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- Category: Blu-ray movies Blu-ray movies
"Torso"
May 2020
Classic Italian Thriller Gets the Ultimate BD Treatment
Arrow Video AV171
Format: BD
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Films in the Italian genre called giallo, or yellow -- we call them horror thrillers -- were prominent in Italy in the early-to-mid 1970s, and predated and inspired such American slasher films as Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980). The word giallo originally referred to popular Italian mystery novels that were published in cheap paperback editions with yellow covers. A genuine giallo film is a murder mystery containing gratuitous nudity, sex, violence, and lots of graphic gore. Although giallo and slasher movies have much in common, the latter are more about “howdunnit, who’s next”; the giallo, despite its lurid trappings, is more a whodunnit steeped in mystery.
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- Category: SoundStage! Encore SoundStage! Encore
High-Res and Multichannel for Music Playback
May 2020
Brendon Heinst is a co-owner of TRPTK, a recording studio in Utrecht, The Netherlands. In this video, Brendon talks about his love for multichannel recording using DXD, a digital recording format operating at 352.8kHz. Armed with five KEF Blade Two speakers and equipment from Hegel Music Systems, Merging Technologies, and Furutech, Brendon creates recordings that he believes bring you closer to the music than standard stereo recording can.
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- Category: Music Everywhere Music Everywhere
Music Everywhere: Kanto YU Powered Bluetooth Loudspeakers
May 2020
Having reviewed many Bluetooth speakers, I’ve found that my experience of them falls into categories. From unboxing to setup to use, I’ve found some that were interesting, some demanding, some surprising, and a few that left me perplexed. Only a few of those experiences were joyful, but one of them was the Kanto TUK ($799.99/pair, all prices per pair, USD), which I reviewed in August 2019. Kanto also has a line of smaller, much cheaper Bluetooth speakers, the YU models, each of which looks promising: the YU2 ($219.99), YU4 ($329.99), and YU6 ($399.99). Now Kanto has introduced a scaled-down version of the YU4 with the most basic of model names: YU ($249.99/pair). Have they got it right again?
Todd Rundgren’s "Something/Anything?" Curated
May 2020
Nominee Todd Rundgren was passed over for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. I concede that T. Rex was overdue for recognition, and that Nine Inch Nails and the Notorious B.I.G. have made contributions significant enough to warrant induction. But I can’t imagine Depeche Mode or Trent Reznor without Rundgren’s influence -- and don’t get me started on the Doobie Brothers.
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- Category: Download music Download music
Nina Simone: "Fodder on My Wings"
May 2020
Verve 00602508685965
Format: 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV download
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Seventeen years after her death -- from breast cancer at the age of 70 -- pianist/singer Nina Simone remains one of the most misunderstood musicians who achieved the peak of their popularity in the 1960s. Posthumous books, films, and articles have shed some light on her bipolar disorder and the rages, rants, and other related behavior that often made headlines. We now understand how the course of her career was altered, and her view of racism hardened, by her inability to step as easily as white peers did from studies at the Juilliard School in New York City into a life as a concert pianist.
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- Category: Blu-ray movies Blu-ray movies
"So Dark the Night"
April 2020
A Minor Gem Worth Your Time
Arrow Academy AA040-TM
Format: BD
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COVID-19 has turned just about every man, woman, and child into a movie buff. By now, many have been through the classics and are surfing frantically for movies they pick by title or star. Such a search can be an adventure, but you’d best be prepared that streaming Netflix or Amazon can uncover some real clunkers. Last night I watched After Darkness -- a waste of my time and Kyra Sedgwick’s talent. But turning to a stack of unwatched B movies on disc, I uncovered So Dark the Night (1946), a nifty noir whodunit based on a story by Aubrey Wisberg and directed by Joseph H. Lewis. This succinct (70 minutes) detective procedural set in France has a very twisty ending.
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- Category: Music Everywhere Music Everywhere
Music Everywhere: Voiz AiRadio Duo VR-80 Wi-Fi Radio
April 2020
“My background is as a designer/musician,” said Hiro Ogura, CEO of Voiz LLC, talking about his AiRadio Duo VR-80. “Since I was a boy, I loved building my own radio with a good speaker. But I did not like FM broadcasting’s compressed sound and noise and unstable signal condition -- but finally Wi-Fi radio solved the problem.” The AiRadio Duo VR-80 will fulfill many buyers’ needs, and will look gorgeous while doing so. You’ll have to balance your own needs and desires against its somewhat high price of $299 USD, and I have a few nits to pick -- but the VR-80’s superior sound, tuned by Andover Audio’s Bob Hazelwood, is certain to win you over.
Kandace Springs: "The Women Who Raised Me"
April 2020
Blue Note B0031597
Format: CD
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Blue Note Records built its stellar reputation on many factors. Francis Wolff’s in-studio photography, Reid Miles’s iconic cover design, and Rudy Van Gelder’s impeccable soundstage all went into the mix.
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- Category: Blu-ray movies Blu-ray movies
"The Fugitive Kind"
March 2020
Brando Smolders on Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 515
Format: BD
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Amid a long string of successes from playwright and screenwriter Tennessee Williams came this third-time’s-the-charm effort. Its origins date back to an early Williams play, Battle of Angels, which closed during its trial run in Boston, in 1940. Seventeen years later, after much rewriting and rethinking by Williams, Orpheus Descending, based on Battle of Angels, premiered on Broadway in 1957. Reviews were unflattering, and it closed two months later. Nonetheless, a film version was made: The Fugitive Kind (1960).
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- Category: Music Everywhere Music Everywhere
Jensen SMPS-626 Waterproof Bluetooth Shower Speaker
March 2020
Depending on their size and shape, most waterproof speakers can be taken into the shower, where they can be safely splashed. Looking for one specifically designed for use in the shower, I found the Jensen SMPS-626. This mighty mite has many appealing features, and, at only $34.99 USD, could represent true value for the dollar.
