| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
R.E.M. - Perfect Square
Warner Music // Unrated // March 16, 2004
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Songs: Begin the Begin, What's The Frequency, Kenneth; Maps and Legends, Drive, Animal, Daysleeper, The Great Beyond, Bad Day, The One I Love, All The Way To Reno, Orange Crush, Losing My Religion, At My Most Beautiful, Electrolite, She Just Wants To Be, Walk Unafraid, Man On The Moon, Everybody Hurts; So Fast, So Numb; Country Feedback, Permanent Vacation, Imitation of Life, It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).
This concert presentation was filmed in Germany in 2003 and offers R.E.M playing through a song list that includes tunes from throughout their history - a mixture of hits and lost treasures. The band is unformly terrific, going through the entire show with high energy and enthusiasm, while the audience certainly seems to be enjoying themselves. My only concern with the presentation is the editing, as while it wasn't a problem throughout, certain moments just seemed choppy, as the show kept furiously cutting away to another angle. Some questionable cinematic choices aside, this was still a great show that highlights the amazing music this band has produced over the last 20+ years.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Perfect Square" is presented by Warner Brothers in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality did have a little bit of shimmer here and a tiny compression artifact or two, but otherwise looked terrific. Sharpness and detail were excellent; even wide shots and low-light moments appeared crisp and well-defined. Colors remained bright, vivid and well-saturated throughout - even bright stage lighting looked stellar, with no smearing.
SOUND: The concert is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0. The soundtrack is that of a large, open venue, with the listener seemingly sitting in the audience. The music has a very big, very enjoyable "wide-open" sound and large spread across the front soundstage. Despite this, different instrumentals and singer Michael Stipe's vocals remained clear, distinct and clean. I sometimes felt as if low-end was slightly muddy, but this wasn't a major concern. Surrounds are used just right, providing reinforcement of the music and some crowd noise, extending the wide soundstage of the front around to the sides quite well.
EXTRAS: The one supplemental feature is "A Sterling Performance", a 26-minute featurette that looks at the band's Sterling Castle performance in Scotland in 1999. The sound quality is blah and picture quality is rather iffy, with some noticable compression artifacts and edge enhancement, but it's an interesting behind-the-scenes look at some preparations for the show, the history behind the town and the concert itself.
Final Thoughts: "Perfect Square" offers a stellar performance by R.E.M., who go through a wealth of their hits and some less familiar gems that were fan requests. The editing and general style of the filming is a little frustrating at times, but the band still shines through. Image and sound quality on the DVD are very good, too. Recommended.
Songs: Begin the Begin, What's The Frequency, Kenneth; Maps and Legends, Drive, Animal, Daysleeper, The Great Beyond, Bad Day, The One I Love, All The Way To Reno, Orange Crush, Losing My Religion, At My Most Beautiful, Electrolite, She Just Wants To Be, Walk Unafraid, Man On The Moon, Everybody Hurts; So Fast, So Numb; Country Feedback, Permanent Vacation, Imitation of Life, It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).
This concert presentation was filmed in Germany in 2003 and offers R.E.M playing through a song list that includes tunes from throughout their history - a mixture of hits and lost treasures. The band is unformly terrific, going through the entire show with high energy and enthusiasm, while the audience certainly seems to be enjoying themselves. My only concern with the presentation is the editing, as while it wasn't a problem throughout, certain moments just seemed choppy, as the show kept furiously cutting away to another angle. Some questionable cinematic choices aside, this was still a great show that highlights the amazing music this band has produced over the last 20+ years.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Perfect Square" is presented by Warner Brothers in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality did have a little bit of shimmer here and a tiny compression artifact or two, but otherwise looked terrific. Sharpness and detail were excellent; even wide shots and low-light moments appeared crisp and well-defined. Colors remained bright, vivid and well-saturated throughout - even bright stage lighting looked stellar, with no smearing.
SOUND: The concert is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0. The soundtrack is that of a large, open venue, with the listener seemingly sitting in the audience. The music has a very big, very enjoyable "wide-open" sound and large spread across the front soundstage. Despite this, different instrumentals and singer Michael Stipe's vocals remained clear, distinct and clean. I sometimes felt as if low-end was slightly muddy, but this wasn't a major concern. Surrounds are used just right, providing reinforcement of the music and some crowd noise, extending the wide soundstage of the front around to the sides quite well.
EXTRAS: The one supplemental feature is "A Sterling Performance", a 26-minute featurette that looks at the band's Sterling Castle performance in Scotland in 1999. The sound quality is blah and picture quality is rather iffy, with some noticable compression artifacts and edge enhancement, but it's an interesting behind-the-scenes look at some preparations for the show, the history behind the town and the concert itself.
Final Thoughts: "Perfect Square" offers a stellar performance by R.E.M., who go through a wealth of their hits and some less familiar gems that were fan requests. The editing and general style of the filming is a little frustrating at times, but the band still shines through. Image and sound quality on the DVD are very good, too. Recommended.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||