RAMBO Returns Stallone's New Comeback Reviewed Plus: THE INVASION, NEWHART and More!
The second leg of the Sylvester Stallone Comeback Tour may not be as
successful as "Rocky Balboa" but the latest adventures of his iconic
hero John RAMBO (***, 93 mins., R) still makes for a gripping visceral ride that showcases its actor-director’s maturation as a filmmaker.
This
fourth outing (which curiously shares the same title as its second
installment) in the “First Blood” series finds Rambo making
a living by hunting and selling cobras in Thailand until a group of
American missionaries come looking for help. Needing Rambo’s boat
in order to take them up river into Burma where the Karen people (many
of which are Christian) are routinely slaughtered in a still on-going
genocide, the missionaries (including cute Julie Benz) think
they’re going to make a difference. To Rambo, their naivite is
surpassed only by their lack of weaponry -- and our gruff, silent hero
ends up unsurprised once the group is captured in a brutal attack that
slaughters nearly the entire village they were providing relief for.
“Rambo” doesn’t offer much plot (is there ever?) but
the picture works due to its gut-punching action sequences, and make no
mistake, this is a violent, graphic film that -- quite unlike its
second and third installments of some 20-plus years ago -- shows the
consequence of said violence, as well as takes a firm stand that there
are indeed times when it is necessary. None of it has the comic book
feel of “Rambo II” or III and while it doesn't have the
strong character development of the original “First Blood”
either, it’s surprising how well the film comes together.
Stallone’s performance is more in-line with the John Rambo seen
in the original “First Blood,” making this feel like a
natural conclusion to Ted Kotcheff’s 1982 action classic instead
of a re-run of the more outlandish, bigger-budgeted comic books that
its sequels turned out to be.
The film also illustrates that Stallone has progressed enormously as a
filmmaker -- like “Rocky Balboa” the actor clearly has a
strong take on his lead character, and provides a realistic
continuation of where its hero would be in the present day. The film
moves along at an economically brisk pace and offers a succession of
excellent set-pieces, as well as a brief flashback to the first movie
(even with, oddly enough, the discarded footage of its alternate ending
where Col. Trautman shoots Rambo!). More over, Stallone’s script
(co-written with Art Monterastelli) is equally less long-winded than
the prior “Rambo” films -- there’s no lengthy
exchanges between the missionaries and Rambo at the end, no concluding
preachiness about their mission nor a lengthy thanks to Rambo for
saving their skin. Instead, a few glances exchanged between the
survivors says it all, and it’s perfectly handled by Stallone at
every turn.
Speaking of the end, “Rambo” culminates in a wild, raucous
and graphic conclusion that’s worth the price of admission for
action fans, as well as a gorgeously lyrical final shot that recalls
the end of the first movie, from the credits rolling on the left-hand
edge of the frame to a full reprise of Jerry Goldsmith’s
“It’s a Long Road.”
Also worth commending here is the work of composer Brian Tyler.
Goldsmith's main theme pops up at the beginning and the end of the
piece, and while Tyler's action music can't hold a candle to
Goldsmith's, his music is still perfectly serviceable and is anything
but the disappointment that John Ottman's “Superman
Returns” was in terms of wrecking its predecessor’s
orchestration and feel.
“Rambo” may not end up being a classic, nor will it likely
relaunch the character on a whole new series of films (unless
box-office receipts hold up overseas). It is, though, a gritty and
satisfying ride that proves Stallone’s critics wrong (again) and
ought to provide the goods for action fans on a cold snowy
winter’s night. New on DVD
One of my all-time favorite series hits DVD this week when Fox issues
the Complete First Season of the classic, long-running CBS sitcom NEWHART (1982-83, 546 mins.).
This second starring series for Bob Newhart is usually regarded by
critics as being inferior to his equally strong ‘70s comedy
“The Bob Newhart Show,” but I have to express my personal
preference for “Newhart,” even if this three-disc 1st
Season set isn’t an accurate indicator of the series the program
would become in its subsequent years.
“Newhart” stars Bob as Dick Loudon, a normal, stoic
everyman who moves with his wife Joanna (the under-rated Mary Frann) to
Vermont in order to escape the rat race and run the Stratford Inn -- a
local, quaint B&B. At the Stratford Dick and Joanna are surrounded
by a group of local kooks, including Minuteman Café owner Kirk
(Stephen Kampmann) and resident handyman George Utley (Tom Poston),
with the majority of episodes involving Dick’s futile attempts to
remain sane while a bevy of guests and local-yocals stir up all kinds
of shenanigans.
Even those familiar with “Newhart” may find this first
season of 22 episodes to be quite unfamiliar from a number of angles.
The show was shot on videotape only in its first season and as a result
looks entirely different (and more “staged”) than the
filmed episodes that would follow, while a number of cast alterations
improved the program immeasurably after this first season. Here,
instead of Julia Duffy’s hilarious Stephanie Vanderkellen we here
have Jennifer Holmes as her cousin Leslie -- a pretty Dartmouth
graduate student who serves as the Stratford maid, but is ultimately
too vanilla in her delivery and never provides any friction for Newhart
to play off (something Duffy would quickly change in Year 2). Instead
of Peter Scolari’s affably annoying local TV producer Michael
Harris we have Kampmann’s loony Kirk Devane, who manages to be
annoying and never very likeable -- a trait that Scolari possessed in
spades.
By the second season Duffy would be in, Holmes would be gone and
Kampmann would be back (briefly) as a slightly less strident Kirk, with
later seasons to incorporate Scolari’s engaging work and the
appearance of “Larry, Daryl and Daryl” -- characters who
would push “Newhart” higher in the ratings and turn it into
a classic series that would endure for the rest of the 1980s.
Even though the quality of episodes varies wildly during this first
season (and it’s not hard to see why changes were made in front
of and behind the camera), “Newhart” fans will find this
DVD set to be enormously intriguing. All 22 episodes have been
presented in their original, uncut lengths from the videotape masters,
offering clear mono soundtracks and episode synopsis for each program.
Extras are also on-hand, though I honestly was disappointed in their
brevity and general lack of candor. The three featurettes offer new
interviews with Newhart, Julia Duffy, William Sanderson
(“Larry”), John Voldstad (one of the
“Daryl”’s), and assorted crew members, but their
comments are generalized to include the entire run of the series.
There’s no discussion at all about the peculiar nature of the
first season, no talk about the casting changes or genesis of the
series -- it’s a nice but brief overview of the show that makes
one feel these will be the only extras we’ll get for this
series’ duration on DVD, which is unfortunate. There are, at
least, moving tributes to Mary Frann and Tom Poston, but no episode
commentaries or anything else outside of those three featurettes.
Overall it’s fabulous to have “Newhart” on DVD at
long last and even those fans who may not feel that this first season
is the best should still go out and pick up a copy. If nothing else
those sales will help stir the release of future seasons of the show on
DVD, which in this case are the best years of “Newhart.” New on Blu-Ray and DVD
THE INVASION: Blu-Ray (**, 99 mins., 2007, PG-13; Warner): Disappointing
remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” offers a few
narrative twists on the old formula but suffers from odd pacing and
several unintentional yucks.
Nicole Kidman stars as a divorced psychiatrist who notices a change in
her Washington, D.C. co-workers and neighbors, not to mention her
ex-husband (Jeremy Northam), a CDC rep who’s one of the first
respondents on the scene when a NASA shuttle blows up upon re-entry to
the Earth’s atmosphere. Unbeknownst to Northam, the debris from
the shuttle contains an alien life form that “takes over”
its hosts, submerging their consciousness and leaving an unemotional,
disconnected lifeform in its wake.
In getting to the bottom of the personality changes around her, Kidman
enlists the help of her doctor-friend Daniel Craig and scientist pal
Jeffrey Wright, both of whom conclude that falling alseep would not be
a good idea...
This big-budget and good-looking Joel Silver production was directed --
at least initially -- by “Downfall” helmer Oliver
Hirschbiegel, making his English language debut. Hirschbiegel’s
original cut apparently played up the psychological and political
aspects of David Kajganich’s script, but test audiences allegedly
found it too slow and distant. Subsequently, Silver and the studio
ordered a litany of re-shoots handled by Silver’s
“Matrix” cohorts the Wachowski Brothers, resulting in a few
chase sequences in the movie’s final third.
Needless to say, “The Invasion” not only feels like
the work of too many cooks in the kitchen, but even the early-going
portions of the film (which the Wachowskis apparently didn’t
touch) have their problems. Northam’s discovery of the alien
spores is hilariously followed by him being infected by a little girl
on the street who hands him a piece of the shuttle that fell on her
family’s house -- the sequence is so matter-of-fact and
unintentionally funny that it actually feels like an early ‘50s
sci-fi flick.
The biggest problem is that, unlike every other filmed adaptation of
Jack Finney’s novel, “The Invasion” never establishes
a sense of normalcy before the extraterrestrial outbreak occurs. From
John Ottman’s overly ominous score to the botched opening
minutes, little tension is ever developed in the film because all hell
breaks loose right off the bat. Even in Abel Ferrara’s uneven
1993 take on “Body Snatchers,” the set-up at least
developed its core set of characters and surroundings before the
invasion began to claim its human hosts one by one; here, the film tips
its hand too early, and only rarely generates a chill or two (such as
when Kidman’s heroine is approached by a “census bureau
worker” late at night).
“The Invasion” does boast a solid performance by Kidman and
a few neat twists that other versions haven’t offered (including
a cure for the alien invasion in the form of Kidman’s young son),
but the dismal last scene (which embarrassingly suggests that we might
be better off as “pod people”!) and overall lack of
execution seal the film’s fate as one of the costliest flops in
recent box-office history.
Warner’s Blu-Ray disc does boast a superb VC-1 encoded 1080p
transfer that looks quite good for the most part, showing off the fine
cinematography of Rainer Klausmann. The Dolby TrueHD sound isn’t
as satisfying, needing to be turned up on my receiver to high decibels
and offering dialogue that seems to be mixed too low in relation to the
film’s abundant sound effects. Extras include three basic Making
Of featurettes plus a 20-minute look at other “Body
Snatchers” versions (sans film clips of those renditions).
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD: Blu Ray (***, 160 mins., 2007, R; Warner):
Beautifully filmed, elegiac western focuses on the final days of Jesse
James (Brad Pitt), now 34 and still pulling off the occasional heist,
as well as the young Roger Ford (Casey Affleck) who becomes attached
and drawn to James before turning embittered by his actions. Andrew
Dominik’s film offers strong performances from Pitt and Affleck,
along with Sam Shepherd as James’ older brother Frank,
Mary-Louise Parker as his wife, and Sam Rockwell as Ford’s older
brother. The key star, though, is cinematographer Roger Deakins, whose
haunting and gorgeously layered work captures all of the Calgary
locales in their haunting majesty. On the negative side of things,
“The Assassination of Jesse James” is certainly slow-moving
and its mid-section could’ve benefitted from some judicious
cutting, but for western fans this tense and compelling film is
nevetheless well worth a view. Warner’s Blu-Ray disc is somewhat
of a disappointment -- the VC-1 encoded transfer is okay but shows some
occasional digital artifacts, while the sound is even more of a
letdown: only standard 5.1 Dolby Digital, with no lossless PCM or Dolby
TrueHD offerings anywhere to be found. A Making Of documentary is the
disc’s lone supplement.
THE BRAVE ONE: Blu Ray (**½, 122 mins., 2007, R; Warner):
Well-directed Neil Jordan film is essentially a more psychological,
modern update on “Death Wish,” with Jodie Foster as a New
York City talk show host whose fiancee (Naveen Andrews from
“Lost”) is killed in a seemingly random attack. Foster goes
on the offensive to exact her own vengeance in this taut, gritty film
that suffers from a predictable script (credited to Roderick Taylor,
Bruce Taylor and Cynthia Mort) that also lingers on past the two-hour
mark. Warner’s Blu-Ray edition offers up a satisfying VC-1
encoded transfer with Dolby TrueHD audio, additional scenes, and an HD
Making Of featurette.
*EDITOR’S NOTE: HD-DVD owners
should note that HD-DVD versions of all three Warner titles reviewed
above will be available in the next few weeks.
WE OWN THE NIGHT: Blu Ray (**½, 117 mins., 2007, R; Sony): Well-acted
morality play involving night club owner Joaquin Phoenix and brother
Mark Wahlberg, a cop who needs his sibling to turn informant in order
to take down a growing NYC narcotics ring. Robert Duvall co-stars as
their father in this melodrama from writer-director James Gray
(“The Yards”), which ultimately becomes a bit far-fetched
as it moves forward, culminating in a less than credible finale.
Sony’s Blu-Ray release offers commentary with the director and
three Making Of featurettes, along with an excellent 1080p transfer and
Dolby TrueHD sound, sporting a brooding Wojciech Kilar score.
THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB: Blu Ray (**½, 106 mins., 2007, PG-13; Sony): Cute
ensemble drama-edy about a group of women (Kathy Baker, Maria Bello,
Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman and Maggie Grace) and one guy (Hugh Dancy)
who gather together each month to read and discuss a Jane Austen
book...only to find, as time progresses, how similar their own lives
are to the novels they’re reading. Robin Swicorn wrote and
directed this adaptation of the Karen Joy Fowler novel, which makes for
a cute piece of romantic-comedy fluff with engaging performances by the
entire cast. Certainly it makes for a nice alternative viewing option
for Blu-Ray owners, as Sony has given us a strong 1080p AVC-encoded
transfer with Dolby TrueHD sound. Extras include commentary, deleted
scenes and several Making Of featurettes. A “nice” movie
well worth checking out, especially if you need something for
Valentine’s Day that doesn’t involve shootings or heavy
profanity!
CRIMSON TIDE: Blu Ray (***, 116 mins., 1995, R; Buena Vista):
Tony Scott’s nuclear war-submarine thriller “Crimson
Tide” holds even more rewards when viewed now than it did upon
its 1995 release, with a supporting cast of familiar faces (who would
gain later success) including James Gandolfini, Viggo Mortensen, and
Steve Zahn supporting leads Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. Quentin
Tarantino’s much-lauded, uncredited script contributions tend to
stick out like a sore thumb (I didn’t buy the Silver Surfer
references 11 years ago, and they’re just as inappropriate now),
but the movie is still an exciting popcorn-munching entertainment with
Buena Vista’s Blu-Ray disc offering a satisfying 1080p transfer
with uncompressed 5.1 PCM audio, deleted scenes and two Making Of
featurettes. More TV On DVD
BLADE: THE SERIES (2006, 338 mins., New Line):
Surprisingly watchable cable-TV continuation of the Wesley Snipes
big-screen series turns out to be better than both of the
latter’s second and third installments. In this 13 episode
series, Snipes’ shoes are filled by “Sticky Fingaz”
but the show is stolen by Jill Wagner’s performance as Krista
Starr, a tough girl looking to avenge her brother’s death at the
hands of the evil vampire brotherhood “House of Chthon”,
only to become a vampire herself during her investigation. Wagner looks
great and her character’s unpredictable journey carries nearly
all of the episodes, with the Blade sequences feeling completely phoned
in and totally routine by comparison. New Line’s four-disc DVD
box-set includes excellent 16:9 (1.85) transfers, 5.1 Dolby Digital
audio and additional unrated footage incorporated back into the 13
episodes.
E/R: Season 8 (2001-02, 981 mins., Warner) THIRD WATCH: Season 1 (1999-2000, 989 mins., Warner):
Two of NBC’s popular dramatic series from the late ‘90s hit
DVD this week, with one of the series debuting on disc for the first
time.
NBC’s “Third Watch” was a critically acclaimed rescue
drama that the network hoped would favorably compare with its
long-running medical franchise “E/R.” Unfortunately for
NBC, despite solid reviews and a strong fan base, the network’s
constant time-shifting scheduling ruined a good thing, with the series
ultimately proving to be a ratings underperformer that was often
relegated to mid-season, non-sweep shifts, the kind that usually
entailed pre-emption with no explanation.
Fans driven mad by NBC’s treatment of of “Third
Watch” will be thrilled with Warner’s six-disc box-set,
offering all 22 first-season episodes in unedited full-screen transfers
and 2.0 Dolby Stereo sound.
“E/R” fans, meanwhile, will find the complete Eighth Season
of the still on-going program now on DVD. Year eight says goodbye to
Anthony Edwards’ poor Dr. Greene (seldom has a series been so
tough on its lead character!) and also welcomes the return of Sherry
Stringfield’s Susan Lewis, in a re-eapparance that turned out to
have no effect on the series whatsoever. Warner’s box-set
includes 16:9 transfers, 2.0 stereo sound and extras including a gag
reel and unaired scenes. Upcoming From Criterion
Filmmaker Alex Cox was quite a hot commodity during the 1980s. His
“Sid and Nancy” and “Repo Man” become bona-fide
cult classics, but alas, his star burned out relatively quickly thanks
to self-indulgent messes like his bizarre 1987 offering WALKER (94 mins., R; Criterion).
This “hallucinatory biopic” is an anachronistic take on the
life and times of William Walker, an American eccentric who became
dictator of Nicaragua for a time during the mid 19th century. As
controversial for its off-camera aspects (the film was shot with the
support of the Sandinista army) as its nutty, pointed political agenda,
“Walker” was bankrolled by Universal Pictures, who watched
in horror as Cox’s off-the-cuff criticism of American
“Manifest Destiny” was derided as one of the worst films of
1987 by many critics around the world.
Whether it’s overdue for critical re-appraisal or not,
Criterion’s DVD presents “Walker” in a new, digitally
remastered 16:9 (1.85) transfer with mono sound and a number of extras,
including commentary by Cox and writer Rudy Wurlitzer, an original
documentary (“Dispatches from Nicaragua” about the location
filming), an interview with an extra about the filming, behind the
scenes photos, the trailer, and Cox discussing all the bad reviews
“Walker” received from critics -- including zero stars from
Roger Ebert. After watching it, though, you may be inclined to agree
with them.
Also new from Criterion is Jean-Luc Godard’s PIERROT LE FOU (110 mins., 1965),
with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina in a stylish, wacky film from
the pinnacle of French new-wave filmmaking, bathed in gorgeous colors
by cinematographer Raoul Coutard.
Criterion’s two-disc edition includes a new 16:9 (2.35) transfer
approved by Coutard along with an interview with Anna Karina, a
“video primer” on the film with commentary by filmmaker
Jean-Pierre Gorin, a 50-minute documentary on Godard and Karina,
archival interview excerpts, the trailer, and extensive booklet notes. New From Disney
It’s never been regarded as one of Disney’s finest but THE ARISTOCATS (***, 79 mins., 1970, G) returns to DVD this week in a superb new 30th Anniversary Edition.
Offering the first widescreen 16:9 (1.75) presentation of the film on
video to date, this re-issue also sports a deleted scene, an interview
with the Sherman Brothers (whose jazzy songs adorn the film), an
“Aristocats” scrapbook, a TV segment with Disney from the
late ‘50s (which has nothing to do with the movie), and a number
of games for kids, including a “Disney Virtual Kitten” and
DVD-ROM mini-game with the virtual kitty as well. The 5.1 Dolby Digital
sound is excellent and the movie itself a satisfying piece of Disney
animation that’s historically notable for being the last picture
that Disney greenlit, and also the first released after his passing.
It’s always been a bittersweet film (and was out of circulation
during most of my youth altogether), but viewers unfamiliar with
“the Aristocats” are likely to find it an entertaining
family effort well worth adding to your Disney collections.
NEXT
TIME: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT bears down on disc. Until
then, don't
forget
to drop in
on the official Aisle Seat Message
Boards, check
out the newly relaunched Aisle
Seat Blog, and
direct
any emails to our email address. Cheers Everyone and GO PATS!
Copyright 1997-2008 All Reviews, Site and Design by Andre
Dursin