Reviewed by Richard Lee Zuras

Released Dec. 25

I hr. 44 min.

PG-13

John Patrick Shanley/Miramax

Meryl Streep

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Amy Adams

Viola Davis

Some films have divining rods built into them. It may be argued that a film such as Doubt has such a rod. After all, who among us that has been raised in or amongst those who attended Catholic school can resist a film that places at its heart that one nun that scared the *^%@ out of everyone? For those raised in the 1960’s, or for those steeped in its cultural uprisings, another rod, therein, built-in. This film takes place right there, in 1964, amongst the JFK assassination aftermath, amongst the beginnings of de-segregation, amongst the new role of the American woman, amongst the shift toward secularism, even amongst the shakeup known as Vatican ll.

That being said—this is a film that also reaches out to those who are younger, and less informed of The Church and/or the counter-culture movement. In an example of where casting meets script, Streep and Hoffman and Adams and Davis all bring to bear a humanity not often glimpsed in daily life. Each of these characters is real—even palpable. Like their Tony nominated counterparts in Shanley’s original play, these actors all secured Oscar nominations. Streep is likely to win. Davis is a discovery waiting to happen. Adams is unique in her charms, and Hoffman’s gravitas has become bankable.

This film is a work of Art—even if it is, at times, clearly in the wrong kind of theater (perhaps the Pulitzer winning play will find a well-deserved revival). No matter. The performances are strong enough to make up for its lack of forward motion and quick cuts we have become so accustomed to viewing. Hitchcock used to lament that before he came along, Hollywood was nothing more than filmed stage plays. He was right, of course. And in many ways Doubt is little more than that. The end, I might add without spoiling, also smacks of the stage. This is a film that follows Poe’s (fiction) advice that the work follow the theory of single effect. Doubt achieves this end with perfection. One effect should be stated early on, and everything in the work of Art should follow. It does. From the opening moments of the film Shanley tells us we will be exploring the idea of doubt—of having doubts about matters of extreme importance. To follow Poe’s advice and refer you to my opening salvo: did the followers of Catholocism, or at least Shanley himself, have built in doubts during the reform of Vatican ll? It is a question the film may pose, but it does not claim to answer.

On the surface its draw is also its timing coming in the decade that has seen many accusations and uprisings amid the sexual scandals of the Catholic Church. That it doesn’t mine these for cheap effect and ticket sales is another accolade of its fine scope and script. That it has made back its $25 million budget in four weeks of wide release—in this day and age of cheap, empty, popcorn movies—is nothing short of a welcome miracle.

Bottom line 4.0/5.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair 

 

Paramount Home Entertainment – 90 mins – 2009 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Master Audio

 

 

The original Without A Paddle movie came out in 2004, and maybe I didn’t get the memo, but I don’t recall anyone ever wishing a sequel would be made. But whether you wanted it or not, five years later the next chapter in the Without A Paddle series has arrived on Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment, and if you’re a big fan of computer generated squirrels, then Without A Paddle: Nature’s Calling has your name written all over it.

 

THE MOVIE

 

The first Without A Paddle movie starred Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard as three buddies who go into the wild looking for D.B. Cooper’s lost fortune. The sequel has an entirely new cast, all unknowns, who have been passed the torch to have their own wild adventure. Nature’s Calling stars Oliver James as Ben, Kristopher Turner as Zach, and Rik Young as Nigel, who have no relation whatsoever to any of the characters from the first film.

 

Starting out with Ben and Zach as freshman in high school, Ben becomes obsessed with the girl of his dreams, Heather, who is a hardcore nature lover and environmentalist. Being too shy, he never gets to be with Heather, and goes through the rest of high school just watching her from the sidelines. Years later, Ben who is now a lawyer, and Zach, who works in a retirement home are still buddies, but not very close. When Zach learns that one of the old ladies in his retirement home is dying and asks him to find her grand daughter who lives in the wild, he accepts the task when he discovers that the girl is actually Heather.

 

Ben, still in love with Heather is convinced by Zach to go in search of her, and they are joined by the old lady’s nephew, a British oddball named Nigel. As you would expect in this type of setting, a series of zany antics occur in the wild, which includes gunmen who are on their trail, scantily clad girls, and of course a pack of killer squirrels.

 

Without A Paddle: Nature’s Calling is harmless, and it’s obvious why this went the path of direct-to-video, because no one would pay to see this in the theater. Not even anyone from the original movie makes a cameo to make this film look like a legitimate sequel, such as the American Pie videos did. Yeah, Seth Green keeps himself busy with Robot Chicken, but they couldn’t grab Matthew Lillard? It’s not like he’s in demand these days and could probably use the work.

 

Also this film would have benefited more if it just went for the teen audience and been R-Rated with a lot of T&A to distract you from the lame premise. Without A Paddle: Nature’s calling may be entertaining if you’re watching it on a plane and can’t sleep, but with so many other movies available on Blu-ray, this one will be pushed to the back of the shelf and never seen again.

 

VIDEO

 

Presented in full 1080p in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Without A Paddle: Nature’s calling doesn’t look bad, but it’s not show off Blu-ray material. The image quality is sharp and colors are bright, but it only looks slightly above what you’re going to get from a standard DVD.

 

SOUND

 

Offering a Dolby TruHD 5.1 sound mix, the film sounds acceptable, but there are no bells and whistles. Dialogue is crisp and the background sounds of nature sound solid, but other than that, not much was put into this direct-to-video sound mix.

 

EXTRAS

 

There’s really nothing here, but a few things were tossed in just to technically say on the back of the box there are special features.

 

Up The Creak is a ten-minute behind the scenes look at the film that is just a cut and paste series of interviews with the cast and crew. Basic promotional material, and nothing more.

 

Furious Nuts is a quick featurette on the CGI squirrels that are the only highlight of the movie.

 

Treehouse Tales shows how one of the prime sets of the film was made.

 

Finally there are deleted scenes and a gag reel that once they’re over you won’t remember.

 

Oddly, there is a Digital Copy of the film, even though it’s not labeled on the box, but it’s only for viewing on your PC and will not play in an iPod/iPhone or Zune. So WTF?

BOTTOM LINE

 

Let’s face it, this is a sequel that no one was asking for, and even as a direct-to-video title there’s not much there to hold your attention. The Blu-ray’s image and sound quality are acceptable, but won’t jump out at you. Overall this is a hard one to sell.

 

SCORES (Out of 10):

 

The Movie: 2.0

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 1.5

Bottom Line: 2.0

 

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Fox Home Entertainment– 101 minutes – 2008 – Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS HD 5.1 Lossless Audio – Digital Copy

 

The problem with the sci-fi film genre is that for every great one that comes along, you have to suffer through about twenty really, really bad ones. This is the case with Babylon A.D., the latest film starring the mutt-faced brute, Vin Diesel, who is no stranger to the genre. Pitch Black is a good sci-fi action movie, and its sequel, though lame, had its moments, but even Vin Diesel can’t save the future, or this mess of a film. Babylon A.D. wants to be bigger than it is, but can’t climb out of that straight-to-video Dolph Lundgren zone. For those who need their Vin Diesel fix, Babylon A.D. is available on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment, just don’t set your hopes too high.

THE MOVIE

Babylon A.D. takes place in the so-called near future in New Serbia, a garbage pit filled with shady characters who deal in every illegal operation, from guns to drugs, or anything else you can think of. Vin Diesel plays Toorop an American hiding out in this hot spot, as he tries to lay low. Toorop is located by a crime lord named Gorsky , played by Gerard Depardieu in heavy make-up, who offers him a job to escort a young girl named Aurora (Melanie Thierry), out or enemy territory to New York. This mysterious girl lives in a monastery in the outskirts of New Serbia, and travels everywhere with her caretaker Rebeka, played by Michelle Yeoh, who also holds her own secrets. Toorop is just doing the job for the money, but quickly realizes that he’s in over his head as a wave of after wave of mercenaries target them wherever they go, trying to get the girl.

Babylon A.D. is based on the science fiction book by Maurice G. Dantec titled Babylon Babies, but it seems that what was in the book didn’t translate on screen. Basically all you’re left with is one action scene after another, mixed in with some lame story about a woman who holds the key to saving the future. You would think that in a film like this even if the story is lame the action has to be good, but sadly it isn’t. There’s nothing in this film that you haven’t already seen done better in various other films. Diesel, who in his past films showed that he has screen presence, just seems to be phoning it in here. And the voice over used at the beginning of the film seems like a desperate attempt to be like Pitch Black, which also begins with a voice over featuring Diesel’s signature voice.

Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, Babylon A.D. is mix of every film from the last two decades such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Blade Runner, Robocop, The Fifth Element, and sadly even Judge Dredd. The one real problem Babylon A.D. is that it’s actually attempting to deliver a message about society, while blowing up anything in site every five minutes. If you’ve got nothing better to do for 100 minutes and not looking for anything that requires you to think, there are worse movies you can see than Babylon A.D., and it might not be so bad of an experience. But if you think that this is a vehicle for Vin Diesel to create a new sci-fi character that will rival Riddick, let the buyer beware.

VIDEO

Luckily the visual quality of Babylon A.D. makes up for its les than thrilling plot, with a full 1080p image housed in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. If you’ve got a good HDTV you’ll appreciate the movie much more just for eye candy value. Even though the colors are purposely muted to show a grim future, they stand out and maintain detail. Skin tones are also excellent, allowing you to see all the stubble on Diesel’s face. Blacks are rock solid and there’s very little grain to interfere with the images in darker scenes. Overall, this is a win for Blu-ray over DVD.

AUDIO

As with the picture quality, the sound for Babylon A.D. is superb, offering a DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix that is so loud, every bullet fired or explosion that occurs, puts you in the scene. This movie is all about the sound effects because the dialogue is non-memorable, and even the heavy bass in Diesel’s signature voice is wasted. If you have a surround sound set-up, your rear speakers and sub woofer will get a solid workout, but unfortunately all this good sound work is for a mediocre movie.

EXTRAS

The bonus features for Babylon A.D. are basic, with the exception being a second disc that holds a Digital Copy of the film. Nothing here stands out, but it’s a decent amount of stuff.

There are five featurettes that go behind the scenes of the movie all of them adding up to roughly forty-five minutes.

‘Babylon Babies’ has the author of the novel, Maurice G. Dantec, talking about the origin of the book and getting it to the screen.

‘Arctic Escape’ looks at the filming of one of the film’s action sequences.

‘Fit for the screen’ dives into the films stunts and fight sequences.

‘Flight of the Hummers’ gives a look at the car chases featured in the movie.

‘Genesis of Aurora’ is a five minute animated prequel to the movie that explains what led up to the situation that is the basic for Toorop’s adventure.

Via a profile 1.1 enabled Blu-ray players you can utilize the BonusView feature that enables PIP of various behind the scenes footage that can also be seen in the stand-alone featurettes. There is also a serious of mock TV commercials related to the setting of the movie.

And for those who want their Vin Diesel on the go, a Digital Copy is available on a second disc for your portable device.

BOTTOM LINE

Babylon A.D. is fine if your in the mood for some mindless sci-fi action, but if you’re thinking this could be the next Pitch Black, it’s suggested that you look elsewhere. The Blu-ray offers excellent picture and sound quality and a good variety of bonus material that includes a Digital Copy. If you’re a hardcore fan of Vin Diesel and you can pick this one up for under $20 (Don’t pay any higher than that!), then you’ll be set. Otherwise Babylon A.D. is a rental at best.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 2.5

Jan. 17, 2009

Reviewed by Richard Lee Zuras

Released Jan. 16, 2009

2 hr. 17 min.

R

Edward Zwick/The Weinstein Company

Daniel Craig

Liev Schreiber

Mark Feuerstein

Jamie Bell

This is a truly defiant movie. On one hand Defiance is the true story of a band of Jewish me, women, and children who fled to the Belarussian forests during Hitler’s 1941 campaign. But it is more than that–big an event as it were. This is a movie wherein everyone involved defies our usual expectations. Leave it to others to hash out the vagaries of what must be within a war/holocaust film. In Zwick’s world (and let it be noted that his film production company has been called Bedford Falls since the days of he and Herskovitz’ vastly under-appreciated Thirtysomething) Art and History interweave in noteworthy defiance.

There are few Nazi soldiers in this film. There are no shots (save a wide-shot of a mass burial trench) of Holocaust victims. The U.S. army (not yet even in the European theater) is not coming to their rescue. The Russian army is, with few exceptions, willing to integrate its Jewish “comrades” into its unit. Women are allowed and quite willing and able to shoot weapons and defend themselves. This film also allows them to be shot and die painful “war” deaths.

It gets even more defiant, this under-appreciated little film. As the small band of defiant ones grows into a small town on the run, a new reality sets in. Zwick, to his credit, is all the more willing to explore (even within the visual cornucopia of war) the day-to-day truisms of the human race. It is a defiant act to show, in constant detail, how even a society banded together for their ultimate survival, will and indeed must fall prey to the unsavory laws of humanity.

Who is leading us? Can I have more food than that person? Is my job not worthy of more reward than his? The questions never end. The answers are in short supply.

The defiance goes on. The oldest and among the wisest of the band begins to lead everyone in a prayer asking God to “choose another people.” It is a poignant moment indeed. To the masses he is inferred to be speaking of another people to take their current place. To the learned theologian he is referring clearly to the place of the Jew in the eternity of The Hebrew Bible. This is a group defiant enough to leave the certain death of the ghetto (by way of the work/death camps), defiant enough to take up arms against their oppressor, and ultimately defiant enough to question God’s plan.

It is all the more defiant, as the word-scroll that ends the film explains, that these men and women of the resistance sought no recognition for what they had done. It is with gratitude that some tens of thousands of their descendants thank them for their lives.

Bottom line: 4.0/5.0

Jan. 15, 2009

Reviewed by Richard Lee Zuras

Released Dec. 25, 2008

2 hr. 1 min.

Pg-13

Bryan Singer/United Artists Tom Cruise

Tom Wilkinson

Kenneth Branagh

Bill Nighy

Eddie Izzard

Terence Stamp

Carice van Houten

Here are the main reasons why Valkyrie received initial bad press and ultimately kept people from considering it for awards:

Tom Cruise is wearing an eye-patch

The film’s release date kept moving around

The film is loaded with factual errors/continuity errors/etc.

A truck-load of extras were injured during filming

The film actors speak in English rather than German

Many of the actors speak in English but with a German accent

The film is too violent for its PG-13 Rating

The film should have showed more verisimilitude and taken the R Rating

The film’s budget was nearly a 100 million thus causing expectations unmet

Tom Cruise has misbehaved over the last few years

All of the above is true. And more.

Here’s another take. Tom Cruise recently said that he just wants to entertain people. Is this an entertaining film? It is. In fact, like most Bryan Singer films, it is exquisitely paced. Bryan Singer is the kind of director that never seems to make a bad choice on where to set his camera. He understands how to build momentum, and how to wring every ounce of suspense out of a single scene. There is a particular scene that sticks out. One of the Valkyrie plotters (Tom Wilkinson) thinks he may have been discovered. He goes to a meeting unsure as to whether he will be killed. There is an insert shot of a gun on the table. There is a look on the man’s face opposite him. An oblique exchange of dialogue ensues. He discerns he has not been discovered. He escapes and continues to tweak the Valkyrie plot. Singer, and his actors, know what they are doing here.

The cast reads like a who’s who in actors with ability—but little U.S. name recognition. These are actors who win awards and yet are little known to the masses. Nighy, Stamp, Wilkinson. So herein lies the rub: a film with a high budget, purposely cut for a mass audience PG-13 Rating, a Tom Cruise starrer…peopled by “British Actors” and covering an historical topic of little repute. Mix in the above list of questionable errors and decisions and you have a film that has garnered little critical success and is struggling to recoup its budget.

But Valkyrie is highly watchable. In fact one might say that Tom Cruise is often in films that are highly watchable. He is neither bad nor great in most of them, including this one. But have you ever noticed that when Tom Cruise does a small role in a film he is often the most watchable part? His roles in Magnolia, Tropic Thunder, and Austin Powers in Goldmember all come to mind.

Most importantly this film answers, in visuals, that question that so often nags at us: Did anyone try to stop Hitler? The answer is yes, yes, yes. And for Valkyrie to be this watchable, this entertaining, when we all know the film’s obvious outcome speaks very highly of its overall craft.

Bottom Line: 3.5/5.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Paramount Home Entertainment – 107 mins – 1990 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio

 

When it was released in 1990 Days of Thunder was hyped as being Top Gun on wheels, and because of the mega success of that film, everyone was waiting for Thunder to blow it out of the water. Well, Days of Thunder did okay at the box office, but it was in no way the Tom Cruise money maker that his previous films were, some may call it one of his biggest bombs in relation to cost. Days of Thunder cruises onto Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment, but only hardcore Tom Cruise fans should jump onto this ride, because this film worked better when it was Top Gun.

THE MOVIE

Tom Cruise stars as Cole Trickle (yeah, for real), a ‘Maverick’ who wants to jump into the professional car racing circuit, but all he knows how to do is drive, and doesn’t even know the difference between a fan belt and a spark plug. Getting the interest of a man struggling to get his name back in NASCAR, (Randy Quaid), Cole is paired up with an old gruffy mechanic named Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall), who thinks he’s a waste of time, but they must work together to bring down the current bad boy on the track, Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker), who will do anything to keep Cole from succeeding. Tossed into the mix is a romance between Cole and a brain surgeon, Dr. Claire Lewis (Nicole Kidman), which is almost as unconvincing as the movie’s premise.

Directed by Tony Scott and Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the same team that made Top Gun, Days of Thunder suffers way too much from comparison, but can’t pull the magic that Gun had to make it work. The main problem with the film is that it’s trying to follow the underdog story, but Cole Trickle is so cocky you never root for him. You can’t attach yourself to a character that thinks they’re cooler than you in a sports film. Just imagine if Rocky were arrogant, you wouldn’t have cared if he won the fight or not. Cruise has shown he can be a good actor in movies like Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia, but in Days of Thunder, he’s just going through the motions and trying to be cool. True, all the guys were like this in Top Gun, but you want fighter pilots to be super cool because they’re defending the country; this technique doesn’t work with a racecar driver.

Robert Duvall gives the one-standout performance in the film, because you believe he could be that guy, but the problem is everyone else around him is not giving him much to interact with. The main focus of the film is just to show Cruise in as many driving shots as possible with him turning the steering wheel with an intense look. All of the racing footage looks great, but you never get the sense that you are in the driver’s seat.

Also this film feels dated, with big hair and that hazy lighting that was overused in late 80’s movies, it’s like watching on old MTV video. Almost twenty years later, Days of Thunder is hard to watch, and doesn’t feel as nostalgic as you would think, with the only crystal ball highlight is knowing that Tom and Nicole are no longer an item, even though this is the film that got them together. If you’ve never seen Days of Thunder, I’m curious how virgin eyes will react to it, but if you’ve already been along for this ride before, even on Blu-ray there’s no need to another lap around the track.

VIDEO

For some reason this film doesn’t look as good as you would think on Blu-ray. Even though it’s presented in full 1080p formatted in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the transfer is all over the place with heavy grain and soft images. Tony Scott’s films are known for their excellent camera work, but here nothing stands out, because it doesn’t look any better than a standard DVD. Some scenes show off promise, such as the racing venues with hordes of NASCAR fans in the stands, but overall this is in no way show off material.

AUDIO

With it’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround mix, Days of Thunder does a decent job of immersing you in the world of racing, because when those cars roar around the track your room will shake. Dialogue sounds muffled at times, and the corny theme that’s playing over it most of the time doesn’t help. Overall, it’s acceptable, but there are so many Blu-rays out there that do it better.

EXTRAS

What’s up Paramount? Buyers of this Blu-ray are getting the rug pulled out from under them, because all you’re getting here is the film’s trailer.

BOTTOM LINE

Days of Thunder is not the best Tom Cruise film, but it’s also not the worse. As a Blu-ray this one disappoints with a mediocre picture and no bonus features. Only Die Hard fans should invest in this disc, because for the same price you could grab one of the Mission: Impossible Blu-rays, which deliver more bang for your buck.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 0.0

Bottom Line: 2.5

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Weinstein Company – 97 minutes – 2008 – PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio

 

 

Filmmaker Woody Allen is a master at telling stories where the characters outshine their situations. He’s been doing this for nearly 40 years, and no one does it better, which is why A-list stars line up to do his small budget films, just to get a meaty role that a big studio film won’t offer them. Allen’s latest film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is available on Blu-ray from The Weinstein Company, so if you like complex relationship dramas, this is a good one.

 

THE MOVIE

 

The set up for Vicky Cristina Barcelona starts off simple, but then get complicated. Two best friends, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), are Americans who take a trip to spend the summer in Barcelona. Vicky is the more grounded sensible one, who is prepping to marry her fiancé; and Cristina is the insecure rebellious artist trying to find herself.

 

A twists is thrown into their time in Barcelona when they are approached by a Spanish painter named Juan Antonio, played with style and flair by Javier Bardem, who invites them both to come with him to Oviedo to romance and make love to both of them. Obviously Vicky thinks this offer is insulting, but Cristina being more of a free spirit convinces her to go. Thus begins a love triangle between Juan, Vicky and Cristina, that only gets crazier when his ex-wife Maria, Penelope Cruz enters the scene.

 

Only someone like Woody Allen could craft this film and make it work, because if it was a studio film it would have ended up being a silly paint-by-numbers romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew McConaughey. Fortunately Allen knows how to stay away from that and gives his characters realistic temptations and allows them to resolve them, not with the traditional happy ending, but by showing that people must take responsibility for their own actions.

 

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is not perfect, and will never fall into the same category of his earlier classics, such as Annie Hall or Hannah and her Sisters, but it does demonstrate why Woody Allen is respected and big name talent will literally beg him for a role in one of his films. For those of you who are looking for something different on Blu-ray that doesn’t involve transforming robots or a psychopath wearing clown make-up chasing a guy dressed up as a bat, then Vicky Cristina Barcelona is definitely worth your attention.

 

VIDEO

 

Vicky Cristina Barcelona looks great in full 1080p set in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The backdrop of Barcelona is spectacular, looking like something you would see on the travel channel. The colors look crisp with excellent skin tones, and solid details. Much of the film is shot during daylight, which benefits the value of the Blu-ray; overall you should be pleased with the image quality.

 

AUDIO

 

With a Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 sound mix, the film sounds fine, but being that it’s all dialogue heavy, you probably will never notice the work that went into the mix. Dialogue is crisp and background ambience flows smooth. Basically, the sound design gets the job done without over or under doing it.

 

EXTRAS

 

This Blu-ray does not offer one single bonus feature, not even the film’s trailer. Woody Allen believes a film should speak for itself.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Vicky Cristina Barcelona may not exactly be the film you will run out to get at Best Buy the day it comes out, but if you’re a fan of Woody Allen’s work or you just want to see a good film where characters are the center attraction, this film is worth giving a look. There are no bells and whistles that you come to expect from Blu-ray, but you will be satisfied with the end result without all that.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

 

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 0.0

Bottom Line: 3.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 96 mins – 2008 – Rated R– 1080p Widescreen 1.85: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

 

 

The Coen Brothers are two of the most influential filmmakers of our generation, crafting such cinema classics as Blood Simple, Miller’s Crossing, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and most recently, No Country For Old Men. You always know you’re in for top-notch filmmaking when you’re watching a Coen Brothers movie, but even genius stumbles and falls every now and then. The brothers’ latest movie, Burn After Reading, appears to have problems right from the start, but you be the final judge now that the film is available on Blu-ray from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

 

THE MOVIE

 

Burn After Reading is a conspiracy comedy with a who’s-who list of Hollywood A-list talent. The story follows a pair of gym employees played by Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand, who stumble upon a disc that contains some of the CIA’s darkest secrets, and trying to cash in on it through blackmail. Tossed into the mix are a psychotic ex-CIA agent (John Malkovich), his cheating wife (Tilda Swinton), and her out of control lover (George Clooney).

 

It’s hard to make any sense out of this film, because in many places it seems like you’re watching outtakes of one of the Ocean Eleven, Twelve, or Thirteen films. Everyone in the casts is basically known for their dramatic work, so it’s hard to watch them trying to be funny. Seriously, can you even picture Brad Pitt trying to do an impression of Jim Carrey?

 

And being that the film was conceived by Joel and Ethan Coen, you only expect the best, and when the movie stops making in sense you may think that the Coens are such cinema gods that you’re a idiot because you don’t get what’s going on. But after that moment is over you just realize that even Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have made some lousy films, so the Coens are entitled to a few stinkers as well.

 

If you’re a fan of the Coen Brother’s work, or any of the actors in the casts, Burn After Ready will attract you, but beyond that it’s all a matter of opinion, and judging how this film didn’t make a spark at the box office when it was released, that scale of the opinion tips to the unfavorable side.

 

VIDEO

 

Universal always offers great Blu-ray transfers, but Burn After Reading doesn’t stand against some of their other titles. With a full 1080p image fit into a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the film looks fine, but just slightly above what you’d get from the standard DVD. Flesh tones and colors look sharp, but there is heavy grain that is too noticeable at times. It’s not awful, but from Blu-ray you always expect the image to jump off the screen, and in this case it does not.

 

AUDIO

 

With a DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 audio mix, Burn After reading doesn’t attempt to get fancy in any way and just focuses on making sure everything is heard clearly. There is plenty of dialogue in the film and it all sounds crystal clear. On the occasions when there are louder sound effects, the balance is solid.

 

EXTRAS

 

The bonus features on this Blu-ray are so anemic that if you blink you’ll miss them. There’s no audio commentary by the Brothers Coen, so all you’re getting are a couple of lame featurettes.

 

Finding the Burn is a six-minute behind the scenes look at the movie that plays out like one of those feaurettes they stick into the slots in between movies on HBO.

 

DC Insiders Run Amuck looks at the cast of Burn After Reading.

 

Welcome Back, George celebrates George Clooney’s third collaboration with the Coen Brothers.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Burn After Reading is not the Coen Brother’s at their best, but it’s worth a rental. The Blu-ray is only basic with decent image and sound, but the bonus material offered is not even worth looking at. The Coen Brothers will always have a new film that comes out and wins both audiences and critics back, so let’s just call Burn After Reading their experimental work.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

 

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 1.5

Bottom Line: 2.5

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Warner Home Video – 115 mins – 2007 – Rated PG – 1080p Widescreen 2.40: 1 – Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio – Digital Copy

 

 

Everybody knows the story of the big jolly guy with the fluffy white beard and the bright red suit, a.k.a. St. Nick, but did you know that he had an older brother who has stood in his shadow for years and doesn’t get the same praise or love? Fred Claus released on Blu-ray from Warner Home Entertainment, tells the story of this sibling rivalry that has gone on for ages, but this time may end up ending Christmas forever.

 

THE MOVIE

 

Many, many years ago in the North Pole a baby was born to Mr. & Mrs. Clause, known as the fattest baby ever seen. They named him Nicolas, and immediately he begins to show them he is different and destined for greatness. Nicolas’ older brother Fred is not happy with his fat sibling’s accomplishments and after a long a difficult childhood he leaves the North Pole to live as an average Joe with the city folks. Nicolas (Paul Giamatti) becomes the greatest gift giver and hero of children everywhere, Santa Clause, and Fred (Vince Vaughn), becomes a bum who can’t hold a job or keep his girlfriend Wanda (Rachel Weisz), satisfied enough to stay with him.

 

Trying to scheme some cash from his brother, Fred travels to the North Pole to see his family, but discovers that an efficiency expert (Kevin Spacey), is planning to shut down Santa’s operation, using him as a pawn to end Christmas forever. Can Fred finally do something right for once in his life and help his brother Nick save every child’s favorite day? Or will he screw up once again like always?

 

Fred Clause is not perfect and will not become a Christmas classic, but the underdog element work thanks to the chemistry between Vaughn and Giamatti. The supporting cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz, John Michael Higgins, Kathy Bates, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks and a miniature version of rapper Ludacris fit nicely together. And one of the highlights of the film features a sibling rivalry help group whose members include Frank Stallone (brother of Sylvester), Stephen Baldwin (brother of Alec), and Roger Clinton (brother of our former President).

 

Produced by the man behind The Matrix, Joel Silver, Fred Clause does all it can to offer a big Christmas adventure, and on that end it succeeds. It’s clean family fun, and while there are better Holiday movies, Fred Clause is worth viewing, because you’re bound to find a laugh or two whether it be intentional or not. Give it a try.

 

VIDEO

 

Presented in full 1080p in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, Fred Clause looks acceptable, but not spectacular. The colors are bright showing off the big sets such as Santa’s warehouse, but overall the picture looks flat. The visual effects are also on the sloppy side, making Santa’s reindeer driven sleigh look silly. There’s also heavy grain, making you wonder why a film that is only a year old didn’t get the care it deserves for Blu-ray.

 

AUDIO

 

Fred Clause offers a Dolby Digital sound mix that sounds fine, but doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles we’ve becomes used to with recent Blu-ray releases. Dialogue at times seems to blend into the background. There’s nothing that particularly stands out and sings, but it gets the job done.

 

EXTRAS

 

There are actually three disc packed inside of Fred Clause’s package, one being the actual Blu-ray movie, and the other two are a Digital Copy and a DVD game.

 

Director David Dobkin tells all the behind the scenes tales via an audio commentary track.

 

Vince and Paul’s Fireside Chats feature the stars of the film interviewing each other.

 

There are over twenty-five minutes of deleted scenes.

 

Elves Tell All shows Santa’s helpers telling the truth about what goes on in the North Pole.

 

Sibling Rivalry is more from the brothers of famous celebrities telling their sides of the story of living in the shadows.

 

There’s an exclusive bonus disc featuring a silly DVD game called Race to Save Christmas.

 

Finally there’s a Digital Copy of the movie to take along when you’re on the go.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Fred Clause is a nice twist on the tale of Santa Clause, and is entertaining in various sections. The Blu-ray itself offers decent image and sound, but there is room for improvement. The bonus features are packed, so you get a lot for your dough. It’s not Miracle on 34^th Street, but Fred Clause can be fun.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

 

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 3.5

Bottom Line: 3.0

Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Fox Home Entertainment – 103 minutes – 1990 – Rated PG – 1080p Widescreen 1.85:1 – DTS-HD Lossless 5.1 Audio Mix

 

 

 

In 1990 a small film was released during the Holiday season and became an instant phenomenon that made Macaulay Culkin an international child sensation. Home Alone has been seen by millions around the world and spawned a few bad sequels, but it’s the innocence and charm of this Christmas tale that makes it still one of the most watched films today. Home Alone makes its debut on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment for a whole new generation of kids to live the adventure.

 

THE MOVIE

 

By now we all know the story of Home Alone, the tale of an eight-year boy, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), who is accidentally left behind at home when his parents rush off on their Holiday vacation. Kevin thinks he’s being punished and decides to make the best of it, by hanging out at home. His quiet time is turned around when he discovers to bumbling burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), trying to rob his house.

 

Kevin decides to show these bad guys what he’s made of by defending his home, and teaching these clowns a lesson. What ensues is a serious of outlandish antics that are right out of an episode of The Itchy & Scratchy show, involving cartoon-ish violence that go for as many low-blow laughs as possible, all in the spirit of Christmas.

 

Directed by Chris Columbus, Home Alone is in no way a great film, it just came along at the right time and won an audience that no Christmas themed film since has matched, taking in over $475 million worldwide. Eighteen years later it’s odd to watch this film, because maybe you have to be a child filled up on sugar-coated cereal to truly enjoy it.

Home Alone is a live action cartoon where you’re almost waiting for the Road Runner to zip through the scene.

 

If you’re a youngster, you will love this film and you’ll adore Macaulay Culkin, (until you realize that he’s now a twenty-eight year old man who doesn’t have the same Hollywood clout he had in the 90’s). Though this is not your traditional Christmas film, because of its violent tone, Home Alone will always be remembered and shown on TV repeatedly through the Holidays. Your kids will love it and demand that you add it to your Blu-ray collection.

 

VIDEO

 

Home Alone is presented in full 1080p, housed in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and it looks good, but not as great as another Fox family fun edition Blu-ray, Jingle All The Way. The colors are bright, but there are times when the image itself appears fuzzy. Skin tones are also not as sharp as they should be, but overall this Blu-ray is definitely a step up from the standard DVD.

 

AUDIO

 

Offering a DTS-HD Lossless 5.1 audio mix, Home Alone sounds a lot better than it looks, so you’ll be able to hear Kevin’s famous scream in crystal clarity. The sound effects are over the top to tame the violent moments, and it’s very effective how the mix works. You wouldn’t think of cranking up the speakers to watch a flick like Home Alone, but you may be pleasantly surprised by what you hear.

 

EXTRAS

 

Home Alone offers quite a big buffet of bonus features that will keep all of the fans happy, but the one thing missing is a Digital Copy, because this would be the perfect film to keep your kids quiet during a long family trip.

 

Director Chris Columbus and the film’s star Macaulay Culkin sit down for an audio commentary.

 

The Making of Home Alone goes behind the scenes of the film, talking with the cast and crew.

 

The 1990 Press Featurette takes a glimpse back to when the film ruled Hollywood.

 

Mac-Cam has the Macster himself talking about acting in the film.

 

How to Burglar Proof your Home looks at the stunts of Home Alone.

 

Home Alone Around the World shows various scenes from the film dubbed in multiple languages.

 

Angels With Filthy Souls looks at the fictional movie that plays within this movie.

 

Where’s the Buzz Now? Tries to answer the question whatever happened to the character Buzz.

 

Rounding things out are some deleted scenes and a blooper reel.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Home Alone may not have stood the test of time, but it’s nostalgic for those of us who are all grown up now, and the kids will dig it. The Blu-ray offers good picture quality and excellent sound, and the selection of bonus material makes it worth owning. Just avoid the horrible sequels.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

 

The Movie: 3.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 4.0

Bottom Line: 3.5