Sid & Nancy: Collector’s Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)
January 9, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
With wonderful acting, writing and cinematography, Alex Cox’s “Sid & Nancy” is a film that captures a unique kind of romance in cinema, one that is consumed by a couple’s own self-destruction through heavy drug use. At the end of the day, “Sid & Nancy” is a love story like no other… and for this film alone, I highly recommend watching it!
TITLE: Sid & Nancy: Collector’s Edition
FILM RELEASE: 1986
DURATION: 113 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (widescreen 1:85:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Subtitles: English SDH
COMPANY: United Artists/MGM/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
RATED: R
Release Date: December 27, 2011
Directed by Alex Cox
Screenplay by Alex Cox, Abbe Wool
Produced by Eric Fellner
Co-Producer: Peter McCarthy
Associate Producer: Abbe Wool
Music by Pray for Rain
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Edited by David Martin
Production Design by J. Rae Fox, Andrew McAlpine
Art Direction by J. Rae Fox
Set Decoration by Marcie Dale
Costume Design by Catherine Cook
Starring:
Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious
Chloe Webb as Nancy Spungen
David Hayman as Malcolm
Debby Bishop as Phoebe
Andrew Schofield as John
Xander Berkeley as Bowery Snax
Perry Benson as Paul
Tony London as Steve
Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb execute performances that are nothing short of phenomenal (Los AngelesTimes) as Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his unforgettable junkie girlfriend- two socialmisfits who literally love each other to death.
Featuring a fantastic performance by Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb, “Sid & Nancy” is an amazing film that captures the punk scene but also a couple’s self-destruction.
In the late ’70s, Sid Vicious (the monicker used by John Simon Ritchie) was the bassist of the punk band, the Sex Pistols. Known more for his charisma in the punk scene (insulting the crowd, getting in fights with the crowd, slashing or carving words on himself) more than his actual bass playing, together with band leader/vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook and managed by Malcolm Mclaren, the band would be known for initiating the punk movement in the UK and also inspiring any punk bands and musicians.
But despite the band only lasting for 2 1/2 years and producing four singles and one studio album, the band continues to be influential to many.
But for many who followed the band, people were shocked by the band’s breakup in 1978 and even moreso by Vicious’ heroin overdose in 1979. But there was more to the story about Sid Vicious the man but also his unique relationship with girlfriend Nancy Spungen, a stripper and groupie but known around the scene as “Nauseating Nancy” for her temperamental attitude and verbal abuse. And for both individuals, what they had each other was love but also both were heavy abusers of multiple drugs. And as the two have had a pact with each other, “to go out in a blaze of glory”, both died at a young age via their own self-destruction.
Nancy murdered by Sid Vicious while both were drugged out and Sid Vicious, overdosing on heroin (which his mother alleges was suicide as a note was found that Sid Vicious carried out the pact the two have made for each other).
While media was fascinated by the story of this couple, in 1986, filmmaker Alex Cox (“Repo Man”, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) along with producer/screenwriter Abbe Wool (“The Big Lebowski”, “Planet of the Apes”) would go on to create the British biopic “Sid and Nancy”.
“Sid and Nancy” was well-received by film critics especially for the outstanding performance of talents Gary Oldman (“The Dark Knight”, “Batman Begins”, “The Fifth Element”) who plays Sid Vicious and Chloe Webb who plays Nancy Spungen (“Practical Magic”, “Twins”) but the film was also denounced by Johnny Rotten as inaccurate but did praise the acting of Gary Oldman. The film was also critical of Vicious portrayal by those who knew Sid.
The film was released on DVD courtesy of the Criterion Collection long since out-of-print and now “Sid & Nancy: Collector’s Edition” is available on Blu-ray courtesy of MGM/Twentieth Century Fox.
“Sid & Nancy” begins with police arresting Sid Vicious (played by Gary Oldman) at the Hotel Chelsea in New York for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen (played by Chloe Webb). And during the interrogation, Vicious is asked to describe what had happened.
The story then flashes back to when Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten (played by Andrew Schofield) met an American junkie (Nancy), who claimed that she had come to London because she was a big fan of the Sex Pistols. Both men disregard her at first but then through occasional run-ins, Sid notices her being treated badly by another man. When he goes to talk with her, he finds out that when she had arrived to London, she gave all her money to the man for drugs and literally used her.
But when Sid lends her money to buy drugs, she does and immediately the two manage to become friends and eventually start having sex with each other and doing drugs together. Both fall madly in love and are nearly inseparable, and as the film focuses on their destructive relationship, the film also showcases Sid Vicious as he performs with the Sex Pistols and take part in a disastrous tour in America.
But the over indulgence of drugs was starting to take its toll on Sid Vicious relationship with his bandmates of the Sex Pistols and eventually they breakup and Nancy takes on the roll of becoming Sid’s manager and from that moment on…this couple would spiral downward as both become heavily addicted to heroin and both make a pact that they would end their lives together, to go out in a “blaze of glory”.
VIDEO:
There is no denying that many have been wanting “Sid & Nancy” on Blu-ray. As one of the most desirable and most-wanted out-of-print titles released by the Criterion Collection, fans of the film have clamored for a Blu-ray release. Although not released by the Criterion Collection, MGM/Twentieth Century Fox does give “Sid & Nancy” the HD treatment.
Presented in widescreen 1:85:1, there is no doubt that the film looks magnificent on Blu-ray. Comparing this to the old DVD, the picture quality for this 1986 film looks clean, detailed and vibrant.
The cinematography by Roger Deakins (“The Shawshank Redemption”, “No Country for Old Men”, “Fargo”, “The Big Lebowski”) is fantastic as he manages to cover the dingy areas that Sid and Nancy visit and possibly the most memorable scene of the film, both sharing a romantic kiss near a dumpster while garbage flows around them.
This is the best looking version of the film to date!
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Sid & Nancy: Collector’s Edition” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. It’s important to note that previous DVD releases of “Sid & Nancy”were in Dolby Stereo but this time around, the soundtrack receives a lossless soundtrack. The film is still center and front-channel driven but what is more pronounced is the film’s musical soundtrack.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“Sid & Nancy: Collector’s Edition” comes with the following special features:
- For the Love of Punk – (15:46) Music writers and those who knew Sid and Nancy discuss the film and why it resonated so well with viewers.
- Junk Love – (16:30) Music writers, editors and those who knew Sid and Nancy talk about the real Sid and Nancy. Including another theory of how Nancy died.
- Theatrical Trailer – (2:02) The theatrical trailer for “Sid & Nancy”.
“Sid & Nancy” is a romance story like no other.
Rarely has American cinema tapped into the punk scene nor would you see Hollywood willing to cover the scene or anything that had to do with it. But in 1986, filmmaker Alex Cox did just that, while the film should not be considered as accurate, Cox’s film does showcase the love between two individuals, both have difficult lives, both are heavy drug users and both died under tragic circumstances.
When I first watched this film nearly 20 years ago, I was struck by performances by actor Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb. For Oldman, how this one man was able to capture a man’s self-destruction and we see it through his performance, from the over-indulgence of drugs to the after-effect of not having drugs in his system, Oldman’s performance was effective, believable and fantastic!
And Chloe Webb, I felt that her performance was fantastic then…but here we are in 2011, 25-years after the film was screened in theaters and now, many of us can view the actual interviews with Sid & Nancy, especially to hear Nancy vocalize…and to realize, how Chloe Webb’s voice, mannerisms were nearly exact.
I have to admit that back then… I felt that Webb’s performance of Nancy was so good, but made me wonder if the real Nancy spoke this way. Was she that annoying? And after seeing a few interviews of the real Nancy, I can see how vocal she was around Sid and even by herself. She spoke her mind.
“Sid and Nancy” is a love story but also a tragedy. There is no denying that Sid Vicious was exploited by the industry and media in a sense that people wanted him to fuck up or to stayed fucked up. He was unlike any other music talent out there. Sure, many talents have died of drug tragedies before, but for Vicious…this was a man who got into fights, spit or threatened the crowd he performed to and he had no qualms carving himself and bleeding.
He was reviled because of his rejection of society and inspired the punk scene who wanted to be like him. But at the end of the day, there was Nancy. A woman who could talk so much shit to anyone, to everyone including Sid, but no matter what…he still loved her. He was the only person who could understand her, and she was the person who felt that was the only person out there who can understand or even help him, when no one else would.
Since watching this film 20-years ago, watching it in 2011, I actually felt a bit more compassion for Nancy, especially after the release of Deborah Spungen’s book “And I Don’t Want to Live This Life: A Mother’s Story of Her Daughter’s Murder” (a must-read for those wanting to know about Nancy Spungen, who was very intelligent at a young age but even as a baby, after being born and nearly dying due to oxygen deprivation due to the umbilical cord around her neck, she was very temperamental as a baby and violent as a toddler to others and herself and her parents knew she was mentally ill).
As for the Blu-ray release, there is no doubt that this film looks absolutely great in HD compared to its two DVD counterparts. But while the two special features are good, especially hearing from those who knew both Sid and Nancy, for those who owned the original Criterion Collection release, I would still hang on to that DVD. Not because it’s still a highly sought-out Criterion Collection DVD but it also contained the documentary on the making of the film, the 1976 interview with the Sex Pistols, interviews with Sid and Nancy and audio commentary by screenwriter Abbe Wool and the talent of the film, including historians. Unfortunately, none of this awesome content made it to the Blu-ray release and that’s a shame!
With wonderful acting, writing and cinematography, Alex Cox’s “Sid & Nancy” is a film that captures a unique kind of romance in cinema, one that is consumed by a couple’s own self-destruction through heavy drug use. At the end of the day, “Sid & Nancy” is a love story like no other… and for this film alone, I highly recommend watching it!
A Christmas Carol (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)
November 7, 2010 by Dennis Amith · 3 Comments
A wonderful CG animated adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic! Impressive visuals and a fantastic vocal performance by Jim Carrey. This film has now become my favorite adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” and on Blu-ray, you can’t help but love the wonderful picture and lossless audio quality plus the special features. A magnificent Blu-ray release that is highly recommended!
© Walt Disney Studios Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: A Christmas Carol
FILM RELEASE: 2008
DURATION: 96 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24bit), English 2.0 DVS, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French and Spanish
COMPANY: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
RATED: PG (For Scary Sequences and Images)
Release Date: November 16, 2010
Based on the novel by Charles Dickens
Screenplay and Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Produced by Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey and Robert Zemeckis
Executive Producer: Mark L. Rosen
Co-Producer: Steven J. Boyd
Associate Producer: Katherine C. Concepcion, Heather Kelton
Line Producer: Peter M. Tobyansen
Music by Alan Silvestri
Cinematography by Robert Presley
Edited by Jeremiah O’Driscoll
Casting by Scot Boland, Victoria Burrows, Nina Gold
Production Design by Doug Chiang
Art Direction by Marc Gabbana, Norman Newberry, Mike Stassi
Set Decoration by Karen O’Hara
Featuring the voices of:
Jim Carrey as Scrooge / Ghost of Christmas Past / Scrooge as a Young Boy / Scrooge as a Teenage Boy / Scrooge as a Young Man / Scrooge as a Middle-Aged Man / Ghost of Christmas Present / Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Gary Oldman as Bob Cratchit/Marley/Tiny Tim
Colin Firth as Fred
Robin Wright as Fan/Belle
Jacquie Barnbrook as Mrs. Fezziwig / Fred’s Sister-in-Law / Well-Dressed Caroler
Bob Hoskins as Mr. Fezziwig/Old joe
Lesley Manville as Mrs. Cratchit
Molly C. Quinn as Belinda Cratchit
Fay Masterson as Martha Cratchit/Guest #1/Caroline
Leslie Zemeckis as Fred’s Wife
Steve Valentine as Funerary Undertaker/Topper
Daryl Sabara as Undertaker’s Apprentice / Tattered Caroler / Beggar Boy / Peter Cratchit / Well-Dressed Caroler
Sage Ryan as Tattered Caroler
From Walt Disney Pictures comes the magical retelling of Charles Dickens’ beloved tale – Disney’s A Christmas Carol, the high-flying, heartwarming adventure for the whole family. When three ghosts take penny-pinching Scrooge on an eye-opening journey, he discovers the true meaning of Christmas – but he must act on it before it’s too late. Complete with spirited bonus features, this exhilarating and touching Disney classic is destined to be part of a family holiday tradition, adding sparkle and heart to all Christmases yet to come.
The Charles Dickens classic has been a popular story since it was first published back in 1843. Created during a time during the Victorian Era when people were forgetting Christmas traditions, Charles Dickens wanted to create a Christmas tale that was inspired by his humiliating experience of his childhood and his sympathy towards the poor.
A tale that actually came from his love/hate relationship for his own father, the character of Ebenezer Scrooge was inspired by him having to work at a young age because his father was imprisoned and because after his father’s release, he was still forced to work and make money. So, the cold and stingy character was inspired by his own father, while the discovery of the goodwill of men towards the poor inspired the rebirth of Scrooge.
Needless to say, his perspective towards the intolerance towards the poor made him craft this powerful Christmas tale which would inspire many dramatizations of “A Christmas Carol”. Even for Walt Disney, the company would do their own version in 1983 titled “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” using Donald Duck as Scrooge and Mickey Mouse as the character of Bob Cratchit. And in 2009, Disney would once again take on an adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic.
This time around, the studio would experiment with their first film in IMAX 3-D and also release it via Disney Digital 3-D. The technology would utilize performance capture that was used effectively for “The Polar Express” (2004) and “Beowulf” (2007) and would feature director Robert Zemeckis (known for the “Back to the Future” films, “Cast Away” and “Gothika” and known for animated films such as “The Polar Express”, “Monster House” and “Beowulf”).
So, for this film, a few major talent would partake in the performance capture and also take part in several roles. The main role of Ebenezer Scrooge would be handled by Jim Carrey (“Bruce Almighty”, “Me, Myself & Irene”, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, “Yes Man”), the character of Scrooge’s nephew Fred by Colin Firth (“Love Actually”, “The English Patient”, “Easy Virtue”), the character of Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley and Tiny Tim courtesy of Gary Oldman (“The Dark Knight”, “The Professional”, “The Fifth Element”, “Batman Begins”) and the character of Fan and Belle by Robin Wright (“Beowulf”, “Forrest Gump”, “Unbreakable”).
The film was released in theaters in November 2009 and the film which was budgeted around $200 million would make over $323 million worldwide, a major success in the box office. And now the film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD and also a Disney Blu-ray 3D (the first 3D film on Blu-ray for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment).
“A Christmas Carol” revolves around the coldhearted, bitter moneylender named Ebenezer Scrooge. The opening for the film shows him signing a witness form on Christmas day for his deceased former business partner Jacob Marley. He is not too fond of Christmas activities and would rather focus his life on making and lending money at his counting house business. While walking to his office, you can see the fear of the neighborhood towards Scrooge, knowing that during the Christmas Holiday, not only is he a cold man, he is very irritable and thus, they try to stay out of his way.
The film then flash forwards to seven years later on Christmas Eve. Working for Scrooge is Bob Cratchit who doesn’t make much money at his job but he tries to take care of his family with whatever little he makes. When Scrooge’s nephew Fred comes to invite him to Christmas dinner with the family, Scrooge berates him and tells him that he has no intention in celebrating the holiday. When a group of people trying to get donations to provide the poor with food on Christmas Day, Scrooge tells them that the poor are better off dying to contribute to the country’s surplus. And as for Bob Cratchit, Scrooge hates that his employee has to be away from work on Christmas Day but expects him to do some work and come in early.
When Scrooge walks home from work, a strange light shows up at his home. When Scrooge goes inside his home, a ghost shows up in the middle of his room. It is his former business partner Jacob Marley who tell shim that he is forced to spend his afterlife chained because of his greedy lifestyle. Marley gives Scrooge a warning that he will suffer an worse fate if he doesn’t repent but Scrooge has a hard time believing him. Thus a second spirit of Christmas arrive and the first is The Ghost of Christmas Past. He takes Scrooge on a journey to visit himself in the past.
We learn that Scrooge was a nice young man growing up but was neglected by his own father and was put in a boarding school and was brought home one Christmas Day thanks to his loving sister Fan. We learn that Fan died when she gave birth to Fred (Scrooge’s nephew). We also see how Scrooge began to work in the business of money lending and became successful at it. He would also meet his beloved Belle who he would be engaged to.
But when Scrooge began to become obsessed with making money and growing his wealth, he ended up neglecting Belle and she leaves him. Scrooge is so dismayed that he extinguishes the first spirit.
Scrooge then meets the Ghost of Christmas present and this ghost shows Scrooge how people he knows are having fun on Christmas Day but he sees how people really think of him. Only his employee Bob Cratchit is grateful for the work that Scrooge has provided him but because he doesn’t make much, Cratchit is poor and to make things worse, his son Tiny Tim is sick and if he doesn’t get help, he will die. The spirit then warns Scrooge about the evils of Ignorance and Want.
But then Scrooge meets the final spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and Scrooge learns the fate of himself due to greed. Scrooge sees a dark future of himself and is warned that if he doesn’t change, he will die alone.
But having lived a bitter life for so long… Can Ebenezer Scrooge ever change?
VIDEO:
“A Christmas Carol” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1 aspect ratio) and the first thing that came to my mind was…”wow!”. I didn’t watch this film when it came out in 2009 but looking at the animation and seeing how much progress there has been since “The Polar Express” and “Beowulf” in terms of capturing near realistic CG, I was quite impressed. From the skin textures as you can see detail from Scrooge’s face to a kid with his face full of zits, suffice to say, this animation was quite impressive, remarkable and just all out fantastic!
The lighting was also amazing in this film. Vibrant colors, the flicker of the flame and the extending heat from that flame was impressive. Seeing the various spirits and how well they were animated, especially the hair of the Spirit of Christmas Present, that was pretty awesome. But just the whole detail of the whole environment, the city, the streets, the surroundings, objects, everything you can think of, it looks fantastic in HD. Everything is literally detailed. Movement was well-captured. The technology has definitely improved since “Beowulf’s” release and once again, this is state of the art animation and another step closer to achieving realism via CG.
Visually, this film just stands out in colors, detail, animation. Blacks were nice and deep and really, there is nothing negative I can say about the picture quality, it’s perfect!
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“A Christmas Carol” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-Bit) and English 2.0 DVS along with French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1. And similar to the picture quality, you also get the immersive soundcape that audiophiles want. Crisp and clear dialogue through the center channels, sound effects and music through the front channels but also how good the directional sound effects were used for the surround channels. There is also a good amount of LFE with that slow rumble.
The film has so many action sequences as Scrooge is being whisked away by the Spirits but also when he meets the final spirit, that is when the film starts to really take another leap in terms of action and surround usage. But it also goes beyond the expected action sequences, from crowd ambiance, creaking wood, clothing and curtains being ruffled, bells, clocks, pounding on tables, “A Christmas Carol” definitely delivers and once again, another category that achieves perfection in this Blu-ray release.
Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“A Christmas Carol” comes with the following special features:
- Behind The Carol: The Full Motion Capture Experience – A feature length picture-in-picture viewing mode takes the audience behind the scenes of motion capture filmmaking. Also, features the audio commentary by director Robert Zemeckis. While watching the film, you can easily toggle what you want to see. Very in-depth commentary and the fact that you can have control of what you want to see and the inclusion of the full-motion capture experience is fantastic! Awesome addition to this Blu-ray release.
- Countdown to Christmas Interactive Calendar – 25 days of holiday surprises extend the holiday cheer, as viewers come back to discover what each door holds.
- Deleted Scenes – (8:39) Six deleted scenes on the Blu-ray Disc. (note: CG is not fully rendered)
- Capturing Dickens: A Novel Retelling – (14:43) Actress Jacquie Barnbrook hosts a journey through the creative process of Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”. Behind-the-scenes of the making of the film, scanning of the characters and its creative format.
- On Set With Sammi – (1:52) Follow Sammi Hanratty, one of the film’s young stars, as she shares a kid’s eye view of an “anything but average” day on the set.
EXTRAS:
“A Christmas Carol” comes with a slip-over cover case. Also, included is a DVD featuring the feature film and bonus features. The DVD is presented in 2:40:1 – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions. Audio is in English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and English 2.0 DVS. Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.
Throughout my life, the Charles Dickens classic of “A Christmas Carol” is usually a yearly Christmas ritual. There are various incarnations of this story that I have enjoyed. From the Steve Martin early ’80s classic to even the Disney animated feature. But I have to say that this is probably the best adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” that I have watched.
Not only was Jim Carrey fantastic in his vocal role (for many characters), Disney did a fantastic job in choosing him to provide the voice because he nailed the voice of Scrooge perfectly.
But where other adaptations have done a good job in portraying the spirits of Christmas, “A Christmas Carol” for 2009 definitely managed to capture the emotion of fear that haunted Ebenezer Scrooge. You watch this film and you can understand why he’s scared. There are quite a bit of scary sequences and even my son had his eyes closed or running back from the hallway and back to the living room because he was scared at times.
That is one thing I have never gotten from “A Christmas Carol” as a child is an adaptation where you actually feel the fear that Scrooge is going through. So, it’s great to have that animated film in which you can also feel that fear and the soundtrack helped contribute to that. The lossless audio on Blu-ray really enhances your experience of watching this film as sound does play a good part in enveloping your soundscape of your room and feeling that fear, those rumbles but also the more happier parts of the film which include the overall feeling of Christmas through song, the sound of snow, the bells, it all sounds remarkable on Blu-ray.
Another thing where this film also succeeds is showing us the past. The film does a great job of showing us how Scrooge had grown up and the challenges he had faced in his life and why he became bitter. The scene between Scrooge and Belle was fantastic and it was captured quite well in this film. Also, the Cratchit family was well-presented, showing us Bob’s good heart but also showing us the despair Bob and and his wife feel towards Tiny Tim. This was well-done!
And of course, the best part of “A Christmas Carol” is how wonderful the film looks. This is one of the best animated films I have ever seen thus far. And I’m talking more towards capturing realism in CG. The skin textures were amazing and how they gave characters a different look was fantastic as some animation studios tend to reuse models with slight changes, in this film, there was actually differences in the people shown throughout the film. As mentioned, the skin detail was amazing. From Scrooge’s face and hair, the Spirits of Christmas Present’s hairy beard to the little kid working at the mortuary with his face full of zits, it’s great to see the animators really going all out in the creation of these characters.
And it goes beyond the characters as we see that same detail applied to the city, the whole landscape, the interior objects, the flames, the snow as we see shoes or a carriage driving by and snow being trampled afterward. This is a heavily detailed animated film and it justifies the heavy budget that this film cost. I’m glad they made their money back and more because this is a major step in the world of animation and capturing realism.
The motion capture was fantastic and movements were natural and for the most part, this film will no doubt become a Walt Disney Christmas classic and that because the animation is so realistic, it’s one of those films that will probably hold up for many years to come.
As for the Blu-ray release, you get the additional DVD but for the Blu-ray release, the picture and lossless audio quality is fantastic and the special features are well-done, especially the picture-in-picture mode which was well-done! There are a good number of special features that really, it’s hard to come up with any negative about this film. It’s a solid Blu-ray release but if I really had to nitpick, the only thing I can come up with is wishing there was more special features that maybe went into the actual history of the Charles Dickens classic or maybe the inclusion of “Mickey’s Christmas Carol”, so people can watch the other Disney adaptation of “A Christmas Carol”. But really, this is a pretty solid Blu-ray release and there is nothing negative that I can say about this release.
It’s also important to let people know that there is also a 3D version of this Blu-ray release that is available. The 3D version marks the first Walt Disney 3D release and for those with a 3D enabled TV and Blu-player can definitely take advantage of this release.
For families, “A Christmas Carol” is a very good family but it’s also one that I recommend that parents watch with their children and for those with young children, this film may not be suitable for them just yet. Because there are so many scary parts, I recommend at least the film being shown to children that are 7-8 years-old minimum. My son is seven-years-old and he enjoyed the film but I can tell you, he ran out many times or buried his face under his hands because of the scary scenes and of course, the well-done sound effects did a fantastic job in adding to those more action-driven or scary moments of the film. But parental guidance is definitely suggested and if you do have older children, fortunately this Blu-ray release does come with a DVD, especially if you are planning a long winter commute.
Overall, this is a magnificent Blu-ray release from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. This is now my favorite adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic and I wouldn’t be surprised if this film would become a classic for many years to come. “A Christmas Carol” is highly recommended!
Planet 51 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)
February 28, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Delightful! “Planet 51″ is a fun sci-fi animated film for the entire family that looks vibrant and sounds great on Blu-ray!
© 2009 Ilion Animation Studios, HandMade Films International, Antenna 3 Films, Lem Films Limited and Chuck & Lem, S.L. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Planet 51
DURATION: 91 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English, German 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English – Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, German, Turkish
COMPANY: Tri Star/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RATED: PG (For Mild Sci-Fi Action and Some Suggestive Humor)
RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2010
Directed by Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad, Marcos Martinez
Written by Joe Stillman
Executive Producer: Mercedes Gamero, Ricardo Garcia Arrojo, Peter D. Graves, Albie Hecht, Stephen Margolis, Albert Martinez Martin, Patrick Meehan, Javier Perez Dolset, Juan Antonio Perez Ramirez, Mercedes Rey Jose A. Rodriguez, Michael Ryan
Produced by Guy Collins, Ignacio Perez Dolset
Associate Producer: Thomas D. Adelman
Music by James Seymour Brett
Edited by Alex Rodriguez
Casting by Ruth Lambert, Karen Lindsay-Stewart, Robert McGee
Production Design by Julian Munoz Romero
Art Direction by Fernando Juarez
Featuring the voices of:
Dwayne Johnson as Captain Charles T. Baker
Justin Long as Lem
Jessica Biel as Neera
Gary Oldman as General Grawl
Seann William Scott as Skiff
John Cleese as Professor Kipple
Freddie Benedict as Eckle
Alan Mariott as Glar
When Chuck the astronaut (Dwayne Johnson) lands on a distant planet filled with little green people, he is surprised to discover that we are not alone in the galaxy. But he gets the shock of his life when the residents of Planet 51 mistakenly believe that his presence is the start of an alien invasion of the human kind! Luckily, Lem (Justin Long) quickly realizes that Chuck is friendly and makes it his personal mission to help him return safely to his ship.
In Nov. 2009, the most expensive movie produced in Spain titled “Planet 51″ created by Ilion Animation Studios and HandMade Films with a screenplay by Joe Stillman (“Shrek” films) was released in the US. With a budget of $70 million, despite heavy competition from Hollywood blockbusters “New Moon” and “2012″, “Planet 51″ earned $94 million worldwide.
“Planet 51″ revolves around a world with a society of green aliens similar to the USA in the 1950′s and at the local theater, the popular sci-fi film “Humaniac” is being screened. Lem (Voiced by Justin Long) is an alien who gets a job at the Planetarium. Lem has a big crush on Neera (voiced by Jessica Biel) but each time he wants to get close to her, her hippie friend Glar is nearby and it seems that he may be trying to get close to her as well.
Meanwhile, a mysterious spacecraft which was orbiting Planet 51 is detected by “Base 9″, a hidden army base which has artifacts from planet Earth. One of the artifact, which is a rover wakes up when a signal is picked up and begins its mission to look for an astronaut and collect rocks.
The mysterious aircraft lands in Lem’s back yard and an astronaut from NASA, Charles “Chuck” Baker (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) comes out and plants the US flag on the planet. But when he looks around the planet, what was supposed to be uninhabited has homes and building where green people live and this freaks out Chuck who immediately goes into hiding.
With many people on the planet fearing aliens (due to the sci-fi films of the time such as “humaniac”, the people of Planet 51 think there is going to be an alien invasion. Immediately, General Grawl (voiced by Gary Oldman) along with Professor Kipple (voiced by John Cleese) try to gain more research studying the alien spacecraft and quarantines the area to prevent its citizens to become “zombies”.
As for Lem, while cleaning up at the planetarium, he finds Chuck in hiding and immediately the two realize they speak the same language and that Chuck is no threat. Chuck then lets Lem know that he has 74 hours to get back into his spacecraft or else the spacecraft will leave without him. Meanwhile, the NASA rover continues to look for the astronaut while evading the General’s forces and hostile citizens but yet finds a friend in Lem’s comic book geek friend Skiff (voiced by Seann William Scott) who looks at Rover as his newfound pet.
So, Chuck depends on Lem (and his friends) in hiding him temporarily and help find a way to get him back into his well-guarded spacecraft. But is it possible? Especially with General Grawl and his men ready to kill anyone who may be deemed as helping the alien (Chuck) and those who are helping him?
VIDEO:
“Planet 51″ looks very good when it comes to details. Presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), I enjoyed the overall atmosphere created by Ilion Animation Studios. From the creation of the homes, the gates, the plants, the skies…the whole ’50s feel of the town looks quite vibrant and beautiful. But when it comes to the green citizens, there is much less detail. Although green, even Shrek is green but you can still see the spots within its skin. Not so much for the aliens of “Planet 51″, although a lot of detail can be seen in the astronaut uniform of Chuck. But overall, the animation was well-done from Ilion Animation Studios and the presentation is absolutely vibrant in HD.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Planet 51″ features audio in English and German 5.1 DTS-HD MA. Also, an English audio description track in 5.1 Dolby Digital is included. Because the film incorporates many action scenes, from the sound of the vehicles zipping through the air, Chuck’s spacecraft with its engine roaring or the hidden base opening up, there is good use of the surround channels and LFE. Dialogue and music are also clear and understandable through the center and front channels. But overall, a pretty solid lossless soundtrack!
Subtitles are in English, English SDH, Spanish, German and Turkish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Planet 51″ comes with the following special features in High Definition with English Stereo and English with German subtitles:
- Target 51 Game - Play as Charles “Chuck” Baker in galaxy mode or survival mode. The game also comes with an optional iPhone controller App download from iTunes!
- Extended Scenes – A total of three extended scenes: A Total Disaster, When Aliens Invade, What Do Zombies Say?
- The World of Planet 51 – (2:52) Featuring the CG clips of the locations and key areas featured in the world of Planet 51.
- Life on Planet 51 – (12:04) The making of “Planet 51″ plus a look at how ILION Animation Studios in Madrid, Spain created the film.
- Planetarium – The Voice Stars of Planet 51 – (3:18) A featurette with interviews with the voice talent of “Planet 51″ including Justin Long, Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Gary Oldman and Sean William Scott.
- Planet 51 Music Video Montage – (2:10) A video montage of scenes from “Planet 51″ along with a song “Aliens Exist” by Blink 182.
- Animation Progression Reels – (15:53) Featuring six animated progression reels. Featuring four split screens with a pre-rendered CG clip, storyboards, and more.
- Previews – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment trailers
EXTRAS:
“Planet 51″ comes with a DVD version of the film and also a Digital Copy included on the DVD.
“Planet 51″ is a fun and entertaining sci-fi film. Although, the cold war reference, especially dealing with the fear of aliens may go over the heads of children, “Planet 51″ manages to be a film similar to E.T. but in this case, the human is the alien and for the most part, the green aliens speak perfect English. Also, the film does a good job for paying homage to various sci-fi films such as “Alien”, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Star Wars”, “Terminator”, etc. If anything, the humor of the cold war, especially classic and current sci-fi films will easily make fans of the genre quite appreciate of the film.
While, the human “Chuck” is more of a guy that is all talk and makes himself out as a guy who has “the right stuff”, Lem has been the alien guy who really never stood for himself and has had his share of low self-esteem. Through helping Chuck and overcoming a variety of obstacles, we see how Lem begins to feel more comfortable with himself and eventually, using his new-found self-esteem to get closer to his dream girl Neera.
Despite the film not receiving the greatest reviews, “Planet 51″ is a CG-animated film that may not have any deep overtones but there is really cool CG animation when it comes to the actual living areas. The detail is quite beautiful on Blu-ray and the lossless soundtrack is quite awesome as well. The Blu-ray has a good number of special features as well. And if you are a parent looking for a fun and safe film for the kids while going on a trip, the Blu-ray release does include a DVD and also a digital copy as well.
Overall, “Planet 51″ is a good movie and I think those who are able to pick up on the jokes of the film will enjoy some of its slapstick humor. The film has enough gags to please the children (as my seven year old who watched it in the theater and once again with me on Blu-ray was giggling throughout) but anyone expecting anything more or anything deep may be disappointed. But in the end, I was quite satisfied with the film overall.
Leon the Professional (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)
November 19, 2009 by Dennis Amith · 1 Comment
Action-packed, riveting film from beginning to end. Actors Jean Reno and Gary Oldman are both fantastic and are always well-utilized by director Luc Besson. Also, an amazing performance by a young Natalie Portman in a satisfying Blu-ray release featuring solid picture and audio quality and includes both the theatrical and the original extended director’s cut version. Definitely recommended!
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TITLE: Leon the Professional
DURATION: 109 Minutes (Theatrical Version)/133 Minutes (Extended Version)
BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
RATED: R (For scenes of strong graphic violence and for language)
COMPANY: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: November 17, 2009
Written and Directed by Luc Besson
Executive Producer: Claude Besson
Line Producer: John Garland and Bernard Grenet
Music by Eric Serra
Cinematography by Thierry Arbogast
Edited by Sylvie Landra
Casting by Todd M. Thaler
Production Design by Dan Weil
Art Direction by Gerard Drolon
Set Decoration by Francoise Benoit-Fresco
Costume Design by Magali Guidasci
Starring:
Jean Reno as Leon
Gary Oldman as Stanfield
Natalie Portman as Mathilda
Danny Aiello as Tony
Peter Appel as Malky
Michael Badalucco as Mathilda’s father
Action-packed, riveting film from beginning to end, Jean Reno is always utilized well by director Luc Besson. Also, an amazing performance by Natalie Portman (12-years-old at the time) in a satisfying Blu-ray release featuring both the theatrical and the original extended director’s cut version. Definitely recommended!
Hot after his film “La Femme Nikita”, in 1994 Luc Besson (“The Fifth Element”, “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc”, writer of “The Transporter” films) would go on to work on his film “Leon” (Leon the Professional). The film was written and directed by Besson and featured music by Eric Serra (“The Fifth Element”, “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc”, “GoldenEye”) and cinematography by Thierry Arbogast (“Babylon AD”, “Femme Fatale”, “Kiss of the Dragon”, “The Messanger: The Story of Joan of Arc).
The film would reunite Besson with popular French action star Jean Reno (Mission: Impossible”, “Ronin”, “The Da Vinci Code”, “The Pink Panther”) who he worked on in “Nikita” and “Le grand bleu” and would be the first major film for 12-year-old actress at the time, Natalie Portman (“Star Wars: Episodes I-III”, “V for Vendetta”, “Paris, je ‘taime”). For the most part, the film received mostly positive critic reviews but also some controversy as the film would feature an older man raising a young girl and teaching her how the life of a hitman. Let alone, a 12-year-old who is attracted to an older man.
But the film is primarily about two people who find importance with each other. A hitman and a girl who lost her family and both are trying to survive.
“Leon the Professional” is about professional hitman Leon (Reno) who is known as a “Cleaner”. A man who works for mafia boss Tony (played by Danny Aiello, “Do the Right Thing”, “Lucky Number Slevin”, “Hudson Hawk”) and is skilled at making the kill and getting the target. Outside of being a hitman, Leon lives a calm, solitary life of working out, drinking milk and taking care of a plant (who he calls his best friend).
Each time he returns to his apartment, he sees a teenage girl named Mathilda (Portman) who looks as if she has been physically abused and smoking a cigarette. Meanwhile, Mathilda’s father (played by Michael Badalucco, “The Practice”) is shown having some major problems with corrupt DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) agents led by Stansfield (played by Gary Oldman, “The Fifth Element”, “Air Force One”, “Sid and Nancy”, “Harry Potter” films). The agents have been paying Mathilda’s father to store illegal drugs in his apartment and appears to be stealing the drugs.
They give him a chance to recover the drugs and then we get to see the life of Mathilda, her father and family at the home. Mathilda is quite distant from her father and her older sister. She is close to her four year old brother but her home life is very dysfunctional. But Mathilda goes out to buy some groceries for her family.
While she’s out, Stansfield and the corrupt DEA agents storm the home and kills Mathilda’s father and the family members. While Mathilda returns, she realizes that something bad has happened and instead of going straight into her home, because DEA agent is posted outside the door, she goes straight towards Leon’s home and cries and pleads for him to open the door. Leon being the loner, doesn’t want to but seeing the anguish on her face, he allows her to come in. Stansfield realizes that not all family members are dead and now wants to find Mathilda.
This begins the life of Leon the Professional who takes care of Mathilda and are seen staying in different hotels as he works on his hits. But with Mathilda wanting revenge for her brother’s death, requests Leon to train her on how to become a “cleaner”. But as Leon has trouble with being close to anyone, the young 12-year-old starts to fall in love with the hitman. Meanwhile, Stansfield will do whatever he can to find the missing girl.
“Leon the Professional” had an original theatrical release but there was an extended version (or Director’s Cut) featuring an extra 24-minutes of footage which focuses on Leon training Mathilda but also the emotional connection the two have for each other. Both are included on the Blu-ray release and personally, I prefer the extended version as the screenplay focuses a lot on the friendship between Leon and Mathilda.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
When I first saw “Leon the Professional”, I admit that I was happy. Why? Many films created between 1986-1996 and released on Blu-ray, some really look their age, transfer is not all that great or is very soft but for “Leon the Professional”, the colors are vibrant, blacks are nice and deep and detail can be seen. The old buildings that Leon and Mathilda live in, you can see all the cracks and how old they look. It just seems much more clearer. Sharpness is great and the colors just pop. There is a nice amount of grain as well and no softness. This doesn’t look like a film that is 15-years-old. So, needless to say…picture quality is fantastic.
Audio quality is equally impressive. Featured in 5.1 DTS-HD MA (in English, French and Portuguese), there are really good action sequences and gun fights that really utilize the soundscape from the front, center and surround channels. Especially during the final confrontation, the film sounds great. Music by Eric Serra also helps create the mood. For the most part, this is not an action film that is overly aggressive as most of the film is dialogue-based between Leon and Mathilda but for the most part, when the action scenes do happen, you’ll definitely hear those gun shots, machine gun rattling, explosions really clear.
Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Leon the Professional” on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:
“Leon the Professional” is a riveting, action-packed film. And for those who are familiar with Luc Besson films, you expect intense gunfighting sequences and plenty of destruction. Granted, he has done a lot more of that now with recent films but back in 1994, “Leon the Professional” was entertaining then and 15-years later, continues to be quite entertaining now.
Jean Reno is really good playing those action, hitman type of scenes. He’s a tough guy but Luc Besson knows how to utilize his character quite well in his films. Gary Oldman is always a fantastic villain and his character Stansfield is just repulsive. Murdering young children definitely made the viewer want either Leon or Mathilda to really get their revenge on him by the end of the film. And the way it played out, was well-done. But as Reno and Oldman were fantastic, Natalie Portman was incredible. The actress demonstrated in this film that she can be an actress that can excel in emotional scenes and for the most part, back in 1994, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she would grow up to be an actress to watch for. Overall, great acting by the three main characters of the film.
As for the controversy which led the film to be cut for its theatrical version, I can understand where opposition groups were coming from. Mathilda was a child that was raised in a dysfunctional setting and she has been emotionally damaged that the only person that she sees as her savior was Leon. A man who lives in isolation and his best friend is a plant. But of course, there is a sense of sadness that broods with the character of Leon and somehow, these two find comfort within each other. For Leon, it’s more of a friend, while Mathilda, looks at it her emotions as being in love. Nevertheless, for those who get disturbed by those scenes of Mathilda’s emotional anguish (ala Russian Roulette) and the fact that Leon trains Mathilda on how to kill people (using a paint gun), there is a theatrical version included on the Blu-ray that eliminates those scenes and an extended version that contains those extra 24 minutes.
As for the Blu-ray, I just felt the picture quality was fantastic for an early 90′s film. With quite a few 90′s films that looks its age, the amount of colors and detail for on this HD release was great and the audio quality was also great. Fans of the film will definitely enjoy this Blu-ray release, especially since it has both theatrical and extended versions of the film.
Overall, a solid Blu-ray release for “Leon the Professional”. Highly recommended!
The Fifth Element (A J!-ENT DVD Review)
September 27, 2003 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
MOVIE COMPANY: Columbia Pictures
CAST: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker, Luke Perry and more.
DIRECTED BY: Luc Besson
PRODUCED BY: Patrice Ledoux
RATING: PG-13
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0119116
TYPE OF TV SHOW: Action, Sci-Fi
Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman star in acclaimed director Luc Besson’s outrageous sci-fi adventure, an extravagantly styled tale of good against evil set in an unbelievable twenty-third century world. All aboard for “A Futuristic , Eye Popping Adventure!” – Bill Diehl, ABC Radio Network.
DVD EXTRAS:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound, Digital Sound, DTS Stereo
• Full-screen and widescreen anamorphic formats
KNOWN DVD SECRET: None that I know of at this time.
DVD REVIEW:
When I heard that this DVD is known as one of the best reference DVD’s out there. I must admit that it was a decision that was hard for me to decided if I wanted to buy this or not because #1) It’s known that there is no extra’s on this DVD and I heard this movie is so-so. Also, the label on the DVD is on the wrong sides, so you need to put it on the side that says full screen to access the wide screen segment. Then again, this problem maybe my DVD.
I finally saw this movie and this is what I thought. I liked it a lot! This movie is visually stunning and the computer graphics were wonderful. The storyline is good but it appeared an extra 30 minutes or an hour would have given this movie judgment because I felt there were some loose ends.
But people are not buying this DVD much for the extra’s and looking for a good story, they are buying this DVD because it’s the definitive reference DVD.
Now, what makes this DVD so much of a reference DVD? It’s the sound. I watched this movie twice now. The first just to listen to it in regular dolby surround. Then I watched it again in digital 5.1 and all I can say….oh my!
For those who are contemplating if they should upgrade their old home theater receivers for a digital 5.1 system, I have two words for you…”Heck yeah!” You don’t understand that they utilize the sound to the utmost best. I thought “Godzilla” was one hell of a reference DVD but “The Fifth Element” is definitely a reference DVD. The sounds are coming from everywhere…I mean everywhere. Very awesome!
Ah…but although the audio is the main superb highlight, the video is also pretty awesome. Check this out… the colors on the DVD are truly awesome! The colors really do come out on this DVD.
So, all in all this DVD sucks in terms for extras because there are hardly any. The movie is slightly above average because they did one hell of a job on the graphics and colors. The story for me had loose ends and was rushed. I wish they could of added deleted scenes but knowing how much DVD fanatics consider this DVD among the best, I hope a special edition DVD comes out.
I can’t give this DVD a great grade for overall because of the extra’s but as for a reference DVD, this DVD earns the highest of highest of marks.
THE MOVIE: B
THE DVD EXTRAS: D-
THE DVD OVERALL: C
