Film

Born into poverty, Chaplin took to the stage almost as soon as he could speak. Tirelessly he tried to advance his career, first by acting on stage and screen, then to directing, composing, and ultimately becoming a Hollywood mogul and co-founder of United Artists.

Chaplin’s life was so immense that it is hard to imagine encapsulating it in a single film. Not just because of his talents as a performer, but his personal life was ceaselessly jaded by family woes, relationship and political controversies, which included his expulsion from the United States. Attenborough made a noble effort to face this challenge, and presents a decent, albeit fast-paced, biography. Some parts of his life might seem clipped but any hasty storytelling can be forgiven because of the spectacular cast presenting it.

Not enough can be said about Robert Downey Jr’s performance. Downey manages to convey Chaplin’s demons with utter dignity, all the while never losing the ability to mimic Chaplin’s clowning to a tee. It has been said that Attenborough felt confident enough in said performance that he could splice in actual Chaplin footage, and he was right to do so. When Downey is playing Chaplin, while performing in a film within the film, I completely forget that it is not the genuine article, be it in black and white or colour.

I could list the merits of the entire supporting cast, but to save time I shall briefly make mention of my two favourites. First is Kevin Kline who simply oozed charm while portraying Douglas Fairbanks, and my second pick would have to be Geraldine Chaplin who portrayed her own grandmother so lovingly and yet as so disturbingly broken.

In no way should this be a completely satisfactory profile of Chaplin, it should be a launching point. If one, for some reason, needs something more modern to present Chaplin, this film does a very good job at introducing the man and his work. From here, his films should be mandatory viewing (many of them should be no matter what in my humble opinion).

Video

Widescreen 1.78:1. The blacks are very crisp in this, which is essential when you consider how prevalent black is in Chaplin’s work as well as on his Tramp costume. There are some darker scenes where a slight fuzziness appears on the picture, but never enough to be truly disrupting nor disappointing from the 1080p delivery.

Audio

English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. The sentimental sounding score is rather lushed but could have used a nice Surround sound treatment to be fully appreciated and complete the immersion experience. All things considered, this is a well mixed soundtrack. The dialogue and music are able to play off of each other without disturbance.

Special Features

The first three features all stem from the same set of interviews with the filmmakers and interested critics.

Strolling into the Sunset: Reflections on the creation of the film. In this featurette, Attenborough admits to the challenges of the film’s vision, and that it was lighter that it was not as thorough as he had hoped.

Chaplin the Hero: This is concentrated praise for Chaplin’s brilliance by the interviewees.

The Most Famous Man in the World: Profiling Chaplin’s significance during his heyday. Of the three segments, this last one offers the most unique material.

“All at Sea”: This is a real treat, an actual home movie shot and edited by Chaplin. The family goof around and even do some visual impressions of 1930s celebrities and politicians. An amusing short.

Bookmarks: This is an option to place markers onto parts of the film. This is a godsend to any teacher wishing to present this in a classroom.

Trailers: Self-explanatory.

Final Thoughts

In many ways, this film is just as much a love letter to the earliest years of film as it is tribute to an individual who would become the most famous person on Earth for a time. As romanticized as it is, this film’s charms are undeniable.

Film  

I am sure that all of you know just a tad about this film even if you have never seen it or have even heard about it. We all know the opening lines of ‘if I were a rich man, da da deed dum, da da dee da daddle dum….” and have all heard the song “Sunrise Sunset” one place or the other. However, Fiddler On The Roof is so much more and is a very deep and moving film.

The film is set in the Ukraine in Zarist Russia in 1905. The film takes place in the small jewish village of Anatevka and follows Tevye, his wife Golde and their 5 daughters. Tevya is played by Topol (nominated for best Actor for his work in the film) who was in the same role in the play as it played in London, with Zero Mostel in that role in New York. Teyva is the central character in the play. He is a milkman in this very small and very poor village who is looking to marry off his oldest daughter to the rich and much older butcher in town. However, something intervenes in this plan, namely the 20th Century and the concept on romantic love.

It seems that Tevya’s oldest daughter wants to marry for love and does not want to accept the prior tradition of arranged marriages. In fact, the tensions between the old traditions and new ways of the 20th Century are what is at the heart of the film, from romantic love to the use of modern machinery to interfaith marriages, it is all covered here, all set against the backdrop of a small traditional and orthodox Jewish village. It is not just Tevya and his family that are caught up in the turmoil of change but the entire town too as the film is also set against the background of the Russian revolution. The end of traditions indeed.

What makes this film so special for me is that they were able to take the play off stage, keep most of the dialogue intact and place you in the town with the family, to give you a glimpse of what it must have been to live in the town at that time. The acting and writing is superb as are the songs and orchestrations by John Williams. The acting, direction, sets and music here are all top notch and well worth a look. if you haven’t seen this film, do yourself and favor and do so.

If you have already seen the film, see it again. A bit of warning, it is a long film and is broken into two acts. You may want to break up your viewing of the film into two nights. Check it out, you will be glad you did. This film is very highly recommended.

Video  

I was more than happy with the look of the film. The film has a very natural looking color palette. Where it falls a bit short, is in the level of detail and blacks levels. The film, like too many films of its vintage (in this case 1971) is a bit soft. As a result, fine facial detail and background details are lacking in all but the extreme closeups. Black levels are also a bit inconsistent and never deep and inky. At best, they are a dark gray. As a result, the image lacks a bit of depth. However, the film otherwise looks quite nice and pleasing to the eye. The print looks to be in excellent shape as well and has undergone an very nice restoration for this 40th Anniversary release of the film. The look of the film on Blu-ray should more than please fans of the film.

Audio  

The audio here is presented in a 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio mix. Given the age of the film and the overall original sound design of the film, I found this to be rather surprising. The film is very front heavy with sparse use of the surrounds. Given this fact, a 5.1 mix would have been more than adequate and a 7.1 mix, simply overkill, adding little to the overall audio presentation of the material.

The overall fidelity of the recorded sound is quite good, sounding full, rich and warm. Dynamics are good but no where near reference. The dialogue track is well recorded and placed in the mix although it did appear to me that there were small sync issues with the recording of the songs which did not always match up properly with the picture. This was rare and very very minor but noticeable enough for me to check my system to make sure it was functioning properly. In case you are wondering, it was. The orchestrations here by John Williams sound great with a wonderful warm and rich sound that I found to be very pleasing. If you are looking for a totally immersive sound experience with room rattling dynamics, Fiddler On The Roof is not the film for you. However, given the age of the film and its original sound design, I found the audio here to be more than presentable.

Special Features  

The extras here are fairly extensive, although it appears to me that most were ported over from the prior DVD release of the film.

• Audio commentaries by director Norman Jewison and Topol as well as a look at Norman Jewison as a film maker.
• Retrospective interview with Norman Jewison about the film entitled Norman Jewison Looks back which I might add I found rather informative.
• Interview with John Williams about the musical score entitled “John Williams: Creating a Musical Tradition” which I also found to be interesting. There is a look at the songs featured in the film entitled quite appropriately “Songs of Fiddler On The Roof”.
• One deleted song from the film “Any Day Now” which features the actual recording of the song with pictures of the actors singing given that the filmed sequence has been lost.
• A look at the three actresses who played Tevye’s three oldest daughters in the film including interviews with each.
• Set designs and locales for the film as well as a story board to film comparison.
• Teyve’s dream sequence with a comparison between the live color footage that was compared directly side by side on screen to the desaturated almost black and white footage that was actually included in the film.
• The remaining extras consist of trailers and TV sports for the film.

Fiddler On The Roof is a two disc combo pack and also contains a DVD copy of the film as well. If you are a fan of the film, there is quite a bit to go through here with most of it being quite interesting and informative and well worth your time.

Final Thoughts  

Fiddler On The Roof is a great film that has more than withstood the test of time. The film has never looked or sounded better in the home than it does on this release and is a worthy addition to the collection of any serious film fan and is very highly recommended.

Film

The Color Purple covers the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900’s. From when we first meet her as an abused daughter who has already bared two of her own father’s children and dumped into the lap of a man who is just as abusive played by Danny Glover we see just how graphic this story is going to be. It follows her throughout the years and her journey through trials and tribulations that somehow manages to foster her will power.

Whoopi Goldberg who plays Celie later in life does a great job performing with few lines, with every timid eccentricity and nervous tick that is made you see just how real Celie becomes through Whoopi’s performance. The acting throughout is great in this film with powerhouse performances by Danny Glover and Oprah.

The film was Spielberg’s first foray into the realm of drama and it was successful, being hailed by critics as a great achievement. The film proved that Spielberg’s innovative style and his ingenuity traverses genre and that even though he’s known more so for his adventure stories, the man is a genius. A lot has to do with the fact that The Color Purple’s source material was a good place to start, but needless to say when the film comes together it’s well worth it.

Video

The Color Purple’s video is displayed using the AVC MPEG-4 in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The video quality is great; when the film first started I was bit worried by the distracting grain levels but within minutes the film began to display just how well it looks.

The transfer is free of artefacting or any other examples of image degradation. The black levels are deep and the contrast manages to stay consistent throughout the film. The color palette of the film stays true to the original presentation and the grade balances its neutral tone with a bit of pop that really emphasizes the high def transfer.

Audio

The Color Purple’s audio comes at using DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 codec, which has been remixed from the original stereo master. Although the film was originally based on a stereo mix we’re given a good example of a stereo to 5.1 upconvert that does a good job taking full advantage of the surrounds, with some subtle hints of atmosphere that help immerse us into the film, as well as some subtle LFE accents on the score and some louder sound effects.

Special Features

Unfortunately the extras are simply hauled over from the last DVD release of the film, it would’ve been nice to see a few extras or perhaps some high definition bonuses but alas. A missed opportunity definitely comes to mind with the absence of the Oprah show’s special with the cast reunion that took place during the final season of Oprah’s long lived talk show.

We’re given a few featurettes that focus on the original novel and its release, a look at the cast and their performances and finally a “making of” that goes behind-the-scenes and looks at some of the different aspects of filmmaking like costuming,  art design and cinematography.

Some of the smaller extras include a video on the music of the film which is a brief overview with Quincy Jones, a stills gallery with photos of the cast and production shots and to round it out there are some trailers as well.

Final Thoughts

The film is a definitely a classic and is filled with powerful performances and an important message. With strong technical aspects to back it the film is a worthwhile purchase, unfortunately the lack of special features is bit of a bummer but the fact we’re given a great film that is presented properly is well worth it.

I hadn’t seen this film since its initial theatrical release 20 year ago. I was very impressed by the film back then and can recall thinking “Wow!” as I left the theater. Would the film be as impressive as I remembered it to be with 20 years worth of perspective or would it be like the Good Old Days often are, not as good as we recall? Thankfully in this case, even given the expanded length of the film, it is every bit as good as I recall it being.

Film 

I loved this film when I saw it the first time and found it to be just as pleasing on Blu-ray. The film included here is the extended cut and clocks in at nearly 4 hours and is almost an hour longer than the film I saw at the theater. A four hour running time is probably too long a time to sit in a theater to watch a film, so the ability to pause it and come back to finish it later one of the real benefits of home theater. For those of you who saw Avatar, you know the basic plot for Dances With Wolves.

Set in 1863, Dances With Wolves stars Kevin Costner as Lt. John J. Dunbar of the Union Army who, after an act of tremendous bravery (or an attempt at suicide depending on your point of view), is granted a transfer from the front lines to the frontier of the great plains. When asked at his new post why he would want a transfer to the no man’s land of the western frontier, he said so that he can see it before it is gone.

By the times he arrives at the small fort where he was stationed with a load of provisions, it had been deserted due to lack of support. All by himself, he repaired the fort and began to man it himself, hoping to get a look at buffalo and the great rolling plains. After awhile, a lone wolf comes near the fort for food and John Dunbar begins to feed it. It is after observations of him with the wolf that the local Sioux tribe gives him the name, Dances With Wolves.

A lone Sioux, eventually comes upon the fort and encounters Lt. Dunbar. He convinces the tribe to send others to feel Lt. Dunbar out, to see if he is a threat. After a slow start, the tribe welcomes him as one of their own and Lt. Dunbar weds Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell), a white woman who the tribe adopted after the rest of her family was killed by a more violent local tribe. Unlike some of the other tribes in the frontier, The Sioux tribe is very peaceful, living in harmony with the land, wandering the plains looking for food and water and the buffalo, who are very important to their survival. They kill only as many buffalo as they need to feed their tribe. Lt. Dunbar is captivated by how they live in harmony with nature and wants to live with them.

After he weds, he returns to the fort which to his surprise, has now been fully staffed by soldiers who do not share his love for the Sioux. They view him in his indian garb as a traitor and place him in jail. When he refuses to turn on the tribe, he is beaten. When Danes With Wolves does not return, the tribe is concerned and sets out to rescue him to reunite him with the tribe and his new wife. In doing so, Danes With Wolves is forced to make a choice between his past or his new family in a fight for his own survival.

In addition to the lead role, Kevin Costner also directed the film which is based on a book of the same name by Michael Blake. The film won 7 Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, film editing, original score, directing and Best Picture. All of the awards were well deserved. Dances With Wolves is a captivating film and a true classic. It was a treat to experience the film in HD for the first time with an all new hi def transfer and a new 7. 1 audio track. Dances With Wolves is every bit as good as I recalled it to be and is very highly recommended.

Video 

Dances With Wolves is filled with some great cinematography and looks superb on Blu-ray. Clearly, given the length of the film, great care went into the encode for this release and I could not detect much in the way of significant artifacts that would in any way spoil one’s enjoyment of the film. The early part of the film involving the Civil War battles looks quite good with bright and vivid greens and the bright red of blood the dominant colors in the color palette. When the film moves out west, those colors are replaced by the beautiful blue sky and the browns of the South Dakota landscape where the film was shot. The rolling hills of the plains look great and the film gives one a great look at how the landscape of the frontier may have looked in the mid 19th Century.

While the film does not have the inkiest of blacks, the blacks are more than acceptable and are consistent throughout the film. Some of the darker interior scenes do have a bit of black crush but are not really all that objectionable. As far as I know, that is just how the film was supposed to look. Details are quite good during close-ups but loss a bit on more distant shots which are a tad on the soft side. Film grain is apparent and it does not look like much in the way of digital noise reduction was applied to “clean” up the look of the film, which still has that film like look about it. All things considered, this is a fine encode of a fine looking film and is one that should more than please fans of the film. Well done Fox.

Audio 

The same care that went into the encoding of the video for this release was also used for the audio which has been remixed into a 7.1 sound design. The overall fidelity of the audio is excellent, which can be described as smooth, full and rich although lacking the degree of transparency as the very best sounding films. The musical score sounds sensational. The dialogue track is always clear and front and center in the sound mix. I found large sections of the film to be a bit front heavy with the surrounds used for low ambient effects. However, when they are used more aggressively, they are used very well, for example the sounds of the wind whipping through the plains, the thundering buffalo herd and the various battle sequences.

Bass response is very good with gun shots having a believable sense of weight. The same can be said of the thundering buffalo herd which rumbles quite convincingly through your room although without the sheer room rattling bass of the very best sound mixes. The film is 20 year old after all. All in all, this is a fine audio encode and one that will also thrill fans of the film.

Special Features 

Dances With Wolves is presented as a 2 disc set. The film is so long that the only extras on the first disc consist of audio commentaries featuring Kevin Costner and producer Jim Williams and a second featuring Director of Photography Dean Semler and Film Editor Neil Travis. The extras on the first film also contain two in movie experiences MIlitary Rank and Social Heirarchy Guide and Real History or Movie Make Believe?, both of which are entirely forgettable in this writer’s opinion.

The second disc contains the rest of the making of featurettes with only one in high definition and that is “A Day in the Life on the Western Frontier” which provides an historical look at what life was really like on the frontier. This one is certainly worth a look.

The rest appear to have been ported over from the prior DVD release. The other featurettes are the “Original Making With Wolves” and “The Creation of an Epic: A Perspective Documentary”, the latter of which is quite long and detailed, detailing every aspect of the making of the film and its reception by the film going public. Also included is a Dances Photo Montage with an introduction by photographer Phil Glass as well as the original trailer for the film. For a film this significant, I was expecting a bit more and some newer featurettes on the making of the film.

Final Thoughts 

Dances With Wolves is another film which has stood the test of time. It features fine audio and video encodes that should more than please fans of the film. Do yourself a favor, if you have seen Avatar, check out Dances With Wolves and see just how much better this type of material can be handled. Very highly recommended.

Film 

There is little question that Thelma & Louise is a classic. There were certainly no films like it before and I can’t really think of one since its release. In this regard, it pretty much stands as unique in the history of cinema. Sure there were plenty of road movies before and since and plenty of Buddy films. However, this is the only “Buddy” or “Road” film that I can recall where the two leads were women and not men. The movie world was male dominated 20 years ago and still is. When Thelma & Louise was released, it caused quite a stir in the media, including a cover piece in Time.

How you viewed the film often times depended on your gender, with women loving it, viewing it as a film about the empowerment of women and men hating it anti male given the way Thelma & Louise treated most men in the film. I guess men were not used to seeing men shot and humiliated in films by women. Looking back on it with 20 years’ perspective, all the bluster about the film seems to be just that, bluster. It is simply a great film about two interesting and complex women and one that I am grateful to see make its debut on Blu-ray.

I am sure that most of you already know the plot line of the film. Thelma & Louise are played brilliantly by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. Thelma is a housewife trapped in a loveless marriage to a real boob and leading a life totally devoid of even a hint of excitement or passion. Louise is a long time friend who works as a waitress in a diner who has some hidden demons that manifest themselves early enough in the film.

They decide to have a little fun and meet to go fishing in the mountains. Along the way they stop at a truck stop for some drinks where Thelma is hit on by Harlan Puckett (Timothy Carhart), a married man who is well known at the restaurant/bar as a pick-up artist. Thelma has too much to drink and feels sick while dancing. She goes outside for some fresh air where Harlan tries to rape her after she rejects his affections. Louise comes upon the scene while trying to locate Thelma as Harlan is just starting ito manhandle Thelma over the hood of a car and breaks it up with a gun from Thelma’s handbag to the back of Harlan’s head.

While leaving, Harlan says something derogatory to Louise who turns around and shoots and kills him. Rather than call the police, the two flee the scene. When the murder is discovered, the police, led by Detective Hal Slocumb (Harvey Keitel) quickly zero in on Thelma & Louise as suspects and begin to pursue them as they attempt to escape to Mexico. As they cross several states as part of their escape, they engage in criminal activity to finance their efforts to avoid capture at the hands of just about every law enforcement agency in the Southwest United States.

*Spoiler Alert*

Along the way, they truly discover themselves and even enrich their friendships, to the point that they commit suicide together rather than get caught, as they drive their car over the edge of the Grand Canyon as the film ends with that unforgettable sight of their car suspended in the air over the canyon before they can begin the plunge to their deaths.

Despite the subject matter, the film is filled with humor and is a very entertaining 129 minutes. Thelma & Louise is an unforgettable film that is as good today as when it was released way back in 1991 and is highly recommended.

Video 

I have no recollection as to how this film looked in the theaters 20 years ago. I am not sure that anyone would have having only seen the film once 20 years before. That said, this is a fine looking encode. The film has a pleasing looking color palette which is a bit skewed to the color cyan, with colors having a light blue tinge to them. Black levels are good and stable and consistent throughout the film but far from reference. Color saturation, detail, shadow detail and clarity are all good, although the overall look of the film is a tad on the soft side.

I found film grain to be well preserved with the overall video presentation maintaining that film like appearance. Other than during the opening sequence of the film where slight banding was present, I noticed no significant encoding issues. The print used for the release looked clean and in excellent shape. Fans of the film should be more than pleased with the look of the film on its initial Blu-ray release.

Audio 

All in all I was quite pleased with the audio here. While the sound design is a bit front heavy, the overall fidelity of the recorded sound was excellent, sounding smooth, rich and open with not even the hint of hardness evident. Bass response was particularly strong and most noticeable during the film score and sound effects. The dialogue track was well recorded and always intelligible. All in all, the sound reproduction here is of top notch quality.

Special Features 

I found the extras presented here to be rather mundane. The extras include an audio commentary with director Ridley Scott as well as one featuring Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis and screenwriter Callie Khouri. We also get a featurette on the making of the film and the reaction to it entitled “Thelma & Louise: The Last Journey” which is presented in standard definition and appears to have been ported over from the prior DVD release of the film.

Also included is an extended ending to the film with commentary by Ridley Scott, where he explains why the extended ending was deleted from the film. The extras also include several extended and deleted screens, a mutli-angles storyboard of the final chase scene as well as the original trailer for the film and a “Part of You, Part of Me” music video by Glenn Frey.

Final Thoughts 

It was great to see Thelma & Louise again after 20 years. its initial release on Blu-ray looks and sounds about as good as this film can and should please the many fans of this film and is highly recommended.

Films

The first Highlander is a personal favorite. It is an action-packed sci-fi/fantasy mishmash about a bunch of immortals fighting each other with swords in a quest for “the prize.” The prize is awarded to the last immortal left on Earth because as fans already know, “there can be only one.” The immortals compete in battle and when one is beheaded by another, the victor gains the losers power through a process called the quickening.

Highlander follows the adventures of Connor MacLeod played by Christopher Lambert beginning in Scotland over several hundred years ago when he befriends a fellow immortal named Romirez played by Sean Connery, who introduces Connor to his powers and teaches him how to defend himself, and ends in present day where a gathering of the world’s remaining few immortals in New York City has begun and Connor is forced to face off against an evil arch enemy named Kruger, played by Clancy Brown.

Director Russell Mulcahy packs the movie with plenty of sword fights and lots of Queen on the soundtrack. Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery have good chemistry and share a few good moments and the laughs definitely match the thrills. This movie is a guilty pleasure if I ever saw one, but I’m not too embarrassed about it.

Highlander 2: The Quickening came out five years after the original. The first movie hadn’t been a huge success at the box office, but it had become something of a cult classic. The sequel was plagued with problems during production resulting in the producers cutting the filming process early and removing returning director Russell Mulcahy from the editing room. The theatrical version was a bastardized version of Mulcahy’s original screenplay and the film was met with mostly terrible reviews when it opened. It still randomly appears on many critics’ top ten worst movies ever made lists even today.

A few years after the production, Mulcahy went back and filmed extra scenes and re-edited the movie to closer match what he had originally intended. Initially, the sequel was meant to explain the origins of the immortals a little more by revealing that they were in fact aliens from the planet Zeist. This resulted in more anger from critics and fans alike, so Mulcahy also used this opportunity to remove any mention of Zeist in this new version of the movie simply referred to as “The Renegade Version.” The special effects have been updated as well. This is the version of the movie included on this blu-ray collection.

Although obviously not as good as the original, the sequel does have a lot going for it and is nowhere near as bad as you may have heard. It’s certainly better than some Highlander sequels that have followed and it only started the pattern used by every proceeding sequel of completely ignoring any continuity in story between the movies entirely. There are some great action scenes obviously. It is a joy to see Sean Connery returning as Conner’s mentor Ramirez and he and Christopher Lambert seem to have fun working together during their scenes. Coincidently, the role of Ramirez is the only character outside of James Bond that Sean Connery has played more than once.

The second movie has a very corny sense of humor as well that really works for it. The new version has some improvements, but I wish they hadn’t have tried to erase the alien subplot. It was no less ridiculous than the time traveling patch job they replaced it with thanks to a few small cuts and some re-dubbed dialogue. I’m sure some would disagree, but I really just don’t think it help matters enough to have been worth the effort in the first place. Hopefully, this will finally be the definitive version

Video

Highlander’s video is displayed using the VC-1 codec and Highlander 2 is displayed using the AVC MPEG-4 codec. I have the original DVD release of this film that I got when it first came out and when I picked up the later edition on DVD and saw the difference in the video quality between the two and I was blown away. The original release seemed to use a dirty print and had a full array of issues including an outrageous amount of grain and noise. When I got this Blu-ray I was excited to compare it to the cleaned up DVD and get a laugh by going back to the original DVD that I own.

The video quality is fantastic considering the previous releases, with some really nice sharpness and very little grain issues. The contrast is at a good level that helps with the clarity, but the black levels aren’t as deep as they could’ve been.

However the first film has quite a few issues that arise, although the film looks really great in comparison to previous releases, there are some sections that are simply bad looking. There are a few shots that are so soft that I thought I was watching the film in standard definition and with a few cases of artefacting here and there it’s really hard to see the merit.  It’s miles beyond the original digital release as a whole, but I expected that seeing how a lot of the film seems to have been cleaned up nicely, they wouldn’t spend the money to fix everything.

Highlander 2, being a newer film, shouldn’t have as many issues as the first one. However the film suffer from some banding, stair-stepping and other forms of artefacting throughout.  It doesn’t help that the cheap special effects are applied to make the image look even cheaper.

It’s hard to give this film a horrible rating with all of the technical issues, but considering the history of bad releases for these movies I’d say this is probably PARTIALLY the best it’s ever looked…

Audio

Both Highlander and Highlander 2 use the DTS-HD 5.1 audio codec. HThe audio quality of the films teeters between being a good representation of how the mix sounded back in the day and falling victim to being a mix that is begging to be remastered. The mix is really disproportionate and although the foley sounds are clean, they are simply too emphasized and come off as over-the-top.

The score is loud and distinct as well, and who can complain when we have Queen blasting through the speakers, but the subtleties that differ from films mixed today and back then are very apparent when watching these films.

Dialogue at times is muffled slightly when the mix becomes complicated such as during the fight scenes, but overall it’s clear. The surrounds don’t get much usage due to the fact the mix hasn’t been updated at all to take advantage of the fact that home theatres with advanced audio set-up are commonplace, but the LFE has a bit more to chew on when the booming sound effects go off… for example when a highlander absorbs a defeated enemies power… The audio is definitely a major step-up from the video quality, but nothing about this release is impressive.

Special Features

The first film’s deleted scenes come sans audio with music playing over top, so that’s a point against them and the only other feature from the first film is the commentary track with director Russell Mulcalhy. Oddly previous DVD releases have had other extras. So seeing that this is supposed to be a anniversary collection, they really skimp in this section. I would say if you have the special edition DVD then you’re pretty much covered considering the lack of new extras.

The second film has a few haphazard featurettes covering things like the music and cinematography and with a few deleted scenes all in SD the blu-ray is not aimed at pleasing fans.

Final Thoughts

Although the films have earned some cult status and are fun watches, this Blu-ray release doesn’t justify a purchase even to the fans. If you own the special edition DVD releases of these films then the first Highlander would be the only film I can recommend rebuying separately due to the fact that the Highlander 2 looks equally as crappy on this Blu-ray release as it did on older releases. Also the fact that previous releases of these movies actually have more extras  than this release make this comes down to the technical score and these films don’t make the cut.

Film 

I am sure that all of you are well familiar with the film Alice in Wonderland. The film was released to theaters in 1951 and is based on the beloved children’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll which is now well over a hundred years old. Alice in Wonderland was in production at Disney for 20 years as Walt Disney struggled with adapting the book to film, which turned out to be quite difficult. There were numerous renderings of the film performed and it was not until Disney artist Mary Blair’s renderings of the sections of the story in the second half of the 1940′s that Disney found the visual look that would make the film possible.

The film tells the story of Alice who is sitting in the English countryside while listening to her sister reading a history book to her. She dozes off and images that a white rabbit with a large pocket watch runs by. Alice follows him and falls down a rabbit hole, to a magical land below the Earth. While there, she encounters several fascinating characters, including the famous smiling Cheshire Cat, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, The Madhatter and the Queen of Hearts, who seemingly want to cut off everyone’s head. Alice finally awakens from her slumber and returns to reality but presumably, will always remember the adventures she experienced while dreaming.

Of all the early classic Disney films, Alice in Wonderland is probably the hardest to get one’s mind around due to the fact that it is really so surreal. However, it is one that I have always enjoyed since seeing in on TV as a child. Despite it’s age, the film holds up beautifully 60 years after its release and was a joy to experience in high def on the Blu-ray format, especially the unforgettable tea party scene with the Madhatter, voiced brilliantly by Ed Wynn. Disney’s Alice in Wonderland is highly recommended for film fans of all ages.

Video 

Alice in Wonderland is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:33:1 with black bars on the side filling out the 16:9 aspect ratio of the high definition format. These bars can also be replaced with artwork as part of Disney View for those so inclined The picture is simply beautiful, with a bright and bold and beautifully saturated colors and deep and inky blacks. The film is awash in greens, blues, reds and yellows that simply pop off the screen. The layering of one set of images over another to create a particular scene is very evident, given the excellent black levels which creates an excellent sense of depth.

The image is also razor sharp and crystal clear. It would appear that film grain was removed in the re-mastering process which may be an issue for some purists out there. However, while I am one of those who would prefer that film grain be presented to the best extent possible, I have no issue with the work done here, given the beautiful results and the fact the original art work itself from which the film was made was grain free. While it appears that film grain was removed, the rest of the film is untouched. Note for example the misspelling of Lewis Carroll’s name during the opening title sequence. There is no question that Alice in Wonderland has never looked anywhere close in the home to how it looks on Blu-ray, and is another in a string of fabulous restorations from the folks at Disney. Very well done.

Audio 

I was not exactly looking to be bowled over by the audio here given the age of the film and was therefore not disappointed with the audio. I did most of my listening to the 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio track but also did a comparison to the Dolby Digital mix as well. For me, the clear winner was the DTS HD master Audio track which had a richness and smoothness of sound that the Dolby Digital track just could not match.

In comparison the Dolby track sounded thin, shrill and shallow. The lossless DTS HD Master Audio track is the only way to go. While the original film elements were remixed to the 5.1 format, the sound field is rather front heavy with only very occasional aggressive use of the surrounds speakers. I was not expecting a dynamic sound experience and didn’t receive one. However, the dialogue, music and effects were all recorded very well and presented here about as well as they could have been.

I really can’t image the film sounding any better than it does on the lossless track featured on this release given the age of the film. I did not one anomaly with the audio and that is that the Dolby Digital track and not the DTS HD Master Audio track was the default audio track. Therefore, make sure that you select the lossless track at the start of the film. Switching back and forth between the lossless and lossy tracks during the opening title sequences of the film, the superiority of the former is readily apparent.

Special Features 

Alice In Wonderland is presented in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The release therefore contains two discs, one containing the Blu-ray release and all the extras and a DVD release. Surprisingly, the release does not also contain a digital copy of the film.

The Blu-ray copy contains a few new extras that were not contained on the previous DVD release of the film. The first is entitled “Through the Keyhole: A Companion’s Guide to Wonderland” which runs concurrent with the film. The film itself appears in windows moved around the 16 x 9 frame with artwork, text as well as interviews with various film and Disney historians, discussing Lewis Carroll’s life and the book itself, as well as the 20 year effort on the part of Walt Disney to adapt the book into a film. This extra is presented in HD.

Also included is a Painting the Roses Red game which I didn’t find all that interesting. Also included is a short into, in color by the way, of Walt Disney’s introduction of the film when it was shown on TV for the first time in 1959 at Christmas. While I am old, I am not old enough to remember that showing as I was just a baby!

We also get two very short featurettes where the voice of Alice, Kathryn Beaumont, introduces a newly discovered pencil test of the Alice Shrinks sequence as well as the live footage of her talking to the doorknob in the beginning of the film, which the animators used as the basis of their animation.

The remaining extras are those ported over from the prior DVD release of the film and include the following:

• I’m Odd: A Newly Discovered Cheshire Cat song with an intro by Kathryn Beaumont
• Thru the Mirror Mickey Mouse Short (presented now in HD)
• Art gallery
• “Reflections of Alice” featurette where film and Disney historians discuss the making of the film
• “Operation Wonderland” which is a visit to the studio during the making of the filmOne hour Christmas TV special from the early 1950′s where ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his two “sidekicks”, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd are invited to a Christmas party at the studio where Walt Disney shows the quests the magic mirror featured in Sleeping Beauty which shows scenes from classic Disney films including Snow White and Song of the South to the quests and TV audience.
• 1930′s era silent short “An Alice Comedy: Alice’s Wonderland”, based loosely on Lewis Carroll’s work, where a young girl visits Walt Disney and the studio and falls into the world of cartoon animation, much like Alice falls down the rabbit hole in the film
• Original 1951 and 1974 theatrical trailers for the film
• Walt Disney TV introduction from 1954 and 1964
• An excerpt from The Fred Waring TV show
• Deleted materials including the deleted scene “Pig and Pepper”, “From Wonderland to Neverland: The Evolution of a Song” which recalls how a song originally intended for the film ended up in Peter Pan, a deleted storyboard concept: Alice Daydreams in the Park and original song demos “Beware The Jabberwock”, “Everything Has a Useness”, “So They Say”, “Beautiful Soup”, “Dream Caravan”and “If You Believe in Me”.

All in all, I found the history behind the making of the film quite interesting and well worth your time.

Final Thoughts 

In Alice in Wonderland, another Disney classic has made its way to Blu-ray and has never looked or sounded any better in the home and is highly recommended for film fans of all ages.

Film  

Again the folks at the various film studios have provided us with yet another all time classic film on Blu-ray this year, this time, one of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Sound of Music. Released in 1965, the film won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Sound.

The film stars Julie Andrews as Maria, a vibrant and engaging woman who thinks she wants to become a nun. She doesn’t quite fit in with the other sisters at the convent in Salzburg, Austria, and when a position opens up with a local war hero’s family (the von Trapps) for a governess, the Mother Superior at the convent volunteers Maria for the job, in part to see if she can work out whether she really wants to become a nun. Maria arrives for the job with no experience with children and find the father of the 7 children, Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) a bit too strict and regimented. While music was a part of the family at one time, Georg no longer had any interest in music after the death of his wife, the mother of the seven children.

When Georg travels to visit a countess and his possible future wife in Vienna, Maria charms the children with her lively personality and music talents and quickly becomes a part of the family. When Georg returns with his future bride in tow, he quickly becomes infatuated with Maria. While Georg is having issues to deal with in his love life, he is also experiencing political issues of his own, as he has no interest in being part of the Nazi’ party as the Nazi’s are taking over control of the country in a bloodless coup known as the Anschluss.

After he finally admits his feelings to Maria and Maria and Georg wed, Georg and Maria return early from their honeymoon in Paris and find that the Anschluss has been completed. Georg’s refusal to become a member of the Nazi party and his continuing Austrian nationalism has put his own life and the lives of the rest of his family at risk.

The film is based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that made its Broadway debut in 1959 which in turn is absd on the real life von Trappe family, who fled Austria after the Anschluss, eventually immigrating to the US in the 1930′s. The film is filled with several spectacular songs and memorable performances by Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. While a bit on the sweet side in terms of the characterizations and musical style, the film still holds up quite well and is one of the greatest musicals of all time, along with my all time favorite Singin’ In The Rain.

Just about everything about this film is spectacular, from the cinematography, acting, score and direction, to the incredible scenery, this film is a real keeper. The Sound of Music is an all time classic and a must own for any film fan and receives my highest recommendation.

Video  

The Sound of Music has undergone a major restoration for this release, with an original camera negative undergoing a 8k frame by frame transfer. All dirt, scratches and defects were removed digitally and the film color corrected. The transfer of the film to Blu-ray was based on a 4k transfer made from the original 8k copy of the film. The result of all this work is a spectacular looking film, with a level of detail, black level, shadow detail and color purity that is a sight to behold.

The quality of the video is noticeable immediately upon the opening with Julie Andrews singing the theme on the top of a mountain overlooking Salzburg. From the beautiful blue sky, the lush green grass and the gray granite lf the mountains, this film looks spectacular. I really can’t imagine the film looking better. The image is razor sharp for the most part with exceptional levels of detail. Blacks are nearly perfect without any black crush and having excellent shadow detail. Yes, there are a few scenes that are rather soft, in particular, the scenes at night near the gazebo, but they are clearly intentionally softened by the cinematographer.

If there was any digital noise reduction applied to this transfer, it is hard to tell from the level of detail present in the image. In addition, fine film grain is clearly visible, with the transfer having a film like appearance that will no doubt thrill the film purists out there. This is a great film and an example of film restoration at its very best. Kudos to the crew responsible for this restoration and for the folks at Fox for such a stellar looking release.

Audio  

While a 7.1 mix, I would not exactly call this the most immersive sound experience I have ever heard at home. However, the sonics and overall fidelity are of such high quality that I can’t justify giving this release anything short of a perfect score. The original film’s sound elements were in what was described as 6 channel stereo with five front channels and one mono rear channel. The sound was mixed to a 7.1 mix with three front channels, 2 side channels and 2 rear stereo channels.

The film is rather front heavy with the side surrounds used for the orchestral pieces only with the surrounds room ambience and discreet effects. The overall fidelity of the sound is spectacular, especially the vocal musical tracks, with each voice sounding so pure and distinctive as to sound as though the actresses were in the room. All of the voices are presented perfectly in the sound mix, exactly in the same position as they are one screen. Transparency and imaging are spectacular. Just listen to the opening scene at the von Trappe mansion when the butler answers the front door. Listen as Maria enters the room and the butler asks her to stay there as he leaves the room to the right. You can clearly hear the butler’s steps as he exits the room and more importantly, your room, far to the right, well past the boundary of your room. The sense of aural depth, both front to back and side to side is outstanding.

This is a great sounding film and release. Clearly, the same degree of care that went into a restoration of the film’s visuals, went into the reproduction of the audio track. The sound is smooth, open and dare I say it rich, with excellent bass and dynamics. This is a top notch audio track and fully deserving of a full 5 star rating.

Special Features  

The Sound of Music is presented in a three disc combo pack, with disc one containing the Blu-ray version of the film, disc two the new extra package and disc three, a DVD and digital copy version of the film.

Disc two contains all new high def extras and covers just about as many topics as one could imagine, from the restoration of the film and soundtrack, the real von Trappe family on which the film is based, a back lot tour, looks at the music, the score, the sets, the locals featured in the film, looks at the various stage versions of the play, looks at Rodgers and Hammerstein, screen tests, interviews and photo galleries.

While disc one contains audio commentaries featuring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and director Robert Wise, I felt that there was on glaring omission from the extras, namely interviews with Ms. Andrews and Mr. Plummer. Other than this one omission, the extras here provide the viewer with about as much information into the film’s history as one would ever want. I had a great time clicking through all the extras and learned a lot about the making of the film, the prior and subsequent stage adaptations, Rodgers and Hammerstein as well as the real life von Trappe family. With the one omission as noted above, the extras here are great and well worth a gander.

Final Thoughts  

The Sound of Music is an all time classic film and one that has undergone a top notch restoration that is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. The Sound of Music is a film that should take its place in the collection of every serious film fan and is very highly recommended.

Films

Back to the Future  

Back to the Future Part II  

Back to the Future Part III  

I will be completely honest and upfront about the fact that I love Back to the Future, at least the original film, which is far and way the jewel in this release. It is a great film. The two sequels are more of a mixed bag and rather unsatisfying, especially Part III. They seem to be mere attempts to cash out on the success of the first film. While most of the same team responsible for the first film are back for Parts II and III, I am not sure that they had a clear vision of just where to take these characters, resulting in more of the same techniques used in the first film. If it were up to me and it sure wasn’t, I would have focused more on the future and would have skipped the trip into the old west entirely.

I am sure that most of you are well aware of the plots of the three films. In Part I, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) befriends an old eccentric scientist, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) who just happens to invent a time machine using a DeLorean car. When Doc Brown and Marty are testing the DeLorean at a local mall, they are attacked by a group of Libyan terrorists driving a VW van who are upset with Doc Brown for building them a bogus nuclear bomb. They shoot Doc Brown and Marty jumps into the DeLorean and tries to escape. However, in speeding away, he hits the magic 88 mph mark and is transported back to November 1955.

While there, he interferes with the meeting between his mother and father where they fell in love. In fact his mother Lorraine (Lea Thompson) falls for Marty rather than his father. Marty seeks out the only man capable of helping him fix the time line and return to the future, the 1955 version of Doc Brown. This Doc Brown helps Marty fix the timeline thereby saving Marty from being erased from time and concocts a plan to produce the necessary energy to transport the DeLorean back to 1985. Along the way, Marty invents rock and roll and the skate board and puts his parents together.

When he returns to 1985, he finds it and his parents to be very different, in a good way, from the parents he left as a result of his interference in the time line. This film remans as fresh today as it was when I saw it back in 1985. It is beautifully written and cast and is very funny, with two very engaging performances by Michel J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. This is one comedy that has truly stands the test of time and is not to be missed.

As good as part I is, Parts II and III just are a few cuts below. Part II picks up where Part I ended up, although with a different actress playing Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer. It finds Doc Brown returning to 1985 from the future with bad news about Marty and Jennifer’s future children. They travel to 2015 and change the events that would have led to Marty’s son going to jail. However, Marty’s father’s old nemesis Biff, unbeknownst to them, steals the DeLorean and returns to 1955 with an almanac containing all of the results from sporting events from 1950 to 2000 which the young Biff uses to gamble and amass a great fortune.

When Doc Brown, Marty and Jennifer return to 1985 from 2015, they find a very different 1985 from the one they left, with Biff in total control of the town, Marty’s father dead and his mother married to Biff in what can only be described as an abusive relationship. Doc and Marty figure out what happened and they must return back to November 1955 and retrieve the almanac and destroy it, to return 1985 back to where is was at the end of the first film. In doing so, Marty is place back into the same territory covered in the first film, namely the night at the school dance where his parents fell in love and we are given glimpses of the events of the first film from a totally different angle. I found this to be too clever by a half and is the film’s biggest failing. I would have preferred a fresh slate and fresh adventures for Doc and Marty rather than rehash the same old gags.

The film ends as Marty and Doc are attempting to return to 1985. However, while Doc tries to land the time machine, the vehicle is struck by lightning and Doc is transported back to 1885. In Part III, Marty re-enlists the 1955 Doc to help him get back to 1885 and return him and Doc to 1985. However, his efforts are complicated by the fact that Doc has fallen in love with an new school teacher Clara (Mary Steenburgen), at the fact that the DeLorean’s fuel line has been broken so that the car lacks the gas necessary to get up to the 88 mph speed necessary to initiate time travel.

All-in-all, the first film in this set is so good that I have no trouble recommending the purchase of the entire set as it is the only way, at least for now, to get a Blu-ray copy of the film at this time. While Ihave some reservations about the video quality of all three fims, it is not enough of a concern for me not to recommend the set for all film buffs. Recommended.

Video  

I will deal with the video presentations of all three films together as they are basically the same, which is not surprising given that most of the same crew was used to make all three films and that Parts II and III were shot together and released 6 months apart. I must say that I have agonized a bit about what score to give the video quality of these releases because I can state without equivocation that these films have never looked better in the home environment than they do here.

The problem is that they could have and should have looked even better. Why? Because of the excessive application of digital noise reduction and edge enhancement. As a result, the films’ fine grain structure has been stripped away and along with it, fine detail, such as fine facial details. Edge enhancements and halos are visible throughout the film, around the actors’ faces and around the edge of their bodies. Unless your screen is larger than 58 inches, you may not even notice these issues and if so, you will be thrilled with the video quality of all three films.

I was also disappointed to learn that all three films were mastered from 2k rather than 4k masters. While Aliens also had digital noise reduction applied to remove film grain, it was also used more judiciously, preserving all of the fine facial detail that was lost here. Perhaps that is due to the fact that Aliens was mastered form a 4k master which preserved more fine detail that made its way all the way to the final Blu-ray image. In any event, those of you with truly large screens and those of you who are more picky about these things, will more than likely be upset about the presence of DNR and EE on this release. I thought you should be forewarned.

Other that that, all three of the films have a nice natural color palette which does vary just a tad depending on which time period is involved. The 1985 and 2015 sequences have a very natural color palette while those in the past tend a bit to the warm side. This was intentional on the part of the filmmakers and is caused by the use of a yellow membrane applied over the set lighting. It is a subtle effect but one that is there nonetheless. The film also have deep blacks that at times, can be a bit crushed but not all that noticeably especially if your screen is not calibrated.

All-in-all, without the application of DNR and EE, these films would fully merit 4.5 star rankings. However, in light of the application of both, I can rate the films no better than 3.5.

Audio  

While I have some issues with the video, I have none with the audio which is better than I expected. The overall fidelity of the recorded sound is very good, with an openness and transparency that is quite impressive. I found the overall dynamics to be quite good although not exactly reference quality. The dialogue track is well recorded and well placed in the mix.

The sound effects are excellent as well, especially when the time machine moves forward and backwards in time. The train sound effect are also quite nice as well and very realistic sounding. When the time machine train at the end of Part III booms off into whatever time it is entering, it feels and sounds just like it it going over your head. Panning effects are well done and the surrounds, while not used aggressively throughout the film, are used rather effectively when they are so employed. All in all , all three films sound very nice, especially when you consider the time period in which the films were made.

Special Features  

As one would expect, there are a ton of extras included here which are contained on each of the three films are tied to each of the three films individually. The main extra on each disc are newly created featurettes entitled Tales From the Future, which consist of interviews with the films writers Bob Gale and Bob Zemeckis, the latter of which also directed each film, along with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, producers Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

Deleted scenes are also included, some of which are in pretty bad shape. Disc II features a featurette with Dr. Micho Kaku, a theoretical physicist who is often on the Science Channel, who discusses the scientific validity of time travel as it is portrayed in the three films. Also featured is a Michel J. Fox Q & A, archival featurettes from the prior home video releases of the films, behind the scenes looks at the making of the films, music videos by Huey Lewis and the News and ZZ Top, Q & A Commentaries about the most frequently asked questions about the film and feature commentaries with Bob Gale and Neil Canton.

The trilogy is presented in a 6 disc set, with the three films on Blu-ray discs and digital copies on the other three discs. I would be remiss if I also didn’t comment on the packaging of this release which is by far the worst I have ever encountered. Rather than having the discs snap in place with the traditional center spiral, the digital copy and Blu-ray discs side over each other in a way that makes it nearly impossible to get the discs out of the trays. I was afraid that I would crack the discs in doing so, they are wedged in so tightly. Whoever designed this packaging should be fired. I hope to never see the likes of it again.

Final Thoughts  

Even without the issues I had with the video presentations here, these films have never looked better at home than they do here. Back to the Future is such a great film and belongs in the collection any any film fan. As I doubt that there will be any new editions of these films any time soon, I can recommend this set to any fans of the films, despite my reservations.

Film 

Showgirls was directed by Basic Instinct’s Paul Verhoeven, a man who is no stranger to creating controversial films.  As I mentioned before, the film stars former teen actress Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan and Gina Gershon.  Significant controversy sprang up before the film’s theatrical release over the amount of sex and nudity within the feature.  In the United States, the movie got slapped with an NC-17 rating and interestingly enough, it became the first NC-17 rated film to be given a wide release in mainstream theaters.  How’s that for a breakout role for Elizabeth Berkley?  If nothing else, then at least she will always be part of that record.  As you can expect, the film wasn’t met with that much success theatrically, but later on it took on a life of its own as it dominated the home video rental market and quickly became one of MGM’s top 20 all-time bestsellers.  There have been a few different cuts of the film including a 128-minute Rated-R cut and a VH1 safe for television rendition that’s nothing short of ridiculous, but today we are going to talk about the good old 131-minute NC-17 theatrical cut making its Blu-ray debut on June 15^th.

When the Blu-ray press release from MGM came across my desk months ago I could not be more excited to learn about Showgirl’s imminent High-Definition debut.  It was dubbed the 15^th Anniversary Sinsational Edition.  My God, has it been 15 years already?  Its amazing how fast time flies.  Anyway, so I immediately requested a Blu-ray review copy and began checking off the days on my calendar.  To say I wasn’t interested in revisiting this cult gem on Blu-ray would be like saying there’s no problem down in the Gulf of Mexico right now (my heart goes out to those poor animals covered in oil… find out how you can help by clicking here).

For those of you who do not know the premise of the movie it’s quite simple really.  Showgirls tells the story of a drifter (Berkley) who ventures into Sin City (Vegas) and goes from rags (stripper) to riches (showgirl).  Anyone who thinks their name belongs in bright lights and desperately seeks fame any chance they get ought to give this film a watch first.  As Peter Parker always alluded to in the Spider-Man films, “with great power comes great responsibilities.”  Some people are not cut out for life in the spot light and for some, the lucky few, they recognize the corruption and get out before the big lights and produces take their soul and everything else they believe in.  This is the story of Showgirls with a little bit of sex and gratuitous nudity thrown in, but I never heard any guy complain about that.

Before I move and talk about the Blu-ray disc’s vitals and whatnots I wanted to take a quick moment and talk about my trip down memory lane here.  There were two things that jumped out at me while watching Showgirls on Blu-ray this weekend.  But before I go there, this just jumped in my cranium now, could you imagine a 3-D release of Showgirls done right?  Wow!  That would be pure bliss.  Okay, well anyway, like I was saying.  I chuckled hard when I saw a Magnavox recordable cassette tape.  I remember those fondly.  They fueled my weekly mix tape soundtracks back in the 90’s before recordable CD’s came along.  And second, I forgot how big the original cell phones were.  I remember my Audiovox set back in the late 90’s, but wow were they ever big in the mid 90’s.  It looked like they were calling in for military support when they whipped one out on the movie set.  Okay, I’m done.  That’s enough humor for one day.

Video 

Much to my surprise, the video presentation here is spectacular and every bit as bright and eccentric as the movie itself is.  The 1080p AVC MPEG-4 video encode is presented in a 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio.  The first thing that jumped out to me were the colors.  They were so vibrant that they effectively captured the heart, soul and bright lights of Las Vegas.  I felt like I was really there.  It was simply remarkable.  Even the brown eye/green eye oddity of Elizabeth Berkley was dominantly displayed throughout.  Every single sensual moment of the film was breathtakingly captured on this Blu-ray release.  The print was clean and free of debris.  The only thing hampering this 15-year old feature was the constant presence of cinematical grain, but it never once distracted me from my viewing pleasure.  It was simply enough grain that prevented a few scenes here and there from jumping out at you in the Blu-ray sharpness that we are all used to from most modern day releases.  But for a 15-year old film, this looked impeccable and gorgeous.  I couldn’t be happier.  This one is going in a sealed vault within my Blu-ray collection.

Audio 

The audio was another department on this Blu-ray disc that simply caught me off guard.  I was expecting a soundtrack more on par with the Basic Instinct soft drama-like track that we got a few years back on Blu-ray.  Never did I expect to hear something this good.  The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track delivers here with a rocking experience.  Dialog is never low or inaudible.  It’s not the greatest of dialog tracks of all-time, but it’s definitely doable.  What rocks here is the film’s incredible soundtrack.  The musical song and dance numbers are both impressive and strong.  They immerse you in the 5.1 surround environment.  I was ecstatic to hear my rear speakers nearly jumping off their respective stands.  Also, want to talk about some thunderous bass moments?  Well look no further than here.  Showgirls has that going for it too!

Special Features 

And here’s yet another surprise on this MGM Blu-ray release… the Special Features.  For a 15-year old film you would expect all the disc’s Special Features to be presented in Standard Definition, right?  Well not Showgirls!  The bulk of the material I’m showcasing below graces your screen in beautiful HD resolution.  You can’t ask for anything more, can you?

Here’s why I love the Playstation 3 as a Blu-ray player… I just get a kick out of seeing if the movie studio took the time to create a quick title art piece that’s viewable when the Blu-ray disc is inserted into your player and rest assured, MGM did here (see below).

On the disc’s main menu (see below), if you let it play twice all the way through, then you get a very quick changing Easter Egg video sequence.  This changes every time too.

Pole Dancing: Finding Your Inner Stripper (11:54 AVC HD) Teacher of S Factor talks about how she got involved in the sensual art of stripping, her students and displays basic dance and pole moves.  I never knew this one move was called the Firefly.  You’re interested huh?  Oh yeah, and there’s also the Swing Walk, the Climb, the Corkscrew, the Snake, the Pole Cat, the Helicopter and the Descending Angel.  I learned a lot today!

Lap Dance Tutorial Featuring the World-Famous Girls of Scores (4:56 MPEG-2 HD) Here’s another interesting special feature.  This Blu-ray is great, isn’t it?  The girls of Score teach women how to give a man a lap dance.  Just follow their simple 10-step process I documented for you all below.

• Step 1.  Warm up and stretch yourself
• Step 2.  Wear something that feels sexy
• Step 3.  Create a relaxing atmosphere
• Step 4.  Get aural with sexy music
• Step 5.  Tempt his other senses
• Step 6.  Tease, Pose and Spank
• Step 7.  You can touch
• Step 8.  Move in and show off
• Step 9.  Find and remember his zones
• Step 10. Leave him wanting more

The Greatest Movie Ever Made: Audio Commentary by David Schmader

Showgirls Fact-Up Trivia

A Showgirls Diary (MPEG-2 HD)

Theatrical Trailer (AVC HD) How’s this for a 15-year old film?  The film’s theatrical trailer is presented in glorious HD here!  Wow!  I’m in love with this MGM catalog release.

Disc 2 – DVD

The NC-17 presentation of Showgirls is also presented in Standard Definition on a second included DVD disc or a drink coaster to some.  There’s also a special behind-the-scenes featurette here, but I never visited it.  This is a Blu-ray review after all, is it not?

Final Thoughts 

Well there you have it folks.  I really can’t say enough good things about this MGM catalog Blu-ray release.  For a cult-favorite of mine and many others, it was a breath of fresh air to see that MGM delivered a Blu-ray release that we all can be proud of with exceptionally vivid video, a bombastic audio track and a special features package fans of the film and many men around the world can enjoy.  Fans of the film, don’t hesitate here at all.  Pull the trigger and pre-order Showgirls today!  All others, you owe it to yourself to at least partake in a rental of this historic movie many critics refer to as a must-see guilty pleasure of theirs.  I’m not sure if it will stay on my Top 10 list throughout the remainder of the calendar year, but for right now, this catalog release has earned a coveted spot in my ‘Top 10 Blu-ray Releases of 2010’ list.  And that says a lot!

Pre-order Showgirls on Blu-ray today!