Customer Reviews

Jack Johnson: En Concert [BLU-RAY]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've been a Jack Johnson fan ever since hearing Flake and Bubble Toes when Brushfire Fairytales was first released. His concert footage was always tough for me to source, so when Jack Johnson En Concert came out, I thought it was time to see how his laid back tunes translated to the live venue. I was not disappointed. I knew I was in for a treat when the bold, block letter opening credits played over black and white street scenes of Paris - an obvious nod to Godard and the new wave film maker aesthetic. This set the tone for the film - it is not so much a concert video, as some other reviewers may have hoped, but rather a documentary of their 2008 tour through Europe with fantastic cinematography and beautiful live footage of Johnson and his three piece band, along with their tourmates Ben Harper, Mason Jennings, Matt Costa and Neil Halstead. Directed by Emmett Malloy (who also shot Thicker than Water with Johnson in 2000), I find its approach comparable to Wilco's I am Trying to Break Your Heart in that it interposes concert footage shot from amazing perspectives with interviews and behind the scenes footage that really exposes what a great bunch of guys are behind such enjoyable music. While yes I concede that there are some grainy and blurred scenes (or footage that looks like it is shot from a cell phone) - I see these as artistically compelling elements that even on HD I find are a true enhancement to the visual experience. I'd choose a live DVD such as this over a straight-on concert DVD for a performer such as Jack Johnson, for it is the perfect milieu for the sentimentality that is so deeply steeped in his music. The surfing footage alone is worth 5 stars - if you haven't seen/heard of the standing wave on the Eisbach River in Munich, the scene here of Johnson riding it is a real treat. If you are into musicians taking a more artistic approach to the release of their concert footage, give this one a try - you'll be rewarded. However, if you are looking for a full concert shot from a multitude of angles in HD, give this one a pass.

I like to throw on musical Blu-rays to listen to when I am making/eating dinner. It's good when they are just one concert playing through so that way you can easily put on a song you like or just listen to one song after another. Some of the better blu-rays in this genre are Dave Mathews, Chris Botti, Keane and John Mayer.

This Jack Johnson blu-ray is more of a documentary which follows Jack on the European leg of his tour. It's interesting to watch the first time but after that you just kinda want to hear the music and don't need to hear the stories or see some of the events over and over and over. In that way it's more like a movie and I think owning movies is stupid. You watch something once and then you don't need to watch it again for a long long time. There are a number of good musical tracks on this Blu-ray but I wish it was just one straight forward concert instead of pseudo indie-docu-film. I also don't like the washed out effect the director choose to go with it, it doesn't do the HD capabilities of blu-ray and my 50 inch plasma any justice. Also, alot of the songs are cut short/abbreviated towards the end of the film.

This is great if you are Jack Johnson fan. For the rest I would say rent it, watch it once, and look to buy other blu-rays for music.

don't let the 1 star reviews prevent you from purchasing this blu ray, it is awesome. someone said there is too much footage of driving in cars and blah blah blah... i really disagree, the blu ray shows songs from several venues throughout europe. What other reviewers considered boring i really enjoyed. you get a feel of the local atmosphere where jack plays his shows. in one scene he starts jammin with a group of musicians on the street, its really cool. like i said dont let the one star reviews stop you. awesome concert... my only complaint is that it's only like an hour and 20 minutes. for the same price dave matthews and tim reynolds give us 3.5 hrs of blu ray. still worth the 15 tho

(for the record i have almost 500 blu rays and this is the first time ive ever felt the need to put a review on amazon because it was being unfairly rated)

Obviously these 1 star voters have NEVER seen Jack's surf movies. Pick up a copy of Thicker Than Water and you'll know Jack is about 180 degrees from Michael Bay. En Concert is filmed in beautiful, grainy, raw, color and B&W 16mm. No tripods or fancy flying boom shots. No CG or fancy costumes. It's upclose and personal, not gimmicky and glossy - just like Jack's music!

Is it a BluRay to put on to wow your neighbors with your 70" 1080 plasma? No. BUT the DTS-MA is ASTOUNDING. Pure audio bliss! So those who "get it" will love it. Everyone else is welcome to their unfortunate opinion about filmmaking.

When I saw this Jack Johnson "En Concert" Blu-Ray I expected a high quality live concert! It is called "En Concert", however, you get a ton of black and white film footage of a camera man filming country side images from the car window as they drive past and images of the band surfing with some clips of live shows. I am a fan of Jack Johnson but this is not worth the money...buy the cd for the live music only.

I love the music of Jack Johnson and was excited to see his newest hit Blu-Ray. At first I thought my player or TV was screwed up. The video looked like it was filmed with a cell phone camera that they then up-converted.

If this was a CD I would have gave it 4 stars but since it's a Blu-Ray, with the video brings it all the way down to a 1! Yes it is that bad!

:( Come on Jack, I know you can do better!!

In the end, buy the CD.

I admit that I only discovered Jack Johnson last year through one of my friends. I went out and bought all of his CDs the very next day. I thouroughly enjoy his music and have eagerly shared it with several of my friends. When I heard that there would be a Blu-Ray version of his concert in Europe, I was thrilled to be able to watch his concerts so I bought it. I must say that I expected a true concert on this BD but was a bit disappointed at what it actually contained. This isn't a true concert; it is similar to what I have read his other DVDs are: part concert and part documentary. We see Jack surfing, eating, and interacting with his band. All of this is woven into Jack's concerts. Though it isn't what I was hoping to watch, the docu-concert is stull enjoyable and fun to watch. It is a downer that most of the songs are cut off to show clips of Jack and his band talking or interacting. So if you're looking to watch Jack's European concert in this BD, you won't get it in it's entirety. If you are looking to watch Jack Johnson and listen to some of his material then by all means grab this BD and enjoy it!

The five star raters are correct in one sense. It is a raw look at Jack and his tour. That concept is great, but the way it was filmed is basically a blu-ray oxymoron. If you would like to see grain well-defined on your screen, then pick this up. I am wondering if the classic style DVD may actually play better. Long story short, if you have to decide between the blu-ray and the CD, get the CD. ***Most important point is the style. If you are looking for the beautiful crisp Dave and Tim style Blu-Ray then pass on this one***

I can kind of see where the one stars were coming from, but don't really agree. The only grainy footage is background, you can still see jack very clear. I thought the film was great and liked how it alternated the black and white with color. There is not tooo much b&w. Its an originally made concert cd, and really takes the veiwer on the concert tour. If your a fan, i don't see how you can be dissapointed with this one.

This is a perfectly Jack Johnson film. It takes us on a musical road trip with Jack Johnson and his band through Europe. It has an independent film feeling--very artistic.

Those who don't like it don't know his work. Besides one of the great song writers of our time, Jack is also a film maker. This film fits right in with the style and message that is Jack Johnson.

Get it.