Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress, and The Tangerine (Marion Cajori & Amei Wallach, 2008)

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
99 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH
Extras: deleted scenes; videos interviews; theatrical trailer

Released: 23 June 2009

Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress, and The Tangerine is an artist biopic, and like most such movies, how it plays depends on the artist’s personality more than on the artist’s actual creative output. You could make an engrossing movie about the worst artist in history if he/she were engaging, and you could make a terrible movie about the best artist in history if he/she were a bore. Of course, if the art itself is interesting, too, then you’ve got a winning combination.

Luckily, Louise Bourgeois and her work are both fascinating. Bourgeois is in her late-nineties now, but she’s as feisty and opinionated as anyone. Louise Bourgeois the movie introduces viewers to the span of her life, from her childhood in France (including a father who cheated on his wife with the governess) to her career as a sculptor. The movie also includes coverage of important events that paid tribute to Bourgeois.

The title refers to the most obvious examples of Bourgeois’s work, which are the huge spider sculptures on display throughout the world. However, the movie makes it amply clear that she created a wide range of art in a wide range of sizes. Her works can be minutely detailed or creatively abstracted. It’s quite astonishing to see what artists can accomplish when utilizing tactile dimensions instead of limiting themselves to flat surfaces.

Video:
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image varies in quality as the filmmakers worked with Louise Bourgeois from 1993 to 2007. Over time, technology and access to funding improved, so the filmmakers’ equipment also improved. The oldest footage has faded colors compared to the newer footage, and there are some instances of minor damage to the source materials.

Audio:
The DD 2.0 stereo English track is basic but adequate. Dialogue is usually intelligible, though off-screen voices are sometimes (understandably) muffled.

Extras:
There are roughly 45 minutes of deleted scenes, some of which capture Louise Bourgeois in the process of crafting her art. There are two informative and substantive video interviews with co-director Amei Wallach and cinematographer/editor Ken Kobland. You also get a theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
A glossy fold-out offers three essays and chapter listings. The transparent keepcase allows you to see the film and DVD production credits printed on the inside of the cover art.

Inkheart Blu-ray Disc (Iain Softley, 2008)

Warner (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
106 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 German
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, Spanish, German
Extras: deleted scenes; A Story from the Cast and Crew; From Imagination to the Page: How Writers Write; Eliza Reads to Us; BD-Live; DVD version plus Digital Copy

Released: 23 June 2009

There’s always someone making fantasy movies, but the huge box-office grosses of Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy and the Harry Potter series encouraged the Hollywood majors to develop other family-friendly fantasy literature with franchise potential. However, fantasy is a tricky genre, and most fantasy movies get tripped by inconsistent rules, cumbersome exposition, lack of credibility, an inability to generate audience interest/empathy, or some combination of the four. For every Harry Potter you get at least one disappointment like Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia, which went from a robust first movie to a dead-in-the-water second entry.

German novelist Cornelia Funke’s books have become international bestsellers, but cinematic adaptations of her works have been met with general indifference. The Thief Lord generated much buzz in literature circles but was ultimately seen by few people. Inkheart met the same fate despite boasting a cast that includes Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, and Andy Serkis. Fraser has headlined several hits. Mirren and Broadbent are Oscar winners. Bettany has been in big hits, too. Serkis played Gollum in Peter Jackson’s LOTR and had an important part in Jackson’s King Kong. So, what happened?

The movie certainly has inconsistent rules. It’s never clear how characters and people are “read out of” or “read into” a book. Also, while the story takes place in contemporary times, it seems as if today’s social authorities (the police, the military, even governments) are non-existent, so no one other than the main characters seem surprised to see fictional characters suddenly appearing in real life. The movie isn’t burdened by cumbersome exposition, though it would’ve benefited from a bit more explanation of the narrative’s construct.

The movie also lacks credibility. With the exception of Helen Mirren’s lakeside villa, the production values look second-rate. The villains just wear cheap knock-offs of someone’s idea of fascist attire. The movie also doesn’t generate much empathy. The screenplay asks us to feel pathos about the fact that a bookbinder and his daughter are looking for their long-lost wife/mother “just because” that’s what we’re supposed to feel. Unfortunately, we don’t become familiar or emotionally close with any of the characters, so we don’t really care what happens. Of course, the movie marches towards the usual orgy of CGI effects, and since we’re not invested in the characters’ journey, you’ll find your eyes glazed over in boredom or indifference.

By the way...yes, that’s Jennifer Connelly in a cameo as Bettany’s wife (they’re married in real life, too).

Video:
The 2.35:1 1080p transfer has an overly-bright look which sometimes imparts an unwelcome softness. The image appears to be heavily-processed. Though not as muddy as the SD transfer, the picture has a surprising lack of fine-object detail compared to other recent movies.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track packs quite a wallop during action-heavy moments. Directionality effects are numerous and immersive, particularly when the “Silvertongues” read from books and pull characters, gold coins, and turbulent storms into our reality. Dialogue is balanced fairly well against the sonic maelstrom.

Extras:
As far as movie-pertinent extras go, you get several deleted scenes but practically no insight into how the movie was made.

“A Story from the Cast and Crew” begins with Cornelia Funke starting a story with contributions by members of the production. “From Imagination to the Page: How Writers Write” presents Funke and other people talking about how they tell their stories. “Eliza Reads to Us” has actress Eliza Hope Bennett reading a passage from the source novel.

Those of you with Internet-enabled players can access BD-Live features.

--Miscellaneous--
Instead of the usual Digital Copy disc, you also get a DVD version (which still includes a Digital Copy). You also get a cardboard slipcover.

Inkheart (Iain Softley, 2008)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced/1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
106 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: Eliza Reads to Us; previews for other products; Digital Copy code

Released: 23 June 2009

There’s always someone making fantasy movies, but the huge box-office grosses of Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy and the Harry Potter series encouraged the Hollywood majors to develop other family-friendly fantasy literature with franchise potential. However, fantasy is a tricky genre, and most fantasy movies get tripped by inconsistent rules, cumbersome exposition, lack of credibility, an inability to generate audience interest/empathy, or some combination of the four. For every Harry Potter you get at least one disappointment like Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia, which went from a robust first movie to a dead-in-the-water second entry.

German novelist Cornelia Funke’s books have become international bestsellers, but cinematic adaptations of her works have been met with general indifference. The Thief Lord generated much buzz in literature circles but was ultimately seen by few people. Inkheart met the same fate despite boasting a cast that includes Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, and Andy Serkis. Fraser has headlined several hits. Mirren and Broadbent are Oscar winners. Bettany has been in big hits, too. Serkis played Gollum in Peter Jackson’s LOTR and had an important part in Jackson’s King Kong. So, what happened?

The movie certainly has inconsistent rules. It’s never clear how characters and people are “read out of” or “read into” a book. Also, while the story takes place in contemporary times, it seems as if today’s social authorities (the police, the military, even governments) are non-existent, so no one other than the main characters seem surprised to see fictional characters suddenly appearing in real life. The movie isn’t burdened by cumbersome exposition, though it would’ve benefited from a bit more explanation of the narrative’s construct.

The movie also lacks credibility. With the exception of Helen Mirren’s lakeside villa, the production values look second-rate. The villains just wear cheap knock-offs of someone’s idea of fascist attire. The movie also doesn’t generate much empathy. The screenplay asks us to feel pathos about the fact that a bookbinder and his daughter are looking for their long-lost wife/mother “just because” that’s what we’re supposed to feel. Unfortunately, we don’t become familiar or emotionally close with any of the characters, so we don’t really care what happens. Of course, the movie marches towards the usual orgy of CGI effects, and since we’re not invested in the characters’ journey, you’ll find your eyes glazed over in boredom or indifference.

By the way...yes, that’s Jennifer Connelly in a cameo as Bettany’s wife (they’re married in real life, too).

Video:
The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer has an overly-bright look which sometimes imparts an unwelcome softness. The image appears to be heavily-processed and is rather muddy.

You also get a 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan hack job on the flip side of the disc.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track packs quite a wallop during action-heavy moments. Directionality effects are numerous and immersive, particularly when the “Silvertongues” read from books and pull characters, gold coins, and turbulent storms into our reality. Dialogue is balanced fairly well against the sonic maelstrom.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other products.

“Eliza Reads to Us” has actress Eliza Hope Bennett reading a passage from the source novel.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy code and a cardboard slipcover.

Spring Breakdown Blu-ray Disc (Ryan Shiraki, 2009)

Warner (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
84 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; additional scenes; gag reel; Digital Copy disc

Released: 2 June 2009

Parker Posey and Amy Poehler have been smart and funny in various projects. I’m completely mystified as to why they agreed to participate in Spring Breakdown, which is so clumsily cobbled together that it’s painful to watch. Posey and Poehler were joined by Rachel Dratch to play three hapless friends who go on spring break to watch over a senator’s daughter. The senator’s daughter was played by Amber Tamblyn, who has had some measure of success but was somehow also drafted into this cesspool of shoddy craftsmanship.

Lemme give you an example of the production’s amateurism. In one scene, Posey returns home from work and sees that her pet died in the kitchen. The pet looks like a dog in various shots, and suddenly, the movie cuts to a shot of Posey looking upwards at something and crying. The next shot reveals that Posey’s pet was a cat. The visual cues (is the pet a dog or a cat?) are mis-matched for no apparent reason. The pacing and tones are so off that I had to rewind the scene twice to understand what was happening.

I don’t automatically dismiss straight-to-video movies as you never know when you’ll come across a gem. However, this is exactly the kind of movie that fares poorly with test audiences and finds itself orphaned from the theatrical release schedule. Avoid Spring Breakdown at all costs--your DVD or Blu-ray player may just die on you out of spite.

Video:
The 1.85:1 1080p image is clean, sharp, and bright, which is to be expected of a recent effort distributed by a major Hollywood studio. However, the colors are a tad “hot” at times, even for a spring-break setting. This is due in part to lighting choices, which give the movie a garish look.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English audio track is filled with loud, obnoxious music across the front and occasionally the rear surrounds as befits a movie set during spring break in Texas. Otherwise, the sound mix isn’t anything special--decent dialogue balance, basic sound effects, some pans from left to right and back.

Extras:
You get an audio commentary by the director and Rachel Dratch that is about as unbearable as the movie itself.

There are several additional scenes of poor video quality, though the gag reel looks pretty good (it’s just not funny).

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc.

Spring Breakdown (Ryan Shiraki, 2009)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
84 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; additional scenes; gag reel; previews for other movies; Digital Copy code

Released: 2 June 2009

Parker Posey and Amy Poehler have been smart and funny in various projects. I’m completely mystified as to why they agreed to participate in Spring Breakdown, which is so clumsily cobbled together that it’s painful to watch. Posey and Poehler were joined by Rachel Dratch to play three hapless friends who go on spring break to watch over a senator’s daughter. The senator’s daughter was played by Amber Tamblyn, who has had some measure of success but was somehow also drafted into this cesspool of shoddy craftsmanship.

Lemme give you an example of the production’s amateurism. In one scene, Posey returns home from work and sees that her pet died in the kitchen. The pet looks like a dog in various shots, and suddenly, the movie cuts to a shot of Posey looking upwards at something and crying. The next shot reveals that Posey’s pet was a cat. The visual cues (is the pet a dog or a cat?) are mis-matched for no apparent reason. The pacing and tones are so off that I had to rewind the scene twice to understand what was happening.

I don’t automatically dismiss straight-to-video movies as you never know when you’ll come across a gem. However, this is exactly the kind of movie that fares poorly with test audiences and finds itself orphaned from the theatrical release schedule. Avoid Spring Breakdown at all costs--your DVD or Blu-ray player may just die on you out of spite.

Video:
The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image is clean, sharp, and bright, which is to be expected of a recent effort distributed by a major Hollywood studio. However, the colors are a tad “hot” at times, even for a spring-break setting. This is due in part to lighting choices, which give the movie a garish look.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English audio track is filled with loud, obnoxious music across the front and occasionally the rear surrounds as befits a movie set during spring break in Texas. Otherwise, the sound mix isn’t anything special--decent dialogue balance, basic sound effects, some pans from left to right and back.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies.

You get an audio commentary by the director and Rachel Dratch that is about as unbearable as the movie itself.

There are several additional scenes of poor video quality, though the gag reel looks pretty good (it’s just not funny).

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy code.

Philippe Garrel X 2 (Philippe Garrel, 1989/1991)

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.66:1 windowboxed
83/98 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 mono French
Subtitles: Optional English
Extras: press-books excerpts; lobby cards; “Philippe Garrel, Artiste”; trailers

Released: 26 May 2009

Philippe Garrel is one of the enfants terribles of French cinema. He certainly looks the part, what with his shock of unruly hair. His movies are filled with raw emotions arising from disappointment--especially the disappointment of being let down by loved ones.

Zeitgeist Films brought us Garrel’s Regular Lovers not too long ago, and that movie is now joined by two more in the Philippe Garrel X 2 set. This release includes Emergency Kisses and I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar. Zeitgeist labeled I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar as Disc One, though I encourage you to watch Emergency Kisses first to preserve chronological order. The two movies don’t share the same narrative continuum, but linear chronology allows you to inhabit Garrel’s frame of mind during this period in his career.

In Emergency Kisses, Garrel and his family (including his wife and parents) play versions of themselves. A director is making a movie based on his life, but he doesn’t want to cast his wife as the character based on her. I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar was inspired by Garrel’s relationship with the German singer Nico, whose bohemian ways eventually became inhospitable to a man who sought normality.

Both movies feature several long takes that impress because you come to admire the focus that the filmmakers brought to the table. The camera operators didn’t let their minds wander, and the actors either remembered several-minutes worth of lines and cues or ad-libbed so transparently that they wholly inhabited their characters. This is true even of Johanna ter Steege and Benoit Regent in I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar, although they didn’t have the benefit of playing themselves as the Garrel clan did with Emergency Kisses.

Both movies are highly autobiographical in nature, though the depth of feeling is universal. The movies have story-specific situations, but these set-ups are recognizable under different circumstances. For example, one can easily empathize with the director’s wife in Emergency Kisses because many of us know what it’s like to be mystifyingly left out of a family activity while a stranger takes your place.

Video:
The 1.66:1 windowboxed images are fairly sharp and detailed as far as non-anamorphic presentations go, though print damage is noticeably pervasive. Also, it looks like these transfers were taken from PAL sources (you’ll see ghosting and jagged edges from time to time). The black-and-white Emergency Kisses mostly fares better than the color I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar as black-and-white tends to fade less than color, so oddly, the “newer” (by two years) movie seems dated while the black-and-white is timeless.

Audio:
The low-key DD 2.0 mono French tracks are competent, efficient, and serviceable without calling any attention to themselves (which is a good thing). Any deficiencies, such as pops or hiss, are few and far between. Dialogue is generally intelligible, though sometimes street noises interfere with understanding if you’re relying solely on your ears.

Extras:
--Emergency Kisses--
“Philippe Garrel, Artiste” is the big extra in this set. This is a TV documentary made for the French TV series Cinema, de notre temps, which covers much of Garrel’s career up to 1999.

You also get excerpts from a press book printed around the time of the movie’s release and lobby cards (cardboard photos displayed in theatre lobbies).

--I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar--
Pickings are a bit slim here as you get excerpts from a press book printed around the time of the movie’s release, lobby cards, and two trailers.

--Miscellaneous--
A glossy insert foldout provides an excellent discussion of both movies by Richard Brody, chapter listings, and DVD production credits. The transparent keepcase allows you to read film production credits printed on the reverse side of the cover art.

Revolutionary Road Blu-ray Disc (Sam Mendes, 2008)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
118 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; deleted scenes with optional audio commentary; Lives of Quiet Desperation: The Making of Revolutionary Road; Richard Yates: The Wages of Truth; theatrical trailer

Released: 2 June 2009

Do you like listening to two people having the same argument over and over again? If yes, you’ll love Revolutionary Road, yet another ear-piercing examination of American suburbia from Sam Mendes. Obviously, Mendes was not content with only directing American Beauty, inspiring The Chumscrubber, and producing Things We Lost in the Fire--by the way, all from DreamWorks, which was founded by that other guy obsessed with suburbia, Steven Spielberg.

For two hours, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet bicker about the usual familial concerns, which is fine except that the movie has nothing transcendental or profound to declare. DiCaprio basically re-plays his character from The Departed; it’s easy to look earnest and serious with one’s brows furrowed in constipated studiousness. Winslet is gratingly whiney without generating any sympathies for her character. The movie includes a master-of-the-obvious idiot-savant weirdo, which has now become a Sam-Mendes trademark (in the tradition of Wes Bentley in American Beauty and Jude Law in Road to Perdition). At the end of the movie, a man with hearing problems shuts off his hearing aid so that he can’t hear his wife yammer and yammer and yammer. I felt a profound sense of relief because the sound mix mimics the diegesis, and my suffering ended.

Sam, your two best movies are Road to Perdition and Jarhead, which took you out of the house and into cauldrons of male testosterone. I suggest you re-visit those grounds soon instead of depicting American suburbia ad nauseum.

Video:
You get a lovely 2.35:1 1080p image that has beautiful skin tones. The video is a gorgeous showcase of the handsome production values, which is possibly a tad surreal considering that real life (even in bygone eras with relatively formal sartorial modes) is rarely so “put-together”. Colors are vibrant without appearing to be too “hot”.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English is limited by the movie’s subject matter, which mostly requires a demanding front center channel filled with yelling. There are some directionality effects across the front. It’s tempting to dial down the volume to protect your ears from ringing, though you’d miss out on the fullness of the music score (much better than the movie deserves), which is well-served by lossless-audio technology.

Extras:
The director and screenwriter Justin Haythe provided yak tracks for the movie and various deleted scenes.

“Lives of Quiet Desperation: The Making of Revolutionary Road” is a standard-issue superficial overview of the production.

The Blu-Ray edition has two extras not found on the DVD. “Richard Yates: The Wages of Truth” is a featurette about the author of the source novel, and you also get a theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
For a limited time, you can get a $10 discount if you buy Revolutionary Road and Defiance at the same time. The $10 coupon is attached to Revolutionary Road Blu-rays and DVDs.

Revolutionary Road (Sam Mendes, 2008)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
118 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; deleted scenes with optional audio commentary; Lives of Quiet Desperation: The Making of Revolutionary Road; previews for other movies

Released: 2 June 2009

Do you like listening to two people having the same argument over and over again? If yes, you’ll love Revolutionary Road, yet another ear-piercing examination of American suburbia from Sam Mendes. Obviously, Mendes was not content with only directing American Beauty, inspiring The Chumscrubber, and producing Things We Lost in the Fire--by the way, all from DreamWorks, which was founded by that other guy obsessed with suburbia, Steven Spielberg.

For two hours, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet bicker about the usual familial concerns, which is fine except that the movie has nothing transcendental or profound to declare. DiCaprio basically re-plays his character from The Departed; it’s easy to look earnest and serious with one’s brows furrowed in constipated studiousness. Winslet is gratingly whiney without generating any sympathies for her character. The movie includes a master-of-the-obvious idiot-savant weirdo, which has now become a Sam-Mendes trademark (in the tradition of Wes Bentley in American Beauty and Jude Law in Road to Perdition). At the end of the movie, a man with hearing problems shuts off his hearing aid so that he can’t hear his wife yammer and yammer and yammer. I felt a profound sense of relief because the sound mix mimics the diegesis, and my suffering ended.

Sam, your two best movies are Road to Perdition and Jarhead, which took you out of the house and into cauldrons of male testosterone. I suggest you re-visit those grounds soon instead of depicting American suburbia ad nauseum.

Video:
You get a lovely 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image that has beautiful skin tones. The video is a gorgeous showcase of the handsome production values, which is possibly a tad surreal considering that real life (even in bygone eras with relatively formal sartorial modes) is rarely so “put-together”. Colors are vibrant without appearing to be too “hot”. Fine-object detail is noticeably lesser than the Blu-ray’s video, though that’s to be expected when working with one-sixth of high-def’s maximum resolution.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English is limited by the movie’s subject matter, which mostly requires a demanding front center channel filled with yelling. There are some directionality effects across the front. It’s tempting to dial down the volume to protect your ears from ringing. The music, particularly Thomas Newman’s lush orchestrals, do not sound as full and enveloping as the Blu-ray’s lossless presentation.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other movies.

The director and screenwriter Justin Haythe provided yak tracks for the movie and various deleted scenes.

“Lives of Quiet Desperation: The Making of Revolutionary Road” is a standard-issue superficial overview of the production.

--Miscellaneous--
For a limited time, you can get a $10 discount if you buy Revolutionary Road and Defiance at the same time. The $10 coupon is attached to Revolutionary Road Blu-rays and DVDs.

Defiance Blu-ray Disc (Edward Zwick, 2008)

Paramount (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
136 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; Defiance: Return to the Forest; Children of the Otriad; Bielski Partisan Survivors; Scoring Defiance; theatrical trailers

Released: 2 June 2009

Edward Zwick is the kind of director who bludgeons viewers with hammers. This is rather odd as he usually favors high-brow projects--black soldiers in the American Civil War, martial law in New York City, the last days of Japanese samurai, African conflict diamonds, etc. People who would be interested in these subjects tend to be well-educated, but it seems like Zwick doesn’t trust audiences to generate conclusions on their own.

Defiance is no different. Over and over again, we’re told that DANIEL CRAIG IS AN EFFECTIVE LEADER. Over and over again, we’re told that JAMIE BELL IS A NICE GUY. Over and over again, we’re told that JEWS IN THE FOREST TAKE FOREST HUSBANDS AND WIVES. Over and over again, we’re told that A BALANCED MIX OF BRAWN AND BRAINS WILL HELP JEWS KICK NAZI ASS. You get the idea.

The true story of the Bielski brothers is undeniably powerful and moving. In fact, I got a bit emotional watching the disc’s special feature about the Bielskis’ descendents. However, Zwick’s dramatization lacks any nuance. The master-of-the-obvious dialogue and ugly caricatures turn the movie into a live-action cartoon.

Yes, the Nazis were monsters, but they were human, too. Compare Defiance to Downfall, in which Bruno Ganz plays Adolf Hitler as a crazed maniac but was still recognizable as reality. In Defiance, both the heroes and the villains are played as stereotypes, which means that the movie is paradoxically racist against Jews even as it lionizes physically strong Jewish woodsmen.

Zwick’s movies all share this trend. There are whiffs of intellectualism and “liberal” sentiments about the human condition, but at the end of the day, the guy with the biggest genitalia is the hero. Maybe the real theme of Zwick’s oeuvre is self-loathing?

Video:
There’s quite a bit of grain in this 1.85:1 1080p transfer, though it’s not distracting and rather beautiful. Colors are usually dark and deep. Fine object detail is excellent. You’re probably not going to see any image defects or compression problems. Another top-notch video effort from Paramount.

Audio:
There are several gun battles, but there are long stretches of people talking, eating, and going about routines as they survive in a forest. Thus, expect the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English audio track to be front-loaded, though the rear channels burst to life when appropriate. Subwoofer presence is fairly continuous and even heavy, which is characteristic of contemporary mixes. Dialogue is crisp and clear despite the thick accents.

Extras:
First up is a so-so audio commentary by Edward Zwick, who usually induces sleep when I listen to his yak tracks.

“Defiance: Return to the Forest” is a brief overview of the production with some decent behind-the-scenes footage. “Children of the Otriad” features interviews with descendents of the Bielski brothers as they visit the production on-location and the actual Belarussian settings of their forbears’ bravery. “Bielski Partisan Survivors” is a collection of photo portraits of people who survived the war under the Bielskis’ care.

The Blu-ray also has some extras not found on the DVD edition. “Scoring Defiance” takes a look at the James Newton Howard’s music score, and you also get two theatrical trailers.

--Miscellaneous--
For a limited time, you can get a $10 discount if you buy Defiance and Revolutionary Road at the same time. The $10 coupon is attached to Revolutionary Road Blu-rays and DVDs.

Defiance (Edward Zwick, 2008)

Region 1 Paramount (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
136 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; Defiance: Return to the Forest; Children of the Otriad; Bielski Partisan Survivors; previews for other products

Released: 2 June 2009

Edward Zwick is the kind of director who bludgeons viewers with hammers. This is rather odd as he usually favors high-brow projects--black soldiers in the American Civil War, martial law in New York City, the last days of Japanese samurai, African conflict diamonds, etc. People who would be interested in these subjects tend to be well-educated, but it seems like Zwick doesn’t trust audiences to generate conclusions on their own.

Defiance is no different. Over and over again, we’re told that DANIEL CRAIG IS AN EFFECTIVE LEADER. Over and over again, we’re told that JAMIE BELL IS A NICE GUY. Over and over again, we’re told that JEWS IN THE FOREST TAKE FOREST HUSBANDS AND WIVES. Over and over again, we’re told that A BALANCED MIX OF BRAWN AND BRAINS WILL HELP JEWS KICK NAZI ASS. You get the idea.

The true story of the Bielski brothers is undeniably powerful and moving. In fact, I got a bit emotional watching the disc’s special feature about the Bielskis’ descendents. However, Zwick’s dramatization lacks any nuance. The master-of-the-obvious dialogue and ugly caricatures turn the movie into a live-action cartoon.

Yes, the Nazis were monsters, but they were human, too. Compare Defiance to Downfall, in which Bruno Ganz plays Adolf Hitler as a crazed maniac but was still recognizable as reality. In Defiance, both the heroes and the villains are played as stereotypes, which means that the movie is paradoxically racist against Jews even as it lionizes physically strong Jewish woodsmen.

Zwick’s movies all share this trend. There are whiffs of intellectualism and “liberal” sentiments about the human condition, but at the end of the day, the guy with the biggest genitalia is the hero. Maybe the real theme of Zwick’s oeuvre is self-loathing?

Video:
There’s quite a bit of grain in this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, though it’s not distracting and rather beautiful. Colors are usually dark and deep. You’re probably not going to see any image defects or compression problems.

Audio:
There are several gun battles, but there are long stretches of people talking, eating, and going about routines as they survive in a forest. Thus, expect the DD 5.1 English audio track to be front-loaded, though the rear channels burst to life when appropriate. Subwoofer presence is fairly continuous and even heavy, which is characteristic of contemporary mixes. Dialogue is crisp and clear despite the thick accents.

Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for other products.

There’s a so-so audio commentary by Edward Zwick, who usually induces sleep when I listen to his yak tracks.

“Defiance: Return to the Forest” is a brief overview of the production with some decent behind-the-scenes footage. “Children of the Otriad” features interviews with descendents of the Bielski brothers as they visit the production on-location and the actual Belarussian settings of their forbears’ bravery. “Bielski Partisan Survivors” is a collection of photo portraits of people who survived the war under the Bielskis’ care.

--Miscellaneous--For a limited time, you can get a $10 discount if you buy Defiance and Revolutionary Road at the same time. The $10 coupon is attached to Revolutionary Road Blu-rays and DVDs.

Indecent Proposal Blu-ray Disc (Adrian Lyne, 1993)

Paramount (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
116 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

Released: 9 June 2009

Indecent Proposal generated general public uproar even before it reached theatres. Many people seemed to be indignant about the idea of a married couple agreeing to let Robert Redford sleep with the wife in exchange for $1 million. Why was a major Hollywood studio making prostitution seem so enticing and financially rewarding? After all, it’s one thing to turn tricks on a daily basis to make a living, but $1 million can be a life-altering sum. (Of course, there were also jokes about people who would be willing to sleep with Robert Redford for no money, but free sex is sometimes more expensive than paid sex.)

At face value, the movie seems like glossy trash that’s shocking only to naïve, prudish middle-class Americans. However, the screenplay actually tackles much of the territory that would realistically arise if this situation presented itself to a desperate pair trying to climb the social ladder. Many of us would leap at the chance for easy money, and many of us would regret passing on a fortune if the “price” were only one night of sex. Yet, we humans are jealous creatures and not rational beings. The scripted discussions and arguments are plausible; they prompted me to ponder this dilemma instead of looking down on the material.

Unfortunately, the movie is far from perfect. It’s not even excellent. Rather, it’s merely above average. The directing and an excellent, luminous Demi Moore are let down by bug-eyed acting by Woody Harrelson, Robert Redford giving off the “I can’t believe that I’m here” vibe, Oliver Platt’s obviousness, inappropriately lush and romantic music, and an unconvincing bookend structure.

Video:
The 1.85:1 1080p image will surprise most viewers--not in a good way. The movie is very grainy to the point of distraction. There are times when the grain looks like blobs of mosquito noise. The soft focus and lighting used on Robert Redford sometimes blur the image by quite a bit. There’s also noticeable print damage from time to time. Mercifully, Paramount hasn’t applied heavy DNR to reduce the grain, so the image is fairly sharp.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English doesn’t generate much excitement. John Barry’s sweeping orchestrations are given a wide spread across the front, though much of the action comes from the front center channel. The rears and the subwoofer are generally passive observers, though some of the sequences set in Las Vegas give the subwoofer cause to join the party.

Extras:
The sole extra is an audio commentary by Adrian Lyne. He’s rather reserved and low key this time around, though he does address some of the “controversy” that arose when the movie was released in theatres.

Fatal Attraction Blu-ray Disc (Adrian Lyne, 1987)

Paramount (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
119 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 surround French, DD 2.0 mono Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: audio commentary; Forever Fatal: Remembering Fatal Attraction; Social Attraction: The Cultural Phenomenon of Fatal Attraction; Visual Attraction; rehearsal footage; alternate ending; theatrical trailer

Released: 9 June 2009

When it was released in 1987, Fatal Attraction became something of a pop culture phenomenon. Its premise lead to a lot of ink spilled by the press and many water-cooler discussions at the workplace. Yet, I must say...I don’t get it.

In Fatal Attraction, Michael Douglas plays Dan Gallagher, a married man who has an affair with a woman (Glenn Close) one weekend while his wife and little daughter are gone. Dan’s a good man, and this is probably his first affair. What he doesn’t expect is that Alex Forrest will cling to him obsessively. She calls him at his office constantly, and then she calls him at home constantly. She threatens Dan’s little girl, and she terrorizes the family by boiling the Gallaghers’ pet rabbit. Also, she’s pregnant by Dan.

Adultery and violence can lead to discussions that feel uncomfortable, and the movie tries very hard to make much out of its “controversial” subject matter. Despite the fact that Adrian Lyne is at the helm of the project (he also directed Indecent Proposal, Lolita, and Unfaithful), Fatal Attraction feels very pedestrian, even boring. The movie has a very flat tone, and the pacing drags until the final 15 or so minutes. Also, rather than discussing adultery with any intelligence or moral authority, the movie degenerates into the usual blood-drenched climax. Everybody has a weapon shoved in someone else’s face, and everybody tries to kill someone else.

Video:
The 1.85:1 1080p video image looks a tad faded. Colors are very drab for a relatively recent movie. The transfer is also on the soft side. Film grain has been kept in check, though you can still see it throughout most of the movie. On the plus side, the film negative has been cleaned up so that there aren’t many scratches or patches of dirt. Compression artifacts are non-existent for the most part.

Audio:
For the most part, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track is fairly subdued. Most of the sound field collapses around the center channel speaker. Directionality effects flow across the front speakers once in a while, but the rear speakers don’t get to do much at all. Heavy bass kicks in very suddenly during some scenes with heavy-handed music cues, so you might want to turn down the volume knob to avoid being startled by sudden increases in volume.

Extras:
This Blu-ray edition has the same extras as the DVD.

First up is an audio commentary by director Adrian Lyne. He admits that he doesn’t remember much about the production due to the passage of time, but he does talk fairly continuously throughout the feature, always commenting a bit about what he was trying to do with the movie.

There are a couple of featurettes, but they all feel rather self-congratulatory in tone rather than informative. The first one is “Forever Fatal: Remembering Fatal Attraction”. Basically, people involved in the making of the film recall how “brilliant” the screenplay was and how exciting it was to make a movie like Fatal Attraction. Former Paramount boss Sherry Lansing produced the movie, so it should come as no surprise that she enthuses about the movie, the “highlight” of her producing career.

Next up are “Social Attraction: A Look at the Cultural Phenomenon of Fatal Attraction” and “Visual Attraction: Behind-the-Scenes Production Footage”. The titles basically explain what these featurettes cover. Again, they’re very self-congratulatory in nature.

Finally, you also get rehearsal footage, an alternate ending with introduction by director Adrian Lyne, and a theatrical trailer.

The Fox and the Child (Luc Jacquet, 2007)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced
94 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: previews for other products; Digital Copy code

Released: 2 June 2009

Many animals--even dangerous ones like polar bears--are so captivating and fascinating that they inspire movies that hagiographize and infantilize them. These animals look deceptively cute and cuddly when they’re playing or sleeping, and even the grumpiest human wants to give them tight hugs and make silly noises. There is a sizable (and profitable) market for movies featuring wild animals looking into cameras with quizzical expressions.

The Fox and the Child was directed by Luc Jacquet, one of the men responsible for March of the Penguins. This movie isn’t a documentary, though Jacquet has said that it’s based on some of his own childhood experiences. The movie follows a young girl in Southern France as she develops a relationship with a fox and the fox’s cubs.

As with March of the Penguins, The Fox and the Child has been changed from its original French version. In the United States, Warner is releasing a version with English narration by Kate Winslet. The little girl’s dialogue has been dubbed into English. Also, it appears that a few minutes at the end of the movie have been deleted.

The narration is irritating in that master-of-the-obvious way, and the footage of the young girl is rather boring. Perhaps Jacquet is simply more comfortable with or interested in shooting animals than he is shooting humans. The movie’s climax involves a very shocking accident that makes me hope that some amount of CGI was involved; any “realism” would be excessively cruel.

On balance, you should really seek out this movie to watch the amazing animal footage. There’s a thrilling chase involving a fox and a bobcat that’s as exciting as any action sequence from the past five years. The filmmakers captured an extraordinary shot of the fox’s eyes that display genuine fear. Wide shots of the peculiar way that foxes dig for burrowing animals and close-up shots of romping little foxes offer rare glimpses into the life of a creature that has been victimized for sport for no reason (a situation that persists in England).

Video:
This DVD boasts a strong, sharp 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are vivid and naturalistic (not too bright or candy-like). A fine layer of grain is noticeable, but it’s never distracting and complements the rustic scenery quite well.

Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track is rather basic. The front mains and rear surrounds are used mainly for enveloping music cues, though sometimes the mix offers a variety of animal noises emanating from various directions when the young girl is deep in a forest. Kate Winslet’s narration is robustly reproduced, though the dubbed-over lines for the young girl are a bit thin and unnatural (possibly due to the dubbing actress’s inexperience).

Extras:
Other than front-loaded previews for other products, there aren’t any extras. In fact, the disc is so sparse that you don’t even get menus for chapter selections.

--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy code.

He’s Just Not That Into You (Ken Kwapis, 2009)

Region 1 Warner (USA)
NTSC, 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced and 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan
129 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: deleted scenes with optional audio commentary; previews for other products; Digital Copy code

Released: 2 June 2009

I’m willing to give most genres a chance to prove their worth, but Romantic Comedies generally earn a big FAIL. They develop contrived barriers separating people from couplehood, and their endings are filled with “everything’s okay” blarney of the most putrid order that viewers should be offended by the stinking offal on display. Yet, rom-coms (especially the bad ones, apparently) usually enjoy healthy box-office grosses. This goes to show you that the average person wants to laugh at other people’s miseries and to be coddled.

He’s Just Not That Into You features a cast with a surprising amount of big names--Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson. Even Kris Kristofferson appears in this movie. Many of these actors are talented performers with winning personas (both on-screen and off-screen). I don’t know what possessed them to play such irritating, morally detestable, or unprincipled characters. The writing is so bad that Ben Affleck’s character doesn’t stick to his guns and caves to heteronormative social norms. The writing is so bad that Drew Barrymore’s character, the one character who seems like a normal and nice person, ends up dating a chode. I guess Barrymore has no one to blame but herself, though, as she is listed as one of the executive producers and probably played an important part in developing the movie.

Maybe He’s Just Not That Into You is bad the way that David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is--the filmmakers are actually laughing at people who like this kind of muck.

Video:
The DVD is a two-sided platter. One side has a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image, and the other side has a 1.33:1 Pan-&-Scan hack job. The widescreen image looks like a typical contemporary rom-com (glossy veneer, bright colors) with few compression problems. The Pan-&-Scan looks worse than the original composition, and not just because the picture has been cropped. Perhaps because the Pan-&-Scan process involves zooming in on the center portion of the picture, there is a noticeable loss of resolution; objects are muddier than what you see with the widescreen version.

Audio:
Perhaps due to contractual reasons or perhaps due to New Line becoming a shell of its former self, Warner seems to be releasing New-Line branded movies with only DD 5.1 English tracks and no dubs. There’s not much to report beyond the obvious. The audio is front-biased with some stereo separation for loud and obnoxious music. The rears and the subwoofer spring to life sporadically. Mostly, you just get dialogue from the center channel.

Extras:
Both sides offer the same extras. There are front-loaded previews for other products, and you get a handful of deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by the director. Considering that the movie is too long by at least 45 minutes, some of the movie should’ve been moved into the Extras category.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert advertises the CD soundtrack, and you also get a Digital Copy code.