The Admiral's Corner

Terminator Salvation Blu-ray Disc (McG, 2009)

2009-11-18T21:57:00.002-06:00

Warner (USA)
2.40:1 1080p
Director’s Cut: 117 minutes
Theatrical cut: 114 minutes
Audio: Director’s Cut: DTS-HD MA 5.1 English; Theatrical Cut: DTS-HD MA 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Maximum Movie Mode video commentary; Focus Points; Re-Forging the Future; The Moto-Terminator; BD-Live; Digital Copy disc

Released: 1 December 2009

The Terminator was a little tech noir piece that was low key and creepily effective as a monster movie. As director James Cameron graduated to big-budget filmmaking, his movies became gargantuan, bloated enterprises, and Terminator 2 was no exception. Terminator 3, directed by Jonathan Mostow, was a bit of a surprise in that it was comparatively modest for a summer action movie and featured a “downer” ending.

Terminator Salvation was directed by McG, mostly-known for the two Charlie’s Angels movies with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu. McG really goes for broke. Excepting the opening and closing moments, the movie is comprised mainly of firing guns and huge explosions. While it may seem “silly” to expect a bit more from a popcorn flick, I found Terminator Salvation to be a numbing experience. There is no sense of humor, and the script pays lip service to philosophical or existential ideas. Instead, the actors mostly just wear dour expressions on their faces as they skulk around barren wastelands.

Unlike the previous movies, which involve time-travelers from the future coming to the present to snuff out the human resistance before Judgment Day, this one takes place entirely in the future of 2018. John Connor (played by Christian Bale this time around) is not even the leader of the Resistance. Rather, he commands one unit somewhere in the western U.S., and he has to report to generals who are skeptical of his “importance”.

As I wrote earlier, the action is so relentless that the movie becomes a bore (as well as a chore to watch). The other entries in the series had quiet character moments that gave viewers a reason to invest their emotions. For example, Terminator 3 had John Connor and Kate Brewster locked up in the back of a truck with nothing to do but banter, which yielded backstory and dimensionalized human beings. Here, the characters just talk about tactical strategies or narrate their own actions.

Aside from the lackluster script and dour acting, I can’t shake off the series’s complete disregard of the ground rules established in The Terminator. In the first movie, Kyle Reese tells Sarah Connor that only organic material can be sent back through time. The T-800 could be sent back in time because it was completely covered by humanoid tissue. However, the T-1000 and the T-X in the second and third movies were NOT covered by humanoid tissue. As far as I’m concerned, the events in T2, T3, and thus T4 (which references all the other movies) could not have taken place.

By the way...don’t forget about Christian Bale’s meltdown during the production of this movie. It’s astounding.

Video:
The 2.40:1 1080p image is held back somewhat by the pervasive dust and grime, though that’s something that can’t be helped given the nature of the production. A movie set in the post-apocalyptic future will look rather gritty and dirty. Otherwise, detail and resolution are about as high as one expects from a recent theatrical feature. Unfortunately, the picture is rather bland due to the dominance of dark greens, browns, and greys. Also, much of the CGI looks terrible.

Audio:
Be prepared for a near-continuous assault on your ears. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 English track has a very wide dynamic range, and you get a deeply immersive 360-degree experience. Explosions and gunfire will push your system to the limits. Occasionally, dialogue is buried by the rest of the mix (though the dialogue is perfunctory and entirely disposable anyway).

Extras:
The Director’s Cut disc allows for BD-Live connectivity. There will be a live “community screening” audio commentary on 5 December 2009 with McG.

The Theatrical Cut disc has all the other goodies. It features a Maximum Movie Mode video commentary, first seen on the Watchmen Blu-ray Disc. Every so often, McG walks into the frame to talk about various aspects of the production. The MMM offers a Terminator timeline as well as branching access to storyboards and stills galleries. It’s also possible to watch some of these PIP featurettes as separate “Focus Points”.

“Re-Forging the Future” is a general overview of the production. “The Moto-Terminator” covers the use of Ducati motorcycles as Skynet’s rapid ground assault vehicles.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc and a cardboard slipcover.

Terminator Salvation (McG, 2009)

2009-11-18T21:53:00.003-06:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.40:1 16x9 enhanced
114 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: previews for other movies; Digital Copy code

Released: 1 December 2009

The Terminator was a little tech noir piece that was low key and creepily effective as a monster movie. As director James Cameron graduated to big-budget filmmaking, his movies became gargantuan, bloated enterprises, and Terminator 2 was no exception. Terminator 3, directed by Jonathan Mostow, was a bit of a surprise in that it was comparatively modest for a summer action movie and featured a “downer” ending.

Terminator Salvation was directed by McG, mostly-known for the two Charlie’s Angels movies with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu. McG really goes for broke. Excepting the opening and closing moments, the movie is comprised mainly of firing guns and huge explosions. While it may seem “silly” to expect a bit more from a popcorn flick, I found Terminator Salvation to be a numbing experience. There is no sense of humor, and the script pays lip service to philosophical or existential ideas. Instead, the actors mostly just wear dour expressions on their faces as they skulk around barren wastelands.

Unlike the previous movies, which involve time-travelers from the future coming to the present to snuff out the human resistance before Judgment Day, this one takes place entirely in the future of 2018. John Connor (played by Christian Bale this time around) is not even the leader of the Resistance. Rather, he commands one unit somewhere in the western U.S., and he has to report to generals who are skeptical of his “importance”.

As I wrote earlier, the action is so relentless that the movie becomes a bore (as well as a chore to watch). The other entries in the series had quiet character moments that gave viewers a reason to invest their emotions. For example, Terminator 3 had John Connor and Kate Brewster locked up in the back of a truck with nothing to do but banter, which yielded backstory and dimensionalized human beings. Here, the characters just talk about tactical strategies or narrate their own actions.

Aside from the lackluster script and dour acting, I can’t shake off the series’s complete disregard of the ground rules established in The Terminator. In the first movie, Kyle Reese tells Sarah Connor that only organic material can be sent back through time. The T-800 could be sent back in time because it was completely covered by humanoid tissue. However, the T-1000 and the T-X in the second and third movies were NOT covered by humanoid tissue. As far as I’m concerned, the events in T2, T3, and thus T4 (which references all the other movies) could not have taken place.

By the way...don’t forget about Christian Bale’s meltdown during the production of this movie. It’s astounding.

Video:
Warner did not cram both widescreen and Pan-&-Scan transfers on to one disc as with other recent titles, so the 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen image has room to breathe. Since compression isn’t drastic, you don’t see the pixelating that is prevalent with movies like My Sister’s Keeper. However, due to the stylized grime, the image is very soft compared to the Blu-ray’s picture.

Audio:
Be prepared for a near-continuous assault on your ears. The DD 5.1 English track has a very wide dynamic range, and you get a deeply immersive 360-degree experience. Explosions and gunfire will push your system to the limits. Occasionally, dialogue is buried by the rest of the mix (though the dialogue is perfunctory and entirely disposable anyway).

Extras:
Aside from front-loaded previews, you get nada. Fans will want the Blu-ray version for the deluxe experience.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy code.

Four Christmases Blu-ray Disc (Seth Gordon, 2008)

2009-11-13T13:34:00.003-06:00

Warner (USA)
1.78:1 1080p
88 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English; DD 5.1 German
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, German, Dutch, Spanish
Extras: Four Christmases: Holiday Moments; Four Christmases: Behind the Madness; Seven Layer Holiday Meals in a Flash; gag reel; deleted scenes; BD-Live; Digital Copy disc

Released: 24 November 2009

There’ve always been comedies with over-the-top physical pratfalls and dysfunctional families (yes, even when movies were only black-and-white), but it seems like contemporary Hollywood has lost its touch. These days, “holiday” movies are so filled with meanness that their “warm and fuzzy” endings inspire me to gag.

Four Christmases has a promising premise. Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) usually take vacations to avoid having to spend time with their families during Christmas. However, this time, all flights in and out of San Francisco are grounded due to fog, so they have to visit four sets of people (their parents are all divorced). Unfortunately, the script is so ugly and nasty that I wanted to stop watching the movie right off the bat.

Four Christmases begins with Brad and Kate role-playing in a bar. They use really foul language when addressing each other and then have sex in a public bathroom. The scene is repulsively misogynistic (not to mention unhygienic). From there, you get an assortment of crude stereotypes, more misogyny, and a gag involving a girl holding a pregnancy test in her mouth.

Is this what people really want to watch during the holiday season? Judging by box-office figures, yes. Amazing.

Video:
The 1.78:1 1080p image exhibits a “flat” look that is common for comedies. Despite the movie being set in the Bay Area during a foggy Christmas, the visuals are generally bright and cheery. Detail and resolution are much improved over the heavily-compressed transfers on the DVD edition, though the picture mise-en-scene is generally drab and boring.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track exhibits behavior typical of contemporary rom-coms--mostly dialogue, loud pop music from time to time across the front, occasional environmental effects in the rear, and infrequent bass courtesy of music cues. Also expect some piercing screams during scenes with kids and hysterical women.

Extras:
“Four Christmases: Holiday Moments” is a brief overview of the production. “Four Christmases: Behind the Madness” is a promo piece that played on HBO.

“Seven Layer Holiday Meals in a Flash” is a brief cooking sketch. For additional “laughs”, you can watch a gag reel and several deleted scenes.

The disc also has BD-Live connectivity.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc and a cardboard slipcover.

Shorts Blu-ray Disc (Robert Rodriguez, 2009)

2009-11-13T13:30:00.001-06:00

Warner (USA)
1.78:1 1080p
89 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish, DD 5.1 Portuguese
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: The Magic of Shorts; Shorts: Show and Tell; Ten-Minute Film School: Short Shorts; Ten-Minute Cooking School: Chocolate Chip Volcano Cookies; BD-Live; DVD; Digital Copy

Released: 24 November 2009

Robert Rodriguez has two parallel careers. He started with violent genre projects, but now as a father with numerous kids, he also makes family-friendly fare. Initially, Rodriguez just wanted to be able to show his children what he does for a living, but as they grew older, he’s been involving his children in the creative process.

Shorts is Rodriguez’s latest kiddie flick, and it’s immediately recognizable if you’ve seen the others (or at least their trailers). There’s plenty of frantic energy coupled with wild palettes and really awful special effects. The goofy visuals, such as monsters and aliens, look similar to what Rodriguez employed for Planet Terror, his contribution to the Grindhouse collaboration with Quentin Tarantino.

Rodriguez borrowed another idea from Tarantino by assembling Shorts out of order. The movie follows the adventures of a couple of kids as they use a wishing rock. One kid narrates the movie by jumping back and forth in chronology. There are vignettes about kids being bullied at school, adults being bullied at work, boogers turning into human-sized monsters, etc. The humor is male-centric and rather juvenile, though that’s not a surprise given Rodriguez’s oeuvre.

Video:
The 1.78:1 1080p image is a huge improvement over the transfers on the DVD edition. Detail and resolution are very high. There are plenty of candy-like bright colors, which are par-for-the-course as far as Rodriguez kiddie movies go.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track is very robust and active. There is almost continuous music, and sound effects are plentiful to accompany the wild events generated by the characters’ wish-making. Bass is fairly strong and deep even though this isn’t an action extravaganza.

Extras:
“The Magic of Shorts” is a brief overview of the production.

“Shorts: Show and Tell” follows the child actors as they goof off during filming.

In “Ten-Minute Film School: Short Shorts”, the director explains how sound effects and off-the-shelf computer software can be used to jazz up home movies and to create professional-grade movies. (Most of Rodriguez’s other DVDs have similar featurettes.)

“Ten-Minute Cooking School: Chocolate Chip Volcano Cookies” features the director and one of his children making cookies at home.

The disc also has BD-Live connectivity.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a DVD of the movie, a Digital Copy, and a cardboard slipcover.

My Sister’s Keeper Blu-ray Disc (Nick Cassavetes, 2009)

2009-11-13T13:25:00.001-06:00

Warner (USA)
2.40:1 1080p
109 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French
Extras: From Picoult to Screen; deleted/alternate scenes; BD-Live; Digital Copy disc

Released: 17 November 2009

Abigail Breslin is a wonderful screen presence. She’s a natural, she’s endearing without being cloying, and she invests her characters with conviction. She’s great in period pieces such as Kit Kittredge, and she’s great in offbeat contemporary indies such as Little Miss Sunshine.

In My Sister’s Keeper, Breslin plays Anna, a young girl who was conceived so that her parents could use her for biological spare parts. Anna’s sister Kate has leukemia, and Anna was genetically engineered to be 100% compatible with her older sibling. As Kate’s condition requires constant care and attention, the family’s oldest child, the dyslexic Jesse, is often neglected and even forgotten.

My Sister’s Keeper has some big names such as Alec Baldwin, Cameron Diaz, and Jason Patric, though the adults don’t fare as well as the children. Baldwin and Patric appear to be asleep. Cameron Diaz is annoying in the extreme. I don’t know if the problem stems from Diaz acting badly or from her character being poorly-conceived, though I couldn’t find anything redeeming about Diaz or her character.

The movie isn’t overly graphic, but be prepared for fairly realistic depictions of leukemia victims. The filmmakers also present a credible relationship between Kate and a boy also suffering from leukemia. Ultimately, though, the movie plays too fast and too loose with emotions. Some scenes have real pull, but others are mawkish. Almost single-handedly, Abigail Breslin keeps the movie grounded enough to remain watchable.

Video:
The 2.40:1 1080p image is softer than what you might expect from a recent movie. It appears that the filmmakers went with a diffused “glow” look to emphasize the fuzzy feelings. Also, the picture is generally a bit dim, which I suppose is in keeping with the somber material.

Audio:
This is mostly a low-key family drama, so the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track has a dominant center channel for dialogue and muted support from the other speakers. Due to the subject matter, you’re not going to get a lot of bouncy pop songs. Instead, expect quiet instrumental cues with occasional loud effects and low ends to reflect L.A. traffic.

Extras:
“From Picoult to Screen” is a featurette that celebrates the author of the source novel. There are eight deleted/alternate scenes. The disc also has BD-Live connectivity.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc and a cardboard slipcover.

*Note: The cover art lists Spanish audio/subtitles, though the disc actually has French audio/subtitles and no Spanish options.

Four Christmases (Seth Gordon, 2008)

2009-11-11T23:06:00.003-06:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
88 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: previews for other products; Digital Copy code

Released: 24 November 2009

There’ve always been comedies with over-the-top physical pratfalls and dysfunctional families (yes, even when movies were only black-and-white), but it seems like contemporary Hollywood has lost its touch. These days, “holiday” movies are so filled with meanness that their “warm and fuzzy” endings inspire me to gag.

Four Christmases has a promising premise. Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) usually take vacations to avoid having to spend time with their families during Christmas. However, this time, all flights in and out of San Francisco are grounded due to fog, so they have to visit four sets of people (their parents are all divorced). Unfortunately, the script is so ugly and nasty that I wanted to stop watching the movie right off the bat.

Four Christmases begins with Brad and Kate role-playing in a bar. They use really foul language when addressing each other and then have sex in a public bathroom. The scene is repulsively misogynistic (not to mention unhygienic). From there, you get an assortment of crude stereotypes, more misogyny, and a gag involving a girl holding a pregnancy test in her mouth.

Is this what people really want to watch during the holiday season? Judging by box-office figures, yes. Amazing.

Video:
With videophiles flocking to Blu-ray, Warner continues to release DVDs offering both widescreen and Pan-&-Scan transfers instead of creating separate editions. This makes sense from an inventory standpoint since Warner and retailers no longer have to worry about maintaining adequate supplies of one or the other. Just manufacture a one-size-fits-all product to replenish stockpiles.

Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all solution results in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image that looks awful. Expect to see a lot of jagged edges, haloes, and pixelations, especially when there is rapid camera or object movement. The image is at its best when the actors are relatively still during dialogue sequences. Despite the movie being set in the Bay Area during a foggy Christmas, the visuals are generally bright and cheery. Otherwise, watching this DVD is like watching an SD TV broadcast on a bad reception day.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track exhibits behavior typical of contemporary rom-coms--mostly dialogue, loud pop music from time to time across the front, occasional environmental effects in the rear, and infrequent bass courtesy of music cues. Also expect some piercing screams during scenes with kids and hysterical women.

Extras:
Aside from front-loaded previews, you get nada.

--Miscellaneous--
You can download a Digital Copy of the movie using a code printed on an insert.

Shorts (Robert Rodriguez, 2009)

2009-11-11T23:03:00.001-06:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
89 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Ten-Minute Film School: Short Shorts; Ten-Minute Cooking School: Chocolate Chip Volcano Cookies; previews for other products; Digital Copy code

Released: 24 November 2009

Robert Rodriguez has two parallel careers. He started with violent genre projects, but now as a father with numerous kids, he also makes family-friendly fare. Initially, Rodriguez just wanted to be able to show his children what he does for a living, but as they grew older, he’s been involving his children in the creative process.

Shorts is Rodriguez’s latest kiddie flick, and it’s immediately recognizable if you’ve seen the others (or at least their trailers). There’s plenty of frantic energy coupled with wild palettes and really awful special effects. The goofy visuals, such as monsters and aliens, look similar to what Rodriguez employed for Planet Terror, his contribution to the Grindhouse collaboration with Quentin Tarantino.

Rodriguez borrowed another idea from Tarantino by assembling Shorts out of order. The movie follows the adventures of a couple of kids as they use a wishing rock. One kid narrates the movie by jumping back and forth in chronology. There are vignettes about kids being bullied at school, adults being bullied at work, boogers turning into human-sized monsters, etc. The humor is male-centric and rather juvenile, though that’s not a surprise given Rodriguez’s oeuvre.

Video:
With videophiles flocking to Blu-ray, Warner continues to release DVDs offering both widescreen and Pan-&-Scan transfers instead of creating separate editions. This makes sense from an inventory standpoint since Warner and retailers no longer have to worry about maintaining adequate supplies of one or the other. Just manufacture a one-size-fits-all product to replenish stockpiles.

Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all solution results in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image that looks awful. Expect to see a lot of jagged edges, haloes, and pixelations, especially when there is rapid camera or object movement. There are plenty of candy-like bright colors, which are par-for-the-course as far as Rodriguez kiddie movies go. However, there are many shots filled with mosquito noise. The image is at its best when the actors are relatively still during dialogue sequences. Otherwise, watching this DVD is like watching an SD TV broadcast on a bad reception day.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track is very robust and active. There is almost continuous music, and sound effects are plentiful to accompany the wild events generated by the characters’ wish-making. Bass is fairly strong and deep even though this isn’t an action extravaganza.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other products.

In “Ten-Minute Film School: Short Shorts”, the director explains how sound effects and off-the-shelf computer software can be used to jazz up home movies and to create professional-grade movies. (Most of Rodriguez’s other DVDs have similar featurettes.)

“Ten-Minute Cooking School: Chocolate Chip Volcano Cookies” features the director and one of his children making cookies at home.

--Miscellaneous--
You can download a Digital Copy of the movie using a code printed on an insert.

My Sister’s Keeper (Nick Cassavetes, 2009)

2009-11-11T22:58:00.003-06:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.40:1 16x9 enhanced and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
109 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: deleted/alternate scenes; previews for other products; Digital Copy code

Released: 17 November 2009

Abigail Breslin is a wonderful screen presence. She’s a natural, she’s endearing without being cloying, and she invests her characters with conviction. She’s great in period pieces such as Kit Kittredge, and she’s great in offbeat contemporary indies such as Little Miss Sunshine.

In My Sister’s Keeper, Breslin plays Anna, a young girl who was conceived so that her parents could use her for biological spare parts. Anna’s sister Kate has leukemia, and Anna was genetically engineered to be 100% compatible with her older sibling. As Kate’s condition requires constant care and attention, the family’s oldest child, the dyslexic Jesse, is often neglected and even forgotten.

My Sister’s Keeper has some big names such as Alec Baldwin, Cameron Diaz, and Jason Patric, though the adults don’t fare as well as the children. Baldwin and Patric appear to be asleep. Cameron Diaz is annoying in the extreme. I don’t know if the problem stems from Diaz acting badly or from her character being poorly-conceived, though I couldn’t find anything redeeming about Diaz or her character.

The movie isn’t overly graphic, but be prepared for fairly realistic depictions of leukemia victims. The filmmakers also present a credible relationship between Kate and a boy also suffering from leukemia. Ultimately, though, the movie plays too fast and too loose with emotions. Some scenes have real pull, but others are mawkish. Almost single-handedly, Abigail Breslin keeps the movie grounded enough to remain watchable.

Video:
With videophiles flocking to Blu-ray, Warner continues to release DVDs offering both widescreen and Pan-&-Scan transfers instead of creating separate editions. This makes sense from an inventory standpoint since Warner and retailers no longer have to worry about maintaining adequate supplies of one or the other. Just manufacture a one-size-fits-all product to replenish stockpiles.

Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all solution results in a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen image that looks awful. Expect to see a lot of jagged edges, haloes, and pixelations, especially when there is rapid camera or object movement. The picture is generally a bit dim, which I suppose is in keeping with the somber material. The image is at its best when the actors are relatively still during dialogue sequences. Otherwise, watching this DVD is like watching an SD TV broadcast on a bad reception day.

Audio:
This is mostly a low-key family drama, so the DD 5.1 English track has a dominant center channel for dialogue and muted support from the other speakers. Due to the subject matter, you’re not going to get a lot of bouncy pop songs. Instead, expect quiet instrumental cues with occasional loud effects and low ends to reflect L.A. traffic.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other products.

There are eight deleted/alternate scenes.

--Miscellaneous--
You can download a Digital Copy of the movie using a code printed on an insert.

Three Monkeys (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2008)

2009-11-08T18:14:00.000-06:00

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
109 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 Turkish
Subtitles: Optional English
Extras: trailers

Released: 24 November 2009

Three Monkeys, directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, won the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie is a quiet, albeit emotionally-draining, exploration of class divisions and gender roles in contemporary Turkey. It’s also a sharp contrast to the loud, over-bearing movies that pass for “dramas” in Hollywood. Instead of having people scream and throw plates at each other, Three Monkeys realistically observes how individuals try to hide their desperation.

The movie begins with a politician killing a pedestrian in an automobile accident. Facing an election, the politician bribes his driver to take the fall for him. The driver’s wife wants their son to be engaged in gainful work while he waits to take college-entrance exams again, so she obtains a loan from the politician to fund the son’s business plan. All of these interactions highlight the disparity in power held by professionals versus the working class and men versus women.

There are arguments and physical struggles, though they’re mostly brief and done with hushed voices. As most of the characters live in cramped apartment buildings, they probably don’t want to attract their neighbors’ attentions. Also, the characters are dealing with disappointment accumulated during the course of many years, so in a sense, not much needs to be said. After all, the other person already knows what you want to say anyway. Nevertheless, these encounters are still shocking--you don’t expect to see sons slapping their mothers or husbands assaulting their wives.

If the movie has a weakness, it’s probably the ending. The script brings the story circularity, which is a bit too neat and pat for a movie that otherwise avoids diagrammatic behavior. Otherwise, Three Monkeys is a perceptive examination of what money can and can’t buy in terms of human relationships.

Video:
It’s readily apparent that the movie was shot with high-def video. The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image is generally softer and dimmer than film-sourced transfers, though detail has not suffered in comparison to most SD presentations. However, you’ll occasionally see some ghosting, which is probably indicative of the use of interlaced sources.

Audio:
The DD 2.0 Turkish audio track is mostly subtle and low-key to fit the movie’s overall mood. However, it is robust when needed since the characters live near train tracks in a crowded city. The mix is well-balanced; you can always hear the actors when they’re talking, and a character’s mobile phone ringtone (a key component of the soundfield) is never muffled.

Extras:
The only disc-based extras are trailers for Three Monkeys and Climates (another of the director’s movies also released by Zeitgeist here in the U.S.).

--Miscellaneous--
An insert booklet has an extensive interview with the director as well as chapter listings. The transparent keepcase reveals artwork and text showing production and DVD credits.

Paramount LOLs

2009-10-22T23:53:00.015-05:00

During the past two months (September and October 2009), Paramount has firmed its decision to stop sending screeners to just about everyone. This isn't too surprising considering that Paramount didn't screen G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra for theatrical critics even though the Hollywood majors rarely take that route. I suppose a few print outlets (newspapers, magazines, etc.) are getting screeners, but if you've read DVD and Blu-ray reviews in print publications, you know that, due to space limitations, they don't really discuss anything. Video/Audio/Extras are almost not discussed at all, so consumers can't make informed decisions based on print reviews.

The Braveheart and Gladiator Blu-rays were the last titles to be sent to a substantial number of outlets, though I'm sure that the reviews for Gladiator really soured Paramount on sending screeners to reviews in advance of street date. Gladiator was the top-selling Blu-ray title of its release week, but those numbers might've been better had people not read about its problematic Video transfer.

Let's not blame reviewers, though, for what Paramount was too lazy or too cheap to do--create a high quality high-def master for Gladiator. After all, reviews or no reviews, consumers would've found out for themselves that the Gladiator video transfer is not up to snuff, the only difference being you end up with angry customers who can't return their discs vs. angry customers who decide to wait for a re-issue. I guess the studio prefers to grab your money first and hope that you never contact it for a replacement.

I once worked at Paramount and have fond memories of my time there. The studio released many of my favorite movies. Its current hostility towards movie reviewers--who are movie fans first and foremost--is befuddling at best and disgusting at worst.

Yes, it's true that there's a disconnect between the average critic's opinion and the average moviegoer's opinion, which explains discrepancies between reviews and box-office grosses for many movies (positive reviews, poor box office or negative reviews, great box office). However, as anyone in the entertainment industry knows, any publicity is good publicity. The worst that can happen to a movie is to be ignored.

Meanwhile, Paramount has not done anything to shut down Gary Tooze at DVDBeaver.com, who continues to buy DVDs and Blu-rays from a local vendor willing to break street date.

Paramount, you've kicked reviewers to the curb, but allow me to remind you of your own travails:

1) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray: For no discernible reason whatsoever, the "Big Screen Edition" being sold only at Wal-Mart has an audio mix that was encoded 4 decibels lower than the version being sold everywhere else. The video transfers are supposed to be different, but why did someone mess with the audio???

2) Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray and DVD: Paramount Quality Control messed up yet another Star Trek home-video release. On the Khan disc, someone left off the Roman numeral “II” in the title, which is odd considering that the “II” appears everywhere else in the packaging just like the “III” and “IV” for the other movies do. Also, on the DigiPak fold-out, there are pictures from movies NOT in this set, most noticeably from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek V.

3) Star Trek: TOS Re-mastered Seasons 1 and 2 DVD sets: The packaging was cute...and shoddy.

4) Star Trek: Generations Two-Disc DVD set: The back cover lists theatrical trailers as extras on Disc 2, but the trailers aren't on either disc. Paramount had to print new covers that didn't list trailers, though some copies with the in-correct covers still made it to market.

5) Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country Two-Disc DVD set: The disc art for Disc 2 features an upside-down starship...from another movie.

The ship is actually the Enterprise-B from the next movie in the series, Star Trek: Generations.

6) Star Trek Two-Disc DVD sets (theatrical movies): The first five movies all had booklets. The other movies were released after the studio decided to stop including inserts and booklets. Okay, fine...but why not include booklets for the rest of the series? Instead, we're left hanging with a sense of incompletion.

7) Star Trek: Nemesis single-disc DVD: The insert and disc art both have Picard wearing the wrong uniform. (This was corrected for the Two-Disc DVD edition.)

8) The Godfather Blu-ray set (Coppola Restoration): The booklet doesn't fit inside the box.

9) The Godfather DVD set (Coppola Restoration): Discs 4 and 5 are mis-labeled as each other.

10) An Officer and a Gentleman: This mistake was caught in time, but it's still hilarious.

Lemme know if you guys notice any more Paramount LOLs.

Orphan Blu-ray Disc (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2009)

2009-10-22T17:32:00.001-05:00

Warner (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
123 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Children; deleted scenes; BD-Live connectivity; Digital Copy disc

Released: 27 October 2009

Orphan has an interesting premise (meaning its plot twist), and most of the first half plays like a drama about realistic difficulties, such as alcoholism, stillbirths, special-needs children, cheating spouses, etc. However, once the movie starts its “thriller” portion, it devolves into a mess featuring the usual contrived circumstances and oblivious characters. The production is also hampered by bad acting across the board, with the notable exception of Isabelle Fuhrman in the titular role and Aryana Engineer as a young deaf girl. Together, they portray the most important relationship in the movie, and they vividly convey power dynamics between the “fully functional” and the physically handicapped. Otherwise, prepare yourself for several tedious arguments between spouses and expository scenes that only emphasize how clueless (and underwritten) the adult characters are.

Video:
You get a beautiful 1.85:1 1080p video transfer that isn’t shy about showcasing the fine-grain film stock that was used. The film grain is quite pretty at times. The picture also manages to convey depth even though most outdoors shots are filled with white snow.

Audio:
You get a fairly robust Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English audio track. Don’t expect wall-to-wall sonics or pervasive music, though dialogue is clean. Directional and “scare” effects are immersive, and bass is strong when needed.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays promos that extol the virtues of Digital Copies and BD-Live.

“Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Children” is a featurette that discusses the “demon child” sub-genre.

You also get a couple of deleted scenes (SD resolution), including an extended ending that strains credulity.

You can access other bonuses if your Blu-ray player can connect to BD-Live servers.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc and a cardboard slipcover.

Orphan (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2009)

2009-10-22T17:28:00.002-05:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
123 minutes
Audio: English, DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: deleted scenes; promos for other products

Released: 27 October 2009

Orphan has an interesting premise (meaning its plot twist), and most of the first half plays like a drama about realistic difficulties, such as alcoholism, stillbirths, special-needs children, cheating spouses, etc. However, once the movie starts its “thriller” portion, it devolves into a mess featuring the usual contrived circumstances and oblivious characters. The production is also hampered by bad acting across the board, with the notable exception of Isabelle Fuhrman in the titular role and Aryana Engineer as a young deaf girl. Together, they portray the most important relationship in the movie, and they vividly convey power dynamics between the “fully functional” and the physically handicapped. Otherwise, prepare yourself for several tedious arguments between spouses and expository scenes that only emphasize how clueless (and underwritten) the adult characters are.

Video:
The DVD’s 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen video is a huge step down from the Blu-ray’s. You’ll see a lot of blocking and video noise, which is actually distinct from the film grain. Colors and fine-object detail are very weak, too.

Audio:
You get a fairly robust DD 5.1 English audio track. Don’t expect wall-to-wall sonics or pervasive music, though dialogue is clean. Directional and “scare” effects are immersive, and bass is strong when needed.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays promos for other products.

You also get a couple of deleted scenes, including an extended ending that strains credulity.

Too Young...Not Fair

2009-10-19T01:59:00.012-05:00

I went to Austin on Wednesday (14 Oct) because my mom was scheduled to have follow-up surgery on Thursday. I came back to Dallas Sunday evening (18 Oct). A friend called me around 9:30 PM.

My friend told me that, while at work Sunday afternoon, she was informed that one of her co-workers died sometime during the week. The co-worker went to work on Tuesday but didn't go to work Wed-Fri. Someone found her body on Friday.

I met the co-worker twice, once at a bowling party and another time at a reception in the Blanton Musuem of Art. She was my age (28-32), energetic, spirited, and convivial. The co-worker was a typical young person, trying to balance the responsibilities of adulthood with the carefree spirit of youth. Everyone my age is exactly the same, no matter how mature one may be.

When I heard the news, I was shocked. A few hours later, my shock turned into disbelief. It's odd, but the question that keeps popping into my head is, "Are you sure she's gone?" I guess I'm in disbelief because the co-worker's youth makes her passing seem so unfair. I felt the same way when I heard about two guys I knew.

A few months after I graduated from college, I found out that a guy who lived down the hall from me during my freshman and sophomore years was found at the bottom of one of Ithaca's gorges. He had given me a ride to the airport at the end of my freshman year. A couple of years later, I found out that one of my movie-theatre managers was found in a school parking lot. I have fond memories of working with that manager because there used to be only three of us who worked the morning shift.

I've been depressed and suicidal, too, and I know that these feelings never really go away. I was lucky. I had my sister, I had my cats, I had Michael (who frequently encouraged me to hang out with him), and I had a routine (writing DVD reviews for DVDTown.com). Simply getting out and doing stuff can help.

I don't have a focused point to share with you...I just want everyone to be on the lookout for warning signs.

I'm not religious, but I hope that my friend's co-worker, the guy I knew in college, and my manager are at peace.

Annapolis

2009-10-11T20:08:00.005-05:00

I just watched Annapolis this weekend. The movie was released back in January 2006; the Hollywood majors treat January as a dumping ground for movies that they think have no box-office potential but were expensive enough to avoid the ignomy of direct-to-video status. The movie grossed less than $20 mil worldwide.

Why did I watch Annapolis? Well, I like the Fast & Furious series. Justin Lin directed two of those movies, and he also directed Annapolis. Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster appear in Annapolis as well as some of the Fast & Furious entries. There are other cross-pollinations, including actor Roger Fan and composer Brian Tyler. Plus, occasionally, I feel nostalgic about my JROTC days in high school.

Annapolis is basically an amalgation of An Officer and a Gentleman, Top Gun, and Rocky, and it's undeniably filled with cliches as well as factual errors. It's also a bit simplistic with regards to the education that students receive at military academies. Yet, I liked it.

James Franco is a great actor, and it's unfortunate that most people know him as Peter Parker's best friend. (His portrayal of James Dean in a TV biopic is heartbreaking.) Jordana Brewster is cute and winning. Tyrese Gibson is more charismatic than he's been in any other movie. The story develops believable tensions and relationships between various primary and secondary characters. Besides, who doesn't like underdog stories?

It's funny...of the four movies directed by Justin Lin, I don't like the one that everyone else praised, Better Luck Tomorrow. Maybe I'll give it a second chance some day...

Fados (Carlos Saura, 2007)

2009-10-11T15:28:00.002-05:00

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
92 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo Portuguese and Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English
Extras: The Making of Fados; trailers; photo gallery

Released: 20 October 2009

For viewers like me, Fados on DVD may be an ideal introduction to fado, a “Portuguese” musical genre with African and Brazilian roots. The DVD package includes additional text that refers to the wide range of influences that have impacted fado. Fados begins with some on-screen text that places fado in a socio-historical context. From there, you can experience the rest of the movie, which has roughly eighteen different performances employing a variety of instruments, singing styles, and dances. The songs and the themes differ from performance to performance, but it’s apparent that an underlying understanding of rhythm informs the fado style.

Fados offers a rich sampling of musical approaches. There are many uses of guitars, which are frequently associated with Iberian cultures. However, the musicians also use traditional or folk instruments. Some songs are percussive in nature, while others are quiet, melancholy laments.

Fados isn’t simply comprised of a static camera recording people singing or playing instruments. Rather, director Carlos Saura staged dance sequences and visual tableaus to express the richness of emotions generated by the songs. There are flamencos and ballets, rear projections and lighting schemes usually found in museums or art galleries. The movie concludes with a camera peering into a mirror, thrusting the medium’s gaze back onto itself, perhaps in a moment of autobiographical self-reflexivity.

Video:
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image is rather soft and sometimes lacking in detail. This can be attributed in part to artistic production decisions, but I wonder if the use of an interlaced source or process to create the video transfer also hampered sharpness. Warm reds and oranges fare best.

Audio:
The DD 2.0 stereo Portuguese and Spanish audio track is robust and uncomplicated. While the director gives his imagination free rein with regards to visual interpretations of the songs, it appears that the audio is “untouched”. There are some stereo effects that mirror onscreen directionalities, but otherwise, the mix is dominated by crisp, clear reproductions of the performances.

Extras:
“The Making of Fados” has some brief explanatory interviews as well as a lot of behind-the-scenes footage showing how individual performances were designed and shot.

You also get two trailers and a photo gallery.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert booklet provides chapter/song/artist listings and a brief essay by the director. The transparent keepcase displays a list of performers as well as production and DVD credits.

Trick ‘R Treat (Michael Dougherty, 2009)

2009-10-06T22:36:00.005-05:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.40:1 16x9 enhanced and Pan-&-Scan 1.33:1
82 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Season’s Greetings; previews for other movies

Released: 6 October 2009

Trick ‘R Treat features several big names like Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, and Dylan Baker, but I didn’t recall it ever being in movie theatres. A quick search on the Internet reveals that the movie was shown at a few festivals and events back in 2008, but Warner never gave it theatrical distribution here in the U.S. even though it was probably “in the can” as far back as 2007. IMDB has some comments pertaining to industry politics. Writer-director Michael Dougherty also co-wrote Superman Returns, Bryan Singer’s costly, misguided attempt to re-boot the Superman franchise in the middle of the narrative established by the previous four movies. (Singer produced this movie, too.)

Well, Trick ‘R Treat is now on DVD and Blu-ray in time for Halloween 2009. The movie follows events that take place one Halloween night in a small town. There’s a crazy school principal with disturbing hobbies. A couple of kids play a cruel prank on a shy classmate. A group of attractive women lure horny boys into the forest. A guy and a girl discover the consequences of blowing out a jack-o-lantern before the night is over. An old man runs around his house chasing a Halloween demon. There are some mildly amusing shots that connect the various stories in terms of time and place (the characters pass each other during the course of the evening), but mercifully, the movie doesn’t strain to create “meaning”. Alas, none of the stories are developed beyond trite “twists” or “gotcha!” moments.

The movie’s opening sequence is its best. Leslie Bibb plays a woman taking down Halloween decorations. Her yard is filled with unsettling props, each one a potential hazard. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie offers the usual over-the-top violence and gore. The visuals get some mileage out of creepy Halloween masks, but the hacking and slashing is boringly repetitive. Fans of Anna Paquin will be especially disappointed as she does little of consequence.

Video:
The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen image is excellent as far as standard definition goes. The dark hues are rich and textured. The red of Anna Paquin’s costume is quite striking. Fine object detail is fairly high.

The DVD also has a Pan-&-Scan 1.33:1 modified transfer.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track is what one would expect of a contemporary slasher mix. There are a couple of crescendoing glissandos meant to augment a viewer’s sense of shock, and loud bass thumps provide the subwoofer with plenty to do. The rear channels contribute some creepy ambient effects, particularly during a sequence set in an abandoned quarry.

Extras:
Aside from front-loaded previews for other movies, the only extra is “Season’s Greetings”, a sub-four-minute animated short film that the director created when he was a student at NYU. You can watch the short with or without a director’s audio commentary. It appears that the director had some ideas for the main feature for a long time as evidenced by the re-appearance of the demon, who is the focus of “Season’s Greetings”.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a cardboard slipsleeve.

Observe and Report Blu-ray Disc (Jody Hill, 2009)

2009-09-15T10:09:00.001-05:00

Warner (USA)
2.40:1 1080p
87 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish, DD 5.1 Portuguese
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: PIP video commentary; Seth Rogen & Anna Faris: Unscripted; Basically Training; Forest Ridge Mall Security Recruitment Video; deleted scenes/alternate jokes; Gag Reel; BD-Live; Digital Copy disc

Released: 22 September 2009

By now, it’s beyond obvious that not only does Hollywood recycle ideas ad nauseum, some ideas are recycled simultaneously by different teams of un-original, un-inspired filmmakers. Such was the case for Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Observe and Report. Both movies are about shopping mall security personnel taking their jobs too seriously.

I have not seen Paul Blart, but I can tell you this about Observe and Report--it is nasty, ugly, and lacking in logic to a degree that insults the average person’s intelligence. Seth Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, a mentally-troubled man who stalks a cosmetics girl, berates vendors with racist comments, and uses excessive force in capturing a flasher. Ronnie maims (and possibly even kills) some drug pushers, and there is no official inquiry into what happens. During the movie’s climax, Ronnie runs past an Arab and punches him in the face--for no reason other than the fact that Ronnie is seriously disturbed.

The script also has a sweet-natured girl with a broken leg falling in love with Ronnie. Between this movie and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, I wonder how heterosexual male filmmakers managed to get their girlfriends and wives. Maybe their girlfriends and wives like asshole men, which would explain why such movies are so skewed and continue to be greenlighted.

Video:
While the 2.40:1 1080p image is not a disaster like the SD DVD’s, the picture is still washed out. Objects in the foreground look fairly sharp and clear, but backgrounds are hazy and sometimes even muddy.

Audio:
The disc sports a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track exhibiting generic characteristics. Dialogue is the primary component, and it’s carried clearly and cleanly. Some music cues give the mix a sense of stereo separation and bass response. Don’t expect much from the rear channels.

Extras:
You can watch the movie with a PIP video commentary. In a little box on the bottom-right corner, you can see Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, and Jody Hill sitting in a little theatre as they watch the movie.

“Seth Rogen & Anna Faris: Unscripted” offers footage of the two leads as they improvise lines during shooting.

“Basically Training” is a brief featurette about Seth Rogen performing his own stunts.

“Forest Ridge Mall Security Recruitment Video” is a fake job commercial.

For additional meager snickers, you can watch deleted scenes/alternate jokes and a Gag Reel.

Those of you with Profile 2.0 players can enable BD-Live connectivity for the usual Warner activities (Media Center, My Commentary, Live Community Screening, etc.).

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc and a cardboard slipsleeve.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Blu-ray Disc (Mark Waters, 2009)

2009-09-15T10:07:00.001-05:00

Warner (USA)
2.40:1 1080p
100 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: Recreating the Past, Imagining the Future; It’s All About Connor; The Legends, the Lessons, and the Ladies; additional scenes; BD-Live connectivity; Digital Copy disc

Released: 22 September 2009

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a terrible, awful movie, but it has the virtue of inspiring me to ponder the nature of romantic relationships. While watching it, I wondered:

1) Do men really think that women like assholes?

2) If women don’t like assholes and prefer nice guys, then how come there is a sustainable, profitable market for romantic comedies about women and asshole men?

3) Maybe women really do like assholes?

4) Why are men portrayed as being impressed with guys who “score”?

5) Why do women frown upon other women who exhibit Casanova-type appetites when the opposite is socially “acceptable”?

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between those points. Nevertheless, it is highly troubling that gender perceptions and gender expectations diverge so widely.

In Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Matthew McConaughey plays Connor Mead, a jerk who is his own STD. Jennifer Garner plays his “true love”, who’s loved him since they were kids. The movie draws inspiration from A Christmas Carol, with an asshole uncle and three ghosts guiding the protagonist away from his lothario ways. While I’m glad that the protagonist reforms his ways, it’s unlikely that any woman would stay committed to loving him after decades of lewd, crude, lascivious behavior.

The movie is filled with misogynistic and flat-out offensive language or situations. For example, for no good reason, Connor starts groping a woman’s breasts, and instead of slapping him or at least walking away, the woman actually engages Connor in a minutes-long conversation. She’s even flattered by his attentions! How anyone can find any humor in this movie is beyond me.

Video:
The Blu-ray’s 2.40:1 1080p image offers the expected upgrade from the DVD in terms of sharpness and detail, though in comparison to other Blu-ray’s, the picture is relatively soft. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Warner used 25-gig discs instead of 50-gig discs for this movie.) Hues tend to be dark since the story takes place during winter. The picture has a “flat” appearance that is typical of contemporary comedies (i.e. there’s a lack of imaginative staging).

Audio:
The disc sports a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track exhibiting generic characteristics. Dialogue is the primary component, and it’s carried clearly and cleanly. Some music cues give the mix a sense of stereo separation and bass response. Don’t expect much from the rear channels.

Extras:
The DVD has no extras other than some previews, but the Blu-ray’s extras are anemic anyway.

“Recreating the Past, Imagining the Future” is a very brief glimpse into the production. “It’s All About Connor” has other cast members talking about how great Matthew McConaughey is. “The Legends, the Lessons, and the Ladies” feature McConaughey and Michael Douglas talking about how great it is to play lotharios.

You also get some additional scenes in poor-quality SD.

Those of you with Profile 2.0 players can enable BD-Live connectivity to watch “A Sea of Women”, which has additional footage from the scene where Connor Mead meets the hundreds of women he’s dated.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc and a cardboard slipsleeve.

Observe and Report (Jody Hill, 2009)

2009-09-10T19:13:00.002-05:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.40:1 16x9 enhanced and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
87 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: previews for other movies

Released: 22 September 2009

By now, it’s beyond obvious that not only does Hollywood recycle ideas ad nauseum, some ideas are recycled simultaneously by different teams of un-original, un-inspired filmmakers. Such was the case for Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Observe and Report. Both movies are about shopping mall security personnel taking their jobs too seriously.

I have not seen Paul Blart, but I can tell you this about Observe and Report--it is nasty, ugly, and lacking in logic to a degree that insults the average person’s intelligence. Seth Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, a mentally-troubled man who stalks a cosmetics girl, berates vendors with racist comments, and uses excessive force in capturing a flasher. Ronnie maims (and possibly even kills) some drug pushers, and there is no official inquiry into what happens. During the movie’s climax, Ronnie runs past an Arab and punches him in the face--for no reason other than the fact that Ronnie is seriously disturbed.

The script also has a sweet-natured girl with a broken leg falling in love with Ronnie. Between this movie and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, I wonder how heterosexual male filmmakers managed to get their girlfriends and wives. Maybe their girlfriends and wives like asshole men, which would explain why such movies are so skewed and continue to be greenlighted.

Video:
The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen image is probably the worst that I’ve seen during the past year. You will see a lot of edge enhancement--the haloes around moving objects are very distracting. Backgrounds tend to look like petroleum jelly blobs.

You can also watch the movie in a 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan hack job configuration.

Audio:
The disc sports a DD 5.1 English track exhibiting generic characteristics. Dialogue is the primary component, and it’s carried clearly and cleanly. Some music cues give the mix a sense of stereo separation and bass response. Don’t expect much from the rear channels.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies. That’s it for bonus materials.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Mark Waters, 2009)

2009-09-10T19:10:00.002-05:00

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.40:1 16x9 enhanced & 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
100 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: previews for other movies

Released: 22 September 2009

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a terrible, awful movie, but it has the virtue of inspiring me to ponder the nature of romantic relationships. While watching it, I wondered:

1) Do men really think that women like assholes?

2) If women don’t like assholes and prefer nice guys, then how come there is a sustainable, profitable market for romantic comedies about women and asshole men?

3) Maybe women really do like assholes?

4) Why are men portrayed as being impressed with guys who “score”?

5) Why do women frown upon other women who exhibit Casanova-type appetites when the opposite is socially “acceptable”?

Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between those points. Nevertheless, it is highly troubling that gender perceptions and gender expectations diverge so widely.

In Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Matthew McConaughey plays Connor Mead, a jerk who is his own STD. Jennifer Garner plays his “true love”, who’s loved him since they were kids. The movie draws inspiration from A Christmas Carol, with an asshole uncle and three ghosts guiding the protagonist away from his lothario ways. While I’m glad that the protagonist reforms his ways, it’s unlikely that any woman would stay committed to loving him after decades of lewd, crude, lascivious behavior.

The movie is filled with misogynistic and flat-out offensive language or situations. For example, for no good reason, Connor starts groping a woman’s breasts, and instead of slapping him or at least walking away, the woman actually engages Connor in a minutes-long conversation. She’s even flattered by his attentions! How anyone can find any humor in this movie is beyond me.

Video:
The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen image is relatively sharp and detailed for an SD transfer. Hues tend to be dark since the story takes place during winter. The picture has a “flat” appearance that is typical of contemporary comedies (i.e. there’s a lack of imaginative staging).

You can also watch the movie in a 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan hack job configuration.

Audio:
The disc sports a DD 5.1 English track exhibiting generic characteristics. Dialogue is the primary component, and it’s carried clearly and cleanly. Some music cues give the mix a sense of stereo separation and bass response. Don’t expect much from the rear channels.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies. That’s it for bonus materials.

Paramount's Sapphire Series Blu-rays

2009-09-02T20:57:00.003-05:00

Well, today is Wednesday, 2 September 2009. Paramount's premium line of Blu-rays, the Sapphire Series, was officially launched yesterday with Braveheart and Gladiator. However, the studio's marketing department has not sent out screeners, so the only reviews so far have been from people who got their copies in violation of street date and people who bought copies in stores.

There has been a fair amount of hand-wringing about the video transfer for Gladiator. I have not seen it for myself yet, but if the video is indeed not up to snuff, then Paramount will have a bit of a PR problem.

I think that the Braveheart Blu-ray also needs to be scrutinized. A dual-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold more than 45 gigs' worth of information. However, the current Braveheart Blu-ray drops several extras from the two previous American DVD editions. If you're like my friend John Puccio, you may not care about extras at all and never watch Disc 2. It might be possible that the Blu-ray's extras are better than the missing extras. However, the mere fact that those extras exist and could've been included without space issues is yet another avoidable fumble, especially when you consider that the Gladiator Blu-ray has all of the extras from the two-DVD and three-DVD sets.

Tulpan (Sergey Dvortsevoy, 2008)

2009-08-23T01:36:00.002-05:00

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
100 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo Kazakh
Subtitles: Optional English
Extras: theatrical trailer

Released: 22 September 2009

Sergey Dvortsevoy’s Tulpan is an extraordinary mix of scripted and documentary footage. The movie features numerous moments of actors and animals in real-life situations, such as herding sheep, birthing sheep, and running away from angry camels. Even if all of these interactions with animals were scripted, the production crew had to exercise extreme patience in order to capture the exact needed footage. The final result is all the more remarkable because the filmmakers used “real” animals (not trained or animatronic ones) and favored long takes rather than relying on the convenience of edits.

In the movie, Asa returns to Kazakhstan after completing his service in the Russian Pacific Fleet. He wants to become a sheep farmer like his brother-in-law, so he has to find a wife first before being eligible for his own herd. The only single girl anywhere near Asa’s family is Tulpan, who isn’t interested in Asa. While making repeat trips to woo Tulpan, Asa learns the sheep trade from his brother-in-law.

The movie never shows Tulpan’s face, which is the director’s way of showing how Asa is really in love with the idea of being in love. Besides, Asa isn’t familiar with Tulpan at all. Perhaps Dvortsevoy’s real point is that love doesn’t matter; we see how Asa’s sister and brother-in-law earn a hard living, and we can assume that Asa and his wife (whoever it may be) will eke out a similar existence.

In the U.S., Kazakhstan usually appears in the news because of its oil fields or because of its military installations being used for the War on Terror. It’s refreshing to see how some of its people actually live, untouched by international geopolitical concerns. The livelihood on display in Tulpan is undoubtedly harsh and perhaps even a little cruel, but it also has enviable grace, charm, and simplicity. People don’t have time for malicious struggles against each other because life itself is an extraordinary challenge.

The three young children who play Asa’s nephews and nieces are hilariously memorable. The older son listens to radio news programs and recites the news to his father at night before going to bed. The daughter sings with a heartbreakingly lovely voice. The younger son rides a stick, ready to gallop to Almaty.

Aside from the winning performances, you’ll walk away thinking about all those animals. They’re always doing something, from copulating in the distant background to clambering over the actors. On the film festival circuit, Tulpan was known as “the live-sheep-birth movie”. What Tulpan does so successively--more than a straight, clinical documentary can--is to convey how desperate and important each birth is.

Video:
Many of Zeitgeist’s previous DVDs were derived from PAL or interlaced sources, so the Tulpan disc probably has the best video presentation yet from this outfit. The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image is very sharp and clear, looking about as good as standard-definition DVD can. There are frequent dust storms, but they don’t cause apparent blocking or compression problems. Although much of the movie is set outdoors in the blazing sun, the picture is never washed out or too bright.

Audio:
The DD 2.0 stereo Kazakh audio mix is rather sparse and basic, though it fits the material just fine. Dialogue is intelligible when appropriate, and the vocal music (mostly sung by Asa’s niece) is beautifully-rendered. Despite the rustic settings, the audio is very crisp; there aren’t hints of hiss or crackling.

Extras:
The only disc-based extra is a theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert fold-out has an interview with the director as well as production/DVD credits. The transparent keepcase allows you to see the chapter listings printed on the reverse side of the cover art.

Trouble the Water (Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, 2008)

2009-08-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
96 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: extended/deleted scenes; Q&A at the Roger Ebert Film Festival; Q&A at the New Orleans premiere; Democratic National Convention encounter; theatrical trailer

Released: 25 August 2009

Trouble the Water is a fascinating documentary, part-home-movie and part-newsreel. The movie begins with footage shot by Kimberly Roberts on the eve of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall. She and her husband, Scott, did not have the means to evacuate from New Orleans, so they stayed and recorded the storm’s effects on their neighborhood. In the aftermath, they discovered that relatives and friends died as a result of massive flooding.

The Roberts couple eventually teamed up with Tia Lessin and Carl Deal to cover the rest of their journey, from escaping to Memphis to returning to New Orleans’s Ninth Ward. The couple encounters bureaucratic fumbles and fortuitous turns, such as when Scott is hired by a local home builder. Footage of policemen and soldiers guarding casinos and military bases but not helping hurricane victims are astonishing, even if we heard about such situations from the media.

For me, though, Trouble the Water isn’t entirely an attack on or exposé of government failings. Yes, the Bush Administration, the State of Louisiana, and the City of New Orleans could’ve done much to prevent the worst of the disasters, but the documentary also shows that Hurricane Katrina flushed out many of the worst elements in New Orleans. Some neighborhoods were destroyed, yes, but they were filled with squalor anyway. Many people, including Scott Roberts, were drug pushers and other sorts of criminals.

Hurricane Katrina at least encouraged Scott to reform himself, but what about others? I remember that my sister’s friend’s friend went to Louisiana as a volunteer to help hurricane victims. She was raped in the Superdome.

It’s not enough to point fingers at the government…people need to learn to point fingers at themselves, too.

Video:
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image varies greatly in quality due to the use of mixed media. Kimberly’s Hi-8 camera offers considerably less resolution than what we’re used to seeing, though footage captured by professional camera crews is fairly sharp and clear. Likewise, elements such as video noise and blockiness appear depending on camera movement and lighting.

Audio:
As with the video, the audio quality varies depending on the technology used. The DD 2.0 stereo English mix is rather raw and harsh when the source audio comes from Kimberly’s Hi-8 camera, though the quality improves dramatically with Lessin and Deal’s use of professional-grade equipment. Most dialogue is clear and intelligible, and there is some stereo separation for the hip-hop music.

Extras:
First up are four extended/deleted scenes.

Instead of audio commentaries or interviews, the DVD offers Q&A sessions from the Roger Ebert Film Festival and the New Orleans premiere. The DVD also has footage of Kimberly Roberts meeting the mayor of New Orleans at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Finally, you also get a theatrical trailer

--Miscellaneous--
An insert booklet provides chapter listings and a review that originally appeared in The Times-Picayune. The transparent keepcase shows the film and DVD production credits printed on the reverse side of the cover art.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Blu-ray Disc (Donald Petrie, 2003)

2009-08-08T14:31:00.001-05:00

Paramount (USA)
1.78:1 1080p
115 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: audio commentary by Donald Petrie; How to Make a Movie in 2 Years; Why the Sexes Battle; Girls Night Out; Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” music video; deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary

Released: 18 August 2009

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a romantic comedy, but it reminded me of another Paramount production, one that is generally considered to be more “serious” than this one--Changing Lanes. In both movies, two characters collide and engage in a battle of escalations. The characters’ tussles result in serious professional and social consequences, though there’s also a “heartwarming” ending.

Oddly, I didn’t detest How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days as I thought I would. Whereas Changing Lanes lacks credibility precisely because it is so “serious”, How to Lose a Guy is mostly charming. It frequently evokes the spirit of screwball comedies from the 1930s and 1940s. The movie manages to maintain a high-level of zany energy up through the moment that the two leads humiliate each other in public.

Alas, contemporary Hollywood movies have a tendency to turn into mush for their finales. Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey’s characters wilt and melt into each other’s arms, which is too bad because the leads are clearly adept at physical humor. It’s too bad that the filmmakers didn’t have the guts to keep audiences laughing all the way to the end along the lines of Bringing Up Baby.

Video:
This disc scared me into thinking that there was something wrong with my TV. I had just moved from Austin to Dallas, and I figured that the TV had been damaged during the move. It turns out that the menus are a ghastly shade of pink, and even footage from the movie that plays in the background was pink-tafied.

Thankfully, the 1.78:1 1080p image looks “normal” once the movie starts playing. Colors are a bit flat and drab, though this was probably intended so that the leads’ costumes would look all the more fabulous. The picture is also a tad soft in some places, though again, this might be intended (rom-coms usually have a soft look to give off a “glow”). There are a few instances of print damage, though they’re not serious enough to distract most viewers.

Audio:
As expected with a rom-com, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English mix is front-biased. The subwoofer thumps a bit when a loud, brassy song is played. Otherwise, you get a few stereo effects for New-York-City street traffic and anchored-in-the-center dialogue. Voices are always intelligible and are not drowned out by other elements.

Extras:
There’s a pro-forma audio commentary by Donald Petrie, which has the director narrating a bit, explaining how things are shot, and lauding everyone else who worked on the movie.

“How to Make a Movie in 2 Years” is a happy-happy-joy-joy retrospective featurette about the production. Everyone talks about how well the movie progressed; apparently, even the mishaps were beneficial to the final product.

“Why the Sexes Battle” presents two psychologists (one male, one female) using the movie as an illustration of why men and women behave in certain ways.

“Girls Night Out” offers snippets from an interview with Michele Alexander and Jeannie Long, the authors of the book that inspired the movie.

You also get Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” music video.

Finally, there are a couple of deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Deluxe Edition (Donald Petrie, 2003)

2009-08-08T14:25:00.004-05:00

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
115 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Donald Petrie; How to Make a Movie in 2 Years; Why the Sexes Battle; Girls Night Out; Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” music video; deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary

Released: 18 August 2009

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a romantic comedy, but it reminded me of another Paramount production, one that is generally considered to be more “serious” than this one--Changing Lanes. In both movies, two characters collide and engage in a battle of escalations. The characters’ tussles result in serious professional and social consequences, though there’s also a “heartwarming” ending.

Oddly, I didn’t detest How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days as I thought I would. Whereas Changing Lanes lacks credibility precisely because it is so “serious”, How to Lose a Guy is mostly charming. It frequently evokes the spirit of screwball comedies from the 1930s and 1940s. The movie manages to maintain a high-level of zany energy up through the moment that the two leads humiliate each other in public.

Alas, contemporary Hollywood movies have a tendency to turn into mush for their finales. Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey’s characters wilt and melt into each other’s arms, which is too bad because the leads are clearly adept at physical humor. It’s too bad that the filmmakers didn’t have the guts to keep audiences laughing all the way to the end along the lines of Bringing Up Baby.

Video:
This disc scared me into thinking that there was something wrong with my TV. I had just moved from Austin to Dallas, and I figured that the TV had been damaged during the move. It turns out that the menus are a ghastly shade of pink, and even footage from the movie that plays in the background was pink-tafied.

Thankfully, the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image looks “normal” once the movie starts playing. Colors are a bit flat and drab, though this was probably intended so that the leads’ costumes would look all the more fabulous. The picture is also a tad soft in some places, though again, this might be intended (rom-coms usually have a soft look to give off a “glow”). There are a few instances of print damage, though they’re not serious enough to distract most viewers. Compared to the Blu-ray, the SD DVD’s video presentation is a noticeable step down, with jagged edges and “ghosting” from time to time.

Audio:
As expected with a rom-com, the DD 5.1 English mix is front-biased. The subwoofer thumps a bit when a loud, brassy song is played. Otherwise, you get a few stereo effects for New-York-City street traffic and anchored-in-the-center dialogue. Voices are always intelligible and are not drowned out by other elements.

Extras:
There’s a pro-forma audio commentary by Donald Petrie, which has the director narrating a bit, explaining how things are shot, and lauding everyone else who worked on the movie.

“How to Make a Movie in 2 Years” is a happy-happy-joy-joy retrospective featurette about the production. Everyone talks about how well the movie progressed; apparently, even the mishaps were beneficial to the final product.

“Why the Sexes Battle” presents two psychologists (one male, one female) using the movie as an illustration of why men and women behave in certain ways.

“Girls Night Out” offers snippets from an interview with Michele Alexander and Jeannie Long, the authors of the book that inspired the movie.

You also get Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” music video.

Finally, there are a couple of deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a cardboard slipsleeve with a flip cover. Upon opening the flip cover, you can read a list of things that a girl can do to drive a guy crazy.