All About Movies: April 2009

My Fair Lady

MFL is a marvellous film about a professor who turns a common flower girl into a lady. It is full of sing-a-long songs and funny moments. It is basically a classic for all the right reasons! Plenty of re-watch factor makes it a film to own. In 1994, the film was restored and thank the lord they did! The film's negative was almost lost forever. In fact, the film had become yellow-tinged and full of scratches, blotches and all the rest! It would have been a very sad day for the movie industry if a flim like this had been lost. The original DVD that featured this new restoration was released in the late 90's. This DVD included a 9 minute featurette, actor profiles, audio commentary, and Audrey Hepburn singing in 2 scenes. This original 1-disc DVD has since been updated to a special 2-Disc Edition. Which one to get? I have both so I feel qualified to answer this. The new DVD includes all the features found on the original DVD, except the actor profiles. The new DVD once again includes the restored print but is apparently a new transfer from the restored print. However, according to a report that I have read, the new transfer is not perfect and has aliasing problems throughout. The average watcher probably won't pick up on this detail. If this is an issue to you, purchase the original edition DVD where the transfer has been given two thumbs up! The advantage of the special 2-Disc Edition DVD is that it includes a 58 minute 1994 documentary hosted by Jeremy Brett (Audrey's love interest in the film). Jeremy is no longer with us, so it's nice to have this as a piece of nostalgia. On top of this, there are many more features on this disc that aren't included on the original DVD such as footage from the film's premiere, production dinner, as well as discussions with Rex and Audrey.

This is a extremely elegant and stylish movie - the kind of spectacle that you just don't see any more, in a certain type of Technicolour that just isn't duplicated these days. Extremely witty and classic songs, a swish script, and gorgeous costumes. Admittedly, it is eye candy, but what eye candy! George Cukor directs it with true aplomb, turning "Titanic-era" London into a stylised and colourful melée, bringing out the humour and joyfulness of the screenplay, and Cecil Beaton's extravagant and yet, somehow, chic costumes and sets form a perfect setting for the actors - and the actors themselves are superb. Rex Harrison is totally believable as Henry Higgins, mixing crustiness with a very dry humour, whereas Audrey Hepburn looks just right as Eliza Doolittle. One is forced to ponder what Julie Andrews would have done in the role, following her playing the part on stage, but I just can't see Eliza played by anyone other than Audrey Hepburn, who is, quite simply, delicious. From the mawkish, ramshackle flower-girl, to the rebellious pupil, to the cool and composed "lady" of the title, she is perfectly credible, whether throwing a Cockney temperament, or floating through the conservatory, calmly sending Professor Higgins about his business. I am told her Cockney accent is awful, but being deaf, I cannot comment; no more than I can comment upon the fact that apparently her recording of "Oh Wouldn't It Be Luverly" has been reinstated upon the soundtrack. The appeal for this film lies in its spectacle - I saw it at the cinema once, in an arthouse revival, and it was utterly amazing - and in the speech therapy storyline, which has a lot of relevance to me. "My Fair Lady" is simply... a cinematic glory of a particular type that would be impossible to duplicate ever again. The Ascot scene is worth the money alone, a refreshing, gliding harmony of black and white, choreographed and stylised escapism, totally summing up the essence of a musical.

Smallville

I have been a fan of this amazing show ever since it premiered in October of 2001, and to date, it continues to evolve and flourish into one of the best stories ever told: The life of Clark Kent & his journey to become Superman!

In this season, we see many twists and turns that are quite epic. We are introduced to DOOMSDAY: the only known villain in DC comics that has killed Superman. Things get very intriguing with the introduction of Doomsday in the form of Davis Bloom, Doomsday's human alter ego.

Furthermore, we are also introduced to many more DC villains/heroes, such as Zatanna, the magician, as well as the Legion of Super Heroes, Faora (Zod's wife), Plastique, Livewire, Parasite, Maxima, Bruno Manheim, Toyman, and of course: DOOMSDAY.

Chloe gets a front burner storyline as well as she becomes involved with the Doomsday arc and protecting Clark against him. Tragedy comes for everyone in the spectacular season finale: DOOMSDAY in which the lives of every character is thrown into turmoil and chaos.

Probably the most best arc of this season is the Red-Blue-Blur arc involving Lois and Clark. Lois and Clark's romance begins and it becomes evident in "Bride" as they almost share a lip-lock. Erica Durance and Tom Welling's sizzling chemistry has made everyone fall in LOVE with Clois, aka, Clark and Lois. Hats off to the pair of them.

This amazing DVD set includes all 22 episodes of Season 8 with two commentaries on two episodes as well as some other excellent features, such as the origins of Doomsday and deleted scenes.
Some of the best episodes out of this season to look into are:

Doomsday: In the biggest cliffhanger ever, Clark and Doomsday face off in a major fight with 2 major deaths of beloved characters.
Bloodline: Lois becomes possessed by Zod's wife and goes on a rampage.
Infamous: Clark reveals his secret to the world & becomes a celebrity! Nuff' said.
Hex: Zatanna the magician casts Chloe's wish and switches bodies with cousin Lois!
Eternal: We are treated to Davis' background and how he arrived on Earth as Doomsday.
Stiletto: Lois Lane becomes a super heroine in Metropolis!
Injustice: Tess' assembled army of meteor freaks goes up against Doomsday.
Bride: Chloe and Jimmy's wedding gets destroyed by Doomsday kidnapping her.
Identity: Clark is introduced to an identity for himself.
Committed: Lois and Clark are held hostage where they admit their true feelings of love for one another!

Get some popcorn ready and immerse yourself with those spectacular episodes that will amaze you!

Smallville has been renewed for Season 9, with a possible 10th season since rumour has it that Tom Welling signed a two year contract when he signed on for S9. Smallville continues to entertain us and it shows us why is still is the number one show out there!

Twilight

Twilight", since its release as a novel in 2005 by Stephanie Meyer, the novel would become a New York Times Best Seller and even Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year.

Having released four novels, Summit Entertainment adapted the popular novel to a film and in 2008, was released to critical acclaim, grossing $35.7 million on its opening day and over $376 million worldwide, not including the $83+ million the film has made through DVD and Blu-ray sales.

With that being said, I knew nothing about the novels. In fact, part of my reason for reviewing this blu-ray disc a little late is because I wanted the hype and fanfare to die down, not having to hear it from friends, associates and literally, experience the film for myself and wonder why people are so passionate about "Twilight".

The first positive for me was to find out that Catherine Hardwicke would direct the film. Catherine is one of the new wave of directors that has a stylish and cool way of doing things. From her years as a production designer and art director for many films, what made me appreciate her work is what she did with the film "Lords of Dogtown". When she's passionate for a storyline, she goes all out.
And joining with screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg (known for her TV writing work for "The O.C.", "Dexter", etc.), I feel that both women could really do awesome work adapting Meyer's work to film.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

One thing that came to mind when I started watching "Twilight" is seeing the town of Fork, images of the popular "Twin Peaks" show came to mind. With its green vegetation, small town atmosphere and cloudy but rural type of terrain. But one thing that I enjoyed about "Twilight" is its blue tint.

The high definition 1080p transfer (2:35:1 aspect ratio) is quite beautiful but the slight hint of blue gives us this mysterious feeling. How the characters such as the Cullen family with their white and pale look to the close ups of the characters and being able to catch the hint of blood and grime on the fingertips of the nomadic vampires to the skin wrinkles and pores of the characters. Outdoors, shots are absolutely beautiful and gorgeous mountains that surround the town.
Definitely like the use of blacks and one thing that it's important to point out that with the many low light conditions captured on film, the film doesn't exhibit excessive grain. Overall, the picture quality of "Twilight" is absolute beautiful.

As for the audio, It was great to have this DTS-HD Master Audio track because of the amount of dialogue, music and overall ambiance of special effects to the sounds of nature, you hear it nicely.
Although the film showcases dialogue as its priority, the music is nicely balanced and the special effects and various sounds from Edward preventing the van and hearing the metal squeeze and crunch was quite nice.
Audio is front heavy for dialogue but you can expect to see the low levels of your subwoofer being utilized. So, I was absolutely happy that this Blu-ray had such an awesome, lossless and not overpowering soundtrack.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Twilight" has a good number of special features, fun commentary and an informative documentary but with a popular film such as "Twilight", I can't help but think that there will be another release (perhaps around the time of the second film) that would be jam packed with bonus features.
This Blu-ray disc comes with the following:

* AUDIO COMMENTARY by Director Catherine Hardwicke, Kristen Stewart and Richard Pattinson - An interesting and fun commentary, as you have Catherine Hardwicke with her laid back style of speaking, Pattinson often joking around and talking about crazy things during the filming and Steward who also have something interesting and fun to say. If anything, less talk about filmmaking (in a technical sense) but moreso on experiences of the talent and behind-the-scenes information of the film and the different scenes.

* MUSIC VIDEOS - The "Twilight" soundtrack is one of the most successful film soundtracks and nearly seven months since the film came out in theaters, the soundtrack continues to dominate the Billboard charts. For this segment, people can watch live concert videos of "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse, "Decode" by Paramore and "Leave Out all the Rest" by Linkin Park. This segment is featured in 1080i.

* The Adventure Begins: The Journey form Page to Screen - (54:29) If you have a Blu-ray profile 1.1 player, you can rewatch the film and have a picture-in-picture documentary or watch it separately if your Blu-ray player doesn't have PiP capability. In this documentary, "Twilight" creator Stephanie Meyer giving us information on how the novel was adapted to film. How things started out with a dream and then going into pre-production, casting, how CG was utilized, creating the overall atmosphere and world of the Cullen's and much more. Overall, a very entertaining and informative documentary featured in 1080p. Here are the various selections that can be viewed:
- the beginning
- the partnership: a look at pre-production
- the vampires
- capturing the action: a look at production
- vampire baseball
- the final word on the final battle
- putting it all together: the magic of post-production
* The Comic-Con Phenomenon - (7:58) A very fun featurette with the fans going crazy at the San Diego Comic-Con and clips from the press conference. It was fun to see everyone together and discuss what they enjoyed about the novel but also to hear the girls going crazy over Robert Pattinson. The featurette is featured in standard 480p.
* EXTENDED SCENES - (9:36) There are five extended scenes with introduction by Director Katherine Hardwicke. All are featured in 1080p. Included are:
- are people talking about the cullen's again?
- james, let's not play with our food.
- you don't know how it's tortured me.
- a hundred years worth of journals.
- don't read charlie's mind.
* DELETED SCENES - (5:54) There are five deleted scenes featuring an intro by Director Catherine Hardwicke. All are featured in 1080p. Included are:
- edward, she's not one of us
- that's the first time i dreamt of edward cullen.
- bella, your number was up the first day i met you.
- she brought him to life.
- i love it when men chase me.
* THEATRICAL CAMPAIGN - This segment features teaser trailers, trailers and sneak peaks, all in 1080p. Included are:
- sneak peek as seen on `Penelope' dvd
- comic-con new york sneak peek
- teaser trailer #1
- teaster trailer #2
- final trailer
JUDGMENT CALL:
I'm glad that I took the time to wait and watch "Twilight". When it comes to vampire and human relationships, I've always been a stickler for ol' Buffy and Angel. But I have to admit that I really enjoyed the whole theme of the film.
Kristen Stewart has this quirkiness to her character that makes her so believable in her role. Although, having watched her being interviewed several times, I'm guessing that she's just a person that has her brain working overtime or maybe she's uncomfortably shy or something. But she brought a uniqueness to the role of Bella and I look forward to seeing more of her.
As for Robert Pattinson, obviously the girl magnet. The cool guy and like Kristen Stewart, I feel that he was well cast for his role as Edward.
After watching the film, I just enjoyed the overall setting of the film. Beautiful lush and green but with that hint of fog or low clouds in the mountainside adds to the whimsical beauty of the film.
I also enjoyed the characters. Sure, it has an essence of some teenage films but when combined with the vampire storyline and overall cool look of the Cullen family which have a degree of coolness with each character, you can't help but be mesmerized and curious of these characters.
Katherine Hardwicke has a good eye on action but most of all character development and pacing has always been her strong point and overall, screenplay, cinematography and its musical score are just well-done.
Overall, I can help but give this Blu-ray a high recommendation. Sure, it's not all-out-action or a bloody, gory vampire film. Nor is it Scooby Doo-ish, Vampire turns on girlfriend ala "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" either.
It's a good ol' romantic love story with a dark vampire edge to it. Well-written, well-directed, well-acted, well-cast and overall gripping and modernly stylish. The Blu-ray features beautiful visuals and the audio is well done with its DTS-HD MA soundtrack. There's nothing bad I could say about this release.
I highly recommend this film and look forward to the sequel!

Caprica

With Battlestar Galactica now over, the team that brought us one of the best sci-fi shows of the last decade now step back into the series' own history with Caprica. Set 58 years before the fall of the colonies, this show has a very different feel and design from it's predecessor. The story centres around two familles, the Greystones and the Adams, both of which are devastated when a suicide bombing on a maglev train kills Daniel Greystone's daughter and Joseph Adams' wife and daughter. As the authorities investigate the bombing, evidence seems to indicate that Daniel's daughter Zoe may have been involved with a religious extremist group called 'Soldiers Of The One' who believe that there is only one god and not many. While Joseph tries to help his son William through the trauma, he is asked by some of his Tauron colleagues to 'help' them with a legal issue. Being a man of moral standing, Joseph has trouble with what they want and tries to find a way out of the situation. Daniel also has problems with both his wife, Amanda, and that his company's latest project, the U-78 (that's the old style Centurions!) is being threatened by an off-world corporation. As Daniel attempts to complete the project, a friend of Zoe's unwittingly shows him the way to solve his problem and a way to get his daughter back. Zoe's ability to manipulate digital information and environments leads Daniel into a virtual reality world of night-clubs, sex, excess, human sacrifices and digital avatars. Both Daniel and Joseph struggle to come to terms with their loss but in the wake of the tragedy they both begin to find something out about themselves. For those fans wanting a show like BSG, this is not it. Caprica is more akin to a modern day detective / legal / gangster drama with a few sci-fi elements in the mix. The show still deals with issues like BSG and tackles religion, racial tolerance, faith, monotheism vs. pantheism, terrorism, suicide bombings and the trauma of losing someone you love. Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales are excellent as Daniel and Joseph. It will be interesting to see how these characters develop as the show continues through the first season. The show sports the same high production values and standards that we expected from BSG which gives the show a very cinematic look. There are links to BSG and hopefully the plot lines about the first Cylon war will slowly develop as the series progresses. It was great to see the first Cylon Centurion perform it's basic tests and utter those immortal words "By your command." Caprica has huge potential so lets just hope it gets the chance to fill in some back story for those who love Battlestar.

Sin City

While it's probably a total cliche to say it by now, Sin City really is a wild thrill ride of a movie, and quite possibly the most entertaining thing that will hit theaters all year. Adapted by director Robert Rodriguez from Frank Miller's graphic-novel series, it's an energetic slab of neo-noir, complete with twisted characters, ambiguous morality, and deadly serious dialogue. For those who thought the Kill Bill movies weren't bizarre or violent enough, Sin City ought to seem like a stylish, action-packed gift from guy-movie heaven. It's filled with negativity, outrageously over the-top bloodletting, and some of the blackest humor known to man, but it all works anyway. I even managed to forgive the incessant voice-over narration, normally a rather lazy device, because it's so oddly poignant and poetic. It's not really that big a deal anyway, because this movie is so impressive visually that the characters could speak in gibberish and I'd probably still be moved to give it at least three stars.

As everyone (and probably their brothers) knows by now, Sin City was filmed using real actors against a black-and-white CGI background with some touches of color added for dramatic effect. It may seem like a gimmick at first, but Sin City is all about bringing the viewer into a sort of parallel universe, so this unconventional device works perfectly. Sin City is a movie dealing with lives on the edge, and it conjures up a delightfully dark, grimy, and gritty atmosphere to go match the depravity of its subject matter. Weighty themes and over-the-top violence abound here, and it's only fitting that the movie's look and feel should be so uniformly haunting. Consisting of three tangentially related stories occurring out of sequence, Sin City brings the viewer into an underworld populated by thieves, murderers, hookers, and dirty cops, and the morality is viewed entirely in shades of grey. In the Basin City of the movie, where the good guys are bad and the bad guys are even worse, violence is often a virtue, or at the very least a prerequisite for survival. If there's one redeeming value to Sin City's cartoonish ultraviolence, it's that it's painfully clear that its recipients generally deserve it.

Now, although I've gone on too long already, I'd feel remiss if I didn't talk about Sin City's staggering violence quotient. Yes, this an extremely graphic movie, and much of the violence is downright disturbing to watch (Elijah Wood's character being cut up and fed to a wolf is a prominent example, even if much of the violence in that case was implied), but it's just as true that context is an important factor when considering just how offensive such bloodletting is. Now, for one thing, Sin City is meant to be a piece of escapist cinema, so nothing that takes place onscreen should be taken too seriously anyway. After all, no one got offended during the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when King Arthur cut off the Black Knight's arms and legs; that scene was meant to be funny and it was. Perhaps more to the point, the violence here is so ludicrously over the top from the opening scene that it's hard to imagine any rational person getting too upset. You have to just go with it; if you're the kind of person who makes it a point to be huffy and offended all the time you shouldn't be seeing this movie anyway.

Lost: The Complete First Season

Lost is the ultimate TV series to experience in high definition with mind blowing 1080p picture and 5.1 uncompressed sound. Mixing suspense and action with a sci-fi twist, Lost begins with a thrilling pilot episode in which a jetliner traveling from Australia to Los Angeles crashes leaving 48 survivors on an unidentified island with no sign of civilization or hope of imminent rescue.

It is too early to state for certain just how good LOST is compared to the great shows in television history, but by the highest possible standards its first season has to stand out as one of the great seasons in the history of the medium. Season One of LOST was not merely good but great television, and not merely great television but great narrative storytelling. But the impact of LOST goes completely beyond its aesthetic success. Along with another show on ABC (albeit one that I do not care for), DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, LOST has managed to cause the prodigiously stupid television execs to realize that there is a huge demand for quality scripted television. After years of an endless string of simply awful reality shows, all of the networks suddenly want shows that are written ahead of time and feature casts of actual actors. Although final schedules have not yet been announced, it looks as if the 2005-2006 season is going to have both a dramatic decrease in reality shows and an increase in scripted shows. The stunning success of LOST has played a major role in this sea change.

Who would have thought that a series dealing with plane crash survivors on a most unusual island would have been this successful? Before it debuted I remember people joking that it sounded like GILLIGAN'S ISLAND without the humor. But it ended up matching or surpassing the most optimistic expecations, in quality as well as in ratings. The mention of ratings is not gratuitious. So many superb shows have been cancelled in recent years (FIREFLY, WONDERFALLS, DEAD LIKE ME, ANGEL) that there was even a "Save LOST" website started . . . before the show even debuted! Luckily, the ratings have made cancellation seem not only remote but impossible.

Structurally, the narrative shifts between the efforts of the survivors to adapt to and understand the island on which they are marooned and flashbacks that explain the personal history of each character. Some people object to this, wishing instead that they focused exclusively on the events on the island, but I think that this is wrong. If you focused merely on the events on the island, it would be only an adventure story, but through the flashbacks we learn so much about what makes the people tick that the series becomes as much a character study as an adventure. By the end of the season, we get to know the characters so well that we can anticipate how they are going to respond to even the smallest events. We learn very quickly that the island contains a host of mysteries, including invisible monsters whose location and function remain unknown until the end of the season (if we even understand them then), other inhabitants whose intentions seem both sinister and unknown, and a lone insane Frenchwoman named Danielle Rousseau. But there is not much more than we know about the island. Rousseau talks of the Black Rock, but it isn't what we expect when we finally see it. And then there is the metal doorway that Locke discovers in the middle of the jungle. How can it be opened and what lies behind the door? By the end of the season many of the mysteries are explained, but more are left open-ended.

Psych - The Complete Second Season

Like the USA Network's Monk, Psych combines crime-solving with comedy. Shawn Spencer (writer/actor James Roday, Miss Match) and Burton "Gus" Guster (The West Wing's Dulé Hill) have been friends since the 1980s. Aside from their divergent styles--walking encyclopedia Gus plays straight man to Shawn's hyper-observant goofball--the former passes himself off as a psychic. Together, they work with the Santa Barbara Police Department, represented by Chief Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson) and detectives Juliet "Jules" O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) and Carl "Lassie" Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), their tightly-wound nemesis. The second season allows the duo to dig deeper into their pop-culture past. As before, every episode begins with a childhood incident that anticipates the case to come, most involving Shawn’s dad, Henry (L.A. Law’s Corbin Bernsen), a hard-nosed ex-cop. "American Duos," for instance, spoofs American Idol with Tim Curry as a snide judge and Gina Gershon as his spaced-out colleague, while "65 Million Years Off" recalls Jurassic Park when a paleontologist turns up dead. Other guests include Kerry Washington as a figure from Gus's past ("There's Something About Mira") and Phylicia Rashad and Ernie Hudson as Gus's parents, from whom he inherited his superior sense of smell ("Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy").
Though it takes a few episodes to find its footing, Psych's second year surpasses the first, and abundant extras make this four-disc set essential viewing. They include digressive commentary on 13 episodes (with Roday, Hill, and creator Steve Franks, who also performs the catchy theme song), deleted scenes, a gag reel, animated promos (The Big Adventures of Little Shawn and Gus), and a handy guide to the pineapple references in every show. Clearly, the makers of Psych love their work, and their enthusiasm is infectious.

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