Tag: Blu Tuesday (Page 2 of 8)

Blu Tuesday: Dragon Ball Z Kai, Invictus and Valentine’s Day

May 18, 2010 /

Anyone who’s become a frequent reader of my weekly Blu-ray column knows that to even call it a weekly column is a bit of a joke. Nevertheless, instead of making excuses as to why I haven’t written a post in awhile, let’s just jump right into it as there are several titles worth talking about, including Clint Eastwood’s latest and the Blu-ray debut of an anime classic.

“Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season One” (Funimation)

Funimation has certainly had its share of ups and downs when it comes to the “Dragon Ball Z” franchise. They were practically lynched by fans for releasing digitally remastered versions that cropped the image, and then were praised for bringing the Dragon Boxes (previously only available in Japan) to America. Now, they’re receiving some flak for the release of “Dragon Ball Z Kai,” a reinvention of the series that hews closer to Akira Toriyama’s original manga. Loyalists have claimed that this new version isn’t really “Dragon Ball Z,” and while they’re definitely exaggerating in their assessment, they’re not totally wrong, either. “Dragon Ball Z Kai” isn’t the “DBZ” you grew up with, but rather a meaner, leaner adaptation that does away with all the pointless subplots in order to keep the story moving. Those who have complained that the anime is bloated will love this new approach, and it doesn’t hurt that the series looks absolutely gorgeous in high definition. It’s not perfect, mind you, but between the cleaned-up prints and the revitalized animation, this is the “Dragon Ball Z” I wish I had watched from the start. The fact that only 13 episodes have been included on the two-disc set is a bit annoying (especially when nine of those appear on the first disc), but perhaps there’s some method in the madness.

“Invictus” (Warner Bros.)

When it was announced that Clint Eastwood would be teaming up with longtime collaborator Morgan Freeman for a biopic about South African president Nelson Mandela, I don’t think anyone expected a movie about rugby. But that’s exactly what we got, and though we didn’t learn nearly as much about the man as we would have liked, “Invictus” did do a good job of conveying the influence that Mandela had in uniting the country’s races. While the movie pales in comparison to some of Eastwood’s other work, it is a better-than-average sports drama with some fine performances from its two leads. Warner’s Blu-ray release capitalizes on their involvement with a behind-the-scenes look at how Freeman and Matt Damon transformed into their respective real-life subjects, as well as the difficulties of filming the rugby scenes. Various cast and crew members also contribute to an excellent picture-in-picture video track that makes watching the film a second time incredibly worthwhile.

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Action Movies, External Movie DVDs, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies, TV, TV Anime, TV DVDs

Blu Tuesday: The Lord of the Rings – The Motion Picture Trilogy

April 6, 2010 /

While we all patiently await Guillermo del Toro’s big screen adaptation of “The Hobbit” (currently scheduled to be split into two parts and rumored for a 2011 release date), Warner Bros. has decided to whet our appetites by releasing “The Lord of the Rings” on Blu-ray. It’s certainly been one of the most requested titles since the format first arrived on the scene, but now that it’s finally here, the release has only been mired in controversy. Although a lot of fans have been aggressively vocal about the studio’s decision to only release the theatrical editions at this time (one look at Amazon’s product page shows an average rating of 1.5 stars), the reasoning behind the boycott is absolutely ridiculous.

It’s not as if Warner Bros. is trying to dupe consumers into buying two versions of the movies like they did with the DVDs. In fact, they were kind enough to announce fairly early on that HD versions of the extended cuts would be made available closer to the release of “The Hobbit” in theaters, namely because director Peter Jackson wants to produce all-new bonus material for that set. So why the outrage? Quite simply, because the only thing fanboys know how to do better than overhype a movie is complain about it. Sure, it sucks that fans of the extended editions have to wait so long, but to think that the studio has some kind of secret agenda is pure hogwash. Plus, some people actually prefer the theatrical editions to the overly long extended cuts (myself included), so it’s nice to see that Warner Bros. is offering that option from the get-go. If you don’t like it, too bad.

After all, you don’t hear fans of the theatrical editions complaining about the lack of new bonus material on this set, and that’s actually a more viable argument. You still get all of the special features from the original two-disc DVDs (with the exception of a new video game trailer in place of the old ones), as well as digital copies of each film, although it’s hard to imagine watching “LOTR” on such a tiny screen. It would have been nice if they had included a few new extras with this release, but that shouldn’t really affect whether you buy the trilogy on Blu-ray, because it’s really about the movies themselves, and they look and sound better than ever.

Each film is presented in full 1080p video (and in their original 2.35:1 aspect ratio) and boasts a powerful DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 lossless audio track with a thunderous bass that won’t disappoint. The picture is also crisp and clean for the most part, although some might notice that “The Fellowship of the Ring” looks a little soft compared to the other two films. That’s likely a result of the way it was filmed as opposed to anything having to do with its transfer to HD, but I’m sure everyone will have their own theories. Still, even with a few minor imperfections, this remains a must-own for any fan of Jackson’s epic trilogy. Those who disapprove of the release can complain all they like, but after seeing just how awesome these movies look on Blu-ray, they’re going to find it pretty hard to resist.

Action Movies, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews

Blu Tuesday: The Lord of the Rings

March 30, 2010 /

Okay, so this doesn’t technically come out until April 6th, but seeing as how I’m already planning to cover a much bigger release that week (hint: it shares the same title), it’s probably as good a time as any to discuss the Blu-ray release of Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 film, “The Lord of the Rings.” Although it once held the honor of being the only cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous text (and hence the reason why it still has its share of supporters), Bakshi’s animated version isn’t even remotely deserving of having the word “classic” appear on the cover.

In fact, there are so many things wrong with this movie that it’s hard to believe anyone actually likes it. The biggest problem is with Bakshi’s decision to incorporate rotoscoped live action footage alongside the traditional cel-shaded animation, because while it might have seemed ambitiously artistic at the time, it comes off looking incredibly hokey. It’s also quite distracting, often making the animation look worse than it really is. Then again, I’ve never really been a fan of Bakshi’s work, so his reputation as an artist is completely lost on me.

Of course, even if you can get past the shoddy animation, Bakshi’s version only encompasses the first two books in the trilogy, abruptly ending after Gandalf saves the day at Isengard with no real concern for the fact that there’s still more story left to tell. Fans eventually did get to see the finale to the animated tale in 1983’s equally disappointing “The Return of the King” (albeit without Bakshi’s involvement), but it doesn’t make its absence in “The Lord of the Rings” any less bewildering. Obviously, it’s easy to criticize the film when the only thing you can compare it to is Peter Jackson’s award-winning trilogy, but how can you not? After all, the only reason people put up with Bakshi’s film in the first place is because it was the only one available. And now that Jackson’s movies are being released on Blu-ray as well, you’d probably be better off just forgetting this edition ever existed. Heck, I just watched it a few hours ago and I already have.

Action Movies, Animation, External Movie DVDs, Movie DVDs, Movies

Blu Tuesday: The Informant!, The Damned United and The Vampire’s Assistant

February 23, 2010 /

There haven’t been many great Blu-ray titles released recently (at least, not enough worth discussing anyway), and while today’s selection is just as lackluster as those in past weeks, it’s been so long since my last post that I’ve finally decided to write one anyway After all, while many of these week’s releases likely won’t end up in your library, there’s a good chance you’ll want to catch them at least once before making up your mind.

“The Informant!” (Warner Bros.)

I’ve never been a very big fan of Steven Soderbergh’s work, so I was bit surprised at how much I enjoyed his latest effort. Though it didn’t get the attention it deserved during its theatrical release, “The Informant!” is the kind of whimsical dark comedy that Joel and Ethan Coen have been making for years. Granted, the lead character isn’t quite as memorable as anyone in their rogue’s gallery, but Matt Damon still delivers one of the best performances of his career as a schlubby biochemist who turns informant on the agricultural megacorp he works for. The supporting cast isn’t as strong as you’d hope, but between Damon’s hilarious turn as the real-life snitch, the whip-smart script from Scott Z. Burns, and the memorable score by veteran composer Marvin Hamlisch, there’s more than enough to love about this movie. Warner Bros. hasn’t included much in the way of special features, but the director commentary is definitely worth a listen, and the deleted scenes are fairly amusing.

“The Damned United” (Sony)

It may have only received a limited theatrical run in U.S., but for those looking for a solid drama with yet another great performance from Michael Sheen at the center, look no further than “The Damned United.” Based on the novel by David Peace about real-life football manager David Clough, the film follows Clough’s (Sheen) rise to the top of the English First Division with provincial side Derby County, only to see it all fade away due to a jealously-fueled rivalry with Leeds United manager Don Revie (an underused Colm Meaney). Though fans of the sport will likely enjoy “The Damned United” for the history lesson, football is merely the background setting to what is ultimately a very character-driven story. The actor-writer team of Sheen and Peter Morgan can seemingly do no wrong, because while it might be their first movie not to focus on politics (at least, not in the traditional sense, anyway), “The Damned United” is every bit as good.

“Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” (Universal)

Yet another movie based on a series of young adult novels, “The Vampire’s Assistant” is certainly no “Harry Potter,” and from a purely vampire-themed angle, no “Twilight” either. Though the story, about a teenager (Chris Massoglia) who becomes indebted to a mysterious vampire (John C. Reilly) after he saves his friend’s life, is actually rife with potential for a continuing franchise (especially when you factor in the cast that makes up the titular Cirque Du Freak), the movie is hampered by a remarkably bad performance from its young star. I’m not exactly sure what director Paul Weitz saw in the kid, because he’s so dull and unappealing that he sucks the life out of nearly every scene. Reilly at least makes the movie watchable, and Willem Dafoe has good fun in his brief role as a fellow vampire, but unless they plan on recasting the lead, this is one book-based franchise without much of a future.

Also Out This Week:

“Sorority Row” (Sony)
“The Box” (Warner Bros.)
“Nurse Jackie: Season One” (Lionsgate)
“Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” (Warner Bros.)

Action Movies, Horror Movies, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies, TV, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV DVDs

Blu Tuesday: Gamer, Magnolia and Whiteout

January 19, 2010 /

It’s another busy week in Blu-ray, but despite the wide selection of titles to choose from, there aren’t too many standouts. In fact, two of the films I’ve decided to highlight wouldn’t even make the final cut most weeks, so before I talk myself out of finishing today’s post, let’s jump right into it.

“Gamer” (Lionsgate)

Fans of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s “Crank” series will no doubt enjoy their latest film, but despite a pretty cool premise that shamelessly steals from cult classics like “The Running Man” and “Death Race 2000,” “Gamer” fails to impress. A big reason for that is the script, which is definitely more restrained than the “Crank” movies but still pretty batshit crazy. (Case in point: “Heroes” star Milo Ventimiglia cameos as a “Sims”-like character named, wait for it, Rick Rape.) One thing that does work is the look of the film. Neveldine and Taylor may not know how to censor their own twisted imaginations, but they’re talented filmmakers with a great visual style. They also put together some great extras for the Blu-ray release, including an audio commentary, a making-of featurette, and a behind-the-scenes look at the RED camera technology used on the film.

“Magnolia” (Warner Bros.)

Paul Thomas Anderson might not be as prolific as his fans would like him to be, but whenever he does decide to make a film, they usually turn out pretty well. “Magnolia” has been called overrated by some, and whether or not that’s true, it’s hard to deny the brilliance behind it. For starters, Anderson reportedly wrote the movie in only a few weeks, which is quite the achievement when you consider the complexity of the narrative. It also boasts a great cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, and Tom Cruise in his Oscar-nominated role, and some of the best editing of the last decade. Clocking in at just over three-hours, “Magnolia” may be Anderson’s longest movie, but it glides by faster than any of his films. Warner Brothers’ Blu-ray release delivers a solid HD transfer, while the included video diary offers an intimate look at the making of the film.

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Action Movies, Horror Movies, Movie Comedies, Movie Dramas, Movie DVDs, Movies, TV, TV Comedies, TV DVDs

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