Haunted Halloween Edition ALIEN ANTHOLOGY, PRETTY MAIDS Top
Treats Plus: PREDATORS, ROBOCOP and
More
When it rains, it pours for
Blu-Ray owners. As if Universal’s release of “Back to the Future” this
week isn’t enough (a title I covered in last week’s column), Fox has
upped the ante and delivered the motherlode with their utterly
spectacular, six-disc ALIEN ANTHOLOGY
box-set. While Fox’s 2003 “Alien Quadrilogy” DVD release set standards
in the format for its wealth of supplemental content as well as its
picture and sound quality, those attributes that have been matched,
surpassed, and then some by this high-def package, which offers all the
goodies from that release, piles on new content, offers
never-before-seen footage and wraps it all up with some of the Blu-Ray
format’s most impressive transfers produced for catalog content.
As Ridley Scott mentions in his liner notes, this long-gestating
project was the culmination of two years of hard work by Charlie de
Lauzirika and the folks at Scott Free. It’s hard to heap enough
superlatives on top of this release because from its presentation on
down to its massive extra features (the majority of which are exclusive
to the box-set), the “Alien Anthology” is like opening up the ultimate
Christmas present for fans of the series.
The mammoth package includes all four "Alien" films in both their
theatrical release versions and extended Special Edition edits, with a
pair of supplemental discs jammed with content from the 2003
documentaries, the “Alien” and “Aliens” laserdisc box-sets,
never-before-seen deleted materials and plenty (and I do mean plenty)
more.
Because most of us are more than familiar with the four films, I'm not
going to spend a great deal of time critically analyzing the pictures.
Suffice to say, ALIEN (****, 1979,
117 mins. theatrical, 116 mins. Special Edition) rode the sci-fi
wave that "Star Wars" ignited and became a classic in its own right
thanks to Ridley Scott's direction, the film's evocative production
design and striking H.R. Giger creature effects. The story may be
simple and derivative (and methodically paced), but everything about
the execution of "Alien" is elegant and eerie. Both the film's
theatrical version and the more recent, so-called "Director's Cut" are
included -- as Ridley Scott states about the latter, it's not really a
"Director’s Cut" but an alternate version with extra footage. It's also
a bit faster-paced, as evidenced by the shorter running time, adding a
couple of extra glimpses of the alien and the infamous cocoon scene at
the end (which thankfully has been trimmed from its unexpurgated
outtake state on previous laser/DVD editions). No matter which way you
go, "Alien" is still a classic of the genre, regardless of the many
shameless imitations that followed in the wake of its release.
Its belated 1986 follow-up, ALIENS
(****, 137 mins. theatrical, 154 mins. Special Edition)
deservedly ranks as one of the great sequels of all-time, with James
Cameron's brilliant reworking of the franchise opening up the story and
characterizations of its predecessor. Sigourney Weaver rightly copped
an Oscar nomination for her work as Ripley here, and the supporting
performances (especially Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton) add depth to a
rollercoaster ride of a movie that's bigger and quite different than
its predecessor, upping the amount of scares and enhancing the material
with plenty of action. Though fans again have their preference between
the two versions of the picture, I find the theatrical version to be
the superior one, faster-paced and more satisfying than the “Director’s
Cut.”
While "Aliens" improved in many
ways on its predecessor, the ill-fated ALIEN
3
(**,
1991, 114 mins. theatrical, 144 mins. Special Edition)
wrote the text-book on how not to make a sequel. This unrelentingly
grim and tedious film was a disastrous way for David Fincher to start
his career in features, the messy result of a handful of writers and
filmmakers having been previously attached to the long-in-development
project. What ended up being made was not only an unsatisfying
follow-up to "Aliens," but a movie that generates almost no legitimate
scares, being dull and derivative of what came before. Fincher chose
not to participate in the Special Edition’s creation, but a longer
preview assembly – adding some 30 minutes of previously excised footage
– that debuted in the Quadrilogy release returns here and improves
somewhat on the original theatrical version, especially in clarifying
who the prisoners actually are (which we all know was a problem in the
theatrical cut).
After the calamity of the third movie, one might have assumed that ALIEN RESURRECTION (*½, 1997, 109
mins. theatrical, 116 mins. Special Edition) would have been an
appreciable improvement on its immediate predecessor. Joss Whedon
("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") came on-board to write the script for
French auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet, but the end result was a tiresome and
gory freak show variant on the earlier movies, with more colorful
characters than "Alien 3" but less visual style. The theatrical version
of the movie is included here along with a new "alternate" Special
Edition (like Scott, Jeunet states that his original edit is the
"Director's Cut"), which adds an unnecessary epilogue to the picture
and minor character extensions.
While I'm obviously not a fan of the third and fourth films in the
franchise, the “Anthology” BD box-set is nevertheless essential for its
supplements and behind-the-scenes chronicle of the series -- a
strikingly honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each
picture. (If only most DVD/BD supplements were as comprehensive as
this.)
Technically, the new AVC-encoded transfers are nothing short of
revelations. “Alien” looked phenomenal on DVD and appears even more
detailed and more satisfying here, yet “Aliens” – long a problematic
title for standard-definition given its inherent grain and low-light
cinematography – is the title that’s truly glorious to behold, managing
to retain its inherent grain and crispness while looking brilliantly
detailed. “Alien 3"’s garish color scheme is more suited for
high-definition as well, and even the visuals of “Alien Resurrection”
receive a boost from the move to Blu-Ray. DTS Master Audio soundtracks
are also outstanding in their sonic rendering of effects, dialogue and
music, while purists can select the original stereo mixes for the
earlier films in the series as well.
Each “main” movie disc offers commentaries, isolated score tracks and
deleted scenes, the latter of which have been remastered for HD and
look nearly as good as the movies themselves. There’s also a “Mu-Th-Ur
Mode” on each movie wherein on-screen prompts tell you what’s happening
on the various audio tracks (i.e. what the commentary is discussing;
what cue is playing on the isolated score mix, etc.), as well as
on-screen trivia and information on what “Enhancement Pod” materials
(more on that in a moment) are available on supplemental discs 5 and 6
pertaining to what you’re watching. You can then make a bookmark (“data
tag”) so that this material instantly pops up when you insert the
special features discs – yet while this feature is meant to make
navigating the vast amount of extras more manageable, truth be told I
found it’s almost like reading a road map because there’s just so much
here!
The vast majority of the extra features are housed on Discs 5 and 6
(presented in 480p) – from the comprehensive 2003 documentaries to
separate archival sections for each film, offering more deleted
materials, laserdisc archives for “Alien” and “Aliens,” vintage promo
segments, previously released featurettes, trailers and more. Thus,
even if fans would prefer to wait for a standalone release of, say,
“Alien” or “Aliens,” they’ll likely be missing out on most of the great
extras housed exclusively in the Anthology box-set.
From a sheer musical standpoint, the “Anthology” BD adds even more
content (namely, isolated score tracks for every film) on top of an
already-abundant collection of riches.
In terms of commentary, we learn that Jerry Goldsmith never recovered
from having his opening and closing credit themes removed from "Alien."
James Horner says he was nearly fired by the producers of "Aliens"
because he couldn't compose the score's climactic cue in the short time
frame they desired. And Elliot Goldenthal says the sound mix of "Alien
3" was a muddled mess, in a flawed movie he stills calls "incomplete."
The candid comments of Goldsmith are just one of the highlights of the
“Alien” extras, which include the 1999 “Alien Legacy”
retrospective
plus the three-hour 2003 documentary, produced for the Quadrilogy
release, on Disc 5. This is a smart, expertly-crafted Making Of that
treads over ground other laser and DVD supplements first charted, but
does so even more comprehensively. All the major players are
interviewed, from Sigourney Weaver to Ridley Scott, David Giler and
writers Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett among others.
As you'd anticipate, every facet of the movie is covered – including
the score. Goldsmith notes his disappointment at the removal of his
music for the end credits, how the "alternate" main credit theme he
composed in a matter of minutes was used instead of his original
(preferred) piece, and how Scott failed to communicate with him about
the direction of the score. Also interesting are editor Terry Rawlings'
comments about using Howard Hanson (it was better than Goldsmith's
work, which "wasn't his best" in Rawlings' mind), and David Giler's
bizarre description of Goldsmith's music being too overbearing, "like
'Patton'" (umm – ok, Mr. Giler!).
A multi-angle view of the chestbuster scene, storyboards, stills, two
different edits of Mark Kermode’s “Alien Evolution” doc, an archival
promo featurette, Sigourney Weaver's screen tests, and more deleted
scenes are included in the
supplements on Disc 6 – and the “Anthology” makes amends for the
Quadrilogy’s lack of isolated scores by including not just one but two
different isolated score tracks, one featuring Goldsmith’s intended,
original score (with pop-up cue information) as well as another for the
final soundtrack.
The supplements on “Aliens” are
likewise comprehensive, starting with
the addition of two new isolated score tracks – one for the soundtrack
as featured in the film (where Horner’s score was heavily reworked),
and another offering Horner’s intended compositions as best they can be
presented. In the 2003 Making Of, Horner recounts his trouble writing
for a movie that was still being re-cut and re-filmed once the
recording sessions began. Despite the troubles, the composer seems to
be diplomatic about the countless alterations Cameron made to his score
in post-production, but dives into full frustration about how Gale Anne
Hurd threatened to fire Horner from the movie when he needed more time
to write the movie's (classic) climactic cue. Horner claims that he
told them to go ahead and try and find a "more experienced" composer
than he – a fiery exchange that proves more honest than anything you'll
typically find in a DVD supplement, and the 180-minute Making Of is
again filled with great production anecdotes and a thorough history of
the production.
The Anthology’s supplemental disc 6 houses all the additional “Aliens”
behind-the-scenes materials you’d expect, along with the long-coveted
deleted scene where Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) meets his fate – a
moment previously seen only in still photos, and shown here for the
very first time. There’s even all the footage from the “Aliens” mid
‘90s motion simulator amusement park ride (which I remember going on at
the now-defunct Spooky World in Berlin, Mass. when I was at Boston
College).
“Alien 3" may have the
tastiest supplement of all, and even better, de Lauzirika’s original
2003 documentary – now re-christened under its intended title “Wreckage
and Rage: Making Alien 3" – is presented here uncut for the first time.
Some of it was reportedly discarded because it was "too honest" for
DVD, but even with the edits, it was a gripping account of a movie that
never should have began shooting in the first place. Now, restored to
its original tell-all form, it’s a spellbinding piece that’s far more
compelling for me than the movie that ended up on-screen.
Renny Harlin and Vincent Ward are on-hand to discuss their earlier
versions of the third movie's premise, which sounded far more
intriguing in Harlin's version (which was supposed to have been set on
the alien's home planet) and Ward's illogical but visually audacious
conception (Ripley crash-lands on a wooden planet run by monks!). Both
discuss their departure from the movie and how director Fincher had to
deal with a script worked on by "too many cooks" that was being
constantly rewritten during shooting.
The program is rich with honest comments from the cast and crew,
including cinematographer Alex Thomson and composer Elliot Goldenthal.
Thomson notes that not even he could tell the difference between some
of the characters at a pre-release screening, while Goldenthal engages
in a fascinating dissection of the movie's unappealing sound mix. The
composer's comments are refreshingly direct and pinpoint the movie's
weaknesses, though it's equally interesting to hear the sound effects
editors say that Goldenthal's music was too loud and overbearing – and
how the filmmakers initially considered using no music at all!
Whether or not you like “Alien 3,” there's no doubt this documentary is
a must for all movie buffs, both for pointing out the failings of the
finished movie and the more interesting directions that original
versions of the story might have produced.
“Alien Resurrection”’s special
features include one more mammoth
documentary – running a few minutes under three hours – featuring
interviews with the principal filmmakers (including Jeunet) and a
substantial look at the disappointing score by John Frizzell, which is
easily the weakest of the series.
There are also four additional “Enhancement Pods” contained on the
fifth disc, created exclusively for the Blu-Ray, which feature
additional outtakes from de Lauzirika’s 2003 documentaries (from Renny
Harlin’s decision to quit “Alien 3" and more of Fincher’s turmoil
shooting the sequel), raw outtakes, dialies and more. Among the gems
are Goldsmith talking about how he found the “Alien” characters
“disgusting” and originally was rooting for the monster!
All the discs are housed in a gorgeous, functional, small hardbound
book with a guide to the disc contents and liner notes from Scott, who
notes that the Anthology Blu-Ray serves a primer for his own, upcoming
return to the series “filled with Aliens, Space Jockeys and...something
even more dangerous you haven’t seen yet.” After watching this
outstanding box-set, it’s hard to imagine viewers won’t be excited by
returning to that universe all over again. One
the
few
theatrical
pursuits of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry
that only die-hard movie buffs remember today, the “Great Bird of the
Galaxy”’s utterly bizarre and irresistibly entertaining 1970
black-comic thriller/high school sex comedy PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN
A ROW has at last been released on DVD courtesy of the Warner
Archive. With a cast comprised of Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson, Telly
Savalas, Roddy McDowall, James Doohan, Joy Bang and an endless
succession of attractive young ladies, how can you go wrong?
In Roddenberry’s screenplay (based on a novel by Francis Pollini),
cheerleaders are being murdered at a southern California high school,
wrapping up awkward virgin (and football team manager) John David
Carson in the investigation. There aren’t a lot of suspects to go
around either, since it’s pretty obvious which seemingly “all-American”
coach (Hudson) harbors a few dark secrets. Thankfully, Telly Savalas’
pre-Kojak detective is on the case, leaving most of director Roger
Vadim’s film to be devoted to Carson’s attempts to deal with his sexual
awkwardness, emotions stirred up by his gorgeous female classmates and
the arrival of new teacher Dickinson on campus.
With that cast and story line, “Pretty Maids” is most certainly a cult
movie if there ever was one. It’s surprising, then, that the movie’s
only prior video release came in the form of an MGM/UA VHS tape back in
the ‘90s. No laserdisc edition, no DVD – just the occasional airing on
Cinemax until Warner’s new Archive release, which is now available
online and for $24.99 offers a remastered, 16:9 presentation of this
offbeat, memorable MGM production.
The movie is a time capsule of its period, from Lalo Schifrin’s bouncy
score to the Mike Curb-produced theme song -- performed by the Osmonds!
“Mod” era fashions, topless nudity, the bizarre presence of Scotty and
the Squire of Gothos as Savalas’ investigative team, some big laughs
and a quick pace make “Pretty Maids” a one-of-a-kind picture that would
match up on a neat double-bill with another black-comic high school
thriller of its era: the memorable Anthony Perkins-Tuesday Weld vehicle
“Pretty Poison.”
“Pretty Maids” is a bit all over the place as you might anticipate from
the Roddenberry-Vadim collaboration, but it’s undeniably fun, managing
to work as an unusual coming-of-age piece, thriller and a snapshot of
its era all at once. It’s long been one of my favorite “guilty
pleasures” and comes strongly recommended for anyone who finds the
subject matter or the cast remotely interesting. Groovy, baby! New From HBO
Next week HBO releases on Blu-Ray one of the most eagerly anticipated
releases of the fall: a 6-disc edition of THE PACIFIC (530
mins., 2010), the acclaimed follow-up to “Band of Brothers” from
executive producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.
Grimmer in overall tone than its predecessor, “The Pacific” primarily
focuses on three American marines (James Badge
Dale, Jon Seda and former “Jurassic Park” child star Joe Mazzello) as
they travel across the Pacific and enter into battles quite unlike the
European combat seen in “Band of Brothers.” The setting and terrain are
more foreign; dangers like starvation and malaria are just as deadly as
the enemy itself; and the Japanese combatants more renegade in their
tactics than anything the marines have encountered before.
From Guadalcanal through Peleliu and Iowa Jima, “The Pacific” is a
gut-wrenching tribute to the Pacific theater battles and the men who
fought in them. The stories of the three participants don’t intersect,
so the sense of comradery among the characters present in “Band of
Brothers” is lacking here, making it a bit more difficult for the
viewer to connect to its protagonists. If
anything, “The Pacific” is also more graphic and unsettling than its
predecessor, and conveys the grim reality of war and the nature of
combat in a different, yet still memorable, manner than its esteemed
counterpart. Not as satisfying than "Band of Brothers" all told, "The
Pacific" still comes strongly recommended.
HBO’s Blu-Ray package of “The Pacific” unsurprisingly looks and sounds
outstanding. The 1080p transfers and DTS Master soundtracks are
marvelous across the board, while a few extras include a 30-minute look
behind-the-scenes, historical background documentary, and profiles of
the real marines featured in the show.
Also coming soon from HBO on DVD is Al Pacino’s Emmy-awarding
performance in YOU
DON’T
KNOW
JACK:
THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF JACK KEVORKIAN (134 mins.,
2010), Barry Levinson’s chronicle of the controversial figure
with an excellent supporting cast including Susan Sarandon, Brenda
Vaccaro, John Goodman and Danny Huston. HBO’s DVD sports a 16:9
transfer and 5.1 audio, along with extras comprised of cast interviews
and conversations with the real-life people they portray. New on Blu-Ray
Russell Mulcahy’s “Highlander” is another guilty pleasure of mine.
Forget the myriad of sequels and TV series that followed: taken on its
own terms as a singular piece of sci-fi/fantasy entertainment, this
1986 box-office flop is a thoroughly romantic, captivating yarn about
an immortal Scot named Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) who finds
out “there can be only one” and subsequently fights with despicable
Clancy Brown across modern-day New York City for the prize of The
Coolest Man Who Can’t Die.
Along the way, Gregroy Widen, Peter Bellwood and Larry Ferguson’s
script pauses for flashbacks to 1536 Scotland where we see how Connor
came to inherit his blessing (and curse), his training with the
charismatic Ramirez (Sean Connery) and how his newfound ability to
never age causes his love life to be a shambles. Back in 1985, Lambert
falls for a forensics expert (Roxanne Hart) and attempts to prevent
Brown from continuing his centuries-old reign of terror.
Breathtakingly shot in the UK, Scotland and New York City, there’s
something just undeniably entertaining about the original “Highlander.”
The film’s sense of adventure and romance are infectious, and even its
sillier attributes – like Brown’s scenery-chewing bad guy – are
compensated for by Arthur Smith’s cinematography, Mulcahy’s flashy
action scenes, and a score by Michael Kamen that’s unquestionably one
of the late composer’s finest works. It’s over-the-top but a lot of
fun, serving as the launching pad for decades of neverending spin-offs
and sequels.
“Highlander” makes its U.S. Blu-Ray debut next week after having been
released in most international territories by Studio Canal last year.
Lionsgate’s BD transfer and soundtrack are identical to that release,
with the VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer looking more detailed and far more
satisfying than any prior video edition; portions of the image still
appear hazy at times but one surmises that these were issues with the
original cinematography. Overall, Studio Canal is to be congratulated
for not applying too much noise reduction here, which would have been
the easy solution to “smoothing over” the image’s occasionally uneven
attributes. The DTS Master Audio sound is also satisfying, though on
the supplemental side, most of the extras from the international
Blu-Ray have been excised. While Lionsgate’s domestic release retains
Russell Mulcahy’s commentary and several deleted scenes (in HD), it
leaves off the Studio Canal BD’s other supplements, including an
excellent 85-minute retrospective on the production, along with the
trailer and an additional interview with Christopher Lambert.
Those who might have imported that release will have no use for this
rendition, but for other domestic “Highlander” fans, Lionsgate’s BD
platter is quite satisfying and certainly priced right around $15 in
most outlets.
The troubled 1990 sequel “Highlander 2,” meanwhile, also receives its
Blu-Ray debut in a package that does justice (as best it can) to the
wacky Mulcahy-directed sequel. The 2004 re-edit of the film dumps both
"The Quickening" and "Renegade Version" from its subtitle, and adds a
plethora of new digital effects that actually do improve the movie's
alternately effective and shoddy visual design (the latter partially
due to the original shoot having run out of funds).
What's more, an extensive set of supplements, ported over from the
prior DVD, includes a terrific documentary recounting the movie's
turbulent shoot in Argentina and subsequent editorial re-cutting, plus
a hysterically funny unused ending and an insightful conversation with
composer Stewart Copeland. Copeland notes how using Los Angeles session
players may be technically proficient but often pales in comparison to
the emotion that can be garnered from using a full cohesive orchestra
(like the Seattle Symphony, which was utilized for "Highlander 2")
that's used to playing as a group. Additional segments profile the
cinematography and the original Cannes promo reel, along with the
original trailer.
There’s likely to be a lot of discussion among fans about the Blu-Ray’s
AVC encoded 1080p transfer. It’s obvious that the different attempts at
re-editing the picture took their toll on its visual quality, since
this HD presentation ranges wildly from poor-to-satisfactory, depending
on the materials being utilized. Sequences involving the added special
effects look the strongest here, while there are other sections that
don’t look a whole lot better than a non-anamorphic DVD (these are
mostly in the picture’s first half-hour). Quite obviously the picture’s
restoration/recutting necessitated the use of elements that were far
from pristine, so those factors have to be taken into account when
judging its overall appearance. On the whole, the portions of the
transfer taken from superior elements are an appreciable upgrade from
the DVD, and short of seeing, say, the theatrical version itself
preserved in high-def, there’s unlikely to be a superior presentation
of “Highlander 2" than this one, while DTS Master sound rounds out a
must-have purchase for series fans. PREDATORS
Blu-Ray (**, 107 mins., 2010, R; Fox): Robert Rodriguez taking
over the “Predator” franchise, producing a direct sequel to the 1987
Arnold-McTiernan classic, in an “old school” (non-CGI) visual framework
should have resulted in – if nothing else – a rollicking good monster
mash, but the best you can say about “Predators” is that it’s better
than the “Aliens Vs. Predator” films. Or, at least the second one.
That’s not much of a consolation prize as the often boring “Predators”
finds a group of Earth-bound hunters, soldiers and killers mysteriously
brought to another planet where they’re, once again, hunted down by
Predators with a few new tricks up their sleeve (including some
barely-glimpsed “Predator Dogs”). Leading the humans is mercenary
Adrien Brody, which alone presents part of this picture’s problem: it
says something about genre films produced in 2010 that instead of
strong, physically imposing action heroes we have Brody, whose lack of
physical presence is compounded by a charisma-free performance where
the actor seems to be channeling Christian Bale as Batman with his
monotone delivery.
Unsurprisingly, Brody is blown away on-screen by Larry Fishburne and
his all-too-brief cameo as a human who’s spent just a little too much
time in the Predator’s hunting ground – the “Fish” is completely over
the top as he rolls his eyes and talks to an invisible “friend” about
how to knock off Predators and what to do with the planet’s new human
prey. If there was justice for genre flicks at the Oscars this is the
very embodiment of an effective Supporting Actor performance, but
perhaps Fishburne will get some more interesting roles off his
memorable, albeit quick, contribution.
Otherwise, “Predators” is just by-the-numbers and more often than not
dull: director Nimrod (all-too appropriate) Antal takes forever to get
the movie started and isn’t particularly adept at staging action
sequences, with too many run-ins with the Predators occurring in
claustrophobic quarters. The editing and choreography of these moments
is awkwardly handled, while the story gives viewers nothing new -- and
little in the way of amusing lines or character development. There’s no
suspense, no excitement here, and it all ends, appropriately enough,
with a completely open final scene setting the stage for another sequel
which, judging from the film’s only modest box-office receipts, is
unlikely to come to fruition.
Fox’s Blu-Ray edition of “Predators” at least looks good: the AVC
encoded 1080p transfer doing justice to the film’s often dim
cinematography. The DTS Master Audio sound is nicely textured with
effects and John Debney’s music, which uses more than a few quotes from
Alan Silvestri’s original “Predator” score. Extras include commentary
from Rodriguez and Antal, plus a few deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes
featurettes, a digital copy, and a “motion comics” prequel to the film.
ROBOCOP TRILOGY
Blu-Ray (MGM/Fox): High-defintion anthology offers all three
installments of Orion Picutres’ late ‘80s/early ‘90s sci-fi franchise,
with a reprise of its 2007 “Robocop” Blu-Ray release and the HD debuts
of poorly-received sequels “Robocop 2" and “Robocop 3.” Since director
Darren Aronofsky’s planned updating of the series is on hold given
MGM’s financial woes, this is the best look we’re going to have at the
hulking robotic police officer for some time to come.
The original ROBOCOP (***, 103 mins.,
1987) was one of the big hits of the summer of 1987, and has
been released in a number of different video releases over the years.
MGM’s Blu-Ray does contain its unrated version on a MPEG-2 encoded,
single-layer 25GB Blu Ray platter, and while the transfer and DTS
Master Audio soundtrack are both satisfactory (if seemingly culled from
an older, pre-existing HD master), it offers none of the special
features from its multiple DVD editions (commentaries, featurettes,
etc.).
That original Blu-Ray release is offered here alongside the format
premieres of the reprehensible ROBOCOP
2 (*½, 117 mins., 1990, R) and the uninspired ROBOCOP 3 (**, 1992, 105 mins., PG-13),
which sat on the Orion shelves for nearly two years before being
released to negligible box-office returns in the fall of '93. The
latter boasts Jill Hennessy in an early lead role and Robert John Burke
in Peter Weller's metallic footsteps. Thankfully, as tedious as Fred
Dekker's more kid-centric PG-13 rated film is, it's not nearly as much
of a disaster as Irvin Kershner's near-franchise-killing first sequel,
which indulges in sadistic violence and bad taste in a way that makes
Verhoeven's original almost seem tame by comparison.
Extras are limited to trailers on the two sequels, while the
AVC-encoded 1080p transfers and DTS Master Audio soundtracks (presented
on 50gb discs) have clearly been more newly mastered than the original
“Robocop.” No matter what audio format you hear it in, though, Leonard
Rosenman's score from "Robocop 2" is still an abomination. Sing with me
now: “Ro-bo-cop!”
MIRRORS 2
Blu-Ray and DVD (90 mins., 2010, Unrated; Fox): Direct-to-video
sequel to the Kiefer Sutherland horror outing “Mirrors” is more of a
shlocker than its predecessor with a young woman seeking revenge from
beyond the grave for her murder, and assorted victims lined up as lambs
for the slaughter. A few familiar young faces (Nick Stahl, Christy
[formerly Carlson] Romano, Emmanuelle Vaugier) pop up in this fairly
well-executed variation on both its predecessor and corresponding
Korean version “Into the Mirror,” though the movie is more violent than
actually scary. Fox’s Blu-Ray edition of “Mirrors 2" sports a
good-looking AVC-encoded 1080p transfer, DTS Master soundtrack, deleted
scenes, and a couple of featurettes, along with the DVD version of the
film, which offers the same extras along with the entire “Into the
Mirror” feature and a lenticular 3-D cover.
ALTITUDE
Blu-Ray (**, 90 mins., 2010, R; Anchor Bay): Agreeably made,
low-budget horror outing follows a group of five teens on a small plane
where all kinds of supernatural shenanigans and time paradoxes occur.
Graphic novelist Kaare Andrews displays a good sense of visuals so
although “Altitude”’s story isn’t anything sensational, the picture is
watchable enough for what it is, with a not-bad ending almost salvaging
its routine elements. Anchor Bay’s Blu-Ray boasts a nice 1080p transfer
with Dolby TrueHD audio and a number of extras including commentary
with the director, a concepts gallery and several featurettes. TV On Disc
I’ve written in the past that DESIGNING WOMEN re-runs managed to get me
through my first year of college. No matter what time I’d come in from
class up at Ithaca College, one of several different stations would be
airing syndicated repeats of the popular CBS prime-time series – one of
the top sitcoms of its era and a show that still manages to entertain
through its sharp writing and peerless ensemble cast.
Season 4 of the
series (1989-90, 10 hours) is one of the show’s best, if not
arguably its finest altogether. Linda Bloodworth-Thomason’s 27-episode
fourth season neatly ranges from shows that are silly and just plain
funny (“Julia Gets Her Head Stuck in a Fence,” “Julia and Suzanne’s Big
Adventure”) to others with strong dramatic content, like “They Shoot
Fat Women, Don’t They?,” which directly dealt with star Delta Burke’s
weight gain and earned a wealth of critical kudos. By this point in
time the show had established its footing and the timing of the cast is
on-target at every step, whether it’s pushing some of its social
messages or just producing laughs.
Shout Factory’s Season 4 DVD set of “Designing Women” looks just fine
with its full-screen transfers and mono soundtracks. No extras are
on-hand, but a nice color booklet offers a titles-and-airdates guide
along with full color photos.
FALLEN Blu-Ray
(4 hours, 2007; Image): Surprisingly watchable ABC Family
mini-series thankfully has nothing to do with the dismal Denzel
Washington thriller “Fallen.” Rather, this teen-centric drama follows
an 18-year-old orphan (Paul Wesley from “The Vampire Diaries”) who
finds out he’s a fallen angel dubbed the “Redeemer” who has the
potential to send other angels, cast out of heaven, back home, while
battling other villains. Based on a series of young adult novels
“Fallen” is more than serviceably executed for what it is, with decent
special effects, a nice mix of drama and fantasy, and religious themes
all thrown in for good measure.
Image’s Blu-Ray includes the complete, three-part series as it aired on
ABC Family in 2006-07 with excellent AVC encoded 1080p transfers and
uncompressed PCM audio tracks. Extras include a BD-exclusive interview
with Wesley. NEXT
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