Blu-ray Review: The Thin Red Line (1998)

It's hard to know where to start when reviewing a war film that doesn't seem concerned with war at all. The Thin Red Line boasts plenty of bullets flying and booming explosions, amidst some of the most compellingly staged scenes of combat you're likely to see anywhere, but its real interest lies in the green parrot sitting in the tree, the alligator sinking slowly into the swamp, or simply the way the light dances on the leaves of a palm tree. Never has a war film showed such disinterest in the actual fighting while simultaneously proving to be a masterclass in depicting warfare on screen. Only Terrence Malick could create anything like it.

Yes, this is a Terrence Malick film, which means lots of shots of nature, inner monologues and poetic navel-gazing. It also means a complete disregard for conventional narrative form. The usual devices that link a scene to the next are largely absent - one scene will be two characters talking, the next a large band of soldiers trekking through the jungle, with no bridging dialogue or apparent cause-and-effect logic - making for a sort of freeform, organic experience. It's far from shapeless, however, for which copious credit has to go to the three editors, who were given the unenviable task of sculpting a feature from over a million feet of film. Out of a cast of numerous big names, some of whom make little more than cameos, Jim Caviezel emerges as the central figure, though even he remains something of an enigma. First found AWOL with the natives, Caviezel's Witt is thrust into the battle for the Pacific, and so are we with him. You can see why Malick emphasised his character at the expense of Adrien Brody's; his story is the most fully representative of the film's theme of natural harmony disrupted by, but ultimately triumphant over, human conflict.

1998 brought us two war film masterpieces, but they could scarcely be more different, not only geographically. Spielberg's exceptional Saving Private Ryan has a clear plot and a clear goal. The Thin Red Line, taking place on the tropical island of Guadalcanal, instead never sets out a story as such; there's no specific arc or objective, other than the capture of the island from the Japanese. Malick weaves a tapestry of scenes together, forming a vast picture of a specific conflict; the film spends a good deal of its time detailing the capturing of a fortified hill, an assault the film details from numerous angles. Malick's handling of the action, particularly for someone not apparently interested in it (a featurette on the disc humorously reveals that he would have liked someone like Renny Harlin to come in and shoot the noisy bits), is incredible, the sweeping technocrane shots weaving through the grass with the soldiers contrasting with raw handheld close-ups when the fighting gets most intense and nasty.

Like other works from the director, the film makes great use of - revels in, even - the emotive power of montage. The sequence starting from when the hill is finally conquered, as the GIs flood into the Japanese camp, to when they receive (not entirely welcome) messages from home, is simply majestic, a soaring release of pent-up emotion elevated further by Hans Zimmer's soaring score. (At one point, Malick drops all the sound effects from the scene, giving Zimmer's music full, deserved prominence.) All the while, weaved throughout are voiceovers by various characters; you get the intention they're meant to be absorbed rather than listened to, their meanings springing forth from the images. If it catches you in the right mood, its beauty and lyricism yield a moving and emotionally exhausting, though ultimately cathartic, experience.



Release Information
Country: UK / Region: Free / Version: N/A / Discs: 1 / Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Presentation
When it was first revealed that Fox would be bringing the film to our shores on Blu-ray, the question was: would they use the Criterion Collection's lauded HD transfer? It turns out that the disc has slightly different technical characteristics, but simply put, it looks gorgeous. It's lush, sharp and immensely detailed; a comparison with the DVD reveals a far more vibrant, colourful, lifelike image. The sound is best when cranked up LOUD, giving the action its true intensity, while not letting the natural ambience get lost. Truthfully, I expected something a little more enveloping, but it's still a damn good, forceful track.

Extras
Huzzah - we have gone from a practically vanilla DVD to a Blu-ray with a healthy set of supplements for a deserving film. They are all taken, in apparently slightly shortened form, from the Criterion Blu-ray. Of course Malick is never seen nor heard from, but that's a given. The commentary from the trio of cinematographer John Toll, production designer Jack Fisk, and producer Grant Hill (whose voice is distinctive due to his Kiwi accent), is hugely enlightening from a technical and logistical standpoint, while offering some glimpses into their elusive director's intentions. The group nature of the chat ensures few silent passages, the three participants sustaining their conversation for the duration.

Featurette-wise, there are three that total about an hour, detailing the actors' experience, the editing, and the music. Given the nature of Malick's process, the insight into the editorial process is particularly interesting. There are eight largely inconsequential deleted scenes - one featuring Mickey Rourke - but, as they last only about 14 minutes, don't give much of a glimpse into what might exist in the fabled 5-hour cut. Finally, there are five vintage newsreel clips. A couple of extras are lost from the Criterion edition.



Summary
The Thin Red Line is unique amongst war films, a moving, methodical, impressionistic odyssey. Terrence Malick's handling of his sweeping canvas and huge cast is extraordinary.

Blu-ray Review: Alien Anthology (1979-1997)

Is H.R. Giger’s alien the most iconic monster in film history? It’s certainly one of the most perfectly designed, encapsulating death and horror in that dual-mandibled black-as-night visage. The genius of it is that although, due to technological necessity of the late 1970s, the creature boils down to the old fashioned man in a suit, it could not seem more horrifically inhuman in its design, with its long domed head, dorsal spines and prehensile tail. Ridley Scott’s original film brilliantly sustains the illusion through lighting and editing; never once do you question that this really is a finely tuned extraterrestrial killing machine, rather than just an actor in a silly get-up. (The only exception might be at the finale when the alien is finally jettisoned into space, the distinct human outline of the body showing briefly.)

There’s little doubt that the Alien series would not exist without the defining creation at its core, but another constant of the four “proper” instalments contained in this anthology (the AvP misfires don’t count) is Lt. Ellen Ripley, immortalised by Sigourney Weaver. Not only does the series tell the story of the character, it also outlines significant stages in its star’s career – from unknown ingénue, anonymous amongst the crew of the Nostromo, to headlining name earning a multimillion paycheque in her final 1997 outing. She’s never less than superb, even when the films around her begin to decrease in quality (though the accepted wisdom of “films 1 and 2 good, films 3 and 4 bad” is some way off the mark). Her arc throughout the films defines the series, dealing with birth, motherhood, pregnancy, death, and even Christlike resurrection, Weaver clearly relishing such a complex, multifaceted role.

A characteristic unique to the series is the length of time that passed between each film being released (7, 6, and 5 years respectively), which, combined with the bold tactic of employing young, visionary directors each time, gives each film a distinct feel and tone. They also, to some degree, chronicle the changing styles of cinema through the three decades, from uncompromising horror to Reaganite pro-interventionist militarism (according to some), and ultimately the CGI revolution. Each film is a product of its time, which enhances their status as individual entities, albeit part of a larger whole. Regardless of any deeper themes and stylistic concerns, however, they remain simply great examples of hardcore science fiction.

Ridley Scott is currently in production on Prometheus, the film that started life as an Alien prequel and may still operate as one. He has a lot to live up to.

Here I’ll break down the series film-by-film. These mini-reviews are amended versions of those written for the DVD Review of the Alien Quadrilogy set.

Alien (1979)
"A haunted house in space" was the pitch for Ridley Scott's seminal science fiction horror classic. Made in the wake of Star Wars' success, Alien could hardly be more different; it's a lean, mean, shocking and tense experience. The small scale means we get to know each character well, from John Hurt's Kane, the first (and most infamous) victim of the chestburster, to top-billed Tom Skerritt's Captain Dallas, Ian Holm's chilling Ash, and of course Weaver's Ripley.

It was a bold and unconventional move to cast a woman in the lead, and indeed the script had no female characters. The decision has resulted in the film being championed by feminists - aside from the fairly out-of-place scene near the end where she strips to her underwear to prepare for hypersleep - and the sequels developed the inadvertent motherhood theme further. Alien remains the most efficient and claustrophobic of the series, with its impact only dimmed by years of familiarity. Two sequences stand out and remain hugely suspenseful after multiple viewings: Brett's (Harry Dean Stanton) search for Jones the cat, which cranks up the tension while showing off the stunning production design, and Dallas' crawl through the air ducts brandishing a flamethrower. It's scenes like these that make it so memorable, and paired together with H.R. Giger's iconic (and horrific) creature design, a genre masterpiece was born.

Aliens (1986)
James Cameron's more action-oriented sequel typifies what is now the normal attitude when approaching a blockbuster sequel: bigger equals better. Much of the time this proves not to be the case, but many cite Aliens as their favourite in the series, and it is hard to argue against the quality of the film. Cameron wisely chose not to imitate the small-scale slasher film approach of the original, instead upping the stakes; the humans are now mostly space marines with futuristic weaponry, while the enemy threat (as implied by the title) has multiplied considerably. Crucially, though, the all-out warfare does not start straight away, as there is quite a lengthy period spent on establishing atmosphere and character before the action properly commences, which greatly pays off in the end.

The story is not very original – the larger scale cleverly masks the fact that the film is almost a retread of the original, including a company stooge going bad, a countdown to destruction at the finale, and an extra ‘fourth act’ action scene after everything seems to have concluded - but, as is always the case with Cameron's films, it's extremely engrossing and brilliantly constructed. The marines’ banter and interplay makes them extremely likeable, although they are mostly, arguably, caricatures rather than characters; Michael Biehn’s Hicks fares best. Any suggestions that the film embraces '80s macho culture are skewered by the fact that all their bluster and arrogance amounts to nothing when they are torn apart upon first meeting the xenomorphs. Crucially, Ripley herself is a compelling central character, whose arc is further developed in the (albeit mostly inferior) special edition version. Aliens does look more dated than the original these days due to some slightly unconvincing effects shots and the occasionally rubbery appearance of the aliens, but it hardly dampens the enjoyment.

Alien 3 (1992)
Most famous for Sigourney Weaver's shaved haircut, Alien 3 was not very well received on its release, and its many production problems (like starting filming without a finished script) mean that its flaws are unsurprising. A surprise to many was that the film eschews Aliens' action-packed approach in favour of something more resembling the original, with only one alien to fight and no guns. The barren prison planet setting of Fury 161 is very well evoked though the phenomenal production design and cinematography. Continuing the trend of employing promising young directors, David Fincher was plucked from the world of music videos to helm his first feature. Fincher complained throughout about studio pressure and tight schedules, his unhappiness eventually leading to him leaving the project before post-production. The theatrical cut, consequently, is a rather truncated mishmash with subplots that lead nowhere and poorly defined characters.

Even in the improved longer version the film never overcomes the obstacle that none of the characters, barring Ripley herself, are likeable, due to them all being convicted murderers and rapists, which means their deaths have no emotional heft (if anything, you’re willing the alien on). Even Ripley’s integrity is damaged by her sleeping with the prison doctor (Charles Dance), which seems out of character. A religious subplot adds interest, Charles S. Dutton’s Dillon, the prison’s self-appointed preacher, proving to be the most engaging of the inmates. Moreover, the visuals shine throughout, with Fincher showing his obvious eye for detail even at this early stage of his career. Elliot Goldenthal's partially electronic score is unlike the previous films' music but is also a triumph that bears comparison to the work of Goldsmith and James Horner before him. Alien 3 cannot be deemed an unmitigated success, but its sheer bravery deserves applause. It’s an uncompromisingly grim, downbeat affair which doesn’t pull any punches, and is a real achievement.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)
The franchise should have ended, as was intended, with Alien 3. That film provided total narrative closure, albeit a conclusion that many disliked. 20th Century Fox's insistence that Sigourney Weaver returned as Ripley meant that a contrived method to bring her back had to be conceived. The choice of having her cloned resulted in her character being completely unsympathetic, as she's given a few new character traits that make her weird and aloof. Resurrection is actually a passable, even enjoyable, sci-fi action film for a good portion of the running time, but it doesn't possess the atmosphere of earlier instalments; it just doesn't feel like an Alien film. It's hamstrung by a protagonist we don't care about, but the main problem comes in the third act, where the alien/human hybrid is revealed. It's a laughable and woefully misguided plot direction.

Writer Joss Whedon (creator of TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, Oscar winner for co-writing Toy Story, and director of Marvel's upcoming Avengers) has somewhat disowned the film, as he attests that his script was mishandled by French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. To be fair, the film had an uphill struggle the instant that it was decided Ripley had to be resurrected.

Release Information
Country: UK / Region: Free / Version: N/A / Discs: 6 / Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Presentation
Alien is a revelation on Blu-ray. It never looked bad on DVD, but this new remaster brings out colours and textures never before evident. It gives the film a whole new lease of life, feeling as fresh as the first time you watched it. It sounds brilliant too, with superb use of ambient sound and Jerry Goldsmith’s eerie, understated score. You can practically feel the wind battering you when the three crewmembers are exploring the LV-426 planetoid.

Aliens looks fantastic too, having also benefited greatly from a Lowry restoration. It has always looked grainy due to the stock it was shot with (which was discontinued soon after), and it still does, but it’s generally fine and natural, never clumpy or obstructive. Some shots are stunning in their clarity, which leads me to conclude that other shots are softer due to focus rather than transfer issues (depth of field would have been very narrow due to low light conditions). I doubt it could look any better, and compared to the DVD, it's remarkable. The sound, unfortunately, does not make as much use of the surrounds as Alien, mainly staying front-heavy, but it’s clear and weighty with a robust low end.

Alien 3, on the whole, looks better than expected, given that it has not received a remaster, with strong fine detail. The lack of a new spruce-up only reveals itself in some softness here and there and also some noise in shadows, which aren’t always as inky as they could be. In fact the footage added to the 2003 ‘assembly cut’ looks a bit better than the rest, with higher contrast, stronger hues and more ‘pop’, probably because the negative for those elements was more recently scanned. The sound is appropriately dense and deep, with excellent enveloping atmospherics, though sometimes voices tend to get lost. It’s worth mentioning that the sound issues present on the Quadrilogy DVD have been corrected here, as Fox had some original actors return to redub their lines. The end result is seamless.

Alien: Resurrection, the black sheep of the series, is treated as such. It looks really quite poor; soft, hazy, and lacking in both detail and contrast. It barely looks HD, to be honest. Surprising, given it’s the most recent entry, but you can’t blame Fox for not paying to get it cleaned up. The soundtrack is far less problematic, fortunately, benefiting from its lossless rendering.

Extras
Firstly, this is a Fox release, so that means the discs feature resume play functionality, before even seeing the studio logo. Thank you Fox; other studios take note.

Fox's big trump card here is "MU-TH-UR Mode", named, one presumes, after the Nostromo's computer, although that was spelled the more mundane, correct way. It sounds complicated - there's both an instruction booklet and on-screen tutorials included in the set - but really it's just a fancy way of navigating through the discs' copious bonus material. Basically, when watching any of the films, MU-TH-UR Mode lays a graphic over the image that lets you swap between audio tracks, access set photos, and make text trivia appear, and also bookmark certain topics that relate to featurettes on the bonus discs. (The latter seems slightly pointless, as surely most people interested in the behind the scenes material will want to watch it all.) The most useful part is the ability to flick between audio tracks - Alien, for example, offers two commentaries and two isolated score tracks.

Indeed, isolated score tracks are present for all four films, although only the first two get alternative options - composer's original score and final theatrical score. At times they make for very interesting comparisons, such as in the opening titles of Alien. All the films get at least one commentary, Alien receiving two (the second being Ridley Scott's original commentary for the 1999 DVD, not included in the Quadrilogy set). They're all fascinating for their own reasons, particularly those for Alien 3 - despite the lack of Fincher - and Aliens, a patchwork of many participants, including Cameron, which is often revealing and also funny (especially Bill Paxton). All the films come in two versions, and helpfully the additional scenes are also viewable separately, akin to the recent Avatar Blu-ray.

The two bonus discs are named "Making the Alien Anthology" and "The Alien Anthology Archives". The former houses the wonderful documentaries made for the Quadrilogy DVD, along with four-plus hours of new "enhancement pods", which comprise even more fascinating interview footage. The Alien 3 material is uncut, too, meaning there's more criticism of the studio's role in the production problems. In total there's probably 12 hours' worth of watching here, all four films getting their due (and then some). The Archives comprise everything else: deleted scenes, photo galleries, TV documentaries, scene breakdowns, screenplays, EPK featurettes, and the kitchen sink. Note that none of it is in HD but it does certainly take advantage of Blu-ray storage capacity.



Summary
Alien is a masterpiece. Aliens is a classic example of 1980s action cinema, and is not without brains either. Alien 3 is an interesting, brave experiment. Alien: Resurrection is sadly forgettable. Fox's Blu-ray treatment is outstanding.

Cinema Review: Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides (2011)

Can a franchise survive a widely reviled instalment? Jerry Bruckheimer and no doubt many executives at Disney are crossing their fingers right now hoping that the answer is yes. Even behind the scenes it has been admitted that At World’s End, the second Pirates sequel, which was shot back to back with its immediate predecessor, was not up to standard. (Bruckheimer, for example, acknowledged that it was too long, although that was really one of its minor sins.) They’ve gone back to the drawing board this time, actually starting with a complete script in place – now there’s a change – and hiring a new director, Rob Marshall of Chicago fame (and in need of a hit after the misfiring Nine). Thankfully jettisoned too is a lot of the weirdness and impenetrability of the previous outing, the writers – returning duo Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio – opting for more of a straightforward adventure. As teased at the end of World’s End, it revolves around the quest for the Fountain of Youth.

As a plot device, it’s a pretty good one – even if the similarities with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’s Holy Grail MacGuffin are evident – and gives the film a good deal more purpose, and significantly less bizarre surrealism, than last time. It belongs more in the territory of the first film: supernatural, yes – this time there are zombie pirates and vicious mermaids – but more of a twist on myth and legend than a major detour into full-on fantasy. Some variety is offered with a bit of geographical scope – a quick prologue finds us in a Spanish palace, before spending the first act with Captain Jack in a well-realised London. There’s no hiding that it lacks the zip and sparkle of the first or even second films in the series, but it’s diverting enough.

Marshall does not seem to boast the comic timing of predecessor Gore Verbinski – jokes tend to fall flat, and twice a person’s face is hidden from view but their identity is blatant even before their reveal. Likewise the action scenes lack a certain flair; they’re efficient and energetic, but feel just like the work of the second unit. An exception is a mid-film sequence involving the aforementioned mermaids, which is this film’s only particularly original addition, innovatively staged and quite suspenseful. It’s much needed to enliven a leaden midsection. Despite the film’s quest for simplicity, the writers still have not been able to eliminate the bloat that has afflicted, in varying degrees, every instalment so far (even the first).

It’s a relief when proceedings finally reach somewhere that could be described as tropical. There’s little ‘of the Caribbean’ about the film, probably because it’s the first film to not actually film there - Hawaii stood in for the island parts. The colour and vibrancy of true West Indian scenery is missed, but even Hawaii is not given much screen time. An infuriating majority of the film takes place at night – perhaps a budgetary issue – which lends itself neither to impressive vistas nor comfortable 3D watching, with the darkening effect of the glasses really straining the eyes after a while. For that matter, the third dimension is barely ever used – this is surely one of the most flat looking ‘3D’ films yet, making practically no use of the technology.

A fixture of these films has always been Hans Zimmer’s jaunty scoring*, the work of the ubiquitous composer representing one of the few high points of the last film. Here, disappointingly, he’s in sleepwalking mode, the soundtrack just sounding like a rehash of previous themes. There’s none of the boundary-pushing experimentation he’s exhibited of late in films such as Inception, Sherlock Holmes or The Dark Knight, and even At World’s End boasted much more variety. It seems he’s lost the creative spark where all things piratical are concerned.

The same could be said, it seems, of Johnny Depp. He's game as ever in the role that propelled him to superstardom, but he does not light up the screen the way he once did. Perhaps it's overexposure, or possibly even the absence of a plank of wood in the form of Orlando Bloom opposite him to play against. (The Orlando/Keira replacements here get scant screen time.) New addition Penelope Cruz threatens to be fiery but her backstory with Jack is not made enough use of, while Ian McShane as Blackbeard, this film's big bad, is oddly restrained and leaves little impression. Thank goodness, then, for Geoffrey Rush, who seems to be having as much fun as ever, his character Barbossa now serving the British crown as a peg-legged privateer. When Rush and Depp share the screen, a sprinkling of the old magic returns.

On Stranger Tides could be accused of playing it safe, and while it's true tha does seem content to retread old ground, it at least isn't as offensively bad as the last time Captain Jack and company reached our screens. It's also welcome that this is, for the most part, a standalone escapade with no larger pretensions to being part of an epic saga. For a franchise built on the lighthearted swashbuckling template, that's certainly the right road to take.

*Zimmer disciple (and Media Ventures cohort) Klaus Badelt was the credited composer for the first film, but really that score was a committee effort with Zimmer's fingerprints all over it, including substantial lifts from Gladiator.



Summary
While On Stranger Tides may not be a runaway success, it does manage to navigate the once-beloved series to calmer waters. Functional, reasonably entertaining, but lacking in inspiration.

Blu-ray Review: The King's Speech (2010)

A film of this quality has compelled me to write a review, yet Joel already adeptly summed up many of my own opinions in his thorough cinema review. The following is newly written, but unavoidably reiterates many of my fellow reviewer's sentiments.

In terms of unheralded success stories, there can be few more heartwarming than that of The King's Speech. A low-budget costume drama about two middle aged men stuck in a room talking (to echo a statement made by Geoffrey Rush), rejected by BBC Films - who normally would jump at this sort of material - and finally endorsed by the now-defunct UK Film Council, The King's Speech became the awards juggernaut that managed to also connect with the public at large. Its main achievement lies in telling the human story in a relatable way. It tells us, via the tried and true medium of an underdog tale, that the royals are as human and fallible as anyone.

Indeed, despite the criticism of historical embellishments that have inevitably been directed the film's way in the wake of its success, the real story seems remarkably dramatic. A prince who was never expecting to be king suddenly thrust into the limelight by the abdication of his divorcee-marrying older brother. A prince who hated public speaking, afflicted by a nervous stammer from childhood. And a prince who would become king as the country was descending into a war against an overwhelmingly better equipped adversary, with no imminent end in sight. Yet the course that screenwriter David Seidler wisely plots through these momentous events singles out the relationship between the Duke of York - later King George VI (Colin Firth, of course) - and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Rush).

The structure has been likened to a boxing movie - several minor bouts followed by the championship at the climax - but it's also akin to, of all things, a romantic comedy. In modern lingo, it's a bromance - the story of a platonic, but nevertheless hugely affectionate, relationship between two contrasting men. There's the initial meet-cute (with Queen Elizabeth - now better known as the late Queen Mother - acting as matchmaker), the blossoming friendship, the second-act break-up, and the moving reunion. On repeat viewing the sense of humour emerges as the real star of the screenplay, every exchange playing with royal convention to understatedly comedic effect, the Australian bluntness of Logue playing off against the none-more-proper "Bertie" (as Lionel insists on calling him, much to his chagrin). Firth took home numerous accolades for his performance - well deserved, the stammer never once coming off as an affectation - but arguably the scene stealer is Rush, who is both hilarious and completely endearing. Helena Bonham Carter, as the companion who acts as George's rock and moral compass, also deserves her share of the acclaim.

When the five nominees for Best Director Oscar were announced this year, Tom Hooper became the target of more vitriol than the rest, mainly because Inception's Christopher Nolan was omitted (a massive oversight, admittedly). But the allegations that this was just a 'point and shoot' film could not be further from the truth. Hooper, fresh from impressive work on HBO's John Adams miniseries and footie biopic The Damned United, repeatedly reinforces his knowledge of cinematic grammar with some intriguing stylistic choices. For instance, King George is repeatedly dwarfed by his surroundings in the frame, be it Wembley Stadium or Logue's dilapidated clinic, emphasising his own self-doubt and insecurities. The editing, meanwhile, is precisely honed, each heated exchange between the mismatched pair building in neat stages to the grand finish. The director's evocation of pre-war London, on a minimal budget, is also exemplary, emphasising atmosphere and texture to great effect.

A true gauge of the scale of the film's accomplishments is that, come the end, you are resolutely engaged in the King's battle against his impediment. The final speech, a magnificent fusion of timing, music, history and performance, builds to a wonderful release of emotion. In truth its stirring impact is slightly dulled on second viewing, but the wit and heart is not dampened one iota. It's impeccable craftmanship - a true crowdpleaser in the very best sense of the word.



Release Information
Country: UK / Region: B / Version: N/A / Discs: 1 / Distributor: Momentum

Presentation
First things first. This UK Blu-ray release from Momentum is in 1080i/50hz format. That means it's not "Full HD" (1080p/24). Why Momentum would choose to do this, I can't fathom - there's a 1080p master that could just as easily have been used, and has been for overseas releases - but, in truth, I can't say that I really seems to affect picture quality. The biggest difference is probably the 5% speedup (as it's 25fps). That's not to say that the visuals are flawless, just that they, I feel, reflect the source. Detail is good if not exceptional, while shadows tend to be afflicted by some blue-tinted digital noise. Colours, though, are well conveyed overall, showing off the director's intended tungsten-hued palette. Not a demo disc then, but generally pleasing enough.

The DTS-HD Master Audio should not face any complaints. A dialogue-heavy film will never present the most active soundfield, but all the speakers come into play very effectively when called upon, such as the very first scene when the then-Duke speaks at Wembley Stadium, the satellite speakers spreading the delayed echo around the room. Otherwise, everything is as crisp and precise as you'd want.

Extras
Tom Hooper's commentary (present in uncompressed LPCM 2.0, funnily enough) is insightful, informative, and, yes, a bit dry but still very interesting. Hooper's recent appearances on TV, such as on Newsnight Review, have shown that he is certainly an intelligent, educated man with vast knowledge of cinema, and that comes across in the track. The accompanying Making Of is only 22 minutes long, while the 17-minute interview with Mark Logue (grandson of Lionel) is engaging, but little more than a talking head interspersed with brief film clips. Two of King George VI's actual speeches are included, the outbreak of war speech that concludes the film (a recording of its radio broadcast) and a later wartime one with Newsreel footage. Finally, there are galleries of production sketches and behind the scenes photos. It's a shame that none of the recent TV programmes prompted by the film made it onto the disc, presumably due to rights issues. I could live without the trailers that you have to skip through when the film loads up.

Given the shortcomings with this disc's interlaced transfer, and relative paucity of extras, I wouldn't be surprised to see a "Royal Edition" or somesuch come along in future. Nevertheless, for a new, very high profile release, the low price point is welcome.



Summary
A majestic showcase of acting, directing and writing, The King's Speech deserves all the plaudits it has received, and maybe more - Geoffrey Rush should have won the Oscar alongside King Colin.

Cinema Review: Arthur (2011)

Ah, another remake. Like the recent saturation of superhero films, Hollywood seems to be obsessed with restyling the old classics and flooding multiplexes with their rehashes. Ironically it seems to be a pretty thankless task when they are inevitably going to be compared to their predecessors and utterly slated. The 2011 version of Arthur, like the original, follows the adventures of the self-titled playboy heir of an enormous fortune as he embarrasses his family one too many times and is forced to make some serious decisions.

Russell Brand’s Arthur Bach is relatively similar to Brand’s own real life persona (pre-Katy Perry) and it doesn’t appear to be too much of a stretch for the comedian as he borrows much of the characterisation from his Aldous Snow guise in Get Him to the Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Accompanying him during his exploits are Luis Guzman’s Bitterman who, despite clearly being a Latino, inexplicably carries that bizarre moniker and his nanny Hobson (Helen Mirren), the woman who takes care of Arthur the most (and always has), as his mother is constantly working and was clearly almost never in the picture. Having been embarrassed for the last time by her son’s exploits, Vivienne (Geraldine James) gives him an ultimatum – he is to marry Susan (Jennifer Garner), the Bach employee and well-connected socialite who would be good for business, or be cut off from the money that has provided the lavish lifestyle he’s come to enjoy. After agreeing to marry Susan, Arthur meets a native New Yorker named Naomi Quinn (the impossible to dislike Greta Gerwig) and he must face the decision of whether to go forward with his life living for money or for love.

The film is laden with cliché and the performances are not particularly indicative of anyone putting forth much of an effort, save for a select few. Written by Peter Baynham (Borat), the story it tells is formulaic, and anyone who saw the trailer that featured two of the most over-used trailer songs ever (David Bowie’s ‘Rebel Rebel’ and The Who’s ‘Teenage Wasteland’) shouldn’t be expecting anything too original to appear in the film itself – the dual romantic dilemma has been revisited so many times before. Arthur features moments of hilarity (though many more would be very welcome), and some of the overly extravagant set pieces are very cool (should any of us ever become this rich, the film oozes inspiration), but overall the quality as a complete feature just isn’t as good as it should be. The buck ultimately stops with leading man Brand who, unlike his predecessor, doesn’t possess the innate vulnerability or charm which compelled us to care for Arthur as he boozed himself towards oblivion in 1981. Sluggish and shapeless, Arthur has a few nice moments – such as a date at an emptied-out Grand Central Station and the auction for some of Abraham Lincoln’s attire – but they’re overwhelmed by Brand’s braying and Garner’s embarrassing turn as a high-class shrew.

All negativity aside, the film still features the wonderful performances of Helen Mirren and Greta Gerwig. In the last few years, ‘The Dame’ has shown off an incredibly charismatic and humorous side in some of the characters she has played and it is great to see her in more and more comedic roles. Despite the lacklustre nature of this film, she does admirably well, has the best lines and turns granite to gold whenever she’s on screen. In addition, Greta Gerwig, a popular indie actress, is her usual charming self. As Naomi, she exhibits a delightfully doe-eyed and carefree nature and it’s not hard to see why Arthur Bach falls for her. She’s remarkably forgiving of Arthur’s irregularities, considering he has the self-discipline and tact of a Charlie Sheen.

Despite everyone’s best efforts though, the film cannot be saved from a huge dose of mediocrity. In the original Arthur, the film is littered with great moments; in this version, everyone hits their marks, goes through the motions and that’s about it. The spontaneity and gentle whimsy is missing and so is the luxurious wit of Steve Gordon’s original screenplay. Baynham’s script prods along without memorable lines or scenes even when it imitates the original as closely as it can.



Summary
An unnecessary remake filled with crudeness and hit-and-miss wit. It would be wrong to dismiss Brand as a leading man just yet but a few more supporting roles would polish his acting skills and hopefully create a more multi-dimensional nature to his comedic abilities.

Cinema Review: Source Code (2011)

A commuter train slices through the countryside on its way to Chicago. Onboard, a passenger wakes up with a start, looking disoriented. The woman sitting opposite him seems to know him, but he has no idea who she is. She calls him Sean - that isn't his name, he insists. Increasingly confused, he leaves his seat, walks along the train carriage, ducks into the bathroom. The face staring back at him in the mirror is not his. Before he can begin to fathom what is going on, the carriage is annihilated in a massive explosion.

As cold opens go, Source Code's is pretty compelling. It's a shame, really, that its impact is diluted by any foreknowledge of the plot; the best way to see the film would probably be completely unprepared. Anyone who's seen a trailer or read so much as one sentence of a synopsis knows what they're in for - a slice of science fiction with a dose of time travel. Groundhog Day meets Inception, it has been called, the most warranted of those analogies being the former. It emerges that Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a US marine tasked to relive the last 8 minutes of a man's life over and over until he uncovers the identity of the train bomber. Thus we have the same passage of time being repeated numerous times, with differing results - only Punxsutawney Phil is nowhere to be seen. A clever way of introducing the audience to the concept is to make it just as alien to the central character as to us, his bewilderment reflecting ours, and his gradual education also teaching us the rules of the game.

Source Code is the sophomore feature of Duncan "Zowie Bowie" Jones, who made quite the impression with his debut Moon. This time he's more of a director for hire, but the film gives him ample opportunity to continue to exercise his clear passion for science fiction film while also proving he can take confident ownership of material he didn't originate. The film is very tightly constructed, with no padding and a brisk running time. Each iteration of the "Source Code" (the 8 minute window) is fascinating to keep up with, seeing how Steven's actions influence events. The interludes are less compelling, mostly featuring Gyllenhall trapped in a dark metal room talking to military officials (mainly the underserved Vera Farmiga) via a TV screen. Each time you find yourself just wanting to get back to the train. Ultimately, the moments between each time jump to have an important role in the plot, but the film never quite overcomes the fact that it's the time travel stuff that is the most interesting part. Jones doesn't pile on the Groundhog Day-esque repetition as much as he could, which is probably wise to distance the film from its comedic forebear, but it does lessen some of the fun.

Nevertheless, the film avoids certain pitfalls that another comparable effort, Denzel Washington vehicle Déjà Vu, encountered. Namely, it doesn't break its own rules. Of course, the plot is patently preposterous, but it plays everything straight, and doesn't contradict itself come the ending, which is a logical, satisfying conclusion. You find yourself willing Gyllenhaal to succeed, and get the girl too (a charming Michelle Monaghan), despite only having 8 minutes in which to fall for her. It's all down to the actor's commitment and believability. It's easy to buy him as a marine fresh from Afghanistan - having seen Jake in Jarhead possibly helps - as he registers the psychological torment and physicality that experience would entail. The film does not deny his character some very emotional beats too, and the actor (and script) rises to the occasion. Paced efficiently, written economically, Source Code delivers the goods.



Summary
Source Code is action-packed science fiction with both brains and heart. Hopefully Duncan Jones can get his pet project, Mute, off the ground soon - based on his form so far it would certainly be one to look forward to.

News: Tarantino goes west... with Will Smith?

So now we know what Quentin Tarantino's next film will be, and he's staying in genre territory. Following up his war film Inglourious Basterds, "grindhouse" effort Death Proof, and martial arts/action/exploitation/everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Kill Bill, he's heading to the Old West. Can he give the genre the same sort of shot in the arm that he's done before? Does it even need revitalising, the Coens' True Grit having recently become the most commercially successful Western since Dances With Wolves?

The title of the new opus: Django Unchained. That's a reference to trippy 1966 Spaghetti Western Django, directed by Sergio Corbucci. Tarantino's clearly got a liking for the character - he has himself appeared on screen in a film with Django in the title, the Japanese homage Sukiyaki Western Django. But if Basterds is anything to go by, Quentin's probably just using a name and going in a completely different direction with it than the original film. While it would be nice if he stopped his relentless referencing of other movies, there's no doubt he brings a lot of originality to the plate as well. What he could do with the Western is an exciting prospect.

The synopsis we've been given is this: the titular Django is a freed slave who teams with a German bounty hunter in order to reunite with his wife, and take down an evil plantation owner, Monsieur Calvin Candie. (Take it with a pinch of salt, bearing in mind that Basterds was not quite the men on a mission movie we were expecting.) According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tarantino wants Will Smith for the role - the Fresh Prince reportedly has the script and just needs to say yes. If he does, it would not only be quite a coup for QT - getting the biggest, and perhaps only, movie star in the world - but also (probably) give Smith an enjoyably complex role to chew on. Hopefully he'll ignore the fact that his only other venture into the west didn't turn out too well. (*Cough* Wild Wild West.)

Other cast names circling are Tarantino chums Christoph Waltz - pretty much certain as the aforementioned German bounty hunter, and who would probably do anything for the director after a certain Hans Landa won him the Oscar - and the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson, as another slave.

Basterds had an impressively quick turn around time, so if this does get the go ahead, expect it to reach fruition - and perhaps the Cannes Film Festival - in about a year's time.

Blu-ray Review: Of Gods and Men (2010)

Of Gods and Men recounts the true story of a group of French Trappist monks who lived in a monastery in mountainous Algeria during the 1990s. Although their faith set them apart from the country's predominantly Muslim population, they co-existed well with their neighbours in the remote town they called home. The first twenty minutes or so of the film depicts the symbiotic relationship they maintain with the locals: they provide free healthcare, clothing, advice and also friendship; in return, their Christianity is accepted. Director Xavier Beauvois is keen to contrast the opposing lifestyles, the reverent silence of the monks' quarters - broken mainly by chanted hymns - juxtaposed against the noise and activity of the generally poor Algerians. The serenity of the Tibhirine monastery and the scenic beauty of the surroundings are emphasised, but not to an idealised or unrealistic extent; one remains aware that there are hardships in the monks' lives too, despite their external tranquility.

Such peace is shattered when civil war erupts in the country, triggered by the murder of several Croatian construction workers by fundamentalist terrorists. As soon as this event occurs, which is depicted rather graphically, the film transforms into a suspenseful battle of wills and opposing beliefs. The monks are immediately identified as a likely target for the terrorists, due to their nationality - France being the former colonial power in Algeria - and relative inability (or unwillingness) to defend themselves. All the monks face an impossible decision: leave Algeria and therefore give up their mission and abandon the local populace who depend on them, or remain and risk death. They initially have wildly diverging opinions on what action should be taken; the middle portion of the film depicts how they eventually reach a unanimous - and very moving - decision to stay put.

There are two faces amongst the cast who will be recognisable to Anglophone viewers, Lambert Wilson (The Merovingian in the Matrix sequels) and Michael Lonsdale (Hugo Drax in Moonraker). Wilson is Brother Christian, the leader of the monks, who is burdened with the final decision on whether to stay or go. The actor depicts the inner turmoil, masked by the outward calm required of a monk, very well indeed; his performance is restrained but never inexpressive or remote. Lonsdale's Brother Luc is effectively the monastery's elder statesman, whose quiet resilience and compassion emboldens the mood of the others. The whole ensemble is beautifully played, each man receiving his own screen time and development, even if following each of their individual arcs during the film is a challenge given their identical attire.

Of Gods and Men is a quiet film (there's no music score and few histrionics), and a generally sombre one. The pacing is methodical and extravagant camera movement or attention-grabbing acting are conspicuous by their absence. The restraint on show perhaps prevents it from forging a strong emotional connection, but depicting these events from anything other than a relatively detached distance could feel exploitative or intrusive. It's a poignant re-enactment of men whose actions are worth remembering, told with poise and sensitivity.



Release Information
Country: UK / Region: Free / Version: N/A / Discs: 1 / Distributor: Artificial Eye

Presentation
Any scenes that take place in daylight are absolutely stunning. Really, the level of detail and the lifelike colour reproduction are beyond reproach. There is some grain - more than in most new films, probably - but it only serves to pick out detail rather than obscure it. The transfer is less successful in darker scenes, however, mainly because there is quite common contrast flutter within shots and detail softens noticeably. The subtitles are large and legible, though not Fixed Image Height-friendly (they often appear in the black bar below the frame).

The soundtrack is offered in DTS-HD in both 5.1 and 2.0 configurations. When listening to the 5.1 track you'd be forgiven for occasionally thinking you had selected the stereo one by mistake, as there is a very limited scope to the soundscape most of the time. However, there are a couple of extremely effective uses of the surrounds that prove that the general restraint is an artistic choice rather than a technical deficiency. One moment involving a helicopter approaching the monastery is particularly potent from an aural standpoint.

Extras
A 20-minute documentary is everything that the film is supplied with, detailing the real men and events on which the film is based. It really does enhance your appreciation of the film itself and therefore is a recommended watch.



Summary
Those with patience and decent attention spans will be rewarded with an enriching and moving film in Of Gods and Men. Artificial Eye are to be commended for releasing this on Blu-ray, and at an affordable price too.

Blu-ray Review: Taxi Driver (1976)

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver has already been reviewed on DVD by FilmVerdict's resident Scorsese expert, Joel. As I can not claim to offer anywhere near as much insight, here I'll reproduce his review of the film and offer Blu-ray specific comments below.

Robert De Niro's surprisingly bogus Mohawk hairstyle is certainly not as attractive as say, Marilyn Monroe's wind-blown skirt or Sean Connery's fully-suited and booted James Bond, but to universal filmgoers it's a striking piece of movie iconography. In fact, all 114 minutes of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver are remarkable and the chef d'oeuvre will indeed stay with you forever - every time the Big Apple's finest (Bobby and Marty), taxicabs, or even New York are mentioned in your daily routine, flickers from the chronicle of God's Lonely Man will surface.

Travis Bickle (De Niro) is cinema's best-executed and most famous anti-hero. With so many sensational turns during his extraordinary career, one should be excused for labelling Bickle as De Niro's greatest performance because it is seemingly an impossible and immeasurable task, but the Vietnam-vet-turned-chronic-insomniac-cabbie plants the seeds of über violence, alienation and indistinct subjectivity future De Niro characters came to perfect. De Niro makes Bickle into a person uncomfortable to watch - an attribute screenwriter Paul Schrader wanted to inflict upon the viewer as the loner's story is a nightmare without background answers. Why does he want to venture into the ugly societal underbelly of New York? Murder, prostitution, firearms, drugs, and pornography are all explored as Scorsese invites personal interpretation - scars from 'Nam, mental instability, and cultural disillusionment are all subconscious suggestions but are never fully justified causes for his chaotic mind and frenzied actions.

If you didn't realise already, Taxi Driver isn't simply a masterclass in acting. With assistance from the other half of the film's majestic partnership, Bickle isn't just De Niro's creation. Borrowing from Antonioni, whilst Bickle is trying to ask Betsy (a hearty Cybill Shepherd) on an unlikely date, Scorsese draws the camera away to focus on an empty hallway. The maestro is symbolically turning away from Bickle's plight and treating his existence as a pathetic lost cause in addition to indirectly saying how using camera time on an empty space is more appealing than watching a loser do what he does best. Every directorial flourish Scorsese contributes is a dazzling triumph. The haunting darkness of the urban mise-en-scène complements Bernard Herrmann's chilling score magnificently, the cadence of Bickle's increasingly eccentric actions matches the intensity of his downward spiral into insanity, his secondary players (Harvey Keitel's Matthew, Jodie Foster's Iris, and even Albert Brooks' Tom) all ooze distressing comedy in different ways and upsetting naivety in the latter two cases, and Marty's knowledge of New York's geography shines through. Sun-kissed 1970s New York has been captured astonishingly - America's premier city is certainly cosmopolitan but Scorsese illustrates an applicable and yet agonising sense of inequality, friction and strife below the tourism guidebooks.

Kudos should also be bestowed upon Schrader's excellent script. Granted, Marty and Bob took the bull by the horns and worked to make Travis and his plight their own, but the talented UCLA alumnus dished up the curveball of originality in the first place when his pen rendition of God's Lonely Man was caressed upon the hit-or-miss format of paper - every screenwriter has a nightmarish headache when he cannot fully express 'faultless' ideas onto the hallowed turf. Luckily for the annals of filmdom, Schrader's determination ran straight over any minor glitches and he punched out movie gold in a few rapid weeks.

With the wisdom of hindsight, Taxi Driver solidifies Scorsese's reputation as one of cinema's greatest ever auteurs with his talents shining through in one of cinema's greatest ever works. De Niro justifies his unchallenged position as one of film's super heavyweight players, and Taxi Driver also kick-started a young Miss Foster's illustrious career. All in all, Marty's case study of Travis Bickle is one of budding torment. The urban psychological drama should be painful to view but it's utterly unmissable.



Release Information
Country: USA / Region: Free / Version: N/A / Discs: 1 / Distributor: Sony

Presentation
Taxi Driver, with its gritty urban milieu, hardly strikes you as a film that would really clean up that dramatically for high definition. Such suspicions are initially borne out by the film's opening credits on this Blu-ray, which are soft, hazy, and generally look rough. But, once the credits are over, and the associated problems of optical compositing no longer intrude, the picture becomes a revelation. The painstaking restoration work that has been done for this release is absolutely visible – Scorsese's masterpiece has never been seen in such clarity. The lurid neon colours of 1970s New York come to all their seedy life, while the grubby environs of Travis' apartment and the taxi office can be inspected in minute detail. For a film of its era, this looks simply incredible; grain is present but never distracting, and shadows remain inky throughout. The Grand Guignol finale, with its desaturated colours (making the blood less pronounced, by decree of the MPAA at the time of the film's release) doesn't quite look as crisp or defined, but that seems fitting given the disturbing events portrayed.

The soundtrack is in DTS-HD 5.1 – expanded from the original stereo recording sensitively rather than distractingly. The surrounds are used subtly to enhance the ambience of the city and to expand Bernard Herrmann's final, brilliant score. Dialogue remains mostly centred, though perfectly audible, while gunshots deliver an appropriate punch.

Sony have done themselves proud – this is a classic given the treatment it deserves.

Extras
First impressions of the packaging are good. Eschewing a normal plastic case, Sony instead present Taxi Driver in an attractive fold-out case made from thick rigid card, adorned with stills from the film. Inside you'll find the single Blu-ray disc and a pocket containing art cards.

In terms of the actual disc contents, this release contains everything found on the previous Special Edition DVD, as well as a couple of welcome additions. The main one is a commentary by Martin Scorsese – recorded by the Criterion Collection for their Laserdisc release in 1986. Also featuring Paul Schrader, the two participants are sadly only edited together rather than engaged in a single simultaneous discussion, but it's still a fascinating listen that fills the track with insight from beginning to end. The other new feature is more of a gimmick but of some interest nevertheless: you can choose to display the script alongside the film as it plays, allowing you to compare and contrast.

The rest are the same as the 2006 DVD, so I'll repeat below, in slightly edited form, Joel's comments on the rest. Incidentally, all the extras made for the Special Edition release are here presented in 1080i HD.

The excellent 70 minute 'Making Of' [from the first DVD release] featuring all of the main players is still a fixture. The two [further] commentaries are admirable - Schrader obviously knows his stuff with his effort and Robert Kolker (author of "A Cinema of Loneliness") adds yet more information on proceedings with an intellectual edge. "Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver" is fine as one learns how the director's vision was influenced by Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, "Producing Taxi Driver" has a nice interview with director Michael Phillips, "God's Lonely Man" is a wonderful exploration of the protagonist's actions and psyche, "Influence and Appreciation" is a grand admiration of Marty's filmography, "Taxi Driver Stories" are fascinating tales from former and current New York cabbies, "Travis' New York" has some good contributions from former mayor Edward Koch about 1970s New York, "Travis' New York Locations" is a decent then-and-now look at the film's Manhattan sites, and the storyboard feature is of interest to view the filmmaking process. This is a great package with everything included that you could ever ask for.

Sony are due to release the film on Blu-ray in the UK (and in cinemas, for a limited time) in June.



Summary
Taxi Driver is absolutely crucial, outstanding, and chilling must-see cinema. Travis Bickle's descent into homicidal madness becomes ever more gripping on repeat viewings. The Blu-ray is a brilliant example of how classic films should be treated, and is exceptional in every department.