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Kung-Fu Panda 2 Blu-ray coming next week

Brenden — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:57:05 +0000

When I first reported on Kung-Fu Panda 2 coming to Blu-ray way back in July, there were only a handful of pre-order hints about the disc lingering around the fringes of the internets. Well, now that we’re just over a week away from its official release on October 13th I thought I’d post the full feature list, found below and the nifty, detailed trailer above. I’ve got the disc in hand and will have a full review for you early next week. I’m really looking forward to diving into it.

KUNG-FU PANDA 2
(December 13, 2011 – MSRP $49.99)
Video: 2.39:1 1080p
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 7.1

SPECIAL FEATURES:

An episode of Nickeleodeon’s Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness television series
Kickin’ It with the Cast featurette which highlights old and new cast members
Three deleted scenes, hosted by director Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Filmmakers’ commentary with director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, producer Melissa Cobb, production designer Raymond Zibach, and supervising animator, kung fu choreographer, and story artist Rodolphe Guenoden
World of DreamWorks Animation promos
Previews
Sneak peek at DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters feature
Panda Stories featurette on the animals that inspired Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2
Kung Fu Shuffle featurette where Master Shifu teaches an update of the classic shell game
Ni Hao—Learn Chinese featurette
Two Kung Fu Panda World memberships
Blu-ray Exclusives

Animation Inspiration featurette on the real locations that influenced the film
The Animators’ Corner featurette with the film’s creators, animators, and cast and crew offering commentary on Kung Fu Panda 2‘s development
Pop-up trivia track

[VIDEO] Kung Fu Panda 2 Blu-ray trailer

Brenden — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:01:43 +0000

Yeah, I know, the video embed above says “DVD Trailer” on it but you know the drill. Not unlike an evil, duplicitous ninja, this trailer serves two masters – advertising both the standard and the high-def disc releases of Kung Fu Panda 2, both apparently due out in October. While the discs haven’t been officially announced by the studio as yet, there’s actually a lot of info kicking around on the Blu-ray disc combo pack. The details below are from the Amazon listing. Expect the official details to be revealed soon-ish!

KUNG FU PANDA 2
(October 11, 2011 – MSRP $49.99)
Video: TBA 1080p
Audio: TBA

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Disc One

Kung Fu Panda 2 movie
Sneak peek episode of the upcoming Nickelodeon TV series “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness”
Filmmakers’ Commentary
Meet the Cast
World of DreamWorks Animation

Disc Two

An all-new Po adventure, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters. In this all-new adventure, Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu’s greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc
Panda Stories: Inside the World of the Giant Panda
Kung Fu Shuffle
Nǐ Hǎo
Fortune Telling
Create 3D Characters and Masks

The Peacemaker Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:37:42 +0000

THE PEACEMAKER (1997, Blu-ray released September 21, 2010 – MSRP $24.99)

Mimi Leder is probably best known as a director of fine television programs, despite having a few meager cinematic successes under her belt. Her smaller-screen style of shooting might have something to do with the fact that her debut feature film, 1997s The Peacemaker feels like a pretty decent episode of The Unit or 24.

Comparing The Peacemaker, the very first film to come out of Dreamworks thirteen years ago, with the likes of 24 or The Unit is not negative criticism, in my eyes. Merely an observation. I really love(d) those shows and enjoyed the heck out of Leder’s The Peacemaker. It’s a solid couple of hours of watching military intelligence-types chase down terrorists and bombs and save the world. It’s like a James Bond film minus the charm, excitement and personality.

Dr. Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman), an American military intelligence analyst is tasked to find the source of a nuclear explosion within Russia. She determines it to be a terrorist act – detonation caused by the head-on collision of a couple of trains. Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe (George Clooney), with years of Russian intel-experience under his belt, believes otherwise. And we know Clooney is never wrong! The explosion was a cover for the theft of several additional warheads which now need to be tracked down and recovered. Kidman and Clooney jet around the world, hot on the trail of the nukes and the madman who has a devious plan to use them.

It’s a great, if not holey unoriginal setup that feels like it should payoff in an exciting Bond or Bourne-like adventure filled with action, intrigue and a smattering of romance between between the two leads. But there’s very little payoff here. The action an adventure feels very by-the-book and the romance never bubbles to the surface. In fact, for two such high-profile performers, it’s a bit of a surprise that Kidman and Clooney don’t seem to be able to muster up any chemistry here. Between the lack of spark and a fairly dry script, Leder is tasked with the impossible, yet she delivers an entertaining Clancy-lite thriller that I’ll be happy to revisit in the future.

The Peacemaker comes to Blu-ray in a pleasing yet flat high-def presentation. There’s nothing technically wrong here, aside from a few fleeting compression artifacts that pop up now and then, but there’s also nothing to get excited about. Colour is accurate but blacks sometimes overwhelm and detail comes and goes. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 is a vast improvement over its DVD counterpart, with a more dynamic and engrossing soundfield and enough expression to keep a keen ear engaged.

Sadly, The Peacemaker Blu-ray disc falls short in the special features department, only offering a 5-minute behind-the-scenes collection of stunt footage, 3-minutes of interviews with the cast and crew and the theatrical trailer.

Road to Perdition Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:57:33 +0000

ROAD TO PERDITION (2002, Blu-ray released August 3, 2010 – MSRP $29.99)

It’s a rare occasion that a studio is able to assemble the perfect cast and crew for a project and see it through to the end, to craft a perfect film. I believe Road to Perdition is one of those rare gems, fortunate enough to benefit from such a confluence of events and abilities. It’s a near-perfect film now presented on a nearly perfect Blu-ray.

As I sat watching Sam Mendes‘ brilliant Road to Perdition last night, I sat in awe, wondering how I could’ve possibly missed out on this film for so many years. It’s a well written adaptation of a not-too-popular comic book by author Max Allan Collins and illustrator Richard Piers Rayner, starring an A-list cast (Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law) shot by one of the best photographers in the biz (the late, great Conrad Hall) and scored by a very talented composer (Thomas Newman) known for his ability to accentuate the melancholy in just about any scene. One wonders what exactly director Sam Mendes was able to add to such a gifted mix? Well, if there’s any doubt about his contribution to the film or his absolute knowledge of every aspect of its assembly, his wonderful, engaging and comprehensive commentary track will put it to rest. This is Mendes’ film. And it is wonderful in just about every way!

Perdition is a familiar tale of family and bloody vengeance – like The Godfather in theme, echoing Gordon Willis‘ imagery from Coppola‘s film in the dark cut of Hall’s every shadowy composition. Hanks plays Michael Sullivan, betrayed by the jealous, murdering son (Daniel Craig) of his mob-boss employer/surrogate-father (Newman.) Now, after the cold blooded murder of his family, Michael is on the run with his surviving son, fighting to survive and desperate for revenge in prohibition era Chicago. The story doesn’t hit a single sour note, as all characters caught up in a sea of violence and despair are forced into actions they would otherwise have avoided. And their internal struggle, knowing how much happier they would be if they didn’t have to pull the trigger, is captivating from beginning to end. All the way down the Road.

The bleak colour pallet and rigid, emotive shadows of Conrad Hall’s photography are wonderfully rendered on the damn-near perfect transfer of the Road to Perdition Blu-ray. This thing is stunning! It’s a Blu-ray that exemplifies the finest aspects of the medium, providing a very true, film-like experience on the small home theatre screen. This isn’t one of those colour popping, eye gouging, three-dimensional images. Hall’s work here is dark, desaturated and very textured. And the disc delivers on every level – deep, dark, inky blacks, clear yet subtle details and a vivid sheen of film grain. If you want to see how close Blu can come to the cinematic experience, this is the disc to watch.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix is, without question, a reference quality track, presenting a seamless soundstage with a sense of fidelity that’s tough to match. I haven’t been as immersed in an audio track for a long time. Newman’s score sounds full and rich, with a dynamic range that’s bound to impress.

Road to Perdition arrives on Blu-ray with an incredible set of special features, highlighted by the afore mentioned director’s commentary track. Mendes also provides a new introduction to the film on Blu-ray, praising the transfer and lamenting that Hall is no longer alive to see how well his photography has been translated onto disc. Speaking of Hall, there is a truly wonderful 30-minute tribute to the man and his work, wherein just about every single surviving master of the art praises his cinematography! “The Library: A Further Exploration of the World of ‘Road to Perdition‘” is an interactive experience that allows users to dig deeper into the film via branching featurettes. This wonderful Blu-ray disc release is rounded out with a run-of-the-mill, half-hour “making-of” featurette and a collection of deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary.

Highly recommended!

Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2009

Brenden — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 04:31:13 +0000

We’re only a week away from my favourite holiday of the year and I’m gearing up for my annual cinematic Fright-Fest – a week of non-stop horror films! This year, the studios have been kind enough to deliver a lot of great titles that fit right in with that Halloween vibe and will make for perfect viewing, leading up to October 31st. Here’s a rundown of what I’ve got on deck and what I’ve recently checked out, all newly released to Blu-ray!

10. HARDWARE

Severin is quickly becoming the Criterion Collection of B-Movies, giving a lot of them more TLC than they might deserve. And no film in their library is more debatable than Richard Stanley‘s Hardware. Love it or hate it, Stanley delivers a film with enough impact that its cult status has become undeniable. However you might end up feeling about this post-apocalyptic, cyborg stalker thriller, there’s no denying that Severin has delivered one hell of a Blu-ray disc!

9. WOLF

Jack Nicholson as a werewolf? Hell yeah! It’s a can’t miss concept. But you know what? They kind-of end up missing. All right, Wolf is actually pretty great until the final act. It’s a Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Closer) film, so you know there’s something to like there. A lot of drama. Some great character stuff between Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Christopher Plummer and a host of some of the finest actors you’re likely to see in a horror-comedy-drama.

8. MONSTERS VS. ALIENS

Monsters! Aliens! Versus! This animated film from Dreamworks/Paramount has got it all! All right, this isn’t really a very Halloween-y kind of movie but it’s a lot of fun, looks fantastic on Blu-ray and is probably the only one suitable for the whole family. What happens when the Earth suffers an invasion by aliens who can repel every attack we throw at them? We call upon Earth’s last defense – MONSTERS!

7. THE CRAFT

How have I managed to live to this old age without seeing 90s young-witch film, The Craft?! Well, all of that changed this week when I finally got a chance to sit down with Sony‘s new Blu-ray disc release of the film. And you know what? It might be a bit dated but it’s not a bad film! And the disc itself is a winner, sporting a nice, new, detailed transfer and a full port of all the DVDs special features.

6. NIGHT OF THE CREEPS

The Night of the Creeps Blu-ray disc just showed up at my door this morning and I seriously can’t wait to dive into it! This is a film that’s been almost impossible to see on home video for ages but has now been revived in a glorious, feature packed Blu-ray disc. Creeps packs every Sci-fi and Horror convention it can think of into its brief 90 minute runtime and would lead director Fred Dekker to follow with his cult-hit film, Monster Squad (coming to Blu-ray in November.)

5. MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN

Okay, I get how most people hate this film. But come on, it’s seriously the best, most book-accurate version of Frankenstein put to film in recent times. Kenneth Branagh directs and stars with Robert DeNiro filling Boris Karloff‘s iconic boots as the monster. The Blu-ray disc looks as fine and as detailed as it most likely ever will on home video. I really wish there was a commentary track or making-of doc to round out the package, though.

4. DEAD SNOW

The mighty Stone gave the Dead Snow Blu-ray disc a look for us this week and, despite his dislike for zombies of the speedy variety, found this tale of Nazi-Zombies in the Norwegian wilderness to be a pretty good time. Me? I haven’t had a chance to put it on yet but I’m really excited to dig into it. Sadly, for fans outside of Canada and the UK, this film has yet to see release on Blu-ray. Import a copy from Amazon.ca for only $26.99.

3. DRAG ME TO HELL

Oh boy! I got a press pass to see this in the theatres and I had such a great time I almost offered to pay for the ticket on the way out! Drag Me To Hell is such a ridiculously fun, gross film and such a perfect return to horror-genre form for director Sam Raimi. I haven’t seen the Blu-ray yet but if it can approximate the theatrical experience in any way, I’m sure it will bowl me over a second time. I wonder what the “Unrated” footage will be…

2. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON

What can I possibly say about An American Werewolf in London? Outside of the 1942 Wolfman film starring Lon Chaney Jr., this is probably the most famous, most fantastic werewolf film ever made! John Landis successfully combined horror with comedy and some groundbreaking visual and make-up effects by Rick Baker to create a whole new kind of experience. The Blu-ray looks great and contains an amazing fan-made documentary that needs to be seen to be believed.

1. TRICK ‘R TREAT

I’m shocked. I had no expectation of this film whatsoever. And it blew me away! Mark my words, it’s only a matter of time before Trick ‘r Treat becomes the Christmas Story of Halloween – the cult film that scare-fans watch annually to celebrate the season. This film has got it all – great script, great frights and a top notch cast. And the Blu-ray does it justice with a fantastic transfer, great sound and a wonderful commentary track by writer and first-time director, Michael Dougherty (X-Men 2, Superman Returns).

Also available, but kind-of more of a ninja flik than horror film – Blood: The Last Vampire

The Soloist Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:36:18 +0000

THE SOLOIST (2009, Blu-ray released August 4, 2009 – MSRP $39.99)

This movie was a struggle for me. Excuse me. I should clarify that statement. What I meant to say was that I had to struggle to stay awake through The Soloist. Maybe it was the film. Maybe it was just me overextending myself lately. Either way, for whatever the reason, I didn’t make it to the end. Thank God my roommate did. I look to him to fill in my blanks…

Jake Zapotoczny: “It was alright. I dunno. It was okay. It was nothing special. Again, like you said, when Downey was onscreen it did hold my attention a lot better than…ah…then…then anything else for that matter. Like I was gonna say, I don’t know if that…if that story warrants a movie. I dunno. Not that it didn’t seem compelling but…It was good but…(edited for SPOILER content – to sum up, he’s unsatisfied with the ending)…I dunno, it just fell short. And I like movies about music. It wasn’t boring it just kind of puttered along like a shitty car. Y’know, it goes. The thing is it goes and you can drive it but it just doesn’t get there faster, I dunno.”

“It’s not like it was a bad movie. It’s just like it was there and… there it was.”

Thanks, Jake!

To be fair, I did go back and re-watch the film afterward. Again, I found it tough to get through. It reminded me of bad theatre in a lot of places. Very pretentious. But I guess the subject matter lends itself to all kinds of Oscar-baiting. Robert Downey Jr. plays a journalist who discovers Jamie Foxx, a homeless Julliard graduate, suffering schizophrenia on the streets, playing his two-stringed violin to himself in the highway underpasses of Los Angeles. Now, this thing is based on a true story. And there is actually a lot to like here. It goes without saying that the performances are out of this world. Downey and Foxx are geniuses. And the film really comes alive when the director eschews his “arty” ideas for the elegant simplicity of allowing the actors to improvise with the real stars of the film: the homeless of LA. These are the best moments of the film. The only ones that felt genuine and real. More of that please, fewer theatrical attempts to get inside the mind of a schizophrenic.

On to the disc itself! The Soloist looks like a million bucks on Blu-ray. I was taken aback by how stunning Seamus McGarvey‘s photography is. He’s able to work wonders with the most banal of settings and subjects. And the transfer does his work justice here. Very film-like. Nice amount of grain. Lots of detail. Simply beautiful! Kudos to Paramount for such a nice job! The extras are plentiful and detail the making of the film as well as giving a look at the real people the movie is based on. I found the commentary track tough to listen to, as director Joe Wright doesn’t speak very much through the course of the film and when he does, he comes off a bit smug. Several shorts focusing on the plight of LA’s homeless round out the disc.

Monsters vs. Aliens Blu-ray Details and Package Art

Brenden — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:19:48 +0000

So much stuff to get to today! I’m gonna keep my blethering short and sweet in an effort to get as much news out to you as possible.

And top of the list today, is some animation news. Paramount and Dreamworks have previously announced the release date of Monsters vs. Aliens but now they’ve given us the full details for the Blu-ray disc. The really interesting thing about this release is the lack of 3-D on the feature.

Much has been made of the theatrical 3-D experience lately, with almost every new animated feature turning up in the format on the big screen. In the cinema, we get to experience the film through polarized lenses, colours staying true and image fidelity relatively uncompromised. The best we can do at home at the moment is the old school, blue/green lens anaglyph 3-D format, which changes colours and generally looks a bit shifty on screen at the best of times. While Monsters vs. Aliens was released in 3-D in the theatres, Paramount/Dreamworks have decided to hold off downgrading the film’s image for the Blu-ray release. Instead, issuing only the 2-D version, and keeping the 3-D version on the drawing board, ready to rerelease when the Blu-ray consortium has ratified and standardized a method to bring the experience home.

For those a little peeved that they’re missing out on an opportunity to wear their anaglyph glasses, the studios offer up a little taste of 3-D in the new short film, B.O.B.’s Big Break.

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS

(September 29, 2009)
Video: 1080p AVC
Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD

Special Features:

• B.O.B.’S BIG BREAK in Monster 3D & 2D
• Paddle Ball Game in Monster 3D
• Modern Monster Movie Making
• Three Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes

• DWA Music Video Juke Box
• Filmmaker Commentary
• The Tech of MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
• Top Secret Sneak Peek Files

• Karaoke Music Party with:

• Exclusive Blu-ray Extras

Blu-ray Announcement Round-up: Monsters vs. Aliens, MASH, Silverado, The Quick and the Dead, Rudo y Cursi, More

Brenden — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:13:59 +0000

I can’t keep up with the massive amount of release news that hits on a weekly basis. And quite often, I just don’t really care about the titles being announced and therefore have a tough time forcing myself to make time to post about them.

Sigh…

So, I’m going to try to do one of these “Round-Up” posts once a week or so to give you a look at some of the other films coming to Blu-ray. I actually really like most of these films here, in today’s list. Just don’t have the time to give them all individual posts. And in some cases, the studio has yet to give us all the information about the Blu-ray disc.

Let’s get off to the races, then. Title news and announcements follow:

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS

(September 29, 2009)
Poster Art Shown
Video: TBA
Audio: TBA

Special Features:

• New 3-D adventure B.O.B.’s Big Break
• More TBA

RUDO Y CURSI

(August 25, 2009 – MSRP $39.95)
Region 4 DVD Package art Shown
Video: 1.78:1 1080p AVC
Audio: 5.1 Spanish soundtrack

Special Features:

• Making-of featurette
• Turn Off Your Cell Phone!
• Deleted scenes
• Karaoke version of “I Want You to Want Me”
• “Rudo y Cursi” music video by Juana Molina
• Commentary with director Carlos Cuarón and actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna
• Q&A with Carlos Cuarón, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna

FIGHTING

(August 25, 2009 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

• Deleted scenes
• D-Box motion control
• Digital copy
• BD-Live

THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE

(October 27, 2009 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p VC-1
Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

• Back to the Morgue – On Location with Director Jorge Grau
• Zombie Fighter – Interview with Star Ray Lovelock
• Zombie Maker – Interview with Special Effects Artist Giannetto De Rossi
• 2000 Interview with Director Jorge Grau
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Poster & Still Gallery

M*A*S*H

(September 1, 2009 – MSRP $34.99)
Video: 1080p
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

• The Complete Interactive Guide to M*A*S*H
• Audio commentary by director Robert Altman
• Theatrical trailer
• AMC Backstory – M*A*S*H Enlisted: The Story of M*A*S*H Through the Lens
• M*A*S*H Reunion
• Still gallery
• BD+ BD Live ready bootstrap (Blu-ray exlusive)

SILVERADO

(September 8, 2009 – MSRP $28.95)
DVD Package Art Shown
Video: 1080p AVC
Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD

Special Features:

• Along the Silverado Trail: A Western Historians’ Commentary
• The Making of Silverado
• A Return to Silverado with Kevin Costner

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

(September 8, 2009 – MSRP $28.95)
Video: 1080p AVC
Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD

Special Features:

• TBA

STATE OF PLAY

(September 1, 2009 – MSRP $29.98)
Video: 2.39:1 1080p
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

• U Control:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Making of State of Play
• BD Live:

• My Scenes

Michael Bay Talks Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray, Confirms Shifting Aspect Ratios

Brenden — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:59:12 +0000

The Blu-ray Blog had it right on the money when we wrote that the Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray would feature shifting aspect ratios to accommodate the larger IMAX footage, much as last year’s The Dark Knight disc had. What we didn’t know is that the amazing Charles de Lauzirika, “Ridley Scott‘s DVD guy” as Bay refers to him, will be responsible for the disc. Oh boy. Now that’s something to get excited about.

Cole Haddon at Film.com got the interview:

Cole Haddon: Rumor has it the IMAX version has more footage than the regular version. Is that true?

Michael Bay: Actually, the IMAX version, with film time if you want to talk, is 2 hours and 20 minutes exactly. It has, I think, probably about a minute more of footage. It’s got some more fighting footage that took place in the forest, some additional stuff with Devastator. I haven’t [even] seen it in IMAX [myself yet]. I’m excited to see that. It wasn’t ready until this weekend.

CH: Any plans yet for the DVD and Blu-ray?

MB: This one will be done by Ridley Scott’s DVD guy, who’s great, so we’re going to have a lot of stuff on this.

CH: How do you go about incorporating the IMAX footage into those?

MB: We’re going to do a special IMAX skew where it’ll open up for those scenes. You can see top to bottom.

Paycheck Blu-ray Disc Review

Brenden — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:42:38 +0000

PAYCHECK (2003, Blu-ray released May 19, 2009 – MSRP $29.99)

When I cracked open the Paycheck Blu-ray disc, I had no idea what I was in for. I saw Aaron Eckhart there on the cover. Ok, Two Face, I like him. Uma Thurman. Kill Bill is pretty cool. Ok. Paul Giamatti and Colm Feore? No way! Together? In the same movie? Those two are great! These stars should balance out the bland of The-Affleck, right? Good. So all of these actors I like a lot, in a film by John Woo (who, admittedly has had a rocky Hollywood career) based on a story by the late, great Philip K. Dick. Oh wow. Amazing. This just keeps getting better and better. And then I put the disc in and cried a little bit.

I think Paycheck wanted to be a lot more to a lot more people. And as a result, and is typical of such things, becomes very little to very few. It’s a smart story about smart people, the type that Dick wrote best. Sadly, it’s also one of those stories that found itself ground through the Hollywood meat-machine to become a soulless, gun-toting actioner that disappoints across the board. Ben Affleck plays a guy who just wants a big paycheck and is willing to have his mind wiped to get it. He reverse engineers his client’s competitor’s products and makes newer, better ones in exchange for ridiculous sums of money. But this time, his client’s are jerks and want to kill him. During the time stripped from his memory he was forced to do things that have made him a wanted man. With his clients and the cops on his tail, Ben finds clues that he left for himself, that are intended to lead him to safety.

Everything about this film leads us to believe we’re going to get another Blade Runner or Gattaca but, instead of something imaginative and futuristic, John Woo chose to ground the story in his version of “the world we live in” (read: everyone pulls a gun on everyone else while engaging in pretentious dialogue under a cloud of slow-motion doves). He isn’t interested in science fiction (this is stated directly in the special features) but was convinced to tackle the script by altering the details and bringing the story into the Woo-niverse. I ask you, why adapt a sci-fi story if you don’t care for sci-fi? The result feels hurried and cheap, like a patchwork of styles sewn haphazardly together. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that this film ostensibly ended Woo’s career in Hollywood.

Paycheck looks like a Canadian TV show – Due South, Forever Knight or Woo’s own Once a Thief. The sets feel cheap, photography uninspired. Not really par for the Woo-course. I wouldn’t say that the disc itself looks bad, quite often it’s fantastic with the occasional handful of soft shots which, I assume are inherent in the source print. But it’s impossible to tell. There was just nothing there on my screen to excite me. What a disappointment.

Despite the mediocre nature of the film, Paramount has put some care into this catalogue release giving us great picture and sound and porting over all the bonus features from the previously released DVD. There’s a surprising wealth of bonus features on the disc including a couple of commentary tracks (one by director, Woo and the other by screenwriter, Dean Georgaris), 2 EPK style featurettes and some deleted scenes.

MOVIE:	★★☆☆☆
VIDEO:	★★★★☆
AUDIO:	★★★½☆
EXTRAS:	★½☆☆☆
BLU-RAY:	★★★☆☆

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