Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train

kamspy · 05-16-2009, 03:57 PM

Released on Blu-Ray 2/17/09
Lionsgate Home Video
2.35:1AR

AVC/7.1 dts-MA

"Smarter than your average horror flick"

Plot
From the mind of a true master of horror, Clive Barker, comes Midnight Meat Train. A film based on one of his more disturbing short stories. I'm a big fan of Barker and have read most of his work. So needless to say, after reading reviews to make sure the source material wasn't butchered, I picked this up on release day.

The story revolves around a photographer named Leon who's down on his luck. He has a beautiful girl who loves him to death, but he's having a hard time getting satisfaction out of his work. Leon takes pictures of dead people. Usually chasing the police band on his CB radio. It's not known to him, but he has a taste for the macabre, if only as a voyeur. His girlfriend (played by the gorgeous Leslie Bibb) get's him a meeting with a local art curator.

The curator wants Leon to shoot for her, but she wants a more visceral level of photography. Not the usual shot of an uncovered stretcher at the scene of an accident.

So Leon goes to find the 'raw, heart of the city". What he finds, he'll wish he didn't.

The characters, screenwriting, casting, and cinematography are all more than a cut above the average horror movie. I was happy with all the production decisions. This isn't your average modern slasher film. The craftsmanship of director Ryûhei Kitamura isn't lost in a single scene in this film. I cannot stress enough how high every facet of the production value this film has going for it.

The ending is completely unexpected and fantastically numbing. That's all I'll say about it here. I'd be happy to discuss it in reply's to the review with spoiler tags on.

Image Quality
Some will view Midnight Meat Train as a mixed bag. The crowd I'm referring to is the same one who applauds the removal of film grain.

I think the transfer is perfect. Note that this is coming from a Japanese director, so the tastes and sensibilities of the 'look' might not resonate with every viewer. The color pallet is intentionally starved and skewed toward the cooler hues. All shades of blue abound and the many shadows are delineated with expert precision. The stark contrast of the cool blue backdrops and the pitch perfect crimson blood make the money shots that much more powerful.

As long as you undedrstand that film grain is a part of movies, I don't think you'll find any faults with this transfer. I don't mean to imply there is a thick layer as seen on The Godfather, but a light veil of celluloid is present throughout the movie.

Outstanding.

Audio
* Note that I listened to the mix on a 5.1 set-up. There is a 7.1 option

A good portion of Midnight Meat Train takes place on a subway car. The dts-MA mix will turn your viewing room into that subway car with this outstandingly dynamic surround track. The audio engineer did not skimp on the discrete surround channels, so your room will stay enveloped in ambiance.

I can't find any faults with the track, and will say that the use of the surround channels makes this one well above average. The low end extension in the LFE channel adds to the atmosphere of the discomforting setting.

Also, outstanding.

In Summary
I urge horror fans to check this one out. If you're like me, you've been experiencing a drought of original horror movies lately. Midnight Meat Train breaks that mold by combining an American classic source (Clive Barker) a wonderfully gifted Japanese director (Ryûhei Kitamura) and a cast of very talented up and coming actors.

_________________________________________________
Rating System

Quote:

I will rate the audio, video, plot, of every movie I review on a scale of 0-5. Please note that taste in the actual film will be subjective and is only my opinion. One man's Citizen Kane is another man's Postal. I'm not particularly a fan of numerical ratings, but I'll include them for easier digestion.

Please note that my rating scale will use the entire range (so people don't think anything under 4 is crap). So ratings of 3 from me are ABOVE AVERAGE RATINGS. There will not be many 5's as I will save them for truly amazing points.

Let's make it simple:

5- Perfect, reserved only for the truly finest.
4- Excellent, nothing wrong whatsoever.
3- Above average, something that shows off the great qualities of high definition.
2- Average, run of the mill. Nothing glaringly wrong, but nothing outstanding. Par for the course.
1- Major issues. Read the review a second time to make sure that this will be of interest to you
0- Mainly reserved for Uwe Bolle movies, but can be used for others as well. Used for PQ when the BD is NO better than the DVD.

I cannot stress highly enough that a 3 is a GOOD rating on my scale.

Plot

Image Quality

Audio

Overall

I came very close to giving the movie a 5 star overall rating. If I gave half stars, this would be a 4.5.

Highly recommended for horror fans and anyone wanting a chilling thriller.

House72 · 05-16-2009, 08:01 PM

Based on your review, I netflixed it last week. It was a pretty decent movie. Def a rental, so if you have some time, like gore and thrillers, rent it...

sigill · 05-17-2009, 01:14 PM

Thanks for the review Kam. I will definatly give this a rent.

GLOW · 05-17-2009, 03:25 PM

I've seen it twice already. Great movie! If you like horror movies don't even bother renting it, it's a must buy. Clive Barker is the man.

F91 · 05-18-2009, 07:32 AM

Glow!!!!!

MikeRox · 05-27-2009, 05:25 AM

I bought this the other week and finally got around to watching it at the weekend (was held up due to moving house etc.).

I echo Kam's sentiments. A fantastic movie and a decent Blu-ray package. Hard to believe Lionsgate were going to shelve the finished version of this film when they let absolute tat slip through. It's weird as I don't normally like CGI when it's obvious, but I can happily let it slide on Midnight Meat Train because I think the use of the CGI is excellent.

At least a rental if you like this sort of film, if not an instabuy!

05-27-2009, 05:29 AM

cheers, moving this up a few notches on my to-see list

Stew4HD · 05-27-2009, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikopol

cheers, moving this up a few notches on my to-see list

You didn't trust my review on this one

GLOW · 05-27-2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew4HD

You didn't trust my review on this one

It's not obscure and european enough for him. If it was called "J'ai Mein Auschlander L'amore Meat Train" or something, he'd have already bought it.

kamspy · 05-27-2009, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLOW

It's not obscure and european enough for him. If it was called "J'ai Mein Auschlander L'amore Meat Train" or something, he'd have already bought it.

!

05-27-2009, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew4HD

You didn't trust my review on this one

I was bugging Mike for his opinion since he bought it a while ago.

Also you made it sound like it wasn't obscure and european enough for me likings!!!

Ta!
~ Snootypol

didmike · 05-27-2009, 03:43 PM

how downloading movies in hd or blu from hear.Priv please

05-27-2009, 03:57 PM

^^ There is a special forum here for that, members with more than 1,000 useful posts get access to it.

Stew4HD · 05-27-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikopol

I was bugging Mike for his opinion since he bought it a while ago.

Also you made it sound like it wasn't obscure and european enough for me likings!!!

Ta!
~ Snootypol

OMG! You kill me!

I look forward to hearing your opinion about it.

I did like Martyrs (twisted f*%k that I am) and Inside had me cracking up!

05-28-2009, 03:10 AM

Yeah, Martyrs is a joyfully sick movie.

I tried three different scandinavian online sites, so i can get my hands on the Blu release of Inside they have released there. The first one wouldn't send abroad "We make NO exceptions!" - Fuquers.... The second didn't accept foreign credit cards. The third said they would do all that, but they'd have to add it to their site first. Which they still haven't done yet and i asked like a month ago.

I bet once i finally get it, it's gonna be released throughout ten other european countries a week later.....

05-17-2009, 01:14 PM	#3
sigill High Def fan Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: United kingdom-Manchester Age: 33 Posts: 2,976	Thanks for the review Kam. I will definatly give this a rent. __________________ Phillips 37" LCD 720p/1080i Sony BDP-S350 Toshiba BDX2100 Toshiba XDE-500 DVD player Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 AVR KEF1005.2 speakers Latest HD movies bought - The Game - The Skeleton Key - Memento 210 Blu-rays

05-18-2009, 07:32 AM	#5
F91 Plasmatic Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Port Orchard, WA Posts: 2,782	Glow!!!!! __________________ "you give me a water board, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders." Jesse Ventura Proud to be living in a hatt free zone.

05-27-2009, 05:25 AM	#6
MikeRox Connoisseur of Fine Games Join Date: May 2007 Location: Huddersfield, United Kingdom Posts: 15,756	I bought this the other week and finally got around to watching it at the weekend (was held up due to moving house etc.). I echo Kam's sentiments. A fantastic movie and a decent Blu-ray package. Hard to believe Lionsgate were going to shelve the finished version of this film when they let absolute tat slip through. It's weird as I don't normally like CGI when it's obvious, but I can happily let it slide on Midnight Meat Train because I think the use of the CGI is excellent. At least a rental if you like this sort of film, if not an instabuy! __________________ Currently Playing: Xenoblade Chronicles, Ridge Racer 3D, DIRT 3

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05-16-2009, 08:01 PM	#2
House72 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2008 Age: 33 Posts: 3,218	Based on your review, I netflixed it last week. It was a pretty decent movie. Def a rental, so if you have some time, like gore and thrillers, rent it...

05-17-2009, 03:25 PM	#4
GLOW High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Post-Empire America Posts: 10,035	I've seen it twice already. Great movie! If you like horror movies don't even bother renting it, it's a must buy. Clive Barker is the man.

05-27-2009, 05:29 AM	#7
Nikopol Guest Posts: n/a	cheers, moving this up a few notches on my to-see list

05-27-2009, 03:43 PM	#12
didmike What is HD? Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1	how downloading movies in hd or blu from hear.Priv please

05-27-2009, 03:57 PM	#13
Nikopol Guest Posts: n/a	^^ There is a special forum here for that, members with more than 1,000 useful posts get access to it.

05-28-2009, 03:10 AM	#15
Nikopol Guest Posts: n/a	Yeah, Martyrs is a joyfully sick movie. I tried three different scandinavian online sites, so i can get my hands on the Blu release of Inside they have released there. The first one wouldn't send abroad "We make NO exceptions!" - Fuquers.... The second didn't accept foreign credit cards. The third said they would do all that, but they'd have to add it to their site first. Which they still haven't done yet and i asked like a month ago. I bet once i finally get it, it's gonna be released throughout ten other european countries a week later.....