Taking a Summer Hiatus

21 Grams (2003)

Online Price: £7.99.    Imdb score: 7.9.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 82% fresh.
If there were an award for Bargain of the week then 21 Grams would probably get it, given its £7.99 pricing. For the first time issue on Blu-Ray of a highly acclaimed film this is very low pricing. 21 Grams is allegedly the weight we lose when we die, so there's a clue there that this isn't exactly going to be a film that's a complete barrel of laughs. Starring Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and Naomi Watts this story of three characters whose lives impact each other, told out of sequence, is a powerful and moving character piece. However this most definitely isn't a reference HD disc. There are signs of print-damage here and there and the picture is VERY grainy, to the point of being barely watchable at times. The truth is that this looks more like a 16mm shot film than a '3D pop' HD showcase title. I think it's well worth a purchase, but if you already own the DVD I don't think you need to upgrade, even at this low Blu-Ray debut price.

Absolute Power (1997)

Online Price: £11.99.    Imdb score: 6.5.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 48% fresh.
Unseen. The first of this week's Clint Eastwood titles, Absolute Power didn't arrive in time for review, but aired late on BBC1 on Friday night which must limit its potential sales. It apparently tells the story of a career thief who witnesses a murder ordered by the president of the United States. Power corrupts and the president is the most corrupt of all, apparently. The reviews may not be outstanding, but with Gene Hackman, Ed Harris and Laura Linney also starring it's hard to imagine this Blu-Ray not being worth at least a rental.

Bad Boys (1995)

Online Price: £12.59.    Imdb score: 6.6.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 41% fresh.
Unseen. When Blu-Ray first launched over four years ago, desperately trying to compete with HD-DVD by claiming to have more 'exclusive' titles, this is one of the films, like Laurence of Arabia, that was promised as 'coming soon'. We're STILL waiting for Lawrence (Can I have my money back please, Sony?!), but after a couple of false starts earlier this year Bad Boys is finally out this week. Directed by Michael Bay and starring Will Smith this film about two black detective buddies has its fans, but with Bay at the helm I doubt I'd be one of them. Admittedly Bay's earlier films were better than his more recent offerings so it's possible I'm missing out, but given that critics average score of just 41% I somehow doubt it.

Brothers (2009)

Online Price: £15.99.    Imdb score: 7.3.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 60% fresh.
For some reason Jim Sheridan's films have never gone down particularly well with the critics, although I've yet to see the man make a bad movie. Brothers is a Hollywood remake of a highly-rated Danish film, starring pretty boys Tobey Maguire and Jake Gylenhaal (and pretty girl Natalie Portman) in roles rather different from those we're used to seeing them in. Portman and Maguire's characters are married with two young kids when Maguire goes 'missing presumed dead' in Afghanistan. His younger brother, played by Gylenhaal, is the wastrel of the family, fresh out of prison, who steps up to the plate to support his brother's family with the inevitable 'falling in love with his brother's wife' scenario happening, a happy ending only shattered by the return of a seriously broken Maguire who has been tortured in Afhanistan. The original Danish film apparently focused on the "illcit" nature of the relationship between a woman and two brothers when one is presumed dead. The Sheridan remake buries most of that and concentrates on the importance of family. It's a powerful, moving film, although criticisms that Maguire (delivering an astonishing performance) looks too young to play the older brother to Gylenhaal ring slightly true. And the slightly rushed Hollywood ending, together with a difficult-to-watch torture/killing scene that doesn't really ring true in the middle marr the film slightly. However this is definitely worth 100 minutes of your time. Extra's include an informative commentary track from the director and two 15 minute featurettes in HD: one about remaking the original Dutch film, the second on Sheridan's motivation of family. If the online price weren't so high this might have made 'Pick of the Week'. Highly recommended.

Doctor Who Season 5 Part 1 (TV 2010)

Online Price: £12.91.   
Unseen Blu-Ray. The price seems reasonable for the first 3 episodes of the new Doctor Who, but we all know the pattern by now: The BBC release a bare bones 'vanilla' release to gouge the fans and feed them drip-by-drip before releasing a far superior (and better priced) box set packed with extra's. That being said, if you really can't wait and missed the episodes when broadcast on BBC1 then you're in for a treat. Steven Moffat totally gets Who, in a way his predecessor Russel T Davies with his infantile stories and deus ex machina endings never did, and these first three episodes feature two excellent Moffat-written episodes and one very poor dalek episode written by Mark Gattis that show quality control is still very hit-and-miss, even with Davies gone from the Executive Writer role. On the Blu-Ray picture quality side Moffat thankfully over-ruled RTD's decision that filming in HD was too expensive in a cash-strapped show, and these episodes were all shot in HD, presented in 1080i format (not up-scaled from standard definition as with the first of the specials issued on Blu-Ray last year). Reports that the series is struggling to find good directors that can work well with actors seem all too apparent, the crashingly loud music is still there and the theme tune has been revamped again so that it's even weaker than it was in its first reworking. But the writing for the first two episodes is top-notch, and the new cast are convincing and entertaining to watch. If you're a fan I'd follow my lead - avoid this release and wait for the inevitable season boxed set around Christmas time.

Exam (2009)

Online Price: £15.99.    Imdb score: 6.9.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 56% fresh.
The trouble with a good magic trick is that once you know how it's done, it quickly loses its appeal. Similarly with films that base their whole premise on a simple riddle that it's assumed you won't solve. In this case the premise is that of 10 applicants undertaking a written exam for the job of a lifetime. The exam requires them to answer a single question in a 70 minute timeframe - the trouble is the exam question sheets are completely blank. If you guess the riddle (as I did) in the first 5 minutes where the rules are explained, then the remaining 90 minutes become rather tedious as the candidates over-complicate the scenario they've been given and seem unable to see the wood for the trees. Exam is being touted as 'The Apprentice Goes to Hell', although the cover art bizarrely gives more an impression of Hostel or similar brutal torture-porn fare. In truth it's a cerebral exercise in stylish, but low budget film-making. The tension is admittedly well maintained, and the film well-shot, but the cast (almost all recruited from British soaps - enough said!) are mediocre and mostly unconvincing. The single room location is a problem, and the script asks us to make great leaps of faith in the way the characters react that don't stand up to any kind of scrutiny. There's a cute twist at the end, and if you don't solve the central dilemma of 'What's the question?' I'm sure you'll find it worth 90 minutes of your time. The Blu-Ray is presented in a slipcase, with mediocre SD extra's that DO at least include a commentary, but I think the asking price is too high, making this a rental rather than a purchase. It's not the sort of film that you'd want to see more than once.

Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

Online Price: £11.99.    Imdb score: 6.5.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% fresh.
Unseen. Another Clint Eastwood title that didn't arrive in time for review. The critics seem to like it, the public less so. This one has Clint starring as a hard-nosed, boozy Marine, trying to reconnect with his wife and taking on the task of training a team of deadbeats. Sounds pretty par for the course, but worth a rental at the very least based on enthusiastic critical reviews.

Hell in the Pacific: The True Stories (unknown)

Online Price: £9.99.   
Unseen. I could find no information on this title, presumably launched to cash-in on the Steven Spielberg TV series follow-up to Band of Brothers, called The Pacific (which has received poor reviews because of the high expectations set by its predecessor).
UPDATE: This title's release has been delayed until next week.

Home (2009)

Online Price: £10.49.    Imdb score: 8.4.    Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A.
Why would you pay for a film that's been released for free on the internet? Well there's that high score on imdb for one thing. And if you've seen the free version then you'll know that despite the militant, hectoring sermonising (delivered by narrator Glenn Close), this aeriel photography documentary on the declining state of our planet is quite breath-taking. It seems that the BBC have copyright on anything with 'Earth' in the title, so 'Home' rather than 'The Earth' is the title. And good though it is, the title can't live up to the quality of the BBC's excellent series of the same name - the commentary is much weaker, and the quality of the photography far more variable. Facts like 'Dubai has endless sunshine but no solar panels' are admittedly revealing, but the film is only going to preach to the converted who don't have the power to change things. The only real disappointment with the Blu-Ray is the softness (with some clearly out-of-focus shots) of the image in a few places. Some scenes are beautiful and breath-taking with incredible detail and true '3D pop', others are unbelievably soft and out-of-focus. There's only one extra: an admittedly excellent sub-titled 35 minute 'Making of' (the original film-makers are French). Bottom line: this isn't quite the reference disc you might have expected it to be but there's enough jaw-dropping footage at the asking price to make this a purchase rather than a rental.

Kelly's Heroes (1970)

Online Price: £11.99.    Imdb score: 7.5.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 83% fresh.
In the States this title and Where Eagles Dare have been released on a single disc, which makes purchase cheaper but raises concerns about picture quality given the compression needed to fit both titles on a single disc (especially with Where Eagles Dare running to two and a half hours. In the UK we get separate releases of two classic catalogue titles, but alas catalogue titles are not selling well on Blu-Ray and so no big-budget Wizard of Oz or Gone With the Wind-like restoration has been undertaken. There are evident signs of print damage and a lot of grain, but the title is still an improvement over the DVD. With Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland starring what's not to like?

Ponyo (2008)

Online Price: £15.99/£16.99.    Imdb score: 7.8.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% fresh.
Issued in two separate editions, one including more lavish packaging but both including an additional DVD copy, this latest cartoon from the Japanese Studio Ghibli confirms the studio's reputation as one of the (if not the) leading animation studio in the world. Quirky, enchanting and somewhat confusing in equal measure, this is a 'must buy' for any animation fans. The transfer is top notch, and the slipcase packaging of both editions is quite luxorious. The more expensive edition features a fold-out digipack , some Ponyo stickers and a set of 5 postcards. Highly recommended.

A Prophet (2009)

Online Price: £15.99/£16.99.    Imdb score: 8.1.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% fresh.
A Prophet wowed critics at the Cannes Film Festival last year and it's not hard to see why. From the director of The Beat That My Heart Skipped and featuring an incredible performance from new actor Tahar Rahim the film about life in a tough prison makes for gritty, grim viewing with four letter words throughout and a dark, grainy cinematographic look. It won't be to all tastes, but if you can stomach the brutality and language (albeit subtitled since the film is French) this is well worth a couple of hours of your time. However the Blu-Ray is less than stellar. The endless trailers you're forced to watch before you get to the main menu are bad enough on a title this expensive, but when with tacky adverts for 'Snickers' (in very grainy up-resed SD) are forced on you too this is adding insult to injury. Reduce the price OR carry ads - don't charge a premium price AND force ads on the unsuspecting purchaser. Even worse is the so-called 'HMV Exclusive' edition of this title which asks you to pay an extra pound ... for what turns out to just be a thin cardboard slipcase!

Robo Geisha (2009)

Online Price: £14.99.    Imdb score: 6.6.    Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A.
Unseen. Japanese 'action comedy sci-fi'. Very little information available.

PICK OF THE WEEK: A Single Man (2009)

Online Price: £10.99.    Imdb score: 7.2.    Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A fresh.
Some friends of friends described this as 'slow and boring', so I guess that 'Pick of the Week' tag should carry a warning that this week's pick may not be to everyone's tastes. For me the trailer was the most cinematographically gorgeous trailer I think I've ever seen, and the film didn't disappoint. This is a very stylised film - a subtle and intelligent work - and the debut of fashion guru Tom Ford. It's a 'day in the life' of a man who decides to commit suicide after his young lover is killed in a car crash. I'm not a fan of Colin Firth ordinarily - the poor chap seems to have suffered some sort of charisma bypass - but it's not hard to see why his performance here was oscar-nominated and won a BAFTA. It's subtle, nuanced and incredibly moving. Firth is joined by Julianne Moore, who is always good value, but can dial in her performance. Not this time! Excellent stuff from all concerned and a film who's imagery is still with me days after seeing it. Packaged with a generous 16 page booklet and slipcase, and a low asking price for this sort of recent title, this is a must see, and a film that pays repeated viewings.

The Spaghetti Western Trilogy (1964-1966)

Online Price: £32.99.    Imdb score: 8.0 / 8.3 / 9.0.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% / 92% / 98% fresh.
This is the real treat for Clint Eastwood fans this week - a boxed set (actually a thin embossed slipcase, albeit one also containing six postcards) containing 'the Man With No Name's' three Sergio Leone films: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Universally loved, and rightly so, the HD versions aren't full-blown restorations, but are a big improvement on the DVDs. That being said, hard-core fans are very unhappy with the 5.1 sound which apparently reduces Ennio Morricone's excellent score to a tinny, trebly whisper, and are importing a superior mono version from Italy instead. The picture quality was also disappointing to this viewer - this is not a high quality restoration. However, given the quality of the basic films this should probably be considered an essential purchase, loved by the critics and public alike - just look at those scores!

The Story of Science

Online Price: £24.97.    Imdb score: 7.2.    Rotten Tomatoes score: N/A fresh.
Another title I couldn't get any solid information on. Given that it comprises 3 Blu-Rays and comes from the BBC I'm guessing it's a TV documentary series, but as ever the BBC are doing an appalling job of marketing their titles with even the mainstream stores (and their own shop) having no real information about the release. They're no doubt too busy wasting license payer's money on 'free' downloadable games, endless channels of 'youth' programming that nobody watches, and other nonsense to properly market stuff that might make money, I guess!

Strike Back

Online Price: £17.99.   
Unseen. This appears to be a 'straight to shiny disc' release with very little information available. Apparently based on the real-life experiences of a couple of SAS officers in Basra, but with no 'name' stars, just look at that asking price of £17.99! Eek! I think I (and everyone else) will pass!

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

Online Price: £15.99.    Imdb score: 7.5.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 71% fresh.
The classic Japanese war movie gets a 40th anniversary release featuring a slightly extended cut, as well as the original theatrical cut. If you can cope with the subtitles this title lives up to its 'epic' reputation and the HD transfer is competent if not stunning. There are very occasional flecks of print damage and the picture is quite grainy, even in brightly lit outdoor scenes. Unfortunately, short of the slightly extended cut, there's little else about the release that screams 'special anniversary'. A slipcase is included but no booklet and the extra's, whilst generous, are all copied from the original DVD release and are in standard definition (often widescreen in a 4:3 presentation window!) not HD. The film is definitely worth a rental, but probably not an outright purchase.

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

Online Price: £11.99.    Imdb score: 7.7.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 87% fresh.
Now we're talking! Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood star in this adaptation of the wartime novel by Alistair MacLean. It's all hokum of course, but hugely enjoyable hokum. Alas, the budget for a decent restoration hasn't been spent and there are obvious signs of grain and print damage. Nevertheless it's good to see classics like this getting an HD release, and this is probably the best we're likely to get given the lack of public demand and poor sales record of catalog titles.

The Wolfman (2010)

Online Price: £15.99/£17.99.    Imdb score: 6.2.    Rotten Tomatoes score: 33% fresh.
Available in a standard 'extended' version or a more expensive version packaged in a steelbook case, this much-anticipated, twice-delayed remake of the original Universal classic garnered terrible reviews on its theatrical release. Admittedly, the film feels slow in places, and is far too reliant on sudden noises to make the audience jump out of their seats for any scares, but I didn't think it was as bad as has been generally painted. The real problem is that there's little sign of any originality, despite the best efforts of actor Benicio del Toro in the title role and Anthony Hopkins effortlessly delivering a performance as his father that he probably dialled-in just for the pay cheque. The film's not bad, it's just not scary the way it should be, or as good as it should be given its legacy and sky-high budget. The Blu-Ray presentation is excellent, as it should be at the rather over-the-top price point (remember, the film was a box office failure). Extra's wise, there's an alternate ending and some featurettes, presented in HD, and some deleted scenes, although crucially not one the director has talked at length about in interviews. I'd say this is definitely worth a rental if you're a horror buff, just don't set your expectations too high.

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