Run, Fat Boy, Run Blu-ray Disc (David Schwimmer, 2007)

Warner/New Line (USA)
2.40:1 1080p
100 minutes
Audio: DTS-HD MA 7.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; deleted scenes; outtakes; Thandie's Goof; trailers; SD DVD version

Released: 23 September 2008
Blu-ray case

Times have been tough for the former stars of Friends. New TV projects get picked up and canceled without much notice by the public. After appearing in several box-office duds during and after their Friends tenure, none of the six leads have launched themselves as major movie players. Even Jennifer Aniston, who's a perennial contender for America's Sweetheart, can't open a movie by herself.

Directing and producing seem like good ways to re-focus their energies, particularly for David Schwimmer. Schwimmer directed several episodes of Friends and Joey (the Matt LeBlanc spin-off). He's now got a feature film under his belt--Run, Fat Boy, Run, a pleasant, competent production.

In the movie, Dennis (Simon Pegg) runs out of Libby's (Thandie Newton) life on their wedding day. Since she was already pregnant, they've kept in touch so that their son can grow up with a father. However, Libby begins dating an American businessman (Hank Azaria), which inspires Dennis to compete in a marathon.

There are the usual training montages, including a run to a hilltop overlooking London that's remniscent of Rocky's montages. The movie is a bit unbalanced by rather dark elements, such as gangsters and thugs who threaten Dennis's best friend and a sharp turn to nastiness by Libby's new boyfriend late in the story. Otherwise, the movie is carried by Pegg's usually winsome persona and some hilarious bits with Harish Patel as Dennis's Indian landlord.

The movie is simple in premise and execution (unlike Hot Fuzz!, which had several narrative twists as well as worked as both a straight action picture and a parody), which is probably a good idea considering that this was Schwimmer's first time handling a major production. Perhaps I was damning with faint praise when I described the movie as pleasant and competent, but it's actually not easy to make a good comedy (see The Love Guru). Run, Fat Boy, Run didn't make much of a splash at the box office, but at least studio execs won't flat out turn down Schwimmer when he bids for another directing gig.

Video:
Surprisingly, David Schwimmer opted for the 2.40:1 aspect ratio rather than the 1.85:1 frame that is commonly used for comedies. The 1080p offers the expected qualities of a recent rom-com--defect-free source, bright colors (despite the London setting), natural fleshtones. Detail is much higher than what you'll get with standard definition, though the picture isn't as sharp or engrossing as an action extravaganza such as Iron Man.

Audio:
Earlier this year, the powers-that-be at Timer Warner decided to fold Warner Independent Pictures, New Line, Fine Line, and Picturehouse into Warner Bros. Pictures. This includes theatrical and home-video operations. The merger pains are readily apparent in the packaging. Although the cover-art layout resembles what's used for other Warner titles, the audio is listed as "Dolby Digital: English 7.1". Well, as we know, the plain-vanilla DD codec maxes out at 5.1 EX, not 7.1. Also, the audio isn't even a Dolby encode at all--it's really DTS-HD MA 7.1, like most of the other New Line titles on Blu-ray.

The audio is efficient but non-distinguished. It features the usual good balance of dialogue vs. jaunty music that is standard for "realistic" comedies (as opposed to parodies and farces, which tend to have out-of-control or over-the-top elements). The rears are used for some musical ambience. The spread across the front is comfortably but not impressively wide. There is some subwoofer presence courtesy of the louder and "harder" songs, but you're not going to need Night Listening Mode for this flick.

Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
First up is one of those jokey, breezy, everyone-loves-everyone-else audio commentaries by David Schwimmer, Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, and Gill Pegg (Simon's mother). You learn a few tidbits about the production, but mainly, you just get four people enjoying each other's company and laugh at their own on-screen antics.

There are some mildly amusing deleted scenes and outtakes. What's billed as "Thandie's Goof" on the cover art appears as, simply, "Goof" in the menus; basically, while Simon Pegg is being prepped for an interview, he discovers that Thandie Newton left several bottles of vodka instead of water next to his chair.

The Blu-ray also includes two trailers.

Finally, you get a second disc that is identical to the stand-alone SD DVD, which has both widescreen and Pan-&-Scan transfers. This disc can be played in any DVD player or computer with a DVD drive, and it can be used to transfer/download a Digital Copy for a portable device.

The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972/1974/1990)

Paramount (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
177/202/170 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 mono English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: audio commentaries by Francis Ford Coppola; deleted scenes; featurettes; The Corleone Family Tree; The Music of The Godfather; timeline; filmmakers’ profiles; photo galleries; storyboards; trailers; Easter Eggs; Godfather World; The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t; When the Shooting Stopped; Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather; The Godfather on the Red Carpet; Four Short Films on The Godfather

Released: 23 September 2008
multi-disc Blu-ray case

Most of the time, I roll my eyes when I see or hear a mention of the Godfather movies. They’ve become so used in the vernacular that I simply have Godfather Fatigue. Yet, whenever I sit down to watch any of them, I become mesmerized and completely absorbed. The visual style makes one feel nostalgic even though the characters aren’t our relatives. The scripts’ charting of Michael Corleone’s rise and fall as a Mafia boss is both chilling and heartbreaking. Given Vito Corleone’s rough beginnings, the characters’ descent into illegal activities elicits sympathy; it’s almost acceptable for the protagonists to do very bad things since they’re surrounded by genuine scum. I even enjoy Part III as much as the first two since the finale shows how one man can’t control a sprawling family with too many goals and ambitions.

Recently, I’ve become worn out by today’s gun-and-edit movies like The Dark Knight, which are frequently visually incoherent. When done well, gun-and-edit can be a highly effective method (see Paul Greengrass’s oeuvre). However, while re-watching the Godfather movies, I noticed how much detail can be absorbed by the viewer’s eyes when a camera just sits there and records people sitting and talking or dancing slowly. As with the best of Akira Kurosawa’s movies, the Godfather Trilogy is a prime example of how much better a locked-down camera is compared to cameras flying all over the place for the sake of fake kineticism. I’ll take Al Pacino’s tightly-wound silent smoldering over one-second average-shot-length features any day.

Video:
Back when these movies were first released on DVD, my good friend John Puccio wrote about how surprisingly soft and murky they looked. He and I were shocked that the movies were released at all if that was the best that could be done. John even got a few communiqués from someone who was involved with the DVD transfers; that fellow told John that there was nothing wrong with the video.

Well...here we are with The Coppola Restoration, which clearly proves that John and I were right. The previous DVD versions look terrible by most measures. The new 1.85:1 1080p images have the proper blacks, orange glows, and general clean-ups that the previous discs lacked. The Godfather movies aren’t stylized in the same manner as, say, Sin City or 300, but were created with a specific look in mind. The movies still look like old photographs, which is appropriate when considering how the visuals impart an oppressive gloom.

Audio:
The movies are presented with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English tracks as the default audio. Since the movies were mixed before sound engineers took full advantage of extremely wide dynamic ranges and became creative with the use of surround effects beyond the usual pans, the audio is very straightforward in nature. You get dialogue coming out of the center and some front spread for the music scores. The rear channels exhibit some activity but are mostly silent. Gunshots sound muted and hollow, though a scene with a helicopter assault in Part III has a powerful kick.

The first two movies also have their original mono tracks presented as DD 2.0 mono English encodes. While dynamically restricted and less enveloping than the 5.1 re-mixes, the mono tracks are valuable inclusions in that they allow purists to re-create the ambience of watching the movies “back in the day”.

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:
The new video extras are presented in high-def video.

--Discs 1, 2, 3--
You get the same audio commentaries that Francis Ford Coppola recorded for the previous DVD editions.

--Disc 4--
“The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t” is a re-tread of materials that are already familiar to fans (i.e. Coppola thought that he’d be fired every day he approached the set). “When the Shooting Stopped” features anecdotes about the movie’s post-production processes.

“Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather” is a featurette about restoring the movies, similar to featurettes on Warner special editions for movies like Gone With the Wind and Singin’ in the Rain. The big reveal is that Steven Spielberg shows up to claim that his first official order of business after Paramount bought DreamWorks was to ask his new bosses to cough up the dough to restore the first two movies and at least re-master the third one.

In “Godfather World”, various filmmakers talk about how the series influenced their lives and works.

“The Godfather on the Red Carpet” is an assemblage of interviews with people attending the premiere of Cloverfield (another Paramount release). I suppose this was intended to make the Godfather movies seem cool to the youth crowd, but if you’ve already bought the set, then do you really need to be told that the movies are cool?

“Four Short Films on The Godfather” is a collection of interview bits that didn’t fit anywhere else.

Disc 4 also offers the same deleted scenes, featurettes, “The Corleone Family Tree”, “The Music of The Godfather”, timeline, filmmakers’ profiles, photo galleries, storyboards, trailers, TV clips, Easter Eggs, etc. as the Supplements Disc in the first DVD box set.

--Miscellaneous--
The set includes a cardboard slipcover and a booklet. The booklet doesn’t fit in either the case or the slipcover.

Jellyfish (Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, 2007)

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
78 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo
Subtitles: Optional
Extras: video interview with the directors; theatrical trailer

Released: 30 September 2008
transparent keepcase

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Buy from Zeitgeist Films

Jellyfish is the first Israeli movie made that I’ve seen. I’ve probably seen some Hollywood productions that featured some scenes shot in Israel, but this production is clearly made by Israelis with a native understanding of contemporary Israelis. However, I don’t want you to get the impression that this movie is readily identifiable by “ethnic” markers or regional tropes. The young characters seem familiar and even “American” at times.

Despite strong associate ties between Israel and Judaism, the country could be described as a sort of melting pot in the Middle East, much as the United States is a melting pot in North America. This is due to the demographic composition of Israel, which became a destination for Jews from all over the world after World War II. Therefore, Israel has Jews who speak anything from English to Russian and may not necessarily understand Hebrew. Israel also has significant populations of Arabs with Israeli citizenship, displaced/refugee Arabs, and migrant workers from places such as the Philippines. Jellyfish reflects the multiculturalism that is a paradoxical facet of modern “Israeli” identity.

Jellyfish follows the lives of several women during the course of a few days. Batya is a waitress who is estranged from her parents, who only care about themselves. Keren, who just married a Russian Jew, hurt her leg on her wedding day, so she and her husband have to stay in Israel for their honeymoon. Joy is a Filipina caretaker who misses her son. One young woman, an angsty photographer, reveals that it was difficult to communicate with her parents sometimes because they were Holocaust survivor; therefore, she didn’t feel like she had the right to ask them for anything.

The movie doesn’t have a “standard-issue plot”. Rather, it’s a slice-of-life observation of intersecting paths. Various characters sometimes inhabit the same frames, but unlike American movies such as Paul Haggis’s Crash and Stephen Gaghan’s Syriana, the characters don’t affect each other directly. In this regard, the directors walk down the path taken by Krzysztof Kieslowski with the Three Colors Trilogy.

Although the movie doesn’t really have a central character, Batya carries the directors’ hopeful outlook. The movie begins with Batya’s boyfriend moving out of their apartment. She seems unable to communicate, even to bid him farewell. During the course of the movie, she takes care of a young girl who emerges from the sea wearing a body tube. The young girl is clearly a metaphor for Batya’s own childhood. At the end of the movie, Batya plunges into the ocean and emerges as a refreshed, rejuvenated person who has shaken off her emotional wounds.

Video:
This is a pleasing 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image, though the image frequently has a warm, glowing softness attributable to the Middle Eastern sun. For the most part, though you get a clean, detailed picture.

Audio:
The DD 2.0 stereo audio track has strong verbal reproductions and occasionally vibrant music cues. This is a basic, low-key audio experience, which is appropriate for a movie about normal, everyday activities. The characters speak a dizzying array of languages, including Hebrew, Yiddish, German, English, and Tagalog.

Optional English subtitles support the audio, though only for non-English dialogue. I wish that Zeitgeist had encoded a second subtitle stream with all of the English dialogue subtitled, too, because the characters speak English with heavy accents.

Extras:
The main bonus feature is an extended video interview with the directors, who provide a lot of insights into their movies, their different approaches to art, and their personalities. The directors speak in English, though I wish that this interview also had a subtitle stream because the directors speak with heavy accents.

You also get the theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert booklet provides chapter listings, a Filmmakers’ Statement, and movie & DVD production credits. The transparent keepcase showcases a cover insert with artwork on both sides.

The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972/1974/1990)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
177/202/170 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 mono English, DD 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentaries by Francis Ford Coppola; deleted scenes; featurettes; The Corleone Family Tree; The Music of The Godfather; timeline; filmmakers’ profiles; photo galleries; storyboards; trailers; Easter Eggs; Godfather World; The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t; When the Shooting Stopped; Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather; The Godfather on the Red Carpet; Four Short Films on The Godfather

Released: 23 September 2008
slim keepcases in a cardboard box

Most of the time, I roll my eyes when I see or hear a mention of the Godfather movies. They’ve become so used in the vernacular that I simply have Godfather Fatigue. Yet, whenever I sit down to watch any of them, I become mesmerized and completely absorbed. The visual style makes one feel nostalgic even though the characters aren’t our relatives. The scripts’ charting of Michael Corleone’s rise and fall as a Mafia boss is both chilling and heartbreaking. Given Vito Corleone’s rough beginnings, the characters’ descent into illegal activities elicits sympathy; it’s almost acceptable for the protagonists to do very bad things since they’re surrounded by genuine scum. I even enjoy Part III as much as the first two since the finale shows how one man can’t control a sprawling family with too many goals and ambitions.

Recently, I’ve become worn out by today’s gun-and-edit movies like The Dark Knight, which are frequently visually incoherent. When done well, gun-and-edit can be a highly effective method (see Paul Greengrass’s oeuvre). However, while re-watching the Godfather movies, I noticed how much detail can be absorbed by the viewer’s eyes when a camera just sits there and records people sitting and talking or dancing slowly. As with the best of Akira Kurosawa’s movies, the Godfather Trilogy is a prime example of how much better a locked-down camera is compared to cameras flying all over the place for the sake of fake kineticism. I’ll take Al Pacino’s tightly-wound silent smoldering over one-second average-shot-length features any day.

Video:
Back when these movies were first released on DVD, my good friend John Puccio wrote about how surprisingly soft and murky they looked. He and I were shocked that the movies were released at all if that was the best that could be done. John even got a few communiqués from someone who was involved with the DVD transfers; that fellow told John that there was nothing wrong with the video.

Well...here we are with The Coppola Restoration, which clearly proves that John and I were right. The previous DVD versions look terrible by most measures. The new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen images have the proper blacks, orange glows, and general clean-ups that the previous discs lacked. The Godfather movies aren’t stylized in the same manner as, say, Sin City or 300, but were created with a specific look in mind. The movies still look like old photographs, which is appropriate when considering how the visuals impart an oppressive gloom.

Audio:
As before, the movies are presented with DD 5.1 English tracks as the default audio. Since the movies were mixed before sound engineers took full advantage of extremely wide dynamic ranges and became creative with the use of surround effects beyond the usual pans, the audio is very straightforward in nature. You get dialogue coming out of the center and some front spread for the music scores. The rear channels exhibit some activity but are mostly silent. Gunshots sound muted and hollow, though a scene with a helicopter assault in Part III has a powerful kick.

The first two movies also have their original mono tracks presented as DD 2.0 mono English encodes. While dynamically restricted and less enveloping than the 5.1 re-mixes, the mono tracks are valuable inclusions in that they allow purists to re-create the ambience of watching the movies “back in the day”.

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

Extras:
--Discs 1, 2, 3--
You get the same audio commentaries that Francis Ford Coppola recorded for the previous DVD editions.

Here’s the tricky part. Discs 4 and 5 are mis-labeled. The packaging states that Disc 4 has the extras from the previous box set while Disc 5 has the new extras. However, Disc 4 actually has the new extras while Disc 5 has the old extras. This is yet another Paramount Quality Control snafu following in the footsteps of Star Trek: Generations--Special Collector’s Edition, the Jack Ryan HD DVDs, and the various Star Trek TV shows with flimsy plastic cases and trays.

--Disc 4--
“The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t” is a re-tread of materials that are already familiar to fans (i.e. Coppola thought that he’d be fired every day he approached the set). “When the Shooting Stopped” features anecdotes about the movie’s post-production processes.

“Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather” is a featurette about restoring the movies, similar to featurettes on Warner special editions for movies like Gone With the Wind and Singin’ in the Rain. The big reveal is that Steven Spielberg shows up to claim that his first official order of business after Paramount bought DreamWorks was to ask his new bosses to cough up the dough to restore the first two movies and at least re-master the third one.

In “Godfather World”, various filmmakers talk about how the series influenced their lives and works.

“The Godfather on the Red Carpet” is an assemblage of interviews with people attending the premiere of Cloverfield (another Paramount release). I suppose this was intended to make the Godfather movies seem cool to the youth crowd, but if you’ve already bought the set, then do you really need to be told that the movies are cool?

Finally, “Four Short Films on The Godfather” is a collection of interview bits that didn’t fit anywhere else.

--Disc 5--
Disc 5 offers the same deleted scenes, featurettes, “The Corleone Family Tree”, “The Music of The Godfather”, timeline, filmmakers’ profiles, photo galleries, storyboards, trailers, TV clips, Easter Eggs, etc. as the Supplements Disc in the previous box set.

--Miscellaneous--
My copy includes a small booklet that advertises Paramount’s Blu-ray titles.

Shrek the Third Blu-ray Disc (Chris Miller, 2007)

DreamWorks Animation (USA)
1.78:1 1080p
92 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish, DD 5.1 Portuguese
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: different menus; The Animators Corner; trivia track; downloadable content; Worcestershire Academy Yearbook; Big Green Goofs; Lost Scenes; Donkey Dance; Meet the Cast; Shrek’s Guide to Parenthood; Tech of Shrek; DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox; Merlin’s Magic Crystal Ball; How to Be Green; trailers for other movies

Released: 23 September 2008
Blu-ray case

The first Shrek showed brief glimpses of potty humor, such as bubbles rising to the surface of a mud bath while Shrek is “cleaning” himself. Because they were brief, those bits were funny. However, as the series continued, the writers and directors began to rely more and more on sustained puking, farting, urinating, and defecating jokes, just like Mike Myers’s Austin Powers trilogy and recent The Love Guru. After seeing and hearing sustained puking, farting, urinating, and defecating, you begin to think that you can smell those actions even though they take place inside your TV. Whatever sass and charm that the first entry had has been forgotten. Shrek the Third may’ve grossed big bucks at the box office, but it’s one of the worst movies that DreamWorks Animation has produced.

Video:
Like the HD DVD that was released towards the end of 2007, this Blu-ray Disc does a great job of exhibiting the movie’s cartoony atmosphere. The 1.85:1 1080p image is bright and vivid, but surprisingly, many shots are rather soft. Also, Shrek the Third was rendered in a flat style that is not as breathtaking as what you get with Ratatouille or The Incredibles. Then again, this movie is a cartoon with no ambitions about being appreciated as Art.

Audio:
The movie is filled with loud, boisterous, shrill, loony characters, and the same adjectives can be used to describe the wildly active sound mix. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track is a riot of audio gags that race around the room. DreamWorks must’ve paid top dollar for the list of big-name voices, so the center channel is always the boss--the better to let viewers hear the expensive talent.

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

Extras:
First up are a couple of selectable menus so that you don’t have to look at the same basic set-up every time you watch the disc. You can download some content if your Blu-ray player is connected to the Internet. A subtitle trivia track, which was available with the HD DVD only as an Internet-based extra, is now hard coded on the Blu-ray disc. The major high-def exclusive is “The Animators Corner”, which is a picture-in-picture video stream of the movie in storyboard form.

The “Worcestershire Academy Yearbook” offers an interactive guide to Prince Arthur’s buddies.

“Big Green Goofs” are intentional animation flubs.

In “Lost Scenes”, you can see video footage of pitches and sketches for discarded sequences.

“Donkey Dance” is basically a music video featuring Donkey.

“Meet the Cast” parades the voice actors.

“Shrek’s Guide to Parenthood” is a collection of parenting tips from some of the movie’s characters.

“Tech of Shrek” showcases the computer-animation technology and functions as a commercial for Hewlett-Packard and AMD (the microchip company).

“DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox” presents song-and-dance clips from other DreamWorks Animation movies.

“Merlin’s Magic Crystal Ball” is a video version of the Magic 8 Ball.

“How to Be Green” teaches viewers how to be environmentally-conscious.

Finally, there are trailers for other movies.

Speed Racer Blu-ray Disc (The Wachowski Brothers, 2008)

Warner (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
135 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish, DD 5.1 Portuguese
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: Spritle in the Big Leagues; Speed Racer: Supercharged; Speed Racer: Car-fu Cinema; Speed Racer Crucible Challenge DVD Game; Digital Copy disc

Released: 16 September 2008
Blu-ray case

Let’s look at how Warner handled Speed Racer’s Blu-ray release. This could’ve been The Awesomest Demo Disc of 2008. However, Warner downgraded the tech specs all around, using a single-layer 25-gig disc for heavily compressed video and audio. Given the space limitations, Warner should’ve opted for one lossless track in the movie’s original primary language (English). Instead, the disc is crammed with four Dolby Digital tracks.

Perhaps dual-layer 50-gig discs are expensive right now. I would’ve bought that argument except Warner included two additional discs in the Blu-ray case--a DVD game meant to be played on a Blu-ray or DVD player (the game is way too simplistic to appeal to anyone more than eight-years-old) and a Digital Copy disc that is entirely unnecessary since Warner has set up a download site for people who buy the SD DVD! Warner even went through the trouble of printing an eight-page instruction booklet about how to play the DVD game and a cardboard slipcover.

This is a physically heavy package for a lot of stuff that will be used once or twice (especially the Digital Copy disc, which will be worthless to most people after a single transfer). Warner could spare money on stuff that will be set aside but not on BD-50s?

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

There is no escaping the fact that 2008’s Speed Racer, the Wachowski Brothers’ quasi-live-action interpretation of a Japanese animation TV series, is a massive box-office dud for Warner Bros. The movie’s production and promotional costs exceeded at least $200 million, and it has grossed less than $90 million worldwide. When you consider the fact that a studio receives 40% to 60% of a movie’s total take (the rest goes to the movie theatres that actually showed the movie), Warner is in the red by so much that even The Dark Knight’s theatrical profits won’t cover Speed Racer’s losses.

Like most people, I gave Speed Racer a pass when it was in theatres. (In fact, I don’t personally know anyone who paid to see it.) Did the movie deserve its box-office failure? Not really. It features A-plus production values, involving car races, incredible visual effects, and surprisingly genuine performances by Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon.

Family films are tricky to market. While we’re used to seeing Disney movies place in the Top 20 every year, bear in mind all the forgotten failures that try to make a buck off of parents with young children. Branding is very important when it comes to family films. Disney has developed a reputation for lukewarm pap that parents “know” will not teach their kids bad things (even when there’s killing involved). Parents take their kids to Pixar movies because Pixar mixes cutesy characters with milquetoast middle American values. Parents take their kids to DreamWorks movies because the cynical attitudes on display in those movies can, at the very least, keep parents mildly bemused.

For a live-action family film to become a “crossover” hit, you’ve got to be able to lure teenagers who go to the movies without their younger siblings or their parents. You’ve got to be able to lure adults on dates. You’ve got to be able to lure people on the left and people on the right. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was able to achieve this. However, Speed Racer struck out. The marketing skewed rather young, and this is confirmed by the movie’s content (a really juvenile young boy and a pet chimp are entirely unfunny). There was a general lack of nostalgia for the old TV series, and without at least a hint of sensuality ala Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor in Transformers, teenaged boys went to see Iron Man, Indiana Jones 4, and The Dark Knight instead. (The romance between Speed Racer and Trixie is completely chaste with just one kiss.)

Speed Racer would’ve benefited from some judicial trimming. At 135 minutes, the movie feels repetitive and wears out its welcome. It gets tiresome watching the cars doing the same tricks (spinning in the air, drifting, jumping, etc.). There are a couple of fight scenes where all of the characters suddenly seem to know martial arts, and these scenes would’ve been the first to go had I been in the editing room.

Video:
I saw the movie’s trailers on my computer and in theatres, but I was still astounded by the DVD’s 2.35:1 1080p picture. The candy colors pop at you like the confections in a candy store, and the image is razor sharp and squeaky clean. Even though the movie was shot with digital cameras (and largely drawn in the digital realm), there’s a real sense of depth and dimension (unlike previous digital productions, which tended to look flat and glassy). One can only imagine how amazing the picture would be had it been given breathing room.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English sounds plenty enveloping and boisterous, but it’s also rather thin and hollow. This may be due to Warner using a lossy encode. Dialogue is clear and pleasant, though volume balancing can be a bit of a problem as some action sequences are much louder than others.

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

Extras:
The Blu-ray version carries two featurettes also found on the SD DVD releases. “Spritle in the Big Leagues” follows the youngest member of the principal cast as he visits various workshops and sets during the production. “Speed Racer: Supercharged” is a “documentary” that presents information about the various drivers and their cars.

The Blu-ray version also carries “Speed Racer: Car-fu Cinema”, which is more geared towards grown-ups than the other featurettes and functions as a general “making of” piece.

The aforementioned DVD Game is found only with the Blu-ray edition, but it’s a tedious experience involving clicking on your remote’s Enter and direction buttons. Most remotes for Blu-ray and DVD players aren’t built for this kind of abuse.

You also get a Digital Copy disc as well as a code for using the transferred file.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a cardboard slipcover.

Given the lack of substantive extras and reduced tech specs, I’m guessing that Warner will re-visit this title on Blu-ray, especially since the studio has already announced double dips of other titles.

Iron Man Blu-ray Disc (Jon Favreau, 2008)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
125 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: deleted/extended scenes; The Invincible Iron Man; Easter Egg; I Am Iron Man; Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man; Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test; The Actor’s Process; The Onion joke piece; Stills Galleries

Blu-ray Exclusives--Hall of Armor; BD Live IQ Quiz; trailers

Released: 30 September 2008
Blu-ray case

As I’ve read only a handful of comic books, my familiarity with them is passing at best. Therefore, I thought that Iron Man looked kinda goofy when I saw the trailers. Yet, I attended one of the early Thursday evening screenings that were scheduled due to the enormous critical buzz that had been generated. The movie got better across-the-board reviews than most “serious” awards baits, and there didn’t seem to be any snide dismissal of the story’s origins.

Even with all the hype, I was still impressed by Iron Man. Although it has its share of serious moments, for the most part, the movie is sophisticated fun. (Iron Man stands in sharp contrast to the juvenile silliness that dominates most summer fare.) Much of the wry humor is generated by Robert Downey Jr., who may be playing himself to some extent but also treats his character like a realistic person with realistic intellectual and emotional trajectories. When Downey is in a workshop interacting with machines while he builds his suit, he’s hilarious while admonishing eager-beaver fire extinguishers. Also, while Tony Stark starts out as a sexist, self-centered pig, he always oozes the kind of charm that seduces you into giving him a second chance. The character’s transformation into a humanist is striking and believable.

In the long run, Iron Man may be remembered as a one-man show, but the cast is uniformly excellent. Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow both have great chemistry with Downey, and Jeff Bridges is deliciously smarmy as the villain. Shaun Toub also makes a deep impression as the man who helps Tony Stark construct the first Iron Man suit. Everyone snaps perfectly-timed one-liners, and the supporting players try to give Downey as much sass as he gives them.

Indeed, the actors’ banter is what will stay with you long after you’ve forgotten about the action sequences. By now, you know what to expect of the classical Hollywood formula--the hero gets beat up before he stands tall at the end. The folks who made Iron Man know how perfunctory that journey can be, so none of the action scenes wear out their welcome. The final fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger is a good example; it’s not a protracted display of robot smashing, which would be boring in the extreme (see Transformers).

With the Summer Movie Season at an end, it’s nigh impossible to avoid comparing Iron Man to The Dark Knight. After all, they’re both about billionaires who build themselves into heroes rather than being born with superpowers. However, The Dark Knight is ponderous, pompous, self-important, self-serious, extraordinarily overlong, poorly edited, and filled with Master-of-the-Obvious dialogue and pontifications about “good” and “evil”. Iron Man joins Ang Lee’s Hulk at the top of the superhero genre.

Video:
The 2.35:1 1080p image is quite pleasing to the eye. This isn’t a stylized palette (ala 300), a cotton-candy confection (ala Fantastic Four), or a shot-in-the-dark shroud (ala Christopher Nolan’s Batman efforts). Rather, the movie looks like its set in the real world, with real-world days and real-world nights. Some of the desert scenes and night-time action sequences have noticeable film grain, but this is a natural result of shooting with film and the Super 35 process. Iron Man is no Speed Racer, but it is a clean, sharp, frequently enjoyable visual experience. This is the best Blu-ray picture in my collection.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track is good, old-fashioned, red-meat fun, with zingy surround-sound effects, propulsive music, and crisp dialogue. The sound designers also knew when to give viewers a rest, so you don’t get continuous bombast as with The Dark Knight. Nevertheless, during Iron Man’s flying sequences, the five speakers give you a good sense of object placement (i.e. Iron Man’s spatial relationship to fighter jets and other airborne objects).

Alas, the track’s dynamic range does sound a tad constricted compared to the SD DVD’s DD 5.1 track and the Blu-ray’s DD 5.1 dubs. This was first reported by my good friend John Puccio over at DVDTown.com. Bass response can be curiously muted in some parts, though I’ve had a similar problem with Mission: Impossible 2 (my HD DVD’s DD+ track was much weaker than my SD DVD’s DD track). John is in contact with Paramount personnel regarding the matter; maybe some light will be shed on this matter soon.

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 are in high-def video where applicable.

--Disc 1--
There are several deleted and extended scenes that are amusing, but you can see why they were cut from the final product.

“Hall of Armor” is an interactive showcase of the various suits featured in the movie.

“The Invincible Iron Man” is a six-part introduction to the character’s history in the comics world.

Those of you with Ethernet connections can eventually watch the movie with a BD Live IQ Quiz featuring trivia about the movie.

There’s also an Easter Egg featuring Stan Lee. Go to the Special Features sub-menu and highlight the “BD LIVE” button. Click the Down button to highlight a graphic of a robotic arm. Click on the robotic arm to watch a clip of Stan Lee talking about his cameo.

(The lack of an audio commentary is a bit surprising since Jon Favreau recorded audio commentaries for Elf and Zathura, but given the comprehensive nature of the extras, there’s no sense of loss.)

--Disc 2--
“I Am Iron Man” is a seven-part feature-length documentary that covers the movie’s development from conception to its world premiere at the Grauman Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. This is a revealing, intimate look at the creation of a huge production. You can see how there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, all with their careers on the line. However, you can also see how Jon Favreau marshals the troops with the right balance of assuredness and humility to get the movie done with some semblance of a personal artistic vision.

“Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man” is a stand-alone featurette about how the special effects were created. Whereas the “I Am Iron Man” documentary gives you a sense of the exhaustive journey, this piece delves into the nitty-gritty details of micro-assembly.

You can also watch the “Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test” (in which it’s obvious that the actor already knows how to play the part), “The Actor’s Process” (Downey and Jeff Bridges in rehearsals), and “The Onion: Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted Into Full Length Film” (a joke news piece).

Finally, there are four extensive Stills Galleries and four trailers.

--Miscellaneous--
You get a handsome cardboard slipcover that functions like the Iron Man “suit” since the keepcase’s actual cover art is a portrait of Robert Downey Jr.

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

13 September 2008 update:
Apparently, the Dolby TrueHD track triggers “Late Night” viewing modes on some receivers when the audio is bitstreamed. Therefore, if you have a Blu-ray player that can decode lossless audio internally or if you shut off the “Late Night” viewing mode on your receiver, then the audio will sound just fine--fantastic, actually.

Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
125 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: previews for other programs; deleted/extended scenes; Easter Egg; I Am Iron Man; The Invincible Iron Man; Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man; Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test; The Actor’s Process; The Onion joke piece; Stills Galleries

Released: 30 September 2008
slim double keepcase

As I’ve read only a handful of comic books, my familiarity with them is passing at best. Therefore, I thought that Iron Man looked kinda goofy when I saw the trailers. Yet, I attended one of the early Thursday evening screenings that were scheduled due to the enormous critical buzz that had been generated. The movie got better across-the-board reviews than most “serious” awards baits, and there didn’t seem to be any snide dismissal of the story’s origins.

Even with all the hype, I was still impressed by Iron Man. Although it has its share of serious moments, for the most part, the movie is sophisticated fun. (Iron Man stands in sharp contrast to the juvenile silliness that dominates most summer fare.) Much of the wry humor is generated by Robert Downey Jr., who may be playing himself to some extent but also treats his character like a realistic person with realistic intellectual and emotional trajectories. When Downey is in a workshop interacting with machines while he builds his suit, he’s hilarious while admonishing eager-beaver fire extinguishers. Also, while Tony Stark starts out as a sexist, self-centered pig, he always oozes the kind of charm that seduces you into giving him a second chance. The character’s transformation into a humanist is striking and believable.

In the long run, Iron Man may be remembered as a one-man show, but the cast is uniformly excellent. Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow both have great chemistry with Downey, and Jeff Bridges is deliciously smarmy as the villain. Shaun Toub also makes a deep impression as the man who helps Tony Stark construct the first Iron Man suit. Everyone snaps perfectly-timed one-liners, and the supporting players try to give Downey as much sass as he gives them.

Indeed, the actors’ banter is what will stay with you long after you’ve forgotten about the action sequences. By now, you know what to expect of the classical Hollywood formula--the hero gets beat up before he stands tall at the end. The folks who made Iron Man know how perfunctory that journey can be, so none of the action scenes wear out their welcome. The final fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger is a good example; it’s not a protracted display of robot smashing, which would be boring in the extreme (see Transformers).

With the Summer Movie Season at an end, it’s nigh impossible to avoid comparing Iron Man to The Dark Knight. After all, they’re both about billionaires who build themselves into heroes rather than being born with superpowers. However, The Dark Knight is ponderous, pompous, self-important, self-serious, extraordinarily overlong, poorly edited, and filled with Master-of-the-Obvious dialogue and pontifications about “good” and “evil”. Iron Man joins Ang Lee’s Hulk at the top of the superhero genre.

Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is quite pleasing to the eye. This isn’t a stylized palette (ala 300), a cotton-candy confection (ala Fantastic Four), or a shot-in-the-dark shroud (ala Christopher Nolan’s Batman efforts). Rather, the movie looks like its set in the real world, with real-world days and real-world nights. Some of the desert scenes and night-time action sequences have noticeable film grain, but this is a natural result of shooting with film and the Super 35 process. Iron Man on DVD is no Speed Racer, but it is a clean, sharp, frequently enjoyable visual experience.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track is good, old-fashioned, red-meat fun, with tight bass, zingy surround-sound effects, propulsive music, and crisp dialogue. The sound designers also knew when to give viewers a rest, so you don’t get continuous bombast as with The Dark Knight. Nevertheless, during Iron Man’s flying sequences, the five speakers give you a good sense of object placement (i.e. Iron Man’s spatial relationship to fighter jets and other airborne objects).

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.

There are several deleted and extended scenes that are amusing, but you can see why they were cut from the final product.

“Iron Man: Armored Adventures” is a commercial for an upcoming TV cartoon show.

There’s also an Easter Egg featuring Stan Lee. Go to the Special Features sub-menu and highlight the “Main Menu” button. Click the Left button to highlight a circular icon. Click on the circular icon to watch a clip of Stan Lee talking about his cameo.

(The lack of an audio commentary is a bit surprising since Jon Favreau recorded audio commentaries for Elf and Zathura, but given the comprehensive nature of the extras, there’s no sense of loss.)

--Disc 2--
“I Am Iron Man” is a seven-part feature-length documentary that covers the movie’s development from conception to its world premiere at the Grauman Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. This is a revealing, intimate look at the creation of a huge production. You can see how there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, all with their careers on the line. However, you can also see how Jon Favreau marshals the troops with the right balance of assuredness and humility to get the movie done with some semblance of a personal artistic vision.

“The Invincible Iron Man” is a six-part introduction to the character’s history in the comics world.

“Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man” is a stand-alone featurette about how the special effects were created. Whereas the “I Am Iron Man” documentary gives you a sense of the exhaustive journey, this piece delves into the nitty-gritty details of micro-assembly.

You can also watch the “Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test” (in which it’s obvious that the actor already knows how to play the part), “The Actor’s Process” (Downey and Jeff Bridges in rehearsals), and “The Onion: Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted Into Full Length Film” (a joke news piece).

Finally, there are four extensive Stills Galleries.

--Miscellaneous--
You get a handsome cardboard slipcover that functions like the Iron Man “suit” since the keepcase’s actual cover art is a portrait of Robert Downey Jr.

Snow Angels (David Gordon Green, 2008)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
107 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: previews for other movies

Released: 16 September 2008
keepcase

American-family dramas can be handled in several ways. There are directors who make fun of everyone and everything without taking a stand for themselves (see American Beauty and The Chumscrubber). There are directors who blow things completely out of proportion and amp up the non-diegetic music bombast (see House of Sand and Fog). There are directors who try to be “fair” to the demographics that they’re portraying and end up with completely forgettable movies.

David Gordon Green, the acclaimed director of George Washington, takes the best approach--observing characters dispassionately but noting the socio-cultural conditions that trap generations of families. Snow Angels doesn’t necessarily judge people, but it has points to make about how economic hardships, which limit educational opportunities, eventually imprison people in perpetual cycles of barely making ends meet. As responsibilities increase with age (taking care of children, taking care of the elderly, paying rent/mortgage), psychological pains overwhelm those who are least able to undertake them.

In Snow Angels, Annie (Kate Beckinsale) and Glenn (Sam Rockwell) are dealing with the aftermath of their separation. Glenn’s mental instability (he tried to commit suicide) frightens Annie, though she still allows him to have outings with their young daughter from time to time. Meanwhile, Annie is having an affair with her best friend’s husband, and she flirts with a teenager whom she used to babysit. A shocking accident shakes the whole town, causing the inhabitants to reflect on their own relationships and dreams.

I wouldn’t characterize the movie as anti-Christian or anti-religious, but it doesn’t shy away from showing how the weak-willed and under-educated frequently rely on religion as an excuse or a crutch to behave outrageously. Undoubtedly, some people will be outraged by the movie’s portrayal of dogmatism, but as many people have been slaughtered in the name of religion (not just the monotheistic ones but all of them) as for any other reason. In some form or another, the world is still embroiled in the Crusades, and when there is no external enemy, Inquisitions and witch trials are just as handy.

Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell have never been better. Their performances could’ve easily been caricatures, but they deliver honest, open, heart-breaking acting. Beckinsale shows how flirting can be used to manipulate and to mask insecurities. Rockwell doesn’t play a sympathetic character, but he helps viewers understand why someone might end up like Glenn.

Although Beckinsale and Rockwell get top billing, the movie is really an ensemble piece. The secondary characters all have strong moments. Michael Angarano and Olivia Thirlby are particularly noteworthy as high school students experiencing first love during a tragedy. Angarano and Thirlby’s performances show how contrived and annoying Ellen Page and Michael Cera’s performances are in Juno (yes, I know that Thirlby was also in Juno, but she’s much better here than there). The teens have awkward dialogue and tentative sex, just like real teens do. Angarano and Thirlby don’t seem rehearsed in the least bit.

Video:
This is yet another double-sided Warner disc with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer on one side and a 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan on the other. The lighting is generally muted, which is appropriate given the wintry climate. However, the transfers aren’t too dim. Colors are likewise naturalistic. The picture is basically free of debris and source problems, though it’s a bit soft sometimes.

Audio:
The low-key DD 5.1 English track is appropriately subdued given the subject matter. The front mains carry diegetic and non-diegetic music from time to time, but the center channel does most of the lifting. The spare stillness greatly enhances the movie’s mood.

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

Extras:
Aside from some front-loaded previews for other movies, the disc has no extras.

Speed Racer (The Wachowski Brothers, 2008)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
135 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Spritle in the Big Leagues; Speed Racer: Supercharged

Released: 16 September 2008
keepcase

There is no escaping the fact that 2008’s Speed Racer, the Wachowski Brothers’ quasi-live-action interpretation of a Japanese animation TV series, is a massive box-office dud for Warner Bros. The movie’s production and promotional costs exceeded at least $200 million, and it has grossed less than $90 million worldwide. When you consider the fact that a studio receives 40% to 60% of a movie’s total take (the rest goes to the movie theatres that actually showed the movie), Warner is in the red by so much that even The Dark Knight’s theatrical profits won’t cover Speed Racer’s losses.

Like most people, I gave Speed Racer a pass when it was in theatres. (In fact, I don’t personally know anyone who paid to see it.) Did the movie deserve its box-office failure? Not really. It features A-plus production values, involving car races, incredible visual effects, and surprisingly genuine performances by Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon.

Family films are tricky to market. While we’re used to seeing Disney movies place in the Top 20 every year, bear in mind all the forgotten failures that try to make a buck off of parents with young children. Branding is very important when it comes to family films. Disney has developed a reputation for lukewarm pap that parents “know” will not teach their kids bad things (even when there’s killing involved). Parents take their kids to Pixar movies because Pixar mixes cutesy characters with milquetoast middle American values. Parents take their kids to DreamWorks movies because the cynical attitudes on display in those movies can, at the very least, keep parents mildly bemused.

For a live-action family film to become a “crossover” hit, you’ve got to be able to lure teenagers who go to the movies without their younger siblings or their parents. You’ve got to be able to lure adults on dates. You’ve got to be able to lure people on the left and people on the right. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was able to achieve this. However, Speed Racer struck out. The marketing skewed rather young, and this is confirmed by the movie’s content (a really juvenile young boy and a pet chimp are entirely unfunny). There was a general lack of nostalgia for the old TV series, and without at least a hint of sensuality ala Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor in Transformers, teenaged boys went to see Iron Man, Indiana Jones 4, and The Dark Knight instead. (The romance between Speed Racer and Trixie is completely chaste with just one kiss.)

Speed Racer would’ve benefited from some judicial trimming. At 135 minutes, the movie feels repetitive and wears out its welcome. It gets tiresome watching the cars doing the same tricks (spinning in the air, drifting, jumping, etc.). There are a couple of fight scenes where all of the characters suddenly seem to know martial arts, and these scenes would’ve been the first to go had I been in the editing room.

Video:
I saw the movie’s trailers on my computer and in theatres, but I was still astounded by the DVD’s 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen picture. The candy colors pop at you like the confections in a candy store, and the image is razor sharp and squeaky clean. Even though the movie was shot with digital cameras (and largely drawn in the digital realm), there’s a real sense of depth and dimension (unlike previous digital productions, which tended to look flat and glassy). The Blu-ray version is probably better than the DVD in the Video department, but this disc is no slouch.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English sounds plenty enveloping and boisterous, but it’s also rather thin and hollow. This may be due to Warner using a comparatively low-bitrate encode. Dialogue is clear and pleasant, though volume balancing can be a bit of a problem as some action sequences are much louder than others.

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:
Given the copious amounts of extras that accompanied previous Wachowski productions (such as the Matrix series and V for Vendetta) on home video, it seems rather surprising that Speed Racer gets the plain-vanilla treatment. I suppose this might be due to the fact that the movie is geared towards “family” buyers who typically aren’t interested in “making of” featurettes. On the other hand, the studio might not have been interested in splurging on multi-disc editions since the movie did not find much of an audience.

“Spritle in the Big Leagues” follows the youngest member of the principal cast as he visits various workshops and sets during the production. “Speed Racer: Supercharged” is a “documentary” that presents information about the various drivers and their cars.

You also get a code for downloading a Digital Copy of the movie from a Warner website.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert advertises movie tie-in toys from Hot Wheels, and you also get a cardboard slipcover.

The Love Guru Blu-ray Disc (Marco Schnabel, 2008)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
86 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: Mike Myers and The Love Guru; One Helleva Elephant; Hockey Training for Actors; deleted and extended scenes; Back in the Booth With Trent and Jay; outtakes; bloopers; theatrical trailer; digital copy

Released: 16 September 2008
Blu-ray case

Once upon a time, Mike Myers was actually funny. The first Austin Powers movie was an inspired send-up of spy movies from the 1960s and 1970s filled with clever physical gags and jokes about cross-cultural/cross-temporal misunderstandings. However, at some point, Mike Myers became obsessed with jokes about defecation, urination, and body parts. There is nothing inherently wrong with those kinds of jokes, but how many times can you laugh about feces, urine, penises, vaginas, and breasts? If you really find it funny to see feces, urine, penises, vaginas, and breasts, then go bathe or relieve yourself. You’d be getting laughs without paying money to Mike Myers, and you’d be cleansing your body in the process.

The Love Guru is a stunningly awful movie. It is so flat and unfunny that it’s worse than an “it’s-so-bad-it’s good” movie. Myers is so limited in his ability to conjure new tricks that his titular guru frequently sounds like Shrek and not a new persona. This is at least his fourth movie with Verne Troyer and at least his second with Justin Timberlake, and no one brings anything new to the table.

I’m no fan of Jessica Alba’s usually awkward line deliveries, but she’s actually okay in this movie. Alas, Alba picked the wrong movie to start showing a glimmer of acting ability.

The Blu-ray edition doesn’t even have a trailer for Iron Man to appease me.

Video:
The 2.35:1 1080p image is bursting with bright, sunny colors. The best word to describe the general visual style is “cheery”--plenty of medium yellows, reds, blues, and whites that aren’t oppressively bleached or saturated. This is a sharp, clean transfer that is free of compression artifacts.

Audio:
The primary Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track is understandably front-heavy since this is not an action movie, though the surround channels add to the immersive feel during scenes set in noisy hockey rinks. Once or twice, when the main character hears a disembodied voice, the sound mix was able to project the disembodied voice from the ceiling even though I don’t have speakers pointed downwards over my listening position. The audio is generally breezy and bouncy but lightweight.

As I anticipated in my review of the SD DVD, the Blu-ray’s audio is not much of an improvement over the standard DD 5.1 track mainly due to the nature of the movie.

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 are presented in high-def video where applicable.

“Mike Myers and The Love Guru” is an entirely useless “making of” featurette. “One Helleva Elephant” and “Hockey Training for Actors” are self-explanatory.

There are deleted and extended scenes, more footage featuring hockey play-by-play announcers in “Back in the Booth With Trent and Jay”, outtakes, and bloopers.

You also get the movie’s theatrical trailer.

The second disc in the set only has a digital copy of the movie that you transfer to a computer or a portable video device. Frankly, I don’t see the point of charging extra for this kind of feature because tech-savvy consumers have been ripping movies from their DVDs for years.

The Love Guru (Marco Schnabel, 2008)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
86 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: Mike Myers and The Love Guru; One Helleva Elephant; Hockey Training for Actors; deleted and extended scenes; Back in the Booth With Trent and Jay; outtakes; bloopers; theatrical trailer; digital copy

Released: 16 September 2008
keepcase

Once upon a time, Mike Myers was actually funny. The first Austin Powers movie was an inspired send-up of spy movies from the 1960s and 1970s filled with clever physical gags and jokes about cross-cultural/cross-temporal misunderstandings. However, at some point, Mike Myers became obsessed with jokes about defecation, urination, and body parts. There is nothing inherently wrong with those kinds of jokes, but how many times can you laugh about feces, urine, penises, vaginas, and breasts? If you really find it funny to see feces, urine, penises, vaginas, and breasts, then go bathe or relieve yourself. You’d be getting laughs without paying money to Mike Myers, and you’d be cleansing your body in the process.

The Love Guru is a stunningly awful movie. It is so flat and unfunny that it’s worse than an “it’s-so-bad-it’s good” movie. Myers is so limited in his ability to conjure new tricks that his titular guru frequently sounds like Shrek and not a new persona. This is at least his fourth movie with Verne Troyer and at least his second with Justin Timberlake, and no one brings anything new to the table.

The best thing about this DVD is the inclusion of a trailer for Iron Man. I’m no fan of Jessica Alba’s usually awkward line deliveries, but she’s actually okay in this movie. Alas, Alba picked the wrong movie to start showing a glimmer of acting ability.

Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is bursting with bright, sunny colors. The best word to describe the general visual style is “cheery”--plenty of medium yellows, reds, blues, and whites that aren’t oppressively bleached or saturated. This is a sharp, clean transfer that is free of compression artifacts.

One can probably expect more of the same from the Blu-ray with even greater clarity and detail.

Audio:
The primary DD 5.1 English track is understandably front-heavy since this is not an action movie, though the surround channels add to the immersive feel during scenes set in noisy hockey rinks. Once or twice, when the main character hears a disembodied voice, the sound mix was able to project the disembodied voice from the ceiling even though I don’t have speakers pointed downwards over my listening position. The audio is generally breezy and bouncy but lightweight.

The Blu-ray will have a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, but given the nature of the sound design, I don’t expect it to sound much different from the DVD’s standard DD encode.

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:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies (which can also be accessed from the Special Features Sub-menu).

“Mike Myers and The Love Guru” is an entirely useless “making of” featurette. “One Helleva Elephant” and “Hockey Training for Actors” are self-explanatory.

There are deleted and extended scenes, more footage featuring hockey play-by-play announcers in “Back in the Booth With Trent and Jay”, outtakes, and bloopers.

You also get the movie’s theatrical trailer.

The second disc in the set only has a digital copy of the movie that you transfer to a computer or a portable video device. Frankly, I don’t see the point of charging extra for this kind of feature because tech-savvy consumers have been ripping movies from their DVDs for years.

--Miscellaneous--
Paramount is also releasing a single-disc DVD edition (no digital copy) and a Blu-ray plus digital copy edition.

Star Trek: Alternate Realities

Region 1 CBS (USA)
NTSC, 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
917 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 mono Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: audio commentaries; featurettes

Released: 16 September 2008
thin double cases in a cardboard slipcase

After releasing every Star Trek episode and movie on DVD, CBS and Paramount are now re-purposing everything to keep the cash flow...flowing. New special effects have replaced creaky old ones in Star Trek: The Original Series, and Blu-ray versions of the movies are undoubtedly in the works. Blu-ray versions of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager might not be ready soon since they were post-produced in 480i and would look as gimpy as 28 Days Later does on a high-def platter, though Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: TOS might hit Blu-ray in 2009 to coincide with the release of the new Star Trek movie.

Star Trek: Alternate Realities is the latest theme box set that collects episodes from all of the series in a “greatest hits” format. Alternate Realities presents stories that show “what if?” scenarios, such as the Mirror Universe, possible pasts, possible futures, and collapsed/conflated realities.

Disc 1:
“Mirror, Mirror” (TOS)
“Crossover” (DS9)
“Through the Looking Glass” (DS9)
“Shattered Mirror” (DS9)

Disc 2:
“In a Mirror, Darkly Parts 1 & 2” (ENT)
“The Alternative Factor” (TOS)
“Parallels” (TNG)

Disc 3:
“The Enemy Within” (TOS)
“Turnabout Intruder” (TOS)
“Frame of Mind” (TNG)
“Shattered” (VOY)

Disc 4:
“Yesterday’s Enterprise” (TNG)
“The Inner Light” (TNG)
“The Visitor” (DS9)
“Before and After” (VOY)

Disc 5:
“Timeless” (VOY)
“Course: Oblivion” (VOY)
“E2” (ENT)
“Twilight” (ENT)

The main attraction here is the inclusion of new audio commentaries and featurettes. Otherwise, fans probably already have all of these episodes in the season box sets.

When all is said and done, what I really want on DVD are the gag reels and bloopers that were shown on TV from time to time. Those are amazing.

Video:
All of the shows are presented in 1.33:1 video, with the exception of Enterprise, which was always framed at 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced, even if it was shown in 1.33:1 on TV. The episodes look no better or worse than they already have, though the TOS episodes that have undergone the new digital scrubbing look remarkably fresh and vivid when compared to the DVDs in the yellow/blue/red eggshell box sets.

Audio:
The discs feature the same DD 5.1 English tracks as found on previous DVDs as well as the planned DVD release of Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 3--Remastered. The 1.33:1 shows have sound that was sweetened from mono and stereo surround sources, though Enterprise was designed with 5.1 channels right off the bat. Mileage varies, but there are enough directionality effects and explosions to keep Alpha Males happy.

You can also watch the shows with DD 2.0 mono Spanish tracks. Optional English, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
As mentioned earlier, you get new audio commentaries and featurettes. The featurettes have new interviews with producers, writers, and people connected with Star Trek (such as former StarTrek.com Editor Tim Gaskill) as well as re-purposed interviews with cast members from previous DVD extras.

On Disc 1, David Livingstone contributed an audio commentary for “Crossover”, and you get the “Mirror Universe, Part 1” featurette.

On Disc 2, Brannon Braga contributed an audio commentary for “Parallels”, and you get the “Mirror Universe, Part 2” featurette.

On Disc 3, Garfield and Judith Reeves-Stevens contributed an audio commentary for “The Enemy Within”, and you get the “Twisted Realities” featurette.

On Disc 4, David Carson contributed an audio commentary for “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, and you get the “Alternate Lives, Part 1” featurette.

On Disc 5, Mike Sussman and Tim Gaskill contributed an audio commentary for “Twilight” (originally a podcast for StarTrek.com, and you get the “Alternate Lives, Part 2” featurette.

--Miscellaneous--
CBS is using thin double cases for Discs 1-4 and a thin single case for Disc 5. The thin cases are housed in a cardboard slipcover.

The Mist Blu-ray Disc (Frank Darabont, 2007)

Genius Products (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
126 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Frank Darabont; deleted scenes with optional audio commentary; A Conversation With Frank Darabont and Stephen King; When Darkness Came: The Making of The Mist; Monsters Among Us: A Look at the Creature F/X; The Horror of It All: The Visual F/X of The Mist; Taming the Beast: Shooting Scene 35; Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of an Artist; webisodes; theatrical trailers; black-and-white version with introduction by Frank Darabont

Released: 16 September 2008
Blu-ray case

The Weinstein Company and Genius Products (Weinstein’s home-video distribution partner) originally supported the HD DVD side during the high-def-optical-disc tussle, but the companies suddenly stopped releasing HD DVDs after June 2007 without making any statements about possible future HD DVD or Blu-ray plans. This happened long before Warner’s February announcement to switch from neutrality to Blu-ness. Weinstein and Genius are now releasing Blu-ray Discs, starting with August’s Lonesome Dove and continuing with September’s 1408 and The Mist.

Frank Darabont is an obviously old-fashioned moviemaker, and I make that summation without implying anything negative. I attended a screening of The Shawshank Redemption at the AMPAS theatre in Hollywood. After the movie was over, Darabont headlined a Q-&-A session, during which he talked about how nice it was to see the movie again projected on film. His exact words were, “I like plastic.” His movies are patiently paced and favor characters over plot (though without the laborious “psychology” employed by young directors like Christopher Nolan). Also, Darabont is one of the rare American directors who have managed to avoid jack-editing movies to the point of visual incomprehensibility.

The Mist is Darabont’s third dance with Stephen King, though it’s the first King adaptation that is an outright horror story. In the movie, a mist shrouds a small town in Maine. Monsters in the mist attack humans, forcing many of the townsfolk to hide in a food mart. Trapped for days, the characters face more danger from each other than from the monsters. In this regard, The Mist is sort of a prison movie like Shawshank and The Green Mile. In fact, the major villain in The Mist is a woman who spews bile cloaked in the self-righteousness of Christian fundamentalism, just like the warden in Shawshank and the racist white characters in The Green Mile.

The Mist is an intentional throwback to monster movies from the 1950s and 1960s, with goofy monster effects and the use of mood rather than gore to generate tension. (The most shocking development at the end of the movie is shown from a distance, so you don’t actually see what the protagonist does.) Since the movie is low-key and not rushed, you’ll find yourself gripped in anticipation, which is scarier than being hammered by a movie frantically trying to rattle your nerves with quick cuts and loud noise that your mind eventually filters as static.

As the monsters are purposely cheesy and fake, the movie depends heavily on its cast to sell the show. Fortunately, every actor is on his A-game. Marcia Gay Harden is gratingly scary and believable as the fundie monster, and Toby Jones made me forget his cringe-inducing turns in movies like Amazing Grace and Infamous (that other recent movie about Truman Capote). The big surprise is Thomas Jane as the lead, an Everyman who capably leads the trapped shoppers before the fundie lady creates a poisoned environment. I remembered Jane as Burt Hicks from Face/Off and a so-so Punisher, but his performance here is assured, credible, and emotionally devastating. You know, this is supposed to be a silly monster mash for whiling away long hours, but Thomas Jane’s strong presence is worth a look.

Video:
Of the ones that I watched, I wasn’t impressed with Genius and Weinstein’s HD DVDs in the video department. Here we have an impressive 1.85:1 1080p transfer for The Mist. While many of the colors are de-saturated, the color palette was intentionally drained of strong hues. Sharpness and detail are commendable. While most of the movie is set inside a small food mart, the video transfer imparts a palpable sense of the indoors physical dimensions and backgrounds.

Audio:
While the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track has its share of loud, rattle-the-windows sound effects and booming bass, the audio is impressive for other reasons. The sound design creates a rich atmosphere with subtle ambient noises that reflect how disquieting being lost in a fog can be. The audio mix also carries the music score very well. Voice reproduction is excellent (a wonderful boon to someone like me who tires of dialogue getting drowned out in today’s action movies).

Those of you who aren’t able to enjoy lossless audio should opt for the DD 5.1 English track. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
--Disc 1--
All of the extras (except the webisodes) are presented in high-def video where applicable.

Up first is an informative and engaging audio commentary by Frank Darabont. Darabont also contributed optional audio commentaries for a couple of deleted scenes.

In the U.S., “A Conversation With Frank Darabont and Stephen King” was originally available only on rental copies in Blockbuster stores. This is a surprisingly informative and engaging sit-down with Darabont and King. You learn a lot about their history and mutual respect.

“When Darkness Came: The Making of The Mist” is a comprehensive overview of the production. While not feature length like some of the documentaries that we’ve seen on deluxe releases, it also doesn’t wear out its welcome. (The same can’t be said for documentaries that treat certain directors like infallible gods.)

“Monsters Among Us: A Look at the Creature F/X” and “The Horror of It All: The Visual F/X of The Mist” showcase the special effects. “Taming the Beast: Shooting Scene 35” is a look at the difficulties associated with capturing a specific sequence. “Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of an Artist” celebrates Drew Struzan, who’s drawn posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and other genre favorites.

The disc also includes three webisodes from the movie’s promotional website detailing a handful of production days.

Finally, there are three theatrical trailers.

--Disc 2--
Disc 2 presents the movie in black-and-white with an optional video introduction by the director. Frank Darabont considers the black-and-white version to be the “director’s cut”, though aside from the visual differences, the movie’s substantive content remains unchanged. The primary audio options are unchanged, too. The black-and-white version is even more of a throwback to monster movies from the 1950s and 1960s than the color version, thereby heightening the nostalgia factor.

While I understand that some of the grayscale timing was adjusted for the black-and-white version, Darabont probably could’ve recorded a brief video or audio clip asking viewers to turn off their TVs’ color in order to watch the color version in black-and-white (this is a simple button switch on my Sharp Aquos, and I frequently watch my color favorites in black-and-white for “new” experiences). Still, the effort that was expended on the black-and-white version is much appreciated.

The black-and-white version comes with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English and DD 5.1 English audio options (no dubs).

1408 Blu-ray Disc (Mikael Hafstrom, 2007)

Genius Products (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
112 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Mikael Hafstrom, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski; alternate endings; deleted scenes with optional audio commentary; The Secrets of 1408; John Cusack on 1408; Inside Room 1408; theatrical trailer

Released: 16 September 2008
Blu-ray case

The Weinstein Company and Genius Products (Weinstein's home-video distribution partner) originally supported the HD DVD side during the high-def-optical-disc tussle, but the companies suddenly stopped releasing HD DVDs after June 2007 without making any statements about possible future HD DVD or Blu-ray plans. This happened long before Warner's February announcement to switch from neutrality to Blu-ness. Weinstein and Genius are now releasing Blu-ray Discs, starting with August's Lonesome Dove and continuing with September's 1408 and The Mist.

In 1408, John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a writer who visits supposedly haunted locales. He wants to find some way of communicating with his dead daughter, but after many years of searching, he's decided that there aren't any ghosts. His disbelief is tested when he winds up in Room 1408 in NYC's Dolpin Hotel.

John Cusack is very good (as usual). Though you get the sense that he's just playing his "cool" personal self, Cusack has a likable, engaging persona. He portrays believable trepidation and pathos when his character sees his dead daughter's spirit. Fans of Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, and Tony Shalhoub will be disappointed, though, as they appear in only extended cameos.

1408 is not scary in the least, and it's not particularly good either. A few phantoms who look like old TV transmissions walk through Room 1408, and a dead body crawls through the air ducts. That's about it for ghosts. The rest of the movie is preoccupied with natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, snowstorms, etc.) and mind games being played on Mike. Whatever tension the first twenty minutes generate from the promise of frights gets thrown out the window in a laborious showcase of cracked walls and precipitation.

Video:
The movie didn't impress (or scare) me, but the 2.35:1 1080p video transfer is quite beautiful. It boasts rich blacks and a high level of shadow detail. The image has excellent depth even though most of the movie is set in a confined space.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English audio is similarly surprising. The movie begins with subtle ambient noises, low-key music cues, and sly sound effects. As Room 1408 turns into a disaster zone, the sound design goes full-bore with howling winds, raging waters, objects flying all over the place, and throaty bass. This isn't demo material, but it's close.

Those of you who aren't able to enjoy lossless audio should opt for the DD 5.1 English track. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
All of the extras (except the webisodes) are presented in high-def video where applicable.

First up is a so-so audio commentary by Mikael Hafstrom, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski (the latter two being the writers). Curiously, the director says that he prefers the theatrical version's ending even though the "bleak ending" is the finale for the "director's cut".

There are two alternate endings and several deleted scenes; the deleted scenes have optional audio commentary.

"The Secrets of 1408" is a collection of four featurettes that mix behind-the-scenes footage, interview clips, and film clips to show how some of the scenes were created.

The disc also has two webisodes, "John Cusack on 1408" and "Inside Room 1408", that are basically online promos rather than informational pieces.

Finally, you get the theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
This disc presents the movie in its "unrated director's cut" form, which was previously available in the two-disc special edition SD DVD release. Although you get a bleak ending (Mike dies) instead of a happy one (Mike lives and re-unites with his wife), the movie is not really improved by having a downer conclusion. Moreover, the bleak ending has one of those silly "GOTCHA!" shots that startle rather truly frighten viewers. (The happy ending is included as an alternate ending in the Extras.)