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“BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON 4.5”
“PRISON BREAK: THE FINAL BREAK”
“AGATHA CHRISTIE: POIROT & MARPLE”
“BAD LIEUTENANT: SPECIAL EDITION”
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references
Best extra: Personally, I liked “Los Bandoleros,” the high-def short film written and directed by star Vin Diesel, setting up the premise for the fourth installment of this action-packed flick; others may like the shorts on stunts, cars and special effects.
IT’S BILLED AS “New Model. Original Parts.” You get that and more with the latest installment of “Fast & Furious,” including character development, a gazillion wrecked vehicles and sweet, sweet vengeance.
This movie rocks in HD – as do the bonus features. The sound is incredible, putting you almost in Paul Walker’s lap during some of the intense chase scenes through Los Angeles or the arid country of Mexico. This one has something for everybody, even if you haven’t seen the previous movies.
It also raises the bar when it comes to the ultimate Blu-ray experience. Universal Studios has coupled your Blu-ray player with iPhone and iPod touch-enabled features – available from companion applications from Apple’s App Store. This allows touch users to control interactive features while being able to download additional information about this wild riding movie. It’s the next best thing to being there.
Bonus features are extensive, including Universal’s (U-Control) pop-up video commentaries with behind-the-scenes details with Walker and director Justin Lin, a game to build-your-own virtual car and myriad shorts about the making-of the movie and getting the original stars back together.
If you can’t enjoy this movie in high-def, well, you may as well sell your Blu-ray player and read a book.
— Toni Guagenti
DVD widescreen, 2006, not rated with language and brief nudity
Best extra: “Take A Look At The Lawman,” an extensive making-of feature with cast and crew interviews and behind-scenes footage, provides a thoughtful look at this brilliant BBC cop-show-with-a-twist.
PLEASE DON’T LET the short-lived ABC remake turn you away from this great BBC original. For the uninitiated, present-day Manchester (England) detective Sam Tyler (John Simm) is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973 Manchester. He’s still a detective, but it’s essentially a different world. Think “Law & Order” meets “Quantum Leap.”
The ensemble cast sparkles, but the breakout character proves to be head detective Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), who plays the politically-incorrect (even by 1973 standards, to say nothing of the present day) alpha-dog with aplomb. This guy would give “Boston Legal’s” Denny Crane a run for his money.
Plus, for an eight-episode season, this set delivers a nice batch of extras. The usual suspects are all here in spades: an outtake reel, an interview with show director Bharat Nalluri, a marginally-interesting featurette focused on the show’s score, and commentaries for each episode. Plus, if you find the accents problematic, you can always resort to the subtitles.
— Robert Hatfield
Blu-ray widescreen, 1984, rated R for language
Best extra: A National Geographic interview with Nigel Tufnel about Stonehenge
DID YOU KNOW that Stonehenge was the handiwork of a bloke named Duncan? Yep, built it by himself. It was originally made of wood, too.
Nigel Tufnel – as fans of “This Is Spinal Tap” will attest – knows Stonehenge, and his insights, shared with a willing National Geographic straight man, highlight the new extras on Rob Reiner’s classic mockumentary about the U.S. comback of the U.K.’s loudest band. The other newbie, appropriately, is Tap’s performance of “Stonehenge” at the 2007 Live Earth concert.
While the film, mostly ad-libbed by Reiner and stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, holds up – it can’t really be 25 years, can it? – the move to hi-def pales, but only a little.
That’s partly due to design. Reiner shot it in 16mm to look like a documentary. Colors don’t always pop, some images are soft and there’s a noticeable grain. That’s not a complaint; it’s still the best home presentation to date. And the lossless soundtrack is a huge plus. “Big Bottom” and “Hell Hole” never sounded so ... well, loud.
Other extras were lifted from the 2000 special edition: An in-character commentary with the band, promo spots, deleted scenes and a where-is-he-now feature about director Marty DiBergi (Reiner).
— Craig Shapiro
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, not rated, contains language, action violence, mature themes, partial nudity
Best extra: Unaired series finale “Epitaph One.”
JOSS WHEDON IS STILL a creepy guy. The man who gave us The Gentlemen (“Hush,” Season Four of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”), the Reavers (“Firefly,” Serenity”) and many other scary concepts has excelled himself with a new Fox science fiction series. Be afraid – yet entertained.
“Dollhouse” has a frankly salacious premise. Present day smart guys have developed a process where a human’s mind can be wiped and then imprinted with other personalities. These “actives” are then rented out to fulfill the fantasies of the rich and powerful, where sexual fantasies are a big part of the business. Male and female actives are all gorgeous with a mission to please. A dazzling Eliza Dushku, who also produces, leads the lot.
If the concept of slavery is uncomfortable, you are in Whedonville. What appears to be prime time cable fare gets dark quickly. Whedon wants us to think. Savvy viewers will pick up the thread from episode one and by episode six, you’ll know there’s much more to the world of the “Dollhouse” and it’s anything but pretty.
Both the DVD and Blu-ray presentations offer excellent extras, including the unaired original pilot and a series finale, “Epitaph One.” “Dollhouse” had a hard time finding its audience, but was picking up steam by the two-part season one finale, “Briar Rose” and “Omega” (Brilliantly written and performed.) A handful of featurettes offer the standards: A making-of the show with cast and crew interviews, set designs, etc. One, “A Private Engagement,” allows cast and crew to air their fantasies about imprinting. Would you do it or not – and what would you go for. You’ll also find deleted scenes and selected episode commentary.
Filmed in high-def, “Dollhouse” looks and sounds great on Blu-ray. Focus is sharp, shadows and blacks are brilliant against rich color. It all looks very sci-fi, especially the Dollhouse spa and offices. Skin tones are perfect all the way around and detail snaps. Fast and quirky dialogue is never lost under excellent sound effects.
Recommended. Season Two premiers Sept. 25 on Fox.
— Mike Reynolds
“BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON 4.5”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2009, not rated
Best extra: The most anticipated bonus feature, the extended series finale running 30-minutes longer than the broadcast version, is essential viewing, allowing more time to say goodbye to all your favorite characters.
RONALD D. MOORE’S universally praised reimagining of the 1970s sci-fi clunker has finally come to an end. Fans were divided over the series finale, some embracing Moore having Kara Thrace, AKA Starbuck, play out the mythology of Jesus Christ in the final season, while others criticized the finale's dependence on a deus ex machina. In the podcast commentary for the finale, which Moore shares with his wife, he says that the show's final twist is that it ends on a note of hope after four seasons of such darkness and struggle.
"Battlestar Galactica" was shot in hi-def; grain was then added to give the show its gritty look. It looks fantastic on Blu-ray, noticeably better than its HD broadcasts on the Sci-Fi (or SyFy now) Channel. It's an absolutely faithful transfer and there's even a warning letting viewers who are unfamiliar with the show know that this is indeed how it is supposed to look. The space battles and special effects look jaw-dropping but first time viewers should be warned, the show can in one cut go from incredible detail and sharpness to grainy and soft. Rest assured, this was Moore's intention and Universal has honored them. The uncompressed audio track will please fans as well, allowing them to hear Bear McCreary's wonderful and constantly evolving score in the highest fidelity possible, as well as showing off all the effects and sound wizardry that went into the many battle scenes.
Extras are numerous with three extended episodes and more commentaries than you can shake a stick at (including the beloved podcast commentaries Moore recorded as the show aired), a handful of solid standard-def featurettes and deleted scenes and one short HD doc that includes tearful interviews with the cast and crew as they discuss the end of production. The only less-than-worthwhile extra is Universal's U-Control feature which is essentially two standard fact/trivia tracks.
Also released this week is the pricey "Complete Series" box on Blu, which retails for $349.98 (but can be bought for about $150 less on Amazon and at Best Buy right now) and includes 20 50GB Blu-ray discs housed in an elaborate box with a collectible Cylon figurine. Currently, this is the only option for buyers who want all four seasons in hi-def. It's likely we'll see all seasons released separately sometime in the future (perhaps when "The Plan," the upcoming BSG television film which has been slated for Blu-ray, is released this fall). The box includes virtually every bonus feature from the DVD releases but no new features aside from the before-mention U-Control factoid tracks.
Look for the prequel series "Caprica" to debut on SyFy in 2010. In the meantime, one of the best sci-fi series of all time is your to own on Blu-ray.
— Josh Boone
Blu-ray wide screen and DVD widescreen, 1965, unrated
Best extra: The 2003 making-of documentary, “A British Horror Film.”
ROMAN POLANSKI’S second feature film, a classic psychological horror film, stars a young Catherine Deneuve in the role of Carol, a French manicurist living in London with her sister. The story, which chronicles Carol’s descent into madness and violence, was shocking (and innovative) in its terrifying depiction of sexual psychosis.
This restored high-def Criterion special edition (we only received the DVD version) has a gritty black and white visual style, with plenty of natural film grain. It features a commentary by Polanski and Deneuve; a 1964 French television documentary made on the set; and a booklet containing an essay by a film scholar. But the most interesting feature is the 2003 documentary that traces Polanski’s decision to have a small studio, famous for trading in soft porn and exploitation films, make “Repulsion.” Interviews with Polanski, the cinematographer, art director and one of the studio heads reveal Polanski’s very specific vision, including the inventive special effects used to suggest Carol’s horrific hallucinations.
— Peggy Earle
Blu-ray widescreen, 1992, PG for momentary nudity and some language in a family drama
Best extra: What seems at first to be the cheesiest extra, a whopping forty minutes of hi-def "Looping Video Environments" bringing the Blackfoot River to your home theater in 5.1 surround sound, is actually the most gorgeous and enveloping.
ROBERT REDFORD’S STIRRING adaptation of Norman Maclean's acclaimed autobiographical novella about two brothers growing up in Montana in the early 1900s under the firm hand of their wise preacher father arrives on Blu-ray this week. The film, which won an Academy Award for its cinematography, has never looked better than it does in hi-def. The majesty of the rivers and mountains at the film's heart are captured in breathtaking detail. This is a sharp transfer with natural film grain and excellent contrast. To my eye, this is reference quality. The lossless track is pleasing as well. This is a quiet film that relies on the ambience created by the sounds of nature to work its magic. It compliments the film perfectly without wowing.
The bonus features, all presented in HD, are extremely satisfying. These include the half-hour "Deep Currents: Making A River Runs Through It" documentary that focuses as much on Maclean's novella and life as on the production itself. There are also two shorter pieces examining the environmental problems which made the Blackfoot River unusable for filming and the efforts since to restore it to its former glory, as well as a crash course in fly fishing. There are also 17 deleted scenes and a 32-page book filled with essays and production info.
Highly recommended.
— Josh Boone
“PRISON BREAK: THE FINAL BREAK”
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, not rated, contains action violence
Best extra: Deleted scenes
EVEN IF YOU haven’t watched the past four seasons of the Fox series “Prison Break,” you can leap right into this 89-minute direct-to-video film and groove. It’s entertaining in that “wrong person jailed, time for break out” way. There’s not a lot of intellect involved, but cool characters played by Wentworth Miller, Sarah Wayne Callies, William Fichtner and a shivery Robert Knepper will hold your interest.
On the other hand, it’s a bummer fans have to pay for this. The material covers a missing four year period not shown in the season finale.
The Blu-ray picture is good; it’s clear and sharp with a feature film polish. Sound is also good on a DTS-HD MA 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack. The only extra is a couple of deleted scenes, but one adds background to Fichtner’s character. It’s a worthwhile moment.
Fans will want this to complete their collection. First-timers might be inspired to check out the complete series.
— Mike Reynolds
Blu-ray widescreen, 1995, R for violence and language
Best extra: "The Hamster Factor & Other Tales of 12 Monkeys," a feature-length documentary dating back to the laser disc edition of the film.
BASED ON FRENCH experimental filmmaker Chris Marker's sci-fi short "La jetee" (which Criterion has released if anyone's interested), "12 Monkeys" is one of Terry Gilliam's most satisfying films and features some of the best work of Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt's careers.
Extras are identical to the standard DVD release, which is duplicated from the laser disc. There are two extras, both worthwhile. The first is a brisk commentary with Gilliam and producer Charles Roven; the second is an exhaustive making-of documentary covering every aspect of the production. It includes many candid moments of Gilliam dealing with the frustration and stress of making a movie both he and the studio can be happy with.
While it improves upon the previous DVD release, "12 Monkeys" is still underwhelming on Blu-ray with some noticeable edge enhancement, dirt on the print, and a softness and lack of detail that just doesn't add up to my memories of seeing it in the theater. "Monkeys" is never going to look like a million bucks. This is a drab and dirty looking film and Gilliam intended it to look a little soft. Still, I think with a fresh print it could look even better in hi-def than it does now. If you're a fan, this is as good as this is going to look for the time being and it's worth picking up for the noticeable improvement over the DVD and the lossless audio track which showcases the carnivalesque score and lots of surround activity. Still, it's only a mild recommend.
— Josh Boone
“AGATHA CHRISTIE: POIROT & MARPLE”
DVD full-screen, 1985-1992, unrated
Best extra: Agatha Christie biography.
ENGLISH MYSTERY LOVERS, get ready for a spiffy, thoroughly entertaining marathon. This murder story potpourri contains 21 episodes of the BBC’s (and later A&E’s) “Poirot” and “Miss Marple” shows, starring the pitch-perfect David Suchet (Hercule Poirot) and the piercing-eyed Joan Hickson (Jane Marple).
Each episode is approximately an hour and a half, and usually features at least one guest star – veteran actors such as Claire Bloom, Barry Newman and Elliot Gould. Each is a typical Christie whodunit in which at least three-quarters of the cast is suspect, while someone in the fourth quarter actually “done it.”
The meager extras are lists and written bios, the most informative of which is about Dame Agatha. Her novels, we learn, have only ever been outsold by Shakespeare and the Bible. Her most popular character? Hercule Poirot, who first appeared in print in 1920.
— Peggy Earle
“BAD LIEUTENANT: SPECIAL EDITION”
DVD widescreen, 1992, NC-17 for nudity, drug use, language and violence
Best extra: A pretty decent commentary by writer-director Abel Ferrara and the director of photography, Ken Kelsch.
JUNKIE, GAMBLER, THIEF AND MURDERER – these are some of the words that describes Harvey Keitel’s lieutenant in the 1992 film “Bad Lieutenant” in which he plays a New York City police detective investigating the rape of a nun. Based on actual events (with regard to the rape, that is) this is a character study of a man being pulled in so many directions, there is only one way for him to go. And that is into the bowels of self-destruction.
When we first meet the nameless, corrupt lieutenant, we see that he is already out of control with his gambling and heavily indebted to his bookie. In addition, the lieutenant has a serious drug addiction. And we’re talking s-e-r-i-o-u-s. Keitel’s performance is so powerful he won Best Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film got Ferrara a Best Director nomination from the awards group.
Although the lieutenant makes an attempt to change his ways, it is too little too late. We witness his self-destructive journey to the end.
“Bad Lieutenant” also stars Victor Argo, Calderone, Frankie Thorn and Bo Dietl. The Lionsgate DVD also includes interviews with members of the film’s cast and crew, and English and Spanish subtitles among its extras.
During the extras, Ferrara talks about a gritty scene in which Keitel stops two girls from New Jersey for a broken tail light. He questions them and, after finding out that they have neither a license nor permission to have the car, he proceeds to take advantage of the situation. The scripted segment was short, so Ferrara allowed Keitel to improvise. And improvise he did – to the point of making the viewer squirm.
On an interesting note, there’s a remake in production with Nicolas Cage in the starring Keitel role. Upon hearing of the plans for the remake, Ferrara, reportedly said, “As far as remakes go … I wish these people die in Hell. I hope they’re all in the same streetcar, and it blows up.”
— Cliff Redding
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