|
On his swan song release, The Black Album, as Jay-Z does his thing, background vocal tracks will pop in with occasional chants of, "Best rapper alive!" In addition to Gladiator quotes and Rick Rubin/Pharrell production and Jay-Z's own inimitable performance, this final album by the rap/hip-hop mogul is intended not just to prove his worth as a leader in the industry, he wants to beat you over the head with his pristine reputation.
This is all fine and good because of The Black Album's inherent quality - its Danger Mouse-created brother, The Grey Album (with samples from The Beatles) is equally intriguing - but Fade to Black, the concert movie/documentary centering on H.O.V.A.'s resignation from the performance aspects of rap music, isn't just a look at the artist, he wants it to be his Let It Be, his Last Waltz.
The lineup of conspirators in this activity definitely gives it an air of how-can-you-miss? intrigue - Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, and Kanye West are here (among a vast number of others) - but what ends up hindering Fade to Black is, predictably, its self-importance.
With The Black Album, Jay-Z proves his worth by continuing to kick out amazing jams. In Fade to Black, while the vast majority of the music here is ecstatically good, the drive of the filmmakers to dote on the moniker of genius of Sean Carter overwhelms its good-times feel. The concert itself is excellent, but instead of simply presenting it to us, Fade to Black wants us not to just appreciate it, but almost covet it as the pinnacle of hip-hop in the modern era.
It's a tough line to toe; how do you give your concert an air of legend without blowing it too full of hot air? Martin Scorsese used slight, whimsical interviews with The Band to give The Last Waltz a more humble exterior, and Jonathan Demme brought a heady degree of New York SoHo artistry to Stop Making Sense in an attempt to both undermine and encapsulate David Byrne's already over-aesthetic aims.
It's a half-sale. Fade to Black works excellently as a showcase for Jay-Z's inarguable chops, but it falls flat at delivering a thorough, investigatory documentary about a mega-mogul switching careers at the top of his game (Jay-Z is now one of the heads of Def Jam Records).
But for anybody who's ever owned or enjoyed a Jay-Z record, Fade to Black is at least worth checking out.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, Fade to Black looks . . . fairly good. Not that the video quality of the film isn't great, but there are inconsistencies. Most of the interview footage documenting the recording of the record looks very soft - line quality isn't exactly perfect here, to say the least - and there are more than a few examples of edge halos that mar the enjoyment of the visual aspects of the film. But black levels are sturdy and the film has been color-corrected and presented here quite well. Not fantastic, but acceptable.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, though, kicks ass. Interview footage is simply recorded and presented - mostly in the front speakers - but when the concert kicks in, all the channels light on fire. The .1 LFE channel gets an excellent workout, separation is utilized extensively and to great effect, and other elements of the film's wide dynamic range come through loud and clear. Great.
Also included is an English Dolby Surround 2.0 track, English subtitles, and English closed captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
First up is a great documentary, The Story Behind Fade to Black (30:00), followed by an excellent deleted scene showing the mastering of Jay-Z's Black Album (10:00). We also get the great "Encore" music video as well as the film's theatrical trailer.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
No DVD-ROM material has been included.
Final Thoughts
With a kick-ass sound mix and some excellent performance footage, even if Fade to Black isn't exactly as powerful and definitive a portrait of the artist as it so intensely wants to be, it's still leaps and bounds better than other recent concert movies. But where's the Jay-Z commentary? Recommended.
|
