H D - S E L E C T

A view on HD DVDs by Yunda Eddie Feng

 

Introduction: Hello, Beaver readers! I became a serious cineophile in 1994 when I saw Schindler's List on my birthday. I realized that movies weren't just for fun--they could be serious art, too (even mainstream popcorn flicks if they're made with skill). Although I have a BA in English, I went to grad school for an MA in Film Studies. There, I met my mentor Dr. Warren Buckland, who shares my interest in Steven Spielberg's artistry (Spielberg and art aren't mutually exclusive). I helped edit Dr. Buckland's book Directed by Steven Spielberg: Poetics of the Contemporary Hollywood Blockbuster. I also contributed a chapter to Dr. Buckland's forthcoming anthology of essays about "complex storytelling" movies--movies that avoid classical linear storylines in favor of temporal disruptions, unreliable narrators, metatheatrical/"self-aware" references, etc.

Eddie's Home Theatre:
Sharp 30-inch LCD TV (1280x768 resolution)
Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player
Oppo OPDV971H SD-DVD player
Pioneer 7.1 DD/DTS receiver
Harmon Kardon speakers (5.1)

(I'm using the HD-A2's optical audio connection to obtain DTS 5.1 downmixes.)

Yunda Eddie Feng

 

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Lost in Translation HD-DVD

(Sofia Coppola, 2003)

 

Universal (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
102 minutes
Audio: DD Plus 5.1 English, DD Plus 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French
Extras: Lost on Location; Matthew’s Best Hit TV; A Conversation
With Bill Murry and Sofia Coppola; Kevin Shield’s “City
Girl” music video; deleted/extended scenes; trailer; My
Scenes
Released: 29 May 2007
HD-DVD case
24 chapters

 The Film: The director Sofia Coppola’s new comic melodrama, Lost in Translation, thoroughly and touchingly connects the dots between three standards of yearning in movies: David Lean’s Brief Encounter, Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, and Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. All three movies are, in their way, about a moment of evanescence that fades before the participants’ eyes -- as is Translation. (Translation also exhibits the self-contained, stylized lonesomeness found in post-punk, like New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle.)


Ms. Coppola’s movie also happens to be hilarious -- a paean to dislocated people discovering how alive they are when they can barely keep their eyes open. The sexiness comes from the busy, desperate need-to-impress heat of a flirtation, an unrequited love communicated through a filter of sleep deprivation.

Excerpt from Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times


Video:
The HD-DVD video is a major improvement over the R1 SD-DVD release. The increased resolution yields a much higher level of detail, especially in background and distant objects. This transfer also has less video noise than the SD-DVD’s, though some print defects (scratches) were not fixed.

 

SD DVD reviewed HERE

 

 

HD DVD

 


Audio:
Since this is a low-key drama, the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 English track is not taxed heavily. Most of the bass comes from non-diegetic music, though the busy Tokyo lifestyle contributes some low end responses. For the most part, the audio is front-heavy.

You can also watch the movie with a DD Plus 5.1 French dub. Optional English SDH and French subtitles support the audio.

 

Extras:
The HD-DVD includes all of the SD-DVD’s extras.

“Lost on Location” is a making-of featurette that shows some of the difficulties shooting in an unfamiliar country without a lot of administration support.

“Matthew’s Best Hit TV” is an extended clip of Bill Murray’s appearance on a Japanese talk show.

“A Conversation with Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola” shows the two moviemakers talking briefly about how they became collaborators.

You can enjoy Kevin Shields’ “City Girl” music video, deleted/extended scenes, and the theatrical trailer.
 


Finally, the “My Scenes” feature allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert advertises other Universal HD-DVDs.

 

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