Wow. I’m still reeling from the pick of the week. It’s hard to even look at anything else here. Make sure you check it out (as if you can miss it) but also scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and take a gander at some of the other interesting discs hitting shelves this week: new season sets of Chuck and Bones, excellent TV horror Dark Night of the Scarecrow and several recent Jane Austen PBS mini-series.

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Blu-ray disc of the week: TREE OF LIFE (CANADA)

“From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as “Badlands”, “Days of Heaven” and “The Thin Red Line”, “The Tree of Life” is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationships with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.“

I’m not sure that there’s a more important film released this year than The Tree of Life. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything that can compare, to be honest – the unprecedented marriage of sounds and images in perfect subjective symmetry. I have a feeling this film will become a touchstone for generations of artists, including those already working today. Malick is able to use the form in ways that seem to escape most in the business, particularly those caught in the gears of the plastic Hollywood machine. His ability to juxtapose disparate images to imply new narrative threads is rare and, in my experience, usually only found at this level in the best comics, where the use of image-as-concept is often the only tool in the creator’s pallette. The Tree of Life is pure art. A two-and-a-half hour long tone poem of a sort, but with a backbone of narrative to support it. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best film of 2011. And one of the best Blu-ray presentations as well!

I received the Canadian version of The Tree of Life Blu-ray from eOne. The disc is identical to the US release from Fox (save the studio marker at the beginning) and is one of the most stunning high-def releases of the year. Honestly, I don’t think any film has ever looked better on my projector. Colours pop, detail is out of this world and blacks are deep and dark. Combine the reference quality image with the near-perfect 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and The The Tree of Life is the perfect demo disc to show off your home theatre. No matter what you think of the deliberately paced story and the gentle, subjective style of film-making, you’ll want to own a copy of this disc just to wow your neighbours and friends. It’s the Planet Earth purchase of 2011.

Special features are limited to a single half-hour long documentary called “Exploring the Tree of Life.” Don’t sell this little gem short, though. It’s created by home-video producer extraordinaire Laurent Bouzereau (Jaws, Avatar, Indiana Jones disc and doc producer, to name a few) and it’s wonderful and insightful, covering not only the various facets of the production, but also looking to other contemporary filmmakers (Christopher Nolan and David Fincher to be exact) for comments on Malick and his style. If, after watching the film, you find yourself a little lost, give this doc a watch. It’ll set you on the path to understanding the work and what went into assembling it. Magnificent. As is to be expected, the reclusive auteur, Malick himself, doesn’t make an appearance. The theatrical trailer is also included.

Highest possible recommendation.

Special Features:

• Exploring the Tree of Life, a 30 minute making-of documentary
• DVD (and Digital Copy in the US) of the film

AMAZON: CDN$ 24.99

Also available: TREE OF LIFE (US)

AMAZON: $24.99

THE FOUR FEATHERS

“This Technicolor spectacular, directed by Zoltán Korda, is considered the finest of the many adaptations of A. E. W. Mason’s classic 1902 adventure novel about the British empire’s exploits in Africa, and a crowning achievement of Alexander Korda’s legendary production company, London Films. Set at the end of the nineteenth century, The Four Feathers follows the travails of a young officer (John Clements) accused of cowardice after he resigns his post on the eve of a major deployment to Khartoum; he must then fight to redeem himself in the eyes of his fellow officers (including Ralph Richardson) and fiancée (June Duprez). Featuring music by Miklós Rózsa and Oscar-nominated cinematography by Georges Périnal and Osmond Borradaile, The Four Feathers is a thrilling, thunderous epic.“

Another landmark release from The Criterion Collection, The Four Feathers has been long in need of a respectful resurrection on home video. I haven’t received my copy of the film yet but I’m so looking forward to delving into it. Early reviews point to the image being far from perfect but, without question, the best the film has ever looked on any format. Special features include a commentary track, a half-hour long interview with the director’s son, filmmaker David Korda, a vintage promo film, the theatrical trailer and the usual printed booklet.

AMAZON: $26.99

BEAUTIFUL BOY

““Beautiful Boy” is an unconventional love story that explores the journey of a married couple on the verge of separation, who must live with unimaginable heartbreak, and find healing through the darkest days of their lives. Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) hopelessly try to find some hint of an explanation after finding out that their only son committed a mass shooting at his university before taking his own life. They struggle numbly through the funeral, the media onslaught, and the awkward pity from relatives and friends. Their already strained marriage is tested as they realize all they have left with each other is their shared grief and confusion – and the unfortunate legacy of their son. This life-altering event forces Bill and Kate to face their feelings of guilt, rage, blame, self-discovery – and ultimately hope – so that they can finally see each other and their chance for happiness again with clear eyes.“

Beautiful Boy has a lot in common with The Tree of Life. (I wonder if its home-video release was timed to coincide?) Both films revolve around a narrative dealing with loss and attempts to find one’s self after suffering profound tragedy. Shawn Ku‘s film, however, deals with things head on, in as direct a fashion possible, with a linear narrative that examines a couple pulling apart and ultimately together to cope with great loss. It’s a moving and poignant portrait of a couple of well rendered people, played to perfection by master thespians, Michael Sheen and Maria Bello. It’s far from a fun film but a thoroughly rewarding drama by a bright young filmmaker with great promise.

Anchor Bay presents the film in an attractive, film-like Blu-ray edition that appears to accurately replicate the source material. There’s a fair amount of grain on display but if you’re at all like me, you love it and love that source-accurate discs like this give the feeling of actually watching film. And that’s when Blu-ray is at its best. This isn’t the prettiest looking film, but the presentation on the disc is detailed and just about perfect, for what it is. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround mix is front heavy, as is to be expected in a drama of this sort, without very many opportunities to show off. It’s a good, solid lossless track but not very exciting.

Special features are limited to a couple minutes of fairly dry deleted scenes and one of the sleepiest group commentary tracks I’ve ever heard. Keep that coffee at arms length if you plan to listen to writer/director Shawn Ku, editor Chad Galster and cinematographer Michael Fimognari talk about the production for any longer than a few minutes. They’ve got a lot to say and they certainly amp up the energy as the track moves along but boy, is this one a tough slog. The disc is rounded out with the theatrical trailer.

AMAZON: $19.99

GREEN LANTERN

“In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps’ newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern also stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett* and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins**. “

I haven’t seen the Green Lantern Blu-ray yet and I don’t know that I want to. This is probably the worst big-budget, mainstream superhero film to be released in years. How this clunker of a script got by the gatekeepers of quality at Warner and DC is beyond me. Very little in the story makes sense for the characters and the plot is a mess, when it’s not too busy being pedestrian. What a let down. That said, the extras on the Blu-ray look like they’ll be fun to watch. And I’m sure the A/V quality of the thing will be stellar. Any way you slice it, it’s one of the biggest releases of the week and worth noting here. Green Lantern will be on store shelves this Friday, October 14th.

AMAZON: $24.99

HORRIBLE BOSSES

“Management candidate Nick Hendricks has been logging 12-hour days and eating everything his twisted supervisor dishes out, toward the promise of a well-earned promotion. But now he knows that’s never going to happen. Meanwhile, dental assistant Dale Arbus has been struggling to maintain his self-respect against the relentless X-rated advances of his D.D.S. boss when she suddenly turns up the heat. And accountant Kurt Buckman has just learned that his company’s corrupt new owner is not only bent on ruining his career but plans to funnel toxic waste into an unsuspecting population. Quitting is not an option. These monsters must be stopped. So, on the strength of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con whose street cred is priced on a sliding scale, the guys devise a convoluted but foolproof plan to rid the world of their respective employers… permanently. But even the best-laid plans are only as good as the brains behind them.“

I’m sticking Horrible Bosses up here this week because I’m kind of excited to see it, despite the mixed reviews it received. C’mon, how can any film with Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrell, who just happens to be sporting a bald wig and bad comb-over, possibly be anything but brilliant? I’ll let you know, when my review copy shows up.

AMAZON: $24.99

THE BAD SEED

“Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) is a well-mannered 8-year-old little lady – and an efficient, unfeeling killer. And in this spellbinding chronicle of evil, whatever Rhoda wants, she ruthlessly gets. Her mother Christine (Nancy Kelly), reluctantly made to see her offspring’s moral blindness at work, is heartrendingly torn between the love for the child she bore and grief for Rhoda’s victims. From Maxwell Anderson‘s stage hit, “The Bad Seed” ticks like a time bomb under the skillful direction of Mervyn LeRoy, who cast several Broadway production originals, including Kelly (recreating the role that won her a Tony), McCormack and Eileen Heckart. their harrowing performances captured three of this suspenseful movie’s four Academy Award(R) nominations – and make this thriller one of the great ones.“

If The Bad Seed were a modern film, it would be the campiest of productions this side of Desperate Houswives. In fact, it’s hard to take it seriously, even now, watching this classic 1956 stage adaptation. The performances are all overheated, the story, right on the nose and that ending – my, God, that ending! Watching The Bad Seed felt like experiencing an old, lost episode of Dark Shadows or something, without the supernatural element to it. Young Patty McCormack is something to behold, as the bitchy little so-and-so who takes what she wants and deals out her ruthless vengeance to those who resist or threaten. Apparently, she perfected her duplicitous persona on stage in the role before heading to the big screen. It would explain why director LeRoy could coax such an assured and solid, yet theatrical, performance from such a young actress. But, sadly, in the end, as entertaining as The Bad Seed is to watch, it feels like an overlong television production, with uninspired shots and stagey setups. It’s still a classic and worth a look but don’t expect a grand Hollywood production here.

Warner brings The Bad Seed to Blu-ray in a presentation that appears uneven at the best of times. If I had to guess, I would put my money on the source material here being the best of the films surviving elements, with some shots looking fairly clear and detailed, as if transferred from 35 mm and others appearing dull, flat and without detail, as if scanned from a 16 mm dupe or even pulled from old tape. Yes, some scenes almost look that bad. But it’s the inconsistency, and the fact that there are moments where this disc looks pretty great, that makes me believe Warner did the best with what they’ve got. I wish I knew more about the source here. Just know going in that The Bad Seed looks way better on Blu than it did on DVD. But this disc is not going to blow you away. The mono DTS-HD Master Audio track is clean and clear, with limited range, as is to be expected from a film of this age.

McCormack provides most of the Blu-ray discs special features, carried over from the DVD, in the form of a 15-minute interview and a very lively, entertaining commentary track. While the interview is quite fine and informative, I would actually recommend checking out the commentary track, if you’re only going to hit up one of the extras here. Playwright/actor Charles Busch chats informally with McCormack for the length of the film, the two sharing laughs and stories, providing a very easy and pleasant listen. The disc is rounded out, as most are this week, with the theatrical trailer.

AMAZON: $13.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
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