"THE BIG LEBOWSKI"
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars)
I have a confession to make... when “The Big Lebowski” came out in the late 90s, I wasn’t wild about it. I know that’s blasphemy, and over the years – especially now, getting a chance to experience the movie in high definition on Blu-ray – I have grown to love it. But back then, it was the follow-up to “Fargo,” which is one of my all-time favorite Coen Brothers movie, right up there with “No Country for Old Men.” So, it’s been a treat to revisit the movie again after all these years without feeling like it has to live up to “Fargo.”
“The Big Lebowski” tells the story of mistaken identities as a fortysomething pothead slacker is targeted by a crime boss who wants money from a millionaire of the same name. The writing in this film is brilliant in that it builds a rich character base without getting too overt or too subtle. Everyone in the movie is a complete moron, but they’re loveable morons, which are the Coens’ favorite characters to write. “The Big Lebowski” has become iconic in its imagery, its look, its feel and its dialogue. On one hand, it has many layers, but on the other hand, it’s just about a dude who wants his rug back.
The Blu-ray, which comes packaged in a nice collectable book, includes all the features from the previous DVD release, including “The Dude’s Life,” “The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later,” “Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of The Dude,” “Making of The Big Lebowski,” “The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever’s Story,’ “Jeff Bridges Photo Book,” “Interactive Map” and a Photo Gallery. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is a trivia game, plus U-Control for behind-the-scenes, music spotlights and an on-screen counter for f-bombs and dudes.
"YOUR HIGHNESS"
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Why does Danny McBride have a career? I know there are the fans of “Eastbound and Down,” but who the hell told Hollywood this guy is a movie star. “Your Highness” is a colossal misfire from the beginning to the end. It’s a pot dream of the writers... one of those things that seemed hilarious when they were coming up with the ideas, baked on a couch from the 70s. But put into practice, it’s just lame.
Telling the story of a pair of brothers trying to save a young maiden from an evil wizard, “Your Highness” is saturated with drug humor, potty jokes and plenty of penis references. It’s the kind of film a thirteen year old would watch on a weekend when he broke into his dad’s stash of Löwenbräu. Pot movies as a rule are lazy, relying on college kids to watch them stoned in their dorm rooms. That’s not a tough room, to be honest. Throw in a dick and a fart, and they’ll consider it brilliant.
The only saving grace of this film is the cast, which includes some fantastic actors, slumming it for a paycheck. And Natalie Portman, fresh off her Oscar win, hasn’t looked better in a movie. But that’s not enough to save even a portion of this movie. Can we put the debate of Danny McBride’s star-worthiness to bed, finally?
The Blu-ray comes with some decent bonus features, at least. There’s alternate and deleted scenes, a gag reel and a feature commentary with video intro. Blu-ray exclusives include 15 minute more of deleted scenes, a Line-o-Rama feature and spotlights on the creepy nature of Leezar the evil wizard and the perverted Great Wise Wizard from the middle of the film.
"PAUL"
Blu-ray Review
by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars)
Every now and then, a movie comes along that plays so much better on home video than in the theater. “Paul” is that kind of movie. Maybe it’s because I was expecting too much for the almost always funny Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. Maybe it’s because I finally accepted the overexposed Seth Rogen as the voice of Paul. Whatever the case, “Paul” is quite a bit of fun on DVD and Blu-ray.
The story follows two British geeks who take a trip to the San Diego Comic-Con, then literally run into an escaped alien trying to get home. Think of it as a raunchy “E.T.” with more pot jokes in it. There’s plenty of winks and nods to the geek audience, and if you’ve actually made your own pilgrimage to Comic-Con, you’ll be in on those jokes. It’s raunchy but harmless, and aside from being a bit too ironically preachy about atheism, “Paul” is a great way to spend a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon.
The Blu-ray comes with the theatrical and unrated versions of the film. It also has the DVD bonus features of bloopers, galleries, feature commentary and the featurettes “The Evolution of Paul,” “Simon’s Silly Faces” and “Who the Hell Is Adam Shadowchild?” The Blu-ray exclusives include the insightful feature-length documentary “Between the Lightning Strikes: The Making of Paul,” plus several other featurettes. There’s also BD-Live and pocketBLU access, along with a bonus movie offer from Universal for your iPad, TV or smartphone (which expires on December 31, 2011).
