'Shaun of the Dead' - High-Def Digest review

[jed]

Just posted Kenneth's review of 'Shaun of the Dead.' As an overall package, this HD DVD can't beat the concurrently-released 'Hot Fuzz,' but on its own merits Kennth says this one's still a winner, boasting an impressive transfer, a booming Digital-Plus track, and all of the supplements from its US-released DVD counterpart.

Full review here:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/shaunofthedead.html

[docmanjay2]

totally agree...as the brits say...spot on!!

[onavarr8]

I was thinking this to be a 4/5 in PQ in the review and it looks like I was right.
I saw this last night and thought it looked quite good. I love the movie, and after all this time it still makes me laugh....

I hear hot fuzz looks a lot better though so I cant wait to see...

[joeymac]

"I Married a Monster" (1 minute) are clips from a fake talk show."

Hahahah...
I think many a student and house wife would be disappointed if 'Trisha' has been fake all these years.

Jeremy Kyle can burn in hell though....

/American's won't understand these comments.

[Blurry]

Just finished "Hot Fuzz" and enjoyed it quite a bit. I guess that means I should pick this one up as well..

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by joeymac

"I Married a Monster" (1 minute) are clips from a fake talk show."

Hahahah...
I think many a student and house wife would be disappointed if 'Trisha' has been fake all these years.

Jeremy Kyle can burn in hell though....

/American's won't understand these comments.

Fixed -- thanks for correcting this oblivious American!

[joeymac]

Originally Posted by Ken Brown

Fixed -- thanks for correcting this oblivious American!

NP. You are excused... mistaking "Trisha's" set for something thrown together in 30 seconds for a minuscule clip at the end of a cheapish movie is totally understandable.


/I can't mention 'Trisha' without saying that 'Jeremy Kyle' should be disembowelled and thrown out of a tree.

[jedimasterasd]

I havent seen this or Hot Fuzz but i hear they are both awesome movies so i will bling buy both of these.

[John32]

I guess I should....haven't seen this???? What! What! What! (To paraphrase, Mrs. Broflofskly, Kyle's mom from Southpark)

Are you kidding me? Hell yes you should blind buy one of the best horror-zombie-romatic-comedies, British or otherwise ever made!

Seriously, you'll love it....love it.

[mrkiller]

I have been waiting for this for a long time, and to tell the truth i think it had lots of noise and the blacks were really bad. But it was definatly an upgrade from the DVD.

I dont know but is it just me!! i get lots and lots of video noise/grain in my movies

[DVDTherapy]

Originally Posted by Blurry

Just finished "Hot Fuzz" and enjoyed it quite a bit. I guess that means I should pick this one up as well..

Yes it does

[Vriess]

Wow 5 stars for the movie itself. I have to agree this movie was just loads of fun.

[WesleyTech.com]

Haven't seen this one yet, but I do have Hot Fuzz in the mail. If I dig that, I'll have to look into picking up SoTD.

[twonunpackmule]

Originally Posted by mrkiller

I have been waiting for this for a long time, and to tell the truth i think it had lots of noise and the blacks were really bad. But it was definatly an upgrade from the DVD.

I dont know but is it just me!! i get lots and lots of video noise/grain in my movies

It's from the filmstock they used. When shooting in Low Light, you have to use film with a higher ASA (basically higher sensitivity). The emulsion gets more clumpy, the higher (faster) you go. More clumps, mean more grain.

300 has tons of grain, as they used fast film. Which, I do not agree with that said choice.

Anyway...

Shaun used it during its bar scenes, which means more grain. They probably didn't have the money to rent more lights, so they bought different filmstock instead.

Which worked for them, as it helped match the mood of the story. Things were getting dimmer for the group, and the film got grainier.

[eNoize]

Originally Posted by twonunpackmule

It's from the filmstock they used. When shooting in Low Light, you have to use film with a higher ASA (basically higher sensitivity). The emulsion gets more clumpy, the higher (faster) you go. More clumps, mean more grain.

Shaun used it during its bar scenes, which means more grain. They probably didn't have the money to rent more lights, so they bought different filmstock instead.

Which worked for them, as it helped match the mood of the story. Things were getting dimmer for the group, and the film got grainier.

I think it was intentional photography.

I posted this in the Tier thread, but I'll post here as well to demonstrate my point:

The intentional photography is what some might find troublesome, as the review only gave it four stars. I first noticed it on the SD DVD, but this HD really brings out that intentionality. I never really thought of Shaun aesthetically, but this new transfer just makes it terrific. The film grain is intentional (but not the subdued color towards the end, which should be marked down) and only present when Shaun is around Ned or in the Winchester pub. The grain suddenly disappears when Shaun's around his girlfriend, which implies that her presence makes more sense of his life or clears things up for him. Like the back of the disc case implies, "There comes a day in every man's life when he has to get off the couch . . ." Edgar Wright (director) and David M. Dunlap (director of photography) explore that very theme by using grain appropriately. Compare two scenes of Shaun's apartment: one at the beginning with Ed playing videogames or Shaun trying to make reservations; and the other at the end of the movie when Shaun and his girlfriend are alone living together. You'll notice film grain only present when Shaun and Ned are alone in the apartment or at the pub with the gang. This HD transfer just made me love this film even more!