"The Innocent Age" by DAN FOGELBERG - November 1981 Double-Album on Full Moon and Epic Records with Joni Mitchell as a Guest (September 2012 UK Beat Goes On 2CD Remaster of the 1981 Double-Album) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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LET'S GO CRAZY - 80ts Music On CD

Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters

Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s

All In-Depth Reviews from the Discs Themselves

Over 1,650 e-Pages of Info

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...Wealthy The Spirit…"

I purchased these superb sounding Dan Fogelberg 2CD reissues by Beat Goes On Records of England way back and have been meaning to review them ever since. 

I've covered Volume 1 "Home Free" (1972) / "Souvenirs" (1974), Volume 2 "Captured Angel" (1975) / "Nether Lands" (1977) and Volume 3 "Twin Sons Of Different Mothers" (1978) / "Phoenix" (1980) in separate reviews. Here are the details for Volume 4 that deals with his expansive and brilliant double-album from 1981 that featured a rare guest spot by Joni Mitchell on duet vocals. To details...

UK released 10 September 2012 - "The Innocent Age" by DAN FOGELBERG on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1073 (Barcode 5017261210739) is a 2CD set of Remasters that make up the 17 tracks of his 7th vinyl album (a 2LP set) "The Innocent Age" - first issued November 1981 in the USA on Full Moon KE2 37393 and in the UK on Epic EPC 88533.

Discs 1 (39:40 minutes):

1. Nexus [Side 1]

2. The Innocent Age

3. The sand And The Foam

4. In The Passage

5. Lost In The Sun [Side 2]

6. Run For The Roses

7. Leader Of The Band

8. Same Old Lang Syne

Disc 2 (40:50 minutes):

1. Stolen Moments [Side 3]

2. The Lion's Share

3. Only The Heart May Know

4. The Reach

5. Aireshire Lament [Side 4]

6. Times Like These

7. Hard To Say

8. Empty Cages

9. Ghosts

Like the other reissues in this superb series - the packed 24-page booklet is excellent - all artwork reproduced, lyrics, full credits and liner notes in this case by noted writer DAVID WELLS. With the lovely outer card wrap/slipcase it automatically feels like a classy presentation. But the big news for fans is the fabulous remasters. ANDREW THOMPSON at Sound Performance in London has done the deed (he's handled large numbers of BGO's reissues) and his transfers on this 2CD set are beautifully handled. On to the music...

It opens with a belter "Nexus" and a rare cameo appearance on duet 'descant' vocals by JONI MITCHELL. The guitar solo in the song combined with the vocals still sends me to this day (lyrics above). Respectfully dedicated to the Buffalo Springfield, track 2 "The Innocent Age" is pure Fogelberg magic where he plays all the instruments and employs lovely harmony vocals from BF original band member RICHIE FURAY.

The album was a smash (it hit Number 6 on the charts - rare for a double) and spawned 4 hit singles - "Same Old Lang Syne", "Hard To Say", "Leader Of The Band" and "Run For The Roses" (with Al Perkins on Steel Guitar). Other favorites include the Emitt Rhodes acoustic funk of "Stolen Moments" and the gorgeous ballad "Only The Heart May Know" featuring an aching vocal duet with EMMYLOU HARRIS. "The Reach" is equally as beautiful ("it's father and son...it's the way it's been done...") - the melody and lyrics reduce me to tears every time. Wonderful stuff really - all of it...

I posted a note on Dan Fogelberg's website when he sadly succumbed to cancer in December 2007 - yet another teenage hero of mine gone to the great gig in the sky.

Luckily this and all the other beautiful-sounding 2CD reissues in this superb Beat Goes On series do his musical legacy proud. Well done to all involved and RIP you lovely songsmith...

"Somewhere In Time - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" by JOHN BARRY (1994 Beat Goes On CD Remaster - Reissued In 2013) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...The Journey Back In Time...."

Jeannot Szwarc's "Somewhere In Time" has been both a filmic and musical cult since its release in 1980 - and a mere twenty seconds into the opening theme and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why. The film is gushingly romantic in a way that might be called 'soppy' these days (starring Christopher Reeves, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer) and John Barry's score is simply sublime - beautiful icing on an already very tasty cake.

Remastered by Beat Goes On from the original tapes and released July 1994 on BGOCD222 (use Barcode 5017261202222 in the Amazon Search Bar) - "Somewhere In Time - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" by JOHN BARRY has been reissued at last in September 2013 using the same version as before (31:53 minutes).

Disappointingly the gatefold slip of paper that is laughably referred to as 'restored original artwork' on the silver sticker that accompanies these reissues is 'technically' right. Front and back cover and that's it. But it offers up nothing new - and it's a shame that Beat Goes On (BGO) didn't take this reissue opportunity to spread the wings a bit and fit the insert out with some proper celebratory liner notes (especially given Christopher Reeves sad demise).

1. Somewhere In Time [Side 1]

2. The Old Woman

3. The Journey Back In Time

4. A Day Together

5. Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini [Side 2]

6. Is He The One

7. The Man Of My Dreams

8. Return To The Present

9. Theme From "Somewhere In Time"

Tracks 1 to 9 are the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to "Somewhere In Time" by JOHN BARRY - released October 1980 in the USA on MCA Records MCA-5154 and October 1986 (belatedly) in the UK on MCA Records MCF 3333. All music composed by JOHN BARRY except "Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini" by Rachmaninoff. Piano solo on "Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini" played by Chet Swiatkowski - Piano solo on "Theme From "Somewhere In Time"" played by Roger Williams.

What matters is the music and it sounds gorgeous and lush - quiet when it needs to be - full of presence and warmth too and not just ratcheted up for the sake of volume (probably done by the resident Audio Engineer Andrew Thompson although it doesn’t say so). With most soundtracks the 'theme' or 'refrain' is repeated in varying guises throughout - and it's no different here. But frankly the main "Somewhere In Time" theme is so incredibly haunting and poignant that any amount of variations is welcome news as far as I'm concerned.

A rather nice deviation is "Rhapsody On A Theme..." with a deft Piano Solo from Chet Swiatkowsky. And it all ends on Track 9 with a final performance of the 'theme' by piano soloist Roger Williams. The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to "Somewhere In Time" may be short for sure compared to today's 20 and 24-track releases (it only just nudges over 30-minutes) - but it is 'oh so sweet' and more measured for it.

I've been a lifelong Barry fan (and its not just because of the surname) and at one time had over 30 of his original soundtrack albums. But even by his lofty "Out Of Africa" and "Diamonds Are Forever" masterpiece standards - "Somewhere In Time" is exceptional in its entirety.

Get this solid gold star in your reasonably priced car as soon as possible. And it's a lifetime regret that I never saw the Maestro live (my brother did and talks about it today). Oh well - gotta settle for the next best thing...

PS: There is also an extended 19-track re-recording version of "Somewhere In Time" from 1998 done by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by John Debney (with John Barry's permission). Although it's not the original soundtrack per say - Varese Sarabande VSD-5911 (Barcode 030206591125) comes recommended by many fans and has beautiful 20-bit digital audio. If you want only the original music - there is also a further reissue of the original 9-track album in Japan-only on MCA Records. It's an Audiophile K2-HD Mastering CD version remastered in 2013 by Takeshi Hakamata from original US tapes (use Barcode 0602488963350 to locate a copy). 

“Glory” on BLU RAY - A Review Of The MASTERED IN 4K Release…

Here is a link to Amazon UK to buy this issue at the best price (£9 as of March 2014):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D6AAS94

First things first - I don't own a 4K TV - nor do I own the Sony BDPS6200 BLU RAY player with built in 4K upscaling. So I suppose this review of "Glory Mastered In 4K" is compromised on 2 fronts. However I have what I suspect most film lovers have - a good Plasma TV and a half-decent BLU RAY player. But even with machines as lowly as these - I'm compelled to review...

Is Mastered In 4K a gimmick? No it's not. The new format on BLU RAY is in its infancy for sure as far as releases and market interest is concerned - but judging on what I'm seeing on my television - that isn't going to last long. Once you set your eyes on the quality of the picture and what can be done - immediate upgrades on all your favourites is going to make you very excited - and your bank manager very nervous.

"Glory" has had a convoluted and patchy history with regard to reissue - most notorious of all was the DVD - slammed as being awful - with its BLU RAY follow up not a whole lot better. And this powerful 1989 Edward Zwick movie about the 54th Massachusettes regiment in the American Civil War (the first Black military unit and their extraordinary bravery) means a lot to many. So Sony seem to have gone to some lengths to change this with their new format baby because "Glory" is being hailed as a sort of flagship release to show what can be achieved  - even with older and sometimes degraded elements.

It's defaulted to 1.85:1 aspect ratio so it naturally fills the full screen and has a huge impact for doing so. The picture isn't perfect by any means or stretch of the imagination - and there are shocking 'grain' spikes at times. The most famous of these is where Colonel Robert Shaw (a huge performance from Matthew Broderick) is in a ballroom talking to a general - when it cuts to the general the picture is gorgeous - but when it cuts back to Broderick's face - it looks awful - twice. And on many other occasions the natural grain of filming is evident like a very faint shimmer - but even in the darker night sequences in tents when Denzel Washington, Andre Braugher and Morgan Freeman are talking - the picture is amazingly clean, rich and rock solid.

But it's when the camera moves to the drill marches, the towns they pass through and especially the battle encampments and the fields of battle - it looks gorgeous to a degree that is breath-taking. Bloody wounds, muddy shirts, the blue uniforms they covet so much, Denzel standing tall and defiant and hurting as he takes the lashes on the wheel for insubordination - it all looks incredibly rich and deep. Throughout the film this kicked in maybe 30 or 40 times which is impressive despite the grain moments in between.

The best way to describe the picture is 'cinematic' - there's an almost 3D depth to some shots - a real 'movie-in-your-home' sense of distances. And the James Horner soundtrack is given full reign too by the 5.1 True HD mix (English and Spanish) as are and sounds of rifle gunfire, canon blasts, rain on tarpaulin and men screaming in pain in tents as surgeons saw off limbs.

Presentation - Subtitles are in English, English for The Hard of hearing, Hindi, Polish and Spanish. Each release comes in a pretty blue card slipcase on the outside with the BLU RAY MASTERED IN 4K logo across the top - but unfortunately little else. There are literally no extras of any kind - which feels like a huge missed opportunity especially on such a rich film as "Glory" (3 Oscar wins - Best Supporting Actor for Denzel, Best Cinematography and Best Sound).

And as you can see from the list below - the initial vanguard of titles in 4K is hardly enticing - and in some cases - why even bother (the truly dreadful "The Other Guys" and the underwhelming "Moneyball")? And these titles were issued (Region Free) in the States between April and July 2013 with no further names since? Hardly a rip-roaring start...

Having said all that - I'm impressed. I'm even tempted now by "Taxi Driver", Ghostbusters" and "Godzilla" which have received similar glowing reviews on the improvement front.

The truth I suspect is that `4K' is an advancement for film fans that we're going to want more of once we clap our beady eyes on the screen - and that can only spell joy and pain in equal measure.

Here we go again...

Titles MASTERED IN 4K as of March 2014 are:

1. Angels And Demons (2009)

2. Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

3. Ghostbusters (1984)

4. Glory (1989)

5. Godzilla (1998)

6. The Karate Kid (2010)

7. Men In Black (1997)

8. Moneyball (2011)

9. The Other Guys (2010)

10. Pineapple Express (2008)

11. Spider-Man (2002)

12. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

13. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

14. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

15. Taxi Driver (1976)

16. Total Recall (2012)

"Anonymous" on BLU RAY - A Review Of The 2011 Film By Roland Emmerich and John Orloff...

Here is a link to Amazon UK to buy this BLU RAY at the best price:
(March 2014 - part of their '2 for £10' BLU RAY offer)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00594HF0A

"...And Yet?"

A German filmmaker (famous for special effects extravaganzas) messing with the status of the godlike British playwright William Shakespeare is bound to produce hissy fits amongst historians, be labelled abomination by academics and booed off the screen by snarling patrons. And yet…

I saw knob to all the naysayers. Roland Emmerich's "Anonymous" which re-writes the bard’s life is a fantastically well-made and well-written film - and while it isn’t as crowd-pleasing as say "Shakespeare In Love" – it’s just as good and even more sumptuous to look at. And it puts forward ideas that are not just tempting but frighteningly believable. First some facts about this astounding giant of literature…

Born the son of cobbler in April 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon in England, William Shakespeare became an actor first - then a playwright. He died in 1616 aged 52 survived by a wife and two daughters. His written works are the most performed in history – 38 plays, 154 sonnets and some other poems. "We happy few…we band of brothers…" and "to thine own self be true…" – are just some of the phrases that pepper the very fabric of how we speak and think. Shakespeare quotes are second only to The Bible. And yet in 400 years there isn’t a single page or document in his handwriting and there are said to be only two images of him - one of which is disputed. This leaves the most revered writers in the known Universe open to 'interpretation'.

Enter Roland Emmerich and his writer John Orloff. They purport that a moneyed aristocrat the 17th Earl Of Oxford Edward De Vere (played brilliantly by Rhys Ifans) was in fact the real author – and the actor William Shakespeare was just an opportunist who stepped up as 'author' on the night “Henry The 5th” was played for the first time.

Edward De Vere was married to the daughter of William Cecil (David Thewlis)  – a powerful manipulator in the court of the ageing Queen Elizabeth 1. Edward may have had a ‘thing’ with the young Queen 40 years earlier and her ‘bastard’ son would be heir to the Tudor throne (clever casting of mother and daughter Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson as the old and young queen). But there are plans to crown the Scotsman James instead. Edward De Vere determines to use words to sway the minds of the people and protect the young man. But he needs a puppet – enter playwright Ben Johnson who is jailed because the powers that be view all writers as seditionists.

The huge number of great actors given meaty material makes every scene sparkle with talent and intelligence. Xavier Samuel, Edward Hogg, Jamie Campbell Bower all stand up against the bigger names – with Rhys Ifans superb as the aristocrat with a heart, a brain and a quill that won’t quit. And on it goes to the end and very satisfying reasons as to why no documents exist to this day and why the most famous writer in the world can still be such an enigma and mystery.

A word about the picture quality on the BLU RAY of “Anonymous” – it’s glorious. Full on Hollywood production values are brought to every single scene – the planks on muddy wet streets, ink on fingers, dirty ruffles around the neck, the rotten teeth of the aging Queen, the dank stinking jails, the mazes in gardens full of roses – it looks incredible all the time. And the actors have a proper script to work with – no 1980s slip-ups here. Phrases like "all art is political…" and "plays are the spawn of the devil…and acts of sedition…" fill the heavy dialogue passages with sparkle and menace.

Extras include:
1. A Commentary With Director Roland Emmerich and Writer John Orloff
2. Deleted Scenes
3. Who is The Real William Shakespeare?
4. Extended Scenes
5. Speak The Speech
6. More Than Special Effects (4 to 5 exclusive to BLU RAY)

Subtitles English, English For The Hard Of Hearing, Hindi, Italian and Spanish

"Anonymous" isn’t going to bother an Oscar committee any day soon – but it is an intelligent and brilliantly presented movie – an alternative point of view and a reminder of just how beautiful and powerful words can be. Get it in your life and wallow in all that iambic excellence.

PS: Did you know that the name of William Shakespeare’s wife was Anne Hathaway? It really was!
You think you know someone and it turns out they’re just another bloody good actor…

“What’s Your Number?” on BLU RAY. A Review Of The 2012 Film...

You have to worry about poor Chris Evans when he's around the ladies. The man can't help himself. He has an effect on them. And if Chris has his shirt off (and I can assure the makers of “The Devil Wears Prada” and “27 Dresses” make him expose his ripped torso as much as is indecently possible) – Chris is frankly irresistible to the opposite sex. A little like me on a Monday morning in a Walthamstow urinal…

Like most - I hadn’t expected much from "What's Your Number?" – yet it actually sparkles when so many other rom-coms don’t. It’s a genuinely funny and entertaining ride.

A huge part of its success has to go to ANNA FARIS who goes after this rom-com role like Katherine Heigl on speed. Her character Ally is all mouth and attitude, juggling a manic work life and occasionally stopping to have sex when the mood takes and the menu looks right. But in a kiss-and-tell cocktail chat with some bitchy friends – she realizes that her previous-partner-count has in fact topped 19 - and the next guy has to be the magic 20. Cue cameos of former lovers (Sherlock’s Martin Freeman is excellent) and awkward situations involving varying amounts of revolving underwear.

Meanwhile in the apartment across the hall her admittedly handsome neighbour Colin keeps dodging a constant procession of one-night stands with lady lovelies. Whether these poor women adore him or not - Colin seems obnoxious to them and even uses Ally’s apartment on occasion to hide from his conquests. So it isn’t long before the feckless two strike up an unholy bargain – Colin can hold up in her place when he needs to avoid reasonability – in return he’ll help Ally track down those past boyfriends to see if they might now represent potential husband material. Will love triumph over crabs, checklists and cockroaches? Will Ally find the man of her dreams? Is Number 20/Mister Right in fact right under her nose? Let me hazard a guess…

The picture quality on the BLU RAY is gorgeous throughout – defaulted to 1.85:1 so it fills out the full screen naturally. There are 8 Deleted Scenes as extras and a very funny ‘Gag Reel’. Subtitle supplied are: Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Latin Spanish, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and English For The Hard Of Hearing. Also note that the American 20th Century Fox issue is REGION A LOCKED so it won’t play on our machines unless they’re chipped to be ‘all regions’ (which few are). Stick with the UK variant – as you can see it’s available for under a fiver in most places.

“What’s Your Number?” is far better than it had any divine right to be (my 20 year old daughter laughed a lot).

A bit of a hoot frankly and thoroughly recommended.

Now all I need to do is count backwards myself. Now let me see was it 250 or was it 275?

"Searching For Sugar Man" by RODRIGUEZ. A Review Of The BLU RAY…

"...I Think Of You..."

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

and the

Rodriguez Albums "Cold Fact" (1970) and "Coming From Reality" (1971)

In some respects to review the fantastic documentary film "Searching For Sugar Man" is to ruin it. But here's the some-info' version minus spoilers…

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez (pronounced Sees-Toe) was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1942 to recently emigrated Mexican parents. From the early to late Sixties, Motown had put the Motor City on the musical map – so emerging singer-songwriters cut their teeth in bars and cafes, soaked up the campus/street politics and hoped to get noticed. After an early 7" single in 1967 on Impact that folded without trace - enter Producer Dennis Coffey and Sussex Records (home of Bill Withers). 

Sixto's debut American album "Cold Fact" was born - March 1970 on Sussex SXBS 7000 - followed the next year by "Coming From Reality" - November 1971 on Sussex SXBS 7012. But despite their musical quality, few noticed locally. Legend in fact has it that "Coming From Reality" sold less than 20 copies. 

Cut to the other side of the world – South Africa in fact – and young black and white kids are plagued by Apartheid. With lyrics like "drinking from a Judas cup…papa don't like new ideas round here…" or "I wonder will this hatred ever end?" – they pick up on the Arthur Lee melodies and the Bob Dylan protest lyrics and the soulful Jose Feliciano voice and the album becomes a huge hit over there. So Rodriguez tours and those shows are emblazoned into the memory. But then the mysterious American immigrant troubadour disappears…some even ruminating that he's dead – or never existed at all. Cut to decades later and a South African secondhand record-store owner wonders what happened to this huge and positive influence in his life? And so the journey begins…searching for the sugar man…

As a cartoon figure wanders across the dirty city streets of a cold Detroit with a guitar case strapped over his shoulder - you listen to tracks like "Crucify Your Mind" and "Inner City Blues" – and you wonder how in God's name you've never heard this great music before. Politics, Mafia swindles, radio indifference – all of it probably. But it's what happens next that makes you double take and grin from ear to ear all the way to the joyous end…

I urge you to buy either of the stunning Light in The Attic CD/LP remasters and reissues of both his original albums - "Cold Fact" on LITA 036 or "Coming From Reality" on LITA 038. They have (at last) been reissued 30 August 2019 in the UK on both CD and LP - Universal/Sussex 00602577896255 (Barcode 602577896255) for the "Cold Fact" CD and Universal/Sussex 00602577077371 (Barcode 602577077371) for the "Cold Fact" LP - with Universal/Sussex 00602577896354 (Barcode 602577896354) for the "Coming From Reality" CD and Universal/Sussex 00602577077388 (Barcode 00602577077388) for the "Coming From Reality" LP. Both CD variants can be bought for between five and seven pounds. 

The "Coming From Reality" album has "I Think Of You" - as lovely a melody as you've ever heard. The album finisher "Cause" has stunning lyrics – "...Cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas, and I talked to Jesus at the sewer, and the Pope said it was none of his Goddamn business…" The CD reissue even has three Bonus Tracks from his aborted 3rd album – "Can't Get Away" showing how well his songwriting had progressed. After them make a beeline to this wonderful BLU RAY.

To sum up - you know the way you look at hundreds of 5-Star reviews and wonder what all the love is about – don't. 

They're all right…

“Angel-A” on BLU RAY – A Review Of The 2009 Luc Besson Film

Here is a link to Amazon UK to get this BLU RAY at the best price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002BC9YY8

“…It’s What’s On The Inside That Matters…” 

Coming from Writer/Director LUC BESSON who gave the world the Sci-Fi/Indiana Jones extravaganzas “The Fifth Element” and “The Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc-Sec” and tense/ballsy thrillers like “Taken”, “Nikita” and “Leon” – the pared-back almost serene “Angel-A” is not what you’d expect from this amazingly gifted Frenchman. Yet it so works.

Large part of the credit has to go to the casting one of his favourite lead actors JAMEL DEBBOUZE. Squat, cute, compelling – his lined crumpled features and stubbly chin are akin to a French Humphrey Bogart – the kind of actor whose face and watery eyes can express so much and have you routing for his character with an investment that feels personal. And like most Male Directors of a certain age - our Luc likes his leading ladies too (the prettier the better). Enter the extraordinary-looking RIE RASMUSSEN.

Jamel plays Andre Massau – an Algerian pint-sized low-life living in Paris who steals croissants from restaurant tables and owes money to Frank the Frenchman and Pedro the Spaniard. But unless Andre pays up more than 50,000 Euro by midnight Saturday – his body will be ‘everywhere’ on Sunday morning. Failing to find solace in the American Embassy (a green card he won in a Lottery), even the French Police won’t put him in Jail so he can be safe for a few days. Andre finally goes to the bridge overlooking the Seine and toys with the idea of ending it all. But annoyingly he’s not alone. A six-foot high stick-insect blond in a tight black party dress with a pearl necklace sporting legs that stretch six miles into the ground is also on the wrong side of the ornate railings about to do the same. With her tear-stained makeup - she jumps – Andre follows - pulls her to the embankment - and for saving her from the clutches of despair – she ‘gives’ herself to him for the whole of Sunday. But first she needs a cigarette…

The similarity between “Angel-A” and “It’s A Wonderful Life” with its message of intervention to show us the errors of our ways will not escape many – Besson has just updated the story to modern day living. His principal character Andre is a self-loathing loser who still has some good left inside him somewhere. He just desperately needs to learn to “breathe” and “live in the moment” – and who better to teach him than a 300-year old chain-smoking angel falling from the sky that looks like a high-class hooker. But as Andre watches Angela pimp herself out in a nightclub for 1000 Euro per sweaty leering client – he begins to see the consequences of his greed - and worse – how he is his own worst enemy (sharks he repays with her ill-gotten gains tap into his gullible nature again by flattery because they know it works).

Cleverly resisting flashy celestial scenes – special effects are kept to a minimum allowing story and character to be all. But as Andre’s eventful Sunday progresses - slowly Angela wakes him up (dialogue above) and after an ashtray reveal in a café - money worries don’t matter anymore because love is also in the air.

  

First up is the look of “Angel-A”. Shot in black and white in old-world Paris – the locations and city pulse are beautifully rendered on BLU RAY. Defaulted to 2.35:1 aspect – there are bars on the top and bottom – but even stretched to full screen – the picture is never anything less than cinematically fab (note: if you do extend the aspect – the English subtitles will go off-screen).

There’s an entertaining “Making Of” featurette that has interviews with Director, Producer JEROME LATEUR and the Cast, a “Making Of The Music For Angel-A” featuring composer ANJA GARBAREK and her musicians and a Theatrical Trailer.  English is the Subtitle for this French-language film.

“Angel-A” isn’t your typical box-office fare – but it is masterfully done – and will get to you more than you think. Flap your credit card’s wings for this one…