Christmas in August (Korean Blu-ray)

Film Reviews and Release Comparisons
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Lourdes
Royal Tramp
Posts: 1994
Joined: 08 Jan 2005, 16:19

Christmas in August (Korean Blu-ray)

Post by Lourdes »

No true review, just pics + comments.

25.7Mbps AVC, Stereo LPCM and a 5.1 DTS-HD MA upmix. Unsubbed commentary, forget what extras but no subs of course.

It's not a great print or transfer. I thought it was a theatrical print at first but it's not quite that bad. There is still constant telecine wobble, a few frames on each side of a shot change have markedly lower quality, and there's dust/scratches throughout. It's over-bright too but it's 1998 Korean film, even newer ones look like this. They seem to have rubbish DP's and no grading/timing skills. There's decent grain and detail considering. It's a shame they didn't put any effort toward fixing the wobble or damage. Even the white text on black screen at the beginning is wobbling away with scratches; and one of the first shots has this - 1, 2, 3 - in the space of 4 seconds. I didn't notice anything else quite so bad whilst I was watching the first twenty minutes or at random points later on.

The audio picks up a lot of unwanted background noise and there's a hiss to it, even present during the aforementioned silent titles. I didn't find it to bothersome, I think I mentally adjust as the transfer quality makes it look like something a lore more 'vintage' than it really is.

This is one of the good Korean films, from the golden age years before they cut the screen quotas for domestic films, and instead pumped subsidies into movies emulating Hollywood productions. A really nice romantic drama that preceded and inspired many more, but does it a whole lot better as it sets out as a romance, not a melodrama.
Too bad it hasn't been overhauled. It's still the best available.

Pics:
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/dvd/christmas.august/1.png
https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/dvd/christmas.august/2.png
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https://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/dvd/christmas.august/7.png
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