Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 112 mins – 2008 – Rated R/Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 1.85: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

 

 

Thanks to the success of such films as The Forty Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and SuperBad, the R-rated comedy has made a comeback. But just because a comedy has rapid-fire four letter words and shows some boobs, doesn’t exactly make it funnier. The latest comedy hoping to cash in on the Judd Apatow era is Role Models, available on Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment.

THE MOVIE

Role Models stars Paul Rudd as Danny and Seann William Scott as Wheeler, two friends in their 30’s who are stuck in a dead-end job working as salesmen for an energy drink company. When they get into a mishap that results in them wrecking the company’s truck, they are given the choice of either going to jail or doing 150 hours of community service by becoming mentors to the kids of a program called Sturdy Wings.

Danny becomes the mentor to a social misfit named Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who is obsessed with playing in a live action World of Warcraft community, where people dress up in plastic armor and table clothes for capes. Wheeler gets paired up with a foul-mouthed kid named Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson), who is misguided and mischievous, basically a younger version than him. Through the mentoring program, Danny and Wheeler learn more about themselves through the children, thus transforming themselves into more responsible citizens.

Role Models is not a bad film, it’s just not clear exactly what it’s attempting to offer. Is it trying to be the Meatballs of this generation, or is it attempting to be a Judd Apatow film without the edge? There are funny moments, particularly by Jane Lynch as the former coke addicted founder of the mentoring program, who literally steals every scene she’s in. Fans SuperBad should also enjoy seeing McLovin back in action and all decked out as a member of KISS.

Even though both the R-rated theatrical release and the Unrated versions are available on the disc, believe it or not would have played better if it just went for the PG-13 rating and went for just being a teen comedy. If you like Paul Rudd or Seann William Scott, the film is worth a look, but just don’t expect it to be on the level of the Judd Apatow movies it’s trying to emulate.

VIDEO

Role Models comes to Blu-ray in full 1080p with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and it looks good with bright colors, and excellent skin tones. You can’t expect much from a film like this in terms of photography, because it’s a straight forward as can be in terms of style, looking like any show you’ll see that is presented in HD on cable. There’s nothing to show off, but nothing to complain about either.

AUDIO

Offering a Dolby DTS 5.1 audio, Role Models is just cut and paste mix, but the dialogue is crisp. Background noises are balanced well, but the finale battle scene is the main area where the sound design gets a workout. Like the picture, the sound mix does it’s job without overdoing it.

EXTRAS

Universal always attempts to toss in a lot of goodies with their Blu-ray releases and Role Models follows molding. Both the theatrical release and the three-minute longer unrated versions are offered, so I you want to hear the F-bomb dropped some more the option is there.

Director and co-writer David Wain offers some fun behind the scenes tales via an auidio commentary track.

There is nearly an hour of deleted and alternate scenes, and where usually these outtakes are not worth watching, there are actually some very funny scenes here that were pulled out, so this is worth watching.

On the set of Role Models is an eight-minute promotional clip that features interviews with the cast and filmmakers.

Game On: Creating a Role Playing World, looks at the interactive role-playing world of the group created in the movie called L.A.I.R.E.

In Character & Off Script looks at how the supporting characters use improvisation to add a better edge than what was offered in the script.

Universal’s U-Control allows you to see Picture-In-Picture clips of on the set antics for particular scenes.

Via BD-Live you can create shield crest with Ye Olde Crest Maker, adding different logos and colors and uploading them to share with friends. And view Inside Sturdy Wings to see a mini-bio on the creator of the mentoring program, Gail Sweeny.

BOTTOM LINE

Role Models has its heart in the right place and is worth a look, because you’ll definitely get some laughs out of it. The Blu-ray delivers good image and sound and solid batch of bonus features. Give it a rent first, but if you saw the film already during it’s theatrical release and loved it, then it’s a definate buy, because we all need Role Models.

SCORES: (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 3.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Paramount Home Entertainment – 95 min – 1997 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Master Audio

 

 

Ridley Scott mastered setting a horror film in space brilliantly in the 1979 movie Alien. Since then, this plot has been attempted many, many times with either mediocre or disastrous results. The problem is no one has ever been able to capture the atmosphere of being in deep space with nowhere to run, the key element that made Alien work. Event Horizon makes an attempt to dive into the territory that Ridley Scott created, and for the most part it works well. Event Horizon is now available on Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment hoping to scare you out of your space boots.

THE MOVIE

Taking place in the near future of 2047, a crew of an Earth spacecraft called the Lewis and Clark, led by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) are on an exploration mission in deep space. The arrival of a VIP scientist aboard the craft, Dr. Weir (Sam Neill), re-directs the crew on a new mission to search for a spacecraft called the Event Horizon, which mysteriously disappeared several years ago, but has oddly re-appeared on radar. Via an experimental technique of traveling at the speed of light, the crew of the Lewis and Clark find the Event Horizon sitting dead in space. Entering the vessel they discover that the crew has been brutally slaughtered by something unknown, which instantly begins to resurface as the crew of the Lewis and Clark begins to lose their sanity, as they don’t know whom to trust. One-by-one something hunts them down with extreme prejudice, as they attempt to escape the haunted ship and survive.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson who helmed the videogame-based movies Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil. Even Horizon is not a bad movie; it’s just that we’ve seen it all before done better. Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill are two powerhouse actors who do all they can to bring believability to the movie, but with all the so-called horror movie clichés tossed into the mix, there’s only so much they can do to hold it together. How many scenes can you do with a character standing silently, who is then startled as another cast member walks up behind them? The first time you may jump, but after the fourth time you wish the director could have pulled another trick out of his hat.

The one thing Event Horizon benefits from is it’s short running time of 95 minutes that allows them not to waste any time and get right to the point. Everything is explained in a few simple sentences and then it’s just blood and gore until the ending credits role. As long as you don’t think too hard about it, Event Horizon is quite a thrill ride and perfect for a rainy Saturday night viewing. Even though the film is over a decade old, it still holds up because of it’s excellent art design and photography that makes the film look current, where as most sci-fi films look outdated in a matter of years. Even Horizon will never be labeled as a classic, but for fans of the genre it’s worth a look.

VIDEO

Event Horizon looks great with a full 1080p image in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and because of the film’s art direction, the visuals stand out strong. Being that it’s a horror movie, many elements are hidden in the dark, so blacks are highlighted and look great. Skin tones are also excellent, so you can see ever crater in Fishburne’s face. If you previously owned the standard DVD, this is a big leap up in image and worth the upgrade.

AUDIO

Like the image, Event Horizon delivers in the audio department as well with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix. This is film for those who love to show off their sound systems to others, because the effects have been balanced to highlight all of the speakers and not just the rear ones. Your subwoofer will also vibrate across the floor whenever the Lewis and Clark roars through space, particularly in the light jump sequence. Dialogue is crisp and the music score by Michael Kamen is the icing on the cake. This one is a winner.

EXTRAS

Event Horizon comes to Blu-ray porting over the same bonus features found on the DVD, but it’s a good batch of stuff that makes the disc worth owning.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt provide an audio commentary track that is actually worth listening to, because they do seem passionate about the work.

The Making of Event Horizon is actually longer than the film itself, coming in at around 105 minutes. Divided into five chapters, this informative documentary includes interviews with the cast and filmmakers, discussing everything from the film’s origin, casting and the production itself.

Secrets includes ten minutes of deleted scenes with an optional voice commentary from Paul W.S. Anderson.

Point of No Return is a mini doc that includes some on the set footage and quick interviews. You’re better off just watching the main making of featurette.

The Unseen offers some conceptual artwork of scenes that were written in the script but never filmed. This is kind of interesting if you enjoyed the film.

BOTTOM LINE

Event Horizon, while in no way on the level of the greatest sci-fi horror film (that still belongs to Alien), is still an entertaining film that offers some thrills. The Blu-ray is solid with great picture and sound, as well as a good amount of bonus features. Those who liked the film and want to upgrade from the DVD should definitely consider adding this one to their collection.

SCORES: (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.5

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 3.0

Reviewed by Richard Lee Zuras

Released Feb. 13, 2009

1 hr. 45 min.

PG

P.J.Hogan/Bruckheimer Films

Isla Fisher

Hugh Dancy

Krysten Ritter

Critics used to exist to steer folks away from movies like this. In this day and age, people seldom listen to the critics–even when, en masse, the critics rise up and sound the alarm: This film may be hazardous to your health.

No, really. If you are young and therefore impressionable, this is a film that may indeed give you a mixed message wrapped in couture. The whole film, including Isla’s wink at the end as she is drawn to a new pair of shoes (or whatever…I was numb to the gimmicky mannequin trick by then and was having flashbacks of Andrew McCarthy), pretends it is teaching you a lesson on responsibility. Here’s the thing–if 102 physicians tell you that you have a disease, well chances are you do. It is almost impossible to find a critic that does not feel truly insulted by sections of this film. Search the net. Give it a try.

The writing is not only bad, it is an exercise in, and an insult to cliches. One can imagine that the true intended audience for this film is so young they have simply not seen all of this before. Therefore, the audience that enjoys this film is young enough to see (note the squareness of the parents and the mean debt collector who is simply doing his 9-5 job) that it is okay to behave in this manner–not to mention finding it viable that everyone is fabulous looking and people with heavy intellects who run intellectual finance magazines look like Hugh Dancy. Or that with no actual education in such boring things like personal finance a ditzy, arrested development socialite wannabe could pull off writing finance articles that the intellectuals will not only accept but welcome. Gee why didn’t I think of dumbing down economics?

There are messages here that relate to every aspect of our current financial crisis. This movie would be funny IF it were a training film from the 60’s–the kind they used to show high school students. It could be called “Here we have a woman in her early 30’s that has no discernible knowledge of the world around her that also lives with a roommate some 6 or 7 years younger that seems to already know more than she.” Or a high school film called “Addicted to shopping: How you can spot obvious psychology problems.”

There are intelligent attempts in the third act of the film. For a few moments we see that we are not supposed to act like this…but those moments are quickly undermined by acts that force the viewer to again side with the shopaholic who has, and seems likely to continue to, regress. When one watches a movie about alcohol addiction, for instance Leaving Las Vegas, one is not prone to see the addiction in a good light. But then again, if a movie tells you to think, even introspect, and not fall prey to materialism–that film will make less money that this one. Therein lies the APR…

Bottom line 2.0/5.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair 

 

Fox Home Entertainment – 121 minutes – 1998 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS-HD Lossless 5.1 Audio Mix

 

 

A good spy/espionage thriller is hard to come by, so for those of you who have never seen Ronin, you’re in for something worthy. Ronin is the Japanese term for a masterless samurai. This premise has been updated to relate to current world assassins and spies who no longer have anything to fight for, so they’ll do anything for a price. Ronin is available on Blu-ray from MGM/Fox Home Entertainment, packed full of action.

 

THE MOVIE

 

Ronin takes place in Paris centering around a mysterious woman named Dierdre (Natascha McElhone), who has assembled a team of men from various regions of the world for a secret mission to retrieve a briefcase, in which no one knows the contents, before it can be sold to the Russians. The team consists of a group who only use first names (made up most likely), Sam (Robert De Niro), Vincent (Jean Reno), Gregor (Stellan Skarsgard), Spense (Sean Bean), and Larry (Skipp Sudduth).

 

This team is not exactly compatible with one another, but money makes them temporarily put their differences aside. The mission to retrieve the briefcase is successful until one member of the team betrays the others and takes the case for himself to sell to the highest bidder. The remaining members of the group must work together to go after the rogue player to get back the briefcase and settle the score.

 

Ronin was directed by John Frankenheimer, who helmed such movies as The Manchurian Candidate and Black Sunday, so he’s no stranger to thrillers. With Paris as the backdrop there are various expertly maneuvered action sequences such as car chases through narrow streets and gun fights that highlight the sights of the city. Anyone who enjoyed the Jason Bourne films will appreciate this film, because it has the same feel and pacing with gritty environments and many elements hidden in shadows.

 

This film works because it’s taken seriously, with no over the top action sequences or visual effects. Everything is shot to reflect what would occur realistically in every situation. The violence is real with no punchline to fully demonstrate how dangerous the situation is. De Niro gives an excellent performance as the only American in the bunch, and Reno, who is most famous as for his role as Leon in The Professional, is a perfect match to work alongside him.

 

Anyone who desires to see a solid thriller directed by a master filmmaker should definitely put Ronin on their list of must-sees. It was rumored that Ronin was supposed to be the first in a series of espionage thrillers featuring De Niro’s character, but somehow this never came to be, which is a shame because De Niro is so good in the role that you want to know more about this mystery man.

 

VIDEO

 

Presented in full 1080p with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Ronin looks good on Blu-ray highlighting strong textures and rich blacks. Paris’ architecture becomes a character in the film because even when the action is intense, the setting it’s occurring in stands out. Grain is present in certain scenes, but given the premise of these dark characters, it adds to what is being visually translated.

 

AUDIO

 

Ronin features a DTS-HD Lossless 5.1 audio mix that is very effective in immersing the viewer. Dialogue sounds crisps and when the action takes, whether it is a car chase or a gunfight, the sound design is top notch. Background noises are especially highlighted, making crowd scenes sound fully three-dimensional.

 

EXTRAS

 

For some reason none of the features that were on the DVD have been ported over to the Blu-ray, so the audio commentary by director John Frankenheimer has been omitted, and the only single feature is the film’s theatrical trailer. What a letdown.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Ronin is an excellent well-paced action thriller that is a must for fans of the genre. This Blu-ray offers excellent picture and sound quality, but the lack of bonus features is a disappointment. If you don’t care about the extras and just love the film, then this is a step up from the standard DVD.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

 

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 0.5

Bottom Line: 3.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 102 mins – 1994 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

 

 

Super Mario Brothers and Street Fighter were the first videogame-based movies to get the full Hollywood treatment, and it’s easy to see why they both failed. When it came out in 1994, Street Fighter may have sounded like a good idea on paper to cash in on video gamers, especially with Jean-Claude Van Damme attached, who at the time was an A-list action star. Seeing this film when you were a kid was one thing, but watching it now fifteen years later makes you wonder was this intended to be a comedy or were they dead serious. Judge for yourself as Street Fighter comes to Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment.

 

THE MOVIE

 

If you’ve never played any of the Capcom Street Fighter videogames, then stop right here, because there’s no need to go any further. For the die-hard fans who played the game religiously and know how to execute everyone of Ryu’s moves, yet can’t find Asia on a map, you may get a chuckle out of the film, but Enter the Dragon it’s not. The story, if you can call it that, centers around Colonel William F. Guile (Van Damme), who is trying to stop a madman dictator named General Bison (Raul Julia), who has taken hostages and plans on killing them one-by-one unless he receives…Twenty Billion Dollars. Along for the adventure is every one of the characters from the Street Fighter game they could toss in. The list includes Chun Li (Ming-Na), Lt. Cammy (Kyle Minogue…yes, the pop singer), Sagat (Wes Studi), Balrog (Grand L. Bush), Vega (Jay Tavare), and a where are they now miscellaneous casts to fill out the rest.

 

Believe it or not this film was written and directed by the screenwriter of Die Hard, Steven De Souza, which is one of the best action films of all time, but what was he thinking when he wrote this one? Everything looks cheap, with costumes that seem like they were made by K-mart, sets that look like leftovers The Power Rangers, and the worst martial arts choreography to date. Most of the actors in the film look embarrassed to, and its ashamed that after a solid resume of films, this had to be the last film Raul Julia did before he passed away.

 

True, how do you make a movie based on a game that had no real storyline in the first place? You play a game like Street Fighter to open a can of whip ass on someone, not for the plot twists. At least the Mortal Kombat movie that followed a few years later learned from the mistakes of Street Fighter and just focused on the fight sequences, which is what people are paying to see. It would have been better if Street Fighter went over the top to fit itself into the camp genre, but instead it just implodes into something that is unwatchable.

 

Hollywood never learns, so with the arrival of Capcom’s new Street Fighter IV game, there is a new movie to go along with it, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li hitting theaters late February. Being that the 1994 version was so bad, this new film can only be a step up, even if it’s a small one. If you’re a collector of cheesy films, then Street Fighter will fill out your collection, but others should just skip this one or rent it for a nostalgic laugh.

 

VIDEO

 

Presented in 1080p in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Street Fighter is definitely not the high point for high definition Blu-ray. The image quality is mediocre at best, and if you put it side by side with the standard DVD, there probably wouldn’t be that much of a difference. Colors are muted and blacks are not very strong. There is so much grain in some scenes that you’ll think the cast is being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. Universal usually has great transfers, but something went wrong here.

 

AUDIO

 

Street Fighter offers a DTS 5.1 sound mix that is decent, but being that it’s used for bad dialogue and lame action sequences, it doesn’t stand out. There also seems to be more front speaker effects than rear speakers, sounding as if the heart of the mix was funneled through one setting. Overall, there’s nothing that’s worthy of cranking up your speakers.

 

EXTRAS

 

Universal did what they could to fill up this disc with special features, but there’s really nothing that special about what’s offered, and most of it is just hype for the new Street Fighter game.

 

There’s an audio commentary with the film’s writer/director Steven De Souza.

 

Two Deleted scenes featuring Chun Li, that attempt to dive more into her backstory.

 

The Making of Street Fighter is promotional clip from when the film was first released featuring interviews with the cast and crew, and boy does this thing look dated.

 

Storyboards of the film’s prison break and boardroom sequences can be accessed.

 

Cyberwalk is an odd series of posters that promote Bison’s military force.

 

Clips from the original Street Fighter videogames are shown to make comparisons to the film.

 

Trailers for the new Street Fighter game are available in full HD.

 

For some reason there’s no mention of the brand new Street Fighter movie, which should have definitely been tagged on to sell this thing.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

This Blu-ray is a hard sell, because for those who know nothing about the Street Fighter games, watching this will be torture. Then for fans of the games, other than nostalgia, they’ll be incredible disappointed with the outcome. Unless you know exactly what you’re getting into, Street Fighter is a rental.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

 

The Movie: 2.0

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 2.5

Bottom Line: 2.5

Reviewed by Richard Lee Zuras
Released Jan. 11, 2009
1 hr. 56 min.
R
Clint Eastwood/Warner Brothers
Clint Eastwood
Christopher Carley
Bee Vang
Ahney Hur
John Carroll Lynch
Rumored (falsely) to be the last Dirty Harry film, Gran Torino lives up to that lineage in many ways. Though the film does not center around the old Eastwood character, per se, the bitter, recently widowed, do-it-my-way, violent-but-loveable Walt Kowalski could certainly pass for Inspector Callahan’s long lost twin.

This is a man who seems to have written, or at least read and highlighted, the racist slang thesaurus. His banter is so over the top he puts the audience almost at ease with his verbiage. It is a newer technique to be sure, but one we have seen worked to perfection by the comedy mastermind of one Ricky Gervais. What makes us feel uneasy also serves to disarm us, and after awhile you (or at least the people around you in their shared discomfort) actually begin to laugh at people being verbally slurred. In a sense, we have here the grizzled, four-score result of Harry Callahan’s abusive life span–as the world around him, and his place within it, has changed.

This ex-Korean War “hero” (Walt sees no heroism in killing) is now surrounded, literally, by the Hmong people, and he can’t reconcile himself as to where they came from and why they won’t stay off his lawn. But what is somewhat innocent begins to turn when the neighborhood gang element rears its ugly head. Walt becomes engaged with his community, in seemingly surrogate fashion (Walt is completely un-engaged with his own family), and his attempts to protect his immediate neighbors turns horribly violent.

It is this violence that turns the movie from a comic-like starrer to a 1970s vengeance film. It is less Dirty Harry and more like the little known, 1980 nugget called Defiance. Like Defiance, this is a movie where our hero is unwilling to get involved, but eventually his involvement forces the involvement of the community in its goal to eradicate the street gangs. At the end of both films we are left with a community willing to bear witness, which is sometimes all it takes.

The performances are excellent, with Eastwood having scored noms for Best Actor from the likes of the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, and the National Board of Review. The role of Sue is more than aptly played by first timer Ahney Hur, and the cast as a whole seems to appreciate the difficult mix of dark comedy and violence the picture aims for. The screenplay by little known Nick Schenk received the award for Best Original Screenplay from the National Board of Review–though you may wonder why if you are less than impressed with the third act. But if this is indeed the final act in Eastwood’s storied acting career (as he says it likely is), he has done all of us proud–including one Harry Callahan.

Bottom Line: 4.0/5.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Weinstein Company – 101 minutes – 2008 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio

 

Kevin Smith has a built in audience, and even though it’s a small one, it’s enough to keep him in the film industry. He’s been making films for over a decade, and just when you think he’s going to grow as an artist, he keeps returning to safer ground and not taking any risk to broaden his audience. His latest film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno is nothing more than a Clerks movie with a new coat of paint. And that’s fine, because that what Kevin Smith’s fans want to see. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is now available on Blu-ray from the Weinstein Company.

THE MOVIE

Zack and Miri, played by Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are best friends from the days of grade school who now live together as roommates, but have never crossed the line to take their relationship into the bedroom. Being that they are both in heavy debt, not even having electricity in their home, after going to their high school reunion they come up with an idea that may save them. They decide to shoot an amateur porn movie staring themselves, hoping that everyone from their high school class would buy it, giving them enough cash to get back on their feet.

With the help of their friends and a low rent group of porn star wannabees, they attempt to turn there idea into a reality. The only obstacle in their way is their love for one another, and through trial and error they realize that this film is actually just an excuse for them to finally get to do the nasty with each other after years of holding out.

Zack and Miri has an interesting supporting cast, which includes Kevin Smith’s on screen partner Jason Mewes, up and coming funny man Craig Robinson, one time Superman Brandon Routh, and an hysterical cameo by Justin Long as a gay porn star. To add legitimacy to the porn element, a couple of real names in the biz have roles such as Katie Morgan, and a woman who can’t separate herself from the industry no matter how much she tries, Tracy Lords.

As you would imagine with most Kevin Smith film, this is a relationship movie and even a date movie, but instead of you’re typical Julia Roberts’ flick approach, Zack and Miri is filled with vulgar jokes and scenarios, and when it works you will laugh, but then there are times when you’ll wonder what Smith was thinking. Seth Rogen is starting to show that he can only play one type of character, because there really is very little difference here from the guy he played in Knocked Up. Elizabeth (who oddly played first lady Laura Bush in W.) is trying to make the best of her performance, but looks as if she’s stumbling with the material.

Overall, whether or not you like Zack and Miri Make a Porno depends on who you are. If you a fan of Smith’s you’re going to love it; if you’re looking for something that fits the molding of a Judd Apatow film, it’s not as intelligent, and aims more for the dick joke than attempting to offer more. Kevin Smith needs to try something different in the future, because eventually his Clerk’s audience will get their fix somewhere else.

VIDEO

Zack and Miri looks good on Blu-ray, offering a full 1080p image in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Colors and skin tones are solid and because the entire film is shot in controlled environments, the image does not suffer from heavy grain from dark scenes. It’s not show off material, but it does the job.

AUDIO

With a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix, Zack and Miri won’t blow you away, but it’s acceptable. The film is dialogue heavy and everything sounds clear, but there are moments that character’s exchange appeared to be muffled. Nothing fancy, just exactly what you would expect.

EXTRAS

This Blu-ray actually has a solid amount of extras that make this disc worth owning if you liked the film. There’s no director’s commentary, but you won’t need it because Popcorn Porn tells you all you need to know.

Popcorn Porn: The Making of Zack and Miri runs about 75 minutes and brings you behind the scenes of the production, from its origins, casting, shooting, and post. Smith’s fans will appreciate this documentary over all the other bonus features.

The 22 Webisodes that were shown on Kevin Smith’s website during the making of the film are all here in one collection.

There’s a huge list of deleted scenes, and unlike most throw-a-way scenes you’ll watch on most Blu-rays, some of these are actually funny.

Seth vs. Justin is a collection of scenes where the two actors go off the script to improvise whatever is takes to make things funnier.

Comic-Con 2008 features Kevin Smith and the casts at the event promoting the upcoming film.

BOTTOM LINE

Is Zack and Miri Make a Porno Kevin Smith’s best piece of work? No. But his fans and the overlapping Judd Apatow audience should find it enjoyable. The Blu-ray offers good picture quality, decent sound, and the bonus features are a big plus. Give it a try, just as long as you realize what you’re getting yourself into.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 4.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 3.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Fox Home Entertainment– 111 minutes – 2008 – Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.40:1 – DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Audio – Digital Copy

 

Hollywood tosses out plenty of horror-thrillers every year, some good and plenty of them bad. In the case of the movie Mirrors, here’s a one that should be placed in the middle, because it’s not a bad film at all, but at the same time it doesn’t add anything new to the genre. Mirror comes to Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment offering some thrills and chills just as long as you accept it for what it is.

THE MOVIE

Mirrors stars Kiefer Sutherland as Ben Carson a former cop who has fallen into deep depression and alcoholism, causing him to split from his wife Amy (Paula Patton) and two children. To earn a living Ben takes a job as a night security guard at a former famous New York City department store, which was closed down after a massive fire that left it in ruins. What should have been an easy job begins to turn into something more as Ben notices odd occurrences inside the place that also seem to be following him outside.

The many mirrors that fill the store have all been untouched by the catastrophe, and Ben quickly discovers that they are the link to what he has been seeing and experiencing. Obviously no one believes him, particularly his wife who believes he’s having a breakdown. But when their children are put at risk by this terror, Ban and Amy must do everything they can to protect them from this unknown terror that is attempting to rip their family apart.

Directed by Alexandre Aja, Mirrors is a loose remake of the Korean horror film Into The Mirror, and has many of the elements we’ve seen in previous Asian horror remakes such as The Ring, Dark Water, and The Grudge. Mirrors works because it’s not going after the typical Gossip Girl teenager audience, and instead focuses on a family in danger. Kiefer Sutherland and co-star Paula Patton give solid performances and you can relate to their situation, because even though there are many moments of gore and cheap thrills, it’s all about getting the children out of harm’s way.

Mirrors is a perfect Saturday night horror film, mainly because it’s not a silly slasher flick and stays faithful to the Asian horror cinema genre. My only gripe is that there were CGI effects thrown in places that really did not need them, turning certain scenes into overkill, but this can be overlooked because at least the story remained solid. For horror fans, especially those tired of dumb horror remakes like Prom Night, The Hills Have Eyes, and One Missed call, Mirrors is definitely worth your attention.

VIDEO

This Blu-ray offers a full 1080p image in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, and even though it’s not spectacular, it looks good. Most of the film is shot in dark interiors so there is heavy grain, but it works because of the tone. The film offers two visual styles where when the family is together colors are bright and clean, but when Ben is on his dark path colors are muted and the darkness is highlighted. Under the proper setting, such as in a room with the lights out on a rainy night, the look of the film will pull you in.

AUDIO

With a Dolby Digital DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Master Audio mix, if you have a surround sound system this film will make you jump in all the right places. The sound effects stand out making what the characters experience more intense. Dialogue sounds crisp and even all the creepy background sounds remain strong. This one is definate show off material for audio lovers. One other note is that the film’s music score by Javier Navarrete is perfect.

EXTRAS

Mirrors hits Blu-ray in a two-disc edition offering both the theatrical as well as the unrated version with a alternative ending.

Anna Esseker Hospital Footage is a recreation of one of the key figures of the movie, showing the torture she went through as a child in the asylum.

Eight deleted scenes are offered with an optional commentary by Director Alexandre Aja.

Reflections: The Making of Mirrors shows you what went into the production, including interviews with the cast and crew.

Behind the Mirror is a mini documentary on the history of mirrors and its relation to the supernatural.

There’s an animated storyboard sequence of the bathtub death scene, which is one of the main highlights of the film.

Via the BonusView Picture-in-Picture (PiP), you can watch behind the scenes clips from the film.

Finally there’s a Digital Copy of the film for your portable device of choice.

BOTTOM LINE

Mirrors is a well done horror thriller that should satisfy fans of the genre. The Blu-ray is solid package with good picture and excellent sound as well as a worthy offering of bonus features including a Digital Copy. If you enjoyed the film, this Blu-ray is worth owning, but if you’re skeptical give it a rent first, but you may be surprised with how well it’s done.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 3.5

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 4.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Fox Home Entertainment – 103 minutes – 2008 – Rated PG-13 and Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Audio – Digital Copy

 

Movies based on videogames still are not on the level where they are taken seriously. Some have made a ton of money, such as the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil flicks, while others are unbearable, such as anything with Uwe Boll’s name attached to it. But Hollywood is going to keep trying until the day comes when they get one right. Max Payne is the latest effort to fuse games and movies, now available on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment.

THE MOVIE

Mark Wahlberg is New York City Detective Max Payne, a cop who is suffering everyday after he discovered his family brutally murdered. He has never found the ones responsible, but hunts for them day-by-day. After the death of a woman, who is the sister of a Russian mob queen named Mona Sax,(Mila Kunis), Payne finds clues that may bring him closer to the answers he’s been looking for. Forced to team up with the gun-toting femme fatale, Mona, Payne enters a dark world filled with killers, drugs and friends who are actually worse than his own enemies, on a mission to end his nightmare once and for all.

The main issue with Max Payne is that it takes itself way too seriously, and removes all the elements that attracted you to play the videogames. It seems that Director John Moore was more interested than the look of the film, than the actual story itself. For an action film that is based on a game that is filled with non-stop action, there is not much offered on the screen. The film would have worked much better if it went for a more direct John Woo approach and just delivered the high voltage gunplay you get from playing the game.

Unfortunately, the only thing that makes you aware that this film is based on the game is the title character’s name. Otherwise if you changed the title and a few names in the script, this could just have been released as another Mark Wahlberg movie. The one thing the movie does have going for it is the production value, which is a cross between Sin City and The Dark Night and obviously The Matrix, delivering a film noir style that makes you wish you were watching it with a more involving story.

Max Payne is not an entirely bad film, it’s just boring, and not the movie you think it’s going to be when you it down and watch it. If you loved the Max Payne games, you’re going to hate this movie. If you’ve never played any of the games and you’re watching this as a first timer, you may find it entertaining, but on a tilt.

VIDEO

Presented in full 1080p with a 2.35:1aspect ratio, Max Payne looks fantastic on Blu-ray, and the style of the film itself may keep you watching, especially if you’re new to high definition. The movie goes for a noir style, so it shows off very small amounts of bright colors in favor of deep blacks and grays that stand out, giving you everything you expect from a Blu-ray. If you ignore the story, this one is a visual winner.

AUDIO

Again here’s another Blu-ray where the video and sound are far more impressive than the film itself. With a DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Master Audio mix, if you have a home sound system you will be blown away. Careful attention to detail was created for the sound of the bullets, allowing you feel as if guns are being fired in your living room. The music score itself is also effective, delivering the atmosphere that is the world of Max Payne.

EXTRAS

This Blu-ray offers a nice package of goodies, including both the theatrical and unrated versions of the film, as well a Digital Copy.

An audio commentary features Director John Moore, Production Designer Daniel Dorrance and Visual Effects Supervisor Everette Burrell.

Picture is a behind the scenes documentary of the making of Max Payne, that makes it look like all it takes to make a movie is people kissing each other’s asses.

Michelle Payne is a full motion graphic novel that shows the backstory of the murder of Max Payne’s family. This is probably one of the best features on the disc.

Via Bonus View you can access a picture-in-picture (PiP) view that shows behind the scenes footage of the making of the film.

A Digital Copy allows you to watch the unrated version of the film on your mobile device.

BOTTOM LINE

Max Payne will be added to the growing list of videogame-based films trying to cash in on the industry. Although it’s a mediocre film, the Blu-ray offers incredible image and sound quality and a good batch of bonus features. Unless you are a die hard fan of Mark Wahlberg, this film is a rental, but if you can catch a good deal to get it for under twenty bucks, it’s worth having just to demo your HDTV and sound system.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.0

Video: 4.5

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 3.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Warner Home Video – 130 mins – 2008 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio Mix – Digital Copy

 

Ever since the success of Training Day, the quest to make the next big film about dirty cops has uncovered a long list of movies that still have not been able to hit the target. Pride and Glory attempts to expand this genre, mixing in the ‘family of cops’ element, and the result is your basic cop drama that has been done before, making this effort feel mediocre. Pride and Glory comes to Blu-ray from Warner Home Video, so if you’re big on cop dramas it may be worth a look.

THE MOVIE

Set in New York City, Pride and Glory centers around an incident where four police officers are brutally murdered during a drug bust gone wrong. Head Detective Francis Tierney (Jon Voight), is in charge of finding out what went wrong and assigns his son Ray Tierney (Edward Norton), to assemble a team to investigate the crime. Two other family members who are also cops, Jimmy (Colin Farrell) and Francis Jr. (Noah Emmerich) are tossed into the mix because they were close to the officers who were killed. Even though all roads lead to a drug lord named Tezo (Ramon Rodriguez), to be the prime suspect, Jimmy’s gets deeper into the investigation that points to certain members of the NYPD including his brother and law Jimmy.

Directed and co-written by Gavin O’Connor, Pride and Glory is well made and acted, but the problem is as a viewer there’s nothing that really draws you in. There have been so many cop dramas that weave into the same box, such as last year’s We Own The Night, that they all look the same. The other writer of the screenplay, Joe Carnahan, made the 2002 film Narc, which also dealt with police corruption, so he’s no stranger to the territory. The performances are satisfactory, but no one stands out, making it hard to keep you involved.

TV crime dramas such as NYPD Blue, Law and Order, The Wire, and even The Shield have dived into stories such as this repeatedly, so when you see a big screen police drama you expect so much more. Pride and Glory is not a bad film, it’s just not confident in what it’s attempting to do, and with a running time over two hours it feels longer than it is.

With the heavyweight casts it possesses, Pride and Glory should have been a much better film and a step above a TV drama. At best this one is a rental, because after you see it once, there’s no desire to watch it again. Eventually another excellent police crime dram will come along, but despite some good performances, Pride and Glory falls short of being something that may have been great.

VIDEO

Presented in full 1080p in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Pride and Glory has a good image, but nothing jumps off the screen. Intentionally or not, there is a lot of grain in the picture, but this may be because of the dark tone the film is setting. Skin tones are solid, but other areas look flat, looking no better than what you would see on the standard DVD. Overall, you’re just offered a basic image without the bells and whistles.

AUDIO

Pride and Glory has a Dolby TrueHD sound mix that is actually the best highlight on the Blu-ray. There is plenty of background ambience to give you the sense being on the scene, with constant chatter and distance sound effects. This is a dialogue heavy film, and for the most part everything sounds clear, but there are times when characters, particularly Farrell, are mumbling, but they may just be his acting style.

EXTRAS

Besides a Digital Copy of the movie, the only extra included is the documentary Source of Pride: The Making of Pride and Glory, a sixty-seven minute behind the scenes journey featuring the casts and filmmakers, that is more involving than actually watching the film.

BOTTOM LINE

Pride and Glory should have been much better, but those who are looking for a cop drama that attempts to go for a realistic tone may want to give it a viewing. The Blu-ray itself doesn’t make it more worthy than the standard DVD, with a basic picture and solid sound, but if you do like this movie, this is the way to go. Put Pride and Glory on your list of films to rent.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 2.5

Bottom Line: 3.0