You’ve Got Mail (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Another delightful and enchanting pairing of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the 1998 Nora Ephron film “You’ve Got Mail”.  But fans of this romantic comedy will definitely want to upgrade and purchase the Blu-ray release as you also get the Ernst Lubitsch’s 1940 romantic comedy “The Shop Around the Corner” on DVD.  Two romantic comedies for under $10…what a fantastic deal and two films that are highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2011 Warner Bros., Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: You’ve Got Mail

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1998

DURATION: 119 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Francois Dolby Digital 5.1, Espanol 2S, Subtitles: English SDH, French & Espanol

COMPANY: Warner Bros.

RATED: PG (Some Language)

Release Date: January 3, 2012

You’ve Got Mail

Based on the play “Parfumerie” by Nikolaus Laszlo

Directed by Nora Ephron

Screenplay by Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron

Executive Producer: G. Mac Brown, Julie Durk, Delia Ephron

Produced by Nora Ephron, Lauren Shuler Donner

Co-Producer: Donald J. Lee, Jr.

Associate Producer: Dianne Dreyer

Music by George Fenton

Cinematography by John Lindley

Edited by Richard Marks

Casting by Francine Maisler

Production Design by Dan Davis

Art Direction By Ray Kluga, Beth Kuhn

Set Decoration by Susan Bode, Ellen Christiansen

Costume Design by Albert Wolsky

The Shop Around the Corner

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

Based on the play “Parfumie” by Miklos Laszlo

Screenplay by Samson Raphaelson

Produced by Ernst Lubitsch

Music by Werner R. Heymann

Cinematography by William H. Daniels

Edited by Gene Ruggiero

Art Direction by Cedric Gibons

Set Decoration by Edwin B. Willis

“You’ve Got Mail” Starring:

Tom Hanks as Joe Fox

Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly

Greg Kinnear as Frank Navasky

Parker Posey as Patricia Eden

Jean Stapleton as Birdie Conrad

Steve Zahn as George Pappas

Heather Burns as Christina Plutzker

Dave Chappelle as Kevin Jackson

Dabney Coleman as Nelson Fox

John Randolph as Schuyler Fox

Hallee Hirsh as Annabelle Fox

Jeffre Scaperrotta as Max Fox

“The Shop Around the Corner” Starring:

Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak

James Stewart as Alfred Kralik

Frank Morgan as Hugo Matuschek

Joseph Schildkraut as Ferencz Vadas

Sara Haden as Flora

Felix Bressart as Pirovitch

William Tracy as Pepi Katona

Inez Courtney as Llona

Cara Seymour as Gillian QuinnThe stars (Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan) and director (Nora Ephron) of Sleepless in Seattle reteamed for this charming audience favorite. Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton and more great co-stars add note-perfect support to this cinematic love letter in which superstore book chain magnate Hanks and cozy children’s bookshop owner Ryan are anonymous e-mail cyberpals who fall head-over-laptops in love, unaware they are combative business rivals. You’ve got rare Hollywood magic when You’ve Got Mail.

1998.  It was a time when more and more people would be using the Internet, a time when a lot of news showcased people who found love on the Internet.

Having enjoyed “The Shop Around the Corner” (which was an adaptation of the 1937 Miklos Laszlo Hungarian play “Parfumerie”) and the Broadway musical adaptation, “She Loves Me”,  writer/director Nora Ephron and producer Laura Schuler Donner wanted to create a modernized version featuring a romantic comedy centered around love found on the Internet but yet using elements from Ernst Lubitsch’s 1940 romantic comedy”.

And having struck gold with romantic comedies that starred actress Meg Ryan in “Sleepless in Seattle” and “When Harry Met Sally” and the amazing chemistry between Ryan and Tom Hanks in the 1993 film “Sleepless in Seattle” and the 1990 film “Joe Versus the Volcano”, the filmmaker would reunite the two talents for her 1998 romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail”.

The film which can be seen as a sign of the times as it utilized then-popular Internet provider American Online (AOL) and it’s popular trademark e-mail greeting “You’ve Got Mail”, “You’ve Got Mail” would become a major hit in the box office as the $65 million film would earn over $250 million in the box office and would go on to also achieve success in the home video market.

And now both the original Ernst Lubitsch 1940 film “The Shop Around the Corner” via DVD and “You’ve Got Mail”  (via Blu-ray) was released together in January 2012.

“You’ve Got Mail” is a film that focuses on two characters.  Kathleen Kelly (played by Meg Ryan) is dating liberal postmodernist New York Observer journalist Frank Navasky (played by Greg Kinnear) and is a happy owner of the bookstore “Shop Around the Corner” which her mother started long ago.

While Frank is not so keen about technology, Kathleen has been communicating with a mystery man over e-mail via American Online using a screen name “Shopgirl”.  Both met in a chat room and enjoy their conversations through e-mail.  Because there is no personal discussion nor there is any personal contact, Kathleen is perfectly fine with the anonymous communication with this man, who she knows as his screen name “NY152″.

While Kathleen loves to spend her time communicating with NY152, she is often busy working at her bookstore along with her three store assistants, Birdie (played by Jean Stapleton), Christina (played by Heather Burns) and George (played by Steve Zahn).

Which leads us to the second character, Joe Fox (played by Tom Hanks) is a businessman who’s wealthy family are the owners of “Fox Books”, known for it’s chain of “mega” bookstores around the country and for its discounts and serving coffee.  Also, a threat to independent and smaller book stores who can’t compete with a megastore selling books with a discount.

But for the Fox family, it’s all business.  And the family is planning to open a new store, not far from the bookstore “Shop Around the Corner”, a place which Joe’s grandfather is familiar with and was smitten by the woman who once owned the bookstore but passed it on to her daughter.

Joe is currently dating Patricia Eden (played by Parker Posey), a woman that is the opposite of him.  Meanwhile with the creation of the new Fox Books in New York, he leaves it to branch manger Kevin (played by David Chappelle) to keep an eye on business.

And when he’s not busy with business, Joe loves to go online via American Online and communicate with a mystery woman known as “Shopgirl”, not knowing that she is Kathleen Kelly, the owner of the family bookstore that his own Fox Books will force to make them lose business and close.

One day, while Joe is taking his eleven-year-old aunt Annabel (played by Hallee Hirsh) and four-year-old brother Matthew (played by Jeffrey Scaperrotta) around town, Joe and the children decide to stop by the family bookstore Shop Around the Corner and Joe meets Kathleen Kelly.  Both individuals enjoy their short time with each other but Joe manages to keep it secret that he is the owner of the Fox Books store that will be opening several blocks away.

Needless to say, Kathleen eventually finds out that Joe is the owner of Fox Books and responsible for taking customers away from her store and through the help of “NY152″ who gives her advice to fight back, Kathleen goes on a media war campaign against Joe Fox and Fox Books, meanwhile maintaining communication with NY152 and enjoy those moments.

Eventually, Kathleen “Shopgirl” Kelly and Joe “NY152″, both who have no idea who each other are via e-mail decide to meet with each other for the first time.  But when Joe is about to meet Shopgirl at a restaurant, he finds out that she is Kathleen Kelly.  He then decides to not tell her he is “NY152″ and tries to get closer to her as Joe Fox.  But will she ever accept the man who may end up hurting her business?

Ernst Lubitsch’s 1940 romantic comedy “The Shop Around the Corner” is a film that stars James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan and has been well-regarded as one of the top romantic comedies of all time (#28 in the American Film Institute’s “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions”) and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1999 by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

The film is set in Budapest where Alfred Kralik (played by James Stewart) is a top salesman at a gift shop owned by the wealthy Mr. Hugo Matuschek (played by Frank Morgan).

Alfred reveals to his friend Pirovitch (played by Felix Bressart) that he has been corresponding anonymously to an intelligent and cultured woman whose ad that he saw on the newspaper.  For Alfred, communicating with this woman is the light of his life.

Meanwhile, Mr. Matuschek expects all his employees at the gift shop to push sales, especially a cigarette box that plays “Ochi Chernye” when it is opened.  Alfred thinks the cigarette box is annoying and that Matuschek should keep away from it.  Meanwhile, a young woman named Klara Novak (played by Margaret Sullavan) who worked in sales for another store and is desperately looking for a job as a saleswoman at the gift shop.

Mr. Matuschek has no plans to hire anyone new and Alfred tries to tell Klara that his boss is not hiring.  But when Klara shows Mr. Matuschek that she can sell, by using the cigarette musical boxes as an example with customers and selling them.  She is eventually hired.

As both Alfred and Klara are now working together at the gift shop, unfortunately both do not get along at all and are often bickering with each other.

But for Klara, despite the aggravation she feels…nothing is going to ruin her day as the mysterious man that she is communicating with by mail has made her happy.  And she dreams that this man of her dreams will one day marry her.  But Klara doesn’t know the man she has been communicating with is Alfred Kralik and Alfred doesn’t know that the intelligent and cultured woman he is smitten with is Klara.

For Alfred Kralik, he has worked at the gift shop for many years and is the top salesman.  He hopes to ask Mr. Matuschek for a raise but lately, the relationship between Alfred and Mr. Matuschek have soured.  The reason is that Mr. Matuschek has an investigator following his wife, as he fears she is having an affair with one of his employees.  Mr. Matuschek thinks the only person that can do such a thing is Alfred Kralik, because he was the closest one to the family (when in reality, it’s another one of this male employees that is having an affair with his wife).

When Alfred goes to ask for a raise, instead he is fired by Mr. Matuschek and shocked by what has taken place (because he was the most trusted employee with the best sales record), Alfred knows that without a job, he probably should stop communicating with the mystery woman but he has made a promise to meet with her at a restaurant. So, he feels obliged to do just that.

So, along with Pirovitch, Alfred has Pirovitch check inside the restaurant to let him know how the mystery woman he is to meet, looks like.  And sure enough, Pirovitch tells Alfred that the woman that he has been communicating with all this time, is his former co-worker that he doesn’t get along with… Klara Novak.

But despite how Klara does not like Alfred, Alfred now knowing that Klara was the intelligent and cultured woman that he has been communicating with all this time, decides to keep his identity of the mystery man as a secret to Klara, but as Alfred Kralik, try to get close to her on his own.

But will Klara ever let someone like Alfred, a man she doesn’t like or care for, into her life?

VIDEO:

“You’ve Got Mail” is presented in 1080p (1:85:1 aspect ratio) and unfortunately it is a film that slightly shows its age, yet there is enough detail and better colors that makes this version much better than the previous DVD releases.

First the bad.  There are some moments where the film looks oversaturated and also soft and there are moments where you do see artifacts popping up once in a while.  While it shows up a few times, most people will probably not be bothered by it.  But for those expecting a pristine version of the film, it does have its issues which can be seen on a larger monitor/screen.

With that being said, the film still looks better than its previous DVD counterparts.  The colors tend to pop much more, you can see the skin pores on Tom Hanks’ face during closeups and while some areas look its age, some don’t and look very good.  So, for the most part, this is the best looking version of the film thus far.  It may not be the pristine picture quality that I was hoping for, but nevertheless, it does look much better than the DVD version.

As for “The Shop Around the Corner”, the film looks absolutely wonderful considering it is a 71-year-old film.  The contrast levels are good, the film source looks very good for its age and I didn’t detect any major problems with video quality at all.  Grays and whites are well-contrast, black levels are nice and deep and for the most part, the presentation of “The Shop Around the Corner” looks good on DVD.  Too bad, this classic film it was not converted to a Blu-ray release.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“You’ve Got Mail” is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital Francois and Espanol 2.0 stereo.

For this romantic comedy and like most films of the genre, most of the lossless soundtracks tend to be center and  front-channel driven with mild use of surround channels for ambiance.  The same can be said about “You’ve Got Mail”.  Primarily, everything is center and front channel-driven and dialogue and it’s musical soundtrack is crystal clear.

As for “The Shop Around the Corner”, the film’s dialogue is also clear and didn’t notice any more hiss or crackling during my viewing of the DVD.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH, Francois and Espanol.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“You’ve Got Mail” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary - Featuring audio commentary by writer/director Nora Ephrone and producer Lauren Shuler Donner who discuss the film, the cast and more.
• Delivering You’ve Got Mail - (25:29) A 10th year anniversary interview with Nora Ephron and her two leads, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Also, featuring producer Lauren Shuler Donner, co-writer Delia Ephron and more.
• You’ve Got Chemistry – (26:18) A Warner Bros. featurette about iconic couples that appeared in Warner Bros. classic films including Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, William Powell and Myrna Loy, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and others.
• Isolated Score Track – Watch the film with only George Fenton’s musical score.
• First Look Television special – (14:19) The HBO preview for the film.
• Discovering New York’s Upper West Side – (10:09) Nora and Deliah Ephron talk about their favorite scenes in New York City featured in the film.
• Music Video – Featuring Carole King’s “Anyone at All” music video.
• Theatrical Trailer – The two original theatrical trailers for “You’ve Got Mail”: “The Best Way to Meet Someone” (1:24) and “They Couldn’t Stand Each Other” (1:26)

EXTRAS:

“You’ve Got Mail” comes with a DVD version of the classic Ernst Lubitsch 1940 romantic comedy, “The Shop Around the Corner”.

I’m not afraid to admit that I am a big fan of Meg Ryan’s hit romantic comedies and especially enjoy the chemistry and pairing of Ryan along with Tom Hanks.

Back in the 1930′s through the 1950′s, there were Hollywood couples that would light the screen in multiple films, for today’s modern films, there really hasn’t been American couple other than Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, two talents that viewers fell in love whenever they were together in a romantic comedy.

And like many people who couldn’t wait for “You’ve Got Mail” to be released in theaters, I was among the many who look forward to watching the film.  For one, I love Nora Ephron romantic comedies and how she is able to focus on character but also incorporate the city that a film is shot in.

She has an eye for location but also knows what she wants from her talents and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have discussed how Nora Ephron’s direction is much different than other filmmakers.  And for Ephron, her love for the Ernst Lubitsch classic “The Shop Around the Corner”, especially for her passion towards the Broadway musical “She Loves Me” would lead to romantic magic for “You’ve Got Mail”.

But back in 1998, this film was highly anticipated because I enjoyed watching Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together, watching a Nora Ephron film but interesting enough, I also had a similar experience of meeting someone on the Internet with similar circumstances as the characters featured in the film.

And I was there to buy the first DVD release of the film and here we are 14-years later with a Blu-ray release of “You’ve Got Mail”.  And where films such as “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle” are not dated due to technology, “You’ve Got Mail” manages to date itself with old technology via modem connection, old product placement during a time when American Online (AOL) was on top of Internet providers and also during a time when mega bookstores were not threatened by the emergence of online bookstores such as Amazon.

But still, despite the older technology and the fads of the time, I was not turned off by it.  In fact, I was nostalgic of how things were back then.

But “You’ve Got Mail” still manages to captivate me as it did back then.  Sure, it was not my favorite Meg Ryan romantic comedy especially when compared to “When Harry Met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle” but there is a magic that exists in the film, because of the wonderful chemistry between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  The two can literally take on these characters and bring amazing life to them, making them believable and entertaining to watch.  And also Nora Ephron’s ability to make the locations and the music selections compliment the characters as well.

Also, the film managed to bring in a pretty enjoyable supporting cast with Parker Posey, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, Heather Burns and Dabney Coleman.  But also “You’ve Got Mail” would feature actor Greg Kinnear (“As Good as It Gets”, “Ghost Town”, “Little Miss Sunshine”) and “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Sara Ramirez before they became popular.

Also, I was impressed at the time of how the Ephron sisters were able to modernize the film from its original predecessors.  I absolutely adore Ernst Lubitsch’s 1940 classic “The Shop Around the Corner” and I’m so glad “You’ve Got Mail” was not a remake.  Sure it incorporates certain situations that were seen in the original film, but for the most part, everything was new and everything worked.

“The Shop Around the Corner” is simply a wonderful romance film that is different in the fact that both lead characters work in the same gift shop but there is also a dramatic element as the shop owner thinks the lead character Alfred Kralik (played by James Stewart) is having an affair with his wife.  But this classic film is a wonderful feel-good romantic comedy that has managed to stand the test of time, even over 70-years-later…I’m still enjoying this film no matter how many times I have watched it.  And while not on Blu-ray but on DVD, the film still looks very good on DVD!

While the Blu-ray release of “You’ve Got Mail” and its video quality does show the film’s age due to softness and also some instances of artifacting, there is still a good amount of detail and beautiful colors that make this Blu-ray release worth owning and worth upgrading from the DVD release.  If you were an owner of the first DVD release, a lot of the special features do make it onto this Blu-ray, but also the inclusion of the 2008 10th anniversary reunion between Nora Ephron, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the featurette “Delivering You’ve Got Mail” (which was released in a later DVD release of “You’ve Got Mail”).

Also, the biggest addition for me which I absolutely loved was the inclusion of Ernst Lubitsch’s 1940 romantic comedy, “The Shop Around the Corner”.  While a DVD, not Blu-ray…still you are getting two films when you purchase the “You’ve Got Mail” Blu-ray release and for hopeless romantics, the fact that these two films are included is fantastic!  And did I mention that you can find this Blu-ray release for under $10 on Amazon?  Awesome!

Overall, “You’ve Got Mail” is still as delightful and highly entertaining as when I first watched it in theaters back in 1998.  Sure, things have changed a lot in technology and also economic settings when it comes to the mega bookstores in today’s society, but Internet romance is much more prevalent today than it was back then and more and more people are discovering love online, so the film still has relevance today.

If you love romantic comedy films, you’re going to enjoy “You’ve Got Mail” on Blu-ray for the fact that you get two films for the price of one and if you enjoyed the film back then and owned the DVD, you’re definitely going to want to upgrade to Blu-ray.  It’s a wonderful deal and both films are highly recommended!

Tom Hanks to Present at 84th Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA – Two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Tom Hanks will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today.

Hanks, who is a governor of the Academy, won consecutive Oscars® in 1993 and 1994 for his lead performances in “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump.”  He was also nominated for his leading roles in “Big,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Cast Away.”  Hanks can currently be seen in the Best Picture-nominated “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”  His other film credits include “Larry Crowne,” “Toy Story 3,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Terminal,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Road to Perdition,” “Apollo 13″ and “A League of Their Own.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

BOB IGER TO CHAIR FILM MUSEUM CAPITAL CAMPAIGN, ANNETTE BENING AND TOM HANKS TO CO-CHAIR

Beverly Hills, CA – Academy President Tom Sherak announced today that Walt Disney Co. President and CEO Bob Iger will serve as chairman of the capital campaign for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Actress Annette Bening and actor-producer Tom Hanks will join as co-chairs. “With Bob, Annette, and Tom’s leadership, our dream of finally opening a world-class film museum in Los Angeles will become a reality,” Sherak said.

As Academy CEO Dawn Hudson noted, “The momentum has been building for a long time, and with the enthusiasm Bob, Annette, and Tom all bring—and the respect they are accorded throughout the industry—we have marked the beginning of a new chapter for this project.”

Earlier this fall, the Academy and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced their intention to work together in establishing the Academy-run museum in the historic May Co. building, currently known as LACMA West. With permanent and rotating exhibitions, the museum is intended to provide an interactive experience that will explore how motion pictures have evolved and how they continue to change.

“The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures represents a bold new way of saving and presenting film history,” said Iger. “It will innovate not only the museum experience, but also the public’s relationship to the art form.”

“I am thrilled to be part of this crucial phase in what will be an extraordinary landmark,” Bening remarked. “It will give so much to our city, to historians, and to visitors from all over the world, who love movies.”

Added Hanks, “I was very excited to be asked to play this role in establishing the museum. The movies have done so much to shape world culture and our own lives. Preserving and sharing their history with the public should be an important undertaking for us all.”

The museum, to occupy a 300,000 square-foot space, is expected to be the first in the nation dedicated to the art, craft, business, and history of film on such a large scale. The Academy anticipates that the museum will represent a significant addition to the cultural landscape of the city most associated with motion pictures.

Interview with “Toy Story 3″ actor Tom Hanks (voice of Woody) – J!-ENT Interviews and Articles

With the upcoming release of “Toy Story 3″ on Blu-ray and DVD on November 2nd, J!-ENT will be featuring interviews with the talent behind the voices of the characters of the popular film. Our third interview features Tom Hanks who does the voice of Woody.

Tom Hanks has been featured in various films that have earned him an Academy Award or an award nomination which include “Saving Private Ryan”, “Forrest Gump”, “Philadelphia”, “Castaway” and “Big”.   While still acting, he has also become a successful executive producer for films such as “Mamma Mia!”, “The Polar Express” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”.

But when it comes to animation, Hanks is known for his voice as the main character Woody for the “Toy Story” trilogy.  Tom Hanks is back in the saddle again, lending his voice to the popular pull-string cowboy Woody in the new Disney/Pixar 3D comedy adventure “Toy Story 3.”

Q:  The “Toy Story” films are beloved by audiences worldwide.  What makes these films classics?

A:  The “Toy Story” films accomplish what timeless classics aim for – innocent characters who face an endless trail of adventures.  We all know the likes of Woody and Buzz.  We wonder who we would be if we were toys. There’s this great logic that John Lasseter and Lee [Unkrich] and Darla [K. Anderson], and all the writers adhere to that makes moviegoers just kind of relax and let themselves be transported to this magical place and time. When you can do that with a movie, it’s amazing. With ‘Toy Story 3,’ you come back to a lovely, familiar and happy place.

Q:  Disney/Pixar is renowned for creating story-driven films with a heart. What can audiences expect from “Toy Story 3”?

A:  “Toy Story 3” is a big massive adventure that has you constantly on the edge of your seat. It’s part “Great Escape,” with the same kind of excitement as Dorothy escaping from the Wicked Witch of the West. And yet they take those elements and turn them into something that is very emotional. We’re talking about toy dinosaurs and Mr. Potato Head, and yet you feel for them and don’t want them to get recycled or stuck with the bratty kids. You want them to be together and played with at the end of the movie. You’re worried for their essence. The filmmakers at Pixar always manage to get you right in the heart. The story is as simple as growing up and having a guy go off to college, but it is so profoundly emotional that you can’t help but have tears in your eyes.

Q:  This will be your third time playing the pull-string cowboy sheriff Woody.  After all these years, how would you describe Woody’s character and what makes him so lovable?

A:  Woody is a passionate guy who throws himself into every action. As soon as he has an instinctive thought like “I have to help them,” or “I have to run away,” he does it with 100-percent commitment. You gotta love that about anybody. What’s great is that I get credit for the way the character and the humor come off. I have kids that are now in college come up to me and say, “when you told that neighbor kid to play nice, that really meant a lot to me.”

Q:  How has Woody’s relationship with Buzz evolved over the course of these three films?

A:  I love the way the relationship between Woody and Buzz has grown. They started off as pure adversaries and learned how to accept each other’s strengths, forgive each other’s failures, and respect each other as individuals. Opposites definitely attract in this case.

Q:  What are some of the obstacles that Woody must face in “Toy Story 3”?

A:  There is a huge ground shift in the lives of these toys. In one scene, Woody must watch his buddies get inadvertently thrown in the garbage. It is heart-wrenching for him.  Another challenge he must face is when he chooses to walk away from his toy friends because of a temporary difference of perceptions. It is a big, tough decision for him. Without giving too much away, there is this tremendous life-shattering and life-saving adventure.

Q:  What other character would you like to play if you could not be Woody?

A:  Wow, that’s a very, very good question. Quite frankly, I am of the Slinky dog persuasion. I think Slinky can go places other toys can’t go and he can do things other toys can’t do because of his ability to stretch. I think that would be fun.

Q:  “Toy Story” was released in 1995.  What are some changes to the animation process that you have experienced over the years?

A:   For the first one, we were shown the movie through storyboards mounted on walls. So you walked into a building and about a quarter mile later you understood the movie because they literally walked you through every sequence. This time they did this brilliant thing where they just showed us the entire animatic. An animatic is a process where every voice and every sound effect is added to rough animated drawings and it lasts exactly as long as the final movie. So you actually get to go into a screening room with the rest of the cast and you get to see it all at the same time.

Q:  Describe the process of working on animated films.

A:  I have been working on a Pixar movie on and off for a long time.  It astounds me every time that it takes about four years to create these films.  It seems like every two weeks they call you in to record, but it turns out to be about every six months.  When I started doing the first “Toy Story” film, I had two kids; I now have four kids.  [LAUGHS]

Q:  Disney/Pixar has an amazing track record of creating animated films that achieve critical acclaim. What is the secret to Pixar’s success?

A:  The Pixar people continuously amaze me. They come up with something that actually looks as though it takes place in this happy, real-world. Every plot line is not just plausible, but oddly authentic. The stories are full of adventure, humor and love. The characters are written with great human dimension. I don’t know how they do it but they astound me.

Q:  What do you think of the technological advances in live-action and animated filmmaking?

A:  Motion pictures are just beginning to live up to their true potential of being this immersive experience—going from beyond black and white flickering images to fully immersive 3D color high-definition. You don’t even know where the real world starts and the fake world begins. And yet, none of that’s going to matter unless the story and the emotions that they allow us to become invested in are something that we can recognize. Pixar is able to do this in ways that almost defies speculation. And isn’t it grand that the “Toy Story” films are such a great example of this power to deeply connect with an audience?

TOY STORY 3 is Available on Blu-ray & DVD November 2^nd!

Toy Story 3: 4-Disc Combo Pack (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Magnificent!  “Toy Story 3″ is everything you can ask for in a Blu-ray release… Perfection in every category…picture quality, audio quality and loaded with special features.  A five-star release!

Images courtesy of © Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Toy Story 3: Special Edition

DURATION: 92 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), English 7.1 DTS-HD MA, English 5.1 DTS Master Audio, French & Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital EX, English 2.0 DVS, Subtitles: English SDH, French & Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G (General Audiences)

RELEASE DATE: November 3, 2010

Directed by Lee Unkrich

Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Standton, Lee Unkrich

Screenplay by Michael Arndt

Executive Produced by John Lasseter

Produced by Darla K. Anderson

Music by Randy Newman

Casting by Natalie Lyon, Kevin Reher

Featuring the Voices of:

Tom Hanks as Woody

Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear

Joan Cusack as Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl

Ned Beatty as Lotso

Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head

Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head

Blake Clark as Slinky Dog

Wallace Shawn as Rex the Green Dinosaur

John Ratzenberger as Hamm the Piggy Bank

Annie Potts as Bo Peep

John Morris as Andy

Michael Keaton as Ken

Jodi Benson as Barbie

Emily Hahn as Bonnie

Laurie Metcalf as Andy’s Mom

Bud Luckey as Chuckles

Beatrice Miller as Molly

Javier Fernandez Pena as Spanish Buzz

Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants

Lori Alan as Bonnie’s Mom

Charlie Bright as Young Andy

Kristen Schaal as Trixie

Jeff Garlin as Buttercup

Bonnie Hunt as Dolly

Whoopi Goldberg as Stretch

Toy Story 3 marks Pixar veteran Lee Unkrich’s feature directorial debut and the return of Pixar’s favorite composer Randy Newman, with the addition of Academy Award®-winner Michael Arndt’s (Little Miss Sunshine) compelling original screenplay. Tom Hanks (Angels & Demons), Tim Allen (The Santa Clause), Joan Cusack (Confessions of a Shopaholic), John Ratzenberger (Up) and Don Rickles (Toy Story 2) reprise their roles as the voices of the iconic characters Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Hamm and Mr. Potato Head, respectively, and are joined by new characters voiced by Michael Keaton (Herbie Fully Loaded) as Barbie’s romantic foil Ken, Timothy Dalton (Hot Fuzz) as the thespian hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants, and Ned Beatty (Rudy) as the cuddly Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, among many others, as the toys face a new adventure as Andy prepares to go off to college.

“Toy Story”, the film that would earn animation company Pixar Animation Studios the reputation of being the finest animation studio in the world and would literally bring Walt Disney Studios to enter new generation of animated films created entirely in CGI but also would earn the love and praise not only from the critics but the fans who wanted more and more.

Released in 1995 and budgeted at $30 million, the first film would go on to make $351 million worldwide (and still making money with the recent Blu-ray release).

In November 1999, the sequel “Toy Story 2″ was released in theaters and the $90 million dollar film like its predecessor did extremely well in the domestic and worldwide box office making over $485 million.

But it has been more than a decade since the release of a “Toy Story” film and 15 years since the first film, fans have been clamoring for a new “Toy Story” film and sure enough, Disney/Pixar released the third and final film of the trilogy, “Toy Story 3″ in June 2010 and not only did it surpass the box office returns of the first two films combined, earning over 1 billion dollars, the second Disney film to earn over a billion after “Alice in Wonderland” (also released in 2010).

“Toy Story 3″ literally shattered box office records and became the 5th highest grossing film of all time worldwide and the 9th highest grossing film in the US (and obviously the highest grossing film of 2010) and is an ultimate success for Disney/Pixar.

“Toy Story 3″ begins with a young Andy playing with his toys in one of the adventures with Woody, Buzz, Jesse and friends.  And his mother shoots him on video and we see how Andy has grown up and used to play with his toys all the time.

But that was then.

Now, Andy is a 17-year-old preparing to leave college.  He has since outgrown his toys and keeps them in his toy trunk.  Woody and friends come up with one final plan for Andy to play with them before he goes to college but the plan doesn’t work.  Woody tries to keep everyone optimistic that perhaps when they travel with Woody to college and when he gets married, his own children will play with the toys.  If anything, Buzz mostly cares that everyone stays together no matter what.

But as he plans to leave for college and his sister will be moving to his bedroom, he needs to separate what is going with him to college, what is going to the attic, what toys will be donated to Sunnyside Daycare and what is going in the trash.  Of course, Woody tries to keep them optimistic that Andy would never throw them away but when he grabs all the toys and puts them in the trash bag and Woody is the only one to be put in the box for college, the toys start to worry that they will be separated.

But as Woody watches Andy, he learns that Andy plans to put them in the attic but as he goes to help his sister carry her toys that she will be sending to Sunnyside Daycare, he leaves the trash bag with his toys on the ground and his mother mistakes it for toys that Andy wants to trash.

Andy’s mother puts his toys to the curb to be trashed and Woody immediately goes to rescue them but with quick thinking, Buzz and friends manage to escape just fine and hop into the box that Andy’s sister was donating and are headed to Sunnyside Day care.  As Woody tries to explain to them that it was a mistake, it is too late and Buzz, Jesse and friends are on their way to the daycare and feel that they rather go to a place where they will be played with instead of being stuck in an attic.

And immediately, the group are excited about their new home as they see many toys all around.  Could this be a toyland where toys can live and be happy?  Meanwhile, Barbie finds herself attracted to Ken (and vice versa) and the group learns that the toy that is responsible for making the decisions at the day care is Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear (aka “Lotso”), who tells them of how great a place Sunnyside Daycare is.  As Woody finds his way to the Daycare and tries to have all his friends come home with him, unfortunately, they feel that their place is at the Daycare where they know they will be played with.

As Buzz and the group are excited about their new home, they anxiously await to be played with by the children.  But they soon learn that the room they are staying at is a daycare class for the very young children who don’t care about the toys and do whatever with them (including destroy them).  As for Woody,  seeing that no one wanted to leave with him, now he must find a way back home from the Daycare and it’s not going to be easy.  But fortunately he is found by a young girl from the daycare named Bonnie who takes him home.

At the daycare, Buzz and the group realized that Sunnyside Daycare is not what they expected and at this rate, they will be abused, tortured or destroyed.  So, the group decides that they want to be transferred to a new room with older kids and as Buzz goes to to talk to Lotso about transferring them, they are caught by the toys of Sunnyside and brought to Lotso.

As Lotso hears Buzz out, he agrees to accept Buzz as part of his team but not the others.  Buzz refuses to leave the others behind and seeing how dark and cold Lotso is, he tries to escape but in the end, he is captured and his memory is reset and now, Buzz is back to his original space ranger mode.

Woody learns from the other toys (who were rescued by Bonnie at the daycare) that Sunnyside is actually a toy prison that is run by Lotso who is ruthless and has no sympathy towards the other toys because his original owner had lost and replaced him.  And thus, he has run Sunnyside Daycare with an iron fist.  And now, Woody knows he must rescue his friends.

As for his friends, they try to escape from the Daycare but are caught by Lotto’s henchman including the newly reset Buzz Lightyear and are imprisoned.

Will Buzz be able to get back into Sunnyside Daycare and rescue his friends and return back to Andy’s home?

VIDEO:

When I watched “Toy Story 1″ and “Toy Story 2″, I easily noticed how CGI had improved between 1995 and 1999, especially with how fabric started to show more detail and we started to see more of a surface to Mr. Potato Head and T-Rex.

But “Toy Story 3″, eleven years later, you would expect CGI to take a dramatic leap forward and needless to say, “Toy Story 3″ is visually impressive.

Presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 aspect ratio), the first thing you notice with “Toy Story 3″ are the vibrant colors and then overall detail.  Everything shows detail and as we learn from this Blu-ray release, the animators wanted to make sure that the characters themselves do not look like toys, that they wanted to make sure the characters and toys are distinguished and the animators succeeded in every way possible.

Mr. Potato Head, you literally see the surface like the actual toy, down to its seams.  Look at the hardwood floors in Andy’s room, so much detail on the floor that it looks realistic, even some outdoor scenes look photorealistic (especially the animation and CG shown during Lotso’s past, wow!).  And the fabric of the clothing, you can see the threading, the weaves and how much detail went into the clothing. One scene with the monkey, it looks like a stuffed monkey with its detail, the detail of it’s clothing and scary eyes, these models look fantastic!  Also, see the dirt and grime on the animals, that was awesome how they captured that in the film.

The hair even was well-done, the wear and tear that the toys go through at Sunnyside Daycare is evident through the nicks and scratches and also looking at Andy’s trunk and seeing the little chips on the trunk to the paint and we can see the brush strokes on the walls, “Toy Story 3″ just looks magnificent on Blu-ray and I don’t see how any videophile can say anything negative about how this film looks on Blu-ray.

And facial expressions of the human characters such as Andy, his sister, his mother to Bonnie, these were well-animated and rendered.

I did notice some banding but times I did see it were short.  For example, when Woody is back at Sunnyside, he is holding the red phone receiver and the banding is evident in that one scene but again, the scenes you do see it are seconds long and does not distract you from how fantastic this film looks.

This is the best looking Disney/Pixar film to date!  Vibrant, detailed and everything about the picture quality is going to make videophiles swoon!  It’s that impressive and easily a reference quality Blu-ray release for picture quality!

As for the accompanying DVD, the DVD is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Toy Story 3 ” is presented in English 7.1 DTS Master Audio and English 5.1 DTS Master Audio.  Also, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital EX is included as well as English 2.0 DVS.

All I can say is that “Toy Story 3″ sounds magnificent.  The first action scenes that startoff the film will show you how awesome this film sounds in lossless.  From Mrs. Potato Head’s voice coming from the surround channels, sounds coming from the rear surround channels, LFE being utilized for the evil Dr. Porkchop’s laser beam or when Mr. Potato Head has Slinky Dog turn on its force field and Jesse calling on T-Rex, this is just impressive to hear the sound coming from all channels.

Dialogue is crystal clear and music is just as clear!  And you then hear how the sound is utilized during the children’s rush to get the toys as they slam them all over the place, the garbage dump as everything is being compacted and you can hear flames pattering, the garbage truck coming from the distance, tiny footstep sounds throughout the room… really, there are so many sounds that are well-utilized throughout this film, it’s very impressive!  Sure, the film is not 100% action-based but action and non-action scenes, the film sounds fantastic on Blu-ray and I didn’t even notice a lot of these sounds at the theater when I watched this film this past summer.

So, you really experience a  great, immersive soundscape with “Toy Story 3″ from all channels, especially via LFE. Not only is picture quality hitting the high marks for reference quality, the lossless audio is just as magnificent and audiophiles should be happy with this Blu-ray release as well!

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.  For the special features, some extras have other subtitles included.

As for the accompanying DVD, the DVD is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital EX and 2.0 DVS.  Subtitles are in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Toy Story 3″ includes the following special features:

DISC 1:

• Day and Night Theatrical Short – (5:58) The Day and Night short animated film that was shown before “Toy Story 3″ in theaters.
• Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: The Science of Adventure – (4:25) Buzz teaches Hamm and T-Rex about space and people working in space to benefit science on Earth.
• Toys! - (6:38) The crew guess of how many toys are in this film.  And also an introduction of the new toy characters in “Toy Story 3″.

DISC 2:

• The Gang’s All Here – (10:46)  The voice talent and crew of “Toy Story 3″ reflect on the past and present and working on “Toy Story 3″ and reuniting with everyone and also bringing in new voice talent/characters.
• Goodbye Andy – (8:02) A featurette about John Morris reprising his role as Andy and information on the animation and storyboarding of those Andy scenes.
• Accidental Toymakers – (3:56) A story of how most toy manufacturers never wanted to take on “Toy Story” in the past and how the toys became a mega hit for a small toy company (Thinkway Toys) and the plans for making the toys for “Toy Story 3″.
• A Toy’s Eye View: Creating a Whole New Land – (5:14) A featurette on bringing the “Toy Story” characters to the Disney theme parks and creating a new “Toy Story” land for the Disney theme park in Paris.
• Epilogue – (4:23) The final epilogue from the film.
• Cinexplore - (1:42:30) While watching the film, you get a picture-in-picture screen featuring the storyboard sketches, concept art and CG models with commentary by director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson.
• Beyond the Toybox – (1:42:30) An alternative commentary track the Supervising Animators, Supervising Technical Director, Production Designer and Stor Supervisor of “Toy Story 3″.  Featuring leads from story, tech, art and animation.
• Roundin’ Up a Western Opening - (5:42) A featurette about how the western opening was developed and what the original conception was for the film and how it changed in the final cut.  Also, how to reintroduce the characters and making the introduction action-packed.
• Bonnie’s Playtime: A Story’s Roundtable – (6:26) A roundtable with director Lee Unkrich and crew in a roundtable and creating the Bonnie scene and the challenges they faced and the goals they wanted to accomplish.
• Beginnings: Setting a Story In Motion – (8:13) An animated featurette on creating a script from scratch by “Toy Story 3″ screenwriter Michael Arndt and doing it the Pixar way.
• Life of a Shot – (6:57) Producer Darla K. Anderson talks about modeling and how hundreds of people worked in this film and showcases various staff talking about colors, sets, painting, styling, animating, effects, shot lighting, music and more for “Toy Story 3″.
• Making of Day & Night – (2:00) The creation of the “Day and Night” short animated film (which was screened right before “Toy Story 3″ in theaters).
• Paths of Pixar – Editorial – (4:38) Featuring the editing staff at Pixar and what their jobs were in “Toy Story 3″.  From the story, cutting, adding and the various work done in the editing department and the various jobs by the editor and the control in filmmaking that they have and communicating with the director.  Also, learning how the staff began in their job and more.
• Studio Stories: Where’s Gordon – (2:16) A story by a man named Gordon talking about working at Pixar and discovering a secret room (in which one must crawl through a vent to get through) and how that room became a party room at Pixar.
• Studio Stories: Cereal Bar – (1:36) Life at Pixar and having a cereal bar at work and why cereal is important at Pixar.
• Studio Stories: Clean Start -(3:05)  The crazy things that staff did near the final stages of “Toy Story 3″.
• Toy Story Trivia Dash – A trivia based game featuring questions from  “Toy Story 3″ or “Toy Story 1-3″.  You only have a certain amount of time to answer and you use your number pad on your Blu-ray remote (or PC) to choose the correct answer.
• Grab Bag – (4:00) Various publicity clips of the “Toy Story 3″ characters in how would “Toy Story 3″ would be in 3D?”.
• Ken’s Dating Tips – (1:30) Short publicity clips for “Toy Story 3″ featuring Ken giving dating clips.
• Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear Commercial 1 – (:30) A “Toy Story 3″ viral ad l featuring Lotso in a ’80s style toy commercial.
• Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear Commercial 2 – (:30) A Japanese ’80s style toy commercial (viral ad) featuring Lotso.
• Making of the Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear Commercials – (1:28) The making of the 1983 Lotso commercials and challenges they had in making the commercial.
• Internet Chat - (1:00) A “Toy Story 3″ commercial featuring Buzz and friends using Internet chat.
• Security Cam – (1:12) A “Toy Story 3″ commercial ala security camera.
• Gadgets – (:58) A “Toy Story 3″ car commercial featuring the previous and new characters.
• “Dancing with the Stars” at Pixar – (2:21)  A featurette on how the crew at “Toy Story 3″ worked with “Dancing with the Stars” dancers Cheryl Burke and Tony Dovolani for the dancing scenes.
• TS3 Silence Trailer - (:40) A commercial promoting silence when watching “Toy Story 3″.
• TS3 Antipiracy Trailer - (1:04) An anti-piracy trailer.
• TS3 Teaser Trailer – (1:44)  The “Toy Story 3″ teaster trailer.
• TS3 Trailer 2 – (2:21) “Toy Story 3″ theatrical trailer #2
• TS3 Trailer 3 - (2:30) “Toy story 3″ theatrical trailer #3
• TS3 Japan Teaser Trailer 1 – (1:02) Japanese teaser trailer (with English subtitles)
• TS3 Japan Trailer 2 - (2:44) Japanese theatrical trailer (with English subtitles)
• Character Intros – (2:00) Featuring several commercials promoting the new characters of “Toy Story 3″.
• Poster Gallery – Using your remote, you can cycle through the various posters of “Toy Story 3″.

EXTRA:

Included in the “Toy Story 3: 4-Disc Combo Pack” is a DVD version of the film and a digital copy of the film.  The digital copy of the feature film works with iTunes and Windows Media Player.  Also, a slip over cover comes with this Blu-ray release.

I’m sure that “Toy Story 3″ hit people a lot harder emotionally than some viewers.  Some look at it as the next level of wonderful CGI graphics for Disney/Pixar animated films, others look at the film as another successful film for the studio but I’m going to go even farther and say that this film caught my attention, not because I grew up with the previous two films but the fact is that like the character of Andy, during my late teens, it was time to say goodbye to all the toys that I once owned.

Memories of having friends overnight to play with these toys, memories of opening the old department store catalogs and hoping my grandparents would get me the latest toy that I picked out and then to open it in Christmas morning.  Suffice to say, when it came to my toys… I was very fortunate to have such a memorable time playing with them and having caring family to help support that habit.  But unlike Andy, I did not have the moment to say goodbye, it was more like, turn 16 and my parents made the conscious decision to throw out all my toys and force me to sell all my comic books and prepare for graduation and SAT tests and so forth.

Needless to say, it was not necessarily a traumatic moment but it was a defining moment…OK, who am I kidding, it was one of the saddest moments in my life.

So, “Toy Story 3″ for me, was just a magnificent film that took me back to those old days of playing in my room and like Andy, having these wild adventures that I could conjure in my head and sooner or later, we grow older, become interested in different things and sooner or later, we say goodbye and prepare for our next stage in our lives as young adults.

I watched this film knowing that it was going to be successful and along with my wife, my son and my nephew, watched it in 3D the first day it came to theater.  But watching it on Blu-ray, without the usual audience distractions, my experience this time around was heightened.  Watching “Toy Story 3″ in 1080p, I was amazed by how vibrant the film looked, how much detail was showcased.  From the little tears in Andy’s toy chest, the clothing of the characters, the dirt and grime on the toys, the wonderful lossless audio and then for me to watch the special features in three days because there are a good number of them included, I can’t help but feel that this is truly a perfect release.

Yes, I am sure the videophiles will say there was banding on the picture quality but those banding moments were few and were short.  Really, everything you love about the film, you get that and more in the “Toy Story 3: 4-Disc Combo Pack”. It’s important for people to know that if you don’t need the accompanying DVD or the digital copy, you can also purchase the Blu-ray two-disc version as well.

Personally, I can’t find one significant flaw with this Blu-ray release.  There is something for everyone in this release, may you be a fan of the film, a person wanting to learn about the animation business and learn from the awesome team at Pixar, there is just so much to love about this release that it’s definitely one of the top 10 Blu-ray releases of 2010 and that is pretty tough as this year alone had many significant releases, especially coming from Disney.  If anything, Walt Disney continues to raise the bar for its Blu-ray releases and I suppose since this is finale farewell for the “Toy Story” series (which I would imagine is not set in stone because “Toy Story” made an insane amount of money for Disney and “Toy Story 3″ made over a billion dollars worldwide, I just can’t see this being a 100% final farewell), they had to go out with a bang for this Blu-ray release.

Overall, “Toy Story 3″ is a film in which Pixar continues to their reign of innovation, their mark on quality of beautifully animated films and a well-written storyline that just pulls you in.  The Blu-ray release is not just for those who love “Toy Story 3″ but for those who loved the “Toy Story” trilogy.  If you loved the first two films, then this is a no-brainer, this is a must-buy release.

“Toy Story 3: 4-Disc Combo Pack” is magnificent and is a true 5-star release!  Highly recommended!

[Photo Gallery] Celebrities arriving at the red carpet for the 62nd Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards in Los Angeles (August 29, 2010)

The following photo gallery are the celebs arriving at the red carpet for the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California, August 29, 2010. Photos by REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni, Newscom, UPI/Lori Shepler, Byron Purvis/AdMedia

Tom Hanks accepts an award for “The Pacific” at the 26th Annual Television Critics Award in Beverly Hills

Executive Producer Tom Hanks accepts the award for “Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials” for “The Pacific” onstage during the 26th Annual Television Critics Association Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 31, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images). Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

ROAD TO PERDITION – ON BLU-RAY 8/3/10

TOM HANKS, PAUL NEWMAN AND JUDE LAW STAR IN DIRECTOR SAM MENDES’ RIVETING DRAMA
ARRIVING ON BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

ROAD TO PERDITION

Atmospheric and Enthralling Film Debuts on Blu-ray August 3, 2010 with
Over an Hour of New Bonus Material Including an Introduction by Sam Mendes,
a Tribute to Renowned Cinematographer Conrad Hall and More

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – Academy Award®-winning director Sam Mendes’ powerfully taut mob drama ROAD TO PERDITION makes its highly-anticipated Blu-ray debut on August 3, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment.  Featuring a stellar cast including Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds and Jennifer Jason Leigh, ROAD TO PERDITION is a “brooding, powerful, exquisitely made” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) meditation on the complicated relationships between fathers and sons.  The mesmerizing story of a mob enforcer set against the backdrop of the Great Depression is both astonishingly beautiful and darkly atmospheric thanks in large part to the extraordinary talent of legendary cinematographer and three-time Oscar® winner Conrad Hall.  This new high definition transfer captures every detail of Hall’s breathtaking work down to the very last raindrop.
“I was a bit of a Blu-ray skeptic because I thought the movie looked pretty good to begin with, so I immodestly wondered how it could be better!  But the difference when you watch the film on Blu-ray really is astonishing. The depth and the colors and the texture really are a joy to behold,” said director Sam Mendes. “Very sadly, Conrad Hall — who shot the movie, and won the Academy Award — is no longer with us.  But I like to think that he is smiling down on this beautiful new version of his final film.”
The ROAD TO PERDITION Blu-ray features over an hour of new bonus material including an introduction by director Sam Mendes, a documentary tribute entitled “A Cinematic Life: The Art & Influence of Conrad Hall” and “The Library: A Further Exploration of the World of Road To Perdition”. The disc also includes commentary by Mendes, deleted scenes, the Making of Road To Perdition and the theatrical trailer.

ROAD TO PERDITION Blu-ray:

The ROAD TO PERDITION Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.  The following new bonus features are presented in high definition as indicated:

• Sam Mendes Feature Introduction (HD)
• A Cinematic Life: The Art & Influence of Conrad Hall (HD)
• The Library: A Further Exploration of the World of Road To Perdition
  

Previously released bonus material is presented in standard definition, except as noted:

• Commentary by director Sam Mendes
• Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary by Sam Mendes)
• The Making of Road To Perdition
  

About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.  PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands.  PHE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.

Angels & Demons (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Angels & Demons” is an entertaining film, it’s an ambitious and beautiful looking film that looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray.  But the film does have its shortcomings and some scenes are a bit farfetched, but yet in the end, I found the overall content and presentation of “Angels & Demons” on Blu-ray to be quite fascinating and entertaining and feel it is definitely worth checking out.

Images courtesy of © 2009 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Angels & Demons

DURATION: 139 Minutes (Theatrical Version)/146 Minutes (Extended Version)

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

RATED: PG-13 (For Sequences of Violence, Disturbing Images and Thematic Material)

COMPANY: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2009

Based on a novel by Dan Brown

Directed by Ron Howard

Written by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman

Executive Producer: Dan Brown, Todd Hallowell, Marco Valerio Pugini

Produced by John Calley, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard

Associate Producer: William M. Connor, Kathleen McGill, Louisa Velis

Music by Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by Salvatore Totino

Edited by Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill

Casting by Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins and Michelle Lewitt

Production Design by Allan Cameron

Set Decoration by Robert Gould, Richard Roberts

Costume Design by Daniel Orlandi

Starring:

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon

Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna

Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra

Stellan Skarsgard as Commander Richter

Pierfrencesco Favino as Inspector Olivetti

Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Assassin

Armin Mueller-Stahl as Cardinal Strauss

Thure Lindhardt as Chartrand

David Pasquesi as Claudio Vincenzi

Cosimo Fusco as Father Simeon

In Ron Howard’s thrilling follow-up to The Da Vinci Code, expert symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) follows ancient clues on a heart-racing hunt through Rome to find the four Cardinals kidnapped by the deadly secret society, the Illuminati. With the Cardinals’ lives on the line, and the Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor) desperate for help, Langdon embarks on a nonstop, action-packed race through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, and the most secretive vault on Earth!

Dan Brown’s controversial novel “The Da Vinci Code” was a best seller and the film adaptation of the film was box office gold as the film grossed over $758 million worldwide.  Needless to say, controversy helped catapult this film and the novel and it was no surprise when it was announced that Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”, “Frost/Nixon”, “Cinderella Man”, “Apollo 13″) would return as director and Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump”, “Castaway”, “Big”, “Sleepless in Seattle”, “Saving Private Ryan”)  as the main character Robert Langdon in an adaptation of Dan Brown’s 2000 mystery-thriller novel “Angels & Demons”.

The film would feature a screenplay by David Koepp (“Hack”, “War of the Worlds”, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, “Ghost Town”) and Akiva Goldsman (“I Am Legend”, “I Robot”, “Cinderella Man”).  Music for the film is by Hans Zimmer (“Frost/Nixon”, “The Dark Knight”, “Kung Fu Panda”, “Pirates of the Carribean” films) and cinematography by Salvatore Totino (“Cinderella Man”, “Changing Lanes”, “Frost/Nixon”).  The film The film opened in May 2009 and like “That Da Vinci Code”, received a lot of controversy and did well in the box office as “Angels & Demons” made over $485 million.

Now “Angels & Demons” receives its entry to High Definition with a two-disc Blu-ray release which includes the theatrical and extended edition version of the film plus a third disc which contains a digital copy of the movie.

The film kicks off with Father Silvano Bentigovlio and Dr. Vittoria Vetra (played by Ayalet Zurer, “Adam Resurrected”, “Vantage Point”) at the European Organization of Nuclear Research (CERN) in which the laboratory is trying to initiate a Large Handron Collider and collect the antimatter.  All goes well and when Dr. Vetra goes to visit and congratulate him, she sees an eye socket ripped out and the father laying on the ground dead.  Also, the antimatter has been stolen.

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church mourns the death of Pope Pius XI and as the Vatican and people wait for a vote on who will be the next Pope, a group known as the Illuminati kidnap the “preferiti” (the four people nominated to become Pope) and a threat goes out that someone is in possession of the anti-matter and is threatening to kill each of the four and will destroy the Vatican. Meanwhile, while the leaders are working on their votes for the next pope, Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (played by Ewan McGregor, “Star Wars” films, “Black Hawk Down”, “Moulin Rouge!) has temporary control.

Because of the symbols of the Illuminati are being used ala Ambigram (Ampi = two, gram=words), the Vatican contacts symbiologist Robert Langdon (Hanks) who is working at Harvard University for his help and also CERN scientist Dr. Vittoria Vetra to go to Rome and help assist the Swiss Police and the Gendarme Corps of Vatican City State in stopping the person/people involved before they kill any of the four preferiti and to get back the anti-matter.

In a story about mystery, corruption and secrets, both Langdon and Vetra must find a way to stop the next killing before the Vatican is destroyed.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Angels & Demons” is featured in 1080p High Definition (with an aspect ratio of 2:40:1).  The film looks absolutely stunning on Blu-ray.   Salvatore Totino and Ron Howard make a great filmmaking couple as the Director has trusted Totino to capture the setting in Rome and its people with clarity, amazing detail of the various architecture and the surrounds outside the Vatican.  And of course, the skin pores and detail on the characters face.  It’s all captured quite well and to add to that, a nice fine layer of grain.  Overall, picture quality is fantastic.

And as for audio quality, the film is presented in English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.  Unlike “The Da Vinci Code”, “Angels & Demons” is a film that features a lot of action scenes (which either is going to make you feel its going a bit too farfetched or will make you feel that it’s wonderful).  From the gunshots from the assassin, the helicopter overhead, the cars racing and of course the anti-matter scenes, there is a good use of audio because of those action sequences.  But what about the ambiance of a crowded area of the Vatican.  Yes, you can hear the crowds with clarity and you can hear the people in the Vatican chit chatting, it’s a wonderful use of the soundscape.  But the main thing that you will notice right off the bat is Hans Zimmer’s music.  The music plays a big part of the “Angels & Demons” in creating that feel of action, sadness or the key dramatic moments.  Overall, this is another lossless soundtrack that really utilizes audio completely well.  It’s not a full-on action-based film but it’s a film that does sound remarkably well.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Angel & Demons” has a second Blu-ray disc primarily for the special features.  The special features are all in High Definition, in English (Stereo) and also has English subtitles.  Included are:

“Angels & Demons” is one of those films that you either love or hate, as the same situation with “The Da Vinci Code”.

I found the film to be quite entertaining and the cinematography and music to really enhance the film because the biggest problem that I found was the overuse of CG.  I know the goal was to show how religion and science can work together but I tend to have a disdain towards films that try to be real but overuse CG in ways that are a bit farfetched.

Also, there was a problem with character development.  In “The Da Vinci Code”, there were characters that you actually cared about.  With “Angels & Demons”, I could hardly care for the Dr. Vetra because she’s hardly around Robert for most of the film.  That’s what I enjoyed about the last film, the characters of Audrey Tautou’s Agent Sophie Neveu and Dr. Robert Langdon developed well over the course of the film, while in “Angels & Demons”…somehow the symbiologist ends up becoming an action-hero, escaping major predicaments, one after the other and it was one thing to see it happen but seeing him do it over and over again, was a bit too farfetched for my taste.  I wanted to see more of that intelligence and knowledge in symbiology and history to play a big part of the film.

But the saving grace for this film was my appreciation of “Angels & Demons” cinematography and music.  Similar to how Jacques Tati made the city come alive in a film like “Playtime”, Rome was captured as is.   No matter how many people were loitering near the set, director Ron Howard wanted to capture the city and its beauty and they succeeded.

This is definitely a beautiful film and the Blu-ray release definitely brings out the film’s detail and clarity.   I was quite impressed with the picture quality, although the CG was just a bit too out-of-place it seemed.  But the overall locations of where the film was shot and the creating of the sets to make the film come alive and make a set in Los Angeles look like Rome, a job well done by the production department.

And the lossless soundtrack is solid as well.  Special features wise, “The Da Vinci Code” was packed with bonus features but “Angels & Demons” had about seven major features and no commentary track by Ron Howard either.  But I did enjoy the use of “The Path of the Illumination” featuring the various areas around Rome.

Overall, “Angels & Demons” is an entertaining film, it’s an ambitious and beautiful looking film that looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray.  But the film does have its shortcomings and some scenes are a bit farfetched, but yet in the end, I found the overall content and presentation of “Angels & Demons” on Blu-ray to be quite fascinating and entertaining and feel it is definitely worth checking out.

Tom Hanks and actress Ayelet Zurer attend the “Angels & Demons” Japan Premiere

Actor Tom Hanks (L) and actress Ayelet Zurer (R) attend the ‘Angels & Demons’ Japan Premiere at Marunouchi Building on May 7, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. The film will open on May 15 in Japan. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images . All rights reserved.

Next Page »