Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

June 11, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Violent, gory and stylish! Definitely an original and unique, action-packed short anime series featuring an awesome collaboration with actors Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu in to bring out the original manga vision of Takashi “Bob” Okazaki. Beautiful artistic visuals and animation by GONZO, if you’re into anime that focuses more on the action, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is definitely for you.

TITLE: Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions

DURATION: (Disc 1) 5 Episodes (125 Minutes) / (Disc 2) Afro Samurai: Resurrection 97 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition 16×9 HD Native, Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby Digital: English 2.0, Subtitles: English (for special features)

RATED: TV MA

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2010

Directed by Fuminori Kizaki

Written by Takashi Okazaki

Executive Produced by Leo Chu, Eric Garcia, Shinichiro Ishikawa, Samuel L. Jackson and Arthur Smith

Co-Produced by Eric S. Calderon

Consulting Producer: Tommy Blacha

Character Design and Chief Animation Director: Hiroya Iijima

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Music by RZA and Michael Baiardi

Casting by Jamie Simone, Kendra Carter

Featuring the voices of:

Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of Afro Samurai/Ninja Ninja

Ron Perlman as Justice

Kelly Hu as Okiku

Yuri Lowenthal as Juma

S. Scott Bullock as Dharman

Jeff Bennett as Foo

Tara Strong as Otsuru

Jason Marsden as Sasuke

Phil LaMarr as Brother

Afro Samurai: Resurrection:

Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of Afro Samurai/Ninja Ninja

Lucy Liu as the voice of Sio

Mark Hamill as the voice of Bin/ODen Shop Master

Grey DeLisle as the voice of Tomoe/Ogin

Dave Wittenberg as the voice of Adolescent/Fencing Brother

Liam O’Brien as the voice of Shichogoro

Zachary Gordon as the voice of Kotaro

Yuri Lowenthal as the voice of Jinno

Afro Samurai. A relentless brother with an ice-cold soul and a jones for revenge. His path is long and violent, and the entire journey so far is now yours to witness.

First, the legendary series: Afro Samurai. As a kid, he saw his father slaughtered. Now a man, Afro walks to the mountain where destiny waits on high. The perpetrators must atone, and they’re gonna get what they deserve. Nothing personal – it’s just revenge.

The saga continues in Afro Samurai: Resurrection. Afro is forced back into the game by a beautiful and deadly woman from his past. She won’t quit until Afro is schooled in the brutal lessons he dealt those who stood in his way. One brother. One path. One thousand deaths.

Violent and visually entertaining! Definitely an original and unique, action-packed anime series featuring a fantastic collaboration with actor Samuel L. Jackson, Takashi Okazaki and GONZO.

The popular anime and manga series is created by mangaka Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and produced by world renown Japanese animation company STUDIO GONZO (”Full Metal Panic”, “Vandread”, “Gantz”, “Samurai 7″ and many other anime) brought us the popular five-episode series (which aired in the US on SPIKE TV back in 2007 ) was released as a special Director’s Cut featuring 15 minutes of never before seen footage.

The short animated TV series featured a collaboration with Samuel L. Jackson, creator Takashi Okazaki and anime production studio GONZO and took three years to develop and the series was followed by a movie titled “Afro Samurai: Resurrection” which takes place a year later after this series.

Because of it’s impressive visuals, violent action scenes, unique characters (especially since the main character is a Black samurai) and its hip hop music courtesy of RZA (of Wu-Tang Clan fame), the anime attracted many fans in the US. Although both the series and the film “Afro Samurai: Resurrection” were previously released on DVD and Blu-ray, FUNimation Entertainment is re-releasing both in one complete Blu-ray package on June 22, 2010.

The five-episode series revolves around a wandering samurai known as Afro Samurai in his goal of wanting to exact revenge for his father’s death.

In this futuristic, feudal-like Japan, the country is dominated by the person who is known as the top #1 fighter (which is designated by a “ichiban” headband). Afro’s father happened to be the #1 man at the time, the person to beat and one day, he was killed by the #2 opponent (note: only the person who has the #2 headband can challenge the #1 fighter) that goes by the name of “Justice”.

Justice decapitated Afro’s fathers head in front of him when he was a child and since that traumatic moment, Afro has trained and has become an excellent swordsman in order to become #1. So, the series focuses on Afro trying to get his vengeance by challenging the top opponents out there and becoming #2 and finally getting the opportunity to challenge his father’s killer, Justice.

Accompanied by the mouthy Ninja Ninja (also voiced by Samue L. Jackson) during his adventures, the five episodes feature Afro taking on a variety of opponents and also flashbacks of his past when he was a child.

“Afro Samurai-Director’s Cut” features a total of 5 episodes on the first Blu-ray Disc:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1 – Revenge – The series features Afro when he was young and watched as his father was killed during a battle. Now Afro, grown up and a feared samurai, is now wanting his revenge on the man who killed his father.
EPISODE 2 – The Dream Reader – Afro is taken care of by a woman named Okiku and we see flashbacks of Afro’s past as a child bent on revenge.
EPISODE 3 – The Empty Seven Clan – A clan sends out a robot based on Afro to take on the Afro Samurai.
EPISODE 4 – Duel – Afro comes face-to-face on someone sporting a bear mask (a face resembling a teddy bear that Afro’s young female friend used to have) and a flashback from Afro’s past.
EPISODE 5 – Justice – The final battle between Afro and his childhood friend and the final confrontation between Afro and Justice.

Afro Samurai: Resurrection:

The top samurai with the afro is back for another round of slicing and dicing galore. Okazaki’s “AFRO SAMURAI” returns with the animated film “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” that is action-packed and poetically violent.

The popular anime and manga series is created by mangaka Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and produced by world renown Japanese animation company STUDIO GONZO (“Full Metal Panic”, “Vandread”, “Gantz”, “Samurai 7″ and many other anime) that brought us the popular five-episode series (aired on SPIKE TV back in 2007) made its return returned with a feature film in 2009.

The series revolves around a wandering samurai known as Afro Samurai in his goal of wanting to exact revenge for his father’s death.

Justice decapitated Afro’s fathers head in front of him when he was a child and since that traumatic moment, Afro has trained and has become an excellent swordsman. So, the series focuses on Afro trying to get his vengeance by challenging the top opponents out there and becoming #2 and finally getting the opportunity to challenge his father’s killer, Justice who is #1.

With “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION”, the action takes place a year later. The story focuses on Afro who tries to live an ordinary, peaceful life since the last events (from the TV series) have transpired. Afro is literally hated by people due to the people he had to kill in order to get the #1 spot. Some people who were really bad but some who are pretty good.

As Afro tries to live this normal life, his peaceful life is suddenly changed when Sio and Kuma make their return and steal his #1 headband and also his father’s remains. Sio’s goal is to avenge the many people killed by Afro but also what Afro did to her step brother Kuma. By resurrecting Afro’s father, the former #1, Afro will be made to suffer because he will have to fight and kill his own father.

So, Afro’s peaceful and normal life is dampened and now the samurai must return to his old killing ways in order to find out what happened to his #1 bandanna but also to get back at the people who stole his father’s remains.

VIDEO:

GONZO has done a remarkable job with this series. Presented in 1080p High Definition, the animation and the painted backgrounds are well-done! Daytime scenes are colorful and vibrant and night-time scenes are dark and work well with this series. It’s also important to note that “Afro Samurai – Director’s Cut” has quite a bit of talent involved with the look of the film such as character designer and animation director, Hiroya Iijima (”Gantz”, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” and “Black Cat”). Also, art direction from Shigemi Ikeda (”Gantz”, “Gasaraki”, “Inuyasha”, Infinite Ryvius, “Black Cat” and many of the “Mobile Suit Gundam” TV series and films).

The series is featured in 16×9 and for the most part, the picture quality really brings out the detail of the surroundings, including the rocky cliffs to the disembowelment of several characters. And color from the lush green painted backgrounds, blue skies and huge clouds, villages and buildings to the action sequences which showcases a lot of blood.

“AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is an anime film that looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray. One thing is clear, the film just looks so much better than the TV series and the film showcases its vibrant colors during daylight scenes, its darkness during the night and most of all, impressive detail in the backgrounds courtesy of its 1080p High Definition (16×9) transfer. The film just looks great!

It’s also important to note that “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” has quite a bit of talent involved with the look of the film such as character designer and animation director, Hiroya Iijima (“Gantz”, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” and “Black Cat”). Also, art direction from Shigemi Ikeda (“Gantz”, “Gasaraki”, “Inuyasha”, Infinite Ryvius, “Black Cat” and many of the “Mobile Suit Gundam” TV series and films).

The picture quality really brings out the detail of the surroundings, including the rocky cliffs to the disembowelment of several characters. And color from the lush green painted backgrounds, blue skies and huge clouds, villages and buildings to the action sequences which showcases a lot of blood.

“AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is just far superior to the look of the “AFRO SAMURAI” television series in picture quality and animation detail.

AUDIO:

As for the audio, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is featured in Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby Digital: English stereo. The series actually sounds quite awesome with the clanging of the swords and the metal healing, sounding quite awesome. Also, scenes with weapons being launched or fireworks being shot up to the sky, “Afro Samurai” has a solid lossless presentation.

“Afro Samurai – Director’s Cut” is featured only in English, there is no Japanese soundtrack. Voice acting is well done by actors Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman and Yuri Lowenthal. Samuel L. Jackson definitely brings out the believability of both Afro and Ninja Ninja and gives the series that cool, funky vibe.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” comes with the following special features:

Disc 1:

In the Booth – Voice Talent of Afro Samurai – (14:48) Interviews with voice talent Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman, Kelly Hu, creator Takahashi Okazaki and co-producer Eric Calderon discussing how the series came about.
RZA Music Production Tour – (4:54) RZA showing us how he created the music and crew talking about how RZA’s music was important for the series. How hip hop is blended with Japanese animation.
Character Profiles with Commentary by Co-Producer: Eric Calderon – (23:42) Gonzo’s Eric Calderon talks about Afro Samurai, Okazaki’s vision, the voice talent involved in the series and what is cool about the character and the series.

Disc 2:

Afro Samurai: The Game - (11:41) Interview with the staff who created the “Afro Samurai” video game. From the cuts, the music, movement, character animation for the video game and more.
Enter the RZA - (6:20) RZA talks about how he came up with the music for the film and the various hardware and software used.
Afro In-Depth – (6:37) Interview wtih Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and how “Afro Samurai” became a manga, an animated series and an action figure.
Afro Samurai: East Meets West, Part 1 – (19:14) Interviews with creator Takashi “Bob” Okazaki and director Fuminori Kizaki about having more freedom now than when they had with the TV series and now, wanting to blend of the cultures and how they had much more freedom to work for “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION”. Also, interviews with the crew that includes character designs and artistic backgrounds. And also the Eastern staff working with the Western staff.
Afro Samurai: East Meets West, Part 2 – (25:03) Interview with actor and executive producer Samuel L. Jackson, executive producer Arthur Smith, voice actor Yuri Lowenthal, actress Lucy Liu and the crew from the Western staff.
Afro Samurai at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 - (8:10) Series creator and mangaka Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, Samuel L. Jackson and RZA at San Diego Comic-Con discussing the series during their panel and also interviews with the excited audience.
Part A Video Commentary – (28:59) A roundtable video/audio commentary by Director Fuminori Kizaki, Creator Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, Character Designer/Chief Animation Director: Hiroya Iijima, Animation Producer: Yuji Hori and Animation Producer: Kenichi Hayashi. The guys have a fun time watching the animation and discuss what they wanted to accomplish for the film, things that they wanted people to see and taking pleasure in discussing scenes that were well done and more.
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers for upcoming or currently released series or films.

EXTRAS:

“Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” comes with a cardboard slip cover.

“Afro Samurai – Director’s Cut” is a solid, violent action anime series.

It’s definitely a violent series (and I emphasize “violent”) that features plenty of blood and dismembered body parts but it’s interesting to see how samurai anime-based series has come since the early 90′s. The action is fast and fierce but for “Afro Samurai”, the series is highly stylized. Even the blood flowing and how the colors are feature is quite artistic in presentation.

Of course, some people may have a hard time seeing characters that are non-Japanese who are samurai, especially a Black anti-hero with a huge afro. But Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, who was a big hip hop fan definitely was inspired by the music and wanting to do something different and sure enough, Afro Samurai was a unique creation. Okazaki has done a wonderful job with this series and for the most part, doing something unique and different. “Afro Samurai” may feature five episodes but in the overall plan, Okazaki has mentioned, that the series is just a very small part of what he has planned for Afro Samurai and for the most part, one can only hope that the series receives a larger storyline than just five episodes.

The “Afro Samurai” series has star power with Samuel L. Jackson, Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu contributing their voices to the series. You have RZA bringing the hip hop to Japanese animation, so for the most part, it’s a unique blend of East meets West in bringing two cultures together. I felt that was pretty awesome!

GONZO also has done a fantastic job on the animation and artistic backgrounds for this series. I felt the action and fighting choreography was well done! Again, everything is stylized. Even down to the packaging of this release. I have to say that “Afro Samurai-Director’s Cut” also features a pretty awesome package design. Featuring a magnetic case and how the folds are, it’s pretty cool.

As for the TV MA rating, despite the series being shown on television, this is not a series to have children around watching. It’s violent, bloody and features nudity and a sex scene. In fact, some might find the series a bit disturbing and too gory for their tastes.

Overall, if you are a fan of “Afro Samurai” that was shown on television, the director’s cut features 15 extra minutes will definitely entertain you. I personally can’t comment on where the extra footage is located but I would assume that the majority of those extra minutes are the extremely violent scenes.

As for my opinion on the series, for one, its short. The series obviously focuses more on the fighting and violence and the goal for people to become #2 in order to fight the #1 fighter. I felt that the nature of this series was keeping the Western audiences in mind but utilizing Japanese animation by GONZO. As far as storyline execution goes, “Afro Samurai” is nowhere near the deepness of other samurai anime like “Samurai Champloo”, “Hakkenden”, “Rurouni Kenshin” or “Samurai 7″. But again, the series is short and Okazaki has not had the opportunity to have a full-length animated series.

But it’s also a different style of anime that although it uses the concept of samurai and has some inclusion of Japanese culture, the series is very Western. Afro is stoic, while Ninja Ninja could be easily too vocal or mildly annoying but what I did like about the series is its style. Sure, it’s bloody but somehow the way these fight scenes, no matter how violent they were, the execution was quite artistic in someway.

Also, the series is unique and how it tries to bring together samurai and hip hop music. And of course, having the main character being a Black protagonist. But “Afro Samurai” is a series that is literally action and style over substance. If Okazaki was given a chance to have a full-length anime series of 26 episodes, it would be interesting to see what he would be capable of plot-wise.

“AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is definitely going to appeal to the fans of the show. It was pretty unique to see the collaboration between the East and the West for this series and I can only hope that GONZO continues to further production of more episodes (note: Okazaki says that what we have seen so far on the TV series and film is such a small part of what he has already written/planned for the characters).

As far as samurai anime goes, “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” is a violent anime. Part of Afro’s unique fighting style is his ability to slice and dice people with multiple hits with his sword. There are a lot of decapitations, loss of limb and blood featured throughout the series, so for the parents wondering if this film is child-safe, the answer is that this film is definitely not child-safe.

There is a lot of Western appeal and as seen at San Diego Comic-Con back in 2008, this series has its large fandom who love this series. For those who enjoy samurai violence and a samurai anime that is just full of action, there are many positives of “AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION” from its beautiful animation, magnificent art and of course, the music by RZA just adds another positive reason why people the series but also the film.

Also, another major plus is that this Blu-ray goes beyond what many anime Blu-ray tend to have in terms of special features. You get several featurettes and the Blu-ray definitely explores the Japan and American side of their working collaboration. So, there are a good number of special features include on this Blu-ray disc.

Of course, the biggest question is if you own these previously on DVD or Blu-ray, is there a reason to buy “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions”? The answer is that if you have the DVD, then the upgrade to 1080p HD is worth it, if you enjoyed the series. For those who own the previous two Blu-ray releases, the answer is no. This is simply a collection of both releases, re-released in one complete package. So, if you haven’t purchased “Afro Samurai” before, then most definitely, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is the way to go!

Overall, “Afro Samurai: The Complete Murder Sessions” is an anime film that features a ton of action, humor and violence. If you dig samurai anime and a lot of fighting and violence, definitely check this film out!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Reviews

When in Rome (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

June 6, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Kristin Bell and Josh Duham do quite well when onscreen together but with the various amount of goofball characters stealing screentime from these two characters, “When in Rome” is a lackadaisical romantic comedy at best.

TITLE: When in Rome

DURATION: 91 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

COMPANY: Touchstone Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (Some material may be inappropriate to children under 13 for some suggestive content)

RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2010

Directed by Mark Steven Johnson

Written by David Diamond and David Weissman

Producer: Rikki Lea Bestall, Gary Foster, Mark Steven Johnson, Andrew Panay, Ezra Swerdlow

Co-Producer: Enzo Sisti, Kim H. Winther

Associate Producer: Joseph E. Iberti

Music by Christopher Young

Cinematography by John Bailey

Edited by Ryan Folsey, Andrew Marcus

Casting by Kathleen Chopin

Production Design by Kirk M. Petrucelli

Art Direction by John Kasarda, Stefano Maria Ortolani

Set Decoration by Diane Lederman

Costume Design by Sarah Edwards

Starring:

Kristin Bell as Beth

Joshn Duhamel as Nick

Anjelica Huston as Celeste

Wil Arnett as Antonio

Jon Heder as Lance

Dax Shepard as Gale

Alexis Dziena as Joan

Kate Micucci as Stacy

Peggy Lipton as Priscilla

Danny DeVito as Al

Don Johnson as Beth’s Dad

Luca Calvani as Umberto

Keir O’Donnell as Priest

Bobby Moynihan as Puck

Kristen Schaal as Ilona

Judith Malina as Umberto’s Grandma

An ambitious young New Yorker (Kristen Bell), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of those who threw them in: a sausage magnate (Danny DeVito), a street magician (John Heder), an adoring painter (Will Arnet) and a self-admiring model (Dax Shepard). But
when a charming reporter (Josh Duhamel) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?

Trailer

Actress Kristin Bell has had her fair share of comedy roles on film. From films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Fanboys” and “Get Him to the Greek”, Bell plays the lead role in the Touchstone Pictures film “When In Rome”.

The film is directed by Mark Steven Johnson (“Ghost Rider”, “Daredevil”, “Simon Birch”) and a screenplay by writing duo David Diamond and David Weissman (“Old Dogs”, “Minutemen”, “The Family Man”). Cinematography is by John Bailey (“He’s Just Not That Into You”, “Mad Money”, “The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants”) and music by Steven Young (“The Saboteur”, “The Informers”, “Spider-Man 3″, “Ghost Rider”).

Although the film received lackluster reviews from the film critics, the film did pull in over $37 million in the box office.

The film revolves around NY-based, Guggenheim art curator Beth Martin (played by Kristin Bell), her love life is not going so well and each man she falls for, they find love elsewhere. Her job at the museum is becoming stressful as her boss Celeste (played by Anjelica Huston, “The Addams Family” films, “The Royal Tenenbaums”, “The Grifters”) is expecting her to bring in an important item to her upcoming exhibit and it’s a project that the museum is expecting a big return.

So, stressed out about her job and her love life, Beth receives news from her younger sister Joan that she is getting married in Rome to an Italian man she has only known for two weeks and wants her sister to be there for her at the wedding. Facing a major deadline, a warning from her boss that she is replaceable and having to trust her bumbling assistant Stacy (played by Kate Micucci, “Nick and Norah’s Infinity Playlist”), Beth leaves to Rome for two days in order to be there for her sister.

While at the wedding, she meets the groom’s best man Nick (played by Josh Duhamel, “Las Vegas”, “Transformers” films), both seem to hit off very well and Beth finds herself attracted to him. But when she sees a woman kissing him, Beth feels that she has lost another guy that she’s attracted to. Upset, and now drunk, Beth heads to the “Fountain of Love” in which she cries out her lack of success in finding love and how she doesn’t believe in the fountain in finding love for people. She then goes to pick up coins inside the fountain and immediately we see a transformation for several men which include sausage magnate (played by Danny DeVito, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “Taxi”), a street magician (played by Jon Heder, “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Mama’s Boy”, “Blades of Glory”), a painter (played by Will Arnett, “Arrested Development”, “30 Rock”) and a wannabe model (played by Dax Shepard, “Parenthood”).

Meanwhile, when Beth returns back home in New York, life seems to have changed as she notices that Nick wants to go out on a date with her but all of a sudden these four other men are all vying for her attention in a unique number of ways. The sausage magnate Al is trying to sponsor her event, magician Lance finds ways to break into her apartment to impress her with his magic, Antonio painting nude murals of Beth and model Gale taking off his clothes in order to use his body and tries get her attention.

Freaked out by all this, she explains to her sister what is happening and her sister and her husband tell Beth that by taking the coins from the “Fountain of Love”, she has now created a spell in which these men have fallen for her and the only way she can break the spell is by returning the coins back to the Fountain of Love.

But because she has this deadline at work, she is unable to go to Rome and now must deal with these men stalking her. To make things worse, she finds herself falling in love with Nick but while at her place, she finds a poker chip that resembles the same chip she took from the Fountain of Love and is convinced that Nick only loves her because he’s hooked on a spell.

Will Beth be able to break the spell and will she ever find true love?

VIDEO:

“When in Rome” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1). The picture quality is quite vibrant in this film. Colors tend to showcase earthtones and blues but for the most part, the film looks gorgeous especially during Beth’s trip to Rome. The only thing is that during closeups, I was expecting to see more detail but overall, the picture quality is very good for this film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“When In Rome” is featured in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Although the film is dialogue and music driven, there is a good use of surround sound for crowd ambiance and especially near the end when the thunderstorms hit New York City. But for the most part, dialogue is clear from the center channels and music from the front channels are dynamic and definitely sounds great via lossless.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“When in Rome” comes with the following special features presented in 1080p High Definition, English 2.0 or 5.1 and subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish. Include are the following:

Alternate Opening & Ending – (7:17) The alternate opening and ending which really would have made this film drag. I’m glad these two were not used.
Crazy Casanovas: Mischief From The Set – (12:28) We meet our hilarious cast and crew that brought this film to life. The director and cast talk about filming with other staff members, the making of the “Fountain of Love” and more.
Extended Scenes: Pain With the Suitors – (2:39) Featuring extended scenes for: A Torture Artist, A Total Shock, A Force of Nature. Featuring the suitors (artist, magician and model) being introduced at the Guggenheim. More like deleted scenes than extended scenes.
Kerplunk! Bloopers From Rome – (3:07) See the cast’s bloopers & blunders on the set of the film.
Deleted Scenes – (7:45) A total of eight deleted scenes.
Music Video: “Starstrukk” by 3OH3! Featuring Katy Perry
Music Video: “Stupid Love Letter” by Friday Night Boys

EASTER EGG:

On the main menu, click on Bonus Features and you will see a poker chip at the bottom of the screen. Scroll all the way down with your remote and click on the poker chip. You will access the easter egg “The craziest thing you did for love” in which the guys of the film talk about the craziest things they did for love. (Duration: 1:11)

EXTRAS:

“When in Rome” comes with a cardboard slip cover.

“When in Rome” is a romantic comedy that has its times of beauty and fun but its underachieving plot and cliche-filled, farfetched storyline makes the film more silly than enjoyable.

If there is one thing we learned from Kristin Bell films, she has appeared in comedies but here characters are are not known to deliver the comedy. For “When in Rome”, Bell does a great job alongside Duhamel.

The problem is that their characters are not utilized as much into the screenplay as one would hope and the story keeps shifting to all these other characters that the comedy becomes fine for the first half but then becomes overly lame for its second half.

One scene features both Beth and Nick on their first date going to a restaurant that is pitch black with only the employees sporting night vision goggles. What could have been an enlightening dinner, becomes a mess. Who in their right mind, would want to go to a restaurant with no lighting. I’m sure the writers could have come up with something much better.

As for the comedy, bringing the comedy are Josh Duhamel who tries to bring some of that vaudeville style of comedy as a former football athlete who was struck by lightning and now a journalist. For a guy so suave and reserved, it’s hard to believe he is very clumsy. Granted, Duhamel shows he can do comedy but for most of the film, the writers tease the viewer to thinking he has a chance, he doesn’t have a chance and keeps switching back and forth. As mentioned, it would have been great if the film had focus on the two major characters but instead, we have to watch Beth deal with four goofballs.

As for the suitors (the goofballs), I expected to see a bit more perversion from Danny DeVito (who shows us that he can do so much more on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Dax Shephard who typically plays comedy-based roles without a name, gets to play the wannabe model who’s only major ad campaign was for gas relief. Catching your attention is Jon Heder as the creepy magician as the “Napoleon Dynamite” star is reunited with Efren Ramirez who plays his videographer Juan and literally a character similar to his “Napoleon Dynamite” character Pedro. And then there is Will Arnett as the Italian artist who keeps painting or drawing nudes of Beth. Once again, the laughs are good but with Kristin Bell playing the character of “Sarah Marshall” in two films and you see comedy being pushed to another level, I suppose I was expecting to see DeVito strip down (like the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” special) or to see something far out and unexpected. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.

Interesting enough, aside from Efren Ramirez having a guest role, we also see Don Johnson playing Beth’s father, Shaquille O’Neal and Lawrence Taylor in the film. Fortunately, O’Neal and Taylor’s role were quite limited.

If anything, I felt that aside from the beautiful location shots, “When In Rome” suffers from too many characters with a script that doesn’t utilize them effectively. Personally, “When in Rome” could have easily been a much more interesting film without the suitors and focused on “fate” between Beth and Nick.

Sure, it’s contrived and cliche but it could have been better than what we are given in this screenplay. And if you watched the alternative opening and ending, you won’t believe what else the writers had planned for this film. In fact, if anything, I felt that there was more vitality at the music number used for the credits than what we see in the entire film.

Overall, “When in Rome” is an OK romantic comedy if one wanted to watch a film with a significant other to pass time. The Blu-ray does have a good amount of special features but in the end, the film was lackadaisical romantic comedy at best.

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews

Bad Boys (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 29, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

If you were a big fan of “Bad Boys”, then the upgrade to Blu-ray is more than worth it with better PQ and also a wonderful lossless soundtrack. Definitely much better than its DVD counterpart.

TITLE: Bad Boys

DURATION: 119 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), English, French, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese

COMPANY: Columbia Pictures

RATED: R (For Intense Violent Action and Pervasive Strong Language)

RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2010

Directed by Michael Bay

Story by George Gallo

Screenplay by Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, Doug Richardson

Executive Producer: Lucas Foaster, Bruce S. Pustin

Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson

Music by Mark Mancina

Cinematography by Howard Atherton

Edited by Christian Wagner

Casting by Lynn Kressel, Francine Maisler

Production Design by John Vallone

Art Direction by Peter Politanoff

Set Decoration by Kate J. Sullivan

Costume Design by Bobbie Read

Starring:

Will Smith as Mike Lowery

Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett

Tea Leoni as Julie Mott

Joe Pantoliano as Captain Howard

Marg Helgenberger as Alison Sinclair

Tcheky Karyo as Fouchet

Theresa Randle as Theresa Burnett

From director Michael Bay (The Rock, Armageddon) and the production team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun) comes a thrill ride of explosive action from beginning to end. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence team up as partners in crime, crime-fighting that is, in this action-packed flick about a couple of good guys who are real BAD BOYS! One hundred million dollars worthof confiscated heroin has just been jacked from police custody. Once the career bust of Detective Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), the missing drugs now threaten to shutdown the narcotics division of the Miami Police Department. When the drug investigation turns deadly, the murderers kidnap the only witness, a beautful police informant (Tea Leoni) and close friend of the boys, which makes things get personal! Fast cars, a gorgeous woman and non-stop action make BAD BOYS a guaranteed good time!

Trailer

In 1995, director Michael Bay made his directorial debut with “Bad Boys”. Featuring a story by George Gallo and a screenplay by late show writers Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland and Doug Richardson (“Die Hard II”, “Money Train”) and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, despite being shot on a very low budget ($19 million), the film was a huge box office success making over $141 million in the box office .

“Bad Boys” would further the onscreen status of then-television show leads Will Smith and Martin Lawrence into movie stardom and would solidify Michael Bay’s status as an action director.

The film revolves around two best friends and detectives Marcus Burnett (played by Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (played by Will Smith) who both work in the narcotics division of the Miami-Dade Police Department. One night, a mysterious group managed to steal all the heroin seized by the police department and stolen from a secure police vault, Captain Howard (played by Joe Pantoliano) suspects an inside job. To make things worse, Internal Affairs warns that if the Miami PD does not find the drugs, the narcotics division will be shut down and the detectives will be reassigned.

So, now both Marcus and Mike must do all they can to find the stolen heroin and who is responsible for it. While the two meet their contacts in the underground, Mike goes to his informant/escort Maxine Logan to find out if she hears or sees anything.

Maxine is hired by a former cop named Eddie Dominguez for some fun and she brings along her friend Julie Mott (played by Tea Leoni). But Julie is not exactly having fun and goes to the bathroom. Meanwhile, a French drug kingpin named Fouchet (played by Tcheky Karyo) and his group show up at Dominguez place and while Julie watches from upstairs, she sees them kill both Maxine and Eddie. She is spotted by Fouchet’s men and they all go after her but she manages to barely escape from them.

Meanwhile, as Marcus and Mike arrive at the scene of the murders, Mike finds out that his friend Maxine has been killed. Distraught, he goes to the escort owner’s home to find out more information of who may have killed her. While Marcus is at work, Julie contacts the Miami PD and tells Captain Howard that she was a witness to her friend’s murder and she needs to talk to Mike. But with Mike gone, Captain Howard forces Marcus to pretend to be Mike and to protect the witness and to find out more information from her.

But the problem is that Fouchet is way ahead of both Marcus and Mike as he has men at the location where Mike is going to and he has his men sent to Julie’s home to kill her. Can Marcus protect the witness and will Mike found out who killed his friend?

VIDEO:

“Bad Boys” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1). For the most part, the Blu-ray release definitely marks a much better looking version of the film. You can see the skin pores on the characters, more detail in the characters as you can see the freckles on Tea Leoni’s face much more clearly. Blacks are nice and deep. Outdoor scenes are vibrant and colorful and for the most part, for a 15-year-old film, fans of the film will definitely enjoy the PQ. I didn’t see any aliasing, edge enhancement or any artifacting.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Bad Boys” shines in the lossless department. With this film being an action-driven film, there are times where you hear explosions and gun shots whizzing from left to right via the surround channels. I also noticed some shots utilizing LFE. But there was one scene where I felt it nearly blew my eardrum off because I had my system pumped up quite loudly. But the film definitely sounds incredible via lossless. Dialogue and music is clear and understandable through the front and center channels but there is good use of surround for the action segments.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Bad Boys” comes with the following special features presented in standard definition, English Stereo with Spanish or Portuguese subtitles:

movieIQ™+sync (use logo) and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
Commentary with Director Michael Bay - Featured on the original DVD release, Michael Bay talks about the making of the film, working with the talent and the crew and how certain scenes were created. Also, talking about his directorial debut, the two main characters inprovising and working with a low budget.
Putting the Boom & Bang in the Bad Boys Documentary – (23:54) A documentary on how the special effects were created for the film, the various weapons and how certain explosions were made.
Three Music Videos – Featuring Dana King’s “Shy Guy”, 69 Boyz – “Five-O, Five-O” and Warren G’s “So Many Ways”.

EXTRAS:

“Bad Boys” comes with a cardboard protective slip case.

When “Bad Boys” came out in theaters in 1995, there were many critics who were not too thrilled by the film but the fact is that Martin Lawrence who had his own popular TV series “Martin” and Will Smith who had “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” were popular talents. Some may find the partnership between the two as just another cliche cop duo film and for the most part, I guess you can see it at that way but if you were a fan of these two, you were going to enjoy their interaction and their humor. And possible the smartest thing that Bay allowed (because he didn’t like the script all that much) was to give Lawrence and Smith a chance to improvise their lines and have fun with it.

But if anything, “Bad Boys” was that film that lifted director Michael Bay and Will Smith’s names to new heights. After this film, Will Smith was no longer the TV star but now a bonafide action star and followed up with “Independence Day” and “Men in Black”, while Director Michael Bay would have a string of box office hits with “The Rock” and “Armageddon”.

If this film proved anything, it was that Michael Bay knew what staff to work with because with such a low budget to work with, they accomplished a lot special effects-wise with very little (note: “Bad Boys” was budgeted at $19 million, Bay’s next film “The Rock” was budgeted at $75 million).

“Bad Boys” was like your usual copy duo films. May it be “Lethal Weapon, “Beverly Hills Cop”, “48 Hours” (two friends/partners who have their own problems with one another) but when you have two African American talent who can play off each other so well, it made the film very entertaining. The comedy and action was just right and I understand the critics feeling the film doesn’t break any new ground but in 1995, I felt the timing was right for the film and for the most part, movie watchers agreed with the pairing as seen with the massive amount of money that “Bad Boys” had made.

As for the Blu-ray release, the Blu-ray definitely looks much better than the DVD and the lossless soundtrack is awesome. But if there is one thing where the special DVD slightly has an edge over the Blu-ray edition is that it does have the “Damage Control” which used angles to analyze special effects explosions and also an isolated music score which are not included on the Blu-ray. So, if you enjoy those special features, you may want to hang on to your special edition DVD version. But otherwise, the Blu-ray release of “Bad Boys” is much better than its DVD counterpart.

Overall, if you are a fan of “Bad Boys”, definitely give this Blu-ray release a chance!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews

Alice in Wonderland (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 26, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Alice in Wonderland” is a enjoyable, action-driven version of the characters loosely based on the original Lewis Carroll novel. Gorgeous and creepy in visual presentation, director Tim Burton captures the feel of wonderland. If you enjoyed the film, you will definitely enjoy the Blu-ray release!

TITLE: Alice in Wonderland

DURATION: 109 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), English, 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit), English 2.0 DVS, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Fantasy Action/Violence involving Scary Images and Situations and for a Smoking Caterpillar)

RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2010

Directed by Tim Burton

Based on the books by Lewis Carroll

Screenplay by Linda Woolverton

Executive Producer: Chris Lebenzon, Peter M. Tobyansen

Producer: Joe Roth, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, Richard D. Zanuck

Co-Producer: Katterli Frauenfelder, Linda Woolverton

Associate Producer: Derek Frey

Music by Danny Elfman

Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski

Edited by Chris Lebenzo

Casting by Susie Figgis

Production Design by Robert Stromberg

Art Direction by Tim Browning, Todd Cherniawsky, Stefan Dechant, Andrew L. Jones, Mike Stassi, Christina Ann Wilson

Set Decoration by Karen O’Hara, Peter Young

Costume Design by Colleen Atwood

Starring:

Mia Wasikowska as Alice

Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter

Helena Bonham Carter as Red Queen

Anne Hathaway as White Queen

Crispin Glover as Stayne

Matt Lucas as Tweedledee/Tweedledum

Stephen Fry as the voice of Cheshire Cat

Michael Sheen as the voice of White Rabbit

Alan Rickman as the voice of Blue Caterpillar

Barbara Windsor as the voice of Dormouse

Paul Whitehouse as the voice of March Hare

Timothy Spall as the voice of Bayard

Marton Csokas as Charles Kingsleigh

Lindsay Duncan as Helen Kingsleigh

Geraldine James as LAdy Ascot

Tim Pigott-Smith as Lord Ascot

Leo Bill as Hamish

Frances de la Tour as Aunt Imogene

Jemma Powell as Margaret Kingsleigh

John Hopkins as Lowell

Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical new adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton. Inviting and magical, ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an imaginative new twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny. Wonderland is a world beyond your imagination and unlike anything you’ve seen before. The extraordinary characters you’ve loved come to life richer and more colorful than ever. There’s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and more. A triumphant cinematic experience – ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an incredible feast for your eyes, ears and heart that will captivate audiences of all sizes.

The film’s opening weekend made ALICE IN WONDERLAND the highest-grossing non-sequel opening weekend in history, the biggest March opening of all time, the biggest 3D opening of all time and the biggest IMAX opening of all time.

“Alice in Wonderland” is Tim Burton-lite but that will appeal to the young and old, without becoming overly dark or twisted.

The 2010 film directed by Tim Burton (“Corpse Bride”, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Beetlejuice”) and a screenplay by Linda Woolverton (“The Lion Queen”, “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey”, “Beauty & the Beast”) is loosely based on the Lewis Carrol 1903 classic “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.

Featuring a production by Team Todd (The Austin Powers films, “Memento”, “Across the Universe”), the 2010 Disney incarnation received a lot of buzz when the announcement was made that the film would feature a reunion of both director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp but the that the film would feature a cast tat would include Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Alan Rickman and many more. The film would also receive buzz about the creation of the world of Wonderland and the extensive use of CG, especially with its steep production budgeted at around $200 million.

Despite receiving reviews that were 50/50 from film critics, there is no denying that a Tim Burton film would bring people to the theaters and in this case, the Burton and Depp mystique would help bring in over $996 million dollars in the box office. The film would achieve the sixth highest grossing opening weekend of all time and the highest opening weekend for a non-sequel and also surpassing “Avatar” in the IMAX and is currently the highest grossing film of 2010.

The film revolves around a young girl named Alice Kingsleigh (played by Mia Wasikowska) who at a young age would have these unique dreams of talking animals and going to another world. She would tell this to her father who would be open to hearing more about Alice’s dreams.

Flashforward to Alice at 19-years-old and she is taken to a garden party at Lord Ascot’s estate and finds out the party is actually a proposal party in which a young man named Hamish would be asking Alice’s hand in marriage. But when she sees a white rabbit wanting her to join him, she goes after the rabbit and ends up falling into a rabbit hole and taken to another world.

In this world, she meets the white rabbit, the dormouse, a dodo and two bumbling twins, Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Each are debating if the young woman is “the right Alice” who has been documented as slaying the Red Queen’s dragon known as the Jabberwocky on the Frabjous Day to restore the power of the White Queen.

Of course, Alice doesn’t think she’s a fighter and thinks they have found the wrong Alice. While the others debate on if Alice is the actual Alice or not, the Red Queen’s Knave of Hearts (played by Crispin Glover) and the Red Queen’s soldiers go to capture the white rabbit and others. As everyone tries to escape, the Knave of Hearts finds a scroll and realizes that the girl who was seen running may be the Alice on the scroll who is planning to kill the Red Queen’s Jaberwocky.

Meanwhile, as Alice travels the Wonderland alone, she is greeted by the Cheshire Cat who brings Alice to the Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp), Doris the Mouse and March Hare. As the Mad Hatter tries to figure out if Alice is the right Alice, he explains to Alice of how the world is not the same since the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter) has taken the crown away from her sister the White Queen (played by Anne Hathaway) and how the Red Queen has had many good people killed or imprisoned and has ruled the area and making everyone fear of her. But as he tries to explain to Alice of her path, Alice does not believe she is the person that can fight a dragon and refuses to believe that she is the one they are looking for.

The Red Queen has issued an order to the Knave of Hearts to capture Alice and with the help of Bayard the bloodhound, has them searching for Alice and leading them to the Mad Hatter. With quick thinking, the Mad Hatter shrinks Alice and throws her on his hat to avoid being caught by the Red Queen’s soldiers but in the process of doing so, is captured by the Red Queen’s soldiers. But feeling guilty over how the Mad Hatter has protected her, Alice now wants to infiltrate the Red Queen’s castle and rescue the Mad Hatter and her new friends.

Will Alice find the strength to save her friends? And does she have what it takes to slay the Jabberwocky?

VIDEO:

“Alice in Wonderland” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1) and for the most part, “Alice in Wonderland” is a film that showcases a great amount of detail on Blu-ray but in terms of colors, for example, Alice going with her mother for a party, the color seem quite muted (like it’s overcast) and I looked at it as a way for the film to show the viewer how Alice was a bit disenchanted with her life. When she falls into the hole, we notice a different, surreal landscape that was created digitally.

In fact, you will see in the special features that a large part of the film was created alongside a green screen, so for the most part, the film is CG-heavy and one can expect gorgeous CG graphics for Wonderland. Blacks are nice and deep and scenes such as the Red Queen’s lair and the use of reds are quite vibrant. And as mentioned, there is a good amount of detail. From Mad Hatter’s hat to the tea party and more.

As for the DVD version that is included with the three-disc Blu-ray release, the DVD is presented in Widescreen 1:78:1 (enhanced for 16×9 televisions).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Alice in Wonderland” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit), English 2.0 DVS, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The lossless audio was very well done as the film is quite immersive. From crowd ambiance, to the smallest noises created by the Red Queen’s servants to the thunder clouds approaching nearby, to the galloping horses, the march of the soldiers and more. Dialogue is crystal clear through the front channels as Danny Elfman’s music utilizes the front channels while the surrounds utilize the special effects. From Alice falling through the hole and hitting various objects to the various characters running from the Red Queen’s soldiers and more.

“Alice in Wonderland” may not be action-heavy but the 5.1 DTS-HD MA is no slouch either. Audio is well done for this film and overall, a satisfying, immersive lossless soundtrack.

As for the DVD version that is included with the three-disc Blu-ray release, the DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and English 2.0 DVS French and Spanish.

As for subtitles, the film is presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Alice in Wonderland” comes with the following special features (in 1080p High Definition or 480i, Audio in English 5.1 or 2.0 and subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish):

WONDERLAND CHARACTERS: (27:56) This segment contains the following special features:

- Finding Alice – The special effects, costume design and more.

- The Futterwacken Dance – Futterwhat? Check out the making of the timeless dance called the Futterwacken.

- The Red Queen – The creation of the Red Queen from start to finish, including early Tim Burton sketches showcasing costume designs, make-up and digital effects.

- Time-Lapse: Sculpting the Red Queen – A short time-lapse piece showing Helena Bonham Carter as she gets her make-up done. A three-hour process can be watched in just a few short minutes.

- The White Queen – An interview with Anne Hathaway, who plays Wonderland’s good queen, about her character’s journey throughout the process of the film.

Making Wonderland – (19:28) The following segment contains the mini-featurettes:

- Scoring Wonderland – Composer Danny Elfman and Tim Burton discuss the music for the movie.

- Stunts of Wonderland – A featurette highlighting some of the biggest stunts in the film.

- Making the Proper Size – An inside look at the visual effects process of growing and shrinking Alice. See how filmmakers used different techniques to stay true to the storyline.

- Cakes of Wonderland – Take a trip to “Cake Divas” where the creators of the EAT ME cakes provide viewers with details about how they made the smallest crumb to the largest cake in scale.

- Tea Party Props – Tea cups, saucers, cakes and more. Prop master Doug Harlocker gives an overview of all the props used to bring the famous tea party scene together visually.

EXTRAS:

“Alice in Wonderland” is available via a single Blu-ray disc release and a 3-Disc release. The 3-Disc release comes with a slip cover featuring artwork different than the main cover insert. Also, the film comes with a DVD version of “Alice in Wonderland” and a Digital Copy.

Tim Burton was able to create a magical world of Wonderland with its characters with the heavy use of CG. The film was literally filmed with a big green screen all around and people having to wear it while most of the work was then added via post-production in making sure the characters, the scenery and of courts the animals and inhabitants of this world are captured quite well in the film. So, I had no doubt that the Blu-ray release would look good because mostly everything is CG-driven.

“Alice in Wonderland” is a film that was received 50/50 and for the majority of the critics who are familiar with the Lewis Carrol novel, the film was a major deviation from the actual story. Whereas the novel was about a young Alice who ends up in Wonderland and interacts with the inhabitants of the land including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the King and Queen and Ducchess and literally an adventurous experience of a girl in a new land.

As for the Linda Woolverton screenplay, the film is about a young adult Alice who faces adulthood. Not knowing how to explain her emotions and being asked to take part in a marriage (in which she doesn’t love the man), she just wants to escape. In Wonderland, this escape from reality is where Alice gets to know her true self and learn how to stand up for herself without anyone calling the shots in her life. Call it a coming-of-age film, “Alice in Wonderland” deals with a young woman not knowing her true strength but when her life and her new friends lives are in danger, she is the only one that can defeat the Red Queen’s biggest weapon. She may not think that it is possible but her brief stay in Wonderland will eventually be an incredible test.

Typically, I am a reviewer who tends to find CG-driven films to be quite banal of late. Granted, “Avatar” was a film that was extremely well-crafted and as for “Alice in Wonderland”, I actually enjoyed the world that Tim Burton and staff was able to create. Wonderland may be lush but a CG film can only go so far. It depends on the characters and its storyline. And reading a number of reviews, the film was split 50/50 for critics who enjoyed it or those who felt the film was to astray when compared to the original novel or just more eye candy and an unappealing film.

Sean P. Menas, film critic for The Salt Lake Tribune wrote, “Burton’s overamped, visually frenetic and chaotically action-heavy adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” manages to be both too much and not enough of what a retelling of Alice should be.”

I have to agree with Sean P. Menas and that “Alice in Wonderland” is a film that could have been an amazing trilogy if given the chance. As I pondered about the film, sure, images of “Lord of the Rings” came to mind but it would have been great if there was more to the story of “Alice in Wonderland” because 109 minutes did not seem enough. And I felt that Tim Burton’s storyline was diluted by its pacing of trying to get from point A to point B so quickly that I found myself more in-tuned with Alice’s character and Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter was just a creepy character that needed more time. Even the Cheshire Cat which was so instrumental in the novel was left with very little in the film.

Michael Smith of the Tulsa World writes, “A disappointment on a massive scale canvas, Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” is a beautiful, giant bore that’s almost comedy-free. It may be of some interest to adults, but kids will be bored to tears, unless they don’t listen to the leaden dialogue and imagine they are watching a new video game.”

Although, I didn’t find “Alice in Wonderland” as a giant bore, I found it to be entertaining and felt it was a film that had potential but in the end, making you feel it was OK or good but not fantastic. I can’t call the film a disappointment on a massive scale, especially as it is one of the highest grossing films of all time. I also feel that with the pairing of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, the films success was facile and if anything, their pairing would lead to financial box office success but I may not be an erudite when it comes to the original novel’s storyline but I do feel for the film, the story of “Alice in Wonderland” could have led to more sequels and stretch out the story to make us care for the characters and even Wonderland itself.

We are told that Alice has been to the Wonderland many times before, even painting roses for the Red Queen and this is where I find the biggest fault of the film. The original novel would have served a better first film for “Alice in Wonderland”, taking her to adulthood and bringing her back as featured in this film as a sequel. This would have made sense and a much more engaging film.

I did enjoy Mia Wasikowska as Alice. She fit the part of a young woman trying to find herself and both Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway did a wonderful job playing the queens. And Johnny Depp, he was wonderful as the Mad Hatter but for each of these three characters, once again, I just felt there was more storyline for these characters that could have been developed. I felt there was too much emphasis on the glitz and the look of the world while watching a girl who was trying to find her inner strength. Granted, that was the writer’s intention but for all these characters introduced, including the CG animated animals who play a major part in the film, it would have been great to see these characters explored a bit more. If anything, making the viewer care enough to see them rescued or have created some emotional connect to them. I just felt the pacing of the film was a bit rushed.

As for the Blu-ray release, there is no doubt that “Alice in Wonderland” is a beautiful film with tremendous detail. The lossless soundtrack is very good. A good amount of special features and you do get a DVD and digital copy for the 3-disc release. So, as a total package, its a pretty solid Blu-ray release from Disney. If you enjoyed the film, you will most definitely enjoy the Blu-ray release.

Overall, I was content with “Alice in Wonderland” and I’m sure that both parents and children may find the film entertaining. Those who are familiar with the original story may feel the storyline’s deviance from Lewis Carroll’s work to be too much of a difference and for children, for the most part, this is a safe film with not much violent content until the latter end of the film in which Alice goes against the Jabberwocky. Some parents might find the scene a bit too much for younger children and in that case, parental guidance is suggested.

But for me, I felt the film had tremendous potential but missed its target. Sure, it was a box office success but as I watched the film alongside with my seven-year-old son, after the film was done, the words that came out of his mouth was “is that it?” And like my son, I felt the same way about “Alice in Wonderland”… “is that it?”.

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews

Chloe Available on Blu-ray and DVD July 13

May 24, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

“Intriguing, darkly erotic.” –Tom Keogh, Seattle Times

“A supercharged erotic thriller!” –Caryn James, Marie Claire

If the one you love was lying to you …
How far would you go to find out the truth?

From Critically-Acclaimed Director Atom Egoyan

CHLOE

Starring Academy Award® nominees Julianne Moore and
Liam Neeson with Amanda Seyfried

Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD July 13

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (May 24, 2010) – Sexual addiction. Infidelity. Family secrets. Betrayal. All these and more are key elements in Sony Pictures Classics’ sleek, erotic thriller CHLOE, debuting on Blu-ray™ and DVD July 13 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-star cast includes Academy Award® nominees Julianne Moore (2003, Best Actress, Far From Heaven) and Liam Neeson (1994, Best Actor, Schindler’s List), with breakout actress Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia, Dear John, TV’s “Big Love”) under the direction of Academy Award®-nominee Atom Egoyan (1997, Best Director, The Sweet Hereafter). After suspecting her husband (Neeson) of cheating, the conflicted Dr. Catherine Stewart (Moore) hires an escort to seduce him, putting in motion an unforeseen sequence of dangerous events that jeopardize her family. Special features include feature commentary, deleted scenes and a “making-of” featurette. CHLOE will be available on Blu-ray for $34.95 SRP and DVD for $27.96SRP.

SYNOPSIS:

Catherine (Moore) and David (Neeson), she a doctor, he a professor, are at first glance the perfect couple. Happily married with a talented teenage son, they appear to have an idyllic life. But when David misses a flight and his surprise birthday party, Catherine’s long simmering suspicions rise to the surface. Suspecting infidelity, she decides to hire an escort to seduce her husband and test his loyalty. Catherine finds herself ‘directing’ Chloe’s encounters with David, and Chloe’s end of the bargain is to report back, the descriptions becoming increasingly graphic as the meetings multiply.

CHLOE was directed by Atom Egoyan (Adoration, Where the Truth Lies). The screenplay was written by award-winning Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary). Ivan Reitman (I Love You Man, Old School), Joe Medjuck (Distrubia) and Jeffrey Clifford (Up In The Air) served as producers with Tom Pollock (Up in the Air, I Love You, Man), Jason Reitman (Juno, Up In The Air), Daniel Dubiecki (Juno), Olivier Courson and Ron Halpern as executive producers.

DVD Special Features Include:
Commentary with Actress Amanda Seyfried, Director Atom Egoyan and Writer Erin Cressida Wilson
Deleted Scenes
Introducing Chloe: The Making of CHLOE Directed by Atom Egoyan

CHLOE has a running time of approximately 99 minutes and is rated R for strong sexual content including graphic dialogue, nudity and language.

Filed Under: Blu-ray & DVD News

Charlie’s Angels Kicks Onto Blu-ray Disc on August 3, 2010

May 24, 2010 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

Get Some Action With

CHARLIE’S ANGELS

Starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore and Bill Murray

Kicks Onto Blu-ray Disc™ on August 3, 2010

Special Features Include Commentary with Director McG and
Cinematographer Russell Carpenter, Five Featurettes and movieIQ+sync®

Culver City, Calif. (May 24, 2010) – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment takes girl power to the next level on August 3, 2010 when the gorgeous, brilliant and ass-kicking trio Charlie’s Angels debuts on high definition Blu-ray Disc for the SLP of $24.95. Starring Drew Barrymore (Whip It, He’s Just Not That Into You), Cameron Diaz (The Holiday, There’s Something About Mary), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill, Shanghai Noon) and Bill Murray (Get Smart, Rushmore), the film follows three high-heeled private investigators searching for missing software genius Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell, Iron Man 2, Matchstick Men). High Definition adventure has never been more beautiful than Charlie’s Angels, newly remastered for Blu-Ray™ disc.

The Charlie’s Angels Blu-ray™ is chock full of special features including commentary with director McG and cinematographer Russell Carpenter, five featurettes, deleted scenes, Easter eggs and more. The Blu-ray Disc also features movieIQ®+sync, a new and immersive BD-Live movie watching experience that uses a connected, real-time movie database.

Charlie’s Angels Synopsis:
Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu star as the captivating crime-fighting trio who are masters of disguise, espionage and martial arts. When a devious mastermind embroils them in a plot to destroy individual privacy, the Angels, aided by their loyal sidekick Bosley (Bill Murray), set out to bring down the bad guys. In their quest, a terrible secret is revealed and the Angels become the targets of a deadly assassination plot.

BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
· Blu-ray exclusive movieIQ®+sync

· Commentary with Director McG and Cinematographer Russell Carpenter

· Featurettes

o “Getting G’d Up” – An in-depth profile of Director McG

o “The Master and the Angels” – A look behind the martial arts and stunts in the movie

o “Welcome to Angel World” – A behind-the-scenes look at the film’s set design

o “Angelic Attire: Dressing Cameron, Drew and Lucy” – Costume Designer Joseph G. Aulisi discusses the costumes for the film and how he styled each angel

o “Angelic Effects” – A discussion of the exciting special effects used throughout the film’s production

· Scene Deconstruction – “Wired Angels”

o A scene deconstruction of the Chinese Alley scene and the wiring work used during filming

· Deleted Scenes

· Blooper Reel

· Two Music Videos

o “Independent Women Part 1” by Destiny’s Child

o “Charlie’s Angels 2000” by Apollo Four Forty

· Two Easter Eggs

movieIQ™® is a new and immersive BD-Live movie watching experience that uses a connected, real-time movie database. With a movieIQ enabled Blu-ray Disc and an Internet connected Blu-ray player, movie fans can dive into continuously updated filmographies of their favorite directors and stars, and explore relevant trivia such as production facts, location details, music and soundtrack information, all tied to scenes within the movie. movieIQ®+sync gives you the full movieIQ experience on your computer or iPhone by linking to your Blu-ray disc. Once connected, movieIQ+sync will display all of the great information movieIQ offers on your computer screen or iPhone instead of onscreen, all while staying synchronized to the movie!

Charlie’s Angels has a run time of 98 minutes and is rated PG-13 for action violence, innuendo and some sensuality/nudity.

Filed Under: Blu-ray & DVD News

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 23, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

CLAMP’s “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories” features all 52 TV episodes and the Tsubasa film in one set for a great price! But If you previously purchased season 1 on Blu-ray, I recommend purchasing the second season individually and also the Clamp Double feature. Overall, if you enjoy fantasy/adventure/action-based anime, definitely give “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” a try!

TITLE: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories

DURATION: 52 episodes and 1 film (1375 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition 16×9, Dolby True HD English 5.1 and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (for movie), Subtitles: English

RATED: TV PG

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2010

Originally Created by CLAMP

Directed by Koichi Moshimo

Screenplay by Hiroyuki Kawasaki

Music by Yuki Kajiura

Character Design by Minako Shiba

Art Director: Shin Watanabe

Sound Director: Toru Nakano

Executive Producer: Hisako Matsumoto

Anime Production by Bee Train

Featuring the voices of:

Daisuke Namikawa/Vic Mignona as Fay D. Flourite

Mika Kikuchi/Carrie Savage as Mokona

Miyu Irino/Jason Liebrecht as Syaoran

Tetsu Inada/Chris Sabat as Kurogane

Yui Makino/Monica Rial as Sakura

Kouki Miyata as Yukito

Maaya Sakamoto/Amber Cotton as Tomoyo

Shinichiro Miki as Touya

Colleen Clinkenbeard as Yuko Ichihara

J. Michael Tatum as Seishiro Sakurazaka

A true and noble heart holds much power, stronger than the hardest fist and mightier than the most potent magic. Four disparate travelers begin an epic journey; their goals different, their destiny the same. Along the way, the past will meet the future in the present. Of all the paths of every life, mingling in the dimension between dimensions where a foe has the face of an ally, and an ally the face of a monster.

At the center of this heroic undertaking is Syaoran, a young man called upon to save his fated, the princess Sakura. Her memory has been shattered, the very essence of her soul sent adrift across the universe. Feathers float down on strange lands, torn asunder if only to prove the power of love.

With fellow travelers Kurogane and Fai, a warrior and a wizard, an epic quest begins. One of danger and mystery… The possibilities are endless.

The fantasy shonen manga known as “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” by the well-known mangaka group CLAMP (“X”, “xxxHolic”, “Cardcaptor Sakura”, “Angelic Layer”, “Chobits”) was created in 2003 and has been featured on Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen through October 2009. In 2005, a 52-episode anime series aired through 2006 and included five OVA’s released between 2007-2009.

The series was featured on FUNimation Entertainment’s “Funimation Channel” in 2008 and had been released on DVD previously in the US back in 2007. And the popular CLAMP series received its High Definition treatment in the Nov. 2009 with the first season (26 episodes) released on Blu-ray and the second season of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” (featuring the final 26-episodes) and the Tsubasa/xxxHolic double-feature on Blu-ray released on May 11, 2010. But released on this date is “Tsubasa – Collected Memories” which includes all 52 episodes of both seasons and the Tsubasa-only film collected together on seven Blu-ray discs in one box set.

The series is directed by Koichi Mashimo (“Sorcerer Hunters”, “.Hack” series, “”Dirty Pair: Project Eden”, “Noir”) and features a screenplay by Hiroyuki Kawasaki (“Irresponsible Captain Tylor”, “Martian Successor Nadesico”, “Sorcerer Hunters”, “Sakura Wars”, “Tekkaman Blade”). Music for the series is courtesy of Yuki Kajiura (“Mobile Suit Gundam Seed”, “.Hack” series”, “My-HIME”, “Madlax”), character designs by Minako Shiba (“.Hack” series, “Noir”, “Kuroshitsuji”, “Darker than Black”) and art direction by Shin Watanabe (“Arc the Lad”, “Batman: Gotham Knight”, “Diamond Daydreams”).

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” is about a young man named Syaoran who returns home and meets up with his friend Sakura (who really likes him). She has wanted to confess her love to him but due to circumstances, she has to go back to the castle. While Syaoran goes back to the ruins, he sees Sakura who seems to be levitated in light. As he goes to rescue her, small feathers of light disappear and Sakura is left unconscious.

In order to save Sakura, Syaoran along with a unconscious Sakura, a magician named Fay D. Flourite and a ninja named Kurogane are transported to present day Japan in which they come in contact with a dimension witch (Yuuko Ichihara of the CLAMP anime series “xxxHOLIC”). Yuuko explains that they were brought together for a reason and that in order to get home, they would need to travel to various alternate universes to find their way back home. And in each universe, Syaoran must find these feathers which represents Sakura’s memories and are now scattered in various alternate universes, he along with his two compatriots must travel these alternate universes but must find these feathers and return them back to Sakura. After finding each feather(s) for that universe, they will then go to another universe where things are different than the last.

But in order to begin their adventure for Syaoran to revive Sakura and for each of them to return back home, Yuuko must collect payment and that is for each of them to give up something precious. Syaoran makes the biggest sacrifice in which if he is able to revive Sakura, she will no longer have any memory of Syaoran. So, the four embark on their trip to various worlds where familiar faces from their own world are different people from different backgrounds and occupations.

Meanwhile, as Syaoran and the others try to find the feathers, an enemy rival named Fei Wang Reed has interest in obtaining the feathers. He will kill anyone and anybody to obtain Sakura’s feathers.

Both seasons of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” features a race for Syaoran with Sakura, Fay and Kurogane to get the feather of Sakura’s memories before anyone else is able to and taking on various evils and encountering alternate versions of people they know in these different worlds. Will Syaoran, Sakura, Fay and Kurogane survive their adventure?

The main characters of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” are:

Syaoran – The main protagonist from the Kingdom of Clow who likes a girl named Sakura. But when Sakura’s memories are lost, he has made it his mission to find each feather of her memory and bring her back to life, even if she will no longer remember him. Syaoran is an aspiring archaeologist and in each universe, seems to have developed certain supernatural or fighting skills.
Sakura – The princess of Kingdom Clow who has always loved Syaoran. On the day she was to tell him that she loves him, she loses all her memories and magical powers and left unconscious. Only when Syaoran brings back a feather of memories and returns it back to her does she start to get better little at a time.
Fay D. Flourite – A magician from the country of Selece. He has sealed King Ashura and has run away from Selece, never wanting to return back home. He gladly accepts traveling with Syaoran and Kurogane but unlike them, he has no intention of going back home. He gives up his treasured item, a tattoo as payment to Yuuko.
Kurogane - A ninja who is always fighting and shows no mercy. And because of this, Tomoyo sends Kurogane (without his approval) to where Syaoran and Fay. But also cursing him and that if he kills anyone, his strength will decrease. Tomoyo’s goal is for Kurogane to learn what true strength is and let him know that it is not about his sword or killing people that brings strength.
Mokona Modoki - Two bunny-like creatures that are given to the three by Yuuko Ichihara. The white creature allows for teleportation to the alternate universes, while the black creature allows the three to keep in direct contact with Yuuko. But both can also sense Sakura’s feathers of memories.

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” features the following 52-episodes on 1 Blu-ray disc with disc 7 focused on the film “Tsubasa the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom”:

Disc 1:

EPISODE 1: Destinies Converge – Something has gone wrong in the Kingdom of Clow, leaving Sakura unconscious.
EPISODE 2: The Power to Fight – Syaoran (with Sakura), Fay and Kurogane are whisked to a new world. What will be their mission?
EPISODE 3: Sword of Demon Destruction – The first alternative universe places Syaoran and the group in the Hansin Republic where people have their own powers.
EPISODE 4: Innocent Wandering – Sakura has gone missing. Will Syaoran be able to find her?
EPISODE 5: The Battle of the Mage – The gang leader Shogo challenges Syaoran in a Kudan battle.
EPISODE 6: Unshed Tears – The fight between Syaoran and Shogo begins.
EPISODE 7: The Broken Memento – The group travel to their next world, the Koryo Country and learn from Chun Hyang of an evil group known as Ryanban.
EPISODE 8: God’s Beloved Daughter – Sakura is drawn to the local castle for some reason.
EPISODE 9: Princess of Shadows – The gang encounter the Ryanban and learn about their famous weapon.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 10: Mirror of Separation – Syaoran vs. the Ryanban leader’s son.
EPISODE 11: The Chosen Tomorrow – The Ryanban takes control of the villagers.
EPISODE 12: A Warm Smile – The group are whisked into another world that consists only of a large lake.
EPISODE 13: Advocate of Illusions – The group visit a new world, the Jade Country in which the princess is supposedly has a magical feather.
EPISODE 14: Truth in History – A ghost princess visits Sakura.
EPISODE 15: A Heart That Believes – Sakura tries to rescue children from the castle with the help from the ghost princess.
EPISODE 16: Strength in Kindness – The group now goes to the Storm Country in which a fight tournament is taking place.
EPISODE 17: Demon Hunters – The group reach Oto Country in which they are attacked by oni.
EPISODE 18: Cats and Dogs – Fay and Kurogane learn a secret of Syaoran.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 19: Resolution to Live – Syaoran wants to learn how to use a sword and asks Kurogane to teach him.
EPISODE 20: The Afternoon Piano – Kurogane trains Syaoran on how to use a sword.
EPISODE 21: The Demon’s True Face – The gang encounters the oni Seishiro (from the CLAMP anime/manga series “Tokyo Babylon”).
EPISODE 22: Indelible Memory – Syaoran and the group try to protect Seishiro from the town hall.
EPISODE 23: The Fading Life – Seishiro starts to attack Syaoran and the others.
EPISODE 24: Blade of a Desperate Fight – The group learn that they are in a virtual reality world leading to a battle between Kurogane and Seishiro.
EPISODE 25: The Ultimate Game – The battle between the Oni heats up, meanwhile Syaoran tries to get the feather from Seishiro.
EPISODE 26: The Last Wish – The group end up in a new world, Tsarastora County where the group learns that if they can reach to the top of a blessed temple, the would be granted a wish.

Disc 4:

EPISODE 27: Dangerous Race – The group lands in a futuristic world in which a feather is part of a 1st place price during a race.
EPISODE 28: The Three Badges – Tomoyo of the Piffle Princess Company warns the group that someone is tampering with the Dragonfly race.
EPISODE 29: Goal of Glory – The person responsible for tampering with the race is revealed.
EPISODE 30: Sorrowful Miracle – Another feather is found but it’s on a dragon.
EPISODE 31: A Young Man’s Resolve - The group land in Portoria Country in the middle of an ocean.
EPISODE 32: A Date With a Wizard – The group land in Fort City Brit, a city that uses magic.
EPISODE 33: The Origins of Ashura – The group arrives in Shara County but this time, the group is separated from each other.
EPISODE 34: Endless War – An earthquake hits Shara County.
EPISODE 35: Two Memories – The group visit Shura County and learn the story of Ashura and Yasha.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 36: Love That Transcends Time - The story of Ashura and Yasha is continues.
EPISODE 37: Mokona the Artist – The group land in a super-deformed world and only Mokona can help the group.
EPISODE 38: Dangerous Road – The group lands in the Principality of Dargoa but gangsters terrorize a group of passengers on a bus.
EPISODE 39: Parting of Beginnings – The fight against the gangsters.
EPISODE 40: Black Steel – The group lands in Rekord County and discover a book with Kurogane’s past.
EPISODE 41: Secret of the Library – The group finds out that Syaoran has read the original Book of Memories.
EPISODE 42: Faraway Homesickness – The group are now in the Country of Clow and look for anything living.
EPISODE 43: The Fifth Oath – Kurogane wants to learn more about his past and Kurogane starts learning more than he should about his travel partner.
EPISODE 44: Kero and Mokona – The group take a break and go to sleep and when they woke up, everyone shrunk to an inch tall.

DISC 6:

EPISODE 45: The Second Hardship – The group arrive in Koryo County, to discover things have changed in their homeland.
EPISODE 46: The Secret of Hijutsu – Kishim tells the group about a hidden country known as Kiishimu that runs parallel to Koryo County.
EPISODE 47: Sakura Works – The group land in Ragtime World and the group must get the feather but end up getting in a fight with a gang.
EPISODE 48: Feather-King Chaos – The group land in Tao Country which is ruled by King Chaos.
EPISODE 49: A Warped Wish – Sakura has a dream of her childhood in Clow Kingdom and is attacked by a worm, but who is the mysterious person that saved her?
EPISODE 50: Determined Friends – Chaos tries to kidnap Sakura but is miffed that she cares so much about Syaoran. So, Chaos challenges Syaoran to a duel.
EPISODE 51: A Frozen Spirit – Kurogane trains Syaoran before his fight against Chaos.
EPISODE 52: Wings Toward Tomorrow – Final episode. The final conclusion between Syaoran vs. Chaos and Sakura makes a revelation of who Chaos really is.

Disc 7:

Tsubasa the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom

For “Tsubasa the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom”, the 30-minute animated film features the four main protagonist and Mokona in another land and takes place between season 1 and 2. Syaoran and Sakura are separated away from Fay and Kurogane. As for Fay and Kurogane, they are encountered by the king’s soldiers who are wondering how they were able to enter their land (which is protected by a magical birdcage, no one can get in or out). Immediately, a fight ensues and both men are imprisoned in bird cages.

Meanwhile, Syaoran and Sakura meet Princess Tomoyo who lost her voice when her uncle, the current king took it away from her. He is now after her ring which will give him the full power to enclose their land permanently and will be in complete control of the kingdom with his magical power. With the King having so much power, can Syaoran and friends defeat the king and find the feather for Sakura’s memories?

VIDEO:

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season One” is presented in 1080p High Definition (16×9). So, far with some of the upconverted anime series from FUNimation Entertainment really looking gorgeous on Blu-ray, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season One” has its moments of vibrancy and sharpness with beautiful, colorful backgrounds and the noticeable CLAMP character designs but on Blu-ray, you also see compression artifacting. There are times where you can see the artifacts quite clearly on a larger television set (I have a 52″, so it really stood out and I would imagine those with larger screens will also see it become more prevalent). It’s not too distracting as it doesn’t happen throughout the whole episode but you do notice it from time to time. And in terms of animation, when it comes to CLAMP animated series, there is always less emphasis on the actual look (in fact, one thing you’ll notice with certain characters in “Tsubasa” are similar to “xxxHolic” with characters sporting the long arms, long bodies, long legs, etc.) but more emphasis on the storyline and how the character design and artistic background compliments it. So, PQ wise, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season One” is not going to be the greatest look anime series on Blu-ray but it compliments CLAMP’s storytelling quite nicely. (NOTE: I did do a video test to see if season 1 was re-encoded for the “Collected Memories” version but the season 1 on this set is the same as the season 1 individual Blu-ray release).

With “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two”, things are much more different. Presented in 1080p High Definition (16×9), one will see that this season looks much better than the first. The artistic backgrounds and characters have a good amount of shading but in some way, it’s not the best looking anime series though. CLAMP series are typically known for their character designs and storytelling but in terms of PQ, don’t expect a tremendous leap in quality from the first to the second season.

First, because this is a TV series, let alone a series released back in 2005-2006, you’re not going to get a superb HD release of an anime series released in late 2008-present. The series does feature plenty of colors and at time is quite vibrant. In fact, the video is much, much better than the first season. I didn’t notice any discoloration problems and I didn’t see many artifacts or aliasing (they are there) compared to the first season.

Overall, I’m glad to see that FUNimation fixed the video problems they had with the first season release as this release is much, much better.

“Tsubasa the Movie” is presented in 1080p High Definition. It’s important to note that this film was released in 2005 and with that being said, I know there are other reviewers who have said these films were both upscaled. Truthfully, if they were upscaled, then similar to “Fullmetal Panic: The Second Raid” (from FUNimation which looks great despite being an upscale), I’m inclined to say that this film looks great.

The film is quite vibrant in colors and actually look very beautiful in HD. Unlike the TV series for “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season One” on Blu-ray in which I had problems with the aliasing, compression artifacts and discolorization problems but because this not a TV series but a film, I was expecting for much improved video quality over the TV series and sure enough, the movie looks great. Again, colors are vibrant and the artistic backgrounds for the film look wonderful.

Overall, if this film truly is an upscale (and the fact that these two films were released in 2005 and the fact that both films were not released via Blu-ray in Japan leads me to believe this release is an upscale) and despite it being upscaled, the colors and background art for both films are wonderful. It’s not a picture perfect release as you can see ghosting near the edges of the characters, if you look very close but by no means is this going to hamper your enjoyment of both films. Both CLAMP TV series were never known for their detail to begin with and CLAMP releases tend to be story-driven, but nevertheless, both films looked very good on Blu-ray. Again, not perfect but very good for an upscaled Blu-ray release.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” delivers in lossless audio (English dub) as their is utilization of the surround channels of the series. Good use of special effects in this second season. You hear the vehicles flying through the air, the panning of speed from left to right surround channels and also, the action sequences being utilized through the surround channels including crowd ambiance. But all is not perfect.In fact, similar to the first season, once again, the center channel seems low that I felt I had to adjust it constantly.

Front channel music and surround sound good…but it’s almost a similar to the “Grease” effect (for those who have the Blu-ray of the movie “Grease”) where the front channels overpower the center channel. The sound effects and music are much louder than the spoken dialogue when your volume is low that the only way to get things to sound right is to increase the volume of your receiver or by increasing your center channel volume.

Otherwise, once fixed…you realize that “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” does sound awesome and it’s great to have an anime series taking advantage of actions sequences involving explosions and various sound effects. And as always, the quality of the English dub courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment is well-done with this series.

For those who were hoping for a lossless Japanese audio soundtrack, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” is presented in Dolby Digital Japanese 2.0 only. For those who have a modern home theater receiver, this can be easily remedied by selecting stereo on all channels but I can understand for hardcore anime fans who prefer the Japanese dialogue wanting lossless Japanese audio.

I will say that I did prefer the Japanese version a bit more. When it comes to the background music, for the English dub, they opted to go with the instrumental version of the theme music, while the Japanese version features the Japanese vocals. It makes more sense to have it with the vocals because otherwise, the English dub version sounds like it has an electronic instrumental soundtrack and personally, it just didn’t seem right. But this my opinion and others who dislike J-Pop will more than likely be happy the Japanese vocals from the songs were taken out during the action sequence.

“Tsubasa the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom” is presented in English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and a Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 soundtrack. And I have to say the lossless soundtrack was fantastic. During the action sequences of the film, there is very good use of the surround channels and also a bit of LFE . For the most part, dialogue is clear and I admit that I was quite pleased to find out that FUNimation did include a lossless Japanese soundtrack with this release.

Subtitles are only in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories” comes with the following special features:

Disc 1:

Cast Auditions – The cast auditions (audio only) for those who provided the English dub for the characters Syaoran, Sakura, Kurogane, Fai, Mokona and Yuko.
Faces in the Crowd – A text-based character bio. Featuring a variety of characters that have appeared in other CLAMP manga/anime series.
Character Guide – A text based bio for the main characters of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season One”.
World Guide – A text based guide to the various worlds featured in the anime series.
Textless Theme Songs – Textless opening theme song “Blaze” and closing theme song “Loop”.
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

Disc 6:

Character Guide – A text based bio for the main characters of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two”.
World Guide – A text based guide to the various worlds featured in the anime series.
Textless Theme Songs – Textless opening theme song “Blaze” and closing theme song “Loop”.
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

Disc 7:

“Tsubasa the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom” comes with the following special features:

2005 Premiere in Ikebukuro – (8:15) Featuring the main seiyuu cast for both films as they introduce themselves to the viewers at the premiere in Ikebukuro and also answering questions from the host.
2005 Movie Event in Shibuya – Featuring a special screening at Tower Records in Shibuya. Featuring a music performance by Kinya singing the theme song “Aerial” and guests Yui Makino (voice actress of Sakura) and Miyu Irino (voice of Syaoran) and a video message from music artist Suga Shikao who did the theme song for “xxxHolic the movie”.
Recording Session Montage – (1:59) A brief music montage with the seiyuu at work and recording for the film.
Japanese Staff and Cast Commentary – (35:47) Featuring picture-in-picture audio commentary by Mika Kikuchi (Mokona), Yui Makino (voice actress of Sakura) and Miyu Irino (voice of Syaoran) plus producer Iwasaki from Shochiku. The producer talksa bout how they made certain animation for the film and the cast being impressed by the final cut of the film. A fun, upbeat commentary.
Additional Movie Event Coverage – (:40) Featuring music artist Kinya commenting about CLAMP’s work.
Production Artwork – (6:14) Featuring a music montage with the character designs and sketches for the film.
Background Slides – (1:44) Featuring a music montage of the beautiful concept and background art for the film.
Origin of Birdcage Kingdom – (1:46) Featuring a music montage about the origin of Birdcage Kingdom (featuring art and the story in Japanese with English subtitles).
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

EXTRAS:

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories” comes with a cardboard slipcase.

Let me first say that I have been a big fan of CLAMP-related anime and manga series. When “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” was originally released, I felt that the appearances of characters from various CLAMP series was just awesome.

With that being said, I’ve always felt that CLAMP series although known for their character designs, the overall enjoyment of their work is how well written the stories are and how much they focus on character development. So, with that being said, for those looking for a series that features a well-written storyline that is quite addictive, you’re going to enjoy “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE”.

With that being said, I will say that “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” looks much better than the first season and for audio, once you have your surround system up and center channel configured, the series does sound great. But I will be truthful with you and tell you that this is not the best looking or sounding anime TV series on Blu-ray. But its strength relies on its characters and its adventure storyline.

Personally, I feel that those who want an entertaining anime series will enjoy “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE”. It’s too good of a series to pass up on Blu-ray, especially with its enjoyable and addictive storyline. Especially how the series features many characters (and alternate versions of them) plus, you also will see CLAMP cameos of characters from other anime/manga series. Definite cool!

And for those who do enjoy English dubs, you will enjoy the lossless audio as surround channels are well utilized and overall, a pretty solid soundtrack during its action sequences (despite the front channels slightly overpowering the center channel during a lower volume setting).

For those expecting some closure with this second season of “Tsubasa” are probably going to be disappointed. Similar to the other CLAMP series “xxxHolic”, the anime series was shown on television before the manga was wrapped up. So, if you want to know how things end for the series, you’re not going to find it in the anime series but only in the manga. Also, the five Tsubasa OVA’s have yet to be released on Blu-ray or DVD, so its a shame that we haven’t seen that release just yet.

So, the big question – Should I purchase the seasons and films separately or purchase “Collected Memories”?

Well, first off…if you purchase both seasons and the movies separately, it will cost you over a $100. Purchase “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories” and you pay around $65-$75. So, it’s a no-brainer that this set is definitely worth purchasing because of its price. And I know there are people who purchased season 1, who may be upset that a collected version did come out because they would have saved money purchasing this than having to buy season two and the films later on. And speaking about the films, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories” only comes with the “Tsubasa” film, not the “xxxHolic” film. “xxxHolic the Movie” does tie into the Tsubasa film but is not entirely necessary for viewing but if you are a CLAMP or “xxxHolic” fan, then you can easily purchase this set and the “Tsubasa the Movie/xxxHolic the Movie – Clamp Double Feature” separately.

But overall, because of its price, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Collected Memories” is the way to go, if you haven’t purchased season 1 yet. If you have season 1, then it’s probably best to purchase season 2 and the double feature separately.

Overall, I do feel that among the current offering on Blu-ray in terms of anime television series, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” is definitely one of the better series storyline-wise at this time. It has all the elements of fantasy, adventure, action, science fiction incorporated to its storyline and the characters which are fun to watch. Definitely a series worth owning on Blu-ray!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 20, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

CLAMP’s “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” continues the action and adventure. With a much better storyline and also better video quality compared to its first season, fans of the “Tsubasa” anime series will no doubt be entertained by this latest release!

TITLE: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two

DURATION: Episodes 27-52 (640 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition 16×9, Dolby True HD English 5.1 and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, Subtitles: English

RATED: TV PG

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2010

Originally Created by CLAMP

Directed by Koichi Moshimo

Screenplay by Hiroyuki Kawasaki

Music by Yuki Kajiura

Character Design by Minako Shiba

Art Director: Shin Watanabe

Sound Director: Toru Nakano

Executive Producer: Hisako Matsumoto

Anime Production by Bee Train

Featuring the voices of:

Daisuke Namikawa/Vic Mignona as Fay D. Flourite

Mika Kikuchi/Carrie Savage as Mokona

Miyu Irino/Jason Liebrecht as Syaoran

Tetsu Inada/Chris Sabat as Kurogane

Yui Makino/Monica Rial as Sakura

Kouki Miyata as Yukito

Maaya Sakamoto/Amber Cotton as Tomoyo

Shinichiro Miki as Touya

Colleen Clinkenbeard as Yuko Ichihara

J. Michael Tatum as Seishiro Sakurazaka

With fellow travelers Kurogane and Fai, a warrior and a wizard, an epic quest begins. One of danger and mystery… The possibilities are endless.

The series was featured on FUNimation Entertainment’s “Funimation Channel” in 2008 and had been released on DVD previously in the US back in 2007. And the popular CLAMP series received its High Definition treatment in the Nov. 2009 with the first season (26 episodes) released on Blu-ray and now here we are with the second season of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE”. It’s important to note that released simultaneously on Blu-ray is the Tsubasa/xxxHolic double-feature on Blu-ray which ties into the series and also released is “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Blu-ray Collected Memories” which collects the first two seasons plus the Tsubasa-only feature (xxxHolic film is not included).

To recap “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” Season 1, the series is about a young man named Syaoran who returns home and meets up with his friend Sakura (who really likes him). She has wanted to confess her love to him but due to circumstances, she has to go back to the castle. While Syaoran goes back to the ruins, he sees Sakura who seems to be levitated in light. As he goes to rescue her, small feathers of light disappear and Sakura is left unconscious.

The main characters of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” are:

Syaoran – The main protagonist from the Kingdom of Clow who likes a girl named Sakura. But when Sakura’s memories are lost, he has made it his mission to find each feather of her memory and bring her back to life, even if she will no longer remember him. Syaoran is an aspiring archaeologist and in each universe, seems to have developed certain supernatural or fighting skills.
Sakura – The princess of Kingdom Clow who has always loved Syaoran. On the day she was to tell him that she loves him, she loses all her memories and magical powers and left unconscious. Only when Syaoran brings back a feather of memories and returns it back to her does she start to get better little at a time.
Fay D. Flourite – A magician from the country of Selece. He has sealed King Ashura and has run away from Selece, never wanting to return back home. He gladly accepts traveling with Syaoran and Kurogane but unlike them, he has no intention of going back home. He gives up his treasured item, a tattoo as payment to Yuuko.
Kurogane - A ninja who is always fighting and shows no mercy. And because of this, Tomoyo sends Kurogane (without his approval) to where Syaoran and Fay. But also cursing him and that if he kills anyone, his strength will decrease. Tomoyo’s goal is for Kurogane to learn what true strength is and let him know that it is not about his sword or killing people that brings strength.
Mokona Modoki - Two bunny-like creatures that are given to the three by Yuuko Ichihara. The white creature allows for teleportation to the alternate universes, while the black creature allows the three to keep in direct contact with Yuuko. But both can also sense Sakura’s feathers of memories.

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” features the following 26-episodes on 3 Blu-ray discs:

Disc 1:

EPISODE 27: Dangerous Race – The group lands in a futuristic world in which a feather is part of a 1st place price during a race.
EPISODE 28: The Three Badges – Tomoyo of the Piffle Princess Company warns the group that someone is tampering with the Dragonfly race.
EPISODE 29: Goal of Glory – The person responsible for tampering with the race is revealed.
EPISODE 30: Sorrowful Miracle – Another feather is found but it’s on a dragon.
EPISODE 31: A Young Man’s Resolve - The group land in Portoria Country in the middle of an ocean.
EPISODE 32: A Date With a Wizard – The group land in Fort City Brit, a city that uses magic.
EPISODE 33: The Origins of Ashura – The group arrives in Shara County but this time, the group is separated from each other.
EPISODE 34: Endless War – An earthquake hits Shara County.
EPISODE 35: Two Memories – The group visit Shura County and learn the story of Ashura and Yasha.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 36: Love That Transcends Time - The story of Ashura and Yasha is continues.
EPISODE 37: Mokona the Artist – The group land in a super-deformed world and only Mokona can help the group.
EPISODE 38: Dangerous Road – The group lands in the Principality of Dargoa but gangsters terrorize a group of passengers on a bus.
EPISODE 39: Parting of Beginnings – The fight against the gangsters.
EPISODE 40: Black Steel – The group lands in Rekord County and discover a book with Kurogane’s past.
EPISODE 41: Secret of the Library – The group finds out that Syaoran has read the original Book of Memories.
EPISODE 42: Faraway Homesickness – The group are now in the Country of Clow and look for anything living.
EPISODE 43: The Fifth Oath – Kurogane wants to learn more about his past and Kurogane starts learning more than he should about his travel partner.
EPISODE 44: Kero and Mokona – The group take a break and go to sleep and when they woke up, everyone shrunk to an inch tall.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 45: The Second Hardship – The group arrive in Koryo County, to discover things have changed in their homeland.
EPISODE 46: The Secret of Hijutsu – Kishim tells the group about a hidden country known as Kiishimu that runs parallel to Koryo County.
EPISODE 47: Sakura Works – The group land in Ragtime World and the group must get the feather but end up getting in a fight with a gang.
EPISODE 48: Feather-King Chaos – The group land in Tao Country which is ruled by King Chaos.
EPISODE 49: A Warped Wish – Sakura has a dream of her childhood in Clow Kingdom and is attacked by a worm, but who is the mysterious person that saved her?
EPISODE 50: Determined Friends – Chaos tries to kidnap Sakura but is miffed that she cares so much about Syaoran. So, Chaos challenges Syaoran to a duel.
EPISODE 51: A Frozen Spirit – Kurogane trains Syaoran before his fight against Chaos.
EPISODE 52: Wings Toward Tomorrow – Final episode. The final conclusion between Syaoran vs. Chaos and Sakura makes a revelation of who Chaos really is.

VIDEO:

I was a bit hard on my review for “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season One”. Granted, it was a TV series but there was major aliasing, discoloration blobs and for the most part, I have to admit that it was a bit of a downer that the picture quality for the series was not that great. BUT with “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two”, things are much more different.

Presented in 1080p High Definition (16×9), one will see that this season looks much better than the first. The artistic backgrounds and characters have a good amount of shading but in some way, it’s not the best looking anime series though. CLAMP series are typically known for their character designs and storytelling but in terms of PQ, don’t expect a tremendous leap in quality from the first to the second season.

Overall, I’m glad to see that FUNimation fixed the video problems they had with the first season release as this release is much, much better.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Where the season did shine for the first season was its English dub soundtrack and the same can be said of the first. One thing you will notice about “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” is the utilization of the surround channels of the series. Good use of special effects in this second season. You hear the vehicles flying through the air, the panning of speed from left to right surround channels and also, the action sequences being utilized through the surround channels including crowd ambiance.

But all is not perfect.In fact, similar to the first season, once again, the center channel seems low that I felt I had to adjust it constantly.

Otherwise, once fixed…you realize that “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” does sound awesome and it’s great to have an anime series taking advantage of actions sequences involving explosions and various sound effects. And as always, the quality of the English dub courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment is well-done with this series.

For those who were hoping for a lossless Japanese audio soundtrack, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” is presented in Dolby Digital Japanese 2.0 only. For those who have a modern home theater receiver, this can be easily remedied by selecting stereo on all channels but I can understand for hardcore anime fans who prefer the Japanese dialogue wanting lossless Japanese audio.

Subtitles are only in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” comes with the following special features:

Character Guide – A text based bio for the main characters of “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two”.
World Guide – A text based guide to the various worlds featured in the anime series.
Textless Theme Songs – Textless opening theme song “Blaze” and closing theme song “Loop”.
Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers.

EXTRAS:

“Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” comes with a cardboard slipcase.

I will say that “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” looks much better than the first season and for audio, once you have your surround system up and center channel configured, the series does sound great. But I will be truthful with you and tell you that this is not the best looking or sounding anime TV series on Blu-ray. But its strength relies on its characters and its adventure storyline.

Not sure if there are any plans to bring the final chapter of the manga for an anime series but overall, “Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – Season Two” is no doubt an enjoyable series, let alone an enjoyable season but I hope someday that the anime series would receive another season in the very near future in order to close out the series and give it a true ending.

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Reviews

Dear John (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 15, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

An emotional, romantic and heartfelt film from the writer of “The Notebook”. “Dear John” is a film about finding love, losing love and as a viewer, you find yourself wanting to see if love can ever be rekindled. Definitely a Blu-ray for those looking for an entertaining, romantic film.

TITLE: Dear John

DURATION: 108 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English, 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English -Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH

COMPANY: Screen Gems/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (For Some Sensuality and Violence)

RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2010

Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom

Screenplay by Jamie Linden

Executive Producer: Jeremiah Samuels, Tucker Tooley

Produced by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Ryan Kavanaugh

Co-Produced by Ken Halsband

Music by Deborah Lurie

Cinematography by Terry Stacey

Edited by Kristina Boden

Casting by Joanna Colbert, Mark Fincannon, Richard Mento

Production Design by Kara Lindstrom

Art Direction by Mark Garner

Set Decoration by Summer Eubanks

Costume Design by Dana Campbell, Kathryn Langston

Starring:

Channing Tatum as John Tyree

Amanda Seyfried as Savannah Curtis

Richard Jenkins as Mr. Tyree

Henry Thomas as Tim Wheddon

D.J. Cotrona as Noodles

Cullen Moss as Rooster

Gavin McCulley as Starks

Jose Lucena Jr. as Bery

Keith Robinson as Captain Stone

Scott Porter as Randy

Leslea Fisher as Susan

William Howard Bowman as Daniels

David Andrews as Mr. Curtis

Mary Rachel Dudley as Mrs. Curtis

It was two weeks that would change their lives forever. Soon after John (Channing Tatum – PUBLIC ENEMIES, G.I. JOE) and Savannah (Amanda Seyfried – MAMMA MIA, TV’s “Big Love”) fall madly in love, their relationship is put on hold. With one leaving to complete his service, and the other to complete her college education, they pass the time by exchanging a continuous stream of love letters, until they can be reunited permanently a year later. But when war breaks out, their separation is extended indefinitely. Will their relationship survive the greatest test of all: the test of time? Based on the bestselling novel from the author of “The Notebook,” DEAR JOHN is a timeless romance that will warm your heart.

When it comes to films that are adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels, you know you can expect romance, conflict and for the most part, for those who enjoy romantic films, films that can usually be seen as uplifting and remembered.

From Sparks novels such as “Message in a Bottle”, “A Walk to Remember”, “The Notebook” and “Nights in Rodanthe”, “Dear John” is the latest novel to receive an adaptation. With a screenplay by Jamie Linden (“We Are Marshall”), the film would be directed by Lasse Hallstrom (“Hachiko: A Dog’s Story”, “Chocolat”, “The Cider House Rules”, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”). The film would feature cinematography by Terry Stacey (“P.S. I Love You”, “Adventureland”) and music composed by Debora Lurie (“Dreamgirls”, “Spider-Man 3″, “Wanted”, “X-men 2″).

Although the film was not well-received by critics, films based on Nicholas Sparks novels have proven to become quite successful and was the film responsible of knocking “Avatar” out of the #1 box office position (note: Avatar was #1 for seven weeks) and “Dear John” which was budgeted at $25 million would earn over $94 million in the box office.

The film would revolve around two individuals during their summer vacation in 2001. The film begins with images of John Tyree (played by Channing Tatum, “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, “Public Enemies”), a soldier of the US Army Special Forces who has been shot in battle. While he lays down, all that goes through his mind is his childhood trip to the U.S. Coin Mint and in his words, the last things he thought about before blacking out was “you”.

We are then taken back to the Summer of 2001 as John Tyree is enjoying his two weeks vacation at the beach and surfing during the Summer. But while on top of the boardwalk, he sees Savannah Lynn Curtis (played by Amanda Seyfried, “Mamma Mia!”, “Jennifer’s Body”, “Veronica Mars”) along with her friends. Savannah’s purse falls towards the water below and John jumps from the boardwalk to retrieve it for her. After getting her purse, the two immediately the two start getting to know each other and enjoying each other’s company. The two talk about how he will be leaving to go back to his base in Germany in two weeks, while she will be going to college in two weeks.

We are introduced to Savannah’s friends including her neighbor Tim Wheddon (played by Henry Thomas, “Red Velvet”, “Gangs of New York”) who is a single father raising his autistic son Allan. We are also introduced to her good friend Randy (played by Scott Porter, “Friday Night Lights, “Caprica”) who likes Savannah and quickly becomes jealous of Savannah spending her time with John.

As both John and Savannah enjoy each other’s company and go on a date the following day. Savannah starts to learn how John was had some trouble when he was younger and when she starts questioning him about his relationship with his father, John closes up. But Savannah persists and wants to meet John’s father.

So, John takes her to his home. A bit uncomfortable about the situation, because his father is very quiet and is very meticulous about things. He is surprised that Savannah is actually taking an interest in the activities of Mr. Tyree (played by Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”, “The Kingdom”, “Six Feet Under”) who enjoys coin collecting. Savannah notices his symptoms and realizes he is autistic, something that John is not aware of. But the two end up having a good first date and the two begin seeing more of each other.

We learn that Savannah is involved in charity and her dream is to open a horse ranch for autistic kids. John feels that Savannah may be too good for him but Savannah reaffirms her interest in him and both fall in love with each other and from that point on, the two are inseparable and she spends time with John and his father which is significant because John and his father have not been very close.

As the days near the end of their summer vacation, the two have an argument as Savannah, talks about wanting to help autistic children and then brings up his father. John is upset that Savannah thinks his father is autistic (in his mind autistic=mentally retarded) and thinks that she has only spent time with him and her father only because she was observing him.

But the two eventually make up and as the two weeks are now up, the two must split up. They promise that after a year’s time, they will reunite. But for now, to make the time pass, they must write each other letters.

And for a short time, as the two communicate by letters, all seems to go well for both John and Savannah as they count down the days when they will be together again…that is until 9/11.

VIDEO:

“Dear John” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1) and because the film is shot outdoors for many of the scenes, the colors are absolutely vibrant. Amazing detail when it comes to the film’s textures, backgrounds, ocean water to skin pores are quite detailed in HD. Flesh tones are natural, blacks are nice and deep, a fine layer of grain but “Dear John” is a very vibrant film full of colors and for the most part, looks great on Blu-ray.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Dear John” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and in English – Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital. Although the film is a romantic film (and one shouldn’t expect anything major in terms of surround channel or LFE usage). There is probably one or two major action scenes in which John and his fellow soldiers looking for insurgents, but for the most part, dialogue is clear and understandable and the music presented in the film sounds great via lossless.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dear John” comes with the following special features:

BD Exclusive: movieIQ+sync™ and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
Deleted and Alternate Scenes - (10:13) 12 deleted and alternate scenes.
Alternate Ending – (3:41) The alternate ending which I’m glad that it wasn’t used for the final cut. It’s a bit stalker-ish for my taste.
Outtakes – (2:24) Featuring outtakes from the film.
A Conversation with Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried and Lasse Hallstrom – (5:22) Director Lass Hallstrom talks about working with Seyfriend and Hallstrom while the two talents talk about working with the director.
Transforming Charleston – (14:52) Producer Marty Bowen talks about creating locations of around the world in Charleston, South Carolina and working with a talented production team.
Military in Movies: Dear John’s Military Advisors – (11:02) Lt. Col. Gregory Bishop, Dept. of Defense Army liason for “Dear John” talks about the characters and making the film seem real in a military perspective.
Mr. Tyree, The Mule, and Benny Dietz – (4:53) Benny Dietz talks about using his knowledge of coin collecting and integrating his knowledge and history of the coins for the film.
The Story of Braeden Reed – (24:33) A featurette about Braeden Reed who plays the autistic child Allan. Braeden is autistic and his parents talk about discovering his autism, how they have dealt with it and also how the filmmakers incorporated him into the film.

“Dear John” is a touching, heartwarming and enjoyable romantic film. The chemistry of Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum really worked onscreen and the 9/11 storyline as well the inclusion of the autism storyline worked as well.

Amanda Seyfried continues to amaze me. As an actress, we are starting to see her talent emerge onscreen. She has shown us her diversity as an actress in films such as “Mamma Mia!” to showing us something different with “Jennifer’s Body” but “Dear John” is a film that really shows us how much depth she has an actress and how she can literally transform herself into that character.

And as for Channing Tatum, I felt he was a bit wooden in terms of acting when it came to his role on “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” but for “Dear John”, I felt his acting has improved and I actually have a few military friends who have similar behavior of his character, so in some ways, that stoic, quiet and quick-to-anger character was believable. And it helps that “Dear John” producers utilized several military advisors for the film.

But the film, although enjoyable is not perfect. When the film begins to focus on the character of John and less on Savannah, the film tends to lose its magic because we are so used to seeing the two onscreen together. As if these two individuals can take on the world. But “Dear John” starts to veer off in a different direction after 9/11 and John, the soldier is conflicted as his fellow soldiers are willing to fight for their country and all plan to re-enlist. John wants to do the same but that promise he kept to Savannah of reuniting with her, he doesn’t know what to do.

And as one part of the film explores the relationship of John and Savannah, the other begins to focus on the father and son relationship. The fact that John and his father never had a relationship when he became a teenager and what kept them together was their interest in coins. A hobby that John grew out of and never understood why his father became addicted to it.

But as much as one would hope the film would focus on the actual relationship, it was a bold move by the writer to really switch things up in the plot. Risky and possibly one of the major striking plot lines that will either be appreciated or disliked by the viewer.

Film critic Matt Mueller of TotalFilm.com writes, “Think twice before parting with your own hard-earned, though. This is a slothful weepie, plagued by a sickly mishmash of plot strands and a gaping chemistry hole at its core.”

In some way, Mueller comment is a bit specious. Yes, the focus on the relationship is important and straying away from it because of 9/11 seems a bit off and does leave a “hole at its core”. But at the same time, the character of John and what took place after 9/11 are emotions many soldiers had. There are many soldiers who knew they were going to leave their love ones, many knew that they may never come back but their honor and their duty as a soldier is something we read about heavily in the news after 9/11. And I’m sure many soldiers after that tragic day, felt it was their duty to re-enlist.

ViewLondon film critic Matthew Turner writes, “The main problem with the film is that the plot is so thinly written as to be practically non-existent. Yes, there’s chemistry between the two leads, but there’s no emotional depth to their romance and, given that the title of the film pretty much gives away the supposedly crucial emotional moment, it’s hard to care whether they get back together or not.”

I have to agree with Turner, especially compared to other films based on Nicholas Sparks novels, chemistry and emotional/romantic depth have always played a major part in the film adaptations. But I did care if the two would get back together or not. There is no doubt that these two characters love each other but one lives in the US tormented that the man she loves may never come back and then the man on the battlefield feels he could keep a balance with his duty to the military and is kept going by his love for Savannah and that he can return after he has served his duty. But there are twists and turns along the way and things manage to come full circle.

And various references by critics in regards to Savannah being to nice, helping out a charity and wanting to open a horse riding school for autistic children seem to be a bit farfetched for them. But I actually knew a military wife after 9/11 who started a pet rescue and also adopted several children while her husband was on leave, so it’s not as farfetched as it would seem. But I suppose it all depends on one’s experience, but there are people like Savannah out there as farfetched as some others may believe.

As for the letter writing, it may seem a bit cliche to some and particularly maddening to those who wonder why e-mail is not being featured as this is a modern film as opposed to a Vietnam War or World War II film. But there were lines that added to the story that the locations that John was at at the time had no access to e-mail. But really, when you think about it, writing e-mails to each other doesn’t have that same feel as two people writing about letters. Call me old school but I felt it worked for the film and I find it much more romantic about reading one’s emotion on paper and hand written versus typed on an e-mail.

But I suppose that this film is one of those films that will either be enjoyed or disliked and for me, I felt that there was a good amount of romance and emotional conflict to make “Dear John” entertaining. And this is a Blu-ray release that looks simply gorgeous in HD and although not an action film that will provide you an immersive soundscape, the lossless audio works quite well for the film.

Overall, “Dear John” will definitely entertain those who enjoyed previous film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels. By no means is this film as emotional and romantic as “The Notebook” but if you stay with the journey and not get so intertwined with its plot deviation from its romantic core, keep an open mind and you may eventually enjoy the payoff at the end of the film.

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews

The Karate Kid (as part of the Karate Kid I & II Collector’s Edition) (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 7, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

An enjoyable, inspiring and timeless classic! “The Karate Kid” comes to Blu-ray and for fans of the film, this is the definitive version to own! Definitely recommended!

TITLE: The Karate Kid (as part of the Karate Kid I & II Collector’s Edition)

DURATION: 127 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish

COMPANY: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: PG

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2010

Directed by John G. Avildsen

Written by Robert Mark Kamen

Executive Producer: R.J. Louis

Producer: Jerry Weintraub

Associate Producer: Bud S. Smith

Music by Bill Conti

Cinematography by James Crabe

Edited by John G. Avildsen, Walt Mulconery, Bud S. Smith

Casting by Pennie DuPont, Caro Jones, Bonnie Timmermann

Product Design by William J. Cassidy

Set Decoration by John H. Anderson

Costume Design by Richard Bruno, Aida Swenson

Starring:

Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso

Pat Morita as Mr. Kesuke Miyagi

Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills

Martin Kove as John Kreese

Randee Heller as Lucille Larusso

William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence

Ron Thomas as Bobby Brown

Rob Garrison as Tommy

Chad McQueen as Dutch

Tony O’Dell as Jimmy

Israel Juarbe as Freddy Fernandez

Julie Fields as Susan

Karate Kid I From Academy Award®-winning director John G. Avildsen (1976, ROCKY) comes the highly entertaining, coming-of-age classic that will have you cheering! Starring Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki “Pat” Morita in his Academy Award®-nominated performance (Best Supporting Actor, 1984) as Mr. Miyagi. Karate II Returning with Daniel (Ralph Macchio) to his Okinawa home for the first time in 45 years, Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) encounters Yukie (Nobu McCarthy), the woman he left behind when he immigrated to America.

A fatherless teenager faces his moment of truth in THE KARATE KID. Daniel (Ralph Macchio) arrives in Los Angeles from the east coast and faces the difficult task of making new friends. However, he becomes the object of bullying by the Cobras, a menacing gang of karate students, when he strikes up arelationship with Ali (Elisabeth Shue), the Cobra leader’s ex-girlfriend. Eager to fight back and impress his new girlfriend but afraid to confront the dangerous gang, Daniel asks his handyman Miyagi(Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita), whom he learns is a master of the martial arts, to teach him karate. Miyagi teaches Daniel that karate is a mastery over the self, mind, and body and that fighting is always the last answer to a problem. Under Miyagi’s guidance, Daniel develops not only physical skills but also the faith and self-confidence to compete despite tremendous odds as he encounters the fight of his life in the exciting finale to this entertaining film.

Trailer

Fight

Know Karate

The early ’80s was a time when coming-of-age films and underdog turned victorious style of films dominated the box office. One of the films that captured the attention of many and still is a time classic today is the 1984 film “The Karate Kid” directed by John G Avildsen (“Rocky”, “Lean on Me”, “Inferno”) and a screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen (“Gladiator”, “Taps”, “Lethal Weapon 3″, “The Fifth Element”).

The film was an amazing hit at the box office, making over $90 million, receive rave reviews from critics and would later spawn several sequels, a television show and would earn actor Pat Morita an Academy Award nomination for “Best Supporting Actor” and elevate the popularity teen-hearthrob Ralph Macchio to great heights.

With the 2010 remake of “The Karate Kid” starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, what best to reacquaint audiences of the first two films (the third and fourth films were panned) which makes its HD debut on Blu-ray with a special “Karate Kid I & II Collector’s Edition”, the Blu-ray release of the film will also be sold separately.

The film is about a teenager named Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchip) who moves to Los Angeles along with his mother Lucille (played by Randee Heller) from New York. Not as thrilled about moving to California like his mother, Daniel meet s a new friend at his apartment complex who invites him to the beach for a get-together.

While at the beach with his new friends, he sees Ali Mills (played by Elisabeth Shue) and for Daniel, it’s like love at first sight. But unfortunately, things don’t go to well for Daniel as her ex-boyfriend Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka) and his friends arrive and disrupt their fun. Daniel tries to defend her but Johnny is experienced in martial arts and easily beats Daniel up.

And things don’t go as well when Daniel starts attending his new high school. Although he is happy to see Ali there, Johnny and his friends, who are also members of the Cobra Kai karate group start bullying Daniel. One night as Daniel was riding his bike and heading home, Johnny and friends once again bully Daniel and shove him while on his bike and Daniel ends up takes a tumble off the road downhill in which Daniel is injured and his bike is all bent up.

His mother is shocked that life in Los Angeles is not going so well for her son and Daniel wants to go back home. The landlord Mr. Miyagi (played by Pat Morita) sees what is happening with Daniel and ends up fixing his bike and from that point on, Daniel and Miyagi become good friends.

But during the night of the Halloween dance, Daniel goes to get revenge on Johnny by getting him wet with a hose and as Daniel tries to runaway and head back home, Johnny and his friends catch up to him and deliver a major beating. But out of nowhere, Miyagi shows off his martial arts to defend Daniel and beats Johnny and his friends and saves Daniel.

Daniel is tired of being bullied and learning martial arts from a book and pleads with Miyagi to teach him karate. Miyagi obliges as long as Daniel follows his rules. When both Miyagi and Daniel go to talk with Johnny’s martial arts teacher John Kreese (played by Martin Kove) for his students to stop attacking Daniel, Kreese is not amused and threatens Miyagi.

Miyagi and Kreese agree that they will settle their differences at the martial arts tournament. If Daniel wins, his students must not touch Daniel but Kreese tells Miyagi, if Daniel is beaten by his students, it’s open season not only on Daniel but also on him.

Mr. Miyagi trains Daniel in karate and prepares him for the martial arts tournament. Mr. Miyagi trains Daniel his way, his style through what would appear as housework. For Daniel, he can’t understand why Mr. Miyagi is making him waxing the car, sanding the wood and painting the house but quickly learns that all the work he has been doing is actual training.

But with all the training he gets from Mr. Miyagi in the short amount of time, will it be enough for him to defeat his opponents at the martial arts tournament?

VIDEO:

“The Karate Kid” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1). Before I watched this film on Blu-ray, I had the opportunity to watch the 2005 DVD version and the first things that caught my attention was how the film looked its age. But I have seen how older films can look incredible on Blu-ray and with “The Karate Kid”, although the opening sequences may show its age, the film looks absolutely beautiful for a 26-year-old film.

A lot of early ’80s films didn’t exactly utilize the best film stock and sometimes the film quality looks DNR’d or a bit cloudy and waxy. This was not the case of “The Karate Kid”. Detail is much more apparent with the objects and surroundings and also there is a good amount of grain with this release.

Outdoor sequences look quite vibrant and reds, yellows and orange colors look quite nice and some colors really do pop. Blacks are nice and deep and overall, this is the best I have seen of this film and probably the best picture quality of “The Karate Kid” we are going to see of this film in a long time.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Karate Kid” is presented in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. For the most part, the majority of the film is dialogue driven. I noticed the music such as Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer” really sound quite nice in lossless, especially Bill Conti’s music which definitely sounds great in HD.

There are some moments with crowd ambiance or clanging when Daniel is trying to jump the fence but the majority of the surround that one will hear is during the tournament when the audience definitely is heard all around you. So, the majority of the surround channels are utilized towards the end of the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Karate Kid” comes with the following special features (presented in standard definition):

Blu-Pop (TM): Activate the exclusive Blu-pop feature to reveal pop up trivia, interviews and more secrets from the film! Watch Ralph Macchio and William Zabka discuss their experience of working on “The Karate Kid”.
“Beyond the Form” Featurette – (13:03) Pat E. Johnson, martial arts master and choreographer explains what karate is and how he wanted to make the karate look realistic in “The Karate Kid” and training the talent.
Commentary with Director John G. Avildsen, Writer Robert Mark Kamen and Actors Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita – The original director’s commentary from “The Karate Kid” 2005 DVD release. It was great to hear all three together and to hear Pat Morita reminisce about those years and have a lot of fun. Really fun commentary, especially in regards to the filming of the tournament.
“East Meets West: A Composer’s Notebook” – (8:17) Composer Bill Conti talks about composing a movie and what he wanted to accomplish with “The Karate Kid”.
“Life of Bonsai” Featurette – (10:00) A featurette about the bonsai tree.
“The Way of the Karate Kid” Part 1 Featurette” - (23:59) Robert Mark Kamen talks about writing the screenplay for “The Karate Kid”. Direct John G. Avildsen and Robert Mark Kamen talking about the cast, Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita talks about auditioning for the role. The cast talks about being part of the film and working with director John Avildsen.
“The Way of the Karate Kid” Part 2 Featurette” - (21:25) The cast talk about director John Avildsen’s talent. Also, information on the filming of the martial arts tournament.

“The Karate Kid I & II Collector’s Edition” comes with a cardboard slipcase which contains both Karate Kid films on Blu-ray.

“The Karate Kid” was one of those inspirational coming-of-age, underdog becomes victorious films that were so indicative of the ’80s. Along with films such as “Vision Quest” and “Revenge of the Nerds”, “The Karate Kid” was a fantastic film that definitely made me and many of my classmates want to sign up for karate class.

Ralph Macchio wasn’t this hulking actor, known for his work at the time on TV series such as “Eight is Enough” and the film “The Outsiders” (1983), Macchio does a fantastic job playing Daniel,a skinny guy who learns martial arts from a book and we sympathize with him as he is a person who is constantly being bullied, getting beaten up by the jocks and I can easily remember the audience in the theater in applause after Daniel’s crane-kick. The other time I ever recall seeing this was for “Rocky IV”. But really, when you think about the character, I don’t know anyone at that time who could have played a convincing Daniel. Macchio was perfect for the role!

Pat Morita did a wonderful job playing Mr. Miyagi. Having watched Morita play Arnold on “Happy Days”, it was great to see him in such an important supporting role and although it would seem both Mr. Miyagi and Daniel would be like oil and water, the two manage to have great chemistry onscreen. One of the most interesting lines from the film was when Miyagai talks about Okinawa as his country and I’m sure many people caught that and said, “Okinawa is not a country”. But this was smart on Robert Mark Kamen’s part as a writer (especially leading to the second Karate Kid film) as Okinawan’s viewpoint towards Japan and how natives of the island have looked at Okinawa as a separate nation especially since the culture and language is much different than Japan.

As “The Karate Kid” proved to be successful and has done well for the careers of Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue who plays the love interest would also benefit from the film’s popularity and eventually would lead to major roles in “Adventures in Babysitting” (1987) and “Cocktail” (1988).

And also credit has to go to Billy Zabka (who plays Johnny Lawrence) and the guys of Cobra Kai. You couldn’t help but hate these guys as they were the epitome of jock bullies that were so full of themselves. Their performance helped elevate Ralph Macchio’s game and made you want to see the underdog come victorious. And add Martin Kove as John Kreese, the necessary evil who dictates how his students should fight in the tournament.

For many people who grew up during the time “The Karate Kid” was in theaters or watched it ad infinitum on cable, sure the film is definitely nostalgic but even 26-years-later, the film still manages to hold up quite well and is still as enjoyable as when I first watched it in 1984. And to make things much more impressive, the film looks and sounds great on Blu-ray.

“The Karate Kid” has everything that people – young and old can appreciate. An enjoyable, inspiring film that will no doubt continue to entertain future generations. It’s pretty surreal to read the various message boards from people who were not even born with this film came out but yet has as much as passion as one who did grow up around that time period.

Overall, if you are a big fan of “The Karate Kid”, this Blu-ray is definitely worth owning. And if you enjoy the second film as well, “The Karate Kid I & II Collector’s Edition” is the version you most like would want to buy. Nevertheless, “The Karate Kid” is a definite classic and is definitely recommended!