Real Steel (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Real Steel” features all-out robot action with a compelling and exciting storyline and a film that looks and sounds awesome on Blu-ray!  Definitely recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2012 Dreamworks II Distrbution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Real Steel

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 127 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:35:1), English 7.1 DTS-HD MA, English 2.0 DVS Dolby Digital, French 7.1 DTS-HD HR, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.  Subtitles: English, English SDH and French

COMPANY: Touchstone Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (For Some Violence, Intense Action and Brief Language)

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Directed by Shawn Levy

Screenplay by John Gatins

Story by Dan Gilroy and Jeremy Leven

Based on the Short Story “Steel” by Richard Matheson

Produced by Shawn Levy, Susan Montford, Don Murphy, Robert Zemeckis

Executive Producer: Josh McLaglen, Mary McLaglen, Jack Rapke, Steven Spielberg, Steve Starkey

Co-Produced by Rick Benattar, Eric Hedayat

Associate Producer: Ron Ames

Music by Danny Elfman

Cinematography by Mauro Fiore

Edited by Dean Zimmerman

Casting by Richard Hicks, David Rubin

Production Design by Tom Meyer

Art Direction by Seth Reed, Tino Schaedler, Jason Baldwin Stewart, Jeff Wisniewski

Set Decoration by Victor J. Zolfo

Costume Design by Marlene Stewart

Starring:

Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton

Dakota Goyo as Max Kenton

Evangeline Lilly as Bailey Tallet

Anthony Mackie as Finn

Kevin Durand as Ricky

Hope Davis as Aunt Debra

James Rebhorn as Marvin

Marco Ruggeri as Cliff

Karl Yune as Tak Mashido

Olga Fonda as Farra Lemkova

Balancing gritty action and emotional heart, “Real Steel” is an inspiring and visually stunning film that takes audiences on an action-packed journey. Washed-up boxer Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) scrapes by as a small-time robot-fight promoter as he tries to make a comeback. Against all odds he eventually succeeds—at least in the eyes of his son Max (Dakota Goyo). “Real Steel” is spectacular family entertainment that will have everyone cheering again and again.

In the distant future, men will compete in robot fighting competitions.

Not too farfetched as many people have grown up on stories of humans controlling robots, may it be through animation or video games and with today’s technology of visual effects, why not a live action film?

And so producer Steven Spielberg brings us a sci-fi film with that concept in mind with the 2011 film “Real Steel” directed by Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum” films, “Date Night”, “The Pink Panther”) and a screenplay by John Gatins (“Coach Carter”, “Hard Ball”) and based on the 1956 short story “Steel” by Richard Matheson”.

The film would star Hugh Jackman (“X-Men” films, “Australia”, “Van Helsing”), Dakota Goyo (“Thor”, “Defendor”), Evangeline Lilly (“Lost”, “The Hurt Locker”), Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker”, “Million Dollar Baby”) and Kevin Durand (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, “Lost”, “I Am Number Four”).

The film would achieve success in the box office making over $292 million and a sequel is slated for release for 2014.

“Real Steel” is set in 2020, where robot boxing is the big sport around the world.

Charlie Kenton (played by Hugh Jackman) is a former boxer who’s life is now down in the dumps and he is in severe debt.  He owns the robot “Ambush” and competes in unsanctioned matches and exhibitions and one day, he gets caught up in a deal with promoter Ricky (played by Kevin Durand) that his robot can beat Ricky’s bull in a match.   And once again, Charlie bets $20,000 that he will win.

While Charlie was leading in the match, excited about his performance, he begins staring at women in the stands and takes his eyes off the bull. The bull gores Ambush and literally tears the robot apart.  Now in big trouble and without any money to pay Ricky, Charlie plans to drives off and leave.  But while leaving, he is told by two men that his his ex-girlfriend has died and that he must go to a court hearing to decide the fate of his son Max (played by Dakota goyo).

So, Charlie leaves without paying Ricky and escapes to the gym that is owned by Bailey Tallet (played by Evangeline Lilly) and a gym where Charlie trained to be a boxer under her father.

Bailey has had an up and down relationship with Charlie because she is struggling to keep the gym alive because Charlie has not payed her.  To make matters worse, Charlie has not been able to make much money in the robot boxing matches and she is afraid that she may need to sell the gym.

Desperately needing a new robot, Charlie is told about a deal to buy the former fighting robot from Japan – “Noisy Boy” but it would cost him $50,000.  Desperately in need of money, Charlie needs to find a way to get the money quickly.

While Charlie attends the court hearing, Debra, the sister of Max’s mother wants full custody.  She also happens to be married to Marvin (played by James Rebhorn), a wealthy man and immediately Charlie may have found a way to get the money he needs to purchase a new robot.  Because Marvin and Debra were planning a vacation to Europe.  So, both Charlie and Marvin work on a deal so Marvin can take his wife to Europe for their second honeymoon and that is for Marvin to pay Charlie $100,000 to watch over Max for three months.  Marvin agrees and pays him $50,000 upfront and will pay him $50,000 when they return.

Because Charlie has only met Max only once long ago, there is not much of a relationship between father and son and when Max finds out that his father literally sold his son for $50,000…suffice to say, Max isn’t happy.  But Charlie tries to explain that he needed the money to purchase “Noisy Boy” and immediately, Max is excited as he shows his passion for watching robot boxing and his familiarity with the robots.

As Charlie and Max head out to a competition in order to make some money, both head to an illegal fighting circuit which is run by Charlie’s friend Finn (played by Anthony Mackie).  Charlie is offered to fight in a survival fight but Charlie wants Noisy Boy to fight the illegal circuit champion, Midas.  Max is a bit upset with his father because he just got the robot and is not familiar with his fighting moves and already he is fighting with it.

And sure enough, during the fight with Midas, Charlie’s inexperience with the robot and his overconfidence gets the best of him and Charlie loses control of Noisy Boy who is literally decapitated by Midas.

Now losing another robot and broke, Charlie is once again desperate.  He brings his son Max to the junkyard where they break in and try to steal robot parts.  But in the process, Max falls through a cliff and is nearly killed but is fortunately rescued barely by his clothes being snagged on the fingers of a robot that is was buried in the dirt.  His father comes to rescue him and Charlie feeling grateful to this robot that is buried, wants to bring it home.

And sure enough, Charlie brings back an old, obsolete Generation-2 sparring robot build back in 2014 named Atom, a robot that was build to sustain major damage.  And while the robot is able to shadow the movements of its user, Max takes the broken parts from Noisy Boy and Ambush and upgrades Atom in order to take vocal commands and also have a spin frame.  And Max wants his father to get him a match.

Unfortunately, Charlie is not interested but because he needs money, he is able to give his son that chance but also to learn the agony of being defeated in robot boxing.  So, Charlie takes Max and his robot Atom to an unsanctioned outdoor match to take on a robot known as Metro.   If Max could beat Metro and last for one round, if he beats Metro, he can win three thousand dollars.

At first, the match isn’t going well for Charlie but because Charlie knows boxing, he begins to coach Max on commands and sure enough, with father and son working together, they defeat Metro and earn extra money.  Through the process of attending these events, Max gets his first glance of the World Robot Boxing (WRB) champion, Zeus which is controlled by Tak Mashido and is represented by Farra Lemcova (played by Olga Fonda).

The two continue to use Atom in several matches and they continue to win each time.  And because of Atom being an older robot that has been defeating various robots in lower circuits, he has caught the attention of a World Robot Boxing league promoter and is given a chance to fight in a real professional fight against a robot named Twin Cities.

The two are requested to meet with Zeus crew and Farra tells Charlie and Max that they would like to purchase Atom for $100,000.  Excited about money, Charlie wants to sell him but since it belongs to Max, Max has no intention to sell Atom and rejects the offer.

As the match between Atom and Twin Cities begins, despite early challenges…the duo once again emerge victorious and as the crowd is excited about this underdog older robot beating a WRB robot, during the post-interview in the boxing ring, Max challenges WRB champion Zeus in a match. Requesting for them to give a nobody a single chance to take on the champ.  And immediately, the crowd goes crazy and would love to see a match take place.

And sure enough, Tak Mashido and Farra Lemcova accept!

And as things continue to look good between father and son, unfortunately Ricky has come back for his money and payback for Charlie running away and not paying.  And he is beaten by Ricky and his men and Max was nearly injured. Also, because Debra is planning to get Max back as they will be arriving from their vacation, Charlie does not want his son growing up with a failure of a father and get him caught in anymore predicaments.  So, Charlie has made the decision to leave Max and have him live with his aunt Debra, especially since he signed away custody papers to Debra.

How will Charlie break the bad news to Max and will the match between Atom vs. Zeus ever place?

VIDEO:

“Real Steel” is presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:35:1) and is a film that looks great on Blu-ray!  I loved the fact that Spielberg suggested Director Shawn Levy to have robots created for this film which allows a bit more believability for its actors because they have something visual to act with.  But there is a tremendous amount of detail especially with the robots from Atom having layers of mud on him, the sheen and the lights that emit from the Japanese robot Noisy Boy, detail also on the visual effects for the computerized controller or monitors and the action sequences of seeing pieces of metal flying when the robots are hit.

And the amount of detail also can be seen with the talent as the grime on Max can be seen with clarity during the Metal Valley scene, the outdoor sequences are vibrant with colors and even during the nighttime sequences, black levels are nice and deep, didn’t see any crush.  I didn’t notice any visual defects, artifacts or any problems with video.

“Real Steel” looks fantastic!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Real Steel” is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD MA, English 2.0 DVS Dolby Digital, French 7.1 DTS-HD HR, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.  The lossless audio track definitely plays a significant role in this film.  First, the ambient noise can be heard in scenes such as outdoors with the noise of the city and cars being heard around you but once you get into those scenes that involve robot boxing, the soundtrack becomes immersive!  From the audience being heard all around you, to the sounds of music and other audio effects that relate to the robots coming from the surround channels but also plenty of LFE, including it’s musical soundtrack with hip hop tracks with solid bass.

From the scene showcasing Noisy Boy for the first time to the various fights that involve Atom, especially versus Zeus, the lossless soundtrack becomes immersive. Dialogue is crystal clear, surround channels, LFE…this film really delivers in audio and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray!

Subtitles are in English, English SDH and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Real Steel” comes with the following special features:

• Real Steel: Second Screen  – Ringside with Director Shawn Levy – This feature allows you to watch while the film is showing and watch on an iPad or computer.
• Countdown to the Fight – The Charlie Kenton Story – (13:51) An extended storyline leading up to the fight against Zeus as Charlie Kenton and those who know him are interviewed about this story of being a middleweight boxer and how he and his son with Atom are about to take on the WRB champ, Zeus.
• Making of Metal Valley – (14:14) Director Shawn Levy and his crew discuss the challenges of filming the “Metal Valley” scene.
• Building the Bots – (5:38) Legacy Effects talks about continuing Stan Winston’s work of creating robots for this film and how Steven Spielberg gave Director Shawn Levy advice to have robots created for the film.
• Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ – (6:18) Sugar Ray Leonard talks about training Hugh Grant for the boxing sequences and behind-the-scenes look at the training.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes – (17:40) Featuring an extended: Meet Ambush Scene and the deleted storyline titled “Butterfly” which is the emotional storyline about Max and his father discussing his mother which was removed from the final cut of the film.
• Bloopers – (2:38) Featuring outtakes from “Real Steel”.

“Real Steel” was a film that people loved or disliked.  Some felt it was the modern-day “Over the Top” (the 1987 film starring Sylvester Stallone) and others who were fascinated by the underdog storyline and visual effects featuring big robots.

For me, I absolutely enjoyed this film.  When I was younger, I would compete with other children in wind-up robot toys that would fight in makeshift boxing rings made with wood, nails and rubber bands, to reading comic books and collecting toys featuring “Shogun Warriors” and “Transformers” as well as watching the cartoons.  And my passion of robot fighting had never ceased as even as an adult as I continued playing the Japanese “Super Robot Taisen”, “Virtual On” and various Gundam and Macross robot fight video games and there is no doubt that these games have continued to become popular to a fanbase who enjoy robot (mecha) battles.

So, “Real Steel” was a film that I watched with my nine-year-old and both of us enjoyed it.

For one, “Real Steel” is visually cool to look at with its many robots (one thing that Steven Spielberg emphasized was for actual real robots to be created and thus Legacy Effects was responsible about two dozen of them) and of course, with the film taking place in 2020, you have the cool crystal display futuristic monitors and the control devices for these robots.  While visual effects and set design were absolutely wonderful when it comes to creating Metal Valley, it also helps to have a solid storyline to back it up.

Sure, there is a similar style between father and son like the 1987 film “Over the Top” but for “Real Steel”, but not much was focused on father trying to get closer to the son.  The film focused on the action, and father and son getting closer through their experience of traveling on the robot circuit.  Included in this Blu-ray release is actually a scene cut from the film that would have introduced the emotional connection between father and son, which I did enjoy but understand within the context and the tone of the film of why it was removed for the final cut.

Yes, the son teaches father a lesson storyline is intact and yes, it is rather cliche but the film has a compelling story, but when it comes to these films, it’s not a deep storyline that many people are expecting… it’s the action that people come to watch a robot boxing film.  And “Real Steel” manages to have a pretty enjoyable storyline and wonderful robot action scenes.

Steven Spielberg who learned a lot from his producing work for “Transformers” learned that people love these films for the action but also gave director Shawn Levy some solid advice and also let the director and the crew become creative for this film.   This is where “Real Steel” delivers strongly is its action and visual effects and because real robots were created instead of doing everything on the green screen, it gave Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo and Evangeline Lilly a robot to work from visually for their performance. Director Shawn Levy managed to bridge the gap between his actors and its mecha environment.  And as for the robot boxing matchups, these robot boxing matches were simply a joy to watch.

For parents wondering why the film is PG-13 and if it’s worth showing to their children, there is one scene that probably drove this film to a PG-13 rating is when the character of Charlie Kenton is caught by one of the men he owes money too and knowing that his son would be his weakness, one of the men holds his son (who is struggling to get out of the hold) while Charlie is being beaten and kicked.  It’s not a long scene but still, I can understand how censors would make this film a PG-13 because a child was involved in that sequence. So parental guidance is definitely suggested for that scene but other than that, there was no other scene that parents have to worry about.  My son absolutely loved the film but the only part that he didn’t care for is the short romantic scene featuring Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly’s characters kissing, which my son asked me if I could fast forward past that scene.

As for the Blu-ray release, “Real Steel” delivers in picture quality and also fantastic audio and there is also a good amount of special features that are included with this release.

Overall, I can easily recommend “Real Steel”, for its storyline, its visual effects, awesome action and of course, the cool looking robots.  But this is definitely an action film that also looks and sounds great on Blu-ray and a film worth recommending!

The”2011 MTV Movie Awards” Deliver Big Laughs, Big Moments and “FIRST LOOKS” OF THIS YEAR’S MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILMS

Awards Celebrate Next Generation of Super Stars Including Justin Bieber, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ellen Page, Alexys Nycole Sanchez and Emma Stone

J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg Take the Wraps Off “Super 8”

Reese Witherspoon Honored with This Year’s “MTV Generation Award”

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - JUNE 5: Actors Robert Pattinson (L) and Kristen Stewart accept the award for Best Kiss onstage at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre on June 5, 2011 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Scott Gries/MTV/PictureGroup)

Universal City, CA – MTV’s 2011 “Movie Awards” kept its tradition as Hollywood’s most atypical and irreverent awards show with surprise appearances, raunchy roasts, exclusive sneak peeks and even a few #laserboners.  The LIVE telecast got off to a hilarious and celeb-studded start with host Jason Sudeikis spoofing “The Hangover Part II” as he gets drunk with Justin Bartha, loses Taylor Lautner, wakes up to a tattooed Eva Mendes sleeping in a bathtub and receives some tough love from the straight-shooting Chelsea Handler.  Sudeikis then launches a no-holds-barred monologue in which no one and nothing is off limits – even himself — riffing on everything from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Justin Bieber to rumors the SNL star may soon be a “baby daddy.”

The show celebrated cinema’s next generation of talent with first-time winners Justin Bieber, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ellen Page, Alexys Nycole Sanchez and Emma Stone, as well as returning favorites Tom Felton, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, among others.

The fantastical set featured lush green landscapes, a glowing hillside and cascading crystals that turned the night into a psychedelic summer night’s dream. It was the perfect backdrop for MTV to give viewers “first looks” at some of the year’s most highly-anticipated movies, including exclusive footage from the super-secret “Super 8” presented by J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney; never-before-seen footage from “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1”; and a sneak peek clip from the concluding chapter of the most successful film franchise in movie history, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2,” introduced by the film’s leading actress Emma Stone.

Fan favorite actress Reese Witherspoon was honored with this year’s “MTV Generation Award.”  Following toasts by former co-stars Robert Pattinson and Patrick Dempsey, and upcoming co-star Chelsea Handler, Witherspoon poked fun at her presenters but also gave a message of empowerment to young women.

Emma Stone became the second woman ever, after Reese Witherspoon, to win in the “BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE” category. Stone then took her humor from the silver screen to the stage when she joined Jason Sudeikis for a laugh-out-loud musical send-up that featured movie themed songs written by this year’s host and featuring Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl on the gong.

Kristen Stewart took home “BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE and “BEST KISS” for the third year straight, while Ellen Page grabbed “BEST SCARED-AS-S**T PERFORMANCE.” Winner Chloë Grace Moretz took home awards for “BEST BREAKOUT STAR” and “BIGGEST BADASS STAR,” and child actor Alexys Nycole Sanchez won the first-ever “golden popcorn” in the “BEST LINE FROM A MOVIE” category.

This year’s show took the funny to a whole new level as Jim Carrey – the star who has won the most “Movie Awards” ever – introduced the Foo Fighters while wearing a business suit made of green screen that projected images of landscapes, cities, explosions… and even a couple of humping dogs. The Foo Fighters brought down the house as they took the stage for an electric performance of “Walk,” the second single off their chart-topping album Wasting Light. Switching gears from rock royalty to rap and R&B’s rising stars, critically-acclaimed hip-hop superstar Lupe Fiasco was joined by R&B sensation Trey Songz for their first-ever televised performance of the single “Out of My Head,” off Lupe’s #1 album LASERS, into Lupe’s performance of his platinum-hit song “The Show Goes On.”

Justin Bieber made a surprise appearance that caused the hearts of teen girls everywhere to beat double time, as he was awarded “BEST JAWDROPPING MOMENT.” Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively from “Green Lantern” took the stage as “Jackass-3D” stars Steve-O, Chris Pontius and David England, along with “Twilight Saga” heartthrob Kellan Lutz, sported green #laserboners in the audience.

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” took home the most golden popcorns of any film for a total of five awards in the categories “BEST MOVIE,” “BEST FEMALE” and “BEST MALE PERFORMANCE,” “BEST KISS” and “BEST FIGHT.”

Winners of the “2011 MTV Movie Awards” are:

BEST MOVIE

• “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” – Director: David Slade, Producers: Wyck Godfrey and Karen Rosenfelt  (Summit Entertainment)

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

• Robert Pattinson – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (Summit Entertainment)

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE

• Kristen Stewart – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (Summit Entertainment)

BEST BREAKOUT STAR

• Chloe Grace Moretz – “Kick-Ass” (Lionsgate)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

• Emma Stone – “Easy A” (Sony Pictures)

BEST LINE FROM A MOVIE (New Category)

• Alexys Nycole Sanchez – “Grown Ups” (Sony Pictures)
  “I want to get chocolate wasted.”

BEST VILLAIN

• Tom Felton – “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

BEST FIGHT

• Robert Pattinson vs. Bryce Dallas Howard – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (Summit Entertainment)

BEST KISS

• Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (Summit Entertainment)

BEST JAWDROPPING MOMENT

• Justin Bieber – “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” Performance Spectacular (Paramount Pictures)

BEST SCARED-AS -S**T PERFORMANCE

• Ellen Page – “Inception” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

BIGGEST BADASS STAR

• Chloë Grace Moretz – “Kick-Ass” (Lionsgate)

The “2011 MTV Movie Awards” were available to a potential viewing audience of more than 1.2 billion people via MTV’s global network of more than 60 channels that reaches nearly 600 million households around the world as well as through syndication.  In addition, its convergent programming & content reached the entire interactive community, via MTV’s more than 200 digital media properties around the world.

Mark Burnett served as Executive Producer for the “2011 MTV Movie Awards.” Audrey Morrissey was the Executive Producer.  Garrett English served as Executive Producer and Executive in Charge for MTV. Jane Mun served as Supervising Producer.  For MTV, Wendy Plaut was the Celebrity Talent Executive and Amy Doyle and Joanna Bomberg served as the Executives in Charge of Music and Talent.

Official sponsors of the 2011 MTV Movie Awards included adidas®, Chevrolet, SNICKERS® Brand, Sprint, Starbucks Coffee Company, State Farm®, Taco Bell® and TWIX®.

About MTV:
MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand.   With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people.  MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy®, Grammy® and Peabody® award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile.  MTV’s sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture.  MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com.

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Monster House in 3D (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Monster House in 3D”  features an upgraded release of the previous 2006 Blu-ray, includes both the original 2D version and a 3D version of the film.  3D does showcase good separation between the characters, objects and backgrounds.  How 3D is utilized is subjective to the viewer but I felt it was good and it worked with this 2006 film but at the same time, the 3D was nothing revolutionary.  But for those who enjoyed the film and have not owned the Blu-ray previously, “Monster House in 3D” is worth the purchase and if you have a 3D enabled TV and player, then you also have that extra bonus of having a 3D version of the movie.

Images courtesy of © 2006 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and GH One LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Monster House in 3D

YEAR OF FILM RELEASE: 2006

DURATION: 91 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1) 2D and 3D MVC Encoded 3D, Full Resolution L/R Eye, English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language)

RELEASE DATE: September 14, 2010

Directed by Gil Kenan

Screenplay by Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, Pamela Pettier

Story by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab

Executive Producer: Jason Clark, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis

Producer: Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey

Associate Producer: Heather Kelton, Bennett Schneir

Line Producer: Peter M. Tobyansen

Music by Douglas Pipes

Cinematography by Paul C. Babin, Xavier Perez Grobet

Edited by Fabienne Rawley, Adam P. Scott

Casting by Scot Boland, Victoria Burrows

Production Design by Ed Verreaux

Art Direction by Norman Newberry, Greg Papalia

Set Decoration by Kate J. Sullivan

Costume Design by Ruth Myers

Starring:

Steve Buscemi as Nebbercracker

Mitchel Musso as DJ

Catherine O’Hara as Mom

Fred Willard as Dad

Sam Lerner as Chowder

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Zee

Jason Lee as Bones

Spencer Locke as Jenny

Kevin James as Officer Landers

Nick Cannon as Officer Lister

Jon Heder as Reginald “Skull” Skulinski

Kathleen Turner as Constance

Even for a 12-year old, D.J. Walters has a particularly overactive imagination. He is convinced that his haggard and crabby neighbor Horace Nebbercracker, who terrorizes all the neighborhood kids, is responsible for Mrs. Nebbercracker’s mysterious disappearance. Any toy that touches Nebbercracker’s property, promptly disappears, swallowed up by the cavernous house in which Horace lives. D.J. has seen it with his own eyes! But no one believes him, not even his best friend, Chowder. What everyone does not know is D.J. is not imagining things. Everything he’s seen is absolutely true and it’s about to get much worse than anything D.J could have imagined.

For many fans of filmmaker Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis and the work they did with the “Back to the Future” films, the news that the two would collaborate on another project made fans highly anticipating their next film.

The collaboration would bethe 1996 CG animated film “Monster House” as the two filmmakers would serve as executive producers and utilizing performance capturing that was used in Zemeckis’ film “The Polar Express”.  Directing the film would be Gil Kenan (“City of Ember”) and feature a screenplay by Dan Harmon (“Community”, “The Sarah Silverman Program”, “Channel 101″), Rob Schrab (“The Sarah Silverman Program”, “Channel 101″) and Pamela Pettler (“Corpse Bride”, “9″).

The film would feature the voices of Steve Buscemi (“Armageddon”, “The Big Lebowski”, “28 Days”), Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Dark Knight”, “Donnie Darko”, “Mona Lisa Smile”), Mitchel Musso (“Hannah Montana”, “Phineas and Ferb”), Sam Lerner (“The Secret Saturdays”) and Spencer Locke (“Cougar Town”, “Big Time Rush”, “Twentysixmiles”).  As well, as other talents such as Kathleen Turner, Jon Heder, Nick Cannon, Kevin James, Jason Lee, Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara.

“Monster House” was created with a $75 million budget and grossed over $140 million in the box office.  The film was released on DVD and also one of the first animated films to be released on Blu-ray (2006) and will now be released on Blu-ray in 3D on Sept. 14th.  It’s important to note that this Blu-ray release also features a new upgraded version of “Monster House” in HD as well.

The film revolves around DJ Walters (voiced by Mitchel Musso), a boy who spies on Mr. Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi), a cranky, creepy older man who doesn’t like people walking on his yard.  If anyone loses a ball or bike, he will confiscate it and not return it.   DJ happens to watch a young girl lose her tricycle on Nebbercracker’s yard and has been keeping tabs on the things Nebbercracker had confiscated.

With Halloween coming up, DJ’s parents are leaving for the weekend and leave him in the care of his babysitter Elizabeth “Zee” (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhaal), a hard rock girl who actually is a nice girl in front of his parents but looks at the opportunity of babysitting as a way to be alone with her boyfriend Bones (voiced by Jason Lee).

One day when DJ and his friend Chowder (voiced by Sam Lerner) are playing ball, the ball lands on Nebbercracker’s lawn and as DJ tries to pick it up, Nebbercracker comes out and starts screaming at DJ and tries to grab him.  But in the process, Nebbercracker collapses and DJ and Chowder think Nebbercracker is dead.  When the paramedics come, DJ finds a gold key that Nebbercracker had dropped.  Meanwhile, that night, someone tries to call DJ and when he does a star 69, he hears the call going to the Nebbercracker’s house.  Someone in the house is trying to call him.

DJ sneaks out of the house at night and he and Chowder talk that someone is there even though Nebbercracker is gone (they think he is dead).  When Chowder tries to ding-dong-ditch the house, the house reacts and tries to eat him.  Chowder escapes and both run back to the house feeling the house is alive (and evil).

Meanwhile, the following day, Jennifer “Jenny” Bennett (voiced by Spencer Locke) is trying to sell Halloween chocolates and as she goes door to door, DJ and Chowder see her going towards Nebbercracker’s house.  As they run to stop her, Jenny is then attacked by the house but the three manage to escape.

They try to call the cops, but police officers Landers and Lester (voiced by Kevin James and Nick Cannon) do not believe them.

The kids then try to get advice from Reginald “Skull” Skulinski about the house and he tells them that a human soul had merged with the house.  The kids come to the conclusion is that Nebbercracker has fused with the house and the only way to kill the house is to destroy its heart.

Meanwhile, the house has eaten Zee’s ex-boyfriend Bones and police officers Landers and Lester.  So, now DJ, Chowder and Jenny go on a mission to get inside the house to destroy it.

VIDEO:

“Monster House in 3D” has two versions of the film, 2D and 3D.  The 2D version is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1) and the 3D version is presented in MVC Encoded 3D – Full Resolution L/R Eye.

“Monster House” is a film that utilizes performance capture technology.  Black levels are nice and deep, there is a faux fine layer of grain, there is a good amount of detail on the clothing, especially how you can see the threading in DJ’s sweater and for a film created in 2006, the film still holds up today.   It may not have the super detail of today’s CG animated films but the film still holds up quite well but of course, it will look a bit dated since 3D technology is improving at a quick rate.

But the biggest difference between this release is that the film is presented in AVC not MPEG-2.  Also, the previous release was utilizing the older BD-25 (which many films on Blu-ray were released on).

But the real purpose for people wanting this release is the 3D.  With Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s awesome release of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3D” earlier this year, this is the second 3D offering from the company.

It’s important to note that to play this 3D, you will need a TV that is 3D enabled and comes with its own 3D glasses (or purchase them separately in pack) and also a Blu-ray player that is 3D-enabled as well.

With that being said, I do have personal opinions on 3D.  Films that were created and made for 3D such as “Avatar” (which was exceptionally done) and then there are films in 3D such as “Toy Story 3″ in which the animation was great but the 3D was good especially of how the backgrounds were utilized.  And these two films have something in common, they are newer films.

With “Monster House” and possibly more older films in the near future, we are going to see these older films being given the 3D treatment.   So, here are my impressions on “Monster House in 3D”.  Backgrounds are well utilized as we can see the characters pop from the original backgrounds.   We can see how the trees that are lined up on the side of Nebbercracker’s home really do stick out in 3D.   Another good example of 3D usage is something as basic as the steps of Nebbercracker’s home looking very good, especially the blades of grass which looks very good in 3D.   The more action driven scenes especially as the kids try to destroy the house is well done but once again, it’s mostly how objects stand out.  It’s well done but for me, it’s not the 3D I prefer.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Monster House in 3D” is presented in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA and also Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.  The previous release was presented in LPCM 5.1 (and English, French and Korean Dolby Digital 5.1).  “Monster House in 3D” features an impressive soundtrack as you can hear the creaks and cracks when the monster house begins to expand and swallow things around it.  You can hear the leaves and fire and ambiance through the surround channels, while hearing LFE during the more action-driven scenes.

Dialogue is crisp and clear as well as the music from composer Douglas Pipes.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Monster House in 3D” comes with the following special features:

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D Sneak Peek - For those with a 3D enabled TV and the 3D glasses that came with the television and a 3D enabled Blu-ray player can watch a sneak peek of the 3D version of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D” (which is currently available from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).
• Open House 3D Sneak Peek - For those with a 3D enabled TV and the 3D glasses that came with the television and a 3D enabled Blu-ray player can watch a sneak peek of the 3D version of “Open House 3D” (which is currently available from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).
• Filmmakers Commentary – Featuring audio commentary by director Gil Kenan and a few others who worked on the film.  Unfortunately, aside from the director, the other people don’t identify themselves in the beginning of the commentary.  But overall, a very informative commentary which goes into detail on the characters, the scenes in the film and more.
• Inside Monster House – (24:40) Featuring the following featurettes (in standard definition): Imaginary Heroes, Beginners Luck, The Best of Friends, Lots of Dots, Black Box Theater, Making It Real and Did You Hear That?
• Evolution of a Scene: Eliza vs. Nebbercracker – (20:00) Featuring the following opening scene of little Eliza and Nebbercracker and how this scene went through various formats before its finalization.  Director Gil Kenan and artists discuss what they were trying to achieve.  Featuring the featurette, story reel animatic, performance capture, layout stage, animation, final film and composite.  Presented in standard definition.
• The Art of Monster House - Using your remote, you can view conceptual art, character designs with the people of the animated film, places and things and more.

I absolutely love “Monster House” and love the characters, especially how the creators were able to work in the facial expressions for DJ, Chowder, Jenny and Zee.  Loved the more darker, scarier storyline.  It’s a bit macabre when you think of who is possessing the house and how it happened, especially how Nebbercracker was created.    The voice acting also made the film much more enjoyable as there is a considerable amount of talent who worked on this film.

Although the film has children as the main leads, this is a PG film and I can tell you right now that I’ve tried to show this too my child (seven year old) and he was scared and refused to watch more than 15 minutes of it, suffice to say, Nebbercracker freaked him out.  So, I wouldn’t be surprised if other parents experienced the same situation with their children.

But what many people will want to know about “Monster House in 3D” is how the overall 3D experience is and as mentioned earlier, I have my opinions when it comes to how 3D is being utilized with today’s films.

In my opinion, for me, there are two types of films in 3D and it depends on what kind of the 3D you like.  As mentioned, “Avatar” or even “Captain EO” which I watched in Disneyland many times which features creatures and things flying up to you.  That is the 3D I love.  But with 3D in which characters and objects look in 3D and things stand out (like “Toy Story 3″), I’m not as impressed.  If anything, what I do like about this release is that you are getting both films in 3D and 2D and giving viewers that extra incentive.  Especially giving them that extra incentive to watch the movie again and making them wanting to buy the film.

“Monster House in 3D” is a film that I really enjoy watching and even watching it once again, I still haven’t grown tired of it.  I did enjoy seeing how things look in 3D but once again, it’s not the type of 3D that I was hoping for but it does work.  Also, it is important to remind people that “Monster House” is an older animated film (2006) and not like “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” which was released this year.  The way 3D was used for that film especially how many things are falling everywhere, was well done.

“Monster House” unfortunately, was not originally created with 3D in mind but yet, the 3D does work.  Not magnificently, but it’s good enough to watch and see how 3D was implemented throughout the film.  But I’m more of the type who wants to see things moving around and I feel like I can put my hand up and feel like about to touch it.

I also feel that 3D is best appreciated for those who have bigger viewing areas.  At a movie theater, you have a much larger screen to work with and I feel that 3D works much better in theater setting but once again, that is my opinion.

But I do feel that “Monster House in 3D” is a fantastic release.  For one, it’s a very good upgrade from the older original release (in fact, I feel that any Blu-ray disc released in 2006-2007 will probably need to be re-released as the format was not exactly properly well-utilized in the beginning) and two, you get the original 2D and 3D versions of the film.  Special features are still the same and I still have a beef with the audio commentary as we don’t know who the heck is talking as the people commenting, didn’t even announce themselves at the beginning of the audio commentary (with the exception of director Gil Kenan).

Overall, I feel that “Monster House in 3D” was an enjoyable release and for those who purchased the original Blu-ray will definitely want this version for the upgrade (and for those who didn’t purchase the Blu-ray earlier and have enjoyed the movie) and by then, you can always go back to it as 3D TV’s and 3D enabled Blu-ray players will become a standard.  If you enjoyed the film for the first time and still don’t own it, then this Blu-ray release is definitely worth considering.

War of the Worlds on Blu-ray 6/1/10

TOM CRUISE STARS IN A THRILLING RENDITION OF THE CLASSIC H.G. WELLS TALE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG,
ARRIVING ON BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME

WAR OF THE WORLDS

Visually-Stunning and Action-Packed Sci-Fi Thriller Debuts on Blu-ray June 1, 2010 Featuring Over Two Hours of Special Features

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – When the Earth is suddenly invaded by menacing aliens in giant fighting machines, one family struggles for survival in the
eye-popping adventure WAR OF THE WORLDS, directed by Steven Spielberg and landing on Blu-ray for the first time ever June 1, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment. A DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures co-production,
WAR OF THE WORLDS stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a father who is desperately trying to protect his teenage son (Justin Chatwin) and 10-year-old daughter
(Dakota Fanning) from the relentless alien onslaught that is destroying everything in its path. Fueled by the desire to reunite the children with their mother, Ray battles to shepherd his family from New Jersey to Boston, all the while fending off the mysterious and deadly aliens.

Filled with stunning visual effects and non-stop action, the
WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray features the finest picture and sound quality to further enhance this sci-fi classic. The Blu-ray also features over two hours of bonus material including in-depth production diaries following the crew from the east coast to the west coast, featurettes on H. G. Wells’ legacy, scoring the film, the characters and previsualization, multiple photo galleries and more.

WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray

The WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital along with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Special features are presented in standard definition except where noted HD:
· Revisiting the Invasion
· The H.G. Wells Legacy
· Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds
· Characters: The Family Unit
· Previsualization
· Production Diaries
o East Coast—Beginning
o East Coast—Exile
o West Coast—Destruction
o West Coast—War
· Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens
· Scoring War Of The Worlds
· We Are Not Alone
· Galleries
o Sketches by Costume Designer Joanna Johnston
o Production Stills
o Behind the Scenes
o Production Sketches
· Theatrical Teaser Trailer (HD)

WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray
Street date: June 1, 2010
Pricing: $39.99 U.S.
Runtime: 117 minutes
U.S. Rating: PG-13 for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images
Canadian Rating: 14A

Minority Report – On Blu-ray 4/20/10

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – Director Steven Spielberg brings the dark future of Philip K. Dick’s prescient short story to life in the action-packed sci-fi film MINORITY REPORT, debuting on Blu-ray April 20, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Starring Tom Cruise as John Anderton, a Washington D.C. detective in the year 2054, MINORITY REPORT deals with themes of mind control and concealed identity against a backdrop of a stunningly realized future complete with technological gadgets and advancements devised by a team of futurists assembled by the director. Anderton works for Precrime, a special unit of the police department that arrests murderers before they’ve committed the act by relying on the visions of three psychic “precogs.” But when Anderton is accused, he becomes a fugitive and begins to suspect a cover-up that could have far-reaching implications for the Precrime department.
The MINORITY REPORT Blu-ray features over an hour of all-new bonus material including an extensive look at the future according to Steven Spielberg, an exploration of the world of Precrime, previz sequences, featurettes on Philip K. Dick, the film’s futuristic props and the making of key scenes, commercials of the future and more. The disc also includes previously released special features on the breathtaking stunts, the work of ILM, the film’s journey from story to screen and much, much more.

MINORITY REPORT Blu-ray:

The MINORITY REPORT Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The following new bonus features are all presented in high definition:

The Future According to Steven Spielberg (HD)
Inside the World of Precrime (HD)
Philip K. Dick, Steven Spielberg and Minority Report (HD)
Minority Report: Future Realized (HD)
Minority Report: Props of the Future (HD)
Highlights from Minority Report: From the Set
The Hoverpack Sequence (HD)
The Car Factory Sequence (HD)
Minority Report: Commercials of the Future (HD)
Previz Sequences
The Hoverpack Sequence Previz (HD)
Maglev Chase Previz (HD)

Previously released bonus material is presented in standard definition, except as noted:
From Story to Screen
Deconstructing Minority Report
The Stunts of Minority Report
ILM and Minority Report
Final Report
Production Concepts
Storyboard Sequences
Trailers (HD)

The Mask of Zorro (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Fun, sexy, exciting and highly entertaining! Definitely the best “Zorro” film ever made thus far!  Fans of the film will love the picture quality and lossless audio soundtrack on Blu-ray.  A solid release!

Images courtesy of © 1998 Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Co. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Mask of Zorro

DURATION: 137 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition/2:40:1, English, French, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

RATED: PG-13 (For Some Intense Action and Violence)

COMPANY: Tri Star/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2009

Based on the character “Zorro” by Johnston McCulley

Directed by Martin Campbell

Screenplay by John Eskow, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio

Story by Tedd Elliott, Terry Rossio, Randal Jahnson

Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald

Produced by Doug Claybourne, David Foster

Co-Producer: John Gertz

Music by James Horner

Cinematography by Phil Meheux

Editing by Thom Noble

Casting by Pam Dixon

Production Design by Cecilia Montiel

Art Direction by Michael Atwell

Set Decoration by Denise Carnargo

Costume Design by Graciela Mazon

Starring:

Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro

Atonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta/Zorro

Catherine Zeta-Jones as Elena Montero/Elena Murrieta

Stuart Wilson as Don Rafael Montero

Matt Letscher as Capt. Harrison Love

Tony Amendola as Don Luiz

Pedro Armendariz Jr. as Don Pedro

William Marquez as Fray Felipe

Jose Perez as Cpl. Armando Garcia

Victor Rivers as Joaquin Murrieta

L.Q. Jones as Three-Fingered Jack

Julieta Rosen as Esperanza de la Vega

Luisa Huertas as Nanny

When a power-crazed despot schemes to buy California from Mexico, it takes two Zorros – the legendary Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) and his chosen successor Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas), a dashing bandit-turned-hero-to defeat the tyrant’s unscrupulous plans.  But can even their combined skills, bravado and derring-do be enough to achieve de la Vega’s ultimate goal: revenge against the man who killed his wife, kidnapped his daughter and held him prisoner for twenty years?

For 90 years, many fans of “Zorro” have seen quite a few adaptation of the swashbuckling hero who dons a black mask, cape, clothing and his sword.

From the original books from 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley to the silent films by Douglas Fairbanks and one of my favorites, the 1958-1960 Disney television series starring Guy Williams.  But there has been a sort of lull when it came to “Zorro” films and before the 1998 film “The Mask of Zorro”, we were left with the George Hamilton comedy “Zorro, the Gay Blade” in 1981.

But in 1998, producer Steven Spielberg (“Indiana Jones” films, “Schindler’s List”, “E.T.”, “Jurassic Park” films) along with director Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”, “Vertical Limit”, “GoldenEye”) began working on a new action film based on the hero for a new generation of moviegoers.  Featuring a screenplay by John Eskow (“Air America”, “Pink Cadillac”), Ted Elliott (“National Treasure”and “Pirates of the Carribean” films) and Terry Rossio (“Pirates of the Carribean” films), music by James Horner (“The Spiderwicke Chronicles”, “Troy”, “Enemy at the Gates”) and cinematographer Phil Meheux (“Casino Royale”, “Around the World in 80 Days”, “GoldenEye”).

The film was released in theaters during the Summer of ’98 and with a budget of $95 million, the film went on to make over $250 million worldwide and was received positively by critics.

For those not familiar with the “Zorro” storyline, the films and TV series have focused on the Don Diego de la Vega, a man who comes from a political family from Spain and is known for being an intellectual man in high society but a man who does not like seeing the corrupted military officials mistreating the locals.  So, in order to help them, Don Diego dons the black mask and cape and uses the disguise of Zorro to fight the oppression and help the unfortunate in California and takes on the Spanish military leaders and their soldiers.  Whenever people are mistreated, Zorro comes to the rescue.

In “The Mask of Zorro”, Don Diego de la Vega (played by Anthony Hopkins, “Howards End”, “Silence of the Lambs”, “Hannibal” “Red Dragon”) is now an older man in his 40′s.  He is married to Esperanza and together, they have a new baby named Elena.  While the Spanish rule in California is winding down, the antagonist Don Rafael Montero (played by Stuart Wilson, “Enemy of the State”, “Grindhouse”, “Hot Fuzz”) knows his power is slipping and wants to show his power towards the Mexican people one more time by having a few more executions.

But Don de la Vega puts on the mask of Zorro one last time to save the people and in the process, saving two kids named Alejandro Murrieta and his older brother Joaquin and giving Joaquin his silver medallion.

Coming home injured, Don knows that he is getting to old to be the hero, he promises Esperanza that it was his last time he will be Zorro but unknown to both people, Montero and his men were listening.  As they try to apprehend Don, his wife is accidentally shot by one of Montero’s soldier.  Because Montero has looked at de la Vega as his rival for Esperanza, he wants to take away everything from him.  Burning his home, locking him up in prison for 20 years and in the process, taking his daughter and raising her as his own.

Flash forward twenty years later, the two kids that Zorro saved: Alejandro (played by Antonio Banderas, “Spy Kids” films, “Desperado”) and Joaquin Murrieta are now adults and are thieves.  After a robbery, the Murrieta brothers who plan to make a getaway, are stopped by Capt. Harrison Love (Matt Letscher, “Eli Stone”, “Brothers and Sisters”) and instead of leniency, Love savagely kills Joaquin and shoots down their other friend, leaving Alejandro by himself.

Meanwhile, Montero returns to California and returns to the prison which Don de la Vega had been held for 20 years.  This opportunity gives de la Vega a chance to escape and exact his revenge on Montero.  But realizing that his own daughter Elena (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, “Traffic”, “Entrapment”, “Chicago”) has been raised thinking that Montero is her true father.

Through circumstances, Don Diego de la Vega and Alejandro Murrieta’s path comes together once again and both are bent on getting revenge.  But before they go any further, Don Diego trains the Alejandro to become the new Zorro and to become a gentleman in society.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“The Mask of Zorro” is presented in 1080p High Definition (aspect ratio 2:40:1).  I was quite pleased with the picture quality of the film as there was pretty good detail on the texture of the Mexican and Spanish clothing, detail of the interiors of Don’s cave hideout and the dirt and grime on the Murrieta boys.  A good number of shots were outdoors, so there was a good amount of lighting.  Skin tones were natural and you can see Anthony Hopkins blue eyes quite clearly.  I tend to get a bit unnerved with some films shot during the 80′s and 90′s because they look a bit waxy but “The Mask of Zorro” looks very good for a 1998 film.

As for audio, the film is presented in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA (and Spanish 5.1).  The soundtrack for the film is actually fantastic.  For an older film, I was expecting a front and center channel driven soundtrack but “The Mask of Zorro” really takes advantage of the surround and rear surround channels and also some LFE.  You hear the crowds clapping all around you during a scene when Montero arrives back to California.  Horses galloping and thunder is also well heard.  Fighting sequences, gun shots, explosions are really utilized quite well and for the most part, similar to “Air Force One” which is a 90′s film that was given great audio by Sony, the same can be said for “The Mask of Zorro”.  The lossless soundtrack is clear, understandable and quite immersive during the action sequences.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Mask of Zorro” comes with the following special features presented in standard definition, English stereo and optional Portuguese or Spanish subtitles:

• movieIQ – With BD-Live, you can obtain information about the film online while watching the film (optional).
• Director’s Commentary – Featuring audio commentary with director Marc Campbell.  Campbell provides insight on each scene and very thorough in his explanation of the talent, the set and more.
• Exclusive Documentary: Unmasking Zorro – (45:05) The making of “The Mask of Zorro” featuring director Martin Campbell, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas and more talking about the film, the history of Zorro, the production and costume design of the film, the music and more.
• Deleted Scenes – (4:50) Featuring two deleted scenes: The Wallet and The Resolution.
• “The Legend of Zorro” Behind-the-Scenes Peek – (5:02) A behind-the-scenes look at the making of “The Legend of Zorro” and interviews with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas and director Martin Campbell who talk about reuniting seven years later for the sequel of “The Mask of Zorro”.
• Music Video by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena -(4:51) Music video for “I Spent My Whole Life Loving You” by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena.
• Exclusive Scene from “The Legend of Zorro” – (1:43) A short sneak peek of the 2005 film “Legend of Zorro”.

It actually has been a Zorro month for me during Fall/Winter 2009.  Having watched the complete “Zorro” TV series from 1958-1960, I was enchanted by the humor, drama and the action.  So, watching “The Mask of Zorro”, I felt that it was perfect timing on my part because the film was almost like a continuation of previous films and even the TV series because you forward to the future in which the hero Don de la Vega is now an older man, married and knowing that he’s getting too old to be doing jumps and escaping harm.

I was a bit skeptical at first seeing Anthony Hopkins taking on the role of Don Diego.  Mainly because I’ve gotten so used to seeing Guy Williams playing the role of “Zorro” but because this role calls for an older Don Diego, Hopkins is such a talented actor, that he makes you feel comfortable towards his character.

You easily accept him and sympathize for him as Don Diego goes through the worst, imaginable things that the hero has ever experienced.  But enter Antonio Banderas.  One thing that Guy Williams captured in the classic TV series is a character with class, charisma and is able to deliver in the action.  Banderas starts off as a bit of a ruffian but through the course of the film, we see the thief become the hero and much more refined.

And as for Catherine Zeta-Jones, she looks absolutely beautiful in this film and together, she and Banderas played their characters of Alejandro and Elena quite well.  They both have that chemical/sexual attraction towards each other but also, aside from the dramatics, the two also have a good repertoire for utilizing their characters to earn some laughs from the audience.

One thing that the original TV series had was high production value in which Walt Disney himself made sure “Zorro” utilized.  So, when Steven Spielberg was the name behind the producing of this film, you knew that there would be significant action scenes and most of all, a film that would receive good financing to pull off these fight scenes that Zorro is known for.  May it be him battling with a sword, climbing on rooftops or chandeliers,  being chased on horseback to Zorro taking on dozens of men, fight choreography was done well and cinematography was also solid and for the most part, those scenes were highly enjoyable.

“The Mask of Zorro” was definitely a hallmark for Zorro films.  After that periodic lull of having nothing satisfying since the late 1950′s and early 60′s, it was great to see the character of Zorro done well for this film. A screenplay that is not only action-driven but also character driven and you get all the humor and sexual attraction in this film as well.

Having seen the TV series and a few of the Zorro films in the past, I’m confident to say that “The Mask of Zorro” is the best Zorro film ever made thus far. For those of us who grew up watching the adventures of Don Diego de la Vega, this film is simply the passing of the title to a new character for a new generation of viewers.  Fortunately, the film was handled quite well and I really enjoyed seeing this film again and I’m sure you will too.  Definitely recommended!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“For a long awaited film, Indiana Jones demand nothing but the best for this Blu-ray release. And Paramount gives the fans what they wanted! Magnificent picture quality, awesome audio and hours of special features. Overall, a solid Blu-ray release!”

Images courtesy of © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2-Disc Special Edition)

DURATION: 122 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English 5.1 French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish & Portuguese

COMPANY: Lucasfilm LTD./Paramount Pictures

RATED: PG-13 (For Adventure Violence and Scary Images)

Release Date: October 14, 2008

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by David Koepp

Story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson

Characters by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman

Executive Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas

Produced by Frank Marshall, Flavio R. Tambellini (Aerial Unit, Brazil)

Co-Producer: Denis L. Stewart

Associate Producer: Kristie Macosko

Music by John Williams

Director of Photography: Janusz Kaminski

Edited by Michael Kahn

Casting by Debra Zane

Production Design by Guy Dyas

Art Direction: Luke Freeborn, Lawrence A. Hubbs, Lauren E. Polizzi, Troy Sizemore and Mario Ventenilla

Set Decoration by Larry Dias

Costume Design by Mary Zophres

Starring:

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones

Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko

Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood

Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams

Ray Winstone as George “Mac” Michale

John Hurt as Professor Oxley

Jim Broadbent as Dean Charles Stanforth

Igor Jijikine as Dovchenko

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas bring you the greatest adventurer of all time in “a nonstop thrill ride” (Richard Corliss, TIME) that’s packed with “sensational, awe-inspiring spectacles” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finds Indy (Harrison Ford) trying to outrace a brilliant and beautiful agent (Cate Blanchett) for the mystical, all-powerful Crystal Skull of Akator. Teaming up with a rebellious young biker (Shia LaBeouf) and his spirited original love Marion (Karen Allen), Indy takes you on a breathtaking action-packed adventure in the exciting tradition of the classic Indiana Jones movies!

It had been nearly 20 years since the third “Indiana Jones” film (“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”) was in theaters. Popular director/producers Steven Spielberg (“Jaws”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “E.T.”, “Jurassic Park” and many more) and George Lucas (“Star Wars” films and “American Graffiti”) who worked on the trilogy billed the third film as the final film but in the last two decades, both men including Indiana Jones main actor, Harrison Ford (“Star Wars” related films, “Air Force One”, “Patriot Games”, etc.) , have been asked when the next “Indiana Jones” film will be created.

According to Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford brought it up to him in the late 90′s about doing another film and sure enough, the stars were aligned (mainly Spielberg finding a story from Lucas that he and Ford would both approve of) and thus a new Indiana Jones film was created. The film would reunite Spielberg, Lucas and Ford with composer John Williams (“Jurassic Park” films, “Star Wars” films, “Indiana Jones” films, “Harry Potter” related films, etc.), editor Michael Kahn and Stan Winston Studio. The film would have a screenplay by David Koepp (“Jurassic Park”, “Mission: Impossible” and “Spider-Man”), cinematography by Janusz Kaminski (“Saving Private Ryan”, “Schindler’s List” and “War of the Worlds”) and production designs by Guy Dyas (“X2″ and “Superman Returns”).

The film would reprise the Indiana Jones role made popular by Harrison Ford, mark the return of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” actress Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood and star top talents Cate Blanchett (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “The Lord of the Rings” films and “Babel”) as Dr. Irina Spalko, Shia LaBeouf (“The Transformers” films, “Eagle Eye” and “The Greatest Game Ever Played”) as Mutt Williams, John Hurt (“The Lord of the Rings” films, “Harry Potter” films and “V for Vendetta”) as Professor Oxley and Jim Broadbent (“Harry Potter”, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Robots”) as Dean Charles Standsforth.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” kicks off with Indiana Jones and his partner George “Mac” McHale being kidnapped by Soviets led by Dr. Irina Spalko. The group has infiltrated a top secret government warehouse which one of the top secret items that Spalko is looking for is being kept inside the warehouse.

The reason the group has brought Jones and McHale is that they were working on a project relating to rumored extraterrestrial product. Jones who is skeptical of any alien life doesn’t believe in it but does know, whatever he was investigating was highly magnetic. As Jones hesitantly assists the Soviets in finding the crate containing the top secret product, while he tries to escape, he realizes that his partner Mac had been assisting Dr. Spalko and the Soviets all along. The crate is opened and inside is a metal container which is highly magnetic and when opened, inside is a preserved extraterrestrial alien.

Indiana Jones barely manages to escape but because the Soviets were able to infiltrate the facility, the FBI start are suspicious that Jones may be working with the Soviets. The situation is quite bad that shortly after returning to his teaching position at Marshall college, he is put on indefinite leave of absence due to the FBI’s suspicion towards Jones.

Packing up and preparing to move out and possibly start a new life, Jones gets on a train but upon leaving, a young greaser in a motorcycle stops him with an urgent message. The young man is named Mutt Williams who tells Jones that his old colleague Professor Harold Oxley was kidnapped in Peru after a discovery. His mother went after him and she too was captured but managed to send out a message with a map to her son, to give to Indiana Jones.

But while the two are talking at a nearby soda shop, they realize that Soviets are trailing them and immediately both Jones and Williams are being chased down. The two manage to escape and due to the seriousness of the message and map, Indiana Jones and Mutt Williams go to Peru to find out why Oxley was kidnapped and what was the purpose of the map.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is featured in 1080p High Definition and right off the bat, this film looks incredibly gorgeous on Blu-ray. The film sports vibrant colors, detail is just amazingly clear, everything about the film showcases detail. May it be the surroundings of the Mayan jungle, the skeletons, the clothing, the people… You name it, detail is clear and the transfer is just amazing. Definitely one of the best looking Blu-ray video transfers among the many Blu-ray releases of 2008!

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. and the lossless track is just as equally incredible compared to the picture quality. With the number of action sequences included in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, audio is immersive as front channels showcase the action sequences and musical score, center channel showcases the dialogue which is nice and clear. LFE showcases the booms from the many explosions seen in the film and gunshots and vehicles whizzing and featured through the surrounds are also in abundance.

Personally, for a film of this caliber, I was not expecting anything less than magnificent for picture and audio quality and Paramount delivers with this awesome Blu-ray release. Audio and Videophiles should definitely be happy with this Blu-ray release.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

If you thought picture and audio quality was fantastic, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is loaded with special features. Special features can be found on both discs. Here is what is included:

DISC 1:

• Indiana Jones Timelines - This timeline showcases the creation of the “Indiana Jones” films. From the beginning of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” up to the end of this fourth film. A pretty cool feature (with text and images) for those interested in learning about the timeline of production, the history of the film and more.
• The Return of a Legend – (17:34) Interviews with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford and the executive producers of the film in regards to bringing Indiana Jones back to film. Featured in High Definition.
• Pre-Production – (11:42) Interviews with the main staff and talent about working together, working with talent such as Shia LaBeouf, interviews with Daniel D. Gregoire (Pre-Visualization Supervisor) and Harrison Ford getting reacquainted with Indiana Jones whip. Featured in High Definition.
• Trailers - Featuring “Trailer 2″ (1:52) and “Trailer 3″ (1:55) for the film.

DISC 2:

• Production Diary: Making “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – (1:20:52) An informative making-of with plenty of detail on the making of the film and interview with various crew members in their department. From the various locations where the film was shot, the amount of work it took in creating the set and much more. Overall, an informative and enjoyable making-of featurette. Featured in HD, the diary can be viewed by playing all or selecting the following:

- Shooting Begins: New Mexico

- Back to School: New Haven Connecticut

- Welcome to the Jungle. Hilo, Hawaii

- On-Set Action

- Exploring Akator

- Wrapping Up!

• Warrior Makeup – (5:32) Interview with Felicity Bowring (Makeup Department Head) and how they had to provide the makeup for 26 people for the tribe-scene and the amount of hours it took in getting the actors prepared. Featured in HD.
• The Crystal Skull – (10:09) Featuring interviews with Spielberg, Lucas and Ford about the actual crystal skull. Interviews with Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Designer) and John Rosengrant (Harry Winston Studio/Effects Supervisor) in regards to the creation of the crystal skull. Featured in HD.
• Iconic Props – (9:59) Doug Harlocker (Property Manager) introduces the viewer to the various props and how they were created. Featured in HD.
• The Effects of Indy – (22:42) Interviews with staff of ILM (Industry Lights & Magic) in regards to the special effects used for the film. Featured in HD.
• Adventures in Post-Production – (12:44) Frank Marshall talks about the editing of the film and working with Michael Kahn, A.C.E. who provided the editing for the film and working with John Williams for the music.
• Closing: Team Indy – (3:41) A video montage of the staff that worked on the film.
• Pre-Visualization Sequences – Featuring pre-CG rendered visualization screens for Area 51 Escape (3:46), Jungle Chase (5:47) and Ants Attack (4:29).
• Galleries – Photo galleries which can be viewed by using your Blu-ray remote control of: The Art Department (The Adventure Beings, Cemetery, Akator), Stan Winston Studio (Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies, Aliens & Crystal Skulls), Production Photographs, Portraits and Behind-the-Scenes Photographs.

The return of Indiana Jones is quite literally a long time coming. It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed and suffice to say, like everyone who are fans of the original trilogy, had high expectations towards the film.

For the most part, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” delivered when it came to action and excitement. Harrison Ford ultimately still has it, when it comes to playing Indiana Jones. Such as awesome actor, that it was great to see him again. Also, the return of Karen Allen, reprising her role as Marion Ravenwood was just fantastic. For those who loved “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, no one can help but be giddy of seeing Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood together again!

And of course, you have solid talent involved in the film such as Cate Blanchett as the evil Dr. Irina Spalko, John Hurt as Professor Oxley and also Shia LaBeouf as Mutt Williams.

I enjoyed the film, not necessarily loved it. In one of the featurettes, you learn that what George Lucas wanted to bring to the film is that B-film sci-fi campiness and needless to say, you can understand why the development of this film was tricky. Granted, we necessarily don’t get heavy extraterrestrial action but those elements are still in the film with these beings and of course, the crystal skull itself. I enjoyed the film so much for the adventure and action elements of the film but once the film starts to incorporate the who and what the crystal skull is. And while interesting, personally, it just didn’t feel right.

But in the end, I enjoyed the film and found it quite entertaining and as a fan of the previous films, it was just great to see Indiana Jones back again!

Overall, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is a solid release from Paramount. For a big Summer blockbuster, you expect the bells and whistles for this film for a Blu-ray release, but most importantly, how iconic Indiana Jones is as a character, the previous trilogy are regarded by fans as a wonderful trilogy, needless to say, anything less of magnificent would have been a disappointment.

But in the end, Paramount delivers with a magnificent release as “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” scores top marks for picture and audio quality but also special features content. Highly recommended!