Media Junkie

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.

DVD Review: Identity (Blu-Ray)

Identity
Columbia Pictures
Rated: R

Truly good thrillers are hard to come by. Ever since M. Night Shyamalan's PG-13 horror/thriller The Sixth Sense Hollywood has been churning out by-the-numbers psychological thrillers with predictable "twist" endings. That's why director James Mangold's Identity is so refreshing. Even after four years and repeated viewings, Identity is still as captivating and clever as it was the first time I saw it in theaters.

Far from the average slasher flick, but with just the right amount of thrills, tension, and gore to still classify as a horror film, Identity walks the fine line between clever and pretentious. There are loads of clues and hints throughout the entire film, but not so many that it makes the audience feel stupid if they didn't guess the ending long before all the big plot twists are revealed in fairly rapid succession. In fact, the film is one of those rare movies that actually benefits from being watched again, if only to appreciate all the complexity, care, and subtle hints in the plot. It even throws several bluffs at you, intentionally leading you down the wrong path and into the realm of a stereotypical ghost story. It almost seems like a Hollywood in-joke in a way, poking fun at how many films reuse the same scare tactics.

DVD Review: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Blu-Ray)

Bram Stoker's Dracula
Columbia Pictures
Rated: R

Of all the adaptations of Bram Stoker's classic gothic horror novel, Francis Ford Coppola's will most likely go down in history as the most faithful. Though Coppola's heavily eroticized version strays from the original book in many ways, adding a love story not present in the original novel, certain characters were omitted (no doubt due to time constraints and an already overcrowded cast), and the ending was altered somewhat, the core of the story remains intact and the film captures the spirit of the original work far better than any attempt previous or since.

As one who holds an undying belief that Dracula is the greatest novel ever written, it was with some trepidation that I recall going to see Coppola's film in the early 90s. Some odd casting choices, such as Keanu Reeves in the pivotal role of Jonathan Harker and Wynona Ryder as his bride-to-be, Mina, seemed out of place for a story that takes place in the early 1900s. Veteran actors such as Anthony Hopkins as Abraham Van Helsing and arguably the best performance in Gary Oldman's impressive career kept the film on solid ground, not to mention fine performances from Richard E. Grant as Dr. Jack Seward and a surprisingly delightful performance from singer Tom Waits as the lunatic Renfield. By the time the credits rolled, I could not but clap as my favorite novel had been brought to life in a way I had never dreamed.

And so it was with great anticipation that I purchased the blu-ray edition of Coppola's classic adaptation of Stoker's classic literary work. I was hoping for a pristine transfer, capable of bringing out the amazing cinematography, lavish costumes, and atmospheric sets, and a booming audio track that highlighted Wojciech Kilar's fantastic and haunting score. Alas, I was left with a somewhat sour taste in my mouth after I had finished watching this disc. Why? Read on and find out!

DVD Review: The Flaming Lips - U.F.O.s At The Zoo

The Flaming Lips
U.F.O.s At The Zoo
2007
WEA/Reprise

Buy This DVD

Finally! The first DVD that captures the Flaming Lips live experience! Performed and filmed September 15th and the Zoo Amphitheater in their hometown of Oklahoma City, U.F.O.s represents what the legions of Flips fans already know: they are one of the best live acts in the music business.

If you've ever stood in the midst of a Flaming Lips crowd you already know this, but a Flaming Lips show is like an instant New Year's party. Confetti and streamers fall from the ceiling, giant balloons are batted around the audience, crowd surfing runs rampant, and dressing up in outlandish costumes is not only common, but encouraged. There is a tangible feeling of happiness and love in the air that, I can only imagine, would be comparable to the era of hippies in the 1960s. Regardless, it's unlike anything I've ever experienced as a concert-goer in my 28 years, and it's a marvelous thing to have captured on film.