[While flying]
Matt:  It’s cold up here!

The film begins with Andrew (Dane DeHaan), a high school teenager, who has purchased a camera, with the intention to film (chronicle) his life.  It is essentially a way for him to cope with what he is dealing with.  Andrew has a sick mother and abusive father at home and is bullied and lonely at school.  The opening of the film is pretty clear in setting up the anti-social qualities of Andrew’s life.  However, Andrew’s cousin Matt (Alex Russell) wants to do his best to help out Andrew and brings him along to a party.  While the party is not quite Andrew’s scene, what happens later in the night is far more interesting.

All around popular guy and fellow student Steve (Michael B. Jordan) approaches Andrew outside the party and alerts him of something he and Matt found.  Out in an isolated field, there appears to be a mysterious hole in the ground.  The trio probe deeper and find a large glowing object. Cut to black.  When things pick back up, we discover that the three have now developed telekinetic powers, allowing them to move, throw, and stop objects with their minds (among other possible abilities).  It is fun and games at first, with the guys playing pranks on others and further enhancing their newfound skill set.  Andrew is also enjoying being able to express himself more openly, but as time goes on, the notion of great power and great responsibility comes to mind, as certain choices lead to dark places.

As Chronicle moved along, I enjoyed it more and more.  It functions pretty successfully as an alternative spin on the superhero origin story.  The introduction does enough to set everything up.  The second act has fun with exploring newfound powers.  And the finale goes into action territory, but with an added level of how the perspectives of the various cameras involved portray that action.  Chronicle manages to accomplish a lot and provide a higher level of scope than one would think for a film under the settings of a “found footage” film that was made on a low ($15 million) budget, as far as super-powered films are concerned.

While I will get to why the “found footage” angle has gimmick-related issues, an aspect that works because of the use of this format for structuring the film is the relationship seen between the leads.  There is a level of authenticity in the chemistry between the guys that makes the fact that camcorders are being used to show them together feel more real.  This is important, because selling the friendship between these three is a very important aspect of the film.  That sense of discovery has been seen before in other superhero movies, but the notion of having three teenagers figuring these things out together is an interesting one and believing their friendship benefits the film.

Matt:  Andrew stop!

The key player in this film is the character of Andrew, who is setup with the most dramatic business to deal with.  In the role, DeHaan is good enough.  I think that with how the film is structured and what is required of him, DeHaan plays well with the emotion, even if there are some steps taken by his character that may not feel as organic as they could have been in a multi-volume comic series (this is a simple, 80-minute popcorn flick after all).  The other actors are good enough as well, mainly because of the chemistry between their interactions, which I have pointed out already.

Getting back to the idea of this being a “found footage” film, the problem that can be generally associated with this style revolves around the idea of why the camera is needed at all.  There are some clever touches, such as establishing early on that Chronicle is not going to play out on just one camera, as well as coming up with a way to have all three actors in front of the camera for reasons beyond just setting it down somewhere.  Still, I did get distracted at times due to the fact that I knew that a camera had no real reason in being present during some scenes, regardless of what movie logic tried to dictate to me.

The low budget of the film is another area that had many positives as well as a few negatives.  On the one hand, working with a small budget provided director Josh Trank, writer Max Landis, and the rest of the crew with a lot of areas that required them to be quite clever as filmmakers.  How to provide a minimal representation of what it is like to have telekinetic superpowers was an interesting feat to see accomplished.  At the same time, Chronicle does have a lot of CG effects and some of them are quite obvious.  This was surprisingly not as much of an issue for me during the fairly hectic third act, but when the effects stuck out, they stuck out.  Still, all in all, I got into the film enough from a storytelling/entertainment level that these were not major issue, just minor problematic areas.  There is an ambitious quality to Chronicle that does a lot to overweigh enough of these problems.

As a person who enjoys superhero flicks and creative filmmaking, I can say that Chronicle is a success.  It takes an intriguing premise, sets it up properly, plays around with the idea for a while, and then lets loose in its finale.  The film does not overstay its welcome and feels well-balanced throughout.  Issues with some of the effects and gimmickry aside, Chronicle is a fresh blast of fun that has entered theaters with little commotion behind it, beyond selling the idea of an original story of teen angst and super powers.  So yeah, I was happy to see John Hughes’ Paranormal Activity by way of Stan Lee.

Andrew:  I am more powerful than you!

ACADEMY AWARD^®-WINNER* CHARLIZE THERON STARS
IN THE CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED COMEDY

YOUNG ADULT

Wickedly Funny Film From Oscar^®-Winning** Writer Diablo Cody
Debuts on Blu-ray™ and DVD March 13, 2012

The YOUNG ADULT Blu-ray includes commentary by director Jason Reitman and additional crew, a look at the making of the film, a Q&A featuring Jason Reitman and film critic Janet Maslin, deleted scenes and a scene deconstruction.  The DVD includes the commentary, scene deconstruction and select deleted scenes. All Blu-ray and DVD releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies.  With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – reliably and securely – to a variety of devices.

YOUNG ADULT Blu-ray

The YOUNG ADULT Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description, and with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  Special features are as follows:

o   Commentary by director Jason Reitman, director of photography
Eric Steelberg and first assistant director/associate producer
Jason A. Blumenfeld

o   Misery Loves Company: The Making of Young Adult

o   The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene

o   Q&A featuring Janet Maslin & Jason Reitman at the Jacob Burns Film Center

o   Deleted Scenes

YOUNG ADULT DVD

The DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, French 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and English Audio Description, and with English, French and Spanish subtitles.  Special features are as follows:

o   Commentary by director Jason Reitman, director of photography
Eric Steelberg and first assistant director/associate producer
Jason A. Blumenfeld

o   The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene

o   Deleted Scenes

About YOUNG ADULT

Jason Reitman directs and produces “Young Adult” along with producers Lianne Halfon (“Juno,” “The Libertine”), Russell Smith (“Juno,” “The Libertine”), Mason Novick (“Jennifer’s Body,” “500 Days of Summer”) and Diablo Cody.  Helen Estabrook (“Up in the Air”) serves as executive producer with Steven Rales (“Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “The Darjeerling Limited”) Nathan Kahane (“The Switch,” “Whip It”) and John Malkovich (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”).

Order Young Adult on Blu-ray!

In the last few years alone, we’ve seen a terrible remake of the original “evil kid” flick (The Omen), a she’s-not-really-a-kid-she’s-actually-a-homicidal-dwarf movie (Orphan), and a horror-indie about an undead baby (Grace),  but only that last one was any good (actually, Grace is excellent if you can handle it), and before that we hadn’t seen a good “evil kid” movie in over a decade.  Knowing this, the prospect of yet another trip through “evil kid” territory did not blow my proverbial skirt to new and exciting heights.  In fact, the very idea of it left me yawning, and so I stopped paying attention to Kevin almost as soon as I’d read the film’s logline.

This was a massive mistake.

Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin (based on the novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver) might’ve been unfairly shut out at the Oscars this year, but—for the love of all that is holy—do not take that as commentary on its general quality:  not only is Kevin the best film I’ve seen thus far in 2012, but it would’ve easily ended up near the top of my “Best of 2011” list had I seen it before 2011 wrapped.  Kevin is a harrowing, genuinely disturbing, intense little movie, and you should go way, way out of your way to see it as soon as possible.

The film’s been making the film festival rounds for some time now (it played during Fantastic Fest, but—like a jackass– I managed to miss the film’s one and only screening), so  I’m probably not the first critic you’ve heard ranting about how great Ramsay’s film is:  critics have been fawning over star Tilda Swinton’s awards-worthy turn for months now (they’ve moved on to bemoaning her shut-out at the Oscars;  like Kirsten Dunst’s shut-out for Melancholia, it’s a travesty), while fans of the novel have praised the adaptation for being unusually respectful to the source material (more on this a little later on).  Still others have championed the stifling sense of dread the film inspires.  Indeed, some have claimed that the tension was so severe, they became nauseous while watching the film.

That’s right:  nauseous.

While that may not sound like your average “ringing endorsement”, in this case it might be some of the highest praise one could heap upon Ramsay’s film:  were it not as emotionally disturbing and effective as it is, there’d be very little point.  Causing audiences to squirm is We Need to Talk About Kevin’s entire reason for being.

That was certainly the case with Shriver’s novel.   Some have nervously joked that We Need to Talk About Kevin is really just birth-control disguised as unnerving entertainment, but it’s unlikely that Shriver’s intent in writing the novel—and, in turn, Ramsay’s intent in directing the film—had anything to do with keeping lusty teenagers or clueless adults from impregnating one another.  It’s a cautionary tale of sorts, yes, but its main purpose is to attract and repulse in the same way that any great work of horror-fiction does:  by showing us that true evil doesn’t always wear a hockey mask and carry a machete.  All the truly scary works of fiction know that “evil” can look just like your next-door neighbor (Martyrs), a group of septuagenarians (Rosemary’s Baby),  a parent battling alcoholism (The Shining), or—in the case of Kevin—a teenage boy with a lethal chip on his shoulder.

That virtually every one of us is already a parent or a parent-waiting-to-happen makes it all the easier to imagine ourselves in the deeply unfortunate position We Need To Talk About Kevin’s Eva Katchadourian (Tilda Swinton) finds herself in in:  what would you do if your own child rejected you, and what if you suspected that the rejection wasn’t just garden-variety teen-angst, but something far more insidious?  What if your own child seemed determined to drive you insane, or destined to hurt others?  And–most chillingly of all– what if your own spouse didn’t believe you when you shared these suspicions?

We Need to Talk About Kevin takes us from Eva’s pregnancy all the way up through the aftermath of her son’s teenage years (and one particularly nasty event around the time of his sixteenth birthday).  When Kevin is a baby, he’s uncommunicative and resistant to Eva’s clumsy attempts at mothering;  when he’s a toddler, he’s outright scornful.  When Eva voices concerns to her husband, Franklyn (John C. Reilly, always an asset), he assumes she’s exaggerating…or, in darker moments, assumes she’s rejecting the responsibilities of motherhood.  Things come to a grisly head when Kevin enters his teenage years (where he’s played by the impressive newcomer Ezra Miller), but to say anything more about the film’s plot would do you a disservice:  go into We Need to Talk About Kevin knowing nothing more than I’ve laid out here and you’ll do just fine.

Ramsay’s film retains most of the major plot points from Shriver’s novel, not to mention much of its dialogue and seemingly throwaway details (Kevin’s undersized clothing, for instance, which makes the transition from page to screen).  Of course this won’t mean anything to you if you’ve never read the book, but those of you who have know that this is very good news, indeed:  Shriver’s novel is dense and poetic, with sharp bits of dialogue and relatable, clearly-drawn, intelligent characters (I’m sure plenty of studios noted the success of Shriver’s book, and so one imagines that their probable impulse was to turn We Need to Talk About Kevin into a cookie-cutter, run-of-the-mill splatterfest –they probably would’ve retitled it “Crossbow” or “High School Massacre” or “Domestic Violence” or some stupid thing—so thank God Ramsay got a hold of it first).  As you surely know, “sharp dialogue” and “intelligent characters” are not hallmarks of the horror genre, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see such things employed so effectively here.

Which reminds me:  some will surely bristle at the idea of Kevin being referred to as a “horror film”, but I’m standing by my guns.  Much in the same way that Black Swan snuck into the party by presenting itself as a “dramatic thriller”, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a horror film even if it doesn’t showcase the usual symptoms of a film in that genre:  there are no buckets of blood, pot-smoking teens, or cabin in the woods.  Black Swan was a “body-horror” film (see also:  the work of David Cronenberg),  while Kevin is what I’d consider an “emotional-horror” film:  the violence happening onscreen may not be as gory as some of the onscreen deaths you’d seen in, say, the latest Friday The 13th sequel, but that doesn’t mean the violence is any less brutal.  These are emotional wounds, but We Need to Talk About Kevin proves that those can be even scarier:  after you’ve seen it, I think you’ll have no trouble agreeing that a silent five-year-old wielding a squirt-gun can be just as terrifying as a hockey-masked killer wielding a machete.

Final Thoughts

The film is only 83 minutes long, but that’s plenty of time for victimized videographer-turned-super villain Andrew Detmer (newcomer Dane DeHaan, a ringer for DiCaprio circa What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?) to his sudden, yet believable turn to the dark side.  You may start to wonder what the hell took Anakin Skywalker so long.  The bratty ex-Jedi needed three movies and a Sith guidance counselor to become Darth Vader; the Seattle high school senior has an abusive, alcoholic father and about an hour of screen time to become “The Apex Predator,” a hormonal maelstrom swirling with schizophrenic tendencies and a penchant for Animal Planet.  Anakin had a much cooler HQ, though.  The Death Star beats the Space Needle every time.

Andrew started out normal enough— at least as normal as a kid with a dying mom and slaphappy dad can be.  He innocently begins the video chronicle (get it?) as a coping mechanism for all the things he cannot control in life.  This also gives the viewer a first-person perspective of how shitty high school can be, though this may trigger PTSD in the target audience, young adult males.  This “found footage” conceit less of a gimmick used for scares, like in Cloverfield or Quarantine, and more of an entry point into the troubled teen’s psyche.  In his world, he is the director who chooses the perspective, the editor who decides which parts of the story to keep.  He finally has power.

One day Andrew’s more popular cousin Matt (Alex Russel) invites him to a rave on the outskirts of town.  Along the way, Matt quotes philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, which offers some foreshadowing of the journey to come: “Emotional, physical and sexual desires can never be fulfilled.”  We now know not to expect a happy ending, but when should you in this genre?

Good guy Matt is determined to get his anti-social cousin some action and maybe even pry him away from that camera.  It’s creepin’ folks out, especially the cheerleaders.  The one girl not creeped out, perky blonde video blogger Casey Letter (Ashley Hinshaw), seemed like she could have helped Andrew come out of his shell, among other things, but alas, Matt’s a cock blocker and took her for himself.

Up to this point, everything is realistic, from the cousins’ amusing tete-a-tetes to the random raving d-bag’s violent reaction to Andrew filming his bitch’s booty.  While Andrew enjoys a good post-beat down cry, charismatic class presidential candidate Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) rudely interrupts, telling Andrew he and Matt found something that needs to be caught on camera.  Usually this means two – possibly three – drunk girls are making out on the dance floor.  Here it appears that a giant meteor has pierced the Earth near the party. Something bellows deep within the dark, foreboding crater.  Anything could be down there, from the Super 8 alien to a family of fraggles.  It’s the type of situation that is just begging to be investigated.  If you think only an idiot would do that, you must have never seen the Indiana Jones trilogy or Goonies.  And if that’s the case, you’re the idiot.

Well, thank God they went down there, because the giant glowing red crystal they discover gives them the ability to move anything with their minds.  And bloody noses.  The guys all become pals, using their newfound powers in hilariously mischievous ways.  If the boys didn’t want to keep their hidden talents a secret, their prank videos would have definitely gone viral.  Soon they learn to fly, something even the Jedi never could master.  The trios’ football game in the clouds is among the most enjoyable scenes depicting the recreational use of super powers ever.  Director Josh Trank made this film for less than $15 million.  Green Lantern cost $200 million and doesn’t contain one action scene nearly as memorable as the most forgettable from Chronicle, if it even has one.

Just when you think the guys are going to say, “Why don’t we use our awesome gifts to help mankind,” Andrew goes rogue.  He almost kills a guy tailgating them (can’t blame him) and then beats the crap out of his dad (still can’t blame him).  Matt and Steve stick to their self-imposed rules: Never use on a living being, never use when angry, never in public.  For once, Andrew is the strongest and chooses to ignore these rules that cannot be enforced.  “A lion does not feel guilty when it kills a gazelle,” Andrew muses.

Eventually, his dalliances with devilish impulsiveness escalate to a Macbethian final act.  The aerial fistfight spans the city, the combatants flinging buses and crashing into buildings with reckless abandon.  Their abilities allow them to reflexively generate force fields, an unfortunate side effect for downtown Seattle.  You expect to see such an epic fight in one of many comic book movies this summer, not in early February

Maybe going into this with low expectations influenced my profound affection for this film, as did my appreciation of convincing actors, a smart, witty script and creative direction.  It doesn’t offer anything truly original — fictional teens gain super powers all the time.  Chronicle really succeeds by injecting a healthy dose of harsh realism into every boy’s fantasy of being able to fly and become invincible.  No matter how much power or fame people have, it’s never enough for most guys.  Let’s just hope the power and influence Trank gains from this movie doesn’t corrupt him like it did Lucas.

Synopsis:

When new parents Alex and Penny retreat from the city and move into a place outside town, the stress and massive sleep-deprivation caused by their infant has both of them seeing things in the house that may or may not exist.  Persistent sightings of a strange woman has each of them wondering if they are suffering from hallucinations, or if their new home holds a dark, supernatural presence.  As their fragile grasp on reality spirals into delirium, Alex and Penny find themselves nearly helpless to deal with the horrific truth of what is really going in this house.

After Dark Films has made yet another unprecedented commitment to the production of eight original horror films this year under the After Dark Originals “A New Brand of Fear” label, continuing the Company’s mantra of supporting first time independent film writers and directors.  The creation of the second AD Originals slate is just another example of the Company’s commitment to the Indie film industry.

Continuing the success of After Dark Originals, the second installment will uphold the tradition of giving After Dark fans the scare they crave. The ADO 2 slate will make the genre proud, with supernatural demons, psychological killers, gruesome mysteries, and even a sci-fi sector fully equipped with aliens and a killer leprechaun.  Beware horror fans, After Dark Films is giving the fans exactly the type of horror movies they asked for!  Come and see for yourselves.  We dare you…

* *

About After Dark Films:

After Dark Films, an Independent motion picture studio, was formed in 2006 by director/filmmaker Courtney Solomon and Hong Kong based real estate magnate Allan Zeman. After Dark Films’ first motion picture film release was An American Haunting (2006) starring Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland. Co-founder and CEO Courtney Solomon wrote, produced, and directed this film under the newly formed After Dark Films banner.

After the release of An American Haunting, partners Solomon and Zeman formed a multiyear marketing and distribution deal for Horrorfest “8 Films To Die For®” between After Dark Films and Lionsgate Entertainment, with After Dark handling theatrical marketing & releases and Lionsgate handling the distribution of all ancillary forms of media (Home Video, Pay TV, Pay Per View). After Dark Films released Horrorfest 4 in theaters on January 29, 2010.

Building on the success of Horrorfest, After Dark released the first 8 originally produced horror films in January 2011 under the moniker After Dark Originals. Its second slate of 8 more originally produced films, After Dark Originals 2, is scheduled to debut in theaters in 2012.

The Avengers @Avengers

The #Avengers Global Fan Chat is about to begin! Get your questions ready for Joss Whedon, @twhiddleston, @clarkgregg and @samuelljackson!

The Avengers

Don’t forget: Immediately following our #Avengers fan chat, we’ll show you a tease of our Super Bowl XLVI commercial. It’s almost time!

The Avengers

Use #Avengers to ask your questions and direct to one of the participants. Use “For JW” if you have a question for Joss!

The Avengers

Here we go, @SamuelLJackson, @twhiddleston, @clarkgregg! Here’s Joss! Send through your #Avengers questions!

Samuel L. Jackson

Question:

For @SamuelLJackson , do we get to see some cool interaction with you and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) a few times??

Answer:

all the time, but it’s sorta contentious.

Question:

To Mr. Whedon, how many #Avengers comics did you read as reference for this movie?

Answer:

“I had already read them all.”

Question:

@twhiddleston @SamuelLJackson What was your biggest challenge in playing Loki and Fury in the #Avengers?

Answer:

SamuelLJackson

losing the weight to fit my costume & keep it off.

@clarkgregg

CG with the Whedon Wizard at @avengers tweet chat

Clark Gregg

Very diff dynamic in IM, Thor and Avengers, diff heroes, more layers to Coulson’s world/powers revealed

Question:

For JW: Is the movie’s plot going to reference any classic Avengers stories or be a more “ulitmate-ized” story?

Answer:

“It’s a combo platter: classic, Ultimate, plus a little “Richie Rich” & “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

Question:

For JW, was there an Avenger you wanted to put in the movie but couldn’t make it work for whatever reason be it budget or time? #Avengers

Answer:

“I’m a fan of the Wasp. She’s goofy and sting-y.”

Question:

@twhiddleston Were the stunts more difficult this time around in The Avengers as opposed to Thor & how’d u prepare for them?

Answer:

More stunts. More training. Day in, day out. Running, jumping, flying, twisting. We worked like athletes. It was really fun.

Question:

@SamuelLJackson How much of your portrayal is based on comics Nick Fury and how much of Nick Fury is based on you?

Answer:

there’s a lot of Nick Fury in me already.

Question:

@twhiddleston @SamuelLJackson What was your biggest challenge in playing Loki and Fury in the #Avengers ?

Answer:

The biggest challenge was magnifying his menace without losing touch of his emotional truth. Keeping his chaos honest!

Question:

@SamuelLJackson Will we get to see any background on Fury?

Answer:

not yet.

Question:

For JW: what about the Spiderman cameo in #Avengers?

Answer:

“There is no Spider-Man cameo. But the Avengers do turn off the dark.”

“Coulson’s the fan dubbed chuck norris of @avengers” due respect, but Coulson crush walker tex ranger…w/ a bag of flour

Question:

@SamuelLJackson did the eyepatch throw off your depth perception?

Answer:

not at all, there was a new memory factor involved.

Question:

@twhiddleston You’ve said that in you listened to Prodigy for Loki. What did you listen to this time to get rdy for the #Avengers?

Answer:

“Archangel”, by a band called Burial. And not a little of Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack compositions.

In all honesty, yes. Sometimes you wake up feeling warm and sunny, but the scene requires hatefulness and spite.

Question:

@twhiddleston what kind of relationship do you have with other actors on the set of “The Avengers”?

Answer:

Nothing but love… It wasn’t called Group Hug for nothing!

You have to reach deeper. And stay aware of the fact that the emotions are true, but they’re not mine.

Question:

@SamuelLJackson are we going to see you kick some ass?! Maybe @twhiddleston ass?

Answer:

Fo Sho!

Question:

For JW: Most Difficult and Best things about filming (part) of The #Avengers in NYC?

Answer:

JW: “Who gets the last bagel.”

Question:

@clarkgregg @SamuelLJackson @twhiddleston funniest moment on Avengers set?:-)#Avengers

Answer:

Getting the giggles when the Hulk smashed. Joss got the giggles too. I was hopeless.

Question:

@twhiddleston Might we see a more mischievous (rather than mostly just evil) Loki in the #Avengers ?

Answer:

ENTIRELY. More mischievous. More evil. More hubristic. More delusional. More damaged. More badass.

Question:

For @SamuelLJackson Who’s your favorite Avenger?#Avengers

Answer:

Black Widow is my pick!

Question:

For JW: Everyone always asks what the hardest part of directing the movie was. What was the easiest? #Avengers

Answer:

JW: “Controlling the meat puppets…I mean, actors.”

Question:

@clarkgregg @twhiddleston @SamuelLJackson Care to share the best of the #Avengers bloopers with us?

Answer:

JW: “Not when @SamuelLJackson says them.”

Question:

@SamuelLJackson How much of your own stunts did you do? How did you prepare for all the physical work? #avengers

Answer:

As much as the insurance company allowed. I prepped by working out a bit?

Question:

My question is for Clark Gregg. What do you like most about playing Agent Phil Coulson #Avengers

Answer:

Every single part of it.

Question:

For JW what was ur first reaction to getting the chance to direct the #Avengers

Answer:

JW: “What moron would take a job that hard? Show me this moron, so that I may mock him.”

Question:

For JW Any big lessons learned from filming/one thing you wish you could do over? Also, Clark Gregg/Joss Whedon TV series? Please? #avengers

Answer:

Great idea. Asking him now. Joss????

Question:

#ForJW: will the female characters, esp. Black Widow, remind the boys how strong they are, and how?

Answer:

JW: “The females will spend their time whimpering and baking and being befuddled by math.” #sarcasm

Question:

Has the ante been upped on Easter Eggs? And if so, how attentive will movie goers have to be to stop them? #Avengers

Answer:

“There will be actual dyed eggs. Try to find them all!”

Question:

For @clarkgregg: Agent Coulson is one of my favorite characters! In the #Avengers do we get to see a lot more of him in action?

Answer:

Oh hell yes…

Question:

JW: can we expect some bromance Between captain america and iron man?

Answer:

“Not as long as there’s two of them and only one bagel. Heroes need carbs.”

Question:

@Avengers Clark Gregg: Love your Character… Are you going to see more action in the Avengers?

Answer:

Everybody sees more action in the avengers, hell, the audience even has to fight bad guys

Question:

JW- Can you enjoy #Avengers without seeing all the other films? @Avengers

Answer:

“You don’t need to see any @Marvel movies to enjoy #Avengers! But you need to see Steel Magnolias, like, six times.”

Question:

@SamuelLJackson, who was your first favorite superhero? #Avengers

Answer:

The Flash

Question:

@twhiddleston in Thor Loki was looking for Odin’s attention and approval, now is he looking for revenge? #avengers

Answer:

He doesn’t want revenge so much as identity. Belonging. Purpose. Self-esteem. Through delusional dreams.

Question:

@ SamuelLJackson Eye patch did not interfere during the filming? # Avengers

Answer:

Not a bit. Makes me feel cool!

Tom Hiddleston

The most badass tweets on twitter come from one place: @godofbadassery. Yes I am talking to myself.

Question:

For JW: How long did it take to shoot the movie?

Answer:

“I started when I was 12 and should be done by May 3rd at 11:59 pm.”

Question:

@clarkgregg Will we see you with flour bags again?

Answer:

Coulson never kills with the same cooking ingredient twice

The Avengers

JW: “Heading back to editing. You are all now my very best friends.”

Question:

@SamuelLJackson @clarkgregg @twhiddleston What do you consider your character’s theme song for The #Avengers?

Answer:

Born Free/ Hendrix.

Question:

Who was the jokester on the set? There is always one on every movie shoot. #Avengers

Answer:

JW: “I had the jokester put down on day 3.”

Question:

@twhiddleston Loki’s costume looks great, but so terribly intricate. How long did it usually take getting everything on? #Avengers

Answer:

About forty-five minutes to an hour, depending on how energetic I am feeling. Kudos to Bob Moore Jnr.

Question:

@twhiddleston Loki’s costume looks great, but so terribly intricate. How long did it usually take getting everything on? #Avengers

Answer:

@xoxogossipthor Bob Moore Jnr. from the costume department. Dressing was a two man job. But we had a great playlist & we laughed a lot.

Question:

For Clark Gregg. What do u like best about Coulson?

Answer:

the bulletproof dolce suits

Clark Gregg @clarkgregg

CG with the Whedon Wizard at @avengers tweet chat

Question:

@Avengers JW: I’m assuming #Avengers will be a masterpiece of wit and sarcasm. Which character got the most snark? @clarkgregg perhaps?

Answer:

That’s a toss up, an awful lot of Avenger-snark to go around…

Question:

For @SamuelLJackson Nick Fury or Mace Windu?

Answer:

Jedi or mortal? You be the judge!

Question:

@twhiddleston what did you do to get into character for #Avengers ?

Answer:

Learn lines. Run five miles a day. Get dressed and go through the works. Turn up on set. And play.

Here’s a photo of @twhiddleston tweeting away for the #Avengers fan chat!

Samuel L. Jackson @SamuelLJackson

Here a mughuqqa is at da @Avengers twitter rest!

Question:

@avengers @SamuelLJackson @twhiddleston @clarkgregg Feels like every question has already been asked…so how was catering on set?

Answer:

JW: “I stayed away from catering. But it smelled good from far away.”

Question:

@clarkgregg — does that mean that he’s moving on to vegetable oil and paprika?

Answer:

@ramdonomo I’m sorry. I cannot disclose SHIELD approved lethal ingredients.

Question:

@clarkgregg @Avengers Funniest experience with a fan?

Answer:

May have signed some large boobs at NYCC

Samuel L. Jackson @SamuelLJackson

Nick Fury OUT MAVENGERFUQQAS!

Question:

@Avengers @twhiddleston Scariest moment on set? Any injuries?

Answer:

twhiddleston

I smashed my elbow when facing down the great green incarnation of rage. I guess the Hulk really does smash.

The Avengers

Joss is back to editing #Avengers. @SamuelLJackson @clarkgregg & @twhiddleston are wrapping up. Super Bowl XLVI commercial tease coming!

Question:

@twhiddleston Who was the funnest #Avenger to fight?

Answer:

Brother-to-brother is intense. Hemsworth is a giant, but we trust each other implicitly as actors…

Question:

Shakespeare quote to describe Loki?

Answer:

“O beware my lord of jealousy, it is the green eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on” (Othello)

Question:

@twhiddleston Who was the funnest #Avenger to fight?

Answer:

#Avengers which means we can really commit to the physicality of the choreography, and imbue it with emotion.

Question:

@ Clarkgregg, please tell me what happend Can With The wasp? thank you.

Answer:

Coulson and Wasp broke up. It was very painful.

Question:

@twhiddleston Five years ago, would you have believed that you would play the most badass villain in superhero movie history?

Answer:

Bless you. And no!

Question:

@twhiddleston Shakespeare quote to describe Loki?

Answer:

“Stand up for bastards!” (King Lear)

Question:

@clarkgregg Where does Coulson buy his suits? #Avengers

Answer:

@Reggicidal assembling late night in the ABQ

Question:

@clarkgregg Will you have an action figure released? If not, are you jealous. #Avengers

Answer:

No coulson action figure, very jealous

Clark Gregg

@clarkgregg Where does Coulson buy his suits?#Avengers – Dolce has a SHIELD outlet

@twhiddleston @samuelljackson @clarkgregg Have you ever wanted to wear Iron Man suit ?#avengers — wearing it now

Question:

@twhiddleston Will we see you pole dancing again in #Avengers? just like we did in Thor:)

Answer:

Ahem… (clears throat)… er… well… I don’t think so. Joss?

Clark Gregg

Meeting some skrull friends for lunch. Thanks for the all the support! Coulson out!

The Avengers

Thanks for assembling in the #Avengers Global Fan Chat! Here’s a sneak peek at our exclusive Super Bowl XLVI commercial

Tom Hiddleston

By the way… IN THE END, IT WILL BE EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF.

Sam:  If we open the door to superstition, where does that lead?

Set in the early 20^th century, after an incredibly somber cold open, we are introduced to Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a young lawyer living in London.  He is a widower, with a young son who has apparently never seen him smile.  Arthur is given news of a recently deceased woman in a village out in the countryside and must leave to settle her legal affairs.  Upon arrival, Mr. Kipps (and try to pronounce that with the most droll, British accent possible) is given pretty much nothing but dirty looks from the village residents, with the exception of Sam Daily (Ciaran Hinds), a wealthy land owner, willing to give the young lawyer a ride to where he needs to be.

Eventually, Mr. Kipps arrives at the home of the recently deceased woman, who lived in an incredibly isolated home (the tides literally have to go down in order to reach it).  While attempting to conduct his business, mysterious sights and sounds continue to be seen and heard.  In particular, a woman in…dark garb…is constantly appearing all over the place (sometimes screaming).  This is creepy enough for Mr. Kipps, but the real tragedy is the toll it is taking on certain residents back in the village.  Hopefully Mr. Kipps will be able to finish his legal business and make his way back home, but a slight detour may make this less than possible.

This film has been adapted by screenwriter Jane Goldman (co-writer on X-Men: First Class, Kickass, and Stardust) from the popular 1983 horror novel of the same name by Susan Hill, which has been previously adapted in a very popular UK stage play.  The result is a very simple story that is built around its setting, thick atmosphere, and a couple of lost souls.  I could almost call it an echo of classic horror filmmaking if it wasn’t for a slight overreliance on jump-scares.  However, for a PG-13 horror film, one of the best compliments I can give The Woman In Black is how it feels like a complete film and not one that needed any edits in order to gain a general audience –friendly rating, only to have a silly “unrated edition” upon its Blu-ray/DVD release.

Having jump-scares in mind, the thought of whether this film should be considered scary or creepy is important to establish.  I would not necessarily say the film is scary, as jump-scares simply make one jump after a sudden shock combined with a loud music chord.  As well setup as some of these jumps may be, they are also fairly predictable and did not lead to me being kept awake later that night.  For the most part, I would say that the film is much more about establishing its creepiness, especially when focus is in and around the secluded house, which is really more of a gothic mansion.  Simple horror staples involving sound design (plenty of creakiness), effective use of the dark, and the placement of creepy toys all work in the film’s benefit, when it comes to establishing a mood.  And I am also always a fan of how a film managed to appropriately layout its geography.  Knowing how the house is setup works in keeping me intrigued as opposed to confused.  The look of the film in general is decidedly somber, which is played to the film’s benefit, even if there are some problems stemming from this.

One of these problems is a common issue that involves what I’m calling, “horror movie show & tell.”  This is the wonderful game that characters in this type of horror film play, where they are quick to warn someone away by using vague statements and evil stares; however, they do nothing to be more understandable, like giving clear indication as to why they need to warn outsiders of something evil afoot.  It only serves movie logic as to why characters are not being clear with one another, which tests one’s tolerance when it comes to films like this.  As the movie was fairly entertaining in more ways than just spooky atmosphere, this was not too much of an issue for me.

The cast here is quite small (a step up from the stage play, which only has two actors), but all have the appropriate look of countryside villagers.  Two significant roles belong to Ciaran Hinds (a character actor I quite like) as Sam Daily, who has a significant supporting role, and Janet McTeer, who portrays Mrs. Daily.  Again, as my title implies, the film’s screentime is almost entirely based around Daniel Radcliffe, who is given a pretty dramatic role to portray.  It is slightly unfortunate that he comes up a bit short here, which is not to the fault of his acting ability and more due to his boyishness.  The character of Mr. Kipps is supposed to be young, yes, but Radcliffe doesn’t quite have the authority needed to be this person.  This is especially apparent when watching him interact with his son, but fortunately the film mostly relies on Mr. Kipps reacting to the spooky occurrences happening around him.  The roles both requires a filler persona to see scary things, but also one that can create empathy, and only one of those things is realized more believably.  Issues aside, Radcliffe certainly doesn’t embarrass himself and I look forward to seeing his post-Potter career.

The Woman In Black works.  I would not say it is a standout horror film for the ages, but it gets what it is trying to do right.  Production design is very important in a film like this for the sake of atmosphere and I think it is handled very appropriately.  The somber mood (and I have not emphasized enough how depressing the subject matter really is) and deliberate pacing takes a bit of an adjustment, but as the film got going, I got more into it.  It is a satisfying horror film overall and I would be happy to see more modern Hammer Horror films such as this one.

Arthur Kipps:  She’s there, trying to reach me.

Go backstage and under the covers with the musical and pop culture icon, Madonna, as Lionsgate debuts Miramax’s Madonna: Truth or Dare on Blu-ray Disc this April. See the Queen of Pop as never before – singer, dancer, sex goddess, businesswoman and den mother – in an up close and personal documentary chronicling Madonna’s 1990 “Blond Ambition Tour.” Presented for the first time with a stunning new 1080P High Definition transfer and 5.1 DTS Master Audio, Madonna: Truth or Dare, including the original theatrical trailer, premieres on Blu-ray Disc on April 3^rd, just as Madonna makes her way back into the spotlight. With a Super Bowl half-time performance, a new album, tour and the launch of her “Truth or Dare” lifestyle brand, 2012 is destined to be the year of Madge.

The top-selling female artist of all-time, Madonna has sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. Fresh off of her recent Golden Globe® win for Best Original Song for her directorial feature film, W.E., Madonna has also previously won a Golden Globe® for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical) for her role as Eva Peron in Evita (1997), been named one of TIME’s “25 Most Powerful Women in the Past Century” and garnered countless other accolades. But Madonna is so much more. Madonna: Truth or Dare explores the icon as an artist and a person, from her dressing room to her bedroom.

This film is probably my most anticipated of 2012…yes, even more than The Avengers.  The Underworld franchise is easily one of my favorites, although the lack of press screenings for the fourth installment was a bit disconcerting at best.  The concept of the film focuses around humans finally discovering that vampire and werewolf races actually exist which is followed by a genocide of the supernatural species.  Beckinsale resumes her role as the centuries-old vampire Selene who finds herself on the run from a group of well-armed soldiers, whom she quickly and creatively dispatches.  Her heightened abilities (and über sex factor) are highlighted to the Nth degree as she weaves, slides and slashes her way to the man she loves; werewolf-vamp hybrid Michael Corvin.

Corvin is played once again by Scott Speedman and with his character are where my complaints begin.  When we last left the Selene-Michael pairing, they were madly in love and on the run into a future unknown.  The new movie takes on a different direction as Speedman’s character is in the movie for just mere seconds.  He doesn’t even have a line in the film.  Strike one.  Eventually, Selene finds herself awakening (hence the subtitle) from a cryogenic-induced slumber in a labratory.  Her escape ultimately leads to a connection with a young girl who happens to be another vampire-werewolf hybrid.  Along the way, Selene befriends a cop and another vampire as she progresses her search of Michael, the lab that held her, and just who this young girl is.

Sadly, Awakening doesn’t feel like an Underworld movie…at least not all the way through (strike two).  The acting is at times atrocious and the story is consistently hurried (strikes three & four and this inning’s long over).  It is impossible for someone to say they thoroughly enjoyed this movie because there’s not enough quality content to warrant use of the word ‘thorough.’  Plot issues (science builds a better werewolf) and a case of too many cooks in the kitchen (two directors & close to half a dozen writers on the script) equalled to one disappointing film, which ultimately tainted the series.  Is there entertainment value here?  Yes.  Will it make a good rental?  Yes.  Is it worth the price of cinema admission?  Heck no.

The ending is left wide open for a sequel, which I’m all for, despite the empty feel of Awakening.  Here’s a chance for the series to redeem itself if and when a fifth film comes to fruition.  Bring Selene back, bring Michael back (in a greater capacity than just a few growls) and put Len Wiseman back in the director’s chair.  In a nutshell, Underworld 4 is ultimately The Phantom Menace of the franchise.  Here’s hoping for a return to the original feel that made Underworld that wicked film it was.

Film

The Rum Diary is based on a novel by Hunter S. Thompson written when he was in his twenties. Friend/Actor/Producer Johnny Depp plays Paul Kemp a journalist from New York who moves to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico in 1960. Kemp who has a few unsuccessful novels wants to try his hand as a reporter for The San Juan Star, a struggling newspaper. Edward J Lotterman (Richard Jenkins) the editor in chief is at the end of his rope trying to keep the newspaper afloat. The paper is ailing from lack of commitment and too much indulgences. Armed with sunglasses and a hangover Kemp lands a job writing horoscopes for the newspaper.

Kemp befriends Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli) the newspapers staff photographer and soon to be running mate, offers to rent Kemp a room. Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi) who is a drunken, scary looking crime and religious reporter that works at the paper and who mostly comes out at night, also shares the flat, but he is rarely there.

Hal Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) is an American business man who immediately tries to bring Kemp into a business deal. He wants Kemp to use his words to help promote his business ventures. To destroy the beautiful beaches of Puerto Rico and build money making resorts for Americans. This would leave the poor locals out of their homes and land. Kemp not wanting to, but is in need of the money decides to help Sanderson.

Kemp instantly becomes obsessed with Sanderson’s beautiful, sexy, playful, carefree fiancée, Chenault (Amber Heard).  “Why did she have to happen? I was doing so good without her.” Kemp, said after seeing Chenault the first time.

We not only see the beauty of Puerto Rico, but we get a glimpse of the how the poverty stricken natives lived in the 60’s. “More money is given to parking meters than to feed our children.”  But no one wants to hear about the truth, no one wants to think about children without food or a place to live.

This is a journey filled with rum, some use of drugs, cock fights, cops, romance, human flame throwers, and corruption. And how Paul Kemp finds his words “How to find out how to write like me”.

Video

The Rum Diary Blu-ray is released in AVC MPEG-4  video codec, 1080p and 1.85:-1 framed aspect ratio presentation. It was shot in Super 16 which is used as a cinematic tongue for the 50’s and 60’s. The clothes are authentic for the period and are well presented. Flesh tones balanced. The landscape shots show detailed beauty of the island. The sky and ocean are shot with the brighter colors. Interior shots are darker but the images still pop, and you can see textures with accurate detail. The film was shot well and captured the time period beautifully.

Audio

The sound quality was very precise DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The sound quality was great throughout the whole film. The music level was never higher than the dialogue. The dialogue is very clear and strong. The ocean sound is very natural and gives you the pleasure of listening to the ocean without over taking over the scene. The film pulls you into the moment and keeps you there.

Special Features

A Voice Made of Ink and Rage: Inside The Rum Diary:

Johnny Depp talks about the making of the film and also his friendship with Hunter S. Thompson. He speaks about finding the book in Hunters basement and about getting it published. The cast talks about how special the making of this movie was to them and about Depp’s love for Thompson. They talk about Depp’s passion for the project. And the special place on set and ritual that was done for Thompson.  Also mentioned is the challenges that are faced shooting on location and costuming the period.

The Rum Diary Back-Story:

The feature begins with Hunter reading from the book. This is the 1998 film by Wayne Ewing. I actually watched this feature twice, I found it so interesting. Johnny Depp read excerpts from the book as well as Hunter himself. We also got to see Johnny and Hunter’s friendship first hand. If you are a fan of Hunter you will enjoy this feature very much.

Final Thoughts

I saw The Rum Diary in the theater and I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Depp’s performance was great, his facial expressions, little sounds he makes just makes it a entertaining and fun for the audience. There are some really strong performances by the supporting cast. Aaron Eckhart plays a great underhanded, despicable creep. He was amazing and showed his acting abilities. Giovanni Ribisi also a great performance and is just fun to watch, as well as Michael Rispoli and Richard Jenkins. The Rum Diary takes you on an adventure to Puerto Rico and gives you a glimpse into life there in 1960.

It’s not a secret that I am a fan of Johnny Depp but the passion that he showed for this project and all that he did to make this a reality make it that much better. Hunter S. Thompson saw something in Depp, he let him into his crazy world, and Johnny brought that world to life, and you can truly see his love for this man. May we all be blessed with that kind of friendship, that even death does not come between them.

Order The Rum Diary on Blu-ray!

Film  

Rebecca became Alfred Hitchcock’s first American produced movie when he teamed up with David O. Selznick to make five movies together over a period of seven years.  Hitchcock had wanted access to more money and bigger stars and all that came together for him starting with Rebecca.  Based on the novel by Daphne Du Maurier, this Gothic tale of obsession and secrets was a perfect vehicle for Alfred Hitchcock’s talents.  His movie is full of dark and oppressive atmosphere that steadily builds suspense over the course of the movie.

When the movie opens, we see a man named Maximilian (Maxim) de Winter (Laurence Olivier) who may or may not be contemplating a suicidal jump from a cliff.  To a young woman (Joan Fontaine) who see him at the edge of the cliff, he looks like he’s ready to jump and she tries to intervene, much to his annoyance.  He runs her off only to later see  the young woman (who is never named) again in the lobby of the hotel.  He learns that she is the paid companion to the haughty Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates) who forces him to drink coffee with them.

It doesn’t take long before Maxim and the young woman start to see each other once Mrs. Van Hopper develops a cold and is bedridden.  For the young woman, Maxim is a handsome and dashing figure who belongs to a world that she can only dream of.  For Maxim, the young woman’s innocence and modesty is a welcome relief from his own personal demons that have haunted him since the death of his wife Rebecca de Winter.  By the time Mrs. Van Hopper is ready to return to New York with her companion, Maxim intervenes with a marriage proposal for the young woman which she readily accepts.

Now married, the couple returns to Maxim’s huge family mansion that’s known as Manderley.  Just seeing the house overwhelms the young woman and from that point forward she will continually feel out of place.  Upon entering the mansion she is met by an army of staff that are there to cater to her every whim.  On the surface, all of the staff are kind to the young woman, but they constantly make cutting remarks comparing her to the previous Mrs. de Winter. None of the servants are more bitter about Maxim’s new wife than the head housekeeper the creepy Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson).  Mrs. Danvers has an extremely unhealthy obsession about Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter and she barely is able to mask her disdain and fury from the young woman whom she considers to be common and unworthy.  Rebecca’s room is now kept as a shrine to her memory and maintained jealously by Mrs. Danvers .

Since all she has heard and seen since she arrived at Manderley is either Rebecca’s name or her possessions, the young woman becomes determined to discover the truth about Maxim’s late wife and to learn the details of her death.  That task isn’t easy since no one wants to talk about her other than Mrs. Danvers and Rebecca’s “cousin” Jack (George Sanders) who doesn’t seem all that trustworthy.  In fact, the obsequious Jack may now a lot more than he is letting on but she avoids him because Maxim has warned him to stay away.  Try as she might, the young woman is continually set up to fail by Mrs. Danvers whose acts of sabotage  keep getting her in trouble with Maxim.  At one point, Mrs. Danvers tries to convince the young woman to commit suicide and does everything she can to make it happen.  As you’d expect, eventually all of the secrets are made known, with every player trying to achieve their goals one last time.

Rebecca is a moody atmospheric mystery movie that many feel should be a thriller.  It has all of the makings of a thriller but that’s not the direction Hitchcock took it.  Instead, he focused on developing a forbidding, oppressive atmosphere once the couple arrives at Manderley.  This is a strange hybrid of a movie however, with the first part of the movie being presented as something of a romantic comedy (minus the whole possible suicide jump) but shifts gears once they reach Manderley.  Hitchcock slowly builds the suspense (a little too slowly for some) and the final reveal is effective but not as much as it should have been considering the talent behind and in front of the camera.

The cast is good in their roles but I wasn’t that crazy about Olivier’s portrayal of Maxim which I found to be uneven and overwrought.  His Maxim seemed to have two modes – imperious or bitchy and they could swing wildly back and forth in a moment’s notice.  On the other hand, the beautiful Joan Fontaine was excellent in her role as the young woman who is treated carelessly by her husband and has to endure the many comments that compare her to Rebecca.  I wasn’t too aware of Ms. Fontaine’s work, but I shouldn’t be surprised at her talent and beauty since she is Olivia de Havilland’s sister.  The real menace to the film belongs to Judith Anderson’s evil Mrs. Danvers who is a perfect Victorian era villain.  Determined to destroy the young woman any way possible, she resorts to insults, intimidation, threats, and subtle manipulation to do it.  By the end of the movie, you know the young woman is in danger just being near Mrs. Danvers which adds a lot of momentum towards the end.  While this may not be one of Hitchcock’s finest movies, it does have a great atmosphere and some excellent performances and I recommend it.

Video  

This 1080p (1.37:1) transfer looks pretty good, especially when compared to Spellbound which is another one of Hitchcock’s movies that has just come out on Blu-ray.  The film has impressive sharpness and clarity but still suffers from scratches and other age related issues.  I think they put more effort into restoring this film over the others, or perhaps this film just had a better source element, but in either case it looks pretty good notwithstanding.  Black levels are solid and the contrast is excellent.  The black and white cinematography looks great and this is an improvement over previous home releases.

Audio  

I’m happy to report that Rebecca’s DTS-HD Master 2.0 mix doesn’t suffer from the same hissing that plagued Spellbound.  This track is quite an improvement in fact, with crisp clear dialogue and sound effects.  The score by Franz Waxman is also well balanced with the rest of the movie.  Unlike Spellbound, Rebecca doesn’t really suffer from the defects that occur on older movies.  The range may not be as impressive as today’s movies but it works pretty well for this movie.

Special Features  

Once again, another good collection of extras for a Hitchcock movie but this time there’s three radio plays and screen tests of other famous actresses who vied for the part made famous by Joan Fontaine.

• Commentary by Richard Schickel – Time Magazine’s film critic Richard Schickel offers a knowledgeable and sometimes critical commentary of the movie.  He isn’t afraid to voice what he doesn’t like which is a refreshing change of pace from the usual practice.  He also tells some great stories and delivers a great commentary.
• Isolated Music and Effects Track
• The Making of Rebecca – A look at the making of the film and the struggles between Hitchcock and Selznick, the process of adapting Daphne DuMaurier’s novel, and more.  Fans of the movie will find this very interesting.
• The Gothic World of Daphne DuMaurier- This is an almost twenty minute profile of Rebecca‘s author.
• Screen Tests- A peek at what could have been since we see the screen tests of  Margaret Sullavan and Vivien Leigh (with her then boyfriend Laurence Olivier) if the part didn’t go to Joan Fontaine.
• Radio Plays – In the other Hitchcock release, they’ve included a radio play for each movie, but this time they generously give you three choices:  the original 1938 version starring Orson Welles ; a 1941 Cecil B. DeMille production starring Ronald Colman, Ida Lupino and Judith Anderson; and finally a 1950 version with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh finally getting to perform it together.  Each of them last about an hour!
• Hitchcock Audio Interviews – Another one of my favorite Hitchcock extras continues with another conversation between him and Peter Bogdanovich and François Truffaut.
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts  

The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Olivier, Fontaine and Anderson for their performances.  It ended up winning Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Cinematography and remains the only film to win Best Picture without being awarded anything for the acting, writing, or directing of the movie.  I can understand about the cinematography since it’s lush, moody, and captures the dark atmosphere of Manderley.  I also loved any scene that took place within Manderley as it was gorgeous to see.  If you are looking for a good movie to watch on a rainy day, then I recommend you give this one a chance.

Order your copy today!

Film  

Every Hitchcock film has a focus, whether or not it’s greed, fear, anger, or in this case psychoanalysis.  The movie’s produced David O. Selznick wanted to make a film that showcased the positive aspects of psychoanalysis because it had helped him.  There’s even a message at the start of the film advocating psychoanalysis and its benefits and Selznick even hired his own therapist to serve as the film’s technical adviser.

Ingrid Bergman stars as Dr. Constance Petersen, a psychoanalyst at the Green Manors mental hospital whose icy demeanor is a subject of humor for the rest of the staff there.  Constance is perceived to be passionless which her co-workers believe hinders her work as a psychoanalyst since she doesn’t understand love or how strong emotions can affect people.  Constance disagrees and thinks the whole concept of love is silly.  Her boss, the director of the hospital Dr. Murchison (Leo G. Carroll) is about to be forcibly retired due to a past mistakes that occurred because of nervous exhaustion.  Once he returns from his vacation, he is to train his replacement, a younger doctor by the name of Anthony Edwardes.

When Dr. Edwardes (Gregory Peck) shows up he seems more interested in the lovely Dr. Petersen than his job and he convinces her to to go on a long walk with him where they get to know each other, much to the amusement of the rest of the staff.  When they all join together to eat dinner and when Constance tries to explain how she thought the shape of a future pool should look like by drawing outlines on the tablecloth, she notices Edwardes react strongly to the lines on the linen.  He even smooths them out with his knife which only Constance notices.  Her observations of him make her more worried and suspicious when she learns that the Edwardes that showed up is an impostor because his handwriting doesn’t match an inscription left in one of the original’s books.  When she confronts him he quickly acknowledges that he killed the real Edwardes, but Constance doesn’t believe him because she believes he is suffering from amnesia and a  guilt complex and that he isn’t capable of murder.

When Edwardes sneaks out in the middle of the night, he leaves a note for Constance telling her that he’s traveling to the Empire State Hotel in New York City.  Once it becomes public knowledge that Edwardes is a fake, Murchison calls in the police to investigate.  Constance follows Edwardes to New York where she convinces him that she can help cure him with her training.  Now on the run from the police, the two journey to to Rochester to meet Constance’s former mentor, Dr. Brulov (Michael Checkhov) to see if he can help them cure the amnesia.

From there on, the movie delves into Edwardes surreal dreams (designed by Salvador Dali) where he sees images that he can’t connect to real life including eyes on curtains, blank playing cards, a man with no face, a man falling off a building, a man hiding behind a chimney who drops a wheel, and a pair of wings chasing after him.  When Constance sees Edwardes react to sled tracks in the snow, she deduces that it is actually a pair of ski tracks that’s triggering his reactions.  By putting all of the pieces together from Edwardes dream, they figure out that that he was at a ski lodge with the real Dr. Edwardes and they travel there to to finish unraveling the mystery by re-enacting what happened.  The danger of that is if the fake Edwardes is the real killer, it would mean that Constance might be killed.

For me, this film has good and bad elements.  First off the positive aspects would include the cast and some very nice shots (including one with an open razor) that remind you that Hitchcock is the film’s director.  The negatives for me include some laughably bad shots including one with Constance and Edwardes kissing with a series of superimposed doors opening to symbolize her guard finally dropping, and a bunch of rear projection shots that look terrible.  The worst offender is the scene of Constance and Edwardes skiing in front of a rear projection screen that had to look bad even back in 1945.  You can’t fake skiing like that with only a fan to move your hair about and expect audiences to buy it.  What makes the sequence even worse, is that it occurs during the film’s climax since we know he will either kill Constance or remember what really happened.

My other issue is with the film’s psychoanalysis plot device which not only seems dated (it may have been fresh to 1945 audiences) but it’s so literal that anyone without the proper training could probably figure it out.  In fact, every part of Edwardes dream is a separate clue which when added up together, tell the story of what happened which really wouldn’t have happened.  Putting those complaints aside, the movie will be remembered for the surreal dream sequence which was really odd and for the wonderful cast.  Ingrid Bergman does a nice job with a somewhat silly role.  As a woman who doesn’t believe in love who falls in love on sight, it’s a tough role to bring off.  The film’s sexist script also has one of her colleagues kiss her to see if it gets a reaction with no repercussions from her or his boss.  Try that today and you will discover a different experience.  The fact that she just brushes it off as proof that she is immune to passion and therefore superior, just makes it worse.  I’m a big fan of Gregory Peck and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so young, as this is one of his earliest movies.  He has a difficult role too as the amnesiac man who may or may not be a killer.  Leo G. Carroll is also good as Dr. Murchison while Michael Checkov brings a lot of humor to the movie as the feisty Dr. Brulov.  Spellbound is a decent movie but it’s dated approach and attitudes towards women will limit its appeal to a wide a modern audience.

Video  

Spellbound’s 1080p (1.37:1) transfer isn’t one of the better ones as it struggles against looking overly soft and diffused.  I think Hitchcock deliberately made it look this way to make the movie appear more dream-like, but whatever the reason, the film’s transfer doesn’t fare too well compared to the other recent Hitchcock Blu-ray releases.  There’s some sharpness to be found intermittently, but overall this transfer looks soft.  The black levels aren’t that strong and the contrast could have been better.  Overuse of DNR isn’t an issue here, as there is quite a bit of grain present throughout the movie.  There aren’t too many scratches or evidence of print damage visible, so it looks like it was cleaned up but not to the level that fans of the film desire, but it is better than the previous DVD release.

Audio  

So far, out of the three recent Hitchcock movies that I’ve watched to review (Notorious, Rebecca, and this one), this movie has the worst sound mix.  Like the others, this Blu-ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix, but where the others didn’t have the hiss that older films tend to have, this one does and it’s very noticeable.  Musical cues sound slightly distorted (especially during the opening Overture) which is a shame since this score won Miklos Rozsa an Academy Award for Best Score.  The film’s dialogue isn’t crisp but it is easy to hear and understand.  Overall, this is an okay mix but I think it could have been a lot better, especially after seeing the other Hitchcock movies from that era on Blu-ray.

Special Features  

There’s some pretty good extras on here but they are in standard definition.

• Commentary with Film Historians Thomas Schatz and Charles Ramirez Berg – This is a uncoordinated but informative discussion about the movie.  The two seem to be trying to top each other so be prepared for them talking over one another but they do have some interesting info about the making of the film.
• Running With Scissors: Hitchcock, Surrealism and Salvador Dali- A look at how Salvador Dali came to be a part of the film.  With both Selznick and Hitchcock looking to bring in a marquee name to help sell the movie, Dali added the surreal dream sequence that was eventually deemed too long and poorly shot by Selznick who cut twenty minutes from it and hired someone else to re-shoot it.  The original footage that was cut is now lost but there are still pictures still available to see what was done.
• Guilt By Association: Psychoanalyzing Spellbound – A look at how the film was the first movie to really address psychoanalysis and how World War II affected its returning soldiers who suffered from post traumatic stress.
• A Cinderella Story: Rhonda Fleming – Ms. Fleming talks about getting discovered and shooting her first movie and how nice Ingrid Bergman was to her and her husband as well as her charitable causes she supports.
• 1948 Radio Version of Spellbound Directed by Alfred Hitchcock – An hour long radio program of the movie starring Joseph Cotten and Valli.
• Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Alfred Hitchcock – I always love this part of the extras because you get to hear from the master himself.
• Original Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts  

This isn’t Hitchcock’s finest work, but it does have some great sequences including the razor scene I mentioned earlier and the final shot of a closeup of a gun following a target that ends with something I’ve never seen on film before.  It’s shots like that that make Hitchcock still relevant today it provides enough of a reason that I  recommend it.

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HUGO will be available in a three-disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, as well as a two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, each of which boast nearly an hour of behind-the-scenes special features including an illuminating making-of featurette, a retrospective on the extraordinary genius of filmmaker Georges Méliès, a look at the mechanical man at the heart of HUGO, plus interviews with the cast and crew and more.  The film will also be available as a single-disc DVD.  All Blu-ray and DVD releases available for purchase will be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies.  With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – reliably and securely – to a variety of devices.

HUGO Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

The HUGO Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The DVD in the combo pack is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The combo pack includes access to a digital copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

·         Feature film in high definition

·         Shoot the Moon (The Making of Hugo)

·         The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès

·         The Mechanical Man at the Heart of Hugo

·         Big Effects, Small Scale

·         Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime

DVD

·         Feature film in standard definition

HUGO Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

The HUGO Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes all of the above, plus a Blu-ray 3D presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The Blu-ray 3D includes the feature film presented in high definition and 3D.

HUGO Single-Disc DVD

The single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround and English Audio Description and English, French and Spanish subtitles.  The disc includes the feature film in standard definition and Shoot The Moon (The Making of Hugo).

HUGO Synopsis

Welcome to a magical world of spectacular adventure! When wily and resourceful Hugo discovers a secret left by his father, he unlocks a mystery and embarks on a quest that will transform those around him and lead to a safe and loving place he can call home. Academy Award-winning** filmmaker Martin Scorsese invites you to experience a thrilling journey that critics are calling “the stuff dreams are made of.” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).

**Best Director, The Departed, 2006

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Film 

The Woman is the story of the last member of an extinct tribe that lived in the Northeast coast for years. The real world and the savage world clash when mild mannered Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers) is on a hunting trip and unexpectedly runs into this woman and he ends up, for all intents and purposes, capturing her. He loads her up and takes her to his home where  he shows her off to the family. You’ve never seen a show and tell like this.

The interesting spin on The Woman is that she really isn’t the bad guy you are led believe. Yeah, she’s a feral woman who is caught in a time warp from the hunter-gatherer days. The Woman is more of a two-part component that revolves around the feral female while focusing on the lives of the Cleek family. Chris is a successful country lawyer, he has a wife, a son, and two daughters – the perfect nuclear family.

That’s actually where the real horror begins – at the house. Behind the facade of a mild mannered “average” American family Chris rules his family with an iron fist. He mentally and physically abuses the women of the family, while his son has developed some of his characteristics. Like Father, like Son.

It’s in this complete shift of focus that The Woman truly excels in its horror. Yes, there’s a feral woman who has been tied down, but the Cleek family is also “tied” down – the metaphors are pretty striking. Besides it being extremely violent, another thing that The Woman has been criticized for, is its misogynistic views toward women. I don’t really think it’s fair to say that the film is misogynistic – that just happens to be how one or two of the characters are written. Not only that, but have those critics even seen or know who Lucky McKee is? Other than Quentin Tarantino, he may be one of the most consistent feminist filmmakers out there. All of his films have strong female characters – The Woman is no different. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that the misogynistic tone carried throughout the film is a necessary one, because it makes you root for the feral woman. She’s just waiting to be unleashed – and it will be a bloodbath of epic proportions.

On a technical level, The Woman looks great and I’m glad they went old school with the special effects make-up design – it’s been a while since I’ve seen actual blood and guts be spilled. One thing that I did not care for was the use of music. During certain scenes and edits some lame indy rock tunes would start playing, and I just felt that it wasn’t necessary. I do understand what the director was doing with the music, but I just didn’t care about the selections used.

Pollyanna McIntosh is awesome as the woman, and Sean Bridgers as the piece of dog crap husband and father nail their parts down hard. I haven’t hated a villain like I hated Chris in a really long time. Pollyanna is pretty damn scary, too – she is not one to be messed with.

Video 

The Woman is presented in 1080p 1.78:1 ratio. The Woman was also shot with RED Camera system and sit shows. Color detail is amazing, sharpness levels never overpower, and edge enhancement is kept in check. Blacks are deep and inky and don’t crush. The woman is the star of the show and the detail captured on her character is quite amazing. She lives in the wilderness therefore you will be able to spot every instance of dirt, blood, grit and other little things like that caked on her face and body. The transfer captures it all. Flesh tones on the non-feral characters is also capture naturally. Tones look spot on and do not look flushed. The subject matter depicted in The Woman may be ugly, but this video transfer is pretty.

Audio

The Woman is presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1. The Woman may be a low budget flick, but you wouldn’t know that with all the TLC it’s received on audio front. The Woman is a ferocious beast when it comes to the very scary and aggressive soundtrack. Dialogue is clean and clear and you will have no problem in keeping track with what’s going on. Ambient sounds do fill up the channels nicely in when on location in the woods or in the middle of the countryside. The Woman sounds great.

Special Features

The Woman is packed with a few special features like a making-of featurette which sheds some light on the production and is bookended by that famous outburst at Sundance last year where that guy got ejected from the screening due ti him disrupting the showing and calling the film without merit. Deleted scenes are explored as is a strange little short animated film called Mi Burro along with a music track by composer Sean Spillane.

• The Making of The Woman

• Deleted Scenes
• Short Film – Mi Burro

• Music Track Distracted by Sean Spillane

Final Thoughts

By now most of our readers should know how I roll when it comes to my horror film entertainment. I enjoyed The Woman very much and recommend it to the curios bunch out there. I will say that the film is very graphic, but if you dig blood and guts then you will probably dig the film even more on top of the message it conveys. The Woman is not for everyone, so be aware that if you’re not into horror in general, you will not like the film. If you’re a horror junkie like me then you will dig it.

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Film  

Alfred Hitchcock is known as “the master of suspense,” which is a title he rightly deserves, but not a lot of people realize that his work was just as good in other genres too.  Notorious doesn’t really fall into his usual comfort zone since it’s more of a love story than anything else.  Sure, there’s a off-screen death and an attempted poisoning, but the core of this movie is a love story between two people that are ill-equipped to deal with it.

The movie opens with a scene in a courtroom where we witness a verdict and the defendant’s daughter leaving the courtroom before we learn that the woman’s father was just convicted of being a Nazi spy and sentenced for treason.  The young woman named Alicia (Ingred Bergman) promptly goes to a gathering and gets drunk, all the while being watched by a tall man who has his back to the camera.  When the camera finally reveals the man named Devlin to be Cary Grant, the movie kicks into gear since he is obviously looking after Alicia for some reason.  When she decides to take a drive, he accompanies her which is fairly risky since she is drunk and determined to make him nervous with her driving.  When her speeding catches the eye of a police officer and they are pulled over, Alicia isn’t hauled to jail or even given a ticket once the officer sees Devlin’s badge.

Finally understanding that her passenger is in some kind of law enforcement, Alicia freaks out and Devlin is forced to subdue her and drive her back home.  When she recovers the next morning he explains that he is with the F.B.I. and that they want Alicia to perform a job for her country.  When Alicia scoffs at the idea of doing something out of patriotism, Devlin plays a secret recording of a conversation she had with her traitorous father once she discovered what he was up to and told him how disgusted she was for what he was doing against their country.  Chastened by hearing her own words about how much she loves America, Alicia tells Devlin she will help him.

They travel to Rio de Janeiro and Devlin is updated by his superiors on exactly what the job will be which infuriates him once he learns that the F.B.I. wants to pimp out Alicia to one of her father’s Nazi cronies named Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains).  Devlin learns that Alex fell in love with Alicia long ago but that love was never reciprocated back by Alicia and his boss wants her to make it happen now.  They are hoping that by baiting Alex with Alicia, that she might worm her way into his life and possibly learn what Alex and his German friends are doing in South America.

Devlin is conflicted since he wants to do his duty, but he’s also started to fall in love with Alicia which makes it difficult for him to finally tell her the plan.  Strangely enough, Alicia is less concerned about prostituting herself with a Nazi than the fact that Devlin doesn’t try to stop her from doing it.  When she doesn’t get the response she wants from Devlin, she tells him she will do it which only makes Devlin even more bitter and caustic to her.  In trying to provoke each other, both start down a path neither wants to walk, but there’s no turning back especially once she has to marry Alex.

The rest of the movie ratchets up the tension between the three of them as Alex is aware that Devlin frequently contacts Alicia which only makes him more and more jealous.  There’s a great sequence where Alicia must steal a key, smuggle it to Devlin, and then both of them have to discover what Alex and his compatriots are hiding down in a wine cellar during a party.  Not only do they have to avoid detection, but they are also in a race against time as the champagne is going quickly and sooner or later someone will come down the cellar for more.  Of course, things go wrong and in a bravura scene that shows of the talents of Rains and Hitchcock, we see Alex work out exactly what happened and put it all together without a single line of dialogue.

While many of the movie’s plot points pop up just to keep the movie moving (including a uranium plot-line that’s never resolved), the cast is so good that it really doesn’t matter.  Cary Grant was able to break free of his usual glib and smooth kind of characters with Devlin and his performance is excellent.  Devlin spends the movie conflicted about his feelings and his duty and it’s only at the end that he makes his choice which comes off beautifully.  Ingrid Bergman is also very good in her difficult role.  Alicia is portrayed to be very unlikable at the start of the movie but Bergman is talented enough to generate sympathy for her character even if we don’t really understand her motivations other than to make up for her father’s treason and possibly to provoke Devlin to declare his feelings for her.

And last but not least, is the wonderful Claude Rains who is good in every movie he’s in.  For awhile, despite being a Nazi, Alex engenders some sympathy from the audience because he truly does love Alicia and even treats her better than Devlin does.  Of course by the end, he shows his true colors (poisoning people kind of does that), but he’s great in the role and adds a lot to the movie.  While this isn’t the genre he is the most famous for perfecting, Notorious bears the unmistakable fingerprints of Alfred Hitchcock.  His use of tension and some incredible camera shots guarantee that the master was fully engaged on this movie.  This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies just because it is so different and because of this incredible cast.

Video  

The film’s 1080p (1.37:1) transfer is the best I’ve seen released so far but it’s not perfect.  The black and white footage has some nice detail which in some scenes is excellent, but in others it can look soft.  There’s also a lot of rear projection footage in the movie which stands out even more in high definition.  As for print damage, there’s still some specks and some minor scratches along with some flicker issues but none of them are obtrusive enough to really complain about. Film grain is present but it’s not too heavy and it simply gives it a film-like look that hasn’t been scrubbed away by DNR. We all have to keep in mind that this is an old film after all and for it’s age, it looks pretty good in high definition.

Audio  

Notorious‘ lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix is appropriate for a film it’s age but it’s a shame that it couldn’t be more improved.  Dialogue is the most important focus for this film and I’m happy to report that it’s clear and easily understood.  There’s no hiss or other sound defects which frequently plague older films.  Roy Webb’s score isn’t overshadowed by the rest of the movie but it is fairly subdued.  For a film this old, just like with the video quality, I can overlook a lot since this is probably as good as it’s ever going to get and I’m just glad to get it in high definition.

Special Features  

There’s a nice mix of extras on here that are balanced well and I especially liked hearing from Hitchcock directly.  The bad part is that they are all in standard definition.

• Commentary with Film Professor Rick Jewell - This is a pretty comprehensive commentary but Jewell seems more interested in talking about the history of RKO and Selznick than the movie.  When  he finally does start talking about the movie, he does have a lot of good info but fans of the movie may not like the film history detours.  Of course, if you are into film history, then you will really like this one.
• Commentary with Film Professor Drew Casper – Another commentary that’s more on point but it isn’t as effective as Jewell’s since it seems that Casper is reminiscing more than commentating.
• Isolated Music and Effects Track - The score for Notorious‘ may not be up to the usual Bernard Herrmann standards, but it is effective and this isolated track shows just how well it supported the film.
• The Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious - They either could have focuses on the thriller aspect of the film or the romantic side and they went with romance which makes sense since it’s the core of the movie.  With that as it’s focus, this featurette covers how the romance played into the film.
• Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster – A short but nice look at how Hitchcock contributed and influenced the spy genre through his films.
• The American Film Institute Award: The Key to Hitchcock – A very short but touching look at clips of Hitchcock receiving an AFI award that’s hosted by his granddaughter.  We also see Ingrid Bergman present the infamous key to the wine cellar from Notorious to him as well which is pretty cool.
• 1948 Radio Play starring Joseph Cotton and Ingrid Bergman
• Hitchcock Audio Interviews – I’ve listened to hours of Bogdanovich talking to Orson Welles and was always fascinated by the conversation so I was happy to see a collection of chats on here with Hitchcock.  The bad news is that the one with Bogdanovich is only a little over two minutes long but the good news is that Truffaut one is a lot longer.  I really liked this extra!
• Restoration Comparison – A before and after look at the restoration efforts for this release.
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts  

This is a very mature film that is still surprising to audiences today with its unusual storyline that was really ahead of it’s time.  The cast is wonderful in this and Hitchcock’s many touches including that incredible shot with the key, keep audiences and film students happy.  This Blu-ray looks great and sounds pretty good but combined with a bunch of fantastic extras, makes this one easy to recommend as a blind buy purchase.

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Film  

After the huge success of Annie Hall (read my review here), Woody Allen went a new dramatic direction with Interiors which wasn’t received as well but it’s pretty hard to top Annie Hall.  Allen’s next movie would bridge both movies as it would have the comedic one-lines like Annie Hall but it would be grounded as well much like Interiors.  Manhattan is another one of Allen’s relationship movies, a concept that seems to have fascinated him throughout his long prolific career.  Instead of focusing on just one relationship like in Annie Hall, Allen and co-writer Marshall Brickman expanded it to two couples, each with their own issues.

The movie opens sans titles to black and white images of New York City accompanied by “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin.  By the time the song is over, Allen has already set the mood for the movie and did it without a single bit of dialogue.  Even the title of the movie is only given to us through a neon sign outside a building that flashes “Manhattan.”  In this movie, Allen is still playing the same character he usually plays but this time he’s called Isaac Davis and he’s an unhappy writer for television.  Isaac is currently dating a seventeen year old girl named Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) which is somewhat unsettling to see for many reasons but the two seem happy.  Isaac’s best friend Yale (Michael Murphy) is happily married to a woman named Emily (Anne Byrne) but later confides to Isaac that he’s not only a serial cheater, but that he’s currently cheating on her with a journalist named Mary (Diane Keaton).

Ironically, while Isaac has no problem having sex with seventeen year old girls at his age, he does draw the line on cheating on your wife and he tells Yale he should break it off.  Yale doesn’t listen and even introduces Mary to Isaac and Tracy at an art exhibition.  Right away the opinionated Mary drives Isaac crazy as she insults the art he likes, but when she badmouths Ingmar Bergman, it’s the last straw for Isaac who wants nothing to do with her.  After his divorce from Jill (Meryl Streep), Isaac unconsciously avoids strong experienced women (which is partly why he’s comfortable with Tracy) because Jill crushed him when she decided she was a lesbian and got involved with another woman named Connie (Karen Ludwig).  It doesn’t help that Jill is writing a tell-all book about her relationship with Isaac which he knows will reveal every personal thing that happened between him which makes him angry and anxious.

Issac accidentally runs back into Mary at a fund-raising event and this time they hit it off better.  He accompanies her back to her place and goes on a walk with her that culminates in a sublime shot of the two of them on a bench near the Queensboro Bridge as night shifts to early morning.  Despite his growing attraction and interest in Mary, he doesn’t act on it because he want to be a loyal friend to Yale.  So he continues to see Tracy but keeps telling her not to get too serious about him since she is too young to worry about that at this point in her life.  He advises her to go to London to study acting.  When Yale finally decides the risk isn’t worth his marriage, he breaks up with Mary and then later tells Isaac to ask her out.  Now that he can see Mary without feeling like he was betraying Yale, Isaac breaks up with a heartbroken Tracy and starts up a relationship with Mary.

Time passes and Yale tries to get Mary back even though she’s dating Isaac and Mary confesses to Isaac that she still loves Yale.  When Yale separates with Emily to be free for Mary, Mary decides to join him which leaves Isaac feeling betrayed by both of them.  At this point, the film abandons any effort at comedy and becomes a pure drama as Isaac confronts Yale for his treachery and later realizes that he misses Tracy who is about to take his advice and fly to London to study acting.  I won’t go into any further details about the ending other than to say that it’s a lot more ambiguous than Annie Halls and leaves many plot threads dangling with no resolution at all.

I have mixed feelings about the film as I love the comedic moments but I’m not so thrilled with the melodrama that takes over the last half of the film.  I think it’s fairly sad that the most stable and grounded character in this movie is the seventeen year old Tracy.  She knows exactly what she wants, who she loves, and is completely unselfish and more giving than any other character in the movie.  It’s a quiet and understated role and Mariel Hemingway was so good in it that she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  Diane Keaton as Mary is a polar opposite of Annie Hall.  Mary is focused, opinionated, pushy, and thinks she’s smarter than she really is.

I didn’t care much for the character of Yale as played by Michael Murphy since he seemed like a scumbag due to how he treated his wife but at least he seemed like a good friend to Isaac until the end revealed the sum total of all of his douchebaggery.  Allen is always good playing Allen and he seems even more assured as an actor and as a director for this movie.   It’s interesting to note that Allen was initially unhappy with it and asked United Artists not to release it.  He even offered to make another movie for free in exchange since as he said later, “I just thought to myself, ‘At this point in my life, if this is the best I can do, they shouldn’t give me money to make movies.”  Fortunately for movie audiences everywhere, United Artists declined his offer and Allen’s tale of troubled love in New York City was shared with the world to much acclaim.

Video  

This 1080p (2.35:1) transfer is beautiful to watch as you can see Allen’s love for New York captured in every frame. This transfer is a lot better than the previous home video releases and it’s even better than the recent Blu-ray release of Annie Hall.  The black and white cinematography shot by cinematographer Gordon Willis is gorgeous to look at and Allen really let him do his thing since a good portion of the movie takes place in shadows.  Thankfully, the black levels are suitably inky which is a good thing since several scenes are pitch black in this new transfer.  It’s hard to say if MGM went overboard or if this is how the film was supposed to look but it is a big difference over past releases.

Audio  

Manhattan’s DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix isn’t as good as the high definition transfer but it is faithful to the original intentions of Woody Allen.  At this point, most fans should be aware that Allen isn’t that worried about adding a powerful 7.1 mix to his movies which to be honest isn’t as bad as it sounds.  All of his movies are notoriously dialogue driven and this 2.0 mix does a nice job delivering it clearly and without any hissing or other defects.  Even with this being a 2.0 mono mix, the multiple George Gershwin songs sound very good and it’s rare to hear this much music in a Woody Allen movie and it adds a lot to the experience.

Special Features  

While I can live with the 2.0 mono mix, I am not happy at this trend of Woody Allen movies not having any special features other than the trailer for the movie.  There’s been a ton of interviews with the man so how hard would it be to add a couple of those?  It’s also unfortunate because it keeps lowering my final score too.

Final Thoughts  

While I don’t have the same love for Manhattan that I do for Annie Hall and the ”earlier, funnier movies” that he referenced later in a line in Stardust Memories.  People seem to be split on Allen’s catalog of films with half usually preferring his early ones, while others like his more somber darker later films.  Yes I am one of those early film supporters but that’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed his later films too.  Woody Allen has such a unique comic voice that I love his early work the most because his sole goal at that point was to make you laugh as much as possible. Manhattan represents the point where he still had one foot in the comedy world as he moved towards more dramatic work.  Fans of all phases of Woody’s career should find something to enjoy in this dramedy!

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Alvy Singer: Don’t you see the rest of the country looks upon New York like we’re left-wing, communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers? I think of us that way sometimes and I live here.

Film  

Annie Hall is just about every-one’s favorite Woody Allen movie and there’s a good reason for it.  It’s hilarious, deep, ground-breaking, and has enough unrequited angst to balance out the non-stop witty one-liners.  There’s also a ring of truth to the movie which may not be as far-fetched as it sounds since Allen and Keaton were in a relationship and Keaton’s real last name is Hall and her nickname was “Annie.”  And of course, Allen is basically playing Allen no matter what role it is, since he’s always the same funny, neurotic, kvetching character who has a constant running commentary on his own life.  In Allen’s earlier films, they were light and focused on the comedy, but with Annie Hall Woody Allen decided to go a new direction and take some more chances.  As he said, “…’I think I will try and make some deeper film and not be as funny in the same way.  And maybe there will be other values that will emerge, that will be interesting or nourishing for the audience.  And it worked out very, very well.”

In Annie Hall, Woody Allen plays Alvy Singer who happens to be a gag writer and occasional stand up comedian. The movie starts with Alvy talking to the audience and relating to us the story of his doomed relationship with a woman named Annie Hall (Diane Keaton).  Through flashbacks and return visits we not only see his relationship with Annie, but also scenes from his childhood as well.  Allen’s use of flashbacks and jumping around in his own timeline which includes imaginary group trips into each of their history’s makes Annie Hall much more unpredictable and fun than the usual romantic comedy.  It struck while watching it again that Annie Hall is almost a comedic precursor to Pulp Fiction in a lot of ways because of the somewhat similar approaches.

We witness Alvy and Annie’s relationship from start to finish inter-cut with scenes of them with other people as well. For Alvy, it’s easy to see his consistent pattern with women where he wins them over and then drives them away with his constant questioning of them or in the case of Allison (Carol Kane), because she didn’t believe in his theory about the Kennedy assassination.  Alvy’s friend Rob (Tony Roberts) tries to keep things simple and inadvertently introduces Alvy to Annie during a tennis match where the two hit it off quickly.  Annie is from a well to do family and seems kind of scatterbrained and uninhibited while Alvy over-analyzes everything and disapproves of flighty ways especially when he later complains about her needing to smoke marijuana every time before they have sex.

Despite the constant fluctuations in their relationship, Alvy supports Annie’s desire to sing which backfires when a laid back record producer named Tony Lacey (Paul Simon) hears her sing and wants to get to know her better.  Alvy does his best to keep her away from Tony by feigning that they had a previous “thing” to do, but when he is supposed to give out an award in California later on, they see Tony again at a party.  By now, Annie has fallen in love with California and its atmosphere and she decides she would rather live there.  Alvy will never leave New York and hates California with a passion (“I don’t want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light.”) and between that and their other issues, they break up and Annie moves into Tony’s mansion.  It doesn’t take long before Alvy realizes how much he wants Annie in his life and he even returns to California to try to bring her back to New York, but discovers that sometimes things don’t always work out the way we hope.

This is probably my favorite Woody Allen movie because it all came together so beautifully.  The comedy is first rate with an extremely funny script by Allen and Marshall Brickman, it has a great cast, the cinematography from Gordon Willis is amazing, and all of the stylistic choices Allen made as a director make this a classic.  I loved seeing Woody “break the fourth wall” to address the audience after having to listen to a pompous know-it-all in line behind him expound incorrectly about Marshall McLuhan’s work.  We’ve seen that device done before, but Allen raises it to a new level when the man Woody is complaining about also addresses the audience to defend himself.  Allen then takes the gag to an even higher level when he brings out Marshall McLuhan himself to tell the pompous man that he doesn’t understand his work at all.  Then there’s other creative touches like using humorous subtitles that convey not what the characters are actually saying, but rather what they are really thinking which makes it even funnier.  Allen even includes an animated segment with Annie as the evil Queen from Snow White.  Combine all that with the flashbacks and the imaginary visits back into the past and you have a very unique romantic comedy that was way ahead of its time.

Alvy Singer: They did not take me in the Army. I was, um, interestingly enough, I was, I was 4-P. Yes. In the, in the event of war, I’m a hostage.

Video  

This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer looks a lot better than I expected it would although that’s not to say that it’s perfect.  This is a soft looking movie and it’s filled with grain but it doesn’t bother me for this release since that’s how I imagine it should look.  The grain hasn’t been scrubbed away with DNR so it still retains the cinematic feel of the movie which I believe reflects that aesthetic of Woody Allen.  I believe this is how he would want the film to look – it’s like looking at an original print but with the benefit of seeing it in high definition.  I think MGM could have done a better job but I would worry that to achieve that, it might change the look and feel of the movie.  Colors are decent but aren’t overly vivid since the movie has a mute palette, but the black levels are deep, dark, and very satisfying which is great since cinematographer Gordon Willis loves to shoot everything in darkness.  This is a pretty good transfer and one that fits in well with the movie.

Alvy Singer: I was thrown out of N.Y.U. my freshman year for cheating on my metaphysics final, you know. I looked within the soul of the boy sitting next to me.

Audio  

My reaction to Annie Hall’s DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix is exactly the same as my feelings about the high definition transfer.  It could have been better but what’s there is perfectly suitable for the film.  Since this film is filled with non-stop dialogue, it doesn’t really need a 7.1 mix.  As it is, the dialogue sounds crisp and clear with no distortions of any kind.  There’s also Dolby Digital mono mixes in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Catalan, and Portuguese as well since Woody Allen has a lot of international fans.  This is a simple mix but it works for the movie and I’m pretty happy with it.

Annie Hall: You never want to try anything new, Alvy.
Alvy Singer: How can you say that? Whose idea was it? I said that you, I, and that girl from your acting class should sleep together in a threesome.
Annie Hall: Well, that’s sick.
Alvy Singer: Yeah, I know it’s sick, but it’s new. You didn’t say it couldn’t be sick.

Special Features  

Sadly, there is only the theatrical trailer in high definition which is a travesty for fans of the film and it will bring down the final score too.

Alvy Singer: Don’t knock masturbation, it’s sex with someone I love.

Final Thoughts  

This is one of the best comedies ever made and it’s not afraid to end on a non-traditional note.  The movie cemented Allen’s reputation as an actor, writer, and director and also gave a bunch of unknown actors their first big break too.  Part of the fun watching the movie is spotting well known actors in the tiniest of roles.  You will see Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Walken, Sigourney Weaver, Colleen Dewhurst, Shelley Duvall, John Glover, Mark Lenard, Beverly D’Angelo, Tracey Walter, and more in roles that might not even have a line! Annie Hall ended up winning four Academy Awards including Best Picture (over Star Wars! grumble grumble) and its influence is still being felt today. This is without a doubt, Woody Allen’s masterpiece and I highly recommend it!

Order your copy today!

Nick Cassidy:  Don’t worry, everyone’s looking at me.

How do you get back at someone who set you up?  In the case of Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), an ex-cop, who was framed by the nefarious David Englander (Ed Harris) for stealing his $40 million diamond and is now serving a long prison sentence, the plan is simple.  Nick must (obviously) form an ingenious plan that involves him escaping prison, finding the hotel room that faces Englander’s building from across the street, climb onto the ledge of the building, and threaten suicide in an effort to prove his innocence.  That is, of course, just phase 1.  Phase 2 involves Nick’s brother Joey (Jamie Bell) and his spicy hot girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez (I should probably change my name to Nintendo Neuwirth)) breaking into Englander’s building, while everyone’s attention is drawn to Nick, and stealing the diamond Nick was said to have stolen, in order to prove his innocence.  It’s just that simple.

In order for Nick to be able to pull off his part in the plan as an alleged “possible jumper”, he decides to specifically request Det. Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) to act as his negotiator, with Det. Jack Dougherty (Ed Burns) and his men standing as back up.  Anthony Mackie is also around and concerned as Mike, Nick’s former partner.  Along with maintaining his balance, Nick must put on quite the show in order to pull off one big heist, while he stands up high on the side of a building.  And don’t worry; news correspondent Suzie Morales (Kyra Sedgwick) is making sure to get plenty of coverage.

The biggest problem with this movie is how even after displacing the notion of logic that one needs to dispel if they want to attempt to take the film seriously, it is the lack of any real tension that ultimately undoes what the film manages to entertainingly setup.  Given that we know what Nick is up to, there is no tension ever in whether or not he has plans to commit suicide by jumping off the ledge.  At the same time, the ‘Adventures of Joey and Angie’ going on inside the building across the way are handled with such a playfulness (and extra doses of T&A from Ms. SEGA Genesis Rodriguez, who Mr. Nintendo Neuwirth would like to meet one day) that no one ever really expects them to completely fail in their plan.  Neither of these plots needs to necessarily be more serious, but the stakes never quite feel as high as Nick is on his ledge.

This could be attributed to the actors involved, or at least how they play it.  The emotional core of this movie is supposed to belong to Sam Worthington, but given that Worthington seems to have way more charisma in a Modern Warfare 3 commercial, training the n00b (Oscar nominee Jonah Hill) in combat, than he does as Nick Cassidy, there was not much to attach onto in this regard.  Similarly, with the exception of Jamie Bell and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’s System SEGA Genesis Rodriguez’, the rest of the cast are all pretty much playing things by the numbers.  I definitely try to praise Ed Harris whenever I can, but even he does little more than play a very one-dimensional villain in a fancy suit.

Ridiculous as it is, I can give the film credit for at least having the semblance of a decently paced heist film.  Even with the lack of tension in whether or not this film is going to have a happy ending (sorry for that mild spoiler), there is a level of confidence in the filmmaking that seemed like enough to get this film by…until the third act.  Once the film starts revolving less around whether or not Nick will get off the ledge and more on who else will get on the ledge, the movie’s plot becomes a mess, with screenwriter Pablo F. Fenjves and director Asger Leth clearly running out of clever ideas for the film, as opposed to implausible and silly ones.  Between this film and Tower Heist, I think I am ready to see caper films move back down to ground level for a while.

Man on a Ledge is basically harmless.  It contains a lot of forgettable entertainment in a very “don’t stop to think” sort of way, but is also completely ridiculous and wastes a lot of the talents of its strong ensemble cast.  The film is not insultingly bad, there is just little to recommend.  The premise is kind of intriguing, but I have literally seen exact sequences from this film lifted from two Mission: Impossible movies, the Ocean’s series, and Phone Booth.  I can always enjoy a quality heist film, it’s just that Man on a Ledge is not exactly a quality film; instead, it falls just sort of said ledge.

Nick Cassidy:  I am an innocent man!

Film  

In director Shawn Levy’s Real Steel, the year is 2020 and in this not so distant time the sport of boxing has been taken over by robots.  Humans were phased out since bloodthirsty audiences wanted more spectacle and more punishing fights that would have endangered humans so robots are now the big draw.  For a former boxer like Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), that change brought nothing but trouble to him.  He’s in debt to loan sharks, he doesn’t have a viable robot boxer, his on again off again girlfriend Bailey (Evangeline Lilly) isn’t happy with him, and then he find out that the girlfriend he left long ago has died and that he has a son named Max (Dakota Goya) that wants to reconnect with him.

Charlie’s life is already spinning out of control before Max re-enters his life since he bet everything he had (and a lot more that he didn’t have) on his last robot named Ambush in the hopes that Ambush could defeat a bull.  The owner of the Bull is a ruthless promoter named Rickey (Kevin Durand) who warns Charlie that he better pay his debt if he loses or he will regret it.  Unfortunately for Charlie, he does lose because in the brief instant Charlie starts trying to impress some girls, the bull starts destroying Ambush.  Knowing that there’s no way that he can pay his $20,000 loss, Charlie hightails it out of the fair before Ricky and his men can catch him.

Now on the run from Ricky and others, it’s at that point Charlie learns about the death of his ex-girlfriend and the fact that he is required to attend a court hearing to determine the fate of his son Max.  When he arrives at the hearing he meets his ex-girlfriend’s sister Debra and her wealthy husband Marvin.  Debra wants custody of Max since she doesn’t think very highly of Charlie and Marvin is intent on making his wife happy but at the same time doesn’t want Max to accompany them on their second honeymoon.  When he tries to talk to Charlie about making a deal, Charlie tells him that he will waive his parental rights for $100,000 and offers to take Max off their hands so Marvin can get his second honeymoon kid free.  Marvin agrees and pays Charlie half up front which Max witnesses and grows angry about.

Charlie never really had any intention on taking care of Max for the duration as he was counting on his ex Bailey (who inherited the gym that Charlie grew up in) to watch Max for him.  All Charlie wants to do is buy a new robot so he can try to win some money quickly to pay off the loan sharks before it gets even more serious than it already is.   Bailey is just as disappointed as every one else is of Charlie but she becomes friends with Max.  With his new-found money, Charlie is able to buy a once famous robot named Noisy Boy that he takes to an illegal robot fight club to fight the current champ known as Midas.  Thanks to Charlie’s inexperience with the robot’s control scheme and his overconfidence, Noisy Boy loses and is completely destroyed by Midas along with Charlie’s dreams of paying off his debts.

Left with little choice but to break into a junkyard to salvage parts to build a new robot, Charlie and Max surreptitiously steal parts until Max accidentally falls down a slippery slope only to be caught from going over a chasm by a half buried robot’s arm.  Max demands that they take the robot with them but Charlie makes him do all of the work.  After returning to the gym, they discover that the robot, named Adam, is an obsolete Generation-2 sparring bot that was designed to take a lot of punishment.  Atom also has another feature that sets him apart from other robots – he can shadow movements and remember the sequences and use them in fights later.  Max convinces Charlie to let Atom fight in an underground fight and amazingly enough, Atom wins the fight and Charlie recoups some of his money.

Mazx turns out to be a little mechanical genius and he upgrades Atom to accept vocal commands, the two start to train Atom in their respective ways.  Charlie drills in some boxing routines while Max teaches the robot how to dance with him which raises their popularity with audiences.  Before long, they are offered the chance to an official sanctioned fight with the WRB against a robot named Twin Cities.  Atom wins again thanks to Charlie’s boxing advice and Max takes the opportunity to challenge the world champion Zeus which is owned by Farra Lemkova who had tried to buy Atom before the match before being rebuffed by Max.  The Kentons’ good fortune is short-lived since Ricky and his men ambush them and beat Charlie up and steal their winnings.  Finally realizing how much danger he’s putting Max in, Charlie takes Max back to Debra and Marvin and leaves him behind along with the other half of the money that he no longer wants.

The rest of the movie is completely formulaic but at the same time it still works thanks in large part to Hugh Jackman’s performance.  Not many actors could still engender goodwill after selling their son for $100,000, enlists a child to steal parts, and takes him to underground fights, but somehow Jackman pulls it off effortlessly.  Charlie Kenton may be a scumbag overall, but underneath all of his selfish actions there is still a good man within.  The appearance of Max is the catalyst that saves Charlie’s soul and he starts to realize how low he’s allowed himself to sink and his mistreatment of those that cared about him.  Of course, he’s going to go back for his son and obviously he’s going to try to redeem himself, but despite being able to recognize every emotional signpost along this well-traveled road, it still worked for me.

Seeing Charlie reconnect with Bailey and even more importantly Max and then witnessing their mistrust and antagonism give way to love for each other was touching.  Especially when the unlikely duo take on the massive Zeus at the end of the movie in a fight that for all intents and purposes, should be a suicide mission.   The robot fights are all impressive (Sugar Ray Leonard was an adviser) but it’s the final fight that is the most emotionally involving, especially when for the final round, Charlie employs the shadow-boxing mode and essentially fights the last round himself.  Being able to see his father boxing in all his glory the way he used to, makes Max incredibly proud and we see the full redemption of Charlie as he we see him at his best once again.

Video  

Disney triumphs again with an impeccable 1080p (2.35:1) transfer that is simply amazing to see.  The clarity and detail on display is very impressive and I especially liked seeing all of the many details on each robot along with the realistic sheen on their frames.  This transfer is beautiful to see as it shows off every strand of hair, every spot of rust, and every piece of textured clothing in a pristine fashion.  Colors are vibrant and plentiful and black levels are suitably inky and dark.  Flesh tones are natural and realistic and the robots’ metallic gleam shimmers in fine detail.

Audio  

Real Steel‘s DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless mix is just as impressive as the high definition transfer!  I really liked how the film felt real no matter what scene was on the screen.  Whether it was at a local rodeo or in a gym, an underground robot fight club with raucous beats, or an over-sized arena filled with thousands of fans, this mix captured the atmosphere and replicated it so well that you might as well have been there.  Directionality is also handled extremely well with all of the channels joining in on the action and following the action accurately.  Hearing the metal grinding punishment of robot on robot fighting was awesome to listen to and my inner child rejoiced at the robotic destruction.  Dialogue is crystal clear and understandable throughout the movie even during fight scenes or when there’s music playing.  Fans of the movie will be very happy with this 7.1 mix!

Special Features  

These are pretty good special features but I don’t understand why the audio commentary with Director Shawn Levy isn’t included on the Blu-ray but shows up on the DVD instead.  If you ask me that’s crazy.

• Real Steel Second Screen: Ringside with Director Shawn Levy - This features is supposed to help you “interact with the movie on your iPad or computer while you watch the movie on your Blu-ray player,” but I didn’t get a chance to try it as it wasn’t ready for me to check out.
• Countdown to the Fight: The Charlie Kenton Story – Some footage filmed in a mockumentary style with footage from the movie’s cast talking in character about themselves and the upcoming fight between Atom and Zeus.
• Making of Metal Valley – This is an almost fifteen minute look behind the scenes of the filming of the scrapyard scene where Charlie and Max eventually find Atom.  I wish more of the movie was covered like this and filmed.
• Building the Bots – A look at the building of the robots both practically and through CGI.  This was really interesting and I wish it had been longer because fighting robots are cool.
• Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ - Boxing Hall of Fame star Sugar Ray Leonard served as the film’s adviser in both the fight sequences and he also helped train Hugh Jackman so he would look like a real fighter.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes – A look at some footage that was cut including: “Extended Meet Ambush” and “Deleted Butterfly Storyline”.
• Bloopers
• DVD Copy (includes the commentary track that should be on the Blu-ray).
• Digital Copy

Final Thoughts  

Maybe I’m a sucker for these kind of movies because of my own wonderful son and because I love comeback movies, but I really enjoyed Real Steel even if it was predictable.  The animatronics by Legacy Effects are amazing, the special effects from ILM are up to their usual impeccable standard, and the cast is also excellent especially the multi-talented Hugh Jackman who makes every movie he’s in better than it should be.

Order your copy today!

John Ottway:  Once more into the fray.  Into the last good fight I’ll ever know…

The Grey takes place in Alaska, amidst the company of an oil drilling team at a refinery.  Liam Neeson stars as John Ottway, a sharpshooter who has been hired by the refinery to keep bears, canines and other wild beasts from attacking the workers during their shifts.  Ottway seems distraught about his life, but the film quickly gets to the fateful plane trip, which ends in a terrifyingly tragic way, as it crash lands in the middle of the snowy Alaskan wilderness.  A handful of survivors, including Ottway, make it through the crash, but are now forced to contend with the environment.

Despite the initial survival, it is made clear that these men will die if they do not stick together, stay warm, and find what they can to live off of for the time being.  Making matters much worse is the arrival of a pack of vicious wolves.  With Ottway surmising that wolves will continue to attack, because the men are in their territory, the group eventually works to trek away from the wolves with hopes of making their way towards shelter or possible rescue.  Ottway’s survival knowledge may be able to get the men moving forward, but it will take a lot to keep them surviving through all the elements, with these deadly wolves lurking close behind.

The Grey is much more in line with the tone of Narc, the breakout film (2^nd overall feature) from writer/director Joe Carnahan, than his follow ups (Smokin’ Aces and The A-Team).  The film is very much rooted in the realm of survival in harsh environments, under harsh circumstances and features a lot of testosterone at play, with men fighting against wolves and each other at times; but it also serves as a quiet drama.  Neeson is setup as a conflicted character (to say the least) with a lot on his mind before given the ultimate challenge of trying to keep himself and others safe in a battle for survival.  Room is provided for the other characters, later on the film, to dig into their handle on the situation and their lives as well (though, in a lesser detailed sense).  It is the way the film balances the action and drama that made The Grey so compelling to me.

There are certainly two misconceptions about the film that will not work in its favor.  One revolves around its early-in-the-year release date.  This is a near-negligible element, but the fact is that The Grey exists in a weird sort of limbo that doesn’t fit the mold of a summer release and has been shuffled around due more to production delays than anything.  It is unfortunate, given that Neeson is award-worthy in this role (more on that soon).  The other misconception is how I feel The Grey’s marketing may be promising too much for people, given its focus on one iconic moment.  All I can say is that The Grey is intense, but it is quieter than one might expect.

Now, as it is Neeson who commands most desires in seeing this film, he is simply fantastic in this role.  The film has a very minimalist approach to its plotting and setup, and within that is Neeson who is allowed to maintain his natural accent and delve into an emotional area that would almost seem to close to home.  With that said, Liam Neeson truly puts his all into this performance that manages to combine the elements that have made him into the recent, well-loved action hero-type, as well as what has previously afforded him high regard as a strong screen actor.  As various layers about who Ottway is are revealed throughout the film and as he is forced to contend with the deadliness of his situation, Neeson’s skills as an actor turn this into a performance that I would easily rank as one of his best.

There is something to be said about the rest of the cast as well.  Though only two or three characters are fleshed out more significantly than the others, I still got into the de facto bond that was created between them, as they struggled to survive.  Actors like Dermot Mulroney and especially Frank Grillo got the chance to make a bit more of an impression, with the latter being the one to question Ottway’s role as the leader, but even in the midst of heavy testosterone and group face-offs against wolves, there was room for pathos in this film.  The level of tension involved in watching this group try to keep each other alive becomes crucial and also serves as a way or portraying some of the most affecting scenes.

From a production standpoint, there is some great filmmaking at work in terms of keeping the film tense and convincing me that these men are trapped in an impossible situation.  The chilly and somewhat grainy cinematography by Masanobu Takayanagi is very effective throughout, and this atmosphere is appropriately aided by the score by Marc Steinfeld that is both harrowing and poignant at times.  A lot rides on the look of the wolves as well and whether or not they are convincing, but thanks to a number of cinematic tricks involving practical effects, CGI, and real wolves, I can safely say that their presence was felt in this film.

I was really into The Grey.  Even with a marketing choice that was intent on setting up a certain kind of film, the film that this turned out to really be was one that I found to be quite gripping, very well made, satisfying on a number of levels, and especially well performed by Liam Neeson in the lead role.  If it is going to come down to intensity vs. credibility in what these men face, I believe the film did enough for me to have me much more concerned with how everything was going to play out.  This was an effective survival horror that kept me tense and worried, even with Neeson their trying to keep others from being taken…by wolves.

John Ottway:  …Live and die on this day.  Live and die on this day.

Note:  Stay until after the credits.

Kevin:  Just because you’re used to something doesn’t mean you have to like it.  You’re use to me.

While the film manages to clue you into what is going on, I will tread lightly on what the basics of the plot are.  Tilda Swinton stars as Eva, the mother of Kevin (played as a teen by Ezra Miller).  Eva is currently living on her own, in a small, run-down house, and working a meaningless job near the prison where her son is now located.  The film flashes back and forth between two timelines. One is this present time where we see Eva visit her son and attempt to continue living her life, despite those familiar with who she greeting her with utter disdain.  The other is more or less a depiction of various memories Eva has of Kevin, as he was growing up.

Nothing suggests that Kevin was ever a regular child and all of his actions seem to revolve around making Eva miserable.  As a baby, he would never stop screaming while in her care.  Getting older, he refused to speak, let alone become potty-trained, for quite some time.  As he grew even older, everything about his attitude towards his mother seemed to suggest something more nefarious than just simple, possibly meaningless, foreboding glances.  Of course, only Eva was witness to these actions, while her husband, Franklin (John C. Reilly) and younger daughter Celia seemed to think the world of Kevin.  Given that we are aware that Kevin is in prison early on, something sinister is definitely lurking underneath.

Part of what always gets to me about creepy kid-type movies is the way that only one character is clued into the strange and foreboding situations that are afoot, while everyone else writes off the signs (which is especially tough to take when the kid seems so obviously evil).  Tilda Swinton is really put to task in this film, putting up with everything her insufferable child makes her go through, let alone the mental state we are all witness to, following the events that lead her to her current situation.  It is because of this that I must praise the work done by Swinton and Ezra Miller as Kevin (to an extent), because such a strong reaction was brought out of me while watching this film.  The frustration of not being able to do anything about the mental anguish that one’s own child is putting you through, especially once it is too late, is truly soul crushing and the film is very effective in that manner.

Eva: Why would you have something like that?
Kevin: I collect them.
Eva: Doesn’t it a weird thing to collect?
Kevin: I don’t like stamps.
Eva: Then what’s the point?
Kevin: There is no point. That’s the point.

Frustration aside, my compliments for this film mainly stem from the unnerving atmosphere created by the vivid photography seen throughout, the intense close-ups of certain details, some fancy editing, and the score by Johnny Greenwood.  The fact that Swinton is not afraid at all to really portray a deeply affected character definitely helps.  Watching her stress out and deal with Kevin in various other ways is quite interesting, particularly since Kevin is at his most sincere (creepy as that may be) around his mother.  It is a unique type of relationship and chemistry that occurs on screen that creates a weird sort of unsettling balance for the film.

Issues I have with the film basically revolve around a lot of what comes with the premise.  I was incredibly depressed after having seen the film, with appreciation only coming after the fact in regards to what I can step back and admire about the film as a whole.  But while engaged with the film, it was mainly a fixation on the story rooted through so much frustration against what Kevin does.  The length/pacing of the film did not really factor in as a negative for me, but the fact that the emotional response created was rooted in anger more than anything does not make me want to automatically champion the film, regardless of how good the performances by Swinton and Miller are.

Now, keeping all of these anger-related feelings in check (and trust that I really am trying to do so, as the film’s overall rating should really not be based around how much I wanted to cuss out a child), it is still a good film as a whole.  It is well constructed in a sort of art-house psychological thriller sense and certainly features strong performances by the cast.  We Need to Talk About Kevin is just also a film that did not create the enjoyable kind of stress that one has when watching movies that try to be another iteration of The Bad Seed or The Omen (and yes, I am aware that this film is an adaptation of a book, which is constructed quite differently).  It is a domestic horror story that makes one uncomfortable, but induced lots of frustration as well.

Franklin: Hey, Kev. Listen buddy, it’s easy to misunderstand something when you hear it out of context.
Kevin: Why would I not understand the context? I am the context.

Film 

In the mid-to-late 70′s, the punk rock scenes had begun to spread out through the UK music scene and many disillusioned youth took to the streets in revolt. Anarchy reigned and so did the drug abuse. A little band known as the Sex Pistols gained some prominence in that specific scene, but it was the junkie bass player and his junkie girlfriend who would be the most talked about item during their short lives and long after both of their deaths. Their names were Sid and Nancy.

First off, Gary Oldman looks like a baby. Literally. Sid & Nancy was released in 1986, so he wasn’t even thirty years old yet. It blows my mind. Oldman is a dead ringer for the Sid, and Chloe Webb plays his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. These two would be joined at the hip until the very end. What I enjoyed most about the film is that it told Sid’s story, and whether most of it or all of it was a fabrication by the writers or whatever, it works in that it’s extremely linear, but told from just Sid and Nancy’s perspective.

One thing that needs to be mentioned before I go on is that the cinematography is amazing. Shot by the legendary Roger Deakins (just about every Coen Brothers’ film);  you’re transported to the time period and you feel like a fly on  the wall. The film is mostly shot over-the-shoulder style and with a steadicam. It’s so fluid and precise that you really feel like you’re next to these people as they go about their twisted ways. It’s a technically competent film.

Now here’s where I may contradict myself. I like punk music, but don’t really care for the lifestyle. I understand the concept of what the punk scene was trying to prove in terms of rebellion and standing up to authority, etc. In Sid & Nancy, there really is no message behind the movement or the lifestyle. The film focuses purely on Sid and Nancy, their co-dependency and hardcore drug habits. They were very much in love and they were very much screwed up. Sid was a bit of a moron and couldn’t play bass to save his life. He was all image, but to this day is still being written about in music magazines. Nancy Spungen came from a well-to-do family, but decided to jump ship and huff it over to the UK to live the adventure. What that particular adventure was is never clearly focused on. I think the drugs got in the way.

I noticed Johnny Rotten in there as well, but the way the film is written, it’s not about Johnny or the rest of the boys in the band. It’s clearly a Sid only film. Even Johnny Rotten couldn’t stand Sid’s drug habit which is touched upon early on in the picture.  What is emphasized is that Sid and Nancy were made for each other. Junkie love. It’s sad, but that’s how it is. Sid & Nancy has very cool, and sometimes surreal imagery, including one scene where the couple share an embrace in an alley and it starts to rain garbage on them. It’s a jarring little scene, but makes a brilliant romantic point.

Sid & Nancy can be considered one of the most unconventional love stories of all time, but be warned, it is not for the faint of heart. The drugs.

Video 

Sid & Nancy is presented in 1080p – 1.85:1 widescreen. As soon as the opening frames of the film were projected I was blown away on how clean the print looked. Shot on a low budget and being more than twenty five years old, this new high definition print is certainly nothing to scoff at. Grain levels are remarkable, as are sharpness levels, contrast, and colors. Where it does stray a bit in consistency is with the softness levels – those to do fluctuate a bit, but it isn’t bothersome. The punk scene was an ugly one, but this Blu-ray is far from it.

Audio 

Sid & Nancy is presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1. The film’s soundtrack is one of the main stars since it’s composed by the late great Joe Strummer of The Clash along with Pray For Rain, and The Pogues. When the music starts rocking it really rocks! It rocks the front sound stage as opposed to engulfing the rest of the listening area. It’s a nice touch, because the Sex Pistols played crappy clubs for the most part, and you feel like you’re really in the pit. Once outside walking the gloomy streets of the UK, the ambient sounds come at you in a very realistic fashion. You can hear police sirens in the distance, etc. Dialogue is crystal clear, so the cockney accents shouldn’t be hard to understand. Sid & Nancy is a sonic winner.  

Special Features

The bad news is that all of the special features that were on the Criterion Collection laserdisc and long out of print DVD are not included on this Blu-ray. What is included, and I will gladly trade it for the previous mentioned material, are two featurettes with people and journalists who were/are semi-familiar with the punk scene and the Sex Pistols in general. It’s fluff disguised as adulation. Both featurettes run fifteen minutes each and there’s a theatrical trailer, too.

• For The Love of Punk
  
• Junk Love
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts 

Sid & Nancy would have gotten a higher rating if the special features had been the old Criterion Collection ports. What is included is not satisfying enough, so it drops down a notch. The video and audio specs make up for the supplemental failure, though. Whether you like punk rock or not, if you’re in the mood for a shockingly real junkie love story then I highly recommend Sid & Nancy. They’re a bit of alright.

Order Sid & Nancy on Blu-ray!

Film  

The Ides of March is a movie about the modern day political age where the candidates may not live up to the packaged image they present to the public and their morals may not be as untainted as they would like us to believe. With the title of the movie referring to the March Presidential Primary that’s held in Ohio and of course referencing the elimination of Julius Ceasar by his underling, co-writer, actor, and director George Clooney sets the tone of the movie right away.  Watching the movie, it struck me that the movie seemed like an update to Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate that starred Robert Redford as the well-intentioned candidate who sacrificed his ideals to win.  For The Ides of March, it’s focused more on an adviser than the candidate, but both movies cover similar thematic territory.

George Clooney plays Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris, a Democrat who’s trying to become the President of the United States.  Morris is ably supported by a crack political team that includes the veteran Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his razor sharp protege Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling).  With Paul supplying the tactical strategies and Stephen maintaining image control, they are a tough team to beat.  That’s not to say that the other side is lacking since Morris’ Democratic opponent in the primary, Arkansas Governor Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell) has the equally good Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) as his Campaign Manager.

Both campaign managers are wooing North Carolina Democratic Senator Franklin Thompson (Jeffrey Wright) since he alone can sway his 356 pledged Democratic convention delegates to either side, which depending on which way it went, would either guarantee a complete win for Morris or a much needed boost for Pullman.  While Pullman’s campaign is willing to bribe Thompson by offering him the position of Secretary of State for his delegates, Morris refuses to do that since it would compromise his beliefs too much since he knows that Thompson hates the United Nations and wouldn’t be a good fit there.

Stephen truly believes in what Morris stands for and he’s mocked by New York Times reporter Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei) who warns him “He’s a nice guy.  He will let you down sooner or later.”  Stephen soon finds himself being propositioned by a young campaign intern named Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood) and he willingly allows himself to be seduced.  Molly isn’t the only one to try to seduce Stephen, since Duffy calls him directly to meet and once they do, he offers Stephen a job working for the Pullman campaign.  Stephen rejects the offer but doesn’t realize that he’s already walked into Duffy’s Machiavellian trap which will ensnare him later.  It won’t be too long before the Morris camp’s collective bad decisions and indiscretions not only threaten to derail the campaign but each of their jobs. Backed against the wall, every person will shed their public persona and reveal their true character which will end in a loss of idealism for some and compromised ideals for others.

After watching The Ides of March, you get the sense of George Clooney’s disappointment with politics as they are being practiced today.  He deftly gives us the surface level look at politics we are accustomed to seeing on our TV and then takes us behind the scenes of the process where we see the anything goes dirty war that we’ve always suspected but only occasionally seen.  These political operatives will do just about anything to win and he shows that even candidates with principles will throw them away if that’s what it takes to win.  It’s a cynical but sadly accurate look at our modern day politics, which continues with every election by both political parties.  Clooney does an excellent job as a director and especially as an actor whose role requires many different layers to be revealed.  He makes his character entirely believable as a candidate who in private may or may not be all that he seems, while maintaining a public profile of a charismatic politician that the media and audiences can’t resist.

The rest of the cast is also very good with Ryan Gosling showing a great deal of charm during his scenes with the equally talented Evan Rachel Wood as they flirt with each other.  Over the course of the movie, we watch Stephen’s beliefs and values slowly disappear and Gosling makes that descent apparent as Stephen retreats into himself and becomes little more than a political machine.  Both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are fantastic as they cynical political warriors who harbor no illusions on what it takes to win nor any hesitation cross any line to do so.  While this basic movie has been seen many different times in various ways, Clooney and his incredible cast make this better than it should be.  Clooney also wisely uses real talking heads from a variety of political shows that add another layer of authenticity to the movie.  The Ides of March is a slow burn movie that will depress you on the state of politics if you aren’t already.  This movie offers a clear eyed view of the entire political process and the people and candidates that wade through it and how each sells their soul in different ways in the end to achieve their goals.

Video  

The Ides of March’s 1080p (2.40:1) transfer is stunning with a cinematic and moody look that offers some impressive clarity and colors.  Fine detail is present in every shot and textures also look realistic and natural.  The film’s colors are also varied and the hues are vivid and pop off the screen.  There’s many low light scenes and Clooney uses light and darkness to emphasize the drama and it’s fortunate that the black levels are deep and solid which makes those scenes look fantastic.  Flesh tones are natural looking and consistent throughout the movie and I didn’t notice any kind of print damage or defects on this transfer at all.  Sony has delivered a superlative transfer for this movie!

Audio  

The Ides of March’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is also very good but being a dialogue driven movie, it doesn’t get the chance to really call attention to itself.  Dialogue is clear and razor sharp from the front channels while the rear channels offer atmosphere and ambiance.  This mix’s strength is achieved with it’s subtle effects that add a lot of immersion for the viewer.  Whether it’s doing a sound-check in an empty auditorium or a public debate with a crowd, it all sounds dead on accurate and makes it seem as if you are there.  This is an excellent mix that transcends the usual effort that’s done for this kind of a movie.

Special Features  

This Blu-ray offers a decent amount of extras the cover the basics of the making of the movie.  I would have liked to have had more in depth extras but I’ll take what I can get especially when they are in high definition.

• Audio Commentary - A talk with co-writer/actor/director/producer George Clooney and co-writer/producer Grant Heslov where they talk about making the film, the locations they shot in, the casting of the actors, how they converted the play “Farragut North” into the movie, and more.  The track never gets too deep or serious, but it’s a fun listen since the two men are good friends and have a good time making fun of each other and themselves.  If you are a fan of Clooney or the movie, you will most likely enjoy listening to this track.
• Developing the Campaign: The Origin of The Ides of March – A seven minute look at how the play inspired the movie and the background genesis of the movie.
• Believe: George Clooney – A short look at how the cast viewed Clooney as an actor and as a director.  Of course they praised him but it seems genuine and it’s easy to believe after seeing the movie.  We also hear from Clooney himself talk about the challenges of working on both sides of the camera and why he chose to do it anyway.
• On the Campaign: The Cast of The Ides of March – Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ryan Gosling, Max Minghella, George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, and Evan Rachel Wood discuss why they wanted to be in the movie and talk about their characters that they play.
• What Does a Political Consultant Do? – We hear from Political Consultant Stuart Stevens (who used be a consultant on Clooney’s K Street show) who talks about being a political junkie and how he can’t get enough of elections.
• Ultraviolet Copy – For the record, I hate ultraviolet copies and wish that the studios would go back to just offering an iTunes or Windows Media Player copy which are a lot easier to obtain and you don’t have to use an additional App to view them.  It’s better than nothing but I really wish every studio would stop trying to do their own thing and just use iTunes.
• BD-Live

Final Thoughts  

This movie was marketed as being a taut thriller which it really isn’t since this kind of narrative has been done many times before, but it is a smart look at politics – both in front of the camera and behind it.  The movie’s cynical and fairly bleak ending may turn off some viewers but it’s true to this day and age’s political world where ideals, people, and morals are tossed aside for any chance of victory.  The movie is well directed by Clooney and the superb cast offers some very strong performances and this Blu-ray continues that excellence with its stunning audio and video quality.

Order your copy today!

Film  

The Josephine Baker Story originated as a 1991 television broadcast that was shown on the HBO network.  The movie covers Josephine Baker’s life as a young girl until her death and the ups and downs she encountered throughout her life and career.  Born Freda Josephine McDonald, we learn of Baker’s impoverished youth and her humble beginnings growing up in St. Louis, Missouri.  Her mother worked a washerwoman and her father was a drummer who would abandon them not long after her birth.  As a young girl, Baker was full of life and loved to dance and make silly faces which later helped her find her destined career path.

Josephine Baker (Lynn Whitfield) got her start performing comical skits with troupes and later went on to become a chorus girl after learning their routines in the hopes of taking over in the event of one of the girls getting sick.  Her preparations paid off and the audience loved her comic mugging and pretend clumsiness and she became a popular draw.  Her moderate success in New York was dwarfed however when she traveled to Paris for a new show called “La Revue Nègre.”  After posing nude for a Parisian artist, Baker discovers the power of sensuality and incorporates it into a new routine in her show called the “Danse Sauvage” by appearing topless wearing only a skirt of bananas or feathers.

Her new-found blockbuster success in Paris allowed her to finally have a lot of money and we witness her many purchases that include a leopard, a mansion, nice clothes, jewelry, and more.  She meets a self styled “count” named Giuseppe Pepito Abatino (Ruben Blades) who eventually becomes her lover and manager.  While their personal relationship will sour over time due to Baker’s moodiness, paranoia, and infidelity, her professional life continues to improve as she opens a new show called “La Folie du Jour” at the Follies-Bergère Theater which is a massive hit.  Thinking that she was now ready to win over audiences in New York, Abatino convinces Baker to star in ”Ziegfeld Follies” which doesn’t bring her the success she desired.  Angry that she wasn’t received by American audiences the way she expected, she fires Abatino and cheats on him just to spite him and then returns to Paris.

When World War II breaks out, Baker volunteers to spy on the Nazis and the Italian Fascists for the French Resistance. She reports on overheard conversations and smuggles secret documents in her underwear and more.  When the Nazis invade France, Baker journeys to Morocco where she suffers from another miscarriage and ends up getting an emergency hysterectomy.  While recovering in the hospital, she meets Sidney Williams (Louis Gossett Jr.), a military man who convinces her to entertain Allied troops which she does after imploring the segregated soldiers to sit together as one group.

After facing her fears about her reception in America, we see Baker go to the famous Stork Club where the club refused to serve her, she notices that the well known columnist Walter Winchell (Craig T. Nelson) does nothing to intervene with her treatment and she begins a media war of words with Winchell.  That war is fairly one-sided since Winchell has built up a media empire that drowns her out and she decides to leave America for Paris again.  One party that appreciated her fight against the Stork Club and Winchell was The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which later named May 20 Josephine Baker Day in honor of her efforts.

Back in Paris, Baker starts adopting children left and right, irregardless of their race and calls them her “Rainbow Tribe.”  She marries her French conductor Jo Bullion (David Dukes) and eventually pushes him away too when she ignores his pleas to stop adopting children since he knows they can’t afford it.  Once again, Baker has to do everything her way and lets him leave and divorce her instead of bowing to his wishes and reality.  It’s not long before she does run out of money and we watch her send her children away to family in the country before she is forcibly thrown out of her chateau and all of her possessions are taken away to clear her debts.  Time moves forward and thanks to friends like Princess Grace (who provided Baker and her children a place to live in Monaco), Baker slowly recovers and we witness her big comeback show in Paris, the place that always supported her and she enjoys one last moment in the sun before dying days later.

This movie does a good job covering both Baker’s professional and personal life and balancing the two.  As portrayed by this movie, Baker doesn’t come off too sympathetic since she continually sabotages both her career and personal life due to her inability to listen to others or to care what their opinion is.  Even her noble fight against the racism she encountered in the Stork Club and her fight with Winchell carries with it a tinge of self-destruction. Lynn Whitfied (who won an Emmy for this role) does an excellent job portraying the mercurial Baker, especially during the later stages of her life.  She is surrounded by a group of superb character actors including Craig T. Nelson and Louis Gossett Jr. in small roles.  Director Brian Gibson (who later married Whitfield) offers a complex look at Baker that’s not afraid to show her flaws as well as her strengths.

Video  

This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer looks surprisingly good for an older television movie.  The many colors of Baker’s dresses pop off the screen and there’s a decent amount of detail present.  That’s not to say that this is a perfect transfer, since there are many soft looking shots throughout the movie.  There’s also a light layer of grain present which gives the film a more cinematic look to it but the transfer is free from major blemishes.

Audio  

The Josephine Baker Story’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is serviceable but nothing special.  This is almost an entirely front channel affair with hardly any attention paid to the rear channels.  That works fine for the dialogue which is clear and understandable, but it doesn’t do the musical numbers any justice.  There’s no major audio defects like hissing or the audio dropping out, but this could have been a lot better.

Special Features  

There’s only one extra on the disc so fans of Baker are sure to be disappointed.

• Audio Commentary – Lynn Whitfield, writer Ron Hutchinson, and associate producer Alisa Taylor share this commentary track with the bulk of the talking done by Whitfield who is very proud of the movie.  She also talks about making the movie and how the movie brought so much into her life since she won an Emmy, married the director, and had a child with him.  This is a pretty good and informative commentary and it’s too bad that the director died before adding his thoughts to this too.

Final Thoughts  

As a biopic movie, The Josephine Baker Story works very well as it covers the bulk of the star’s life and many of her travails and successes.  Lynn Whitfield throws herself into the role and convincingly lip-syncs the songs and pulls off the many dance routines.  While the Blu-ray itself could have been better, fans of the late singer/dancer will still most likely enjoy this high definition disc.

Order your copy today!

Film  

Paul McCartney was sitting in a plane as it sat on a tarmac awaiting approval to take off when he witnessed firsthand the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.  From his vantage point he could see one of the twin towers on fire and then was shocked along with the rest of the nation when he heard of the other crashes.  McCartney had been headed back to England to be present for his daughter’s birthday party, but once the attacks happened, he remained in the United States because he wanted to help in some way.  Remembering stories that his parents and grandparents told him of how music and entertainment had helped with morale in bombed out London during WWII, he thought what had worked before could work again.  As he later said, ”There was a feeling of shock and fear in the air that I thought we could help alleviate with music and the fact that so many people stepped up to join us made for a very uplifting evening for us all.”

Thus, The Concert for New York City came to life.  Fortunately, others felt as McCartney did and they were eager to join him on stage to raise funds for the families of the lost firefighters and policemen who died trying to save the victims of the burning towers.  Just to give you an idea of just a sample of who was involved in the concert, it starred McCartney, The Who, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Billy Joel, Elton John, James Taylor, Janet Jackson, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp, and Kid Rock among others.  The show also had plenty of stars and comedians too including Harrison Ford, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael J. Fox, Robert DeNiro, Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Crystal and more.

Much like he did in 1964 when he and his brother David filmed the clamor of The Beatles first visit to America, Albert Maysles along with co-director Bradley Kaplan filmed the background of the concert in a cinéma vérité style of the concert coming together.  What makes The Love We Make so interesting is watching the genesis of the concert and how McCartney deals with the tragedy and how others react to seeing him walk the streets of New York without an entourage of bodyguards.  I can honestly say that watching him do that after what happened to John Lennon (in New York) and George (in his own home), made me nervous for him, especially when a apparently crazy homeless person wouldn’t let go of him.  How he is able to keep his cool is beyond me since the loss of his partner John Lennon can’t be too far from his mind.

Maysles does a great job showing us a day in the life of Paul McCartney as he follows the star from gig to gig which ranges from appearing on the Howard Stern show, interviewing with Dan Rather, and then rehearsing for the concert with his band.  We also witness the great respect the other celebrities and musicians have for McCartney as they constantly make their way to him to pay their respects as the show goes on.  It’s still impressive that even after all of these years of success and coming from the greatest and most successful band the world has ever seen, McCartney still seems grounded and genuinely friendly to the people he meets.  It’s apparent that he isn’t untouched by his fishbowl life since a couple of times during the movie, we see him instruct his driver to try to lose the paparazzi that follows him constantly, with him even jumping out of the car to escape through the park so he can have some alone time.

McCartney’s efforts weren’t in vain as the concert was a financial and emotional success.  It was touching to see the grieving families holding up pictures of their family that was lost due to their attacks during the show.  We also witness emotional firefighters and policemen thank McCartney and the others for their efforts and join in for the final song.  The concert lasted 5 1/2 hours and it not only improved morale for New York but also much of the world and raised over $35 million for the charities.  It was a blockbuster success and as McCartney said later, “It was an honor to be able to help New York and America at that time in its history.”  Not only does this documentary capture the massive humanitarian efforts made by McCartney and the others, but it also gives the viewers a better understanding of McCartney himself who as famous as he is, has somehow remained somewhat elusive through the years.  Thanks to Maysles film, we’ve gained a little more understanding of McCartney the man but also a reminder that this is the Beatle who once sang “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”  It’s nice to see that he still believes that.

Video  

This 1080p (1.34:1) transfer is pretty impressive considering how many different sources the footage was assembled from.  The bulk of the documentary that was shot on black and white film by Albert Maysles looks sharp but it has a film-like grain that old school documentary fans will love.  There’s also some color film included during the Howard Stern segment and also during the concert itself that also looks pretty good.  The black and white film offers some very nice contrast and the detail of the picture is evident during close-ups.  The aged appearance of the black and white film may turn off some viewers, but I’m sure a lot of cinephiles will love it.

Audio  

Three audio tracks have been recorded for this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0 and English Dolby Digital 5.1 and they all sound pretty good.  This is primarily a dialogue driven documentary (until the end concert) and appropriately enough, this is a front channel heavy mix.  There isn’t much difference between the tracks but I think they could have done a better job with this mix.  It’s fine for the talking scenes as the dialogue is delivered clearly and with no distortion, but the concert with the amount of talent assembled should be presented with a better mix than this one which doesn’t deliver the goods per se.  That’s fine for the documentary part but most people are going to expect the concert part of the mix to take it up a notch  which it does not.

Special Features  

There are no special features on this disc which is too bad since that will drag down the final score.

Final Thoughts  

The Beatles are my favorite band and Paul McCartney has always been my favorite Beatle, so my liking this was never really a concern.  However, The Love We Make isn’t just about Paul McCartney and his efforts to raise money for charity, but it’s also about New York City itself and it’s resilient residents.  This is a great documentary and I highly recommend it!

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The Comedy Classic Debuts on Blu-ray^™ with UltraViolet^™ March 6^th

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL

Loaded with Over 30 Minutes of

New Blu-ray Exclusive Special Features

Second Screen Functionality and Rebate Offer for the Interactive iPad App “The Holy Book of Days,” Launching on the Apple App Store

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (January 23, 2012) – From the fertile minds of the 20th Century’s most brilliant and outrageous comedy troupe comes their most highly regarded comedy classic - Monty Python and the Holy Grail – debuting on Blu-ray^™ with UltraViolet^™ March 6^th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Their second feature film stars Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin as we follow King Arthur and his knights in their search for the Holy Grail. Encounter the Black Knight, the Killer Rabbit, The Knights Who Say ‘Ni’! and the Black Beast of Aaaargh! The Blu-ray set is brimming with coconuts, shrubberies and swallows (African or European), OOPS, we mean loads of bonus materials, including over thirty minutes of new Blu-ray exclusive special features. The Blu-ray will also feature UltraViolet! With UltraViolet, owners of the Blu-ray will be able to add Monty Python and the Holy Grail to their free Digital Rights Library, enabling them to instantly stream or download the film. This medieval madness will be available on Blu-ray for $19.99 SRP.

Also debuting on March 6 is the first Monty Python interactive iPad app.   “The Holy Book of Days” is a rich companion to the film, letting fans explore each of the 28 days of the filming of the movie through outtakes, diaries, audio recordings, scripts, and scores of stills. New illustrations, animations, and the story of the filming in the Pythons’ own words make each day of the Holy Grail come alive. The app offers a second screen experience too, letting users control and navigate the Blu-ray™ from the iPad. “The Holy Book of Days” will be available for $4.99 in the App Store. For a limited time, Sony is offering a $5 mail-in rebate when consumers purchase both the Blu-ray and iPad app.

Blu-ray Exclusive:

§  The Film re-mastered to high definition standards never before seen

§  The Holy Book of Days Second Screen Experience

§  Lost Animations with introduction by Terry Gilliam

§  Outtakes & Extended Scenes with introduction by Terry Jones

Blu-ray Features:

§  Scintillating commentaries by Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones and even more revealing commentaries by John Cleese, Eric Idle & Michael Palin

§  Quest for the Holy Grail Locations with Michael Palin & Terry Jones

§  Lego Knights: The Knights of the Round Table in Lego

§  Special Japanese Version

§  How To Use Your Coconuts (an educational film)

§  BBC Film Night on location

§  Three Songs to sing-along

§  Cast Directory Photo Gallery

Monty Python and the Holy Grail has a running time of 92 minutes and is rated PG.

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.  SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; worldwide television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

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STEVE NILES AND MENTON3 DEBUT

THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED NOSFERATU WARS

IN DARK HORSE PRESENTS!

“I haven’t been this excited about working on something in a long time. Menton3 is the perfect artist and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be doing this at Dark Horse,” Niles said. “This year I’m making a big push to become 100 percent creator owned. Nosferatu Wars will be a big part of that, I hope.”

Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith redefined the vampire genre with the groundbreaking comic series 30 Days of Night in 2002. Ten years later, Niles is poised to make history again, as he and Menton3 blow the sparkle off of the undead in Nosferatu Wars, premiering in Dark Horse Presents later this year!

Film 

Queen: Days of Our Lives is the latest and can possibly be called the definitive Queen story told from the remaining members of the band. The documentary features brand new and never-before-seen footage of the legendary band from their humble beginnings in the UK, in other bands, to the juggernaut that Queen became.

Queen is: Freddie Mercury (vocals), Brian May (Guitar), Roger Taylor (drums), and John Deacon (bass). Days of Our Lives traces the legendary band to the university where the lads were undergrad students, but all had a love of music. This love would bring them together, and the rest, as they say, is history. Days of Our Lives chronicles their journey starting around 1970. There would be trial and tribulations, and some would make it and some would not.

Queen happens to be one of my favorite bands of all time. The audio cassette of their Magic Live tour was technically my first Queen album purchase and I would not stop in collecting their entire catalog. What I really enjoyed about the Days of Our Lives Blu-ray is that it seems to be an honest retrospect by the people being interviewed. Brian May and Roger Taylor speak their minds and reminisce about the good times and bad times. Former producers, roadies, managers, journalists, etc., all tell their tales of being in the Queen machine.

It does get a bit on the extremely sad side towards the end when the documentary focuses on Freddie’s fight with AIDS, but it’s done with class and tactfulness. Queen: Days of Our Lives runs about 2 hours and the documentary is split into two parts, but you have the option of viewing it all the way through. The special features themselves run an extra two hours.

I do wish that the documentary ran a bit longer than two hours, because there’s so much more to tell, but the way it it’s presented seals the deal for me as a fan. I’m sure it will seal the deal for even the most devoted of fans.

Video 

Queen: Days of Our Lives is presented in 1080i – 16X9. This one is a curious presentation, because it is presented in HD (AVC), but I would say that 80% of the material is sourced from archived material. The other 20% of the material is newer and contemporary and it looks great. Flesh tones look nice and natural, but do blush on occasion in the cold London air.  I would say that the archived material has never looked better in high definition, though. It’s legit.

Audio 

Queen: Days of Our Lives is presented in LPCM 2.0 at 1.5 mbps. This is where it the sound drops the ball slightly. I would have preferred a full lossless 5.1 soundtrack, but then I have to remember that this isn’t a concert presentation, it’s still a documentary, so I understand. As a documentary, the 2.0 track is more than adequate. I’m sure all future Queen concert releases will be released in full lossless.  *crosses fingers*

Special Features 

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you – it’s a perfect five star for the special features. The gist of the special features contents are as follows: 7 brand new videos, 12 additional sequences, and 10 unseen interviews. Sure, on the surface they might seem superficial, but this is all quality stuff.

Additional Videos

Seven Seas of Rhye

Killer Queen

Somebody To Love

We Are The Champions

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Under Pressure

Radio Ga Ga

Additional Sequences

Queen: The Beginning

Queen On Tour 1974-5

Bohemian Rhapsody

Working Together

Leaving John Reid 1978

Don’t Stop Me Now

Flash Gordon

Making Video

Scrabble Wars

From Magic To The Miracle 1986-89

Going Slightly Mad: Making Innuendo 1990-91

Made In Heaven – 1995

Bonus Interviews

Return To Imperial College

Brian’s Health Scare 1974

Manager Jim Beach Meets The Band 1975

B-Sides

Freddies’s Outfits

Another One Bites The Dust

Song Writing Balance Changes 1980′s

Freddie Legless!

Highlander

The Show Must Go On

Final Thoughts 

Queen: Days of Our Lives is a great documentary that sheds light on one of the most legendary and popular bands of all time.The Blu-ray has adequate specs, but the special features make it a force to be reckoned with. Content and special features combined, Days of Our Lives clocks in at a whopping 221 minutes, so that unto itself is a major feat. I hope that Eagle Rock Entertainment, or whoever, releases more of their concerts and their videos on the Blu-ray format sooner than later.

Order Queen: Days of Our Lives on Blu-ray!

Film  

Boardwalk Empire is an HBO drama that takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey during the prohibition period.  The show centers around Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi).  Nucky is described as being as corrupt as the day is long.  Nucky crosses paths with real life mobsters from New York City and Chicago including Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza) and Al Capone (Stephen Graham).  Nucky is a public servant on the surface but is involved in bootlegging and other illegal activities that keep him living a luxurious lifestyle.  Nucky’s brother Eli (Shea Wigham) wears a uniform, but also serves Nucky’s interests.  Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) is a veteran who returns to work for Nucky but quickly gets in trouble.

Boardwalk Empire Season One contains the following episodes:

1.  Boardwalk Empire – Prohibition begins and Nucky immediately aligns himself to profit, and strikes deals with Arnold Rothstein and Lucky Luciano.  Nucky is approached by Margaret Schroeder seeking a job for her abusive husband.  Jimmy Darmody returns from the War with big ambitions.

2.  The Ivory Tower – Jimmy’s crime has been pinned on Margaret Schroeder’s now deceased husband, but agent Van Alden continues to investigate.  Jimmy uses the money from his botched robbery to buy gifts for his mother and fiancée and Margaret is questioned by agent Van Alden after being coached by Nucky’s brother, Elias.

3.  Broadway Limited – Nucky makes a bootlegging deal with Chalky White.  Nucky arranges for a boutique job for Margaret after she returns the envelope of cash he gave her, rejecting charity.  Agent Van Alden learns that Jimmy was involved in the murders he’s been investigating and as a result Nucky orders Jimmy out of town.

4.  Anastasia – Nucky prepares for his “surprise” birthday party but is pleasantly surprised to see Margaret Schroeder, who is there to deliver a dress to Nucky’s girlfriend, Lucy.  As always, Nucky uses every opportunity to advance his political goals.  Jimmy and Capone start taking over territories and there is collateral damage.

5.  Nights in Ballygran – Eli is getting increasingly argumentative with Nucky.  Gillian suggests that she should take over caring for Jimmy’s son. Margaret returns to the Women’s Temperance League meetings and naively seeks Nucky’s help to stop a bootlegging operation near her home.  When Nucky doesn’t help, Margaret turns to Agent Van Alden who in turn disrupts the Celtic St. Patrick’s Day dinner with Nucky’s family in attendance.

6.  Family Limitation – One of Nucky’s men is robbed on the boardwalk and Nucky confronts Lucky.  Meanwhile, Margaret’s new relationship with Nucky allows her the freedom to quit her job and move to a nicer home.

7.  Home – Nucky and Eli’s father falls and they decide it’s time to sell his home.  Jimmy meets a fellow wounded soldier who helps him get revenge for what was done to Pearl.  Luciano and Rothstein’s protégé cut a deal with the D’Alessio Brothers.  Both Lucy and the Commodore want attention from Nucky.

8.  Hold Me in Paradise – Nucky visits Chicago for the Republican National Convention and the D’Alessio Brothers move in on Nucky’s territory back in Atlantic City.

9.  Belle Femme – Jimmy returns to deal with the D’Alessio brothers and is arrested by Agent Van Alden.  Margaret helps Madame Jeunet and Nucky prepares for war.

10. The Emerald City – Nucky asks for Margaret’s support of a candidate.  Doyle re-aligns himself with Nucky.  Angela’s photographer friend brings out Jimmy’s violent side.  Van Alden’s emotions are a continuous problem.

11.  Paris Green – Nucky sees dramatic shake ups in his political and personal lives.  Jimmy meets with his dying father for the first time in years.  Agents Van Alden and Sebo have confrontations.

12. A Return to Normalcy – As Election Day approaches, Nucky hopes to keep the Republicans in power.  Torrio brokers a deal between Rothstein and Nucky that will affect everyone.  The future is uncertain for many.

My good friend Jamie not only shares my name, but also my opinion on almost every television show that I love.  When Jamie says watch this show, you’re going to love it, I listen.  Jamie religiously watches Boardwalk Empire and predicted that I would love it too.  Happily, her track record is still solid since I loved the show as she thought I would.  I was a little worried that it would be awkward if I didn’t like it after hearing all of her rave reviews about it, but fortunately we are on the same page on this show.

HBO sure knows how to put together a season set, and for that matter a TV show.  Boardwalk Empire looks amazing, and sounds just as good.  They did a spectacular job  recreating the period the show is set in which has to be a major effort to pull off.  Steve Buscemi leads the cast with his masterful performance but the rest of the cast are uniformly excellent in their roles, with one exception.  My one and only complaint is the actress, Paz de la Huerta that played Nucky’s girlfriend Lucy Danzinger.  She bothered me every moment she was on screen.  I realize that the viewer isn’t supposed to fall in love with Lucy but I don’t think that she was supposed to make your skin crawl either. However, that’s just a tiny little quibble in an otherwise excellent show.  This show is so good, that if I had the time, I would watch all twelve episodes back to back all over again.  It’s a very addictive show.

Video  

From the second the opening credits begin, I find myself thinking this show looks good.  I don’t have HBO, so I can’t compare it to what it would look like if I watched it on cable.  The 1080p High Definition 16:9 (1.78:1) presentation is impressive in many ways.  The set designers obviously put a lot of effort into creating immense detail, and the color tones make it easy for the viewer to imagine they are right in the middle of 1920s Atlantic City.  I noticed more detail like specs of dirt on foreheads and wrinkles on faces than I can remember in any other Blu-ray.  Although it’s in color, it almost feels like it’s a sepia tone, and you could pause many scenes and have yourself a painting from the 20s.

Audio  

The visual appeal of Boardwalk Empire is matched by the period soundtrack.  The DTS-HD Master Audio mix is a compliment to the stunning visual and helps create an amazing atmosphere.  The dialogue is clear and at a consistent level throughout.  Whether it’s Margaret’s breathy Irish voice or a gang of screaming mobsters there was never an issue.  Gunfire and simple phone’s ringing had me looking over my shoulder as to the direction it came from.  This is a reference quality mix!

Special Features  

HBO has put as much time and effort into the special features as the show itself.  The features are excellent in quantity and quality and I’m not even going to complain, as I usually do, about the lack of a gag reel.  I thoroughly enjoyed each feature.

• Enhanced Viewing Mode – Each episode features a Picture-in-Picture Enhanced Viewing Experience with cast and crew interviews, commentary, production details and more.  The Enhanced viewing mode offers a lot of significant and interesting information. I suggest watching, as I did once in normal viewing mode and then a second time with Enhanced Viewing Mode turned on.  I wouldn’t recommend Enhanced Viewing Mode for your first viewing of the episode as it would be too distracting from the episode.
• Character Dossier – Character Dossier for a significant number of characters includes a biography, photo gallery and relationships.  It takes a while to go through it all, but it’s a very helpful tool if you forget who someone is or where they fit in the grand scheme of Nucky’s world.
• Audio Commentaries - Six audio commentaries with principal actors and filmmakers.  Surprisingly, Scorsese was not on the commentary for the first episode, which he directed.
• Making Boardwalk Empire – A behind the scenes making of featurette.  Features interviews with the cast and crew. Even with twelve PiP tracks in tow, the series’ first-season release still boasts a twenty-minute behind-the-scenes documentary. It may not be nearly as extensive, but it will make for a terrific bite-sized overview for those of you who don’t have the time to tackle the Enhanced Viewing Mode content and audio commentaries.
• Creating the Boardwalk – The shortest of the features, a five minute look at the process behind creating the boardwalk of the 20s.
• Atlantic City: The Original Sin City – A 30 minute documentary about the culture of Atlantic City in the 1920′s.
• Speakeasy Tour – An insider’s look at famed prohibition speakeasies in New York and Chicago.

Final Thoughts  

As usual, HBO has outdone themselves not only on the show itself, but also this Blu-ray season set.  Between the great performances, the sets and costumes, the scripts, and this Blu-ray itself, it’s easy to recommend this with no reservations!  If you’ve been thinking about checking out this show then let me assure you that this is a worthy investment for your time and money!  I’m ready for season two!

Order your copy today!

Film  

Thurgood originally started out as a play starring James Earl Jones at the Westport Country Playhouse and then later on Broadway in April 2008, with Laurence Fishburne performing the lead role at the Booth Theater.  Fishburne’s stellar performance earned him a Tony nomination for the role.  The play was written by Peabody and Emmy award winner George Stevens, Jr., who made his playwriting debut with Thurgood.  The play was directed and produced by Emmy winner Michael Stevens.  When the play was performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, it was filmed by HBO to be shown on their network and resulted in this Blu-ray.

Video  

This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer is the best looking play captured for film that I’ve seen.  It was recorded in high definition and combined with the excellent lighting and razor sharp images, this is a very impressive transfer.  Colors are well defined as are textures.  Detail is also excellent and you can see each individual hair in Fishburne’s mustache.  Black levels are also deep and there’s really no blemishes to report.  The picture quality is extremely impressive considering that it was captured live and in a theater.

Audio  

Another tricky prospect of recording a live play is capturing and balancing the sound.  The actor’s voice must be clear and understandable while the crowd needs to have a presence but not overwhelm the action on the stage.  I’m happy to report that Thurgood’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix performs those tasks admirably.  It’s no surprise that this is a mostly front channel affair since it’s dialogue driven, but the rear channels provide a sense of the audience and atmosphere that makes it feel like you are there.  The sound effects that are used to transition the scenes and stories also sound good and occasionally offer some directionality as well.  Rob Mathes intro and exit music also sounds good and is well balanced with the rest of the show.

Special Features  

Sadly, there are no extras on this disc which seems like a lost opportunity since the play does such a good job in building interest in Thurgood Marshall’s life that you’d think they would offer some extra historical information at least.  I’ve read that this disc was intended to be sent out to schools which makes the lack of extras even more unfortunate.  Extras  could have provided some additional looks into Thurgood’s struggles with racism and segregation and would have provided more learning opportunities.  It’s a real shame.

Final Thoughts  

I requested this movie based on the positive reports that I had heard about the play and I’m glad I did.  This one man show with it’s first person story-telling technique works perfectly for this man and his history.  Fishburne well deserved those Emmy and Tony nominations and he is ably supported by a wonderful script by Stevens.  The icing on the cake is this fantastic presentation on Blu-ray that makes you feel as if you are in the audience.  It’s a shame that the lack of special features brought down my final score.  Despite that, I highly recommend this film!

Order your copy today!

Film  

The film opens in 1965 with Airman Adrian Cranauer (Robin Williams) arrives in Saigon to work as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio.  He’s met by his new assistant Private Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker) to meet his new superiors including Lt. Steven Hauk (Bruno Kirby) and Sergeant Major Dickerson (J.T. Walsh).  It isn’t long before they let Adrian know how unhappy they are with his behavior on the air.  They resent his irreverent comedy and his choice of rock and roll music for the troops which goes against their wishes.  The only thing that keeps Adrian on the air is the fact that his show is enjoyed by Brigadier General Taylor (Noble Willingham) who has final say.

Adrian quickly notices the pretty Vietnamese girls around and follows one of them to an English class where she along with some others are learning English from one of the American officer.  After bribing the teacher to allow him to take over the class, Adrian puts his plan into action to learn as much as he can about the girl.  He learns that her name is Trinh (Chintara Sukapatana) and that she has a brother named Tuan (Tung Thanh Tran).  Instead of teaching them the normal English curriculum, Adrian starts to teach the class American slang to much humorous effect.  After being warned by Tuan to stay away from his sister, Adrian tries to befriend Tuan by taking him to Jimmy Wah’s, a local bar that’s frequented by the American soldiers.  When two soldiers try to kick Tuan out of the bar, a bar-fight starts which gets Adrian in even more hot water with Dickerson.

Adrian’s show continues as does his teaching and things are going well overall and even Tuan finally agrees to set up a date for Adrian with his sister that includes the whole family.  The friendship between Tuan and Adrian has grown over time and Adrian finally starts to get to know Trinh who remains somewhat remote.  Between his unrequited attraction to Trinh and the stress of dealing with his superiors, Adrian goes for a drink in Jimmy Wah’s but is urgently enticed outside by Tuan who tells him that his sister wants to see him.  Moments later, the bar explodes from what is later determined to be from a bomb that was planted within it.

Shaken and shocked at the devastation the bomb caused, Adrian runs back to the radio station to report on it, only to be told that he can’t report it since the whole incident has been censored.  Infuriated, Adrian locks himself in the studio and reports the bombing until Dickerson cuts off the broadcast and suspends him.  Hauk, who always thought himself to be funnier than everyone else around him (including Adrian), takes over the show but his lame attempts at comedy and his choice of polka music drive the listening soldiers crazy.  Soon, a ton of letters from servicemen arrive demanding that Hauk be removed from the air and for Adrian to be re-instated.  General Taylor (who always liked the show) orders that Adrian be put back on the air much to Dickerson and Hauk’s anger.

When Garlick finds a despondent Adrian in a bar drinking, he tells him the good news only to find that Adrian doesn’t want to return to do the show.  He’s had enough of being censored and always having to worry about Dickerson and Hauk.  Garlick reminds him how much the servicement fought for him to return to his job, but it’s only during a traffic jam that Adrian starts to understand how much he means to the GIs once they discover who he is.  Adrian does an impromptu live show for the men before they are sent off to fight and is touched by how much laughter seems to help them on their way.  Knowing that many of those men won’t return, Adrian is re-energized and returns to the air to do what he does best – making people laugh and forget their troubles for awhile.

Soon, Adrian will learn that in wartime, everyone has their own agenda and that danger lurks around every corner, even in forms that one may not expect.  Friends may not be all they seem and enemies may be more ruthless than anticipated.  We see just how far Dickerson is willing to go to remove Adrian from the air and also learn the truth about others as well.  By the end of the movie, Adrian is more than happy to leave Saigon and its surreal and frightening atmosphere.  The war continues along without Adrian, but he knows he did his best to make things better for the men while he was there.

Good Morning Vietnam is a perfect showcase for Robin Williams’ talents.  As a world famous comedian, it allowed him to do the improvisations that he’s famous for, but it also gave him a chance to show his dramatic range as well. Unlike a completely dramatic movie like Good Will Hunting, (that he won an Oscar for) this movie was a perfect blend of comedy and drama.  Williams is surrounded by some of the best character actors in this which only makes the movie even better.  When you’ve got Forest Whitaker, J.T. Walsh, and Bruno Kirby in supporting roles, that’s a powerhouse group that raises the quality to a new level.  I especially like Walsh’s vindictive Dickerson and Kirby’s clueless Hauk who were on a completely different but entirely realistic wavelength than Adrian.  The last half of the movie comes as something of a shock where the tone of the movie shifts into a darker place when we learn how far some people will go to achieve their goals.  This is one of Robin Williams best roles (if not the best) and his best collaboration with director Barry Levinson.

Video  

This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer isn’t perfect but it’s a lot better than the previous DVD release.  DNR has obviously been used but not entirely abused with closeups looking pretty good and not overly waxy.  Colors fare better and the lush green jungle looks especially good when Adrian is sent outside of the studio.  Black levels are decent but not as deeply solid as I would have preferred.  I think most people will be happy with this picture quality as it is an improvement over the earlier releases but it could have been better.

Audio  

Good Morning Vietnam’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is also decent but nothing special.  This is a front heavy mix that almost entirely uses the front channels with only a token effort to use the rear channels.  During scenes in the bustling city of Saigon, there’s some atmosphere captured along with some directionality, but not as good as it could have been.  The only aspect of this mix that comes off well is the fantastic songs from artists like The Beach Boys and James Brown that are peppered throughout the movie.  When the songs are on the mix comes to life and they sound great and I wish the rest of the mix matched that presentation.  The mix is acceptable but should have been a lot better especially since Disney usually provides incredible sound on their discs.

Special Features   

There’s not a lot here but what is here is pretty good.  The production diary is the highlight of the extras with a comprehensive look at the production of the movie and it’s path to the big screen.

• Production Diary - This is a fairly extensive look behind the scenes of the movie, with a running time of 35 minutes that covers just about every aspect of the making of the movie.  We primarily hear from director Barry Levinson, producer Larry Brezner, the real Adrian Cronauer), and a lot from screenwriter Mitch Markowitz. There’s also some interviews with some of the cast and crew who talk about making the movie.  This diary is broken into the following segments including: “How the Movie Came to Be,” “Actor Improv,” “Music of the Movie,” “Origin of the Good Morning Vietnam Sign-On,” “Shooting in Thailand” and “Overview of the Film a Year Later.”  This is a great behind the scenes look at the movie and it was interesting to learn how the movie and what really happened were different.
• Raw Monologue – A thirteen minute look at one of Robin Williams uncut monologues where he improvised his radio address and tried different approaches.  As a fan of Williams, I liked this look at his process where we see him trying out jokes and impressions and seeing what worked and what didn’t and refining it.
• Teaser  Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts  

This is a fun movie and it’s one that Robin Williams fans will enjoy but I wish Disney had put out a better Blu-ray and had spent time restoring the video and remastering the audio.  The extras are pretty good but it would have been nice to have a commentary with the cast and director and it seems like a no-brainer to offer a Williams commentary which would have been hilarious.  Despite its limitations, I still recommend this disc since this is still the best way to see and hear the movie at this time, at least until the next big anniversary edition is released.

Order your copy today!

Red Tails

Lightning:  How do you like that Mr. Hitler!

The film follows the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American servicemen during World War II.  Rather than depict any sort of training or build up to who these men were or where they came from (you know, character development), we arrive right in the midst of things, with a particular crew growing tired of going on boring flight missions in broke-down, second-hand planes, and seeing no action.  Two key characters to stay focused on – Martin “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), the squad leader, and Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo), the hotshot fighter pilot.  As these two squabble over following their mission parameters vs. actually taking on the enemy, work is done back at base by Col. A.J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) to ensure a chance for the Tuskegee Airmen to finally be able to prove themselves and not be written off as a failed experiment.

A chance is finally given, with the Airmen proving themselves to be quite capable in the air, leading to more missions.  Easy continues to lead, despite making some questionable choices, while Lightning continues to go along for the fight, while also taking some action on by himself and getting the glory.  All of this occurs while a pipe-chomping Major Emanuel Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.) cheers his men on from their base back in Italy.  As more war drama unfolds, both in the form of the Germans shooting down fighters and in terms of (very) mild racism, it will be up to the work of some underdogs to make some kind of a difference in the skies.

This film has been in development for quite some time.  It has been a passion project from executive producer George Lucas (who actually handled the directing duties on reshoots), as he has been wanting to make a film about the Tuskegee Airmen since the 80s.  Unfortunately, long production process and good intentions aside, the story told in this film is a mess.  The prospects of this film maybe achieving a possible victory or mild recommendation pretty much flew out the window in the opening minutes of this film, once a character started to speak.  It really is the dialogue that killed a lot of this movie for me.  But the film has plenty of other misgivings as well.

Strangely not working to the film’s benefit, Red Tails was scripted by John Ridley (Three Kings) and, curiously, Aaron McGruder.  McGruder is a cartoonist best known for creating The Boondocks, which is focused around African American culture and providing satirical insights and social commentary about racial and political issues.  This brings me back to why I think the film plays almost like a comic book.  Rather than seeming intelligent, the dialogue (among other script-based areas) is broad, very stilted, almost rooted in a pulpy 1930s serial, except it all falls completely flat.  If the film had a more stylized tone or look, this may have passed, yet there is no evidence of that.  Red Tails plays everything very straight and as a result everything feels routine to the point of irritation.

The fact that there is really no effort done to bring meaning to the importance of the Tuskegee Airmen beyond some opening and closing text bookends and a scene or two involving a crusty racist colonel played by Bryan Cranston (good thing he has Breaking Bad and Drive) really does not help matters either.  Oh wait, we do get the two-part subplot where one white man calls a black man the N-word in a bar, but later on, after proving their worth, everyone gets together in that bar and has a fun-loving discussion about racial epithets (progress!).  How about anything regarding who these men were before the war, how difficult it was for them to rise through the ranks and become pilots, or anything related to what it means for them to be a part of a significant cause for black culture.  I have heard that various iterations of this film have involved delving into this subject matter, but based on the results and other reactions regarding this film, it seems unlikely that any of this will come into fruition.

Oh yeah, the dogfights and aerial combat stuff.  It looks nice.  If there was anything I was sure of going in, it was that Lucasfilm would manage to pull off a number of good looking action sequences that take place in the air.  Hell, as long as I didn’t focus on the close-ups of the pilots wearing masks and spouting more horrendous dialogue, I was mostly ok with the action on screen.  I am not sure how involved director Anthony Hemingway was with these sequences in the film, but the way the virtual camera utilized to move in these action scenes was effective enough to keep everything clear and actually exciting.  My only real issue is how much these scenes felt like watching CG madness, with no real dramatic weight attached to what I was watching, given that the various characters I have been following do not have much to them, beyond the one defining characteristic to distinguish them.  I could have also done without the unintentional hilarity created by having the film manifest itself a German villain in the form of the one pilot who seems to hold a grudge and easily identifies his pilot target from afar.

So Red Tails has not landed safely into theaters.  I haven’t even touched on the actors, but suffice it to say that there was very little in the way of admirable authority coming from either Howard or Gooding Jr. (and his pipe).  I wanted to remain as open-minded as possible, which seemed like a difficult task, given the years of post-production and January release date, but alas, pretty dogfights was not enough for me to be able to stand by the film.  It is certainly not insulting in anyway, but it certainly becomes laughable in spots and irritatingly plain in others.  There is nothing very on point about its message that seems relevant and as an action film it is still subpar.  For me, Red Tails has been grounded from further takeoff.

Easy:  Fancy trick flying will only get you killed.
Lightning:  Or make me an ace…

Haywire’s

Here’s the best screenwriter Lem Dobbs could come up with: The best secret agent in the world, this time a private sector contractor, is framed for murder and must trek across Europe and the U.S., from Barcelona to New Mexico, to clear her name and get back at those who wronged her.  These dastardly gents include Channing Tatum –taking a break from his side gig as a Hollister mannequin – as douche bag spy Aaron, horribly underutilized Michael Fassbender as MI-6 operative Paul, Ewan McGregor collecting a paycheck as Mallory’s sleezy boss/ex-boyfriend Kenneth, and Antonio Banderas as Sadaam Hussein pretending to be a Latin American politician (that’s the only plausible excuse for his beard).

It is essentially Kill Bill if Quentin Tarantino had no imagination or respect for his audience.  The reason for the company betraying Mallory gets lost in all the flashbacks and locale changes.  And if you really want the best spy in the world dead or captured, try a more subtle tactic than hand-to-hand combat.  Furthermore, if hand-to-hand combat doesn’t work after four tries, maybe try a new approach.

That’s not to say the movie is all bad.  Despite wooden acting and a plot thinner than the paper it’s printed on, the brisk action flick remains engaging throughout because of all those gritty, teeth-rattling throw downs between sexy super spy Mallory and her former colleagues.

Round One begins at a cozy upstate New York diner.  Mallory’s opponent is Aaron.  He’s supposed to bring her back to Spies R’ Us headquarters, even though later we find out through flashbacks her bosses tried to have her killed a few days prior.  He should have just said, “Come with me if you want to die.”  Of course she refuses his offer, allowing Carano and Tatum to show off their admittedly impressive fighting skills.  One can only hope Christopher Nolan’s fight scenes are half as engaging in The Dark Knight Rises.  Director Stephen Soderbergh wisely sticks with tight medium shots putting the audience right in the action, never averting the camera even as Aaron pounds his fists into Mallory’s pretty mug.  Needing no stand in, Carano takes every intensely believable body slam and elbow herself.  She also expertly delivers her own counter attacks, such as a socket-wrenching armbar. I t’s like she never left the octagon.  At least Soderbergh plays to his actors’ strengths.  Visceral brutality will always overcome even the most vapid plot for the first few weeks at the box office.

You would expect the guy who directed Ocean’s 11 to inject some fun and wit into the action spy genre.  Soderbergh had a good enough cast, even with Carano’s inability to emote anything other than aloof bitch.  She found some honest, comical moments with the kid she carjacked, Scott (Sky High’sMichael Angarano).  If their escape from law enforcement and super soldiers had been the focus of the movie, Haywire could have been a prefect late summer blockbuster.  Instead it languishes in January, Hollywood’s Island of Misfit Movies.

The biggest problem is that every piece of dialogue exists only to advance Mallory to her next fight.  The moments with her Tom Clancy-esque father, played by Bill Paxton, had all the dramatic weight of a CSI:Miami episode in which David Caruso had been lobotomized.  Carano’s smoky, monotone inflection, by the way, was created in post-production to make her sound more intimidating.  So essentially she’s the exact opposite of Andy Serkis.

The only real reason to check this out in the theaters is the fighting.  Otherwise, wait two months until it comes out on Blu-ray.  In the meantime, you might as well play Mortal Kombat while listening to jazz funk, which permeates the soundtrack as nauseum.  Soderbergh’s music choice might be his clever way of showing how hip and different his movies are.  They usually look great, sound pretentious and feel hollow.  It’s exactly what you’d expect from the guy who directed Ocean’s 12 and 13.

Puss In Boots dvd, double pack dvd, 2-DISC blu-ray/DVD COMBO PACK W/ DIGITAL COPY &
3-disc 3d/blu-ray/dvd combo pack w/ digital copy

Double Pack DVD

·         Special Features:  (Additional features on Double Pack DVD, 2-Disc Blu-ray & 3-Disc 3D)

o    Puss in Boots: The Three Diablo’s

o    The Cat’s Meow: Kitten to Cat, Glitter Box Dance Off!, Klepto  Kitty, Kitty Keyboard, Fairytale Pop-Up, Kitty Strikes Again

2-Disc Blu-ray & 3-Disc 3D

·         1080p High Definition

·         English 7.1 Dolby True HD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital & English Audio Description

·         English, English SDH, French & Spanish Subtitles

DVD & Double Pack DVD

·         Widescreen Format

·         English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround& English Audio Description

·         English, French & Spanish Subtitles

·         Special Features:  (Available on DVD, Double Pack DVD, 2-Disc Blu-ray & 3-Disc BD)

o    Purr-fect Pairings: The Voices Behind The Legends

o    Deleted Scenes: Humpty Plots With Jack & Jill, Humpty Repays His Accomplices & Puss In Boots Fights The Giant

Order Puss In Boots on Blu-ray!

The Must-Own Movie For The Entire Family Debuts on Blu-ray ™ Combo Pack, Digital and

On-Demand March 20, 2012

Debut Release Offers Fans the Full Movie Soundtrack with DVD Release and as part of  a ‘Wocka-Wocka’ Pack for the Ultimate Muppets Experience!

BURBANK, Calif., January 19, 2012 –– One of the year’s best-loved family comedies and among the best reviewed films of 2011, Disney’s “The Muppets,” starring Jason Segel, Academy Award^®-nominee Amy Adams, and favorite celebrity couple Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy — debuts March 20 on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, Digital Download and On-Demand formats.  A must-own movie the entire family can enjoy, Disney’s “The Muppets” in-home release includes the DVD and music soundtrack packaged together and also offered as the ultimate Muppets experience, a ‘Wocka-Wocka Value Pack,’ which contains the movie on Blu-ray high definition, DVD and Digital Copy (three discs), plus a download card which allows fans to own all the songs from the film’s hugely popular soundtrack.

Disney’s “The Muppets” Blu-ray Combo Pack, with its flawless picture and pitch perfect sound, comes with a fantastic slate of bonus content including the laugh out loud “The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History––We Think).”  The exciting release also includes the hilarious featurette “A Little Screen Test on the Way to the Read Through,” which follows Jason Segel, Kermit, The Great Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and others asthey get ready for the first day of production, and much more fun.

“Blu-ray is a great way to bring the Muppets into your home without having to worry about cleaning up after us,” said Kermit the Frog, commenting on the announcement. “And the behind-the-scenes extras are a revealing tell-all look at what it took to bring our movie to the big screen. It’s a must-see for fans of bloopers, flubs and slip-ups – which pretty much describes our act.”

Miss Piggy is equally thrilled at the movie’s Blu-ray release, “Now you can watch moi whenever you want! Ooh! Lucky vous!”

Additional fun-filled features on Disney’s “The Muppets” Blu-ray include a groundbreaking industry first — ‘Disney Intermission,’ a hilarious all-new feature that allows viewers to press Pause on their remote control and watch as the Muppets take over the screen and entertain until the movie resumes playing.   The release also includes “Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song,”  an extended version of the rollicking rap song by villain Tex Richman (Academy Award® winner Chris Cooper)  who provides the hilarious