'The Fountain' - High-Def Digest Review

[jed]

Kenneth's review of 'The Fountain' is up. While he says that the film is certainly not for everyone, Kenneth is a champion of this challenging film from director Darren Aronofsky, which carries a similar narrative style to film like 'Solaris' and '2001: A Space Odyssey.' As an HD DVD release, however, this one's indisputably solid, boasting solid video and audio, and an impressive set of extras for a non-blockbuster.

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

[casper77]

Why if the reviewer clearly stated that the HD DVD version has more bits and sounds better than the Blu ray they share the same audio rating?

P.S. Loved the movie though.

[Ron_M]

Loved the movie too - great reading the review and finding that the scores for PQ and AQ are decent!

[MidnightWatcher]

What is up with the audio rating?? Either the HD DVD should be given 4.5 stars, or the Blu-ray should be given 3.5 stars. WHY is High-Def Digest giving the SAME audio rating when the HD DVD is BETTER?

[eNoize]

This is great news, I can't wait to see this. This movie has become my favorite Aronofsky film! I really love this film.

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by casper77

Why if the reviewer clearly stated that the HD DVD version has more bits and sounds better than the Blu ray they share the same audio rating?

As I stated, the audio difference is only perceptible in the bass tones of the musical score. And even though it's worth mentioning, it's a tiny, almost unnoticeable difference. The too tracks are too similar to justify a variance in rating.

If we used an extremely precise scale, I would have given the Blu-ray audio a 4.0 and the HD DVD audio a 4.15 -- the latter of which rounds to a 4.

Hope that helps clarify any confusion!

Thanks, as always, for posting.

[Sarang]

I don't understand why the one company we can always seem to expect Dolby TrueHD from most HD disc releases wouldn't have this on one of it's most current releases. I mean I can understand if this was Universal or Paramount but this is Warner who's set a standard for supporting it as well as this disc being dual layer, the movie 96 minutes as well.

[The Bandit]

Kenneth,

You mention Soderbergh's remake of Solaris in your review, which I admit that I've not yet seen, but I was wondering if you had seen the original by Tartovsky and if so, your thoughts on that?

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by The Bandit

You mention Soderbergh's remake of Solaris in your review, which I admit that I've not yet seen, but I was wondering if you had seen the original by Tartovsky and if so, your thoughts on that?

I have and it's well worth a rent! I found it more unsettling than the newer remake with George Clooney -- although the newer edition has better production values all around. I think the newer one also has more intense visuals.

Both versions of 'Solaris' are slower films, but I loved how challenging their material was and I've found myself watching them on more than one occasion.

[nuclearfish]

This is a perfect HD DVD to own rather than rent, as I think I can watch this many many times and get something new out of it every time. the review didn't mention that all of the outer space imagery was NOT CG, but rather macro-photography of various herbs, dirt, etc. in water. AMAZING stuff.

[divian]

I am glad I ordered this movie. I am waiting to see it since the more I read about it the more I am willing to see it.

[The Bandit]

I have and it's well worth a rent! I found it more unsettling than the newer remake with George Clooney -- although the newer edition has better production values all around. I think the newer one also has more intense visuals.

Both versions of 'Solaris' are slower films, but I loved how challenging their material was and I've found myself watching them on more than one occasion.

I might have to check out the Soderbergh.

You should give "The Wild Blue Yonder" by Werner Herzog a spin. It might be up your alley.

[btdvox]

Watched the movie last night, Must say I am very impressed, The audio was definitly a 4/5 but the video I thought couldve been a 4.5/5 but I did see what you meant by the blacks.
Its a great looking film, and a all round good film, indeed for only a certain crowd though.

[divian]

The whole review is nice although I did not like this comment related to the rating for the movie itself. I have not seen the movie yet ..but I think that when somebody is reviewing a film they should try to separate their mind from what thye have read or listened from another reviewers. You might come to the same conclusions , but you can not feel presure for what other might think of what you are writing or you can not try to please readers.
Critics are not about agreeing with the rest or disagreeing with the rest either.

"Note that the star rating that I've applied to the movie portion of this review reflects the fact that I know a lot of people will drift to one extreme or the other in their opinion of 'The Fountain.' My three stars is a warning -- approach this flick without expectations and recognize that it's certainly not for everyone. Its inaccessibility to wide audiences is to blame for its poor critical response, but I can almost guarantee that in twenty years, this film that will still be talked about (and will still resonate) in a good number of circles."

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by divian

The whole review is nice although I did not like this comment related to the rating for the movie itself. I have not seen the movie yet ..but I think that when somebody is reviewing a film they should try to separate their mind from what thye have read or listened from another reviewers. You might come to the same conclusions , but you can not feel presure for what other might think of what you are writing or you can not try to please readers.
Critics are not about agreeing with the rest or disagreeing with the rest either.

Believe me, it has nothing to do with pressure or critical sway. It's simply the sort of movie I know for a fact some will hate and some will love. I would explain that to any friends I recommended a movie to, and wanted to do the same here.

There are some movies I'm so passionate about that I can't understand the people that don't enjoy them. That isn't the case with 'The Fountain.' I can see exactly what would turn people off in the film -- I just happen to be the type that responds to those factors. I wouldn't rave about 'The Fountain' to a friend, I would just hope they liked it as much as me. Thus, the three stars.

Anyway, hope that makes sense. Thanks for posting!