Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
84 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by director Matt Reeves; deleted scenes and alternate endings with audio commentary; Document 01.18.08: The Making of Cloverfield; Cloverfield Visual Effects; I Saw It! It’s Alive! It’s Huge!; Clover Fun; previews for other movies

Released: 22 April 2008
keepcase
16 chapters

The Jason Bourne movies accelerated the rhythms of the gun-and-edit style and managed to draw critical acclaim even though other gun-and-edit directors (such as Michael Bay and Tony Scott) draw critical ire. The folks who made Mission: Impossible III and Casino Royale (2006) clearly emulated the Bourne visual style even though those franchises started before Matt Damon’s interpretation of Jason Bourne appeared in theatres. J.J. Abrams, the director of MI3, seems intent on pushing the limits of gun-and-edit to the point of incoherence.

J.J. Abrams produced but didn’t direct Cloverfield, and the movie owes more of a debt to The Blair Witch Project than to the Jason Bourne series. Still, the movie is obviously a reflection of Abrams’s interest in sci-fi and fantasy as well as predilection for gun-and-edit. In Cloverfield, a giant monster attacks New York City one night, and that night’s events are captured on a video camera by a bunch of young people. The video is played as if it was footage recovered by the U.S. Army, and the Department of Defense is conducting research.

The movie is a nauseating mess. I literally almost threw up several times even though I was watching it at home on a small TV screen. I probably would’ve passed out had I seen this in a movie theatre. The herky-jerky cinematography is atrocious in the extreme, and I guesstimate that I must’ve not comprehended at least 50% of the images that I saw.

It’s probable that the filmmakers meant for the movie to be disorienting and “realistic”, but I don’t understand what the point is of making a fake documentary about a completely unrealistic premise. A fake documentary about terrorists attacking an American city or a fake documentary about war? Sure, no problem. A fake documentary about Godzilla’s bosom buddy? Who cares?

The movie’s value is further decreased by a script that focuses on shallow characters and by flat acting. The fellas playing soldiers have such awful line readings that I chortled despite my intense dizziness.

I took one for the team with this movie, peeps. Please don’t subject me to this kind of visual style ever again.

Video:
The low-res, dimly-lit 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image looks terrible, though be advised that the digital compression artifacts are mostly intentional.

Audio:
Here’s where the movie cheats big time. We’re supposed to be watching footage from someone’s video camera, right? To my knowledge, cheap consumer cameras don’t have awesome microphones that can record multi-channel surround sound with deep bass. Therefore, the DD 5.1 English track, while impressively immersive and thunderous, is a lie. I would’ve been able to accept 5.1 sound if the entire movie was literally based on a person’s real perspective (i.e. his/her eyes), but for what it is meant to simulate, Cloverfield is a fraud.

You can also watch the movie with DD 5.1 French and DD 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, French, and Spanish as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for Star Trek and Indiana Jones 4.

Director Matt Reeves contributed an audio commentary. Sorry, I didn’t try to listen to it as I didn’t want to watch the movie again.

There are four deleted scenes and two alternate endings with optional audio commentary by Matt Reeves. The deleted scenes are entirely superfluous, and the alternate endings are really lame (just short snippets to replace the Ferris Wheel ending).

“Document 01.18.08: The Making of Cloverfield” is a general overview of the production. Much is made of the secrecy surrounding the script, but the secrecy was meant to build buzz for a bankrupt concept, not because the story was genuinely surprising.

“Cloverfield Visual Effects” and “I Saw It! It’s Alive! It’s Huge!” are two featurettes that reveal the computer work that was involved in destroying Manhattan.

“Clover Fun” is a gag reel.

Knowing J.J. Abrams and Company, the disc probably has a couple of Easter Eggs. Sorry, I didn’t bother looking for them. I went out for a nice long walk after I watched the Extras.

The Great Debaters Two-Disc Collector’s Edition (Denzel Washington, 2007)

Region 1 Genius Products (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
124 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH and Spanish
Extras: deleted scenes; The Great Debaters: An Historical perspective; music videos; trailers; The Great Debaters: A Heritage of Music; Scoring The Great Debaters; Learning the Art; Forest Whitaker on Becoming James Farmer, Sr.; A New Generation of Actors; The 1930s Wardrobe of Sharen Davis; The Production Design of David J. Bomba; The Poetry of Melvin B. Tolson

Released: 13 May 2008
slim double keepcase with cardboard slipcover
25 chapters

Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker, like so many other actors, won Oscars for playing loudmouths. For me, Washington and Whitaker are far more impressive when they’re quiet, letting their eyes and their facial muscles convey the depths of their characters’ souls. Their pairing in The Great Debaters could’ve been a bombastic exchange of contrasting ideologies, but they graciously retreat to the background and let three very fine young performers shine in an important, inspiring presentation of the stunningly successful debaters from Wiley College during the 1930s.

Melvin B. Tolson, one of America’s best poets of the 20th Century, taught English at Wiley College. He also coached the school’s debate team to an impressive string of victories. Initially, black schools only debated black schools, but Tolson’s drive yielded debates against white schools. (Some white schools probably thought that the Wiley students would be easy prey, so they “generously” agreed to interracial debates.) The Wiley teams were so successful that they won the national championship against USC.

The Great Debaters fudges facts a bit by pitting Wiley against Harvard, though this is an understandable artistic decision. After all, Harvard is a bit more than just another academic institution; it represents what we want to see in ourselves when we think of our universities. The movie still makes the same point that Tolson wanted to make--with vigorous mental training, any youth can achieve the highest levels of intellect.

As I already wrote, Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker anchor the movie but let the young leads carry the story. The movie’s heart and soul reside in Denzel Whitaker (no relation to either of the movie’s big stars), who plays a fourteen-year-old college freshman--too young for some of life’s experiences but more capable and more perceptive than his peers. Nate Parker is the charismatic, talented leader of the team. Parker is forceful and authoritative without venturing the over-the-top ranting that Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker sometimes exhibit. Jurnee Smollett, whom some of you might remember as the little girl in Kasi Lemmons’s Eve’s Bayou from so many years ago, eloquently conveys the difficulties faced by black women, who were essentially double minorities in the Deep South.

The screenplay is structured along the lines of a Cinderella sports movie, and it covers familiar territory (such as a budding romance between two of the debaters). However, as Denzel Washington doesn’t dwell on the conventional tropes, the movie has a sprightly energy as it progresses from debate tryouts to debate practices to debate meets. The debate speeches are particularly well-written--and well-delivered.

Some part of me agrees with Stephen Holden of The New York Times; the movie would’ve been bolder and smarter had it shown the black students arguing in favor of policies that would’ve hindered social progress. However, The Great Debaters was designed to be an enabling experience, not one that might confuse impressionable young viewers. Besides, smart viewers will readily see the dilemma--debaters have to prepare to argue both sides of an issue as they don’t know if they’ll be on the affirmative or negative side until the last moment.

The Great Debaters would be a valuable addition to many school syllabi, and it’s definitely one of the most-uplifting movies that I’ve ever seen.

Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is a handsome showcase for Philippe Rousselot’s ace cinematography. The movie is dominated by rich yellows and browns, and the image is very smooth pleasing to the eye. Some shots are a tad soft, though I couldn’t tell if the softness was intentional or if it was a result of downgrading from film to 480p.

Audio:
Understandably, The Great Debaters is a dialogue-driven film, so most of the important sonics emanate from the front center channel. However, the front spread is very wide, and the rears have plenty of music cheer. Bass response is also very robust courtesy of the music as well as a quasi-action sequence early in the movie.

You can also watch the movie with a DD 5.1 French dub. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
--Disc 1--
First up are three brief deleted scenes. They’re not bad, but they wouldn’t have added much to the movie, either.

Next up is “The Great Debaters: An Historical Perspective”, which is a broad overview of the production as well as the real-life story’s historical significance.

You also get two music videos and trailers for The Great Debaters as well as other Genius/Weinstein movies.

(Disc 1 is probably identical to the single-disc release.)

--Disc 2--
“The Great Debaters: A Heritage of Music”, “Scoring The Great Debaters With James Newton Howard & Peter Golub”, and “Forest Whitaker on Becoming James Farmer, Sr.” have self-explanatory titles.

With “Learning the Art: Our Young Actors Go to Debate Camp”, we see footage of the actors learning debate tactics from college students.

“A New Generation of Actors” sings praises of the young leads.

“The 1930s Wardrobe of Sharen Davis” and “The Production Design of David J. Bomba” spotlight two aspects of the movie’s visual composition.

Finally, in “The Poetry of Melvin B. Tolson”, you can read excerpts from two of Tolson’s works.

--Miscellaneous--
In addition to a cardboard slipcover, you also get a handsome collector’s booklet.

Considering that the two-disc set sells for only $3 more than the one-disc release, getting this version is a no-brainer.

Sweeney Todd Two-Disc Collector’s Edition (Tim Burton, 2007)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
116 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd; Sweeney Todd Press Conference, November 2007; Sweeney Is Alive: The Real History of the Demon Barber; Musical Mayhem: Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd; Sweeney’s London; The Making of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition; Designs for a Demon Barber; A Bloody Business; Moviefone Unscripted With Tim Burton and Johnny Depp; The Razor’s Refrain; photo gallery; theatrical trailer

Released: 1 April 2008
slim double keepcase with cardboard slipcover
24 chapters

Director Tim Burton should be congratulated for creating a financially fruitful body of work. He’s not a populist like Steven Spielberg or George Lucas, and he’s not a purveyor of action porn like Michael Bay or Tony Scott. In fact, Burton’s primary theme is not at all commercial in nature.

If you look at the big picture, Tim Burton is clearly a necrophiliac. Just about all of his features focus on the dead, the walking dead, the waking dead, the nearly dead, married-to-the-dead, pasty-white weirdoes, ghosts, nihilists, etc. Burton’s protagonists usually aren’t heroes. They’re not even anti-heroes; in most cases, they’re outright murderous villains.

Burton’s commercial success can be attributed to his hiding his necrophilia behind championing-the-underdog/sympathy-for-misfits stories. If you think about it, Burton is far more subversive than “message” artists who demand immediate change and revolution. Burton plays off of our intensely personal desires to be understood, loved, praised, and cheered. In the process, casual viewers who watch movies on autopilot essentially embrace Burton’s love of death.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is an obvious, natural fit to Burton’s tastes. Originally a Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd is an orgy of bloodletting and cannibalism. Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) is a victim of a terrible injustice, so he slashes his way through London’s high society in order to avenge the destruction of his family. Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) runs a meat pie shop below Sweeney Todd’s barbershop. They dispose of the dead bodies by using them as the pies’ secret ingredient.

The movie’s acting, singing, killing, and bloodletting are all so over-the-top and theatrical that the net effect is a lot less disturbing and upsetting than one might think at first glance. (I never felt queasy, which is quite the opposite from my reactions to comparatively subtle displays of gore in other movies.) The Grand Guignol has undeniable magnificence with the aid of artfully decadent sets and costumes. The music is also much better than the usual bland garbage that is foisted on American theatergoers.

Yet...there is the small issue of Tim Burton’s favorite theme. When mentoring each other, critics tell their acolytes to avoid critiquing an artist’s subject matter and to concentrate on the artist’s methodology. However, Burton’s raison d’etre is to celebrate his love of death. While I admit that Burton’s skills and talents are readily evident, I can’t say that I enjoy watching manifestations of his obsession.

Video:
The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image is a rich visual experience with deep, inky blacks and stunning reds. The movie was intentionally designed to look nearly black and white, so shadows and contrasts are exceptional. However, the movie also features a high number of CGI shots, so there are some scenes with blurry, muddy backgrounds.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track is a glorious presentation of swirling music cues, surprisingly robust singing from actors not known for warbling, and thunderous bass response due to London’s lousy weather. Roaring fires and careening horse carriages add to the aural fun as your eyes dart from speaker to speaker, following the cacophony of movement.

You can also watch the movie with DD 5.1 French and DD 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
--Disc 1--
Disc 1 is the same as the single-disc widescreen release. “Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd” is a half-hour, broad overview of the production, including interviews, rehearsals, recording sessions, and other behind-the-scenes footage. For what it is, this featurette is fairly substantive and informative as it doesn’t try to give you a hard sell.

--Disc 2--
Unlike the two-disc release for There Will Be Blood (which is a joke), you get a lot of mileage out of opting for the two-disc release of Sweeney Todd.

First up is the “Sweeney Todd Press Conference, November 2007”, a Q&A session for promoting the movie.

“Sweeney Is Alive: The Real History of the Demon Barber” argues that there really was a serial-killer barber in London.

“Musical Mayhem: Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd” discusses the musical’s genesis as well as Burton’s adaptation.

“Sweeney’s London” survey’s the London of the story’s setting.

“The Making of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is another overview of the production, though it feels a tad repetitive after the featurette on Disc 1.

“Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition” provides background information about the macabre in theatre.

“Designs for a Demon Barber” showcases the sets and costumes.

“A Bloody Business” reveals how the blood spurts were achieved.

“Moviefone Unscripted With Tim Burton and Johnny Depp” is another Q&A sessions with the longtime collaborators.

“The Razor’s Refrain” sets music to a series of on-set still photos.

Finally, you get a photo gallery and the American theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
The two discs are held in a slim double keepcase, and the cardboard slipcover provides a fancy frame for the front cover art.

There Will Be Blood Two-Disc Collector’s Edition (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
158 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: The Story of Petroleum; 15 Minutes; Fishing; Haircut/Interrupted Hymn; Dailies Gone Wild; trailers

Released: 8 April 2008
custom cardboard layout
8 chapters

Daniel Day-Lewis is a strong cinematic presence, though I feel that he doesn’t always use his presence in the best of ways. More often than not, he reaches a level of hysterics that induces giggles and outright laughter (at, not with, him). Day-Lewis is great in The Last of the Mohicans and The Boxer (he doesn’t say much in either movie), but he’s groan-inducing elsewhere. Day-Lewis’s streak of over-the-top Method madness continued with There Will Be Blood. Naturally, since he drew so much attention to himself, he won a Best-Actor Oscar. He was even praised by George Clooney, who delivered a subtle, nuanced performance in Michael Clayton.

There Will Be Blood is the latest movie directed by Paul Thomas Anderson to be over-praised, though the difference is that the demographics of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science have changed a bit from when Magnolia was released. Therefore, instead of simply being invited to the party, PTA and his gang had a real shot at the top Oscar prize. To be fair to Day-Lewis, the movie has a lot of problems even though it is arguably dominated by an out-of-control lead. Day-Lewis is nearly matched in the hysterics department by Paul Dano, who plays an out-of-control preacher.

On the surface, the movie is ostensibly about greedy oil barons during the early days of the 20th Century and the effects that they have on other segments of society. However, PTA also weaved an ill-fitting story about fathers and sons into the plot. It looks like the main character uses his adopted son as a marketing ploy, but there are many scenes depicting the man’s obvious tenderness towards the boy. Why Daniel Plainview ultimately abandons his son seems rather arbitrary, especially since there is no discernible “descent into madness”--just a poorly motivated “descent into jerkdom”.

Video:
Robert Elswit’s handsome, moody cinematography is the best thing about this movie, and the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is the best thing about this DVD release. Rich sepia tones and deep blacks dominate the palette to palpable atmospheric effect. The transfer is about as sharp, smooth, and clean as one can expect from SD DVDs. Indeed, the rich visuals made me wonder if the movie would’ve been tolerable and even good had I watched it with no sound.

Audio:
Though generally low-key and spare, the DD 5.1 English track is of generally high-quality, with rich tones for dialogue and widely dispersed sound effects. Bass presence is loud and throaty when appropriate.

You can also watch the movie with DD 5.1 French and DD 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
--Disc 1--
Presumably, the encoding is exactly the same as the single-disc release, which means that you get nada extra if you go the one-disc route.

--Disc 2--
First up is “The Story of Petroleum”, which is a twenty-minute silent short from the 1920s.

“15 Minutes” is a collection of stills, text, and footage that reveals some of the research that was compiled for the movie.

“Fishing” and “Haircut/Interrupted Hymn” are two deleted scenes. “Dailies Gone Wild” is an alternate take of a restaurant scene.

Finally, there are two trailers.

--Miscellaneous--
I appreciate custom packaging as much as any other home-theatre enthusiast, but for There Will Be Blood (both the single-disc and two-disc releases) Paramount opted for cardboard packages that are flimsy and easily damaged. What’s more, the discs are tucked inside tight pockets that are reluctant to loosen their grips. Therefore, it is impossible to avoid scratching the discs at one point or another, and Paramount has already offered to replace discs that were damaged by the packaging.

Considering that you get less than an hour’s worth of footage on Disc 2, I advise poking around on the Internet for good deals if you want to buy There Will Be Blood.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Limited Collector’s Edition Box Set (Anthony Mann, 1964)

Region 1 Genius Products (USA)
NTSC, 2.30:1 16x9 enhanced
185 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Bill Bronston and Mel Martin; Rome in Madrid; stills galleries; filmographies; trailers; The Rise and Fall of an Epic Production; The Rise and Fall of an Empire; Hollywood vs. History; Dimitri Tiomkin: Scoring the Roman Empire; Encyclopedia Britannica educational films; postcards; reproduction of 1964 souvenir booklet

Released: 29 April 2008
slim keepcase for three discs in a cardboard box
40 chapters

When Harvey and Bob Weinstein left their posts at Disney, they lost the rights to the Miramax brand. For the Weinsteins, this was akin to a family tragedy as Miramax was named after their parents, Miriam and Max. They set up a new film production and distribution outlet called The Weinstein Company, and they corralled video distributor Genius Products (previously best-known for children’s educational titles) for their DVD operations. The Weinsteins are paying tribute to their mother again with The Miriam Collection, a premium line devoted to oldie goodies and “art” films.

The first official Miriam title was El Cid, though as indicated by the selection of trailers on this release’s Disc 1, the special edition box set of Cinema Paradiso is considered an unofficial part of the Miriam line. The Fall of the Roman Empire is the next entry. Like El Cid and Cinema Paradiso, you can buy The Fall of the Roman Empire as a two-disc release or as a Limited Collector’s Edition Box Set. In fact, in outward appearance and in terms of non-disc extras, the box sets for El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire follow the groundwork laid by the Cinema Paradiso box set (postcards, booklets, etc.).

In this day and age, we’re conditioned to thinking of directors as the primary authors of movies, but directors haven’t always been the Big Men on Campus. During the heyday of the Studio System, directors were assigned to projects just like actors, cinematographers, editors, set designers, composers, etc. What we think of as specific directors’ “styles” were really molded by studio executives and teams of artists working towards common goals. Therefore, before auteurism became a dominant theoretical framework, “styles” were more associated with studios (such as MGM’s musical extravaganzas, Warner’s gangster flicks, Paramount’s Westerns, etc.) than with individuals. Movies from the 1930s to the 1950s of which we have fond memories were created with the same methodologies as the bad movies--they all rolled off the assembly line, and the good ones were frequently happy accidents.

Even if one prefers to emphasize the achievements of individuals over those of studios, one has to realize that producers paved the way for directors (and later, stars) to exercise authorship. Producers like David O. Selznick, Irving Thalberg, and Sam Spiegel oversaw productions from genesis to release, whereas their directors were frequently hired hands who did little more than shout “Action!” and “Cut!” on sets. Independent producers gave directors the freedom to work without interference from multiple studio execs.

Samuel Bronston was one such independent producer, and he carved a little bit of Hollywood history for himself when he went to Spain and produced blockbuster historical epics like El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire. These movies had huge sets, huge casts, and awe-inspiring production values, though as a self-financed filmmaker, Bronston could not absorb costs across a whole slate of releases the way that MGM could with a Ben-Hur. Bronston’s output of huge independent undertakings was limited to a handful, and they’ve taken a long time to appear on Region 1 DVD since distribution rights were sold in messy pieces.

The Fall of the Roman Empire chronicles the death of Marcus Aurelius and the ascendancy of Commodus as Emperor of Rome. Commodus was a poor ruler, so Rome’s decline is attributed in part to his stewardship. Sophia Loren plays Commodus’s sister Lucilla, and Stephen Boyd (Messala in Ben-Hur) plays a Roman military commander in love with Lucilla. Does this movie sound familiar? It should if you’ve seen Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.

Note: Disc 2 explains that this is the longest version of the movie that the Weinsteins could find. They also found a deleted scene that was included in some Roadshow prints. However, that scene could not be restored in time for this DVD pressing, though it might be finished for a future DVD release.

Video:
The 2.30:1 anamorphic widescreen image is very sharp and very clear, and there are only a few instances of minor print damage and dirt/dust. Reds are surprisingly strong. However, in general, the colors are faded, and light levels are inconsistent (scenes suddenly go dark between edits).

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track is a disappointing boost of the movie’s original mono/stereo stems. The audio sounds flat, harsh, and constricted, with muffled low ends and very little channel separation. While one shouldn’t expect a lot of surround activity for a movie that was designed to have front-biased sound, I wonder why the Weinsteins even bothered with a multi-channel re-mix. Better good mono (i.e. Casablanca) than purposeless surround sound.

Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
--Disc 1--
First up is an audio commentary by Bill Bronston (son of the producer) and Mel Martin (a biographer). The two don’t speak for long gaps, and whatever information they impart can be gleaned elsewhere without enduring the dull silences.

“Rome in Madrid” is a promotional film created to advertise the movie. Yes, they had fluffy “making of” featurettes long before DVDs appeared on the horizon.

You also get two stills galleries, filmographies, and trailers for this and other movies.

--Disc 2--
As the movie is split across Discs 1 and 2, you get the continuation of Bronston and Martin’s audio commentary.

“The Rise and Fall of an Epic Production” is a retrospective documentary that sheds light on some of the “negative” aspects of the movie’s development (such as the fact that Charlton Heston refused to work with Sophia Loren again after El Cid).

“The Rise and Fall of an Empire” and “Hollywood vs. History” delve into the real history that inspired the movie.

“Dimitri Tiomkin: Scoring the Roman Empire” is a tribute to the legendary composer.

--Disc 3--
Disc 3 is exclusive to this set. You get a collection of educational films shot by Encyclopedia Britannica about the Roman Empire. Much of the footage was shot on The Fall of the Roman Empire’s sets.

--Miscellaneous--
This discs are housed in a slim keepcase. In addition to the discs, you also get postcards, a reproduction of the booklet that was given to audiences, and a handsome, sturdy box.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume 3 (Executive Producer George Lucas, 1992)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.33:1
660 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo English
Subtitles: Optional English
Extras: historical featurettes; Historical Lecture: New Gods for Old; Interactive Timeline; Hunting for Treasure Interactive Game

Released: 29 April 2008
custom cardboard fold-out DigiPak with cardboard slip box
60 chapters

Indiana Jones was clearly a character that had captured the public’s imagination after three theatrical movies with blockbuster grosses, so executive producer George Lucas decided to move Indy to the small screen with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. The series began as a string of hour-long shows, though surprisingly anemic ratings persuaded Lucasfilm to shift to making periodic movie specials instead. The show began with Indiana Jones as a child before catching up with the archaeologist as a late teen/young adult. Although the movies focused on Indiana’s spectacular encounters with fantastical elements, the TV show threw our hero into the middle of historical events, with Junior interacting with luminaries such as Pancho Villa and British suffragettes.

The show now arrives on DVD as The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, and some of the hour-long shows have been edited together to form 90-minute features. Volume 3 contains “Tales of Innocence”, “Masks of Evil”, “Treasure of the Peacock’s Eye”, “The Winds of Change”, “Mystery of the Blues”, “Scandal of 1920”, and “Hollywood Follies”. You don’t get the title sequence that played in front of each episode. Instead, each “movie” has a new title card that bills the joined episodes as a chapter that belongs in the same chronology as the theatrical releases.

Volume 3 finally sees the end of World War I, with Indiana Jones somehow participating in every major theatre of operation. For the most part, the stories are grounded in historical facts, though the series makes a silly detour into nonsense when Indy encounters Dracula in “Masks of Evil”. For me, the best movies of this box--and of the series--are the last three. “Mystery of the Blues” and “Scandal of 1920” has our hero learning the pleasures of music and Broadway productions. I’m not usually a fan of jazz, blues, or musicals, but these two movies have genuine energy and heart. “Hollywood Follies” gives general audiences a chance to see early Hollywood, before the 1940s and 1950s became so nostalgically seared in the collective American consciousness that “old” movies (especially silents) were practically forgotten.

Video:
The show is presented in its original broadcast ratio of 1.33:1. The video is very slightly pillarboxed on the left and right sides. The quality varies wildly depending on what’s being used--stock footage, badly-mastered videotapes, or original production footage that compares favorably to today’s new theatrical releases. The transfers are much cleaner and sharper than what we’ve seen with the previous two box sets, but this also means that the digital matte shots look laughably bad since they’re so clearly fake.

Audio:
Your sole audio option is DD 2.0 stereo English. These are basic tracks designed with TV viewing in mind. Dialogue is the main priority, with music and sound effects getting minimal channel separation. The audio is pleasant and not plagued by problems, but don’t expect the thundering extravaganzas accorded the theatrical movies on DVD.

Optional English subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
There are ten discs, and the first nine discs contain the “movies” and historical featurettes that inform viewers about the events and real people whom Indiana Jones meets during his travels. As easy and fashionable as it is to bash George Lucas for being a bad moviemaker, I have to give props to Lucas and his team for releasing such an informational DVD set. This box can be used by elementary and middle school teachers as a painless way to ease students into historical subjects.

The tenth disc has extras that cover all of Volume 3. “Historical Lecture: New Gods for Old” is a video lecture with narration by H.W. Brands, a history professor at the University of Texas, Austin. Brands talks about the decline of the imperial system that is in many ways responsible for current geopolitical problems (such as Iraq).

You’ll need DVD-ROM access for the other two bonuses. The “Interactive Timeline” is a special interface that requires you to install InterActual Player. You can browse through Indy’s journals (complete with biographies and photos) or search a map to follow Indy’s itinerary. “Hunting for Treasure Interactive Game” is a game that installs on your computer.

--Miscellaneous--
The ten discs are housed in a custom cardboard fold-out DigiPak (similar to the long snake used for The Alien Quadrilogy). The fold-out, in turn, fits inside a cardboard slip box.

The Ice Storm (Ang Lee, 1997)

Region 1 Criterion (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
113 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 surround English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH
Extras: audio commentary by Ang Lee and James Schamus; theatrical trailer; Weathering the Storm; Rick Moody Interview; Lee and Schamus at MOMI; The Look of The Ice Storm (Cinematography; Production Designs; Costume Designs); deleted scenes

Released: 18 March 2008
transparent slim double keepcase
25 chapters

(Note: Fox currently holds the R1 rights to The Ice Storm, which explains why the only DVD release in the United States for a long time was the Fox barebones version. The movie, like a handful of other Fox titles, is under license to Criterion.)

As is evident from his review, my good friend Chris Long detested The Ice Storm. Chris admits that he was predisposed to hate the movie because it belongs to the “suburban malaise” subgenre. Although I share his general loathing for “suburban malaise” flicks, I feel that The Ice Storm rises above the usual clichés and informs/reminds viewers of what it was like to live in the America of the 1970s. To me, no other movie about the recent past (certainly not Forrest Gump) has felt more real and alive than this one. The sets, the costumes, the politics, and the language seem authentic enough.

Still, I have to admit that the movie’s themes are most-obvious in a throwaway detail that Chris noticed. Chris is a fan of comic books, and I’m not. Therefore, he based most of his review on a scene with Tobey Maguire reading a Fantastic Four comic while riding a train. In the comic’s panels, a man and a woman debate the repercussions of not letting their son develop his supernatural powers. These panels reflect Ang Lee’s own life as well as Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, and Hulk do--a parental figure prevents a child from self-actualizing. With Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution, this theme has been finessed to society preventing children from self-actualizing. (Lee was a gun-for-hire on Sense and Sensibility, and Ride With the Devil is too un-focused to have a coherent message.)

Ang Lee’s father was a principal at a top-tier high school in Taiwan. Therefore, he wanted his eldest son to become an academic or a scholar just like him. However, Ang wanted to be involved in the arts, so he was an acting major in college and immigrated to the United States, where he received an MFA in Film Production from NYU. It’s not a stretch to imagine that living in America was like exile and estrangement for Lee. (As he recalls in a featurette on the MGM R1 DVD of The Wedding Banquet, he told the actor playing the father to wear a nasty frown on his face, just like his own father did when Lee was married in NYC’s City Hall.)

Although The Ice Storm’s dialogue can be a tad arch and precious, it’s not as wholly irritating as what the characters spew in Juno or Dawson’s Creek. Also, I appreciated the casting even though I don’t usually like most of the main actors. I suppose that makes sense since they’re playing inherently un-likable people. Kevin Kline is excessively smug, Tobey Maguire is numbingly monotonous, Elijah Wood is too bug-eyed, etc. However, their usual failings suit their characters in The Ice Storm just right.

Ultimately, what makes The Ice Storm palatable is that it doesn’t offer false hopes or false messages. The father learns that he needs to be a good parent not through some contrived journey of enlightenment but by realizing that he has too much to lose. He may not know how to be a good father, but at the very least he knows how to avoid being a bad one.

Video:
Criterion’s 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen video transfer is sharper and has more information around the entire frame than Fox’s. However, it is also much darker and much greener than what we’ve been used to watching for years. Believe it or not, the Criterion’s hues are rather upsetting, particularly with regards to fleshtones. You need to hang on to both versions, one for the framing and the other for colors/brightness.

Audio:
Once again, the pricey Criterion isn’t necessarily better than dirt-cheap Fox. The Criterion only has a DD 2.0 surround English track. The Fox has DD 5.0 and DD 2.0 surround English tracks as well as a DD 2.0 surround French dub. The lack of a dub is no great loss, but the Fox’s 5.0 mix is a bit more precise and enveloping than the 2.0 surround flavor.

Optional English SDH support the audio.

Extras:
The Fox disc only has a couple of trailers and a brief “featurettes” comprised of talking-heads interviews and throwaway behind-the-scenes footage. The Criterion devotes one disc to the movie and a second disc to extras.

--Disc 1--
In addition to the movie’s theatrical trailer, you also get a lively, joke-y, insightful audio commentary by Ang Lee and James Schamus. With the exception of Sense and Sensibility, Schamus has served as a primary producer on all of Lee’s features. With the exception of Sense and Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain, Schamus has written/co-written all of Lee’s features, including the Chinese-language ones. The two men have a lot of history, and their familiarity with each other’s processes reveals numerous insights into their artistry. On the other hand, both have a vested interest in boosting each other’s reputations. Bring a little bit of skepticism to the party when you listen to this chit-chat.

--Disc 2--
“Weathering the Storm” is a compilation of retrospective interviews with members of the cast. Unfortunately, actors aren’t necessarily the best analysts, so most of their comments revolve around slightly amusing anecdotes and praising everyone else to the high heavens.

In the “Rick Moody Interview”, the novelist who wrote the source book discusses his response to the movie. The clip ends with Moody admitting that movies are billboards for novels, advertisements that keep movies in print. Moody seems glad that the movie is as well-received as it is and that interest in the movie has raised interest in his work.

“Lee and Schamus at MOMI” offers footage from the Museum of the Moving Image’s tribute to the filmmaking duo. This featurette is a decent introduction to Lee and Schamus’s collaborations.

“The Look of The Ice Storm” is a collection of three “visual essays” detailing the work put into the Cinematography, Production Designs, and Costume Designs.

Finally, there are about six deleted scenes of passing interest. The deleted scenes are accompanied by optional audio commentary from James Schamus.

--Miscellaneous--
A booklet provides an essay about the movie, chapter listings, movie credits, and DVD production credits.

The discs and the booklet are held in a transparent slim double keepcase; the DVDs are staggered one atop the other on one side of the case.

Flash Point (Wilson Yip, 2007)

Region 1 Genius Products (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
87 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 Cantonese Chinese, DTS 5.1 Cantonese Chinese, DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Donnie Yen and Bey Logan; Collateral Damage: The Making of Flash Point; Flash Point Explored; Perpetual Motion; deleted scenes; Gladiators; M.M.A. on Display; On Dangerous Ground: An Exclusive Interview With Donnie Yen; Gala Premiere; Trailers; TV Spots

Released: 22 April 2008
slim double keepcase with cardboard slipcover
12 chapters

When the Weinstein Brothers ran Miramax and Dimension during their stay at Disney, they tried to expand the American audience for Asian action cinema by importing movies featuring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and others during their ‘80s and ‘90s primes. However, die-hard fans hated the Disney editions as they featured butchered edits, lousy English dubs as the only audio options, and zilch extras. Now that they’re on their own again, the Weinsteins are doing a lot to rectify the damage done during their Disney days.

The Weinsteins’ Dragon Dynasty DVD label is a respectful, laudable showcase of Asian action cinema. From the look of things, the label is tended by Bey Logan, an Englishman who has spent much of the past three decades working in the Hong Kong film industry. While the emphasis is understandably on Hong Kong, the label has also released movies from Thailand and South Korea. These movies arrive on American shores fairly intact, with original language audio and minimal editing interference.

Flash Point is the latest entry in the Dragon Dynasty line. The movie re-teams director Wilson Yip with martial-artist Donnie Yen. (One of their previous movies, Sha Po Lang, was released by Dragon Dynasty as Kill Zone.) This is another contemporary cop flick, though it’s set more than a decade ago during the months before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule.

Film scholars tend to analyze ‘80s Hong Kong cinema with the impression that everyone was panicking about Chinese Communist rule. While movies like John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow certainly reveal anxieties and wistful nostalgia for the past, the industry as a whole didn’t really buckle under Handover fears until about the mid-1990s. That was when some major figures stopped working and emigrated, and box-office numbers plummeted.

Well, about eleven years have passed since the Handover, and China is basically keeping its promise to leave Hong Kong as it was for fifty years. I lived in China for about half a year in 2005, and I visited Hong Kong while I was in the Far East. In China, you couldn’t mention sensitive issues such as Tibetan separatism and the Falun Gong. In Hong Kong, I saw Tibetan and Falun Gong protestors everywhere.

The way that China has handled the Handover has restored some confidence in the Hong Kong film industry. Big-name directors like John Woo have left, but their departure has allowed for once second-tier filmmakers to be seen. Big-name stars are encouraging young directors to develop the next phase of Hong Kong film history. To be honest, the Handover exodus was probably a good thing for Hong Kong as stagnated talent ceased to hinder change and growth.

Flash Point is a reflection of the ease that the people of Hong Kong feel about their current situation. Even though the story takes place in 1997, none of the characters are remotely interested in the Handover. The plot is entirely concerned with two dedicated police officers hunting down a vicious gang of three Vietnamese brothers. The law enforcement and justice systems function as if British customs will persist until Judgment Day. Tough martial artists brawl in the streets as if they enjoy re-enacting the Boxer Rebellion.

Indeed, the movie’s neutrality with regards to politics arises from both practical reasons and Hong Kong’s acceptance of Chinese rule. This movie, like nearly every other major production since 1997, was made with mainland Chinese funding, mainland Chinese actors, and mainland Chinese crew members. For the Hong Kong film industry, it would be suicide to bite the hand that feeds the city.

While I’m sure that there are many illegal Southeast Asian immigrants causing trouble in Hong Kong, Flash Point’s focus on them is similar to what happened in Hollywood. The bad guys used to be the Germans but became the Soviets during the Cold War and are now Islamic extremists. For Hong Kong, the bad guys used to be the mainland Chinese but are now everyone except for the mainland Chinese.

(Flash Point has a so-so plot that doesn’t really go anywhere and doesn’t sustain interest, though the final fisticuffs showdown between Donnie Yen and Collin Chou is fairly entertaining.)

Video:
Excepting a couple of previews and four audio tracks, the DVD gives the video plenty of breathing room. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is sharp and clear, about as detailed as one might expect from live-action films. Rapid movement doesn’t blur as with poorly-transferred movies.

Audio:
You can watch the movie with its original Cantonese dialogue in two guises--DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1. The mix is surprisingly subdued for an action movie. While you hear discrete effects in the front and rear surrounds, you mostly just get dialogue from the center channel and music cues across the front. Bass presence is tight and solid but nowhere near as thunderous as what we’ve experienced with hyperactive movies like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

You can also watch the movie with a DD 5.1 English dub. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
--Disc 1--
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other Genius Products DVDs.

Donnie Yen and Bey Logan contributed an audio commentary. The two have known each other for several years, and they have an enjoyable camaraderie, which makes for a breezy session.

--Disc 2--
Behind-the-Scenes Gallery
“Collateral Damage: The Making of Flash Point” is a general introduction to the movie with some behind-the-scenes clips.

“Flash Point Explored” focuses on the different characters.

“Perpetual Motion” briefly spotlights the movie’s fight choreography.

Deleted Scenes
There are three deleted scenes. They’re disposable affairs, though they let you hear one of the mainland Chinese actresses speak Mandarin instead of the Cantonese dub actress who was used for the final edit.

The Ultimate Fighters
“Gladiators” and “M.M.A. on Display” show you how some of the Mixed Martial Arts (M.M.A.) stunts were achieved.

Promotional Gallery
“On Dangerous Ground: An Exclusive Interview With Donnie Yen” is a half-hour chat with the star of the movie. He provides additional insights into his relationship with the director as well as the movie’s genesis.

You get to see footage of the “Gala Premiere” in Hong Kong.

Finally, there are trailers and TV spots.

--Miscellaneous--
The DVDs are housed in a slim double keepcase with a cardboard slipcover. This time around, Dragon Dynasty has not included an insert or any coupons.