SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars)
Guy Ritchie’s films blow hot and cold for me, and not always in agreement with the critical consensus. Case in point, I really don’t like “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” but I really dug “Snatch.” I skipped “Swept Away” for good reason, but I do like his “Sherlock Holmes” movies.
Initially, the first one wore on me, but upon subsequent viewings, I found it more and more enjoyable. when the sequel came out this past Christmas, there was a lot of anger thrown at it from the critics. I disagreed, however. As much as I did end up liking the first film, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was a fun romp through the world Ritchie created.
This new film takes place on the even of Watson’s wedding, with Holmes being a bit of a baby to say good-bye to his friend. Upon the nuptials, Holmes and Watson are pulled into a new mystery in which criminal mastermind James Moriarty threatens to do away with Holmes’ favorite people. In order to save them (and the bulk of Europe), Holmes goes head-to-head with his new nemesis.
Not long after the first “Sherlock Holmes” was released, the BBC offered us a fantastic and accurate modern-day adaptation of the detective with “Sherlock.” While many point to that show for all of what Guy Ritchie’s films are missing, I’m okay with it. Different adaptations are fine, and while Downey Jr.’s Holmes is not quite what Conan Doyle put on the page, they’re true enough in spirit.
Like the first film, “A Game of Shadows” is a bit convoluted. However, it’s also aware of itself. Where Holmes was able to dissect a situation and plan out a fight step-by-step, he falters in this movie as new elements are thrown at him. This is Ritchie winking and nodding at the audience, as if to say he didn’t want to do the exact same thing as before.
The addition of Noomi Rapace as a gypsy fortune teller to the mix was a nice touch, and it offered a clean exit for Rachel McAdams to mostly bow out for this film. However, the best addition to this installment in the Sherlock Holmes movies is Jared Harris as James Moriarty. His scenes – particularly the final showdown between him and Holmes – are clever and extremely fun to watch.
If you’re like my mother, a Sherlock Holmes purist, you’ll probably not like this movie any more than the previous one. However, if you did enjoy the first film, this is more of the same.
On the surface, it looks like the “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” Blu-ray runs kinda thin. There’s few features called out on the cover box, but when it’s put in the player, the real value emerges. The best feature by far – as is with many of the Warner Bros. releases – is the Maximum Movie Mode. Instead of having Guy Ritchie walk you through the movie, Robert Downey Jr. does the honors. This embedded feature includes picture-in-picture content, storyboards, focus point (which are basically mini-documentaries) and still galleries.
Other tech-based features include the “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Movie App,” which will sync the movie with your portable device. Additional multi-platform features include UltraViolet streaming and an included DVD of the film.
ACT OF VALOR
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars)
I’m not in the military, and aside from a couple brief service tours by some relatives decades ago, my family isn’t in the military. However, I greatly respect our men and women in uniform. These feelings put me in a quandary for “Act of Valor.” It’s easy to praise the Navy SEALs with this movie, but it’s also challenging to be critical of their involvement.
The big catch to “Act of Valor” is that it uses active duty Navy SEALs to play the main roles in the film. This was a big gamble for the directors, who made the decision after doing the research for the film with the Navy. To a degree, it makes sense, because the story is about Navy SEALs as they try to take down an international terrorist who is smuggling undetectable bomb vests into the country.
The use of real Navy SEALs made the action realistic, and it also resulted in a cast of experts who would be sure the mission as truthful as possible. There were none of the standard cliches we see in war films which put the characters or the mission in danger for lesser concerns. Plus, the use of live ammunition in key scenes made this one of the most visceral military experiences to watch.
However, the use of real Navy SEALs meant that the acting isn’t there. At times, it’s downright horrible, especially in the opening narration which slathers on the cheese more than you’d find on gas station nachos. Additionally, having the real SEALs puts the entire film in the mode of being to polite. There’s no criticism of the military or American directives at all. It’s overly patriotic at times, and that does get in the way as the SEALs lay waste to the strawman villains.
In reality, the military and its missions are messy and often with reasoning in shades of gray. That’s not the SEALs’ fault, but putting them in the center of everything this film is about makes the movie play out more like a propaganda film or a recruitment video.
Still, the action is amazing, and as a military thriller, “Act of Valor” works far better than it should. It’s only at the dialogue moments where it feels like a direct-to-video production paid for by the military.
The Blu-ray comes with a nice selection of bonus content. Basic features include a director’s commentary, deleted scenes, plus a Keith Urban music video and the making of the video. Thirty minutes of interviews with the real Navy SEALs playing the roles in the film are also included. Additional featurettes include “Directors’ Introduction,” “Making of Act of Valor,” “Real Bullets,” “Real SEALs” and “Silent Warriors.”
MACHINE GUN PREACHER
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Marc Forster is one of those directors I respect more than enjoy. All of his movies tend to have such a serious, realistic element to them yet never quite hold together as I’d like them to. Those were my thoughts on his artistic ones like “Finding Neverland.” Even his stab at the James Bond franchise with “Quantum of Solace” was a bit of an enigma in the series. I tend to like his movies to a degree, but he’s usually struggling with bigger issues and themes that get in his own way.
In fact, the only film he’s made that I truly love is “Stranger Than Fiction,” and that’s probably because it embraces these enigmatic qualities, which makes the film so charming and loveable.
“Machine Gun Preacher” suffers the same fate as much of Forster’s work. It tells the story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), a real-life convict-turned-preacher-turned-Sudanese missionary. After being released from prison, Childers falls back into his destructive lifestyle. However, a dangerous encounter with drugs and violence lead him to find God. After building his own church for real sinners, he embarks on mission projects in the Sudan. Childers builds an orphanage in war-torn Africa and becomes the bane of the corrupt warlords.
On a certain level, when I first heard of this movie, I was hoping for this to be an overseas version of “Hobo With a Shotgun.” But that’s not Forster’s style. While it tells a touching story and brings to life the horrendous conditions faced by the children in that are of the world, it can be a bit... preachy, if you pardon the pun.
The opening of the film is a extremely heavy handed with Childers life of debauchery, and it is equally laid on thick as we see him rise into a life of God. But it’s typical of Forster, who shows some unflinching realities with no real solid answers... staying true to real life.
Butler gives a fine performance, but the lack of answers, focus and message causes “Machine Gun Preacher” to not always stay on target. On one hand, it’s trying to bring awareness to the problem. On the other hand, imagine how many books and trucks could have been bought or orphanages built with the film’s $30m budget.
The bonus material in this set isn’t extensive, though the few featurettes that are offered have decent insight into the production and the story behind the film. Marc Forster discusses the development and production of the film in the 30-minute “Machine Gun Preacher: A Discussion with Marc Forster.” There’s also a detailed discussion of the film’s music in “Making the Music for Machine Gun Preacher.” Rounding out the special features is “The Keeper” music video by Chris Cornell.
Two bonus discs are also included: a standard-definition DVD of the film as well as a Digital Copy disc for portable use.
