Film 

To Live and Die in L.A. is an excellent film and as noted above, one of William Fridkin’s finest works. The film centers around two main characters who in many ways are the flip side of the same coin.

Willem Dafoe stars as Rick Masters, a ruthless and murderous counterfeiter and William Petersen (yes of CSI fame although a good deal younger and thinner) as Richard Chance, a Secret Service agent in LA who is attempting to put Masters behind bars, not only for his counterfeiting activities, but for the death of his former partner as well.

Both Masters and Chance have many things in common. Both are risk takers, often with no regards for their lives or it seems, those around them. Chance will do almost anything to take down Masters and oversteps his bounds many times and pulls his new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow) into his world, compromising his integrity as well, as part of his efforts to bag Masters.

The film is set in the seedier sections of L.A. and features an inventive chase scene on par and maybe even better than that in The French Connection. Both Dafoe and Petersen are excellent in their co-lead roles. The film is fast paced and action packed and very engrossing, as you try to figure out where the film is going and how it will all end. To Live and Die in L.A. is well with a look and is highly recommended.

Video 

If you are looking for a film with eye popping color, deep and inky blacks and razor sharp images, To Live and Die in L.A. is not the film for you. To Live and Die in LA shares many of the same attributes of other films from the early to mid 1980′s due to the type of film stock used prevalently during that time period. Like so many of those films, To Live and Die in L.A. has an overall softness and a bit of murkiness to it.

The color palette is very natural although a bit subdued with mediocre blacks. Film grain is fairly heavy and very well preserved. I was not able to detect any evidence of the application of any significant digital noise reduction or edge enhancement. Once you get past the film grain and softness, you can see that there is a good bit of detail in each shot. Facial detail is well preserved as are background details, just not up to the levels that once sees in more modern films. Overall, given the period in which the film was shot and the type of film stock employed, I was quite pleased with the encode as it captures the original look of the film perfectly. Fans of the film should be more than pleased with this encode.

I guess William Fridkin learned a thing or two from the critical reaction to his tampering with the color palette on the Blu-ray release of The French Connection. Thankfully, no such questionable color adjustments were made for this release. For the sake of completeness, I should note that one of my Blu-ray players, a Panasonic DMP-BD55 had trouble playing chapters 19 and 20 of this disc. The remaining chapters played fine. I can only chalk it up to an issue with my player as these chapters played fine on an older Panasonic I have. Hopefully, this will clear up once I install the latest firmware upgrade for my player.

Audio 

First off, I would like to note that I was quite shocked with the quality of the sound design for the film given its age. This is a very immersive mix, with the aggressive use of the surrounds during the entire picture. The sound mix deserves a higher rating that my overall score. However, where the audio falls short for me is in the level of dynamics, bass response and overall fidelity. There is a thinness and shallowness to the sound that didn’t appeal to me at all.

Bass response was very weak as were the overall dynamics of the sound. There was simply no deep bass to be found here. As a result, the musical score sounded lame (like much of the 1980′s pop music, Wang Chung indeed). The highs sounded a bit tizzy for want of a better word. Gun shots, explosions and vehicular impacts lacked the heft and weight of a more modern film, sounding more like a whimper than a bang.

Rather than having a layered sound stage, the audio sounded very flat and two dimensional, lacking any real depth at all. Had the film been blessed with better overall fidelity, it would have rated a 4.5 rating given the excellent use of the surrounds. However, given that the overall fidelity is so week, I felt compelled to drop the drop my score a full point to a 3.5.

Special Features 

To Live and Die in L.A. is a two disc set, with the film in HD on once disc and a DVD that includes the film in standard definition along with the extras. The only extra included on the Blu-ray disc is the original theatrical trailer for the film. All of the other extras, including the director’s commentary, are included on the DVD only and appear to have been ported over from the prior DVD release of the film.

In addition to the director’s commentary, the extras include a featurette on the making of the film including interviews with William Fridkin, Willem Dafoe, Willaim Petersen and John Pankow and other members of the cast and production crew. Also included is one deleted scene with an accompanying featurette explaining why that scene was deleted. The same is the case for an alternate ending that was shot for the film and thankfully, never used. A photo gallery is also included.

Final Thoughts 

While the fidelity of the audio is a bit of a disappointment, To Live and Die in L.A. has never looked better than it has on this release and is highly recommended.

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2010/02/to-live-and-die-in-la/feed/ 0 http://intotheblu.com/2009/09/strange-wilderness/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/09/strange-wilderness/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:34:03 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=3216 So I’ve had this film sitting in my review queue for some time now.  Strange Wilderness, brought to us from Adam Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison Productions, had served its time waiting in line behind my other film reviews.  I knew nothing of this film other than two thumbs down from a co-worker.  Just how strange is the wilderness?  Was it as bad as I heard?  Lace up your hiking boots and grab some film.  We’re headed into the wild!

Film 

Starring Steve Zahn as Peter, the 30-something pot smoker is trying to carry on the legacy of his late father’s successful nature show.  Unfortunately, even in the 3:00 AM timeslot, Peter finds himself struggling to keep the program afloat.  His show is laden with misrepresentations of the animal kingdom.  His crew is no better as they are either stoned out of their minds or too dim-witted to grasp any of the basics of animal behavior.  For instance, monkeys eat hundreds of ants each year.  Research shows that if monkeys didn’t eat ants, more ants would live.   

Peter is about at wits’ end when he comes upon an old friend of his father’s who has photographic proof of Bigfoot living in Ecuador.  Knowing that this will save their show from sure cancellation, they pack up the RV and head for the border.  Their travels are littered with danger and some very cheap attempts for laughs while racing to get to Bigfoot before competing nature show rival Sky Pierson (Harry Hamlin) gets to it first.  Also sharing the screen in Strange Wilderness is Ernest Borgnine, Justin Long, Jonah Hill and the very cute Ashley Scott. 

As I mentioned, this film struggles for laughs and these attempts are often done so in the most juvenile of ways.  I will be perfectly sincere in saying this movie did get some honest-to-goodness, out-loud, hearty laughs out of me.  Peter’s constant incorrect information and on-air distractions can provide for some great fuel for this but alas, such humor is so sparse in the film that I felt like I was overlooking a seemingly barren prairie with only the occasional critter surfacing, showing any signs of life on the landscape. 

Video 

Despite the lame story delivery, the video presentation assists in saving the day with its 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 1080p resolution and AVC encode.  I think there was maybe one split-second scene with some grain but other than that, we are talking as crisp as a newly opened can of Pringles.  I searched high and low for significant flaws on this disc as far as visuals are concerned but I came up empty-handed.  Skin tones are solidly consistent and the set seems to come to life with its vibrant palette. 

Audio 

Not to be outdone, the audio is also a significant highlight of this Blu-ray disc.  From the jamming bass of the subwoofer to the rear channels relaying the downpour of rain drops hitting vegetation, you’ll find this all-encompassing experience very admirable.  It’s just a shame that it’s spent on a movie so anemic in substance.  Then again, that’s a good thing since there is more than one saving grace for this disc.  The front and center speakers maintain a consistent delivery of dialogue that never causes you to lean forward wondering what was said at the tail-end of a sentence.  For a non-action film, those responsible for this title’s audio did one heck of a job.

Special Features 

The extras on the Strange Wilderness disc are ho-hum at best and really don’t do much to entice viewers.  All are displayed in the forever lackluster standard definition and none are that exhilarating or more humorous than what is in the feature film. 

• Cooker’s Song – Jonah Hill behind the scenes playing the guitar for one of the film’s RV scenes. We all get to hear how many times he can say “F you” while strumming the instrument (5:48).
• The Turkey - Watch how the special effects crew cooked up an electronic turkey that found its way on Steve Zahn’s crotch. Yes, it is as dumb as it sounds (6:47).
• What Do We Do? – More behind the scenes shots of some very non-entertaining dialogue (6:06).
• Reel Comedy: Strange Wilderness - Yet even more behind the scenes viewing along with interviews of the cast (21:16).
• Deleted Scenes – You will find a total of 13 deleted scenes here which amount to just over 22 minutes worth of time that you will not want to waste your life on.

Final Thoughts 

I’m really on the fence about my last word as far as renting versus passing over this goes.  As I mentioned earlier in the review, there were some great moments in the film that provided a real good laugh.  But even the short 1-hour, 24-minute runtime is too long to wait for the sparse laughter.  If you’re a Steve Zahn fan or just really, really curious about this film, I say go for the gusto and rent it.  However, I am going to have to face the music and tell the general public to skip over this one.  College kids and fans of Joe Dirt are the audience Strange Wilderness is trying to seek out. 

Film

Wayne’s World 2 deals with much of the same issues as the first film, love interests (even a moment for Garth), music, friendship, and random situations. This time Wayne has moved out of his parent’s basement and now shares a loft with Garth where life has been proceeding as usual. That is until Wayne has a dream in which a “weird naked Indian” introduces him to Jim Morrison whom tells him that it is his destiny to organize a huge concert much like Woodstock. While the group deals with the challenges of putting on a concert of epic proportions they must all deal with personal issues, and along the way there are tons of pop culture references and classic moments.

It is hard for me to admit that Wayne’s World 2 fell quite a ways short of the original, but let us face it, it just wasn’t the same. For reasons unexplained it just didn’t reach the same level, perhaps because we already had a certain level of expectations in our minds. But as much as it wasn’t Wayne’s World 1, I defy you to dislike this movie. There is just something in the characters and their completely random and humors situations that I just can’t turn away from. This film is for the music and movie lovers in all of us, and let’s face it the inclusion of Christopher Walken is always a sure way to make a movie awesome.

As the first film was known for its list of cameo appearances, Wayne’s World 2 did well to include some hilarious moments from stars like Rip Taylor, Kevin Pollak, Ed O’Neill, Tim Meadows, Ted McGinley, Jay Leno, Drew Barrymore, and Kim Basinger. But what really pushed this movie into classic status for me was including Chris Farley into the cast with a roll that wasn’t exactly his best, but still vintage Farley. Frankly anything he’s in, even if for a brief movie becomes instantly hilarious for me.

In the end, Wayne’s World 2 was exactly as it states, a sequel which always tend to remain in the shadow of its predecessor. But nonetheless still a great movie, and a good laugh for everyone whether -it’s the 100^th time you’ve seen it or the first.

Video

Presented in 1080p 1.78:1 aspect ratio and encoded in MPEG-4, Wayne’s World 2 disappoints as it doesn’t match the transfer previously found in the first Wayne’s World.  The various backdrops should have been a good opportunity to take advantage of the high def transfer, unfortunately they look very unimpressive.  Detail and color intensity are lackluster at best and there are even a few instances of artifacting in dark shots.

Not all is lost however; detail is more impressive in up close shots.  From Garths stylish blond hair to facial pours on Christopher Walken’s face, everything here is presented clearly and realistically. Colors intensity on the whole is average, as most scenes can look washed out and really lack the vibrancy the first film had.

Although this looks better than the DVD I was left disappointed as it did not match the quality of the first movie.

Audio

Paramount has included a 5.1 TrueHD track with Wayne’s World 2 and like the first film there are plenty of instances where your entire system will be used.  From an Aerosmith concert to the final Waynestock concert, the sub and rear channels get an impressive workout.

Dialogue is spot on with an accurate but balanced sounding presentation.  Wayne’s and Garth’s catch phrases sound great here and are often accompanied by great sounding background or music effects.

Audio wise Wayne’s World 2 sounds great and does provide a noticeable upgrade over the track found on the DVD.

Special Features

• Audio Commentary – Commentary with Director Stephen Surjik

• Extreme Close Up –  A 14 minute retrospective with the cast and crew of Wayne’s World 2.  Both Myers and Carvey believe the sequel is better than the first and while I disagree it is nice to hear them give their reasons.

Final Thoughts

While Wayne’s World 2 isn’t quite Wayne’s World the laughs are most definitely still there and the overall style and demeanor as well. The film itself definitely doesn’t fall into the horrible sequel category and if you have yet to see the second installment, what are you waiting for? I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that if you liked the first film that you pick this one up on Blu-ray as well. You can’t have one without the other. As far as the overall presentation goes, the films come out very similarly, but unfortunately some of the video quality is lost in transition for Wayne’s World 2. The audio is above average but once again the special features are rather disappointing, even more so this time around in fact. But at the end of the day I’m still going to give the nod on Wayne’s World 2 and suggest picking up the pair of discs in hi def.

For some reason I wanted to watch The Other Boleyn Girl. I really didn’t know what it was about until I started watching it. I remember the TV commercials for it and just thinking, I bet that has a really nice looking transfer, I got to check this out. Also, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johannson were in it so, right there, it is a must watch anyway. The Other Boleyn Girlstars Natalie Portman (Anne Boleyn) and Scarlett Johannson (Mary Boleyn) as sisters who are asked to play to up to King Henry (Eric Bana) so as they can become one of his mistresses that will give him a son to be his successor. At the request of The Duke Of Norfolk, uncle to the Boleyn sisters, Anne is to be the one who will be the one to win over the King.

After an accident that sees the King injured and his pride damaged because of Anne, his interest for her is gone. While being attended to by Mary, the King takes a liking to her. An order is brought down to have the entire family move to The Court so they can be closer to the king. Of course, this is the King’s way of having Mary Boleyn close so he can bed her any time he wishes.

Anne, having been passed over by the King, blames Mary for stealing the King’s affection. Mary, who had been recently married, is reluctant to be the one for the King. It isn’t because of her marriage, but instead her morals. Those quickly go out the window as the King is able to sweet talk her and bed her.

Anne’s continued affection for the King has not gone unnoticed and she is sent into exile to France by her father. After complications with her pregnancy, Mary is ordered bed rest only. The only choice now is to bring back Anne as the eye candy for the King as everyone knows that the King is not willing to wait for another woman.

The question now is what will become of Mary and the child of King Henry? Can Anne make the King happy and produce son for him? Will it be worth the betrayal of her sister? Those are just some of the many questions remaining unanswered as you’ll have to watch the movie for yourself to see what happens.

Video

The 1.85:1 transfer for The Other Boleyn Girl at times is just amazing. There are times where there seems to be almost a green tint to the picture. The green tint, I noticed, comes about during the outdoor scenes. I don’t know if it/was intentional or not but it did bother me at times. Also, there are times when the blacks appear to be almost gray and that is clearly noticeable and also was very bothersome. There are also times when the blacks look wonderful. Again, hit and miss.

Skin tones are nice but the many of the characters do come off as very pale at times. Scarlett Johansson really comes across as really plain and pale throughout the film. I kept my eye out for edge enhancement and was not sure if it was there or not. Some of the close-ups I did see something but wasn’t sure if it was just my eyes or if it was the picture itself.

You never have many of the colors pop out at you, except for when you see Natalie Portman wearing her green dress which really stands out nicely. Most of the wardrobe is very drab and dark.

I was definitely expecting something along the lines of Man in the Iron Mask type of eye popping colors.

The picture itself, during all of the indoor scenes is just fantastic. The picture is clear and there is not a sign of grain or film dirt on the print. It is truly a pleasure to look at. It is amazing that you can clearly see the hairs on Natalie Portman’s neck going down to the top of her back. The small stubbles of hair on Eric Bana’s face show up so clearly.

Overall, I was pleased but this did fall short of being a perfect transfer.

Audio

I really was disappointed with the audio. I was expecting something to happen be it with the score or something but it just never happened. The True 5.1 audio, available in English, Spanish or French, comes across as somewhat muted. I found myself having to turn up the volume much louder than I normally would.

While watching the extras, I finally found the sound I was looking for, but sadly, it was a deleted scene.

Although my expectations were not what I was expecting, the surrounds did come into play at many times throughout the film and per usual, most if not all of the dialogue was center channel.

As far as subtitles go, English, French and Spanish is available for those wishing to use it.

Special Features

There are plenty of extras on this disc and they are all, thankfully, in High Definition.

The extras are as follows.

Inside the Court: A Picture-in Graphics track

• This is available for viewing during the film where you can receive information about important characters in the film and their place in history as well as comparisons and passages from the book by Philippa Gregory.

Commentary with Director Justin Chadwick

Deleted & Extended Scenes (I will not go into detail as to avoid and type of possible spoilers)

• Mary’s First Night
• The Other Sister
• What They Want Is You
• Mary’s First Night with the King
• The King’s Fortune
• William asks for Forgiveness
• Stafford visits Mary
• William Carey Dies
• George visits Mary at Church
• Anne Needs Mary
• Anne Takes little Henry
• Alternate Ending

Members of the Court: Character Biographies

• This is a nice set of brief featurettes on the main characters of the film as they are described but her actors themselves as well as the writer of the book. You have the choice of viewing the biographies on: Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, King Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon, George Boleyn and The Duke of Norfolk.

Featurettes

• To Be A Lady
  • This is where it is talked about how the women in that time period were expected to act and be treated.

• Translating History to Screen
  • Everyone from the main actors of the film to the writer, producer and author of the book explain how all of the information in the book was translated to the screen. The author of the book and the writer of the film have the own opinions on why certain things were included and what was not included.

• Camera Test and Narration from the director
  • The director talks about shooting in high definition and that the reason for the way the actors looked was due to the fact he did not want them to be wearing makeup, or at least very little makeup. He wanted them to be very natural which now explains the pale look of the characters as decribed within the video review section.

• BD Live
  • I do not have a BD Live player so I am unable to describe what is available via this particular feature.

Final Thoughts

The Other Boleyn Girl is not a bad movie, but it is no masterpiece. It is a shame but it really had the opportunity to be. The problem with most movies that take their information directly from a book is that the book can truly go deeper than the movie can and that is why the movie falls short of what it could have been. At just under two hours, the film could have easily been stretched out to allow for more detail instead of having to rush and jump around so much.

That all being said I did enjoy the movie but was expecting more. You can’t go wrong giving this a rental first to see if you truly like it. However, if you can pick it up cheap like I did on Half.com or EBay, give it a purchase.

Cuba? What the hell…?

What’s next Norbit 2? Please noooooo!!!!

I don’t get it, why does this movie exist? What’s the thought process? Let’s take an already mediocre movie (Daddy Day Care) and make a less inspired, poorly conceived sequel. I miss the days when only good movies got less inspired, poorly conceived sequels.

Cuba stars (well shows up) as Charlie (apparently the same Charlie that Eddie Murphy showed up for in the previous film) who decides that instead of day care, let’s try summer camp…except for the fact that he hates the woods. Whatever. Charlie wants his son to attend his old stomping ground, Camp Driftwood, which has seen better days, rather than the nearby camp, Camp Canola. Charile and day care partner Phil decide they’ll use their magic to try to bring the camp back to its glory days. Their problem is that his son Ben, and fellow campers aren’t quite the coolest kids in the woods and the camp is going to foreclose unless they can make some more money. The cool kids all go to the rival camp nearby which happens to be run by Charlie’s old camp rival. So, the kids and the dads have to band together to outdo the “cooler” kids in an Olympiad in a very Revenge of the Nerds kind of way. Except with kids. And not funny.

So in the end, with little (or no) hilarity and feigned slapstick, Charlie and Ben do some bonding, Charlie gets over his fears, and the geeky campers win! The end. Sorry if I ruined it all for you. Guess now you won’t want to watch it. Trust me, I’ve done you a favor and you’ve seen it all done before, much, much better.

I knew going into this, it wouldn’t be a good movie. I had hoped, however, that Fred Savage (yes, Kevin Arnold) could shine as a director and make this movie more than the turd that it was. Unfortunately, I think Fred will have to return to directing Nickelodeon sitcoms. Sorry Fred. I do love Ned’s Declassified if it’s any consolation.

On the upside (a very slight upside), this is a very family friendly movie, so if you’re completely desperate (and I mean completely), the kids might enjoy it.

Video

It pains me to say that though the film generally reeks, the transfer is at least OK. ?I had hoped this would have a lot of nice, outdoor summertime shots that I could at least appreciate while painfully sitting through the film, but no, it’s overcooked. It looks more like a made-for-TV movie than film. Detail is still nicely evident, but this film suffers from the same weird post-processing as my other favorite film Norbit. The actors look too plastic-like at times. Then again, I’ve seen worse transfers too. At least I didn’t notice any artifacts or edge enhancement.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 TrueHD track was the only thing this disc really had going for it. The balance was nice, dialog was clear, and surrounds were used effectively. There was also a nice sense of bass present. The sound works as a rousing action piece, which I thought was quite appropriate for a kid-flick. Overall I was pleased with the mostly forgettable audio track.

Special Features

Next to nil:

• How I Spent My Summer Making Daddy Day Camp -a behind the scenes extra that was extremely brief
• What I Learned At Camp – an interactive quiz about the film that kids might enjoy

Overall

I have kids, and I understand the appeal of a family friendly movie. Daddy Day Camp just doesn’t cut it. The film isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen, but it’s completely forgettable. My kids wouldn’t sit through it, but some might. Might serve as a rental for your 8 year olds as long as you don’t have to be present. Make the babysitter do it! The Blu-ray is mediocre at best with only an average transfer but a decent audio option. Buyer beware!

The last time I saw both Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix in a movie together, it was in 2000, in The Yards. It just so happens that the director of We Own the Night, James Gray, also directed that film. Having not worked for 7 years should have been a tell-tale sign of things to come. However, I was hopeful that this time around, with We Own the Night, Gray would be able to hit pay dirt. Sadly, We Own the Night comes up broke.

Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) is a successful manager at a Russian night club, El Caribe, in Brooklyn. Things are looking very good for Bobby as he has a beautiful girlfriend in Amada Juarez (Eva Mendes) and after speaking with his boss, Marat Buzhayev (Moni Moshonov), possible expansion to a new night club in Manhattan is on the horizon. All is right in the world for Bobby.

However, all is not so great with his family. When Bobby shows up to the honoring of his brother becoming a police captain, the tension could be cut with a knife. Bobby has forlorn the family name and taken his mothers to hide the fact that his brother Joe Grusinsky (Mark Wahlberg) and father, Chief Bert Grusinsky (Robert Duvall), are police officers. Given the line of work and the dealings that take place at his night club, if word were to get out that he was part of a cop family, Bobby wouldn?t stick around for too long.

When informed by his brother that the NYPD are about to crack down on a known drug dealer doing his business within the club he manages, the nephew of the Buzhayev, Vadim Nezhinski (Alex Veadov), Bobby is asked to keep on eye on things for them. Bobby?s father tries as best as he can to warn him that he needs to do the right thing or he could end up on the wrong side of things.

When Bobby?s family becomes the target of Nezhinski, he needs to decide what is more important. It is his night club partying and drug life or his family?s lives?

Video

As to be expected, given for such a new release, the 1.85:1 transfer on We Own the Night is very clean. I didn?t see one spec of dirt on this transfer. For a movie shot mostly at night I was surprised that I didn?t notice any grain during those scenes. The blacks were actually very good. Sadly, during some of the indoor, brighter scenes, the grain is very apparent. I didn?t notice any edge enhancement or any form of ghosting. However, in a few scenes, I did notice some softness causing me to squint a little bit. I wouldn?t call this reference quality, but overall, a very decent transfer.

Audio

Aside from a few scenes where the surrounds are used, such as within the night club playing 80s music and some action scenes, the films audio is mostly center channel. True HD 5.1 sound is the only option for audio. No PCM on this disc. Also four subtitle tracks are available for your reading pleasure. They include English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Hindi.

Special Features

All of the extras are in High Definition. Some spoilers may revealed. Read with caution.

• Tension: Creating We Own The Night (15 minutes) - This is the standard ?Making Of?? that you?ll find for just about every movie.
• Police Action: Filming Cops, Cars and Chaos (10 Minutes) – Just as the title suggests, this extra goes over the car chase within the movie as well as some of the other stunts within the film. Director James Gray, the stunt coordinator and others explain the dangers of the car chases as well as accident that can and do happen when filming scenes like that.
• A Moment in Crime: Creating late ?80s Brooklyn (9 minutes) - This is a feature discussing the type of clothing and music used to create the 80s feel. Also discussed were the changes that needed to be done on the set to make it feel very 80s-like.
• Commentary with Writer/Director James Gray

Final Thoughts

We Own the Night could have been so much better than it was. The interaction between the Bobby, Joe and Bert seem very fake and forced. I did not feel any type of ?family? chemistry between them. When someone got hurt, I felt no sympathy and that was the same for the characters themselves. Almost no one seemed to show any type of genuine care. I understand the ?tough guy? approach when dealing with cops and cop movies, but here, it just felt like the main actors (Wahlberg, Duvall & Phoenix) were just sleepwalking through the movie.

Unless you are a die hard fan of either Wahlberg?s or Phoenix? and need to see everything they are in, then go for it. However, I would recommend skipping this as it was hard enough watching it once, any type of re-watch ability is next to impossible.