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Hell or High Water, Blu-ray (2016)

by Audiophile Audition | Nov 15, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Hell or High Water, Blu-ray (2016) A thriller of a western and bank robbery mashup film. Cast: Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, Katy Mixon, Kevin Rankin Studio: Lionsgate (11/22/16) (2 discs) Director: David Mackenzie Video: 2.40:1 for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, DD 2.0 compressed for late-night listening, Spanish DD 5.1, SDH descriptive audio Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish Extras: Enemies Forever: The characters of Hell or High Water, Visualizing the Heart of America, Damaged Heros: The performances of Hell or High Water, Red Carpet Premiere, Q&A of Filmmakers Length: 122 min. Rating: ****1/2 This basically is a story set in West Texas of two brothers who turn to robbing banks to save their family’s land, with Jeff Bridges playing one of the two Texas Rangers out to stop them. Chris Pine is great as the more intellectual, good guy of the two brothers, and turns to his brother (who is just out jail and loves to shoot people and get in fights) in order to rob four small banks in their area to get money to save his family ranch from foreclosure for his two boys (he is divorced and hasn’t paid his […]

The Good Dinosaur, Blu-ray (2016)

by Audiophile Audition | Mar 4, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Another fine family animated film from Pixar. The Good Dinosaur, Blu-ray (2016) Director: Pater Sohn Voice-overs: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Sam Elliott etc. Studio: Pixar/ Walt Disney Studios 132197 (2/23/16) [Also avail. in 3D!] Video: 2.30:1 for 16:9, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD HA 5.1, French DD 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1 Dubbed: French and Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Extras: Short:”Sanjay’s Super Team,” ”The Filmmakers’ Journey,” Promotional animated clip, True Lies About Dinosaurs, “Recyclosaurus” – the crew creates the best dinosaur from discarded items, Every Part of the Dinosaur, Following the T-Rex Trail, Deleted scenes with intros, Previous versions of the movie, more… Length: 94 min. Rating: **** Pixar has another winner in this delightful animated feature about a good dinosaur. The theme is concerned with confronting your fears and discovering who you were meant to be. The little dino (an aptosaurus) is the runt of the bunch, who operate a farm, and when his father is killed he is at very loose ends. The feature considers that the asteriod that supposedly killed all the dinosaurs and changed the planet completely simply flew by and never landed on earth, so the dinosaurs never went extinct. What makes the film […]

Cowboys & Frenchmen – Rodeo – Outside In Music

by Audiophile Audition | Feb 22, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Jazz influenced by cinema, geography and youthful zeal. Cowboys & Frenchmen – Rodeo [TrackList follows] – Outside In Music 1502, 52:42 [11/4/15] ***1/2: (Ethan Helm – alto saxophone, flute, clarinet; Owen Broder – alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Chris Ziemba – piano; Ethan O’Reilly – bass; Matt Honor – drums) Jazz musicians are influenced by other jazz artists. Filmmakers are inspired by other movie directors. But the world being what it is there are numerous facets which can motivate someone to create. For example, there is the New York City jazz quintet, Cowboys & Frenchmen. The group’s name comes from a David Lynch 1988 short film called The Cowboy and The Frenchman. On the band’s 52-minute debut, Rodeo, Cowboys & Frenchmen combine original material with unexpected covers by the Beatles and from the folk/country field. Some pieces represent musical portraits of European landscapes, while others allude to Buddhism. Cowboys & Frenchmen consists of multi-horn players Ethan Helm (alto saxophone, flute, and clarinet) and Owen Broder (alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet); pianist Chris Ziemba; bassist Ethan O’Reilly; and drummer Matt Honor. Co-leader Broder has performed with Trio Globo, and the Gil Evans Project. Ziemba, Honor and the other co-leader, Helm, were […]