Film 

When I saw the trailer for Cop Out in the theater, I thought the film looked like one to avoid completely. It looked like a terrible film with an insipid plot with mail it in performances by the cast, especially Bruce Willis. Well, having now seen the entire film, my impressions from the trailer were spot on. This is one stupid film with a lame plot and an awful performance by Bruce Willis, who looks like he is sleepwalking during the entire film. Tracey Morgan gives his usual annoying performance as does the most annoying actor in Hollywood, Seann William Scott. I guess you can say that I am not a fan.

You can essentially describe Cop Out as a buddy cop film with Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan playing twp Brooklyn cops. After an investigation into a drug buy goes bad and the informant is killed, Bruce Willis’ character is suspended for a month. It is terrible timing as his daughter is about to get married. His character wants to pay for the wedding, in part because his ex-wife’s new husband wants to pay for it. Without receiving any pay, Bruce decides to sell a rare and very valuable baseball card which will more than pay for the wedding. However, the card is taken from him during a robbery and the robber in turn turns over the card to the leader of the drug ring that was the subject of the investigation that lead to the suspension. It turns out that the drug kingpin happens to be an avid collector of sports memorabilia. Needless to say, the pair moves to retrieve the card from the drug kingpin and in the process, bring down the drug operation.

Given that the film was directed by Kevin Smith, one would normally have expected a better film. However, you can’t turn lead into gold and the script here is nothing but a hunk of lead. If you are a masochist, give the film a look. The rest of you should just skip this film entirely.

Video 

At first glance, Cop Out boasts a what appears to be a fine looking transfer. However, initial appearances can be deceiving. What first leaps out at you is the level of detail which is extraordinary. From facial details such as skin pores and blemishes to clothing fabric and background details, I can’t imagine wanting more detail in a picture. The color palette is quite natural, showing the gritty look of Brooklyn with excellent skin tone rendition. While I was impressed with the level of detail of this encode, the encode was plagued by excessive noise in some scenes as well as some motion artifacts which becomes distracting on larger screens. Since I didn’t see the film in the theater, I can’t say whether the noise was in the original. However, the rest of the issues I saw appear to be related to the encoding process. Had this been a great film, I would have been a lot more disappointed with the overall video quality of the release. Given it is such a bad film, I will have no problem getting over my disappointment.

Audio 

Even worse that the video presentation is the audio which is lackluster at is best. In short, the film’s audio is very flat, lacking any degree of depth. Transparency and imaging, for want of a better word, suck. This is probably one of the worst sounding lossless encodes I have heard in terms of transparency and imaging. I also found the bass to be too punchy, especially the music score, which features bloated and flabby bass. On the plus side, at least the numerous gun shots have plenty of heft. However, that is about the only positive note I can sound in regards to the audio presentation on this release. it is almost as bad as the film itself.

Special Features 

The best part of this release are the extras which is faint praise indeed. Cop Out With Your Glock Out Edition is a two disc combo pack, including a DVD copy as well as a digital copy of the film on a separate disc. The main extra is Warner’s Maximum Movie Mode which is renamed Maximum Comedy Mode on this release. The Maximum Comedy Mode features over 40 minutes of extended scenes and outtakes, picture in picture commentary featuring Kevin Smith and Seann William Scott. The best parts of the Maximum Comedy Mode are the walk-ons by Kevin Smith. The rest, you can have.

Final Thoughts 

If you are a masochist, give Cop Out a look. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and skip this one in its entirety.

As Mr. Brooks’ second directing effort (his first being the conspicuously absent The Producers), it would be interesting to see what his later work evolved from, and how much his early work was influenced by others.  Did the movie deserve its obscure status, or was it worthy of more attention as part of the Mel Brooks legacy?

Film

I found this movie surprisingly difficult to categorize.  In fact, of all the Mel Brooks films I’ve seen, this was the least “Mel Brooksian” of them.  It had elements of older-style comedies, the Three Stooges, and even a bit of Monty Pythonesque lunacy.  Really, this made the film a bit challenging to watch, as it borrowed so heavily on the work of other diverse films in the comedy genre.

Like most folk tales, the story was quite simple to follow.  Matveevich Vorobyanov (played straight by Ron Moody) is a former aristocrat who has fallen on harder times since the Russian Revolution.  However, he discovers from his mother-in-law (on her deathbed) that she hid jewels from the communists in one of the chairs from the family’s old dining set.  Since this furniture was seized during the revolution, Vorobyanov must now search across Russia for the chairs.

As part of her deathbed confession, the Mother-in-law also admits the hiding of the jewels to her Russian Orthodox priest, Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise).  He immediately cuts his beard, and heads off on his own quest for the jewels.

Complicating matters is that a vagabond con man (played by the velvety-voiced Frank Langella) gets word of Vorobyanov’s quest, and extorts Vorobyanov into including him the search for the chairs.

Many hijinks follow, including Father Fyodor’s stalking of a party official, and Vorobyanov’s attempts at acting.  Their adventures lead them to Siberia, the Black Sea, and Moscow, all in an attempt to find the chairs first and extract the jewels.

Generally this was an entertaining film, though much of Mr. Brooks’ trademark over-the-top humor was absent.  The story was told in a linear and traditional manner, and although slow at times, Mr. Brooks did the original material a great service.

The three main actors were a bit of a mixed bag.  Ron Moody was asked to play a caricature, and he did so very well, maintaining a credible mix of greed and nobility.  His increasing obsession with the jewels and their worth progressed nicely as the movie proceeded.

Frank Langella was also very good in his role of a con man.  With a rich baritone voice, dashing good looks, and a suave demeanor, he offers an excellent counterpoint to the increasingly frayed and reckless Vorobyanov.

However, Dom DeLuise puts in one of the poorer performances of his career.  Any moral standing he may have had as a Father is never apparent in the film, as he shows nothing but green and avarice throughout.  In many ways, Father Fyodor appears to be in the story to provide comic relief; it is unfortunate that he really isn’t that funny.

The pacing of the film is also a bit tedious.  Although there are some funny scenes (enjoying a free lunch at the railroad engineers’ club, chasing a high wire artist for a chair, faking epilepsy as part of a panhandling scheme), these are simply too few and far between.  And although Frank Langella oozes con man from the moment we see him, he simply isn’t given quite enough to do.

Overall, it is interesting to contrast this to later Mel Brooks films as it has very little resemblance to them.  And overall, this is not a bad thing, as Mr. Brooks’ development of a madcap frenetic comedy style is what earned him his reputation as a director.  Although this was a good film, it is nowhere near as memorable as Mr. Brooks’ other work.

Video

In the entire box set, this is the first film in which I was disappointed with the video quality.  Grainy, soft, with irregular lighting and sharpness, this appears to have been a straight transfer from film to Blu-ray.

On the positive side, there was little evidence of heavy digital post production, as I did not spot excessive noise, macroblocking.  However, this was already evident through the relatively poor picture quality.

Audio

As stated in my review of High Anxiety, I expect a lack of dynamic range, a strong front-loading, little LFE information, and muffled dialog in a film of this vintage.  As expected, this film had the poorest audio track in the collection so far.

As per the glossy book included in the collection, this film was under budgetary constraints, and I believe the sound is where this is felt the most.  Muffled and centre focused, with a lack of dynamics or crispness, the overall presentation is passable.  In fact, I’m not sure one would find a great jump in quality by changing from the DTS-HD to the Mono tracks.

Special Features

This film doesn’t deserve even half a disc, as it only includes one special feature, this being Mel Brooks trailers.  That’s it, and again reflects the almost “afterthought” treatment this film received as part of the collection.

Final Thoughts

This film was somewhat entertaining, though lacking in the areas we enjoy in a Blu-ray (sound, picture, extras).  In short, this film appeared to have received the lowest level of special treatment for its inclusion in a Blu-ray set, though how much this was a product of the source material is hard to tell.

Overall, this was the poorest movie in the collection so far; I have a much higher likelihood of watching Young Frankenstein again than I do this film.

One challenge I anticipated with High Anxiety is that certain subjects like murder and suspense do not work well in comedy (like in Have you Heard About the Morgans).  Truly, the only way to make a thriller work with humour is to go way, way, way over the top, much like in the Police Squad series of movies.

However, my pleasant surprise at the quality of To Be Or Not To Be left me with some anticipation that this movie may also surprise me with its wit and charm.

Film

To catch the Hitchcock references, I watched the film with the trivia track on.  And early in the move, it is stated that Mr. Brooks wanted this movie to appeal to all viewers, not just those who were fans of Mr. Hitchcock.  Although this is a noble sentiment, I found the material to be quite uneven; hilarious at times, boring at times, and likely way more interesting if you are a Hitchcock-phile.

The premise of the movie is that Nobel-prize winning psychiatrist Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (played by Mel Brooks) has been recruited to run the “The Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous” in Los Angeles.  As we discover early in the film, the previous head psychiatrist passed away under very suspicious cicumstances, apparently related to “big changes” he wanted to make. 

Upon arrival at the Institute, we meet Dr. Montague (played extremely well by Harvey Korman), and the intimidating Nurse Diesel (played well by Cloris Leachman), with both appearing to be up to no good.  Dr. Thorndyke and Dr. Wentworth (Dick Van Patten) represent a threat to what they are doing at the hospital, leading us into the main action of the movie. 

Other characters who appear are Victoria Brisbane (Madeline Kahn) who feels her father is being held against his will at the institute, and Professor Lilloman, a past teacher of Dr. Thorndyke’s.  Ron Carey does a turn as Brophy. Dr. Thorndyke’s chauffer, sidekick, and comedy relief.

As mentioned above, the humor in this film was quite uneven.  Some scenes, like one in the limousine when Dr. Thorndyke arrives is hilarious.  I also laughed so hard my stomach hurt when Drs. Montague and Thorndyke were visiting with a patient that appeared to have been cured of his neck pains and dreams of werewolves. 

However, much of Mel Brooks’ own material fell flat, and I found his line reading to be almost mechanical; this is his worst performance I have seen as an actor.  And although Nurse Diesel was to be played as comic relief, Ms. Leachman does too good a job with her weirdness, making her less funny and more creepy than a comedy would support.  In the featurette included on the Blu-ray, Rudy DeLuca (co-writer and the killer “Braces” in the film) states that Mel’s Sinatra-esque performance of “High Anxiety” was the high point of the movie for many.  For me, this was a low-point, and served as a good divider between the funny set-ups in the first half of the film, and the less funny suspense-tinged latter half of the film.

Harvey Korman’s performance as Dr. Montague deserves plaudits.  In many scenes, he provides the comic relief for the film, and his chemistry with Cloris Leachman is phenomenal.  Korman’s gift for physical comedy makes some average scenes much funnier than they deserved to be.

As a spoof on Hitchcock, the movie was good, with attention to detail in framing shots, shoot locations, and background music.  Unfortunately, to simply spoof others is no way to make a quality movie (see any of the [insert genre here] Movie series), and I believe this adds to the somewhat disjointed feel of the film.  That the suspense did not feel real, and the movie was conflicted between being a comedy and a thriller in its latter half made this movie less entertaining than it could have been.

Video

There has been a real appeal to the visuals in this box set of movies, and High Anxiety meets this high standard.  Appropriately grainy, with a true 70’s look and feel, this movie was watchable, pleasing, and authentic.

Although the picture could be a little soft at times, it was still an excellent presentation, and much better than one normally sees in a 33 year-old movie.  Again, the wizards at Fox have done an excellent job cleaning up a print while retaining its authenticity. 

Audio

In these older films, we expect a lack of dynamic range, a strong front-loading, little LFE information, and muffled dialog.  No surprise, this description fits High Anxiety perfectly.

Surprisingly so, this move seemed even poorer than other movies from this box set.  I cannot recall hearing any use of the surround channels, nor do I remember any rumbles from the LFE channel.  Worst of all, even the score suffers in this presentation, with a shrillness and forwardness in the high midrange that made it very unpleasant.  Generally a poor presentation, and worse that of the similar era Silent Movie.

Special Features

Unlike Silent Movie and To Be or Not to Be, High Anxiety did receive a solo Blu-ray release.  Surprisingly, we find a small feature set on this disc, similar to those released as collection-only releases.  Included are a trivia pop-up track (good for highlighting the Hitchcock parallels), an isolated score track, a medium-length HD featurette on Brooks and Hitchcock, an interactive “anxiety test” to do while the movie is playing, plus trailers for this film and other Mel Brooks films.

Although the main HD featurette is entertaining, I found Mr. Brooks to be less charming in this one than in those included on other discs.  However, it does contain some great shots from classic Hitchcock movies, as well as good anecdotes for a number of actors regarding the production.  The rest is fairly pedestrian fare.

Final Thoughts

I cannot describe myself as a Hitchcock fan; although I enjoyed his movies, they are not something I go out of my way to watch.  This shouldn’t have been an issue for this film, as Mr. Brooks wanted High Anxiety to be enjoyed by non-Hitchcock fans as well.

Unfortunately, despite a very nice video presentation, High Anxiety was simply not consistently funny enough.  Combined with substandard audio and a small batch of special features, this movie deserves only a rent, as the funny scenes (which are really good) will likely not stand up under repeated watchings.  I imagine that a student of Hitchcock would enjoy this film much, much more than the layperson.

Mr. Brooks has never struck me as a subtle humorist, and I had some worry that a comedy-musical-drama about World War II and Nazism could be taken from funny to farcical under his guidance.  Perplexingly, I also had high expectations at the same time – with such rich subject matter, and a stellar cast, this movie had the potential to be really good.  And in short, this movie was really good, the type of comedy I grew up on, and the type that seems to have fallen out of favor with the viewing public.

Film

Set on the eve of World War II, Mel Brooks plays Frederick Bronski, an apparently “famous” Polish actor who takes pride in his portrayal of Hamlet in his Excerpts from Hamlet.  In art imitating life, his wife Anna Bronski is played by Mr. Brooks’ very talented wife, the late Anne Bancroft.  As owners and lead actors in a Polish theatre company, not all is rosy between the couple, as Mrs. Bronski is feeling her importance to their success is being minimized.  This is illustrated early in the film with one of the best visual jokes I’ve ever seen (when Frederick is shown a poster for their upcoming performance of The Merry Widower).  Mrs. Bronski has her own issues, including her encouragement of advances being made to her by a dashing Polish airman, Lt. Sobinski (played by Tim Matheson).

As we historically know, the Germans invaded Poland, leading Lt. Sobinski to find himself flying for the free Polish forces in England.  There, he and his comerades give names of friends and family who are in the Polish Resistance to Professor Siletski (played well by Jose Ferrer), a traitorous agent who secretly wishes to give the information to the Nazis.

Although Lt. Sobinski gives a cryptic message of love to be taken to Anna, he later deduces Professor Siletski’s plan, and is asked by officials to go to Poland to keep Dr. Siletski from delivering this list of names to the Gestapo.  However, since Anna’s name appears on the list of people to send messages to, the Bronskis are drawn into this drama, as is their entire theatre company.

The decision to have Alan Johnson direct the film may have been the most important decision Mr. Brooks made for the quality of this film.  Mel Brooks-directed films share a certain manic “over-the-topness” that would have been inappropriate for To Be or Not to Be.  This is a story that makes fun of Nazi Germany and the self-aggrandizement of actors, yet still has serious overtones such as the Gestapo, the invasion of Poland, and the Holocaust.  Although humorous, the material requires a sensitivity and finesse to make it funny, while never losing sight of what Nazism actually meant.

Despite its grim subject matter, this is easily one of the funniest and wittiest movies I’ve seen in a very long time.  The chemistry between the actors is palpable, and their interaction is superb.  Classic comedic timing is apparent on every joke, and laughs are for the viewer to figure out – they are not handed to the audience with auditory clues or over the top visuals (a la American Pie).  The surrounding cast are as superb as they get, with standout performances from George Gaynes, Charles Durning, and James Haake.  However, special mention goes to Anne Bancroft for playing Anna in a wry and comedic way, to Mel Brooks for toning down his schtick when the script calls for it, and to Christopher Lloyd, who steals every scene he is in as a hapless SS man.

In the end, this is a very funny movie that demonstrates how good comedy can be, especially when understated humor meets over-the-top humor.  It also makes great use of classical elements of comedy, including visual jokes, running gags, caricature, and classic timing to make the audience laugh.  I cannot recollect the last time I had seen a film where I have laughed out loud this much, many times at my surprise in finding a joke that wasn’t all that obvious.  Smart, funny, and a bit melancholy, this is what a comedy should be.

Video

Again, the producers of this box set have done an excellent job with the video restoration of this film.  Although the grain we would expect for an early 80’s movie is there, enough is cleaned up so that it doesn’t become distracting in 1080p.

However, there were some issues with the presentation, most notably the soft focus that seemed to be used on Anne Bancroft from the midpoint of the film-on.  These scenes simply have a quality not congruent with the rest of the exceptional visuals in this film.  There are also scenes where there are color bleed issues, such as when Frederik returns from his meeting with the Gestapo then finds Lt. Sobinski in his bed – his shirt looks like a light bulb in the dark room.

Set design must have been done well, as they all look great and pop with color (especially the luxuriously appointed theatre interior).  Costumes were also equally well done, and the fabrics and detail truly shine in HD.  Originally a choreographer, the exactness in Director Johnson’s eye plays out well through this film, creating a great visual landscape that translated very well to Blu-ray. 

Audio

As an early 80’s film, I expected the audio presentation to be a bit of a mixed bag.  And true to form for movies of this era, it was.

Firstly, the score by John Morris is superb, and itself contains very wry and ironic themes while accompanying the movie.  It is not often one hears “Deutschland Uber Alles” incorporated slightly off kilter into a soundtrack.  Through the DTS-HD MA presentation, this score shines.

Dialog is also very clear through the centre channel, though it seems to be a bit mixed-down or muffled.  Although volume levels are good, a certain crispness or sibilance was missing.  We do suffer from the early 80’s issue of lack of dynamic range and spatializing, with the LFE channel being sadly underused, much like the surrounds.

All-in-all, an average audio presentation for a film of this era – nothing great, but better than serviceable.

Special Features

Much like Silent Movie, To Be or Not to Be did not receive a solo Blu-ray release, and we therefore find a skinnier feature set on this disc.  Included are a trivia pop-up track (a good one by the way), an isolated score track, a short HD featurette on Bancroft and Brooks working together, a short vintage promo piece (in SD), three short interviews (also in SD), plus trailers for this film and other Mel Brooks films.

Generally, not an overly impressive special feature set, with the main HD featurette being charming yet below the standard of the one that accompanied Silent Movie.

Final Thoughts

Although the “extras” of this film were minimal and the audio presentation was pedestrian, the video presentation was quite good, with the film itself being wonderful.  Well-acted, possessing a sensitivity to the subject matter, and delivering comedy in an intelligent and witty way, this is a movie I know I will watch again.

Although not a “traditional” Mel Brooks movie, I have not seen a film that better highlights his ability as an actor.  Nor have I seen a film in recent memory show how closely related comedy and tragedy are.

And unfortunately, I am again giving a “Buy It” recommendation for a film that is only available as a part of this collection.

Second up for review was 1974’s Young Frankenstein, a film from which I had seen various scenes, but never sat through the whole film.  Of all the Mel Brooks movies, this one appears to have the most loyal following, and I was intrigued again by Mr. Brooks making an atypical movie (a horror movie throwback in black and white) in the 1970’s.

Film

This film has a very loyal and dedicated audience who can likely fire off lines at will from various points in the movie.  I am not one of these, and I find it highly unlikely that I will ever become one of them.  After watching the movie, I admired Mr. Brooks’ skill with the camera, and loved Gene Wilder’s lunatic acting as the Young Frankenstein (Frawnk-en-steen!), but found the movie generally uninspiring.

The plot is straightforward enough – the young Dr. Frankenstein is a respected medical teacher and doctor, who has attempted to distance himself from his nefarious ancestor who brought the dead to life.  However, a reading of his dead grandfather’s will (I think it was his Grandfather’s – the geneaology in the film is a bit confusing) ends up with Dr. Frankenstein moving to Transylvania (which has nothing to do with Frankenstein) and discovering the lab where the original monster was made.

Although originally opposed to reanimating the dead, he comes across the original Dr. Frankenstein’s journal, and decides that it may work, and that he too, can bring back the dead.  Of course, problems are caused when Igor (Eye-gor, effectively played by Marty Feldman) has an accident, and destroys the brain that Dr. Frankenstein wanted, replacing it with an abnormal (Abby Normal) brain.

So, the poor monster goes off on his adventures (mimicking those from Universal’s iconic “Frankenstein”), followed by an attempt to prove to the townsfolk that the monster is really not a monster (via a musical number).  Will Dr. Frankenstein be able to save his monster from the townsfolk?  How will he resolve his relationship with the luscious Inga (Terri Garr) and his tightly wound fiancé (Madeline Kahn)?

On the plus side, this is a beautifully shot movie, and shows Mel Brooks’ love of the old Universal horror films.  Superimposing images over people’s faces, using different styles of screen wipe, the well-timed thunder and lightning, and use of lighting and shadows is truly a love letter to these classic movies.  A special mention also goes to Cloris Leachman, who as Frau Blücher steals every scene she is in.  She has an ability to make hot milk and Ovaltine sound like a nasty and naughty thing.

However, the humor in this movie fell flat for me.  Whereas in Silent Movie, slapstick and over-expression was needed due to a lack of dialog, it fails to elicit much laughs here.  Kneeing an old man in the groin?  Not really funny.  Using a corpse’s hand as yours?  Not really funny.  Getting spun in and stuck in a revolving bookcase.  Still not funny.

Some scenes were bit more humorous, and the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” number was one of the best parts of the film.  However, these laughs were too few for me to consider this a comedic masterpiece.  Double entendre, juvenile humor, and penis jokes can only carry a movie so far.

Video

This is a difficult movie to score, as it was deliberately made to look like an old Universal horror film.  Shot in black and white, there was plenty of grain and noise throughout the movie; overall, it had a very natural “old and soft” look to it.

Favorably, the film did not appear to have much digital noise or artifacting, which suggests that its restoration was done carefully and neutrally.  However, it is difficult to score it higher than I have, and I am left to ponder if the picture on Blu-ray is substantially better than that of an upscaled DVD.

Audio

Although the soundtrack is advertised in being in DTS-HD MA, there appears to have been a deliberate attempt to make the film sound as close to mono as you can through 5.1 speakers.  The dynamic range resembles that of an AM radio station, and I could not discern any real sounds coming from the surrounds or LFE.  Even the thunder had no rumble.

Again, this lack of dynamic range appears to be a deliberate attempt to make the movie sound like an old Universal horror film.  And although this has a true sheen of authenticity, this isn’t the reason I have a Blu-ray player and a surround sound system.

Special Features

Where Silent Movie fell short on special features, Young Frankenstein has an excellent mix of both older material (from previous DVD releases), and newer material for the Blu-ray.  This is not surprising, as Young Frankenstein has also received a solo Blu-ray release as well as its inclusion in this package.

Although I am not a big commentary fan, Mr. Brooks’ commentary on this disc is very good, and in many cases, funnier than the movie.

Also included are a very good trivia track, deleted scenes (both SD and HD ones included), comments on specific scenes in the making of the movie (Inside the Lab), two HD featurettes (It’s Alive, Transylvanian Lullaby), and a number of recycled SD features (Making FrankenSense, Production Photos, Interviews, Trailers, TV Spots, and Outtakes).  The quality of these is mixed, but the volume is good, and should have lasting appeal to fans of the film.

Final Thoughts

It is rare that I am as disappointed by a movie as I was with Young Frankenstein.  After hearing for years about it’s legendary status, I was truly underwhelmed by this film.  And although the visual and audio presentations were consistent with Mr. Brooks’ vision for a comedic version of a Universal horror film, laughs were simply in too short a supply.

For real fans, this Blu-ray is available as part of this package, as well as a standalone Blu-ray.

Therefore, when The Mel Brooks Collection showed up in my docket for review, I was quite intrigued.  Not only did it contain the Mel Brooks movies I had missed, it also contained movies that I had loved when younger.  However, this is also a formidable task reviewing nine (yes, nine!) movies, so I beg the reader’s patience as I wander through this box set.

First up for review was 1976’s Silent Movie, a film I had never seen before, and one that had intrigued me.  As a boy, I loved both Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy silent shorts, and I was curious to see how well Mr. Brooks could deliver a modern version of this art form.

Film

As a silent movie, one can check their expectations for character development at the door.  Like most movies of this genre, visuals become the medium of comedy, with a large emphasis on slapstick humor and visual gags.  However, the plot is quite easy to follow, even though much of it is delivered through tersely-worded intertitles.  Mel Brooks plays Mel Funn, a famous movie director who’s career has taken a downward turn due to a drinking problem. 

Funn is determined to make a comeback through his new screenplay for a silent movie.  Presenting this idea to the “Chief” of Big Picture studios (Sid Caesar), he is told he can make his movie if he can get big stars to be in it.  We also discover that a lot is riding on this movie, as Big Picture Studios is doing poorly financially, and has become a hostile takeover target by the New York conglomerate, Engulf & Devour.

Accompanied at all times by his associates Dom Bell (Dom DeLuise) and Marty Eggs (Marty Feldman), the three engage in all nature of gags to enroll actors in the silent movie, including Burt Renyolds, Anne Bancroft, James Caan, Liza Minnelli, and Paul Newman (plus a phone call to Marcel Marceau). 

Of course, each actor who signs on to the movie is announced through the silent movie technique of putting important events on the headlines of newspapers (that accompanies another running gag involving the newspaper seller).  Nervous with the number of famous actors signed on, Engulf & Devour tries to derail Funn through having a sexy nightclub singer Vilma Kaplan (Bernadette Peters) pretend to fall in love with him.  More visual gags follow, and lead up to an appropriately over the top and satisfying ending.

At first I found the film to be a bit disconcerting to watch, as I am used to today’s modern “talkies”.  However, it did not take long to settle into the flow of the movie, made even easier by the extremely funny sequence with the first big star (Burt Renyolds).  The natural gift for physical comedy that Brooks, DeLuise, and Feldman all posses was never more evident than in the scene with Liza Minnelli, which had me laughing out loud.

Overall, this was a very different, yet very funny movie.  The three main leads make full use of their overexpressiveness and facial expressions to convey emotion, feeling, and thought (plus slip in some naughty dialog for you lip readers).  The score is cheery and upbeat (and provides it’s own jokes at times), and includes appropriately off-time sound effects.  It was also an admittedly nostalgic trip down memory lane for me, seeing actors I grew up with featured as “stars” – no one was bigger than “The Burt” in the 1970’s, and we forget how adorably cute Liza Mannelli was when younger.

More importantly, this film does have re-watchability  I can picture viewing this a few more times, simply to try and pick up more inconsistencies between the actors lines and the intertitles, or to catch additional gags I may have missed the first time.

Generally, I was very pleased that this was the first movie out of the collection that I watched.    

Video

I really liked the visual appearance of this movie, though am somewhat hard-pressed to say why.  It truly had a 70’s feel to it.  The sets were 70’s.  The actors were 70’s.  Even the color, tone and grain of the film was 70’s.

However, it was a brightly colored, reasonably sharp, and clean version of the 70’s.  As expected, grain was present, but lent a nice softness to the picture without being distracting.  Dark areas had no issues, suggesting Fox did a loving restoration of this film.  In many ways, it looks as if the Blu-ray reflects what the director wanted. 

Audio

Audio is trickier with a movie of this vintage, and the folks at Fox did a very nice job with the DTS-HD MA presentation of the film.  The score is expansive and moves nicely around the listener, as do sound effects and ambient sounds.  With no dialog (excepting one word), centre channel levels are not an issue.

However, the presentation is far from perfect, as there is no LFE information to speak of, and they dynamic range of the sound is very limited.  Although the top end has good dynamics (highlighted by the main theme in the score), the low end is sadly lacking. 

In summation, the sound is very good for a 1970’s movie, but below the high standards that have been set by some other restorations.

Special Features

It is difficult to rate the special features for this disc, as The Mel Brooks Collection comes with a lovely hardbound book discussing Mr. Brooks and his career.  However, for review purposes, I will rate what is on the disc only.

For Silent Movie, what is on the disc is not very much.  Included are the trailer for the film, trailers for other Mel Brooks films, a trivia track, and a feature on silent movies, and their inspiration for Silent Movie (in many ways, an homage to Buster Keaton).

Although a generally uninspiring collection of extras, the featurette was very well done, and also in HD.

Final Thoughts

Internet opinion seems to be somewhat divided on this film.  There are those who seem to love it, and those who are not enamored with it.  I gladly place myself in the first camp, as I do enjoy well done physical comedy and sight gags; this movie is chock full of both.

Furthermore, I admire Mr. Brooks for doing something different, especially in the formulatic and contrived 1970’s.  It is likely that Silent Movie was a parody of what Mr. Brooks had to actually go through to get it made, making it even more admirable.

Unfortunately, as of the date of this review, this film is currently only available on Blu-Ray through the collection.  Despite this, I will give it a “Buy It” recommendation.

Film 

Well, not exactly. While When in Rome is far from a classic, it is a nice, cute and warm romantic comedy that is ,at best, fodder for a night at home with your significant other. In other words, the dreaded chick flick. I have seen worse and more even tedious examples of this genre but on the whole, When in Rome does have its moments, just not enough of them to give the film anything other than a tepid recommendation as a rental.

The film stars Kristen Bell as Beth, the curator of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, who shall we say, has been unlucky in love. She is shocked to learn after just coming out of a long romance that her little sister had been swept off her feet after a two week love affair and is getting married in Rome. Beth attends the wedding as the Maid of Honor and meets the groom’s Best Man Nick (Josh Duhamel), a New York reporter. They seem to form an attraction at least Beth does, who begins to think that there may be hope for love for her after all. However, her hopes are dashed when she sees Nick kiss a woman in a red dress and accompany her back into the wedding reception.

Beth confronts the sculpture in a mythical Statute of Love in the piazza outside the location of the wedding and asks her not to be so cruel with her. In the process, she removes 5 coins from the fountain. Unbeknownst to her, when she removes the coins, the men who threw them into the fountain all fell in love with her. When she returns to New York after the wedding, four of the men (played by Danny DeVito, Jon Heder, Will Arnett and Dax Shepard) began to pursue her, much to her chagrin, as does Nick.

By the time she advises her sister in Rome what she had done in the fountain and in turn is advised what effect that would have on the me who threw the coins in the fountain, Beth had already fallen in love with Nick. Beth was now certain that Nick didn’t actually love her and professed his love for her only as a result of a spell, just like the other four men. Beth has to decide whether to return the coins to each of the men, including Nick, and risk never having another man fall in love with her or live a life based on a lie with Nick.

I guess you can figure how it all works out without much trouble which is my biggest complaint with the film. While the film is pleasant enough, it is totally predictable and only mildly humorous. Like I indicated, your typical chick flick. When in Rome is accordingly rated as a rental only.

Video 

I must confess that I was a bit disappointed by the video quality here. While the film has a nice natural if a tad undersaturated color palette, it is a very soft looking film with below average levels of detail, especially facial and background details. Black levels are also less than stellar. As a result, the image on soft and flat looking, lacking the clarity, detail, depth and dimensionality of the better looking films on Blu-ray. Having not seen the film in the theater, I can’t really say for sure whether this is the result of the encoding process. I would guess that it is not the fault of the encode and just how the film was shot. While the film doesn’t look awful, it just lacks the level of detail, sharpness and clarity that I prefer and that looks best on Blu-ray.

Audio 

While I was disappointed with the picture quality on this release, I was pleasantly surprised by the audio, which had a more aggressive implementation of the surrounds than I had expected. While I wouldn’t go so far as to describe the use of the surrounds as aggressive, they were employed often enough to give just a bit of the sense of immersion that I enjoy so much at home. Most chick flicks have a very front heavy sound with most if not all of the sound coming from the front three speakers.

While When in Rome is a tad front heavy as well, the surrounds are engaged just enough to provide you with the ambiance required to make it feel as though you are in a real space with the actors, if only by a smidge. I found the overall fidelity of the recorded sound to be good as well with the musical score sounding the best, with a nice sense of transparency, imaging and depth. All in all, given that When in Rome is a chick flick, the audio was more than acceptable and even a bit of a surprise.

Special Features 

The extras included with this release are fairly predictable and not all that interesting. At least they are presented in high def. The extras include an alternate opening as well as an alternate ending for the film. It is clear that the director made the right choice in not using either of these in the film. In fact, it would have been better if neither had seen the light of day. Also included is the featurette “Crazy Casanovas: Mischief From The Set” which features the obligatory interviews with the cast and director of the film.

Also included is a set of extended scenes that didn’t (for obvious reasons) make the film involving Beth’s strange suitors entitled “Pain With the Suitors”. Also included is a gag reel entitled “Kerplunk”, and a very short untitled featurette where Jon Heder, Danny DeVito, Dax Shepard and Will Arnett are asked about the craziest things they ever did in the name of love. The extras also included two music videos, “Starstrukk” by 3OH!13 featuring Katy Perry and “Stupid Love Letter” by the Friday Night Boys. All in all, the extras are rather forgettable. The release is not BD-LIve enabled and does not include either digital copy of the film or a DVD copy of the film.

Final Thoughts 

You may find yourself looking for a romantic comedy to enjoy at home with your significant other in the not too near future. Go ahead and check out When in Rome but do so on the basis of a rental only.

Film

The film follows our chipmunk friends as they go back to school with Dave Seville’s nephew, while taking a break from being super stars. The chipmunks are then faced with their first challenge, they have to win a battle of the bands to save their school’s music program. Which I immediately thought, “if they were super stars why couldn’t they use their superstar money to save the program?”. Perhaps I’m putting too much thought into what is clearly not aimed towards my demographic.

Immediately I was reminded that this is definitely not the chipmunks I remember, basically Alvin and the chipmunks went from being misbehaved children to misbehaved adolescences, which is probably more popular to the youth of today who are curious about high school at a younger age. I just always remembered the chipmunks being little kids who were cute and fun to watch… Not stupid teenagers who are trying to rock a b-boy stance (Which is another part of the film that feels too little too late)

So our chipmunk friends hit their first speed bump in the story when they’re confronted by the Chipettes, who are their competition in the Battle of the Bands and to add to the suspense are just as talented as them.

The film is definitely not meant to be much more than for kids, we’re not dealing with a Pixar film here. I would say that if you’re looking for a flick strictly for the kids then grab this one. My girlfriend works in a daycare and they go crazy for these films! Just make sure you’ve got something else to do at the time or make sure you don’t expect too much from it.

My biggest disappointment was that Jason Lee’s character, Dave Seville, isn’t even in the film long. Not only does that change the dynamic of the original story, but it also takes out one of the legitimate reasons to watch the film… but hey, Kids still like it!

Video

Alvin & the Chipmunks : the squeakquel’s video is displayed in 1.85:1 widescreen using the AVC MPEG-4 codec and it’s another great 20^th Century Fox release. The colours are vibrant and bright, while the black levels are deep and dark. Details and clear and sharp while maintaining a smooth bokeh when depth of field is in use. There’s minimal grain and I didn’t notice any artefacting.

To put it simply, it’s a great looking Blu-ray and although the compositing of the 3d chipmunks is not flawless and the extra detail might be working against the cause of blending, but overall the film looks great and the transfer is top of the line.

Audio

Alvin & the Chipmunks: the squeakquel’s audio comes at us in English 5.1 DTS-HD master audio and is also offered in French and Spanish Dolby digital 5.1 as well there is subtitles in the three languages as well.

To match the video’s great quality, the film’s audio mix is another great staple of  20^th Century Fox ability to produce some great home theatre media.  The mix is even, properly balanced and really demonstrates its dynamic range in the musical pieces. The surrounds are used throughout and create subtle depth and atmosphere while the centre channel pumps out clear dialogue throughout.

I found that even though my audio surround system is set up for movies the music came through well and sounded great. On some of the songs with deep rhythm sections the sub was working hard and producing clear and deep bass notes that were the cherry on top of a great sound mix.

Special Features

It’s great for a family film to have watchable special features; its common sense that it makes the disc worth more when there’s more junk for our kids to watch. From the bonus music videos to the kid friendly behind-the-scenes; if you’re kid liked the movie and are craving more, give the special features a watch (especially the “meet the chipettes” if you have a girl).

Final Thoughts

The film may lack the depth and the wide range of audience demographic coverage of other children’s films, but if you’re looking for a film for your kids then this disc looks and sounds great, while providing a plethora of special features to increase the value of the disc. Don’t expect the best writing around, but if you go into it with an open mind the film will be entertaining.

The African Queen also has an intimidating pedigree.  Nominated for four Academy Awards, it has become legendary for the danger and hardships director John Huston exposed the cast and crew to.  Filming in wild parts of the Belgian Congo, legend has it that Bogart and Huston avoided the sicknesses that afflicted all other cast and crew by drinking only Scotch.  Legend also has it that Huston stalled production in his obsession with hunting an elephant, later fictionalized into “White Hunter, Black Heart”.

As a film, The African Queen continually appears on AFI’s “100 years, 100 movies” list, has been selected for preservation in the U.S. Film Registry, and was the source of Humphrey Bogart’s only Academy Award.  How well does it survive its restoration to Blu-ray?    

Film

One of the challenges of viewing a movie of this vintage is being able to tie up one’s cynicism when watching it.  When a movie was made in a less cynical time, and is about an even less cynical time, it can be a challenge not mocking or expressing incredulity at what one is viewing. 

To properly enjoy this film, the viewer has to mentally shift their frame of reference away from what they expect in a current movie.  If one can successfully do this and place the movie in the context of when it was created, they will be treated to a perfectly satisfying movie that defies being labeled with a single genre.  Action, adventure, romance, and comedy are all in the movie, with many chuckle out loud moments.

The plot of the movie was quite simple.  Rose Sayer (Katherine Hepburn) and her brother Samuel  (Robert Morely) are prim and proper British Methodist Missionaries in German East-Africa at the start of WWI.  Humphrey Bogart is Charlie Allnut, a coarse Canadian steamboat captain who provides a link to the outside world through his mail deliveries to the Sayers.

When Germans visit the Sayer’s village, round up the locals, and burn down all of the town structures, Samuel is struck by a German soldier, leading to dementia and death.  Left on her own, Rose decides to flee with Charlie.  Upon learning Charlie has a number of supplies and explosives that he was unable to deliver to a local mine due to unrest caused by the war, Rose devises a plan where she and Charlie can assist the war effort (and gain revenge for her brother’s effective murder).

To carry out this plan, the African Queen must negotiate through two sets of rapids, escape by a German river fort, then be turned into a torpedo to sink a German boat which is preventing Allied attacks into German East-Africa.  Although Charlie seems to think this is a path to certain death, he agrees to help Rose, leading to their adventures throughout the movie.

One cannot argue with the quality of the performance of the leads, especially considering the filming conditions.  Katherine Hepburn is superb playing Rose in three different ways – prim and proper, thrill seeker, and doting girlfriend.  Humphrey Bogart is also excellent, transforming from a drunken ruffian, to an able sailor and tradesman, to a doting boyfriend, to a heroic figure.

Overall, this is a perfectly satisfying movie, with the exception of a few plot holes.  Even considering the era of the movie, Charlie and Rose’s rapid romance seems quite a bit implausible, especially considering the rigidity with which Katherine Hepburn plays Rose in the movie’s opening scenes.  Rose’s transformation from an uptight missionary to a thrill-seeking adventurer also happens with startling speed.  The number of well-timed rain storms, positioning of the sun, and the ultimate fate of the African Queen all work out 100% in favor of our protagonists.  However, once we strip away our modern-era cynicism, we are left with something that has been missing from many movies for a very long time – innocent, guileless, clean, and optimistic entertainment.

Is this a good movie?  Absolutely!  Is it a great movie?  Unfortunately, no, and I believe that much of this movie’s endearing popularity relates more to its unique location (for the time), and the other legends, tales, and controversies that surrounded its production.  The movie itself is lightweight, perfectly satisfying as entertainment, but missing the necessary gravitas that I believe truly legendary movies need.     

Video

With the incredible advancement in video standards over the last ten years, we as viewers have come to expect movies which have been highly produced to exacting standards.  We have been spoiled by superb special effects, incredible use of green screen techniques, and the advent of CGI.  Each of these can make movies look like reality (or even create new reality), and it raises the viewer’s expectations of how scenes should look. 

Unfortunately, this sort of technology was not even dreamt of or even conceivable in 1951, and when a movie of this era is transferred from film then digitally restored, it will highlight all flaws and limitations in the original work.

Starting with the bad, being in 1080p reveals models that look like models, action scenes that appear different between long focus and close up shots.  Film treatments to create the visual effect of buzzing mosquitoes look nothing like an attack of mosquitoes.   The early Technicolor print also presents challenges, with less depth of or consistency of tone then I’d like, and oddly shaded flesh tones.  However, the film gets a pass on these from me, as to clean these up or reshoot them would destroy the original fabric of the movie.  As an almost 60-year old movie we simply have to live with these shortcomings.

However, Paramount did a smashing job with the digital restore of this movie.  Colors are bright, grain is appropriate and present, and digital noise is only obvious in certain scenes.  By no means is the picture perfect, and it can be a bit soft at times, but the overall quality of it exceeded my expectations. 

Audio

The audio is mono.  Not really much you can do with that.  Surrounds?  No.  LFE?  No.  Generally, everything sounds like it is coming out of the dashboard speaker of a ’76 Plymouth Aspen.  The score can be jarring and distracting, and sometimes dialogue fades off so that you cannot hear exactly what was being said.  Not a great presentation all around.

Although I would normally not dock a movie of this era as badly as I did The African Queen, one only has to listen to the enhanced soundtrack Disney included on the older Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to hear what can actually be done with a mono track.  For all of the effort Paramount put into the video presentation, it would have been nice for the soundtrack to have received a little attention as well.

Special Features

I was honestly disappointed with the level of special features on this disc.  For one, even a small booklet discussing the movie, or a commentary with one of the people who feel this is a legendary movie (Leonard Maltin anyone?) may have been illustrative of what I may be missing.  Apparently other goodies (Hepburn’s memoir of making the movie, a CD of a radio play of the movie, and some other collectibles) are available in the Commemorative Box Set, not the Standard version I reviewed.

The only special feature contained on the standard issue BRD is the excellent documentary “Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen”.  Although this includes some of the elements I would have looked for in a commentary, as a separate feature it loses some immediacy to the movie.  However, as a feature on its own merit, it is as equally entertaining as the film itself.

Unfortunately, when I compare this level of features with those on the Studio Canal release of Le Mépris, it is rather underwhelming.

Final Thoughts

I am always challenged when reviewing a movie that is a “classic” or “legendary”.  In some cases, I find the film has remained as relevant as it was when released, retaining a feel of currency even in our ever-changing world.  Other times, I find that the movie earns a reputation more based on the era in which those who apply the labels of “legendary” and “classic” were born.

Take Star Wars, Episode IV as an example.  I first saw this movie as a seven-year old, and proceeded to use my allowance to religiously view it bi-weekly until it ended its theatre run.  To older critics at the time, it was “space opera” and “melodramatic”.  To me, it is a “legendary classic”, and a movie I will always cherish as I saw it through the uncolored eyes of a seven-year old.

I think The African Queen falls into this same conundrum.  It had the good fortune to be produced in a golden era of Hollywood films that gave genesis to a whole generation of future filmmakers and critics.  I imagine many of them viewed this movie through uncolored youthful eyes; theirs seeing the wild and verdant river in Africa in the same way I saw Tatooine and the Death Star.  The striking visuals and wild frontiers portrayed in both of these movies provided rich nourishment so appreciated by the young imaginations of movie goers.   

However, when we take The African Queen out of the context of when it was made, and look at it as a movie on its own merits through adult eyes, it is a good, not a great movie.  It also feels like an old movie.  And although its transfer to Blu-ray comes with a beautifully restored visual, the skinny special features and poor sound relegate this title to a rental.

Worst part is, this movie stars two of my least favourite actors in the world.  Sarah Jessica Parker (she of the huge head) always seems to play high strung, loud and needy characters.  I avoid these people like the plague in real life.  And although Hugh Grant appears to be a genial sort, is there any discernable difference between any of the different characters he has played in a number of different rom-coms?

So, in reviewing this movie, I had a few challenges in front of me.  I needed to watch the whole movie, stay awake, go in to it with an open mind, and not loudly predict what was going to happen (or face censure from the official wife). 

Film

This is a below average rom-com, and hence earns a below average grade.

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker play Paul and Meryl Morgan, an upwardly mobile New York couple.  However, they are currently in the middle of a separation, caused by Paul having a one-time affair while away on business.  Although Paul is looking for ways to try and keep their marriage together, Meryl appears to be ready to throw in the towel.

When leaving a restaurant together, they witness a client of Meryl’s being murdered.  And of course, the killer has to make himself implausibly yet explicitly visible so that our protagonists have a need to go into witness protection.

I’ve never really thought of someone trying to murder others in cold blood as particularly humorous, but at least it provides us with the “fish out of water” story we need by sending New Yorkers to Wyoming.  In Wyoming, we get to see every sort of country/western/rural stereotype there is, such as guns, bears, horses, small-town living, bear spray, multi-meat breakfasts, and a Costco-like store.  And of course we wonder, “Do you think this experience will get them back together?” like we don’t know the answer.

After watching the movie for some time, one strangely finds themselves siding with the hitman.  Meryl is a perfect example of a self-absorbed high-strung Type A personality career woman, while Paul is a eunuch-like sissified excuse for a man.  Not only does it become difficult to root for these characters, I found myself rooting against them (or at least wishing Paul would get away from Meryl with some shred of masculinity still intact).  At least if the hitman got them, the movie would thankfully be over.

The only highlight of the movie was the Morgans’ hosts.  Sam Elliot plays fully to character as Marshall Clay Wheeler, while the ever-lovely Mary Steenburgen plays his wife Emma, also a Marshall.  Both have a worldly charm and likeability to them, and only further contrasts how needy, self-absorbed, and soft both Meryl and Paul are.    

In all fairness to the film, there are some funny scenes, though most involve Hugh Grant being injured.  However, the other creepy scenes (like being stalked by a relentless hitman) sort of take the air out of even the funny bits.  The ending was also a bit surprising – I’ve never seen a “fish out of water” movie where the characters don’t decide to stay wherever it is that they are.

Video

Despite the tepid and treacly nature of the movie, I would have difficulty in criticizing the transfer.  I found the picture to be sharp and natural looking with appropriate grain throughout the movie.  Lighting was used well – even the scene shot in the Costco-like store had Costco-like lighting.

Importantly, dark scenes did not swim in excess grain nor show signs of unwanted noise.  In fact, I do not recall seeing any video issues such as black crush or macroblocking throughout the movie.  Outside scenes were vibrant with color, and looked very nice.

Although this is not a reference-level disc (the material simply isn’t challenging enough) the quality of the transfer was admirable, and should make most video enthusiasts happy.

Audio

Like most rom-coms, this movie is very talky, and will not maximize the full potential of your home theatre system.  As expected, the mix is very front-heavy.

However, there were some disappointments with the soundtrack.  Dynamic levels were not well managed – Sam Elliot came through regularly at a higher volume than the other actors, and varying centre levels had me reaching for the remote.

Surround speakers are also an afterthought; there is so little information going to the surrounds that they become distracting when something clearly is there.  A great example of this is when the Morgans go to the local rodeo and someone starts clapping in the previously silent surround right channel; it is enough to make you jump out of your seat.

Generally, this is just an average audio presentation, and does not match the quality of the video presentation. 

Special Features

The special features are at least in high definition.  Problem is, after watching the movie, it is difficult to imagine what of value could be lurking in here.

The commentary is actually not that bad, and at least has the Director and the two main stars in it.  It certainly does run out of steam early, but Hugh Grant attempts to to be wry and witty throughout, something he’s pretty good at.

The other features include deleted scenes (heck, delete half the movie!), outtakes (which are easily funnier than the scripted movie), three blah featurettes (a “making of”, a “more in depth” 8 minute look at the cast, and a short feature on the costumes), and the semi-interesting featurette on working with a trained wild bear.  There is also an “International Special”, which looks like the stock promotional stuff that is sent to entertainment shows.

If you’re hooked up to the Internet, you can also go to Sony’s Blu-ray portal, and use the Sony Movie IQ utility.

Not an overly bad set of extras, but not really impressive either. 

Final Thoughts

Although this is not a movie I will ever watch again, the official wife certainly enjoyed it, and gave it a hearty “not bad”.  In all fairness, this movie does deserve its “Fans only” rating; if you’re a fan of rom-coms, you’ll likely think this is “not bad”.   However, if you’re a fan of well-written and acted movies, and generally hate the rom-com genre, I’d stay far, far away.  

The cover states that this is “The Perfect Date Movie”.  I think it is, but only if you’re trying to get the other person to dump you.