I like steak so I chose the Blue pill
Just ten short years ago, two brothers created the 28th best film of all time (As rated by IMDB readers). the Wachowski brothers, Andy and Larry, had limited film experience, yet they teamed up and put out a movie like the world had never seen before. Utilizing stunning special effects, ground breaking freeze-motion, and tieing into the emerging computer world, this movie caused every person who saw it to pause and ponder. Yes, just ten years ago, The Matrix was born.
The Matrix tells the story of Neo (Keanu Reeves), a small-time employee in a tech firm by day and a hacker by night. During the first few scenes with Reeves, there is the feeling that something is wrong with the world. Neo can not tell you what it is, but something is amiss, and something just isn’t right. To explain the real world, Neo meets up with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and sees the truth. That is, Neo sees that the world really isn’t a world, but it is merely a computer situation.
After being removed from the simulation and thrust into the real world, Neo is forced to come to terms with thousands of new things. He can learn Kung Fu, how to fly a helicopter, and get anything he wants all by being plugged into a machine. He must accept that food does not really taste good, that he will be living a limited life, and that everything he thought he knew was wrong. In short, Neo must restart his life, while at the same time finding out what his true destiny is.
I have always been a big Matrix fan and have loved the movie ever since it first came out. Though I abhor the sequels, the original movie is great, a classic, and a very good watch. The Matrix uses many literary metaphors and stories to tell a compelling tale. From Alice in Wonderland to several Sartre and Niche stories, you can follow the course of illusion and existentialism throughout the movie. The Matrix also nicely ties in various historical and biblical references, as the ship is a type Mark: 3:11 and called Nebuchadnezzar.
Another thing that I like about The Matrix is the symbolism that is inherent in the movie. From the references already mentioned, to the color hues in the film, this movie makes sure to use any and all symbols that it can. The Matrix talks about right v. wrong, the concept of what it is to be human, and even the technology struggle shown in Frankenstein. Even the names of the characters tie into the symboligy, as there are three main parts to the puzzle (Trinity), a new man (Neo), and a change to the world (Morpheus). The Wachowski brothers pulled all of the stops to make sure that The Matrix showed the world as it was and is.
Back in 1999, when The Matrix first came out, the movie was used by geeks, audiophiles, and rich people to show off exactly how impressive their surround sound system was. The movie had rich audio and booming bass, which set the standard for all DVDs to come. Though it is no longer the standard, the audio in The Matrix: 10th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray was still exceptionally good, clear, and perfect on my 5.1 sound system. I could hear all of the dialog, had no issues with volume, and even was able to hear the clattering of each shell casing as it hit the ground. Though the audio is no loner the standard, it still is up to par and a good mix.
Along the same lines, the visual quality of The Matrix: 10th AE is stunning and superb. The colors, which are hued greener or bluer, depending on if you are in the Matrix or not, are vibrant and bright. The black levels are deep and properly adjusted for HD viewing. Overall, the transfer was well done and the movie looks really good on my HDTV. That said, however, if you are looking for the modern HD look, where you can see pores and sweat, then the transfer will be disappointing. The only downside of the transfer was that the film retained a grainy look; this look, however, actually fits with the mood of the movie so it wasn’t that bad.
Did you know that Carrie-Anne Moss was an actress in a TV show called The Matrix, an unrelated show that was on Canadian television a few years before the movie? Well, I didn’t, but I do now thanks to a 30some page booklet that came with the movie. You can read biographies, filmographies, production information, trivia, and even an essay about the movie in this book. This is unusual and lacking in many other anniversary or special editions of movies, and it is something that I really enjoyed.
The Matrix: 10th AE comes jammed with tons of extras that are well worth your time. Besides the booklet, the Blu-ray itself has four commentaries, a documentary about the sequels, and the normal slew of deleted and extended scenes. Additionally, there are an amazing 19 featurettes comprising 3 general categories of the film. All of these extras are worth watching, as they all take you further and further down the rabbit hole. The only downside here is the fact that they are all the same as the DVD, HD-DVD, and Ultimate Collection versions.
Overall, The Matrix: 10th Anniversary Edition is a great movie to add to your shelf. This represents the first time that The Matrix has been put out on its own on the Blu-ray format so you don’t need to waste precious space with the sequels. That said, however, if you already own the Ultimate Collection then you don’t need to get the movie as there is nothing new in this release. The Matrix is perfect for geeks, nerds, and any action junkie, as well as all teens.
Movie:this movie is one of the best ever made
Video: the transfer is well done and the colors are good, but it isn’t what you have come to expect from Blu-ray
Audio:the sound is amazing and well done, but not nearly as grand as it used to be
Extras: You truly can find out how deep the rabbit hole is by watching these extras
Overall: There is no excuse for sci-fi lovers not upgrading to the Blu-ray version
The Matrix is rated R for sci-fi violence and language.
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Showing posts with label bluray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bluray. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Blu-ray Review: Caligula (1979)
Please keep in mind that Caligula is an extremely pornographic movie; continue reading the review with that in mind, if you wish. Unlike all of my previous reviews, I think that I will be starting with the technical aspects of Caligula, then moving into the actual movie itself. See, I think that more people focus on the end of the piece, not the beginning, and believe that the actual review of Caligula, as a move, is far more important than the review of its Blu-ray parts. With that in mind, let’s start with the visual aspect of Caligula on Blu-ray
The visual quality of Caligula is exactly what you would expect from a movie made thirty years ago. Grafting a movie onto a blu-ray disc can slightly improve the quality of the look, but what really matters is the quality of the film that was used in the first place. Caligula used low-quality film for the cameras, and that shows up when you try and watch the movie on a HDTV. You can easily see ghosting, the grains of the film, and several other problems with the actual imagry.
That said, however, not all was bad. With the move to blu-ray, the colors of the film seemed to become brighter, and the black levels were deeper. This is easily noticeable in the first few scenes, especially the opening forest scene and the introductory swimming scene. I am not sure exactly what caused this change, if it was a digital enhancement or simply a product of the blu-ray process. Either way, the color change was appreciated and very interesting.
Moving onto sound, you notice that Caligula is not presented in the normal Dobly TruHD that is typical of blu-ray movies. Nope, it is presented in a Dolby sound that is stereo; the typical one you will find from standard DVDs. I was not really too happy with the sound quality, but I didn’t expect much coming from a movie that is roughly thirty years old. There are occasional spots where the sound mixing fizzled, where you lose dialog, and a few times where the volume change is absurd. Once or twice the music got a bit too loud, and it drowned out everything else.
There, now all the bad stuff is out of the way, let’s talk about Caligula as a movie. To start, I think that we should have a little history lesson. Ancient Rome was not sexually obsessed in any manner. As a Roman History major friend put it: ”they were much more open about sex; however, they were also far more conservative then modern America”. Basically, the Romans were fine with the concept of sex, but they were not having sex all of the time, nor were they having sex in public. This is a major theme of Caligula, and one which is greatly incorrect. Sure, it might be a movie, but I do not like things this historically off of center. No matter what you might see saying otherwise, the Romans were not hyper sexualized.
Caligula tells the story of a fledging Roman youth (I wonder what his name is) as he migrates from being the heir to the throne, to being the emperor, to being beheaded. This movie starts with Caligula’s rise to power, when he is frolicking in the woods having sex with his sister. It then moves on to when he ascertains the throne of Rome and discusses his popularity and love. Finally, the movie comes crashing down due to the madness that we associate more often with Nero. The movie does this in a somewhat slow paced fashion, which surprisingly fits the film. Oh, and on a side note, it interjects hard-core pornography throughout.
Caligula has several major stars to its name which gives it some acting chops. The movie stars Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) as the emperor himself. His love interest, and sister, is played by Teresa Ann Savoy ( Salon Kitty ) and she shows acting ability that was not seen in her earlier works. Academy award winner Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen) plays Caesonia with the same passion and energy that she has come to be known for. The great acting cast is rounded out by Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia) and Sir John Gielgud (Chariots of Fire). The great actors have companions that are not so great at acting, the porn stars that did all of the sex scenes.
Caligula was a very interesting movie to watch. I had no idea that it was so pornographic when I decided to review it (I did have a warning about mature) so I as a bit surprised. However, it was not as bad as it was described on the interwebs. Don’t get me wrong, my sensibilities and boundaries were definitely breached (I never want to see homosexual sex, no matter what gender, again); however, that didn’t mean that the movie was not enjoyable. The acting, as mentioned above, was quite good, the overall story was compelling, and the script was decent. I really liked the interplay of the various actors, and they pulled the movie off perfectly.
Quite frankly, my favorite part of Caligula as a movie was the cinematography and direction used throughout. Caligula was made like a big budget film (it was one of the first big budget to also utilizes hard core porn) and was thus quite well done. The shot angles, coloring, and overall feel of the movie struck a tone with me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must say that the stylistic approach of this movie was probably one of my favorite approaches to any film that I have seen recently (save Watchmen, of course). This alone seems to redeem the random pornography that runs rampant.
Speaking of the random pornography, Caligula seems to be on a lot of hit lists because of the nature of the film, and the overall graphicness of it. I do not like how they implemented the pornography (they added it not telling the main actors, and they never got their consent); however, that doesn’t mean that the film was bad. No, I think that you need to look at the nature of Caligula in a concave lens, and see the actual point of the movie.
Caligula is a movie that is designed to be confrontational and controversial; it is the best way to make people discuss the actual movie, and the intended points. No, Caligula is no Cannibal Holocaust, nor is it an older version of The Basketball Diaries, but it still serves the same purpose. I believe that Caligula gets you talking, and that it drives forward the interplays between various people in the past. This movie was not intended to be a drama, nor was it intended to be a classic; no, Caligula, it seems, was intended simply to be a thinker.
How many porn movies do you know that allow you to get off of your ass and actually think about the movie? What was wrong with a proposed marriage to his sister? They both loved each other, and they both wanted it – they just simply were not the right ethnicity. What about the homosexual sex in it, or the group sex (disclaimer, this author did not mean to imply that homosexual sex and group sex are in any way related)? The point of Caligula was to make us rethink the social norms of our time, when we could see another empire of debauchery still standing up. Remember, in Caligula, only the rulers of the moralistic mess fell.
I believe that Caligula will eventually be redeemed in the eyes of society. The debauchery, lust, immorality, and all of the other fun and exciting things will be looked at as a lesson, or a story, instead of filler. I believe that society will come to accept the movie and will start to realize that Caligula is just as worthy as Kids or Reservoir Dogs due to the fact that it causes discussions and makes you think. Sure, it uses pornography to advance itself, but that doesn’t mean that it is a bad movie. I thought that it was a thinker, and I hope that you do too.
Overall, I believe that Caligula is an interesting and thought provoking movie. It is no Bully, but it will make you sit up and think. I am not sure who to recommend this too, as it has a very limited audience, but I think that anybody who is comfortable watching this level of ‘action’ will be okay with the movie. It is good for college kids (trust me, they won’t mind it) or people who want to use it to spark discussion. Do not give Caligula to kids, evangelicals, or history majors. With the fact that the quality of the film is not that much better on blu-ray, I recommend that you get it on standard DVD.
Movie:
Once you look through the porn and vulgarity, you find a compelling tale and amazing filming
Blu-ray Quality:
No real difference from the DVD version
Sound Quality Same as the Blu-ray quality, nothing new
Overall the thought invoking movie can not make up for the hyper sexualization or the lack of an upgrade in film and sound
Caligula (1979) is unrated but is exceptionally mature. Vulgarity, sexuality, sex, pornography, nudity, violence, blood, gore, etc. are seen throughout the movie. Please do not let a kid watch this.
Read more ...
The visual quality of Caligula is exactly what you would expect from a movie made thirty years ago. Grafting a movie onto a blu-ray disc can slightly improve the quality of the look, but what really matters is the quality of the film that was used in the first place. Caligula used low-quality film for the cameras, and that shows up when you try and watch the movie on a HDTV. You can easily see ghosting, the grains of the film, and several other problems with the actual imagry.
That said, however, not all was bad. With the move to blu-ray, the colors of the film seemed to become brighter, and the black levels were deeper. This is easily noticeable in the first few scenes, especially the opening forest scene and the introductory swimming scene. I am not sure exactly what caused this change, if it was a digital enhancement or simply a product of the blu-ray process. Either way, the color change was appreciated and very interesting.
Moving onto sound, you notice that Caligula is not presented in the normal Dobly TruHD that is typical of blu-ray movies. Nope, it is presented in a Dolby sound that is stereo; the typical one you will find from standard DVDs. I was not really too happy with the sound quality, but I didn’t expect much coming from a movie that is roughly thirty years old. There are occasional spots where the sound mixing fizzled, where you lose dialog, and a few times where the volume change is absurd. Once or twice the music got a bit too loud, and it drowned out everything else.
There, now all the bad stuff is out of the way, let’s talk about Caligula as a movie. To start, I think that we should have a little history lesson. Ancient Rome was not sexually obsessed in any manner. As a Roman History major friend put it: ”they were much more open about sex; however, they were also far more conservative then modern America”. Basically, the Romans were fine with the concept of sex, but they were not having sex all of the time, nor were they having sex in public. This is a major theme of Caligula, and one which is greatly incorrect. Sure, it might be a movie, but I do not like things this historically off of center. No matter what you might see saying otherwise, the Romans were not hyper sexualized.
Caligula tells the story of a fledging Roman youth (I wonder what his name is) as he migrates from being the heir to the throne, to being the emperor, to being beheaded. This movie starts with Caligula’s rise to power, when he is frolicking in the woods having sex with his sister. It then moves on to when he ascertains the throne of Rome and discusses his popularity and love. Finally, the movie comes crashing down due to the madness that we associate more often with Nero. The movie does this in a somewhat slow paced fashion, which surprisingly fits the film. Oh, and on a side note, it interjects hard-core pornography throughout.
Caligula has several major stars to its name which gives it some acting chops. The movie stars Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) as the emperor himself. His love interest, and sister, is played by Teresa Ann Savoy ( Salon Kitty ) and she shows acting ability that was not seen in her earlier works. Academy award winner Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen) plays Caesonia with the same passion and energy that she has come to be known for. The great acting cast is rounded out by Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia) and Sir John Gielgud (Chariots of Fire). The great actors have companions that are not so great at acting, the porn stars that did all of the sex scenes.
Caligula was a very interesting movie to watch. I had no idea that it was so pornographic when I decided to review it (I did have a warning about mature) so I as a bit surprised. However, it was not as bad as it was described on the interwebs. Don’t get me wrong, my sensibilities and boundaries were definitely breached (I never want to see homosexual sex, no matter what gender, again); however, that didn’t mean that the movie was not enjoyable. The acting, as mentioned above, was quite good, the overall story was compelling, and the script was decent. I really liked the interplay of the various actors, and they pulled the movie off perfectly.
Quite frankly, my favorite part of Caligula as a movie was the cinematography and direction used throughout. Caligula was made like a big budget film (it was one of the first big budget to also utilizes hard core porn) and was thus quite well done. The shot angles, coloring, and overall feel of the movie struck a tone with me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must say that the stylistic approach of this movie was probably one of my favorite approaches to any film that I have seen recently (save Watchmen, of course). This alone seems to redeem the random pornography that runs rampant.
Speaking of the random pornography, Caligula seems to be on a lot of hit lists because of the nature of the film, and the overall graphicness of it. I do not like how they implemented the pornography (they added it not telling the main actors, and they never got their consent); however, that doesn’t mean that the film was bad. No, I think that you need to look at the nature of Caligula in a concave lens, and see the actual point of the movie.
Caligula is a movie that is designed to be confrontational and controversial; it is the best way to make people discuss the actual movie, and the intended points. No, Caligula is no Cannibal Holocaust, nor is it an older version of The Basketball Diaries, but it still serves the same purpose. I believe that Caligula gets you talking, and that it drives forward the interplays between various people in the past. This movie was not intended to be a drama, nor was it intended to be a classic; no, Caligula, it seems, was intended simply to be a thinker.
How many porn movies do you know that allow you to get off of your ass and actually think about the movie? What was wrong with a proposed marriage to his sister? They both loved each other, and they both wanted it – they just simply were not the right ethnicity. What about the homosexual sex in it, or the group sex (disclaimer, this author did not mean to imply that homosexual sex and group sex are in any way related)? The point of Caligula was to make us rethink the social norms of our time, when we could see another empire of debauchery still standing up. Remember, in Caligula, only the rulers of the moralistic mess fell.
I believe that Caligula will eventually be redeemed in the eyes of society. The debauchery, lust, immorality, and all of the other fun and exciting things will be looked at as a lesson, or a story, instead of filler. I believe that society will come to accept the movie and will start to realize that Caligula is just as worthy as Kids or Reservoir Dogs due to the fact that it causes discussions and makes you think. Sure, it uses pornography to advance itself, but that doesn’t mean that it is a bad movie. I thought that it was a thinker, and I hope that you do too.
Overall, I believe that Caligula is an interesting and thought provoking movie. It is no Bully, but it will make you sit up and think. I am not sure who to recommend this too, as it has a very limited audience, but I think that anybody who is comfortable watching this level of ‘action’ will be okay with the movie. It is good for college kids (trust me, they won’t mind it) or people who want to use it to spark discussion. Do not give Caligula to kids, evangelicals, or history majors. With the fact that the quality of the film is not that much better on blu-ray, I recommend that you get it on standard DVD.
Movie:
Once you look through the porn and vulgarity, you find a compelling tale and amazing filmingBlu-ray Quality:
No real difference from the DVD versionSound Quality
Same as the Blu-ray quality, nothing newOverall
the thought invoking movie can not make up for the hyper sexualization or the lack of an upgrade in film and soundCaligula (1979) is unrated but is exceptionally mature. Vulgarity, sexuality, sex, pornography, nudity, violence, blood, gore, etc. are seen throughout the movie. Please do not let a kid watch this.
Read more ...
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Blu-ray Review: Tommy Boy - Holy Schnike Edition
Tommy Boy, one of the funniest movies of the '90s, has come out in a brand new format. Thirteen years after its initial release, the movie is finally available in Blu-ray High Definition and comes packed with extra features to make it worthwhile. The film, which only got a 46% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, has amassed a cult following giving it an 83% from the community. The combination of three talented comedic actors (David Spade, Chris Farley, and Dan Aykroyd) makes this an absolutely hilarious movie. The audience also fell in love with the character of the self-depreciating fat man. The Tommy Boy Blu-ray releases on December 16, just in time for Christmas shopping.
Tommy Boy tells the story of a lovable loser, Tommy Callahan the Third (Chris Farley), and his quest to save the city of Sandusky, Ohio from going under. After his father (Brian Dennehy) passes away, Tommy is tasked with saving the family auto parts manufacturing company. To make matters worse, the company is the only business that is keeping the city alive, and Tommy's love interest and all of his high school buddies work there. Thus Tommy, in his effort to save the company, hits the road with his partner, Richard Hayden (David Spade), to sell auto parts to stores around the country. As with all road comedies, the usual high-jinks soon occur.
Tommy Boy is one of the better comedy movies; while most focus on body humor and fart jokes, Tommy Boy has a sense of wit and satire to it, making it hilarious. Sure, there is some bodily humor, like the great "fat guy in a little coat" scene, but some of the best comedy comes from the two main actors, Farley and Spade, just chatting back and forth. Their one-liners, along with some of the facial expressions on Farley, make this absolutely hilarious. Spade and Farley, accompanied by an all star cast including Brian Dennehy, Rob Lowe, Bo Derek, and Dan Aykroyd, combine to make this a rip-roaring, side-holding, fully unforgettable movie. You will laugh throughout as its one-joke-after-another pacing is perfect. Under all of the laughs, however, there is a love story to follow, and the typical good vs. evil story. That said, the evil in Tommy Boy is sexy and funny in its own right.
The film is presented in 1080p high definition with a 16.9 aspect ratio. The extra materials, with the exception of the theatrical trailer, are all in 480p and formatted in full screen. The image quality of the movie is good but not up to the normal standard of HD content. The image transfer is not as perfect as you'd want. That said, however, it is still quite good quality and you can still see each wisp of hair on Spade's wig.
Tommy Boy outputs English audio in the 5.1 Dolby True HD format. It also has Spanish in 5.1 Dolby Digital and French in 2.0 Dolby Digital. The audio is perfectly blended, though it gets a bit loud when Farley screams. You can hear all of the dialog, yet you're still able to pick up all of the background noises in shops, and all of the noises from the road. The only issue is that it is not balanced; some scenes are far, far louder than others, which makes you need to reach for the remote often.
DVD Extras
Normally I do not like deleted scenes, as I feel that they were left out of the movie for a reason; however, with Tommy Boy, I must say that the deleted scenes were by far the best extra. Some of the scenes that were left out of the movie were far funnier than those that were included. I think that most of the scenes add to the overall movie, and thus it is a good feature to check out.
Like deleted scenes, I normally do not like featurettes, as I find them boring and full of information I really do not care about. Who really cares about how a movie was made, or how many takes a specific scene took? That said, with Tommy Boy, I really like the Tommy Boy: Behind the Laughter featurette. The stories in it, along with the focus on all of the actors, is quite amusing. I found the part about Beverly Barish-Burns (Bo Derek) and her bikini to be quite hilarious and true. This feature was impressive, and gave me some nice information, and even more laughs, about a movie that I enjoy greatly.
Overall, I think that Tommy Boy: Holy Schnike Edition is a great title for your DVD and Blu-ray collection. The image quality is good, the sound is good, and the jokes are as funny as ever. The extras make the Blu-ray version so much better than the standard DVD version, and with the price not that restrictive, now is the time to get Tommy Boy. Buy it for yourself, buy it as a gift for your father or brother, or buy it for that comedy-loving friend of yours.
Read more ...
Tommy Boy tells the story of a lovable loser, Tommy Callahan the Third (Chris Farley), and his quest to save the city of Sandusky, Ohio from going under. After his father (Brian Dennehy) passes away, Tommy is tasked with saving the family auto parts manufacturing company. To make matters worse, the company is the only business that is keeping the city alive, and Tommy's love interest and all of his high school buddies work there. Thus Tommy, in his effort to save the company, hits the road with his partner, Richard Hayden (David Spade), to sell auto parts to stores around the country. As with all road comedies, the usual high-jinks soon occur.
Tommy Boy is one of the better comedy movies; while most focus on body humor and fart jokes, Tommy Boy has a sense of wit and satire to it, making it hilarious. Sure, there is some bodily humor, like the great "fat guy in a little coat" scene, but some of the best comedy comes from the two main actors, Farley and Spade, just chatting back and forth. Their one-liners, along with some of the facial expressions on Farley, make this absolutely hilarious. Spade and Farley, accompanied by an all star cast including Brian Dennehy, Rob Lowe, Bo Derek, and Dan Aykroyd, combine to make this a rip-roaring, side-holding, fully unforgettable movie. You will laugh throughout as its one-joke-after-another pacing is perfect. Under all of the laughs, however, there is a love story to follow, and the typical good vs. evil story. That said, the evil in Tommy Boy is sexy and funny in its own right.
The film is presented in 1080p high definition with a 16.9 aspect ratio. The extra materials, with the exception of the theatrical trailer, are all in 480p and formatted in full screen. The image quality of the movie is good but not up to the normal standard of HD content. The image transfer is not as perfect as you'd want. That said, however, it is still quite good quality and you can still see each wisp of hair on Spade's wig.
Tommy Boy outputs English audio in the 5.1 Dolby True HD format. It also has Spanish in 5.1 Dolby Digital and French in 2.0 Dolby Digital. The audio is perfectly blended, though it gets a bit loud when Farley screams. You can hear all of the dialog, yet you're still able to pick up all of the background noises in shops, and all of the noises from the road. The only issue is that it is not balanced; some scenes are far, far louder than others, which makes you need to reach for the remote often.
DVD Extras
- Commentary by director Peter Segal
- Tommy Boy: Behind the Laughter
- Stories From the Side of the Road
- Just the Two of us
- Growing up Farley
- Storyboard Comparisons
- Deleted Scenes
- Extended Scenes
- Alternative Takes
- Gag Reel
- Photo Gallery
- TV Spots
- Theatrical Trailer
Normally I do not like deleted scenes, as I feel that they were left out of the movie for a reason; however, with Tommy Boy, I must say that the deleted scenes were by far the best extra. Some of the scenes that were left out of the movie were far funnier than those that were included. I think that most of the scenes add to the overall movie, and thus it is a good feature to check out.
Like deleted scenes, I normally do not like featurettes, as I find them boring and full of information I really do not care about. Who really cares about how a movie was made, or how many takes a specific scene took? That said, with Tommy Boy, I really like the Tommy Boy: Behind the Laughter featurette. The stories in it, along with the focus on all of the actors, is quite amusing. I found the part about Beverly Barish-Burns (Bo Derek) and her bikini to be quite hilarious and true. This feature was impressive, and gave me some nice information, and even more laughs, about a movie that I enjoy greatly.
Overall, I think that Tommy Boy: Holy Schnike Edition is a great title for your DVD and Blu-ray collection. The image quality is good, the sound is good, and the jokes are as funny as ever. The extras make the Blu-ray version so much better than the standard DVD version, and with the price not that restrictive, now is the time to get Tommy Boy. Buy it for yourself, buy it as a gift for your father or brother, or buy it for that comedy-loving friend of yours.
Read more ...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Blu-ray Review: Election (1999)
What do you get when you cross a high school presidential election with an overachieving teenager and an interfering teacher? Well, besides a guaranteed lawsuit, you get one funny and great movie. Toss in a few superstars and you have a blockbuster, or what should be one, for the teen demographic. Election fits this bill perfectly, and, it has the hilarity that you expect from this sort of set up. Starring Reese Witherspoon as the overachieving, pompous, and arrogant candidate Tracy Flick, Election is a great teen-comedy that takes the genre to new heights. Chris Klein plays her competition, Paul Metzler, who is an all-American quarterback from a rich family but with a heart of gold. The cast is rounded out by Matthew Broderick, who plays Jim McAllister, a beloved teacher who just gets in a little over his head.
Election tells the story of a typical high school presidential election, just with a slight twist. You have the usual prissy girl, running simply for the esteem. Then you have the typical popular dude, who is running simply because everybody likes him. Lastly, you have the stereotypical outcast, who is running just to mess with the system. Election takes these three main characters and simply plays with them, pitting them against each other in odder and odder situation. Using these amusing moments to advance the story line, Election rarely seems to lag or fall behind.
Election also tells the story of Jim McAllister, a teacher who just was not thinking well. From scamming an election to cheating on his wife, Jim simply is not ready for his role in life. The movie follows his digression a from loved and honest teacher, you know, the type that are way too dedicated, to his fall and divorce. Along the way he steals an election, sets up a Manchurian candidate, and has an affair with his best friends ex-wife. Oh, he also wants to have sex with one of his students and loses a fight with a wasp.
While Broderick did a great job of playing McAllister, the star of the movie has to be Witherspoon. Playing the preppy candidate who will do anything (literally) to achieve victory, Witherspoon actually draws us into her character and plays Tracy convincingly. With girl-next-door looks, and a brain to envy, this girl can capture you and then spit you out half the man that you were. Witherspoon plays such a convincing character that you actually are surprised when she starts to cuss (granted, it is in a fantasy), even though you have seen it before. This immersion into a character, and the investment it draws from the audience, is evidence of a great acting job.
While Election is not one of the great movies of all time, it is a great movie on its own. The pacing is good and the script is to die for. There is very little that detracts from the actual movie, and I believe that it will actually make you laugh out loud. I highly recommend renting or buying this movie simply to watch it.
Moving on to the technical aspects, Election is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which makes it a decent wide screen. The film is decently clear, and the transitions are quick and accurate, but there are a few remaining ghosts from the previous versions of the film that hinders its HD quality. Watching it on my TV, I was able to see some of the problems that were inherent in film at that time. The transfer from SD to HD, in this case, was not done as well as it could have been.
With that in mind, however, the film was of good quality. The colors were vibrant and looked especially good on all of the posters that covered the school during the campaign. All of these signs seemed to jump out at you, they were that bright. The black levels were decent throughout most of the film, but near the end, for some reason, they seemed to become sub-par and not really what I have come to expect from HD. While this transfer was nowhere near as good as I have seen before, it wasn't as bad as it could be. It seemed to be an average transfer, and shouldn't be noticeable to anybody using 720P or less.
As with most bluray movies, sound is presented in Dolby TrueHD. Unlike most blurays, however, the sound is available only in 5.0, not the normal 5.1. While this was abnormal, it was not that noticeable as my PS3 decided that it was going to output in 5.1 anyway. The overall sound quality was average, though the mixing was decent. You rarely lost any dialog or important sounds, which is pretty good. Additionally, you couldb hear background noises from classrooms during the movie (these were actual classes with real teachers and students), which added to the realism. While the sound was slightly front heavy, and seemed as though it would be better in 2.0, it was of decent quality.
While the overall quality of Election is good and the movie is great, it is missing one highly important feature: extras. Election comes with only one extra, and that is a director's commentary. I have always hated these commentaries and believe that they should be removed from all movies in the future. With the exception of the sing-along commentary from Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog, none of them have ever been worth my time. Extras are highly important on DVDs and BDs these days, and lacking them greatly harmed the value of this movie.
Overall, I believe that Election is a good movie to add to your collection if you like teen comedies. The movie is funny and the script is perfect. I truly believe that most teenagers will like this movie and it would be a perfect gift for them. It also is a great gift for college kids, as most of my friends loved it as well. Save for the fact that it is lacking in extras, the bluray is a good buy for its price.
Movie: 4/5 - I enjoyed the movie immensely and think that the script is amazing
Film Quality: 3/5 - Ghosting effects and sub-par black levels harmed this score
Sound Quality: 3.5/5 - Decent mixing and good quality
Extras: 1/5 - It has commentary (whoop-di-doo) and nothing else
Final: 3.5/5 - A good movie for any teen or college student
Election is rated R for strong sexuality, sex-related dialog and language, and a scene of drug abuse.
Read more ...
Election tells the story of a typical high school presidential election, just with a slight twist. You have the usual prissy girl, running simply for the esteem. Then you have the typical popular dude, who is running simply because everybody likes him. Lastly, you have the stereotypical outcast, who is running just to mess with the system. Election takes these three main characters and simply plays with them, pitting them against each other in odder and odder situation. Using these amusing moments to advance the story line, Election rarely seems to lag or fall behind.
Election also tells the story of Jim McAllister, a teacher who just was not thinking well. From scamming an election to cheating on his wife, Jim simply is not ready for his role in life. The movie follows his digression a from loved and honest teacher, you know, the type that are way too dedicated, to his fall and divorce. Along the way he steals an election, sets up a Manchurian candidate, and has an affair with his best friends ex-wife. Oh, he also wants to have sex with one of his students and loses a fight with a wasp.
While Broderick did a great job of playing McAllister, the star of the movie has to be Witherspoon. Playing the preppy candidate who will do anything (literally) to achieve victory, Witherspoon actually draws us into her character and plays Tracy convincingly. With girl-next-door looks, and a brain to envy, this girl can capture you and then spit you out half the man that you were. Witherspoon plays such a convincing character that you actually are surprised when she starts to cuss (granted, it is in a fantasy), even though you have seen it before. This immersion into a character, and the investment it draws from the audience, is evidence of a great acting job.
While Election is not one of the great movies of all time, it is a great movie on its own. The pacing is good and the script is to die for. There is very little that detracts from the actual movie, and I believe that it will actually make you laugh out loud. I highly recommend renting or buying this movie simply to watch it.
Moving on to the technical aspects, Election is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which makes it a decent wide screen. The film is decently clear, and the transitions are quick and accurate, but there are a few remaining ghosts from the previous versions of the film that hinders its HD quality. Watching it on my TV, I was able to see some of the problems that were inherent in film at that time. The transfer from SD to HD, in this case, was not done as well as it could have been.
With that in mind, however, the film was of good quality. The colors were vibrant and looked especially good on all of the posters that covered the school during the campaign. All of these signs seemed to jump out at you, they were that bright. The black levels were decent throughout most of the film, but near the end, for some reason, they seemed to become sub-par and not really what I have come to expect from HD. While this transfer was nowhere near as good as I have seen before, it wasn't as bad as it could be. It seemed to be an average transfer, and shouldn't be noticeable to anybody using 720P or less.
As with most bluray movies, sound is presented in Dolby TrueHD. Unlike most blurays, however, the sound is available only in 5.0, not the normal 5.1. While this was abnormal, it was not that noticeable as my PS3 decided that it was going to output in 5.1 anyway. The overall sound quality was average, though the mixing was decent. You rarely lost any dialog or important sounds, which is pretty good. Additionally, you couldb hear background noises from classrooms during the movie (these were actual classes with real teachers and students), which added to the realism. While the sound was slightly front heavy, and seemed as though it would be better in 2.0, it was of decent quality.
While the overall quality of Election is good and the movie is great, it is missing one highly important feature: extras. Election comes with only one extra, and that is a director's commentary. I have always hated these commentaries and believe that they should be removed from all movies in the future. With the exception of the sing-along commentary from Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog, none of them have ever been worth my time. Extras are highly important on DVDs and BDs these days, and lacking them greatly harmed the value of this movie.
Overall, I believe that Election is a good movie to add to your collection if you like teen comedies. The movie is funny and the script is perfect. I truly believe that most teenagers will like this movie and it would be a perfect gift for them. It also is a great gift for college kids, as most of my friends loved it as well. Save for the fact that it is lacking in extras, the bluray is a good buy for its price.
Movie: 4/5 - I enjoyed the movie immensely and think that the script is amazing
Film Quality: 3/5 - Ghosting effects and sub-par black levels harmed this score
Sound Quality: 3.5/5 - Decent mixing and good quality
Extras: 1/5 - It has commentary (whoop-di-doo) and nothing else
Final: 3.5/5 - A good movie for any teen or college student
Election is rated R for strong sexuality, sex-related dialog and language, and a scene of drug abuse.
Read more ...
Monday, February 2, 2009
Ten Amazingly Accurate Tech Predictions for 2009
I intentionally picked some things out of left field. It would be really pointless for me to predict that both wireless USB and USB3.0 come out, that Snow Leopard is released, etc. Basically, I took some things that might happen, might not, and justified them. Sure, I will not be a 100%, but what fun would it be if I was?
1) Apple will start to lose desktop/laptop market share.
While Apple has never really had a large share of the market, they have been making slow but steady gains the last few years. The biggest increase for Apple is in the college demographic. However, with the stumbling economy, the masses will buy fewer and fewer computers from Apple as they start to do a simple cost/benefit analysis. This will lead to a full reworking of Apple's marketing strategy and long-term plans, thus leading to the new market for Apple.
2) Apple releases a tablet/netbook/large iPod-Touch.
This new market, and new strategy, for Apple will be the release of a netbook/tablet that is essentially a large-screen iPod Touch. While this will get huge sales initially (helping to bump up the netbook market), it will quickly steady out and remain at the roughly 20% market share that Apple currently enjoys. The iNetBook will feature a touch screen, with a stylus as well, and OSX Snow Leopard. Unlike most netbooks, Apple's will be priced in the $500-$600 range, but that should not keep Apple from getting their normal support (I will be buying it the day it comes out).
3) The Netbook market takes off, but Windows XP remains the primary OS.
With the economy going towards the gutter and consumers spending far less than in years past, low-tech gear will gain in leaps and bounds. Most people want computers to e-mail, browse the Internet, and maybe look at pictures, and netbooks fill this niche perfectly. In 2009, netbooks will take about 20%-30% of the laptop market share and will remain in the sub 400$ range. Regardless of any Linux options or any future Apple OS, Windows XP will remain the king of netbook systems.
4) Microsoft will start a phone company, the iPhone will keep growing, Android will stumble.
The Apple iPhone, with its sexy look and easy-to-use touch screen will continue to grow in market share, while its app store makes millions for Apple. The iPhone, which will be available in larger sizes and memory configurations, will soon become the market leader of smart phones. Android, which launched with some fanfare, will soon plummet and disappear as most companies realize that it is better to have a company who can advertise their OS as opposed to you having to do it. Microsoft, in an attempt to keep Windows Mobile alive, will either create a Zune phone or make a play to purchase RIM (BlackBerry) which will give them a strong standing.
5) Google will release a full-fledged OS, un-beta Gmail, and stop supporting Chrome.
Google, preemptively judging their Android OS as being a market-stealer, will release a full-fledged OS for PCs (and maybe Macs). This operating system will mostly rely on cloud computing and will be lightweight, open source, and full of widgets. It will start strongly, but then will fall to Linux-like market share. As part of the release, Google will also release a final and full version of Gmail (only a few years too late) with only a few new features. Gmail will quickly become the dominant online e-mail client. Chrome, which slumped after a large release (like all of Google's products) will be terminated. Instead, Google will acquire Firefox (and Thunderbird) and attempt to gain browsing territory.
6) Microsoft will release Windows 7.
Following the release of Google's OS and Apple's OSX Snow Leopard, Microsoft will launch Windows 7 in the middle of its projected launch window; that is, it will be released in early November. This is just in time for Christmas, and it will be included on all PCs sold as Christmas presents. Unlike Vista, Windows 7 will be greeted with rave reviews and will have a large user base from the start. This will be seen as revitalizing and turning Windows around. I also predict that I will be standing in line and will buy it the second it comes out.
7) The Resurrection of HD-DVD.
As already stated, with the economy in the gutter, consumers are doing their best to spend as little as possible. A dead, but good, format should be able to help them do that. While there will be no new HD-DVD's (for now) released, the pricing of the actual existing movies (a large library of them) and the players are so low that consumers who do not care about the new releases will be starting to buy up these discs. Once there is a large sale record of HD-DVD, Toshiba will start to make the players again. Starting with smaller companies, and then moving to some mainstream studios, HD-DVD will make a comeback.
8) All three consoles will sell less, PS3 will be pulled.
With consumers spending less, all electronics will take a hit, and the console market is no exception. The Wii, with its low price and lower-end technology, will still be leading the market in the console wars. The Xbox 360, not to be outdone, will lower its price and keep on truckin, but will only gain slightly on the Wii. Sony, with their PS3, will not be able to cut their costs any more, as they are already selling each system in debt. Sony will cut their losses, and pull out of the console war for this generation (though their PSP will remain).
9) Microsoft will announce the Xbox 720, and a Microsoft handheld gaming system. Sony will release the PS4.
Sony, in an attempt to find a way to make money quickly and surely, will work on releasing the PS4. After discontinuing the PS3 they will roll out a console that is essentially a small computer, with dual Nvidia 9800 GPUs, Blu-Ray, and all the whistles; Sony will attempt to create another high-end system. While this works at first, and it starts the next generation of consoles, the market will not be there for such a costly item. Sony will pull out of the console market shortly after. Microsoft, on the other hand, will announce the Xbox 720, which will be a hybrid between the PS3 and the Wii, featuring the best of both while also keeping the few nicer features of the current Xbox 360. They will have a Halo title ready for launch. Additionally, Microsoft will announce a handheld system to compete with the DS and the PSP (it might be part of the Zune phone). Nintendo will continue with the Wii, possibly announcing an HD version (with a USB dongle). They will not announce a new console until 2010 or later.
10) Rock band and Guitar Hero will join, or at least release compatible controllers.
While this might just be a wish of mine, but I really am hoping that this happens in the near future. With the slowing down of sales eating into their margins (due to the price of each game), both Rock band and Guitar Hero will team up to release new games. The two companies will merge and become one. They will then release multiple variations of each title. If this does not happen, then I believe that the two companies will release a standard for their instruments, so that they all work on the same games. This makes sure that their games are sold, even if their instruments are not.
Read more ...
1) Apple will start to lose desktop/laptop market share.
While Apple has never really had a large share of the market, they have been making slow but steady gains the last few years. The biggest increase for Apple is in the college demographic. However, with the stumbling economy, the masses will buy fewer and fewer computers from Apple as they start to do a simple cost/benefit analysis. This will lead to a full reworking of Apple's marketing strategy and long-term plans, thus leading to the new market for Apple.
2) Apple releases a tablet/netbook/large iPod-Touch.
This new market, and new strategy, for Apple will be the release of a netbook/tablet that is essentially a large-screen iPod Touch. While this will get huge sales initially (helping to bump up the netbook market), it will quickly steady out and remain at the roughly 20% market share that Apple currently enjoys. The iNetBook will feature a touch screen, with a stylus as well, and OSX Snow Leopard. Unlike most netbooks, Apple's will be priced in the $500-$600 range, but that should not keep Apple from getting their normal support (I will be buying it the day it comes out).
3) The Netbook market takes off, but Windows XP remains the primary OS.
With the economy going towards the gutter and consumers spending far less than in years past, low-tech gear will gain in leaps and bounds. Most people want computers to e-mail, browse the Internet, and maybe look at pictures, and netbooks fill this niche perfectly. In 2009, netbooks will take about 20%-30% of the laptop market share and will remain in the sub 400$ range. Regardless of any Linux options or any future Apple OS, Windows XP will remain the king of netbook systems.
4) Microsoft will start a phone company, the iPhone will keep growing, Android will stumble.
The Apple iPhone, with its sexy look and easy-to-use touch screen will continue to grow in market share, while its app store makes millions for Apple. The iPhone, which will be available in larger sizes and memory configurations, will soon become the market leader of smart phones. Android, which launched with some fanfare, will soon plummet and disappear as most companies realize that it is better to have a company who can advertise their OS as opposed to you having to do it. Microsoft, in an attempt to keep Windows Mobile alive, will either create a Zune phone or make a play to purchase RIM (BlackBerry) which will give them a strong standing.
5) Google will release a full-fledged OS, un-beta Gmail, and stop supporting Chrome.
Google, preemptively judging their Android OS as being a market-stealer, will release a full-fledged OS for PCs (and maybe Macs). This operating system will mostly rely on cloud computing and will be lightweight, open source, and full of widgets. It will start strongly, but then will fall to Linux-like market share. As part of the release, Google will also release a final and full version of Gmail (only a few years too late) with only a few new features. Gmail will quickly become the dominant online e-mail client. Chrome, which slumped after a large release (like all of Google's products) will be terminated. Instead, Google will acquire Firefox (and Thunderbird) and attempt to gain browsing territory.
6) Microsoft will release Windows 7.
Following the release of Google's OS and Apple's OSX Snow Leopard, Microsoft will launch Windows 7 in the middle of its projected launch window; that is, it will be released in early November. This is just in time for Christmas, and it will be included on all PCs sold as Christmas presents. Unlike Vista, Windows 7 will be greeted with rave reviews and will have a large user base from the start. This will be seen as revitalizing and turning Windows around. I also predict that I will be standing in line and will buy it the second it comes out.
7) The Resurrection of HD-DVD.
As already stated, with the economy in the gutter, consumers are doing their best to spend as little as possible. A dead, but good, format should be able to help them do that. While there will be no new HD-DVD's (for now) released, the pricing of the actual existing movies (a large library of them) and the players are so low that consumers who do not care about the new releases will be starting to buy up these discs. Once there is a large sale record of HD-DVD, Toshiba will start to make the players again. Starting with smaller companies, and then moving to some mainstream studios, HD-DVD will make a comeback.
8) All three consoles will sell less, PS3 will be pulled.
With consumers spending less, all electronics will take a hit, and the console market is no exception. The Wii, with its low price and lower-end technology, will still be leading the market in the console wars. The Xbox 360, not to be outdone, will lower its price and keep on truckin, but will only gain slightly on the Wii. Sony, with their PS3, will not be able to cut their costs any more, as they are already selling each system in debt. Sony will cut their losses, and pull out of the console war for this generation (though their PSP will remain).
9) Microsoft will announce the Xbox 720, and a Microsoft handheld gaming system. Sony will release the PS4.
Sony, in an attempt to find a way to make money quickly and surely, will work on releasing the PS4. After discontinuing the PS3 they will roll out a console that is essentially a small computer, with dual Nvidia 9800 GPUs, Blu-Ray, and all the whistles; Sony will attempt to create another high-end system. While this works at first, and it starts the next generation of consoles, the market will not be there for such a costly item. Sony will pull out of the console market shortly after. Microsoft, on the other hand, will announce the Xbox 720, which will be a hybrid between the PS3 and the Wii, featuring the best of both while also keeping the few nicer features of the current Xbox 360. They will have a Halo title ready for launch. Additionally, Microsoft will announce a handheld system to compete with the DS and the PSP (it might be part of the Zune phone). Nintendo will continue with the Wii, possibly announcing an HD version (with a USB dongle). They will not announce a new console until 2010 or later.
10) Rock band and Guitar Hero will join, or at least release compatible controllers.
While this might just be a wish of mine, but I really am hoping that this happens in the near future. With the slowing down of sales eating into their margins (due to the price of each game), both Rock band and Guitar Hero will team up to release new games. The two companies will merge and become one. They will then release multiple variations of each title. If this does not happen, then I believe that the two companies will release a standard for their instruments, so that they all work on the same games. This makes sure that their games are sold, even if their instruments are not.
Read more ...
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