Pete's Write

Another day with the Neural X, and DTS-X, and I took out a disc from the not too distant past: Get The Gringo A relatively simple plot, with a fish out of water concept, but set within a Mexican prison, Mel is a man with skills and a loot to find. There's action, humor, both served with latte and bitter black noir style. Mel shows some of the form that brought him fame in the past, and the supporting cast do well too. But the sound is where the money is. Watched on a BR disc with DTS-X upmixing of the sound, it was a nice way to spend an evening.  I am not too sure who did the mix, but this movie that brought a second wind to Mr Gibson's career also gave it a very nice sound mix. It's one of those 'only' 5.1 DTS-MA mixes, but the scenes within the Mexican prison lends itself to a very claustrophobic mix, and you are able to utilise all the channels, both at the base surround level, and the soundstage extends itself nicely to the heights too. The dialogue...

Every now and then, Dynaudio will issue some special edition speakers, and this time they are taking some of their best bits and making a pocket rocket, in the form of the “Special Forty”, a standmount speaker conceived to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. The technical specs off their website: https://www.dynaudio.com/dynaudio-academy/2017/june/what-s-inside-the-special-forty https://www.dynaudio.com/home-audio/special-forty/special-forty The press spiel: http://mediakit.dynaudio.com/public/01.%20home%20audio/00.%20special%20forty Review equipment: Marantz PM 11 S3  ( http://peteswrite.blogspot.sg/2014/04/marantz-pm11s3-review.html ) Marantz NA 11-S1 ( http://peteswrite.blogspot.sg/2013/12/marantz-na-11-s1-review.html ) Oppo BDP 83 Nuforce Edition ( http://peteswrite.blogspot.sg/2010/07/review-of-oppo-bdp-83-nuforce-edition.html ) So what are the special bits? I found this video which explains the components of the S40: https://...

Spiderman has always been a fan favorite. He has superpowers, but he is also vulnerable, with bills to pay, school issues, and a lot of angst from his guilt about Uncle Ben. Yet, he is also the one of the few superheroes who lives in a real city,   and is a funny, positive guy. If Batman was the night, you could say Spidey was a nice sunny day. In recent times, we have already seen about 5 Spiderman movies starring two other actors, that have given this franchise their own interpretation of how he should be, and personally, Toby and Sam Raimi’s version was the better of two, and I must say, I shed tears when Spidey fought to the point of exhaustion to keep the runaway train from crashing into the river in Spiderman 2.   So now there’s a new reboot. However this is more than simply another chap donning the outfit, and sharing a new version. It’s the first time Sony has allowed their golden goose to work with other studios, thus allowing Spiderman to enter the MCU...

For a real no brainer, where you can let your brainer relax, comes to the Xandar land. This is a movie where the plot is a mere excuse to move from one action piece to another. Bombs, babes and blasts in a Bond wannabe movie.  The line between Vin Diesel's Fast and Furious and this franchise is blurring as the brings over the fast cars, action, and incredible stunts seamlessly across. I wonder if he used the same stunt team? Not bad, but one will buy the disc for it's demo worthy action scenes more than the story. 

Went for a long trip and I had a chance to check out a few movies: Gifted: Chris Evans aka Captain America sheds mask and shield to take on a more emotional role that shows off more of his acting chops. Think of it as a modern Kramer vs Kramer Lite.. not bad and worth a rental at least. No really effects. Kung Fu Yoga: So is that what an older and less energetic Jackie Chan does when he tries to replicate his big hit Armor of God? It's not bad, and there is genuine chemistry in this cross cultural treasure hunt. But if one is expecting breakneck pacing and action, then this is not for you. But if you are looking for some classic slapstick plus some really nice/hot eye candy thrown in, you get two Indian superstars, plus one very flexible and hot Chinese actress who is skill in Yoga too. Disha Patani is a really dish...  Kong: Skull Island A remake or a reboot? Well for action fans, this is not important and you get plenty of action, thrills and spills, copious use o...

In the 70s, you had two buddy cop TV shows that captured the audiences for many years: Starsky and Hutch, which became a semi-hit a few years back, and the motorbike equivalent: Chips. So Dax Shepard decides that he should do the remake and promptly decides to be one of the leads too. Micheal Pena is his partner and he is usually a reliable character actor, but they can't really save this. There is plenty of action, some humor, mostly of the sexual innuendo sort and a few more that would have made Jim Carrey blush. That kind of sums up the movie and unless you are a true blue Chips fan, and the disc is cheap, I would stay away. In fact if you Are a Chips fan, you will want to avoid this to blemish the memory.