From Nicolas Roeg, the legendary director of Performance, Walkabout, Don’t Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bad Timing and The Witches, comes this haunting, wild and chilling psychological thriller starring Theresa Russell (Black Widow, Straight Time, Bad Timing) and Mark Harmon (The Presidio, Stealing Home, TV’s NCIS and St. Elsewhere). Seduction, deception and death all lead to the ultimate test of an unfaithful woman’s love and fate when her deceased husband inexplicably comes back to life. Cold Heaven is a rare find, haunting and mysterious; romantic and spiritual; and always riveting with eerie and earthy intensity. The top-notch cast includes James Russo (Extremities, Donnie Brasco, Freeway), Will Patton (No Way Out, The Rapture, The Punisher), Julie Carmen (In the Mouth of Madness, Night of the Juggler, Last Plane Out), Talia Shire (Rocky, Windows, Prophecy) and Seymour Cassel (Minnie and Moskowitz, California Dreaming).
For thoughts on Cold Heaven, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/T_j7TjVctvo?t=2175]
Video Quality
Cold Heaven comes to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from a high definition master that gets the job done but could be improved. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation which provides a decent level of detail in brighter environments. This film has a soft look which allows many items to lose their crisp borders. The establishing shots of coastal environments look pretty well rendered. Clarity and detail is readily apparent with skin tones that look natural, perhaps slightly on the warmer side of the spectrum.
Colors appear well saturated with some of the vibrant hues in the locations and clothing leaping off the screen. Instances of print damage are a bit troublesome with some larger blemishes than we prefer in spots. Subtle facial features are noticeable in closeup such as the makeup effects. Black levels are admirable in their depth with only some of the shadowy scenes lacking some precise detail and looking a touch milky. This new presentation from Scorpion Releasing could use a refresh, but there is enough here to provide a fine viewing experience.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that works quite well. Dialogue is well defined and does not get lost among the competing sounds. Environmental elements such as waves and engines are rendered cleanly alongside everything else. The music used in the film provides a tonally unique atmosphere for this story that maintains excellent fidelity. There are no moments where it overwhelms competing sounds, instead allowing elements to work together in harmony. You never get a sense that this one is suffering from age-related anomalies such as distortion, drop-outs or the like. Scorpion Releasing has given this film a very strong audio presentation. This release includes English SDH subtitles.
Special Features
- Trailers: The minute-and-a-half trailer for Cold Heaven is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Last Rites, Clifford, The Heavenly Kid, 3:15 and California Dreaming.
Final Thoughts
Cold Heaven is a bit too ambitious and inconsistent in its narrative drive, but there is quite a bit that does work about it. Roeg lays the groundwork for larger conversations around faith and individual choice which rewards in fits and spurts. The performances are quite strong throughout, and the pacing keeps you rapt at attention. The film mostly stumbles when it comes to how it shifts focus and struggles to tie everything together in a satisfying manner. Scorpion Releasing and Ronin Flix have released a new Blu-Ray with a good A/V presentation but not too much in terms of special features. If you are a Roeg fan, this is worth seeking out to see how it fits into his larger career.
Cold Heaven is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Scorpion Releasing and Ronin Flix have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
