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Criterion April Blu-ray titles: Harold and Maude, Late Spring, The Organizer, Alambrista, Hollis Frampton

Brenden — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:40:15 +0000

Wow, this last month has just rocketed by. It feels like I was just posting about Criterion‘s March titles a few days ago and here we are already, talking about this funky line-up of releases for April. I hate to say it, but I’m not that familiar with this batch (see what happens when you don’t go to film school, kids?) but that actually makes me all the more anxious to sink my teeth into them. I love a new discovery! And that pack of Hollis Frampton shorts looks like it’ll easily sate my desire for unusual and experimental cinema. Both The Organizer and ¡Alambrista! appear to be compelling commentaries on the power of people and human spirit, which makes for great filmmaking at times but more often than not results in being delivered with a fist of ham. I trust Criterion, though, and expect the former while fearing the latter. So, I guess I’m most excited to get my hands on Ozu‘s classic Late Spring (with a feature-length Wim Wenders doc on the director!) and Ashby‘s cult-fav Harold and Maude, which, according to Devin Faraci, sports a cover by cartoonist extraordinaire, Jordan Crane! Huzzah!

HAROLD AND MAUDE
(April 17, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Optional remastered stereo soundtrack
Audio commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill
Illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and writer-producer Colin Higgins
New interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon; and excerpted transcripts of two interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and director of photography John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis

A HOLLIS FRAMPTON ODYSSEY
(April 9, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.33:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural

Special Features:

Early Films
Manual of Arms (1966 • 17 minutes • Black & White • Silent)
Process Red (1966 • 3 minutes, 30 seconds • Color • Silent)
Maxwell’s Demon (1968 • 4 minutes • Color/Black & White • Silent)

Surface Tension (1968 • 9 minutes, 30 seconds • Color • Monaural)
Carrots & Peas (1969 • 5 minutes • Color • Monaural)
Lemon (1969 • 5 minutes • Color • Silent)
Zorns Lemma (1970 • 60 minutes • Color • Monaural)

Films from Hapax Legomena
(nostalgia) (1971 • 36 minutes • Black & White • Monaural)
Poetic Justice (1972 • 31 minutes, 30 seconds • Black & White • Silent)

Critical Mass (1971 • 25 minutes, 30 seconds • Black & White • Monaural)

Films from Magellan
The Birth of Magellan: Cadenza I (1977–1980 • 6 minutes • Color • Monaural)
Pans 0–4 and 697–700 (1974 • 1-minute each • Color • Silent)

INGENIVM NOBIS IPSA PVELLA FECIT, Part I (1975 • 5 minutes • Color • Silent)
Magellan: At the Gates of Death, Part I: The Red Gate I, 0 (1976 • 4 minutes, 20 seconds • Color • Silent)

Winter Solstice (1974 • 33 minutes • Color • Silent)
Gloria! (1979 • 9 minutes, 30 seconds • Color • Monaural)

Audio commentary and remarks by filmmaker Hollis Frampton on selected works
Excerpted interview with Frampton from 1978
A Lecture, a performance piece by Frampton, recorded in 1968 with the voice of artist Michael Snow
Gallery of works from Frampton’s xerographic series By Any Other Name
PLUS: A booklet with an introduction by film critic Ed Halter and essays and capsules on the films by Frampton scholars Ken Eisenstein, Bruce Jenkins, and Michael Zryd

¡ALAMBRISTA!
(April 17, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.66:1 1080p
Audio: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restoration, with 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
New audio commentary featuring director Robert M. Young and coproducer Michael Hausman
New interview with actor Edward James Olmos
Children of the Fields, a 1973 short documentary by Young, accompanied by a new interview with the director
Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film historian Charles Ramírez-Berg

LATE SPRING
(April 17, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.33:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural

Special Features:

High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Audio commentary by Richard Peña, program director of New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center
Tokyo-ga (1985), filmmaker Wim Wenders’s ninety-two-minute documentary about director Yasujiro Ozu
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critic Michael Atkinson and Japanese-film historian Donald Richie

THE ORGANIZER
(April 24, 2012 – MSRP $29.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Introduction by director Mario Monicelli from 2006
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by film critic J. Hoberman

Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Classics

Brenden — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:53:54 +0000

Almost there. We’re less than a week away from Christmas morning and thankfully, I’m almost through my yearly gift guide. This list of classics on Blu represents some of the best and most exciting high-def releases of the past year. Every last one of them would make an ideal gift for the real film fan in your life.

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* ANIMATION

What can I say? I’m a massive, unadulterated fan of just about everything that comes out of The Criterion Collection. To me, the studio can do no wrong. I fork over a decent amount of my salary to them each and every year and 2011 has been no exception. Some of the most exciting titles to come out of Criterion are the older, more classic catalogue releases, quite often lovingly restored and always looking and sounding better than ever. The images above represent a handful of the classics Criterion published on Blu-ray this year. They all come highly recommended.

AMAZON: Click for price list

There’s absolutely nothing to complain about here in the Blu-ray debut of Scorsese‘s Taxi Driver. Everything is perfect – the restoration is gorgeous, the transfer to Blu is flawless, the audio is rich and dynamic and special features are numerous and informative, including the classic Scorsese/Schrader Criterion Collection commentary track! To top it all off, the packaging – a digibook-style gatefold case which includes a reproduction of the original movie poster and photographs – is a final, perfect touch of class. There’s nothing to complain about here. This is everything we fans could hope for. Even the price is incredible (the disc has been $13 at Amazon since its pre-order debut). So what are you waiting for? Go out and grab a copy of Taxi Driver on Blu-ray. It’s one of the finest films ever made presented here in in the best possible Blu-ray package.

Highest possible recommendation!!

AMAZON: $12.99

The Ten Commandments is a classic. It’s long, clocking in at over three and a half hours, but races by in a heartbeat. This is timeless, compelling stuff, with iconic, scene-chewing performances from the likes of Heston and Brynner.

Given the length of the film, Paramount has wisely opted to spread it over two Blu-ray discs, breaking at the intermission point, allowing for an optimal bitrate for its high-def debut presentation. And let me tell you, this thing looks fantastic! The Ten Commandments is one of the finest looking restoration/transfers I’ve yet seen on the format. Colours absolutely sing, brought to vivid, new life on Blu-ray by Ron Smith and his team of film restoration experts, with shocking amounts of detail and rock-solid contrast. I can’t get over how perfect this transfer is! The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is also impressive, never able to achieve the full dynamic range of a modern soundtrack but always clean and clear, ably enhancing the source material with subtle, respectful use of multiple channels.

Paramount’s new Blu-ray release of The Ten Commandments receives out highest possible recommendation!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic, The Ten Commandments
Newsreel: The Ten Commandments – Premiere in New York HD
Theatrical Trailers HD

AMAZON: $22.99

All the President’s Men is honestly one of the best films I’ve ever seen. In the top ten best ever, if you ask me. I can’t tell you how great it is to have it on Blu-ray, in this classy, hardcover digibook presentation from Warner Home Video. The transfer isn’t going to win any awards but retains a nice, solid film-like look throughout, with a much greater sense of depth than in the previous, flat DVD presentation. Colours seem acurate, grain is present and artifacts are nowhere to be found. This is the best the film has ever looked on home video.

AMAZON: $24.49

Coppola and the team at Zoetrope have done it again! I had little doubt that they’d deliver the best possible presentation for this film after their stellar work on last year’s Apocalypse Now Blu-ray sets. And sure enough, The Conversation is a slam dunk. Keep in mind, this is a natural looking, early ’70s film and the high-def presentation echoes that on every level. It looks like film, with all its grain and vibrancy. It’s a rich, thick image that any fan of the film will be impressed with. I have a feeling, however, that those with an eye more attuned to modern high-def presentations might not find this disc quite as pleasing. Lossless audio is presented in both the original mono as well as a new, expanded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The mono track is great for those who want to experience the film as it was initially released but the 5.1 track is worth a listen for its innovative sound design and the more dynamic treatment of Shire’s score. Fantastic!

The Conversation comes to Blu-ray with a nice selection of special features including one of the best director’s commentary tracks I’ve had the pleasure to listen to. Coppola always gives good commentary (check out his Godfather tracks or the original Criterion Bram Stoker’s Dracula Laserdisc commentary for some excellent examples) but this is one of his best, packed with tons of info on the production and the business in general. A great listen. Editor Walter Murch also provides a solid commentary track that isn’t quite as lively and well rounded as the director’s but a worthwhile listen all the same. David Shire’s interview features a handful of anecdotes and sees the composer revisiting his score on the piano as well as paying and singing with his former brother in law, Coppola.

AMAZON: $17.99

When Paramount gets one of their classics in their sites and really puts their heads down and gets to work on it, they deliver one hell of a stunning Blu-ray release. Breakfast at Tiffany‘s has long been recognized as one of the more iconic Audrey Hepburn performances, if not the iconic performance (I’m personally more of a Roman Holiday kind of guy, myself), but it’s so much more than that. It features a terrific straight-man turn by George Peppard, inspired direction by Blake Edwards and one of the finest Henry Mancini scores ever. And don’t forget that this picture spawned the Johnny Mercer hit ‘Moon River’! An then there’s the script, based on Truman Capote’s book and the clothes by Hubert de Givenchy and the photography by Franz Planer and Philip H. Lathrop… And the list goes on. If any film in Paramount’s library is worthy of a special Anniversary release it’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

AMAZON: $19.99

Sony has got another winner on its hands, presenting Das Boot, in its Blu-ray debut, in both the original theatrical cut and the much longer, more involved Director’s Cut, each on its own disc. There’s no hint here of the longer, uncut version, released to German television with a lengthy 293-minute runtime in 1988 and on DVD in 2004 but you know, that’s all right with me. The film becomes ungainly with that much extra footage anyway. In every other way, though, this 2-disc set is complete. While the transfers won’t wow most viewers new to the film, this is clearly the best it’s ever looked on home video. The Director’s Cut maxes out its dual-layer platter, leaving room for little else on the disc. I noticed some artifacting (clearly, the film doesn’t compress easily to fit the 50-gig limit) but it’s slight and won’t offend. Both versions appear similar, otherwise, with inconsistent grain and black levels, less detail than you’d hope but stable, if appropriately dull colour throughout. The longer cut features a nice DTS-HD Master 5.1 track, while the Theatrical Cut sports a lossless 2.0 track (advertised as 5.1).

Special features are fantastic across the board, highlighted by the feature length commentary on the Director’s Cut (hosted by disc producer Ortwin Freyermuth and featuring Petersen and actor Jürgen Prochnow) and the 45-minute HD doc, “Wolfgang Petersen-Back To The Boat“. I also really enjoyed “The Perfect Boat” featurette, which looks at the creation of the Director’s Cut of the film, finding a cut of the film that could exist between the truncated Theatrical version and the Uncut version that aired on TV.

Highly Recommended!!

AMAZON: $19.49

MGM, fresh from settling their bankruptcy woes, have been releasing dozens of catalogue titles through the past year, with transfers that are pleasing, in that they look like raw, scanned-in film transferred to disc with little-to-no restoration work put into them. But, honestly, I’d rather have discs with this type of transfer than those poorly “enhanced” releases we often see from other studios, with boosted colours and ‘DNR’ed-to-death smoothness. The three titles above rank among the studios finest of this past year, all looking and sounding better than ever and all new to Blu-ray.

AMAZON: $16.99-$17.99

Detail is astounding here on the Once Upon a Time in the West Blu-ray disc, in a picture that offers greater depth than you’d expect from a film of its age. Colours are vivid and sun-ravaged and blacks imposing and deep. Slight print damage survives the digital restoration and some unobtrusive wobble is present but nothing that will distract from this otherwise excellent presentation. This is what a studio can do with a classic film when they really put their minds to it. Paramount have included the original mono soundtrack for purists but you’ll want to check out the more dynamic, yet still tasteful, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Subtle ambient effects inform the sonic environment without compromising the original sound design of the film. Excellent work.

Special features have been carried over from the previously available DVD edition of the film and are, for the most part, well worth a look. The most impressive feature of the disc, however, is the fact that the studio has included two different cuts of the film for your viewing pleasure – the original theatrical 165-minute version as well as the 166-minute restoration.

Highly recommended!!

AMAZON: $15.99

Most of Kubrick‘s Warner films have been available on Blu for quite some time but this year, as part of a massive multi-disc release, the studio made their final two films in the director’s catalogue available. Both Lolita and Barry Lyndon have now been released in a boxed set and individually. The discs are, sadly, rather bare-bones affairs both feature pretty decent looking transfers and are both must-owns for fans of the director.

AMAZON: $17.99

Fox has released a fair number of deluxe-Blu-ray-book packaged discs over the past year. The four above represent the best of them, in my experience – all sporting great HD transfers and packed with bonus goodies. This is the way all true film classics should be presented!

AMAZON: Various

It’s been years since I’ve had to opportunity to sit down with either Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown but I’m happy to report that, for the most part, they hold up! Jackie Brown in particular has aged well, perhaps because it’s the product of a Quentin Tarantino who was a more mature filmmaker or perhaps it’s simply because the film has been spared the fate of the icon of ’90s cinema that is Pulp Fiction.

The Pulp Fiction Blu-ray disc sports a sticker with Tarantino’s signature and is meant to communicate his stamp of approval. I’m not sure why Jackie Brown didn’t receive the same treatment because both discs appear to have similar transfers (and, I’m led to understand that the filmmaker personally approved the latter film’s transfer to Blu as well.) They both look really great with a few notable oddities. Colour and contrast appear to have been boosted in both cases, causing some black crush and white blow-outs but allowing a considerable bump in temperature and tone. Both discs also receive demo-class DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks, with Fiction‘s perhaps a touch more dynamic and playful through the sound-space.

AMAZON: CDN$ 15.00 and CDN$ 24.99

A lot of people have been waiting a long time for a Blu-ray release of the Vincente Minnelli classic Meet Me in St. Louis, and now that day has finally arrived! As decent as the 2004 2-disc DVD release was, fans of the 1944 musical will be bowled over by the improvements here on Blu-ray. To begin with there’s slightly more picture in the frame and that image is now resplendent with fine grain. You can imagine, if grain is visible then there’s a ton of detail on display. But the improvements don’t end there. The early pallet of Technicolor tones is far more vibrant and stable than in the past, making this transfer easily the most film-like edition of Meet Me in St. Louis available to date. The original mono audio has been “upgraded” to a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Thankfully, it’s fairly respectful to the original intent and only seems to fill the sound field when the music kicks in. Though it’s not exactly representative of the tracks origins, the sound does benefit from the lossless audios added dynamic range and fidelity.

Along with this fantastic new Blu-ray presentation, the Meet Me in St. Louis disc ports over the entire bounty of special features from the previously released DVD Special Edition, including the exceptional commentary track by Judy Garland biographer John Fricke with Margaret O’Brien, screenwriter Irving Brecher, songwriter Hugh Martin and daughter of producer Arthur Freed, Barbara Freed-Saltzman. There’s a half-hour long “making of” doc, as well as a 45-minute long TCM special on Judy Garland called “Becoming Attractions” that are both very much worth watching. The 1972 “Hollywood: The Dream Factory” doc is narrated by Dick Cavett and runs 50-minutes but, as you can imagine, is quite a dated affair at this point. The disc is rounded out with some archival shorts, an “Audio Vault” with a music only track, outtakes and more, the theatrical trailer and an intro to the film by Garland’s daughter Liza Minnelli. The Blu-ray and a 4-track CD Sampler are packaged within a 42-page digi-book.

AMAZON: $25.99

While Fox is rather new to the Blu-ray-book game, Warner has been at it for quite some time. And this year, they unleashed a whole host of their finest titles in the format, including some films new to Blu! Feature sets and transfer qualities vary greatly but the four above are definitely worth a look for any film fan.

AMAZON: Various

CLASSICS ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 22

Brenden — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:25:44 +0000

I actually started tackling this post early this week, knowing full well that the onslaught of Black Friday deals would chip away at what little free time I would have to look at and review new Blu-ray discs. But alas, I find myself in the unfortunate position of publishing this New Release update late in the day as per usual. Luckily, there’s a lot of good stuff to check out here. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for titles I didn’t get a chance to review like Three Amigos!, Birth of a Nation and the latest season set of the Doctor Who TV show.

As always, clicking the Blu-ray package art will zip you over to Amazon where every purchase you make through our links helps the site stay on its feet. We appreciate every single click and thank you again for continuing to read The Blu-ray Blog.

Blu-ray disc of the week: SUPER 8

JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg join forces in this extraordinary tale of friendship, mystery, and adventure. Super 8 tells the story of six friends who accidentally film a train wreck only to discover that something unimaginable escaped during the crash. Now, the only thing more mysterious than what it is – is what it wants. Experience the film that critics rave is, “filled with unstoppable imagination and visual effects to spare. It will put a spell on you.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

There are those of us who’ve been longing for the type of films and the style of filmmaking we came to know and love in the early ’80s in the work of Steven Spielberg – the magical, innocent feel of Close Encounters and E.T. that seems very elusive in cinema these days. I have a feeling that we can count filmmaker J.J. Abrams among us, as his latest film Super 8 is as much a love letter to a youth spent making films on the titular handheld camera as it is to the cinematic style of a man who would become something of a mentor to him.

Super 8 has just about everything going for it. It’s so slick and well shot, it stars the best and brightest cast of young kids to appear on the big screen since The Goonies and it sports another fantastic Michael Giacchino score. And, oh yeah, Abrams is a hell of a director who, In this case, absolutely nails that vintage Spielberg tone. It’s a cracking good yarn that really only loses some steam upon the moment of the big reveal. I mean, it’s not a bad reveal, I think I was just hoping to see something new or a little more imaginative. Perhaps a younger audience would look upon the plot with fresher eyes and not see that the twist in the tale is actually tired and predictable. It’s a testament to the filmmaking and all those involved in the production, though, that the single shortcoming of the film hardly matters a whit when the movie is just so overwhelmingly entertaining.

Super 8 looks fantastic on Blu-ray. I give Paramount a tough time about a good deal of their catalogue transfers but when they put their mind to these new releases they just knock them out of the park! And this one is no exception. This Blu-ray disc is reference quality with spot on colours, deep blacks and a light, perfect sheen of film grain. The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 sound track is also a winner, providing booming lows, clean, clear dialogue and perfectly dynamic representation of the score. It’s honestly one of the most immersive tracks I’ve hear in ages. Just wait until you hear the train crash sequence. You’ll hardly believe your ears!

The Super 8 Blu-ray comes packed with special features including a killer commentary from Abrams, producer Bryan Burk, and cinematographer/lens-flare fanatic Larry Fong, a series of featurettes that, if viewed together, form an exhaustive feature-length doc about the making of the film and around 12-minutes of deleted scenes. There’s also a DVD and digital copy of the film in the package.

Highly recommended!

Special Features:

Commentary by writer/director J.J. Abrams, producer Bryan Burk and cinematographer Larry Fong
Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
- The Dream Behind Super 8
- The Search for New Faces
- Meet Joel Courtney
- Rediscovering Steel Town
- The Visitor Lives
- Scoring Super 8
- Do You Believe in Magic?
- The 8mm Revolution
Deconstructing the Train Crash
Deleted Scenes

DVD:

Feature Film
Digital Copy

AMAZON: $19.99

12 ANGRY MEN

12 Angry Men, by Sidney Lumet, may be the most radical courtroom drama in cinema history. A behind-closed-doors look at the American legal system that is as riveting as it is spare, this iconic adaptation of Reginald Rose’s teleplay stars Henry Fonda as the dissenting member on a jury of white men ready to pass judgment on a Puerto Rican teenager charged with murdering his father. The result is a saga of epic proportions that plays out over a tense afternoon in one sweltering room. Lumet’s electrifying snapshot of 1950s America on the verge of change is one of the great feature film debuts.

Some say this film, Sidney Lumet’s first is his best. And now some are saying that this new Blu-ray edition of the courtroom classic from Criterion is the best it’s ever looked or sounded. I’m dying to get my hands on it and, by gum, if it doesn’t end up in a Black Friday sale some time this week it’s going to be the number one item on this year’s Christmas list.

AMAZON: $27.99

RUSHMORE

The dazzling sophomore film from Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox) is equal parts coming-of-age story, French New Wave homage, and screwball comedy. Tenth grader Max Fischer (The Darjeeling Limited’s Jason Schwartzman) is Rushmore Academy’s most extracurricular student—and its least scholarly. He faces expulsion, and enters into unlikely friendships with both a lovely first-grade teacher (The Ghost Writer’s Olivia Williams) and a melancholy self-made millionaire (Groundhog Day’s Bill Murray, in an award-winning performance). Set to a soundtrack of classic British Invasion tunes, Rushmore defies categorization; it captures the pain and exuberance of adolescence with wit, emotional depth, and cinematic panache.

Also making my Christmas list, if it doesn’t dip in price this week, is my favourite Wes Anderson film ever. I’ve just about burned out my Criterion DVD edition of Rushmore so I guess I’m about due for this upgrade. And with this release, I can tick another title off my list of Criterion DVDs most deserving of a Blu-ray upgrade. Now if only the studio would get around to Brazil…

AMAZON: $27.99

COP LAND

This tense action -thiller explodes with nonstop excitement and riveting star performances! Sylvester Stallone stars as Freddy Heflin, the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” – a small and seemingly town populated by big-city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action – and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols…and upholding the law!

Cop Land was released on Blu-ray a couple of weeks back by Lionsgate in the US of A. We, here in Canada, see the film hit shelves on Blu today via Alliance. This is exactly the same presentation that’s on the American disc. The only differences come in the form of branding and some trailers.

The transfer is a mixed bag and I can’t really pinpoint why. It looks really great at times, exhibiting tons of detail and definition but then, with other shots, suddenly appears soft. I can only imagine that the source material is all over the place – no doubt a result of limited budget – and resulted in this transfer that’s less than perfect. Lionsgate has been doing a bang up job with their Blu-ray presentations lately and I’d be shocked to learn that they cut corners here. All things considered, though, the disc looks pretty decent. It’s a big step up from the DVD.

Speaking of which, it’s been years since I’ve watched Cop Land and it really holds up. This is one of the best catalogue films I’ve watched recently and I’m so glad I’ve had this chance to revisit it. James Mangold writes and directs here and reminds me with every nuanced character and every show of machismo on screen why he’s the perfect choice to helm the next Wolverine film (yes, I’m actually kind of excited about Mangold directing Wolverine. Sue me!) But as awesome as the story is here, Cop Land is all about its killer cast – Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Peter Berg, just about every cast member of The Sopranos and the list goes on and on.

The special features here are carried over from the previously available DVD edition of the film (which is actually included here as well, in the Canadian release) and include a decent commentary track from Mangold, Stallone, Patrick and producer Cathy Konrad, a 15-minute “making of” featurette, a storyboard comparison and a couple of pretty decent deleted scenes that you can choose to watch with optional commentary from Mangold, Stallone and Konrad.

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.09

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND

George Clooney (Up in the Air) makes his directorial debut and stars alongside Drew Barrymore (He’s Just Not That Into You), Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2) and Julia Roberts (Eat Pray Love) in the comedy thriller that poses an irresistible question: What would happen if a wildly successful TV producer was also a top secret CIA assassin? While a maverick creator of America’s favorite game shows gains notoriety for his smash television hits, he is also drawn into a shadowy world of danger as a covert government operative! But soon his double life begins to spiral out of control. Based on Chuck Barris‘s cult classic autobiography, this entertaining comedy is a killer hit!

Exactly along the lines of Cop Land, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind was released on Blu-ray a couple of weeks back by Lionsgate in the US of A. We, here in Canada, see the film hit shelves on Blu today via Alliance. This is exactly the same presentation that’s on the American disc. The only differences come in the form of branding and some trailers.

And just like Cop Land, this one was a pleasure to watch again, after only having seen the film once, way back when it was released in 2002. I’ve got to tell you that, as weird and subjective as it is, it really holds up. Clooney is one hell of a director and this is one hell of a debut. The script is never uninteresting and the performances are absolutely out of the world, with Rockwell devouring the screen at every opportunity. The only thing that makes the work feel dated is the over-the-top use of filters in the photography. It’s as if cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, fresh off his experimental work on Three Kings, felt like pushing every limit of the medium here in this production. And, as effective as that style might be at times, I find it simply distracting here.

So, don’t adjust your set, your Blu-ray looks exactly as it should – weird. Don’t worry, it’ll settle down after a time. And when it does, you’ll see just how fine this transfer is. There’s a lot to like here but with all the filtering and processing it’s tough to tell exactly how the disc is handling the source material. That said, fans of the film will be be more than happy with this upgrade. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is also quite strong.

Much like the Cop Land disc again, the Confessions Blu-ray has carried over extras from the previously issued DVD which is included here as well, in the Canadian release. Bonus features include an entertaining commentary track from Clooney and Sigel, a fairly decent “Behind the Scenes” featurette that runs over 20-minutes, 23-minutes of, frankly amazing deleted footage with excellent optional commentary from Clooney and Sigel, screen tests, more footage of Gong Show acts and a few minutes looking at “The Real Chuck Barris”.

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.09

THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE

Based on a shocking true story, The Devil’s Double follows the riveting journey of Latif, a man forced to become the body double of Saddam Hussein’s ruthless son, Uday. Thrust into the debauched life of fast cars, easy women, and limitless power, Latif becomes virtually indistinguishable from the feared “Black Prince”. As war threatens Uday’s gangster regime, Latif realizes he must escape from the devil’s den – or die trying.

I enjoyed Lee Tamahori‘s The Devil’s Double for its story and design but the film belongs to Dominic Cooper, who plays both leading roles to perfection. The Blu-ray release is very strong with a vibrant, if not occasionally strange presentation and nice collection of extras. Check out my full review of the Canadian edition of the Blu-ray, linked to below.

AMAZON: CDN$ 24.99

Also available: THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE (US Edition)

AMAZON: $19.99

CONAN THE BARBARIAN

A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

I’ve got a lot to say about this new Conan film but I’ll hold most of my thoughts for the inevitable full length review I’m plan to tackle whenever my screener arrives. I saw the film in theatres and feel comfortable saying that there’s a lot of fun to be had with the film. There are exciting action sequences, some scantily clad women and imaginative Frank Frazetta inspired images, rendered, for the most part, using the powers of the mighty CGI paint brush. Sadly, there’s also a whole lot that doesn’t work. But then again, I’m a massive fan of the original Conan film and might have had my personal bar set too high on initial viewing. Perhaps I’ll like this remake a lot more on Blu-ray?

AMAZON: $22.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

Criterion February Blu-ray titles: World on a Wire, Tiny Furniture, Anatomy of a Murder, Vanya on 42nd Street, Three Outlaw Samurai, La Jetée

Brenden — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:23:53 +0000

Well, February looks like another month of killer Blu-ray releases from The Criterion Collection, with six titles hitting shops, only one of them an upgrade from DVD (a combo release of Chris Marker‘s exceptional La Jetée and Sans Soleil.) Strangely, there are no commentary tracks to be found on any of these discs – traditionally a signature feature of the Collection. But the titles are out of this world, headlined by a feature-packed Blu-ray edition of Otto Preminger‘s Anatomy of a Murder (wisely sporting original Saul Bass art on the package cover) and Fassbinder‘s long-lost made-for-German-TV sci-fi epic, World on a Wire. Hideo Gosha‘s debut film, the action-packed Three Outlaw Samurai receives a bare-bones release, while up-and-coming auteur Lena Dunham‘s love-it-or-hate-it Tiny Furniture is packaged along with her feature debut, Creative Nonfiction, and four short films. Rounding out the month, Criterion tackles Louis Malle‘s final film Vanya on 42nd Street. Scroll down for details and package art for each release.

LA JETÉE/SANS SOLEIL
(February 7, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.66:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural

Special Features:

Restored high-definition digital transfers, approved by director Chris Marker, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks
Two interviews with filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin
Chris on Chris, a video piece on Marker by filmmaker and critic Chris Darke
Two excerpts from the French television series Court-circuit (le magazine): a look at David Bowie’s music video for the song “Jump They Say,” inspired by La Jetée, and an analysis of Hitchcock’s Vertigo and its influence on Marker
• Junkopia, a six-minute film by Marker about the Emeryville Mudflats
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by Marker scholar Catherine Lupton, an interview with Marker, notes on the films and filmmaking by Marker, and more

THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI
(February 14, 2012 – MSRP $29.95)
Video: 2.35:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural

Special Features:

High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri

TINY FURNITURE
(February 14, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 2.35:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

New digital transfer, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
Director Lena Dunham talks about filmmaking and autobiography in a new interview with writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron
New interview with writer-director Paul Schrader
Creative Nonfiction, Dunham’s first feature film
Four short films by Dunham
Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Phillip Lopate

WORLD ON A WIRE
(February 21, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.33:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Fassbinder’s “World on a Wire”: Looking Ahead to Today, a fifty-minute documentary about the making of the film by Juliane Lorenz
New interview with German-film scholar Gerd Gemünden
New English subtitles
Trailer for the 2010 theatrical release
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Ed Halter

ANATOMY OF A MURDER
(February 21, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: uncompressed monaural/alternate 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
New alternate 5.1 soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
• New interview with Otto Preminger biographer Foster Hirsch
Critic Gary Giddins explores Duke Ellington’s score in a new interview
A look at the relationship between graphic designer Saul Bass and Preminger with Bass biographer Pat Kirkham
Newsreel footage from the set
Excerpts from a 1967 episode of Firing Line, featuring Preminger in discussion with William F. Buckley Jr.
Excerpts from the work in progress Anatomy of “Anatomy”: The Making of a Movie
Behind-the-scenes photographs by Life magazine’s Gjon Mili
Trailer, featuring on-set footage
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Nick Pinkerton and a 1959 Life magazine article on real-life lawyer Joseph N. Welch, who plays the judge in the film

VANYA ON 42ND STREET
(February 28, 2012 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.66:1 1080p
Audio: 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
New documentary featuring interviews with André Gregory, the play’s director; actors Lynn Cohen, George Gaynes, Julianne Moore, Larry Pine, Wallace Shawn, and Brooke Smith; and producer Fred Berner
Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Steven Vineberg and a 1994 on-set report by film critic Amy Taubin

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 15

Brenden — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:07:41 +0000

What a week! It might not seem overwhelming at a glance but there’s such an embarrassment of fantastic discs hitting the shops today, it’s tough to actually give them all time in the spotlight. Don’t miss those I didn’t cover in my highlights, including the controversial Blu-ray release of My Fair Lady (read more about the controversy here), the shiny, new How To Train Your Dragon cartoon, the Sigur Ros concert film, Inni and Hansjörg “Giorgio” Moroder‘s ’80s music version of Metropolis.

Blu-ray disc of the week: THREE COLORS

“This boldly cinematic trio of stories about love and loss, from Krzysztof Kieślowski was a defining event of the art-house boom of the 1990s. The films are named for the colors of the French flag and stand for the tenets of the French Revolution—liberty, equality, and fraternity—but that hardly begins to explain their enigmatic beauty and rich humanity. Set in Paris, Warsaw, and Geneva, and ranging from tragedy to comedy, Blue, White, and Red (Kieślowski’s final film) examine with artistic clarity a group of ambiguously interconnected people experiencing profound personal disruptions. Marked by intoxicating cinematography and stirring performances by such actors as Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy, Irène Jacob, and Jean-Louis Trintignant, Kieślowski’s

Three Colors is a benchmark of contemporary cinema.

This is the Criterion Blu-ray release I feel I’ve been waiting for all year. The culmination of everything the studio does well – grabbing up the rights to the best foreign and indie films, providing them the finest presentations possible and cramming the discs they’re on full of bonus goodies. And the Three Colors trilogy of films by Krzysztof Kieślowski are some of the most iconic foreign/indie films of the ’90s, easily deserving a place in the collection. In fact, many would argue that the inclusion of these films in the Criterion library is long overdue.

The transfers on all three films are just about everything a fan could hope for, with Red knocking it out of the park. The films look better than ever before on home video, and most likely better than most have seen them in the cinema. Though not as vivid and clear as modern, big budget presentations, Blue, White and Red all look like film, with tons of detail, accurate colour, a healthy amount of grain present and no hint of digital manipulation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on all three discs are superb, exhibiting surprising dynamic range and depth, while clean and clear throughout. Fantastic!

As you expect from Criterion, the supplemental features are exhaustive, with the only unfortunate omission being the Annette Insdorf commentary tracks from the previously released Miramax DVD versions of the film. Thankfully, Insdorf chimes in here in a 20-minute long “video essay” on the Blue disc. Tony Rayns and Dennis Lim do the same for White and Red, respectively. “Kieslowski’s Cinema Lesson” featurettes are carried over, providing brief but valuable commentary on the films from the director himself. Also carried over from the DVD is a sequence of scenes from Blue with commentary by star Juliette Binoche. The White and Red DVDs had similar features with Julie Delpy and Irene Jacob but they don’t appear to have made the transition to Blu. But let’s nevermind the rest of the content from the old DVDs. What you’ll will find on these discs will blow you away, from exclusive interviews with cast and crew, to various documentaries on the man and his work to a couple of his student films, presented here for the first time in glorious HD. In fact, I should note that all the special features on the discs are in HD – just another little thing that makes Criterion the best at what they do!

Highest possible recommendation!

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restorations with DTS-HD Master Audio
Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski
New interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner; writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz; and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
Selected-scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
Three new video essays, by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
Two multi-interview programs, Reflections on “Blue” and Kieślowski: The Early Years, with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, and editor Jacques Witta
Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and Witta
Behind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and Kieślowski Cannes 1994, a short documentary on Red’s world premiere
Original theatrical trailers
New and improved English subtitle translations
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

AMAZON: $55.49

Also new from Criterion this week: THE RULES OF THE GAME

Considered one of the greatest films ever made, The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu), by Jean Renoir, is a scathing critique of corrupt French society cloaked in a comedy of manners in which a weekend at a marquis’ country château lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haut bourgeois acquaintances. The film has had a tumultuous history: it was subjected to cuts after the violent response of the premiere audience in 1939, and the original negative was destroyed during World War II; it wasn’t reconstructed until 1959. That version, which has stunned viewers for decades, is presented here.

AMAZON: $27.99

LOONEY TUNES PLATINUM COLLECTION: VOLUME ONE

50 of some of the greatest Looney Tunes cartoon are together for the first time on Blu-ray(TM). Releasing in a digibook with rare images and cartoon guide by historian Jerry Beck, this collection has been digitally restored and remastered. This 3 disc collection contains some of the franchise’s most enduring shorts featuring all your favorite Looney Tune Characters! Disc One features 25 classics from the immortals: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote and more! Disc Two includes 25 shorts featuring One-Shot Classics and the complete collection for each of the following characters: Marvin the Martian, Tasmanian Devil, Witch Hazel, Marc Anthony and Ralph Phillips. Disc Three contains over 5 hours of content saluting animator Chuck Jones, insightful documentaries and rare shorts from Jones and others.

You need to buy this 3-disc boxed set. I’m serious. If you don’t pick this one up there might never be another collection of classic Looney Tunes shorts in HD. Please support this one and ensure that Warner keeps cranking ‘em out into the future! My full review is inked to below.

Highly recommended!

AMAZON: $38.99

WEST SIDE STORY

The greatest love story ever told…in the most acclaimed musical of all time…is now on Blu-ray! Experience every sensational song, dazzling dance number and magical movie moment of “West Side Story” in sparkling high definition with pure 7.1 digital sound – along with fascinating special features created exclusively for this 50th Anniversary Edition! Winner of ten Academy Awards(R), including Best Picture, this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet against a backdrop of gang warfare in 1950s New York. Featuring an unforgettable score, exuberant choreography and powerful performances by Natalie Wood, Russ Tamblyn, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, “West Side Story” will forever resonate as a true cinematic masterpiece.

As is par for the course with Fox and MGM releases, my review copy will turn up after release date. That means I can’t tell you from first hand experience whether or not this new West Side Story Blu-ray release lives up to all the hype. What I can say is that this is one of the most significant releases of the year. And, apparently, one of the most controversial. There seems to be a technical error in the transfer that has turned a dissolve from an image to the main title into a fade-out/face-in situation. In addition, critics on the web are noting faded opticals with poor flesh-tones and contrast. However, those same critics also speak of a brilliant, stable scan with exceptional colour. So, my advice at this point is to purchase with caution. I’ll chime in again on this one when I get my hands on a copy.

AMAZON: $16.99

BEGINNERS

Golden Globe® nominee* Ewan McGregor (Star Wars I, II, III ), Academy Award® nominee† Christopher Plummer (Inside Man), and Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) star in Beginners, an uplifting comedy about how funny and transformative life can be. When graphic designer Oliver (McGregor) meets free-spirited Anna (Laurent) shortly after his father (Plummer) has passed away, Oliver realizes just how much of a beginner he is when it comes to long-lasting romantic love. Memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 45 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life, encourage Oliver to open himself up to the potential of a true relationship. Inspired by writer/director Mike Mills’ own father, it’s an original love story that critics cheer is “smart, poignant and often hilarious!” (Karen Durbin, Elle)

Mike Mills‘ Beginners is a wonderful film. I reviewed the Canadian Blu-ray release a couple of weeks back and, let me tell you, it’s exceptional, all around. It’s linked to below. Check it out.

AMAZON: $24.99

BELLFLOWER

Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building “Mad Max”-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse. But when Woodrow meets a charismatic young woman and falls hard in love, he and Aiden quickly integrate into a new group of friends, setting off on a journey of love and hate, betrayal, infidelity, and extreme violence more devastating and fiery than any of their apocalyptic fantasies.

I think I’m having a love affair with Oscilloscope Labs. In my limited experience with this studio they appear not to be able to do any wrong, delivering unusual, unforgettable films in near perfect presentations with a nice smattering of bonus features! And Bellflower, the debut feature from 21st Century Mad-Max wannabe Evan Glodell, fits the bill to a tee. This is one crackerjack of a little film. It’s not perfect, mind you – it kind of goes off the rails near the end of the second act and never really recovers – but damn, if it hasn’t got it where it counts.

Glodell and his cohorts are the twisted sort who build home-made flamethrowers and Lord Humungous-style apocalypse-driving muscle cars in their spare time so it’s no surprise that Bellflower is fashioned around their particular proclivities. Sadly, the team also seem to be subconsciously effected by the storytelling cliches of modern “mumblecore” cinema and fall into the trap of actually filming a tepid indie romance instead of letting their killer hardware do the talking. And because of the direction the romantic angle leads the narrative, the powerful moments near the end of the film feel cheap and manipulative. Luckily, there are enough idiosyncratic character moments, in-your-face violence and gorgeous, gritty imagery courtesy of Glodell’s custom outfitted Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini Digital camera to make Bellflower really sing.

Speaking of imagery, this Blu-ray disc looks fantastic! I mean, the film itself looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before – vibrant, and detailed, yet dirty, dark and dull at the same time. Oscilloscope’s transfer replicates every nuance of the oddball source and the results are breathtaking. Seriously, you need to see this to believe it. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 has got it where it counts but it drives home the budget nature of the voice recording in the production. Dialogue sounds thin and even clips at times. But this isn’t a fault of the disc. It’s the nature of the low-budget beast. Extras include an entertaining and informative 23-minute “making of” featurette, a 10-minute rundown of the completed “Medusa” Road Warrior muscle-car, 7-minutes of outtakes and the theatrical trailer for the film. All this packaged in another winning double-gatefold digipack made from recycled material. I love this studio!

AMAZON: $23.99

EVIL DEAD 2

After a relaxing cabin vacation doesn’t go as planned, Ash (Bruce Campbell) is left with three dead friends, an undead girlfriend and an angry evil spirit on the loose. As nightfall approaches, Ash must prepare to again battle the legions of the damned if he wants to make it to dawn. Welcome to EVIL DEAD II, director Sam Raimi‘s infamous second film in his gleefully gory, cult classic EVIL DEAD franchise – starring Bruce Campbell as the most lethal and groovy hero in horror movie history! With over four hours of special features, this 25th Anniversary Edition of EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN will leave you gasping for more!

All right, horror nerds! Time to throw out your twelve DVD copies of Evil Dead 2 now because the big, bad Blu-ray has finally arrived to replace them. I know, Anchor Bay already released it on Blu a couple of years back. But seriously now, were you happy with that transfer and that paltry selection of extras? The correct answer is no, you weren’t, and you want more. Well now, thanks to Lionsgate (and Alliance, if you live in Canada, as I do) you can have more in this spiffy, new 25th Anniversary Blu-ray.

The studio was promising a better transfer for the film’s anniversary and I’m pleased to report that they have delivered! Evil Dead 2 has never looked better on home video. That’s not to say that this presentation is going to win any awards. It’s still uneven, with a fair number of soft shots and a grain structure that comes and goes in waves but on the whole, this is a vast improvement from anything I’ve seen before. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is solid and seems to offer a slight uptick in dynamic response from the previous Blu-ray, with boomy lows and brighter highs.

As nice as it is to have a more respectable HD presentation of the film on Blu, this new edition of Evil Dead 2 really shines in the extras department. The new disc carries over the famous (and hilarious) commentary track from star Bruce Campbell, director Sam Raimi, co-writer Scott Spiegel and special makeup effects artist Greg Nicotero as well as a couple decent featurettes – the 17-minute long “Evil Dead II: Behind the Screams” and 32-minute long “The Gore the Merrier” – both of which are presented in their original SD. The highlight of the new HD extras is the feature-length doc “Swallowed Souls: The Making of Evil Dead II“. Split up into seven parts and running a total of 98-minutes when viewed together, this thing is comprehensive but most likely covers a lot of ground that hardcore fans already know. There’s also a half-hour’s worth of rough looking “behind the scenes” footage, consisting of Nicotero’s on-set home movies and deleted scenes and a brand new, 8-minute long trip back to the original location of the shoot. Cool stuff! The disc is rounded out with four stills galleries covering “Advertising & Memorabilia,” “Behind-the-Scenes,” “Special Make-Up Effects” and “Stop Motion Animation.”

The Canadian edition that I had the pleasure of screening, which is otherwise identical to the US version, also contains a DVD copy of the film.

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.09

Also available: EVIL DEAD 2 (US version)

AMAZON: $9.99

INFERNAL AFFAIRS

The award-winning crime thriller that inspired THE DEPARTED has been hailed by critics everywhere for its gritty action and international superstars. Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung, Hero) is a hard-nosed veteran cop sent undercover to infiltrate the notorious Triad crime ring. An expert at bringing down violent syndicates, Chan thinks it’s going to be a routine mission. What he’s not prepared for is the discovery that the Triad’s boss (Eric Tsang, The Accidental Spy) has planted a mole (Andy Lau, The Legend of Drunken Master) in the police department… and now Chan is being hunted down. In this battle of wills, only one cop can win!

I don’t recall but were a lot of film fans claiming they like Scorsese‘s The Departed better when it was called Infernal Affairs back in the day, when it was first released? I hadn’t seen the original Chinese film at that point so the storyline was all new to me and decent enough. Maybe not the best Scorsese I’d ever seen but you know. Good movie. Infernal Affairs is a very different creature, to me. I mean, both films share the same narrative DNA but the tone is just so damn different and it’s paced like a rocket in relation to the US film. I think I might have ended up preferring Infernal Affairs if it weren’t for the twist ending which is just so damn…infernal! I mean, infuriating! In any case, this version of the story is the balls. Like I said, it’s really well paced, with just enough action, intrigue and humour to carry you through the 101-minute runtime (50-minutes shorter than Scorsese’s bloated film.)

I don’t know what to think of the Blu-ray presentation of the film. I mean, I know how it looks to me, on my screen, I’m just not sure why. My guess is that Lionsgate is working off the source material Miramax had in it’s possession back in the day, when they made the deal to distribute the film in North America, instead of seeking out the original negative or an interpositive that could provide a more faithful, film-like presentation on Blu. As a result, we’re left with a transfer that’s fairly dull and flat with signs of digital tampering to make it appear to pop a bit more in 1080p. The real shame of the whole thing is that this is probably the best we’ll do where this film is concerned unless we’re willing to import (there’s a Hong Kong Blu-ray release from 2007 that is well reviewed around the internets.) The Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, on the other hand, is excellent across the board, offering clean, clear dialogue, plenty of surround effects and some thunderous lows. There’s an English dub track as well but if you listen to that then you and I can’t be friends any more.

Special features are all carried over from previous DVD releases and are all in SD. They include a 15-minute “makine of” featurette, 6-minutes of “behind-the-scenes” footage, an alternate ending and a couple of trailers.

The Canadian edition from Alliance which I had the pleasure of screening and which is otherwise identical to the US version, also contains a DVD copy of the film.

AMAZON: CDN$ 22.09

Also available: INFERNAL AFFAIRS (US Edition)

AMAZON: $14.99

FARSCAPE: THE COMPLETE SERIES

John Crichton. Astronaut. Flung through a wormhole and lost in a galaxy far from home. He finds himself in the middle of a prison break, surrounded by hostile aliens, soaring through space inside a glorious living space ship called Moya. Hunted by the relentless Peacekeepers, he allies himself with his unimaginably alien fellow refugees and searches for a way home. So begins the epic sci-fi classic “Farscape“. A fusion of live action, state-of-the-art puppetry, prosthetics and CGI, “Farscape” features mind-boggling alien life forms, dazzling special effects, edge-of-your-seat thrills, irreverent humor and unforgettable characters all brought to life by the creative minds at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. No wonder it’s been called the most imaginative sci-fi series in television history. Here, in time for the series tenth anniversary, are all four “Farscape” seasons, 88 episodes, together for the first time in one epic collection. These are the adventures of Moya’s crew, Crichton, Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun, warrior Ka D’Argo, azure priestess Zhaan, spritely thief Chiana, Dominar Rigel, Pilot and many others. Like Moya herself, this package contains amazing surprises including hours of bonus materials, making-of featurettes, commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes and much more. Prepare for Starburst.

Oh man, I loved Farscape and am totally stoked for this four-season boxed set. If you’re like me and jonesing to pick this up (which we should both probably do sooner than later as it’s relatively cheap on Amazon right now) keep in mind that this show was created in SD. While this case of SD-to-HD doesn’t appear to walk the same dangerous road taken by the Highlander series boxed sets, it does merit some research by the buyer before handing your credit card over to make the purchase. Bill Hunt at The Digital Bits has a great interview with New Video‘s Dan Kenny about the restoration of the series and the production of the Blu-ray discs. There are even some screencaps and Blu/DVD comparisons so go check it out before you buy!

AMAZON: $96.99

ASSASSINS CREED: LINEAGE

“Assassins Creed: Lineage” is a prequel to the video game “Assassin’s Creed II”. It revolves around Ezio’s father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, and gives insight on the game’s backstory and universe. Giovanni is an assassin living during the Renaissance in 15th century Italy. At this dawn of a new era, a conspiracy is being plotted by one corrupt family to overthrow the powerful Medici family and destroy a unified Italy. As an assassin, Giovanni must face this threat and bring justice. The story introduces the situation before “Assassin’s Creed II”, and the enemies of both characters.

I don’t quite know what to say about this Blu-ray release as I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy as yet, but the word on the street is that this little 45-minute live-action film, a supplement to the Assassin’s Creed game story, is pretty damn effective and entertaining! I’m looking forward to watching it and the bounty of film and video game related special features included on the disc.

AMAZON: $10.99

Exclusive to Canada: ANIMATION EXPRESS 2

The NFB enriches the world of animation with unforgettable works through its collaboration with the most talented artists and artisans in a spirit of creativity and innovation. The Animation Express 2 compilation presents the best from the 2009-2011 crop, created by filmmakers of diverse cultural origins, including such luminaries as Paul Drissen, Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby, Co Hoedeman, Georges Schwizgebel and Koji Yamamura. A selection of 21 films that will delight audiences by taking them into unexplored regions.

I guess it’s animation-on-Blu-ray week here in Canada. Not only do we get our hands on the first of hopefully many Looney Tunes collections but we’re also fortunate enough to receive the second collection of animated shorts from the National Film Board of Canada (we just call it the NFB or the ONF for those who parle français.) You might recall that the first Animation Express collection was released back in 2009 and featured a decidedly modern collection of shorts, adding a few classics in for flavour. Animation Express 2 is much of the same but focuses on the films created since the first disc was released. As in any collection of work from a variety of artists, this one is a mixed bag. But I think it’s safe to say there’s got to be something in the 27 provided shorts for just about everyone. And for the animation fan, the whole thing is very nearly a dream come true. This is high quality work from a broad range of voices and styles.

All 27 shorts are crammed onto a single dual-layer disc which sounds like a pretty decent idea on the surface. Until you realize that those 27 short films actually sport a combined runtime of over 5-hours long! That’s a lot of video to stuff onto a disc while expecting a decent HD image. So, much like the content of the disc itself, the 1080p presentations are a mixed bag, more often than not sporting decent amount of detail but appearing softer than they probably should in a perfect world, suffering here under a variable bitrate that often runs around the DVD mark. Keep in mind, that static images in animated films don’t require the same video bandwidth as live action but all the same, I feel like all the films on this disc would have looked sharper and had a greater sense of depth in their presentations if the content had been spread over two Blu-ray discs. Audio is also a compromise, offered in various language varieties of compressed Dolby Digital.

There are no special features on the disc (thank goodness – where would they have found the room?!) but 6 of the films are exclusive to the format, one of which is available here with an optional 3D presentation! Kind of cool, I guess, if you’ve got a 3DTV and are into that kind of thing.

AMAZON: CDN$ 27.97

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

[VIDEO] Three Reasons: Three Colors: Red – The Criterion Collection

Brenden — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:15:40 +0000

I warned you several days ago that the Blog was going to be crazy with posts about Kieślowski‘s Three Colors trilogy and I wasn’t kidding! The Blu-ray set hits shops today and I’m fairly certain it’s going to win a place in my top releases of the year. I’ll talk more about it in the weekly new release post so in the meantime, until I get that finished up and on line, check out this last of Criterion‘s Three Reasons videos for the trilogy, focusing on the final chapter, Red.

Krzysztof Kieślowski closes his Three Colors trilogy in grand fashion, with an incandescent meditation on fate and chance, starring Irène Jacob as a sweet-souled yet somber runway model in Geneva whose life dramatically intersects with that of a bitter retired judge, played by Jean‑Louis Trintignant. Meanwhile, just down the street, a seemingly unrelated story of jealousy and betrayal unfolds. Red is an intimate look at forged connections and a splendid final statement from a remarkable filmmaker at the height of his powers.

THREE COLORS TRILOGY
(November 15, 2011 – MSRP $79.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restorations with DTS-HD Master Audio
Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski
New interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner; writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz; and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
Selected-scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
Three new video essays, by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
Two multi-interview programs, Reflections on “Blue” and Kieślowski: The Early Years, with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, and editor Jacques Witta
Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and Witta
Behind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and Kieślowski Cannes 1994, a short documentary on Red’s world premiere
Original theatrical trailers
New and improved English subtitle translations
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

[VIDEO] Three Reasons: Three Colors: White – The Criterion Collection

Brenden — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:04:45 +0000

It’s been scant few days since I posted the first of Criterion‘s Three Colors videos and they’ve already hit us with their second. The studio is clearly ramping up to next week’s release of the three-disc boxed set which, I have a sneaking suspicion, just might be the Blu-ray collection of the year. But I can’t say for sure at this point, as I don’t have it in my grubby, little hands yet. I am, however, camped out at my mailbox as I write this, waiting, with fingers crossed, that it will turn up today, to avoid a weekend of pathetically staring at a blank screen, imagining how great these incredible films might look in 1080p. There’s got to be statement in there about the human condition, right?

The most playful and also the grittiest of Kieślowski’s Three Colors films follows the adventures of Karol Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a Polish immigrant living in France. The hapless hairdresser opts to leave Paris for his native Warsaw when his wife (Julie Delpy) sues him for divorce (her reason: their marriage was never consummated) and then frames him for arson after setting her own salon ablaze. White, which goes on to chronicle Karol Karol’s elaborate revenge plot, manages to be both a ticklish dark comedy about the economic inequalities of Eastern and Western Europe and a sublime reverie about twisted love.

THREE COLORS TRILOGY
(November 15, 2011 – MSRP $79.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restorations with DTS-HD Master Audio
Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski
New interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner; writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz; and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
Selected-scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
Three new video essays, by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
Two multi-interview programs, Reflections on “Blue” and Kieślowski: The Early Years, with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, and editor Jacques Witta
Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and Witta
Behind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and Kieślowski Cannes 1994, a short documentary on Red’s world premiere
Original theatrical trailers
New and improved English subtitle translations
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

Top New Blu-ray releases for the Week of November 8

Brenden — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 06:28:10 +0000

It’s late, I’m tired and I just need to hit that ‘Publish’ button over there on the right. So let’s not doddle here, chatting about The Fisher King, The Collector or One Eyed Jacks Blu-ray discs at the bottom of the page and just get to the big new Blu-ray releases of the week.

Blu-ray disc of the week: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2

In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

This is a big week for Harry Potter fans the world over. Not only does it mark the release of the final chapter of the film series on home video but it starts the countdown for all Potter Blu-ray discs being put on moratorium. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 will be released on Blu-ray this Friday, November 11th and you’ll only have a scant few weeks to find yourself a copy before Warner shoves the entire film franchise into the vault on December 29th, awaiting the perfect moment (most likely, sometime next year) to unleash it again in spiffier, bonus-goodie-resplendent packaging. But fret not American fans, we good folk in Canada will be suffering no such moratorium and will have plenty of Potter product for you on our shelves, if you can stomach our bilingual packaging and the fact that we rock the original UK Philosopher’s Stone title for Harry’s premiere cinematic outing.

Those of us who simply can’t wait to watch the final chapter at home will be more than pleased to know that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 delivers the goods on Blu-ray. I have a few issues with the film itself (I’ve never read the books and found some of the last-minute revelations to speed by too quickly to properly absorb) but the Blu-ray disc is beyond reproach, sporting tons of detail and spot-on contrast, despite a good deal of the film being shrouded in shadows. This is one that you’ll want to watch with the lights off, to really take advantage of the rich, dark image on the disc. As gorgeous as the image is, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is even more impressive. You better take all the fine china off the shelf before playing this Blu through your sub because it’s going to shake your home to its foundations with deep, booming lows. Phenomenal sound design is well replicated in this very active sound-space, along with a dynamic musical presentation and clean, clear dialogue. Brilliant!

The highlights of the excellent package of special features on the Blu-ray are those exclusive to the format – the Maximum Movie Mode and the hour-long JK Rowling/Daniel Radcliffe chat. Regular readers will recall my enthusiasm for the former when presented on previously released Warner discs and, as is always the case, it doesn’t disappoint here. As usual, all the focus point featurettes presented as part of the MMM are viewable outside the picture-in-picture track. The chat between Rowling and Radcliffe is the feature that all Potter fans have been waiting for and proves to be one of the best extras Warner has included on any disc in the series. If fans rush out to buy this disc for any reason aside from the film itself, it’s this bonus goodie.

Highly recommended!

Special Features:

Blu-ray Exclusives:
- Maximum Movie Mode hosted by Matthew Long (Neville Longbottom) and other cast members (80 minutes) – As the epic showdown between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort approaches, don’t miss a single detail as the forces of Good and Evil clash one final time throughout the grounds of Hogwarts.
- A Conversation with JK Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe – Join J.K. Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe for an exclusive conversation about bringing the character of Harry Potter to life, the last decade of films and how their lives have changed by the fame that they’ve both experienced.
The Goblins of Gringotts – Hosted by Warwick Davis, you’ll see the entire process of becoming a goblin” in a Harry Potter film, from auditions and casting to makeup and prosthetic tests as well as filming the final scenes.
The Women of Harry Potter – A look at the remarkable women in Harry Potter’s life and the critical role they play in the films.
When Harry Left Hogwarts – BAFTA award-winning filmmaker Morgan Matthews has been given unprecedented access to the creative decision-making processes that have been kept as a closely guarded secret – until now. Hear the personal stories of the faces we know, and those we don’t, as we come to the end of one of the most successful eras in cinema history.
WB Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Deleted Scenes
Game demo of “LEGO® Harry PotterTM: Years 5-7 for PS3®

AMAZON: $19.99

HARRY POTTER: COMPLETE 8-FILM COLLECTION

This is the very first boxed set to contain every single Harry Potter film on Blu-ray. I suspect it’s going to be a pretty hot seller this holiday season. Especially at this price point (only $79.99 on Amazon), which nets you all the films for less than ten bucks a pop. The only real downside to this is that you’re only getting the feature film discs in this set. All of those bonus discs from the individual Blu-ray releases and all of the goodies on them are absent here, so this is far from the ultimate potential package for this series. I’m sure there will be a mega-set in a year’s time but for now, if you don’t own any of the films on Blu or are looking for a nice gift around the $100 price-point, this is a great package.

BLUE VELVET

Beneath the surface of small-town serenity lies a dark domain where innocents dare not tread and unpredictability is the norm. It is the haunting realm of “Blue Velvet.” Spawned from the mind of David Lynch (“Mulholland Drive”, “Twin Peaks”), “Blue Velvet” is a “shocking, deeply disturbing…startling mixture of the heartfelt and the horrific” (Newsweek). Clean-cut Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) realizes his Mayberry-like hometown is not so normal when he discovers a human ear in a field. His investigation catapults him into an alluring, erotic murder mystery involving a disturbed nightclub singer (Isabella Rossellini) and a drug-addicted sadist (Dennis Hopper). Soon Jeffrey is led deeper into their depraved existence…to the point of no return.

I’m an unapologetic David Lynch fan. If he films it, paints it or records it, I’ll be first in line to consume it. Like I said, I’m rapid for his work. And Blue Velvet, in my opinion, remains one of the highlights of his lengthy career in many mediums. I haven’t seen the Blu-ray disc release of the film yet but early reviews claim it looks and sounds amazing. And don’t forget that this release contains the first ever look at almost an hour pf previously “lost” footage from the film. I’m so excited to get my hands on this one!

AMAZON: $15.99

FANNY & ALEXANDER

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, we witness the delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family, a sprawling bourgeois clan in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sweden. Ingmar Bergman intended Fanny and Alexander as his swan song, and it is the legendary director’s warmest and most autobiographical film, a four-time Academy Award–winning triumph that combines his trademark melancholy and emotional intensity with immense joy and sensuality. The Criterion Collection is proud to present both the theatrical release and the original five-hour television version of this great work. Also included in the box set is Bergman’s own feature-length documentary The Making of “Fanny and Alexander,” a unique glimpse into his creative process.

I’ve owned Criterion’s exceptional Fanny & Alexander package on DVD for many years now and have had no complaints with it. It looks amazing, it contains both the theatrical and television versions and a ton of special features. It’s wonderful. But I’ll tell you something, this is also one of my favourite Bergman works and one of his best looking productions ever. I don’t think I’ll be able to help but upgrade to this new Blu-ray set. I obviously haven’t had a look at it yet but knowing Criterion, they’ve most likely outdone themselves again, with a fresh scan of the negatives making Sven Nykvist‘s beautiful photography look more stunning than ever. Upgrading is always a touchy subject but I just can’t resist this one.

UPDATE: It’s in my hands now. Can’t wait to pop it in the PS3 and take a look! In other news, I have no self control…

AMAZON: $40.99

BAND OF BROTHERS & THE PACIFIC: SPECIAL EDITION GIFT SET

Band of Brothers-
Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose, the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers’ journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear. They were an elete rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were also a unit that suffered 150 percent casualties, and whose lives became legend.

The Pacific-
The Pacific is an epic 10-part miniseries that delivers a realistic portrait of WWII’s Pacific Theatre as seen through the intertwined odysseys of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge. The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, through the impenetrable rain firests of Cape Gloucester, across the blasted coral strongholds of Peleliu, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, through the killing fields of Okinawa, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day. The viewer will be immersed in combat through the intimate perspective of this diverse, relatable group of men pushed to the limit in battle both physically and psychologically against a relentless enemy unlike any encountered before.

He Has Seen War- is an exclusive documentary that examines the postwar lives of veterans of both Band of Brothers and The Pacific. From their initial steps at reintegrating into civilian life to the lasting impact the war had on each of their lives, He Has Seen War features Easy Company and 1st Marine Division veterans and their families relaying their own unique stories. Complemented by renowned historian and author Donald L. Miller as well as rarely seen archival and documentary footage, He Has Seen War captures the struggle and ultimate triumph of a generation who, after helping rescue the world from unprecedented calamity, reclaimed their lives and re-forged a country. “

You can always tell that the holiday shopping season is approaching when the handsome boxed sets start showing up in stores. This new 13-disc collection of all ten episodes of HBO series Band of Brothers and all ten episodes of its follow up series, The Pacific is a real beaut. From the matte finish of the carboard box (watch out for greasy finger-prints on this one), reflective silver print treatment and hidden, magnetic lid lock, you know you’re in for a treat before you even remove the thick, weighty book from it’s housing. Lifting a ribbon attached to the bottom interior of the box raises the hardcover tome from it’s housing, revealing book-packaging of the sort used for the Rome boxed set, but at twice the width. Most of the glossy pages hold two Blu-ray discs full of episodes, with the exception of the pages that bridge the two series, which houses but a single disc containing the sole new feature in the set – He Has Seen The War, an hour-long documentary featuring the surviving members of both Easy Company and the 1st Marine Division whose exploits are dramatized in the series’. It’s an excellent doc but not worth re-purchasing both Band of Brothers and The Pacific on Blu-ray for, if you already own both boxed sets. The rest of the discs and all their features are identical to those previously available.

Highly recommended for those who don’t already own the series and for those ultimate fans who are completists.

AMAZON: $99.99

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

1787. HMS Bounty sets out on a journey through perilous seas to a tropical paradise… and into history as the one of the most ill-fated vessels in naval lore. Lewis Milestone (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) directs this color-drenched spectacular nominated for seven Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture. Filmed before in 1935 and again in 1984′s “The Bounty”, the gripping story centers on first officer Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando), a dandy transformed into a man of action, and Capt. William Bligh (Trevor Howard), uncompromising in his command or his cruelty. “Fear is [my] best weapon,” Bligh proclaims. But it’s also the most costly, driving men to desperation and mutiny. Richard Harris, Hugh Griffith and Richard Haydn also star in this epic adventure.

This is the second version of Mutiny on the Bounty that Warner has released on Blu-ray in as many years. If only they could turn this into an annual tradition! The 1962 version of the film, new on Blu this week, is likely the least accurate telling of the real life overthrow of Captain Bligh’s fierce and cruel command of the Bounty by first officer Christian and crew but there’s no denying the power of the performances here and the beauty of the production and photography. It’s an epic three-hour long film that feels grand at every turn, in every shot.

Warner have packed the film and all of the extras from the 2-DVD release from 2006 onto a single dual-layered Blu-ray, and though the bitrate is generally kept around the 20 mbps mark things look pretty great. Colours are vivid and pop off the screen, blacks are deep and detail is pleasing, creating an overall fairly film-like image. Audio is presented in a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and sounds, overall pretty great, despite the obvious limitations of the age of the source.

As I mentioned, the extras on the disc are ported over from the 2006 DVD set and tend to focus on the Bounty itself – a very real tall ship built from stem to stern for this production and still sailing today. Most are archival in nature and, while neat to watch, don’t provide as much insight into the production itself as a newly minted “making of” or commentary track might have offered. The prologue and epilogue that were cut from the theatrical release of the film are here in standard def but are definitely worth watching, as they bookend the film with detail on what happened to the crew after they were stranded on Pitcairn Island and finally discovered some years later. It’s a shame they’re not presented in HD or edited back into the film but nice to have them here nonetheless.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Alternate Prologue and Epilogue Sequences Not Seen Theatrically
After the Cameras Stopped Rolling: The Journey of the Bounty
1964 New York World’s Fair Promo
Story of the HMS Bounty
Tour of the Bounty
Voyage of the Bounty to St. Petersburg
Theatrical Trailer

AMAZON: $15.99

LITTLE BIG MAN

Recounting how the West was won through the eyes of a white man raised as a Native American, Arthur Penn‘s 1970 adaptation of Thomas Berger’s satirical novel was a comic yet stinging allegory about the bloody results of American imperialism. As a misguided 20th-century historian listens, 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) narrates the story of being the only white survivor of Custer’s Last Stand. White orphan Crabb was adopted by the Cheyenne, renamed “Little Big Man,” and raised in the ways of the “Human Beings” by paternal mentor Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George), accepting non-conformity and living peacefully with nature. Violently thrust into the white world, Jack meets a righteous preacher (Thayer David) and his wife (Faye Dunaway), tries to be a gunfighter under the tutelage of Wild Bill Hickock (Jeff Corey), and gets married. Returned to the Cheyenne by chance, Jack prefers life as a Human Being. The carnage wreaked by the white man in the Washita massacre and the lethal fallout from the egomania of General George A. Custer (Richard Mulligan) at Little Big Horn, however, show Crabb the horrific implications of Old Lodge Skins’ sage observation, “There is an endless supply of White Men, but there has always been a limited number of Human Beings”.

Arthur Penn’s Little Big Man is far from a perfect film or an ideal western but there’s a lot to like in it. Thomas Berger’s novel has been adapted with a post-Vietnam flavour that proved a perfect fit for the era in which it was produced. Hoffman is at the height of his powers as the young fish-out-of-water Jack Crabb, a protagonist far from a hero, and the 121-year-old version of the same man spinning a yarn of his youth that might be fact or a folksy flight of fancy. That subjective style of narrative storytelling is what lends the film its magic. It’s not the tone you expect going in but the humour and humanity will win you over in the end.

Little Big Man looks pretty decent on Blu-ray. In fact, it’s one of the better looking catalogue films from Paramount taking full advantage of the gorgeous cinematography of Harry Stradling Jr. Colour doesn’t necessarily pop off the screen but detail is outstanding and black levels are strong. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is capable and a fair representation of the vintage source material. There’s not a lot of surround activity here but this front-biased mix is clear and pleasant to listen to. The only bonus goodie on the disc is the theatrical trailer.

AMAZON: $17.99

MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY

Tear into the origins of the legendary tournament that pits the world’s greatest warriors against the forces of Outworld in the fight to save our planet. Discover never-before-revealed storylines that deepen the mythology of the Mortal Kombat multiverse and the backstories of your favorite characters, including Jax, Sonya, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Johnny Cage and more! This is kombat taken to a whole new level, more gritty and raw than anything you’ve ever seen before. Fight.

There is absolutely no question that Mortal Kombat: Legacy is the best adaptation of the beloved video game franchise to date. But despite everything it manages to do right, the series low-budget origins and the very best intentions of creator and MK super-fanboy Kevin Tancharoen I just didn’t buy into it.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy is Tancharoen’s nine-webisode pitch to the money men at the studio to green light a new feature film adaptation of the franchise with him at the helm. And you know, I think he probably did just about everything he needed to to get the gig because that bad boy is confirmed to be headed to the big screen next year. And good on him. I think there’s a lot of value in his take on the material – a collection of character introductions and set-ups for something grander. In fact, some of the grounded, real world episodes really work for me. But those few that take place in …ahem …the realms of Edenia and Outworld, simply fall apart. Also, they really show the limitations of the series’ budget. And one of the actors is distractingly bad, which is saying something when you consider the type of performance you’d expect from this genre. Watching those episodes, I found the negatives suddenly overwhelming any good will the previous segments might have engendered in me. That said, if Tancharoen’s feature film gets a decent budget and leans toward the more realistic style of the Jax or Raiden segments you can count me in.

If you’re a big fan of the web series and have only seen the episodes streaming online, you’re going to be blown away by these new high-def transfers. For such a modest budget these Mortal Kombat: Legacy shorts look great on Blu! The presentation isn’t quite reference quality but this disc sports a much better looking image than I was expecting. Likewise, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is surprisingly active and dynamic. Fans are in for a treat!

Fans are also going to be surprised by the collection of featurettes on the disc. I mean, there’s nothing really that meaty but the 40-minutes worth of featurettes included provide a fairly decent look at the production, from Tancharoen’s concept behind the whole thing all the way to fight choreography and gear. It’s a shame that the film-maker’s original film, ‘Rebirth‘ – the self-financed short that kicked off the whole project – wasn’t packaged on the disc. Seems like a missed opportunity to me.

AMAZON: $13.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

[VIDEO] Three Reasons: Three Colors: Blue – The Criterion Collection

Brenden — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:14:03 +0000

I hope you’re all ready for me to not shut up about this boxed set for at least the next couple of months because I don’t think there’s anything more exciting coming along before the end of the year than the Three Colors box from Criterion. To get you in the mood for the November 15th release, the studio has released a Three Reasons video for the first film in the trilogy, Blue. Expect to see videos for White and Red pop up over the next week. This Blu-ray release is going to be so good! SO GOOD!!

In the devastating first film of the Three Colors trilogy, Juliette Binoche gives a tour de force performance as Julie, a woman reeling from the tragic death of her husband and young daughter. But Blue is more than just a blistering study of grief; it’s also a tale of liberation, as Julie attempts to free herself from the past while confronting truths about the life of her late husband, a composer. Shot in sapphire tones by Sławomir Idziak, and set to an extraordinary operatic score by Zbigniew Preisner, Blue is an overwhelming sensory experience.

THREE COLORS TRILOGY
(November 15, 2011 – MSRP $79.95)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

New high-definition digital restorations with DTS-HD Master Audio
Three cinema lessons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski
New interviews with composer Zbigniew Preisner; writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz; and actors Julie Delpy, Zbigniew Zamachowski, and Irène Jacob
Selected-scene commentary for Blue with actress Juliette Binoche
Three new video essays, by film writers Annette Insdorf, Tony Rayns, and Dennis Lim
Kieślowski’s student short The Tram (1966) and his fellow student’s short from the same year The Face, which features Kieślowski in a solo performance
Two short documentaries by Kieślowski: Seven Women of Different Ages (1978) and Talking Heads (1980)
Krzysztof Kieślowski: I’m So-So . . . (1995), a feature-length documentary in which the filmmaker discusses his life and work
Two multi-interview programs, Reflections on “Blue” and Kieślowski: The Early Years, with film critic Geoff Andrew, Binoche, filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, cinematographer Sławomir Idziak, Insdorf, Jacob, and editor Jacques Witta
Interviews with producer Marin Karmitz and Witta
Behind-the-scenes programs for White and Red, and Kieślowski Cannes 1994, a short documentary on Red’s world premiere
Original theatrical trailers
New and improved English subtitle translations
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Colin MacCabe, Nick James, Stuart Klawans, and Georgina Evans, an excerpt from Kieślowski on Kieślowski, and reprinted interviews with cinematographers Sławomir Idziak, Edward Klosinski, and Piotr Sobocinski

[VIDEO] Three Reasons: The Phantom Carriage – The Criterion Collection

Brenden — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:45:55 +0000

Though it’s filled with ghoulish imagery, The Phantom Carriage feels more like a New Years film to me, than a spooky Halloween treat. Perhaps because it takes place on New Year’s Eve. Yeah, that’s it. It’s a terrific, haunting film and one of my favourite Criterion Blu-ray discs of the year so far. See Criterion’s Three Reasons to own the disc in their new trailer, posted above. Read the many reasons I recommend it in my full review, linked to below:

Special Features:

New digital transfer, restored in collaboration with the Archival Film Collections of the Swedish Film Institute
Two scores, one by acclaimed Swedish composer Matti Bye and the other by the experimental duo KTL
Audio commentary featuring film historian Casper Tybjerg
Interview with Ingmar Bergman excerpted from the 1981 documentary Victor Sjöström: A Portrait, by Gösta Werner
The Bergman Connection, an original visual essay by film historian and Bergman scholar Peter Cowie on The Phantom Carriage’s influence on Bergman
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by screenwriter and filmmaker Paul Mayersberg
More!

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