Drillbit Taylor Extended Survival Edition Blu-ray Disc (Steven Brill, 2008)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
109 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: audio commentary; The Writers Get a Chance to Talk; deleted/extended scenes; Line-o-Rama; Gag Reel; Rap Off; Bully; Sprinkler Day; Directing Kids; The Real Don: Danny McBride

Released: 1 July 2008
Blu-ray case

Drillbit Taylor features a clichéd, recycled/stolen story about high school kids who hire a bodyguard to protect them from bullies. I usually laugh even during inanities like the lukewarm Get Smart (starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway), but I watched Drillbit Taylor completely stonefaced. I didn’t even groan at how lame the jokes and contrived situations were. I’m tired of Owen Wilson’s can’t-talk-my-way-out-of-it shtick, which does not vary from movie to movie. The only thing that kept my attention was trying to figure out why the short kid looked so familiar (David Dorfman played Aidan in the American The Ring and The Ring Two).

As successful as Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) have been, verbose attitude is funny only in small doses (like most other forms of comedy). Drillbit Taylor is a financial and artistic bomb, and it deserved far less than the $32 million that it grossed in North American theatres.

Video:
As is typical of contemporary comedies (especially ones set in Southern California), this 2.35:1 1080p movie looks exceedingly bright and colorful. The palette is not stylized, but the image does look a tad “bleached”. Nonetheless, what you get is a sharp, clean transfer of a visually bland entity.

Audio:
The dialogue-driven Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English mix gives most of the lifting duties to the center channel. Most of the front stereo spread and bass activity is reserved for the awful music that is piped into the room to convey “attitude”. You can hear some surround effects for scenes with heavy traffic and big school crowds, but the moviemakers could’ve just given us a basic stereo track for similar results.

You can also watch the movie with DD 5.1 French and DD 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
All of the video-based extras are presented in high-def video.

First up is an audio commentary by director Steven Brill, co-writer Kristofor Brown, and actors Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley, and David Dorfman. Of course, the participants have a grand time re-watching their exploits, though this will be a difficult slog for most other viewers.

“The Writers Get a Chance to Talk” is a recorded phone conversation (between Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen) accompanied by a collection of photos.

There are thirteen deleted/extended scenes. “Line-o-Rama” is a collection of improvised line readings, and you also get a Gag Reel.

In lieu of a “making of” overview, the disc offers several featurettes that mix behind-the-scenes footage with cast/crew interviews (“Rap Off”, “Bully”, “Sprinkler Day”, “Directing Kids”, “The Real Don: Danny McBride”).

--Miscellaneous--
If you want the PG-13 theatrical cut, then you’ll have to settle for an SD DVD. However, that disc has fewer extras than the Unrated SD DVD and the Blu-ray edition.

Drillbit Taylor Extended Survival Edition (Steven Brill, 2008)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
109 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; The Writers Get a Chance to Talk; deleted/extended scenes; Line-o-Rama; Gag Reel; Rap Off; Bully; Sprinkler Day; Directing Kids; The Real Don: Danny McBride; previews for other movies

Released: 1 July 2008
keepcase

Drillbit Taylor features a clichéd, recycled/stolen story about high school kids who hire a bodyguard to protect them from bullies. I usually laugh even during inanities like the lukewarm Get Smart (starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway), but I watched Drillbit Taylor completely stonefaced. I didn’t even groan at how lame the jokes and contrived situations were. I’m tired of Owen Wilson’s can’t-talk-my-way-out-of-it shtick, which does not vary from movie to movie. The only thing that kept my attention was trying to figure out why the short kid looked so familiar (David Dorfman played Aidan in the American The Ring and The Ring Two).

As successful as Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) have been, verbose attitude is funny only in small doses (like most other forms of comedy). Drillbit Taylor is a financial and artistic bomb, and it deserved far less than the $32 million that it grossed in North American theatres.

Video:
As is typical of contemporary comedies (especially ones set in Southern California), this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen movie looks exceedingly bright and colorful. The palette is not stylized, but the image does look a tad “bleached”. Nonetheless, what you get is a sharp, clean transfer of a visually bland entity.

Audio:
The dialogue-driven DD 5.1 English mix gives most of the lifting duties to the center channel. Most of the front stereo spread and bass activity is reserved for the awful music that is piped into the room to convey “attitude”. You can hear some surround effects for scenes with heavy traffic and big school crowds, but the moviemakers could’ve just given us a basic stereo track for similar results.

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:
First up is an audio commentary by director Steven Brill, co-writer Kristofor Brown, and actors Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley, and David Dorfman. Of course, the participants have a grand time re-watching their exploits, though this will be a difficult slog for most other viewers.

“The Writers Get a Chance to Talk” is a recorded phone conversation (between Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen) accompanied by a collection of photos.

There are thirteen deleted/extended scenes. “Line-o-Rama” is a collection of improvised line readings, and you also get a Gag Reel.

In lieu of a “making of” overview, the disc offers several featurettes that mix behind-the-scenes footage with cast/crew interviews (“Rap Off”, “Bully”, “Sprinkler Day”, “Directing Kids”, “The Real Don: Danny McBride”).

Finally, you get previews for other movies.

--Miscellaneous--
Paramount is also releasing the PG-13 theatrical cut, though that disc has fewer extras than this or the Blu-ray edition.

Huge Box-Office Gross Doesn't Equal Huge Profit

In 2008, Paramount has hit $1 billion faster than any other studio in any given year. In fact, the top three grossers so far are all distributed by Paramount.

Fastest to $1 billion as of 25 June 2008: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/fasteststudios.htm

2008 Grosses as of 25 June: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2008&p=.htm

Iron Man: $305+ million
Indiana Jones 4: $291+ million
Kung Fu Panda: $158+ million
Cloverfield: $80+ million
The Spiderwick Chronicles: $71+ million
Drillbit Taylor: $32+ million
The Ruins: $17+ million
The Love Guru: $15+ million

Iron Man was funded and is owned outright by Marvel Studios. Paramount is just getting a distribution fee plus whatever it spent on prints and advertising.

Paramount paid for Indiana Jones 4, but Lucasfilm owns the movie. The studio is just getting a distribution fee plus whatever it spent on production costs, prints, and advertising.

Kung Fu Panda was funded and is owned outright by DreamWorks Animation, which was not bought by Paramount in its acquisition of DreamWorks (the live-action unit). Paramount is just getting a distribution fee plus whatever it spent on prints and advertising.

Paramount's take from Cloverfield will be heavily reduced by gross points going to J.J. Abrams. (The same goes for the upcoming Star Trek movie with Abrams at the helm, on which--for the first time in the history of the franchise--Paramount is splitting production costs with outside partners, thereby again severely limiting profitability for the studio.)

This means that Paramount is seeing serious money only from The Spiderwick Chronicles. The other movies are all bombs, especially the expensive The Love Guru, for which Mike Meyers undoubtedly has huge gross points.

10,000 BC Blu-ray Disc (Roland Emmerich, 2008)

Warner (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
109 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Inspiring an Epic; A Wild and Woolly Ride; alternate ending; deleted scenes

Released: 24 June 2008
Blu-ray case

Roland Emmerich is the poor man’s Wolfgang Petersen. Both German-born transplants like to direct epics and sprawling actioners, but at the end of the day, skill separates the two. Petersen’s movies always look like their purported budgets, but Emmerich’s often have cheap, plasticky sheens. The same goes for Emmerich’s latest effort, 10,000 BC.

On the whole, 10,000 BC is surprisingly not bad--just pedestrian. In the movie, a band of marauders enslaves the helpless so that a “god” can build pyramids and a gigantic ship somewhere in the desert. The hero wants to rescue his tribe, especially his girlfriend. Although this is (and will be) the basis for many other movies, we’re all suckers for this kind of narrative.

One can forgive the mundane dialogue (pre-historic people probably weren’t exceedingly eloquent) and admire the frequently breathtaking cinematography. The quasi-mystical elements and the action choreography are okay, too. Even the costumes and make-up, though intended to indicate a rough-and-tumble time, don’t induce laughs.

However, the CGI just looks terrible. Woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, river barges, and ancient buildings resemble videogame images, and it’s impossible to persuade oneself that the human actors and the backgrounds/surrounding objects are supposed to inhabit the same space. This isn’t a stylized aesthetic along the lines of Sin City or 300. As such, the CGI becomes irritating after a while.

That, and the Master-of-the-Obvious voiceover narration.

Video:
The 2.35:1 1080p picture easily bests the SD DVD’s 480p image. Sharpness, depth, clarity, and image stability (during moments with rapid camera movement) take huge leaps. Colors are awesome much more vivid with the Blu-ray than what you get with the SD DVD, though this has the unfortunate side effect of making Camilla Belle’s contact lenses appear a bit scary. Also, I didn’t see the white specks that appeared from time to time on the SD DVD.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English mix is the expected surround-sound thrashing that the material commands. Subwoofer activity is present in copious amounts, and the mix has a huge spread that properly conveys the picture’s vast vistas. Unlike a lot of other action movies, the dialogue isn’t drowned out by the commotion, which means that you can enjoy the Master-of-the-Obvious voiceover without any problems. (A DD 5.1 English track has also been provided.)

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

Extras:
Whereas the SD DVD only offered an alternate ending, some ho-hum deleted scenes, and previews for other movies/videogames, the Blu-ray Disc has two featurettes in addition to the excised footage. “Inspiring an Epic” is a half-hearted attempt to legitimize the movie’s take on history by associating it with a book, while “A While and Woolly Ride” focuses on the special effects.

10,000 BC (Roland Emmerich, 2008)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
109 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: alternate ending; deleted scenes; previews for other movies and video games

Released: 24 June 2008
keepcase

Roland Emmerich is the poor man’s Wolfgang Petersen. Both German-born transplants like to direct epics and sprawling actioners, but at the end of the day, skill separates the two. Petersen’s movies always look like their purported budgets, but Emmerich’s often have cheap, plasticky sheens. The same goes for Emmerich’s latest effort, 10,000 BC.

On the whole, 10,000 BC is surprisingly not bad--just pedestrian. In the movie, a band of marauders enslaves the helpless so that a “god” can build pyramids and a gigantic ship somewhere in the desert. The hero wants to rescue his tribe, especially his girlfriend. Although this is (and will be) the basis for many other movies, we’re all suckers for this kind of narrative.

One can forgive the mundane dialogue (pre-historic people probably weren’t exceedingly eloquent) and admire the frequently breathtaking cinematography. The quasi-mystical elements and the action choreography are okay, too. Even the costumes and make-up, though intended to indicate a rough-and-tumble time, don’t induce laughs.

However, the CGI just looks terrible. Woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, river barges, and ancient buildings resemble videogame images, and it’s impossible to persuade oneself that the human actors and the backgrounds/surrounding objects are supposed to inhabit the same space. This isn’t a stylized aesthetic along the lines of Sin City or 300. As such, the CGI becomes irritating after a while.

That, and the Master-of-the-Obvious voiceover narration.

Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is fairly sharp and features vivid hues, though I saw white specks at least two or three times. Given the high-quality of digital transfers from the Hollywood majors, I’m inclined to believe that there are minor video-compression issues with this release.

You also get a 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan transfer on the reverse side of the disc.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English mix is the expected surround-sound thrashing that the material commands. Subwoofer activity is present in copious amounts, and the mix has a huge spread that properly conveys the picture’s vast vistas. Unlike a lot of other action movies, the dialogue isn’t drowned out by the commotion, which means that you can enjoy the Master-of-the-Obvious voiceover without any problems.

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

Extras:
Upon loading, you’re bombarded with previews for other movies and video games.

As for movie-related items, you get an alternate ending and some ho-hum deleted scenes.

"All the best & thanks!"

Look what I found while housecleaning today:



("To Eddie, All the best & thanks! Scott Bakula")

The Spiderwick Chronicles Blu-ray Disc (Mark Waters, 2008)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
101 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: Spiderwick: It’s All True!; It’s a Spiderwick World; Blu-ray Enhanced Version of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide; Spiderwick: Meet the Clan; Making Spiderwick; The Magic of Spiderwick!; A Final Word of Advice; deleted scenes; TV spots; trailers

Released: 24 June 2008
Blu-ray case

Moviemakers have always been fond of fantasy stories, but the genre fell into a lull during the 1980s and 1990s when shoddy writing, shoddy acting, and shoddy production values drove away audiences. However, Harry Potter and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings minted big-time money, so once again, Hollywood’s been churning out adaptations of fantasy books. The new Narnia movies and The Golden Compass are only two examples of this trend. However, despite much-improved acting and production values, most of these new efforts reveal that shoddy writing will still yield skip-it-won’t-miss-it results.

Like Lemony Snicket, The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on a couple of books with the same title. Eschewing the epic touch, this movie mostly focuses on a family’s defense of their home, so much of the action takes place in one confined setting. For the most part, this isn’t a problem as Freddie Highmore and Sarah Bolger are excellent as the three Graces (Jared, Simon, Mallory) who discover a world of faeries and goblins. The special effects are believable and impressive. The weak link here is...the writing. It seems like the kids learn all of the magic world’s rules overnight, and the adults are portrayed as buffoons until they suddenly grow brains during the last half hour. The subplot involving Arthur Spiderwick and his daughter is rushed and forced.

It’s probably worth your while to watch The Spiderwick Chronicles just to see Freddie Highmore play two very different twins. Highmore skillfully delineates the two characters without resorting to over-the-top machinations. Sarah Bolger is also quite good as a spirited fencer (she takes the lead in action scenes). I kept myself amused listening for lapses in Highmore and Bolger’s accents (he’s English, she’s Irish, and they’re playing Americans).

Video:
In this day and age, new releases from the major Hollywood studios aren’t likely to look bad unless someone fell asleep during the Quality Control process. This title is no exception. The 2.35:1 1080p image is near reference level for Blu-ray Discs. The fantastic candy colors practically leap off of the screen, and the level of detail is very high. When compared to the SD DVD, the most noticeable improvements appear during the sepia-tinted “flashbacks”. There are some soft moments when computer-generated effects dominate the action, but this is to be expected.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English has the expected characteristics of a home-bound children’s movie. James Horner’s sprightly music score is comfortably spread across the front and rears without seeming all-encompassing. There are some nice bass moments, but you don’t get anything as powerful as with the Harry Potter series. Dialogue is clear and natural. Separation is excellent without necessarily drawing a “Wow!” from the audience. In the audio department, the TrueHD track is only marginally better than the SD DVD’s DD track.

You can also watch the movie with DD 5.1 French and DD 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
All of the extras, except for the TV spots, are presented in high-def video.

This Blu-ray Disc features an enhanced version of the “Field Guide” found on the SD DVD. Basically, the pop-up graphics are a bit more fanciful than the basic branching offered by the SD DVD, though your decision to buy this disc won’t be based on this feature alone.

In “Spiderwick: It’s All True!”, the director talks about the movie’s diegetic rules. This is rather tedious as any intelligent viewer will be able to figure out these rules as the characters talk about them during the course of the story.

“It’s a Spiderwick World” sheds light on how the books’ authors were inspired by real-life children’s letters.

“Spiderwick: Meet the Clan” introduces the cast and shows how the moviemakers used one actor (Freddie Highmore) to play twins.

“Making Spiderwick” is a general overview of the production.

“The Magic of Spiderwick!” showcases the production design, costumes, and special effects.

“A Final Word of Advice” is a bookend to Disc 1’s “Spiderwick: It’s All True!”, with the director warning viewers to be careful about magical creatures.

There are four deleted scenes that would’ve improved the movie’s pacing, in my opinion. The final product feels a bit rushed, so adding these grace-note moments would’ve created a smoother ride.

Finally, you also get TV spots and trailers that promoted the movie before its release.

Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 2008)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
112 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: previews for other movies

Released: 10 June 2008
keepcase

Funny Games is a better idea than it is an actual movie. Director Michael Haneke feels that movie viewers are too passive about movie violence, that too many people view movie violence as entertainment rather than as something to be abhorred. Undoubtedly, Neil Postman, the author of Amusing Ourselves to Death, would agree. For that matter, most rational human beings would agree, too.

Yet, here we have Haneke making two identical movies that are thoroughly unpleasant and repugnant “middle fingers”, even to people who share his views. Funny Games is basically a shot-for-shot re-make of a German-language movie with the same title. The sets use the same blueprints. The biggest difference is the use of English rather than German as Haneke wanted to reach and criticize American viewers all along, though judging by box-office returns, the change of language didn’t really expand the premise’s audience by much.

The movie’s coup-de-grace occurs when the wife kills one of the two psychos, and the other psycho uses a remote control to rewind the movie so that the psychos can prevent the wife from using a shotgun.

While promoting the movie, Haneke stated that those who watched the whole movie were guilty of the movie’s charges, those who left the movie shouldn’t have bought tickets in the first place, and people in their right minds won’t even consider watching it.

I guess Haneke thinks of Funny Games as his Kobayashi Maru to the world. The joke’s on him, though. Critics saw the movies because of their jobs. Both versions remain little-seen even if they are much-discussed. The films’ defenders will claim that the movies rise above their despicableness into the realm of art and sublimity. Viewers who gobble up violence like porn are deaf to Haneke’s lectures anyway. Haneke loses on all counts.

Video:
Harking back to DVD’s earliest days back in 2007, this disc presents the movie in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan on opposite sides of a disc. The frame compositions vary greatly, with the Pan-&-Scan side sometimes yielding a bit more information than the 1.85:1 side. You’ll have to judge for yourself which is best for your needs.

The technical quality is so-so, with the costumes and production design using mostly whites, blacks, and reds. The primary colors are strong and slightly surreal, though detail is frequently muddled.

Audio:
The only audio selection is a DD 5.1 English track. I don’t know why anyone bothered with multi-channel sound as the movie really only needs a mono mix. The audio is dominated by dialogue, and only snippets of music and ambient environmental noises creep into the other speakers every so often.

Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
Aside for previews for other movies upon loading, you don’t get any extras.

Invisible Target (Benny Chan, 2007)

Region 1 Genius Products (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
130 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 Chinese, DTS 5.1 Chinese, DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Bey Logan, Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, and Andy On; Orchestrated Mayhem: The Making of Invisible Target; interviews with Benny Chan, Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, Jacky Wu Jing, Philip Ng, Vincent Sze, and Andy On; deleted/extended scenes; A Look at the Storyboard Concepts for Invisible Target; The Gala Premiere; trailers; previews for other movies

Released: 10 June 2008
slim double keepcase with cardboard slipcover

Benny Chan seems to specialize in action movies with cool young actors, even when directing projects headlined by Jackie Chan. For Invisible Target, he re-united with Nicholas Tse (who appeared in Chan’s Gen-X Cops and New Police Story) and Andy On (who also appeared in New Police Story) as well as Jaycee Chan, Jackie’s son. Throw Shawn Yue, Andy On, and Jacky Wu Jing into the mix, and you’ve got just about all of pan-China’s sexiest and tabloidiest young studs in a balls-out brawl. (Edison Chen is still in self-imposed exile following his sex photos scandal.)

The movie begins with an armored-truck heist (the first of many references to Michael Mann’s Heat) that results in the death of a cop’s fiancée. Later, the main villain crams bullets into another cop’s mouth and forces the cop to swallow. A wild car chase leads to the hijacking of a school bus. The movie ends with a huge battle at a police station, during which time we see people fighting in a fire, hurtling grenades at each other, and Jacky Wu Jing kicking the life out of Jaycee Chan. Most of the leads (even Jaycee Chan, who isn’t a physical performer like his father) acquit themselves nicely, especially when compared to their previous appearances in action movies.

If you haven’t gotten the gist by now...yes, Invisible Target was designed to be a pure action beefcake thriller with some lip-service scenes about honor and duty. However, the impressive action sequences can’t make up for the general lack of focus or heart. This isn’t a seamless ensemble since the three cops (Tse, Yue, and Chan) and the villains seem to inhabit their own movies until they all converge in the finale.

Although the action is intense and relentless, I don’t think that the action/story ratio is lopsided. Rather, the movie is simply just way too long. There are too many expository scenes that lead nowhere, and we have to keep track of too many fight pairings during the finale. The movie doesn’t end when I thought that it had reached a natural end, which caused me to throw my hands up in the air and ask aloud, “What?”

Invisible Target is not a bad movie, but New Police Story is a better bet for most viewers.

Video:
Though set in tropical Hong Kong, the movie is not excessively bright or overly lit, which helps the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen video transfer look quite good for an SD DVD. Detail and sharpness are high for 480p, and color hues are rich and naturalistic. On the minus side, CGI effects look very fake and sometimes even rather awful, though this isn’t something that the video compressionist could control.

Audio:
The original Chinese (mixed Cantonese and Mandarin) mix is presented in both DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1. As with most DD/DTS comparisons, the DTS track is encoded at a slightly higher volume than the DD track, though once you compensate for that discrepancy, the differences practically disappear. You get robust bass response during the movie’s many explosions, and there are plenty of rear-channel effects to tickle your ears. However, as with a lot of Hong Kong movies, the discrete speaker separations frequently feel artificial when compared to Hollywood mixes.

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

Extras:
This one is another heavily-loaded DVD release in the Dragon Dynasty line. When I watch and review these editions, I almost feel like I’m back in Hong Kong again.

--Disc 1--
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies.

This time around, Bey Logan is joined by Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, and Andy On for the expected audio commentary. Things get off to a hilarious start when Logan asks the actors to introduce themselves with their Chinese names. Logan mistakenly identifies Andy On as Nicholas Tse, so On says Tse’s Chinese name before saying his own name. A lot of the comments revolve around the chatters admiring each other, so this track is a bit less informative than other’s by Logan going solo.

“Orchestrated Mayhem: The Making of Invisible Target” is comprised primarily of talking-heads interviews.

You also get two trailers for Invisible Target.

--Disc 2--
The first extras on Disc 2 are lengthy, 20-plus-minutes interviews with Benny Chan, Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, Jacky Wu Jing, Philip Ng, Vincent Sze, and Andy On. The director and the actors talk generally about themselves, their participation in the movie, and each other. Some comments are surprisingly frank. For example, Jaycee Chan admits that he thought that Shawn Yue had an inflated opinion of himself until he got to know Yue during shooting.

There are several deleted/extended scenes, though as the movie is already over-long, these cuts were made for the right reasons.

“A Look at the Storyboard Concepts for Invisible Target” shows storyboards and the final product in side-by-side comparisons.

Finally, you get footage from the movie’s “Gala Premiere”.

--Miscellaneous--
The discs are kept in a slim double keepcase. You also get an insert advertising other Dragon Dynasty DVDs and a cardboard slipcover.

A Chat With Aleks Horvat

Aleks Horvat is a talented jack-of-all-trades who wears many hats on a given movie production. He wrote, produced, and directed the features Kissing Miranda (1995), Sweethearts (1996), and The Big Thing (2000). He also created The Dialogue, an extensive series of comprehensive interviews with successful screenwriters such as Paul Haggis (Crash), Stuart Beattie (Collateral), and Robin Swicord (Little Women).

The Big Thing is headlined by Bryan Cranston, who’s best known for his Emmy-nominated role on the TV show Malcolm in the Middle, though he’s also had notable appearances in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan and the Tom Hanks-produced From the Earth to the Moon.

The story focuses on six zany characters crossing paths in a fairly plausible representation of L.A. Roberto (Cranston) and Canada (Alexandra Boyd) find their lives invaded by Ned (Van Quattro) and Mo (Bari Buckner) when the latter two park their VW van outside of the former two’s house. Susan Chuang plays Roberto and Canada’s maid, and Gideon Brower plays the maid’s husband. Roberto has a serious foot fetish, Ned and Mo are houseguests from hell, and the maid and her husband role-play just about any time and any where.

--------------------------------------------------

Hello, Aleks! How are you today?

Doing well. You?

Fine, thanks! What was the inspiration for The Big Thing?

It was a combination of things--mostly my desire to make a movie about people that don’t talk to each other but rather at each other. People who march to the beats of their own drummers, albeit pretty f-ed up drummers.

That, and Bryan Cranston and I wanted to make a DVD movie, at the time when DVD movies were just becoming “the big thing”.

How did you assemble your cast and crew?

Other than Alexandra Boyd, I knew all the actors. We were all friends or had worked together before.

In The Big Thing, Ned cracks a Star Trek joke about Roberto Montalban. Are you a Star Trek fan?

I am a big fan. I don’t recall the Star Trek reference, though he does say, “The dude from Fantasy Island?”

Oops, you’re right! Fantasy Island, not Star Trek.

IMDB.com indicates that The Big Thing was created sometime in 2000. Is that year correct? Has post-production been a long process, or have you simply been promoting the movie for several years now?

Oh, yeah. Eight years of intensive CGI. Over 2,000,800,020 shots and a budget of $1.98. We had 3 companies working on this round the clock for those entire 8 years. That and 112 editors all cutting by hand. Moviolas. Not to mention that I was re-writing the script and re-shooting some of the battle sequences while we were cutting. I got Michael Bay to do some of the second unit on that. Quite an undertaking.

Your previous features, Kissing Miranda and Sweethearts, are serious dramas. What prompted your swing into comedy with The Big Thing?

I needed to laugh to the point where I peed my pants. Which I did...several times during and after production. As a matter of fact, I still do that regularly...laugh that is.

Why did you decide to shoot The Big Thing on a small budget and in a compressed time frame? Was this an experiment, or did you feel that going the extreme-indie route was the best way to film the script?

An experiment. It paid off handsomely, wouldn’t you say? My directing career took off like nobody’s business.

Did you go through a lot of takes, or did you try to keep things spontaneous?

We shot over 12 days I think. So our ratio was pretty low.

With regards to the performances, did you have the actors adhere strictly to the script, or was there a lot of improv?

Both. 80% script. 90% improv. That adds up to a 100%, right?

What was it like selling a screenplay, Campus Man, that was turned into a feature by a major Hollywood studio? How did it feel?

Did sell. It was a writing assignment based on a pitch. I was amazed that: a) they ever bought the pitch; b) that they ever made the movie.

How did you come up with the idea for The Dialogue?

I wanted to do something with theOffice, and since most of my customers are writers, it seemed like a natural progression.

What was it like working with Mike DeLuca? How did you get to know him in the first place?

I know Mike. We’re friends. He’s great. A real pro.

What’s next on your table? Do you have any plans for more installments in The Dialogue?

Done with The Dialogue. I keep writing scripts. Just completed one. That’s what I do. I write.

Okay, that’s it for today. Thanks, Aleks!

Thanks!

For more information about The Big Thing, visit www.thebigthingmovie.com.

For more information about The Dialogue, visit www.thedialogueseries.com.

Fool’s Gold Blu-ray Disc (Andy Tennant, 2008)

Warner (USA)
2.40:1 1080p
112 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: Flirting With Adventure; gag reel

Released: 17 June 2008
Blu-ray case

Sure, Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson get a lot of press for being attractive celebrities whose personal-life antics are constant tabloid fodder. However, they’re not exactly big box-office draws. One of their relative “hits” was their joint-starrer How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I guess they decided that a re-teaming would be good for their careers--hence, Fool’s Gold. Fool’s Gold is basically How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days crossed with Sahara. McConaughey and Hudson banter, get on each other’s nerves, kiss, go to exotic locales, wear skimpy clothes, fight bad guys, cause/witness explosions, and find treasure for a happy ending. You’ve seen this movie several times already, just with different titles and different actors. Well, you’ve seen McConaughey and Hudson in the same movie already, too.

How blandly lame is Fool’s Gold? Well, for most movies from Hollywood’s major studios, you get a shill’s quote plastered on the cover art. You won’t find a quote from anyone on the front or the back of this Blu-ray case.

Video:
While generally sharp and clear, the 2.40:1 1080p image is unexceptional for high-def video. The single-layer (25 gig) disc doesn’t give the transfer much room to breathe, so once again, we’ve got a Warner transfer that’s a bit soft in some parts during bright outdoors shots (as with The Bucket List).

Audio:
Okay, I can understand the lack of lossless audio for The Bucket List, but this movie actually has some action sequences. Granted, Fool’s Gold is no Harry Potter, but at least the explosions wouldn’t have sounded as hollow as they do with the DD 5.1 English track. Music separation across the front is decent, and dialogue is usually crisply conveyed. Still, the lack of a Dolby TrueHD track is mystifying (and disappointing).

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

Extras:
There are only two brief extras. “Flirting With Adventure” is an extended commercial for how great it is to see McConaughey and Hudson together. You also get a gag reel.

The Bucket List Blu-ray Disc (Rob Reiner, 2007)

Warner (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
97 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: Trivia Track; Rob Reiner Interviews Jack; Rob Reiner Interviews Morgan; Writing a Bucket List; John Mayer’s “Say” music video; The Making of “Say”

Released: 10 June 2008
Blu-ray case

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are undoubtedly acting treasures. However, of late, Nicholson has been content with mugging and leering, and Freeman is better as a narrator than as an actor. Pairing for The Bucket List, a movie about two fogies with cancer who decide to live it up before they expire, is basically an admittance by Nicholson and Freeman that they have simply stopped caring about their acting legacies. The movie is simultaneously charming and offensive. The two leads have a fun chemistry, but the fact that one character is a billionaire who can afford to pay for their “death” vacation is salt-in-the-wound for the billions of people who just don’t want to be hungry or in pain on the last day of their lives.

Video:
Given the subject matter, one shouldn’t be surprised that the 1.85:1 1080p picture is sunny with bright, cheery colors. The video transfer is a bit soft compared to what we’re used to seeing with optical-disc high-def, though given the warm hues that dominate the palette, softness is probably unavoidable. Sharpness and detailing are par for the course without offering a standout experience.

Audio:
Home-theatre enthusiasts may be disappointed to discover that the primary English track was encoded in DD 5.1 and not Dolby TrueHD or PCM, but this movie really doesn’t lend itself to stunning sonics. You get pleasantly produced dialogue, some front stereo separation for the music score, and occasional rear activity during “action” sequences (car racing, skydiving, etc.). Otherwise, the center channel dominates.

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

Extras:
This is one of Warner’s Blu-ray releases with a clear advantage in terms of extras over its SD DVD counterpart.

First up is a Trivia Track with selectable pop-up graphics during the movie. The movie itself doesn’t inspire a lot of interesting material, so I don’t see viewers using the track more than two or three times.

Next up are two interviews by the director with the two leads. Everyone enjoys each other’s company, and all three are old enough to have experienced some of the main characters’ anxieties (though they’re probably all rich enough to go on a end-of-life vacation, unlike most of us).

In “Writing a Bucket List”, screenwriter Justin Zackham talks about the inspiration for his script as well as a book that he’s writing about celebrity bucket lists.

Finally, you get John Mayer’s “Say” music video and a featurette about the making of the music video.

(The SD DVD only has “Writing a Bucket List” and the music video.)

The Spiderwick Chronicles 2-Disc Field Guide Edition (Mark Waters, 2008)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
101 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: Spiderwick: It’s All True!; It’s a Spiderwick World; Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide; Interactive Field Guide; Spiderwick: Meet the Clan; Making Spiderwick; The Magic of Spiderwick!; A Final Word of Advice; deleted scenes; TV spots; trailers; previews for other movies

Released: 24 June 2008
slim doublekeepcase with cardboard slipcover

Moviemakers have always been fond of fantasy stories, but the genre fell into a lull during the 1980s and 1990s when shoddy writing, shoddy acting, and shoddy production values drove away audiences. However, Harry Potter and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings minted big-time money, so once again, Hollywood’s been churning out adaptations of fantasy books. The new Narnia movies and The Golden Compass are only two examples of this trend. However, despite much-improved acting and production values, most of these new efforts reveal that shoddy writing will still yield skip-it-won’t-miss-it results.

Like Lemony Snicket, The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on a couple of books with the same title. Eschewing the epic touch, this movie mostly focuses on a family’s defense of their home, so much of the action takes place in one confined setting. For the most part, this isn’t a problem as Freddie Highmore and Sarah Bolger are excellent as the three Graces (Jared, Simon, Mallory) who discover a world of faeries and goblins. The special effects are believable and impressive. The weak link here is...the writing. It seems like the kids learn all of the magic world’s rules overnight, and the adults are portrayed as buffoons until they suddenly grow brains during the last half hour. The subplot involving Arthur Spiderwick and his daughter is rushed and forced.

It’s probably worth your while to watch The Spiderwick Chronicles just to see Freddie Highmore play two very different twins. Highmore skillfully delineates the two characters without resorting to over-the-top machinations. Sarah Bolger is also quite good as a spirited fencer (she takes the lead in action scenes). I kept myself amused listening for lapses in Highmore and Bolger’s accents (he’s English, she’s Irish, and they’re playing Americans).

Video:
In this day and age, new releases from the major Hollywood studios aren’t likely to look bad unless someone fell asleep during the Quality Control process. This title is no exception. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is near reference level for SD DVDs. The fantastic candy colors practically leap off of the screen, and the level of detail is very high. There are some soft moments when computer-generated effects dominate the action, but this is to be expected.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English has the expected characteristics of a home-bound children’s movie. James Horner’s sprightly music score is comfortably spread across the front and rears without seeming all-encompassing. There are some nice bass moments, but you don’t get anything as powerful as with the Harry Potter series. Dialogue is clear and natural. Separation is excellent without necessarily drawing a “Wow!” from the audience.

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--
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies.

In “Spiderwick: It’s All True!”, the director talks about the movie’s diegetic rules. This is rather tedious as any intelligent viewer will be able to figure out these rules as the characters talk about them during the course of the story.

“It’s a Spiderwick World” sheds light on how the books’ authors were inspired by real-life children’s letters.

“Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide” is a collection of text pages that resemble the information in the movie’s sought-after tome.

You can also watch the movie with an “Interactive Field Guide”. During the movie, when a book icon appears, clicking the Enter button will take you to the relevant sections of the Field Guide.

--Disc 2--
“Spiderwick: Meet the Clan” introduces the cast and shows how the moviemakers used one actor (Freddie Highmore) to play twins.

“Making Spiderwick” is a general overview of the production.

“The Magic of Spiderwick!” showcases the production design, costumes, and special effects.

“A Final Word of Advice” is a bookend to Disc 1’s “Spiderwick: It’s All True!”, with the director warning viewers to be careful about magical creatures.

There are four deleted scenes that would’ve improved the movie’s pacing, in my opinion. The final product feels a bit rushed, so adding these grace-note moments would’ve created a smoother ride.

Finally, you also get TV spots and trailers that promoted the movie before its release.

--Miscellaneous--
The discs are housed in a slim double keepcase, and you also get a cardboard slipcover with clasps that simulate a wax seal.

There Will Be Blood Blu-ray Disc (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
158 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: The Story of Petroleum; 15 Minutes; Fishing; Haircut/Interrupted Hymn; Dailies Gone Wild; trailers

Released: 3 June 2008
Blu-ray case

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 1080p transfer is the best thing about this Blu-ray release. Rich sepia tones and deep blacks dominate the palette to palpable atmospheric effect. As excellent as the SD DVD’s video is, the Blu-ray disc’s picture is frequently breathtaking. The level of detail is excellent. Indeed, the rich visuals made me wonder if the movie would’ve been tolerable and even good had I watched it with no sound. The lack of film grain or video noise is a tad surprising considering the movie’s “rough” tone, but maybe the filmmakers had high-def video presentations in mind during post-production.

Audio:
Though generally low-key and spare, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track is generally of high-quality, with rich tones for dialogue and widely dispersed sound effects. Bass presence is loud and throaty when appropriate. However, the TrueHD track is not a major improvement upon the SD DVD’s DD 5.1 track.

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

Extras:
All of the video extras are presented in high-def video, though as with the two-disc SD DVD release, you don’t get a lot of bonus materials.

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.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull CD Soundtrack (John Williams, 2008)

Concord Records
77 minutes

Released: 20 May 2008
custom cardboard case

More than ten years ago, I wrote a few CD reviews for The Cornell Daily Sun during my college days. When the opportunity to review the soundtrack for the first new Indiana Jones movie in nineteen years presented itself, I decided to dip my toes in the music world again after a long hiatus.

For fans of classical music like me, John Williams’s scores are usually treats because he’s one of the few composers who still write for full orchestras rather than for glorified chamber ensembles or a handful of random instruments. This is most apparent in Williams’s “hero” themes, which have lush strings, triumphant brass, and thunderous percussions. Listen carefully, and you’ll hear light touches such as flitting harps, playful flutes, and tingling triangles, some of which are hardly used in movie scores any more.

The CD has nineteen tracks:

1) Raiders March
2) Call of the Crystal
3) The Adventures of Mutt
4) Irina’s Theme
5) The Snake Pit
6) The Spell of the Skull
7) The Journey to Akator
8) A Whirl Through Academe
9) “Return”
10) The Jungle Chase
11) Orellana’s Cradle
12) Grave Robbers
13) Hidden Treasure and the City of Gold
14) Secret Doors and Scorpions
15) Oxley’s Dilemma
16) Ants!
17) Temple Ruins and the Secret Revealed
18) The Departure
19) Finale

Although the full “Raiders March” doesn’t appear until the end credits, it’s a good idea to start this album with that selection because it helps listeners get into the mood of listening to an Indiana Jones soundtrack. Along with the Star Wars theme, the “Raiders March” is one of the two-most recognizable movie music cues in the United States. The “Raiders March” revives all of the good memories that we have of the previous movies, which bring goofy grins to our faces.

The best tracks are the ones associated with Mutt, especially 3 and 8. They’re fun, light, and irreverent, reflecting the character’s rebellious streak.

“Irina’s Theme” sounds appropriately ominous, though I was surprised by the lack of Slavic touches given the character’s Soviet origins.

The “Finale” is a rousing closer that sends you on your way in high spirits.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of composing music for movies being rushed into theatres, Williams frequently cribs from other composers and from himself. For example, the “Going to School” track for Memoirs of a Geisha is basically a rip-off of the title theme from The Last Emperor. I’m not complaining about Williams re-using cues from the previous Indiana Jones movies. Rather, some of the tracks here were clearly written on auto-pilot. Tracks 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17 sound like unused leftovers from the Jurassic Park scores. To be fair, Williams is not the only “repetitive” score composer (Hans Zimmer used the same “hero” theme for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator and Edward Zwick’s The Last Samurai, and Elliot Goldenthal’s finale music for Neil Jordan’s Michael Collins is a piece that was rejected by Michael Mann for Heat), and “sameness” can be partially attributed to a composer’s signature style.

I also don’t like the fact that the cues are not presented in the order in which they appear in the movie. One of the pleasures of listening to orchestral scores while working on a computer or driving in a car is being able to “play” the movie in your mind as the music guides you from Point A to Point Z. When the cues on a soundtrack album are out of order, then the spell is broken.

From a technical standpoint, the CD is an excellent presentation of the score. Highs are sweet, and lows are throaty and forceful without being overpowering. Stereo separation and imaging are transparent and accurate. I was surprised by the clarity of featured instruments. There are times when the fidelity of the recording makes you feel as if you’re the conductor standing right in the midst of the orchestra.

--Miscellaneous--
Instead of the usual CD jewel case, you get a custom cardboard case. A booklet contains track listings, photos from the movie, and a note by Steven Spielberg.