I was at Walmart and had this one in my hands fir what had to be 10 minutes. They want $55 for this version. 2 movies on BD and a digital copy of each... And T:L in 3D. It's definitely worth it, but I don't remember the classic Tron all that well and decided against it. I'm likely to change my mind later.
Dooo eeet! You must dooo eeeet! Trust me, its worth the cabbage just to see how well the transfer of the original Tron to Blu-Ray was done. Its better than nature scenes to show how good HDTV looks.
The original "Tron" is much-maligned, but I saw it in a theater again a few years back and really thought it held up well. I was also struck by parallels to "The Matrix".
Just watched the Blu-Ray of Tron Legacy. I gotta say, not having to endure 3D greatly improved the experience. The film periodically switches aspect ratios from letterbox to wide screen, in keeping with the IMAX prints. Unless you're looking for it, you'll not notice the transition points at all, only after they've happened. If you are looking for them, you'll miss a number of them. Its handy to have watched the first film close on the heels of seeing this, because you can really pick up on all the subtle nods they made to the original. A downside to this is that you notice that the body double they got for Bridges to play CLU and the young Kevin Flynn, must have studied Bridges movements on the set of the current film, rather than from films made around the time of Tron. He's far stiffer and slower and just plain awkward in spots than Bridges was. Definitely a top notch job and I'm glad I plunked down the $65 for the uberdeluxe package. Still haven't made it through all the bonus features as of yet. The clip of Tron Uprising is on there, in full HD glory, and it turns out that they used the sounds of fans at Comic Con for the crowd scenes in the movie.
The Ten Commandmants - Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 depiction of the Book of Exodus is something lost in this computer-generated era: the true Hollywood epic, with gigantic sets and a cast of thousands. The story should be familiar: in Ancient Egypt, the child of Hebrew slaves is set adrift in a basket on the Nile to avoid death at the order of the pharoah, found by a princess who claims him as her own, and grows to become the great prince Moses (Charlton Heston). When it is discovered that Moses, too, is a Hebrew, he is banished from Egypt, but is soon commanded by God to return and lead the Hebrews out of bondage and to their Promised Land. Charlton Heston is supreme in the lead role, and the presence, charisma, and sinewy handsomeness that made him an action film god is on full display here. Yul Brynner is hugely memorable as Moses' rival Rameses, as is Anne Baxter as Nefertiri, the princess whose desire for Moses drives much of the plot. Excellent supporting cast includes Edward G. Robinson, John Carradine, John Derek, Vincent Price, and Yvonne DeCarlo. A huge entertainment from a bygone era. The Blu-Ray is absolutely stunning; the film has been meticulously restored and the transfer is essentially flawless. Not a lot of extras on the standard movie edition, but there is a collector's package with a loads of supplements for true buffs of the film. Very highly recommended. Film: 8.5/10, Disk: 8.0/10.
Picked up the Tron/Tron Legacy super Blu-ray on you guys' advice along with Speilberg's AI. Looking forward to both of them... as if I didn't already have a huge back log of BD's to review!!
Just picked up Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Saw the movie in the theater, and the Blu-Ray is just as gorgeous with the transfer. For me this was the best film of the series (so far) and the most adult in it's themes. The Special Features are decent and thankfully they are more straight-forward than the kiddified shit of the features in the first few Potter films. The behind-the-scenes of the "7 Harry's" was pretty funny. My Score: Film: 9.0 Features: 8.0
The Incredibles - Not only my very favorite Pixar film, this one ranks among the best superhero movies ever. After superheroes are forced into retirement, the former Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) and his wife, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), assume a boring, anonymous life in suburbia with their three (also super-powered) children. But when Mr. Incredible is lured out of retirement for a mysterious job on a remote island, he and the entire family are drawn into the fight against an unexpected supervillain (Jason Lee). Samuel Jackson and Wallace Shawn, both pitch perfect, are in the supporting voice cast. Wonderfully animated, delightfully written, and perfectly cast, there's not a lot to dislike about this tale of extraordinary people fitting in with an ordinary world. The Blu-Ray has some terrific supplements (a second disk full), there's a couple of commentaries (I enjoyed the one with the director and producer), and the transfer is beautiful. There's also a DVD in the package! Highly recommended. Film: 8.5/10, Disk: 9.0/10
Have they snuck any Incredibles sequels past me? Seems like that would be a worthy franchise to continue, but I haven't been aware of anything after the original.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - the first part of the last installment of the series finds J.K. Rowlings' boy wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) under constant threat from the dark lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Much of the plot centers on Harry and his constant friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) finding and detroying a horcrux, an object into which Voldemort has placed part of his soul. The danger grows palpably stronger in this outing, and the losses faced by the good guys accumulate. The darker mood is also accompanied by more adult interactions and situations among the main characters, a sign their childhood is at an end. My one nitpick is that the film drags a bit as the characters wander somewhat aimlessly in the third act. But bring on Part 2! Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Bill Nighy, and Rhys Ifans are among the large supporting cast. The Blu-Ray looks terrific and the Maximum Movie mode (of which I sampled about 30 minutes) is a fantastic way to watch and learn about the movie and the mythology of the series; I'm going to re-watch the entire film in this mode. The set I bought included a second Blu-Ray full of supplements and a DVD of the film. Film: 7.5/10, Disk: 8.5/10.
Apparently still undergoing restoration and high-def mastering. It was one of the movies marketed as "coming soon" on an early Blu-Ray promo (almost 4 years ago!); now it's the only title among them not released. Here's a sample of a recent interview The Digital Bits' Bill Hunt did with Sony Senior VP Grover Crisp that touches on the status of Lawrence... Bold emphasis mine. I bet Lawrence is going to set *the* standard for vintage high-def movies when it comes out. (The Ten Commandments, recently released and reviewed above, currently holds that title as far as I'm concerned.)
Been a while, but here's a couple of new ones, one from each end of the quality spectrum... MacGruber - SNL skits usually make for poor movies, and this MacGyver parody is no exception. When a villain (Val Kilmer) steals a nuclear warhead and threatens a massive terrorist strike on the U.S., covert operative MacGruber (Will Forte) is called out of retirement to save the day. Like MacGyver, he improvises weapons and tactical devices out of common items (a fact the title song goes on about, one of the few truly humorous moments in the film); unlike MacGyver's, MacGruber's improvisations inevitably fail catastrophically. Rounding out his team are an army lieutenant (Ryan Phillipe) and his trusty sidekick, Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig). Good to see Powers Boothe (as MacGruber's commanding general) again; too bad he, like everyone else, is put to little good use by the screenplay. Save one or two moments, this film is devoid of laughs or much other interest. The Blu-Ray looks good, has a commentary (maybe that will be funny), includes both the Unrated and Theatrical versions (I watched the former), and provides a DVD on the flipside. Skip it at all costs! Film: 3/10, Disk: 7.5/10 Pillars of the Earth - wonderfully executed 8-part adaptation of Ken Follett's landmark novel about the raising of a cathedral in 12th Century England, set against the backdrop of the Anarchy, a war of succession waged between the forces of King Stephen and those of Maud, mother to the future Henry II. This complex generational tale has the prior of a monastery (Matthew Macfadyen), a stone mason (Rufus Sewell), a resourceful once-noble girl turned wool merchant (Hayley Atwell), and a young sculptor with mysterious origins (Eddie Redmayne) working together through crushing adversity to shape a decent world in their medievel town. Ian McShane is deliciously evil (and intriguingly complex) as the duplicitous bishop who seeks to undermine the whole enterprise. Be prepared to become involved with the characters and suffer with them. This is a fine mini-series that does a great book justice. The Blu-Ray looks great and has a few small extras. Highly recommended. Film: 8.5/10, Disk: 7/10
A few more from this long weekend... Quigley Down Under - terrific western with a fish-out-of-water angle has American rifleman extraordinaire Matthew Quigley (Tom Selleck, perfectly cast) venturing to Australia to hire on with rancher Marston (Alan Rickman, delightfully villainous). When Quigley learns his job will be to kill Aborigines, he and Marston are set in conflict with one another and western-style violence ensues. Laura San Giacomo is delightfully eccentric as Crazy Cora, who seems deluded that Quigley is her long-lost husband. Great leads, an engaging plot, terrific music (love that theme!), and beautiful scenary make this one a winner. The Blu-Ray--for the time being EXCLUSIVE to Wal*Mart--offers a big video improvement over the DVD, but is otherwise no-frills. Film: 8/10, Disk: 6/10. Lost in Translation - Sophia Coppola wrote and directed this terrific little film about two people--a famous actor (Bill Murray) and the wife of a photographer (Scarlett Johansson)--who are both staying at an enormous Tokyo hotel, feeling lost in the midst of a foreign culture, and who form a unique friendship. Coppola's plot relies more on atmosphere than on action or dialog; much seems to go unsaid. I think this film will appeal to those who can identify with the characters and their situation; everyone else may find the film slow and even boring. I like the characters and cared about what happened to them. Watch for Anna Faris (from the Scary Movie films) doing a wonderful, spot-on turn as a ditsy actress. The Blu-Ray looks superb and there are a number of small extras on the disk. Film: 7.5/10, Disk: 7/10. Get Him to the Greek - Russell Brand is back as the comically eccentric rock star, Aldous Snow, in this fun semi-sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Record producer Aaron (Jonah Hill, returning from Sarah Marshall, but in a different role) suggests a comeback concert for the sinking Aldous and is then tasked to bring him to the venue (L.A.'s The Greek Theater) for the show. Complications ensue when Aldous forces numerous diversions from the travel plan. Sean Combs is surprisingly effective as Aaron's boss; Rose Byrne and Elizabeth Moss are the two leads' romantic interests. Colm Meaney has a nice supporting role as Aldous's self-serving dad, Kristen Bell shows up in a humorous ad as Sarah Marshall, and many notable people (Pink, Christina Aquilera, Kurt Loder, Meredith Vieira, Lars Ulrich, Mario Lopez) appear as themselves. Not as engaging as the original, but the leads have good chemistry and there are a lot of good laughs. The Blu-Ray includes a fun (if somewhat scattershot) commentary by the director and cast, there are some small extras, and the video looks very good. Both the theatrical and unrated versions are included. Film: 6.5/10, Disk: 7.5/10.
Lost in Translation was one of the absolute most up-its-own-ass adventures in tedious pretentiousness I have ever made the mistake of giving half a chance.
I'm sensing you didn't care for it. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground with this film: the people who like it, REALLY like it; the people who hate it, REALLY hate it. I like it because, as I said, I liked the characters and can empathize with the situation they're in. But I realize it isn't for everyone...
Lost in Translation exists solely so that some people can play the Emperor's New Clothes, and pretend that they "get" something that there isn't really "to get" in the first place. I didn't like it, which means I didn't "get it" and you did. Well guess what, you didn't "get it" either, you're just being pretentious. NOTE: "You" = "the generic you", not any specific person.
I know you weren't aiming that at me, but, since we obviously have very different views of the film, I'll respond. I usually find that expression--"you just didn't 'get' it"--to be pretensious, too. In fact, in reference to this film, I'd say it would be. It isn't a matter of "getting" it; some people like quiet character pieces, some people don't. And that's all Lost in Translation is: a quiet character piece about two lonely people in a very strange place feeling adrift in their lives and forming a friendship that gives them some relief from that feeling. Some people will get drawn into such a story, some people will find it impossibly tedious. Neither group is wrong. That said, there are--very occasionally--films where your appreciation of the film might be much enhanced if you do "get it."
If you have ever truly loved someone, or truly desired someone you couldn't get, Lost in Translation isn't hard to "get" and for that reasom is a very good movie.
I saw Lost in Translation once. That was enough. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that great either. It was a movie with some cute moments, but mostly it was boring.
I think that LiT is obviously a good film to have garnered such support, but I think it's appeal to such a narrow subset of audiences is why so many people have such a negative reaction to it. You have to have reached a certain point in your life to have it appeal to you, I imagine. I had it on DVD but I will not be getting this one on Blu-Ray.
What? No review of the extended cut of Sucker Punch yet? On your bicycle spaceman! Get cracking! View attachment 8891
