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Sessue Hayakawa is nearly as good as Guinness as Nicholson's adversary - despite a thick Japanese accent that at times makes understanding his words challenging. Yet we never miss his meaning and when, defeated by Nicholson's superior control, he weeps like the broken man he is, it brings not cheers for his comeuppance but compassion for the man and what, the Japanese culture being what it is or was, he must be going through.
It's Guinness' portrayal that really makes the movie, however. and his Best Actor Oscar was surely deserved. Watching his Nicholson be pulled, weak and filthy, from "the oven" but shrug off the guards helping him stand and force his body to make that trek across the compound, was enough to ensure him that award, yet it's only one of many memorable moments in Guinness' portrayal.
The counterpoint between Nicholson and Saito is William Holden's Shears, a character who we find out isn't exactly who he claims to be and, rather than striving to be some larger than life Big Cheese like the other two, he just wants to survive the war and get on with life. That things don't necessarily work out as he planned gives him a chance for "redemption", but even that is affected by "the unknown".
Holden's is the least interesting of the three main characters (four, if you include Jack Hawkins as a British Commando leader, though he appears along for the ride more than as if he's actually spurring on the story), but he's the "everyman" to Guinness and Hayakawa's "supermen". And as such, he's just as vital to the story. He values a drink and a skirt more than a gun, but war keeps raising its ugly head.
Sony says this Lean masterpiece has received a 4K restoration for this Blu-ray release, and it shows. The 1080p transfer, at a very wide aspect ratio of 2.55:1, is marvelous. The film looked good on its DVD release, but here it's outstanding, with many shots that have that "pop off the screen" depth that's so enjoyable with the high definition disc format. Color and detail are wonderful and though there's definitely grain in places (especially during dissolve transitions, but not exclusively there) the picture is for the most part immaculate.
Audio is presented in dts-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. It's also very good, more dynamic than we expected from a movie this old. It's mostly front and center channel-centric, which is okay considering that surround sound was still decades in the future when this movie was made, but there's still a bit of surround and it's used appropriately. A movie today would probably use more surround for ambience, such as the heavy rain and the jungle wildlife sounds that "surround" the players, but we're at peace with this presentation, which sounds far better than the earlier video releases.
This "collector's edition" also comes with a good selection of content to please collectors. Crossing the Bridge: Picture-in-Picture Graphics Track, offers viewers insights into the film's creation, as well as giving facts about World War II and some POW camp experiences via first-hand accounts from soldiers who actually worked on the railway portrayed in the film.
The "Making of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'" feature is nearly an hour long and covers the whole filmmaking process, from the hiring of David Lean, shooting locations more. It's well worth watching. The Steve Allen Show with William Holden & Alec Guinness is about six and a half minutes worth of the stars promoting their new flick on TV, while "The Bridge on the River Kwai Premiere Narrated by William Holden is a real quickie featuring the actor talking about the film's premiere over a series of stills.
And there are more featurettes, including a vintage black-and-white one that looks at the building of the bridge and "An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius", which sees the "Conan the Barbarian" director talking about why he loves the film. There's also BD-Live connectivity, if your player cooperates, a photo gallery, trailers for this film and others and a second disc that's a DVD copy of the film.
The discs come in a book-like package that also includes an interesting 32page booklet and a bunch of replica theatrical lobby cards.
It’s one heck of a package.
The Bridge on the River Kwai, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
162 min. 1080p widescreen (2.55:1), dts HD Master Audio
Starring William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald,
produced by Sam Spiegel
Written by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, directed by David Lean
Knight and Day on Blu-ray disc
It's James Bond meets Jason Bourne meets True Lies. Kind of.
Tom Cruise stars as Roy Miller, a super spy who can land a crashing Boeing 727 (which, actually, was the point where our suspension of disbelief ended and we just sat back and enjoyed the ride), kill the enemy with his hands and pretty well do anything else a spy might need to do.
Cameron Diaz is June Havens, an old car restorer (well, the cars are old, though she doesn't appear to be aging that well, either) who ends up being taken on the ride of her life when her quiet life crosses Miller's on a trip to Boston.
Miller is smuggling a super battery the entire world seems to want, and he gets it onto the abovementioned 727 in her carry on bag, which links them for the rest of the movie.
Naturally, June doesn't suspect Roy's profession, though it doesn't take long for reality to hit her in the face. But she's a bit smitten by the good looking dude who seems to want to take care of her – and the next thing she knows she's on a globe trotting misadventure as she and Roy take on and escape from a variety of baddies.
It's kind of silly and superficial, but it works surprisingly well – partially, we think, because for quite a bit of time we don't really know if Roy's a good guy or a bad guy. He sure seems like a good guy, but we've been fooled before. Is he really a good guy? We'll let you find out.
Whatever side he ends up on, Knight and Day is a surprisingly fun ride. Cruise is always good and this movie is no exception. Diaz turns in a good performance as well.
The Blu-ray comes with a DVD and digital copy in the box and is presented in 1080p at an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The picture is very good, and for the most part the special effects hold up well, with no lines or signs of a lot of blue (or green) screen work. Colors are nice and bright and the picture is sharp and clean and with pretty good depth.
The audio, which is 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio, is also very good. There's a lot of surround use that puts us into the middle of the action – and when there are bullets and vehicles whizzing all over the place that's exactly where you want to be. Low frequency effects come through nicely and clearly, most of the dialogue is very clear (some's a bit drowned out in the action, though) and overall it's very dynamic and enjoyable.
Fox also throws in a decent amount of extras. "Wilder Knights and Crazier Days" is just over 10 minutes long and is basically a promotional "making of" feature where the cast and crew talk about the fun they had, the stunts, etc. "Boston Days and Spanish Knights" covers the locations, while "Knight and 'Someday'" has little to do with the movie itself, but which covers Cruise and his wife Katie Holmes going to see the Black Eyed Peas perform the movie's closing song "Someday" in London.
There's also a selectionof "viral videos" that are basically promos. In one, Cruise and Diaz play soccer on the set, one shows Diaz practicing kicks, and one consists of clips interspersed with cast/crew comments. They also throw in the trailer.
"Knight and Day" looked interesting from its TV commercials, though of course that doesn't necessarily mean anything. It's a pleasant surprise, however, a fun spy spoof.
Knight and Day, from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
109 min. 1080p widescreen (2.40:1), dts HD Master Audio
Starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis
Produced by Cathy Konrad, Steve Pink, Todd Garner,
Written by Patrick O'Neill, directed by James Mangold
Excalibur on Blu-ray
Visually beautiful, but not as involving as we'd like, John Boorman's Excalibur looks at the King Arthur legend from the point of view of Merlin, who's portrayed as a kind of Svengali-like character.
This 1981 film also gives audiences a look at a couple of actors who went on to much greater things later in their careers: Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne and Liam Neeson, a kind of "where were they then" when they were building their now-substantial resumes. Heck, this is even before Stewart's "cinefantastique breakout" role as Gurney Halleck in David Lynch's much maligned "Dune."
Excalibur is actually Merlin's (Nicol Williamson) movie more than Arthur's, which is an interesting way to position it. It's also a tad ponderous, taking itself more seriously than necessary, and to us that gets in the way of what could also be a great action flick.
Oh, sure, Boorman ensures that all the most important elements from the classic Sir Thomas Mallory "Le Morte D’Arthur" tome are here, from Arthur (Nigel Terry) grabbing the sword from the stone, the Round Table, the quest for the Holy Grail and the shifting balance between the wizard Merlin and evil sorceress Morgana (Helen Mirren). But we found ourselves remaining distant, not really being drawn into the film as much as we'd hoped (and as much as we remembered when seeing the film on its theatrical release more years ago than we care to remember).
But it is gorgeous!
That look helped contribute to the film's being nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar (though it lost to Reds which, being about communists, undoubtedly had an advantage in the hearts of Academy members). It also received acclaim for its costumes.
Helping us suspend our disbelief, or at least feel more a part of the story, is a very moody setting – with plenty of clouds, iconic castles, strange lighting, and a few positively breathtaking scenes including a nifty one in which Perceval tosses Excalibur back to the Lady of the Lake, who appears to have been practicing with a catcher's mitt.
The performances are top notch. Full marks to Williamson's Merlin, despite some scenery chewing, and Nigel Terry is very believable as Arthur. This was the first time we'd seen Mirren – now a much honored actress – and she makes her presence known in a big way.
All of the elements for a top notch fantasy film are here as well, including an excellent sense of realism where knights wearing heavy armor find themselves a bit less agile than they'd like, pikes are used to make human kabobs, heads get bashed in, and the like. It may be a bit overly graphic (and sexual) for some – though not compared to what's on screen these days! – but, fortunately this realism helps add a layer of verisimilitude to Excalibur that also helps us suspend our disbelief.
Unfortunately, the film ends up being more than a bit of a mish mash, wandering around and not as focused as it could be. We're left with a film that looks fabulous and which has all the elements we want, but which just doesn't seem to know what to do with them or how to get us to care.
On the other hand, it does treat the subject matter with respect. Monty Python and the Holy Grail this ain't!
The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p widescreen (1.85:1) and the picture quality is bloody (no pun intended) marvelous - mostly. Colors are rich, blacks are deep and there's a good sense of depth at times, though it isn't consistent. We don't think it's the type of reference quality picture you can get on many Blu-rays, but it's good nonetheless. We'd give it a clean four out of five if we rated stuff that way.
Audio is dts HD Master Audio 5.1 and it's not as good, coming off as quite flat and uninvolving. Dialogue is clear but it isn't supported by the rest – the sound effects are all over the place (at times they either hurt your ears or a muddy) and there isn't a lot to recommend from the LFE channel. This is a shame because there are scenes – such as when horses are charging and their hooves should positively thunder – where a bit of power and clarity would be appreciated. And forget about surround channels! We only noticed a bit of occasional surround use, which also works against making you feel a part of the action – especially during the battle scenes.
Extras include a commentary with director John Boorman as well as the theatrical trailer.
Perhaps there'll be a full digital restoration/remastering in the future and we certainly hope so. While flawed, Excalibur could be a home theater treat, and we'd like to give it another chance with a proper presentation. In the meantime, this would make a decent rental if not a decent purchase.
Excalibur is available for rent ON DEMAND through Digital Cable, Satellite TV, and IPTV. You can also buy it for permanent download or rent it on iTunes, Cineplex.com, and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game consoles.
Excalibur, from Warner Home Entertainment
140 min. 1080p widescreen (1.85:1), dts HD Master Audio 5.1
Starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey and Nicol Williamson
Produced and directed by John Boorman
How Do You Know on Blu-ray
James L. Brooks has been around forever, it seems. From being one of the driving forces behind the old Mary Tyler Moore show to The Simpsons – and to his body of work directing feature films such as As Good As It Gets, he veteran has nothing to apologize for.
His body of work is such that he deserves a bit of slack if he makes the occasional stinker. We'll invoke that slack here – not that How Do You Know is a stinker, but it is certainly not up there with his best work. But it's worth seeing – if only for some likeable performances from a likeable cast.
The movie basically starts with Matty (Owen Wilson) and Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) starting a relationship that won't be as smooth as either would like. Matty is a big league pitcher (Lisa's a pro softball player, so they have that in common right off the, er, bat) who lives in the same building as a tycoon Charles (Jack Nicholson, playing himself again) whose son, George (Paul Rudd) is going through a life changing moment reminiscent of Dan Aykroyd's character's in "Trading Places" – he's under investigation by the law, his girlfriend has turfed him because of that, etc.
Lisa's crisis is that she didn't make her team this year, leaving her devastated but determined to get on with life. She meets George initially on a blind date and a few potentially romantic sparks fly, but she's already in a relationship and so they go their separate ways.
Besides, Matty makes Lisa feel good and she ends up moving that relationship ahead, moving in with him. Ah, but it's HIS place and HIS life she's joining, leaving plenty of opportunity for some big time angst on both their parts.
But the hapless George is never too far away and, despite Lisa's being "otherise engaged", he can't get her out of his mind. What builds as a friendship that could blossom into a romance doesn't blossom into a romance for a while, making for a pretty strange romantic triangle in the duration, but on the upside, Witherspoon, Rudd and Wilson (especially Witherspoon) are fun to watch (Nicholson, as mentioned, is Nicholson) and the movie never gets boring. Well, nearly never. It does take its time getting anywhere!
But it never really takes off, and that's its downfall. To be fair, we did laugh a few times – even out loud once or twice – but mostly this is a minor entry into the James L. Brooks repertoire, slow to unfold and not particularly involving.
The Blu-ray's about the same, too. It looks good, but not fabulous. It features a warm palette and the picture looks bright and clean and colorful, though skin tones look a tad problematic. Black levels are excellent, however, and the overall picture is very clean.
Audio is fine, but there isn't much there. The dts HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack does a good job with what it has, but in a movie that's nearly all dialogue your home theater audio system may be a tad disappointed and decide to go on strike.
Extras include an audio commentary from writer/director Brooks with Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski on hand. One interesting topic they handle here is the future of digital filmmaking, a film-less medium that's becoming increasingly popular these days, really since George Lucas made it mainstream with Star Wars Episode II.
There's also commentary offered for "select scenes", some deleted scenes, a short blooper reel, a short "Making of" featurette, and a more substantial "conversation" with James L. Brooks and composer Hans Zimmer. You also get an interactive script gallery and a very short look at "The George", a drink they made in the movie.
Such great potential. So disappointing a result. Oh, well.
How Do You Know, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
121 min. 1080p widescreen (1.85:1), dts HD Master Audio 5.1
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Jack Nicholson
written and directed by James L. Brooks
Soylent Green on Blu-ray
New York City is big, with plenty of people So imagine the New York City of 2022 - when "plenty of people" has become "too many people".
The world of Soylent Green is severely overpopulated, to the point where throngs of homeless people are sleeping in stairwells and resources are so scarce that only the really wealthy (who are always evil, right?) can afford stuff like real whiskey and real meat.
And of course there's pollution everywhere.
Having so many people means there has to be some way to feed them, which means in this case that the "Big Food", distributed by a Big Food Cartel, is a product called Soylent and while we don’t know what’s in it it looks as artificial as the crap the “food police” are trying to foist on people today. And the newest version is turning out to be the most popular yet: Soylent Green. It’s munchy! Might even taste like pork! Or maybe Chicken!
The late great Charlton Heston plays NYPD Detective Robert Thorne, who’s trying to solve a murder and subsequent cover-up that threatens to blow open some very closely held secrets and bring down some high-ranking folk.
Times are tough in this universe, and even a good cop like Thorne isn’t above “taking inventory” from a crime scene. Where Columbo will scoop up a cigarette butt and place it carefully into a plastic bag to keep as evidence, Thorne will scoop up a bottle of hootch or a slab of beef and take it home with him to share with his elderly curmudgeonly roommate Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson).
Roth remembers better times, when it wasn’t always oppressively crowded and hot and poverty wasn’t so rampant, and he’s sick and tired of the bad times in which he lives. He’s ready to die and, fortunately, this future society makes that easy and relatively pleasant.
As Thorne’s investigation continues, he gets closer and closer to the secret that’s being guarded so closely - one many people already know because it's out in Pop culture. It's a neat whodunit set in a frightening future world that looks like what our own world could turn out to be if the social engineers got their way.
Heston is always great, and the supporting cast is also first rate here. Leigh Taylor-Young is wonderful as Shirl, a piece of furniture who’s basically a prostitute, someone who lives in a luxury apartment and gets passed from tenant to tenant, if subsequent tenants find her desirable.
Thorne finds her desirable, and vice versa, and this provides the love interest in Soylent Green, even though he can’t afford the apartment for which she’s part of the decor. Guess she's also a prostitute in her spare time...
Part cautionary tale (environuts will love it!) and part detective story, Soylent Green is another one of those fairly weak overall but still quite enjoyable 1970's sci-fi flicks that fans will love to own and others should see at least once.
The Blu-ray does the movie justice. It's good but not great, kind of like the movie itself.
The video is presented in 108op widescreen (2.4:1) and the quality is very good indeed, with a nice sharp image and good color. Not a lot of that great "depth" that comes from wonderful black levels, but overall it's quite satisfying.
The audio is presented in dts HD Master Audio mono and it's pretty unremarkable.
Extras include a running commentary by Leigh Taylor-Young and director Richard Fleischer. We have lots of time for Mr. Fleischer, who has helmed such classics as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Doctor Doolittle, Conan the Destroyer, and many more.
You also get two vintage promotional features: “The World of Soylent Green,” and "MGM’s tribute to Edward G. Robinson’s 101st film" (now that’s entertainment!). There’s also the trailer.
This flick doesn't reach the standard of the truly great science fiction films, but it's enjoyable and reasonably thought-provoking, definitely worth seeing and worth owning if you’re a fan of serious science fiction movies.
Soylent Green, from Warner Home Entertainment
97 min. 1080p widescreen (2.40:1), dts HD Master Audio mono
Starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Edward G. Robinson
Produced by Walter Seltzer and Russell Thacher
Written by Stanley R. Greenberg, Directed by Richard Fleischer
Maverick, on Blu-ray
One of the better movies to be made from a classic TV series, Maverick not only benefits from an excellent cast, but also from the sure hand of Richard Donner in the director's chair and William Goldman's pen.
Mel Gibson takes over the Bret Maverick role from TV's James Garner, who's along this time as Marshal Zane Cooper, a fellow who not only gets caught up in Maverick's adventure but who's also hired by Commodore Duvall (James Coburn) to referee the climactic poker game where an abundance of the movie's protagonists and antagonists gather to vie for a half million dollar pot.
Jodie Foster is excellent as Annabelle Bransford, the love interest who – like most of the characters in Goldman's imagining of the show – is more than she first appears to be. Alfred Molina is a delicious villain named Angel and Graham Greene gets a nice chance to flex some comedic muscles as Maverick's Indian friend Joseph.
Gibson's Maverick, like Garner's before him, is a gambler whose skill is such that it appears he's regularly hunted down by people whose money he has won. He isn't a cheater, he's just very good. Helping make his pigeons hate him even more is his sense of humor; the guy's a real kidder and doesn't mind teasing those who he's fleecing.
Needless to say, Maverick's reputation precedes him – and his former tablemates pursue him. This makes up a good part of the movie as Maverick tries to keep a couple of steps ahead of those who wish him ill, while trying to raise the $25,000 stake to enter the climactic card game. It's kind of like a comedic version of "Casino Royale," except that Maverick's too smart to fall for the femme fatale; if James Bond had been as smart, we might have been spared "Quantum of Solace!"
Anyway, we remembered enjoying Maverick as a TV show, and then again as a movie when we first caught it on DVD upon its initial home video release. But we didn't remember enjoying it as much as we did with this new Warner Blu-ray release, which not only means that the movie stands up after more than 15 years but that perhaps it gets even better with time. Clearly, Goldman's script has a lot to do with this. It moves along at a good pace, doesn't bog down, and gives us a bunch of laughs and a few surprises along the way.
It doesn't hurt that it appears the cast and crew had a good time making the film, either.
Maverick works on its own, but it's also a good tribute to the series that spawned it and a worthy two hours and a bit in the home theater. A win-win all around.
The Blu-ray is pretty good, too, though not particularly spectacular. Warner Brothers gives us a quite satisfying 1080p/24 presentation at an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, and the picture quality is very good. It isn't the kind of reference quality you'll want to use to show off your system, but it's clean and sharp and bright and colorful nonetheless and eminently watchable.
The audio isn't as up to par. Oh, the sound is okay, but the dts-HD Master Audio track is only stereo, which is quite surprising for a movie as recent as 1994. Still, if that's the way it was recorded we can't really complain. As for the soundtrack itself, it's okay. There's little LFE track use, and it isn't particularly dynamic but, well, it's okay. Again, hardly reference stuff, but enjoyable overall.
You don't get a lot of extras, either. There's an HBO "First Look" at the making of the film (they call it a "Pictorial History" and it's pretty enjoyable) the theatrical trailer, and a music video in which the "Maverick Choir," which includes many big country and western stars singing a rousing, up tempo version of "Amazing Grace."
Maverick, from Warner Home Entertainment
126 min. 1080p widescreen (2.40:1), dts-HD 2.0
Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Alfred Molina, Graham Greene, James Coburn
Produced by Bruce Davey and Richard Donner
Written by William Goldman, directed by Richard Donner
The Man Who Would Be King on Blu-ray
John Huston's telling of the Rudyard Kipling tale is a grand adventure, told swimmingly.
It follows two rogues, Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine) and Danny Dravot (Sean Connery) a couple of former British military NCO's now basically ne'er do well adventures in India who decide to follow their wild goose into far off Kafiristan, beyond the Khyber Pass, a region where previous explorers have gone but never been heard from again.
In the presence of one Rudyard Kipling (Christopher Plummer) they make a contract to avoid alcohol and women until they've obtained their goal of riches and fame, then are off for parts so far unknown.
Eventually, the reach Kafiristan, and run into a former soldier named Billy (Saeed Jaffrey), who had gone there with one of those English explorers and who, fortunately, speaks English and acts from then on as their translator and partner in crime. Peachy and Danny hire themselves to the warlord of a village that has been attacked repeatedly, training their men to be soldiers and marching them off to do battle with the bad guys, who happen to also inhabit a village nearby.
They take it over and, during the battle, Danny takes an arrow in the chest – but it really just gets stuck in his bandolier and doesn't hurt him at all. Still, it's a good show for the natives, who think Danny is a God because he can survive an arrow to the chest. This sets off a chain of events by which Danny (with Peachy as his "number one") unites the country under his banner and declares himself king of the entire region, setting up headquarters in the country's holy city.
And that's when things start to unravel. Absolute power does, indeed, corrupt absolutely, and Danny gets far too big for his britches – eventually deciding to take himself a wife to perpetuate his dynasty.
He actually isn't a bad king until he gets too big for his britches, but as you might expect it all blows up in his face and the natives turn on him and Peachy.
How do they get out of it? Watch the film. It's a delicious, old style adventure directed by a master of the medium and is a dynamite couple of hours in the home theater.
Connery and Caine, as you might expect, are terrific and so's the chemistry between them. The Moroccan locations are quite lovely, too, as is Roxanne, the woman Danny chooses to take to him (who, in real life, is actually Mrs. Caine).
It's a fantastic film, in every sense of the word, a grand production that couldn't or wouldn't be done today without resorting to digital trickery (sure there are some matte paintings here, but none of the "cast of hundreds" extras are CGI like they would be today), and watching it made us miss this old style of film.
Warner Brothers has done a nice job on the Blu-ray, which comes in one of their book-like cases and so includes several pages of pictures and essays on the production and those behind it.
The picture is presented in 1080/24p, at an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, and is a very good transfer overall. There's some softness in many shots, but for the most part the image is very sharp and clear, with lovely colors. Black levels are for the most part very good, and there's some good depth as well. This is obviously an older film (it's from 1975), but time and the Warner folk have treated it quite well.
The audio is unremarkable, being presented in dts-HD Master Audio but only in single channel monaural. It's decent, and you can always make out what they're saying, but it certainly pales in comparison with many other soundtracks, even from that era.
Extra features include "Call it Magic: The Making of The Man Who Would Be King," which is about a dozen minutes long and is a vintage look at the production. It's quite interesting.
The Man Who Would Be King, from Warner Home Entertainment
129 min. 1080p widescreen (2.40:1), dts-HD Master Audio mono
Starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine, with Christopher Plummer and Saeed Jaffrey
produced by John Foreman,
Written by John Huston and Gladys Hill, directed by John Huston
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