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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

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    Featured In Issue 131, May 2008

    Picture3
    SoundNR
    WSR Score3.5
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    24451
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG
    (Rating Reason):
    For extreme sports action and brief language
    (Retail Price):
    $38.95
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    90
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    A
    (Theatrical Year):
    2007
    (Theatrical Release):
    No
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    Yes
    (Disc Release Date):
    03/25/08
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Mark Obenhaus
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    Dolby TrueHD 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Without risk, there is no adventure. Or, so they say. Witness the world's greatest skiers as they go beyond their wildest dreams in a chance to conquer the most rugged and outrageous runs the world has to offer. Spectacular and Steep is the terrain, extreme and impressive is the sport. Based on a factual story by William A. Kerig. (Tricia Spears)

    Special features include commentary with Director Mark Obenhaus and Skiers Ingrid Backstrom and Andrew McLean; a 13-minute Q&A with Obenhaus, Backstrom, and McLean; a 17-minute Shooting Steep photo montage; a continuous photo montage of The Skiers Of Steep; a seven-minute interview with Doug Coombs; and previews.

    The anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 DVD has a pleasing image quality, especially for a documentary, but noticeable compression artifacts and a somewhat soft overall look plague it. Whites can often look crushed, with little definition in the fields of snow. Black level is somewhat elevated, but it does not become distracting, as there are few dark scenes. Archival footage can look poor, understandably, as the filmmakers had little control over how it was shot and stored, but it doesn't seem to have been restored very well either. The H.264 AVC-encoded Blu-ray Disc features many of the same problems as the DVD, with crushed whites and elevated black levels. Noise is apparent at times throughout, and even the new footage can look overly soft. (Danny Richelieu)

    The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack features an impressive mix for a documentary, with each of the channels incorporated well for both atmospheric effects and music. Music fidelity is quite good, and the mix is expansive. Recorded voices sound natural as well, with good articulation. While the soundtrack is not overly exciting, it does a good job moving the story along. The lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack on the Blu-ray Disc provides more realistic-sounding dialogue—more full and with better dynamic range. Subtle noise can be heard underlying the dialogue. (Danny Richelieu)

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    Stephen Davis
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