“WOODSTOCK: 3 DAYS OF PEACE & MUSIC DIRECTOR’S CUT”
“DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB – 45th ANNIVERSARY EDITION”
“THE CLEANER: THE FIRST SEASON”
"THE JACK LEMMON FILM COLLECTION”
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2008, R for language and violence
Best extra: The making-of feature "The Eastwood Way," a Blu-ray exclusive
A COMMENTARY? What would it possibly add? At this point in his career, Clint Eastwood doesn't have to explain himself.
Unwilling to get in the way of a good story, he's efficient and on point behind the camera – just like he is in front of it. His trust in his cast and crew is absolute. Check the extras on his other films. Check the extras on this one. They all confirm it. A commentary? It would be a contradiction.
Still, it would been nice to know what – after a four-year hiatus from acting – attracted him to Walt Kowalski, a bigoted, isolated Korean War vet and retired auto worker who has lost ground to the 21st century. Life doesn't get easier when a Hmong family moves in next door and the teenage son is threatened by neighborhood thugs.
But if Eastwood is mum, producer Robert Lorenz nails it: Kowalski, he says in "The Eastwood Way," fits right into his career arc. In fact, Walt encapsulates it. He's as much "Dirty Harry" Callahan as he is "Unforgiven's" William Munny. Eastwood has said this is his swan song as an actor. If so, the man knows how to make an exit.
The other extras are OK, if redundant. "Manning the Wheel" probes America's car culture and "Gran Torino: More Than a Car" visits a vintage car show staged annually in the streets of Motown.
A quiet, intimate film, "Gran Torino" doesn't take full advantage of the hi-def format, but it does deliver true blacks and a nice, filmic grain that suits its earthy, lived-in palette.
— Craig Shapiro
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, R for violence and language
Best extra: An exclusive Blu-ray pop-up video commentary with the cast and crew and behind-scene footage matching the action on-screen.
AFTER WATCHING Clive Owen in this thinking man’s thriller, one wonders if he could have been the latest James Bond? Not that Daniel Craig needs to be dethroned as 007; clearly he’s the best since Sean Connery, but there’s something special about Owen. Here he plays Interpol agent Louis Salinger who’s desperately trying to uncover an international arms conspiracy involving one of the world’s largest banks. Aussie actress Noami Watts provides a major assist as Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman.
German director Tom Tykwer (“Run, Lola, Run”) balances quieter moments with high powered action sequences maintaining visual elegance throughout in his second English language movie. The big shootout inside the Guggenheim Museum is a doozey. Don’t worry; the Frank Lloyd Wright creation wasn’t hurt during filming. A huge 360 degree movie set was built in Berlin to recreate the interior of the classic modern architecture.
In the making-of documentary, Tykwer credits ‘70s paranoia flicks (“Three Days of the Condor,” “All the President’s Men”) as inspiration. Originally, the script unfolded during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, loosely based on facts from a real bank conspiracy involving Bank of Credit and Commerce International, but Tykwer pushed the timeline up three decades.
The Blu-ray imagery is superb – one of the best of the year – with exceptional detail. Tykwer used 65mm cameras (supersize) to amplify the resolution with key scenes, while letting the action flow within the camera frame, shooting from Berlin to Milan to New York to Istanbul.
The disc includes a compelling commentary with screenwriter Eric Singer and Tykwer, hi-def featurettes on “The Architecture” and shooting at Volkswagen’s Autostadt, a first for any film crew. You can send onscreen messages to your friends with a synchronized Blu-ray watch via internet hookup to your player. Also, there’s a digital copy for your iPod or computer.
— Bill Kelley III
“WOODSTOCK: 3 DAYS OF PEACE & MUSIC DIRECTOR’S CUT”
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, unrated with language, drug references and nudity
Best extra: Take your pick from any of the numerous previously-unreleased performances from Canned Heat, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Mountain, The Who, Johnny Winter and more.
THE 1969 WOOSTOCK Music & Arts Fair has long since entered pop culture’s collective consciousness as a milestone of cultural and musical significance. So, with the 40th anniversary of the event coming up this August, some sort of “special edition” Blu-ray and DVD set was bound to turn up sooner or later. We received the DVD collection for this review.
Of course, with “3 days of peace & music” there has to be literally miles of film in the vault.
And this latest reworking of director Michael Wadleigh’s acclaimed 1970 film (a 1994 director’s cut added additional performances) does include a great deal of previously-unseen footage (some acts, CCR most notably, were left off the original film due to contractual/copyright conflicts; others, like the Grateful Dead, felt their performance wasn’t up to snuff and bowed out of the official releases). But it’s still only scratching the surface of the festival’s oeuvre. Perhaps the powers-that-be are holding out for some sort of grand “50th Anniversary Collection” – and we, the public, have only 10 more years to wait.
The bottom line is that the festival itself was as ramshackle and inconsistent as the work ethic of the average hippy, circa 1969. Despite that, there’s still a lot to love about this collection. Even Sha Na Na.
— Robert Hatfield
“DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB – 45th ANNIVERSARY EDITION”
Blu-ray widescreen, 1964, PG for language and adult situations
Best extra: The exclusive Blu-ray pop-up trivia track with dozens of military facts and Cold War secrets from both sides, with video interviews from historians and ex-Department of Defense consultants from the ‘60s.
"DIMITRI, WE HAVE a little problem..."
Peter Sellers, as the outrageous President Muffley, confesses to the Soviet premier in Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece that an “accidental” nuclear attack is under way.
The 1964 film took a dark comic look at our Cold War nightmare.
Kubrick based his story on the 1958 novel “Red Alert,” starting the script as a serious tale with extraterrestrials observing Earth in wake of a nuclear holocaust, but quickly changed the tone and direction.
Because no script was written for Sellers’ three roles as the president, Dr. Strangelove and RAF Capt. Mandrake, the director orchestrated the insanity. “The two developed the performances on the set like jazz musicians, both contributing to the riff,” says film critic Alexander Walker during one of the four carry-over documentaries from previous DVDs (all in standard-def). Sellers had planned a fourth role as Maj. Kong but broke his ankle during the filming. Veteran Western star Slim Pickens replaced Sellers as the cowboy pilot, riding the bomb to its explosive end.
The Blu-ray is housed in a 32-page book package with several essays, photographs and bios on Sterling Hayden (Gen. Jack D. Ripper), Sellers, Kubrick and George C. Scott as Gen. “Buck” Turgidson, loosely based on U.S. Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay, the father of the Strategic Air Command. LeMay was known for his tough leadership and strong opinions – which left him at odds with the White House and former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
The Blu-ray imagery is an obvious upgrade to the standard-def disc, with deeper contrast, producing richer blacks an important variable for a black and white movie. The War Room scenes get the greatest hi-def boost, particularly with the wide shots detailing Ken Adams’ exceptional production design. The film grain is noticeable throughout, but more evident during the B-52 sequences, while the audio is standard fare – cleaned up and more dynamic than the DVD via the Dolby TrueHD track.
The disc includes interviews with ex-Kubrick partner producer James Harris, journalist Bob Woodard, film critic Roger Ebert, director Spike Lee, actor James Earl Jones who got his first role in “Dr. Strangelove,” and McNamara who provides plenty of anecdotes of the real Soviet threat, which he felt were more of a “Hot War” than a Cold War.”
— Bill Kelley III
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, unrated but with brief scenes of nudity, language, adult humor and adult sexual situations
Best extra: Commentary with Director Will Gluck and actors Nicholas D’Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen
IF IT WEREN’T for brief moments of insanely clever dialogue, there would be no reason to ever watch "Fired Up," unrated or not.
Still, D’Agosto (Shawn) and Olsen (Nick) have their moments in this tale about tail, pardon the pun. The two football players ditch football camp to attend cheerleading camp with their high school squad to meet women and score like they can’t on the football field. Ironically, the pair is athletic and eventually get into the whole rah-rah mentality.
Regardless of its predictability, each actor had to put a lot in to make the cheers and some of the stunts look believable. Viewers can watch and hear all about those on the standard-def bonus features, "This is not a Cheerleading Movie: The Making of Fired Up" and "Double Duty," a look at stunt doubles. Throw in a gag reel, a brief skit doubling as press junket footage, and the commentary (which sometimes gets a bit cheesy), this DVD will satisfy any pre-teen or non-discerning teen.
Sorry, we didn’t receive the Blu-ray version.
— Toni Guagenti
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, not rated, contains action violence, torture and some language
Best extra: "The Making of Season 7" featurette
THE REBIRTH OF “24” that began in “24: Redemption” continues in Season 7, one of the series’ best action-thrillers.
Having watched each episode as it aired, “7” had all the rollercoaster appeal of a Saturday afternoon cliffhanger series – the kind that might be made for adults. It opens with our hero – stalwart, loyal and disillusioned Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) hauled up before a Senate sub-committee to answer for his interrogation tactics. It’s not going well – but he is pulled out and teamed up with FBI agent Renee Walker (Annie Wersching) and next thing you know, we’ve got terrorists and exploding planes, kidnappings and murders, set ups and White House invasions, biological attacks and … well, much, much more as the saying goes.
The most interesting character arc comes as Jack regains some of his humanity while Walker toughens up under Jack’s tutelage. You have to know that having Jack Bauer as a mentor is not for the squeamish, especially when his country is threatened.
Look for a return of series favorites: Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), Chloe O’Brien (Mary Lynn Rajskubub) and Bill Buchanan (James Morrison). New cast members include Cherry Jones, Colm Feore, Janeane Garofalo, Kurtwood Smith, Jeffrey Nordling thriving in the best of character chemistry. Jon Voight, Isaach De Bankole and Hakeem Kae-Kazim, who also appeared in “24: Redemption,” are also major standouts.
Like most cliffhanger series, you’ll find plot holes. And, like most cliffhangers, you’re not going to care as long as you can get to the next episode fast enough.
New excitement came in viewing Season 7 again on Blu-ray. The picture looks fantastic. Detail is crisp, colors in line, shadows and blacks deep and defined. Sound system will enjoy a good workout from the classic “24” ticking ka-chunk-ka-chunk to the explosions in actions scenes. You won’t miss any dialogue either. “Copy that!”
Executive producers and script writers elaborate about how Season 7 came to be the making-of featurette. This was one case where the Writers Strike of 2007-2008 helped, giving writers a chance to fall back and regroup after the Season 6 bomb. The words “desperate” and “relived” strike home in this piece.
All features are in hi-def, including 12 commentary tracks and 24 minutes of deleted scenes, a “Music of 24” feature and a close look at “Hour 19: The Ambush.”
Recommended!
— Mike Reynolds
DVD widescreen, 2008, not rated, contains action violence, drug use, some language and adult situations
Best extra: Original pilot commentary – but contains spoilers. Beware.
BROADCAST ON A&E, “The Cleaner” is a grim show about addictions, interventions and consequences starring Benjamin Bratt as William Banks. Supported by a fine cast – Esteban Powell, Amy Price-Francis, Grace Park, Kevin Michael Richards, Brett DelBuono and Liliana Mumy – Banks is the kind of man who’s been through it all: addiction, rehab and jail.
To regain his life and keep his family, he’s made a deal with God. Banks, with the help of his band of cover-op former addicts, will intervene and help other addicts into rehabilitation, whether they want to go or not.
It paves the way for a lot of drama, bucket loads of angst and labored dialogue that frequently rings true to those who have experienced similar situations. But, for those same folks who may have been there with a family member or friend, it also screams “WRONG!” on several levels, which should explain why “The Cleaner” is not that big a success and won’t be until those issues are addressed. Like drugging a kid to kidnap him and throw into rehab, that’s going to work? Might there be any kind of problem with that technique?
Listening to Bratt on the commentary, it’s a relief to hear light hearted banter. He says he was amazed at the pilot script, opening as it did with Banks’ mix of profanity and prayer. “They let you use some of that on cable,” he marvels.
Additional extras include “The Mystery of William Banks,” in which characters – and Banks himself – comment on the man and his brilliant techniques. Skip it. There are also deleted scenes, a gag reel, music excerpts and commentary on selected episodes.
— Mike Reynolds
Blu-ray widescreen, 1987, R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and violence
Best extra: Commentary with director Adrian Lyne
THE HAIRSTYLES AND CLOTHES (can’t we somehow get rid of shoulder pads using computers?) are outdated but the message is not in "Fatal Attraction," the Stanley R. Jaffe/Sherry Lansing flick that took the world by the throat (with a butcher knife) 22 years ago.
Now viewers can get enhanced images of Glenn Close’s incredible performance as Alex Forest, who has a weekend affair with Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) and, afterward, won’t give up. She threatens Dan, his wife, (Anne Archer) and their six-year-old daughter in ways that would scare the pants off any adult, married or not.
Unfortunately, even with more precise images that can rock even a small home movie system with surround sound and HD, most of the roll-over bonus features from 2002 aren’t in hi-def, just the original theatrical release and the alternate ending that was rewritten and reshot after test audiences wanted Close’s character to get of a comeuppance. Other bonus features are quite telling and intriguing with the majority of principals returning to talk about their role in making the movie become a reality.
Even though this film didn’t win a single Oscar in the 1980s, it’s still has the staying power of the greats.
— Toni Guagenti
"THE JACK LEMMON FILM COLLECTION”
DVD widescreen, 1954, 1957, 1963, 1964, unrated
Best extra: Lemmon's son, Chris, hosts a documentary "Jack Lemmon: The Man Behind the Magic," with material from Shirley MaClaine, Cliff Robertson, Larry Gelbart, Kevin Spacey, Peter Gallagher and others.
THE OLD SAYING is that if life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Well, Sony Pictures sent me five Lemmons, and I watched them. The five-disc collection features five movies that don't get a lot of rotation on TV or the movie channels. Starting with 1954's "Phfft!," Lemmon and Judy Holliday's marriage goes the way of that particular onomatopoeia, 1957's "Operation Mad Ball," 1962's "The Notorious Landlady," 1963's "Under the Yum Yum Tree" and 1964's "Good Neighbor Sam." All are comedies, mostly featuring Lemmon in his "everyman out of his depth" schtick, that he just about patented.
During the documentary Spacey and Gallagher talk about their performance with Lemmon at the Old Vic in O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night," (not exactly known for containing a lot of laughs), where Lemmon departs ever so slightly from the script and ruptures Spacey and Gallagher almost irreparably. Telling the story, Spacey gives a dead-on impression of Lemmon.
The discs also feature trailers, photo galleries, and Lemmon’s 1954 TV performance from “Marriageable Male,” an episode from the "Ford All-Star Theater” which aired on NBC.
These are not the films he's really known for, ("Mr. Roberts", "The Days of Wine and Roses", "The Odd Couple", "Save the Tiger"), but they're all pretty funny, and worth a look after lingering in obscurity for these many years.
— Mike Reynolds
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