| February 2010 Blu-ray
Update
Heath Ledgers first big role, three numerical titles,
a dynamic role for Tom Cruise, two thrillers, and two very different ocean odysseys this
month, all on Blu-ray for February 2010.
10 Things I Hate About You -- 10th Anniversary
Edition (Touchstone) Overall enjoyment:
***1/2
Picture quality: ****
Sound quality: ****
Extras: **1/2
This 1999 film marked the first leading-man performance by
Heath Ledger. Ledgers involvement, along with last years television spinoff,
explains Touchstones decision to release this film in a sparkling new Blu-ray
edition. Its almost a shame to review this movie. Its a neat, low-budget
picture that you need to discover by going in expecting the worst and coming out a
convert. But if a critic praises it, a viewer might expect too much and be disappointed.
The script is based, in idea if not letter, on
Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew. Referencing the play, the two sisters
are named Kat (Julia Stiles) and Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) Stratford, while other references
are a bit more obscure, like the high school being located in Padua. Cameron (Joseph
Gordon-Levitt) is the new teen in town, and its love at first sight when he sees
Bianca. But hes told that her father (Larry Miller) wont let her or her older
sister date. Bianca pressures her father until he finally allows her to date, but only if
someone will go out with Kat. But despite her beauty, Kat is a shrew (bitch in this
modernization), and no one wants to date her. Cameron cooks up a plan to get Aussie bad
boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to date Kat. Helping Cameron along the way is school
geek Michael (David Krumholtz), who symbolizes Shakespeare in the way he guides the plot.
What makes 10 Things I Hate About You work is its
fresh and enthusiastic cast and its literate script. Ledger and Stiles have good
chemistry, and it was easy to predict stardom for them back when the film was released.
Krumholtz has also achieved fame through the TV show Numbers. The entire cast is
ultra appealing and guided with a sure hand by director Gil Junger, who has gone on to be
a popular TV director. In fact, hes returned to his roots to direct many episodes of
the 10 Things spinoff. Larry Miller has returned as the father, but the rest of the
TV cast is different from that of the film.
The Blu-ray is splendid to watch. The picture is colorful
and bright with good focus, depth, and consistency. The sound is largely up front (though
there are few amazing surround effects just when you arent expecting them), and
its clean and fairly rich with moderate presence. Theres a lot of appealing
music in this movie, much of it performed by bands that play a part in the film, and the
sound is well balanced, with tight, focused bass and good clean highs. The extras include
a retrospective featurette, which shows some interesting casting footage of Ledger (I
think anyone would have hired him on the spot) and a commentary track with the writers and
members of the cast.
Ten years later, I still find this movie charming,
intelligent, and appealing -- even if its a guilty pleasure for some. |
| Across the Hall (Anchor Bay)
Overall enjoyment: ***1/2
Picture quality: ****
Sound quality: ****
Extras: **
Toward the end of December, Brittany Murphys name
seemed to be everywhere. The young actress had suddenly passed away, and there were daily
updates on that sad event. Then I received this new release from Anchor Bay starring
Murphy, Mike Vogel, and Danny Pino. I was curious, so I put it in the Oppo player the day
it arrived. Id like to say it was some sort of revelation, but though Murphys
acting is credible, she never nails the role and makes it hers. I could imagine any number
of young aspirants doing just as good a turn. The movie itself, however, delivered over an
hour and a half of solid entertainment. Directed and scripted by Alex Merkin, who expanded
a successful short film into this feature-length work, its a neat little
love-triangle thriller. It takes place almost entirely in a hotel, where Merkin plays cat
and mouse with his audience by telling the story in snippets that are out of order. About
an hour in, you think youve sorted out the parts and solved the murder, but then
Merkin throws in another scene that turns the story completely around.
The Blu-ray picture displays all of the hotels seedy
details (frayed carpets, crappy wallpaper, and cockroaches) in accurate detail. The creepy
sound mix, with the sounds of an old building subtly placed all around the viewer, adds a
good boost to the action onscreen. Extras include a production featurette, a few
interviews, and a theatrical trailer. Merkin hasnt created a masterpiece here, but
hes made a very interesting film that forecasts potentially great things to come. |
| 8 ½ (The Criterion Collection)
Overall enjoyment: ****
Picture quality: ***1/2
Sound quality: ***1/2
Extras: ****
Until now, when Criterion has issued a title on Blu-ray
that has previously been available on DVD, the company has simply ported over the extra
features. Since those ancillary materials have generally been way above the norm, there
have been no complaints. But for Federico Fellinis 8 ½, Criterion has
provided a new extra just for Blu-ray, a documentary and partial recreation of the
original final scene. Fellini had an entirely different ending in mind when he set out to
make the film; sets were even constructed for it. But the mercurial director changed his
mind. What you have here, then, in "The Last Sequence," is a 52-minute
discussion of the events surrounding the change and a still-frame recreation. There are
also some new interviews with surviving cast members that shed light on the
filmmakers methods and superstitions. Previously released documentaries include an
introduction and appreciation by director Terry Gilliam, a thorough and entertaining
commentary by Fellini scholar Gideon Bachmann and NYU film professor Antonio Monda, a
documentary on Nino Rota, who composed the films music, and much more.
The episodic movie itself, which tells the story of a
harried film director (Marcello Mastroianni) trying to finish an impossible project, shown
largely through garish fantasy sequences, received a solid transfer. The black-and-white
picture has good contrast. It also has quite a bit of unpleasant grain at times, but this
varies considerably from scene to scene. The picture also seems a bit soft overall. The
sound is decent mono, but youll easily notice some problems with lip synching.
Fellini insisted on looping in the dialogue after the fact so he could bellow out
directions during the actual filming, and its often evident. I also found a few of
the subtitles slipping off the bottom of my screen, but that might have been my overscan
adjustment. Overall, this is an excellent representation of a powerful masterpiece. |
| 9 (Universal)
Overall enjoyment: ****
Picture quality: ****1/2
Sound quality: ****1/2
Extras: ****
9 should have been listed as one of the best
Blu-rays of 2009, but I didnt get to see it until the list had been submitted. So
listen up: this is one fantastically good Blu-ray Disc!
The story takes place at a time when machines have
demolished mankind and laid waste the earth and all living things. A scientist has created
nine puppets made of burlap, leather, and other spare parts, and given them parts of his
soul (though we dont learn this until a flashback scene that occurs well into the
film -- we discover the puppets origins just as they do). The courageous creatures
must fight the big-ass mother machine that started the ball of destruction rolling, and
their mission provides opportunities for some amazing action sequences. The puppets have
numbers instead of names, and its 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) that ends up saving the
day.
While listing the best Blu-rays of the year, I said Coraline
was the only animated film worthy of keeping company with Pixar titles (even though Coraline
is stop-motion animation). But you can add 9 to that list. The films design
is dark yet highly detailed, and the Blu-ray displays everything with astonishing clarity.
Blacks are inky and the shadow detail is ideal in a picture with contrast thats
absolutely correct from beginning to end. The picture has singular depth; it even feels
like you can look deep into the lens-like eyes of the puppets. The sound is just as good,
and it makes ideal use of the entire 360-degree sound field. It also features some of the
most awesome lease-breaking bass Ive ever heard, and its focus and impact will make
you grateful you sprang those extra bucks for a good subwoofer. The extras include the
original short film that gained enough recognition for director Shane Acker to be able to
make this feature-length version. Its a masterpiece in its own right. Youll
also find four production featurettes and deleted scenes, which really amount to
unfinished storyboards. Perhaps the best feature of all is Universals U-Control
picture-in-picture commentary, where all sorts of neat images and interviews pop up to
help you appreciate a particular segment of the film. You can adjust the volume of the PNP
commentary track, but you wont find that action available in the U-Control section
where you might expect it -- its in the general setup section. I needed to bump it
up to maximum to hear it properly.
Dont miss 9. Its great storytelling
presented with audio and video that can stand as models for the industry. |
| A Perfect Getaway (Universal)
Overall enjoyment: ***1/2
Picture quality: ***1/2
Sound quality: ***1/2
Extras: *1/2
Based on the trailer, I expected this film to be a standard
thriller, but then I noticed that its director was David Twohy. After all, this guy made
the highly successful science-fiction thriller Pitch Black, and though nothing
hes done since shows that kind of genius, theres always a chance that
lightning will strike twice. Maybe Twohy should have kept striking sparks in outer space,
as this movie, though slick, has only a few jolts in it. The action is set on the Hawaiian
island of Kauai, where Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are honeymooning
and hiking the islands trails. They meet two other couples, Nick and Gena (Timothy
Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez) and Kale and Cleo (Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton), who
may or may not be killers from Honolulu. Kale is immediately suspect because he has
"Do Not Revive" tattooed on his chest, but Nick is clearly a crazy war vet who
is disturbingly macho. Of course, theres a twist and a surprise ending.
For a film like this to work, it has to look and sound
great, and this Blu-ray Disc just barely misses the mark. The beach and jungle setting
ought to provide eye-popping visuals like those in Lost, but here theyre
merely decent. The same goes for the sound, which is seldom used imaginatively to scare us
or have us looking over our shoulders. The one extra is an alternate ending, which the
back cover describes as "the shocking, originally scripted ending." Dont
believe it; its just a truncated version of the final cut. That said, this movie is
still worth renting. The performances are solid, and the camera work is slick and assured.
If only it had that bolt of lightning. |
| Jennifers Body (20th
Century Fox Home Entertainment)
Overall enjoyment: ****
Picture quality: ****1/2
Sound quality: ****
Extras: ****
Oscar winner Diablo Cody (Best Screenplay for Juno)
can be irritating and egocentric. I find her column for Entertainment Weekly almost
a total, boring loss, but the gal can write pithy dialogue, and thats what keeps
this taut little scare fest from being an ordinary death wish. As in Juno, Cody is
dealing primarily with teenagers and their angst, and she once again nails it. She knows
how teens talk, and she manages to avoid stylized Hollywood versions of their
conversations. I could see this movie being seen 50 years from now as an example of an
era, just as we can now watch a 50s horror film like It Came from Outer Space
and know its exact place in time, even without the visual giveaways. Theres also the
intriguing idea of an indie rock band being so hard up for success that it turns to the
dark side. It may have been done, but never with such disarming naïveté and careless
abandon. In this movie the band members visit a hick town, thinking theyll find a
virgin to use for their evil intent, but they find Jennifer (Megan Fox), whos
scarcely a virgin, and the spell they wanted to create kicks into reverse, turning the
gorgeous teen into a demon that has to feast on teenage boys to stay alive.
The Blu-ray shows all of the carnage in detail, and the
picture has constant HD pop. Items in the background are sharp, and the foreground is
super sharp, creating a sense of depth not found on many discs. The sound design
complements the picture perfectly. When we need to hear Codys all-important
dialogue, the front tracks take over, but when theres an action sequence such as the
club fire near the opening of the movie, the rear channels bloom and help draw you into
the scene. The Blu-ray also offers the movie in two versions, the theatrical one and a
directors cut. You can find out the differences by listening to director Karyn
Kusamas commentary on the directors cut. It might prove to be a little more
complex than youd think. There are additional production featurettes, deleted
scenes, and personality pieces that are mostly fluff, but theres an excellent Fox
Movie Channel "Life after Film School" episode featuring an interview with
Diablo Cody. You might skip the rest of the extras, but be sure to watch that one. |
| Magnolia (New Line Cinema)
Overall enjoyment: ****
Picture quality: ****
Sound quality: ****
Extras: ***
If you enjoy movies like Crash and Babel,
where different stories are told and then tied together at the end, youll love this
film, which was actually released before the other two. Writer and director Paul Thomas
Anderson, most recently responsible for There Will Be Blood, tells an odd and
complicated story that involves two dying fathers (Jason Robards and Philip Baker Hall),
their wives (Julianne Moore and Melinda Dillon) a lonely drug addict (Melora Walters), a
cowardly policeman (John C. Reilly), and a former child game show contestant who
cant find a life to replace his moment of fame (William H. Macy). Throw in the son
of one deathbed dad (Tom Cruise), who has become a sleazy self-help guru whose
"Seduce and Destroy" seminars teach men to control and objectify women; a scene
where the characters sing along with the soundtrack; and a thunderstorm that rains frogs,
and you have a movie thats never less than interesting and often fascinating.
Anderson seems to revel in plumbing the depths of wounded characters who are broken beyond
repair.
The only fault I found with this mesmerizing movie is its
length, which, at a few minutes over three hours, is just too long for comfort. It is,
however, comfortably contained on the high-capacity Bu-ray, offering a picture that seems
honest and true to the source (good colors, some grain, and just a little bit soft
overall), and clean sound thats mostly up front until the frogs start falling all
around you. The most important extra is the "Magnolia Video Diary," which is
(mercifully) not a standard production featurette. It contains talk sessions with Anderson
as production moves along, with scenes of the cast at work. These clips provide insight
into the directors methods in a way that standard back-slapping promos dont. |
| Volcanoes of the Deep Sea (Image
Entertainment)
Overall enjoyment: ****
Picture quality: ****
Sound quality: ****
Extras: ***1/2
Even if it werent for the sensationalist hype on the
cover ("twelve thousand feet down, life is erupting") a credit for James Cameron
as executive producer makes this disc worth more than a casual glance. The copyright of
the film is 2003, 14 years after Camerons The Abyss, set almost completely
underwater and using groundbreaking film techniques. Its no wonder, then, that he
would be interested in this IMAX movie from director Stephen Low. The filmmakers set out
to explore deep sea volcanic activity and hypothermal vents and found a whole community of
life forms that drew life from the heat within the earths core rather than from
sunlight. Its a fascinating alien world brought to life by the IMAX cameras. Special
lighting rigs were created so that we can see things 12,000 feet below the surface of the
ocean with much greater clarity than before.
Those sharply honed visions are ably transferred to
Blu-ray, creating a picture that has beautiful color and amazing detail. As for sound, a
commentary by Ed Harris is firmly anchored in the center channel while Michel
Cussons lush music spreads to the sides and envelops the viewer. The extras are also
far better than average. There are two featurettes, and the second of these, "Voyage
into the Abyss" thoroughly discusses what weve seen in the main feature. At
times the narrative is interrupted by "Lets Experiment with Sande Ivey,"
who demonstrates scientific principles with easy-to-understand laboratory experiments.
Theres also a trivia quiz and film facts. Whether you just want to gaze in amazement
at the busy deep sea world built around hypothermal vents, or you really want to learn
something about the way that community works, this colorful program will not disappoint. |
| Wild Ocean (Image Entertainment)
Overall enjoyment: ****
Picture quality: ****
Sound quality: ****
Extras: ****
This documentary, made for IMAX 3D theaters, has an
intensity and rhythm seldom encountered in its genre. And its easy to see why when
you hear co-producers Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas interviewed in the extras, as
both come from a theater background. They conceived and produced the popular
dance-percussion-rhythm show Stomp, and they also produced the award-winning
follow-up IMAX film Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey. The topic this time is the swarming of
the sardine shoals off the coast of Africa, an event that brings predators to the dinner
table as if they had received engraved invitations. Dolphins, seals, sharks, and gannets
put aside their differences to feast on the sardine buffet. But the tiny fish arent
entirely without defenses. They clump together to form giant bait balls that spin with
uncanny accuracy in an effort to distract the hunters. These scenes, as well as those of a
shark frenzy and a combination attack by dolphins and gannets, which drop from the sky
like missiles, all seem to be choreographed, and the music and sound effects work hand in
glove with the stunning visuals.
This movie must have been impressive in 3D (and its
comforting to know that not all the material that will be produced for the new 3D TV
industry will be animated film) because its a knock out in Blu-ray 2D. Rich colors,
sharp focus, and apparent depth all combine for a picture thats near reference
quality. The sound has been expertly mixed by Mike Roberts and Brian Elmer, and this is
one documentary where the sound doesnt stay up front. The birds in a gannet colony
fly all around the room, drawing the viewer into the action. There are terrific extras,
too. In addition to the spoken interviews youll find a raft of production extras
that use no dialogue at all, proving that a picture is often worth those proverbial
thousand words. |
. . . Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |