I admit up front that I was hoping
Sylvester Stallone’s sixth and final go-around as Rocky Balboa,
the Italian Stallion from Philadelphia, would turn out to be a
worthwhile endeavor. The trailers looked absurd, the concept sounded
ridiculous, but nostalgia can be a powerful beast and I found myself in
recent weeks rooting for “Rocky Balboa” to prove to be the
underdog cinematic incarnation of, well, Rocky himself.
Amazing as it may seem, and personal well-wishes for the project aside, Stallone has really done it this time:
ROCKY BALBOA (***½)
is a heartfelt, soulful film that truly does harken back to the
original Oscar winner, now 30 years old, in how it portrays its lead
character and his unflinching desire to overcome obstacles of any kind.
Now older, wiser, and living day to day without the light of his life
(Talia Shire’s Adrian has been deceased for several years at the
start of the film), we meet Stallone’s hardened but still sweet
and likeable big lug managing a restaurant named in honor of his late
wife. He still sees Paulie (Burt Young), who’s still employed at
the meat factory, but wants to see more of Robert, Jr. (Milo
Ventimiglia), who’s now grown up and working in the city at a
corporate job, in the shadow of his famous pop.
Rocky does get a spark after he reunites with “Little”
Marie (Geraldine Hughes), the girl he teased back at the start of the
1976 original, who’s now working as a bartender in one of the
less savory corners of South Philly. Marie has a teen son nick-named
“Steps” (James Francis Kelly III) who Rocky takes a shine
towards, promptly perking up Balboa, ever soul-searching despite having
climbed to the top of the heavyweight division so many years ago.
When an ESPN computer-generated match-up pits Balboa against
today’s current reigning champ Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver),
Rocky feels inspired to maybe get back into participating in local
fights -- that is, until Dixon’s promoters come to town with the
idea of actually pitting Rocky and Dixon together in a real boxing
exhibition match...
One of the first things that instantly hits home in “Rocky
Balboa” comes during the film’s opening: Bill Conti’s
beautiful, haunting piano underscore reprises numerous themes from the
composer’s previous series efforts, punctuating Rocky’s
return to the locales where he first courted Adrian in the original
“Rocky.” There’s a genuine sense of bittersweet
emotion in these moments, with Stallone’s direct-from-the-heart
dialogue ramming home a sense of love and loss.
Speaking of Stallone, he’s tremendous here, and one can forgive
the movie’s over-abundance of speeches since it’s obvious
that “Rocky Balboa” comes from the heart. Quite unlike many
of the later “Rocky” sequels (III and IV in particular),
the focus here isn’t on the ring or the big climactic fight
(which still delivers the goods but isn’t vital to the outcome or
the over-riding message) but rather the characters. Stallone’s
script is as good as anything he’s ever written, illustrating
Rocky’s pain over the loss of Adrian and the disconnect with his
son, but also how the human spirit keeps going in spite of life’s
abundant challenges. It’s easy to call the film uplifting, but
“Rocky Balboa” truly is that -- and capped with a
“Gonna Fly Now” montage that proves as irresistible as the
picture itself.
It certainly helps that Stallone has matured as a director (sequences
contrasting Rocky with Dixon and his entourage are nicely done), and
also that the supporting cast is excellent and is given something to
do: Hughes is superb as Marie, who compliments Rocky in a quietly
understated relationship that one senses could lead to something more
than friendship, while the performances of Kelly as her son and
Ventimiglia as Rocky, Jr. mesh perfectly with Stallone. Young gets to
portray a sympathetic and equally adrift Paulie (plus speak the
film’s funniest lines), while old friends Tony Burton and even
Pedro Lovell (a former boxer who played Spider Rico in the opening
moments of the first film) lend further support.
While the movie seems to be a bit lean in its editing (a little more
exposition wouldn’t have hurt the climactic bout as well as
Rocky’s relationships with Rocky Jr. and “Steps”),
this is a fully satisfying finish to the “Rocky” franchise
and -- even more so -- a life-affirming and emotional piece that also
marks some of Stallone’s finest work as a filmmaker and actor.
The star has said recently that he made numerous bad decisions and was
lead astray during his career, but that “Rocky Balboa” was
a project that he was proud of. Indeed it is -- who would’ve
thought this Christmas’ most satisfying film is one more round
with Rocky Balboa and the marvelous music of Bill Conti raising
goosebumps on your arm one final time? Yo! (102 mins., PG).
Year-End Wrap: New HD-DVDs
LADY IN THE WATER: HD-DVD Edition (**, 2006, PG-13, 111 mins., Warner):
Another poorly constructed effort from
writer-producer-director M. Night Shyamalan, who commits the same
mistake here that he did with “Unbreakable”: produce a film
with a pace and over-riding tone seemingly totally at odds with the
subject matter he’s presenting.
His latest -- last summer’s flop “Lady in the Water”
-- is supposed to be a magical “bedtime fairy tale” but
Shyamalan’s film is every bit as lethargic (or leisurely,
depending on how you look at it) as his past films and filled with
oddball characters that are nearly impossible to care about.
Bryce Dallas Howard tries to project an etherealness as a water nymph
who suddenly appears in the swimming pool of manager Paul
Giamatti’s apartment complex; Giamatti’s tenants include a
collection of folks from obnoxious movie critic Bob Balaban to a writer
with the power to save the world....played by M. Night Shyamalan!
There are so many things wrong with “Lady in the Water”
that it would be easy to write the entire project off altogether.
It’s hard to imagine that this uneven and strange script would
have been the basis for Shyamalan’s messy public divorce from
Disney (which had bankrolled all of his prior projects to one degree or
another), and the film is packed with inside jabs (like Balaban’s
critic) to numerous self-congratulatory moments, no more so than in
Night’s own performance as the writer whose prose is supposed to
inspire a future leader to save the planet.
More over, the movie’s somnabulant tone -- which often makes the
picture feel like “The Sixth Sense” instead of
“E.T.,” which the story owes more of a debt towards –
just doesn’t feel appropriate to the film at all.
Still, what carries “Lady” are the same elements that saved
Shyamalan’s previous film (“The Village”) from total
damnation: a sense of cinematic style and a rich musical score by James
Newton Howard. The composer’s music again lifts Shyamalan’s
rickety script and closes with a stylish, beautiful final shot --
something that makes you regret how bizarre and unsatisfying the rest
of the picture is.
Warner’s HD-DVD edition is, sadly, one of the weaker HD discs
I’ve seen so far. The HD-DVD transfer often nearly looks
identical to the standard DVD transfer (included on the disc’s
flip side), with a muddy darkness and slight haze about the whole
image. There are just few scenes here that cry out for the benefits of
high definition. The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, on the other hand, does
do justice to Newton Howard’s strong musical component.
For special features, a multi-part Making Of is mostly on the
promotional side, while five minutes of deleted scenes and a tease for
Shyamalan’s children’s book version of the story round out
the presentation.
MIAMI VICE: HD-DVD Edition (**½, 2006, 140 and 133 mins., Unrated and Rated; Universal):
Michael Mann’s odd updating of his groundbreaking ‘80s TV
series shares almost nothing in common with its predecessor outside of
its title, creator, and lead character names. Crockett and Tubbs are
here embodied by Colin Farrell (continuing his streak of box-office
poison) and Jamie Foxx, respectively, who get wrapped up in Miami drug
trafficking during their investigation of two federal agent killings.
Good-looking cinematography is off-set somewhat by a meandering script
that’s never as compelling as it ought to be; still, “Miami
Vice” is watchable enough, particularly on HD-DVD where
Universal’s Unrated transfer is an appreciable upgrade on the
standard-definition version (included on the disc’s flip side in
the movie’s shorter, R-rated theatrical cut). A few HD-DVD
exclusive extras (picture-in-picture “U Control” behind the
scenes interviews and Making Of segments) are included along with
commentary from Mann on the Unrated version and two Making Of
featurettes. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus sound is predictably strong.
ACCEPTED (**, 93 mins., 2006, PG-13; Universal): Sporadically
funny tale of a high school prankster (Justin Long) who fails to get
into his safety school and -- seeking to satisfy his parents --
actually creates a phoney college to placate them. Things go fine until
Long and his pals find others responding to their website and actually
enrolling at the “South Harmon Institute of Technology”!
John Cusack pal Steve Pink directed this harmless, PG-13 teen comedy,
with Long managing to get a few laughs and co-star Lewis Black doing
his shtick as the uncle of his best friend (whom the gang uses as their
Dean). Alas, things go seriously awry once the film asks you to take it
seriously in its final third, with a particularly outrageous
conclusion. Universal’s HD-DVD edition looks reasonably colorful
with its 1080p transfer and 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus sound, and offers
two HD-DVD exclusive supplements (picture-in-picture commentary and
production photos); other special features can be found on the
disc’s standard-definition flip side, where the same commentary
(albeit minus its visual component), deleted scenes, bloopers, and
Making Of featurettes can be found.
New and Recently Released on DVD
THE WICKER MAN (*½, 2006, 102 mins., PG-13; Warner): Hilariously
misguided update/remake/Americanization of the well-regarded ‘70s
British chiller stars Nicolas Cage as a well-meaning cop in the Pacific
Northwest who’s called to a remote island by his ex-fiancee,
whose young daughter has apparently gone missing. The signs for
“Something Is Wrong Here” permeate the place, but Cage
misses all the warning signs and ends up just like Edward Woodward --
just punching a few more women in the face en route to his destiny.
Neil LaBute was a strange choice to helm this good-looking but
ridiculous thriller that tries to add supernatural elements into the
mix, but aside from seeing Molly Parker (who looks particularly radiant
here) and Leelee Sobieski on-hand in supporting parts, there’s
little to recommend in “The Wicker Man.” Warner’s DVD
includes both the PG-13 rated theatrical cut on one side and a slightly
re-edited “Unrated” version on the other half of the
platter, with a longer assembly of the movie’s would-be
“shock” ending and the picture’s added coda (with
James Franco and Jason Ritter) excised. A commentary and the original
trailer round out the disc, presented in 16:9 (2.35) widescreen and 5.1
Dolby Digital sound, backed by hard-working Angelo Badalamenti score. A
turkey that would have been worth tossing in the movie’s big,
climactic fire!
SNAKES ON A PLANE (***, 2006, 106 mins., R; New Line): It’s
hard to anoint a movie a “cult classic” before it’s
even released, but that rare occurrence happened to the Samuel L.
Jackson (self-titled) actioner “Snakes On a Plane” last
summer.
The
movie failed to live up to the hype at the box-office, but I suspect
time will be kind to this outrageously fun, good-natured tale of snakes
that run amok on a flight from Hawaii to L.A. while FBI agent Jackson
transports a witness (Nathan Phillips) who watched a mob hit while on
vacation. Initially (and obviously) intended as PG-13,
teen-friendly fare, “Snakes” was slightly re-filmed to add
more blood, guts and gore to the action, plus a hilarious rant by
Jackson with a whole bunch of f-bombs. Otherwise, “Snakes”
is pretty tame, put-your-brain-on-hold summer movie fare, with engaging
performances from the cast. It’s a nice little B-movie that
probably would’ve performed better if there hadn’t been any
pre-release “buzz,” and looks great in New Line’s
Special Edition DVD. In addition to a fine 16:9 (2.35) transfer and DTS
ES and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, the studio has included commentary from
director David R. Ellis, Jackson and others, plus deleted scenes, a
blooper reel, and a music video of the hysterical end-title theme song.
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S PLEDGE THIS (91 mins., 2006, Unrated; Vivendi/Visual Entertainment):
Poor Paula Garces hasn’t been able to parlay her recent gigs in
“Blade 2" and “Harold and Kumar” into major success
-- and here, she suffers the ultimate indignity by being billed under
Paris Hilton AND having her name spelled wrong on the front cover of
“National Lampoon’s Pledge This.” Indeed, this
sophomoric raunch fest is by-the-numbers stupid, but does boast a
T&A quotient that might satisfy the only people who could possibly
be interested in watching it: sex-starved teenagers! Visual
Entertainment’s DVD includes a widescreen transfer and a Making
Of featurette.
HD-DVD & Blu Ray Capsules
A good sampling of back catalog discs have made their way onto the new,
respective high-definition DVD formats. Since the films need little
introduction and/or have been reviewed previously, here’s a quick
synopsis of the high-def disc features of each:
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON: HD-DVD (***, 98 mins., 1981, R, Universal):
John Landis’ wacky, cult favorite 1981 horror hit arrives on
HD-DVD in a fairly solid high-definition transfer. Sure, the
film’s soft and grainy spots still look well, softish and a bit
dirty, but the colors and clarity of the image (especially during the
metropolitan London sequences) is an upgrade on the standard-definition
DVD and worth the purchase for fans. Speaking of the standard-def
version, it’s included on the HD-DVD combo disc’s flip side
along with the special features, save the commentary, which makes an
appearance on both versions. The Dolby Digital Plus sound is fine,
roughly on par with the DTS track of the standard-def edition.
DUNE: HD-DVD (**½, 137 mins., 1984, PG-13, Universal):
David Lynch’s sci-fi epic was just issued by Universal in a
superb DVD last January comprised of the theatrical cut plus the
extended TV version and a good amount of supplements. Universal’s
HD-DVD includes all the features from that release -- save the TV
version -- with the added benefit of a new high-definition transfer and
Dolby Digital Plus audio that combine to give Lynch and Frank Herbert
devotees the strongest looking (and sounding) home-video presentation
yet of the 1984 flop. Even the interior, dark sequences of the picture
look appreciably sharper here in HD than any previous transfer, with
exterior footage likewise reaping the benefits of high definition.
Recommended!
THE HULK: HD-DVD (***, 138 mins., 2003, PG-13, Universal):
Ang Lee's controversial filming of the Marvel Comics hero certainly
isn't a faithful adaptation (a forthcoming sequel will apparently
adhere a lot closer to the big green one himself) but a flawed,
fascinating effort that -- while being too dark for its own good and
often bogged down in psychological
aspects that don't quite come off -- ranks as a watchable combination
of silly, colorful Marvel Comics action
and a study of parents and children and what makes us all tick.
Universal's HD-DVD edition is a smashing success in more ways than one:
the high-definition transfer bursts with colors and three-dimensional
depth, making it one of the best of the HD discs I've seen to date.
Most, if not all, of the extras from the Special Edition DVD have been
ported over as well (deleted scenes, commentary, featurettes) and the
5.1 Dolby Digital Plus sound is excellent. Strongly recommended if
you're a fan of the film.
INVINCIBLE: Blu-Ray (***½, 104 mins., 2006, PG, Disney):
I covered Disney’s standard-definition release of the winning bio
of Philadelphia Eagles folk hero Vince Papale last week; Disney’s
Blu-Ray edition offers the same extras as the standard release (two
commentaries, two featurettes), plus a uncompressed 5.1 soundtrack and
1080p transfer that looks splendid in HD.
PEARL HARBOR: Blu-Ray (**½, 183 mins., 2001, PG-13, Disney):
The much-ballyhooed 2001 epic DID gross $200 million in spite of mixed
reviews, and Disney’s Blu-Ray transfer here is exceptionally
clear and three-dimensional; too bad, then, that the disc is missing so
many of the supplements from the film’s Special Edition package
-- just two featurettes, trailers, and a music video. Wasn’t the
capacity of Blu-Ray supposed to enable studios to pack all kinds of
extra features on here? What gives?
FLIGHTPLAN: Blu-Ray (**, 98 mins., 2005, PG-13, Disney):
The underwhelming 2005 Jodie Foster thriller arrives on DVD in a decent
Blu-Ray package with two featurettes, commentary, and a fairly murky
transfer that, similar to the HD-DVD edition of “Lady in the
Water” above, doesn’t make for overly spectacular
high-definition viewing.