolutionary and innovative new feature that truly uses Picture-in-Picture (not video but still images). It combines the abilities to display on-screen still images and the traditional Audio Commentary to deliver a really unique viewing experience. Cine-Explore also gives you the option to “branch off” into Documentary Shorts and Deleted Scenes. These again are not in true Picture-in-Picture video but instead play alone in 16:9 (Widescreen) 480p in AVC MPEG-4 video with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. Brad Bird (Screenwriter/Director) does an absolutely amazing job with his commentary, this is totally worth checking out for that alone but with the Cine-Explore’s other features you just can’t go wrong giving this a try!
* “Gusteau’s Gourmet Game” puts you in the role of a chef (our friend “Linguini” from he film) preparing orders for patrons. Your goal is to rush the appetizers, meals and deserts to the guests in time. At first it takes a bit to get used to the controls but once you overcome the “learning curve” and do you’re sure to be playing this for a good while. This has great High Def visuals, gameplay and just makes for honestly the most enjoyable BD-Java game to-date. This game itself is a tad complex in comparison to some other past BD-J efforts (not specifically from Disney per say).
* Two Pixar Short Films are included, both presented in full 1080p High Definition AVC-MPEG-4 video and Dolby Digital 5.1 @640kbps sound.
“Lifted” (5 minutes) is the original theatrical short that ran with the film. This little short looks amazing, is hilarious and totally worth watching. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the film at all. It’s just a little story of an extra-terrestrial trying to get his “abducting license” and having a really rough time doing so.
“Your Friend the Rat” (11 minutes) is an exclusive to both the Blu-ray Disc & DVD release(s). It includes our main character from the film “Remy” the rat (voiced by Patton Oswalt) and his brother “Emile” in little history (of sorts) of the rat. At first this might sound kind of goofy but that’s probably because it is. This is downright silly and at the same time extremely funny. This is sure to please everyone.
* “Fine Food and Film : A Conversation with Brad Bird and Thomas Keller” (13 minutes) is presented High Definition AVC-MPEG-4 video and Dolby Digital 2.0 @192kbps Stereo sound. This documentary shows how the film’s Screenwriter/Director Brad Bird and real-life chef Thomas Keller (who runs “The French Laundry“) inspire their crews with their two different fields of work. Keller was a creative consultant on the film for the obvious reasons. This makes for a really good blend of both really inspiring words from Bird and delicious looking dishes from Keller that is sure to leave you either hungry to become an animator, a chef or just to get something to eat. I also think it’s worth noting, this has very good quality High Def video.
5 out of 5 stars - Video Quality (1080p in AVC MPEG-4 on a 50gb disc)
5 out of 5 stars - Audio Quality (PCM 5.1 @6.9Mbps & Dolby Digital 5.1)
5 out of 5 stars - Bonus Materials (include Cine-Explore & lots more!)
Rated: - G
Year: - 2007
Length: - 110 minutes
Studio: - Disney / Pixar (Buena Vista)
The Movie Itself comes from Academy Award-winning Director (and also Screenwriter on this film) Brad Bird of “The Incredibles” fame and the combination that is synonymous Disney / Pixar. It’s “the best reviewed film of the year” according to movie site Rotten Tomatoes.
The film tells the story of a rat named “Remy” (voiced by Actor/Comedian Patton Oswalt of “King of Queens” fame) who has an extraordinary sense of taste and smell, after all he is a rat. Unlike his brother “Emile” and his father “Django” (voiced by Brian Dennehy) he wants something more than just garbage (literally) to eat. Remy’s hero is a chef named “Aguste Gusteau” (voiced by Actor Brad Garret of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame) who has a book called “Anyone Can Cook.”
Our lead character takes this literally and with of the help of a new friend he finds in Guesteau’s restaurant’s shy garbage boy named “Linguini” (voiced by Pixar veteran Lou Romano) these two form a partnership. With a little help from his “little chef” (Remy), Linguini becomes a chef and able to do things he never imagined possible. Rounding out the supporting voice cast is Peter O’Toole, Ian Holme, Janeane Garofalo and Will Arnett.
Easily the most breakthrough yet of the Pixar films not only visually but it’s storytelling shines through just as bright. The unique idea of casting Actor/Comedian Patton Oswalt as the lead role of the rat “Remy” by Brad Bird and the folks over at Pixar was absolutely amazing and totally pays off. As Screenwriter/Director Brad Bird discussed during a Q&A Session during “Blu-ray Festival” last month, Patton just has this voice that fits the tiny character so well. Yes his Comedy he’s known for is a bit more for the adults but that doesn’t mean he can’t be an amazing voice actor because F.Y.I. people, HE IS an amazing voice actor.
This is easily one of THE BEST films of 2007 and definitely a MUST OWN Blu-ray Disc!
Video Quality on this release is 1080p in AVC MPEG-4 on a 50 gigabyte Dual-Layered Blu-ray Disc. Even on the DVD release (which I was lucky enough to receive in advance and watch) seemed to be pushing that older format to it’s max. It only had a few small problems with artifacts and pixilation on the DVD release. Those are all obviously not a problem on the Blu-ray Disc video transfer, in fact there are NO PROBLEMS to speak of here. There’s only things to showcase that stand out so much more in High Definition that didn’t before on DVD. For example the hairs of the rats (namely our lead character “Remy“) look so lifelike in High Def but don’t honestly on the DVD. Other things look lifelike such as the food (which is obviously a great idea for a film about food), the character movement and the water effects. This is truly “eye candy” by all means but it’s got the awesome story to go with it is what makes this great. It’s almost lifelike blend with an almost animated style at times makes for such a compelling visual experience.
Brad Bird himself stated during a Q&A Session at “Blu-ray Festival” last month, that this transfer looked pretty good in a side by side comparison to the source material over at Pixar on their $100,000+ projector. I’m going to totally take his word for it after seeing the Blu-ray in my own home. Most important the black level is absolutely solid and this makes for one of the most visually appealing presentations yet in High Definition. This is definitely “THE MUST SEE Blu-ray Disc of 2007!” 2nd place in that running goes to another one of Pixar’s titles released today, “Cars.” Be on the look for the Review for that soon, it’s another amazing video transfer. I’m very impressed by both Disney and Pixar with both efforts.
Audio Quality on this release is in Uncompressed Linear PCM 5.1 @6.9Mbps and Dolby Digital 5.1 @640kbps. Again, even the DVD version had great sound but this a major improvement with the PCM track. The surround presence is used mostly only for the score and the surrounding environments our characters encounter. I’ll definitely say the sound of thunder, shotgun blasts, water do sound totally lifelike (without giving anything away with the story). Dialogue is perfectly driven from the center channel and occasionally out of the other speakers to fit the sound environment. The 5.1 mix is absolutely flawless and I can’t say anything but positive things about it.
Overall this film isn’t really one you’d think would require too much for the sound mix but honestly it gets the job done perfectly for the subject material at hand. Sure this isn’t an action film with tons of explosions and the Score is pretty subtle yet beautiful but this does merit a perfect “5 Star Rating” for even the audio quality. This Blu-ray Disc release is 100% solid in all ways possible.
Bonus Materials
* “Cine-Explore” is a revolutionary and innovative new feature that truly uses Picture-in-Picture (not video but still images). It combines the abilities to display on-screen still images and the traditional Audio Commentary to deliver a really unique viewing experience. Cine-Explore also gives you the option to “branch off” into Documentary Shorts and Deleted Scenes. These again are not in true Picture-in-Picture video but instead play alone in 16:9 (Widescreen) 480p in AVC MPEG-4 video with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. Brad Bird (Screenwriter/Director) does an absolutely amazing job with his commentary, this is totally worth checking out for that alone but with the Cine-Explore’s other features you just can’t go wrong giving this a try!
* “Gusteau’s Gourmet Game” puts you in the role of a chef (our friend “Linguini” from he film) preparing orders for patrons. Your goal is to rush the appetizers, meals and deserts to the guests in time. At first it takes a bit to get used to the controls but once you overcome the “learning curve” and do you’re sure to be playing this for a good while. This has great High Def visuals, gameplay and just makes for honestly the most enjoyable BD-Java game to-date. This game itself is a tad complex in comparison to some other past BD-J efforts (not specifically from Disney per say).
* Two Pixar Short Films are included, both presented in full 1080p High Definition AVC-MPEG-4 video and Dolby Digital 5.1 @640kbps sound.
“Lifted” (5 minutes) is the original theatrical short that ran with the film. This little short looks amazing, is hilarious and totally worth watching. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the film at all. It’s just a little story of an extra-terrestrial trying to get his “abducting license” and having a really rough time doing so.
“Your Friend the Rat” (11 minutes) is an exclusive to both the Blu-ray Disc & DVD release(s). It includes our main character from the film “Remy” the rat (voiced by Patton Oswalt) and his brother “Emile” in little history (of sorts) of the rat. At first this might sound kind of goofy but that’s probably because it is. This is downright silly and at the same time extremely funny. This is sure to please everyone.
* “Fine Food and Film : A Conversation with Brad Bird and Thomas Keller” (13 minutes) is presented High Definition AVC-MPEG-4 video and Dolby Digital 2.0 @192kbps Stereo sound. This documentary shows how the film’s Screenwriter/Director Brad Bird and real-life chef Thomas Keller (who runs “The French Laundry“) inspire their crews with their two different fields of work. Keller was a creative consultant on the film for the obvious reasons. This makes for a really good blend of both really inspiring words from Bird and delicious looking dishes from Keller that is sure to leave you either hungry to become an animator, a chef or just to get something to eat. I also think it’s worth noting, this has very good quality High Def video.
