BREACH (Billy Ray, 2006, USA) Based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, the most prolific spy in our Country's history, who sold secrets to the Soviet Union over a period of many years. The problem with this genre is that it over-dramatizes the facts and makes caricatures out of the characters thus filtering the true suspense down to a mundane and forgettable potboiler. Thanks to Chris Cooper, BREACH is not one of those films! Cooper plays traitor Robert Hanssen with equal parts emotional detachment, arrogance, compassion, and madness that he gives the character the depth needed to be believable and partly understand why he betrayed his duty to God and Country. Ryan Phillippe plays the young agent assigned to bring down the ultra-intelligent spy and his acting leaves a bit to be desired. His doe-eyed ignorance and one-dimensional acting actually plays well against Coopers professionalism; the two strike a sublime balance that keeps the suspense and tension taut. The films weaknesses in direction and editing allow us to focus the story with few distractions. (C)

HELLBOY (Guillermo del Toro, 2004, USA)

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone) brings Mike Mignola's pulp comic creature Hellboy to life in this imaginative, action-packed, and surprisingly heartfelt super-hero flick that rises above the dreck of the genre. Ron Perlman was just born to play this role and he gives an emotional dimension to the character that makes him all too human. Hellboy struggles with his inherent nature and must make the ultimate choice: follow his preordained path and bring about the Apocalypse (where he will rule over the scorched earth) or choose to love his friends and fight the evil demons of Chaos! I recommend these two hours of fun! (B)

Format: Blu-ray: This director's cut Blue-Ray disc is encoded with Sony's 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 codec and looks awesome! Colors pop off the screen and black levels are deep without loss of detail. The highly detailed image reveals every pore of Hellboy's red skin and every tiny crack and abrasion of his horns. There is excellent contrast between light and dark scenes (even areas within the same frame) and detail never waivers. This is the best image I've seen on Blue-Ray. The uncompressed PCM 5.1 English soundtrack shook the room. There are many quiet atmospheric scenes that are dialogue heavy and clarity was perfect. The action scenes made excellent use of the rear surrounds.

Korova Award Winners: Best Films of 2006!

1. UNITED 93 (Paul Greengrass, USA)
2. MANDERLAY (Lars von Trier, Denmark)
3. BATTLE IN HEAVEN (Carlos Reygadas, Mexico)
4. L'ENFANT (Jean Pierre-Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, France)
5. THREE TIMES (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan)
6. SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE (Park Chan-wook, South Korea)
7. DUCK SEASON (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
8. THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU (Cristi Puiu, Romania)
9. CAVITE (Neill Dela Llana & Ian Gamazon, Philippines)
10. THE PROPOSITION (John Hillcoat, Australia)

Korova Award Winners: Best Films of 2003!

1. ELEPHANT (Gus van Zant, USA)
2. LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola, USA)
3. 21 GRAMS ( Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, USA)
4. SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER...and SPRING (Kim Ki-Duk, South Kores)
5. AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Shari Springer Bergman, USA )
6. CIDADE DE DEUS/CITY OF GOD (Fernando Meirelles, Brazil)
7. LE TEMPS DU LOUP/TIME OF THE WOLF (Michael Haneke, France)
8. KILL BILL VOLUME 1 (Quentin Tarintino, USA)
9. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson, USA)
10. THE STATION AGENT (Thomas McCarthy, USA)

Korova Award Winners: Best Films of 2004!

1. DOGVILLE (Lars von Trier, Denmark)
2. OPEN WATER (Chris Kentis, USA)
3. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Jared Hess, USA)
4. BEFORE SUNSET (Richard Linklater, USA)
5. KILL BILL VOLUME 2 (Quentin Tarantino, USA)
6. FAHRENHEIT 911 (Michael Moore, USA)
7. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michael Gondry, USA)
8. YING XIONG/HERO (Yimou Zhang, China)
9. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (Edgar Wright, UK )
10. THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD (Guy Maddin, Canada)

Korova Award Winner: Best Film 2005!

1. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong)
2. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (David Cronenberg, USA)
3. OLD BOY (Park Chan-wook, South Korea)
4. BIN-JIP/3-IRON (Kim Ki-Duk, South Korea)
5. KONTROLL (Nimrod Antal, Hungary)
6. VOZVRASHCHENIYE/THE RETURN (Andrei Zvyaginstev, Russia)
7. OR (MONS TRESOR) (Keren Yedeya, Israel)
8. LAST DAYS (Gus Van Sant, USA)
9. LA NINA SANTA/THE HOLY GIRL (Lucrecia Martel, Argentina)
10. DARE MO SHIRANAI (Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan)

BORAT: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, 2006, USA) Always over-the-top, often obnoxious, sometimes funny, this overrated comedy is only worth a rental. Cohen too often goes for the "potty-humor"; this would have made an excellent satire painting the egocentric and hypocritical American "everyman" with the barbed brushstrokes of Cohen's comedic genius! (C-)

THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (Michel Gondry, 2006 France) Gael Garcia Bernal plays a lonely, shy, awkward dreamer who is love struck with his new neighbor. His wildly imaginative fantasy world begins to creep into his reality until he can no longer tell the difference between his waking life and his dreams. This dichotomy threatens to ruin his budding relationship with the girl of his dreams! (B-)

Infernal Devices (Updated 6/19/22)

 

The Infernal Devices of the Korova Theatre:
 
JVC DLA-RS10 High-Definition Projector. This is the centerpiece of the Korova. It is a lovely 1080p 24fps projection unit with outstanding film-like PQ. This projector has been professionally upgraded by Craig Rounds. http://www.cir-engineering.com/

Draper 106 inch Onyx Screen, 1.0 Gain w/Veltex Frame. Easy to assemble and hang, the Draper screen is the best quality short of spending thousands on the Studio Teck 130.

Lumagen Radiance XD Video Processor. Fully compatible with the RS10 by adding extreme color management: Check out their website for the details:
http://www.lumagen.com/testindex.php?module=radiancepro_details

NAD T748v2 7.1 Channel Home Theatre Receiver. Hands down, the best sounding receiver I have ever heard. While it lacks the streaming capability and bells & whistles of more expensive receivers, this workmanlike beast delivers beautiful and expansive sound. And that what it's all about.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_745T748V2/NAD-T-748V2.html

(NEW) Wharfedale EVO4.4 Tower Speakers, Wharfedale EVO4.C Center Channel Speaker, Polk FXi5 L/R Bi-Pole Surrounds, Polk FXiA4 Di-Pole Rear Surrounds: (7.1). These speakers are voice matched and sound great! I have these speakers bi-wired with Blu Jeans custom cables for optimal performance.

12" Polk DSW PRO 660wi Powered Subwoofer. This powered subwoofer can shake the room.

Oppo BDP-105 Blu-Ray Player [Modified Region Free]. This beautifully designed and packaged machine is hands-down the best Blu-ray player on the market! I have a region/code free hardwired modified version so firmware can be updated without sacrificing the mod. I have the Oppo set to Video Source Direct Mode to my Radiance Processor because the Anchor Bay chipset is great but it's no match for the Lumagen. 

X-Box One. Gaming on a nearly 10ft screen. In 7.1 Surround. Calibrated through the Lumagen. Bliss and Heaven.

Panasonic DP-UB9000 4K UHD Player [Modified Region Free]. Why, you may ask, did I add a 4K player to my system that can only project max resolution at 1080p 24/fps? Good question. First, future compatibility for when I can afford that JVC 4K projector! More importantly, many 4K discs are only including the new film restoration in UHD. Kubrick's FULL METAL JACKET and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE are just two important examples. This player will down-res the 4K image to 1080p/24 and it looks fantastic, so I can experience these new restorations that are still much better than their old Blu-ray counterparts.