“PERSEPOLIS”
Blu-ray and enhanced widescreen, 2007, Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, including violent images, sexual references, language and brief drug content
Best extra: The English language track, with voices by Sean Penn, Iggy Pop and Gena Rowlands, is one of the few times that a foreign language film’s English dub is as good as the original.
BASED ON THE graphic novel of the same name, "Persepolis" is the coming of age story of Marjane Satrapi, who struggles against oppression during the Iranian Revolution. That a simple, 2D, black and white animated film could give voice to an entire nation the Western world knows very little about is a tribute to its greatness (it was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2008 Oscars). "Persepolis" comes to Blu-ray with a beautiful hi-def transfer with deep blacks and incredible clarity. The Dolby TrueHD tracks (for both the French mix and English dub) don't demonstrate much in the way of sound design but for a film of this nature, are absolutely fine.
Sadly, the extras are disappointing and all in standard-def. The commentary accompanying the film runs only seven minutes and covers just a few scenes. The most compelling extras are "The Hidden Side of Persepolis," which focuses on the animation process and a Q&A from the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
— Josh Boone
“VANTAGE POINT”
Blu-ray and enhanced widescreen, 2008, PG-13 for sequence of intense violence and action and brief strong language Best extra: A commentary with British director Pete Travis, who reveals that 15 cameras were rolling during the simulated bomb attack.
PLAYING LIKE A nifty episode of “24,” this political thriller never puts on the brakes. An apparent assassination of the U.S. President (William Hurt) and two terrorist bombs intersects eight varying points of view in a blistering 90-minute film. Pete Travis and first time screenwriter Barry Levy attract a serviceable all-star cast including Denis Quaid as a veteran Secret Service agent who has already taken one bullet for the prez; Matthew Fox (“Lost”), lead agent; Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”) as a tourist who may have video footage of the shooter and Sigourney Weaver, Edgar Ramirez (“The Bourne Ultimatum“), Ayelet Zurer (“Munich“) and Eduardo Noriega. Similarities to Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Rashomon” and Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” are not disputed. This Blu-ray features an exceptional hi-def image and dynamic sound. The production was filmed in Mexico City, subbing for Salamanca, Spain.
The Blu-ray and DVD includes three documentaries, all taped in hi-def. The longest running, nearly 30 minutes, includes cast interviews from the cast that are awash in excessive flattery while “Plotting an Assassination” details the script. Travis and Levy made sure their president had no political colors, “just someone you could root for.”
The Blu-ray features an exclusive pop-up GPS tracker, so you can pinpoint the actual location of key characters with a locator map and video clips. Something you should avoid: Sony’s Blu-ray live online feature via your Playstation 3 or player with internet access. The downloading time is ridiculous for just one short featurette and a couple of movie trailers. Next time, just put all of the extras on the disc.
— Bill Kelley III
“IN THE LINE OF FIRE”
Blu-ray widescreen, 1993, R for violence, language and sexuality
Best extra: An informative commentary with director Wolfgang Petersen, who recalls how star Clint Eastwood had the final call in selecting the director. Eastwood had just won the Oscar for “Unforgiven” and wanted a European. “He loved ‘Das Boot’ and ‘Shattered,’” two previous films from Petersen.
A STORY OF an emotional Secret Service agent haunted by demons had been bouncing around producer Jeff Apple’s head since his teenage years. Decades later, in 1990, Apple commissioned novice screenwriter Jeff Maguire to finalize his premise: An agent (Clint Eastwood) who fails to protect JFK from assassination gets a chance to redeem himself when a trained government killer (John Malkovich) threatens the current president.
During one of the four documentaries carried over from the (2001) DVD, Eastwood says, “I love playing flawed characters who have got to overcome something inside of them.”
Petersen and cast had full cooperation of the U.S. Secret Service, a first for Hollywood. Another standard-def 20-minute documentary highlights the behind-scenes of the Service, while another pinpoints the mission to stop counterfeiters. President Lincoln appointed the service in 1865 for that very purpose. It seems up to fifty percent of the currency during the final days of the Civil War was counterfeit.
At first impression, the Blu-ray disc seemed flat with low contrast, even though the sharpness is top notch. After a closer look, it faithfully represents Petersen’s original 15-year-old vision. Compared to the digitally overworked films of today, which many have excess contrast and over saturated colors, this hi-def disc may seem unattractive. Actually, it’s the other way around.
— Bill Kelley III
“MAD MEN: SEASON ONE”
Blu-ray and enhanced widescreen, 2008, unrated
Best extra: The commentary on the pilot by Matt Weiner, by far is nothing to sneeze at. He sets up the entire show by discussing the goings-on of the characters.
SET IN 1960s NEW YORK, the sexy, stylized and provocative AMC drama “Mad Men” lets us follow the lives of some of the ruthless and competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising. The Mad Men were the rock stars of the day, and the show makes that clear.
The series won the Golden Globe award for Best TV drama and actor. Created, executive produced and written by Weiner, who also worked on “The Sopranos,” this drama series stars Jon Hamm (“We Were Soldiers”), Elisabeth Moss (“The West Wing”), Vincent Kartheiser (Angel), John Slattery (“Desperate Housewives”), Christina Hendricks (“Kevin Hill”), and January Jones (“We Are Marshall”) along with guest star (and stage and screen legend) Robert Morse (“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”). Michael Gladis (“Third Watch”), Aaron Staton (“The Nanny Diaries”), Rich Sommer (“The Devil Wears Prada”), and Bryan Batt (“La Cage Aux Folles") round out the cast.
“Mad Men” revolves around the conflicted world of Don Draper (Hamm), the biggest ad man in the business, and his colleagues at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency. As Draper makes his play in the boardroom, he struggles to stay a step ahead of the rapidly changing times and the young executives nipping at his heels. The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women in this era while exploring the true human nature beneath the guise of 1960s traditional family values.
“Mad Men” may be the best-looking Blu-ray TV series of the year — highlighting those smoked-filled rooms where everyone dresses with style. The detail is so real and amazing in hi-def, it seems like you can touch those fashionable fabrics.
Even the featurettes are taped in hi-def, giving you the best quality. Other extras include commentaries by Jones and DeWitt, who play Draper’s wife and mistress — an interesting combination of characters — and several of the other members of the cast and crew. The making-of featurette, “Establishing ‘Mad Men’” on disc 3 is particularly informative.
“Mad Men” is one of televisions new classics, and owning this four-disc DVD set or— which is packaged in a Zippo-looking container — or the three-disc Blu-ray will be a pleasure.
— Cliff Redding
“DRILLBIT TAYLOR: EXTENDED SURVIAL EDITION”
Blu-ray and enhanced widescreen, 2008, unrated
Best extra: They’re all awful; in a hi-def featurette billed as a talk with screenwriters Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogan, Rogan — literally, and quite fittingly — phones in his interview.
WHAT’S WORSE THAN sitting through “Drillbit Taylor”? Sitting through the extras all taped in hi-def, which are also exhaustingly long and painfully humorless.
For the record, “Drillbit” is about a trio of picked-on high school misfits who hire a drifter (played listlessly by Owen Wilson) as their bodyguard. There are a lot of famous names associated with the project, but not a lot of skill in this shambling, misbegotten mess. The Blu-ray imagery seems over saturated with color and the contrast bumped to the max.
The extras suffer from the same woes that afflict the main feature. There’s a gag reel, endless deleted scenes, even the odd revelation that the production employed a “rap instructor” to tutor the young stars. None of the many features are amusing or illuminating. Even the commentary (with the director, writer, and several teen actors) fails to add anything but awkward silences, shout-outs to buddies (including the director’s sister’s dog), and a few admissions that working with a young, attention-span-impaired cast was occasionally a trial. No matter how tough filming “Drillbit” was, it has to be better than watching it.
— Caroline Luzzatto
“UNDER THE SAME MOON’ or ‘LA MISMA LUNA”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, PG-13 for mature thematic elements
Best extra: “The Murals of ‘La Misma Luna’ Featurette,” proving paint from a can and talented artists can create something to marvel at.
FROM A CULTURAL perspective, “Under the Same Moon,” is a feel-good movie about a social tragedy on this continent – illegal immigrants coming to America to make a better life (or not), and leaving family behind. The movie about a mother, Rosario, who comes to L.A. to make a better life for her family in Mexico, especially her 9-year-old son, Carlitos, tries to put into perspective a phenomenon that’s hard for many to understand. Regardless of the cheese factor, you’ll still shed some tears.
Although it’s subtitled for those who do not speak Spanish, following the plot and the conversations is no problem. Kate del Castillo’s (Rosario) acting is superb, and the nuances between relationships, especially Carlitos (Adrian Alonso) and Enrique (Eugenio Derbez), are believable.
For an understanding of these relationships, and the screenwriter’s intentions, the DVD’s making-of featurette explains all quite well. Writer Ligiah Villalobos is proud of the product, as she should be. The movie crew looked like one big, happy family. For additional entertainment, the painting of the mural, instrumental in the movie’s plot, is a wonder to watch come together, with three talented taggers in Los Angeles, truly an education in culture.
— Toni Guagenti
“MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, PG-13 for mature thematic material, including violence, drinking and smoking
Best extra: The thin package of bonus materials lacks a director's commentary track, but compensates (sort of) with an 18-minute Q&A with Wong Kar-Wai. He's thoughtful in discussing his American debut. NOT SHORT ON STARPOWER, "Blueberry Nights" features four Oscar nominees (one winner) — including Jude Law and Natalie Portman — along with Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones.
Law's character runs a small diner in New York City, where his blueberry pie and gentle disposition comfort Jones' character, who has suffered a broken heart. But the damsel runs away from her pain — traveling across the country to meet all sorts of sad sacks, including a poker-playin' Portman — before realizing Law is her new love.
It's sweet as a piece of that pie, and gorgeously filmed by Kar-Wai, whose previous credits include six of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures of all-time. The plot is a little jumpy and a few things seem lost in translation. This is Kar-Wai's first English-language flick, after all. Still, it's a good date movie.
The DVD may not be worth owning, as the extras are sparse. You get a 15-minute making-of piece, which actually gives a glimpse of some unused footage and some cast interviews. A still-photo gallery is nice to look at, if not thrilling. And that's about it.
—Kyle Tucker
“THE CLOSER: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, not rated, but there is some harsh language and subject matter
Best extra: “The Art of Interrogation” traces the history of psychological interrogation and lets real interrogators tell their tactics to get criminals to do what they absolutely don’t want to do -- confess.
THE THIRD SEASON of TNT’s wildly popular crime series, starring Golden Globe-winning Kyra Sedgwick, is in many ways its grittiest. In one compelling episode, the squad investigates a child rape and murder. The case leads to violence in the interrogation room and the subsequent suspension of one of their team.
However, the drama is cut by cartoony product placement. Sedgwick’s character, Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, has always been a sweets junkie. But the Keebler product shots are bright and out of place. If that weren’t enough, Johnson has adopted an annoying and loud T-Mobile ringtone. It’s way too much.
The extras, aside from the interesting feature on interrogation, are piddling. There is a gag reel that is mostly filler, and the deleted scenes are gathered all together on a disc, not like on previous sets in which they were bundled in with the correct episodes.
— Judy Le
“BATMAN: THE MOVIE”
Blu-ray widescreen, 1966, not rated
Best extra: Three new hi-def featurettes, running nearly an hour in length, examine the lasting impact the “Batman” of the 1960s had on fans, the outrageous costumes, and the film’s array of villains.
THE FEATURE FILM spawned from the gleefully cheesy Batman television series makes it debut in hi-def with Batman and Robin facing off against the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler.
Although over 40 years old, “Batman” looks wonderful in hi-def, really showing off those bold 60s colors and clothing. This was obviously struck from a pristine print and the results, considering the limitations of the time in which it was shot, are quite pleasing to the eye. The DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio seems a bit like overkill, considering most of the action is in the front channels. Purists will appreciate the inclusion of the original mono mix.
Extras ported over from the 2001 35th Anniversary standard-def release include a commentary by stars Adam West and Burt Ward, who do more watching than talking, a 20-minute featurette, an interactive tour of the Batmobile, still galleries, and trailers.
The content exclusive to the Blu-ray edition include the three new featurettes, a second commentary by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr., an isolated lossless score, a pop-up trivia track and a map showing where all the film’s locations can be found. A fantastic collection of hi-def extras.
— Josh Boone
“POINT BREAK”
Blu-ray widescreen, 1991, R for violence, language and brief nudity
Best extra: Extras lifted from the standard DVD include a handful of featurettes and some deleted scenes.
A CLASSIC FILM on every level, "Point Break" was scripted by James Cameron and directed by Kathryn Bigelow ("Strange Day"). Keanu Reeves plays an FBI agent who has to go undercover as a surfer to bust a gang of bank-robbing waveriders.
Fox has done a nice job bringing this classic to HD. The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode with deep blacks, excellent detail, and rich and beautiful film grain true to the source. The DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround track that does the best it can with the '91 sound mix, which makes great use of the surrounds and has some real punch to it.
The extras, non in HD, are taken from the standard-def release. They include some weak featurettes which offer very little in terms of depth and behind-the-scenes information. Talking heads are abundant and there's very little on-set footage. Some deleted scenes and a still gallery with roughly a dozen pictures (why include this at all?) is also included.
— Josh Boone
“GANGS OF NEW YORK”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2002, R for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity and language
Best extra: Nothing exclusive to Blu-ray here, just the same extras available on the standard-def release. Martin Scorsese's audio commentary is top notch.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO GOES head to head with a terrifying Daniel Day Lewis in Scorsese epic "Gangs of New York," which makes a lackluster debut on Blu-ray this week. "Gangs" is presented in one of the absolute worst hi-def transfers you'll ever see. Film grain has been completely removed from the image, robbing it of a huge amount of detail. Instead of springing for a new HD master of the film, Disney has seen fit to use a ridiculous amount of noise reduction on the standard DVD image leaving Scorsese's film looking nothing like it did when it was shown in theaters. There are artifacts and color issues, motion blurring, hard edges and ringing which can only be corrected if Disney strikes a new HD master. This is barely a step up from the standard DVD, which looked terrible as well. Disney should issue a recall immediately and correct this. I strongly recommend that no one buy this until this issue has been addressed.
On the other hand, the uncompressed PCM soundtrack is fantastic. Match this up with a true HD image and you'll have a winner on your hands.
— Josh Boone
“WHERE THE LIGHT IS: JOHN MAYER LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2008, not rated
Best extra: BD-Live enabled players can access a bonus, backstage version of the song "Belief."
ON DECEMBER 8TH, 2007, John Mayer performed three very different sets (one acoustic, one as a trio, and one with a full band) at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles for the concert film "Where the Light Is." Instead of being shot on HD, which is typical of today’s concert films, director Danny Clinch opted to shoot on Super 35, which makes for a rich hi-def experience. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Sony has provided is demo quality, sporting incredibly dynamics and separation between instruments. No matter what you think about Mayer's music, his proficiency on guitar is impossible to deny and he wisely chose to ignore some of his more bubble-gum pop songs like "Your Body is a Wonderland" in favor of his bluesier material.
Extras are slim. There's a collectible booklet, a five minute interview with Mayer, a picture-in-picture feature is available for one song if you have a Profile 1.1 player, which allows you to watch the song from two different angles, and the before-mentioned BD-Live feature. All in all an excellent package for the hi-def picture and sound.
— Josh Boone
“HEATHERS : 20TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION EDITION”
Enhanced wide screen, 1988, R for language, drug use, violence
Best extra: “Return to Westerburg High” documentary
TTHE VERY DARK teen comedy, about a teenage homicidal sociopath who disguises the murders of his obnoxious schoolmates as suicides, has aged pretty well over 20 years. But, as the writer, producer and director of the film mention in the longer of two featurettes included in this 2-disc anniversary set, the 1988 film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater has lost much of its outrageousness, due to real life high school horrors like Columbine. Director Michael Lehmann: “It’s “harder to do satire now,” since reality is “twisted enough.”
The other featurette includes recent interviews with the stars, in which Ryder claims she “stalked” the writer and director until she got the part, despite her agent’s begging her not to do it. Slater, compared to a young Jack Nicholson in his role as the killer, reminisces about working on “Heathers.” And a group commentary by the director, writer and producer is worthwhile and fills in gaps about the making of the film.
— Peggy Earle
“THE X FILES REVELATIONS”
Full-screen and enhanced widescreen, 1993-2002, not rated but contains scary images and adult content
Best extra: Executive producer Frank Spotnitz, series creator Chris Carter, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny took a break from filming the new X Files movie last summer and chaired a panel at the Wondercon, a massive comic-book/science-fiction/mixed media convention in San Diego. If you thought the crowd went wild when the Rolling Stones started touring again...
THE BOX ADVERTISES this collection as the "essential guide to the X-Files Movie, eight critical episodes hand-picked by the series creator." Truth in advertising lives! Starting with the series pilot, the collection gives representation to the elements of action, intrigue, conspiracy, surreal and, occasionally, deeply disturbing imagery the series was noted for. Each episode can be accompanied by a short introduction by Carter and Spotnitz explaining what they were shooting for in the productions (every now and then bagging an Emmy) and what aspects of the successful, long-running show are being displayed.
The comedic moments are proudly displayed, most notably in "Bad Blood," where the two agents' encounter with vampires is told from each of their points of view. Peter Boyle's Emmy winning turn in "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" as a dour psychic is worth the price of the set. We learn from Spotnitz and Carter that the role was originally written for Bob Newhart. When Newhart passed, it went to Boyle whose film opportunities took a decidedly upward turn afterwards.
Viewers will also find a representative “monster of the week” in “The Host” (fluke man!) and an underappreciated eerie, “Milagro,” that explores the obsessive side of writing.
If you own the complete series, this two disc, eight episode set might not seem like such a deal despite the updated commentaries. But, for the casual fan, it will be a reminder of why you enjoyed the series and, yes, pave the way for the upcoming film. Along with the intros and footage from the convention is a trailer for the upcoming movie as well as an $8.50 ticket to see it. Now that might be considered a deal.
— Mike Reynolds
“YANKEE STADIUM BASEBALL'S CATHEDRAL”
Enhanced widescreen, 2008, Not rated, suitable for all
Best extra: “Tour of Yankee Stadium"
THE WORD CATHEDRAL carries a religious connotation and to a Yankee fan, there is nooooo question that seeing a game live, in the House that Ruth Built, is a religious experience. So calling Yankee Stadium "baseball's cathedral" isn't necessarily a misnomer. But for those skeptics out there, the producers have put together a DVD that erases all doubt.
Take the ultimate defensive baseball stat for an example: pitching a perfect game. Only 17 men have managed to face 27 batters and not allow one to reach base. Three pitched for the Yankees. First was Don Larsen who not only got a perfect game but did it in the World Series. Second was David Wells. Third, was David Cone. But they all come full circle. Wells went to the same high school in San Diego as Larsen had. Cone pitched his perfect game the very day that Larsen had returned to Yankee Stadium for an honor and thrown out the first pitch.
What else makes Yankee Stadium special? The records. You can't ignore George Herman "Babe" Ruth, even though his home run record has since been broken, because he was the home run king for decades. Then there was Roger Maris, who had to endure the stigma of having an asterisk by his name in the Hall of Fame because he hit 61 home runs in one season, but the Yankees played more games in 1961 than they did the year that Babe Ruth hit 60 homers in a season.
Not enough? What about the number of World Series titles? What about the fact that in the 1970s, the year after Yankee Stadium was renovated, the team returned home to win baseball's top prize?
This two-disc set takes viewers through all the magical moments. The second disc of extras includes extended highlights of events that are mentioned on the first disc — Lou Gehrig's impromtu farewell speech, highlights from Jim Abbott's no-hitter (he was the one-armed pitcher from a few years back), and the team's tribute to Thurman Munson after his death (one of the few times you'll ever see a Yankee fan cry after a win at home).
Then there's the tour. The history of how it was made. The near-miraculous fact that it was put up in less than a year's time. The renovations of the mid-1970s. And a walk through its hallowed halls, in a figurative sense. For those who have never been there, this DVD is a gift.
“JERICHO: SEASON TWO”
Full-screen, 2008, not rated
Best extra: The commentary that accompanies several of the episodes.
THE RESIDENTS OF JERICHO, a small, rural town in Kansas, is in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major U.S. cities in the contiguous. Several themes regularly addressed in the show included the gathering of information, community identity, public order, limited resources, the value of family, hardships of fatherhood and internal and external threats. The show also features several mysteries involving the backgrounds of major characters, the perpetrators of the attack, and the extent of damage to the United States and its government. Jake Green, son of Mayor Johnston Green, and the pivotal character in this story briefly returns home to visit his family and friends before becoming stranded as a result of the catastrophe. After a somewhat awkward return home and a tense reunion with his father, Jake steps up to become a leader in Jericho, fighting to protect the town and its citizens. As the people of Jericho struggle to survive in a changed world, most remain unaware that one of the newest residents, Robert Hawkins, knows much more about the attacks than he lets on.
Season two, which is the series final one, picks up where the first season left us: on the edge of our couches. Actually, the CBS show had been canceled after the first season because of poor ratings, but the viewing public wouldn’t have any of that. So, after one of the most unprecedented and impassioned displays of fan support on behalf of a television program, “Jericho” was brought back. Following the battle with New Bern, the citizens of Jericho begin reconstruction efforts to restore the town’s power and communication with the outside world. As the country’s new leaders, the Cheyenne government, attempt to establish their stronghold in the region, Jericho’s citizens become suspicious of their new leaders and question why their community is so important to this newly formed government. Good thing this DVD set is around. Without it, “Jericho” fans would have a hard time going cold turkey.
— Cliff Redding
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