Drop Dead Diva – The Complete Third Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Entertaining, fun and every episode of season three of “Drop Dead Diva” was delightful.  “Drop Dead Diva – The Complete Third Season” is recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Sony Pictures Television Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Drop Dead Diva – The Complete Third Season

YEAR OF FILM: 2011

DURATION: (13 Episodes) 561 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen 1:78:1, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Subtitles: English SDH, French

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2012

Directed by Jamie Babbit, Michael Grossman, Michael Schultz

Written by Josh Berman, Jeffrey Lippman, Alex Taub, Amy Engelberg, Wendy Engelberg

Executive Producer: Josh Berman, Neil Meron, Craig Zadan, Alex Taub, Dauri Chase, Sarah Rath, Amy Engelberg, Wendy Engelberg

Co-Executive Producer: Robert J. Wilson, Jamie Babbit

Consulting Producer: William N. Fordes, Sandy Isaac, Rob Wright

Co-Producer: Jeffrey Lippman

Associate Producer: Den Dioria

Music by Scott Starrett

Cinematography by David A. Makin

Edited by Augie Hess, Tirsa Hackshaw, John Murray

Casting by Eric Dawson, Carol Kritzer, Robert J. Ulrich

Design by Eric Weiler

Art Direction by Heather R. Dumas

Set Decoration by Amy McGary

Costume Design by Amanda Riley

Starring:

Jackson Hurst as Grayson Kent

Kate Levering as Kim Kaswell

April Bowlby as Stacy Barrett

Josh Stamberg as Jay Parker

Brooke Elliott as Jane Bingum

Margaret Cho as Teri Lee

Ben Feldman as Fred

Brooke D’Orsay as Deb Dobkins

Jaime Ray Newman as Vanessa Hemmings

Acclaimed by critics and adored by viewers, the dazzling third season of Drop Dead Diva is the most delightful and deliriously funny yet! Whether forced to play wedding planner for her former fiancé’s nuptials, fighting courtroom cases from breast implant surgery gone wrong to a Death Row inmate finally trying to do right, or facing down her own love life issues with suitors both past and present, Jane is living the adventure of two lifetimes, and then some. Guest stars include Leann Rimes, Kathy Griffin, Wendy Williams, Paula Abdul, and more!

In 2009, Josh Berman (executive producer for “Bones” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”) produced an hour-long series titled “Drop Dead Diva”, a legal comedy which airs on Lifetime.  And now the hit legal drama’s third season will be released on DVD in May 2012 right before the season premiere of the fourth season.

For fans of “Drop Dead Diva”, the third season provided many twists and turns but also answering one of the biggest questions that fans have been waiting for… will Grayson find out that Deb has returned in Jane’s body?

What is “Drop Dead Diva” all about?

The series began with aspiring model, Deb Dobkins (portrayed by Brooke D’Orsay) who lived somewhat of a shallow life but was a happy woman.

She hung out with her BFF Stacy Barrett (portrayed by April Bowlby) and was engaged to Grayson Kent (portrayed by Jackson Hurst) and life was good, until she got into a car accident and died.

While in heaven, another woman named Jane Bingum (portrayed by Brooke Elliott), a lawyer was shot and also died and went into heaven.  But because Deb hasn’t shown any positive or negative redeeming qualities, she is considered by the gatekeeper named Fred (played by Ben Feldman) to be returned back to Earth.

But Deb instead chose to mess with Fred’s “return button” and in the process, instead of returning back to her body, she returns back into the body of Jane, the plus-size attorney.  And now Deb must live a new life as Jane.

As Deb now lives life as Jane, she manages to still have passion towards fashion but also has retained Jane’s intelligence and brilliant legal knowledge.

The first season of “Drop Dead Diva” focused on Deb trying to get used to being Jane but also learn more about Jane’s real life and how she struggled with dieting, was not popular at school  but she also can sing.  At the same time, Deb learns how people thought about her posthumously including her parents unhappiness but most importantly how self-absorbed she was.

As Jane returns back to work, she also has to deal with her secret that she is being Jane and watching over her is Fred, the gatekeeper in heaven who has been demoted to guardian angel for Jane. As Fred knows the true identity of Jane, also knowing her true identity is her best friend Stacy (who has a fling with Fred).

Jane works at the law firm Harrison & Parker with her womanizing boss Jay Parker (played by Josh Stamberg); brilliant attorney Kim Kasswell (played by Kate Levering), a woman who also has a rivalry with Jane as both women are great at their job; her blunt and opinionated assistant Teri Lee (played by Margaret Cho) and also, working with her boyfriend Grayson Kent.

But while Deb gets used to her new life as Jane and takes on various cases, deep inside, it’s difficult when Deb sees Grayson with other women and knowing that she can’t tell him that she is now Jane.

For season three of “Drop Dead Diva”, we learn what happens to the relationship between Jay Parker and Kim Caswell, whether or not Stacy and Fred’s relationship will last and also which men that Jane will meet and date, while trying to be tough that Grayson is marrying attorney Vanessa Hemmings.

But what happens when Grayson depends on Jane’s help and support in preparation of the wedding?

Find out in “Drop Dead Diva – The Complete Third Season”!

“Drop Dead Diva” featured 13 episodes on three DVD’s.  Here is a brief spoiler-free synopsis of Season Three.

• EPISODE 27 – Hit and Run – Jane worries about Grayson, who is in a coma, while she is assigned on a case against two celebrities involved in a hit-and-run of 13-year-old.
  
• EPISODE 28 – False Alarm - Grayson wants Jane to help him with his wedding plans with Vanessa.
  
• EPISODE 29 – Dream Big - Jane takes on a major case of a woman who is suing a sperm bank, due to her son being a “little person” having health problems and taking its toll emotionally and financially on the family.
  
• EPISODE 30 – The Wedding – It’s the big day as Grayson is to marry Vanessa, meanwhile as Jane buys a wedding gift, she is robbed at gunpoint.
  
• EPISODE 31 – Prom – Jane represents two lesbian teenagers who are denied attending prom at school.
  
• EPISODE 32 – Closure – Jane has to work for a week at the DA’s office after being deputized as a DA and work with an old ex.
  
• EPISODE 33 – Mother’s Day – Jane’s mother gets into trouble, meanwhile Deb’s mother becomes a target for Parker.
  
• EPISODE 34 – He Said, She Said – Jane and Grayson are at odds when she represents a rape victim against a star football player from Grayson’s old high school.
• EPISODE 35 – You Bet Your Life – Jane has to help a former sorority rival (of Deb), but will she be to represent her old rival?
• EPISODE 36 – Toxic - Jane is fired from her job.
  
• EPISODE 37 – Ah Men - Parker is reunited with an old girlfriend, but Jane finds out a major secret about her.
  
• EPISODE 38 – Bride-a-Palooza - Jane takes on a case of a well-known Bridezilla who was trampled at an event.  Meanwhile, Stacy’s new attitude of being actress on a TV show is taking its toll on all her friends.
  
• EPISODE 39 – Change of Heart – A death row inmate about to be executed, wants Jane to find a way to give his heart to his sister who needs a transplant.
  

VIDEO, AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Drop Dead Diva” is presented in widescreen 1:78:1 and English Dolby Digital 5.1 Digital Surround. For the most part, “Drop Dead Diva” is a series that has always looked good on DVD.  Video quality has its vibrant moments outdoors, well-lit during indoor scenes and one of those series that I wished was released on Blu-ray.

With that being said, like most series on DVD, “Drop Dead Diva” while looking good, does tend to show some artifacting (most people will not notice) as expected on DVD especially during darker lit scenes.  But for the most part, this is a good looking series on DVD.

As for the audio, presented via Dolby Digital 5.1, this legal drama series is dialogue driven but also tends to feature quite a bit of music and both dialogue and music are clear and I detected no audio problems during my view of “Drop Dead Diva”.

Subtitles are in English SDH and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Drop Dead Diva – The Complete Third Season” comes with no special features.

The third season of “Drop Dead Diva” is possibly my favorite season by far.

Each episode was entertaining, well-written, well-performed and there is a good number of appearances by a few stars such as Paula Abdul, LeAnn Rimes, Wendy Williams, Kathy Griffin, Brandy and many more!

But with the third season, I enjoyed the character dynamics.

Actress/singer Brooke Elliott does a fantastic job of playing an intelligent lawyer while maintaining Deb’s cheerful attitude (and little laugh), especially discussion of fashion that comes out in the most unexpected moments.    And there is no doubt that Brooke Elliot as Jane, was put into many emotional moments throughout the series and you can only sympathize with her, knowing that Deb, who is now Jane, must deal with Grayson’s engagement, trying to move on and date other men and also seeing things get a little heated between Jane and her best friend Stacy.

Also, another plus for the third season is how the writers utilized each character quite well.  From Parker’s womanizing and his off-and-on relationship with Kim, the fragile relationship between Stacy and Fred and even more craziness with Terri Lee, if anything, I like it when writers give their supporting cast members a chance to show their importance to a series and everyone did a fantastic job with this third season and the back-and-forth dynamics between these characters, you can tell they are very comfortable with one another and the chemistry shows!

What didn’t I like about this third season?  Not much but there were times where I felt the pacing was off and instead of easing into the conclusion, sometimes the story just transitions abruptly more often during transitions to where Jane congratulates her clients.  And even some of the lines given to Margaret Cho’s character Teri Lee that were meant to be funny, just wasn’t.  And while I did like how things were going with Stacy and Fred, while most of the characters had a lot of emotional involvement in the show, I felt writers to need to give more emotional scenes to Ben Feldman’s guardian angel character.  Without spoiling the storyline between Stacy and Fred, I just felt their relationship and what happens to it, could have been handled better.

But with that being said, everything fell into place.  I really enjoyed this season’s episodes, the humor in the series especially the season finale cliffhanger.

As for those who have not seen season 1-2, while the backstory does help, to tell you the truth, there is so much discussion of the past that new viewers can just jump in to this series and enjoy it and also know what’s going on (well, with the exception of the first episode with Grayson in a coma).  But other than that, one can easily jump into this series with season three.

As for the DVD, I’m disappointed that there are no special features.  No gag real, no audio commentary, no interviews, no behind-the-scenes interviews.  For such an enjoyable series at least include special features!  If anything, this was the only major negative I found with this DVD release.

Overall, “Drop Dead Diva – The Complete Third Season” was fantastic and I can’t wait until season four!  But hopefully by next season, they can include special features with the DVD release.  Other than that, fans of the series or those curious about “Drop Dead Diva”, will definitely want to give this third season a try.  Recommended!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Magnificent!  David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a thriller that I was literally absorbed by the wonderful performances by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.  While I enjoyed the Swedish version of the film a lot, I do enjoy how this version of the film incorporated more of the book.  Overall, this film is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of  © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

DURATION: 158 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 2:40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English and French  5.1 Dolby Digital, English Dolby Surround, English-Audio Deescription Track,, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish

COMPANY: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (For Brutal Violent Content including Rape and Torture, Strong Sexuality, Graphic Nudity and Language)

RELEASE DATE: March 20, 2012

Directed by David Fincher

Screenplay by Steven Zaillian

Based on the novel “Man som hatar kvinnor” by Stieg Larsson

Produced by Cean Chaffin, Scott Rudin, Soren Stermose, Ole Sondberg

Executive Producer: Anni Faurbye Fernandez, Ryan Kavanaugh, Mikael Wallen, Steven Zaillan

Co-Producer: Berna Levin

Associate Producer: Jim Davidson

Music by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth

Edited by Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

Casting by Laray Mayfield

Production Design by Donald Graham Burt

Art Direction by Frida Arvidsson, Linda Janson, Pernilla Olsson, Tom Reta, Patrick Rolfe, Kajsa Severin, Mikael Varhelyi

Set Decoration by K.C. Fox

Costume Design by Trish Summerville

Starring:

Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander

Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger

Stellan Skarsgard as Martin Vanger

Steven Berkoff as Dirch Frode

Robin Wright as Erika Berger

Yorick van Wageningen as Nils Bjurman

Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger

Geraldin James as Cecilia Vanger

Goran Visnjic as Dragan Armansky

Donald Sumpter as Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell

Ulf Friberg as Hans-Erik Wennerstrom

Bengt C.W. Carlsson as Holger Palmgren

Tony Way as Plague

Per Myrberg as Harald Vanger

Josefin Asplund as Pernilla Blomkvist

Eva Fritjofson as Nna Nygren

Moa Garpendal as Harriet Vanger

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) accepts an invitation to surreptitiously investigate a forty year old unsolved murder on behalf of the victim’s uncle, Swedish industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). Meanwhile, tattooed hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), hired to investigate Blomkvist, discovers the truth behind the conspiracy that led to his fall from grace. Thrown together by fate, the unlikely duo uncovers a secret history of murder and sexual abuse festering beneath the veneer of Sweden’s industrial past, all the while drawing closer to a quiet evil waiting to engulf them both.

Stieg Larsson is known in Sweden for his contribution to sci-fi fandom but to the outside world, he is known posthumously for his “Millennium” trilogy especially with the novel “Män som hatar kvinnor (Men who hate women)” aka “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, the first novel of the trilogy and a novel based on manuscripts by Larsson written  but unpublished until after his death in 2004.

In 2008, Larsson became the second best-selling author in the world and the trilogy had sold 27 million copies in more than 40 countries.

In 2009, the film received its Swedish adaptation and the film which was created for $13 million would go on to earn $102 million worldwide and with the success of the novels and the Swedish film, it was no surprise that Hollywood would come knocking and create an English version of the popular storyline.

The 2011 version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was directed by award-winning director David Fincher (“Fight Club”, “Se7en”, “The Social Network”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) with a screenplay by veteran writer Steven Zaillian (“Schindler’s List”, “American Gangster”, “Gangs of New York”).

The film would feature the cinematography of Jeff Cronenweth (“Fight Club”, “The Social Network”, “One Hour Photo”) and music by Trent Reznor (“The Social Network, “Se7en”, “Lost Highway”) and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network, “Twilight”, “Limitless”).

Starring in the film are Daniel Craig (“Casino Royale”, “Quantum of Solace”, “Cowboys & Aliens”), Rooney Mara (“The Social Network”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Youth in Revolt”), Christopher Plumber (“A Beautiful Mind”, “The Sound of Music”, “Beginners”), Stellan Skarsgard (“Good Will Hunting”, “Thor”, “Mamma Mia”) and Robin Wright (“Beowulf”, “Unbreakable”, “Moneyball”).

The film was quite successful in the box office earning over $229 million and also winning and being nominated for a plethora of awards worldwide.  Including an Academy Award for “Best Film Editing” (Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter).

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” revolves around a man named Mikael Blomkvist (played by Daniel Craig).  Mikael is a hard-working journalist who writes for the publication “Millennium” and in the process of going after a billionaire named Hans-Erik Wennerström and unveil his shady business practices of supporting gun runners and illegal criminal activity, he was set up and now he finds himself in a losing libel case which has ruined his reputation as a journalist.

With only six months of freedom left, he receives a call from Dirch Frode (played by Steven Berkoff), lawyer for very wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger (played by Henrik Vanger) and arranges a meeting for both men.  When Mikael goes to meet with Henrik, Henrik Vanger knows of Mikael’s determination and persistence as a journalist and briefs him on a disappearance of a woman named Harriet Vanger, a former babysitter for Mikael when he was younger.

Mikael learned that 30 years ago, something happened to Harriet and with no lead to her disappearance (and everyone thinks she is dead), Henrik wants Mikael to find her killer.  Also, when Harriet was alive, she would send Henrik an artwork of a flower every year for his birthday and even after her disappearance, someone is sending Henrik this artwork (Henrik suspects it may be the person who has murdered her). But what makes the investigation quite interesting is that someone from Vanger’s family may be the person responsible for murdering her and Henrik’s brothers were also people who were loyal to the Nazi party and some who have hidden secrets in their personal life that they may not take so kindly that someone is looking into the past.

But because Henrik has also been keeping files on Hans-Erik Wennerström, he tells Mikael that no only will he be paid double for his work, he will also receive these files on Wennerström after he looks into the case of Harriet.

So, want to escape the public scrutiny, Mikael agrees to take on this case and temporarily move closer to Henrik’s home to find anything he can that is related to Harriet’s disappearance

Meanwhile, a goth-like young woman Lisbeth Salander  (played by Rooney Mara), who is a pro computer hacker, a photographer for hire, who had been hired by Frode to study and learn what she can about Mikael Blomkvist.   Although her spying on him is done,  there is something about Mikael that interests Lisbeth and she enjoys hacking his computer to dig up information of what he is doing in his personal life (or what he is investigating).

Although it seems that Lisbeth seems to be having fun hacking and spying on people, her life is not as great as she has a tough life.  As a person who lived in a ward for an unknown crime that she committed when she was younger, a government official that oversees her money is using Lisbeth’s weakness as a way for him to get sex.  Lisbeth is unwilling but the government official threatens her that if she doesn’t do what he says, he can make her life inconvenient.  So, she feels that she must perform for this government official in order to get any money that she earns from her job.

As Mikael’s investigation seeming as if he has hit a dead end, he discovers a code that his daughter has felt it was biblical-related.  The code was written on a bible by Harriet and no one, including the police have been able to crack the code.  But needing some help with the case, Frode decides to bringing the right person for the job and sure enough, both Mikael and Lisbeth will be working together.

Lisbeth, who is very intelligent (and also has a photographic memory), knows what the code means and maybe able to help Mikael with his research.  Will these two complete opposite people be able to work together?  And with the multiple murders that has happened in the area, is it connected to Harriet’s disappearance?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is presented in 2:40:1 anamorphic widescreen and presented in English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Dolby Surround plus an English audio descriptive track.  It’s important to note that “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” will be released on Blu-ray and this is one of those films that are shot in a variety of locations, beautiful cinematography that would look absolutely fantastic on Blu!

I didn’t notice any compression artifacts or any major PQ problems.  Personally, I was impressed by the cinematography that I actually am looking forward in picking this film up on Blu-ray and watching it via HD.  It’s a stunning film that the David Fincher and David Cronenweth really did a wonderful job in bringing Stieg Larsson’s novel to life.

As for audio, once again, this is where audiophiles would opt for Blu-ray for its lossless soundtrack.  On DVD, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s music sounds clear and there are moments of action scenes such as a rifle shot and explosion, but it’s a film where ambiance plays a big role in the film and what you hear the most through the surround channels.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” comes with the following special feature:

• Commentary by Director David Fincher – Featuring an in-depth audio commentary by director David Fincher.   From discussions of the cast, the characters, locations, stunts and overall making of the film

My first foray into “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” came from my wife.  Her family members have loved the novels and my wife was going crazy reading all three novels and then watching the film.  She has told me many times to read the novels in the trilogy but with so many books in my reading queue, I figured, why not see what the hype is all about and watch this film for myself.

When I watched the Swedish version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, I was drawn in by the performances of Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace.  Their performance was magnificent, as was the cinematography by Jens Fishcer and Eric Kress.  Just the amount of footage shot in various weather conditions and locations was quite impressive but most of all, bringing the novel to life (as my wife would say).

I also knew there would be a David Fincher version of the film but I was skeptical at first because I enjoyed the Swedish version so much.  When it was revealed that veteran Steven Zaillian would be writing the screenplay version and that Daniel Craig was hired to play Mikael Blomkvist, I figured, let’s see how things go.

Similar to the Swedish version of the film, I absolutely enjoyed Fincher’s version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.

This film was not only suspenseful but it literally sent chills down my spine.  The film is not for the weak at heart when it comes to violence and torture.  The film has many graphic moments of people who have been murdered, people who have been raped and I’m not going to sugarcoat things… this film is violent.

But the film is also a suspenseful, haunting thriller that not only grabs your attention, you literally root for these characters that are completely opposite but they take you on an amazing ride with quite a bit of twists and turns along the way.   I have no problems saying that “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is one of the best modern suspense films that I have watched in long while.  And I’m talking about overall acting, cinematography, pacing and how well the story is conceived.  It’s a fantastic film!

Personally, these characters are what I loved about the film.  The character of Mikael Blomkvist is an experienced writer who is taking on a billionaire and now having to face a serious libel charge that he libeled him due to false information he was given.   While I was skeptical of Daniel Craig at first, he managed to do a fantastic job playing the character. But the character I was the most skeptical is Lisbeth.  Noomi Rapace was fantastic and when I saw pictures of Rooney Mara prior to her playing Lisbeth, I was not sure how this would play out, but she instantly transformed herself into a new breed of Lisbeth.  Different from Rapace’s version but still effective.    As for the character of Lisbeth Salander,  to see her as an anti-social, goth-like computer hacker brought another dimension to this film.

But what works is the slight changes that were made to this 2011 American version of the film from the original Swedish version of the film.  The American version actually incorporates more of the book to its storyline than the Swedish version.  For one, Blomkvist is not a character that has to be worried of going to prison.  This impacts Blomkvist in the Swedish version of the film, in the American version, he does not have to worry about prison time at all.

Another major difference is that the book focused more on the relationship between Mikael’s Millennium Magazine partner Erika Berger and this is more evident in the American version.  Also, in the book, Mikael’s daughter had importance and in the Swedish version, she was barely mentioned. In the U.S. version, Mikael’s daughter is a major key to the discovery of deciphering the code made by Harriet.

There are also quite a bit of differences involving Lisbeth Salander, such as the Swedish version has her mugged by a gang of men, not the case of the US version.  Also, the introduction between Mikael and Lisbeth are very different between the two films.  But most importantly, the relationship of both Mikael having to work with Lisbeth and how it affects the characters to the final scene of the film.  Which I actually enjoyed from the American version over the Swedish version of the film.

While I enjoyed the Swedish version a lot, in many ways I also enjoyed the American version even more.  Mainly for its attention to details from the book that was incorporated into the film, although I enjoyed Noomi Rapace’s version of Lisbeth Salander even more, Rooney Mara’s version actually works much better.  But I do enjoy both films a lot, it’s just that the 2011 version, they were able to incorporate more of the book and tweak the storyline a bit more.

I suppose it’s a bit more subjective to the viewer familiar with the Swedish film and the book but if I wished there was two things that weren’t changed in the American version, it would revolve around Blomkvist’s problems with prison time and a scene revolving Lisbeth and the assailant, which I enjoyed from the Swedish version even more.

If there was one subject that I feel may touch a nerve with viewers is a rape scene (well, actually there are others who have been raped and tortured) but there is one graphic scene that may turn people off.  I for one, dislike disturbing scenes like this in a film especially if was done for shock value.  In the case of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, although a film that contains a lot of violence, I felt that the violence was not gratuitous and was appropriate to the story but again, this is subjective as I’ve read those who felt it was appropriate and others who felt it was bit too much for their taste.

As for the DVD, the DVD doesn’t come with a lot of special features but an audio commentary by David Fincher.  As mentioned, if you want the best version of the films, go for the HD release as I’m sure the film will look and sound incredible on Blu-ray.  A movie this good, demands to be seen on Blu!

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a fantastic film featuring an awesome performance by the talent, a chilling screenplay adaptation and wonderful cinematography and music.   It’s a film that will no doubt send shivers towards your spine but you will feel that you are captured by the film by the solid performances courtesy of Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara.  These two were absolutely wonderful and felt that Steven Zaillian and David Fincher did a magnificent job in including more of the book to this adaptation of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.  And I can only hope the two work together again for the second film and see if they can fix some of the problems that the Swedish version of the film was criticized for.

Overall, I absolutely loved this film and if you have not watched this film yet, I absolutely recommend one putting this on their must-buy list for 2012.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is highly recommended!

Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To Bring 38 Classic UPA Cartoons to DVD for First Time Ever

Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To Bring 38 Classic UPA Cartoons to DVD for First Time Ever

Fans of classic animation will have a lot to cheer about this spring, when Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) bring 38 timeless cartoons from the 1950’s to DVD for the first time ever.

UPA: The Jolly Frolics Collection is a treasure trove of animated shorts from United Productions of America (UPA), home to such beloved characters as Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing.  The three-disc set will be sold exclusively through TCM’s online store at http://shop.tcm.com, beginning March 15.

Featuring a video introduction by film critic, writer and historian Leonard Maltin, UPA: The Jolly Frolics Collection is the perfect addition to any animation and classic movie fan’s DVD library. Each short has been digitally remastered, with audio commentaries by Maltin and animation historian Jerry Beck included on select cartoons. Extensive bonus features include a rare Pencil Test for the short, “Christopher Crumpet’s Playmate” (1955), and over 100 examples of production art, marketing materials, and more.  The beautiful gate-fold collection is accompanied by a 16 page in-depth booklet featuring historical backgrounds, animator bios, and a timeline of the studio.

“I’m sure I’m not the only animation enthusiast who’s been longing to see these great cartoons released on DVD. It’s a privilege to be able to introduce them and provide commentary tracks,but it’s even more exciting to see them so beautifully restored.” says  Maltin.

Meticulously restored and remastered, this collection represents a milestone for cartoon fans of all ages.  “TCM is proud to add these historically important films to TCM Vault Collection series,” says Dennis Adamovich, SVP Brand Activation, Turner Entertainment Networks.  “The UPA cartoon library has not been available in this quality since the cartoons were originally theatrically presented over a half century ago.  SPHE has done incredible work in bringing this library back to life.  Many of these shorts are modern masterpieces of the animation world and can now be enjoyed again for a new generation.”

“We are thrilled to once again work with our partners at TURNER to bring these films into the homes of those who have been waiting for their release,” says Marc Rashba, Vice President, Marketing for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.  “We hope the new bonus content, including commentaries by Leonard Maltin, will make an exciting viewing experience for fans.”

Among the highlights of UPA: The Jolly Frolics Collection is the 1949 short “The Ragtime Bear,” which introduced the world to that lovably cantankerous, near-sighted millionaire Mr. Magoo, voiced by Jim Backus. The Academy AwardÒ-winning 1950 short “Gerald McBoing Boing,” based on a story by Dr. Seuss, is also featured, along with “Gerald McBoing Boing’s Symphony” (1953) and “Gerald McBoing! Boing! on Planet Moo” (1956).

Other highlights include the studio’s first two shorts for Columbia Pictures, “Robin Hoodlum” (1948) and “The Magic Fluke” (1949); an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” narrated by James Mason; and “The Unicorn in the Garden,” which was originally intended to be part of an ambitious feature-length cartoon based on the works of James Thurber.

UPA was formed in 1943 by a group of artists and animators who left Walt Disney during the 1941 animators strike. Hoping to break away from the ultra-realistic animation style Disney had been advocating, the UPA artists sought freedom to experiment with animation techniques, non-realistic colors, contemporary designs and sometimes-provocative storytelling. They began applying their concepts in wartime work for the government, later scoring their first major success with “Hell-Bent for Election,” a Chuck Jones-directed short produced for FDR’s 1944 re-election campaign and sponsored by the United Auto Workers (UAW).

After government contracts dried up in the late ’40s, UPA forged a contract with Columbia Pictures to produce theatrical animated shorts, achieving great success casting Columbia’s Fox and Crow characters in “Robin Hoodlum” and “The Magic Fluke.” When those projects both garnered OscarÒ-nominations, Columbia gave UPA free reign to create its own characters. That led to the emergence of Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, the latter earning the studio’s first Academy AwardÒ for Best Animated Short. The studio went on to win two more Academy AwardsÒ for “When Magoo Flew” (1954) and “Magoo’s Puddle Jumper” (1956).  UPA would continue to enjoy unprecedented critical acclaim and awards recognition in the 1950s, including collecting all three of the nominations in 1957, a feat not even achieved by Walt Disney.

Throughout the 1950s, UPA scored several successes, despite losing several of its most talented staff members to the communist purge of the film industry in the 1950’s. After earning 15 OscarÒ nominations and three Academy AwardsÒ over 12 years, the studio stopped producing theatrical shorts in 1959. Two theatrical features followed: 1001 Arabian Nights (1959) and Gay Purr-ee (1962).

UPA artists revolutionized animation, not only through their striking design aesthetic but also through the use of limited animation, which incorporated more static backgrounds and less fluid movement. Beginning in the mid-’50s, UPA found great success on television, where lower budgets and tighter deadlines allowed limited animation to thrive. The studio produced such series as The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show, Mister Magoo and The Dick Tracy Show, as well as the enormously popular 1962 holiday special, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.

The following is a complete listing of shorts in UPA: The Jolly Frolics Collection:

“Robin Hoodlum” (1948) – OscarÒ nomination
“The Magic Fluke” (1949) – OscarÒ nomination
“The Ragtime Bear” (1949)
“Punchy De Leon” (1950)
“The Miner’s Daughter” (1950)
“Giddyap” (1950)
“The Popcorn Story” (1950)
“Gerald McBoing Boing” (1951) – OscarÒ winner
“The Family Circus” (1951)
“Georgie and the Dragon” (1951)
“The Wonder Gloves” (1951)
“The Oompahs” (1952)
“Rooty Toot Toot” (1952) – OscarÒ nominee
“Willie the Kid” (1952)
“Pete Hothead” (1952)
“Madeline” (1952) – OscarÒ nominee
“Little Boy with a Big Horn” (1953)
“The Emperor’s New Clothes” (1953)
“Christopher Crumpet” (1953) – OscarÒ nominee
“Gerald McBoing Boing’s Symphony” (1953)
“The Unicorn in the Garden” (1953)
“The Tell-Tale Heart” (1953) – OscarÒ nominee
“Bringing Up Mother” (1954)
“Ballet Oops” (1954)
“The Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1954)
“Fudget’s Budget” (1954)
“How Now Boing Boing” (1954)
“Spare the Child” (1955)
“Four Wheels No Brakes” (1955)
“Baby Boogie” (1955)
“Christopher Crumpet’s Playmate” (1955)
“The Rise of Duton Lang” (1955)
“Gerald McBoing Boing on Planet Moo” (1956) – OscarÒ nominee
“The Jaywalker” (1956) – OscarÒ nominee
“Trees and Jamaica Daddy” (1958) – OscarÒ nominee
“Sailing and Village Band” (1958)
“Spring and Saganaki” (1958)
“Picnics are Fun and Dino’s Serenade” (1959)

“Academy Award®” and “Oscar®” are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.  SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; worldwide television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 85 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its Web site, http://tcm.com, TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

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

Roland Emmerich’s “Anonymous” is compelling, beautiful and thought-provoking. 

Images courtesy of © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Beverly Blvd LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Anonymous

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 93 Minutes

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

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (Some Violence and Sexual Content)

RELEASE DATE: February 7, 2012

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Written by John Orloff

Produced by Roland Emmerich, Larry J. Franco, Robert Leger

Executive Producer: Voker Engel, Larry J. Franco, Robert Leger

Line Producer: Marcus Loges

Co-Producer: Christoph Fisser, Kirstin Winkler, Charlie Woebcken

Music by Harald Kloser, Thomas Wanker

Cinematographer: Anna Foerster

Edited by Peter R. Adam

Production Design by Sebastian T. Krawinkel

Art Direction by Sabine Engelberg, Stephan O. Gessler, Philip higgs, Stefan Speth, Bryce Tibbey

Set Decoration by Simon-Julien Boucherie

Costume Design by Lisy Christl

Starring:

Rhys Ifans as Earl of Oxford

Vanessa Redgrave as Queen Elizabeth I

Sebastian Armesto as Ben Johnson

Rafe Spall as William Shakespeare

David Thewlis as William Cecil

Edward Hogg as Robert Cecil

Xavier Samuel as Earl of Southampton

Sam Reid as Earl of Essex

Jamie Campbell Bower as Young Earl of Oxford

Joely Richardson as Young Queen Elizabeth I

Paolo De Vita as Francesco

Trystan Gravelle as Christopher Marlowe

Robert Emms as Thomas Dekker

Tony Way as Thomas Nashe

Julian Bleach as Captain Richard Pole

Derek Jacobi as Prologue

Alex Hassell as Spencer

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, ANONYMOUS speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds… who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare? ANONYMOUS poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power were exposed in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

What if William Shakespeare did not write the famous plays that he is known for?  What if someone else wrote the plays but Shakespeare was just the frontman?

This is the premise for the 2011 film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff.  A speculation on an idea that Edward de Vere was the true writer of the plays that have been attributed to William Shakespeare.

Needless to say, the film was met with controversy and debate and for the most part has received mix reviews.  But there is no doubt that “Anonymous” is a beautifully shot film featuring wonderful performances, exquisite costume design and also amazing set design to make this era in time come alive in cinema.

It’s definitely a radical departure for apocalyptic filmmaker Roland Emmerich but it is a compelling film that may be thought-provoking or perhaps blasphemous for those who are fans of the work of William Shakespeare.

“Anonymous” stars Rhys Ifans (“Notting Hill”, “Neverland”, “Little Nicky”), Vanessa Redgrave (“Howard’s End”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Blow-Up”), Sebastian Armesto (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, “Marie Antoinette”, “Bright Star”) and Rafe Spall (“Shaun of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz”, “A Good Year”).

“Anonymous” begins with Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury (played by Edward Hogg) ordering a search of manuscripts. We see the actor Ben Jonson (played by Sebastian Armesto)hiding the manuscripts in the Globe theatre which was later burned down.

The film then goes back in time and we watch the life of Edward de Vere (played by Rhys Ifans).  As a younger, de Vere is portrayed in the film as a genius and at the age of nine, he performed in a play of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as the role of Puck for a young Queen Elizabeth.  We then see how he was forced to live in the home of William Cecil where he was constantly repressed.  deVere kills a spying servant and William Cecil has used this murder as blackmail which forces him to marry his daughter Anne Cecil (played by Helen Baxendale) and thus forced to give up his dreams of literature because it would be a dishonor to the Cecil family.

As there is political squabble between the Tudors and the Cecils over who will succeed Queen Elizabeth I, De Vere becomes the lover of Queen Elizabeth and unknown to De Vere, she sires an illegitimate son named Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, which is kept hidden from the Cecils.

Meanwhile, de Vere struggles with staying away from literature.  His wife Anne reminds him that it would be a dishonor to her family and to the Queen’s counselors.  Also, William Cecil believes that theatres are sinful. But yet, de Vere writes these plays in secret.

As William Cecil plans for his son James, son of Mary, Queen of Scots to be crowned king, revelations come up that there may be a new contender to the throne.

de Vere has written “Henry V” and “Richard III” as forms of propaganda to start a revolution and works with Ben Johnson in hopes he can use his influence to have Jonson use his name for “Henry V” to be made into a play.  But the plan backfires when a young actor named William Shakespeare (played by Rafe Spall) claims authorship.

And when Shakespeare finds out that the real writer is de Vere, he tries to extort money from him.

But as others start to have suspicion that William Shakespeare can not possibly be the man who has written these plays, that it must be someone else, will the truth that de Vere wrote them, be made public and putting his family in risk?

 

VIDEO:

“Anonymous” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 aspect ratio).  The picture quality for “Anonymous” is fantastic.  Black levels are solid, inky and deep, colors look amazing.  But what strikes the viewer the most is the amount of detail that can be seen in HD.  From the costumes and the surroundings, you can see the details in the clothing to also the detail of the characters faces.

Cinematographer Anna Foerster may be known for directing TV series and working the camera on films such as “Aeon Flux”, “The Day After Tomorrow, “2012″ to name a few, but as the first major film as the main cinematographer, she has done an amazing job in capturing the era but also providing beautiful shots.

Impressive video that fans of the film will no doubt enjoy on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Anonymous” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and with an English -Audio Description Track.  For a film like “Anonymous”, I was expecting it to be primarily a dialogue driven film and primarily a center and front channel soundtrack.  While dialogue heavy, “Anonymous” definitely utilizes the surround channels by making the crowds alive and creating a sense of immersion through its ambiance.  There is good amount of directional sound effects utilized in this film especially during the tennis match  in which you can hear the balls with amazing clarity.

Towards the end of the film there is a bit of action and you can hear some LFE use, the music sounds absolutely fantastic and both Harald Kloser (“2012″, “Day After Tomorrow”, “10,00 B”, “AVP: Aliens vs. Predator”) and Thomas Wanker (“2012″, “The Day AFter Tomorrow”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series) did a pretty solid job in creating music of that era.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Anonymous” comes with the following special features:

“Anonymous” is a film that definitely presents a question that many people probably never thought about… did he write his famous plays or was he just a frontman for someone else?

I suppose one can say that for nearly ever historical figure from Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Leonardo Da Vinci, Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette and as far back to Jesus Christ, there are conspiracy theorist who believe there is more to the story of these individuals.

“Anonymous” is a pretty intriguing political thriller and pseudo-historical drama that does play with history for theatrical reasons but it does present a valid argument if taken as fact that William Shakespeare was a fraud and that the real writer, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, is the true originator of the plays.  Shakespeare becoming the frontman due to a failed rebellion led by de Vere’s son and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.  And that this was due to the mingling of Queen Elizabeth who had a romantic relationship with de Vere.

For one, I’m not an erudite of British history and to director Roland Emmerich, he has always been a director that has made films that were compelling and literally make you think of “what if?”.  This has been his way with “The Day After Tomorrow” and even “2012″.  Granted, Emmerich is mainly known for creating apocalyptic films but despite his departure from making those type of films, “Anonymous” is possibly his most compelling film yet.

While saying that, this film may not be so casually accessible by audiences as this is not a “Shakespeare in Love” type film.  This is a sophisticated drama capturing an era through beautiful cinematography, wonderful costume design and set decoration.  Also, for theatrical sake, there is some playing around with timelines, so viewers shouldn’t take the film as absolute fact, but merely consider the possibilities that Shakespeare, with whatever evidence is out there, may not be the actual writer of the plays.

“Blasphemous”, the words that  I’m sure many Shakespeare erudites may cry out when watching this film but taking the film for what it is, I see the story as a perspective but as a film, I find “Anonymous” to be an enjoyable film with a wonderful performance by Rhys Ifans, Rafe Spall and Vanessa Redgrave.   As mentioned, the cinematography for this film was fantastic, the costume design and set design were wonderful and the music composition was very good.

And on Blu-ray, this film looks absolutely wonderful as clarity and detail are the keywords that come to mind quite often, the lossless soundtrack was also much better than I expected.  There are also a good number of special features as well, but it would have been interesting to have a more in-depth featurette on the debate on Shakespeare being the original writer by having historians presenting us actual evidence and arguments.

Overall, “Anonymous” is a speculation on a debate that continues to live on as they do with other historical figures.  And because Shakespeare’s past and what is known about him is not as known as his work, filmmaker Roland Emmerich does a fine job of offering his take on the speculation with his compelling film.  And “Anonymous” is a film that I can definitely recommend.

Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Bring Five Classic Film Noir Thrillers to DVD for First Time Ever

Shadowy streets, tough guys and dangerous women take center stage in an all-new collection of five classic film noir thrillers available now on DVD for the first time ever from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE).

Presented in collaboration with The Film Foundation, the multi-disc Film Noir Classics III collection is the third volume of film noir titles from Columbia Pictures. The set includes Nina Foch and George Macready in My Name is Julia Ross (1945), Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1955), Broderick Crawford in The Mob (1951), Ginger Rogers and Edward G. Robinson in Tight Spot (1955) and Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield in The Burglar (1957), with introductions by Martin Scorsese, founder and chair of the non-profit preservation group, The Film Foundation.

Film Noir Classics III is being released as part of the TCM Vault Collection. All five films in the set have been digitally remastered and feature extensive on-screen bonus materials, including theatrical trailers, photos, posters, lobby cards and more. TCM Vault Collection sets are presented in beautiful gatefold packaging. They are available exclusively through TCM’s online store at http://shop.tcm.com, which also offers the previous two sets of Columbia Pictures’ film noir classics, released with The Film Foundation as part of the “Collector’s Choice” series.

The following are the five films included in Film Noir Classics III:

My Name is Julia Ross (1945) – A mixture of film noir and gothic fiction elements, this London-set thriller stars Nina Foch as a young woman who answers an employment ad, only to become the prisoner of a strange family. George Macready and Dame May Whitty co-star in this first in a series of low-budget film noirs directed by Joseph H. Lewis. It is based on the novel The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert, which also served as the basis for Arthur Penn 1987 thriller Dead of Winter.

Drive a Crooked Road (1955) – Mickey Rooney, Dianne Foster, Kevin McCarthy and Jack Kelly star in this tough crime story directed by Richard Quine from a script he wrote with Blake Edwards. Rooney plays a racecar driver hired by two bank robbers to help with their latest heist. Foster is the femme fatale who ropes him into the scheme.

The Mob (1951) – Broderick Crawford plays a hard-nosed cop who infiltrates the mob in order to stop their dockyard rackets. Directed by Robert Parrish and based on a novel Waterfront by Ferguson Findley, this sharp drama also features Betty Buehler, Richard Kiley and, in an un-credited role as a longshoreman, a young Charles Bronson.

Tight Spot (1955) – Ginger Rogers gives one of the best performances of her career as a potential government witness held for her own protection–against her will–until the trial begins against a gangster acquaintance.\. Edward G. Robinson plays the U.S. attorney who makes the deal with her in this exceptional film noir directed by Phil Karlson. William Bowers adapted the screenplay from Leonard Kantor’s play Dead Pigeon, which itself was inspired by Senator Estes Kefauver’s attempts to coerce Virginia Hill into testifying against her lover, Bugsy Siegel.

The Burglar (1957) – Based on a pulp fiction novel by David Goodis, this crisp noir tale stars Dan Duryea as a cunning jewel thief who recruits Jayne Mansfield, Mickey Shaughnessy and Peter Capell for one final heist before retiring. The Burglar was shot on location in Atlantic City and Philadelphia by first-time director Paul Wendkos, who also served as editor on the film.

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.  SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; worldwide television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

About The Film Foundation
The Film Foundation (film-foundation.org), a nonprofit established in 1990 by Martin Scorsese, is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history and provides substantial annual support for preservation and restoration projects at major film archives. The foundation raises awareness of the urgent need to preserve films and has helped save over 555 films. Joining Scorsese on the board are Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Curtis Hanson, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee, George Lucas, Alexander Payne, Robert Redford and Steven Spielberg. The Film Foundation is aligned with the Directors Guild of America.

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 85 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its Web site, http://tcm.com, TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Courageous (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Inspiring, uplifting and a story with a message that is powerful and full of hope!  “Courageous” is wonderful film that I hope that many people, especially fathers…will watch and for some some, feel inspired to want to be there for their families and children!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Sherwood Pictures Ministry, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Courageous

YEAR OF FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 129 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: English, French, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish, Thai Dolby Surround.  2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean Thai

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATING: PG-13 (Some Violence and Drug Content)

RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012

Directed by Alex Kendrick

Written by Alex Kendrick, Stephen Kendrick

Executive Producer: Michael Catt, Jim McBride

Producer: Stephen Kendrick

Associate Producer: Larry Frenzel, Dennis Wiemer

Cinematography by Bob Scott

Edited by Bill Ebel, Steve Hullfish, Alex Kendrick

Production Design by Darian Corley

Set Decoration by Sheila McBride

Starring:

Alex Kendrick as Adam Mitchell

Ken Bevel as Nathan Hayes

Ben Davies as David Thomson

Kevin Downes as Shane Fuller

Angelita Nelson as Carmen Martinez

Robert Amaya as Javier Martinez

T. C. Stallings as T.J.

Rusty Martin as Dylan Mitchell

Rusty Martin Sr. as Frank Tyson

Eleanor Brown as Karla Hayes

Lauren Etchells as Emily Mitchell

Renee Jewell as Victoria Mitchell

Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, they are confident and focused, standing up to the worst the streets can offer. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge they’re ill prepared to tackle: fatherhood. When tragedy strikes home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Sherwood Pictures, creators of Fireproof, returns with this heartfelt, action-packed story. Protecting the streets is second nature to these law enforcement officers. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That takes courage. Starring: Alex Kendrick, Kevin Downes, Ken Bevel, Robert Amaya, Ben Davies Director: Alex Kendrick Producer: Stephen Kendrick

Inspiring, uplifting and a story with a message that is powerful and full of hope!  “Courageous” is wonderful film that I hope that many people, especially fathers…will watch and for some some, feel inspired to want to be there for their families and children!

For those who are not familiar with Affirm Films, their films are spiritual and Christian-based films that are released under Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

And sometimes, Christian films are often viewed as too preachy or the lack of quality of major theatrical non-Christian films.  But I have to admit that within the past few years, films coming out from Affirm Films have been pretty good and with the release of “Courageous”, not only did I find this film to be inspiring and uplifting, but I found it to be a fantastic film overall.

But most importantly, although it does have a preaching message, it’s a message that I feel is quite relevant… Fathers, no matter how busy you are…be there for your children.  Be there for your family.  No matter how busy your job is, no matter if you come home late…find a way!

The film was produced by Sherwood Pictures (the company behind “Flywheel”, “Facing the Giants” and “Fireproof”) and “Courageous” is their fourth film and is directed by Alex Kendrick, who co-wrote the story along with his brother Stephen Kendrick.  The film was produced with a budget for $2 million and grossed $9 million on its opening weekend.

“Courageous” is a film that focuses on the lives of five men but the storyline centers on the character of Adam Mitchell.

Adam (played by Alex Kendrick) is a sheriff who is busy with his job and a father who doesn’t have the time to spend with his son Dylan (played by Rusty Martin).  Dylan loves to go out running but since his father is not so keen of running, he tends to kick back at home and devotes his time to wife Victoria (played by Renee Jewell) and his 9-year-old daughter Emily (played by Lauren Etchells).

Adam is often on duty along with his partner Shane Fuller (played by Kevin Downes) and both respond to a carjacking in which the father managed to stop a carjacker from taking his vehicle along with his baby in the back seat. But the carjacker was able to escape.    As Adam and Shane arrive on scene, they interview the father…who turns out to be Nathan Hayes (played by Ken Bevel), a veteran sheriff who has transferred to the area with his family and will be working alongside with both Adam and Shane.

For Nathan, he will be partnered by former rookie David Thomson (played by Ben Davies).

Nathan is a devoted father to his children.  He grew up without one but thanks to a mentor, that mentor became his father figure and made sure Nathan didn’t fall into any trouble and raised him to be a believer in God and its his faith in God which has made him a good father.  But fatherhood is not easy as his teenager daughter has been talking to an older guy, who happens to be affiliated with a gang which is headed by the guy who tried to carjack Nathan’s car.

As for David, he is not much of a God believer like his other three co-workers but is a listener.

But when their superior brings up stats about how people who do not have father’s tend to correlate with those who get involved in criminal activity, the married Sheriff’s with kids start to wonder about their role as fathers.

We are then introduced to the Martinez family, Javier (played by Robert Amaya) is devoted to his family and is a God believing person but his job on the construction site has gotten worse as their have been layoffs.  Behind on bills and struggling to survive, his wife Carmen (played by Angelita Nelson) is stressed out and hopes Javier can find work.

One day as the four sheriff’s ponder over lunch about what their superior talked about father involvement with family, they each talk about their fathers and how they are as parents to their own kids. Unfortunately, the relationship between Adam and Dylan is not strong, but his relationship with his youngest daughter Emily is going very well.

Meanwhile, Adam is in need of getting a few building projects around the house done and Shane recommends a worker named Javier.

As Javier Martinez goes to apply for a job and is denied, he is stressed out and as he walks by the street, he passes by Adam’s home and Adam mistakes Shane’s worker contact, Javier as Javier Martinez.  But since Javier Martinez’ past job is in construction, he looks at God as giving him this opportunity and job.  And does a very good job in helping the Mitchell family out with their building projects and if anything, the Martinez family shouldn’t have to worry about financial problems for now.  In fact, despite the miscommunication between Adam and Javier, Javier is brought into the group and becomes friends with them, because is also a person dedicated to his family and children and also tries to be a good father.

And as happy things are with each of these men, life is turned upside down for Adam when his daughter Emily is killed by a drunk driver and now, Adam must summon the courage needed to bring his family closer during this dark time and decides that from here on in, he will become a better father and a better man and signs a resolution to be a good father and be committed.  Inspired by Adam, Shane, Nathan and Javier decide to join Adam and also sign a resolution to become a better man and father, which in turn also inspires David who comes out and lets people know that he is a father of a child that he has never came in contact with and wants to take responsibility and become part of his child’s life.

These men know they must be courageous by taking on this Resolution and must follow it.  But with the pressure of everyday life, can each of them stick to the plan or will they get lost in the process?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Courageous” is presented in 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and presented in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish and Thai Dolby Surround.   If you want the best video and audio quality for this film, it’s important to note that this film is available on Blu-ray.  But for the most part, the film looks very good on DVD, considering a lot of the shots are outdoors for this film.  Audio quality is very good, especially towards the end where there is a good amount of action and a heavy exchange of gunfire that utilizes the surround channels.  But for the most part, this film is dialogue driven through the center and front channels.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Thai.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Courageous” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary by Alex and Stephen Kendrick.
• Deleted Scenes – (11:45) A total of 12 deleted scenes.
• Outrageous: Outtakes and Bloopers – (7:17) The outtakes from “Courageous”.
• Courageous in 60 Seconds – A quick run-through of “Courageous” in 60 seconds.
• The Making of Courageous – (23:20) Filming in Albany, Georgia and behind-the-scenes in the making of “Courageous”.  Alex and Stephen Kendrick talks about how God has influenced them to make this film.  The Kendrick’s talk about the message to family’s about the importance of having a father figure.  And also the many volunteers who have come together in wanting to get God’s message out through this film.
• The Heart of Courageous – (3:18) The producers and filmmakers talk about how having a father is important in a children’s life.
• The Story of My Father – (8:51) Susan Sanders and Ray Woo) who took part in various roles for Sherwood Pictures talk about their role in film.  Susan talks about her father was not too attached to the family when she was younger and how belief in God changed their lives and brought daughter and father closer together.

There have been many Christian films that have inspired me but “Courageous” was a film that probably had the most affect on me while watching it.

As a father and unfortunately a workaholic, like many other father’s similar to me who have a hard time of finding an end to work and spending time with the family, it hasn’t been easy.  And to see this story that focuses on a man’s duty to their family, and their duty to be there for them… I often wondered if many other men/fathers was also affected by the message of this film.

As mentioned, Affirm Films, especially a film coming from Sherwood Pictures, these are Christian films and not every reviewer and not everyone who watches (especially those unaware that “Courageous” is a Christian film) will like the fact that this film does feature people who are spiritual, people who believe in God and yes, the message is preachy, not for religion but for fathers to be with their families and the importance of a child’s development of having that father figure.

The Kendrick brothers really know how to bring God’s message out to a larger audience using them to communicate to their viewers.  And there was this feeling of an impact that I really can’t describe but deep down in my heart, this film made perfect sense.  It made feel that in times of constant divorces, children separated from a parent…no one really talks about the children and how they are affected by it.

I personally have seen family affected by divorce and especially the difficulties that children have faced when their father had left them.  Granted, none of the people I know have committed a crime but it affected their life and watched them fight frustrations during their younger years and then later as a parent because of it.  Granted, I do know of divorced fathers who make an effort to be with their children every weekend or everyday, even if its to talk to them, see them, have dinner or just a quick hello…they want to be in their children’s life.

So, the families depicted in this film, it’s great to see how these friends evolved after their moment in crisis and to see those who were able to meet their resolution and unfortunately to see those who weren’t able to.  The Mitchell families grief after the death of their daughter is rather emotional and the Kendrick brothers did a good job on focusing on their darker times but also their ability to move on and do something about their grief.  For Adam Mitchell, he may have lost a daughter but he still has a wife and son and he has to do all he can to provide for them but also be their for them.    And also to see how his friends were inspired by his dedication to his resolution.

The character of Javier is an example of the average American suffering through the bad economy and trying to find work and take care of his family.  He knows that his family are in tough times and sure, his belief in God has made him positive and not a man in despair.  Most movies tend to showcase one’s spiraling down until they crash hard during tough times but fortunately for this film, it doesn’t happen that way.    Javier gets a job accidentally but its by people who are God believing people and are dedicated to their family.  They know he is a kind man,  a good man and let him become part of their circle but also extend their kindness in helping find a job.

While the character of David represents the man who got a woman pregnant and has never seen their child.  Sure, the message is quite preaching towards fathers to take a responsibility and while some viewers may not like it, I for one am happy that the film does.  Not just for David but for all fathers…take responsibility for your family, be there for your children.  Some way, some how.

“Courageous” is a film that any father can watch, feel proud if they have been able to be there for their family but for many others, the message is powerful enough to make them think, inspire and hopefully change their lives for the better.

Overall, “Courageous” was an eye-opener and it’s message really got through to me loud and clear.

Inspiring, uplifting and a story with a message that is powerful and full of hope!  “Courageous” is wonderful film that I hope that many people, especially fathers…will watch and for some some, feel inspired to want to be there for their families and children!

Definitely recommended!

30 Minutes or Less (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Plenty of action and improvised humor, “30 Minutes or Less” is an entertaining popcorn comedy/action film that may the beginning to more crazy sequels featuring actors Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari.

Images courtesy of © 2011 MRC II Distribution Company L.P. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: 30 Minutes or Less

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 83 Minutes

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

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (Crude and Sexual Content, Pervasive Language, Nudity and Some Violence)

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Story by Michael Diliberti and Matthew Sullivan

Produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Jeremy Kramer, Ben Stiller

Executive Producer: Monica Levinson, Brian Levy

Associate Producer: Kit Giordano

Music by Ludwig Goransson

Cinematography by Jess Hall

Edited by Alan Baumgarten

Casting by Nicole Abellera, Jeanne McCarthy

Production Design by Maher Ahmad

Set Decoration by Gene Serdena

Costume Design by Christie Wittenborn

Starring:

Jesse Eisenberg as Nick

Danny McBride as Dwayne

Aziz Ansari as Chet

Nick Swardson as Travis

Dilshad Vadsaria as Kate

Michael Pena as Chango

Bianca Kajlich as Juicy

Fred Ward as The Major

Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Aziz Ansari). As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

From producer Ben Stiller, Stuart Cornfeld and Jeremy Kramer comes the 2011 film “30 Minutes or Less”.

A crazy action/comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”) and a film which reunites the director with actor Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”,”Zombieland”, “Adventureland”) and features a screenplay from writers Michael Diliberti and Matthew Sullivan.

The film which was budgeted at $28 million, earned over $39 million in the box office and now, the film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 29th.

“30 Minutes or Less” is a film that showcases the friendship of two friends.  One group of friends features a pizza delivery driver named Nick (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and his longtime friend, a school teacher named Chet (played by Aziz Ansari, “Parks & Recreation”, “Scrubs”).

Their relationship is tested when the two get into a heated argument when Chet finds out that Nick has slept with his twin sister Katie (played by Dilshad Vadsaria, “Greek”) and Nick finds out that Chet is responsible for getting his parents divorced.  Because of their argument, the two friends decide to end their friendship.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to two other best friends, Dwayne (played by Danny McBride, “Pineapple Express”, “Up in the Air”, “Your Highness”) and Travis (played by Nick Swardson, “Just Go With It”, “Grandma’s Boy”, “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”).  Both guys love hanging out with each other, despite not holding any major jobs and because they are together so much, Dwayne’s father thinks they are gay.

But Dwayne hates his father, also known as “The Major” (played by Fred Ward, “The Right Stuff”, “The Player”, “Tremors”) and feels his father has been misspending his lottery winnings and because of their lack of a relationship, he wants his father dead in order to inherit the house and belongings.   So, he thinks… what if his father died?  Imagine how life would be much better for him financially and emotionally.

So, when Dwayne visits his favorite stripper named Juici (played by Bianca Kajlich, “Rules of Engagement”, “10 Things I Hate About You”, “Bring It On”)  and talks about how his life would be much better if his father was dead, Juici tells him that she can make it happen.  All she needs is $100,000 and she can make it happen, and if he does bring her that money,  she will also perform sexual favors for him.

Of course, this is enough for Dwayne to say yes and now, Dwayne comes up with a plan along with his buddy Travis to find someone to get that $100,000 for them.  All they need to do is control someone by strapping a bomb to him and make him rob a bank for $100,000.

And sure enough, they decide that the unfortunate person will be the pizza delivery guy, Nick.  The two assault Nick, knock him out and the following morning when Nick wakes up, he learns that the two have strapped a bomb onto him.

Nick is given clear instructions and realizes, he can’t even remove the bomb because it is locked on to him (and the only way it can be removed is by a special code which will be given after he brings them $100,000 within the next ten hours).  If he tells police about the bomb, they will blow it up.  And they tell him that they will be monitoring him, so he has to be careful.

As the countdown begins, Nick begins to panic and the only person that he can tell about his predicament is his former best friend Chet.  Nick pleads to Chet for his help and Chet, who is still upset, realizes the two have history and wouldn’t let Nick down, so he reluctantly decides to help his friend.

This leads the two to discuss how they are going to rob a bank and use the film “Point Blank” as a reference.  So, the two decide to purchase supplies for the robbery and also steal a family friend’s car, so they can’t be tracked.

Now Nick and Chet must be able to pull off a bank heist or else, the bomb will be detonated.  Will they succeed?

VIDEO:

“30 Minutes or Less” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1) and picture quality is absolutely fantastic.  You can see the details from the whiskers in Aziz’ beard to the details of Nick’s crappy old car, the skin pores of Bianca Kajlich’s nude body.  A lot of fine details through the closeups and also, the film has some grain, skin tones are natural, some colorful scenes are vibrant (from the red car that Nick and Chet had stolen to the flames of a flamethrower) and black levels are nice and deep.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“30 Minutes or Less” is presented in English and French 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital.  The lossless soundtrack is actually quite solid for this comedy/action film.  From the bass-driven hip hop tracks to the explosions, car crashes, gun shots, there are moments of really good immersive sound and good use of the surround channels.  While the film is primarily dialogue, you do get a good amount of ambiance especially during the scenes with a lot of people (the bank scene), but the film does showcase quite a bit of music from hip-hop to the “Beverly Hills Cop” Glenn Frey song “The Heat is On”.

Overall, a pretty solid lossless soundtrack.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES

“30 Minutes or Less” comes with the following special features:

Plenty of action and improvised humor, “30 Minutes or Less” is an entertaining popcorn comedy/action film!

One would wonder where Jesse Eisenberg’s career would go after the success of “The Social Network”, as some actors would tend to focus on deeper films.  But I suppose you can say that Eisenberg has been an actor that has taken up roles where the protagonist is seen as awkward such as his role in “Adventureland” and “Zombieland”.  But with “30 Minutes or Less”, it’s interesting to see him play a pizza delivery guy that has a bomb attached to him.

In some ways, partnering Eisenberg with the fun and hilarious Anziz Ansari is rather intriguing as well.  Prior to watching the film, I was thinking..was this going to be another “Harold & Kumar” type of stoner comedy or was it going to be a something along the lines of a “Dude, Where’s My Car?” type of film.  One thing I knew is that with Anziz Ansari and Nick Swardson being part of the film, there was going to be some interesting improvisational, crazy scenes.

I enjoyed “30 Minutes or Less” in the fact that it was straightforward comedy/action.  One of those films that you don’t take seriously, you just sit down and enjoy!  And see where the characters will take you, as they try to steal $100,000 and also try to remove the bomb attach to Nick’s body.  What ensues is a lot of crazy twists and one wonders if there will be a sequel to this film, because I get a feeling that we have not seen the last of characters Nick and Chet.

The Blu-ray release of “30 Minutes or Less” comes with a good amount of special features, a hilarious commentary and also insight on the improvisational scenes.  And keeping with the consistency of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, picture quality was fantastic and the lossless soundtrack was quite appropriate for this comedy/action film.  While not overly immersive, there are good moments of surround sound use during the more action-driven scenes.

Overall, if you are looking for a comedy/action film that you just want to sit back and enjoy and not take too seriously, then “30 Minutes or Less” is a film for you!

Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Team Up on New TCM Vault Collection DVDs

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) are joining forces on a new line of DVDs to be made available as part of the TCM Vault Collection. The offerings will include first-time DVD releases of classic films from the Columbia Pictures library. Among the DVD sets on tap will be a four-film collection of comedies starring Jean Arthur and introduced by TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz; a five-film set starring Humphrey Bogart; a large selection of cartoons from the United Productions of America (UPA) Jolly Frolics series, which includes the debut of the one-and-only Mr. Magoo and a special introduction and audio commentaries by film historian Leonard Maltin; as well as an intriguing collection of film noir thrillers, presented in partnership with The Film Foundation.

Like all films in the TCM Vault Collection, the new sets from SPHE are digitally remastered and include extensive on-screen bonus materials, including photos, posters, lobby cards and more. TCM Vault Collection sets are presented in beautiful gatefold packaging and available exclusively through TCM’s online store at http://shop.tcm.com.

The following sets from TCM and SPE are coming soon to the TCM Vault Collection:

·         Jean Arthur Comedy Collection – This four-disc set featuring the winsome leading lady includes the gems The Public Menace (1935), Adventure in Manhattan (1936), More Than a Secretary (1936) and The Impatient Years (1944). TCM weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz provides a special introduction. Street date: Oct. 17, 2011.

·         Humphrey Bogart Columbia Pictures Collection – This spectacular set includes five Bogie classics, including the early Bogart rarity Love Affair (1932) and his final film, The Harder They Fall (1956), a powerful story about a cynical press agent. Also included are Tokyo Joe (1949), Knock on Any Door (1949) and Sirocco (1951). Street date: November 2011.

·         Film Noir Classics III – This third volume of the popular film noir collection, a collaboration with The Film Foundation, presents a slate of Columbia Pictures’ titles never before available on DVD, available for the first time through the TCM Vault Collection. The set includes Nina Foch and George Macready in My Name is Julia Ross (1946), Mickey Rooney and Dianne Foster in Drive a Crooked Road (1955), Broderick Crawford in The Mob (1951) and Brian Keith and Ginger Rogers in Tight Spot (1955) and Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield in The Burglar (1957). Columbia Pictures’ previous two film noir collections are also available through TCM’s online store. Street date: early 2012.

·         UPA Jolly Frolics – This amazing DVD set includes, for the first time ever, 38 cartoons created by United Productions of America (UPA) and originally distributed by Columbia Pictures. The Jolly Frolics series began in 1949 with Ragtime Bear, which introduced audiences to the hilariously myopic Mr. Magoo. Included in this set are the Academy AwardÒ-winning cartoon Rooty Tooty Toot (1952) and the OscarÒ-nominated Madeline (1952) and Christopher Crumpet (1953). This set includes an abundance of bonus features, including introductions and audio commentaries by film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, who has written extensively on the history of animation. Street date: early 2012.

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. SPE is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 85 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its Web site, http://tcm.com, TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Attack the Block (A J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Attack the Block” received a lot of rave reviews, was a bit hit in the UK and all I can say about this film and its Blu-ray release, I can easily sum it all up in one word… AWESOME! I was absolutely captivated by this film from beginning to end and was impressed by the three audio commentary, the making of featurette and the other special features included in this Blu-ray release.  Highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 ATB Pictures Limited. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Attack the Block

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 88 minutes

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

COMPANY: Screen Gems/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (For Creature Violence, Drug Content and Pervasive Language)

Release Date: October 25, 2011

Written and Directed by Joe Cornish

Executive Producer: Jenny Borgars, Will Clarke, Matthew Justice, Tessa Ross, Edgar Wright

Produced by Nira Park, James Wilson

Associate Producer: Lucy Pardee

Line Producer: James Biddle

Music by Steven Price

Cinematography by Thomas Townend

Edited by Jonathan Amos

Casting by Nina Gold

Production Design by Marcus Rowland

Art Direction by Andrea Coathupe

Set Decoration by Dick Lunn

Costume Design by Rosa Dias

Starring:

Jodie Whittaker as Sam

Nick Frost as Ron

John Boyega as Moses

Luke Treadaway as Brewis

Alex Esmail as Pest

Paige Meade as Dimples

Franz Drameh as Dennis

Terry Notary as The Creature

Leeon Jones as Jerome

Jumayn Hunter as Hi-Hatz

Danielle Vitalis as Tia

Simon Howard as Biggz

Sammy Williams as Probs

Maggie McCarthya s Margaret

Michael Ajao as Mayhem

Selom Awadzi as Tonks

From the producers of Shaun of the Dead, ATTACK THE BLOCK is a fast, funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen street gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a London housing project into a sci-fi battleground, the low-income apartment complex into a fortress under siege. And it turns a crazy mix of tough street kids into a team of kick ass heroes. It’s inner city versus outer space and it’s going to explode.

Have you ever wondered why in sci-fi alien films, aliens tend to come in contact with young boys, military soldiers or a man or woman who ends up helping them in the end?

Especially with alien infestation films, we always tend to see a perspective from either a family, government or military.  But what if an alien happened to come into contact with a gang in South London?  A troublesome gang from the block?

That is the concept of the British alien infestation sci-fi action film with a great balance of horror and comedy featuring the directorial debut of from writer/actor Joe Cornish (“The Adventures of Tin Tin”, “The Adam and Joe Show”) and a film from Nira Park and James Wilson, producers of “Shaun of the Dead”.

And if there is one thing that can be said about “Attack the Block”, it’s a unique action film that has received primarily positive reviews from the critics and became a hit in the UK.  Although having a limited theatrical release in the United States (as US distributors worried about the South London accents of the cast), with the rave reviews the film has received, it’s become one of the most highly anticipated Blu-rays for the fall season.  And now, “Attack the Block” makes its way to Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

“Attack the Block” begins with a nurse named Sam (played by Jodie Whitaker, “St. Trinian’s”, “One Day”, “Venus”) heading home.  But she is mugged by a young teenage gang which consists of leader Moses (played by John Boyega), Pest (played by Alex Esmail), Dennis (played by Franz Drameh), Jerome (played by Leeon Jones) and Biggz (played by Simon Howard).

While mugging the victim, something comes out of the sky and hits the car near them.  Sam is able to escape but as for the gang, as they see the damaged car as a good opportunity to steal from it, they are attacked by a creature and Moses is hurt on the fact.  Thinking it’s some rabid dog, ape or some animal, Moses is quite upset that the creature scratched his face and now he wants revenge.

The creature had run into a building and sure enough, Moses and the gang grab their weapons and are able to beat the creature to death.

But when they look at the creature, they realize that it’s not a dog or an ape but because it came from the sky, it may be an alien.  And they probably can make big money with their discovery.

So, in need of adult expertise, they head to the local drug dealer Ron (played by Nick Frost, “Shaun of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz”, “Pirate Radio”) and all Ron can think of is keeping it in their weed room, but he has to ask his boss Hi-Hatz (played by Jumayn Hunter) for permission.  So, Moses asks Hi-Hatz for the permission and they end up getting it, but also Hi-Hatz promotes Moses as one of his dealers and gives him some cocaine to sell.  But he gives Moses a stern warning, the “block” belongs to him.

As the guys start to show their respect towards Moses promotion, they notice more things falling from the sky.  Wanting to bust more heads, the gang all head back home where they gather their weapons and prepare to kill more aliens.

But when Jerome’s dog starts running towards an alien, it is immediately killed.  And to make things worse, this alien does not look anything like the previous alien they killed.  And this alien, wants to tear them apart.  Needless to say, the whole gang goes on the run to escape from the killer alien but because there are more of the aliens chasing after them, a few of them split up.  Meanwhile, Moses is captured by the police who were looking for him because of the mugging of the nurse.

As Moses is locked up and put into a police van, he can see the alien’s shining jaws glaring at him.  While the nurse Sam positively ID’s him inside the van, the alien comes at the police van and kills the cops.  And now it wants to kill Moses.  Trapped inside the van, members of the gang manage to disrupt the alien using fireworks and Dennis, one of the gang members, rescues Moses and Sam and they try to escape with the police van.

But instead of escaping, they accidentally hit the drug dealer Hi-Hatz’s car.  Now Hi-Hatz thinks that Moses has went to the cops about the drug deal, angered that they crashed his car and when he goes to hurt Moses, his friends come to his defense which angers Hi-Hatz even more and feels that Moses is trying to take over the Block.

As the gang manages to escape, now not only do they have aliens going after them, they have Hi-Hatz after them as well.

The group manage to get back into the Block while escaping from an alien but in the process, Pest is bitten by one of them.  While carrying them up, they see Sam trying to get inside her home and end up barging into her apartment demanding her to help Pest with his injury.

But while they wait inside the Block, what the group is unaware of, is that aliens are coming from all over the distance, climbing the apartment building and heading towards where they are all hiding.

With their lives in trouble, can Moses and his friends, including nurse Sam stay alive and protect themselves from the alien onslaught?

 

VIDEO:

“Attack the Block” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1).  While the film is shot during the night, outdoors, inside a building, etc.  The film manages to have plenty of detail thanks to good lighting and careful cinematography courtesy of the talented Thomas Townend (“Ratcatcher”, “Pride & Prejudice”, “Morvern Callar”).  Closes up of the faces of the characters showcase the really good makeup in depicting the scar that Moses gets from the first creature.  Closeups also showcase the details on a person’s face, the blood splatters and more.

I detected no banding, artifacts, edge enhancement or DNR.  Colors looked vibrant (especially that glow from the alien’s teeth) and black levels were nice and deep.  “Attack the Block” looks magnificent on Blu!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Attack the Block” is presented in English and French 5.1 DTS HD-MA.  Let me just say that despite this feeling being a low-budget film, when it comes to audio, this film doesn’t sound low budget at all!  The lossless soundtrack is fantastic!  From the opening fireworks that envelop the sky to the aliens crashing into the cars or hearing their jaws as they try to take a bite of Moses and the gang to the various gun shots, explosions and fireworks that are employed throughout the film, especially with its hip hop soundtrack, “Attack the Block” is an immersive film!

There is plenty of action, from the aliens crashing into things while chasing the teenagers, the sounds of fireworks to the hip-hop bass-bumping music soundtrack and the music by Steven Price, “Attack the Block” sounds wonderful on Blu-ray!

Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Attack the Block” comes with the following special features:

I have only heard the hype about this film and until I finally sat down and watched this film for myself, I can see why so many have raved about it.

The first thing I did after watching this film is go to Facebook and Google+ to rave about how awesome “Attack the Block” is because the whole concept, the whole entire film based on a gang trying to survive an alien onslaught is rather fun and exciting to watch.

And you have to give credit for the film’s efficacy to Joe Cornish.  The writer/actor makes is filmmaking debut with “Attack the Block” and with him calling the shots, the first thing he asks for is not having actors trying to act like they are from South London, you have to find people who are from the troubled streets to make this film come alive.

And what you have is a group of older teenagers who know how to talk smack, teenagers who seem like they are the real thing and most of all, making you feel the film is authentic.  And Cornish, no matter how many takes it took to make the scene work, his dedication to capturing the authenticity of people living in South London was impressive, realistic and lends to the enjoyability of this film.

Many have described the film to “Goonies” but Goonies for the modern era.   And I can see the comparisons but one thing that makes this film so unique aside from its multiple use of slang is that in this film, none of the kids will be spared to the end.  Some will live, some will die but there is no happy ending in the sunset.

And while “Attack the Block” is a sci-fi, action adventure type of film, there is also a message that goes into the crime that takes place in South London.  Almost, similar to a film such as “Boyz n the Hood” which goes into the politics of having people kill themselves in the hood, “Attack the Block” also makes the statement as these kids feel that no one is going to help them.  If the Block is going to be attacked and they are going to be killed by aliens, does it matter to anyone?  They are the poor, their location is where drug deals take place, people live miserably and now, they have a new danger that can kill them off but does anyone give a damn?

Suffice to say, when we understand the living conditions that these people live in, we become sympathetic, especially as these group of teenagers do what they can to protect their block.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Joe Cornish knows how to use comedy in a film that could very much be a dark “Goonies meets the Warriors meets Predator” in South London.  Comedy is the key to the enjoyment of this film and while you expect talent like Nick Frost (“Hot Fuzz”, “Paul” and “Shaun of the Dead”) to earn laughs, the surprise star is young Alex Esmail as Pest, and there is no doubt in my mind that we are going to see more of this young actor in the near future.

Meanwhile, I also have to commend actor John Boyega for playing the stoic leader Moses (and is it me or does Boyega look like a young Denzel?).  Not bad for a young actor who discovered the audition for this film online and then eventually getting the part for the lead character role!

If anything, it’s the characters that make “Attack the Block” an enjoyable film.  The aliens, we know they are there…they look ugly, they’ll thrash anything in their way but instead of focusing on the actual fear of trying to allude the aliens, Cornish was able to develop a character-driven screenplay in which everyone has their part in the film.  From the five gang members, Sam the nurse and even the drug dealers or drug buyer.  Everyone has a a chance to partake in the chaotic nature of the film but to accomplish it with a low budget, for the most part, I’m quite impressed.

And as far as the Blu-ray is concerned, this is one hell of a release!  You get three audio commentary (and because Joe Cornish is a big fan of them, he makes sure to avoid the pitfalls of kitschy commentary by making sure dialogue is kept up throughout the film), an intriguing video diary of the making of the film from pre-production through the completion of filming and more. And the picture and audio quality of this release is fantastic!  If anything, this is one heck of a solid Blu-ray release and fans of the film will definitely be appreciative of the overall release.

It’s a shame that “Attack the Block” only received limited distribution in theaters in America, personally I don’t think that the slang and South London accents affected my understanding of the film as it was easy to follow.  Sure, it could have had more scares but I found myself laughing and was literally captivated by the film from beginning to end.  And as far as the alien infestation goes, due to the success of the film, I get a feeling that it’s not all over and we may see more of Moses, Pest and possibly Sam in the near future.  At least, I hope so!

“Attack the Block” is highly recommended!

Legend of the Millennium Dragon: Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

Based on Takafumi Takada’s novels comes the anime adaptation of “Onigamiden” titled “Legend of the Millennium Dragon”.  Entertaining, action-packed and not dark or excessively violent, “Legend of the Millennium Dragon” is a film about one young man’s search for his inner strength.  An anime film worth checking out!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Takafumi Takada/Kodansha and Legend of The Millennium Dragon Film Partners. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Legend of the Millennium Dragon: Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2011

DURATION: 98 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:35:1), Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish

RATED: PG-13 (Some Violence and Scary Images)

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2011

Directed by Hirotsugu Kawasaki

Script by Hirotsugu Kawasaki, Naruhisa Arakawa

Storyboards by Hidekazu Ohara, Hirotsugu Kawasaki, Mamoru Sasaki

Unit Director: Yoriyasu Kogawa

Music by Eitetsu Hayashi, Ryudo Uzaki

Original Work by Takafumi Takada

Character Design by Tetsuya Nishio

Art Direction by Mutsuo Koseki, Satoshi Matsuoka

3D Director: Takayuki Chiba

Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka

Director of Photography by Atsuho Matsumoto

Anime Production by Studio Pierrot

Featuring the voice talent:

Kensho Ono as Jun Tendo

Satomi Ishihara as Mizuha

Shidou Nakamura as Gen’un

A spectacular journey of an unwilling young hero thrust into a mysterious past full of monsters, dragons, and strange hidden powers. Through a series of out of this world battles and adventures, Jun, a shy middle school boy, is transformed into a hero destined to battle evil and ensure harmony and tranquility in the world.

A beautiful action film adaptation of Takafumi Takada’s “Onigamiden” novels, “Legend of the Millenium Dragon” on Blu-ray features the director’s cut, a Blu-ray +DVD Combo Pack and also another visual and audio treat via HD courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment!

In 2010, director Hirotsugu Kawasaki (“Naruto” films, “Record of Lodoss War”) and Studio Pierrot took on Takada’s historical sci-fi novel.  Featuring a screenplay adaptation by Naruhisa Arakawa (“D.N.Angel”, “Blue Seed”, “Spice and Wolf”) and music by Ryudo Uzaki (“Queen Millennia”, “Kamen Rider” films, “Dagger of Kamui”), “Legend of the Millennium Dragon”.

The film begins in the distant past as an army of Oni (devil) are attacking a village of humans and many die trying to fight the evil monsters but as they create a giant monster, a monk is able to use his supernatural power to destroy it and temporarily stop the war.  The monk wonders what will happen next?

“Legend of the Millennium Dragon” revolves around a 15-year-old named Jun Tendo who lives in Kyoto.  His father died years ago after saving a child who was about to be hit by a train and without a father, Jun has been left to live with his mother and pretty much not have a father to take care of him.  While his father is considered to be a brave hero, his mother has wanted him to follow his father’s example and be strong.

But whenever Jun sees things that are not right, he knows he doesn’t have the strength or the guts to do anything about it.

One day, while walking outside a shrine, one of the oni show up and tries to attack Jun.  Jun runs inside the shrine where he meets the monk, Gen’un who tells him that he is a member of a warrior tribe that fought and destroyed the oni back in the past using the Orochi (an eight-headed dragon).  Of course, Jun doesn’t believe any of it, but when Gen’un brings the Oni out of the paintings inside the shrine, Jun collapses.

When he wakes up, he sees Gen’un but also wakes up to meet a young warrior named Raikou.  Raikou is shocked to see Jun at the shrine because he is the boy that is told in the prophecy, the one who will defeat the oni.  But to Raikou, Jun does not resemble any kind of warrior and he is right.  Jun is not a warrior, nor does he know how to fight.

Jun also realizes that he is not in his own time.  He is back in the distant past of Japan where man is fighting oni and the village is putting all their trust in Jun to defeat them.

But Jun has no idea what they are talking about.  He has no special ability or power.  But Gen’un tells Jun that the tattoo that he was born with is a symbol of an ancestry of special warriors who used the dragons Orochi to defeat the oni.  But for Jun, he is not a fighter nor did he want to be involved in any of this.

But the following day, the village is attacked by the Oni and the village is being destroyed.  As Jun sees all the destruction, he realizes that many people need him to use his power.  But for Jun, he doesn’t believe that he has any power.

But when he sees Raikou nearly killed, Jun unleashes a power that wakes Orochi and also saves his new friend.

And Jun finds himself riding on the Orochi and not knowing how to control it.

Orochi takes Jun to another village and when Jun goes to find someone, he runs into a wounded oni.  But the villagers manage to take it’s helmet off and what he sees is not a monster but a regular girl.  As the village warriors try to kill it, Jun escapes with orochi along with the oni girl named Mizuha.

Meanwhile, word gets out to Gen’un about Jun helping an oni and he is not pleased.  He sends Raikou out to find him.

As Orochi takes Jun to get medical help for Mizuha, they end up in the village of the oni.

Scared for his life, everyone in the village removes their helmets and Jun quickly learns, these are not bad people.  They just wear helmets that give the appearance that they are mean looking.  And their story is that Gen’un has kicked these villagers out of their homes and Gen’un took control of it for his own selfish reasons.  And the reason why an oni went to Jun’s real reality was to find him and ask for his help to defend and fight with the Oni to stop the evil Gen’un.

But for Jun, he has heard two different tales from both warring factions.  Both sides needs his help to destroy the others, but Jun is not like that.  He doesn’t want anyone to fight anyone.  He’s not a fighter.

So, Jun feels the best thing to do is send him back home.  There is no way he can fight any of these people.  They are good people and he doesn’t want to get mixed up in anyone’s war.

But when it is revealed that one side is actually lying…will Jun stay and fight?  Or will he go back home and let one group suffer because he didn’t use his power?

VIDEO:

“Legend of the Millennium Dragon” is presented in 1080p High Definition and anime production is by Studio Pierrot.  For those familiar with the “Naruto” TV series and films, will notice Tetsuya Nishio’s work for the character designs for this film.  It’s a different style than what most people are used to seeing in an anime series but for the most part, the action sequences of this film are well-done and are quite fluid.

The beauty of this film lies within its art backgrounds as the modern day Kyoto is actually based on real-life areas of the city.  The creators of the film wanted to capture the authenticity of modern-day Kyoto that they worked with various companies for tie-ins to promote the film.  From store chains to shrines, nearly everything featured in the modern-day setting is based on actual Kyoto business and buildings.

The film is vibrant with colors and there is a good amount of detail on the art backgrounds and for the most part, picture quality for the Blu-ray release of “Legend of the Millennium Dragon” is fantastic!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Legend of the Millennium Dragon” is presented in Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and also French, German, Portuguese and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.  I did a test listening to both soundtracks and for the most part, dialogue is crystal clear from the center channel while action and music comes clearly through the front and surround channels.

The good news is that it is an active soundtrack and for every action sequence, may it be building being destroyed, crowds of people fighting each other, fireballs, Orochi hitting objects, etc.  There is a lot of that throughout the film, so it’s an active soundtrack.

The Japanese voice acting is well-done and the English dub, the good news is that the casting of the characters sound nearly the same with their Japanese counterpart, but some of the acting for the English dub was OK.  Granted, I’m more biased to watching films in their original language, but for the most part, fans who prefer to watch anime in English, will probably feel the dub is quite suitable for them.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Legend of the Millennium Dragon” comes with a concept art gallery (viewed by remote control selection).

“The Legend of the Millennium Dragon” is a beautiful action film showcasing one young man’s search for his inner strength.

The storyline does have its share of banal plots such as one going back to the past and being involved in an epic war and making big decisions and the usual “I will protect those I care about”.  From “Fushigi Yuugi” to “Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~” to name a few, when I think of similar anime, typically the heroine from the future is typically a female, but in this case, we have a young kid who lost his father and has to find his own strength.

But what I enjoyed about the film is the twist and finding out that the oni are not “devils” but people who were forced out of their village and are just trying to survive.

And when you look at life historically, Americans had done the same with native Americans and making them out to be the most horrible people on the planet, when in fact, by colonizing, we literally took their land that they were trying to protect.  The same can be said in Japan, and the treatment of early Japanese ala the Ainu’s, who also have had their share of unfortunate prejudice that even takes place today.

But in the end, “Legend of the Millennium” is an action film geared to people of all ages.

The Blu-ray release looks fantastic while the characters designs have a lot in common with an anime series like “Naruto” courtesy of Tetsuya Nishio who worked on the “Naruto” series and films, while the art backgrounds are beautifully painted, thanks to Studio Pierrot.  The lossless audio is also well done as you hear the action and the music being well utilized from the surround channels and for the most part, an anime film with a solid soundtrack.

Special features were a bit lacking with only a concept art gallery but if anything, the good news is that the Blu-ray does shine in the PQ and AQ department.

Overall, “Legend of the Millennium Dragon” is an enjoyable anime film.  Especially those who enjoy the underdog being transported to the feudal era in Japan and having to prepare to fight, despite not knowing how to fight.  The main character Jun Tendo can get on your nerves as its evident that the character is not much of a fighter and would rather not fight.  But at the same time, it’s the film’s strength because this character eventually needs to find his true strength in order to protect people and we get to see how Jun Tendo eventually grows up.

Entertaining, action-packed and not dark or excessively violent, “Legend of the Millennium Dragon” is a film worth checking out!

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