Good Morning Vietnam: 25th Anniversary Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Enjoyable now as when I first watched it more than 20 years ago!  “Good Morning Vietnam” is set during the Vietnam War, but the film focuses on one DJ’s job to make the soldiers laugh and at ease before they go out to combat.  Robin Williams is absolutely excellent in this film and there is not many people I can think of who can play this role with absolute efficacy.  “Good Morning Vietnam: 25th Anniversary Edition” is recommended!

Images courtesy of ©2012 Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Good Morning Vietnam

FILM RELEASE: 1987

DURATION: 121 Minutes

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

COMPANY: Touchstone Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children)

Release Date: January 17, 2012

Directed by Barry Levinson

Written by Mitch Markowitz

Produced by Larry Brezner, Mark Johnson

Co-Produced by Harry Benn, Ben Moses

Music by Alex North

Cinematography by Peter Sova

Edited by Stu Linder

Casting by Louis DiGiaimo

Production Design by Roy Walker

Art Direction by Steve Spence

Set Decoration by Tessa Davies

Costume Design by Keith Denny

Starring:

Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer

Forest Whitaker as Edward Garlick

Tung Thanh Tran as Tuan

Chinatara Sukapatana as Trinh

Bruno Kirby as Lt. Steven Hauk

Robert Wuhl as Marty Lee Dreiwitz

J.T. Walsh as Sgt. Major Dickerson

Noble Willingham as Gen. Taylor

Richard Edson as Pvt. Abersold

Juney Smith as Phil McPherson

Richard Portnow as Dan “The Man” Levitan

Enjoy the unsurpassed digital sound quality of Blu-ray High Definition as Army deejay Adrian Cronauer (Williams) spins a red-hot soundtrack of ‘60s hits. His sidesplitting comedy and rapid fire wit make him a hero to the troops, but quickly get him in hot water with his by-the-book superiors. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Williams’ hilarious radio monologues, Good Morning, Vietnam remains the quintessential Robin Williams comedy.

Robin Williams absolutely shines in this war comedy loosely based on the life of military DJ Adrian Cronauer.

Adrian Cronauer, a Vietnam War vet and former AFRS DJ was trying to pitch a sitcom based on his experience but as the TV networks were not interested, he revamped his script which caught the attention of actor/comedian Robin Williams.

While Cronauer’s script was redone by screenwriter Mitch Markowitz (“M*A*S*H”, “Crazy People”) and the film was directed by Barry Levinson (“Toys”, “Wag the Dog”, “Sleepers”), the film would establish Robin Williams as a serious film actor (playing a different character from his previous character roles in “Popeye”, “The World According to Garp”, “Moscow on the Hudson”) yet maintaining that comedic side that many fans love.  His role on “Good Morning Vietnam” would earn the actor a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for “Best Actor”.

The film which was budgeted at $13 million would go on to make over $125 million in the box office and would be recognized by the American Film Institute in their 2000 “AFI’s 100 Years…10 Laughs”.

“Good Morning Vietnam” is a film that is set in Saigon, Vietnam in 1965.  Airman Second Class Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams, “Dead Poets Society”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Good Will Hunting”) of the United States Air Force was recently transfered from Crete to work as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Service.

As many of the radio service have heard about Cronauer’s comedy, no one quite knows what to expect from him.

Cronauer is greeted by Private First Class Edward Montesquieu Garlick (played by Forest Whitaker, “Platoon”, “The Last King of Scotland”, “The Crying Game”) and fellow DJ Marty Lee Dreiwitz (played by Robert Wuhl, “Bull Durham”, “Batman”) and they watch Cronauer take the mic with great enthusiasm and begins his show on the air with a “Good Morning Vietnam!” and is able to entertain everyone with his comedy and also playing the latest music hits to the armed forces.

But unfortunately, his two superiors are not so enthusiastic about his comedy and music selection.  Second Lt. Steven Hauk (played by Bruno Kirby) believes in his own style of outdated comedy and rather hear polka and jazz, while Sgt. Major Dickerson (played by J.T. Walsh) does not care about Cronauer and his style of comedy.    But despite his superiors not liking him, Brigadier General Taylor (played by Noble Willingham) and those working at the Armed Forces Radio Services do and they support him.

Meanwhile, Cronauer who has been wanting to see a beautiful woman (since he could not find any in Crete) is excited to see many women in Saigon and eventually falls for a Vietnamese young woman named Trinh (played by Chintara Sukapatana) and follows her to English class.  As Cronauer pays off the instructor to become an English instructor for the class in order to get close to Trinh, he is confronted by a young man in class who doesn’t like him.  The young man, Tuan (played by Tung Thanh Tran), happens to be Trinh’s sister and immediately, Cronauer feels that in order to get close to her, he must be cool with the brother.

And eventually, Cronauer befriends Tuan and even allows him to enter a G.I. bar (which is illegal) to join him and his fellow friends from the Radio Service for a few drinks.  But when a few soldiers are upset with Cronauer for bringing the Vietnamese women inside the bar towards his table, the soldiers confront Cronauer and see he has brought a Vietnamese into their bar.  Immediately, they start pushing Tuan around and Cronauer begins to defend him.  And not long after, a major brawl takes place.

Cronauer is reprimanded for the incident and because he helped Tuan out, Tuan establishes a date between Cronauer and his sister.   When Tuan goes to tell Cronauer about the date, he tells him to leave the bar area and when both walk out, a huge explosion blows up inside the bar and people are killed and injured.

For the first time, Cronauer sees that things are not as safe as they appear in Vietnam and when he goes to report on the radio of what he has seen, he finds out that the military has censored the story and Sgt. Major Dickerson tells Cronauer to keep his mouth shut.  But Cronauer is upset that the military is trying to prevent him from reporting the news of what he has seen, so he locks the doors and goes live on the radio station to report what he had seen and upset, Dickerson orders the radio engineers to shut down the station.

Because Cronauer has disobeyed orders, he is suspended and as a replacement, Second Lt. Steven Hauk takes his place.  But unfortunately, the response to Hauk is negative and many serviceman want Cronauer back on the air.

But Cronauer who is now actively pursuing a date with Trinh hears news that Brigadier General Taylor wants him back at his DJ position.  So, as Garlick rushes to give Cronauer the great news,  fearing Sgt. Major Dickerson may send him to the front lines, Cronauer  refuses to go back to work.  But when Garlick and Cronauer are stuck in a traffic jam, they are stopped by a convoy of soldiers and the GI’s try to persuade Cronauer to come back at the job because his comedy gives them a good laugh before they go back into combat.

Seeing how important his voice on the air is to the soldiers, Cronauer realizes his importance of being a DJ during the war.  But hearing that Cronauer is coming back is not good news for Sgt. Major Dickerson, so Dickerson devises a plot to get rid of Cronauer by sending him and Garlick to interview soldiers in the field of combat.  Will either men survive the ordeal?

VIDEO:

“Good Morning Vietnam” is presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 1:85:1). Typically, when it comes to films created in the late ’80s to very early ’90s and they receive the Blu-ray treatment, I tend to notice that the films are not as detailed and often look aged at times. A friend and a fellow reviewer for a major Blu-ray review site had told me that during those times, due to costs, many films utilized cheaper film stock. With “Good Morning Vietnam”, the film does exhibit its age at times.  In fact, there are certain moments where the there is quite a bit of noise that comes out and definitely shows the film’s age.

But comparing this to the original 2006 special edition DVD, the colors are much more vibrant.  There is actually more detail during the closeup scenes of the various faces of characters and although shot in Thailand and not in Vietnam, this film still looks much sharper and colorful on Blu-ray.

For those who owned the 2006 DVD, if you love this film, the upgrade to Blu-ray for the better picture quality is worth it.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Good Morning Vietnam: 25th Anniversary Edition” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA.  The film is pretty much center and front channel driven, but there are moments where you hear the typewriters clicking and a moment of an explosion and pandemonium breaking out.  But possibly the most distinct feature of this film is its music soundtrack which comes out quite crisp and clear via lossless.

Subtitles are in English SDH and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Good Morning Vietnam: 25th Anniversary Edition” comes with the following special features:

• Production Diary – (34:30) Featuring the following mini-feauturettes: How the Movie Came to Be (6:21), Actor Improv (9:49), Music of the Movie (6:00), Origin of the “Good Morning Vietnam” Sign-On (3:03), Shooting in Thailand (7:39), Overview of the Film a Year Later (1:37).
• Raw Monologues – (13:07) Director Barry Levinson talks about taking advantage of Robin Williams for the improv DJ segments and this footage features those improv segments.
• Original Theatrical Trailer – (2:31) The original theatrical trailer.
• Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer – (1:31) A teaser trailer featuring Robin Williams improving as a DJ on the mic.

I remember this film quite well as a teenager.  I remember my family driving to the city and my father making an unusual request which was for us to have fun shopping, while he went to catch the new Robin Williams film “Good Morning Vietnam”.  My father was a Vietnam War veteran and while he didn’t fight in combat, he always had this loyalty towards watching these war-related films but at the same time, he would rather watch it away from the family.

But I can remember us rejoining him, waiting for the film to be done and he came out of the theater and was quite pleased with the film.

And when this movie made it to cable, a few years later, I found it to be enjoyable, but most of all, found Robin Williams to be tolerable and not so over-the-top.  At the time, I was a Robin Williams fan, mainly for being an actor that entertained me and my younger brother with his series “Mork & Mindy”.

But like many other kids who grew up around that time, watching him on “Happy Days”, the film “Popeye” and “The World According to Garp”, there was a comfort of watching a Robin Williams film because you knew that you were going to be entertained.  But when I watched “Good Morning Vietnam”, the first thing that came to my head was how much comedy can their be in a film that takes place during the Vietnam War?

Fortunately, Williams playing the role of Adrian Cronauer made sense.  He can be a DJ, be as bombastic, comedic or outrageous…whatever he wanted to be, and in this case, it was a role that perfectly suited him.  It was a role in which Williams can definitely show his comedic side, his improvisational skills but also to show the viewer that he can also take on a serious role.

Director Barry Levinson also did a great job in capturing reactions by the GI’s, from many various clips, may they be short, but still very important in capturing the look and feel of Vietnam War.  From soldiers patrolling the rivers, soldiers lounging or on drills and Cronauer’s voice or the music he plays, entertaining the crowd.  Levinson also succeeds in the fact that he gives Williams that space needed for him to wing it on the mic, and by watching the people around him…they are just entertained by it.  Whether or not it’s part of the acting, or they were just as entertained as the audience when Robin Williams was close to that mic.

But of course, this is a war film that must have its moments of tension.  From blown up restaurants, bodies on the floor, there is enough war elements to make the viewer wonder if Adrian Cronauer is going to survive because of his interest in a young Vietnam women and despite his fellow soldiers telling him not to get involved, he remains persistent of going alone inside Vietnam villages.

And of course, while there is tension due to the war, you have tension inside the radio office as Cronauer must deal with two individuals who would love to see him gone.  And with Cronauer’s anti-establishment tone, especially mocking Nixon, you knew that Cronauer would meet major difficulty.  But through this process of getting in trouble, discovering the dangers around him, we eventually see this character change….how his character grows.

There is also one element that also was important in the film and it’s the music soundtrack.   This film showcased a lot of hit music from the ’60s from the Beach Boys, the Castaways, the Searchers, the Vogues, The Riveira’s, Martha & the Vandellas, James Brown and also the use of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” was pretty entertaining and effective.

As for the Blu-ray release of “Good Morning Vietnam: 25th Anniversary Edition”, the special features on this Blu-ray release are the same that were on the 2006 DVD special edition.  There is nothing new included but if you are a big fan of this film, the upgrade to better video and lossless audio is the major reason for previous owners to upgrade.

Overall, “Good Morning Vietnam” is a film that was easily the perfect vehicle for Robin Williams to showcase his acting skills.  You get to see Williams improv but also see the more serious side of his acting, but also to give credit to both director Barry Levinson for capturing the mood of the Vietnam War and Mitch Markowitz reworking the screenplay to compliment Robin Williams on camera and literally make this more of a comedy, than an actual war film.

Good Morning Vietnam” is set during the Vietnam War, but the film focuses on one DJ’s job to make the soldiers laugh and at ease before they go out to combat.  Robin Williams is absolutely excellent in this film and there is not many people I can think of who can play this role with absolute efficacy.  “Good Morning Vietnam: 25th Anniversary Edition” is recommended!

 

Platoon (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Platoon” is one of the best war films ever made.  Based on writer/director Oliver Stone’s own Vietnam War experience and wanting to capture the authenticity of what he saw and experienced, “Platoon” will always be Stone’s masterpiece.  If you enjoyed the film, it is highly recommended on Blu-ray!

Images courtesy of © 1986 Orion Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Platoon

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1986

DURATION: 120 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (widescreen 1:85:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 4.0 Dolby Surround, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 DTS, Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

RATED: R

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc./Twentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: May 24 2011

Written and Directed by Oliver Stone

Produced by Arnold Kopelson

Executive Producer: John Daly, Derek Gibson

Co-Producer: A. Kitman Ho

Music by Georges Delerue

Cinematography by Robert Richardson

Edited by Claire Simpson

Casting by Pat Golden, Warren McLean, Bob Morones

Production Design by Bruno Rubeo

Art Direction by Rodell Cruz, Sherman Williams

Starring:

Charlie Sheen as Chris

Tom Berenger as Sgt. Barnes

Willem Dafoe as Sgt. Elias

Keith David as King

Forest Whitaker as Big Harold

Francesco Quinn as Rhah

Kevin Dillon as Bunny

John C. McGinley as Sgt. O’Neill

Reggie Johnson as Junior

Mark Moses as Lt. Wolfe

Corey Glover as Francis

Johnny Depp as Lerner

Chris Pedersen as Crawford

Bob Orwig as Gardner

Corkey Ford as Manny

David Neidorf as Tex

Richard Edson as Sal

Tony Todd as Warren

Kevin Eshelman as Morehouse

Terry Mclivain as Ace

J. Adam Glover as Sanderson

Paul Sanchez as Doc

Dale Dye as Captain Harris

Peter Hicks as Parker

Basile Achara as Flash

PLATOON tells the extraordinary journey of Private Chris Taylor (Sheen), a young, naive American who arrives in Vietnam and quickly discovers he must battle the Viet Cong alongside the gnawing fear, physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him. His two commanding officers (Oscar-nominated Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other. Meanwhile, the conflict, chaos and hatred permeate Taylor, suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man’s highest value: life.

For screenwriter and filmmaker, Oliver Stone, there is always a film that sparks intrigue among critics and audiences.

As a writer, Stone has had success with “Midnight Express” (1978), “Conan the Barbarian” (1982) and “Scarface” (1983) but as a filmmaker, Stone had not had a hit.  In fact his film “Salvador” was a failure in 1986 and dejected with the failure of the film, he would have to work on “Platoon”, a Vietnam war film that had challenges, especially because of its low budget of $6.5 million.

But as an infantryman in Vietnam, Stone had wanted to create a film based on his experience but to counter John Wayne’s “The Green Berets” film from 1968 (which was created to counter the anti-war atmosphere and social discontent in the U.S.).

And because the film showcased the atrocities, the discontent with the soldiers and the confusion of what took place in the battlefield, it was well-received by film critics and audiences.

The low budget film would be a box office success earning over $138 million and would be nominated for eight Academy Awards and take home four Oscars for “Best Director”, “Best Film Editing”, “Best Picture” and “Best Sound”.  In 2007, the film would be placed at #83 by the American Film Institute for “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies” poll.

And now “Platoon” will reach its 25th year and to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the film, Twentieth Century Fox will be releasing a special 2-Disc Set on Blu-ray.

“Platoon” is a film that focuses on Chris Taylor (played by Charlie Sheen), a young college student who quit school to volunteer and fight in the war in 1967.  But once he arrives to Vietnam, he starts to realize that it was a big mistake.

Upon arriving, dead bodies of Americans in body bags are lying on the ground and now being loaded into the plane he just arrived in.  As a member of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment near the Cambodian border, the conditions are harsher than he had imagined.

The veteran soldiers look at him as weak, he is constantly being bitten by red ants and not exactly handling being in the jungle all that well. While making friends with various soldiers, he begins to respect Sergeant Elias (played by Willem Dafoe), a man who cares about his soldiers unlike Sergeant Barnes (played by Tom Berenger), who is more like a bully and is often at odds against Elias.

But with each day, he notices soldiers counting the days when they can go back home.  For Chris, with regrets of being in Vietnam, each day he is constantly writing to his family of how much he hates being there and also begins the countdown to when he will go back because each day in the jungle, chances of being killed continue to rise.

In fact, friends he would make are killed and he begins to realize that for many of these soldiers who don’t want to be in Vietnam, the atrocities he sees from war, the killing and rape of innocent Vietnamese in villages start to weight down on him and he starts to find himself losing it.

And to make things worse, he starts to suspect a superior of killing the one true friend he had on the battlefield.

As the platoon continues to go back to the ambush areas, what will happen to the soldiers that are left and will Chris survive at all?

VIDEO:

“Platoon” is presented in 1080p High Definition (Widescreen 1:85:1).  At first, because of the older titles, I was thinking that this film was going to look aged, especially since this was a low budget film that was shot in the ’80s and I tend to be critical on the PQ of many ’80s films released on Blu.

As for “Platoon”, I was quite impressed by the look of the film and how clean the print was.  Granted, it’s not going to come close to anything released in the last five years but for a 25-year-old film, “Platoon” looks very good on Blu-ray.  The amount of detail and clarity especially the vibrant colors featured in the film were quite noticeable this time around watching it in HD versus on DVD.   You can see the grime, sweat, blood and just overall detail of the jungle.   Also, the blacks are nice and deep and there is a good amount of grain.

Robert Richardson (“Shutter Island”, “Inglorious Basterds”, “Kill Bill” films)  did a fantastic job with the cinematography, from vignettes during sundown to capturing the fears of the soldiers eyes.   Overall, PQ for “Platoon” is very good!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Platoon” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 4.0 Dolby Surround, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and French 5.1 DTS.  There is no doubt that Georges Delerue’s (“The Man for All Seasons”, “Twins”, “The Day of the Jackal”) music is one of the most memorable themes in a movie.   The music for “Platoon” captures ’60s music but also a score that I have always look forward to listening to each time I watch the film.

But with this lossless soundtrack, it is known that Oliver Stone really pushed the buttons for sound and would easily frustrate the sound crew because he wanted authenticity down to the insects and lizards (especially a gecko).  But while ambiance for the film is rather strong, whenever you get to scenes of an ambush, where there is firing both ways especially during the final half hour of the film, there is really good panning of the audio but unfortunately, it’s not as much as I would have liked.

For the most part, dialogue is clear as with the sounds of ammunition being discharged and sounds of people running into the plants and so forth.  Don’t expect too much though as it’s not the most immersive soundtrack that utilizes the surround channels or LFE but still, it’s a major upgrade compared to the original DVD release.

Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Platoon” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary by Director Oliver Stone – Director Oliver Stone talks about his own Vietnam War experiences, how Chris Taylor was loosely based on his experiences and more.
• Audio Commentary by Military Advisor Dale Dye – For this commentary, retired US Marine Capt. Dale Dye gives is in-depth information of the conflict in Vietnam and really impressive details of the war.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by Olive Stone – (11:31) A total of eleven scenes with Oliver Stone explaining why he cut them, why he regrets cutting some of them and some he just found really lame.
• Flashback to Platoon: Snapshot in Time: 1967-1968 – (19:15) Interviews with Oliver Stone and other veterans and historians about the Vietnam War and how America lost the war.
• Creating the Nam – (12:04) A featurette on how Oliver Stone wanted authenticity and the pains that it took to create that authenticity in the Philippines, especially with a low budget and how much stress it put on the cast and crew.
• Raw Wounds: The Legacy of Platoon – (17:19) A featurette on how successful the film was and how veterans reacted to the film.
• One War, Many Stories Documentary – (25:32) Oliver Stone and Vietnam War veterans talk about their experiences and how it was similar or different from what was shown in “Platoon”.
• Preparing for ‘Nam – (6:36) A featurette about those who signed up for the military and went to boot camp before the Vietnam War.
• Caputo & The 7th Fleet Vignette – (1:38) Phillip Caputo talks about leaving Saigon in a helicopter and many anti-aircraft were being shot at them.
• Dye Training Method Vignette - (3:23) Captain Dale dye talks about training the actors to be a soldier in the film.
• Gordon Gekko Vignette - (1:06) A story from the editor of how the name Gordon Gekko came up.
• TV Spots – Three TV spots (Action, Critical Acclaim and The Director).
• Theatrical Trailer – (1:44) The original theatrical trailer for “Platoon”

EXTRAS:

“Platoon” comes with 2-Discs, one is the Blu-ray and the other is a DVD version of the film presented in widescreen (1:85:1).  The DVD is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish Dolby Surround and subtitles are in Spanish and French.   Also, the Blu-ray release comes with a slip cover.

I had the opportunity to watch “Platoon” in the theater several times and since its release back in 1986, I have watched this film many times on video and on cable and what I love about the film is that it doesn’t glorify war or patriotism, it was an honest portrayal of war and the fears that took place among the soldiers.

Many of us grew up reading or hearing that the Vietnam War was an unpopular war which we lost politically but yet during the early ’80s, the films that were shown about the Vietnam War were Chuck Norris “Missing in Action” films or Sylvester Stallone’s “Rambo” and nothing that covered the truths about what happened during the war.

So, two films during the mid-’80s would showcase those fears experienced by soldiers and less about American machismo…”Platoon” (1986) and “Full Metal Jacket” (1987).  Interesting enough, while these two anti-war films would capture the attention of the fears of soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War, “Top Gun” (also from 1986) would inspire many people to join the military.  As films would showcase the fears of World War III as tension between Americans and Russians still existed, suffice to say, films such as “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket” were war films that would ask Americans, “What are we fighting for?”.

As mentioned, Stone’s film was a counter to John Wayne’s “The Green Berets” but there was no sugarcoating America’s involvement in the Vietnam War, no focus on heroics but pretty much the feeling that young men were being sent in on a suicide mission. and as constantly mentioned in the film, many wondered why they were sent there and what are they fighting for and all one can answer to those questions… “It’s all politics!”.

Also, it’s important to note that “Platoon” is the first film of Oliver Stone’s Vietnam Trilogy which was followed by “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989) and “Heaven & Earth” (1993).

And this leads me to the 25th Anniversary Blu-ray release of “Platoon”, there are featurettes that really further explain what happened during the Vietnam War and most importantly, why it was unpopular and how we lost.  I’ve read books and tried to understand the war back then and to tell you the truth, I couldn’t grasp it.  Especially having the mindset of the United States being so strong and powerful, how can we lose?

And fortunately, there are featurettes in this film, especially “Flashback to Platoon: Snapshot of Time: 1967-1968″ that really explains to the viewer of what happened.  And there are so many other featurettes included in this Blu-ray release that while many may have seen these in previous DVD releases, it’s great to have these special features once again for the Blu-ray release.

And in 2011, while we hear so much about an older Charlie Sheen and his “Tiger’s Blood”, back in 1986, his performance as Chris Taylor, the soldier who is struggling to understand the war and knowing his mistake of volunteering was done very well.  You can sense Taylor’s fear and watch him slowly as he loses it but at the same time, trying to bring a moralistic attitude towards other soldiers when they start wanting to obliterate and destroy everything they see in Vietnam, even if the villagers are innocent.

“Platoon” also has many visual moments (the shot of Sgt. Elias trying to get back to the helicopters is one of my favorite scenes in cinematic history) and one thing I was surprised to see that back during the Vietnam War, there were certain live video feeds that people had the opportunity to see of Americans wounded in battle, bloodied or losing body parts or dead, it made the war real.  You can tell that Oliver Stone wanted to bring that realism to the viewer but to also show how many people were killed.  Many people that you start to care for or root for, you realize that these individuals have no chance.

And those who survive, knowing what we do now, many of the survivors would have a hard time when they arrived back in the U.S.   No hero’s welcome!  For some, it was deep depression, health problems due to Agent Orange or Post-Traumatic Stress and if anything, show us that war sucks!

“Platoon” for me is a classic war film.  A film that tries not to be anything sugarcoated but to really show how moral was for soldiers back then.  Oliver Stone experienced this and he saw others experience this sense of confusion and not knowing if they are going to live or die each day.  They just hope they can make it long enough to get back home.

For me, that was enjoyable and in 2011, what is even more enjoyable is to see the number of talent who starred in this film and made a great career for themselves afterward.  Aside from Oliver Stone who would go on to make “JFK”, “Any Given Sunday”, “Nixon” and “Natural Born Killers”, the film would feature talent such as Keith David (“Death at a Funeral”, “Crash”), Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”, “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai”), Kevin Dillon (“Entourage”, “The Doors”), John C. McGinley (“Scrubs”, “Se7en”, “The Rock), Johnny Depp (“Edward Scissorhands”, “Sweney Todd”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”), Tom Berenger (“Inception”, “The Big Chill”, “Training Day”), Willem Dafoe (“Spider-Man”, “The Boondock Saints”, “Antichrist”) and Charlie Sheen (“Two and a Half Men”), “Wall Street”, “Major League”).

So, there are many components to the film that you can’t help but be impressed by.  Well-directed, well-written, well-performed and to think that this film was a low-budget film made for only $6.5 million and would make over $138 million.  It’s a testament to the film’s efficacy and how it struck a chord for many viewers and to this day, many continue to rewatch this film over and over because it’s a wonderful film.

If you are a fan of “Platoon”, owned various video versions of this film or even if you haven’t watched it before, this 25th anniversary Blu-ray release is worth buying, worth owning and worth having in your Blu-ray collection.  Highly recommended!

 

The Experiment (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“The Experiment” is a gripping film featuring a wonderful performance by Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker.  Unfortunately, its weak storyline gives no satisfying closure like its German 2001 predecessor “Das Experiment” and comes of like a film that feels as if it was rushed.

Images courtesy of © 2010 Experiment Film Holdings LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Experiment

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2010

DURATION: 96 Minutes

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

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (For Strong disturbing violence including a rape, language, some sexual content and nudity)

RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2010

Directed by Paul Scheuring

Based on the novel “Black Box” by Mario Giordano

Adaptation from the film “Das Experiment” by Mario Giordano, Christoph Darnstadt, Don Bohlinger, Oliver Hirschbiegel

Screenplay by Paul Scheuring

Executive roducer: Matty Beckerman, Anthony Gudas, Stephen Hays, John Michaels, Al-Saadi Qadhafi, Jim Siebel

Produced by Marty Adelstein, Maggie Monteith, Scott Nemes, Dawn Parouse

Associate Producer: Cathy Beckerman, Verenice Buerling, Anette Czagany, Kevin Raymond

Line Producer: Joel Sadilek

Music by Graeme Revell

Cinematography by Amy Vincent

Edited by Peter S. Elliot

Casting by Ann Wilkinson, Ronnie Yeskel

Production Design by Gary Frutkoff

Art Direction by Jeff Schoen

Set Decoration by Barbara Cassel

Costume Design by Yasmine Abraham

Starring:

Adrien Brody as Travis

Forest Whitaker as Barris

Cam Cigandet as Chase

Clifton Collins Jr. as Nix

Ethan Cohn as Benjy

Fisher Stevens as Archaleta

Travis Filmmel as Helweg

David Banner as Bosch

Jason Lew as Oscar

Damien Leake as Govenor

Maggie Grace as Bay

Rod Majorano as Rex

Oscar® winners Adrien Brody (Best Actor, The Piano, 2002) and Forest Whitaker (Best Actor, The Last King of Scotland, 2006) star in this mind-shattering psychological thriller from the creator of TV’s “Prison Break.” Selected to participate in a two-week research project, a group of men agree to play inmates and guards in a simulation of life within a state prison. But as the 24 volunteers slip deeper into their roles, power corrupts, fears escalate and the experiment spins horribly out of control. Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Clifton Collins Jr. (Crank: High Voltage) and Maggie Grace (TV’s “Lost”) co-star in this intensely shocking film.

Trailer

Red Light

Push Ups

Civil Rights

In 1971, one of the most well-known and controversial psychological experiment’s in the United States was conducted by Stanford University Professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo.  The experiment was known as the Stanford prison experiment and 24 undergraduate students participated in mock experiment in which they would play the role of guards and prisoners.    The goal was to promote disorientation, depersonalisation and deindivisualisation.

The students playing the guards adapted to their role rather quickly and ended up humiliating, hurting and causing emotional and physical trauma to the students playing the prisoners and Dr. Zimbardo played a passive role and being a scientist and not stopping the experiment until the woman he was dating confronted him for passively allowing unethical acts to be performed under his direct supervision.

The experiment lasted only six days and after the study was completed, the Dr. submitted his findings to the U.S. House Committee on Judiciary.

Because of his experiment, the findings were quite important but also highly debated.  What made the students playing the guards become abusive and oppressive?  Was it because there were no clear instructions?  Were the guards playing a part of what they felt should be the role of a guard?    And this was within six days of the experiment that all hell broke loose.

This experiment was covered in the novel “Black Box” by Mario Giordano and the novel would receive a 2001 German adaptation titled “Das Experiment”.  The film is similar to 1971 the real Stanford Prison Experiment but in this case, the scientists play a passive role in observation of the inhuman and the guards not only become power hungry and oppressive to the prisoners but they go even further by killing.

In 2010, the American remake titled “The Experiment” which is not necessarily a remake of the German hit film “Das Experiment” but inspired by the film and the Stanford Prison Experiment and is directed by “Prison Break” TV show writer Paul Scheuring (who also wrote the screenplay adaptation) and a film that will be direct-to-video starring Oscar winners Adrien Brody (“King Kong”, “The Darjeeling Limited”, “The Brothers Bloom”, “Predators”) and Forest Whitaker (“Criminal Minds”, “Vantage Point”, “The Shield”, “The Last King of Scotland”).

“The Experiment” revolves around 26 men who participate in a psychological study in which they can earn $14,000 if they continue to play the role of the prisoner and the guards for two weeks.  The study is done by Dr. Archaleta (played by Fisher Stevens) who is trying to examine how aggressive behavior is played out in an artificial prison setting.

For Travis (Adrien Brody), Barris (Forest Whitaker) and the others, they are all doing it for the money and hope to play this out quickly and get their $14,000 by the end of the experiment.  But there are rules that the guards and the prisoners have to follow and if there are any violence or problems, the cameras which are watching them will turn red and the experiment is over and no one gets their money.

As everyone plays their role of prisoners and the guards on the first day, things begin to unravel as one incident features one of prisoners accidentally sending a basketball flying to the face of a guard.  The men playing the guards feel they need to show the prisoners that they are in charge and thus, make them do push ups to let them know they are not to be messed with.

During dinner, the prisoners are not so happy with the food that they eat but according to the rule, the guards must enforce that the prisoners eat everything in their tray.  But they don’t and following Travis’ lead, they start rebelling by dumping their food in the trash or throwing the food at the guard.

Once again, the prisoners get rowdy and joke that the prison is their house and the guards are discourage.  Barris tells his fellow guards that they may not be able to hurt them but they can definitely scare them and to punish Travis (who they feel is the ring leader), the guards start spraying everyone with a fire extinguisher and grabbing Travis and handcuffing him to the jail.

Going on day two of the experiment, one of the prisoners named Benjy who is diabetic, needs his sugar and is so weak that he doesn’t show up for the morning name call.  This sets the Baris and the other guards off and when they check on him,  he is seen lying weak on his bed and asks for a candy bar from his bag but unfortunately, the guards don’t allow it and try to force him to go back in the line.  Travis tries to defend him and ends up defying Barris in front of everyone and now Barris is upset that once again, Travis is undermining his authority and now he Travis must be punished.

Barris and the guards get Travis, ties him up on a chair, shaves off all his hair, kicks him to the ground and begins urinating on him and encourages the guards to do the same to break him down.

And Barris feels that the scientists are not doing anything to stop them.  If there is a problem with Benjy, then the scientist will step in.  But the problem is, whoever is observing the prisoners are not doing anything about the violence and slowly, the guards start to commit more oppression and violence towards the prisoners under the close of the cameras and the oppression and torture of the prisoners continue.

The people participating as prisoners know that this experiment is going wrong and are hoping that the people behind the experiment will heed their call for help and stop the experiment, but will they?

VIDEO:

“The Experiment” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1) and the picture quality is wonderful.  You can see the detail in the skin of the faces of people, the stubble, the tattoos and anguish on the faces of the characters being oppressed.  The majority of the film is shot indoors but you do see vibrant colors more during Travis’ dreams as he imagines Bay in India and we see the colors of the reds really pop.  But for the most part, the majority of the film is shot in a dreary prison set.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Experiment” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and although the majority of the film is dialogue-driven, there are some scenes in which we can hear the prisoners screaming at the guards to people getting beaten up and hit.  Even one scene with a piercing high noise when Travis is apprehended and about to be choked by one of the guards.  Overall, the film presents crisp, clear dialogue and music by Graeme Revell (“Pineapple Express”, “Days of Wrath”, “Eleventh Hour”, “The Forgotten”).

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Unfortunately, “The Experiment” comes with no special features but does have BD-Live capability for those who want to register their Blu-ray for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment points or download trailers.

“The Experiment” is a riveting film featuring a wonderful performance by Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker.  Forest Whitaker really does a great job of playing the bible-reading, calm and collected Baris who then changes and becomes this abusive and power hungry man.

Both men do carry this film as the performances are needed because unlike “Das Experiment” or even the original true experiment that the film is inspired on, director and screenwriter Paul Scheuring unfortunately chooses to focus more on the inhumane practice of the guards as we see them not only become oppressive but also rapist, murders and for the most part, seeing good people turning bad.

We know that this was the case in the original Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971 and the film does a great job showing that.  The problem is that they take the doctor and scientists out of the equation.

With the real Stanford story, we know about the Dr. and him playing a passive role until he is confronted by his date who has ethical concerns in regards to his experiment and then seeing how he lost control over his own experiment and things gone awry.  In “Das Experiment”, we see how the guards become oppressive but Dr. and scientist in this film have an integral role in which everything plays out in the end.

In “The Experiment”, we see Dr. Archaleta briefly in the film.  His job is to study the participants who will be playing the police and prisoners but the storyline goes nowhere with it, especially around the character Dr. Archaleta.  Why would this man allow one to be suffering from diabetes and having him grow sick?  Why would the Dr. allow such brutality to happen.  Yes, it happened in the Stanford test and “Das Experiment” but there are scientists that have their own reasoning and in this case, it was getting out of hand that murder, rape and other inhumane things were taking place and yet, no one stopped it.

The whole chilling experiment was covered well in the film but I felt the storyline was not well-conceived, felt a bit rushed and the ending was not at all satisfying.  “Das Experiment” shows the repercussions towards the scientists who have let this experiment grow chaotic, inhumane and deadly and allows the viewer to put a face to the people behind the experiment.  With “The Experiment”,  I was not satisfied how they chose to end the film and it was simply a lazy way to end the film and destroyed any potential of the film to achieve a thrilling ending like “Das Experiment”.

The Blu-ray release does sport very good picture quality and the dialogue is clear and understandable but for a newer film, was shocked that there were no special features at all.  It would have been wonderful for director/screenwriter Paul Scheuring to explain his thoughts on the making of the film especially the ending via an audio commentary but unfortunately, we are not giving anything extra for the film.  No interviews, no featurettes…nothing.

Overall, “The Experiment” had so much potential, especially if it was inspired from “Das Experiment”.  Even if they did a straight copy of the German film in English, viewers would have enjoyed a thrilling ending and a much more understandable plot.  But unfortunately, despite the wonderful performance by Adrian Brody and Forest Whitaker and also the thrilling scenes that involve both men, the film just doesn’t give the viewer any satisfying closure  and the Blu-ray release has no special features at all.  So, much potential for this film but unfortunately, this release is best as a rental and not a keeper.

The Experiment on Blu-ray Disc and DVD September 21

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (July 12, 2010) – Academy Award® winners Adrien Brody (star of the upcoming Predators; Winner of Best Actor, The Pianist, 2002) and Forest Whitaker (Best Actor, The Last King of Scotland, 2006) star in the adrenaline-charged drama The Experiment, debuting on Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD September 21st from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The shocking psychological thriller unfolds when 24 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a study designed to evaluate the affects of power and control. Values are tested and lines are crossed when seemingly normal participants are pushed to the breaking point as the experiment spirals out of control.  The powerful remake of the 2002 German film Das Experiment co-stars Clifton Collins Jr. (The Boondock Saints: All Saint’s Day), Cam Gigandet (Twilight) and Maggie Grace (TV’s “Lost”). The Experiment will be available on Blu-ray for $30.95 and DVD for $24.96 SRP.

Oscar® winners Adrien Brody (Best Actor, The Piano, 2002) and Forest Whitaker (Best Actor, The Last King of Scotland, 2006; star of the upcoming Predators) star in The Experiment, a mind-shattering psychological thriller from the creator of TV’s “Prison Break.” Selected to participate in a two-week research project, a group of men agree to play inmates and guards in a simulation of life within a state prison. But as the 24 volunteers slip deeperinto their roles, power corrupts, fears escalate and the experiment spins horribly out of control. Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Clifton Collins Jr. (Crank: High Voltage) and Maggie Grace (TV’s “Lost”) co-star in this intensely shocking film.

The Experiment was written for the screen, produced and directed by Paul T. Scheuring, based on the novel by Mario Giordano.  Jim Seibel, Tracee Stanley, John Michaels, Matty Beckerman and Al-Saadi Qadhafi serve as executive producers, with Marty Adelstein, Dawn Parouse, Scott Nemes, Bill Johnson, Maggie Monteith, and Jeanette Buerling producing.

The Experiment has a running time of 96 minutes and is rated R for strong violence, language, some sexual content and nudity. Artwork and digital clips are available for download at www.sphepublicity.com.

FRAGMENTS (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“An all-star cast in an ensemble film.  With separate stories of five different individuals, a live film adaptation of the novel is challenging and difficult.  Director Rowan Woods was able to come up with a dark, provocative film but its not a film that is mean to tug at your heart but a film to show how people react to a tragic event quite differently.”

Images courtesy of © 2008 Winged Films, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: FRAGMENTS

DURATION: 96 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: English, French 5.1 (Dolby Digital), Subtitles: English and French

COMPANY: Peace Arch Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (For Violent Content, Sexuality and Language)

RELEASE DATE:  August 4, 2009

Directed by Rowan Woods

Based on a story by Roy Freirich

Executive Producer: Gilbert Alloul, Naomi Despres, John Flock, Lewin Webb

Produced by Robert Salerno

Co-Produced by John J. Kelly

Music by Marcelo Zarvos

Director of Photography: Eric Alan Edwards

Editing by Meg Reticker

Casting by Nicole Abellera, Jeanne McCarthy

Production Design by Max Biscoe

Set Decoration by Maria Nay

Costume Design by Mary Claire Hannan

Starring:

Kate Beckinsale as Carla Davenport

Forest Whitaker as Charlie Archenault

Dakota Fanning as Anne Hagen

Guy Pearce as Dr. Bruce Laraby

Jeanne Tripplehorn as Doris Hagen

Josh Hutcherson as Jimmy Jaspersen

Jennifer Hudson as Kathy Archenault

Jackie Earle Haley – Bob Jaspersen

Robin Weigert as Lydia Jasperson

Embeth Davidtz as Joan Laraby

Hayley McFarland as Lori Carline

Tim Guinee as Aaron Hagen

Jacquie Barnbrook as Lori’s mom

One moment can change a lifetime. Shots ring out and the early morning tranquility of a diner shatters. As survivors pick up the pieces, they find themselves transforming in the most unexpected ways as they cope with the aftermath. One brief moment and their lives are changed forever.

Featuring an all-star cast including Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, and Academy Award® winners Forest Whitaker (Best Actor, The Last King of Scotland, 2006) and Jennifer Hudson (Best Supporting Actress, Dreamgirls, 2006).

In 2008, the novel “Winged Creatures” writted by Roy Freirich was released.  Not long after, the film was greenlighted for a live film adaptation and Director Rowan Woods (“Farscape” and “Little Fish”) would be the man to bring some life to the original story for the big screen.  Joining Woods is composer Marcelo Zarvos (“The Air I Breathe” and “The Good Shepherd”) and cinematographer Eric Alan Edwards (“Love Happens”, “The King of Texas” and “Knocked Up”).

Starring an all-star cast which includes Kate Beckinsale (“Van Helsing”, “Underworld” and “Vacancy”), Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”, “Vantage Point” and “Street Kings”), Dakota Fanning (“War of the Worlds”, “Push” and “Man on Fire”), Guy Pearce (“Bedtime Stories”, “Traitor”, “Rules of Engagement” and “The Count of Monte Cristo”),  Josh Hutcherson (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”, “Bridge to Terabithia” and “Little Manhattan”),  Jennifer Hudson (“Sex and the City”and “Dreamgirls”), Jean Tripplehorn (“The Firm”, “Water World” and “The Trap”) and Jackie Earle Haley (“Watchmen”, “Breaking Away” and “The Bad News Bears”).

“FRAGMENTS” (known as “Winged Creatures” in other countries) is a film that has had its challenges.  Because of its not-so-happy storyline, the film had challenges with financing and only when all-star talent such as Kate Beckinsale, Forest Whitaker, Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning and a few others were part of the film, then the film was able to obtain financing.  But unfortunately, after a test screening at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the film didn’t get massive distribution at theaters and very few people saw it.  In fact, there were posters that the film would be in theaters in July 2009 but for some reason, the film is being released in the US on DVD in August 2009.

With that being said, I have to emphasize that I doubt that its treatment was due to a bad film but because it’s a film that is more or less straight-forward and makes no attempt to captivate the hearts of the viewer.  This is not that type of film.  I’ll explain further during my “Judgment Call” at the end of this review.

The film revolves around a tragic incident.  During a normal day at a restaurant in Los Angeles, a man walks in and starts shooting.  A few people are dead, some injured and the gunman kills himself.  But its what happens afterward is what “FRAGMENTS” is about.  Post-Traumatic stress that the characters are suffering.  And each suffer in their own way.

Kate Beckinsale as Carla Davenport – The waitress at the diner.  Before the tragedy, she was a loving mother always trying to find out how her baby is doing.  After the tragedy, despite thinking she is fine, she is suffering post-traumatic situations in which she starts to neglect her toddler by not feeding him.  And uses the opportunity to bring her child to the doctor and see if she can get close to Dr. Bruce Laraby.

The Hagen Family:

Dakota Fanning as Anne Hagen – Anne is a teenager who hid under the table with her friend Jimmy while the gunman was shooting.  While her father was gunned down, she froze and the only thing that she watched was birds flying out the window.  She deals with her father’s death by treating him as a hero but in a way, uses religion and God to justify her emotions.  She seems strong-willed and like nothing has phased her.  She sees herself as a witness and that people should forgive the killer.  She is instrumental in helping another friend and grieving family through their ordeal.

Jean Tripplehorn as Doris Hagen – The mother of Anne who is concerned with her daughter.  Her daughter has become religious but is that to conceal her pain or has the murder of her husband brought Anne closer to God?

The Jasperson Family

Josh Hutcherson as Jimmy Jasperson – A close friend to Anne but has been affected deeply after the tragedy.  Jimmy was hiding under the table with Anne when her father was killed.  Since the incident,  Jimmy has stopped talking and his parents constantly fight of how to get Jimmy out of his shell. The hospital has been offering counseling but he refuses.  He harbords this deep pain that he doesn’t know how to let go.

Jackie Earle Haley as Bob Jasperson and Robert Weigurt as Lydia Jasperson – The parents of Jimmy who are constantly arguing and have their own way of dealing with Jimmy’s situation.  Jimmy’s father is against him receiving counseling because Jimmy’s brother, who is in the military, was wounded in battle in the Middle East.  When his brother came back, he was not the same and was in a state of depression.  The family reached out and got him counseling but in the end, their older son is now in the coma and Bob believes that counseling may hurt their youngest son.

The Archenault Family

Forest Whitaker as Charlie Archenault – Charlie is a man who believes in luck.  While eating at the diner, he is seen holding a pamphlet on cancer.  He was wounded during the diner tragedy and a doctor has told him he was lucky.  Charlie tries to deal with the tragedy in his own way and that is by gambling.

Jennifer Hudson as Kathy Archenault – The authorities are continuously questioning Kathy in regards to her father’s involvement in the shooting and want to speak to him.  She has no idea what’s going on and her father will not answer any of her calls.

The Laraby Family

Guy Pearce as Dr. Bruce Laraby – Dr. Laraby was actually in the diner the day of the shooting and opened the door for the gunman when he exited the diner.  He was the doctor who tried to save Anne Hagen’s father during surgery but was unable to.  Since that day, he has had bad luck with his patients and he has been affected by the tragedy, despite not being at the diner of the time of the tragedy.

Embeth Davidtz as Jan Laraby - The loving wife of Dr. Bruce Laraby – For some reason, she has been suffering from some type of illness and not knowing why she is feeling this way.

The film divides itself into these five different ensemble stories of how each character have lived their life not long after the tragic incident.   There is no straying away from that plot, we literally see how these individuals are brought to their lowest of lows and how, if they can, recover from it.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“FRAGMENTS” is featured in Anamorphic Widescreen (1:85:1).  For the most part, the picture quality on DVD is good, as many parts of the film are shot outdoors and you are able to get some vibrancy with the colors.

Audi is featured in English and French 5.1 (Dolby Digital).  The film is primarily a dialogue-driven film in which the majority of the audio comes from the front and center channels.  Although, the gunshots from the tragic incident is probably where you will hear most of the punch throughout the soundtrack.  Because the tragedy is replayed many times in different situations, the gunshots are heard throughout the film and you can hear it clearly through the front channels and some usage from the surrounds.  But for the most part, it is a dialogue-driven film and you can hear the talent quite clearly.

Subtitles are featured in English and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There is one special feature included on the DVD and that is an audio commentary by Director Rowan Woods.  Woods is upfront about the challenges of funding of the film, why it was shot in Los Angeles, working with the various talents in the film, challenges of making an ensemble film but most importantly is his feelings of why audiences may have not gravitated towards the film.

Many people have many questions of why the film didn’t receive that much attention, especially since it has an all-star cast and the DVD commentary by Rowan Woods will help answer that.

“FRAGMENTS” is a film that will be compared to other ensemble films such as “CRASH” and “BABEL”.  It can also be compared to the television series “The Nine” which has a similarity to this film but the main difference is that “The Nine” revovles around a bank heist and the victims end up becoming close friends and become their own support group, as they also deal with their own post-traumatic stress.  There is also a mystery element that grabs the attention of the viewer.

With “FRAGMENTS”, there is no mystery, there is no support group.  It’s straightforward in showing us that these people who do not want to get professional help have been mentally scarred by these events.  The film doesn’t make one appreciative of the characters either.

Maybe with the exception of Dakota Fanning and Josh Hutcherson’s characters (which the two are more or less the primary characters and have a big reveal at the end), the other characters are just not likable. It’s one thing for the viewer to understand that these characters are suffering from post-traumatic stress but how they deal with it is quite shocking.

The actions that Carla Davenport (Beckinsale) goes through by neglecting her son while trying to get attention is just going to upset people who will no doubt be upset of how bad of a mother she becomes and the neglect she has towards her own baby.

Dr. Bruce Laraby (Pearce) and what he does to his wife in order to makeup his inner ego of losing patients is also going to upset people.

And Forest Whitaker’s role as Charlie Archenault is not going to have viewers feel happy as he tries to gamble his life away and in the process, hurting himself even further.

With an ensemble film, there is some sort of mystery, some sort of storyline that can either captivate your attention, “FRAGMENTS” keeps you watching throughout the end to find out, what really transpired on that fateful day and after seeing the characters being put through hell, you find yourself asking the question, “is that it?”.

And that leads to the question of, how much of “Winged Creatures” made it into the final cut of “FRAGMENTS”.  Perhaps it was too ambitious to take the novel and give it a proper film adaptation because perhaps, there was a lot of storyline that needed to be cut out.  Granted, this film could have been even more tragic than it was, and I’m glad it wasn’t.

For the most parts, we do get a solid performance from Beckinsale who shows that she can portray a variety of characters quite well.  Dakota Fanning is a talented actress and is able to deliver emotion in a variety of levels (like she has done while she was younger). Josh Hutcherson is definitely put into a more emotional role than his previous films but overall, the kid definitely has talent and provides a balance with Fanning’s character.

Forest Whitaker is more or less a loss soul and you wonder if this character was going to snap but in the end, his fix for dealing with his problems is through intense gambling.  Guy Pearce started off strong but its his character that is indirectly such a sleazeball, that you just can’t believe how far he would go in order to boost his inner machismo.  Academy Award winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson has a short role that it didn’t make much of a difference to the overall story.

Supporting characters such as Jeanne Tripplehorn as Anne’s mother and Jackie Earle Haley was great to see both on the big screen.  Especially, Haley for those of us who grew up seeing this actor when he was a child star through the late 70′s and 80′s.

If anything, the positive of the film is that it was an interesting film that focuses not on any conspiracy or mystery, it’s a look of how people deal with tragedy differently.

“FRAGMENTS” is  a deep and somewhat depressing, provocative film and in the end, I enjoyed it for its take on characters dealing with post-traumatic stress.  Again, no conspiracy, no mystery.  It’s a straightforward story of characters near their breaking point.

I wish there were more special features included on the DVD but the commentary was definitely interesting in hearing Director Rowan Woods discuss his overall feeling about the film.

For the most part, “FRAGMENTS” may grab your attention but it’s simply not a film that I can find myself watching it repetitively.