Electric Shadow

Discs of 2009: UK TV

I wanted to highlight some wonderful TV shows from the UK that hit the US this past year. Some have never seen these shores, and yet others have been gussied up and re-mastered. Regardless, these are the few among many TV imports to Region 1 in 2009 that I highly recommend you take notice of, rent, or buy.

The I.T. Crowd: Season 1-3 Remember when a sitcom wasn't shot like a movie or a fly-on-the-wall documentary? My favorite sitcom on television anywhere, I wholeheartedly urge fans to buy the I.T. Crowd DVDs (great extras) and not just download them or watch them on Netflix Watch Instantly. This show stars some of the funniest people in the known universe and centers around a corporate IT department (two guys and their tech-unsavvy boss). I've seen most of these episodes upwards of four times each, and some specific ones still make me laugh so hard it's difficult to breathe. Life on Mars: Seasons 1 & 2 (DVD only) The American remake of this smash hit show was cancelled during its first season. I feel they should have just aired this original, available as of July and November of 2009, respectively. It follows police officer Sam Tyler, who is hit by a car in 2006 and wakes up in 1973. A spin-off show, Ashes to Ashes, is in the process of finishing. To say much about either would be like telling someone what's ahead on the show Lost: you'd spoil and confuse the life out of them. Suffice to say it's the best bits of a police procedural and a time-shifting sci-fi drama.

Torchwood: Children of Earth (Blu-ray and DVD) By not watching this, you're missing out on the second of should-be Oscar contender Peter Capaldi's two excellent performances of last year. Torchwood as a series is a spinoff of Doctor Who, but this miniseries doesn't require a history with either show (even though it serves as the third season of Torchwood). The writing very wisely provides the necessary background without bludgeoning you with exposition or winks and nudges. I had no idea what to expect when sitting down to watch this and found myself absolutely captivated. All the children in the world stop dead in their tracks over a couple of days and start repeating "we are coming" over and over in advance of the arrival of some aliens. For me, the whole thing is wonderful mostly for the fact that it evokes the golden age of sci-fi on television.

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (DVD only) As I said back in September: "This 13-episode set of detective tales is based on stories written by Conan Doyle contemporaries. None of them feature Holmes himself, but they're all set in the same Victorian world. Thames Television premiered The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes on ITV in the U.K. back in 1971. Nearly 40 years later, it's still interesting, excellent television. This edition is marked "Set 1" because ITV commissioned a second series of 13 episodes that aired in 1973. One can safely assume Acorn Media will be releasing that one as well at some point. "It's an anthology-format series, and all the characters follow the Holmes model for the most part. For me, it plays like Marvel Comics' What If? series. What If? Sherlock Holmes Were a Woman/Ghost Hunter/Thief and so on. Featured actors include: John Neville, Peter Vaughan, Donald Sinden, Donald Pleasence (Blofeld!), and Jeremy Irons. Irons' turn is notable in that it's his first on-screen appearance." The Secret Policeman's Ball(s) (DVD only) This collects the early (original) charity shows through the late 1980's. They've recently been revived. The Genius of Charles Darwin (DVD only) Creationism can go jump off a cliff. This is an erudite, thorough (and then some) doc miniseries that gives more than a Wikipedic explanation and examination of Darwinian theory. As I said back in December: "I categorize strict Creationists and Scientologists in the same theological bucket of strange creatures. I actively enjoy watching Creationists squirm when I talk about Darwinian evolution and the very old age of the planet. Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion, presents The Genius of Charles Darwin, an exceptional three-episode program about the development of the theory presented in Darwin's On the Origin of Species. It's now on DVD thanks to Acorn Media's Athena Learning label. "The thing that's most valuable about this DVD set is that the special itself is about 2.5 hours long, and the extras disc includes 4.5 hours of content. Of that, 4 hours is made up of interviews with the subjects of the main program, so you can go more or less in-depth as you wish. The remaining half hour is comprised of three Tales from the Galapagos Islands specials."

The Mighty Boosh: Seasons 1-3 (DVD only) A surrealist comedy that only gets more and more strange as it goes on. As I said way back in July: "Rightly compared to surrealist Sid & Marty Krofft creations, The Mighty Boosh primarily concerns the lives of two zookeepers and a pile of misadventures that regularly include musical numbers and truly unpredictable narratives. "On the one hand, I'm thrilled that I can finally catch up with the whole series, but it's a lot to get through. Each season is split across two discs and contains featurettes, Commentaries, Outtakes, and Deleted Scenes. The original Pilot is on Season 2. All three seasons are highly recommended, and no, one need not be high to enjoy the show." Later in the year, Warner Bros. double-dipped with a Special Edition box that had extra goodies in it. Kingdom: Season 2 (Blu-ray & DVD) If England elected their King, I'm sure we'd be on Stephen Fry's umpteenth term by now. It's sad to note that there is no more to Kingdom after its third season, since ITV canceled the show in October of last year. Fry plays Peter Kingdom, a small-town solicitor (lawyer) dealing with life, friends, family, and neighbors. A delightful show worth watch-instantly-ing, renting or buying. The Complete Jeeves & Wooster (DVD only) Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie still leave me in stitches watching this and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. The two shows' recording schedules overlapped during the early 90's, long before Laurie became Dr. Gregory House to so many people. It's nice to have everything all in one slimmer, sleeker box. Pulling: Seasons 1 & 2 Pulling is a dark sitcom co-created by, about, and starring a woman. It's the anti-Sex and the City because it's so grounded in the real world, real people, and real working-class household budgets. A marvelous breath of fresh air.

Gavin & Stacey: Season 1 (DVD only) I know equal numbers of (a) people who love this show and (b) hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. It's not so bad, as I said back in May: "The third entry in a series of UK TV shows I enjoy that most fellow Americans haven't heard of, Gavin & Stacey (starring Mathew Horne and Joanna Page) is loads better than US sitcoms of similar stripes. The titular characters, he English (from Essex) and she Welsh, meet by coincidence over the phone while working for companies miles and miles apart in their respective countries. "After striking up an ongoing teleflirtation, they decide to meet in person for the first time at Leicester Square. Yes, the romance setup is meet-cutesy, but the dialogue and humor are foul-mouthed (or minded) and sharply-honed. The stuff they get away with saying and doing on BBC3 would never make it unneutered onto US broadcast TV." Fawlty Towers: Remastered (DVD only) Blackadder: Remastered (DVD only) If you don't know what these are, you should start with them to gain some appreciation for TV comedy. You'll have then seen among the very best of the best and have unappeasable standards. I reviewed these new sets here. Edge of Darkness: The Complete Series (DVD only) Since I enjoyed both the original miniseries as well as the movie of State of Play, I wonder whether I should recommend anyone watch this first or not. On the one hand, it's dead good. On the other, I can guarantee it'll compromise your ability to enjoy the movie thanks to a tour-de-force performance by Bob Peck (known best as Muldoon from Jurassic Park to Americans) in his signature role. We lost Peck far too soon thanks to cancer in 1999.

Murphy's Law Season 1 (DVD only) From back when it was released and I called it the Release of the Week: "This is a really strong police procedural starring the excellent (and under-appreciated) Irish actor James Nesbitt (Bloody Sunday, Match Point). Nesbitt plays Detective Tommy Murphy, who goes to work for the Metropolitan Police undercover. He's stubborn, a hard drinker, and great to watch. I'm just a couple of episodes in, but I'm sure I've easily found a new show with which to be obsessed. It's gritty, meaty, and very well-written. Normally only 5 episodes of a show would seem like a rip off, but realize these episodes are 90 minutes long apiece and comprise an entire season of episodes from the British style (quality over quantity)." The Steve Coogan Collection (DVD only) If you only know Coogan as "that English guy in Night at the Museum" or "that English guy in Tropic Thunder", then get your credit card out. Included here are no less than all of Coogan's brilliant BBC series and minis: Knowing Me, Knowing You...With Alan Partridge, I'm Alan Partridge, Saxondale, Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible, Coogan's Run, Paul and Pauline Calf's Video Diaries, Paul and Pauline Calf's Cheese and Ham Sandwich, and The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon. I was never sent this for review, but plan to pick it up at some point. The Sherlock Holmes Collection (BBC) (DVD only) In this set you find the five surviving 1960's Holmes telefilms that star Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock as Holmes and Watson. Up first is Cushing re-playing The Hound of the Baskervilles (the Hammer one came first). Amazon has this for $15 at the moment. BBC Pride & Prejudice (Blu-ray) No matter how good I thought Joe Wright's 2006 P&P was, Colin Firth is Darcy to so many people that I'll always be wrong and they'll always be right. A&E put the immortal, undying BBC miniseries that made Firth every grandmother, mother, and daughter's wet dream for ever and always on Blu-ray. It really does look absolutely lovely from the five minutes or so I watched on a friend's copy. The Prisoner (1967) (Blu-ray) I've never watched The Prisoner, and that's why this entry was specifically timed to go up on what my friend Will Goss calls "Fessup Friday" on Twitter. It's on my list so that "when I have $50 to throw at something" or "when I can find a contact at A&E Home Video", I'll dive right in. The previously-available DVD version of this title was apparently abominable, but this one has gotten nothing but raves. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Exposing Che


Criterion's Che Blu-ray (19 Jan 2010). Pre-order price has held firm at $33.99, a very reasonable price for the relative value. I reviewed it in full two weeks ago.

Simple, evocative iconography.

Cases open: Disc 1 (left, with booklet) and Disc 2 (right, with a surprise).

I wasn't aware there would be a fold-out poster (measures approx. 9.5"x12.75")
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu Transfers (Recent Catalog pt.1)

I've split these into two categories: 1990-2000 and 2000-present (I should note that Animated and B&W titles are going in their own category). The majority of these titles were originally mastered for DVD, but a fair number are HD-DVD ports. The greatest challenge facing the studios on these titles was not being lazy and just going auto-pilot on them. The 2006 Stargate Blu-ray (now discontinued and replaced by a superior version) is a great example of a screw-up in this regard. 1990-2000

Screencap from DVD Beaver's review.
Best of the Best Braveheart: Paramount Sapphire Series Paramount's phenomenal job on Gibson's oft-imitated (in Big Speech scenes) Best Picture winner more than makes up for the screw-up on Gladiator's transfer. I missed it in theaters and first saw Braveheart on VHS. I think the two-tape set is still somewhere amongst my belongings. The DVD was a revelation, and this was yet another. Natural Born Killers My review was brief, but the extreme care given to this transfer is obvious based on the heavy involvement of Oliver Stone in re-cutting the movie and providing a very tight reflection essay on one of his most controversial films in a career full of them. Heat Three directors I think of as being the most meticulous when it comes to HD transfers of their movies: Steven Soderbergh, David Fincher, and Michael Mann. Jeff mentioned a while ago that this transfer didn't make him sit up and go "wow!", but after doing an exhaustive side-by-side comparison of the cut on this Blu-ray and the previous DVD edition, I'm pretty impressed with the improved contrast depth. I've got too many irons in the fire at the moment to put together a standalone piece on the differences in the edit just now, but I'll have it up in the next week. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country The most recent of the Original Series movies definitely carries the best source from which to work. I had the misfortune to miss this one theatrically but caught its predecessor instead with my father. None of the DNR issues reported on older titles in the Original Motion Picture Collection are present here.

Forrest Gump : Paramount Sapphire Series From my initial thoughts: The Gump disc's resolution upgrade is most evident thanks to the abundant detail evident in each frame of Zemeckis' multi-period film, from costuming to trees and dust and brush. Richer color depth and so on are in there, but the big difference visually is how fluidly you can watch the picture without unintended distractions. The lower-res afforded by DVD caused a lot of blur and unintentional optical illusions in checkered or otherwise patterned fabric. All those sweeping aerial shots, and particularly the very busy Vietnam scenes are crystal-clear now. It's a smoother ride overall that requires less corneal gymnastics. Fight Club One of the first DVDs I bought was the "brown paper wrapper" version of Fight Club, which set a high water mark for quantity and quality of extras presented on the format. The 10th Anniversary Blu-ray is a big jump forward in picture quality from the DVD and takes all the extras (including easter eggs) and arranges them in a nice, straightforward fashion after a fake-out when the disc loads. They added in a couple of new supplements, one of which is the Spike TV Awards "Guy Movie Hall of Fame" acceptance by Fincher, Norton, and Pitt (who calls presenter Mel Gibson "sugartits" once on-stage). The Mask of Zorro There are plenty who have grown to pretend as though they've hated this movie all along. Banderas and Zeta-Jones are not the big box office draws that they were when this one came out, and the allegedly-awful sequel (which I've yet to watch) didn't help the legacy of the first revival of the franchise with a latin Zorro. A musical adaptation of the Isabel Allende novel has also since flopped and closed. I may be unfairly influenced by having been a young Latino boy who put on a cape and played with toy swords. Zorro was the "superhero" that it was "okay" for me to play on the playground. All the rest have to be really Anglo-riffic. The transfer on this Blu-ray tugged on that memory thread that tied back to my first viewing of the movie in a theater. HD-DVD Refugee 12 Monkeys My favorite Gilliam movie joins other titles listed below as HD-DVD "ports". They're almost all feature-identical to the "Red-ray" versions (albeit with a higher bitrate generally). I never saw a single one of these on HD-DVD, so I'm no authority on comparing presentation, but the video on this disc uses up a whopping 38GB of space. My years-old DVD SE pales in comparison to this disc, which features more film-like grain presentation and better color gamut. 2000-present

Best of the Best Monsoon Wedding: The Criterion Collection One of Criterion's great masterstrokes this year was their gorgeous work on not only this 16mm-shot feature but the various short films included as well. Mira Nair does not deserve "director jail" or anything resembling it due to having been stuck with helming the quite drama-free life story of Amelia Earhart. I would hope, however, that she uses this opportunity to make something independently in India, free of studio overhead and expectations ruling her creative work. She is one of my favorite modern filmmakers thanks to this movie. Someone hand her a RED camera, a decent budget to hire the right people, hopefully re-team her with Naseeruddin Shah, and see what happens. Best of the Best HD-DVD Refugee Zodiac Another "the Academy will answer to the Movie Gods" case, I wanted to give some special attention to this, the first movie shot on full HD cameras to hit an HD home video format. The HD-DVD came out almost a year to the day that this Blu-ray hit the streets wayyy back in January 2009. They've wisely maintained the split of the feature on disc one and the supplemental stuff on disc 2.

Ride Around the World From my just-posted review: This 2008 IMAX feature went largely-unnoticed by review sites when it hit shelves at the beginning of December, but it deserves to be mentioned here. Argentina, Morocco, Mexico, British Columbia, and good ol' Texas look absolutely majestic as recorded here. The 70mm sequences in The Dark Knight are about as close as most people have gotten to actually seeing what large-format film can look like in HD. This provides an exceptional opportunity to really show off what your setup can do.

HD-DVD Refugee Children of Men Of the various HD-DVD Refugees that hit Blu this year, this one looks the best. Cuaron's film was ignored by the Academy for so much as a nomination just three years ago. One might imagine that had the "field of ten" been in play then, we could have seen Children of Men as well as Pan's Labyrinth nominated for Best Picture. HD-DVD Refugee Seabiscuit The "reference scene" on this one would be...any of the horse-racing sequences. It's not as much a blur in HD, and you get better bearings than on DVD (how I originally saw it). HD-DVD Refugee Cinderella Man Deep, dark sepia tones and crisp, clean movement really show this movie off the way it deserves to be seen.

HD-DVD Refugee Hot Fuzz In addition to the movie being great, this disc looks better than most "real" action movies have for me on Blu-ray. Most of those titles are so focused on the mass market that they cram everything on one disc and pay no attention to giving preference to the bitrate on the disc. HD-DVD Refugee Shaun of the Dead The only thing I don't like here is that this title, whose DVD menus were fun and matched the movie, has been assimilated into the collective that is Universal's totalitarian menu structure and style. The picture looks as good as I remember the packed mall-tiplex screenings I hit when it was in general release. The Highly-Regarded But Unseen (1990-2000) The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Leon: The Professional, Chungking Express, Bottle Rocket, Star Trek TNG Collection, Contact, Payback (2000-present) Sin City, Winged Migration, 300 Recent Catalog pt.2 will cover titles released from 1980-1990. Stay tuned. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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The Most Finalest Ever

I'm reasonably certain I saw the first and second Final Destination movies back-to-back on DVD. The first one was kind of novel and different, but either the second one made me fall asleep, or I'd had a lot of wine and it was late. The Final Destination, expected to be the very last one ever until they "maybe make another one, who knows" is a nice, gimmicky send-off to the franchise.

I don't know if they intentionally jabbed at how they set up a bunch of rules for the "universe" of FD and then broke all of them, but I thought the movie was hilarious. They went as broad with the stereotypes as they could and made a 3D movie theater the site of a mass killing in a movie that was going to screen predominantly in 3D venues. The only rules that the movie sticks to are that (1) you shouldn't give a shit about anyone in the movie and (2) keep your arms inside the ride at all times. The "exclusive first look" at the new Nightmare on Elm Street movie is little more than some side glances as the new Freddy makeup and some sincere graciousness on Jackie Earle Haley's part. The two alternate endings really show how terrible, terrible decisions are avoided. There's some pre-visualization and storyboard stuff in there along with a "Deaths of..." featurette that is similar to other titles where members of the cast and crew talk through how people die and how hard their work is on a day-to-day basis. The only extras that aren't exclusive to the Blu-ray are the digital copy, the anaglyph (red/blue) 3D version of the movie, and some additional scenes. None of the additional scenes really add much of anything, to be quite honest. If you want to get it, Amazon is selling the Blu-ray for $20 as of this posting, just $3 more than the DVD without all the real extras. This $20 New Release pricing is a good sign.
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The Morals Of...Jennifer's Body

Revenge is morally just. Period.

With the help of an Oscar, you can get away with making a sluggishly-paced horror movie that is so tongue-in-cheek that you can taste air with your lips closed.

Going by the nickname "Needy" when your name is actually "Anita" will only make you more outcast.

No good comes from forgetting to drain huge abandoned indoor pools that have been overgrown with roots and vines for years.

Everything is always some boy's fault.

A girl may greet another girl in an endearing, clever-as-hell manner with no repercussions by calling her the name of a feminine hygiene product.

All boys are easily-manipulated morons.

The Morals Of... sprang forth fully-formed from the head of a post I made to my Twitter feed.

Ride Around the World: IMAX Trip on Blu


This 2008 IMAX feature went largely-unnoticed by review sites when it hit shelves at the beginning of December, but it deserves to be mentioned here. Argentina, Morocco, Mexico, British Columbia, and good ol' Texas look absolutely majestic as recorded here. The 70mm sequences in The Dark Knight are about as close as most people have gotten to actually seeing what large-format film can look like in HD. This provides an exceptional opportunity to really show off what your setup can do. The feature is only 40 minutes long, but that's IMAX for you. The only thing that really bothered the hell out of me was the fact the filmmakers show the extremely controversial Mexican vaquero (cowboy) sport of horse-tripping and leave it at that. Roping is one thing, but this stuff is just brutal. No one needs to train that "skill" anymore. Traditions are meant to become things of the past.

The score by Austinite Brian Satterwhite (who I've managed to not meet at about a million local events) is lush, not at all what I'm used to on IMAX features (or modern westerns for the most part). Also on the disc is an episode of the American Quarter Horse Association program America's Horse. As I'm also not used to on IMAX Blu-rays/DVDs, it's actually worth watching. "Horse people" with Blu-ray setups would do well to grab a copy. Otherwise, it's more than worthy of recommending for a Netflixing or rental.
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The Morals Of...The Final Destination

Screenwriters can try all they want to give a character a real name, but if you write him a certain way, people will only know him as Blondie McDouchebag.

A line as stupid and racist as "your time's coming, chocolate" is always capable of making a movie infinitely easier to see for what it is.

The song "Why Can't We Be Friends" makes everything better.

Contemplating murder will get you killed.

You can break as many rules as you want so long as you created them or own the intellectual property rights to them.

The Morals Of... sprang forth fully-formed from the head of a post I made to my Twitter feed.

Discs of 2009: On Disc at Last

Criterion The Human Condition Jeanne Dielman Hobson's Choice The Friends of Eddie Coyle 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her Lookin' to Get Out Lonely Are the Brave Trail of the Lonesome Pine Made in U.S.A. One Step Beyond S1* Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) Ironweed (P&S!) Johnny Handsome Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 3 Pre-Code Hollywood Nickelodeon The Hit Man Hunt The Outlaw Faces Nikkatsu Noir The Battle of Chile The Maxx: Complete The Head: Complete Husbands
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Blu Locker

Summit would be wise to get their Blu-ray of Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker (12 Jan 2010) to Academy voters ASAP. Just to be safe, send the DVD with it since not necessarily all voters have made the upgrade yet. All of them who have an HD setup to break in will eat this thing up. This could give Locker a second wind that Up in the Air doesn't have the opportunity to catch post-Avatar. I'm thinking that Academy voters who wait until later to send in their ballots will jump back on the Locker bandwagon.

The disc's light on extras, including only a commentary and a Behind the Scenes featurette. Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal bounce interesting anecdotes back and forth here and there throughout. The scramble to find a particular pistol for use in a pivotal scene was particularly amusing. Boal again emphasizes that he didn't base Jeremy Renner's Sgt. James on just one guy, but on one of two schools of thought in the early days of the Iraq invasion. The other camp was composed of more cautious, procedural guys like Guy Pearce's Sgt. Thompson. The featurette is a decent, quickly-digestible piece that nicely serves as a 12-minute Oscar pitch. The only feature I could have (and still do) hope for is some sort of alternate, longer cut.
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Discs of 2009: Warner & MGM Archives

Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? The Story of Three Loves Genesis II & Planet Earth Freebie and the Bean Our Gang I Died a Thousand Times The Dogville Collection The Joe McDoakes Collection Gilda Live Doc Samson: Man of Bronze
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Discs of 2009: Unsung Distributors

Not everyone has the exposure of the major studios, or even the platinum standard that is Criterion. There are tons of titles that are not only Oscilloscope They recently picked up The Exploding Girl, which stars Zoe Kazan, who I find very intriguing as an actor. Eclipse Milestone Acorn/Athena Along with BBC/Warner (with whom they're neck-and-neck), Acorn/Athena is the leading distributor of non-US TV titles, especially from the UK. Warner Archive I've written a full post on a handful of examples out of the bushels of great titles that The Archive has brought to disc at long, long last. MPI VCI First Run Features Blue Underground Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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SXSW 2010: Kick-Ass and More

I saw an un-color-corrected, temp-scored version of Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass at BNAT11 in December, and most of my difficulty in posting about it before now came from the fact that the screening had to stop and re-start due to a tech issue. When you have an abrupt 20-minute intermission during a movie and chat with friends about how much you're all enjoying it, that can unfairly skew where you sit on it. Now that South by Southwest 2010 has announced it as their opening night movie, I'll get something up later today that's more substantive than "it's far better than your average post-modern superhero movie on its way to huge return business".

Even more interesting to me are the additional announcements, pasted below from the press release with running commentary: Cold Weather - SXSW Alum Aaron Katz directs this feature about a former forensic science major and avid reader of detective fiction, who, after making a mess of his life in Chicago, returns to his hometown of Portland, Oregon. There, he, his sister Gail, and new friend Carlos become embroiled in something unexpected. [Katz is very much a "handmade"-style filmmaker. I've regretted missing previous features he's done that friends have had good things to say about. This one sounds interesting, so here's to hoping I get a shot at seeing it.] Elektra Luxx - Following the successful world premiere of Women In Trouble at SXSW 2009 [successful I'll agree to, everybody dug that they were giving women more varied roles than they usually get to play], writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez returns with the world premiere of its hotly anticipated sequel [I only "hotly anticipate" it because it's a passion project for all involved. the original didn't set me on fire like it did various people who went out of their way to act like it was an English-language masterwork at the level of Almodovar (though stylistically it's similar)]. The film follows a hectic day in the life of former adult film superstar Elektra Luxx as she tries to survive in the straight world. The film stars Carla Gugino in the title role, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Malin Akerman. [The main selling point of the original and this sequel is that the actors all gravitated toward being able to play against type and stretch their acting muscles in ways their day jobs don't let them. I can't say that I loved Women in Trouble, but the bit with Josh Brolin as a Brit rocker was sufficient for me to trust Sebastian Gutierrez with another hour and a half of my life.] Hubble 3D - SXSW will present the first public screening of Hubble 3D at the Bob Bullock IMAX Theater. [I guess this means that I'm going to my first SXSW screening at the Bob Bullock IMAX] Through the power of IMAX 3D, Hubble 3D will enable movie-goers to journey through distant galaxies to explore the grandeur and mysteries of our celestial surroundings, and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in NASA's history. The film is directed and produced by Toni Myers. Lemmy - A documentary from director Wes Orshoski, the film delves into the personal and public lives of heavy metal icon and Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Nearly three years in the making, and featuring appearances by such friends/peers as Metallica, Dave Grohl, Billy Bob Thornton and pro wrestler Triple H, the film follows Kilmister from his Hollywood bedroom to the hockey arenas of Scandinavia and Russia. [I love music docs, but am not usually interested in ones that cover metal or metal stars, but Anvil! The Story of Anvil! has turned me around on that a bit.] SATURDAY NIGHT - Directed by actor James Franco, the documentary looks at what it takes to create an episode of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live. Follow behind the scenes as the actors, writers and producers go through one frenetic week of trials and tribulations as each volley to get sketches on air. [Franco's hosting job on SNL recently was up there with the best in recent memory. This has rocketed to the top of my must-see list not only because I love the frantic pace of live TV production, but because I wonder what the inner workings of SNL look like.] Now off to the doctor with me.
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Sick Day

After I post something on SXSW's announcements of the day, I'm headed to the doctor (nothing serious, just your everyday "sick") and then back to sleep. Yesterday's Discs of 2009 piece was delayed by internet access quitting on me, so a double-dose is on its way later today (probably afternoon).
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Summer in Winter

There are a lot of bits and pieces of (500) Days of Summer that I can relate to from parts of my younger adult life. I didn't get around to seeing it until a Blu-ray arrived for review, and feel bad that I didn't see it on the big screen. I'm appending my Best New Release Blu-ray Transfers of 2009 post as we speak. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has always jockeyed hard for roles that will actually live on in the collective consciousness as much as possible.

His turn in The Lookout is among a select group of truly outstanding performances of the last decade that very few ended up seeing. He never mugs or goes too broad. Few actors of his generation have that capacity for control and sensitivity, and that's why I love watching him work. The pools of optimism in his eyes are refreshing to one in a society of hardened cynics and jerks who want nothing more than to shit on something new and unfamiliar. The most amusing responses I've seen to this movie have been from man-children who take Tom's (Levitt) journey in the film as validation of their refusal to grow up. They don't see his relationship with Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) as a case where he grew and evolved as an emotional being, but rather, as a testament to the notion that everything that goes wrong in one's life is obviously the fault of "that evil bitch who lead me on". It's all deflection and finger-pointing with these guys, the same ones who hang out only with one another and no one else. These are the gangs of mouth-breathing giggleheads who parade around in little packs at film festivals to feel more popular in their isolation, laughing at every not-clever thing any of them say. These are the guys who are not (and may never be) past where Tom is in emotional growth.

The transfer on the Blu-ray is crisp and consistent throughout, and the audio gladly reminds that the days of hiss and sound artifacts on new releases are thankfully behind us. The extras leave little to be desired either. My favorite among them, and the simplest, is the Bank Dance short from director Marc Webb. He's good at working with these two actors, and I wonder if we'd see another collaboration down the line with different characters in a different story. The deleted and extended scenes include a couple of bits seen in the trailer but not the movie. The Making-of featurette is a bit more nutritious than is expected for pieces of its type. The web-posted Conversations with Zooey and Joseph are fun and entertaining as a "watch once" thing. The Summer @ Sundance piece is a nice glance at the world of the Sundance Film Festival for those who've never been (myself included). The included Digital Copy is one of the few I actually dump into my iTunes library and carry around from time to time.
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Discs of 2009: Best Blu-ray Transfers (New Release)

Only part of the criteria for these Best Transfers honors lies in the quality of the movie itself. More important is the success in achieving the "movie theater in your home" feel. No matter what anyone says, the most important part of any home video release is how good it looks. Yes, looks are everything. The most influential thing a movie could have going for it in this category is a great cinematographer. All the supplements and bells and whistles and figurines and lunch boxes in the world cannot make a lousy transfer look good. Today we're tackling the best transfers on New Release titles from last year. More "Best Blu Transfers" will come tomorrow.

Frozen River Shot on a Panasonic Varicam in 720p DVC HD, Frozen River benefitted from having the company that invented the Blu-ray format blow it up to 1080p. As immigration dramas have seen a resurgence of late, it's nice to see one of them actually available on Blu-ray, let alone looking this good. The transfer still has that "Digital Video" feel to it due to the recording device, but much like Public Enemies, I like the raw, unvarnished look presented here. Star Trek In addition to ranking high on the Overall Value list, JJ Abrams' reboot is among the most crisp and delicious new release transfers on the format. Paramount really did everything necessary to make sure they didn't screw this one up. I wrongly didn't spend any time talking about the transfer in my original, first-on-the-net writeup. Let the Right One In As I said in my review many moons ago in March (back when I killed myself to synopsize the movie), it's really quite good. It does have its faults: "If possible, the transfer looks cleaner than I remember the print looking last fall. If you want a great disc to test your contrast settings with, this is the one. That said, they used a single layer BD-25. "There's a great deal of stark black & white mixed with a muted color palette that could have benefitted from the other 25GB of space. This is especially noticeable in scenes that feature lots of black. Detail is great, but the deep, deep black levels the format is capable of aren't absolutely perfect. We're not likely to see a double dip, so it would have been nice to have the second layer of data, especially since the extras are pretty minimal." It should say something that a transfer that leaves a little to be desired is still one of the best new release transfers of the year. My extremely high standards may be a bit stringent, but when this is the third or fourth time many will theoretically re-buy the same catalog titles on home video, I want the first try to be done right.

Valkyrie A thought ahead of its time from my original review: "You mean the Tom Cruise as a Nazi movie?" "He's in the German armed forces, but he isn't a Nazi." "But...weren't they all Nazis?" "No, actually. What were you planning to go see this weekend?" "Night at the Museum 2, I heard Amy Adams' ass looks great in tho--" "Go rent this and catch the other one when someone rents it at Thanksgiving, you'll thank me." My first viewing of Valkyrie was digitally projected in 4K at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (early during BNAT X). The color and contrast in the transfer on the Blu-ray does not in any way seem like a jump down in clarity. A better movie than anyone gave it credit for being. Gran Torino The transfer of DP Tom Stern's work is thick with color depth and fine contrast. Warner Bros. didn't put a whole ton of extras on this, but the movie really speaks for itself just fine. I'm not surprised by the number of critics who soullessly decried Eastwood's use of amateur non-actors. Those "non-artists", along with the photography, added a real-world credibility and grit that few (if any) other 2008 releases even came close to touching.

Inglourious Basterds Gorgeous period-appropriate locations and lovely tones of gold, red, and black adorn various sequences in Tarantino's popular and critical hit. Robert Richardson's photography is paid proper service by its representation here. I'm glad they didn't cram so much supplemental material on here that it cramped the space afforded to the 2.5-hour feature's video. The Nation's Pride premiere is the show-off sequence. The Hangover Lawrence Sher's work on this title doesn't get as much credit as the movie does for being hilarious and re-watchable as hell when drinking. Do you remember the last studio comedy, whether franchise or not, that looked this good?

Revolutionary Road A stunning transfer of Roger Deakins' work is always a good reason to watch a movie that you (and most of the moviegoing public) missed. For more from the same shooter, see also: Doubt (definitely), The Reader (if you have nothing better to do). Adventureland One of the best reasons to use Adventureland to judge other recent HD transfers is the wide variety of lighting conditions and light sources used. Day, morning, dusk, night, midday, and everything in-between make an appearance (so far as I remember). Terry Stacey also shot the sublime In Her Shoes for Curtus Hanson. Sugar A good, old-fashioned 35mm indie shot on the cheap, Sugar sure as hell doesn't show its budget on Sony's immaculate-as-usual Blu-ray. Rich color, lovely depth of contrast, you know the drill. An excellent movie made all the better by the fact it looks outstanding. Sony Style stores should have this playing on a loop.

District 9 The true test of a movie with lots of effects is whether the big screen or the small screen shows the seams in the effects. I was surprised that the economically-challenged budget of this non-franchise, non-adaptation managed a more seamless presentation in both media than movies with five times the money. One of the most subtly surprising RED camera transfers I've seen thus far (along with Che). The Girlfriend Experience Steven Soderbergh's 2009 release beat his 2008 one to Blu-ray (by half a year!) and belongs in the same pantheon of reference-quality REDcode transfers along with District 9. Unlike D9, it's devoid of digital effects, but has art film aesthetics and techniques in spades: uneven/low lighting, intentionally blown out sequences, and lingering, contemplative takes.

Objectified This one made the list not because director Gary Hustwit worked wonders with visual data in a way never before seen, but because he put his home video process together himself rather than letting a studio get its hands on it. Instead, he leveraged the might of Plexifilm, a distributor he created that focuses on quality of design (the theme that his film focuses on the most). This is the only title I've put on the proper list that I haven't watched on Blu-ray. I realize that I committed to putting only transfers I've laid my eyes on in the proper "best of" lists, but for every rule there must be a single exception. Objectified is on here as a statement of my faith in the filmmaker and the same crew that put together a marvelous Helvetica Blu-ray. If you want a model for self-managing your home video distribution as an indie, take notes on what Hustwit is doing. The movie is also available for rent on iTunes just today, as a matter of coincidence.

(500) Days of Summer [Added due to careless omission, mea culpa. 01.05.2010 @4:42pm] From my just-posted review: "The transfer on the Blu-ray is crisp and consistent throughout, and the audio gladly reminds that the days of hiss and sound artifacts on new releases are thankfully behind us." The choices made in production and costume design really pop in HD resolution. None of the shades of blue or brown used ever get muddy thanks to rich contrast levels. One of the few movies that makes Los Angeles look beautiful, like a place I'd actually like to visit some day (yes, I've never been). The Highly-Regarded But Unseen: Public Enemies, A Christmas Tale, Gomorrah Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Discs of the Year (2009): An Introduction

I started dipping my toe in the water when it came to home video coverage in 2009. On the one hand, I had no idea how much I was taking on, but on the other hand, I feel that I have a better appreciation for how the majority of people actually experience cinematic entertainment. Whether they rented or bought a disc, most people now watch this stuff on laptops, portable media players, or while sitting on couches. It's gratifying that I'm now in the final stretch of completing nearly a year's worth of productivity. I posted Blu Controversy & Fiascos (there is a "DVD" sibling to it in the offing) a few days ago as a lead-in. I had an extra helping of work because I didn't really dig into home video coverage in earnest until the summer of last year. There are major titles I missed just as in every year there are always one or two notable new releases that a critic will miss. So that I don't leave out titles that received universal acclaim, I'm including a short listing of "Honorable Mentions" at the end of each category. Speaking of, the categories themselves took a great deal of time and consideration. For example, I've separated the best HD transfers of the year into 10 separate classifications based on type and vintage of the source material. I've had many "am I being too thorough" moments of doubt, but I'm fine after reading far too many "2009 Best of DVD/Blu-ray" lists that avoid any elaboration beyond "my mom likes this" or "dude, this was the most ass-kickingest year ever for Blu-ray, it was epic". Properly broken down, there are easily 80 excellent and exemplary Blu-ray transfers from last year. I could justify expanding that number to 96 (that's 8 a month) had I not missed so many. These transfers and packages are how many will first (and sometimes only) experience many films, from classics to forgettable new releases. Attention must be paid. So, starting later today, I'll be posting at least one Discs of the Year entry a day until I'm done. I'll be combining multiple subcategories into individual posts so that there aren't a million buggers to go through. Here's a breakdown of the categories I'm covering (subject to change/re-configuration): Best Blu-ray Transfers Black & White (any era) Vintage (Pre-1960) Color Vintage (1960-1980) Color Catalog (1980-1990) Color Recent Catalog (1990-present) Color 2D Animation 3D/CG Animation New Release (Movies) Catalog TV New Release (TV) Best DVD Transfers Black & White Color New Release (not counting titles also on Blu) Animation TV Best Overall Value (Blu-ray & DVD) Catalog New Release TV Best of UK TV Unsung Distributors Excavated Archives Eclipse (Non-Twilight) On Disc At Last in 2009 2009's Under the Radar Discs No English Documentaries Genrelicious As Not Seen in Theaters Swag Gone Wild Industry Trends for the Better Back later. Discs of the Year is a look back at the year in disc releases and trends, from the best to the worst.
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Extraction

I would love to see Mike Judge tackle remakes of Eric Rohmer's "Moral Tales". Extract carries on his inimitable stylistic touch and works very well on a variety of levels, including perfect comic utilization of Ben Affleck. The whole cast is unique and diverse. There's a sense of authenticity to everyone, including the one worker played by Judge himself. Ensemble strength like this is rare and has been for a while.

Retired Sexiest Man Alive Ben Affleck
Unlike Office Space, it isn't destined for cult canonization, but it's a perfectly good movie that didn't get enough attention because it's a solid situational comedy with no tabloid appeal or cheap, crass humor. Judge unfortunately was closer to the present day than the future with Idiocracy than anyone should be happy about. If only there had been 40 more nut-shots or 12 instances of someone shitting himself, then perhaps Extract would have reached the vaunted heights of major box office success stories. Home video should help raise its profile. Extras on the Blu-ray include a making-of (Mike Judge's Secret Recipe), a few extended scenes and one deleted scene. It deserves to be rented and seen at the very least. Judge devotees like me have already bought it. Extract hit the street last Tuesday (12.22).
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