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Secrets
Training Day
Training Day – 2001/122 Minutes/ rated R/ Warner Brothers/ native 4K/ HDR 10/ Dolby Atmos/ Dolby True HD 7.1
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn
I somehow missed this when it made its pass through theaters in 2001, and despite a Blu-ray release in 2006, I still missed it, despite strong reviews and an Oscar-winning performance from Denzel Washington.
The story is a good one. A rookie cop (Hawke) gets introduced to the LAPD and a mentor, detective Alonzo (Washington). Washington is a cynical street cop, and as the movie progresses, we see he’s not exactly a model cop. As an actor, Washington stepped way out of his comfort zone and created a compelling, but nasty character. The clash between Hawke the idealist and Washington generates a good deal of tension. The actors give it their all.
I think the film, which has been remastered, looks really good. A lot of the scenes are very dark, but 4K HDR is great at rendering shadowy scenes. Happily, the film looks like film. I couldn’t see any obvious noise reduction or tampering with the image. Bright scenes have great color, and darker scenes (most of the movie) are quite good, and remain film-like.
Warners give us an upgrade in audio from the original 5.1 soundtrack which is now full ATMOS, but on my ATMOS setup, I didn’t hear a lot of audio coming from the overhead speakers even though there seemed ample opportunities for it.
The surrounds are used, but it’s subtle. When you turn off the overhead and rear speakers the sound does go flat, but all the dialog is anchored to the front channels so you won’t miss anything. Gunshots (and there are quite a few) have a lot of impact, and the overall dynamic range is good.
Overall, I would not rate the soundtrack as demo material, but it’s still good.
The 4K disc has a commentary with the director.
The included Blu-ray Disc has the same commentary, deleted scenes, a “making of” documentary (15:02), an alternate ending (the original ending is better), and a couple of forgettable music videos and the theatrical trailer. Strangely, my disc came with Blu-ray packaging, not the expected 4K UHD packaging. The back of the box did day it had the 4K and the Blu-ray Disc. Odd.
Training Day is a good film, with standout performances by Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, who has never been better. Fans of the movie will appreciate the ATMOS audio upgrade and the remastering of the video.
Recommended for crime movie fans.
Lately I have been in the mood for the “need for speed “military films and Paramount has sent along a couple of UHD films that not only met my needs but set a new benchmark for home theater demos. I’ll start with the last summer blockbuster:
Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick – Paramount Studios, UHD 4K, 2022, PG 13, 2 hours and 17 minutes. Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, John Ham and Val Kilmer. Directed by Joseph Kosinski
So about 30 years after the original, Mr. Cruise is no longer a hot shot young piolet, but a more seasoned flight instructor who tests the limits of experimental jet fighters. He is eventually called upon to train other Top Gunners and has a few weeks to train them for a very dangerous assignment (cue the music: Danger Zone). To make things tie together better after all this time, one of the hotshots is the son of his deceased friend, Goose. He even looks like his dad. The usual conflicts arrive with, “Why did you let my dad die?” and “Why don’t you trust me?” type issues getting neatly resolved by the end of the flick. Of course, during all this conflicted inner turmoil are some amazing flying and combat scenes. Cruise, being Cruise, learned to fly his jet and the added realism it puts onto the screen is eye-popping. The story can be watched without seeing the first Top Gun, but there is a satisfying arch that gets completed with this second installment. I felt this one surpasses the original in almost every way. The acting is good, the action incredible and the ending to feel resolved and satisfying. Tom may be over 50, but he doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. And I for one, am OK with that!
The picture quality is excellent throughout and the sound will test the very soul of your home theater. Both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos help place this action flick over the top and you will not be disappointed in owning this disc. New cameras were created to fit into the cockpits and some of the ariel scenes may leave you woozy, so be forewarned. You just can’t fake a face being stretched by 8Gs. If you can only have one action flick in 2023, make it this one.
Devotion
Devotion – Paramount Studios, 2022, UHD 4K, PG-13, 2 hours and 32 minutes. Starring: Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell.
Based on a true story of the friendship between the first black naval aviator in US history (Jesse Brown) and his wingman (Tom Hudner). Together they helped turn the tide during the Korean War blowing up a strategic bridge between North Korea and China in a brutal aerial battle. Their heroic sacrifices and enduring friendship would make them the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen. Their families still have a deep bonded friendship to this day. I was surprised how good this film was both in the story and the action scenes. I was expecting a second-rate story with sloppy CGI, but I was pleasantly surprised by the interesting storyline and very realistic effects. I’m sure the Corsairs they flew must have had some real and CGI elements, but their flights looked real. Also, be prepared for some awesome rumbles from their might piston driven engines. These were the most powerful engines in the Navy just before the switch over to the “modern” jets and they really make the subwoofer growl. I’m usually not one to tearing up during a movie (hey, it is a movie after all), but the powerful emotional ending really sticks the landing. This was bit of a sleeper during its theatrical release, but if you didn’t catch it in the theater, see it on UHD 4K. DV and Atmos really make the picture and sound leap off the screen. Very recommended!
Cloverfield
Cloverfield – Paramount Studios, 2008, UHD 4K, PG-13, 1 hour and 24 minutes. Starring Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas and Lizzy Caplan. Directed by Matt Reeves.
Switching gears, this movie was supposed to launch the Godzilla and King Kong movies. I found it to be a mix of those and The Blair Witch movie. Kind of a hurky-jerky camera work that is supposed to add to the “its actually happening right now” genre that never really pulled me in and sometimes made me look away because I was getting vertigo. Also, some of the shear silliness of it was maddening. If I saw the Statue of Liberty’s head rolling down the street, I would booked it out of Manhattan and never looked back. And who would keep filming during all of the chaos? Not me, baby! I’d pitch that camera and run.
In fairness, the style and storyline probably didn’t have my demographic in mind (Cary Grant, John Wayne, etc.) so I’ll cut them some slack. The picture quality is good, but it also can be soft and out of focus with some heavy film grain. You know, typical shaky camcorder footage. The audio is good once you get out into the streets with plenty of action going on around you. Your sub will appreciate the deep bass and the surrounds will rarely fall asleep on you. Once again, DV and Atmos help draw you into the hectic action, but the HDR is not a dramatic leap from the BD version. If you have it on BD already, you may want to pass on this one.