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"127 HOURS" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ****1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: Fox Searchlight Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
On a weekend getaway in the middle of the desert, Aron Ralston gets trapped under a boulder. With no one knowing where he was or where he had even intended to go, Ralston faces dehydration, starvation and eventual death as he is trapped for more than five days.
WHAT I LIKED
I have been a huge Danny Boyle fan for years, and I’ve seen most of his films. He has yet to really disappoint me, and this follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” is a great step forward in his career. Rather than being burdened by the weight of an ultimate award winner, Boyle uses it as a jumping-off point to do something totally different without fear.
Not only is “127 Hours” a triumph for Boyle, but it’s also a huge success for its star James Franco. There was a time when Franco was a joke in my mind. With terrible performances in films like “Tristan + Isolde,” “Annapolis” and the “Spider-Man” series, he was a hack... a good-looking hack, but a hack nonetheless. However, after “Spider-Man 3,” Franco gave some fantastic performances in films like “Pineapple Express” and “Milk.” He continued this winning streak in 2010 with his memorable roles in “Howl,” “Date Night” and of course “127 Hours.”
Together, Boyle and Franco bring the audience into the cave and make us feel like we’re trapped for days with Aron Ralston. At the same time, Boyle’s direction takes us out of that cave through the conduit of Ralston’s mind to examine his own being.
“127 Hours” is a beautifully constructed film worthy of the praise it has gotten during its award season run. It’s a powerful movie that brought me to tears multiple times over multiple viewings. One of the best offerings of 2010, “127 Hours” is a rare film that hits practically every emotion possible, while it manages to be intimate and epic at the same time.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Nothing, really. This made my Top 10 Films of 2010 list with no complaints.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The two-disc set includes the high definition Blu-ray along with a second disc for digital copy. The Blu-ray includes a feature commentary with Boyle, producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy. There are several deleted scenes, which are actually worth watching to see some interesting artistic choices from Boyle as well as some more depth in the character. There’s also a spotlight on the collaboration between Boyle and Franco called “127 Hours: An Extraordinary View.”
However, the most fascinating featurettes is “Search & Rescue,” a look at the actual events that inspired the film and how Ralston’s family and friends went to extraordinary measures to find him once he went missing.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who love a powerful film... but you’ll need a strong stomach at times.
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"LOVE & OTHER DRUGS" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: 20th Century Fox Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The 1990s were a time of economic growth and a new decade of decadence. Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a young pharmaceutical salesman who learns to woo his clients but soon falls in love with terminally ill Maggie (Anne Hathaway). While Maggie learns to deal with her early-onset Parkinson’s disease, Jamie learns what it’s like to really give your heart to someone and actually fall in love.
WHAT I LIKED
I think that the title “Love & Other Drugs” along with the overt rom com marketing push this film received actually hurt it more than it did help. This movie is far from your standard romantic comedy. While it has plenty of humorous moments, and there is of course a romance in there, it’s a deeper film that touches on heavier emotional moments.
I liked the difference this film represents, and that’s not a big surprise for someone familiar with director Edward Zwick’s work. He doesn’t do formula films, and we don’t get a standard formula with this film at all.
The performances are the heart and soul of the piece. Gyllenhaal manages to play the womanizer who grows subtly throughout the film. Hathaway has a charm and likeability that lets the viewer feel for her even at her darkest moments.
It’s not necessarily ideal for date night because the movie steps in some rough territory, but it’s definitely something that a couple can watch and enjoy.
Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the good-looking leads spend plenty of time without their clothes on. Everyone should enjoy something about that.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
While the actors were able to breathe some heartfelt life into the characters of this film, they had a lot to overcome. In general, I’m not wild about characters that are deliberate jerks, and both Jamie and Maggie slip into this. I understand the sympathy we are to feel for Maggie, but if you read between the lines, you’ll see she had alienated everyone in her life long before she was diagnosed.
Additionally, even though Zwick does a decent job navigating the romantic comedy minefield, he steps into a couple traps. Secondary characters played by Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria and particularly Jamie’s brother played by Josh Gad just seem too cheesy and formulaic for what this film is trying to achieve.
Finally, and this is a pet peeve of mine, the film tries to feel retro by setting itself more than 10 years ago in the 90s, but there are too many anachronisms (like inaccurately available flip phones and 80s-sized boom boxes) that reek of poor production research.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The two-disc set includes a disc for digital copy as well as the Blu-ray. Special features include a slate of deleted scenes, plus four featurettes. “Love & Other Drugs: An Actor’s Discussion” looks at the acting process. “Beautifully Complex: Anne Hathaway Is Maggie” and “Reformed Womanizer: Jake Gyllenhaal Is Jamie” spotlight the leads. “Selling Love & Other Drugs” looks at the inspirations for this movie and the sales process in pharmaceuticals in the 1990s.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
The date crowd who can handle a more series romantic comedy.
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"BURLESQUE" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Screen Gems Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Midwest singer Ali (Christina Aguilera) wants to break into the big time, so she leaves Iowa for Los Angeles. Soon, she stumbles upon the Burlesque Lounge where the productions are spectacular in the most Bob Fosse, underground cabaret sort of way. She befriends the owner Tess (Cher), who is struggling to keep her club in the black, and soon becomes the star of the show herself.
WHAT I LIKED
I don’t care what anyone else says... “Burlesque” was a hell of a lot of fun. It’s totally ridiculous, utterly unbelievable and deliciously naughty as much as a PG-13 movie can be. But part of the fun of a movie like “Burlesque” is giving into that theatrical fantasy. A friend of mine described it as a place that doesn’t exist but you wish did. Another friend described the film: “Stanley Tucci getting hit in the face with a glitter gun? Fabulous!”
If you cannot look at “Burlesque” with these eyes, the film will be lost on you. Like the fantasy elements of “Chicago,” “Burlesque” injects the love of theater into your blood like a mainline of heroin. It’s intoxicating and a spectacle to watch.
The music really brings the movie together. Where many musicals fail by forcing song and dance numbers into a script, these are the highlights of this film. Rather than resting on a plot, “Burlesque” rests upon a string of dance numbers that are more enjoyable to watch than anything else in the film. It’s cabaret performance porn at its best.
And I was also totally fine with all the underwear-clad butt shots given up in the film. It doesn’t matter that not a single woman in the cast has her original hair color.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’ll admit that as enjoyable as “Burlesque” is, it’s plot is nothing to write home about... even if you are from Iowa. Small-town girl going to the big city to be an entertainer? Seen it a million times. It’s pretty much “Showgirls” without the rape and ball-busting lap dances. So don’t expect much there.
And any time someone steps outside of the cabaret, I lost complete interest in the story, characters and plot. Because who can have fantastic show-stopping numbers like this in a swanky L.A. pad?
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Like the movie itself, the DVD of “Burlesque” hits hardest when it’s doing the production numbers. Six songs are presented in unedited format, and there are five featurettes spotlighting the music, dancing cast and playlist.
There’s also a MovieIQ sync feature via BD-Live that feeds you trivia along with the film.
Additional features include the director’s commentary, a blooper reel and an alternate opening.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People with some theater in their blood.
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"HEREAFTER" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Three stories collide in Clint Eastwood’s latest film. A French television journalist finds herself at the heart of a story when she survives the 2004 tsunami only to be haunted by visions of her near-death experience. A young twin in England suffers tragedy when his brother is killed in an accident, and he longs to reconnect after death. And a John Edward-style psychic tries to overcome the burden of his gift while he also searches for a human connection.
WHAT I LIKED
This movie put me in a quandary. I respect the hell out of Clint Eastwood, with all of the many hats he has worn over the years. He’s a very careful director, and he has made some really solid films. However, he’s also made some not-so-great movies as well. “Hereafter” is not is best piece of work, but at the very least, I respect what he’s trying to accomplish with it.
The opening sequence of the film is the most powerful, of course. This recreates the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami with gritty realism. With the DVD and Blu-ray street date only four days after the 2011 Japanese tsunami, it’s a chilling reminder of the power of nature. After seeing the 2011 video images to compare to the recreation scene in “Hereafter,” I found that aspect of the film even more powerful.
And the performances were good, even in the midst of the struggling film.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I understand what Eastwood was trying to do with “Hereafter.” Like he always does, Eastwood is going for the deeper human emotion over the grand scale of spectacle. He does this, but once the tsunami sequence is over, he delves so deeply into the human emotion there’s nothing more in the story. It’s a slow build to nothing, and in the end, it leaves me cold.
There’s also character elements to this movie that just fall flat or miss the mark completely. In particular, there’s a scene where the psychic character of George (Matt Damon) gets roped into giving a reading to a date. He warns her that she might find things out that would be better left covered up. But he gives her such a soft warning that when ugly memories show up, it’s a surprise.
There’s a lot of moping around in this film, which is something I can’t stand in a movie. I understand that the film deals with death and tragedy, but it hinges on so many people feeling sorry for themselves that they become weak characters in my mind.
There was a time when Eastwood would release two movies a year, one good and one bad. For example, “Flags of Our Fathers” was terrible but “Letters from Iwo Jima” was really good. Similarly, “Changeling” was awful while “Gran Torino” was excellent. With “Hereafter” this year and “Invictus” last year, it seems like ol’ Clint has given a pass on the good films and stuck with the lesser ones.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The two-disc set includes a DVD with digital copy. There’s also 40 minutes of Focus Points on the Blu-ray, which can be embedded in the film or watched as a whole chunk. These give a look into various elements of the films production, from the acting to the paranormal subject matter to the recreation of the tsunami sequence.
Finally, for fans of Clint Eastwood, the Blu-ray includes the extended version of “The Eastwood Factor,” which was last year’s documentary of Eastwood’s 35 years at Warner Bros. This is the first time this documentary has been released on high definition.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Die-hard Clint Eastwood fans.
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"EVERY DAY" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated R Studio: Image Entertainment Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Liev Schreiber plays Ned, a middle-aged husband who is facing many challenges in his life. His teenage son is gay and wants to start a relationship with an older man. His wife (Helen Hunt) has recently brought her acerbic and chronically ill father home to live with them. And his job as a TV writer on one of the edgiest shows on cable has hit a wall. While trying to deal with all the stresses at home, Ned is tempted by his sexy co-worker Robin (Carla Gugino) who might end up being his new writing partner.
WHAT I LIKED
A film like this is at the very least relatable to someone in middle age who is facing the realities of life. It brings to life some of the darker moments in a marriage, which happen no matter how good your relationship is. The courtship and honeymoon period is always the most enjoyable because the worries are less and the reality of life hasn’t sunk in. This is what makes affairs happen, which is how Ned is tempted by Robin. Who wouldn’t be tempted if Carla Gugino showed up in a bikini?
Ultimately, “Every Day” is a dysfunctional family drama, and fans of this type of story should enjoy that aspect to the film.
And Carla Gugino in a bikini. Did I mention that?
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The biggest problem I have with dysfunctional family dramas is that I lose respect for the characters when they are bad parents or do stupid things. This happens throughout the film – whether it’s the parents not having a united front on the rules for their kids or whether it’s Ned refusing to put his foot down about letting his wife’s father live with them. I see the breakdown of the family in this film as a result of the family not being that good to begin with.
The resolution of the film relies too much on passive events than actual character change. Even if elements are resolved, nothing has really been fixed. The parents are still bad parents, and the marriage is still relatively loveless. I just don’t buy any recovery in this film.
Finally, Ned’s job as a TV writer plays well, but it loses any sort of punch when he feels the need to shame the show he’s working on for being too much. This seems to be too much of tip of the hat to writer/director Richard Levine, who worked for years on the edgy show “Nip/Tuck.”
In the special features, Levine admits that he based this film on his experiences with his own family’s troubles. I can respect that, but I find stories like these to be too close to the writer to be realistically impacting. I’ve seen several movies lately (including “The Poker House,” “Two Weeks” and “Like Dandelion Dust”) which are just too close to the writer and director’s life experience to make a strong film.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Along with a slate of deleted scenes, there’s mid-length set of interviews with the cast and the crew of the film, offering insight into the development and production.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of dysfunctional family dramas.
