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. Ledger’s involvement, along with last year’s television spinoff, explains Touchstone’s decision to release this film in a sparkling new Blu-ray edition. It’s almost a shame to review this movie. It’s 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 Shakespeare’s 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 it’s love at first sight when he sees Bianca. But he’s told that her father (Larry Miller) won’t 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, he’s 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 aren’t expecting them), and it’s clean and fairly rich with moderate presence. There’s 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 it’s 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 Murphy’s 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. I’d like to say it was some sort of revelation, but though Murphy’s 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, it’s 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 you’ve 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 hotel’s 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 hasn’t created a masterpiece here, but he’s 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 Fellini’s 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 filmmaker’s 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 film’s 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 you’ll 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 it’s 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 didn’t 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 don’t 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 it’s 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 film’s 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 that’s 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 I’ve 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. It’s a masterpiece in its own right. You’ll also find four production featurettes and deleted scenes, which really amount to unfinished storyboards. Perhaps the best feature of all is Universal’s 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 won’t find that action available in the U-Control section where you might expect it -- it’s in the general setup section. I needed to bump it up to maximum to hear it properly.

Don’t miss 9. It’s 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 he’s done since shows that kind of genius, there’s 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 island’s 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, there’s 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 they’re 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." Don’t believe it; it’s 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.

Jennifer’s 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 that’s 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. There’s 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 they’ll find a virgin to use for their evil intent, but they find Jennifer (Megan Fox), who’s 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 Cody’s all-important dialogue, the front tracks take over, but when there’s 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 director’s cut. You can find out the differences by listening to director Karyn Kusama’s commentary on the director’s cut. It might prove to be a little more complex than you’d think. There are additional production featurettes, deleted scenes, and personality pieces that are mostly fluff, but there’s 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, you’ll 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 can’t 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 that’s 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 that’s 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 director’s methods in a way that standard back-slapping promos don’t.

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea (Image Entertainment)

Overall enjoyment: ****
Picture quality: ****
Sound quality: ****
Extras: ***1/2

Even if it weren’t 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 Cameron’s The Abyss, set almost completely underwater and using groundbreaking film techniques. It’s 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 earth’s core rather than from sunlight. It’s 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 Cusson’s 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 we’ve seen in the main feature. At times the narrative is interrupted by "Let’s Experiment with Sande Ivey," who demonstrates scientific principles with easy-to-understand laboratory experiments. There’s 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 it’s 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 aren’t 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 it’s comforting to know that not all the material that will be produced for the new 3D TV industry will be animated film) because it’s a knock out in Blu-ray 2D. Rich colors, sharp focus, and apparent depth all combine for a picture that’s near reference quality. The sound has been expertly mixed by Mike Roberts and Brian Elmer, and this is one documentary where the sound doesn’t 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 you’ll find a raft of production extras that use no dialogue at all, proving that a picture is often worth those proverbial thousand words.