The Count of Monte Cristo (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

September 15, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is exciting, entertaining and a clever revenge film worth watching! If you are a fan of the original Alexandre Dumas novel and are expecting something similar, this film is not what you are looking for. But on its own, it’s a pretty entertaining film!

TITLE: The Count of Monte Cristo

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2002

DURATION: 131 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (widescreen 1:85:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French 5.1 Dolby Digital & Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

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

COMPANY: Touchstone Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: September 13, 2011

Directed by Kevin Reynolds

Based on the novel “Le Comte de Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas pere

Screenplay by Jay Wolpert

Produced by Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman

Executive Producer: Chris Brigham

Co-Producer: Derek Evans, Morgan O’Sullivan, Rebekah Rudd

Line Producer: Ned Dowd

Music by Ed Shearmur

Cinematography by Andrew Dunn

Edited by Stephen Semel, Christopher Womack

Production Design by Mark Geraghty

Art Direction by Conor Devlin, Terry Pritchard

Set Decoration by John Byrne

Costume Design by Tom Rand

Starring:

James Caviezel as Edmond Dantes

Guy Pearce as Fernand Mondego

Richard Harris as Abbe Faria

James Fain as J.F. Villefort

Dagmara Dominczyk as Mercedes Iguanada

Michael Wincott as Armand Dorleac

Luis Guzman as Jacopo

Christopher Adamson as Maurice

JB Blanc as Luigi Vampa

When the dashing and guileless Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) is betrayed by his best friend (Pearce) and wrongly imprisoned, he becomes consumed by thoughts of vengeance. After a miraculous escape, he transforms himself into the mysterious and wealthy Count of Monte Cristo, insinuates himself into the French nobility, and puts his cunning plan of reprisal in action. Experience the resounding clash of swords and the deadly glint off every razor-sharp blade. With the pristine sound and magnificent picture quality of Blu-ray, this swashbuckling thriller will have you perched on the edge of your seat until the very last drop of sweet revenge is exacted.

Back in 1800′s, French writer Alexandre Dumas is famously known for writing “The Three Musketeers” but he is also known for writing the literary classic “The Count of Monte Cristo”. The film would receive a TV film adaptation in 1975 starring Richard Chamberlain (and an excellent TV series with Gerard Depardieu from 1999) but it wasn’t until 2002 when the novel would receive a film adaptation directed by Kevin Reynolds (“Waterworld”, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, “Red Dawn”) and written by Jay Wolpert (“Pirates of the Caribbean” films).

The film was well received by critics and has developed a fan following since its release on DVD. Now, “The Count of Monte Cristo” will receive its Blu-ray release in Sept. 2011.

“The Count of Monte Cristo” revolves around Edmond Dantes (played by James Caviezel, “The Passion of Christ”, “The Thin Red Line”, “Frequency”), who along with his friend Fernand Mondego (played by Guy Pearce, “Memento”, “The Hurt Locker”, “Animal Kingdom”) are both officers of a French trading ship. When their captain is in need of medical assistance, the two go to the island of Elba to seek medical attention.

The island of Elba is also where an exiled Napoleon Bonaparte is being held by British officers and anyone not a British officer is to be shot and killed. Needless to say, Edmond and Fernand get themselves into a bit of trouble but fortunately for them, Napoleon Bonaparte is there to stop the gunfight before the two are killed.

Napoleon asks to meet with Edmond and asks him to secretly deliver a letter to a friend of his in France, meanwhile Fernand is watching from the distance.

When the two arrive to France, while Edmond is meeting with his boss, he is congratulated for his work at Elba and saving his Captain and receives a promotion for Captain over the first mate Danglars (played by Albie Woodington), who didn’t obey orders and stayed on ship, while Edmon risked his life. Needless to say Danglars is jealous of what had taken place.

Fernand tries to make a play for Edmond’s fiance Mercedes (played by Dagmara Dominczyk, “Third Watch”, “24″) but Mercedes loves Edmond. When Edmond goes to meet the two of them, he tells Fernand the good news about being promoted to captain but Fernand is not happy, in fact, he appears to be jealous.

As Mercedes promises her eternal love to Edmond, the two celebrate along with Edmond’s father but their celebration is cut short when Edmond is detained and charged for treason by magistrate J.F. Villefort (played by James Frain, “Tron: Legacy”, “Reindeer Games”). Villefort learns about Edmond meeting with Napoleon and when he finds out that Napoleon had given Edmond a letter, the letter appears to be instructions for his escape. At first Villefort was to let Edmond go but when he finds out who Edmond is to deliver the letter to… despite Edmond being innocent, Villefort has Edmond sent to prison.

Edmond does his best to escape and goes to his best friend, Fernand Mondego’s home. But quickly Edmond learns that it was a trap. Fernand is jealous that Edmond talked with Napoleon and that Edmond didn’t tell him about it. And to Edmond’s surprise, Fernand read the letter given to him Napoleon when Edmond was sleeping. And he told the magistrate of what took place. And to make things worse, Fernand tries to hurt his best friend with his sword as Fernand is a trained swordsman, Fernand is not.

Fernand betrays his best friend and Edmond is taken to an island prison where he is immediately tortured despite pleading his innocence. Fernand, a believer in God, would use a rock to carve “God Will Give Me Justice”, but each year, he starts to slowly lose his faith in God.

Meanwhile, Mercedes and Edmond’s father is told that Edmond murdered a man and he will executed. For Fernand, he uses the opportunity to get close to Mercedes and eventually he marries her.

Over a decade later, as Edmond who is still in prison, no longer the man he once was, decides to kill himself than be tortured and live a life imprisoned. A man ends up digging into his prison cell.

The man is Abbe Faria (played by Richard Harris, “Harry Potter” films, “Unforgiven”, “Gladiator”), a priest and former soldier of Napoleon Bonaparte who was imprisoned for following Napoleon’s orders to burn a building with people inside. For Abbe, he has made his peace with God but has been using his time in prison to dig a tunnel underneath and escape.

After meeting and getting to know Edmond, the two make a deal. If Edmond helps him dig the tunnels, Abbe, an intellectual will teach him how to read and write, teach him about mathematics, economics and law. And eventually Edmond becomes a great student under Abbe, but both have different goals if they escape. For Abbe, he has made his peace with God, but for Edmond, all he dreams of is revenge against the magistrate and Fernand.

Abbe knows that Fernand was once a God believing man, but as much as Edmond has lost his faith in God, Abbe hopes that Edmond will find it once again and not dedicate his life to revenge.

Eventually Edmond does escape and using the skills that Abbe had taught him, but also using the gold that Abbe had led him to, Edmond has now used the money to return back to the area he once lived. When Edmond arrives back in the village he came from, he learns that his once best friend, Fernand married his fiance Mercedes but Fernand is now a Count.

Seeking revenge, and using the money and his intellect, Edmond transforms himself to become “The Count of Monte Cristo” and slowly he devises his plan for the greatest revenge.

VIDEO:

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is presented in 1080p HD (1:85:1) and having owned the previous DVD release of this film, I have to say that this film looks absolutely beautiful on Blu-ray. From the lavish outfits to the amount of detail on the costumes, the detail of the prison and overall set and costume design, there is so much detail in the textures. Black levels were nice and deep and I didn’t see any banding or compression artifacts in this release.

If anything, if you are a big fan of this film, the Blu-ray release definitely looks a lot better than its DVD counterpart.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital & Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital. The original DVD release of “The Count of Monte Cristo” was mainly dialogue driven while the Blu-ray release remains the same. It’s a dialogue-driven film and is pretty much center and front-channel driven.

There are some moments during the film where you can hear the ambiance such as chains in the prison, the clanging of the swords or the galloping of horses through the surround channels. But for the most part, it is a dialogue-driven film.

Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Count of Monte Cristo” comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Reynolds – Featuring in-depth commentary by director Kevin Reynolds talking about the film, the production including some of the challenges faced (as well as glitches) in the film.
The Pen - (6:38) A featurette about Alexandre Dumas, the original writer of the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo”.
A Retrospective on author Alexandre Dumas “Adapting A Classic” – (8:50) A featurette about the film adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ novel and the challenges that Jay Wolpert faced.
The Napoleonic World – (8:14) A featurette on the production and costume design of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and locations of where Kevin Reynolds had considered shooting and how Malta was the location that was perfect for the film.
The Clash Of Steel - (10:21) A featurette about the stunt choreography of “The Count of Monte Cristo”.
Deleted and Alternate Scenes – (22:16) Featuring a total of five deleted and alternate scenes with intro with Director Kevin Reynolds and the editor, Stephen Semel and commentary featuring the two discussing why certain scenes were cut out.
En Garde: Multi-Angle Dailies – (3:o2) Featuring the dailies of the final sword fight ala two-camera setups with commentary by Kevin Reynolds.
Layer-By-Layer Sound Design – (4:45) An interactive sound design featurette which you can listen to the isolated audio (using your audio button).

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is a revenge film that doesn’t fit the banality of modern bloodlust revengeful films. It’s a clever storyline of one man’s climb from being an officer turned prisoner who had nothing. Illiterate, lost all family and his the woman he loves and is meant to rot in prison.

What kept him strong is his belief in God, but the longer he stayed in prison, his belief started to fade and eventually, while in prison, is able to educate himself and become a better man which helps lead to his goal for revenge.

There are a lot of twists and turns in the story of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and as adventurous and exciting the plot line is, especially since it’s an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, director Kevin Reynolds knows that he is not making a true-to-novel adaptation. There is just no way to capture the setting and overall theme of the novel in a two hour movie. For those wanting a more faithful adaptation, the 1999 TV series featuring Gerard Depardieu is the most faithful adaptation of the novel yet.

But for those who are not willing to engage in reading “The Count of Monte Cristo”, Reynolds direction and Wolper’s screenplay focuses on the more swashbuckling, adventurous side of “The Count of Monte Cristo”. And since the making of this film, Wolper has not deviated from focusing on the action and adventure as evident in the “Pirates of the Last Caribbean” films that he has written thus far. The historic events revolving around Napoleon Bonaparte is not important in the overall film, it’s the revenge factor and seeing how a man that is sent to rot in prison would eventually find a way to exact justice on those who framed him.

It’s also important to note that their is also a humorous side to the film. For one, the casting of Luis Guzman as Jacopo was quite amusing, but for the most part, it worked. Some acting was a bit off, especially when it comes to James Caviezel’s earlier Edmond Dantes but it does get better as the film progresses. The same can be said with Dagmara Dominczyk’s Mercedes Iguanada and found that I had to switch on the subtitles to understand what she was saying at times.

But for the most part, I enjoyed “The Count of Monte Cristo” and the Blu-ray release looks much better and sounds better than its original DVD counterpart and all the special features that were included on the 2002 DVD release is included on this Blu-ray release.

The film is pretty much it’s own story and really can’t be compared to Alexandre Dumas’ novel. In fact, there may be some similarities by name, by location and such but if you are looking for a close adaptation to the novel, this film is not it. But for those who enjoy Jay Wolpert’s style of writing (especially for what he has done for the “Pirates of the Last Caribbean” films), then you probably will enjoy this film.

Overall, “The Count of Monte Cristo” is exciting, entertaining and a clever revenge film worth watching!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

June 15, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

A vibrant and fun comedy from Australia! “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” takes on LGBT themes sympathetically with humor. If you enjoyed this colorful film on DVD, it’s definitely worth the upgrade on Blu-ray!

TITLE: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1994

DURATION: 103 minutes

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

RATED: R (Sex Related Situations and Language)

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-MayerTwentieth Century Fox

RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2011

Directed by Stephan Elliott

Written by Stephan Elliott

Produced: Al Clark, Michael Hamlyn

Executive Producer: Rebel Penfold-Russell

Associate Producer: Sue Seeary

Music by Guy Gross

Cinematography by Brian J. Breheny

Edited by Sue Blainey

Production Design: Owen Paterson

Art Direction: Colin Gibson

Costume Design by Tim Chappel, Lizzy Gardiner

Starring:

Hugo Weaving as Tick/Mitz

Guy Pearce as Adam/Felicia

Terence Stamp as Bernadette

Rebel Penfold-Russell as Logowoman

John Casey as Bartender

June Marie Bennett as Shirley

Murray Davies as Miner

Frank Cornelius as Piano Player

Bob Boyce as Petrol Station Attendant

Leighton Picken as Young Adam

Maria Kmet as Ma

Joseph Kmet as Pa

Alan Dargin as Aboriginal Man

With a contract to perform a drag show way out in the Australian desert, Bernadette (Stamp), Tick (Weaving) and Adam (Pearce) each have a personal reason for wanting to leave the safety of Sydney. Christening their battered tour bus “Priscilla,” these wickedly funny drama queens head for the outback…where their spectacular adventures are more than matched by their spectacular outfits.

In 1993, Australian filmmaker Stephan Elliott released his first film “Frauds” starring musician/singer Phil Collins, Hugo Weaving and Josephine Byrnes. Elliott would return a year later with a book titled “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” which was followed by a movie and stage adaptation.

Shot with a budget of $2 million, the film did bring attention to Australian cinema and its sympathetic portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. But at the same time criticized for its racial and sexual stereotyping.

The film was well-received by film critics, winning an Academy Award for Best Costume Design and nominated for a Golden Globe Award for “Best Picture – Comedy or Musical”.

But while this film is known for its comedy and its music, similar to Elliott’s first film, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” has its share of darker themes and even a little violence.

The film begins with a drag queen named Anthony “Tick” Belrose (played by Hugo Weaving) who goes by the name Mitzi Del Bra who performs in Sydney, Australia. Although a homosexual man, he once had a wife named Marion (played by Sarah Chadwick) who is now a manager at the Lasseter’s Hotel Casino resort in a town in Central Australia and wants Tick to bring his drag act to the resort.

Tick agrees and he persuades fellow performers Bernadette Basinger (played by Terence Stamp), a transsexual woman, and Adam Whitely (played by Guy Pearce), a flamboyant drag queen known as Felicia. Together, the three tour on a tour bus which Adam has named “Priscilla” and prepare for their four-week run through the Australian Outback headed to the Lasseter’s Hotel and Casino.

And through their trip, they manage to perform in front of aborigine people but also witness prejudice towards them as many homophobic people despise them being there and want them out of their town and are willing to beat Tick and friends if they don’t leave.

When the Priscilla breaks down in the middle of the desert, fortunately there is a mechanic named Bob (played by Bil Hunter) who is willing to join them on their journey but before they are to arrive at the hotel and casino, Tick reveals to his friends that the woman who gave them the job, Marion, is his wife and they have not yet divorced. And he also reveals the true reason why they will be performing at the resort.

As the group continue to meet interesting people on their way to the hotel, they continue to meet people who are not accepting towards them and their lifestyle and the question is, will the group be able to arrive at their destination to perform or will prejudice and violence prevent them from doing so?

VIDEO:

“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” is presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:35:1). The film is full of colors and that is what you get with his release, vibrant colors and you can see the detail in the makeup on the guys. The costume design looks great in HD and may it be the color pallet, silk or sequins, the film does have a good amount of detail.

With that being said, the film also has its share of white specks as well, not too distracting but it’s there. There is a good amount of grain and for the most part, black levels are nice and deep. But this film looks absolutely wonderful on Blu-ray! Just the scene where the three are overlooking the Australian outback from high above the mountains, that was an amazing shot!

But I’m confident to say that for the MGM/20th Century Fox catalog releases for June 2011, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” fares much better than other releases in picture quality and it’s a very colorful film!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French 5.1 DTS. The film is primarily dialogue and music driven. So, if you were fans of ’70s songs such as ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” and Peaches & Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing” or Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”, you’ll dig the crisp and clear lossless soundtrack.

The music does utilize the surround channels but most of the surround channels can be heard in various scenes such as thunder, rain, crowd and surrounding ambiance and a helicopter scene as well. But for a film like this, I was pretty glad to see the surround channels utilized for this film. Was expecting primarily a front-channel soundtrack but there was a good use of the surround channels for “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”.

Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary by Director Stephan Elliott – An insightful commentary by Stephan Elliott on the making of the film, working with the talent. the music, the costumes and information on various scenes.
Birth of a Queen Featurette – (29:20) Director Stephan Elliott talks about the film, the costumes, the cast and the music.
Deleted Scenes – A total of four deleted scenes.
Tidbits from the Set – (6:08) The director, producers, costume designers and cast answer various questions in regards to “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”.
The Bus from Blooperville Outtakes - (9:35) The outtakes for the film (presented in SD).
Trailer – Original theatrical trailer for “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (2:37) and the teaser trailer (1:52) in HD.

“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” is a funny but also deep film about individuals who want to live their life, performing, being happy but also realizing that while there are some people who are open to their lifestyle in Australia, there are many who don’t support them and wish a lot of hurt to them.

Upon watching this film, I suppose I was expecting something more hilarious and comedy and music-driven because the film features a lot of music scenes, vibrant costumes and characters that make you laugh, especially how some of them interact with other people. And because this is an Australian film, I suppose I figured that this film based on drag queens, I was focusing more on the comedy and never expected to see the darker turns that this film would take.

In many ways, I can see how the film is quite sympathetic to the LGBT people because similar to America, you have people who don’t mind the lifestyle and those who don’t tolerate it. Also, possibly the most touching part of the film is seeing Tick’s reaction when he meets his son and wants to find out if he knows what his father is.

So, in some ways, I can see the honest portrayal of both sides of the coin that Stephan Elliott wanted to feature in the film.

As for the Blu-ray release, if you enjoyed this film on DVD previously, it’s definitely a film that looks awesome on Blu-ray! Wonderful colors and detail and the special features that were featured on the DVD are included on the Blu-ray as well. But definitely a much-welcomed upgrade for those who are fans of “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”.

While the film is fun, hilarious and also has its more deeper and darker moments, Director Stephan Elliott has said before that wherever the film was shown, different countries saw the film differently. In Australia, they look at it as a successful Australian film, Americans look at it as a sympathetic LGBT film while in other countries, there are those who can laugh and enjoy it and some who enjoy other scenes that other people from different countries pick up on.

For me, I look at “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” as an Australian film that showcases its beautiful landscapes and cinematography but primarily a film that takes on LGBT themes and that is prejudice that exists and also parents who once thought they were straight but were gay and confronting their own children about their own lifestyle.

These are not easy situations to write about but yet director Stephan Elliott managed to make things flow quite well throughout the film but also making things enjoyable and fun throughout, despite having to touch upon certain topics.

Overall, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” may not be for everyone but for those with open minds and want to watch a vibrant comedy, definitely give this film a try!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews

Animal Kingdom (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

January 17, 2011 by Dennis Amith · 1 Comment

“Animal Kingdom” manages to grab your attention, pulling you in and then spitting you out as this is a pretty sharp but twisted thriller. No, there is no scenes with massive blood or bludgeoning but it’s the creepy mood that is created, how awesome the acting is for this film and the screenplay’s ability to keep the audience engaged. A magnificent film from the land down under!

DVD TITLE: Animal Kingdom

DURATION: 113 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English, Spanish, Portuguese, 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Classics

RATED: R (For violence, drug content and pervasive language)

RELEASE DATE: January 18, 2011

Directed by David Michod

Screenplay by David Michod

Produced by Liz Watts

Executive Producer: Vincent Sheehan, Bec Smith

Line Producer: Libby Sharpe

Music by Antony Partos

Cinematography by Adam Arkapaw

Edited by Luke doolan

Casting by Kirsty McGregor

Production Design by Josephine Ford

Art Direction by Janie Parker

Costume Design by Cappi Ireland

Starring:

James Frecheville as Joshua “J” Cody

Ben Mendelsohn as Andrew “Pope” Cody

Joel Edgerton as Barry Brown

Guy Pearce as Leckie

Luke Ford as Darren Cody

Jackie Weaver as Janine Cody

Sullivan Stapleton as Craig Cody

Dan Wylie as Ezra White

Anthony Hayes as Det. Justin Norris

Laura Wheelwright as Nicky Henry

Mirrah Foulkes as Catherine Brown

Justin Rosniak as Det. Randall Roache

Susan Prior as Alicia Henry

Clayton Jacobsen as Gus Emery

Anna Lise Phillips as Justine Hopper

Evil is relative in this chilling tale of betrayal and blood starring Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn and Joel Edgerton. When his mother dies from a overdose, 17-year-old Josh Cody (James Frecheville) is taken in by his grandmother (Jacki Weaver) and uncles, the most notorious criminal gang in the city. So when tensions between the Codys and a squad of renegade cops land him at the center of a cold-blooded murder plot, Josh is forced to choose between his treacherous family and the lawless police in this shattering thriller.

Trailer

Come in for Questioning

The Making of Animal Kingdom – The Shoot

QA with Director David Michod and Actors Jacki Weaver and James Frecheville – Working With First Time Director

In 1988, Melbourne, Australia watched the news as the Pettingill family and police clashed. The Pettingill family were suspected of drug trafficking, arms dealing and armed robberies and something reminiscent of America’s gangs where one gets killed and the gang gets their revenge by killing one from the opposite side, in this case, two police officers were slain.

It was an infamous case and inspired the Australian film “Animal Kingdom” written and directed by David Michod.

“Animal Kingdom” begins with a shot of a young Joshua “J” Cody (played by James Frecheville) waiting for the paramedics to arrive and pick up his mother who has overdosed on heroine. J’s mother has died and because he is a young teenager, he has no choice but to move in with his estranged grandmother Janine “Smurf” Cody (played by Jacki Weaver).

Jacki is the matriarch of Melbourne’s notorious crime family who is mother to the deranged Andrew “Pope” Cody (played by Ben Mendelsohn) who is hiding from detectives. Meanwhile, Craig Cody (played by Sullivan Stapleton) is a paranoid man who is successful with drug deals. The youngest brother Darren Cody (played by Luke Ford) wants to keep to himself and not get involved but because his older brothers are criminals, he has no choice but to follow. And together they work with Pope’s best friend Barry “Baz” Brown (played by Joel Edgerton) who is more of the strategist.

But the police are on their tale and some have even camped out in front of Baz’s house.

Meanwhile, J observes his new family and although he likes everyone, he senses something off with his older uncle “Pope” especially how he eyes his girlfriend. In fact, you sense that the other brothers, especially Darren senses something unusual with “Pope”.

One day as J accompanies his Uncle Craig to meet with a crooked policeman, they learn that there is nothing he can do to help the family as the police are pretty much on to the family. When Craig meets up with the family, they decide they need to stop their criminal activity.

The next morning, Baz and Pope meet at a supermarket and Baz tells “Pope” no more armed robberies, it’s probably best to play the stock market and get out of trouble as they can’t do anything because they are being followed.

When Baz gets to his car, Baz greets the police but one of them says he has a gun (which he doesn’t) and Baz is shot dead by the renegade police.

Pope sees this all happen and now upset, he tells the family of what happened. The family now wants revenge for Baz’s death and Pope asks the young J to steal a white car for them. J doesn’t know what’s going on but when he gets the car for them, Pope, Craig and Darren unleash their plan. J is told to stay at Darren’s apartment and not leave.

Two young police officers are notified by a woman living in the neighborhood that a car that has been broken into is right in the middle of the street. As the police go to check on it, they are gun down by the Cody brothers.

When J wakes up he sees Darren stressing out and trying to wash off his shoes. When J arrives back home, he sees his uncle Pope but then a swat team comes and arrests both of them.

As the Cody family is suspected of killing the two police officers, J has no idea what the heck is going on until the police tell him that two officers were gunned down and he wants to know where J was that night and if he knew where his uncles were.

While the brothers are questioned and released, J is still being held and this scares the Cody Brothers. What if J rats them out?

Craig Cody starts to get paranoid and tries to find a place to hide but he knows that wherever he goes, the police are sure to follow. And the next thing you know, he ends up in a losing gunfight with the police and is killed.

Meanwhile, the matriarch of the family, Janine “Smurf” Cody wants everyone to listen to Ezra White (played by Dan Wylie), the family lawyer. And while J’s gone and is out with his girlfriend, he doesn’t know the magnitude of what is actually happening with the brothers and their level of paranoia after the death of Baz and Craig. Ezra tells them that because J is young, he will talk and because he dates a girl and boyfriends and girlfriends talk about everything, she can talk.

And when investigator Nathan Leckie (played by Guy Pearce ) starts coming over to meet with J (trying to get details on the family), “Pope” starts to become paranoid of J and takes Ezra’s advice. Maybe both J and his girlfriend must be silenced.

And to make things worse, Grandma Cody doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her boys, so she wants J dead as well.

For young J, he doesn’t understand the magnitude of this case and what is happening with both sides. Investigator Leckie takes J to a safehouse and tells him that he must be protected from his family (unaware that members of his own police force have been working with the Cody family), but even for J…can he trust the police? Or should he put his trust in his grandmother? Which side will he go to for support?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Animal Kingdom” is presented in 2:35:1 anamorphic widescreen and is presented in English, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital. It’s important to note that if you want the best video and audio presentation of this film, “Animal Kingdom” is also available on Blu-ray. But for the DVD release, picture quality was very good and the soundtrack is front and center channel driven but there are some scenes which you get gunshots and a car crash and ambiance through the surround channels.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Animal Kingdom” comes with the following special features:

Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by director David Michod.
The Making of Animal Kingdom – (15:28) Starz Studios behind-the-scenes of “Animal Kingdom”. Interviews with director David Michod and the cast.
Q&A with Director David Michod and Actors Jacki Weaver and James Frecheville – (33:52) Film Independent interviews teh cast of “Animal Kingdom” plus the Q&A session after the screening.
Theatrical Trailer – (2:04) The original theatrical trailer for “Animal Kingdom”.
Animal Kingdom Soundtrack – Text information on the “Animal Kingdom” soundtrack.

“Animal Kingdom” is an entertaining, creepy psychological crime drama.

James Frecheville is fantastic as the teen Joshua “J” Cody and although he may look older, he’s just a kid and he just wants to live a normal life. Unfortunately, after his mother’s death, he ends up having to live with the most notorious crime family in Melbourne and even worse, he is now expected to play a part in some of their criminal schemes.

What is amazing with Frecheville’s acting is that it’s so emotionless in some ways. You don’t know which side he will be going to and his emotions doesn’t show any happiness of whether he really enjoys living with the Cody’s or if he should believe the police.

Ben Mendelsohn definitely delivers as the creepy Andrew “Pope” Cody. We see Janine Cody trying to get her son to take his medication but there is something uneasy about this character. He’ll just get into the face of people and keep telling them “if you need someone to talk to, you’ll talk to me right?” but the look in his eyes when he says it, and seeing the uneasiness of the people he’s telling it to, it makes you wonder how twisted is this character? And we eventually get to see that creepiness come out in full force later in the movie.

But then we get to see the loving mother/grandmother Janine “Smurf” Cody played by Jackie Weaver. She seems sweet and innocent and throughout the film, you get scenes which catch your attention but dismiss it, such as when she asks for a kiss from each of her sons and grandsons. Especially how she kisses her son Craig, long kisses to lips and at first you think, “that’s a bit wrong” but then you dismiss it because maybe some families are like that. Who knows? But then you start to see the diabolical side of the family matriarch as she begins to show how much of a player she is in the crime family and how far she will go. Needless to say, I was shocked and surprised by the transformation of her character throughout the film.

The Sony Pictures Classics DVD release is pretty solid but as mentioned earlier, if you want this film in the best PQ and AQ as possible, definitely go for the Blu-ray release.

Otherwise, “Animal Kingdom” is a fantastic psychological crime drama from the land down under!

Highly recommended!

FRAGMENTS (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

July 17, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“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.”

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.

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

BEDTIME STORIES (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

April 3, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“A child-friendly Adam Sandler film! ‘Bedtime Stories’ is an enjoyable, adorable and fun family film with a good dose of comedy, fantasy and action balancing both Walt Disney innocence and Happy Madison craziness. Overall, a fun film that the whole family can enjoy!”

TITLE: Bedtime Stories

DURATION: 99 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition/2:35:1, English 5.1 DTS-HD (48kHz/24-Bit) French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English SDH, French, Spanish. Three Discs: Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy

RATED: PG

COMPANY: Walt Disney STudios Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2009

Directed by Adam Shankman

Screenplay by Matt Lopez and Tim Herlihy

Story by Matt Lopez

Produced by Andrew Gunn, Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo

Executive Producers: Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot, Ann Marie Sanderlin, Garrett Grant

Director of Photography: Michael Barrett

Production Designer: Linda DeScenna

Edited by Tom Costain, Michael Tronick, A.C.E.

Costume Designer: Rita Ryack

Music Composed by: Rupert Gregson-Williams

Music Supervisors: Michael Dilbeck, Brooks Arthur

Cast:

Adam Sandler as Skeeter Bronson

Keri Russell as Jill

Guy Pearce as Kendall

Russell Brand as Mickey

Richard Griffiths as Barry Nottingham

Teresa Palmer as Violet Nottingham

Lucy Lawless as Aspen

Courteney Cox as Wendy

Jonathan Morgan Heit as Patrick

Laura Ann Kesling as Bobbi

Jonathan Pryce as Marty Bronson

Rob Schneider as Chief Running Mouth/Pickpocket

The most entertaining Bedtime Stories experience you can have is this Blu-ray ad DVD combo Pack. On Disney Blu-ray, spectacular picture and sound make it more magical than ever.

Funnyman Adam Sandler stars in Walt Disney Pictures’ Bedtime Stories, the magical family comedy that’s packed with adventure and lots of heart. When Skeeter Bronson (Sandler) babysits his sister’s (Courteney Cox) children, his imagination runs wild as he dreams up elaborate bedtime stories – always casting himself as the hero. Entranced, the children add their own ideas to thse once-upon-a-time tales of heroics and chivalry. Then…magic happens. These nighttime fantasies become Skeeter’s daytime realities, leading him on a real-life adventure in search of his own happy ending. Filled with colorful characters, humor and whimsy, this heartwarmingly comedy will enchant your entire family like never before in Blu-ray High Definition.

A child-friendly Adam Sandler film! An enjoyable family film with a good dose of fantasy and action balancing both Walt Disney innocence and Happy Madison craziness.

The film is directed by Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”, “The Wedding Planner”, “Bringing Down the House” and a screenplay by Matt Lopez (“Race to Witch Mountain”) and Saturday Night Live writer Tim Herlihy (“The Wedding Singer”, “Happy Gilmore”, “Little Nicky” and “Big Daddy”)

“Bedtime Stories” is a film that kicks off a flashback from the past, taking place at a family run inn. Father Marty Bronson (Jonathan Pryce) raising his two children (also employees of the Inn) trying to keep his business and family afloat. Every night reading his children a bedtime story, Bronson tries to keep a happy face despite knowing his inn is not doing well financially. Businessman and hotel mogul Barry Nottingham offers Marty plenty of money if he signs away the rights to the inn and Marty agrees to the deal if only he makes a promise that when his son Skeeter becomes older, he would run the inn. The two make a deal.

Flash forward to the present, nearly twenty five years later and the inn has now become among one of Nottingham’s multi-million dollar hotel investments and is now a popular, classy and luxurious hotel in Southern California. Meanwhile, Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler), a middle-aged man handyman/custodian is not exactly running the business as his father has hoped.

When Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) makes an announcement of a new hotel to open up in Southern California, Skeeter feels that perhaps this is his time. Unfortunately, the job is given to the arrogant Kendall (Guy Pearce). A man who is dating Nottingham hotel heiress Violet Nottingham (Teresa Palmer), a party hopping, Paris Hilton-esque socialite and behind-the-scenes, Kendall is having fun with the hotel concierge Aspen (Lucy Lawless).

Feeling that he’s down on his luck, Skeeter goes to visit his sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) and his niece Bobbi (Laura Ann Kesling) and nephew Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit) who is celebrating a birthday. But all is not good with the family. Wendy’s husband has left the family and she lost her job as a principal of her school due to the school closing. She has an interview for a job in another state but she needs someone to watch the kids for a few days. So, she asks if Skeeter can watch the kids at night, while during the day, her friend and a teacher at the school, Jill (Keri Russell), who has the children during the day. Unfortunately, Skeeter and Jill are at opposite ends of the spectrum and don’t get along.

But Skeeter, who is not really close to the kids (nor do they know each other very well) agrees to take care of them for a few days. Also, joining them is their guinea pig (with its big eyes) named Bubsy.

Both Bobbia and Patrick have been raised by their mother to eat healthy, no television but Skeeter feels they need to have some fun. So, he lets them watch television, eat burgers and reads them a bedtime story. But Skeeter is not exactly in the happiest moods due to his job situation, so each time he tells a story, he ends it with a bad ending. So, the first bedtime story features a peasant named Sir Fix-a-Lot (Sandler) who is a hardworking man who is bypassed from a job which goes to Sir Butkiss (Pearce), a story that mirrors Skeeter’s own life. But the children insist that a story must have a happy ending, so they start adding to the storyline of how things workout for Sir Fix-a-Lot such as his boss giving him a chance to prove that he’s worthy of taking over the business and gumballs start raining in on him. Then after the kids finish the story, a sound of chimes appear. When Skeeter asks what that sound was, the kids tell him that it’s their guinea pig ringing the chimes and wanting to go to sleep.

The day after, certain things that were told in the bedtime story comes true. After bad decision making by Kendall, Mr. Nottingham decides that he will give Skeeter a chance of taking over the new hotel. But it all comes down to who can come up with the best plan for the new hotel. Skeeter or Kendall. But for Skeeter, he feels something may be magical with the bedtime story when gumballs raining on top of him (actually a gumball truck was hit in an accident and thus the balls are falling off the interstate on to his car).

Feeling that the kids and even Bubsy may have something magical, he feels that perhaps he can help them come up with a great bedtime story that would benefit him in real life. So, with the last remaining three days with the children before he returns him to his mother, Skeeter comes up with ideas for him to get a Ferrari, a kiss from a damsel in distress and more! But of course, with the children’s imaginative minds, things don’t work out as smooth as Skeeter is hoping for things to be.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has been on top of their Blu-ray game. Becoming one of the few companies to release their Blu-rays with a bonus DVD and digital copy all in one, the Blu-ray releases are also known for its magnificent picture and audio quality.

So, with the release of “BEDTIME STORIES”, the film is featured via 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 2:30:1. Picture quality is vibrant and looks absolutely beautiful. One of the things that helps the film is much of it is filmed outdoors. With beautiful shots by DP Michael Barrett, the film really captures colors with the gumballs to the red Ferrari (horse and car). I didn’t see any artifacting during the dark scenes and picture quality is just magnificent via High Definition on Blu-ray. Also, another plus is that the film utilizes a good blend of real time shooting and CG (during the sci-fi action scenes).

Another positive for the Blu-ray release is that the special features are featured in 1080p.

As for audio, audio is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD (48kHZ, 24-Bit) and again, one of the positive things about this film is that the bedtime story sequences are action-based. And thus you get very good audio response from your front, center and rear channels. Scenes such as “Gravity Wars” from the audience to the weapon usage to Skeeter’s truck backfiring, really sounds good courtesy of the DTS-HD. I noticed certain scenes really come quite strong from the rear surround channels during the action sequences. Dialogue overall is heard quite clearly from your front and center channels.

Also, included is a French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital track as well.

Subtitles are provided in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special features included on the “Bedtime Stories” Blu-ray are:

Until Gravity Do Us Part – A four minute behind-the-scenes look at the film’s mindboggling special effects. Interviews with John Adrew Berton Jr. (Visual Effects Supervisor) and Garrett Warren (Fight Choreographer) on how the segment was filmed. Quite interesting how much was put into the making of this scene CG wise and also instead of green screen, using all blu-screen and how much went into the fight choreography and getting Sandler and Pearce ready for the role.
It’s Bugsy – A near four minute featurette featuring a close up of Bugsy the big-eyed guinea pig. Behind-the-scenes of how many guinea pigs were used in the film and how they were utilized. Interviews with the cast of working with the guinea pig and more.
To All The Little People - A near six minute featurette featuring interviews with Laura Ann Kesling (Bobbi) and Jonathan Morgan Heit (Patrick) and how they felt about working with Director Adam Shankman, Adam Sandler, Russell Brand, Keri Russell, Courteney Cox and others. Also, how the talent felt with working with the children.
Laughter is Contagious Outtakes – A seven minute featurette featuring outtakes and interviews with the cast of working with each other. How Adam Sandler made everyone laugh and how he was good with the children. How Rob Schneider would make Adam Sandler laugh and much more.
Cutting Room Flor: Deleted Scenes – Ten minutes worth of 12 deleted and extended scenes.

The Blu-ray is also BD-Live enabled with movie chat, movie mail and Disney Movie Rewards Live.

The included DVD features a special feature not included on the Blu-ray disc:

Dylan & Cole Sprouse: Blu-ray is Suite – “The Suite Life of Zach & Cody” talents star in a six minute special feature promoting Blu-ray technology.

I enjoyed “Bedtime Stories” for its combination of comedy, fantasy and adventure. If anything, it was a fun and enjoyable family film.

Sure, I know it is a Happy Madison film (in collaboration with Walt Disney) but parents do not have to worry because none of the adult humor that you would come to expect from a Happy Madison film is there. If anything, this film is a very fun and safe family film. And if there was anything that may be deemed as risky, it ended up on the cutting room floor (which scenes you can watch in the deleted scenes special feature).

If anything, I think fatherhood has brought out Adam Sandler’s gentler side and I think this film is probably one of the rare film to see the side of a lighthearted Adam Sandler with children (you’ll see it more evident on the special features as the children absolute adore him). And for the primary two children of the film, both Laura Ann Kesling (Bobbi) and Jonathan Morgan Heit (Patrick) were just adorable and did a great job for their role in the film.

But as much as I enjoyed the film, there were a few more things that were hits but yet a few that were misses. One of the hits is featuring British comic Russel Brand. His interaction with Sandler was fun as the sleep panicky, crazy friend. And of course, what would a Adam Sandler Happy Madison film be without Rob Schneider in some crazy role and in this case, as Chief Runningmouth and the pickpocket thief.

As for misses, it would have to be Lucy Lawless as Aspen. As much as I enjoy watching the “Xena”/”Battlestar Galactica” actress, in the beginning, you get a feeling of the conspiring duo of Aspen and Kendall trying to gain power to run a hotel. So, you kind of get a feeling of a juicy conspiring role with her character and the protagonist Kendall but all of a sudden, she’s lost in the second half of the film. If anything, what could have been a strong villain with the Aspen and Kendall duo in the film, suddenly gets degraded and the focus becomes more on family helping each other and the chemistry between Sandler’s Skeeter and Russel’s Jill.

So, it was unfortunate that Lawless’s character as Aspen didn’t live up to its potential but at least she had a good appearance in the first half of the film, unlike Carmen Elektra who has only a non-speaking cameo as the girlfriend of a guy showing off his vehicle.

Also, for some people who want an explanation of how these mysterious bedtime stories end up coming real for Skeeter, this is not the film to be logical (then again are many Happy Gilmore films logical?). If anything, “Bedtime Stories” is a straightforward family film that the children can watch and enjoy. I watched the film with my six-year-old son and he absolutely enjoyed it.

With the release of the film on Blu-ray, the fact that this film had so many outdoor shots and a good balance of action and sci-fi scenes, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has been on the winning end in bringing films out to Blu-ray with great picture and audio quality and “Bedtime Stories” does not disappoint. And the fact that you get the DVD and a digital copy on disc, that’s another positive reason to own this film in my book.

Overall, what I really enjoyed is how the film incorporated so many elements from sci-fi films, action films of old, and balancing it with comedy. It was a fun film and definitely not a film to take seriously (and again, I feel like I repeat this each time with many Happy Gilmore related films that I review). So, if you are looking for a fun family film that the children will definitely enjoy, “Bedtime Stories” is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews