Almost Famous (2000)(SteelBook) 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review: The Basics
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http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews54/almost_famous_blu-ray.htm
DISCLAIMER
Almost Famous (2000)(SteelBook) 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray was bought by us at HD MOVIE SOURCE. The opinions in this review are my own.
Almost Famous (SteelBook) 4K Blu-ray
SteelBook / 4K Ultra HD
Paramount Pictures | 2000 | 1 Movie, 2 Cuts | 162 min | Not rated | Jul 13, 2021
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles
English SDH
Discs
4K Ultra HD (UHD)
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2x 4KUHD)
UPC 032429350145
Packaging
SteelBook
Story: The Basics
In the 1970s, a high school boy is given an opportunity to follow and write a story about the hot new rock band Stillwater as they tour the USA.
Director: Cameron Crowe
Writer: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Zooey Deschanel
*The limited-edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook includes both the original theatrical cut and the beloved Bootleg cut(aka “Untitled”)*
Almost Famous (2000) Official Trailer
Video: The Basics
I had a big discussion on Twitter and Instagram about which version to watch. In the end, we were told that the bootleg cut is the best version. We really enjoyed it, but how was the picture quality? Is this a typical Paramount transfer or a diamond in the rough? Let's see.
It's interesting, the narrative of this movie is to say what you want. To give a real review and interview on who the band is. I thought that was interesting, considering I'm reviewing this movie.
I'll start with a few things I really liked.
There is no edge, it's super smooth, and there was rarely any ringing around hard objects either. Towards the end of the movie when we see the sister again, there was some ringing, but apart from that, it was very good.
This is about all I liked on the transfer. The resolution for example if low. I wouldn't be surprised if the Paramount Presents Blu-ray version looks around the same, concerning detail. There is never a point where I thought it looked 4K.
Likewise, the HDR is also limited. Now, I could say that this movie wasn't made with HDR in mind, and that would be a true statement. However, I've seen many movies shot on film that the same statement would be true and they look great. To me, it looked like SDR in an HDR container with the added benefit of 10-bit color. This is fine, but it doesn't benefit from HDR much at all, IMO. I've seen better, but if this is all that could be pulled from the original negative then that's all we can ask for. Overall though it's not impressive color.
So, what do I really not like about the movie? What I dislike the most is the encode. The bit-rates are way, way too low. The average bit-rate looks to be around 55 Mbps, and if you know the numbers, you'll know that film grain cannot be discerned with bit-rates this low. Film grain breaks up into noise in most shots, and this gives the film grain a soft look. I really don't think this looks good. A movie like this needs around 84 Mbps, and if we can go higher it would look even better. If Paramount would have given us 90+ Mbps on average you'd be looking at a really good transfer for this movie. You'd still have the low HDR, and low detail, but you'd have a clean-looking disc. This is not a clean-looking disc, and I'm not happy about it. I joked with my brother about 8 minutes in, and said, 50 Mbps!, LOL. Oh, it's so easy to see.
Overall, has some good qualities like no edge, and clean ringing, but it's not enough IMO. SDR quality color, soft resolution, and digital noise is visible in film grain. I want film to look like film, and if I see any digital in the image, it's a big no for me.
This movie specifically narrates about being honest, and here my honest score. Great movie, shame about the transfer.
VIDEO SCORE: 3.5 OUT OF 5
THE BASICS: POOR ENCODE / LOW BIT-RATE
Audio: The Basics
The audio is only DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and has some really nice music.
Dialogue has been mixed well and has good volume compared to the rest of the movie. This is good, and I'm happy with this.
The music in the movie is great, but it doesn't wow me. The music is the centerpiece of the movie but it feels a little held back to me. I think it sounds fine, it's good, but just nothing special.
The use of surround sound is minimal and just used for atmospherics at concerts. There's nothing that actually sticks out, which is fine. That's the intent.
Overall? A decent-sounding movie, but does nothing to wow me.
AUDIO SCORE: 4 OUT OF 5
THE BASICS: NOT BAD / NICE MUSIC
HOW I REVIEW THE BASICS
REVIEW SCORES
2 - POOR
3 - AVERAGE
4 - GOOD
5 - EXCELLENT
5 - REFERENCE
EQUIPMENT I USE TO REVIEW
- POWER CONDITIONER - FURMAN ELITE-15 PF I
- DENON - X6500H (DOLBY ATMOS, DTSX, AND AURO 3D)
- ELAC - UNI-FI FLOORSTANDERS UF51
- ELAC - UNI-FI BOOKSHELF UB51 (INCLUDING DOLBY ATMOS)
- ELAC - UNI-FI CENTER SPEAKER UC51
- ELAC - TWO SUB3030 SUBWOOFERS
- PANASONIC - UB9000 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY PLAYER
- LG - C9 77 INCH - (ISF CALIBRATED - DOLBY VISION)
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