Media Junkie

Blu-ray Review: Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy
Walt Disney Productions/LivePlanet/Sean Bailey Productions
PG
127 Minutes
2010

This is going to sound weird, but Tron: Legacy is one of my favorite films of 2010.  I know film snobs are all scoffing and writing me off as another braindead average moviegoer, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy a good popcorn flick.  There's just something about this particular one that strikes a chord with me.

Is it that Jeff Bridges, one of the finest actors in the world, came back to reprise his role for a sequel to a 28-year-old cult sci-fi film?  Is it the arresting visuals and effects magic that recreated a believable 20-something Bridges and brought a digital world to life?  Is it the way the stunning score from Daft Punk is interwoven so perfectly into the film?  All those things certainly play a part, but none of them accurately explain my affection.

Tron: Legacy is most definitely a flawed film from an objective critic's point of view.  It's mostly visual spectacle with a clichéd science fiction hokum plot.  It makes sense, despite many reviews to the contrary,  but it's unoriginal, overly philosophical, often silly, and about as subtle as a building falling on top of you.  The acting ranges from good (Bridges) to stiff (Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn), to hammy (Michael Sheen's Castor).  Even with several expository flashbacks, knowledge of the first movie is practically a requirement, and several subplots are left unresolved.

The truth is even I don't know why I feel the way I do, but I enjoyed Tron: Legacy immensely.

Blu-ray Review: The Secret of NIMH [Required Viewing]

The Secret of NIMH
MGM/United Artists/Aurora Productions/Don Bluth Productions
G
82 Minutes
1982

The history of The Secret of NIMH is interesting, to say the least.  After Disney balked at adapting Robert C. O'Brien's Newbery Medal winning children's book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH on the basis that it was too dark, Don Bluth and several other animators defected from the company and formed his own with partner Gary Goldman.  Bluth then obtained the rights to make the film Disney wouldn't, focusing on strong character development instead of cute sing-alongs sung by lovable animal characters.

Alas, the film was a box office disaster.  Many deemed it too frightening for young children, and it was competing against a far more popular film - E.T. the Extra-Terrestial.  Nevertheless, The Secret of NIMH has become a cult-classic and remains a beloved tale from the golden days of animation.

Blu-Ray Review: The Social Network [Required Viewing]

The Social Network
Columbia TriStar/Relativity Media/Trigger Street Productions
PG-13
120 Minutes
2010

For all those who say that Hollywood is washed-up, out of good ideas, and that movies have been dumbed down to the point of being unwatchable, Director David Fincher and prolific screenwriter Aaron Sorkin would like to have a word with you.

Undoubtedly, there is plenty of garbage being churned out of the Hollywood cookie cutter, but as with any medium you often have to wade through the crap to find something truly worthwhile.  Filmmakers like Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Joel and Ethan Coen, and Darren Aronofsky are consistently making groundbreaking movies, be they massive blockbusters like Nolan's The Dark Knight or Inception or critical darlings like Aronofsky's Black Swan. 

Perhaps no film in the last ten years, however, has been as relevant as David Fincher's The Social Network.  It's a film perfectly attuned to the times, one that speaks to anyone living in this modern age of the internet, social networking, and digital lifestyles.  On the surface, it tells the story of the creation of the world's most popular social networking site, the monolithic Facebook, but at its core the film is so, so much more.  It's a tale of an intelligent, determined young man - a young man who is socially awkward himself; who strives to be somebody and make something out of himself, no matter who he has to step on or over; who strives for attention, be it positive or negative, and acceptance.  The Social Network is less about Mark Zuckerburg's multi-billion dollar creation than the creator himself.

Blu-Ray Review: Alice in Wonderland: 60th Anniversary Edition [Required Viewing]

Alice in Wonderland
Walt Disney Productions/RKO Radio Pictures
G
75 Minutes
1951

Being home sick has its advantages.  One such advantage is the ability to curl up on the couch and watch movies, a comfort I have enjoyed nearly every sick day I've ever had, be it from school or work.  Over the years I've built up a stable of movies that I return to time and again on days like this - a sort of film version of comfort food is the best analogy I can come up with - and there are few films more prominent than Disney's animated adaptation of Lewis Carroll's masterwork, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Of course, Disney's cartoon version is no match for the original book (or books, as it borrows from Through the Looking Glass in part as well), but nevertheless it is a fantastical journey through the distorted, whimsical, sometimes dark imagination of a young girl that has always held a special place in my heart.

With the release of the 60th Anniversary Edition on blu-ray, fans of Walt Disney's interpretation can rejoice and experience the magic like never before.  Disney's reputation for their exceptional blu-ray releases is upheld with this incredible remaster, and fans of American animation in general would do well to check it out.

DVD Review: Dark City (Blu-Ray)

Dark City
New Line Cinema
Rated: R
111 Minutes

I still remember the first time I saw director Alex Proyas' stunning sci-fi noir film Dark City.  I seemed to be one of the few people anxious to see the film during its original theatrical exhibition and I fell in love with it instantly.  I was the only one in the group of seven friends who enjoyed the film, and for the longest time I thought I may be one of the only people in the world. 

Fortunately, I am in good company.  Film critic Roger Ebert, inarguably the greatest of his profession, called the film the best of 1998, and since its release on home video formats, Dark City has gained a massive cult following.

To celebrate the ten year anniversary of its initial release fans are being treated to the brand new, restored Director's Cut in both a 2-disc Special Edition DVD and high definition Blu-Ray release.  Was it worth the wait?

DVD Review: Batman: Gotham Knight (Blu-Ray)

Batman: Gotham Knight
Warner Premiere
Rated: PG-13
75 Minutes

Batman seems like a perfect candidate for a series of animated films.  Being a comic book character to start with and known for being darker than standard comic fare, the marriage of Batman and the more mature Japanese anime industry seems like a match made in Heaven - though the final product doesn't quite live up to expectations.

Meant to bridge the gap between the events of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, this collection of six animated shorts, lovingly dubbed Batmanime by fans, is an interesting, if somewhat disjointed take on the great hero.

Each story is written and directed by a different group, giving each a distinctive visual style, but all distinctly anime.  While the change from one style to the next can be a bit jarring, most of the writing is fascinating and the stories are generally engrossing enough to hold your interest, even if the visuals in the given entry aren't particularly your style. 

DVD Review: The Orphanage (Blu-Ray)

The Orphanage
Picturehouse/New Line Cinema
Rated: R
105 Minutes

When was the last time you saw a truly good, truly scary horror film?  For me, you'd have to go all the way back to 2002's American adaptation of the Japanese horror film The Ring.  The Ring hit all the right notes as a horror film, relying on disturbing imagery, sounds, and pent up suspense to evoke a feeling of dread in the viewer. 

Since then, the American horror film market has been dominated by what is known as "torture porn" - films like the Saw franchise and Eli Roth's awful-beyond-description Hostel films.  The only thing tortuous about these films is actually watching them because the filmmakers operate under the notion that buckets of blood and gore are necessary in order to scare the viewer. 

So it is with much pleasure that I can tell you, the reader, that director J.A. Bayona's first foray into feature films, The Orphanage (El Orfanato, in its original Spanish language) is the first truly scary film I've seen in six long years.

DVD Review: Pan's Labyrinth (HD-DVD)

Pan's Labyrinth
Picturehouse
Rated: R

Brilliant.  Magical.  Stunning.  Enthralling.  Captivating.  Genius. 

All of these words can be used to describe Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's dark adult fairy tale, Pan's Labyrinth. 

Set in Spain shortly after the official end of the Spanish Civil War, a small group of rebels are still fighting against Franco's fascist regime.  A young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her pregnant mother, Carmen (Adriadna Gil), travel to be with the unborn child's father - a ruthless Captain in Franco's army, Captain Vidal (Sergei Lopez).

Shortly after her arrival, Ofelia discovers a labyrinth on the premises of the farmhouse that is being used as a military base for Vidal's men.  Here she meets the Faun (Doug Jones), a twisted and ancient goat-like creature that entrusts Ofelia with three tasks to prove that she is the princess of an underground realm.

DVD Review: Blade Runner - Ultimate Collector's Edition (HD-DVD/Blu-Ray)

Blade Runner
Warner Bros. Pictures
Rated: R

Part of the trouble with being a film critic is inherent to the visual nature of film itself and the way our brains perceive and interpret what we see.  When we are faced with something that is overwhelmingly a visual medium, we tend to ignore the subtleties of dialogue and inflection.

With that in mind, it's not that surprising that Ridley Scott's 1982 science fiction noir masterpiece Blade Runner was critically panned upon its original opening.  Blade Runner is an all-out assault on your senses, and as such, it's easy to miss the complex, yet subtle, story.  The first few times you see it, your focus will most likely be on the stunning audio/visual presentation.  There is so much visual information to take in that it obscures much of the film's plot and it practically requires repeat viewings before the narrative begins to become clear to the viewer.

Now, 25 years later, Blade Runner is heralded as one of the most influential, important films of all time.  It has a well-deserved place on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Films of All-Time.

With the recent release of the mammoth five disc 25th Anniversary set, what is unquestionably my favorite film of all time finally sees the spectacular treatment it deserves for the home theater.  This is the essential Blade Runner experience and any fan of cinema in general owes it to themselves to check it out.

DVD Review: The Shining (Blu-Ray/HD-DVD)

The Shining
Warner Bros.
Rated: R

Everybody has a few films that they know inside and out, backwards and forwards. They know every line, every movement by every actor, every mistake, and every piece of trivia. Legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining is one of mine.

Many have criticized Kubrick and screenwriter Diane Johnson's version of King's novel for a number of reasons. Some feel the pace is too slow, with a lot of buildup and very little in the way of a big payoff. Some feel it strays too far from the book, despite the fact that the novel is so dense that it inevitably had to be trimmed down for the cinema. Stephen King himself fumed over Kubrick's adaptation for years, even though he admits to only having one meeting with the director about the film, even going so far as to produce his own dreadful made-for-TV version starring Steven Weber, Rebecca De Mornay, and Courtland Mead as Danny; a child actor so bad he gives Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace) a run for his money. Though the TV version sticks closer to the original work, complete with the book's ending brought to life through low budget, comically bad CGI, it fails on nearly every possible level to capture the majesty of Kubrick's version. Flat, often unintentionally hilarious performances, cheap sets, and a tacked-on overly sappy ending effectively proved that Kubrick's vision of horror is far more interesting than King's own.