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"THE GHOST WRITER" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Summit Entertainment Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
When a successful ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) is asked to help finish the memoirs of the former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), he takes the job expecting a quick punch-up of a boring manuscript. However, soon he learns there’s a dangerous past to the memoirs, linking to the death of the previous ghost writer and some ties to national security.
WHAT I LIKED
I’m not a big fan of Roman Polanski, so in this case, how much I liked this movie is a testament to its construction. The story fits squarely on the shoulders of its actors, mostly on Ewan McGregor, who does a brilliant job as the title character. Additionally, though Pierce Brosnan isn’t in the film for that long, he gives a nice performance as the sometimes smarmy and sometimes aloof politician. There’s also decent performances by Kim Cattrall as Lang’s assistant and Olivia Williams as his wife.
“The Ghost Writer” is not for everyone as it tends to be made from a different era. It’s not an action piece, and it’s not a thriller by today’s design. Rather, it’s a slow build that hints at something big from the beginning but unravels nicely throughout.
The patient and chilly cinematography and the haunting score are the glue that holds this film together. While many will point to “Chinatown” as Polanski’s masterpiece, I found this was to be as intriguing and interesting to watch.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The only real problems I had with this film was its overly allegorical nature. Not much effort is made to mask Lang as a version of Tony Blair, and the same old song of war crimes lofted against a governmental leader became tedious in 2004. Additionally, there are some rather uncomfortable moments in which the characters discuss the nuances of where Lang can live in order to escape the authorities, which cuts a little too close to the bone if you know of Polanski’s own history with the long arm of the law.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray looks fantastic, which is a feat for a film that is not known for being a benchmark Blu-ray movie. It is also presented as a Blu-ray/DVD flip-disc for those who have not made the conversion yet.
Additional special features include a look at the original novel called “The Ghost Writer: Fiction or Reality,” a look at the cast of the film and an interview with Roman Polanski.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who like Polanski’s movies and a none-too-subtle homage to Hitchcock’s style.
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"CLASH OF THE TITANS" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Demigod Perseus is orphaned from his adoptive family when Hades attacks a group of sacrilegious soldiers. He ends up in Argos where the king and queen are smiting the gods. Hades appears in Argos and says he will destroy the city if they do not sacrifice their daughter. Reluctantly, Perseus joins with the soldiers of Argos in search of Medusa’s head, which will allow him to defeat the mighty Kraken.
WHAT I LIKED
Unlike many critics this past spring, I was not a hater of this movie. In fact, I kinda liked it... conversion 3D and all. This comes from the fact that I was only nine when the original film came out. I have a lot of love for the Harry Hamlin version of “Clash of the Titans,” but I do realize that this is not the same movie.
The characters aren’t nearly as charming, but the special effects were wicked-cool, specifically the Kraken climax and the awesome scorpion battle in the middle of the movie. It’s a hell of a thrill ride to watch, and I had a ball watching these creatures really come to full resolution life on the screen. Sure, there’s a charm in the old stop-motion film, but this is easily made for a modern audience.
Also, this film looks fantastic on Blu-ray, arguably better than what we saw in the theaters. And it’s not just the 3D that made it look off. The color is newly balanced, dropping the sepia-toned look from the theater and giving us a more realistic color scheme.
Oh, and that Gemma Arterton is cute as a button. Now if she could just make a movie where she’s not in flowing robes all the time.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’ll admit there are plenty of plot and pacing issues. You never really get to know the characters, and while Sam Worthington has been in three huge movies in as little as a year (“Terminator: Salvation,” “Avatar” and “Clash of the Titans”), I just don’t think he’s that compelling of an actor. His star will fade out soon, unless he’s able to do a career turn-around the likes of James Franco.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Like many of the Warner Bros. big releases, “Clash of the Titans” is packed with special features, including a spotlight on Sam Worthington, an alternate ending and deleted scenes. There’s also the pretty nifty picture-in-picture Maximum Movie Mode which includes enhanced scene breakdowns, enhanced VFX breakdowns, interviews, stuntwork, filming location and many other embedded content throughout the flick.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Action movie fans who don’t mind a CGI-heavy update of the 1981 stop-motion flick.
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"REPO MEN" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: Universal Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In the not-too-distant future, the corporation known as The Union has perfected artificial organs (aka artiforg). With staggering costs to implant, payment plans are set up, but if you don’t keep up on your payments, the Union will send repo men your way to literally cut them from your body. When repo man Remy (Jude Law) finds himself in need of a new heart and gets an artiforg, he ends up on the run with a woman who is a gold mine of past dew artiforgs herself.
WHAT I LIKED
I like a good, grisly sci-fi movie. This is by no means tentpole material, but it’s a nice ride to take you from your life for two hours. The acting is the key in this film, featuring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker slumming it as the repo men. Alice Braga, who is quickly becoming overexposed, is okay in the film but nothing to write home about.
“Repo Men” wasn’t worth full price in the theaters, but it might just be worth a rental just to see what it’s like, and how similar it is (without the pretentious music, of course) to “Repo!: The Genetic Opera.”
Finally, this movie managed to take a script weak in its last act and make it work out. It’s not the best resolution you’ll see, but it ain’t bad, especially for how it’s set up.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’ve seen a lot of this dystopian future in science fiction... so much so that it’s become cliche. Hell, it was cliche in the 90s, yet movies like this are continuously made.
Ultimately, “Repo Men” is a B-grade science fiction film with a massive budget and really good actors. It’s trying to make a point about evil corporations and credit vultures, but that somewhat tired (albeit relevant) message gets lost amid the bloody scenes of organ extraction.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Like other Universal titles, “Repo Men” has some nice special features
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Those who like grisly sci-fi with great actors in a mediocre script.
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"COP OUT" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Kevin Smith directs this homage to buddy cop films from the 80s and 90s. Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan star as Brooklyn cops who are investigating a stolen baseball card, which leads them to a group of Mexican gangsters who have kidnapped a woman.
WHAT I LIKED
I didn’t like this movie that much. I didn’t like it when I saw it in the theater, but I gave it a second chance on Blu-ray. Still not a big fan, though I will admit that there are several moments that made me laugh. In particular, these moments either involved in-jokes about 80s cop films (like Bruce Willis’ character not recognizing a quote from “Die Hard”) or Seann William Scott being zany.
However, like many Kevin Smith DVDs and Blu-rays, the film itself is only a small part of the package. Using the Warner Bros. Maximum Movie Mode platform to deliver the Maximum Comedy Mode, Smith brings his spoken word style to the screen to add an hour to the running time of the film and give some brilliant insight into the making of the movie.
Featuring outtakes, deleted scenes, interviews and funny stories about the production, Smith manages to make the watching of “Cop Out” fun again... and a hell of a lot better than the movie itself.
Sigh... if only he wrote the picture, this could have been a fun movie.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
All my problems with “Cop Out” are results of two main things: a crappy script and the casting of Tracy Morgan. I just don’t find Morgan funny at all. I know some people do, but he’s irritating and painful to watch. So even when there are funny lines, his delivery kills them.
The script may have been a funny read to Smith, but it just didn’t come to life. I blame this on the fact that Smith is a master with his own work but still a film student when working with someone’s else’s material. Plus, the use of Po Boy as the villain in the movie was terrible. Like “Lethal Weapon 3” (another 90s cop movie reference by moi), when the main bad guy is sub-standard, the movie suffers.
Also, Smith chose to edit the film himself, which was a colossal misfire. Like the script itself, which wasn’t very much improved with Smith’s encouraged improv, the final product ended up clunky and awkward without a professional editor behind it.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The aforementioned Maximum Comedy Mode is the clincher in making this a great Blu-ray. There’s also break-out featurettes totally about a half-hour of content that you can watch separately. This makes a bad movie a pretty nice Blu-ray.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Kevin Smith fans who also happen to like Tracy Morgan with a script Smith didn’t write.
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"THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE: SEASON 3" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
It’s been two years since Christine Campbell got divorced, traded in by her husband for his “new Christine.” She continues her self-centered life, juggling dating (a black man, no less, which she seems to think is a victory), her ne’er-do-well brother and smart-talking business partner. Oh, and there’s her kid in the mix as well, but she only sort of pays attention to him.
WHAT I LIKED
I was a huge fan of “Seinfeld,” I was very aware of the “Seinfeld” curse that followed its stars around. Julia Louis-Dreyfus managed to get a hit sit-com with this show (following the lukewarm “Watching Ellie,” which not a whole lot of people actually watched).
This show doesn’t just retread Elaine Bennett, which makes it stand out. Plus, Julia Louis-Dreyfus isn’t afraid to tackle the issue of her age. Yes, she looks fantastic for her mid-40s, but she is getting older. This is great for some comedy gold.
The season was a bit of a slow-starter, but once I warmed up to the characters, I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. It doesn’t try to teach us anything. Instead, it revels in the characters’ unpleasantness... which is one of the keys to the greatness of “Seinfeld.”
Yeah, I liked “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” I even liked Wanda Sykes in the show... and I normally can’t stand her.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The third season of “The New Adventures of Old Christine” was a casualty of the recent writer’s strike, and that’s a shame. The show was really hitting a stride mid-season. Unfortunately, it ended its season with only ten episodes, and that was a real bummer.
DVD FEATURES
Nothing. Not even special features. Though, to be fair, this appears to be par for the course in exclusive WBShop.com titles.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her post-“Seinfeld” career.
