In a previous post (The physically unobtainable becomes obtainable), I mentioned how much easier it is to obtain cameras and gear from overseas sources, but I purposefully missed out something. Although it has nothing to do with the actual act of filming, it does have something to do with the inspiration for filming and ongoing education, and that is DVD's and Blu-rays.
Now multi-zone and multi-region DVD players have, or at least were, easily obtainable in New Zealand, but of late this practice has been frowned upon and to my knowledge only the Pioneer DVD players are still Multi-zone. This means that you can purchase those hard to find films (if available) on sites such as Amazon, or more to the point, DVD's from independent film makers looking to fund their follow up project. But Blu-Ray, in New Zealand, has been a mire of red-tape it would seem, that is until the Laser BD1000 became available on the local market. Now Laser isn't a brand you would ordinarily associate with quality or at least not here, but the BD1000 is some serious bang for buck.
I got one a while ago, and have finally had the chance to try it on a Blu-ray which ISN'T able to be played locally, and I can now confirm it works! But not only that the functionality removes the need for a Blu-Ray Player, DVD Player and a Media Player! Less clutter is always good!
Although I wouldn't consider it handsome in design, it is incredibly practical and as I previously stated, functional.
So what can it do?
Features: DVD Upscaling (480 to 720 / 1080) Dolby Digital and Dolby True HD (HDMI output only) DTS HD Master (HDMI output only) MP3/4; H.264 AVI; AVCHD Playback – Media centre (Via USB) Full Function Remote control Supported Outputs: HDMI; Component; Composite; Digital Audio (coax); L/R Audio (RCA); USB Specifications: General: Playable Disk Types: Blu-ray Disc Video: BD-R/RE2.0, BDAV, DVD: DVD-Video/DVD-R/+R /DVD-RW/+RW/SVCD/CD-R/CD-RW/CD-Audio, AVCHD, AVCREC disc USB Port (on front panel): Y Media File playback: JPEG/MP3/MKV(Divx/Xvid/MPEG-4)/AVI(Divx/Xvid/MPEG-4)/MP4(Divx/Xvid/MPEG-4)/H.264/AVCHD Remote control: Y Front panel Display (LCD): N DVD Region Code: All Blu Ray Region Code: Australia/NZ Region B (programmable) Weight(kg): 1.5kg Dimensions(mm): w: 360 h: 45 d: 220 Warranty(month): 36 Accessories include:
Remote Control, RCA AV cable, Product manual Video: Full HD (1080p) picture quality: Y 24fps True Cinema frame rate: Y Subtitles: Y DVD upscaling (480 to 720 or 1080p): Y Last playback position memory: N View image & video files: Yes Adjustable Aspect Ration (16:9 to 4:3): Y Language Select: Yes. Multiple languages for OSD Progressive Scan Playback: Y Camera Angle Select: Y HDMI Deep Colour: Yes. Selectable within Menu. 30, 36, 48 bit colour depth Bookmarks (playback from a saved point): Yes. Up to 12 bookmarks Playback program (reordering/sequence of playback): Yes. Audio: Dolby 5.1 (including Dolby Digital, AC3, pro logic): Y Dolby TRUE HD (lossless): Y DTS Surround (standard): Y DTS HD Master (lossless): Y 5.1 Channel Decoder built in: no 2 channel (left / right) downmix: Yes Connections: Composite Video (Yellow RCA): Y Component Video PbPrY (Red, Green, Blue RCA): Y HDMI (Video and Audio): Y Stereo (Left/Right – White/Red RCA): Y Digital Audio (CoAx (Orange) RCA): Y 5.1 Channel Direct Out (RCA): no Ethernet Port (network RJ45): no USB 2.0 port: Y With a three year warranty it really is a no brainer for the price. And the lovely people at Mighty Ape are now stocking this wonder of modern technology!
I knew I needed something as more and more films I want become available on Blu-Ray in the States. Films which are never likely to be released here (some of which still aren't even available on DVD!). In fact some of most favourite films are probably laughable by the standards of today, but I can't help but enjoy the HP Lovecraft adaptions of the 1980's (featuring the ever quirky Jeffrey Combs)
Other considerations for this are the ever present Special Editions, Bonus Editions, Collector's Edition and so on and Ad Infinitum. So many of the films released in New Zealand on Blu-ray are vanilla and with the size and space afforded by Blu-Ray, it's just poor on the part of the studios, and often an immanent and impending double dip!
Case in point, Clive Barker's 1990 film Nightbreed, may finally make sense in October AND is stacked with extras!
When you think of accomplished or renowned directors, Neil Marshall isn't a name which would ordinarily come to mind, but his relatively small filmography is already a solid body of work and is well worth investigating.
In 2002 Neil Marshall released his feature length directorial debut, Dog Soldiers. Although considered a B-Grade film, for it's relatively low budget, the film packed some serious British star power and some outstanding (non CG) special effects. For a Werewolf film, it tried to be a little different and I believe successfully set itself apart. Encapsulating the groundbreaking transformation effects of An American Werewolf in London and the impressive werewolf design on par with The Howling series, you can quickly see where most of the small budget was spent.
The film sees a squad of British soldiers on a "war games" style training mission in the Scottish highlands, but things quickly turn for the worse when they encounter the bloody remains of their Special Ops opponents. As the moon rises their numbers begin to dwindle and they find themselves in a race for survival to see daybreak.
Although stuck in a never ending developmental hell, there is a proposed sequel to Dog Soldiers (Dead Meat) in the works (and has been for MANY years) and a web series which never seemed to quite get off the ground, Dog Soldiers: Legacy
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The series appears to have stalled and never exceeded anything more than a teaser, but is the brainchild of Kismet Entertainment.
Marshall's follow up was another horror in 2005 with The Descent. The Descent saw rave reviews and quickly found itself on top or must watch horror film lists. With a relatively small female cast the film avoided the usual cliches of nudity and excessive gore and combined the horrors of claustrophobia with a predatorial element which was a true return to the definition of horror (especially with most of the film suspended in darkness). The popularity of the film saw an ill-conceived sequel (as it effectively ruined the end of the original film).
A group of 6 women meet up for an adrenaline rush spelunking adventure. Things quickly turn after a cave-in forces them deeper into the mountain with limited equipment and finite sources of light. But the women soon discover they are not alone and find themselves hunted and outnumbered by a breed of blind subterranean predators.
With the lowest rating on IMDB, Doomsday is, on first viewing, a very hard film to get into and is a mash of several different genres. Seemingly starting out as a Zombie movie it quickly changes to an action film before settling for a while as a post-apocalyptic sci-fi, then, from out of nowhere, it shifts gears to a middle ages-esque setting and eventually closes out with a Mad Max style chase sequence. It really does take a lot to fully grasp the rampant pace the film changes genres and really does take a bit of concentration or else you quickly find yourself lost or losing interest. But for it's unsettled story it is a highly original high octane adventure, and is actually well worth watching.
A Virus infects Scotland and quickly infects millions, killing hundreds of thousands, as a precaution Scotland is walled in to stop the spread of infection. Decades later the virus reemerges in London, and although no one has set foot on Scottish soil since the quarantine, satellite imagery shows uninfected survivors. An elite team is dispatched beyond the wall to find the cure and save the world from further infection.
His final film to date is Centurion, and is a take on the famed disappearance of the Roman Ninth Legion, it's a well acted and unassuming dramatisation of a still unanswered historical question and does well to offer a possible theory on the ill-fated 9th's demise at the hands of a united Pict (Scottish) guerilla army. This topic proved popular as the year after Centurion, The Eagle starring Channing Tatum was released, but pales in comparison.
After the regimented Ninth Roman Legion are ambushed a small group of survivors are forced to employ guerilla tactics when they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. As they run for their lives they are tracked and slowly killed off as they desperately try to make their way back to safety beyond Hadrian's wall.
Neil Marshall has been attached to several films, but none of those have come to fruition (with him at the helm). In the meantime he has directed a few episodes of Game of Thrones, including the hugely popular Season 2 battle of Blackwater episode (entitled Blackwater). He has also directed a few episodes of the television series Black Sails, but having watched the first episode, it's not great. Personally, I'm looking forward to his next film, especially if he is again the writer (as he is of the four films mentioned in this post).
Thank you Neil Marshall, your contributions to film are appreciated.
It's not a Palm D'or, but I'll take it none the less. I can only assume my self-effacing, self-deprecating email entry, and the lack of other entries, garnered me the honour of winning Mighty Ape's referral competition? In any case, I'm greatly looking forward to receiving my prize and discovering the goodies within. My many thanks to the Mighty Ape team.
Expect more links to land you somewhere within the safe confines of the Mighty Ape site as I fully embrace the referral program. With this in mind it's not a cash grab, as I can only assume the one other person reading this dribble has no money and a strong desire to sleep with a parent (their own), but on the off chance you encounter a link which mentions a film you have yet to see/do not own/or, for some unknown reason, are yet to purchase, by all means purchase said film from Mighty Ape, they are Awesome!
And, least we forget, I get a cut of the profits! I will use said profits to establish a new Draconian society based on class, the highest class being that of the artistic or artistically minded, I won't say gifted else I'll find myself a button pusher in an elevator in this Brave New World... I can only hope you see what I just did there; in which case you're my kind of people!
