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List Price: $73.95 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 123232
Released: October 9, 2001 |
| Our Price: $15.94 |
| Used Price: $11.28 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format.
Description of Superbit Collection (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon / The Fifth Element / Desperado):
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hong Kong wuxia films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching wuxia films as a youngster and made Crouching Tiger as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau (The Killer, The Bride with White Hair) and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on The Matrix. Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as "The Green Destiny," but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other. The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous "digital wire removal"). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity. --Eugene Wei
The Fifth Element
Ancient curses, all-powerful monsters, shape-changing assassins, scantily-clad stewardesses, laser battles, huge explosions, a perfect woman, a malcontent hero--what more can you ask of a big-budget science fiction movie? Luc Besson's high-octane film incorporates presidents, rock stars, and cab drivers into its peculiar plot, traversing worlds and encountering some pretty wild aliens. Bruce Willis stars as a down-and-out cabbie who must win the love of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) to save Earth from destruction by Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) and a dark, unearthly force that makes Darth Vader look like an Ewok. --Geoff Riley
Desperado
It's Sergio Leone meets Sam Peckinpah meets Quentin Tarantino in this ultraviolent, mythological shoot-'em-up by auteur Robert Rodriguez. In Desperado, Rodriguez creates larger-than-life, genre-tweaking stock characters and puts them through their paces. As they stride bravely through an Old West lightly dusted with camp humor, they're periodically called upon to nimbly dodge bullets and fireballs through outrageously choreographed displays of Hollywood pyrotechnics. In this bigger-budget semi-remake/semi-sequel to Rodriguez's indie sensation, El Mariachi (made, famously, for $7,000), Antonio Banderas is the darkly charismatic El Mariachi, the Mysterious Stranger in town; Steve Buscemi is perfectly cast as his weasely, motor-mouth Comic Sidekick, laying the groundwork for El Mariachi's entrance by spinning saloon stories to build up his legend; Cheech Marin is a standout as the Bartender, who really knows how to handle a toothpick; and gorgeous Salma Hayek is, well, the Girl--treated to the kind of full-blown, slow-mo introduction the movies traditionally lavish on beautiful new stars. It doesn't add up to much, but it's a kick. --Jim Emerson
Superbit Collection (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon / The Fifth Element / Desperado) Reviews:
Superbit review 
2002-04-20 - Odds are you're reading this and wondering about Superbit and not about the movies themselves. If you just wanted the movie you'd just get the normal movie and save a few bucks, so I'll address the Superbit stuff here. Can you tell a difference? Yes. Is it dramatic? Sometimes. Sound quality is remarkable but only if your home theatre can render sound extremely well. On normal TV speakers you won't hear a difference. Picture quality is notably better *sometimes*. For example, in the Fifth Element during the taxi scenes or when LeeLoo is being reconstructed, or in Crouching Tiger in many of the outdoor scenes. Since Superbit by definition uses the entire disk for enhanced picture and sound, there are NO DVD extras included. For Fifth Element this is no different than from the regular DVD because it has no extras. Crouching Tiger is a different story. You may want to own both as the standard DVD is chock full of extras. If your DVD player is a computer, you'll need PLENTY of speed and memory to play these at full quality.
Review of the DVD quality, not the movies.
2001-11-27 - Two of the movies included are fabulous, one is reasonably entertaining. But, you can read a review of these movies anywhere. I am giving my recommendation for this particular DVD set and the format. The picture and sound quality literally blew me off my chair. Above and beyond the quality of even the best DVD's I have seen, including Criterion collection discs of other movies. You won't get a lot of "extras" (scenes, bios, etc.) on these discs, but you do get the best experience watching the movie bar none, period, with these discs. If you spent the money on a surround sound receiver and large, flat screen TV, spend the money on these discs to justify the other, larger investments in your Home theatre you have made.
