Buy The Blu-ray Disc Or HD DVD And DVD Combo Format Disc Now By Clicking On The Respective Icons Below!
Buy The Blu-ray Disc Or HD DVD And DVD
Combo Format Disc Now By Clicking On The Respective Icons Below!
Title:
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Disc & HD DVD And DVD Combo Format Disc
Region:
One (DVD Only)
Media:
Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD/DVD Hybrid
Genre:
Mystery Comedy Thriller Action
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen, and Dash Mihok
Writer:
Shane Black
Director:
Shane Black
Feature
length: 103 minutes
Extras:
Commentary By Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Shane Black, Gag Reel, and
Theatrical Trailer
Blu-ray
Disc Languages: English and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and
Spanish Language Dolby Surround Sound
HD
DVD Languages: English and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Sound
and Spanish Language Dolby Surround Sound
DVD
Languages English and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and
Spanish Language Dolby Surround Sound
Blu-ray
Disc & HD DVD Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired
and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles
DVD
Subtitles: English Closed Captions and English, French, and Spanish Language
Subtitles
Blu-ray
Disc Packaging: Blue BD Case
HD
DVD/DVD Combo Format Packaging: Elite Red HD Case
Chapter
Stops: 29
HD
DVD Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
DVD
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Blu-ray
Disc Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 2005/Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD/DVD Release: 2006
Theatrical
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Robert
Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer star as yet another odd couple out to solve a mystery
within the City of Angels as only screenwriter and now director Shane Black can
do it in his latest blending of action, humor, and thrills Kiss Kiss Bang
Bang. Though Black will forever be known as the screenwriter of Lethal
Weapon, in many ways I liken Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to The Last Boy
Scout, which featured another odd couple out to solve a crime with lots of
self-referential humor about the genre as a whole. It occurs to me that long
before Scream used the components of a horror film to create a mix of
thrills and self referential humor that re-ignited the slasher subgenre in
horror films in the later half of the 1990s, Shane Black has been turning the
Hollywood action picture noir clichés on it’s ear by revealing the plot
intricacies and over the top action in such a way that we are in on the satire
and yet totally captivated by the story. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is not meant
to be another Lethal Weapon or another The Last Boy Scout, but it
is a very entertaining feature film with great twists and real surprises and
damn good scriptwriting too.
Robert
Downey Jr. is a small time crook that through a twist of fate was mistaken for a
method actor and now lives in LA where he has been assigned to follow a gay
Detective (Val Kilmer) to prepare for a new role he is being considered for. It
just so happens that a woman from Downey’s character’s childhood is an
aspiring actress in LA and together with Downey and Kilmer, they become
intertwined in a murder mystery that involves an actor turned producer (Corbin
Bernsen), who put Downey and Kilmer’s characters together in the first place.
Robert
Downey Jr. is just terrific in this film and Val Kilmer looks like he is
enjoying himself in this one too. Michelle Monaghan is the perfect girl next
door in Hollywood with a mix of beauty and sexiness that never overshadows her
sweetness. In short, one can believe her as the quintessential small town girl
hardened by the big city who is sultry enough to fall in love with and yet has a
cuteness about her that I think many guys would be pleased to introduce her to
the family. Perhaps that’s why she got to play Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise)
fiancée in Mission Impossible III.
Kiss
Kiss Bang Bang
is now available in three different formats from Warner Home Video. There is a
Blu-ray Disc version, an HD DVD/DVD Combo Format Version, and a DVD version and
all are sold separately. Since the HD DVD version features the HD DVD edition on
one side and the DVD version on the other side, reviewing this hybrid covers
both formats and allows fair comparison to the Blu-ray version since the DVD
side of the HD DVD and DVD Combo Format release will work in most if not all DVD
players. Thus a review of the standalone DVD is not necessary. With the
exception of a few technical differences the features on both the Blu-ray and HD
DVD versions are the same.
Kiss
Kiss Bang Bang Blu-ray Disc
Warner
Home Video’s Blu-ray Disc release is part of a first wave of titles that
include Good Night, And Good Luck,
Rumor Has It… and Training Day.
Encoded in MPEG-2, the film is presented with a maximum high definition
capability of 1080p with a 16 by 9 (2.4:1) aspect ratio. Like previous Warner
Home Video Blu-ray Disc releases, the colors are vibrant and the overall picture
quality is quite bright. There are no compression artifacts to note whatsoever.
The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is clear, but not up to the
same fidelity of other Blu-ray Discs I have seen, including the other Warner
Home Video Blu-ray Discs I’ve screened and reviewed. A French Language Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack and a Spanish Language Dolby Surround Soundtrack
is included along with English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and
English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles. The menu navigation while the
film is in progress is simple, but while the extra value materials can be
accessed while the film is in progress without the need for a separate standard
still frame menu screen on the HD DVD version, the Blu-ray Disc version requires
one to be taken out of the film to access the featured choices. The Blu-ray Disc
also lacks a panning zoom option found on the HD DVD. The gag reel (4:18) is not
presented in the proper aspect ratio on the Samsung BD-P1000 as it would
automatically be correctly formatted on the Toshiba HD-XA1. The theatrical
trailer is presented in a (1.78:1) aspect ratio with Dolby Stereo Sound (2:16).
All three versions include a feature length audio commentary with Writer and
Director Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. The retrospective
commentary is somewhat laid back, bout also screen specific at times too.
Kiss
Kiss Bang Bang HD DVD And DVD Combo Format Disc
The
HD DVD version is encoded using VC1 with the same 16 by 9 (2.4:1) aspect ratio
as the Blu-ray Disc version and though first generation Toshiba and RCA HD DVD
players can output up to a maximum resolution of 1080i, the film is encoded onto
the HD DVD side at 1080p presumably for future generation players and perhaps
firmware upgrades. The picture quality is darker with more muted flesh tones,
but the detail is sharper than the Blu-ray Disc edition. Please note that TV
calibration could cause films to look darker or brighter than they should be
based on available hardware and so forth. However I noticed a similar picture
quality difference between the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc versions of Rumor Has
It… too. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Soundtrack blows away
the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack found on the Blu-ray Disc version. A
French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Soundtrack and a Spanish
Language Dolby Surround Soundtrack is included along with English Subtitles for
the Deaf and Hearing Impaired and English, French, and Spanish Language
Subtitles encoded as options. The menu navigation system on the HD DVD version
is superior to the Blu-ray Disc with the letterboxed gag reel (4:18) presented
in the appropriate (1.33:1) aspect ratio and the trailer is also presented in a
wider aspect ratio that is closer to the film’s HD DVD presentation and with
Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound instead of stereo. The commentary is the same
for all three versions and does not need further mention.
With
the HD DVD/DVD hybrid disc, the label side up is the side one uses to play back
the HD DVD version of the film on HD DVD Players. To play the DVD side, the
label side must be facing down. Giving consumers the added flexibility of
watching the film on standard definition DVD players, the image up converted
from the native 480p resolution to 1080i just does not hold up when compared to
both the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD releases. There is visible compression grain
and far less detail. The image is presented in the same (2.4:1) aspect ratio
enhanced for 16 by 9 television screens. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Soundtrack also lacks the power of both the 5.1 Surround Sound on the Blu-ray
Disc as well as the Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus Surround Soundtrack on the HD DVD
version. French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Spanish Dolby
Surround Sound are encoded for the DVD release along with English Closed
Captions for the hearing impaired and English, French, and Spanish Language
Subtitles. The main menu features scenes from the film while the subsequent
menus are all standard interactive still frame menus that are easy to navigate.
In addition the commentary, the gag reel and trailer, which is framed like the
HD DVD version, are included here along with a trailer for V For Vendetta
(2:15) that appears before the main menu.
Final
Thoughts
For
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang I actually liked the picture quality on the Blu-ray
Disc more because I think the added brightness and vivid colors suited the film
better, but both the sound and interactivity features of the HD DVD version are
superior to the Blu-ray Disc version. Both high definition optical disc versions
are superior in picture and sound quality over the standard definition DVD
version. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is available now as a stand alone DVD, a HD
DVD And DVD Combo Format Disc, and a Blu-ray Disc sold separately at retailers
on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video. Whichever version of the film you
choose, definitely give the film a look.
©
Copyright 2006 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Buy The Blu-ray Disc Or HD DVD And DVD
Combo Format Disc Now By Clicking On The Respective Icons Below!