Tag: Blu Tuesday (Page 44 of 49)

Blu Tuesday: HBO’s Unlucky Three and More

September 4, 2012 /

I was unable to write my column last week because I was still recovering from knee surgery, but hopefully that didn’t cause you to miss out on all the great new releases, because there were several titles worth checking out, including the latest seasons of “Sons of Anarchy,” “The Walking Dead,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Homeland,” as well as Peter Berg’s big, dumb and fun “Battleship.” This week is almost as good, with a variety of new movies and several more TV series to get you ready for the fall season.

“Hung,” “Bored to Death” and “How to Make It in America”

HBO has never been as trigger happy as most networks when it comes to cancelling shows, so it was a bit surprising when the pay cable channel axed three series in one fell swoop at the end of last year. Though “Hung,” “Bored to Death” and “How to Make It in America” may not have brought in the same kind of ratings as HBO’s bigger hits, but they were all quality shows with solid fanbases. “Hung” was probably the best of the bunch, and although the dark comedy had its share of highs and lows throughout its three-season run, Thomas Jane (who was once again nominated for a Golden Globe) made it immensely watchable. The same goes for Ted Danson on the more inconsistent but nonetheless entertaining “Bored to Death,” perhaps the most shocking of the three cancellations considering Zach Galifianakis’ recent rise to fame. “How to Make It in America,” meanwhile, was the kind of series that seemed tailor-made for the HBO viewer based on the success of the likeminded “Entourage,” and yet it was the worst performer of the three. You can’t really blame HBO for not giving each show the chance to reach a larger audience, because they did. It’s just upsetting that more people didn’t watch when it mattered, because they deserved a better ending than this.

Blu-ray Highlight: HBO could have easily dumped these onto Blu-ray without any bonus material, so it’s nice to see that they’ve included a decent collection of extras on all three sets. While fans of audio commentaries will find several tracks with various cast and crew members on each release, there are some great featurettes as well. Creators Dmitry Lipkin and Colette Burson discuss the new characters and story arcs that make up “Hung: The Complete Third Season”; author Jonathan Ames records a series of mini-interviews for all eight Season Three episodes of “Bored to Death”; and the cast of “How to Make It in America” talk about filming the show’s second season.

“The Five-Year Engagement”

Beginning where most romantic comedies usually end, you can’t fault “The Five-Year Engagement” for trying to deliver a fresh take on the genre. But although it boasts some great laughs throughout (including a Muppets-inspired bit that is probably the most honest moment in the entire film), the movie doesn’t know when enough is enough. The constant shifts in tone also prevent it from ever finding its groove, particularly when the film gets really dark and gloomy in the second act. It would be one thing if Jason Segel’s character was just depressed, but he becomes borderline crazy, devolving into a grizzly mountain man. Though the theme of resentment plays a big part in the story, Segel’s emotional transformation is taken a little too far, to the point that you’re not even sure if you like the main characters anymore. Thankfully, director Nicholas Stoller surrounds his two leads with an excellent supporting cast that helps keep the mood light, especially Chris Pratt, who absolutely steals the show as Segel’s idiotic best friend. The movie could have done with more of him and Alison Brie, because the pair earns more laughs in their limited screen time than the rest of the cast combined.

Blu-ray Highlight: Fans of the film will no doubt enjoy the included audio commentary by co-writer/director Nicholas Stoller and stars Jason Segel, Emily Blunt and Chris Pratt, but the disc’s real standout is the fantastic making-of featurette, which offers a refreshingly transparent behind-the-scenes look at the complete production process.

“Safe”

Director Boaz Yakin’s first foray into the action genre may look eerily similar to every other film to come out of the Jason Statham Factory of Ass-Kicking, but Statham’s movies are rarely dull, and that has a lot to do with the actor’s seemingly endless supply of charisma. He’s probably the most entertaining action star working today, and although “Safe” isn’t much better than his previous direct-to-video efforts, it delivers some pretty awesome action beats along the way. The rest of the movie is a giant mess, fueled by an overly complicated plot that fails to make much use of its carousel of B-movie villains, and it takes way too long to get going. Once it does, however, “Safe” never looks back, transforming into a speeding train wreck of violence where the various parties (Statham, some crooked cops and feuding Chinese and Russian gangsters) open fire on one another with such reckless abandon that it eliminates any plausibility. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to watch, but “Safe” is ridiculous even for a Jason Statham movie, and that’s saying something.

Blu-ray Highlight: As you might expect from a movie like “Safe,” the coolest piece of bonus material is a 10-minute featurette called “The Art of the Gunfight” that takes a look at the action choreography in the film, focusing on three sequences in particular.

Entertainment, Movies, Television

Blu Tuesday: Death, Death and More Death

August 21, 2012 /

With the fall TV season just around the corner, the end of August is typically inundated with TV-on-DVD releases, but there aren’t many shows being released on Blu-ray this week. Luckily, there are several quality films hitting stores, including the usual barrage of catalog titles from Disney, the latest from director Richard Linklater, and the third highest-grossing movie of the year after “The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

“The Hunger Games”

Though the movie was technically released last Friday (mimicking the business model used by Summit with the “Twilight” franchise), I’ve decided to include it in my column this week because it warrants discussion. For starters, it’s that rare case of a film being better than the book it’s based on, because for all the things that Suzanne Collins’ wildly popular novel does well, “The Hunger Games” improves upon it in almost every way – from the pacing, to the character development, to the execution of the Games itself. Part of that comes down to the smart and economic script by Collins, Billy Ray and director Gary Ross, which doesn’t waste any time in getting to the titular event, but it’s the cast that really elevates the story beyond its mediocre source material. Jennifer Lawrence displays remarkable poise in the lead role, Josh Hutcherson shows signs that he’s maturing as a performer, and the adult actors (particularly Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Lenny Kravitz) nail the essence of their larger than life characters in ways that fans of the book probably never imagined possible. Granted, I’d still choose “Battle Royale” over “The Hunger Games” any day of the week, but it’s really no surprise why the film performed as well as it did.

Blu-ray Highlight: As you’d expect from a high-profile film like “The Hunger Games,” Lionsgate has loaded the two-disc set with a ton of great bonus material. Although some might lament the lack of an audio commentary by director Gary Ross and the cast, the ridiculously in-depth making-of featurette “The World is Watching” (which runs just over two hours long) more than makes up for it, covering an array of topics like adapting the script, production and costume design, stunts, special effects and more.

“The Dictator”

Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest comedy is a bit of a departure from his previous starring vehicles in that it’s scripted as opposed to the more free-from style that was employed in “Borat” and “Brüno,” but just because it takes a more conventional route doesn’t mean that it’s lacking the comedian’s trademark brand of outrageous and grossly offensive humor. After all, when a film opens with a dedication to the late Kim Jong-il, that’s a pretty good indicator of just how silly it’s going to be, and credit to Cohen for completely embracing that silliness. The script strikes a great balance between the obscene and shocking bits and the more clever gags, and although it adopts a kitchen sink mentality that results in almost as many bad jokes as good ones, when the movie is funny, it’s laugh-out-loud funny. “The Dictator” doesn’t have quite as much of a sociopolitical agenda as Cohen’s other collaborations with director Larry Charles, but it does land a few jabs that resonate, particularly in a closing monologue that exposes America as a closet dictatorship. The film still pales in comparison to “Borat,” but after the massive disappointment of “Brüno,” it’s nice to know that Sacha Baron Cohen hasn’t totally lost his flair for making audiences laugh.

Blu-ray Highlight: There’s not much to get excited about beyond a handful of deleted and extended scenes, many of which are less effective variations of the same joke.

“Bernie”

Based on the true story of a wealthy oil widow who was murdered by her only friend – an assistant funeral director in the small East Texas town of Carthage and the nicest guy around – “Bernie” is a pretty unconventional crime comedy by most accounts. In fact, how much you enjoy the film will depend largely on how you feel about its mockumentary format, which uses real East Texas citizens in fictional roles doing on-camera interviews about the events leading up to the murder. Though it provides a handful of comedic moments, it’s a stylistic choice that never really pays off, since you’d rather just watch the narrative unfold in real time. Jack Black delivers some of his best work to date as the title character, and Shirley MacLaine is great as the tight-fisted old lady, but the long-awaited reunion between director Richard Linklater and Matthew McConaughey is a pretty big letdown, because the actor’s talents are wasted in a throwaway role. “Bernie” isn’t a bad film by any means, but it is an incredibly average and forgettable one, and sometimes that’s even worse.

Blu-ray Highlight: There are three short featurettes included on the disc, and “True Story to Film” is undoubtedly the best of the bunch. Richard Linklater and co-writer Skip Hollandsworth talk about following the case back in the late 90s, while Jack Black discusses how he got involved in the film and his preparation for playing Bernie Tiede.

Entertainment, Movies

Blu Tuesday: Dexter Gets Biblical and More

August 14, 2012 /

It’s been awhile since Blu-ray fans have had one of those weeks where you could drop an entire paycheck on new releases, so hopefully you’ve been saving up since then, because there are several must-own titles on tap this week, including the new season of Showtime’s flagship series, the Blu-ray debut of the original summer blockbuster, and one of the best action movies of the last decade. And let’s not forget about “The Hunger Games” or Criterion’s release of “The Royal Tenenbaums,” neither of which were available for review, but are definitely films that would complement any collection.

“Dexter: The Sixth Season”

By the time that most TV series reach their sixth season, it’s only inevitable that a few cracks begin to show, and that’s certainly the case with Showtime’s flagship drama “Dexter,” which would be wise to start planning its swan song sooner than later. Though the show’s latest season isn’t bad by any means, it does mark a considerable drop in quality compared to previous years. Certain characters get a lot less face time (although I wish LaGuerta was written off the show entirely), while others don’t act like themselves – especially Dexter, who’s surprisingly reckless for someone that lives by such a strict set of rules. Even the guest stars aren’t as great as usual. Mos Def turns in a solid performance in a multi-episode arc as a reformed criminal who becomes a religious mentor of sorts to Dexter, but the season’s main antagonists (played by Colin Hanks and Edward James Olmos) fail to make a lasting impression. The religion angle is interesting, though not quite enough to drive an entire season, and the finale’s many cliffhangers show promise, but it’s hard to deny that while “Dexter” isn’t running on fumes just yet, it’s the beginning of the end.

Blu-ray Highlight: The sole bonus material on the three-disc box set is a collection of interviews with the cast, but because it can only be accessed via BD-Live (a stupid system that plagues most Showtime series), they weren’t available in time for review.

“Jaws”

It seems fitting that Universal planned the release of its digitally remastered and fully restored version of “Jaws” for the summer of the studio’s 100th anniversary, because the film is not only worthy of the celebration, but it’s widely considered to be the original summer blockbuster. The movie also holds up really well, and that’s largely thanks to the fact that director Steven Spielberg was unable to show as much of his man-eating shark – which he referred to as the “great white turd” due to the constant mechanical breakdowns throughout production – as originally planned. That shark prop looks pretty cheesy by today’s standards, so it was a bit of a blessing in disguise that he was forced to leave so much to the audience’s imagination, because it only intensified the suspense. But while the shark got most of the attention when it scared an entire generation of moviegoers out of the water back in 1975, the film’s legacy owes a lot to the performances of its stars – Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw – who turned what could have been a standard monster movie into the funny and thrilling classic that everyone remembers so well.

Blu-ray Highlight: In addition to Laurent Bouzereau’s excellent 1995 documentary on the making of “Jaws,” the disc contains a brand new documentary titled “The Shark is Still Working” about the impact and legacy of the film. Narrated by Roy Scheider and featuring interviews with the cast, crew and other filmmakers, the documentary is divided into sections on the production (including casting, shooting on the open sea and ad-libbing on set), the marketing campaign and theatrical release, its international success, merchandising, John Williams’ theme, and of course, the mechanical shark.

“The Raid: Redemption”

There had already been a lot of praise heaped upon director Gareth Evans’ Indonesian action film “The Raid: Redemption” before I’d even had the chance to see it at this year’s SXSW, but it deserved every word, because movies don’t get much cooler or more exhilarating than this. A bone-crunching, testosterone-pumping freight train of destruction that barely lets the audience catch its breath once it gets going, “The Raid” delivers the closest thing to non-stop, wall-to-wall action that I’ve ever seen, and a big part of what makes it so jaw-droppingly awesome is the amazing fight choreography, including what is easily some of the best close-quarters combat committed to film. Every fight is more inventive, more complex and more intense than the last, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, Evans launches into yet another bloody battle. Being exposed to this much action would normally get tiresome after a while, but the director shoots each sequence with such visual flair (with the camera itself becoming a part of the choreography) that it’s like watching a ballet being performed – only, you know, with machine guns and machetes.

Blu-ray Highlight: There’s a lot of great stuff on the disc (including a funny Claymation short parodying the film), but the audio commentary by Gareth Evans is entertaining and extremely informative, with the writer/director talking about the movie’s inception, its various influences, and the challenges in filming many of the action sequences.

Entertainment, Movies, Television

Blu Tuesday: Mother Green and Her Killing Machine

August 7, 2012 /

It’s another slow week in terms of major releases, but for those looking to update a few older movies in your collection, there are quite a few catalog titles making their Blu-ray debut, not to mention yet another reissue of a Stanley Kubrick classic. And although most of the big TV shows won’t begin hitting stores until next week, there is one series getting a head start on the competition that action fans will definitely want to check out.

“Full Metal Jacket”

It’s amazing to think that “Full Metal Jacket” is considered one of Stanley Kubrick’s weaker films, because it’s still pretty damn good. In fact, the first half of the movie is just about perfect, thanks mostly to a pair of memorable performances by R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D’Onofrio, both making their feature film debuts. Ermey, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for helping craft what is arguably one of the best opening scenes in cinematic history, and it’s difficult to imagine anyone else in the role, despite a different actor being originally cast to play the hard-ass drill sergeant. That might even be why the latter half of the movie feels so disjointed, because Matthew Modine and Arliss Howard’s characters just aren’t as interesting without those other guys to play off. Though the Vietnam War portion does have its moments (like the introduction of Adam Baldwin’s Animal Mother), it’s what ultimately stands in the way of “Full Metal Jacket” being the definitive film on the subject, even if some people might tell you otherwise.

Blu-ray Highlight: The 30-minute documentary “Between Good and Evil” is an excellent retrospective on making the movie, featuring interviews with various cast and crew, as well as a few Kubrick experts, about everything from the casting process, to filming in East London, to the director’s notoriously long shooting schedules and much more.

“Strike Back: Cinemax Season One”

Cinemax’s first foray into original scripted programming isn’t spectacular by any means, but for those still trying to fill the hole left by the conclusion of “24,” “Strike Back” is a pretty decent substitute. Similar to the Fox drama in many ways (not the least of which includes demanding a total suspension of disbelief), it’s a little surprising that “Strike Back” didn’t gain more attention when it premiered in the U.S. last year. A co-production with UK network Sky, this release technically represents the show’s second season, even though Season One never aired over here. Luckily, you don’t need to have seen those episodes to follow along, because the series was essentially rebooted with new characters. It also has a fairly unique format, with each mission divided into two-episode arcs, and a bigger story that serves as the connective tissue. The acting isn’t that great, and the amount of gratuitous violence and sex on display is only bested by Starz’s “Spartacus,” but the two leads have great chemistry and the action is really well done. Not every show on TV needs to be taken seriously, and “Strike Back” is a fun slice of escapist entertainment.

Blu-ray Highlight: There are audio commentaries for five of the ten episodes with executive producer Daniel Percival and actors Sullivan Stapleton, Philip Winchester, Amanda Mealing and Liam Cunningham, and although they offer some decent insight into making the show, it’s something that will most likely only interest diehard fans.

“Clue”

Moviegoers have been complaining about Hollywood’s lack of originality for years now, especially with popular toys like Transformers and Battleship being adapted into big summer blockbusters, but everyone seems to forget that Paramount made a film based on the Parker Brothers board game “Clue” nearly three decades earlier. Though it’s one of the few toy properties in which a movie version actually makes sense, director Jonathan Lynn’s comedic murder mystery is a complete mess. Not only does “Clue” fail to make the most of its talented ensemble cast (including Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean and Madeline Kahn), but with the exception of the always amusing Curry, the actors don’t seem all that interested. The film’s madcap tone certainly doesn’t help matters either, because although there’s some clever wordplay sprinkled throughout, it’s a little too goofy for its own good. Granted, the movie has become somewhat of a cult classic since its release in 1985, but I’d rather play the real thing than ever watch this again.

Blu-ray Highlight: The only bonus material on the disc – if you can even call it that – is the option to watch all three of the film’s surprise endings back-to-back or individually.

Entertainment, Models, Television

Blu Tuesday: Arnie Goes to Mars and More

July 31, 2012 /

It’s probably a good thing that the Summer Olympics are going on right now, because this week’s new releases don’t offer a whole lot to get excited about. While horror fans will find a few titles worth digging into, the only real Blu-ray of note is the reissue of the Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi classic, “Total Recall” – unless you love Marilyn Monroe, in which case Fox’s seven-movie “Forever Marilyn” box set is an absolute must-have.

“Total Recall”

With a new version of “Total Recall” arriving in theaters this weekend, it was inevitable that Lionsgate would reissue Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 original on Blu-ray in conjunction with its release. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the movie, and the first thing that crossed my mind upon revisiting the film was that I couldn’t believe my parents actually let me watch this at such a young age. Though not nearly as violent as Verhoeven’s other sci-fi cult classics “RoboCop” and “Starship Troopers,” “Total Recall” has its share of graphic gore, not to mention the grotesque (but brilliant) special effects by Rob Bottin. For as beloved as the movie is in certain circles, however, it hasn’t held up particularly well, with many of the futuristic props and production design coming off even cheesier and more dated than before. Of course, that’s the danger of the sci-fi genre, but it doesn’t change the fact that “Total Recall” is still a fun slice of escapist entertainment that, depending on which side of the “Was it real or a dream?” argument you fall on, is also a lot smarter than it looks.

Blu-ray Highlight: The audio commentary by director Paul Verhoeven and star Arnold Schwarzenegger is a great listen if you never got around to checking it out on previous releases, but the disc’s all-new interview with Verhoeven is a much more interesting retrospective on the film’s production process, with the director offering details on the script and its troublesome third act, working with Arnold, the visual effects and more.

“Detention”

Joseph Kahn’s bizarre genre mash-up is one those movies that will likely earn a small cult following who swear that it’s a misunderstood masterpiece, but they’d be wrong. Those same people might even say that it deserves to be admired for its originality, and while that’s true to a certain extent, the entire plot is dependent on paying homage to a medley of films including “Scream,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Back to the Future,” “Heathers, “Donnie Darko,” and every Gregg Araki movie ever made. Though it shows some real promise early on (the opening sequence, in particular, is a hilarious meta-satire of teen slasher films), “Detention” gradually gets worse as the story begins to lose focus amid its scattershot collection of ideas – some good, some bad, and some just poorly executed. The movie is all over the place, and despite Kahn’s attempts to make sense of everything by introducing time travel to the equation, he only ends up creating an even bigger mess. There are some brief moments of comic brilliance scattered throughout, but why waste your time when you could just watch the far superior “Cabin in the Woods” instead?

Blu-ray Highlight: Regardless of how you feel about the movie, the picture-in-picture commentary track “Cheat Mode: The Unbelievably Mind Melting Making of ‘Detention’” is the kind of extra that I’d like to see on more Blu-ray releases. Unlike Universal’s similar U-Control feature, “Cheat Mode” runs the entire length of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew, behind-the-scenes footage, photos and much more.

“4321”

I don’t know what it is about the British and their obsession with crime films, but credit to “4.3.2.1” for at least trying to do something different with the genre. Unfortunately, Noel Clarke’s follow-up to his directorial debut, “Adulthood,” is a simple case of a good idea ruined by terrible execution. Presenting the film as a series of interconnecting stories is a difficult undertaking on its own, but organizing it in such a confusing manner (with each part of the tale told in its entirety, one after the other) causes a disconnect with the audience early on, as it’s difficult not to feel completely lost. Granted, by the time all four stories have unraveled, everything starts to make sense, but apart from the “ah-ha” moment that it provides, it’s wholly unnecessary. Most of the acting is solid, and the movie features some fun cameos from the likes of Kevin Smith and Mandy Patinkin (the former of which is the highlight of the whole film), but “4.3.2.1” gambles so much on its gimmicky plot device that Clarke has no one other than himself to blame when it doesn’t work out.

Blu-ray Highlight: The only included extra is a pretty standard making-of featurette comprised of interviews with writer/co-director Noel Clarke and the cast. It’s hardly must-see material, but fans of the movie won’t be completely disappointed either.

Entertainment, Movies

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