"The Assassin" region 2 DVD
Based on the French film by Luc Besson La Femme Nikita 1990 about a hired assassin, this remake direcated by John Badman Dracula and Wargams brings this version a harder update with all the gripping suspense to the final conclusion. Starring Bridget Fonda, as Maggie, a troubled girl with a murderous killer instinct and a bad habit has been ordered to be injected with a lethal ignition.
When awaking in a strange room, the door opens and enters Gabriel Byrne, as Bob a government recruiting agent who soil purpose is to have Maggie trained has for special operations. Bob gives Maggie, a choice from which where there is no turning back too, work for us an assassin or the alternative will be a bullet to the head!
Image: Looking slightly pale which has nothing to do with the age of the film, but more so the DVD authoring transfer, I would welcome a fresher transfer when Warner
Bros ever get around to doing it, or a simple special edition would suffice.
I’m Victor. I’m the cleaner.
Victor the cleaner, The Assassin 1993
Framed in the scope 2.35:1 aspect ratio, chapter 25, the cleaner, when Victor played by Harvey Ketel, arrives at the hotels interior entrance looked has if it had fog filter placed over the lens. The exterior shots where the cleaner uses some rather unsound methods to dispose body parts down to the nap! Was brightly lit, Bridget face looked so beautifully elegant under the natural light, “Je$u$ Chr!$t!” “What are you doing?” the green leaves in the background slightly out of focus and the palm trees behind Victor looked good as well.
The pastel blue sky in chapter 12, Venice California, there’s lots of street life activities going on and lots of bright colours of graffiti art work on the sides of buildings stood out very well.
Sound: As Bob, c0cks, back the slide of the pistol and with the sound effect aimed directly towards the centre channel leaving the LFE.1 inactive it this point, you can never tell where the lows are going to come from!
“Rule number one: Never chamber the first round.” That’ll slow you down for a while…
…“Maggie for Margaret.”
Bob, the Assassin 1993
Weaponry sound effects in the underground of this secret government covet organisation, was fairly punchy with recoil being produced via the LFE.1, and milder low frequency sounds covering the three-screen!
Nina Simone: Birds flying high, and the low level ambient sound of the ocean with a seagulls flying around sound very warm along with the gentle breeze air blowing in though the open bay doors looking outwards over the ocean bay.
The slow but rapped hotel explosion blasting out the top floor in a fiery blitz of destructive force comes in at around 111dbc weighting, as Maggie, opens the drivers side window and realizing what she’s just done is somewhat shocked at the world she’s in! As the sound pans over to the split-surrounds where Maggie, is looking up to the rumbling sound roars with a sonic sting of violas and violins and some heavy precision.
The assassination which takes place from the bathroom that overlooks a street, has a high level of score that builds up too a very tight tension, where Maggie, almost never goes though with the assassination! Dialogue that raises over the radios headset, is nervous not knowing who’s on the other end, “The Woman in white.” As the score gets higher in level, and as Maggie, tries to concentrate on the target "The woman in white I said.” with three muffled shots under the high raised score, and the target falling to the ground with a lot of confused people on the opposite side of the road, with the piano and some synthesized instruments that slowly ends the scene at 100dbc with a sick feeling to the gut.
“I mean it!” I’m though I’m out!”
Maggie, The Assassin 1993
With the tables starting to turn, Maggie, is showing weak signs, and the level of loud dialogue in Bob’s office reaches 82dbc, without any distortion what so ever. The low thundering that rumbles beneath the scene in Bob’s office shows just what kind of person he really is, and Maggie’s heart sinks with disbelief as tears flow from her eyes, she’s got no choice but to carry out orders or else.
Listen! Which word don’t you understand? There is no “out.” There is no “though.” there is no out!
Bob The Assassin 1993
As Maggie, makes a run for it after retrieving the information and coming face to face with one of the bodyguards where some hand to hand is exchanged, the violent kick is fairly thunderous and furious down to 40Hz and some fast paced score by Hans Zimmer, keeps this action going fast as Maggie, brings her knee up high and renders the bodyguard with sharp body blow that puts him down! With a second bodyguard coming at Maggie, then swings her whole body around to deliver a devastating whipping smack to the face that is just marginally higher then the first one, which is also down at 40Hz and finally jumping as high as she can, and giving him a second kick to the face practically renders him useless, and thus making her escape seem all too easy.
With body blows and punches coming in at 98dbc and 100dbc weighting on the Eltax A-12 R sub bass extension, and via simply sending the centre low end mix over to JBL 4645 and slamming into your chest at 105dbc and 107dbc weighting, makes I more exciting. There is a huge whollop that knocks you back into your seat with some hard hitting edge of the seat punches that places you in the middle of the action! The punches are so far exaggerated than real life it’s the closet approximation of being there!
Sending the low end extension back to the Eltax A-12 R where it can measure up to the same sound pressure or if I wanted less when passing the centre signal over to the JBL 4645, I could have balanced it, if I wanted too.
Using the mixing board to balance the two equal low end centre channel signals and sending them to both the Eltax A-12 R 12” and the JBL 4645 18” the impact climbs to 108dbc weighing, with the same body punches and blows to the face! The range was also tighter then before, feeling more like the 8th round in the boxing ring! With a few more tweaks on the mixing board I brought the level up to 109dbc weighting, but with the level peaking at 0dbVU on the meter I really don’t want to go any higher! In fact what I could do is increase the level of the amplification power to the Eltax A-12 R 12, and grandly turn the level back up for the JBL 4645 18” where it is operating at a normal level within it’s technically tolerances!
As the car looses control and partly hanging over a cliff, Maggie fights for her life has the deranged and psychiatric cleaner tires to kill her in a fanatic fight. As the cleaner grabs her by the throat, Maggie, forces his arm against the rear turning wheel, with a gritty friction of rubbing of rubber and yelling against the cleaners arm as he yells out in one last attempt of pain, the car eventually falls over the cliff taking the cleaner with him.
Fronts are also running with loudspeaker management crossover system to allow greater depth and clarity, with lower lows and higher highs as well as increased stereo width and tighter dialogue reproduction.
The cleaner’s dead…and umm …and the girl is…the girl is…the girl’s dead, too.
Bob The Assassin 1993
Last word
In a word: it’s a well put together remake, touching with a sexier class of gunfire of hard hand to hand combat and explosions!
Extras: None
Technical details
Certificate: 18
Region 2
Aspect ratio: scope 2.35:1 Panavision® (anamorphic enhanced)
Colour: Technicolor®
Cinema sound realise: 35mm Dolby Stereo (SR-D) type
DVD sound realise: Dolby 5.1 with (split-surrounds)
Year of realise: 1993
DVD year of realise: 1999
Ratings
Picture 8/10
Sound 10/10
Overall rating 9/10
Presentational playback
Fader: 0db THX reference level
Sound system: JBL
Sound indicator: Dolby 5.1
Maximum loudness: 111dbc!
Star Trek III the last voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise with JBL!
One of the best sounding moments from the film is when Kirk decides to steal it, we’re all rooting for him and his crew to save a fellow comrade. James Horner’s score adds a wondrous punch with percussion stings horns, while Enterprise is being perused by U.S.S. Excelsior.
The fronts LCR JBL control 5 and 1 that run in active crossover custom fashion with the DCX2496 presented a fine reproduction within there technical tolerance levels, amble bass kick when called for, and warm enough sound, for a small room that is.
Space dock doors opened with a mild kick on there own on the centre channel at around 93dbC, with sub bass extension added to add the last octave or so with a bit more punch came in at 101dbC.
As the tension grows with Enterprise getting too close to the space dock doors, you’ll think she’s never get past them before being overtaken by Excelsior. At the last moment the doors open! With a thunderous deep kick from the centre channel. Just as Enterprise is backing outwards the low end is supported by the left and right with a smooth deep low that is accompanied by the LFE.1 as well to give the scene size and creditability.
As we see Enterprise, moving backwards and turning slightly to the LFE.1 cuts of smoothly allowing James Horner’s score to had some deep low end clash that’s mostly on left and right, with a mild kick on centre channel.
As Enterprise engages her warp drive there a low end thump or kick that should jolt your sound system of a brief period, which is followed be shuddering whoosh as she blasts away.
The sound will practically leap of the screen and pass down the right side surround arrays at JBL warp speeds. :D
Star Trek III the last voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise with JBL! part 2
With crew of Enterprise now in deep water and Kirk being put in situation that he can not get out of, he and his crew are faced with destroying Enterprise, rather than allowing it to fall into enemy hands of the Klingon empire.
With crew of Enterprise now in deep water and Kirk being in situation that he can not get out of, he and his crew are faced with destroying Enterprise, rather than allowing it to fall into enemy hands of the Klingon empire. Its one of those moments in Star Trek where the audience never thought Kirk had the nerve to destroy his own ship and did she go up in blaze of glory.
As Enterprise’s orbit finally gives up and decays rapidly as she slips away into the thin atmosphere the score suddenly takes over and James Horner, gave the grand ole screen legend star ship a beautiful send off.
Some of the sequences tested differently with Dolby dynamic range compression. This compresses all channels simultaneously thou I would prefer individual stereo compressors to customize it as this a very complex sounding six-track Dolby stereo mix that has subtle sounds happening on the surrounds, but if one can tolerate the THX reference level, for 101 minutes, then my hats off to you.
Anyway the levels came at with Enterprise exploding into a glorious fireball at.
Dolby dynamic compressor, turned on! 79dbA SPL 100dbC
Dolby dynamic compressor, turned off! 86dbA SPL 106dbC
Only wish I had some JBL 4675-A at the fronts LCR :D to put this a little bit more in my face just like it was at the Empire Leicester square London on Sunday October 8th 1989, oh yeah I’ve got a vivid memory on how this sounded in the Empire it was like in the chest in the gut at the same time when she exploded into a million pieces, up there on the huge screen with 13KW of THX JBL sound power. There’s only so much a JBL control 5 and 1, can do within there technical tolerance levels.
Who’s that Girl region 2 DVD with JBL
Well it finally arrived this afternoon.
Main menu has background track playing “Who’s that Girl” extras include one theatrical trailer and that’s it.
Madonna is sexy Nikki Finn who was wrongful accursed and jailed for 4 years is now being let out. Now she wants to clear her name and holds a key to safety deposit box that has vital evidence. Thou the violence is done in comedic way its well suited for the family and some nice musical tracks (cursing a commotion) and (who’s that girl) that plays the end credits away with a delightful smile.
Also along for the ride is (Griffin Dunn) Louden Trott who only had to take Nikki to the bus station along with picking up a rare cat, but things get a little out of control losing the cat a Rolls Royce, that ends up getting vandalised, a few guns shots two henchmen a body builder a fiancée and a group of girls?
Image: was farmed at 1.77:1 by cinematographer Jan de Bont was sharp and colourful for a 20 year old film, grain was soft dark shadowy scenes, contrast and brightness held themselves up fairly well.
Sound: how did it sound on the JBL Control system? Excellent one of the best comedy Dolby stereo film mixes that was original realised in selected cinemas in wide film gage 70mm six-track and nicely authored to DVD in Dolby 5.1 with (monaural surrounds) that start the film off with a whoosh effect that pans onto the centre channel with Madonna exiting from the Warner Bros shield which then starts of (cursing a commotion) that is heard with instrumental bass rhythm on left and right, (monaural surrounds) carried a lower bass rhythm, where Madonna voice is reverberated with ((echo)).
Centre channel held vocals and specific sound effects that where isolated it also carries a deep bass rhythm that is filtered in the mix.
Rick Kline sound re-recording mixer Donald O. Mitchell sound re-recording mixer Kevin O'Connell sound re-recording mixer did a good mix on this film blending all the tracks into a pleasing comedy.
LFE.1 was used sparingly to fair effect like driving beside a freight train the deep rolling wheels and huge tonnage rumbled the room with mild shuddering effect on the JBL 4645.
Who’s that Girl is a delightful funny comedy that left me laughing and smiling always to though the end credits. :)
In-depth DVD and movie reviews - the JBL sound!
A new thread for posting scene-by-scene reviews and notes.
Evolution region 2 DVD with JBL in three parts.
Main menu
-“I’ll get the lubricate”
-“There’s no time for lubricate”
-“There’s always time for lubricate”
Brought this Evolution yesterday to the wipe the smile of my face and as turned out, it’s was a rather funny comedy from Ghostbusters (1984) director Ivan Reitman.
Starring David Duchovny, Orlando Jones as two college scientists investigating meteor that’s crashed in the Arizona desert where they make a shocking discovery that the rock is alive, and evolving to a large (multicellular) life form, that if isn’t destroyed it would wipe out the entire untied states within a few months. Also staring is William Scott Julianne Moore and Dan Aykroyd.
Image: framed at 1:85.1 was clear and colourful contrast and brightness are very viewable throughout.
Sound: the sound of the approaching meteor at the started of with a low level rumbling sound on sub bass extension and a mild LFE.1 level as you start to get a clearer glimpse of the rock the LFE.1 grows in size that fits in well with the loudness of the LCR fronts, with swooping pans on all axis’s.
The final moments in from the film exploded at around 118dbc
Extras trailers in Dolby 5.1 and one Ghostbusters trailer in mono • Making of featurette • production notes • filmographies
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251075/
