Breathless (À bout de souffle) (Blu-ray Review)

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? bout de souffle
Criterion | 1960 | 90 min | Not rated | Sep 14, 2010
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, September 13, 2010

Winner of Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, Jean-Luc Godard's "A bout de souffle" a.k.a "Breathless" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include video interviews with cinematographer Raoul Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, and filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker; archival interviews with director Jean-Luc Godard, actors Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and director Jean-Pierre Melville; video essay by film historian and author Jonathan Rosenbaum; "Chambre 12, Hotel de suede", a documentary by director and popular French television host Claude Venture; "Charlotte et son Jules", a short film by Jean-Luc Godard; the film's original theatrical trailer; and more. The disc also arrives with an 80-page illustrated booklet. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

One not so innocent girl

Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless is the film that changed everything ? perceptions, expectations, the way movies were made. After it, Cinema was no longer the same. The rules were broken. Or to be perfectly clear, there were no more rules to be followed.

Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Pierrot le fou), a tough looking criminal who worships Humphrey Bogart, steals a car, kills a cop, and heads to Paris where he meets Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg, Bonjour tristesse), a beautiful American girl who sells the Herald Tribune in the Champs-Elysees. He falls in love with her and asks that she comes with him to Rome.

While Patricia is trying to make up her mind, Michel wanders around Paris, meeting people who own him money. Occasionally, he also steals from people who do not own him anything. Patricia follows him around, clueless about his dealings.

Michel smokes a lot but Patricia does not mind. The two spend plenty of time together talking about love, money, and happiness. Occasionally, they also make love. When Patricia works, Michel runs around stealing. Then they meet again, talk and make love.

The cops begin looking for Michel. They also question Patricia. She wants to stay with Michel but eventually realizes that there is no future for the two of them. After spending the night with Michel in a chic private photo studio, Patricia calls the cops to let them know where her lover is hiding.

Arguably the most influential of the Nouvelle Vague films, Breathless is brash, raw, and unpretentious yet remarkably elegant piece of cinema. It is hilarious, at times offensive, and though suggesting otherwise incredibly serious about everything it shows. It is the coolest film ever made.

Godard's great innovation lies in the distinctive camerawork - jump cuts, fast zooms, and unusual close-ups - and unorthodox treatment of his characters. The plot of Breathless is hardly original but observing Michel and Patricia is fascinating; time and space are handled in a unique manner creating something that could be best described as a sense of three-dimensionality.

Then there is the sense of freedom that permeates Breathless. The improvisations are wild and strange but also rejuvenating. Many of the lines Michel and Patricia utter make little sense but it is incredibly easy to tell what is on their minds. He wants to love her. She wants to be loved. That is all that matters. That is the whole story Breathless tells.

Godard dedicated Breathless to Monogram Pictures, the famous Hollywood studio that specialized in the production of B-movies, in an attempt to prove that interesting films do not have to be expensive films. He was assisted by legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard, who collaborated with the French director on many of his most renowned films, including Une femme est une femme (1961), Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962), Le mepris (1963), Bande a part (1964), Pierrot le fou (1965), 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle (1967), etc.

In 1960, Breathless won Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1961, the film won the Critics Award for Best Film granted by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"Approved by director of photography Raoul Coutard, this high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm original fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

Telecine supervisors: Lee Kline, Russell Smith.
Telecine colorists: Joe Gawler/Technicolor, New York; Abdel Benlatreche/Vdm, Paris."

This is a strong high-definition transfer, one that improves on all problematic areas SDVD releases of Breathless previously conveyed. Indeed, fine object detail is very good, clarity pleasing and contrast levels perhaps the most consistent I've seen thus far. This said, there are a couple of scenes throughout the film where I spotted traces of extremely mild edge-enhancement. Macroblocking, however, is a not an issue of concern. Furthermore, minor noise and grain corrections appear to have been applied. As a result, the film has a more balanced look, with its fine gran structure still very much intact. The color-scheme is solid. Blacks are rich and well saturated while the variety of grays and whites look pleasingly natural and fresh. Many of the daylight scenes, for instance, look gorgeous. Aside from a few frame transitions, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. I also did not see any large cuts, marks, stains, or debris to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is a fine presentation of a classic film that received a number of problematic treatments during the years. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 1.0 (with portions of English). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using Audio Cube's integrated audio workstation".

The French LPCM 1.0 track is pleasing. Understandably, its dynamic amplitude is limited, but the dialog is crisp, clean, and stable. Occasionally there is mild background hiss that is easy to hear, but it is well within the limitations of what a film of this age is likely to possess. Finally, there are no serious balance issues with Martial Solal's music score. I also did not detect any annoying pops, cracks, or dropouts to report in this review.

 

Interviews - a collage of excerpts from interviews with director Jean-Luc Godard, actors Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, and director Jean-Pierre Melville, recorded for French television between 1960 and 1964. The interviewees address a variety of different subjects, from the film's production history and reception by the critics to its unique characters. Jean Seberg's comments about her troubled relationship with director Otto Preminger and encounter with Marlon Brando are very interesting. In French, with optional English subtitles. (28 min, 1080i):

1. Jean-Luc Godard X 2
2. Jean-Paul Belmondo
3. Jean Seberg
4. Jean-Pierre Melville

Coutard and Rissient - in this interview, recorded for Criterion in 2007, cinematographer Raoul Coutard and cinephile Pierre Rissient, the assistant director on Breathless, recall specific details from the production history of Godard's film. In French and English, with optional English subtitles. (23 min, 1080i):

1. Learning his trade
2. Dialogue and casting
3. Shooting tricks
4. Locations and lighting
5. Godard's influence

Pennebaker on Breathless - in this interview, recorded for Criterion in 2007, documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker discusses Jean-Luc Godard's famous description of his film as "a documentary about Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg". In English, not sibtitled. (11 min, 1080i).

Jean Seberg - a wonderful video essay, created for Criterion by Mark Rappaport, director of the 1995 film From the Journals of Jean Seberg, focusing on Jean Seberg's life and career. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080i).

Breathless as Criticism - a video essay in which film historian and author Jonathan Rosenbaum analyzes Jean-Luc Godard's film and its message. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080i).

Chambre 12, Hotel de suede - a lengthy documentary, from 1993, in which director and popular French television host Claude Venture interviews different people who were involved with the production of Breathless. Amongst the interviewees are director Claude Chabrol, Jean-Paul Belmondo, cinematographer Raoul Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, editor Cecile Decugis, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (79 min, 1080i).

Day 1: Godard
Day 2: Chabrol
Day 3: Coutard/Rissient
Day 4: Moreuil
Day 5. Decugis
Day 6. David
Day 7. Belmondo
Day 8. Tolmachoff
Days 8 and 9: Rue Campagne-Premiere

Charlotte et son Jules (1959) - a short film by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anne Collette, courtesy of Les Films du Jeudi. In French, with optional English subtitles. (12 min, 1080i).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080i).

Booklet - an 80-page illustrated booklet including Dudley Andrew's essay "Breathless Then and Now" (the author is Professor of Film and Comparative Literature at Yale); writings from Jean-Luc Godard, his scenario, and Francois Truffaut's original treatment.

 

Arguably one of the most influential films ever made, Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless still looks as cool and elegant as it did fifty years ago. If you have never seen it before, it is probably time that you do. As expected, Criterion's Blu-ray release of Breathless does not disappoint. The film looks and sounds very good. Criterion have also included some terrific supplemental features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

• Criterion Blu-ray in September: Donen, Godard, Malick, Oshima - June 15, 2010

The Criterion Collection has announced no fewer than four major films for release on Blu-ray in September. Jean-Luc Godard will open fire on September 14, with the Nouvelle vague 1960 classic Breathless (? bout de souffle). A week later, the comedic thriller Charade ...

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Ocean's 11 (50th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray Review)

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50th Anniversary Edition
Warner Bros. | 1960 | 127 min | Not rated | Nov 09, 2010 (1 Month)

Video
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French: Dolby Digital Mono
German: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono... (more) English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French: Dolby Digital Mono
German: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono (less)
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German SDH, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German SDH, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish (less)
Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)

 (1960)

Action | Adventure | Comedy

New Year?s Eve in Las Vegas. Roulette wheels spin, cards snap, slots chime, champagne fizzes, shows go on?and the lights go out. It?s the perfect time to steal a kiss or a $25 chip. But for Danny Ocean and 10 partners in crime, it?s the ideal moment to steal millions.

For more details about Ocean's 11 on Blu-ray, see the Ocean's 11 Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, September 30, 2010

It's Vegas, baby! And Old Vegas at that. The Mint, the Golden Nugget, the Bootlegger Bistro, the Golden Gate and, of course, the Sahara, Riviera, Desert Inn, Sands, and Flamingo. The classic, Rat-Pack era Strip. No Cirque du Soleil, no MGM Grand, no Elvis impersonators, no Blue Man Group, no Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, no Siegfried and Roy. Sharp suits and cigs, high-class broads and cool cats. Snake eyes and double-down bravado, Big Band in the Copa Room. Filmmaker Lewis Milestone's oft-panned Ocean's 11 is a celebration of all things Old Vegas; a slick, unabashed tribute to the reign of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis, Jr. But like its Kings of Swing, self-indulgence haunts its legacy. As sure-footed and sharp-witted as it can be, Ocean's 11 is rather bloated and ungainly. As breezy as its furrowed brow ensemble's chemistry is, its stuffy setups and stilted cadence spoil some of the fun. Long before the credits roll, the weight of its screenplay crushes any semblance of effortlessness as the film, brisk and bristling as it may be, struggles to rise to the height of its Rat Pack stars.

"The odds are always with the house..."

Bearing little resemblance to the fiercely entertaining Steven Soderbergh 2001 remake of the same name, Ocean's 11 follows the exploits and five-casino heist of eleven World War II veterans: unflinching masterminds Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) and Jimmy Foster (Peter Lawford), inside man Sam Harmon (Dean Martin), go-to demolitions man and resident driver Josh Howard (Sammy Davis Jr), gopher Roger Corneal (Henry Silva), terminally ill electrical expert Tony Bergdorf (Richard Conte), insecure loyalist Vince Massler (Buddy Lester), brains and backer Spyros Acebos (Akim Tamiroff), and second tier robbers Mushy O'Connors (Joey Bishop), Curly Steffans (Richard Benedict), Louis Jackson (Clem Harvey) and Peter Rheimer (Norman Fell). The gig? Simultaneously looting five casinos -- the Flamingo, the Sahara, the Desert Inn, the Riviera and the Sands -- at the strike of midnight on New Year's Eve. The plan? Rewiring the cashier's cages so a power failure will open each one and the crooks can relieve the hotels of their earnings before anyone's the wiser. The execution and getaway? Well, that's where things get tricky.

When Ocean's 11 focuses on its fast-talking ne'er-do-wells, it sings. Charles Lederer and Harry Brown's dialogue is punchy and memorable, the Rat Packers are as charming as ever and their supporting players fill several thankless roles quite admirably. Sinatra exudes seven shades of unwavering cool, Martin croons whenever the opportunity presents itself, Lawford is classy and contained (hardly a stretch for the calm, collected Englishman), Davis Jr. delivers despite being saddled with a woefully underdeveloped part, Conte and Lester actually find some meat on their characters' thin bones (melodramatic subplots notwithstanding) and Tamiroff hams it up as the group's thick-accented comic relief. Sinatra and Lawford are more essential to the plot than their fellow singers -- a real surprise, especially considering how easily each one could have demanded a spot at the head of the table -- but Milestone takes advantage of his actors' chummy humility and delivers a leaner, tighter heist as a result.

The humor is heavy-handed and the gags are riddled with cumbersome slapstick, sure. The team's oddly timed jokes are occasionally at odds with the slippery tone and tenor of the flick, I know. The five-casino heist isn't nearly as clever as Milestone presents it, no argument here. (Lone security guards and oblivious management hardly pose the threat Terry Benedict's state-of-the-art computer-controlled vault does.) The film's momentum stutters and stalls, the stars mug for the camera and the musical bits are seasoned with a hint of ego... yes, yes, yes. But Ocean's 11 isn't a film in the traditional sense as much as it is a cinematic Rat Pack bender. It's Sinatra and crew doing what they do best: flirting with women, lighting cigarettes, downing cocktails, belting out songs and doing it all with the patented swagger that vaulted them to fame in the first place. Narcissistic? Perhaps, if the cast weren't having so much fun. Uneven? It already was in 1960, and it seems even more so in 2010. Cheesy? In retrospect, definitely. But as a time capsule of '60s Vegas Swing style and swank, I gotta say... it kinda works.

Unfortunately, Ocean's 11 doesn't end on a high note. Instead, it sobers up and pushes on, plodding along well after the Rat Pack pulls off their elaborate heist. Whether Milestone and the boys are guilty of moralizing, reflecting on the real-world consequences of criminal behavior or simply holding onto a good thing for too long is anyone's guess. But the film's third act endgame undermines most of what comes before it. At times, it feels like a separate flick entirely; a dull and diluted sequel of sorts tacked on without much rhyme or reason. Though deliberate, it seems at complete odds with Ocean's first act -- a slow, lumbering build up that feels positively aimless in light of Milestone's electric, casino-to-casino heist -- and the two bookends sandwich what could have been a fantastic little flick. (A sentiment Soderbergh and screenwriter Ted Griffin apparently shared when developing their nimble 2001 remake. If you couldn't tell already, it's a personal favorite.) I can see where it would be easy to love Milestone's Ocean's 11 and understand why it's still kicking after fifty years. But, at best, it strikes me as a guilty pleasure; an ode to Old Vegas, its Rat-Pack glory days and an era with undeniable appeal. If that sounds up your alley, by all means, enjoy.

 

Editor's Note: the Blu-ray release of 'Ocean's 11' is presented at an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The 1.78:1 images included in this review are not representative of the disc's quality.

Say what you will about some of Warner's lesser catalog releases. Far more often than not, the studio treats its classic titles -- true gems and divisive guilty pleasures alike -- with the utmost respect. Honestly, I didn't expect much from Ocean's 11 video transfer. Chalk it up to its fifty years, limited appeal or barebones marketing campaign. But Warner's excellent 1080p/VC-1 transfer handily trumps its DVD counterpart and should easily surpass humble expectations like mine. William H. Daniels' Old Vegas palette is awash with bold neon blues, deep backroom reds, satisfying blacks and warm, relatively natural skintones. Better still, delineation is impressive, contrast is spot on (despite a few bowling alley-esque dips and dives) and nary a distracting artifact or color band spoils the proceedings. Detail is a tad inconsistent and noise occasionally invades nighttime sequences -- no thanks to an at-times spotty source littered with soft shots and problematic scenes -- but by and large, the integrity of the original image has been meticulously preserved. Fine textures are apparent throughout, object definition is clean and crisp, edge enhancement is kept to a minimum and the whole of the presentation, grain and all, is faithfully rendered. Only a handful of scenes will raise DNR flags, and of those scenes, an even smaller handful are prone to slight smearing. All things considered, Ocean's 11 looks great and reinforces Warner's place with Sony at the head of the catalog pack.

 

Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is just as faithful, albeit to lesser ends. Dialogue is bright, clear and well prioritized, and only a small smattering of inconsequential lines is muffled or pinched. The whole of the track struggles with tinny effects, a somewhat hollow musical score and stagey background chatter, but at fifty years and counting, it rarely detracts from the studio's otherwise noble mastering efforts. Of course, without any LFE oomph or engrossing soundfield to speak of, there's little else to praise (or complain about for that matter). Ideally, every studio would offer a lossless mono or stereo mix and a snazzy 5.1 remix on their catalog releases, pleasing both purists and progressive audio-junkies in one fell swoop. But production budgets are king, and I would rather have a solid mono mix than an overwrought 5.1 redux. Frankly, I'm just happy to see every catalog release earning a full-fledged lossless audio track. Just a year ago, that wasn't the case.

 

The highpoint of the 50th Anniversary Edition extras is Frank Sinatra Jr. and Angie Dickinson's audio commentary, despite the fact that silence tends to dominate the track. Recorded individually, Sinatra delivers a slew of dry but interesting production tidbits, touching on the genesis of the project and his father's involvement, while Dickinson offers up a number of amusing first-hand anecdotes, many of which steal the show. Unfortunately, Sinatra is a bit too enamored with the film, Dickinson tends to get lost in her memories, and there isn't much to speak of beyond the commentary. A clip from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" featuring guest host Frank Sinatra (SD, 4 minutes) is worth watching but far too short, a "Tropicana Museum Vignette" (SD, 2 minutes) is little more than a tourist promo, the disc's "Vegas Map" is merely a pop-up still-image of Ocean's casino map, and two theatrical trailers (SD, 4 minutes) are included for good measure.

 

Ocean's 11 is a byproduct of early '60s Rat Pack kitsch, but fans of the era and its swinging stars won't mind. Warner, meanwhile, continues to grant even its lesser catalog titles strong releases, and this one is no different. With a fit and faithful video transfer that trounces its standard DVD counterpart, a solid DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix and a semi-decent supplemental package, the Blu-ray edition of Ocean's 11 justifies its asking price. Limited appeal? Indeed. But fans who buy in will be pleased.

• WB Cancels My Dog Skip Blu-ray, Delays Ocean?s 11 - October 5, 2010

Warner Home Video has withdrawn My Dog Skip from its Blu-ray release schedule. The studio has not given a new release date, or any reason for the cancellation of this family movie, initially announced for October 19. In other date change news, Ocean's 11, initially ...
• Original Ocean's 11 Announced on Blu-ray - June 7, 2010 Warner Home Video has announced Ocean's 11: 50th Anniversary Edition for release on Blu-ray on October 5. This is the original 1960 heist movie, starring Frank Sinatra and its "rat-pack" off-screen pals Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and ...

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Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Blu-ray Review)

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Criterion | 1983 | 124 min | Rated R | Sep 28, 2010
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, September 28, 2010

Nominated for Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Japanese director Nagisa Oshima's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a behind the scenes featurette; new video interview with screenwriter Paul Mayersberg; new video interview with actors Tom Conti and Ryuichi Sakamoto and producer Jeremy Thomas; new interview with actor and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto; "Hasten Slowly", a documentary film by Mickey Lemle; and the film's original theatrical trailer. The disc also arrives with 30-page illustrated booklet. In English and Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Warriors

Java, 1942. A large contingent of British POWs is kept in a remote Japanese prison camp. Amongst the prisoners, many of whom are seriously injured, are officers Celliers (David Bowie, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Just a Gigolo), a proud, fearless to the point of stupidity, and brash man, and Lawrence (Tom Conti, Reuben, Reuben), strikingly intelligent, fluent in Japanese, and quiet loner. Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Last Emperor), a young, well educated, and proud officer, and Hara (Takeshi Kitano, referred in the final credits only as Takeshi, Sonatine, Brother), a cruel but honorable warrior who isn't afraid of death, run the camp.

While the war rages on far away from Java, a strange bond forms between Celliers, Lawrence, Yonoi, and Hara. Even though they remain enemies, the men begin to admire each other - Yonoi admires Celliers and his spirit while Hara is impressed with Lawrence's tact and diplomatic skills.

The more time the men spend together, however, the less they understand what motivates them. What confuses them the most is the fact that neither side is particularly supportive of the war. Eventually, some of their mutual admiration evolves into frustration. As a result, Yonoi begins punishing some of the prisoners and even forces a few of his men to commit seppuku.

Based on Laurens Van der Post's novel, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is directed by Nagisa Oshima, arguably the most radical of mainstream Japanese directors. It is scripted as a war film but it is in fact a very complex examination of Japanese spirituality, and in particular Japanese attitude towards violence and death.

The film's morality is deeply rooted into the Japanese belief that, like life and death, love and violence are interconnected. Unsurprisingly, the admiration and respect Yonoi and Hara gradually develop for Celliers and Lawrence are expressed through acts of violence.

Another important aspect of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is the fact that the narrative is characterized by the strong presence of evil yet none of the main protagonists are evil men. They do hurt each other but not in conventional ways - or at least not until the final third of the film. For example, in one of the most memorable scenes from Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - which has given many Western critics the confidence to incorrectly conclude that the film houses homosexual overtones - Celliers publicly kisses Yonoi in order to humiliate him. It is the most efficient way for him to hurt his enemy - exposing his disappointment with the fact that he is forced by international law to treat the prisoners in the camp in a way that contradicts his beliefs.

Director Oshima gained international recognition with his In the Realm of the Senses, an explicit film exploring the relationship between passion and sex, and specifically the eroticism of physical action. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is very much a film that explores a similar relationship, though this time around sex is replaced with spirituality.

Note: In 1983, Merry Mr. Lawrence was nominated for Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later, the film won five Mainichi Film Concours awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Film Score (Ryuichi Sakamoto).

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"This new high-definition transfer was created from a 35mm interpositive scanned in 2K resolution on a Spirit Datacine 4K machine at Midnight Transfer, London. 2K color correction was done using Assimilate's Scratch system, and dirt and scratch removal was done using Pixel Farm's PFClean system at Cinelmage, London. This corrected data was output to high-definition tape at On Sight, London. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.

Telecine supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Telecine colorist: Fergus Hally/Cinelmage, London."

This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is very good, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is dramatically improved - on the old SDVD R2 release, courtesy of Optimum Home Entertainment, the variety of different blues, browns, and greens were very weak and often times bleeding. Now they look well saturated, lush, and natural. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. I did not see any traces of heavy noise reduction either. On the contrary, the film's grain structure is very much intact. There are no serious stability issues. When blown through a digital projector, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence conveys pleasing depth and tightness. Lastly, I also did not see any problematic cuts, splices, debris, stains, or damage marks to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with portions of Japanese). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, the English subtitles appear only when Japanese is spoken.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"Presented in its original stereo surround format, the soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm Dolby LT/RT magnetic audio track at Sync Sound Audio, London. Pops, cracks, hiss, and hum were reduced with an array of audio restoration techniques."

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is solid. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no serious balance issues with Ryuichi Sakamoto's music score either. Obviously, considering the film's age the dynamic amplitude is rather limited, but the sound certainly has very pleasing depth and fluidity.

 

The Oshima Gang - in this behind the scenes featurette, produced in 1983, actors David Bowie and Tom Conti, author Laurens van der Post, director Nagisa Oshima, and producer Jeremy Thomas among others discuss the unusual subject matter and tone of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, its production history, its reception at the Cannes Film Festival, etc. In English, without optional English subtitles. (30 min, 1080i).

On the screenplay - in this video interview, recorded in London in 2010, screenwriter Paul Mayersberg recalls his work on the screenplay of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, as well as the various encounters he had with Nagisa Oshima. In English, without optional English subtitles. (28 min, 1080p).

On location - in this video interview, recorded in London and New York in 2010, actors Tom Conti and Ryuichi Sakamoto and producer Jeremy Thomas discuss the production history of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. In English and Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the Japanese portions of the interview. (40 min, 1080p).

On the music - in this interview, conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York in 2010, actor and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto recalls his work on the music score for Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence as well as the film's reception. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (19 min, 1080p).

Hasten Slowly - a documentary film, produced and directed by Mickey Lemle, exploring the life and legacy of Sir Laurens van der Post (1906-1996), whose autobiographical novel The Seed and the Sower inspired director Nagisa Oshima to shoot Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. In English, without optional English subtitles. (56 min, 1080i).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. In English, not subtitled in English. (4 min, 1080i).

Booklet - 30-page illustrated booklet containing Chuck Stephens' essay "Lawrence of Shinjuku"; an interview with Nagisa Oshima, conducted by film scholar Tadao Sato in Tokyo in 1983; and an interview with Takeshi Kitano, published in a February 2010 special edition of the monthly Japanese culture magazine Switch.

 

A fascinating film! There is so much that America and its leaders can learn from it. Criterion's Blu-ray release of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence looks gorgeous and sounds terrific. The disc also contains some truly outstanding supplemental features. I urge you to find the time and watch the video interview with screenwriter Paul Mayersberg as he offers a terrific analysis of the film's complex message. As usual, this is a Region-A "locked" release. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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Batman Begins [Blu-ray]

Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.

Price: $28.99

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Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Blu-ray Review)

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Blu-ray + DVD
Disney / Buena Vista | 2010 | 76 min | Rated G | Sep 21, 2010

Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less)
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish (less)
Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
BD-Live

 (2010)

Animation | Family | Fantasy

Tinker Bell is discovered by Lizzy, a girl with a steadfast belief in fairies. As their different worlds unite, Tink develops a special bond with the curious girl in need of a friend. As her fellow fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell takes a huge risk, putting her own safety and the future of the fairies in jeopardy.

For more details about Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue on Blu-ray, see the Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, September 19, 2010

You have to hand it to the marketing masterminds at Disney. Not only did they shrewdly transform a pint-sized bit player from a 1953 animated classic into a wildly successful cash cow, they transformed a jealous, temperamental, vindictive pixie like Tinker Bell -- who, lest we forget, was willing to aid her beloved Pan's mortal enemy if it meant getting rid of wretched ol' Wendy -- into an endearing, dare I say enchanting little icon. The Great Fairy Rescue is Tink's third time hogging the spotlight, and it's the best spin-off of the franchise. Short and sweet? Indeed. Aimed at young girls between four and nine? Definitely. But don't be fooled. There's a steady heartbeat pulsing deep within this direct-to-video gem; a disarming convergence of sugar-sprinkled storytelling, thematic simplicity, mildly harrowing adventure and good-natured, animated fun guaranteed to leave your daughters smiling and laughing from beginning to end. And who knows? You might just be swept away with them.

When worlds collide... grade schoolers will cheer.

After learning to stay true to herself in 2008's Tinker Bell and realizing the value of honesty and integrity in its 2009 sequel, The Lost Treasure, Disney's pixie prima donna (voiced by Avatar: The Last Airbender's Mae Whitman) returns in The Great Fairy Rescue with renewed enthusiasm... only to land herself in another spot of trouble. While tending to England's flowering fields, Tink is captured by a well-mannered nine-year-old human named Lizzy (Lauren Mote). Upon hearing of her imprisonment, the young fairy's faithful friends (Pamela Adlon, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symone, Kristin Chenoweth and others) spring into action and mount a daring rescue, even though it requires them to brave the perils of a summer downpour. No small feat for such small creatures. But as it turns out, Tink isn't in much danger. Lizzy is a curious tot determined to verify the existence of fairies and catalog their behavior, nothing more. Before long, trust is earned, bonds are developed and Tinker Bell becomes quite fond of her first human companion. Their relationship is threatened though when Lizzie's father (Michael Sheen) intervenes, putting Tink and her friends to the ultimate test. Will the fairies survive? Will mankind learn of their existence? Will heart strings be plucked? Will life lessons abound?

Even by the twenty minute mark, it's abundantly clear that The Great Fairy Rescue is a more fully realized film than its predecessors. Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir's parallel storylines are strong enough to support their own features, yet work in perfect tandem; Lizzie is an infectious lead, and her methodical study of fairy culture is as cute as it is charming; Tink's misadventures in human handling are nothing short of inspired; size and scale are employed to great effect; and the fairies' trek across a hostile countryside is as absorbing as a film targeting little girls could be. Director Bradley Raymond navigates tricky waters -- after all, Rescue isn't as complex or powerful as Disney's theatrical heavyweights -- but nevertheless keeps a steady hand at the franchise helm. Wide-eyed fairy fans will be chomping their nails one minute, wishing they were Lizzie the next, all the while giggling and grinning with awe-struck wonder. Yes, Raymond and his writers make a few missteps (lingering pacing issues among them), and yes, Lizzie's father is a somewhat contrived source of conflict crammed into an otherwise breezy plot. But very little hinders the march of Tinker Bell's progress. As far as I'm concerned, it's better than several paint-by-numbers box office hits that have muscled their way into theaters in the last five years.

The franchise's CG animation has received some much-needed tinkering as well. Gone are the glassy stares and dead eyes that plagued early outings like The Lost Treasure. Tink, her tiny compatriots, Lizzie and her father exude emotion with every glance and glare, making each character more... well, human. But that's not all. The fairies' translucent wings are works of animated art, light and shadow have been refined with Pixar-esque precision, expressions are far more nuanced and evocative, and a variety of background elements brush shoulders with photo realism. Rather than churn out rehashed stories, recycled animation and superficial children's entertainment, Disney pushes the direct-to-video bar higher and higher. Could The Great Fairy Rescue sustain a theatrical release? In Ireland and the UK, it did just that. And I doubt a full-fledged Tinker Bell film is far off. If Disney's filmmakers and animators continue to elevate their game, there's no telling how far the Mouse House's flights of fancy could soar. As it stands, just one question remains. Can a well-calculated marketing gimmick evolve into a worthwhile franchise? Shed your doubts, clap your hands and shout "I believe in fairies!" If The Great Fairy Rescue is any indication, it can.

 

The Great Fairy Rescue's crisp and colorful 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer isn't Pixar perfect -- pixie-eyed videophiles and screenshot sprites will spot minor aliasing throughout the presentation -- but the vast majority of viewers won't notice and, frankly, won't care. Nor should they. Disney hasn't cut a single direct-to-video corner, and Tinker Bell and her winged friends have never looked better. Lush leaves and vibrant flowers all but sprout from the screen, rich primaries rain down on gorgeous green meadows, earthy expanses and candlelit rooms are warm and inviting, and satisfying shadows fall across every surface like finely spun silk. Contrast is bold and breathtaking as well, and black levels are flawless. And detail? Take note of the pinpoint textures that grace Tink's cage, the razor thin petal-veins in the fairies' dresses, the tiny brush strokes in the paintings hanging on Lizzie's walls, every swirling speck of pixie dust... if the animators dreamed it, Disney's Blu-ray beaut delivers it. Better still, artifacting, noise, ringing and, yes, even banding are nowhere to be found. In fact, if it weren't for the faint, fleeting aliasing that haunts the film's finest lines and sharpest edges, I wouldn't have anything but praise for the transfer. Tinker Bell fans, young and old, will be ecstatic.  

Disney's lively DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track isn't as magical as its video transfer, but it leaves a lasting impression nonetheless. From fairy whispers to human bellows, dialogue is bright, clean and perfectly intelligible, and isn't undermined when violent storms and thrilling chases ensue. LFE output is on point as well, granting cat attacks, cage doors, car engines and sky-splitting thunder heft and presence (without overwhelming the soundscape or weighing down the proceedings). Dynamics are reasonably restrained and quick to adapt, and separation is spot on. Granted, the whole of the experience is a wee bit front-heavy, but that doesn't mean the rear speakers don't eagerly join in the fun whenever it erupts. Summer winds, fluttering wings, blooming flowers and crackling spells pair nicely with Joel McNeely's sprightly score and envelop the listener in all the sounds of Tink's tinkering. Relatively precise directionality and nimble pans complete the sonic ensemble, and the soundfield remains fairly immersive throughout. The Great Fairy Rescue didn't leave my home theater in disarray, but it didn't leave me disappointed either.  

Aimed squarely at the kiddies, The Great Fairy Rescue's paper-thin special features are easily exhausted. A lengthy batch of "Deleted Scenes" (HD, 15 minutes) is the main draw, an exclusive "Fairy Field Guide" interactive trivia game is included for good measure, a brief highlight reel of a "Design a Fairy House" event (HD, 2 minutes) will leave your daughters wishing they had participated in all the fun, while a music video (HD, 3 minutes) for Bridgit Mendler's "How to Believe" tops off the disc's slim supplemental package.  

The Great Fairy Rescue is easily the best of the Tinker Bell films and should appeal to any family who counts at least one young girl among their own. Sweet and syrupy as it all may be, it will thrill four to nine-year-olds and leave them begging for more. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it has a few wholesome lessons to teach its knee-high fanbase along the way. Better yet, if you look past Disney's near-barebones supplemental package, the Blu-ray edition of The Great Fairy Rescue has a lot to offer. Its video transfer is gorgeous, its DTS-HD Master Audio track is engaging and its 2-disc BD/DVD combo pack is perfect for families who don't have a Blu-ray player in every room. (Or minivan as it were.) I don't have a daughter, but if I did, this is exactly the sort of direct-to-video children's film I would add to my cart. Tinker Bell is coming into her own and your little girls are the beneficiaries.

• Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Blu-ray in September - March 19, 2010

Parents rejoice! Peter Pan's erstwhile sidekick has branched out to become a bona fide DTV franchise for Disney, with the help of her "Disney Fairies" clique. The studio that brought you Tinker Bell in 2008 and Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure in 2009 has announced ...

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Raging Phoenix (Deu suay doo) (Blu-ray Review)

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Deu suay doo
Magnolia Pictures | 2009 | 112 min | Not rated | Sep 14, 2010

Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD 5.1
Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD 5.1
Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (less)
Subtitles
English, English SDH, Spanish (less)
Discs
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live

 (2009)

Action | Romance

Deu (JeeJa Yanin), a girl with equally high degree of recklessness and beauty has never experienced 'true love'. One day her life changes completely when some gangsters try to kidnap her and she narrowly escapes with the help of Sanim, a sad looking stranger with a painful past. Waking up in an abandoned factory, she joins his gang of merry do-gooders who practice a form of drunken Thai break-dancing martial arts that they dub Meyraiyuth. Sanim and his friends, having had loved ones abducted, join together to break the gang of kidnappers.

For more details about Raging Phoenix on Blu-ray, see the Raging Phoenix Blu-ray Review

Starring: JeeJa Yanin, David Bueno, Marc Nghi Hoang
Director: Rashane Limtrakul

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater, September 16, 2010

Newcomer Tony Jaa elbow-dropped unsuspecting international audiences with the 2003 release of Ong-Bak, a fast and furious Bangkok beat 'em up that introduced the world to the "no wires, no harness" wonders of Thai martial arts. Since then, Jaa, director Prachya Pinkaew, and their prot?g?s have released a steady output of similar films, some better than others. For every badass romp like Tom-Yum-Goong or the historical epic Ong-Bak 2, there's a lesser entry in the Thai martial arts canon, like Power Kids or Tsunami Warrior. Good or bad, the one constant in all of these films is that the stories inevitably?for a lack of a better word?suck. Sometimes it doesn't really matter. When Tony Jaa is onscreen, the spectacle of his insane acrobatics is often enough to carry a film that might otherwise have little going for it. Hardcore action fans may contest that the story in a martial arts movie is irrelevant, that the plot is just a means to positions the characters for the next over-the-top set piece. To a certain extent, this may be true, but I don't think anyone would argue against the fact that a film with hard-hitting action and a strong story offers a much better experience. Raging Phoenix, unfortunately, has neither.

Phoenix, preparing to rage...

This may surprise some martial arts aficionados, as the film stars Yanin "Jeeja" Vismistananda, a female fighter who gave a brutal breakout performance in director Prachya Pinkaew's well-received Chocolate. That film is about an autistic girl who becomes a kind of Muay Thai boxing savant, and it was graced with the memorable tagline, "A special-needs girl, with a special need to kick ass." Raging Phoenix's story is weirder?by far?but weirder doesn't exactly equal better. Jeeja plays Deu, a drummer in a Bangkok rock band who goes on a serious bender after she discovers her boyfriend is seeing another woman. As she stumbles drunkenly through a parking garage, a pair of thugs in a sketchy-looking van attempt to kidnap her, but she's whisked away by a mysterious man who carries her out to what I can only describe as an abandoned carnival, where?and hold on to your hats?they're attacked by thugs wearing pogo-stilts adorned with enormous serrated blades. It's just as ridiculous as it sounds. Deu's savior, Sanim (Kazu Patrick Tang), is the leader of a group that exists solely to rescue women from human traffickers. Sanim and the other members?named, no joke, Pigshit, Dogshit, and Bullshit?have all lost the women in their lives and are looking for vengeance. They're also practitioners of meyraiyuth, the Thai equivalent of drunken boxing. As Pigshit, or Horseshit, or one of the shits explains to Deu, to become proficient in this inebriation-centric art requires you to embrace your inner miserable-ness. Only the truly depressed can become meyraiyuth masters. The heartbroken Deu obviously qualifies.

Okay, here's where things get weird?and jumbled, and boring, and nearly incoherent. The bad guys in this film?the Jaguar gang?are only stealing girls with a particular smell. They've got nasally-acute thugs hanging out around town, sniffing for a specific pheromone, represented onscreen by a CGI ripple that drifts across the frame and into the baddies' nostrils. It is suggested that the Jaguar crew has found a way to extract the pheromone and make a perfume that turns rich dudes into sex addicts?or something like that?but it turns out their plan is even more nefarious. They're also harvesting tears, life-prolonging tears. They're led by an angry female body builder who spouts lines like, "The penalty for stealing my flower is death!" Girls hang by chains from the ceiling, wrapped like leftovers in cellophane. None of it makes much sense. I basically gave up on trying to follow the asinine plot after the first forty-five minutes. It's just not worth it. The characters are cardboard, but they still lapse into typical Thai movie melodrama. Deu cries a lot. The villains just glower. Worse, Raging Phoenix is easily the most poorly edited film I've seen all year. Nearly every scene feels like it drags on for four minutes longer than it should. There are redundant flashbacks, conversations comprised solely of exposition, and long sequences where nothing happens at all. Even the requisite training montage moves at a glacial pace. At one point, thinking the film was almost over, I checked to see how much time was left?I wasn't even halfway through.

"But what," you ask, "about the fight scenes?" Unfortunately, they suffer the same snooze-inducing fate. Don't get me wrong?Jeeja is clearly talented, and if there's a female equivalent to Tony Jaa, it's definitely her. The problem here is the choreography and editing. Where Jaa's moves feel spontaneous?almost improvised?Jeeja's fight sequences have a studied, carefully rehearsed vibe. This is partly intentional; the fictional meyraiyuth is a stylistic mash-up of Muay Thai and B-boy/breakdance moves, making each fight seem more like a dance battle?with each "team" going through their practiced routines?than a down and dirty, life or death struggle. Plus, there's really nothing here that we haven't seen before. Even the film's climax?a beatdown that takes place on several rope bridges spanning a chasm?pales next to epic fight that takes place on the side of a building in Chocolate. There's also a distinct slowness to the way the fight scenes are edited. I generally dislike tight, quick-cut shaky cam?where you can never really tell what's going on?but Raging Phoenix's approach, while completely opposite, is just as ineffective. The camera pulls back so we can see the full bodies of the actors?which is good, especially for showing off their acrobatic talents?but the editing is lethargic. With a story so dull, I'd usually recommend fast-forwarding to the fight scenes, but in Raging Phoenix you'll probably want to skip through those too.

 

Raging Phoenix rises on Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, framed in a screen-filling 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The film probably looks as good as it's ever going to here, but the filmmakers' helter-skelter stylistic approach often makes the high definition image hard to appreciate. The color palette changes?drastically?in just about every scene. On the beach, there's a super-saturated cross-processed look, with extreme yellowish green highlights. During the "pogo-stilts" fight, everything goes a bleak gray. Inside the Jaguar gang's hideout, the picture is desaturated except for reds, which make the characters' lips pop awkwardly. Skin tones, consequently, are all over the spectrum, from deathly pallid to intense yellow, and black levels vary. The stylization doesn't stop at color; the flashback sequences feature an image that's clearly been vertically stretched?for whatever reason?and while some scenes have a warm filmic look, others have a smeary shot-on-video quality. It could be DNR, it could be actual video?the insane color gimmickry honestly makes it hard to tell. Unsurprisingly, then, clarity is inconsistent. There are close-ups that look fantastically sharp?showing off facial detail and clothing texture?and elsewhere the picture is soft and indistinct. Aside from some slight banding in a few scenes?noticeable in the fog/steam?there are no real compression problems.  

Magnolia Home Entertainment has supplied Raging Phoenix with two lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround options?an English dub track and the original Thai mix. The film defaults to the dub, which?no surprise here?is pretty ridiculous. The weird thing is, I ended up preferring it to the original language track. Why, you ask? Because I was so bored by the film about 50 minutes in that I turned on the English track just so I could be entertained by something. In terms of actual sound quality, both tracks?aside from the dialogue?are nearly identical. The only real difference I noticed was that the dialogue in the dub is a good bit louder than the voices in the Thai mix, which sometimes get buried under other sounds. The rear speakers get a lot of play throughout; you'll hear club ambience at a rock show, the hush of wind and lapping water, and, of course, loads of cross-channel fight scene sounds as the character punch, kick, and leap acrobatically throughout the frame. None of this sounds particularly realistic, or even well implemented?the effects and pans are definitely stocky?but, like the film's color palette, I don't think realism was the intent. Most of the fight sequences are accompanied by rock/techno/Thai hip-hop tracks that would sound good?there's plenty of potent bass response?if the music itself wasn't so grating.  

The Making of Raging Phoenix (SD, 11:53)
An interview with director Rashane Limtrakul, who somehow makes Raging Phoenix sound like a profound work of socially conscious art.

Behind the Scenes of Raging Phoenix (SD, 10:37)
Straight up behind-the-scenes footage of rehearsals, fight choreography, and scene shooting.

International Trailer (SD, 3:36)

Also From Magnolia Home Entertainment Blu-ray (1080p, 6:53)
Includes trailers for Rubber, Chocolate, Centurion, and The Oxford Murders.

 

Raging Phoenix is a me-too beat 'em up with an incoherent plot, a pace that could put a crank addict to sleep, and a nearly ceaseless procession of nothing-we-haven't-seen-before Muay Thai moves. Unless you're some kind of fanatical apologist for all Thai martial arts movies?and it's amazing how many of those I've stumbled across on the internet?then Raging Phoenix will come as a disappointment, especially if you enjoyed the moderately-better Chocolate, "Jeeja" Vismistananda's previous film. Save your time and money and go watch Ong-Bak again instead.

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002- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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