Saw V grossed an estimated $55 million at the box office this past fall.  Not bad at all for a low budget horror series that in its short 5 years in existence has earned the title of the most popular horror franchise.  There are currently no plans for a final Saw movie.  Halloween will just not be the same every year when this horror franchise suddenly comes to an end.

Below is the full press release, edited for Blu-ray content only, from Lionsgate.  Enjoy!

The most popular horror film franchise in history returns to Blu-ray Disc this January with the release of SAW V.  The unrated 1080P widescreen Blu-ray Disc are dripping with special features including audio commentaries, multiple trap featurettes and more.  The Blu-ray Disc features MoLog™, the first BD live application that allows users to insert and animate shapes, text, audio, and other graphics right into the film to create “blogs” to share with other MoLog users! The Blu-ray Disc comes with a standard-definition digital copy of the feature film for iPod, MAC, PC or other compatible player.  The unrated widescreen version is also available in the Limited Edition Collector’s Box.  This box features a spinning saw blade as part of the packaging along with a voice chip that creates the “Jigsaw” voice and saw sound effects when activated.  The Collector’s Box also includes a picture booklet with a letter from director David Hackl.

The SAW film series has managed to ratchet up tension and invention with each successive film, while jangling millions of nerves worldwide. Surpassing Freddie and Jason, the SAW series is now the most profitable horror franchise, both theatrically and on DVD in movie history, taking in over $500 million in worldwide box office and sales exceeding 23 million units on DVD.  In the fifth installment, Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor, SAW IV) is seemingly the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy.  However, when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends.

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Three-Disc Collector’s Edition + Digital Copy)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Two Disc)
• Wanted
• Wanted (Limited Edition Collector’s Gift Set)
• The Shawshank Redemption
• Step Brothers
• Austin Powers Collection
• Casablanca (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)
• The X-Files: I Want to Believe (+ Digital Copy)
• The X-Files - Fight the Future
• The X-Files Movie 2-Pack (I Want to Believe / Fight the Future)
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (Special Edition) (1951)
• Home Alone
• Immortal
• The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
• The Contract
• Day of the Dead (2007)
• Stranger Than Fiction (Special Edition)
• Assault on Precinct 13 (Restored Collector’s Edition) (1976)
• Jingle All the Way
• Bam Margera Presents: Where the #$&% is Santa?
• The Longshots
• Styx: One With Everything
• Three Days Grace: Live At The Palace
• Amy Winehouse: I Told You I Was Trouble (Live in London)
• Michel Vaillant
• Girls Aloud: Tangled Up Tour-Live from the O2
• Girls Gone Wild: Blonde on Blonde

Did you ever watch a movie and wonder when it was over what it was you just watched? Have you ever been so enthralled in something but at the same time stupefied by it? These are just a couple of the assorted thoughts that ran through my head after my initial viewing of the film Southland Tales, a recent Blu-ray release from Sony Pictures. I believe it would take me several sequential viewings to truly comprehend the complex body of work that is Southland Tales, but even then, I question whether or not that would be enough. I don’t even know how to explain it. I have never been so interested in watching something but so lost at the same time. I was hoping that by hanging in there it would all come together cohesively at the film’s conclusion and suddenly make sense. But, if you know anything about Richard Kelly’s work, then you know this would not be the case. The only thing I can compare it to was how I felt while watching Mulholland Drive back in 2002, a feeling of excitement but an ending drenched in ultimate confusion.

Southland Tales was released theatrically in 2007. It was written and directed by Richard Kelly. The title refers to the Southland, which is a name used by locals to describe the areas of Southern California and Greater Los Angeles. The film is set in the near future but with an alternate history of our own. The film contains one of the biggest all-star casts I can remember since my review of Sin City. Southland Tales features the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Sean William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christopher Lambert, John Larroquette, Bai Ling, Jon Lovitz, Mandy Moore, Amy Poehler, Kevin Smith, Justin Timberlake and many more. Recording artist, Moby, scored original music for the film. Unfortunately, Southland Tales was a box office disaster. With an estimated budget of $15 million, the film failed to even break the $1 million mark worldwide. It should be noted that the film was only released on 63 screens. How can a movie with an all-star cast such as this fail so miserably? Just like the movie itself, I will never completely understand.

So are you ready to learn about the plot of the movie? Here goes my best attempt at constructing a somewhat reasonable explanation of what went on within the film. The film opens with events that have already happened in an alternate version of US history. On July 4, 2005, both El Paso and Abilene, Texas have fallen victim to nuclear attacks. The unimaginable and catastrophic attacks sent America into World War III. The Patriot Act has grown too big for its own good and has extended lawful authority to a new agency known as US-IDent. US-IDent keeps constant tabs on all citizens through the use of extensive Internet censoring and video surveillance. This seems pretty simple and logical so far, right? Here is where I slice this apple wide open. Are you ready for this? The alternate world here in Kelly’s film is also facing a fuel shortage. Does this really surprise you? This is definitely not a good time for this to be happening, considering we are in the middle of a global warfare time period. A German company named Treer designs a new generator capable of producing unlimited energy propelled by ocean currents. This new technology is called Fluid Karma. Alright ladies and gentleman…time to buckle up because my next plot point is going to be a big one. Initially unknown to the German engineers, these generators alter the ocean currents and cause the Earth to slow its rotation, ripping holes in the space and time continuum.

If the whole space and time ripple effect I discussed above is not enough, we also have many side stories and characters we are following as one fateful evening, their lives end up being intertwined in order to save all of mankind from complete destruction. Wow! That was a big one to get out. There are three main character destinies we follow throughout the movie that are essential to what I just mentioned prior. We follow the amnesic condition of action film star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson), ex-porn star turned reality TV host and ambitious entrepreneur Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and twin brothers Roland and Ronald Taverner (both played by Sean William Scott). That last character I mentioned is what really has me scratching my head even now. What happens if two different people have the same exact soul and should end up meeting each other in the same physical geography? I can’t even comprehend how I would even go about calculating that theory. Oh yeah…we still have yet to discuss the eccentric disfigured Iraq war veteran played by Justin Timberlake, the many bizarre costumes worn by Bai Ling, the strange but yet very cool performance of Jon Lovitz, the out-of-place Mandy Moore portraying Boxer Santaros’ wife and many more characters. I am finding the need to restrain myself from developing even more of the plot here as I think I already made some of my reader’s heads hurt by now.

Video

In my opinion, the exceptional video transfer is what makes Southland Tales really shine on the Blu-ray format. Sony delivers with a 1080P AVC video encode presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This is a very clean master print with little to no blemishes or specks visible to the eye. It is quite visually stunning. The colors are very vivid and vibrant throughout to the point where the video really glistens because of this. This does make the contrast a bit hot in places but I have no serious qualms about it. The black levels are very solid throughout the presentation. There is not a single hint of grain within the blacks. This makes the dark shots just as superior as the brighter ones. That is something you cannot always say with today’s transfers. I wouldn’t be doing my job though if I did not point out the faults I found with the video transfer. I felt forced to lower my video score because of various soft shots. The film is not shot in digital video so a soft film-like presentation is to be expected. With that being said, I need to point out that I found various scenes to be softer than the others, which lacked critical sharpness and sometimes appeared wax-like. All in all, my favorite part of this Blu-ray watching experience was the vibrant colors that kept my eyes glued to the screen at all times.

Audio

Sony brings Southland Tales to the Blu-ray format with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track. The dialogue, which is always a pet peeve of mine, is presented very clear and intelligible. That is a good thing because there is a lot of dialogue that viewers need to pay attention to, but even with that being said, it did not help me in ultimately understanding what I had just watched. I was very pleased with mixing of the music and audio score. The musical numbers, like the one hilarious scene with Justin Timberlake that comes to mind, filled my entire viewing room with pure audio nirvana. All of the sound effects like the gunshots and explosions, sounded ultra realistic and authentic. The low-end bass used throughout the movie kept my interests thumping. I guess my only complaint regarding the film’s audio track was I felt the film’s surround track, at many times, to be very front-heavy with little interaction from the rear speakers. Since the movie was not an onslaught of action throughout, I feel the audio track really delivers for what it was trying to achieve, minus the couple of nuisances I mentioned previously.

Special Features

What I like about the Special Features on the Southland Tales Blu-ray disc is the fact that Sony delivers them in High Definition. There are a few new bonus features that are not found on the DVD version of this title. Below is what is included on this Blu-ray release.

Commentary (Blu-ray Exclusive) – This is your basic commentary with writer and director Richard Kelly.

Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga Graphic Novel Gallery (Blu-ray Exclusive) – These are the graphic novels that precede Southland Tales.

USIDent TV: Surveilling The Southland – This is where you get your making of the film sort of documentary. It also includes interviews with the cast and crew.

This is the Way the World Ends – This is an animated short, which further confuses viewers by taking place in an alternate universe of the film.

Trailers – There is a collection of various trailers from Sony Pictures.

BD-Live – The BD-Live functionality allows viewers to connect to Sony’s website to download movie trailers and other promos. There was nothing specific or extra for Southland Tales, at the time of writing this.

Final Thoughts

The Blu-ray’s front cover displays the tag line “This is the Way the World Ends.” Let me be the first to say…I sure hope not. I would rather go out with a bang than be constantly confused like I was in Southland Tales. I believe this film will live on as a cult movie and guilty pleasure for most fans, much like Battlefield Earth manages to. While I enjoyed the viewing of this fine Blu-ray presentation I still own up to the fact that I have no idea what I really watched. I was intrigued throughout, but I cannot pretend to coherently and intelligently discuss all the underlying plot and moral themes the film bestows upon us. The numerous characters and sub plots made it very hard to follow. In the end, I was just left scratching my head deciding if I should watch it again or if it would even matter. I really think this film would take more viewings than I am willing to sit through and some serious philosophical conversations to completely understand all that happens within Southland Tales. If you are already a fan of this film, then this fine Blu-ray presentation makes it a no-brainer for me to recommend. If you have never seen it or are intrigued by the premises I discussed within this review, then I would emphatically encourage a rental before contemplating and jumping on it as a blind buy. Please go into your initial viewing with a highly awake status and an extra shot of caffeine by your side so your brain can absorb and digest as much as possible. Good luck!

Experience A Trio Of Laugh-Out-Loud Favourites In High-Definition Hilarity
February 3 From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

CENTURY CITY, Calif. / Toronto, ON (November 21, 2008) – Loaded with dysfunctional family moments, chapstick and a whole lot of flair, Little Miss Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite and Office Space unleash their hysterics on high definition Blu-ray Disc (BD) February 3 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Throw out your anti-depressants and hop on the bus with the feel-good comedy Little Miss Sunshine, the “achingly hilarious” (Vanity Fair) American family vacation movie that breaks all the rules of the road along the way.  The brazenly satirical and yet deeply human comedy includes an all-star cast of today’s most versatile actors including Steve Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin, “The Office”), Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets, Fast Food Nation), Toni Collette (In Her Shoes, The Sixth Sense), Oscar winner^*Alan Arkin (Firewall), Paul Dano (The Girl Next Door) and the adorable young talent Abigail Breslin (Nim’s Island, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl).

Finally!  Gosh!  The best flippin’ comedy in recent memory that reached a cult-like phenomenon is even more outrageous on Blu-ray Disc.  Napoleon Dynamite is a “little movie with a lot of heart and a lot of laughs” (New York Post), that won over audiences and critics alike in 2004 and continues to build a loyal following amongst fans, taking home three “MTV Movie Awards” and four “Nickelodeon Teen Choice Awards” in 2005.  Watch as Napoleon finally has his day, dealing with his brother Kip’s online chat sessions with babes, his Uncle Rico’s obsession with time travel, helping his friend Pedro win the school election and even showing his romantic side by offering up a delicious bass.

Work sucks, but the Office Space Blu-ray Disc will cure anyone who is suffering through a case of the Mondays.  Mike Judge’s cult classic about one man’s struggle to break down the walls of his cubicle and do absolutely nothing is a must-own for everyone “working for the man.”  Starring Ron Livingston
(”Sex and the City,” “Band of Brothers”) and Jennifer Aniston (”Friends,” Along Came Polly), Office Space has become one of the most quoted films by paper-pushing, fax machine-pounding, boss-hating working stiffs everywhere.

Each BD includes the feature film presented in high definition.  Additional bonus materials and specs by title are as follows:

Little Miss Sunshine:

Presented in widescreen with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital as well as English, French and Spanish Subtitles.

Bonus features include:

• Director’s Commentary by Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Faris
• Deleted Scenes
• Alternate Endings
• On the Road With The Hoovers: The Making of Little Miss Sunshine
• We’re Gonna Make It… A session with Mychael Danna and DeVotchka
• Who Are The Hoovers?
• No One Gets Left Behind: The Music of Little Miss Sunshine
• Poster Gallery
• “Till The End Of Time” Performed by DeVotchka From the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack
• Soundtrack Spot
• FOX on Blu-ray

Napoleon Dynamite:

Presented in widescreen with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Surround as well as English, French and Spanish Subtitles.  Bonus features include:

• Commentary by Director/Co-Writer Jared Hess, Actor Jon Heder and Producer Jeremy Coon
• Cast Commentary by Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries and Tina Majorino
• Documentaries
  • World Premier Jared Hess
  • On Location: Napoleon Dynamite
• 4 Deleted and Extended Scenes
• 4 Extended/Alternate Scenes
• 3 More Sweet Outtakes
• More Flippin’ Features:
  • Casting Napoleon Dynamite- An Interview with Jory Weitz
  • Audition Videos
  • Peluca- The 2002 short film by Jared Hess which inspired Napoleon Dynamite
  • Napoleon Sightings
  • Utah State Fair Ads, TV Spots
  • Still Gallery
  • The Wedding Of the Century!
  • MTV On-Air Promos
  • DB Live Bootstrap

Office Space:

Presented in widescreen with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and French and Spanish Dolby Surround as well as English and Spanish Subtitles.

Bonus features include:

• Deleted Scenes:
  • Peter Lies to Lumbergh
  • Happy Hour at Chotchkie’s
  • Peter Goes Off On Nina
  • Tom’s Mixed Heritage Called Into Question
  • Milton and Bob
  • Peter’s Revelation
  • Lumbergh’s Dead
  • Another Lumberg
• “Out Of The Office: An Office Space Retrospective With Mike Judge” featurette
• Theatrical Trailer
• Interactivity
  • Jump to Conclusions 2.0
  • Grab The Stapler and Printer Beat-Down
  • Last Piece of Cake
  • Whack-a-Drone
  • Post-It Pandemonium/The Apathy of Man: History Track

I’m a fan of the original George Romero zombie films. Let’s face it. These films have left an incredible mark and pretty much created an entire sub-genre of horror film. We get a lot of our zombie rules from these “Dead” films. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that finally the last of the original films has finally been remade. The original Night Of The Living Dead came first to the remake mills. It was a pretty faithful adaptation of the original material, even if it was somewhat updated. It didn’t hurt that Romero was involved as a producer and that original makeup man Tom Savini directed the affair. That was 1990. In 2004 Zack Snyder presented us with his update of Dawn Of The Dead. Again there was some faithfulness to the plot and the zombies themselves. Snyder amped up the blood and guts and delivered a pretty cool film. Now horror veteran director Steve Miner brings us the final Romero “Dead” remake, at least until they start remaking the remakes. While Miner is best known for his television work on such shows as The Wonder Years and Dawson’s Creek, he is no stranger to the horror genre, having helmed the first two Friday The 13^th sequels. I have to say I expected more out of the man.

This is the worst of the Romero remakes. Miner has abandoned just about everything that identifies Romero’s zombie world. Gone is the traditional sense of confinement and claustrophobia that made each of the original films so tense. The bunker is used, but only in the final minutes of the film. For the most part our characters jump from one location to another, spending a lot of time out in the open. Miner has also abandoned the slow moving, but determined zombies we’ve come to know and love. He’s replaced them with CG enhanced super zombies. These guys can run at Flash speeds and can do acrobatic leaps and crawl on the walls. The obvious CG work takes us out of any atmosphere Miner might have given us. Even the blood and gore is CG enhanced, taking away the gritty stomach churning effect of the original films. A few character names are retained, but you’ll find them as unrecognizable as you did watching the new Battlestar Galactica. Bub is still around, but he’s a vegetarian zombie named Bud. That wasn’t a misprint. You don’t need new glasses. A vegetarian zombie. Give me a break. The movie was filmed in Bulgaria, which even Miner admits in the commentary doesn’t look anything like the United States, except for the woods. The film suffers from really poor ADR work, particularly McCord. Check her out at just 7 minutes into the film and watch her lips. You won’t mind it at all, but you’ll see what I mean. There are a couple of comedic moments. My favorite is when a DJ threatens one of the officers with torture because he won’t tell him what’s going on. Does he plan to use the dreaded waterboard method? No. Does he intend to use sleep deprivation? No. He threatens to play Celine Dion. The lady just can’t get a break. First South Park,and now zombies.

With just the exception of an underused Ving Rhames,the cast is an amateur one indeed. Most of these actors are way too young and unseasoned to be playing these roles. A perfect example is Mena Suvari who plays Sarah, a corporal in the Army Reserves. When she’s giving orders,you just want to laugh in her face. The actress is in as much over her head as the commanding officer she tried somewhat to play. An unintended humorous moment occurs when she and Bud, before he’s a zombie, enter a bloody house. She draws her gun, inciting a gasp from this other supposedly trained officer. Then she remarks that he shouldn’t worry because the gun’s not loaded. Apparently it’s complicated. Nick Cannon plays another soldier named Salazar, who spends the entire time doing a really poor Will Smith imitation. AnnaLynne McCord isn’t much better of an actress, but she is rather stunning looking, so I’ll forgive her casting on the grounds of too pretty to pass up. Rhames is in the film minimally, just enough to collect a check and lend the star power to the credits. The best part is played by Ian McNeice. He plays a rebel DJ who is holed up at his radio station during the break out of zombies. You might remember him as the newsreader on the HBO series Rome.

The story shares almost nothing in common with the original. In this version a small town in Colorado has succumbed to an apparent flu virus. Of course, I’m not giving anything away when I tell you that this ain’t no flu bug. Before long the undead are mobbing the city, munching on those who survived the infection. The guard is called in to quarantine the town under the guise of a training mission. So, throw in stupid soldiers on top of poorly trained and too young. A small group of survivors ridiculously led by Sarah take on the super zombies and manage to have a home style barbeque.

Video

Day Of The Dead is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This is a very average high definition image. Yes, you get the full 1080p using an AVC/MPEG-4 codec. Still, the picture lacks the detail and vivid reproduction of colors that I’ve really come to expect from an HD release. The bit rate stays around 20mbps, which I consider poor for a high definition release.. It’s not that this is a bad image. I’m sure it offers more clarity than a DVD, but barely more than a good upconverter can provide. Black levels are average at best, which is a problem for a film shot almost entirely in darkness. You just don’t get that shadow detail you should have on this kind of a picture. Miner relied far too much on blue and yellow filters either on camera or through a color correction process. It adds a pall to the image that takes away the gritty reality I think you’re likely looking for in a “Dead” film.

Audio

The TrueHD lossless 5.1 track a strong 24 bit blast of sound. In fact, the film has too rich of a sound for this movie. There some wonderful orchestration and kick butt, drop dead, in your face power sub action. It gives you something very sweet to listen to. It distracted me, as I found the sound to be far more interesting than what I was watching. I caught myself zoning to the soundtrack, never a good sign. Dialog is fine. There is a pretty good use made of ambient sounds here. I could have used a wider spread during the machine guns when they fired, but it was dynamic enough to make this presentation far superior to the video one.

There is an Audio Commentary with a large group of cast and crew. They talk a lot about how it was to shoot in Bulgaria with a largely non-English-speaking crew.

Special Features

On The Set: This 14 minute feature is a bit unusual. It’s not the typical guided feature. It’s more like a fly on the wall atmosphere as you watch several scenes being prepped and filmed.

Alternative Ending: For 6 minutes you get pretty much the exact ending you saw in the film. The absolute only difference is the fate of one of the characters.

Interviews: You can choose between several of the cast members and Miner, as well as makeup f/x guy Dean John, who is no Tom Savini. They last about a couple of minutes long. This section really needed a play all feature. The footage is very choppy with words at the beginning and end of clips often cut off.

Photo Gallery

Final Thoughts

This is not your father’s Day Of The Dead. Honestly, you’re not going to want to claim this one for your generation either. It’s an action film using uninteresting actors and characters in a stimulation overload environment. There’s little time to enjoy it as a zombie film at all. Romero had a touch that has often been imitated but rarely reproduced. Perhaps Miner decided to not even try. If that’s true, it’s fair, but I have to ask the question: Why remake this particular film at all? Go ahead. Ask the question you are dying to ask. Should I pick this film up or not? “Please, you have more important things to do.”

The Contract is one of those films that appears to have everything going for it. When I received my most recent batch of Blu-ray titles to review, this was the one that caught my eye. It wasn’t in the box office very long, so I did not have the opportunity to catch it in that kind of grand setting. I wanted to, but I was likely watching reruns of Mork and Mindy for you guys. From the film’s start, that potential begins to be completely realized. We are introduced to the two very different personalities in this film. Morgan Freeman is a cold as ice assassin with a new job to perform. We watch him interact with his team in a manner that honestly should send shivers up your spine. We are also introduced to a normal everyday father played by John Cusak. He fits the part perfectly, and we watch him trying to relate to his son in a frustrating manner that all fathers must experience at some points in their relationship with their sons. Sorry Dad. These starkly different realities strike a chord of wariness for us as viewers, because we know something that these characters don’t yet. We know these vastly contrasting worlds are destined to collide somewhere along the way. Seldom have I felt so much anticipation for a predictable outcome. When it happens, the film takes off for us, and our expectations begin to be fulfilled.

But something happens halfway through this film. Freeman loses some of his coldness and Cusak begins to find his own. While this little juxtaposition of characteristics might serve some creative, stylish intent, the movie suffers for it. The emotional currency that director Bruce Beresford has accumulated gets spent long before the film pays off. I can’t tell you exactly when it happened, but I can tell you that the movie eventually becomes somewhat of a predictable cat and mouse game. A game we’ve seen played far too many times and with far more interesting twists than we get here. So, I find myself feeling like I’ve just seen two movies instead of one. I loved the first, but the second rather bored me to tears and perhaps a few stolen moments of slumber. To be sure the locations are rather sweet, and in high definition they offer some rather pleasing visual stimulation. Of course, I can get the same thing by watching the Discovery Channel. No, I needed something more. I needed to see these very different worlds continue to collide and cause friction and conflict. Somewhere along the way they began to co-exist in a peaceful and ultimately uninteresting way.

Frank Carden (Freeman) is an ex CIA/Military operative. He now works for the highest bidder. He has assembled a team of special forces operatives, and they kill for money. During one of their elaborate hits, Carden is injured in an auto accident. Once the feds find out that he’s in custody, they want him out. It seems he’s the only one who knows where or how to collect payment on the current contract. The feds want him, but not every fed wants him alive. It seems Frank has secrets to tell. When the prisoner is being transported, the car is taken out along an isolated wilderness mountain pass. The car ends up in a fast moving river, and he and the Marshal escorting him are carried off by the strong current. The two end up coming to where Ray (Cusak) is out trying to bond with his son who has just been suspended for smoking pot at school, where he is also a gym teacher. They fish the two men out of the water. The Marshal is mortally wounded, and with his dying breath charges Ray with getting Carden to justice. What’s an ordinary Joe to do? Ray accepts the challenge, and the three begin to march through the wilderness. They are joined by a couple of campers along the way. Now they must get Carden to the proper authorities while being hunted by Carden’s crack team and the feds.

There’s no question that Morgan Freeman is a tremendous talent. He shows it here, and when the character goes wrong it really isn’t Freeman’s fault. It’s the script that forces the character in an uneasy direction. It’s a shame, really, because there are some very clever and exciting moments in the film. Cusak doesn’t necessarily shine, but he’s made a career out of not having to. His characters are always minimalist people that are pretty much intended to represent the average guy. Even when he’s put into more extraordinary roles he finds his way by making them at least appear normal. Alice Krige joins the cast as the fed who wants Carden dead. It’s a one-note performance all the way and a throwaway character. The team is made up of the usual kinds of character actors and personalities. It’s almost a cliché’. The last 20 minutes of the film are completely unnecessary. For some reason it was decided that the film required a coda to over-cleverly tie up loose ends that could have been taken care of in the field, so to speak. It has the feel of being tacked on, and it all ends far too pat for my tastes.

Video

The Contract is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. You get a perfectly fine 1080p image using anVC-1 codec. The bit rate is a little disappointing staying below 30 mbps for most of the film. Detail is spotty. There are moments, particularly the face cliff, where there is a tremendous amount of detail and texture to surfaces like the rain soaked rocks here. Some of the vistas are a masterpiece of contrast, showing the wonderful mountain panoramic with brilliant touches of mist and fog. Other times the image appears soft and lacking in that same level of sharpness and clarity. The scenes at the cabin suffer from this problem and perhaps with only average black levels here, while a New York nightscape looks wonderful with deep black levels. I guess I would call the whole thing rather inconsistent. Likely much of the changes are artistic decisions.

Audio

The TrueHD lossless 5.1 track delivers about everything you could want here. Rain provides a wonderful opportunity for ambient sounds and an immersive experience. Dialog is fine. A lot of the film does take place in the front, but when the ambients do kick in they are a pleasant surprise.

Special Features

Inside The Contract: This 21 minute feature is your typical behind the scenes feature. It contains plenty of interview bits from cast and crew and a good look at the stunts.

Final Thoughts

It’s a tale of two films combined into one story. Expect to be thoroughly entertained and thrilled for about an hour. Then expect to be put on the back burner, forgotten and abandoned. Maybe it’s some kind of split personality schizophrenia moment for the writers. I understand these moments of identity crisis and laziness can strike at almost any moment. There’s apparently only one cure. No more audience. Now, I’m not a paid professional mental health practitioner. I don’t even play one on television. “I read it in a book once.”

• Hancock
• Fred Claus
• The Kingdom
• Jarhead
• Action Thriller Starter Pack (Jarhead / The Kingdom)
• Meet Dave
• Space Chimps
• Superman - Doomsday
• Becket
  
• George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya
• Ricky Martin Live: Black and White Tour
• Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers
• Barenaked Ladies - Talk to the Hand - Live in Michigan
• Hall & Oates: Live at the Troubadour
• Dreamboat Annie Live
• Black Narcissus (1946)
• O.A.R. - Live from Madison Square Garden
• Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot
• The Line
• Keane Live
• Flesh for The Beast (Uncut)
• Shadow: Dead Riot (Uncut)
• Daddy Yankee: Talento de Barrio

When I first found out that I would be reviewing the Blu-ray movie, Stuck, I did some quick research on the web. After reading about the premise of the movie and how it was somewhat based on actual events, I was able to recall hearing the factual news story years ago. I remember being amazed and intrigued by what really happened. That is why I was really excited and looking forward to seeing what Stuck had to offer me. I went in with no hopes or expectations. I just wanted to be entertained and enthralled.

Stuck is loosely based on a true story that rocked the headlines momentarily in 2001. The factual story unfolds through the following chain of events. Chante Jawan Mallard struck a homeless man, Greggory Biggs, while driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Confused and not knowing what to do Mallard proceeded to drive home, with Biggs “stuck” in her windshield, and parked the car in her garage for the night. She did not call for help, notify the authorities or offer any kind of medical attention to the helpless man. The following morning, she checked on the man still lodged in her windshield and refused to offer any help. The homeless man died a couple days later. Mallard and a couple of her friends disposed of the body and set her car on fire to destroy any evidence. She and her accomplices were arrested. Chante Mallard was later convicted with a 50-year prison sentence.

Stuck premiered at the Cannes Film Market on May 21, 2007. It went on to be shown at a number of other film festivals. If you are scratching your head, as I was, and wondering why you never heard of this at the theater you can wonder no more. Stuck opened in limited release at only 2 theaters in the United States. It only grossed an estimated $10,000. Surprisingly, it did manage to receive very favorable reviews from the critics.

Stuck was produced and written by Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond). Stuart Gordon drifts from the factual events to give us more insight into character development and to build tension. I can’t help but find myself torn between two ways of thinking. I can’t put my finger on it whether or not Gordon’s take was intended as a dark comedy of errors or whether he was sincerely trying to make a horror/thriller film. I think I found myself laughing more than I should have.

Stuck opens up with retirement-home caregiver, Brandi Boski (Mena Suvari), wishing to get promoted to a NA Captain job. She is frustrated that in order to get ahead in her job she needs to put in extra time and work extra shifts, particularly on Saturdays. It all sounds way too familiar to me. The whole be careful what you wish for phrase echoes through my head. Anyway, like most shift workers she likes to go out and have a good time after work. One fateful Friday night her and her friend meet up with her boyfriend Rashid (Russell Hornsby) at a club. One thing leads to another but by night’s end Brandi is heavily intoxicated from both alcohol and drugs. A real poster child for the health care industry one could say. Meanwhile, Tom (Stephen Rea), is out of work, down on his luck and today of all days…homeless. It is here where are two main characters’ worlds collide. Brandi, like a fool, attempts to drive herself home even though she in no way, shape or form should she be doing so. On her way home she accidentally hits pedestrian Tom with her car. Tom ends up getting his bones shattered as he flies headfirst through Brandi’s windshield. Frightened and shocked Brandi decides to drive home with Tom sticking halfway into her car’s windshield. This is where it gets both humorous and ridiculous. You mean to tell me that no one ever sees her driving around with a man in her windshield? Much like the factual story in 2001, Brandi ends up driving home with Tom still in her windshield and promises to get him help. She ends up parking her car in the garage and tries to wipe the blood off her seats with a Kleenex. That was a hilarious scene, although I don’t think it was intended to be one. She kind of ignores Tom’s plead for help and proceeds to go into her house where she morally debates whether or not she should place a call for help.

It is at this point of the movie where I felt it was finally going somewhere. I was really starting to get into the moral tension and dilemma that Brandi’s character was facing. In her mind she knows that without proper medical attention Tom is certainly going to die. Obviously, she knows what the right thing to do is. However, her boyfriend, Rashid, steers her in a different direction and urges her to consider the consequences of how this will impact her life and career over a homeless person that no one will ever care about nor even know is missing. That is certainly a conundrum I wish upon no one to ever have to live through and decide. When Tom realizes he is being left to die he attempts many painful experimental escape plans. This is where the movie starts down a path of unrealistic measures and almost begins to take a comedic route instead of the seriousness we were treated to in the first half of the film. I am not going to spoil it for anyone but there is no way a man could live through as long as he does, everything Tom is subjected to. The conclusion of the film also takes on its own leg as justice is delivered in different ways than what actually happened in the news story this movie was based upon. There are some pretty grotesque moments in this film but the comedic elements of those moments, overshadows the seriousness. This is how I found myself torn between the writer’s intention of where he wanted to take this movie and how he wanted to deliver its message. One cannot argue how definitely ironic it is that a nursing home caregiver could ever be so ignorant to the primal needs of an injured person. The writer definitely hit home on that level of moral irony.

Video

Stuck comes to the Blu-ray format utilizing an AVC MPEG-4 video codec with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The video quality is just average at best. This is not a video transfer that you will want to use for your home theater demo sessions. I could not help but feel that I was watching something that looked like it belonged in the early 80’s. It had that low budget kind of feel to it. There were many problems I found with the transfer. In the first half of the film there were some very distracting artifacts on the screen. In more than several occasions I noticed black and white blemishes on the print as well as speckles throughout. The overall image quality was very soft yet the skin tones were very natural looking. Blacks are solid for the most part but I did notice areas of grain. While I think the muted and washed colors are of director’s intent I just find this transfer very unworthy of the Blu-ray format considering the print was lifted off filming that took place circa 2007.

Audio

Image Entertainment delivers a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio surround track on the Blu-ray release of Stuck. There really is not much to say here. This is not a big action thriller and there are only very subtle uses of surround effects utilized throughout the film. With that being said, I do feel they did an excellent job in the mix of the dialogue tracks. Every spoken word was intelligent and clear. Like the video, I feel the audio mix was adequate at best. Again, this is not demo worthy material here but the audio holds it own for what it was intended to achieve.

Special Features

The special features of the Stuck Blu-ray disc will really only appeal to the viewers who want to know more about the factual events of the original news story in which this movie is loosely based upon. With the exception of the commentary tracks, all of the special features are only in 480i standard-definition. Let’s take a moment to dissect the small list of special features to be found on the Stuck Blu-ray. The special features are as follows.

Audio Commentary – The audio commentary track features director Stuart Gordon, writer John Strysik and actress Mena Suvari.

Ripped from the Headlines – (SD) This featurette is a 17-minute behind the scenes documentary in addition to actual news footage.

The Gory Details – (SD) This is a 9-minute look at the makeup and special effects utilized in Stuck.

Driving Forces – (SD) This is an 8-minute video interview with director Stuart Gordon and writer John Strysik about the adaptation of the actual news story into the feature film.

Interviews and Exclusive Footage from AFI Dallas International Film Festival – (SD) This is a 17-minute collection of footage that covers the discussion of the real-life event and an interview from a reporter that covered the Mallard trial.

Theatrical Trailer

Final Thoughts

If you made it through my review this far and you still feel interested in giving this title a view then I would highly recommend a trip to your local Blockbuster to give this Blu-ray a rental first. I warn against a blind buy of this movie in fear that it may not warrant repeat viewings like many other Blu-rays scream for. I was very into the subject matter upon going in for my initial viewing but kind of turned off from the comedic elements and unrealistic happenings scripted in the screen play. Had the movie been more realistic and treated in a more serious fashion I think I could have enjoyed this more so than I did. Instead it just felt like a low budget movie from the 80’s with a murky video transfer to back that statement up. You may call it director’s intent or whatever term you like to say the look is intentional, but anyway you slice it, this is not a beautiful looking Blu-ray. In my opinion, Stuck, is only an average Blu-ray release that will appeal to fans of the film only. At least with a rental, you are not “stuck” or obligated to continue watching the film if it is not up to snuff with your viewing tastes. While there are good things that can still be said about the underlying story here, I ask readers to please take caution with this one, and rent before blind buying.

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.”