Film Review - Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Beverly Hills Cop was first released in 1984 and stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a tough as nails, foul mouthed, street smart cop from Detroit whose friend Mikey is murdered after leaving Beverly Hills with stolen property, upset at Mikey’s death, Foley heads to Beverly Hills where a world of trouble awaits him.

Personally, I enjoyed this film a lot, enough so that I would have seen it if I was alive at the time it was released, Murphy is on top form in the role that made him a star, showing real charisma and screen presence as well as a mouth all his own, the supporting cops in played by John Ashton and Judge Reinhold help support Murphy very well by being the straight edge to Murphy’s funny man and last but not least Gil Hill as Eddie’s boss in Detroit almost steals the show with his F-bombed tirade.

Out of 5, I will give this a 4, it has great humor and enjoyment value.

Film Review - Dick Tracy (1990)

Dick Tracy was first released in 1990 and is based on the comic book by Chester Gould, the film stars Warren Beatty who also served as director as Dick Tracy himself, the story concerns Big Boy Caprice played by Al Pacino uniting the mob bosses of the city for a massive take over bid, but not if Tracy has his way.

I have to say that I really enjoyed Dick Tracy a lot, the visual design of the film is rich and colorful as well as the use of makeup, Beatty and his team did a great job and I also liked his performance as Tracy, it hit the right note between a hero and a man, I also enjoyed some of the other actors in particular Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles.

But there were some set backs, Danny Elfman’s score at times was a little too reminiscent of his score for Batman the year before and I thought that Pacino went a little too over the top at times.

Out of 5, I give it a firm 4 and a half, some great art direction and performances make this definitely worth watching.

Film Review - Batman Begins (2005)

With the Dark Knight now in cinemas, I thought I would go back and revisit Batman Begins, the predeceasing film, the story concerns a young Bruce Wayne who sees his parents murdered in front of him, following this he retreats to an unknown part of the world to train himself so that when he returns to Gotham, he can take on the criminals and corrupt, but the newly formed Batman will have to deal with more than that.

So how does Batman Begins compare to Dark Knight, well Dark Knight is easily the better film but Christopher Nolan’s first Batman film is no slouch either, Christian Bale is very good as Batman/Bruce Wayne as are others, but if there was a weak link it would be the love story being shoehorned in and the storyline with the water supply running a little long.

But all in all, this deserves a firm 4 out of 5 and nicely sets the stage for the future.

Film Review - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit stars Bob Hoskins as detective Eddie Valiant who has turned to alcohol following the death of his brother at the hands of a toon, who work with humans in 1940’s Hollywood and have their own home called Toontown, but when the owner is found dead, TV star Roger Rabbit is the prime suspect and he needs Valiant’s help to clear his name, before an evil judge clears him permanently.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a lot of fun to watch, as it’s a technically impressive film brilliantly combining the real and the animated worlds as well as the Disney and Warner Brothers cartoon staples that also creates some priceless encounters, but if there was a failing behind the film, it takes a sharp turn in the third act as we head into Toontown, it is here that the film loses the edge it built up and turns into a live action cartoon with a weak ending.

But despite that, the film entertained me so I give it 3 out of 5.

Film Review - 300 (2007)

300 is based off the graphic novel from acclaimed comic artist-writer Frank Miller and watercolour artist Lynn Varley, who worked with Miller on the successful “The Dark Knight Returns”, credited for giving the Batman character back his darker roots, the story concerns Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) learning that a vast army of Persians led by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) is coming to conquer Sparta, concerned for his people, he leads a small force of 300 to make their stand.

Much like 2005’s Sin City, which made extensive use of Digital Photography and Effects to help bring Miller’s distinct visual style to life, 300’s director Zack Snyder employs the same technique to help bring his film to life, on the one hand it is nice to look at but for people like myself, who prefer the use of real sets and stunt people rather than computer graphics, this is a bit of a letdown.

Another main bone of contention that I had with the film was the extensive use of slow-motion during the action sequences, this has been a problem for me since the Matrix debuted in 1999, ever since then, pretty much every action and/or sci-fi film has tried to rip it off, be it in the plotting or the use of its effects and camera angles, to me, this is nothing more then a lazy copout rather than a chance to do something new and unique.

On a positive note, I really enjoyed the designs of the Persian army, which were from Miller’s original work, the design of the Immortals and the various giants were in my opinion very memorable, the first time I saw Xerxes, I couldn’t help but think of the Humungus from Mad Max 2, I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it was something that I could say about the film that was at least memorable.

On the whole, the film was OK despite my criticisms but focusing a film on its special effects rather than a proper screenplay with a good story and characters you come to care about is just really weak IMO and this film needed something more behind it, but then again, the film following Hot Fuzz had a lot to live up to, so make of that what you will.

Web Links - DVD/Blu-Ray News

Hi everyone.

I've decided instead of posting news on thre blog that I would share the links to the news sites that I use.

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk
http://www.dvdactive.com
http://www.ezydvd.com.au

Those three sites should give you the news you need regarding US, UK and Australian DVD/Blu-Ray releases.

Bye for now.

Sim W.

Film Review - Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Spider-Man 3 is the third installment in the Spider-Man series, and concerns Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) finally finding a balance between his life as Spider-Man and his normal life with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) but life in the big apple for the two is about to get a lot more complicated.

Spider-Man 3 is also director Sam Raimi’s third shot at bat, having done the previous two films, and the expectations were very high, Spider-Man 2’s huge reception 3 years before had many fans very satisfied but could they pull off another hit or succumb to the high expectations set by the previous film?

Well, in my opinion, I felt that this film failed to do both as well as in my eyes, deliver a proper Spider-Man film, the first film sort of promised it before completely falling apart in the second half and the previous film became too schmaltzy, with the announcement of the Venom storyline, It looked to me that this would finally happen but sadly didn’t, which was IMO disappointing.

The film also suffers from two other major problems, with a 140 minute running time, the film has at least 10 main characters to contend with and sadly, rarely does anything with most of them, they’re there for a few scenes as a centre point but after that, they’re mainly background fodder or used as plot points, an example of this is Kirsten Dunst and James Franco, who were front and centre in the previous two but shoved to the sidelines in this one.

The third main problem is the use of three villains instead of one, the villains are Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), the New Goblin (Franco) and Venom (Topher Grace), compared to just the Green Goblin in the first film and Doc Ock in the last film, this is a big problem, especially Venom, who is used very little considering his status in the comics, this problem also appeared in the Batman series and was one that I was happy to do without.

On a more positive note, Spider-Man in the dark suit was very good, exacting his revenge on the Sandman for his uncle’s murder was for me, the highlight of the film, sadly though, the film fails to deliver more scenes like it, as the film opts for Emo humour instead which is nothing more than groan inducing rather than funny.

On the whole, the film was OK but follows the path Return of the Jedi did, with the main lead given the meaty storyline and the side players shoved to the background, but whereas that film delivered an excellent finale, this just delivered a huge failure with little redeeming value.

Film Review - Transformers (2007)

Transformers is about Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) who is buying his first car, a used Camaro, but this car also happens to be an alien robot refugee from a planet called Cybertron, which has dried up due to a long war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, an artefact of their home world known as the Allspark has also crashed landed on Earth and both sides are racing to find it first.

I have to say that I really enjoyed seeing the film in the cinemas, there was a great vibe in the lobby and it carried over into the cinema, I feel sorry for those only seeing it on DVD, but while the audience was entertained, I had a few problems with the film.

One was the overabundance of teenage sex humour, I know the film was trying to bring in that audience, but there are also kids seeing this film and it was probably a little inappropriate to put masturbation jokes in a movie with children in your audience, this problem also appeared in Spider-Man 3 with the Emo humour in that film, personally I don’t find either brand of comedy very appealing or funny, just groan inducing.

Another main problem and possibly the biggest in my eyes, was the decision not to use Frank Welker as Megatron, as a fan of the original cartoon, Welker’s voice for Megatron IMO defined that character, in the same way that Peter Cullen’s voice for Optimus Prime did the same for that character, although Hugo Weaving did okay despite the voice modulation, I was still extremely disappointed that Welker wasn’t cast in the film.

Also in my opinion, I felt that the film was just not a good movie on its own terms nor did it do the cartoon justice, the first 30 minutes of the 86 transformers movie had great dialog, voice acting, animation and music, this effort was nothing more than a teen sex comedy with Transformers thrown in for action sequences instead of a proper Transformers film, which to me, is very disappointing.

On a more positive note, the film’s highlight was Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen reprises the role he played in the cartoon show and it is a real delight to hear him play Prime once more, if you’re a fan like me, then you will get definitely get chills but unfortunately, he’s also the only real spark the film has in it.

On the whole, the film was Ok with a good cinema experience behind it but Cullen was the only real bright spot and even if Welker had returned, its doubtful he would have made much of a difference, see this if you want, but keep expectations low.

Film Review - The Dead Pool (1988)

The Dead Pool is the fifth and last of the Dirty Harry movies and this time, Harry Callahan faces a list called “The Dead Pool” regarding a list of celebrities that are marked for death, and Harry’s name is next on the list.

Personally, I am glad to see the series finally conclude with this film, the original Dirty Harry was a terrific piece of movie making but the other films as well as this one have been mediocre to average due to lacking a strong villain like Scorpio, one could say that the series has now run “Shit out of luck”.

In regards to this film, I give it a 3 out of 5, a very entertaining first half but the movie loses its steam in the second.

Film Review - Sudden Impact (1983)

Sudden Impact is the fourth in the series and yet again Eastwood plays Dirty Harry but this time he’s been shipped to a small coastal town to investigate a series of murders that is going on in the area, but as we learned in the previous films, wherever Callahan goes, mayhem goes with him.

I had a mixed reaction to watching this film, some of the elements in it such as the main title sequence, “Go Ahead, Make my Day” and some of the side villains are reminiscent of the original Dirty Harry film but at the same time, the film runs on for too long and suffers just as the other follow ups have with the lack of a central scumbag as the main villain.

So all in all, a 2 and a half out of 5 for Sudden Impact.

Film Review - The Enforcer (1976)

The Enforcer is the third in this series and once again stars Eastwood as Harry Callahan and this time, he has to stop a group of militants from destroying half of San Francisco with stolen rockets, but he’ll have to deal with a new female partner at the same time.

And now, to be completely honest, I did not like The Enforcer very much at all and started to get the feeling that the series was starting to become a shadow of itself, although Magnum Force, the previous one in the series had some redeeming moments, this one has almost nothing going for it at all.

So on that note, I will give The Enforcer 2 out of 5, a film that shows the Dirty Harry series finally beginning to run out of steam.

Film Review - Magnum Force (1973)

Magnum Force sees the return of Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Callahan but this time he has to answer to a new boss played by Hal Holbrook, the story this time concerns a renegade cop that has been doing away with various criminals throughout San Francisco who they claim are being unjustly prosecuted, and Harry just might be next.

It was with great trepidation that I watched Magnum Force, the original film was an all time classic but its common to all film fans that sequels are never as good, Magnum Force is no exception, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it but I also thought that it wasn’t that good either, it was great to see Clint back in the role but that was about it.

So, as a result, 3 out of 5 for a good but not great Dirty Harry sequel.

Editorial - Mad Max 4: My Honest Thoughts

As I write this editorial, there is word out on the internet that producer/director George Miller is going to be making a fourth Mad Max film titled Fury Road.

But this time he will be without Series star Mel Gibson, who has bowed out after the initial attempt to get the film made back in 2003, which later ended up going bust once the war in Iraq started, but whilst promoting 2006’s Happy Feet, Miller stated that MM4 was happening again but this time without Gibson.

Now I have to be honest, I am actually kind of glad that Gibson has bowed out, as the recent Terminator, Die Hard and Indiana Jones sequels have all been disasters that don’t compare with their illustrious predecessors and the last film in the series, Beyond Thunderdome (review below), is seen as a disappointment by fans, myself included.

Another area I must be honest about is whether a fourth Mad Max film would actually succeed, the first two Mad Max movies were absolutely brilliant but sadly, the production team that made those films so successful has dwindled down to Miller and possibly Dean Semler, who was the cinematographer on MM 2 and 3 and only if he accepts to return, as Gibson has bowed out and both MM 1 and 2 producer Byron Kennedy and composer Brian May are now long dead.

So there you have it folks, I don’t want to say too much more but those are just my honest thoughts about a new Mad Max film.

Film Review - Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Mad Max beyond Thunderdome is the third in the Mad Max series starring Mel Gibson as Max, the loner who wanders the wastelands of tomorrow and into a society known as Bartertown, but after refusing to kill a local, Max is banished and comes across a group of kids who want his help to find the Promised Land.

It pains me to say this, but beyond Thunderdome was a massive failure compared to the first two films, first off the plot is very slow to get going and when it does, it feels ripped from the previous films, another was the absence of Byron Kennedy, director George Miller’s right hand man on the previous films, one cant help but feel that his death has left a hole in the film and also one that may never be filled.

So as my final say, a 1 and a half out of 5 for this film, Mad Max fans are wise to leave the series after Mad Max 2.

Editorial - Special Effects and Fancy Visuals, What’s the problem? No Story Attached

This editorial regards an issue I have had on my mind for some time, and that is the nature of special effects in the movies.

I mean sure, you’re probably all thinking “CG Effects are great and can do things regular effects can’t, right?” Well, here’s where I am going to make my point, although I enjoy some CG effects such as in Iron Man and Terminator 2, but most of the time they seem fake when compared to a piece of motion picture film and in such films as Transformers, the Star Wars prequels and others, the CG effects dominate the story and as a result, you’re just looking at a bunch of nice effects.

The same can also be applied for my money at least, to the new Blu-Ray format and its 1080p visuals, sure there nice to look at but the movie remains the same and in the case of something like Indy IV, where the movie was a total mess jammed pack with action scenes, it won’t make a lick of difference as far as I’m concerned.

Sorry this verges on Rant territory, but I just wanted to get that info out.

Film Review - American Gangster (2007)

American Gangster is based on a true story and stars Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, a drug runner in 1970’s Harlem and is determined to become the kingpin, Ritchie Roberts played by Russell Crowe is a blacklisted cop who heads up a task force designed to move in on the major drug shipments, it is here that Roberts and Lucas will collide in a way neither imagined.

You know, I actually enjoyed this film a lot, the film was directed by Ridley Scott who made Blade Runner and this is one of his best efforts, Washington and Crowe perform very well in their respective roles as well as Josh Brolin as a corrupt cop and Ruby Dee as Lucas’s mother.

Out of 5, I’m definitely giving this a 4 and a half, its one of Ridley’s best efforts and despite a long running time, it never feels bloated or overlong.

Editorial - R18+: Restricted to Australian Gamers 18 Years and Over: Low Level Australian Sales, High Level International Imports

This is another issue I feel where I have to voice my opinion, and that is the lack of R18+ rating for games in Australia.

And as most gamers know, The man to blame is Michael Atkinson, the SA Governor General, back in either February or March, a meeting was held between the various State GG’s regarding the issue of an R rating for games, sadly Atkinson was the only one who disagreed on its introduction and as a result (there can only be a change in the classification if all the GG’s agree to it), Australian gamers were denied an R, a move that left many Aussie gamers (including myself) very annoyed.

But why did Atkinson oppose one when the others did not, well apparently he feels that if an R rating is brought in for games, there will be an increase in children getting their hands on what he deems inappropriate material like GTA IV or the upcoming Fallout 3.

Personally, these arguments hold no weight with me and here is why, the R rating says “Restricted to 18 years and over” which means that by law, only adults above that age can get that material and stores selling this material will most likely ask for ID when R rated material is purchased and also, if an R rating is made for games, this will help keep material like GTA IV, which SHOULD have gotten an R, out of kids hands, unless their the type that will get it from their parents anyway and most should stay away from that type to begin with.

Another factor is that if an R rating is introduced for games, it will also keep the money that would have gone overseas in Australia and will also help the local economy, which could use a bit of a boost.

I apologize if this editorial is a little long, but I feel that this is a problem that will get very serious if something isn’t done, nothing probably will but we can hope for the best.

And also, on one last note here is a youtube video featuring well known Australian movie critic Bill Collins talking about the R rating from the early 90's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iry_spSzVbw.

Film Review - Die Hard 2 (1990)

Die Hard 2 takes place in Washington International Airport and soon finds itself under the control of terrorists who want a captured general on his way to the States to stand trial, but also there is John McClane picking up his wife who is now trapped on one of the other flights, and so McClane is now ending up with the same thing happening all over again.

Which is also the exact problem I had with Die Hard 2, it feels like a retread of the original film but with a much bigger scope to it and nowhere near what the original had in terms of its moviemaking, sure it was entertaining but with a film like this that had such an exceptional original behind it, the bar is set higher and as a result, it doesn’t quite hit that mark.

So all in all, a 2 and a half out of 5 for Die Hard 2.

Film Review - Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale was first released in 2006 and stars Daniel Craig as the new James Bond, this time he’s a newly picked 00 with a Licence to Kill and has to face down Le Chiffre played by Mads Mikkelsen in a card game after Bond foils one of his plots, but if he’s not careful, this will be his first and last assignment.

You know, I actually enjoyed this movie, its very rare these days where you see a film that engages you enough in which you actually care about what’s going on rather than marveling at the visuals or cringing at the cheesiness of it all, Daniel Craig in on top form as Bond and presents a very straightforward and modern take on a classic character, one that works instead of fails.

Despite the fact that I really enjoyed the film, I do have one minor nitpick with the length of the film, in both the card game and the finale in Venice, the film runs on a little too long, again these are only minor complaints but ones I wanted to make.

Out of 5, I’m giving it a 4 and a half for despite the length in places, its definitely a great Bond film.

Editorial - Quantum of Solace Teaser Trailer

To watch the teaser, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEPgwVCxz8U

Well, its that time once again when a new James Bond film is about to hit theatres, 2 years after the monstrous (and well deserved) success of Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first outing as 007 following the departure of Pierce Brosnan, his next film, titled Quantum of Solace (named after the title of a short story written by Ian Fleming) will hit theatres in November.

But for now, we have a new 2 minute teaser trailer and I have to say I am of 2 minds on it, on one it looks very promising with the hope of building on what Royale had established but sadly on the other, the teaser only gives us a glimpse of the action scenes, which could suggest the film could be another wall to wall action fest like Get Smart and Indiana Jones, but despite that I fully intend to see the film when its released as well as ignore any future trailers in case they give the game away.

But I very well could be wrong, for as a wise man once said: “Only time will tell”.

Film Review - Robocop (1987)

Robocop was first released in 1987 and stars Peter Weller as a Detroit police officer named Alex Murphy who is killed in the line of duty and later put into a cybernetic body and codenamed Robocop, which will be used to clean up the crime infested streets of Detroit, but Clarence Boddicker played by Kurtwood Smith has other ideas.

In my opinion, this would rank as one of my favourite action Sci-Fi films of the 80’s, director Paul Verhoeven pushes the boundary of violence on screen whilst writers Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner create a script that works just as well today as it did 21 years ago, if not more so than back then.

Out of 5 I’m going to give it a full five stars, as the movie works well despite its age.

Film Review - Robocop 2 (1990)

Robocop 2 continues the events of Alex Murphy/Robocop, played again by Peter Weller and this time, Detroit has gone from bad to worse, caught in the grip of a new drug called Nuke, but while that goes on, Robocop is being put offline and upgraded with a new model containing the brain of a drug kingpin and on top of that, OCP plans to bankrupt Detroit so it can be taken private.

Where as I greatly admired the original Robocop, to me this film was an absolute utter mess that goes all over the place and relies on endless amounts of sex, violence and foul language, almost everyone in this movie is armed with shotguns, assault rifles, mini guns, cannons and/or pistols, as well as this, you have a 12 year old as a drug kingpin, a contradiction of events from the first film and a finale ripped straight out of Die Hard.

So in closing, 0 out of 5 for this dark, depressing mess of a sequel.

DVD Review - Blade Runner: 5 Disc Collectors Edition

Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi classic Blade Runner, was first released in 1982 and stars Harrison Ford as detective Rick Deckard on the trail of 4 Replicants, who are now illegal on Earth thanks to a bloody rebellion in space, the film also stars Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, the leader of the Replicants who wants more life as his 4 year lifespan is nearly up, with help from a snake scale however, Deckard is hot on their trail.

Blade Runner has many controversies and ambiguities about it and I won’t mention those here, but the main reason the film works for me is the blend of visuals and story, the visuals are truly out of this world, Scott and his team have created one of the most realistic and original worlds in the history of the movies and its one that still holds up strong to this day but its not the only reason I like the film, Blade Runner also has a great story behind it that doesn’t drag, most films today go a good 20 to 40 minutes beyond their natural running time so it was nice to see a film shorter than 2 hours, it is also a simple tale of love, life, death and detective work: 5 out of 5.

As for the A/V Quality on this set, the brand new Final Cut looks absolutely outstanding, the look of the film has been beautifully rendered and will be a true feast for your eyes as opposed to the fake CG look that’s in many films today, the 5.1 sound for the film is also very well done, there’s no artificial sounds added into the mix and it really helps make everything sound natural and true to the films age.

And now, the extras breakdown for each of the discs.

Disc 1: Blade Runner – The Final Cut

On Disc 1, we have a brand new Final Cut version of the film, this has some tweaks, enhancements and restoration work applied but it is not like the Star Wars reissues, it actually matches with the 1982 photography very well and fixes nearly all of the major continuity problems which makes this the most satisfying version of the film, it is truly the vision Ridley had for the film and I am most grateful to him for sharing it with us.

The disc also comes with three commentary tracks, detailed below:

Director Ridley Scott: Ridley sits solo for this track, the first of three and it is a good start, Ridley talks about all sorts of stuff such as the design, genesis, production, music and actors involved in the film as well as a couple of plugs for his recent film American Gangster, now in Cinemas, this is a good commentary track and fans will definitely appreciate it.

Executive Producer/Co-Screenwriter Hampton Fancher, Co-Screenwriter David Peoples, Producer Michael Deeley and Production Executive Katherine Haber: All four sit in groups of two (writers and producers) for this second track, I actually enjoyed hearing this track a little more than Ridley’s track, as there was some nice comments from Deeley regarding the release of the film and the friendly banter between Fancher and Peoples over the various script drafts, in my opinion, Peoples kept a lot of Fancher’s ideas and rewrote them as well as adding his own which is what eventually became the film we see now.

Visual Futurist Syd Mead, Production Designer Lawrence G. Paull, Art Director David L. Snyder and Special Photographic Effects Supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer: The third and final commentary is probably my favourite of the three commentaries on the disc, the designers and effects men give endlessly great stories about how the world of the film was created, Blade Runner, along with Return of the Jedi, is one of the last great non-CG Sci-Fi films, so this track was a real treat for me and I’m sure for fans of this film.

Disc 2: Dangerous Days – Making Blade Runner

Disc 2 holds a single extra, a 3 and a half hour documentary titled Dangerous Days, directed by renowned documentarian Charles de Lauzirika, who also did the 2-disc Aliens and Top Gun DVDs, this is a terrific documentary on almost every facet of the film, from genesis through to the films doomed release and later resurrection on video, Dangerous Days also offers a lot of alternate takes of fan favourite moments and takes of scenes that were deleted from the film altogether, Dangerous Days also has nearly every single person involved with the film still alive doing interviews (missing as far as I know are Vangelis, who did the music and William Sanderson, who played J.F Sebastian, both sadly declined to be in the documentary) and they all have great stories to tell about the movie, especially Hampton Fancher who has a touch of the eccentric about him, this documentary will delight fans and is one not to miss.

Disc 3: Enhancement Archive

The third and final disc I will review is called the Enhancement Archive; it contains additional documentary material as well as some nifty deleted scenes and promotional features, which are now detailed below in three sections (Inception, Fabrication and Longetivity) as is the disc as a whole.

Inception:

Featurette – The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Phillip K. Dick: This is a 15 minute look at the life and work of author Phillip K. Dick, who wrote the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? On which Blade Runner is slightly based, there are some nice retrospectives from family, friends, authors and scholars as well as some vintage material with Dick himself, fans of Dick and his work owe it to themselves to see this rather nice tribute.

Featurette – Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film: This featurette looks at the differences between Dick’s novel and the film, Paul Sammon, who is a scholar on the film, says it’s the finest Dick adaptation yet it is also very far removed from the original material, there are some interesting opinions expressed in this piece and it is one of the best on this disc.

Audio Tracks – Phillip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews: This is a series of 14 audio tracks recorded by Sammon and he questions Dick in what is very fair quality audio interviews, the interviews themselves are quite good, ranging from inspirations behind his book, his initial resistance to the film and eventually being won over by the footage shown to him, again, these will be a big treat for Dick fans.

Fabrication:

Featurette – Signs of the Times: Graphic Design: This featurette takes a look at the graphic artwork for the film from the illustrators, I actually thought that the main design feature on Dangerous Days was better than this featurette but it was a good watch.

Featurette – Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling: One of the best features on this disc looks at the fashion wear for the film, the best story in this one is Harrison changing Deckard’s costume (He was originally going to wear a hat), it also looks at the hair and make-up styles made for the film, a great watch.

Featurette – Screen Tests: Rachael and Pris: This feature looks at the original screen tests for Rachael and Pris, introduced by the casting director, you also see new interviews with the actors testing for their various parts, this is an interesting look at the casting process and fans will enjoy this a lot.

Featurette – The Light that Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth: Jordan Cronenweth was the cinematographer on Blade Runner and passed away in 1996 from Parkinson’s Disease, this feature is a tribute to his life and work from the perspective of his friends and family as well as those who worked on the film, this is the best tribute on the DVD and recommended to fans of the film and of Jordan himself.

Deleted and Alternate Scenes: Probably in a tie with the promotional features as my favourite extra on this set, the Deleted Scenes are assembled from many alternate takes, including an alternate voice over that was written by Ridley Scott’s team rather than the WB narration used in the initial version of the film, there’s also scenes such as the infamous Holden hospital scenes that were deleted altogether that appear here as well as two different versions of the infamous happy ending of Deckard and Rachael driving off into the country, a must watch for fans.

Longetivity:

1982 Promotional Featurettes:

#1 – On the Set: This is one of three promotional features Warner Brothers put together to promote the original release of the film, this one is a general EPK feature on the production and contains interviews from members of the cast and crew, this is a good special and I really enjoyed watching it, hopefully fans will feel the same way.

#2 – Convention Reel: This feature was probably made for a sci-fi convention reel and is introduced by a much younger Ridley Scott and has input from younger versions of crew members, this along with the other promotional specials are a good watch.

#3 – Behind the Scenes Outtakes: This, the last of these 1982 specials is a near 9 minute silent reel at the production of Blade Runner, I actually enjoyed this particular feature quite a bit, as you got to see a first hand look at the sets for the film, one for fans.

Trailers and TV Spots: Presented here are 4 trailers marketing the original and re-release versions of the film including a preview of the Dangerous Days documentary as well as a single TV spot from the 1982 release, personally, as a big fan of this section, I enjoyed this section a lot and also enjoyed the changing marketing styles from the 3 and a half minute 1982 trailer to the more musical 1992 trailer and finally the fade cut style for the 2007 trailer, again, a great watch.

Featurette – Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art: This is probably my favourite featurette on this disc as it interviews the great poster artists Drew Struzan and John Alvin (who are quite possibly the two greatest poster artists in the industry), both talk about how they did the poster for the various versions of the film as well talk about poster art as a whole and how its changed over the years, one thing I loved seeing in this feature was the Australian poster art for the film, so a thumbs up for that one and this extra.

Featurette – Deck-a-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard: This is a rather interesting featurette as cast, crew and admirers talk about Blade Runner’s greatest controversy: is Deckard a Replicant or a Human?, although the answers range from yes, no and figure it out yourself, my answer is no, as for my money Deckard is clearly written as a human and the whole question of could he be a Replicant was just an overtone Ridley added so he could have his own “Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father” style twist in a later film if it got made, but fans should enjoy this feature.

Featurette – Nexus Generation: Fans and Filmmakers: This is the final feature on this bonus DVD and it is also one of the creepiest, here fans and filmmakers talk about the impact the film left on them, especially the girl who devoted one of her arms to tattoos from the film, which is a little creepy for my taste as well Mark Romanek, who directed One hour photo, who redecorated his apartment to look like the style of the film after seeing it, but there are some good comments to be seen here, such as those made by Frank Darabont, who made The Shawshank Redemption, again this is a good watch.

The Other two Discs:

The other two discs in this set contain the initial versions of the film, including the workprint, rumored to be lost for many years, although I personally don’t have a lot of interest in these versions (there aren’t a lot of differences between the various versions in this set and a good majority of their material appears in the deleted scenes), I am happy to see them included as well as remastered for fanatical fans.

Lost Opportunities:

Despite the amazing work that went into these DVD’s, there were two slight disappointments I had with it.

The first was the loss of the image galleries, when Blade Runner was originally announced, it was to contain image galleries on the Marketing, Unit Photography, Artwork and Covers of the original book, sadly these had to be dropped and I was disappointed to not see them as Blade Runner was a film that cried out for a few art galleries, but Warner Brothers have rarely done image galleries for their films and the other outstanding material on the disc set makes up for their absence.

The other was not to see the 4-disc alternative released in America reach Australian shores, I personally would have much rather seen this than the 5-disc set that we got twice over, on its own and in a special briefcase edition, as I was not fond of paying up to $100 or $150 for a movie made in 1982 and the 4-disc version had everything I was after in terms of disc content including its use of John Alvin’s amazing poster art for the film and a much cheaper and more satisfying price, these are only minor complaints though as what we do have is quite good.

Final Thoughts:

Blade Runner is a favourite of mine and although I am not fanatical about it in the way I am with Star Wars or Mad Max or Hot Fuzz, I greatly enjoyed the effort that went into this DVD, Warner Home Video, Ridley Scott and Charles de Lauzirika deserve enormous thanks for what they’ve done, and I’m sure other fans will appreciate it as well.

Film Review - Get Smart (2008)

Get Smart is based on the hit 1960’s TV Series but this time Steve Carell replaces the late great Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, this time having to track down missing nuclear weapons before KAOS fires them on the world, but he won’t be doing it alone.

To be honest, I felt very mixed about this film; on the one hand it had some good laughs behind it but on the other hand, I felt that the film had far too much action, so much so that it dominates the film just as in Indiana Jones, and like Harrison Ford in that film, Anne Hathaway was the only real bright spot the movie had.

So on the whole; I’m giving this 2 out of 5, for while it had some good laughs, the rest of it was very average.

Film Review - Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man, based off the successful Marvel comic, stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, who finds himself captured while demonstrating his latest weapon, but the experience opens his eyes and now he vows to protect those he put in danger.

You know, I actually really liked this film and its disappointing that the other summer movies so far this year haven’t been as good, Downey Jr. is just fantastic as Stark as was Gwyneth Paltrow as his loyal assistant Pepper Potts, the special effects work done by the late great Stan Winston was wonderful and is the crowning achievement of an amazing legacy that was sadly cut short.

But all in all, this film deserves 3 and a half out of 5, as it’s worth seeing.

Film Review - Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

After 19 years, Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones and this time he seeks a legendary Crystal Skull from the Amazon Basin, but he’ll have to deal with an army of Russian soldiers along the way as well as a few unexpected guests.

You know, to be really honest, I actually thought that the film was only okay at best, there were a few moments where I smiled and it was great to see Harrison again but on the whole I thought that it was nothing all that much, I can’t help but feel that older people may like it more than people my own age.

Out of 5, I’m going to give this a 2, Harrison was great but everything else just felt average and it only just confirms for me that Lucas and Spielberg have lost touch with their audience.

Film Review - The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight continues the story from Batman Begins, with Christian Bale returning as Bruce Wayne/The Batman and this time, his duty is confronted by a manic madman known only as The Joker, Heath Ledger’s last complete role, and as the Joker raises the stakes, The Batman must confront all he believes in order to restore the balance.

And now, to cut through the bull, this is most likely the only summer blockbuster I have seen in a cinema that not only delivered on its promise, it blew it sky high, although Ledger does brilliantly, the star of the film for me was director Christopher Nolan, not once does he falter or rely on CGI to tell his story, everything moves very well and has a strong pace to it and on top of that, there is one action sequence in the film that ranks with the best I’ve ever seen.

I won’t say too much more, expect that it deserves a 5 out of 5 and that it is absolutely worth watching.

Web Links - Siskel and Ebert

http://www.youtube.com/user/firstmagnitude
http://www.atthemoviestv.com/
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/

These are two web links containing reviews from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, to go to the S&E reviews on atthemoviestv.com (their official website), go to browse by year on the main page.

The last link is to Roger Ebert's webpage containing his written reviews.

Important Note: The Siskel and Ebert reviews only go up to 1998, as Gene sadly passed away in early 1999 and the reviews with Roger only go up till late 2006 when he withdrew from the show due to health reasons.

DVD Review - Dirty Harry: 2 Disc Special Edition

The Film:

Clint Eastwood stars in this, the first in the Dirty Harry series as the title role of San Francisco detective Harry Callahan or “Dirty Harry” as his colleagues call him as he always gets the dirty jobs, this time he has to deal with a madman known only as the Scorpio, one that will test Harry’s loyalties.

I won’t say too much more, other than that the movie is a wonderful piece of cinema, director Don Siegel uses the city by the bay beautifully and although Andrew Robinson is great as Scorpio, this is Eastwood’s movie all the way, beautifully portraying the title role but while there were 4 sequels that followed this film, this proves the old saying that the original will always be the best: 5 out of 5.

The DVD:

Dirty Harry as well as the rest of the series are being reissued in brand new Special Edition DVDs as well as debuting on the new Blu-Ray format but unlike the DH sequels, DH is being issued as a 2-Disc SE but how does it hold against the original single disc release.

Well for starters, it is very clear that the film has undergone a brand new restoration, which looks very crisp and clean with no real blemishes to be seen, but while the day time scenes and the interiors look great as does the aerial photography, this new restoration isn’t all sugar and cookies, for one, the film looks a little too over saturated in some of the daylight scenes and the night time scenes are a mixed bag, sometimes great, sometimes not.

The audio appears to be the same 5.1 track created for the single disc release, it sounds good and never over mixes one element for the other and never relies on artificially created sounds put in to spice things up, all in all, a good mix.

And now, onto the extras, broken down disc by disc and new extras highlighted in bold.

Disc One:

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Schickel: Schickel provides a very enjoyable commentary track, in which he details the production, history and legacy of the film, although he has good info, he also takes time to enjoy the film as we do, so a very good listen.

Featurette – Dirty Harry: The Original – This documentary appeared on the original release and is an enjoyable watch hosted by Robert Urich, who appeared in Magnum Force, this will be of great enjoyment for fans.

Interviews – Cast and Crew: These are extended interviews with the people that appear in the Featurette mentioned before, some are good to watch but this area is hit and miss.

Vintage Featurette – Dirty Harry’s Way: This is a vintage feature covering the filming of Dirty Harry in San Francisco at the time of its release; personally I think it’s great to see stuff like this so this gets a thumbs up from me.

Disc Two:

Featurette – The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry: This is a new featurette created just for this release and features new interviews with Eastwood and Robinson as well as various other fans and filmmakers, a very good feature.

Featurette – Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso: This is a one hour doco from 1993 covering Eastwood as well as the career he had until Unforgiven in 1992, a long watch but good for Eastwood fans.

And now, the bad, while the features present are very good, it sadly lacks the theatrical trailer found on the first release, to me this is a major disappointment and stops this release from gaining full marks.

Final Say:

So in closing, a great 2-disc release with only a minor complaint (missing trailer) holding it back from containing full marks but the good far outweighs the bad, so Highly Recommended.

And Also, one last question: Do you feel lucky?, Well do ya Punk.