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“MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT”
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, PG for some suggestive choreography and scary images
Best extra: The entire movie is the extra as director/choreographer Kenny Ortega says in one of the bonus features; it wasn’t supposed to happen – Jackson’s world tour was, so to be able to piece it together so seamlessly is special in and of itself.
THE “THIS IS IT” tour – no doubt – would have been the best series of shows the world had seen, but, sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. Jackson died just days before eight sold-out shows debuted in London. He was on the verge of giving the world what they had wanted for so long – a live performance by the King of Pop.
For those who are not Jackson fans, and there probably aren’t that many out there, this montage of rehearsals, behind-the-scenes footage and entertainment genius at work shows the kind of entertainer Jackson was. No rumor mills, no court appearances, no dangling infants. The music is awe-inspiring, as well as what would have been an outstanding, cutting-edge show; the known end result is heartbreaking on so many levels.
For Blu-ray, surround-sound and BDLive enabled households, your viewing will be first rate. The only regret would be not seeing it in a theater. Jackson sounds amazing, the band and dancers perform their hearts out, even in rehearsals. This show would have rocked onstage.
As for the bonus features, some of which are a mix of high-def and standard-def, they add so much to the behind-scenes of the show. It includes a look at the cool costumes he would have worn, right down to custom loafers to match the outfits (something the King of Pop never had); memories of Jackson; auditions for the “This Is It” dancers; and two featurettes on the adventure of bringing the show to stage and remembrances of Jackson after his death.
For BD Live enabled players, you can watch the movie with movieIQ, where great information is accessible from the Web; two vignettes for “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal,” which would have been fantastic to watch live on an enormous screen right before Michael pops on stage; and the making-of “Smooth Criminal.” Quite enjoyable.
— Toni Guagenti
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, PG-13 for sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material
Best extra: “Fox Movie Channel” presents “Writer’s Draft: Shauna Cross,” a three-minute conversation with the movie’s screenwriter
FOR DREW BARRYMORE’S directorial debut, she chose an underdog story of mousy teenager Bliss (Ellen Page) whose mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants her to be a pageant star. But with a pair of roller skates, a roller-derby team (the Hurl Scouts) and a tough moniker, “Babe Ruthless,” she finds her passion.
Unfortunately, viewers get none of the passion or insight that went into making the movie from a making-of or commentary. Sure, those high-def shots of derby gals shoved over the rail, onto the floor and into the nose are great to watch, but how it all came together would have been better.
As for the sparse extras, the standard-def bonus deals with Cross as a struggling writer stumbling upon (on craigslist.com) a newly formed roller-derby team in Los Angeles. Hence the seed for her book idea, which eventually led to the screenplay. Nine deleted/alternate/extended scenes, each in high-def, a quick promo for the movie’s eclectic soundtrack, and a digital copy round out the bonus features.
—Toni Guagenti
DVD widescreen, 2009, PG-13 for some sexual language and thematic elements
Best extra: “A Photographic Journey” with optional commentary from director Scott Hicks is a beautifully shot montage of photos and stills from the making of this movie.
THIS IS A poignant story about a man who eventually bonds with his two sons from two different marriages, but it’s not exactly what you think. After Joe’s second wife dies, his son from his first marriage wants to come and stay with Joe and his youngest, Arthur. It’s a long road to reconciliation, but the older son, Harry, and his dad finally make it. Actor performances draw you into the movie, including Clive Owen (Joe), Emma Booth (Laura), Laura Fraser (Katy), George MacKay (Harry) and Nicholas McAnulty (Arthur), who can be quite intense for such a young lad.
Unfortunately this brilliantly shot film, made mostly in South Australia, has only been released in standard-def (DVD). While the rolling wheat fields, the Indian Ocean, the way the light captures some scenes look fantastic, Blu-ray would have made it look spectacular. Regardless, it is a movie in which lighting and scenery are important to capturing the emotion and heart of the story.
In addition to the 16-minute photo montage with Hicks’ commentary – a fabulous way to tell about the making-of this movie as well as the people involved – viewers get to briefly see author Simon Carr and his two sons, Hugo and Alexander. Carr wrote “The Boys are Back in Town,” on which the movie was based.
— Toni Guagenti
“PARIS, TEXAS: THE CRITERION COLLECTION”
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 1984, R for language
Best extra: “Written in the West” is a collection of striking photographs taken by German director Wim Wenders in 1983 while location scouting in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California.
WIM WENDERS FANS spoiled by Criterion’s recent hi-def release of “Wings of Desire,” will find more cause for celebration with the release of this masterpiece, one of the most acclaimed films of the 1980s on both DVD and Blu-ray.
Wenders collaborated with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Sam Sherpard on this enthralling, existential road movie starring the great Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell and a striking Natassja Kinski.
The new hi-def transfer was supervised and approved by Wenders and I'm pleased to report that the results look beautiful. The colors are much more natural and eye-catching here than on the previous Fox DVD release, which badly oversaturated the colors. Detail and contrast are also exceptional. No one has captured the American West quite like Wenders and long-time DP Robby Muller have here. Known by many for its slide guitar score by Ry Cooder, the uncompressed audio track has been remastered by Wenders, who has chosen to change it from mono to stereo. Although still a front and centered track, Cooder's score is given the benefit of surrounds.
Extras are bountiful. An engaging Wenders audio commentary has been carried over from both the Fox and Anchor Bay editions, as has a selection of deleted scenes and some Super 8 behind-scenes footage. As always, Criterion offers a number of exclusives including a 43-minute 1989 documentary, "The Road to Paris, Texas," which looks at Wenders's career and early films as well as "Paris." There are also more than an hour of interviews with Wenders (recorded in 2001), filmmakers Claire Denis (Wenders's 1st AD) and Alison Anders (who worked as a PA on the film). The Denis and Anders interviews are new. Also included is a French television program from 1984 and two galleries of photographs.
A 45-page booklet featuring an essay by film critic Nick Roddick, interviews with Shepard, Stanton, Kinski, and Stockwell, and excerpts from Wenders's book of photos "Written in the West" are also showcased.
This is another home run from Criterion.
— Josh Boone
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a drug-related sex scene
Best extra: Extras are underwhelming but director Jonathan Mostow, who helmed "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," delivers a mostly satisfying commentary for his $80 million sci-fi actioner.
BASED ON THE short-lived comic book series of the same name, “Surrogates” is set in a bizarre future where people never leave the safety of their homes, instead choosing to live their lives through highly idealized robot versions of themselves. Bruce Willis plays an FBI agent trying to track down a hi-tech device that's been used in a string of murders.
The Blu-ray offers an exceptional video and detail – with deep blacks and a vibrant color palette. The CG effects hold up well under hi-def scrutiny. The intense, uncompressed audio is faultless as well, with an array of impressive sound effects and immersive surround activity bringing the film to life.
Aside from the commentary, extras are on the light side, especially on the DVD, which only includes the commentary and a music video. Exclusive to the Blu-ray are two short featurettes and a handful of deleted scenes (all in HD). “A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates” mixes behind-scenes sound bites from the cast and crew with interviews with real-life scientists discussing advancements in virtual reality and robotics. “Breaking the Frame” is a very brief look at the comic book series.
This 2017 set film is hard to swallow but delivers enough entertainment value to recommend a rental.
— Josh Boone
Blu-ray widescreen, 2005, PG for mild thematic elements
Best extra: The informative commentary with British director Joe Wright
BEING BEHIND THE proverbial eight ball is not a fun place. Especially, for Universal Studios who’s desperately trying to catch-up, now releasing movies on Blu-ray they had previously released on HD DVD. So far we’ve seen just over 50 movies that were once exclusive HD DVD discs, with 90 plus still MIA including “Apollo 13,” “Lost in Translation,” Oscar winner “The Sting,” “Meet the Parents,” “Ray,” “Spartacus,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Being John Malkovich.”
This week we finally get Universal’s delightful and gorgeous “Pride and Prejudice,” the Jane Austen adaptation from first-time director Joe Wright (“Atonement” and “The Soloist”).
Keira Knightley (Oscar nominated) plays spunky Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, the daughter who initially dislikes the Mr. Bindley (Simon Woods) the most eligible candidate in the Meryton countryside. A wonderful support cast includes Donald Sutherland (Mr. Bennet), Judi Dench (Lady Catherine), Matthew MacFadyen (Darcy) and Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet), who at one point was Wright’s real-life fiancée; he called it off just before their wedding in ‘08.
The Blu-ray imagery has a rich and warm color palette, natural film grain and no signs of digital noise reduction – clearly mimicking its HD DVD cousin and light years better than the DVD. On the audio front there are some slight variations. The HD DVD used the Dolby True HD soundtrack while the Blu-ray streams an uncompressed DTS-HD format at five megabits per second. Universal was an original financer and launcher of the DTS format with Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park.”
The Blu-ray includes all of the extras found on the previous DVD and HD DVD with five featurettes all in standard-def.
This could be a great gift for the upcoming Valentine’s Day.
— Bill Kelley III
Blu-ray widescreen, 2007, R for disturbing war images, language, and some sexuality
Best extra: Director Joe Wright (“Pride and Prejudice” and “The Soloist”) manages to pack a lot of gold into his audio commentary.
WHILE MOST FILMS adapted from acclaimed novels are rarely as good as their source material (“The Road” comes to mind), Wright's sweeping romance does an impressive job bringing Ian McEwan’s novel to cinematic life.
Universal has given the film a reference quality transfer on Blu-ray, showcasing director of photography Seamus McGarvey's (“The Hours”) gorgeous, almost surreal cinematography. Colors are vivid and striking, particularly Keira Knightley's prominently displayed green dress, and detail is eye-catching. Nothing to complain about here. Dario Marianelli's Academy Award winning score is given wonderful life on the uncompressed audio and dialogue is crystal clear.
Extras are duplicated from the DVD and none are in HD. Wright's commentary is fairly comprehensive. He spends ample time discussing the novel, Christopher Hampton's masterful adaptation, and the film's production. He shares fascinating anecdotes regarding the shooting of the film's love scene and reveals that the most impressive shot in the film (the single, breathtaking shot lasting five minutes on the beach of Dunkirk) wasn't planned and was the result of not having enough time to shoot it any other way. Also included is a very typical, half-hour making-of featurette, and a five minute interview with Hampton and McEwan discussing the adaptation. Highly recommended.
— Josh Boone
Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2009, unrated, contains scenes of extreme torture, gore and violence, language and nudity
Best extra: Out of two commentaries, look for the one with director Kevin Greutert and writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan; it’s entertaining and full of information.
“PARANORMAL ACTIVITY” might have beat the stuffing out of “Saw VI” at the box office last summer. That doesn’t mean the undead Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is ready to retire his torture devices. No, according to commentary, “Saw VII” is forthcoming and will be in 3-D.
“Saw” fans know who they are, so it follows that they are prepared for the violence presented here. This time, in perfect irony to national concerns, Jigsaw goes after miscreants of the health insurance industry. Even non-fans will be hard pressed to suppress a grin at that.
Footage always looks as if it were shot by a psycho – deliberately one hopes. There’s static, huge variations in color, and lots of grain. Then suddenly great clarity and detail. It’s a hallmark of the series and looks best in Blu-ray, regardless. Sound is excellent with dialogue clearly heard over the screams, score and … mechanisms.
Extras are plenty including two commentaries; a feature on Jigsaw since his appearance in “Saw II”; music videos, and “A Killer Maze,” game. Exclusive to Blu-ray are features such as BD Touch, an iPhone/iPod Touch application; Metamenu, which can be controlled through online website connection; and LG-Live, another online app that allows viewers to download wallpapers and other items.
But one of the best features is the addition of the first “Saw” movie on Blu-ray or in DVD, depending on which format you purchase.
— Mike Reynolds
“LOUIS ARMSTRONG: GOOD EVENING EV’RYBODY”
DVD widescreen, 2008, unrated
Best extra: “The Story Behind the Film.”
THIS CONCERT MOVIE taken from the 1970 Newport Jazz Festival celebrates the great Satchmo’s 70th birthday. It contains lively and moving performance footage interspersed with rehearsals and interviews with Armstrong at his home in Queens. Legendary musicians, such as Dizzy Gillespie and Mahalia Jackson, take and share the stage to honor Armstrong’s life and work.
Special features include excerpts from the interview, in which Armstrong discusses what he considers his theme song, “It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” as well as New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band. And producer George Wein looks back on “The Story Behind the Film.” He calls the concert “Louis’ last hurrah,” and credits him with being “The Man” who “generated happiness.” Some of the numbers on stage that evening, like the “When the Saints Go Marching In” group finale, were done without any rehearsal. All in all, says Wein, “It was a perfect night.” It sure looked that way.
— Peggy Earle
“THE WALTONS: MOVIE COLLECTION”
DVD full-frame, 1982, 1993, 1995, 1997, not rated
Best extra: None
AFTER SPENDING TIME with films such as “Gamer” or “Saw VI,” why not return to “Walton’s Mountain” – relax and lower that blood pressure? You can even invite the kids to watch. There are six movies to choose from on three discs.
The first three – “A Wedding On Walton’s Mountain,” “Mother’s Day on Walton’s Mountain,” and “A Day for Thanks on Walton’s Mountain” – were all filmed in 1982 when Robert Wightman had taken on the part of John-Boy, originated by Richard Thomas who left “The Waltons” TV series after five seasons to pursue film goals. Michael Learned (Olivia) returns for “Mother’s Day” and subsequent films, having also left the series early.
“The Waltons” was strong enough to continue without Thomas or Learned for five more seasons. Still, they are a welcome sight in “A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion,” “A Walton Wedding” and “A Walton Easter,” which take the family from the ‘40s into the ‘60s.
Each film highlights contemporary American history and family values without being stuffy or over-pious. Color looks good here and sound is clear; it’s good DVD quality.
— Mike Reynolds
DVD full-frame, 2008, unrated
Best extra: None, but the film includes an Arabic-language version
IT’S ALWAYS FUN to root for an underdog. In this political story, Massouda Jalal, a medical doctor, wife and mother, runs for president of Afghanistan.
The film keeps a story moving. She is the only woman running in the 2004 election.
“Frontrunner” has a raw, journalistic feel and provides perspective on the fraudulent election system, culture and turmoil of Afghanistan. The difficulty of training election workers and putting on democratic elections in this country is evident.
For many, Islamic law does not allow a woman to lead men. Some people tear up Jalal’s fliers. Police in one area take down her posters. Jalal who rarely smiles, runs promoting peace and challenges the government of Hamid Karzai as a failure linked to the Bush administration.
Many of the candidates dropped out for a period of time to protest election fraud, leaving Karzai and Jalal. In the end, she finished sixth out of the final 16 candidates.
The movie includes some criticism of Jalal, but mainly promotes her and takes on Karzai. Extras on the DVD are limited to two photo slideshows and a promo.
— Patrick Wilson
DVD widescreen, 2009, unrated
Best extra: Extended interviews with Chuck D, De La Soul and Clyde Stubblefield
IN ONE CORNER: George Clinton, James Brown, drummer Clyde Stubblefield and others who wrote their own music. In the other: Public Enemy, Biz Markie, De La Soul and those who used the sounds without permission.
This documentary looks at music sampling, especially by rap and hip hop artists and DJs. Original artists want credit and payment when their work is used. But the artists using it often think there’s nothing wrong with taking just a few beats, especially from an obscure recording, and sometimes distorting it so greatly even the original artist doesn’t know his work has been used.
Extras include a 17-song soundtrack and “Fair Use Explained: Four Shorts by the Center for Social Media.”
The movie presents all viewpoints, laying songs over originals to show their similarities. Watch this movie and you’ll have even less respect for “U Can’t Touch This.”
The interviews and explanations in this documentary are well done. There’s good music and the film poses interesting questions about the way music has changed and what kinds of uses should be allowed. It explains how record producers have become much more careful about getting rights to music they’re going to sample.
Chuck D says, “Maybe I was wrong with sampling of a beat, but my thing is that sometimes you can’t put soul in a bottle. You can’t quantify soul by a person that’s just got a briefcase and just sits down and thinks that everything soulful is actually exclusive.”
He says Public Enemy’s intent of layering music samples was to create a new, unique sound, like mixing yellow and blue to make green.
Stubblefield just wants credit for his music being used without his permission or knowledge by a number of artists. “I prefer to get my name on the record saying this is Clyde playing,” he says. “The money is not the important thing.”
— Patrick Wilson
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