A Couple of New DVD Reviews...
Hello again friends....let's begin with "Crimson Tide" and "Casualties Of War," both of which were the last two DVDs to add to my growing collection (since "Twister" and lets not get into that DTS debate again...)....
Crimson Tide, one of my favorite sub films right next to Hunt For Red October and U571, looked and sounded just okay in both regards; this is by no means a mind-numbing surround experience nor does the widescreen picture of this DVD grab you by the nutsack. Disney's Buena Vista Entertainment put this DVD out and while it sounds like a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, so much more could have been done here --- sure, torpedo attack sequences sounded aggressive and the bass kicks every now and then when the sub dives deep and such, but the DVD just seems like a missed opportunity in the audio department. This 5.1 audio track cant touch the 5.1 DTS track on U571.....then again, neither can most films. Still, a GREAT sub film.
Now, Columbia's "Casualties Of War" was another story....man, was this DVD a DISSAPOINTMENT in the audio department, but I expected this, reading reviews all over the internet about the lack of surround usage. The film is great, one of my favorite Vietnam films, but the surround track is just NOT there...no gunfire from behind, no bass, no rain from behind, nothing....very dissapointing for a war drama----but I guess thats all it was, a dialogue-driven war DRAMA. But the VIDEO, man, thats ANOTHER story....this DVD looked so good and was mastered so perfectly, some scenes it seems the actors and colors are jumping off the screen in 3-D....VERY IMPRESSIVE video transfer.
My girlfiend, who is becoming a HT enthusiast nut herself from hanging around me too much, brought over her two new additions to HER DVD collection, "Lake Placid" and "Joy Ride" and we scrutinized the audio on these films next...."Lake Placid" had a similar audio 5.1 track as "Casualties of War," which is to say, there was almost no surround usage except for a memorable scene when a helicopter blade breaks off and goes into the right surround speaker. Pretty cool. Otherwise, another wasted audio opportunity here for 20th Century Fox. Luckily, the studio makes up for it with "Joy Ride," starring Fast and the Furious' Paul Walker. In this tale of trucker revenge, the audio was top notch, with trucks blazing by from speaker to speaker, and thunder and rain crashing through the surround speakers. Not the BEST 5.1 mix, but much better than Lake Placid and Casulaties Of War.