As a father myself, I was concerned that this would be one of those movies that would scar me in some way, indelibly marking my memory with horrible scenes that I would never forget.  At least this apprehension was tempered with the thought of seeing a controversial movie, and having the luxury of deciding on its merits for myself.

Film

A good question is, “Who thinks the fictionalization of the murder/rape of a 14-year old girl is a source of entertainment?”  I had to ask myself this when reading the packaging of the movie before watching it.

Personally, I think there is way too much crime and death on TV and in movies these days.  One only has to look at the plethora of Law & Order or CSI shows, or others such as Bones or Cold Case to get their fill of human depravity.

This is not to say that there are not a lot of fictionalized movies that do deal in death that are not good.  But the best of these use death or violence at a micro level to offer a commentary on our larger society as a whole, or report an historic event in human history.  Examples are American History X (racism), Schindler’s List (Nazism, World War II, and anti-Semitism), Three Kings (The Gulf War, global economics and oil), and Apocalypse Now, Platoon, and Full Metal Jacket (Vietnam, and the morality of war).  Documentaries also serve this purpose well (Shake Hands with the Devil, Darwin’s Nightmare), showing the story behind the story with intent to inform, not to entertain.

Compared to the movies listed above, The Lovely Bones is lightweight fare indeed.

On the positive side, the casting is superb.  Saorise Ronan is exceptionally good as our victim Susie Salmon, with expressive blue eyes, and an ability to convey emotion through facial expression.  The way she plays Susie is genuine, with a true veneer of authenticity.  If the industry does not ruin or mis-package her, she has all the makings of a young Meryl Streep.

The remaining cast is also very good, with the lovely Rachel Weisz playing Susie’s mother, and the genuinely creepy Stanley Tucci playing Susie’s murderer.  Even Mark Wahlberg puts in a performance that feels sincere and genuine as Susie’s father.

However, this movie is weakened by many factors.  The premise is horrible to begin with, we learn that being dead is actually pretty cool, we learn that we can still get involved in life even when we’re dead, pre-heaven and heaven are okey-dokey, and justice comes to all, no matter how improbable it may be.

And despite the excellent cast, Susie is a much better character when alive, and the rest of the cast (with the exception of her sister) are less likeable once Susie is dead.

Although I have admired Peter Jackson’s work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, his fantastical approach to other worlds and CGI is just a poor fit in this movie.  If I was going to Heaven (or pre-heaven) for that matter, I’d like it to look a whole lot better than I saw here.  And some of the symbolism used (see “ships in bottle on beach”) suggests Mr. Jackson’s talents for over-the-top heavy-handedness work better in the realms of fantasy.

This is the rare movie that can be described in one word: distasteful.  A bad premise, poor direction, poor execution, and an inability to emotionally connect with the viewer consign this movie to its rating.    

Video

Despite the film’s general cruddiness, it had a distinctive and pleasant appearance to it.  Scenes that needed to be washed of color appear almost black and white.  Scenes with color literally pop from the screen.  Lighting was also used effectively, especially when alternate light sources were used – sunlight popped colors, candlelight added warmth and richness to what it hit.

There was an obvious decision made during or post production to solarize the colors in quite a few of the scenes.  Although this can be striking (as when done on tight shots of Susie’s face and expressive blue eyes), it is somewhat overdone, and detracts from the detail in the scenes.  Some of the CGI effects were also strange (to say the least), and detracted from the overall appearance of the movie.  Gripes like these are small, but keep the disc short of being considered reference material.

Grain was also nice through out the movie, present where it should be, but not excessive, especially in many of the numerous low-light shots in the film.     

Audio

The audio presentation of this movie was also well done.  Dynamic levels through the centre channel were very good, and the mixing of male and female voices (both adult and child) was excellent.

Surround channels were used judiciously, with appropriate information coming through them, in a properly mixed, non-distracting way.  Atmospheric sounds and music were appropriately enveloping.

In some of the more dramatic scenes there was a bit of an overload to the LFE and front channels, making this movie a good candidate for dynamic compression (or night mode) on your AVR if the kids are sleeping.

Special Features

As a movie reviewer, one of the worst jobs I have is to review the special features after watching a movie that leaves me with such a feeling of distaste.  However, the feature package provided on a second Blu-ray is excellent material for those who appreciate the art of film making.

The first special feature is a short introduction by Peter Jackson, where he discusses the shooting schedule.  This is then expounded upon through three features (all under the title of “Filming The Lovely Bones”) that show the shooting done in New Zealand, the shooting done in the US, and the special effects filming. In total, this provides almost three hours of behind-the-scenes of film making, all in HD.  This is a very high quality special feature.

What was missing was a commentary track (though I would have found it challenging to sit through the movie a second time), and deleted or alternate scenes (my favourite feature).  There was also really nothing for a non-film making buff, such as an interview with cast members, or an interview with the book’s author.

Depending on the viewer’s interest in film making, this special features set could be scored as either a 5 or a 0.

Final Thoughts

I believe it is fairly clear that this movie will not make it to my “Top 10 Blu-ray of the year” list.  In fact, this is a movie that has a high likelihood of never being watched again.

Sadly, I cannot come up with a single reason that I would recommend someone watch this Blu-ray.  Despite the excellent picture and audio, this is a poorly visualized film based on an extremely distasteful premise.  Support for this type of movie only means that we will be subjected to more equally distasteful fare in future years.

Film

The Soloist is a film based on a book by LA Times (and former Philadelphia Inquirer) columnist, Steve Lopez, about his relationship with Nathaniel Ayers, Jr., a homeless man he encountered out of the sidewalk outside the LA Times Building in Los Angeles. He was drawn to Mr. Ayers by the beauty of his violin playing, on just two strings no less, not exactly the type of thing that one expects from a homeless man out on the street with obvious mental issues. Mr. Ayers informs Mr. Lopez of the fact that he attended the Juilliard School of Music back in the early 1970′s, a fact that he quickly determines to be a fact after a call to the school’s admissions office. He thereafter writes several columns about his encounters with Mr,. Ayers and his troubles, which capture the attention of his readers. Mr. Lopez befriends Mr. Ayers and tries to get him medical help and some shelter, which Mr. Ayers refuses.

His story comes to attention of the LA Philharmonic, which invites him to one of their Beethoven rehearsals at the Walt Disney Concert hall which eventually leads him to cello lessons with members of the orchestra. While this film is essentially a film about the special relationship that develops between Mr.Lopez and Mr. Ayers, the film also tells the tale of the squalid conditions under which the homeless continue to have to live in Los Angeles, and the lack of proper support for programs to help the homeless.

The political overtones in this film are rather heavy and may have turned off many of the critics, as was the case with some of the reviews of the fine Pixar film, Wall-E. However, I can’t say that this bothered me one bit. I was more put off by the pacing of the film which is a bit ponderous. However, The Soloist is moving and rather uplifting film about two men who fate has treated very differently, but who are able to forge a real bond despite their very different circumstances, enriching each others’ lives albeit in very different ways. I really enjoyed the film and the performances of the entire cast and Robert Downey, Jr. in particular. Recommended.

Video

Overall, I must say that I was expecting a better looking film, in light of the past efforts of Paramount and Dreamworks who jointly produced the film. While the film has a natural looking color palette and well produced skin tones, the film does not have the deep inky blacks that ones sees in the very best looking films. I can’t say that I recall seeing any examples of deep black in the film. The dimly lit interior night scenes have a lighter shade of black than I was expecting. As a result of the absence of inky blacks, the film lacks the depth and three dimensionality of the best looking films on Blu-ray, although I wouldn’t go so far as to describe the image as flat as it isn’t.

I was also a bit disappointed in the overall clarity and detail here, especially the dimly lit night time scenes which appeared a bit soft and lacking in detail. The day times scenes were much sharper and detailed that the night time scenes, resulting in a much more impressive looking image, although not quite up to the level of the best of the recently released films on Blu-ray. While I am sure that the encode here accurately captures the look of the film in the theater, I still must say that the image quality here falls a bit short of expectations.

Audio

Overall, given the nature of the film, I was quite pleased with the lossless audio track included with this release. I didn’t expect a bombastic sound mix and in that respect, was not disappointed. However, there is a lot to really like about the sound mix. Overall, the fidelity of the audio is quite good, especially the musical score which sounds fantastic. All of the music, whether the playing of an LP early in the film, to the performances of the LA Philharmonic in particular, sounds fantastic The concert performances have the smoothness and punch that one expects from an orchestra, with excellent transparency and imaging, filling the room with beautiful sound of great weight, heft and depth.

I was also surprised with how active and effective the surrounds were deployed, to reproduce interior ambiance and acoustical cues as well as the sounds of the streets and alleys of Los Angeles. However, the overall sound of the film other than the orchestral numbers, lacks the overall rich dynamics, smoothness and openness of the best sounding films. I also felt that the dialogue track, while well presented in the sound mix, lacked the fidelity and immediacy of the better sounding films. However, with these two minor caveats aside, I was quite pleased with the audio presented on this release.

Special Features

While not as voluminous as I had anticipated, the extras here are quite interesting and look darn good, all of which are presented in high definition. What I really enjoyed most about the extras, were the interviews with Mr. Lopez and Mr. Ayers, as you can see the special and really unusual bond that has developed between these two men. Interviews with both are included with many of the featurettes included with the extras.

Included with the extras is a commentary with director Joe Wright as well as the usual deleted scenes. Included is a featurette on the making of the film entitled An Unlikely Friendship: Making the Soloist, which shows Mr. Ayers on the streets of Los Angeles as well as interviews with Mr. Lopez, Joe Wright, producers Gary Foster and Russ Kransnoff and screenwriter Susannah Grant. In particular, I found very moving the side by side rather short interviews of Mr. Lopez and Mr. Ayers found in the featurette Kindness, Courtesy and Respect: Mr. Ayers + Mr. Lopez, which for me, is the highlight of the extras package and well worth a look.

I also enjoyed the featurette Juilliard: The Education of Nathaniel Ayers, where producer Gary Foster details the history of Mr. Ayers at the school and the fact that Mr. Ayers attended Juilliard along with the great cellist, Yo Yo Ma, who invited Mr. Ayers to one of his concerts at the Walt Disney Concert Hall once he learned of Mr. Ayers story. The extras also include the featurette One Size Does Not Fit All: Addressing Homelessness in Los Angeles which details the homelessness issue in LA and an animated featurette Beth’s Story about how easy it is to become homeless. Also included is the trailer for the film. Quite surprisingly, the release is not BD-LIve enabled and does not include a digital copy.

Final Thoughts

Unlike many of the movie critics, I found The Soloist to be a very moving and enjoyable film that is well worth your time. Whether it is worth a purchase as opposed to a rental is of course up to you, as I am not sure that it is the type of film that you will want to watch more than once or twice. Nevertheless, I do recommend that you give this film a look. I am quite sure that you will be glad you did.

Film 

There are films that viewers know the premise of without seeing it, so when one of us on Into The Blu writes about it, we can do so without giving much away.  However, with Things We Lost in the Fire, I feel as if it is difficult to go into even the slightest bit of detail without giving the whole basic storyline away.  With that in mind, let that be my spoiler disclaimer for the rest of this review. 

The film stars Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, and David Duchovny.  Duchovny and Berry are married with two young children in a beautiful home.  Sure there are bumps in the road in their marriage, but isn’t that the case in even the best marriages?  They make the most of it and life is good until one night, Brian (Duchovny) goes out for coffee but doesn’t return home.  The police arrive at the Burke home to inform Audrey (Halle Berry) that her husband was shot and killed during an altercation. 

During preparations for her husband’s funeral, Audrey remembers to invite one last guest; Jerry Sunborne (Benicio Del Torro).  Jerry and Brian had been best friends since childhood but their lives took drastically different turns in life.  Brian became a wealthy architect while Jerry found heroine and lived in and out of its dark abyss. 

Audrey eventually takes Jerry in but don’t expect a tale of romance to ensue.  Quite the opposite as this film is very un-Hollywood.  No one heals one hundred percent and the good guys don’t win the day.  What there is, is life.  Life happens.  People trip, they fall, they get back up and we learn that happiness is what matters most.  Even in the face of adversity when impossibility seems to be king, the aid of an outstretched hand can be worth more than any bank account the world has seen. 

While Jerry now has a clean roof over his head, he still battles his narcotic demons.  Audrey has Jerry’s company but it does little to fill the void in her life.  Things We Lost in the Fire does a phenomenal job in telling a story that could easily pass as non-fiction.  It is not a feel-good film but it very accurately displays desperation, frustration, recovery and love.  The editing skips around a bit in terms of the timeline, but does so in a rather seamless manner.  I take my hat off to director Susanne Bier who does a brilliant job in tying this all together. 

On a separate note, I just want to point out that between the acting talents of Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro, this film is headlined by two very capable thespians.  Both do an extremely proficient job in portraying their characters.  Someone once complained to me regarding the acting of Halle Berry.  I have yet to see Monster’s Ball, the film for which she won an Academy Award, but I can say that prize performance aside, Ms. Berry does a grand job in her role, as does Mr. Del Toro in his.  Maybe this person’s only viewing experience of Halle Berry was her performance in the James Bond flick, Die Another Day, but even that wasn’t something to shun the actress for.  This woman isn’t just another pretty face.  She can certainly act. 

Video 

Things We Lost in the Fire is delivered to us in a 1080p, AVC encode presentation with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.  The picture quality, however, is not solid throughout the film’s runtime.  There is obvious grain that can be seen during most of the movie, although the majority of the film is attractive and that aforementioned grain is not an eyesore for the most part, there were a few scattered scenes that put a frown on my face.  More specifically, these are dark scenes where it looked like I was watching a film from 40 years ago.  I was really quite surprised to see that this wasn’t cleaned up a little bit before the film’s release to Blu-ray. 

On the brighter side, the closeups are some of the best-looking shots in the movie.  Sure, you may not want to see Benicio Del Toro’s stubble or the incredibly smooth skin of Halle Berry (oh come on, who doesn’t want to see that) just a few inches from the camera lens, but it is what it is, which proves to be some very high-quality images devoid of grain and abundant on detail. 

Audio 

This is a dialogue-driven film.  Movies such as these have been known to be front-heavy on the speaker delivery with an anemic presentation from the rear channels.  I was pleasantly surprised to listen to the little nuances that consistently played through those rear channels during the course of this title.  The raindrops pelting the leaves of vegetation lining the driveway was one of the more memorable instances of this.  My only knock on the sound is a very minute one which comes at the very beginning of the film.  There is a short exchange of dialogue between father and son and I had to crank up the receiver a bit to get clarity out of their conversation.  Other than that, I am hard-pressed to find margins of error on this disc in the audio department. 

Special Features 

It is difficult to inject a fair amount of extras into a disc when the film is a darker drama.  What are you going to do?  Throw in a link of comedic outtakes?  I think not.  You can pretty much see where I am going with this.  The amount of special features on Things We Lost in the Fire total a mere three items.  Two-thirds of them are in standard definition while the trailer is the only extra in 1080p High Definition.  Without further delay, they are:

• A discussion about Things We Lost in the Fire – A discussion with director Susanne Bier as viewers get to experience the background on the film and its story (20:25).
• Deleted Scenes – There are 7 scenes that did not make the films final cut (9:33). 
• Theatrical Trailer – The trailer for Things We Lost in the Fire (2:27).

Final Thoughts 

This is a great film that was put together very well.  Alas, I can only give this a recommendation of ‘rent’ and not ‘buy’ because of the film’s content/storyline.  I find it too depressing for anyone to say, “Oh yeah!  Let’s watch it again and again!”  Please don’t get me wrong, there are uplifting moments in this film, but at the end of the day, it still deals with some very undesirable situations.  A similar reaction was experienced when I watched Jarhead.  It’s very real and can be very heart-wrenching, yet I highly recommend a viewing of this title for its impacting story and talented acting. 

Film 

The film opens up with a quick recap of the events of the first feature. We also get to go further into the past for a very brief encounter with our zoo friends as babies. (Do I smell a cartoon series or prequel film coming our way?) After that quick recap we join the zoo gang where we last saw them, in the wilds of Madagascar. The Penguins have repaired an old aircraft and set it up on a huge slingshot in preparation for a flight back to the New York Zoo. There’s tearful goodbyes all around, but unfortunately, King Julien decides to join the gang on their return home.

The Air Penguin has a successful takeoff, but makes it only as far as the African mainland before it crash lands. Once in Africa, the zoo gang gets to meet wild members of their own kind. Alex (Stiller) discovers his parents and learns how it was that he came to be at the zoo. Gloria (Smith) finds that the African plains are just “raining” male hippos. She hooks up with the continent’s resident stud, Moto Moto (Am). Of course, that’s going to bring out the jealousy in Melman (Schwimmer). Melman also discovers that all giraffes are by nature hypochondriacs and usually crawl off to die at the first sign of illness. His vast knowledge of medicine earns him the rank of herd witch doctor. Mart (Rock) discovers that all zebra look and sound exactly alike. He gets depressed by his perceived lack of uniqueness. Zuba (Mac), Alex’s father, is the ruler of this particular part of Africa. His reign has been plagued by the conniving of fellow lion, Makunga (Baldwin). He’ll use the return of Alex to gain control of the crown.

When Alex fails a coming of age ritual, Zuba abdicates and Makunga is in control. Unfortunately, his reign is soon threatened by the dry up of the watering hole. Alex, intent on proving himself, sets out to return the flow of water to the hole. With Marty by his side, they trace the problem to a dam, built by New York tourists that include the old lady who gave Alex a whoopin’ in the first film. Ninja Nana has organized the tourists who have been stranded by the penguins’ commando raids to salvage parts to repair the plane. While Alex and Marty set out to fix the problem, King Julien has another plan. He wants to sacrifice someone to the mighty volcano to please the “water gods”.

Thinking he’s dying anyway, and has lost Gloria, Melman volunteers to be fed to the volcano. These events all converge into an ending very much a Madagascar adventure. For a running time less than an hour and a half, there is no wasted time at all here. If anything the story all seems to happen so fast that it’s over before you start to sink your teeth into it.

Everything you loved from the first film is back again. Dreamworks took the high road and brought all of the voice cast back. That means the wonderful chemistry these characters developed in the first film gets to continue. We don’t have to waste time setting up new bonds. We can get right to the adventure.

Dreamworks also retained pretty much the entire animation team and added even more talent. The quality of this animation actually improves upon that of the original. Water, in particular, is startling on this film. It is as photo real as I’ve seen it in any animation feature to date. The characters are a little blocky, evidenced by Alex’s paws, but that’s really a style decision and not an animation flaw. Another stand-out rendering is the dust factor. Throughout the film dust plays an important role in the overall look of the picture. Again, you get incredibly photo real particles or clouds of dust in this film. Both of these achievements are milestones in animation technology. Of course, technology is only as good as what you do with it. We get lovable characters in very interesting situations. If you even liked the first film, I think you’ll love this film even more…except for that pesky “Move It Move It” nonsense.

It’s obvious that these characters aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The ending leaves little doubt that a Madagascar 3 is an inevitability. There are still many adventures to be had here. They could remain in Africa or attempt yet another return home, and the possibilities are endless. The gang could find itself in Australia or China, or any number of places on the globe.

Sure you have to suspend your belief to its limits, but we dealing with talking animals here. That’s my hope for the future of these characters. I’d like to see them do the fish out of water thing again and visit another place on the globe. The blend of culture and opportunity for new and exciting characters means that Dreamworks can milk this cash cow for at least a couple more films before returning the gang back to the zoo. Maybe the title becomes a bit irrelevant, but so what? The penguins are already appearing in their own shorts that take place back at the zoo. I’m assuming this takes place upon their eventual return, as King Julien is there now as well. Whatever happens, I’m going to be looking forward to more adventures as long as they can keep the voice talent intact and maintain the same animation standards.

Video 

Madagascar 2 is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It’s a near perfect 1080p image presented with an AVC/MPEG-4 codec. The bit rate is almost always above 33mbps. This is a solid high definition presentation all the way around. The first thing you’ll notice is how sharp and detailed the picture is. The hair on Alex’s mane is about the best I’ve seen since Monsters, Inc. The lines are clean and offer a level of detail that is only possible when the source material is already hi-res digital in nature. Next, you’ll be amazed at the black levels. Check out the black sheen on the penguins. You’ll see such texture and detail that it will be hard to believe that it’s also rich in completely solid black. Finally, you’ll marvel at the level of contrast. Marty’s zebra qualities are a good place to observe the tight distinction between lights and darks. There are moments the film approaches photo real imagery. Plus there is the wonderful rendering of water and dust I’ve already told you about. The technology continues to improve, and honestly it takes a sweet Blu-ray high definition release to allow you to see these breakthroughs for the marvels they truly are.

Audio 

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track was not near as impressive. I didn’t get full immersive sound as I would have liked. Don’t get me wrong. The clarity and dynamic range here is outstanding. The musical cues are perfect. There just isn’t a solid use of surrounds here. This seems to be a complaint in general with animated films. I get the impression that audio techs are reluctant to apply the same rules regarding ambient sounds that you get in a live action film. That seriously needs to be reevaluated. This film is almost 3-D in its presentation. We’ll accept the reality of the situation enough to appreciate better ambient effects. Dialog is correctly placed and always clear.

Special Features 

All of the extras included here are in HD.

• The Animators Corner: This is a trivia pop-up option you can turn on. During the film the animators will pop on the screen and fill you in with certain tidbits about what you are seeing. These things are always too distracting for me.
• Trivia Track: Again it’s a running informative feature.
• The Making Of…: At just 11 minutes this feature doesn’t go into the detail I would have liked to see. Here the cast and crew talk about the distinctive style of the Madagascar world and how they worked to bring it off in the film. The crew went to Africa to get a feel of the real environments and particularly the way light works there. We also get a look at the technology of making the film.
• It’s A Family Affair: This 9 minute feature deals with the cast of the film. They’re all back along with some wonderful new voices. Bernie Mac is one of the best additions, that unfortunately won’t be repeated in future films. We lost The Mac Man back in August of 2008.
• Crash Landings: This 3 minute piece looks at all of the elements that went into the plane crash sequence. It’s fun to watch the animators acting the crash out to get an idea of what it might look like. These guys really get into their work.
• African Adventure: This 7 minute piece looks at the crew’s trip to Africa with plenty of footage from their excursion.
• Jambo Jambo – Swahili Speak: Using clips from this film this is a primer on some basic Swahili words. I’m not sure the young target audience will have the patience, but it’s a noble effort at adding an educational element to the mix.
• The Bronx Zoo: This 8 minute visit with the new Madagascar exhibit at the Bronx Zoo features zoo personnel. They take us on a tour of the exhibit and we meet real Madagascar animals.
• More Penguins: Two 12 minute shorts from the Penguins television show. Popcorn Panic gives the guys a new commando mission when the zoo cracks down on the visitors feeding popcorn to the animals. Gone In A Flash involves King Julien and a digital camera.
• Music: You get the typical Dreamworks musical jukebox.
• Game Demos
• Trailer

Final Thoughts 

These kinds of sequels often get a bad rap. I can promise you that you’ll get exactly what you’re hoping for from a Madagascar film. Dreamworks didn’t trim any of the corners, and the effort was worthy of its healthy box office take. You’ll enjoy it all the more on Blu-ray because it’s the only available home video format that can reproduce what was originally a solid digital rendering in high definition. The animation is impressive. “I find it pretty and somewhat hypnotic.”

Film 

Well, it did get worse for Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf). At first it appears that things might just be getting better. He goes to his ATM to deposit a check from his dad when he discovers that suddenly there’s $751,000 in his account. But when he gets home it all falls apart. His apartment is filled with deliveries of weapons and other items that appear to come from Terrorists R Us. His phone rings, and a mysterious female voice tells him that the FBI is coming and he has 15 seconds to scram out of there. Of course, Jerry uses all 15 of them asking questions and not getting answers. The FBI indeed does bust in, and before long Jerry is cuffed, stuffed, and in an interrogation room with Agent Morgan (Thornton). Of course, Jerry has no idea how that stuff got in his place. When Morgan leaves the room, another intrusion by the voice tells him to duck just as a crane crashes through the building, allowing him to escape. Meanwhile Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) has just sent her young son to Washington DC, where he has been invited to join a children’s band that will play for the President’s State Of The Union Address. Once the tyke is off, however, her phone rings, and guess who’s on the other end. It’s the female voice warning her that her son’s train will be derailed and he will be killed unless she does exactly what she’s told. Before long these two strangers are brought together. It can’t be a coincidence that the military is shipping a brand new explosive that looks like a diamond but is 80 times more powerful than C4. How do they ship it? It looks like Fed Ex, for when you positively absolutely have to blow crap up overnight. Jerry and Rachel are led through a whirlwind of instructions leading them to do something bad. Along the way they leave nothing but carnage in their wake. Perused by Morgan and Air Force investigator Perez (Dawson), the couple is led through a series of carefully timed events by a seemingly omnipotent voice.

Eagle Eye is really a fast paced adventure. You can’t think too hard, or you’ll find most of this pretty hard to believe. The hope of the filmmakers is to take advantage of your paranoia. In the wake of 9/11 coupled with remarkable strides in technology, there is an almost overwhelming feeling today that privacy no longer exists and that a corrupt government is using this technology and laws like the Patriot Act to subvert your freedoms. No doubt there are many believers in those pews, and that’s the target for Eagle Eye. Beyond the paranoid aspects of the film, it’s pretty much an amusement park ride the whole way. This film racks up an impressive number of car crashes and explosions. All of that would be just fine if the premise wasn’t so forced upon us and the filmmakers weren’t so sure they were serving some greater good. Just enjoy the adrenaline rush and leave the philosophy to other, more notable films. The stunt effects are where it’s all at here, and this film is loaded down with them. Michael Bay couldn’t have done any better.

The cast is mostly very good. Billy Bob Thornton plays the FBI agent in a far more “normalized” role for Thornton. He still chews up scenery, leaving sometimes partner Rosario Dawson with a hard time keeping up. I still don’t know what this Hollywood love affair with Shia LaBeouf is. I mean, I just don’t get it. He has one emotion, and I guess it carries him through. No doubt he’s been a part of some huge films, and even though his rebel personality has caused more than a few problems for those who work with him, he keeps showing up in big money pictures. Maybe the ladies think he’s hot or something. Neither he nor the usually better Michelle Monaghan do much more than react constantly in the film. A surprise appearance by Michael Chiklis as the Secretary Of Defense is maybe the best character, although underused here. It likely doesn’t matter who you get to play these characters, because they are all upstaged by the massive set pieces, manic pace, and extraordinary stunts that are the real spectacle on Eagle Eye.

Video 

Eagle Eye is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. There’s no doubt that this is a very good 1080p presentation. You get it from a solid AVC/MPEG-4 codec at a significantly high bit rate. The image is about as crisp and clear as you could ask. Detail is pretty good, but frankly, the images are usually moving so fast there’s never a lot of time to truly appreciate them. The print is pristine with no noticeable defects. Black levels are surprisingly average. I didn’t get a lot of shadow detail or depth to them at all. Colors are a bit dark, so don’t expect any of them to pop off the screen. What I am most impressed with is the detailed texture the film has. When cars crash, there is a decided reality to the images that comes not only from this solid transfer but from the decision to use real cars instead of relying too much on CG enhancements. That means these cars have a realistic shine to them. When they collide, the debris has a texture of ripped glass and metal that sells the image just as much subconsciously as it does in sheer beauty.

Audio 

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is a perfect match for this film. At times the score and explosions get absolutely jarring. By the time the film is over I’m tired from all of that running I didn’t do. The dialog is perfectly placed at all times. The uncompressed sound clocks in at a pretty good 3.5mbps or better throughout. There is incredible dynamic range as well. No matter how loud and shattering things get, they do not crumble into distortion or breakdown. The sound is as energetic as the picture.

Special Features 

All of the bonus features are in high definition,

• Deleted Scenes: There are four that are mostly extended versions of what is still in the picture.
• Asymmetrical Warfare – The Making Of Eagle Eye: We’re reminded too often about Spielberg’s 10 year old idea. There is also a lot of talk about this being an Indie film feel. Nothing can be further from the truth here. This is as big feeling as they get. It’s too bad Caruso doesn’t just understand what he has and how it actually works. Caruso is very softspoken, and it’s hard to imagine this sleep inducing voice directing such an action powered film. It was nice to learn about new developments in film stock. I’m glad to hear film is very much alive and well. The feature runs about 25 minutes.
• Eagle Eye On Location – Washington D.C.: The crew went to our nation’s capital to film many sequences. Michael Chiklis got a bang out of many of the locations. It’s a good 6 minute feature, but do they really need that amped up score going all of the time? It was starting to give me a headache.
• Is My Cell Phone Spying On Me: I’m one of the very few, the proud, who refuse to own a cell phone. Now, this isn’t why. And it’s not the cancer scares either. I’m just willing to admit I’m not important enough to be in 24/7 communication. When I drive, I like to…you know… actually drive. Actually this 9 minute piece doesn’t really talk about cell phones much at all. It’s a look at modern technology and the potential for abuse. LaBeouf thinks this Big Brother idea was Spielberg’s brainchild. I guess he hasn’t gotten to George Orwell yet. Where does he think the term Big Brother came from?
• Shall We Play A Game: This is a sit-down chat between director Caruso and John Badham who directed War Games, and was apparently Caruso’s mentor. They spend a lot of time complimenting each other; OK, only 9 minutes. It just seemed like a long time.
• Road Trip: The crew covers a lot of ground in 3 minutes. They shot all over the place. Since the characters were always on the move, so was the film crew.
• Gag Reel: A little long at 7 minutes

Trailer and Photo Gallery finish things up here.

Final Thoughts 

Eagle Eye is a constant assault on your eyes and ears. It never lets up, and that is the film’s strength. We are constantly reminded that Eagle Eye was a concept that Steven Spielberg came up with 10 years ago. While the hype of the cast and crew want you to believe this is a unique and clever story, it’s not. Films like Colossus: The Forbin Project and The Invisible Boy have mined this particular material before. The beginning is also very derivative of The Matrix. Remember that faceless voice guiding Neo’s escape? None of this means that Eagle Eye is a bad film. Almost everything takes from something else these days. I wouldn’t even mention any of it except that the cast and crew insist they are so dang clever all of the time. This is a stop-thinking adrenaline rush. “Does that nail it for you, Sherlock?”

It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that two little known brothers from Rhode Island decided to put a spin on the typical and arguably tired romantic comedy genre. That was nearly fifteen years ago, and the launching movie was Dumb and Dumber, which has since etched the Farrelly Brothers into the upper echelons of comedy screenwriters and directors. Over the years their slapstick antics and gross out humor has been a staple in the comedy corner of Hollywood. With classics like There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin, Shallow Hal, Me Myself and Irene, and many others, I eagerly anticipate their latest films. But it hasn’t always been laughs, and like with all things good come the well, not so good. With flops like Say It Isn’t So and the short running TV show Unhitched, the Farrelly Brother’s reputation isn’t completely unscathed. Is this film going to break out hearts, or captivate our minds like kids?

The Heartbreak Kid is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name, of course with a more contemporary twist. Ben Stiller plays Eddie, the humble owner of a sports shop living the single life in San Francisco. After attending the wedding of an ex girlfriend Eddie realizes that he just may be a little indecisive when it comes to relationships. Later, while walking the streets and feeling sorry for himself, Eddie witnesses a mugging, the victim being Lila (Malin Akerman). After exchanging names and some small talk the two eventually begin dating, quickly becoming serious. The relationship is idyllic until Lila faces being transferred to Europe unless she becomes married, and with the pushing of Eddie’s father (Jerry Stiller) and his best friend (Rob Corddry) he decides to pop the question and the two are wed.

The two set off for their honeymoon in Mexico, and this is where the fun begins, almost instantly it becomes apparent just how mismatched the two are. From singing loudly to violent sex and the revelation of a past cocaine addiction, Eddie really begins to sweat. Upon arriving at the resort it’s discovered that Lila’s job is in actuality a volunteer position, and the wedding just might have been a huge mistake. Throw into the mix the vacationing Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) who is completely compatible with Eddie and you got an entertaining love triangle.

The Heartbreak Kid doesn’t stray far from the usual Farrelly brother’s formula, a few sick jokes, a reasonable story, and an ensemble of interesting characters. So it goes without saying that the movie is funny, it has some hilarious moments, but it almost seemed like the Farrelly’s aren’t trying anymore. You know the saying if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, I don’t think that applies to film. While the movie might seem like a ton of fun to a first time viewer, I’m not so easily taken. The same old love story from the Farrelly brothers has just changed settings and characters, but the formula is the same.

The story itself isn’t so bad, but it’s hard to feel sympathetic for a guy who’s running around with another woman on his honeymoon. But I decided not to look too much into the film, and take it for what it was. Enjoy the one liners and awkward situations just don’t expect much closure or absolution from the plot.

In closing, I’m going to recommend this movie, because the bottom line is its funny. It’s ironic, it’s silly, its Farrelly. But on the same token The Heartbreak Kid is one of their weaker films and it doesn’t stand up so well in their already impressive arsenal.

Video

Presented in 1080p 2.35:1 aspect ratio and encoded in MPEG-4, The Heartbreak Kid comes to Blu-ray with some great looking results.  Colors are extremely vibrant, but don’t bleed into each other, which was nice to see.  I don’t know if it was an overuse of makeup or an over vibrant color transfer, but many of flesh tones look very orangey.

The second half of the film treats us with some impressive looking backdrops, including beautiful sandy beaches.  Detail was very impressive here, with no visible edge enhancement.  I must say not one scene looked flat or dull; instead we are given an extremely sharp and 3D looking transfer.

Comparing this side by side with the HD-DVD version I can say it looks identical.  Compared to the DVD version however this is much better and worth the upgrade for fans of the movie.

Audio

Paramount has included a 5.1 TrueHD track, one that definitely surprised me when I first listened to it.  Unlike the usual comedy movie, Heartbreak Kid has a very active track.  The soundtrack offers up a decent amount of music, with each song sounding extremely rich.  Rear and sub channels are constantly used even during dialogue heavy scenes.

Like the video transfer the audio transfer is the exact same as the HD-DVD release, but offers a noticeable upgrade over the DVD.

Special Features

• Audio Commentary – The Farrelly Brothers offer an amusing commentary track
• Deleted Scenes – We are given six deleted scenes, none that add anything good to the movie.  It would have been nice to have an explanation to why the scenes were cut, but after seeing the cut footage, I can see why.
• Gag Reels (SD) — A short 2 minute gag reel which offers up some laughs.
• Featurettes (HD) –  We are given four featurettes spanning a total of 30 minutes.  As with most featurettes these cover the making of the movie alongside with cast/crew interviews and behind the scenes footage.  The best of these featurettes is the one titled “The Farrelly Bros. In the French Tradition” which covers the films creation.  The brothers are definitely funny, making this feature fun and easy to watch.
• Trailer

Final Thoughts

If I were reviewing this movie having never seen another Farrelly brother’s movie it would have been that much better. While there are plenty of memorable moments, it just doesn’t stack up to my expectations. For those of you who are just occasional moviegoers and want a good laugh check this one out. If you already know you like the movie, the Blu-ray is a great buy. Although not fully flexing its muscles in the audio department, the dialogue heavy film sounds as good as you would expect. The video is a crisp and fluent transfer; along with a couple entertaining features I recommend the disc to those of you on the fence. If you haven’t checked out the movie yet maybe you should give it a rent first.

In the Winter of 1969 an elite force of the U.S. Army was sent on a top secret assignment in South East Vietnam. The objective: rescue Sgt. Four Leaf Tayback from a heavily guarded NVA Prison Camp. The mission was considered near suicide. Of the 10 men sent, 4 returned. Of those 4, 3 wrote books about what happened. Of those 3, 2 were published. Of those 2, just one got a movie deal. This is the story of the men who attempted to make that movie:

There have been many films about the Vietnam War. Some have been epic. Some have been emotional. Some have even been very bad, but now comes one that is absolutely funny. Are we ready for this kind of a send up? That might be the overriding question, but I think that we are. Tropic Thunder took the chance that the public was ready to accept such a film and be able to enjoy it. To soften the blow, it was likely a good idea that the film doesn’t address the war in itself. The film takes aim at movies about the war and in an extension of that theme it pokes a lot of fun at Hollywood. It’s just possible that that kind of indirectness is what makes this film a bit easier to take. It’s likely the next evolutionary step towards being able to have a little fun with such a serious and tragic time.

British director Damien Cockburn (Coogan) is a first time feature director. His film is based on the book by a Vietnam vet “Fourleaf” Tayback, the lone survivor of a war offensive. His first problem is that he’s saddled with three stars who act like children. Kirk Lazarus (Downey, Jr.) is an Australian method actor. He’s playing a black soldier, so he underwent pigmentation surgery to get black skin. He also refuses to abandon his character whether he’s on camera or not. So, he walks around spitting out dialog you would expect from a 1970’s black exploitation film. He’s got multiple awards and considers himself far more talented than anyone around him. Jeff Portney (Black) is a heroin addict. He’s usually a comedic actor and is famous for a series of “Fat” movies where he plays multiple characters, ala Eddie Murphy, in fat suits that spend a lot of time just farting. Alpa Chino (Jackson) is a young hip hop artist trying to cross over into films. He carries the usual entourage of ladies and body guards and wears more than his share of bling. Tug Speedman (Stiller) has appeared in a ton of sci-fi tough guy roles. He was overlooked for an Oscar when he played a Forrest Gump clone and has a lot to prove here. Together with an incompetent crew the film gets a month behind schedule and now studio head Les Grossman (Cruise) is on his butt to get the film made. All hope appears lost until Fourleaf comes up with an idea. He convinces Cockburn to drop the cast deep in the jungle with hidden cameras and make it all appear real to them. Unfortunately, it does get real. The cast confronts a heroin cartel that thinks they are DEA, but the ignorant cast thinks it’s all just a movie.

The cast makes this thing work. Watching Robert Downey, Jr. in black face talking like a 70’s film character is an extremely good guilty pleasure. Sure, you feel bad laughing at it, but it really is that good. Because he is almost totally unrecognizable under the makeup, he’s free to totally take on the part, and Downey takes full advantage of that liberty. You’ll find that he steals the movie. Stiller’s pretty much the straight man in the group, but he drives a lot of the better moments. He adds a lot of balance to the other characters, who are pretty much over the top the entire time. The truth is that everything is over the top here. From the first scene in the film you have a head wound spurting out blood like a Vegas water fountain. There are also some tremendous makeup effects here. Downey is nearly unrecognizable, as is Tom Cruise. For Cruise it’s a bald head and a ton of cheek prosthetics. I could do without the dance moves. Matthew Conaughey has a minor but important role as Speedman’s agent. The film was made in Hawaii to gorgeous vistas and wonderful cinematography, so there’s a lot for the eyes to take in here.

Video

Tropic Thunder is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. This is a pretty good 1080p image using an AVC/MPEG-4 codec. Some of the best images are the wide vista shots of Hawaii subbing for Vietnam. There is one in particular where the air has just a hint of mist and diffused sunlight. It looks absolutely beautiful here. The film averages between 25-30 mbps. Another good image reproduction are the fireballs. The red orange flames come at you in such brilliance that you might get your eyelashes singed if you lean in too close to the screen. After the initial scenes, it’s the detail that really takes over. Close-ups of the cast faces are a testament to not only a good makeup artist but to this transfer. You can see pores and small specks of stubble and dirt on the faces. Colors in these flesh tones are picture perfect reference. Black levels are pretty solid, and you’ll need them for the kind of shadow detail this film often offers. Greens look the best, and in these jungles they need to.

Audio

The Dolby TrueHD lossless 5.1 track delivers about everything you could want here. There are a lot of bullets and explosions going on here, and they fly around your theater in impressive style. The dialog is clear, but there were moments I could not understand Downey. He kind of mumbles at times, but I think the unintelligible aspect was intentional. The score was rousing in all the right parts, and the explosions deliver some solid sub level rumblings.

There are 2 Audio Commentaries. The first features crew from the film and is not very entertaining. The second is a cast affair with Stiller, Black, and Downey. This thing is almost as funny as the movie. Downey stays in character, so you know that’s gonna be hilarious.

Special Features

All of the features are in HD. The film also features about 13 minutes of added footage. I missed it in the box office, so I can’t tell you exactly what was added.

Before The Thunder: It appears this was once a totally different film, and you’ll get some insight into what those plans were. Cast and crew talk about the evolution of the story. There’s some footage of an early read through where you can tell the cast are having a great time. It’s a short 5 minutes but a lot of fun.

The Hot LZ: Cast and crew talk about the opening battle scene. There’s a huge focus on the choppers during this 6 minute feature.

Blowing Shit Up: Is that a great feature name, or what? Stiller opens with the axiom that things can get blown up and still be very funny. I thought everybody knew that. You get a 6 minute look into how the explosions were rigged. They used a lot of fuel here.

Designing The Thunder: Sets and locations is the focus of this 7 and a half minute feature. From building roads to shipping in mud from Mexico, it’s all here.

The Cast Of Tropic Thunder: This interactive feature allows you to select a character/actor and get clips relating to them.

Rain Of Madness: This is one of the longer features, clocking it at about a half hour. This is some funny stuff. It’s a mock documentary of the making of the film. It reminds me of an old Martin Sheen skit for Saturday Night Live where Sheen’s character is sent to the Apocalypse Now set to shut it down in much the way his film character was sent to shut down the Brando character. It’s a total farce, and the best of the extras by a green mile.

Make-Up Test With Tom Cruise: Okay, this thing is totally bogus. It’s got nothing to do with the makeup. It’s Tom doing 2 minutes of his dance moves.

Deleted Scenes: This section is made up of three sections. You can watch an optional intro with Ben Stiller. There is 1 Deleted Scene, 3 Extended Scenes, and an Alternative Ending, which I liked better than the way the film actually ended.

Full Mags: The title refers to a filming technology of film magazines. You get some of the Stiller/Downey confrontation with a split screen allowing for close-ups on both actors.

MTV Movie Awards: This was a funny skit performed by Stiller, Black, and Downey for the MTV awards that had Iron Man kicking the crap out of Kung Fu Panda.

Final Thoughts

I was a little nervous going in. The subject matter could have been testy. The first good decision was to start the film with fake trailers showing the main characters’ latest films. It gets you laughing before the Vietnam stuff, and it sets up the characters for you. It actually fooled me for a second, and I thought I was going to have to sit through trailers after selecting play film. Everybody does a great job on this film. You’re left feeling entertained. “I just want to give the guys a Hawaiian High Five.”

The CG animation craze has no shortage of lovable and cute animals these days. It seems that the animal kingdom has become the greatest fodder for these family animated blockbuster films. Dreamworks might be in the lead with these kinds of efforts. They’ve given us bears, penguins, and lions among others. Now they deliver perhaps one of their better ideas in a lovable Kung Fu Panda. As much as anything else, you really have to give most of the credit for the film’s success to Jack Black and the wonderful voice cast that support him here. Honestly, the script is pretty simple, and like most children’s films it tends to be oversimplified and rather silly throughout. But give a cast like this an even average script and you can pretty much sit back and watch them go. Okay, maybe sit back and hear them go.

Jack Black stars as a Panda named Po who works in his family’s noodle shop. His dreams, however, aren’t of noodles and broth, but of Kung Fu. He fantasizes of hanging out with the famous fabulous five, the living legends of Kung Fu. The five are made up of the actual animal poses in Kung Fu. You have Tigress (Jolie), Crane (Cross), Monkey (Chan), Mantis (Rogen), and Viper (Liu). Together they have been training with the Master Shifu (Hoffman). Under the guidance of Grand Master Oogway (Duk Kim) they are preparing for one of them to take on the mantle of Dragon Warrior. Then they will inherit the sacred Dragon Scroll and be the great protector of Peace Valley. When Po learns that the time has come to select the Dragon Warrior, he just can’t miss being witness to such an awesome event. The palace is high on a great mountain, and Po tries all silly means of getting to the event. Finally, strapped to a fireworks propelled chair, he makes a grand entrance and finds himself selected as the Dragon Warrior. Much to the dismay of all gathered, Master Oogway insists that Po will become the great warrior needed to protect the Valley. Shifu must overcome his own doubts and work fast, because the imprisoned Tai Lung (McShane) has escaped from the world’s most secure prison. “One way in. One way out. One thousand guards and just one prisoner”Tai Lung. Tai Lung wants the dragon scroll for himself, and not even the Fabulous Five are able to stop him. Po must learn the “secret ingredient” that will give him the strength and courage to face up to this most ferocious of enemies.

All of the cast is very good here. The animators did a fantastic job of designing creatures that fit the voices, or the casting crew did an equally fantastic job in picking the right voices for the right characters. Whatever way, it worked, and I suspect it was a little of both; the combination is the film’s greatest strength. The standouts are unquestionably Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman. The two breathe life into their characters with such ease that they become real and totally believable to us.

The field of computer animation just keeps getting better and better. Kung Fu Panda certainly continues that upward trend. The environments are quite realistic, and the elements interact in a natural and fluid manner. There are moments were obvious animation shortcuts were taken, and some elements that simply didn’t render very well. The noodle soup pieces were the standout crude elements. Water was also not reproduced as well as I’ve seen recently. The huge leap forward is in the animal textures. Po’s hair and muscle definition is extraordinary to say the least. There’s no question that this is the kind of digital product that Blu-ray and high definition are able to shine best in reproducing.

Video

Kung Fu Panda is in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is a pristine 1080p image using an AVC/MPEG-4 codec. You’ll find a solid bit rate, often reaching the mid 30’s mbps. Everything about this image is near perfect. Colors leap from the screen at almost every turn. Contrast is rock solid. Just look at the definition on Po, and you’ll find an argument that the contrast could not be any tighter. Black levels are about as solid as I’ve seen to date. The level of detail is the most important thing here. I guarantee you are seeing this film in about as good a quality as the designers who rendered it. There is absolutely no evidence of compression artifact or print failure, which should be expected in this kind of pure digital transfer. If you don’t find this one of the most dazzling image displays you’ve seen, you really need to find someone who knows what the heck they’re doing to calibrate your monitor.

Audio

The TrueHD lossless 5.1 track is nearly as spectacular as the image. I was particularly impressed with the great sub level sound I heard, or should I say felt. My sub’s never been this active on an animated feature before. It’s not just a ton of low end, but it feels so full and vibrant. The surround mix is often quite aggressive but subtle in its grand usage of ambient sounds. There aren’t a lot of “over here” type of effects used, but what is there is totally immersive and nearly invisible, which is the sign of a truly solid audio track. Dialog is perfect, and you’ll hear every word clearly. The score is a combination of work between Hans Zimmer and John Powell and works at all the right moments. It never interferes with what’s on the screen, but works together with the whole to produce an atmosphere that might be lost on the kids but will be appreciated by the true aficionados in the room.

Special Features

A lot of these features are obviously geared toward the very young, and the bulk of them are interactive games and activities. All of these features are presented in HD. They are provided in sub groups which I will describe as follows:

Inside Kung Fu Panda: Here you will find many of the “during playback extras”. There’s an engaging commentary with many participants. You can also engage a popup trivia option that gives you little points of interest during playback of the film. You will also find a Meet The Cast feature that is a 13 minute look at the voice talent. There’s plenty of on set fun, and it’s short enough so the kids won’t get bored. Here you’ll also find a similar feature called Pushing Boundaries where you’ll meet cast and crew and hear about the filmmaking philosophy. The section is completed with a Conservation Help Save The Pandas PSA.

Po’s Power Play: All games and activities here: Dragon Warrior Training Academy, Dumpling Shuffle, and Learn To Draw.

Sounds And Moves Of Kung Fu includes: Sound Design, a 3 minute look at the sound effects artists, Kung Fu Fighting Music Video, and Learn The Panda Dance.

Land Of The Panda: Here you get a Food Network look at making real noodles called Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop. You also get an interactive look at The Chinese Zodiac. And finally a tutorial on How To Use Chopsticks.

Dreamworks Animated Jukebox: This has become standard on these Dreamworks animated releases. You can see music pieces from all of Dreamworks animated films.

Bd Live: If you are 2.0 compliant and have internet access, you can download additional features from the film.

Final Thoughts

For my generation Kung Fu has been frequently identifiable with David Carradine and his 1970’s television show: Kung Fu. I think that Jack Black and company has now reidentified the martial art for the next generation of viewers. This is definitely the kind of film you can gather the family around to watch. There’s something in it for everyone. The parents won’t be bored, and the kids will find ample stimulation and fun. There is already a sequel in the making. In fact there is a short sequel entitled The Secrets Of The Fabulous Five, which is only available as a companion piece to the standard DVD. I really don’t understand why the short wasn’t included on the Blu-ray version. That would be the only reason to go DVD over Blu here, unless, of course, you don’t have a Blu-ray player. Both versions are very good, but in Blu you get “Double the guards. Double the weapons. Double everything.”

OK…so yes…the premise of The Love Guru is about as ridiculous as the name of the movie sounds. Couldn’t you tell just by looking at the diverse characters on the Blu-ray Disc cover art? But there is just something about the movie that I find charming and it has become quite a guilty pleasure of mine. I can almost guarantee, out of all the reviews you will read on The Love Guru, mine will probably be the most kind. Many critics and reviewers will claim this movie is devoid of any laughs but I humbly disagree. My wife and I have sat through this movie three times now and we always found a one-liner we did not catch during the previous viewings. Oh…and did I mention the film stars Jessica Alba? If nothing else, she is always easy on the eyes in 1080P.

The movie centers on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ star forward, Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco). The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup. You could say that Darren Roanoke is completely lacking his magical touch on the ice as of late, because he recently lost his wife Prudence (Meagan Good) to the King’s goaltender Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake). Needless to say, this makes the Toronto Maple Leafs feel very uneasy going into the Stanley Cup Finals. Let’s talk a moment about Justin Timberlake’s character Jacque Grande. Even though it is a Mike Myers movie, the real comedic star is Justin Timberlake. Not only did he have to learn how to survive on the ice but he also really pushed himself as an actor to deliver the laughs. The scenes in which Justin are in are some of the most memorable ones.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are desperate to try anything to get their star forward playing up to his normal excelling levels. A desperate measure happens when the team’s owner, Jan Bullard (Jessica Alba), seeks out the famed Guru Maurice Pitka (Mike Myers). At the same time, Guru Pitka is battling some demons of his own. He is unhappy that he is the #2 guru in the world, a title held by Deepak Chopra. He is convinced that if he can get on the Oprah Winfrey television show then he can become the #1 guru in the world. I can understand by now, the plot is probably starting to sound a bit too ridiculous for most tastes. We watch these movies for the comedic and entertaining elements, not for the seriousness, right? After attending the Guru Maurice Pitka’s seminar, Jane Bullard enlists the services of him to help Darren deal with his stress, get his wife back and help break the Toronto Maple Leafs’ losing streak of not winning a Stanley Cup championship since the days of Jane’s father. In addition to the financial gains that Guru Maurice Pitka would earn, he is told by his manager that if he is successful with Darren Roanoke, then he would be invited onto the Oprah Winfrey show. We all know what that would mean. That’s right…Guru Maurice Pitka could then become the #1 guru in the world.

The next half hour or so of the movie deals with three key plot lines simultaneously going on and intertwined together. First, we witness the trials and tribulations of the Guru Pitka trying to re-establish the much-needed confidence back into Darren Roanoke on and off the ice. He devises a plan to not only give Darren back his all-star playing abilities, but to win back his wife Prudence from the clutches of Jacques Grande. I am hoping you can probably put two and two together to comprehend what Jacque’s special attribute really is. Second, we witness a blossoming love relationship (this is really gross) between the Guru Pitka and Jane Bullard. However, there is one complication that is preventing them from getting together. Guru Pitka, since youth, has been forced to wear a chastity belt that he can only remove when he learns that fame is not the only reason for being a guru. Chastity belt? What chastity belt? See, now you all seem interested in the movie now that a sexual-related term has been used? Will Mike Myers and Jessica Alba’s characters get together on the big screen? I guess now I have you, the reader, trapped and you will just have to watch and find out. The third plot line revolves around the actual Stanley Cup Finals and the fact that it looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs will be going home losers again without help from their all-star forward.

So as one can see there are many variables going on in the film and many questions that will need to be answered. Will Darren Roanoke get his confidence and wife Prudence back? Will the Toronto Maple Leafs go home losers again in the Stanley Cup? Will the Guru Pitka succeed and become the #1 guru in the world once on the Oprah show? And what will become of Guru Pitka and Jane Bullard? This is hardly a movie to sneeze at and ignore. Wow! I hope I have you all feeling The Love Guru hype I am squeezing out here! In all honesty, you are either going to like this one or hate it very much. In my professional opinion, I can concur with others in that the laughs do seem forced most of the time and can be quite infrequent depending on your comedic tastes. As I stated before, I seem to be in the very small majority who actually like this film and that is why I refer to it as my secret guilty pleasure. The movie’s payoff for me was well worth it, as I tend to love the happy 40-Year-Old Virgin-like endings. Unfortunately, in the financial community, the film only grossed about half of what it cost to make, which equates to a big flop at the box office. It is not the first time I have liked a movie that was hailed as a critical failure and it certainly will not be the last. However, it does make me nervous about whether or not Mike Myers has what it takes to successfully pull off another rumored Austin Powers movie.

Video

Paramount has brought The Love Guru to the Blu-ray format in a stunning 1080P MPEG-4 AVC encode with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Ladies and gentleman, it does not get much better than this! With the exception of a small few, every shot is breathtakingly eye-popping with vibrant colors, incredible detail and three-dimensional qualities throughout. I refer to it as total eye candy. No I am not solely talking about seeing Jessica Alba in 1080P, although that couldn’t hurt the score. I am talking about the marvelous and very exceptional transfer that Paramount bestowed upon us. If I have to nitpick it would only be about very small quantities of shots that appeared soft but nothing that will take away from the overall clarity of the feature presentation. The skin tones are very accurate and the black levels are sharp with no presence of noise or grain. The fine textures in the fabrics and detail in the sets really shine in this Blu-ray transfer. The print is pristine and flawless, void of any source noise, speckles, artifacts or edge enhancement. Upon my first viewing of this Blu-ray, the video quality is what really stood out the most to me. I remember having to check and see if my glasses were truly on because I was stupefied by the clarity, and at times, the dumb-witted comedy. OK, there…I admitted it!

Audio

Paramount Pictures delivers us a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround mix. The Love Guru is such a mixed bag of nuts and bolts. While the video is monumental and a stunning sight to behold the audio is very forgetful. I don’t even want to use the term “like most comedies” here. I will just come out and say it. The audio is probably one of the weakest tracks in modern day Blu-ray releases. While the dialogue is clear and intelligible, I did find myself straining to listen at times. I had to turn my receiver’s volume a bit past my normal levels to hear all the conversations taking place. I changed my mind and I am going to use that cliché I mentioned previously. Like most comedies, The Love Guru is very front heavy and dialogue driven with only a few atmospheric events taking place in the rear speakers. This audio track is very disappointing considering this Blu-ray has a near reference quality video transfer. The only times the audio comes to life is during the hilarious Guru Pitka songs, the church choir scene and the action on the ice. Some of my favorite moments in the movie have to be the Mike Myer performances of “9 to 5,” “More Than Words” and “The Joker.”

Special Features

While there may not be an abundance of special features on The Love Guru Blu-ray release, at least they are all in High-Definition. This is more than I can say for most new Blu-ray releases. I have to pay respect and tip the hat to Paramount for delivering all the goods in High-Definition. A digital copy of the movie, contained on a second disc, is also provided for on the go viewing entertainment.

The list of special features, are as follows (in order as they appear on the disc’s back cover):

• Mike Myers and The Love Guru – An Inside Look – (HD) A very short 10-minute glimpse behind the scenes with the actors. There is nothing noteworthy here.

• One Hellava Elephant – (HD) This is a quick 6-minute behind the scenes documentary on the use and filming of the elephants within the movie.

• Hockey Training for Actors – (HD) This is probably the best of the mini documentaries contained on the disc. This 8-minute documentary shows us how they trained the actors to skate for real and the other real hockey players that were involved for delivering the authenticity of the NHL action on the ice.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes – (HD) There are about 18 minutes worth of deleted scenes, extensions, and even an alternate ending.

• Bloopers and Outtakes – (HD) There is a whopping 14 minutes combination of bloopers and outtakes from the production set.

• Back in the Booth with Trent and Jay – (HD) These are additional hockey commentary scenes that fit in with the deleted and extended scenes mentioned above. I found the hockey commentaries, within the actual movie, to be very dry and pointless so this extra is wasted on me.

• Theatrical Trailer – (HD) The film’s 2-minute theatrical trailer can be found here.

Final Thoughts

While The Love Guru is never going to win any critical praise or awards, not even an honorable mention one, the final decision of whether this is a good film or not rests solely upon its viewing audience. As I stated before, you are either really going to be fond of this comedic dry-but-warm story or you are going to flat out venomously hate it. If you are a fan of the Austin Powers trilogy of movies and Mike Myers dry comedy, then I would say that you would be prone to like The Love Guru, although I am not guaranteeing that statement. I simply have many reservations about this movie despite still liking it. Unless you have seen the theatrical release and know you like it, then I would highly encourage a rental of this movie before laying down your hard earned Benjamin’s on a blind purchase. If you are a fan of Jessica Alba in 1080P, then I would say this is a must-have but do be warned. She does not don any skimpy outfits like usual. I remember reading that she was near three months pregnant upon shooting this production. Nevertheless, she still glows in her scenes within the brilliant video transfer. The film has a very warm comedic ending that puts it right up there in the ranks of The 40-Year-Old Virgin in terms of uplifting/happy endings. That payoff alone makes it very worthwhile for me when trying to escape yet another stressful day in real life.

When Madagascar came to the box office in 2005, I took my young niece to see it. She’s kind of an animal nut, so I expected her to have a pretty good time. What I might not have expected was that I would have a good time. The whole talking animals routine can get pretty tired after a while. With the advent of CG animation on such a large scale there has been a little overload these days. Everybody wants to be Pixar, and while Pixar has found some unique story and character ideas, most studios have resorted to the old hand drawn animation standbys. I’m happy to report that Madagascar was better than I expected, and both of us had a really good time.

Marty (Rock) is a zebra at the New York City Zoo. It’s his 10^th birthday, but he’s got the blues. He’s just caught the zoo’s penguins trying to tunnel their way out of the place. It makes him start to question his existence in captivity. Suddenly he’s thinking about the wilds and what it would be like to live free. His best friend Alex (Stiller) is a lion and the star attraction at the zoo. He loves his captive life and the popularity he’s enjoyed at the zoo. He’s well fed, and he’s comfortable. When Marty breaks out that night, Alex and his friends also leave the safe confines of the zoo to bring back their friend. Along with Alex is Melman (Schwimmer), a hypochondriac giraffe, and Gloria (Smith), a bossy but lovable hippo. When the animals converge on Grand Central Station, they create panic. The result is a call to return the animals to the wild. The next day they awaken to find they are packed inside crates on a ship in the middle of the ocean. They think they’re being transferred to another zoo as punishment for their escape. In reality, they are on their way to a nature preserve in Kenya. On the way the penguins manage to break out and commandeer the ship. They want to go to Antarctica. The turmoil causes the other crates to be thrown overboard. Soon our animal friends are stranded on an island which happens to be…how did you ever guess… Madagascar. There they discover a tribe of lemurs just in time to stop a young one, who looks like Gizmo from Gremlins, from getting eaten. The Lemur King wants to befriend the new arrivals in order to have permanent protection from the land’s natural predators. Unfortunately, while most of the zoo animals adapt quickly to their new environs, Alex is finding out what it means to be a carnivore. Marty wants to help his friend but begins to understand that to Alex he’s really a fresh meaty steak. Meanwhile the penguins make it to Antarctica only to find it very boring, so it’s off to rescue their friends in Madagascar…sort of.

The story is actually pretty simple, and the film’s running time really zips by. It’s the characters and their interactions that make this an enjoyable film to watch even for the adults. The writers put in plenty of references that only the adults will understand, a smart strategy indeed. These guys know that it’s not the kiddies with the cash to pick up the DVD’s, it’s the parents. If you can find a way to entertain them as well, you’re certain to have a big seller on your hands. You’ll find Star Trek, Planet Of The Apes, and even a classic Twilight Zone episode. It doesn’t hurt that the film sports a pretty good voice cast. Chris Rock is his usual clowning self as Marty. While it’s very family friendly, Rock does come close to uttering a few vulgarities. At one point when he’s ticked off he shouts “Mother… and stops himself. While I wasn’t bothered by the close calls, it should be noted for parents who might be. Ben Stiller is actually the surprise in the cast. I usually find his acting style quite reserved, so was entirely captivated by his far more outgoing portrayal of Alex. Alex has the best emotional journey in the film, and credit Stiller for most of that. The Lemur King is voiced by Borat himself, Sacha Baron Cohen. He’s probably the most flamboyant of the characters. I think he’ll be a kiddie favorite, as will Cedric The Entertainer as Maurice , the King’s assistant, who understands the dangers Alex poses from the start. One of my favorite scenes has Alex waking from a steak nightmare licking Marty’s back. The King remarks how friendly Alex is to be licking his friend, but Maurice is quick to observe that it looked more like he was tasting the zebra. There are a lot of one-liners and plenty of character moments to make this a film your whole family will enjoy. Of course, when you have kids the question is more can you enjoy it over and over and over and over….

Video

Madagascar is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This is more like it from Dreamworks. Madagascar is not limited to an HD-DVD previous release transfer. This is a brand spankin’ new AVC/MPEG-4 1080p transfer, and it looks wonderful. The first thing you’ll notice is how sharp and detailed the picture is. The hair on Alex’s mane is about the best I’ve seen since Monsters, Inc. The lines are clean and offer a level of detail that is only possible when the source material is already hi-res digital in nature. Next, you’ll be amazed at the black levels. Check out the black sheen on the penguins. You’ll see such texture and detail that it will be hard to believe that it’s also rich in completely solid black. Finally, you’ll marvel at the level of contrast. Marty’s zebra qualities are a good place to observe the tight distinction between lights and darks. There are moments the film approaches photo real imagery. The crates on the ship look absolutely real. There is also a scene when the animals are shown the interior of Madagascar that the grass looks about as real as I’ve seen in animation. Don’t entirely credit the transfer here. It’s obvious that the animation and rendering here was top notch all the way.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 TrueHD track was not near as impressive. I didn’t get full immersive sound as I would have liked. Don’t get me wrong. The clarity and dynamic range here is outstanding. The musical cues are perfect. There just isn’t a solid use of surrounds here. This seems to be a complaint in general with animated films. I get the impression that audio techs are reluctant to apply the same rules regarding ambient sounds that you get in a live action film. That seriously needs to be reevaluated. This film is almost 3-D in its presentation. We’ll accept the reality of the situation enough to appreciate better ambient effects. Dialog is correctly placed and always clear.

Special Features

Penguins In A Christmas Caper: You gotta love these penguin guys. This 12 minute mini-film features the group in their own story. While the penguins put the finishing touches on their own Christmas festivities, The Private notices that the Polar Bear is all alone and looking down. When he suggests they invite him to their shindig, he’s shot down. So, The Private sneaks out to buy the bear a present, only to get caught and sold to an old lady as a souvenir. Now the team springs into action under the motto: “No penguin swims alone”. They mount a rescue that is simply hilarious. This is the only extra also presented in HD.

Meet The Wild Cast: This rather short 7 minute feature takes a look at the characters of the film through the eyes of the voice cast. You get some nice ADR footage as well as plenty of clips and interviews.

Behind The Crates: This comes across more like a promo, complete with trailer style narration. It runs 23 minutes and shows us a lot of the evolution of the animals. There’s some conceptual art and more voice cast interviews.

The Tech Of Madagascar: At just 5 minutes, this is a pretty short piece. The animators show off some of the equipment and style of the film.

Penguin Chat: This 5 minute piece offers a standard definition look at a couple of the penguin scenes with commentary by the penguin characters. It’s a nice idea, but it feels forced and there’s a lot of dead air.

Enchanted Islands: This is a nice 8 minute look at the real Madagascar. There’s plenty of footage of the real animals and landscapes.

Dreamworks Animation Video Jukebox: You get to view a musical clip from several DreamWorks films including Flushed Away, Over The Hedge, and the other two Shrek films.

Mad Pop Up Trivia: This is another one of those “during playback” options. You get some, often amusing tidbits on the film as you watch.

I Like To Move It Move It Music Video: I have to say I find this song annoying as all get out. Don’t let your kids see this video, or you’ll be tearing out your hair and cursing me for recommending you pick this up.

Mad Mishaps: Yes, this really is in HD as well, but you can’t tell to look at it. This is just a couple of minutes of the animators playing around. It’s a self created gag reel, if you will.

Learn To Draw: You can pick your favorite character and follow simple steps to draw them yourself by pausing and starting the presentation.

Final Thoughts

Madagascar was a fun family film with enough to entertain everyone in the family. It’s the kind of writing and animation usually found in the Disney/Pixar products and the best Dreamworks effort to date. I know many of you reserve that honor for the Shrek franchise, but trust me when I tell you that this is the real deal. Speaking of the real deal. If you happen to want to check out Madagascar for yourself, you should contact my friend Bill Love at Blue Chameleon Ventures He’s a world renowned reptile photographer and expert on the animals you’ll find in Madagascar. Whether you join Bill for a tour or simply relax to Madagascar on Blu-ray, you’re in for a sweet time. “Just keep on smilin’ boys.”