Aisle Seat August Assault

By Andy Dursin
www.andyfilm.com
dursin.blogspot.com
 

One of the singular greatest achievements in television history, Simon Wincer's 1989 adaptation of Larry McMurtry's LONESOME DOVE (RHI/Genius Products) hits Blu-Ray for the first time in a beautifully mounted -- yet sadly flawed -- new high-def presentation.

Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are each brilliant as Texas Rangers Gus McRae and Woodrow Call, who endure a series of hardships as they move a heard of cattle from Texas to Montana. One of the finest casts ever assembled for a television production backs them up: Anjelica Huston, Diane Lane, Robert Urich, Danny Glover, Frederic Forrest, Ricky Schroeder, D.B. Sweeney, Steve Buscemi, and Chris Cooper all appear in supporting turns, while technical credits are equally adept. From Basil Poledouris' eloquent, moving score -- one of his finest -- to Doug Milsome's phenomenal cinematography, "Lonesome Dove" has production values superior to many feature westerns, but also benefits from a story that unfolds beautifully over the course of its four parts, allowing for character development and a sense of emotion that packs a wallop in its concluding moments. The script, adapted by Bill Wittliff from McMurtry's book, offers an ending that's as moving as anything you'll likely to see.

"Lonesome Dove" was originally broadcast on CBS in the winter of 1989 to universal acclaim and massively high ratings that exceeded all expectations. While a succession of sequels and prequels have followed over the years -- from the "unofficial" 1993 mini-series "Return to Lonesome Dove" to last year's disappointing "Comanche Moon," also directed by Wincer -- none compare with the human drama, adventure and performances of the original.

Genius Products' Blu-Ray edition of "Lonesome Dove" crops the mini-series' original 4:3 full- screen aspect ratio for 16:9, and regrettably, it's a huge mistake. From a compositional standpoint the original blocking of the production is thrown off balance -- at one point Tommy Lee Jones' horse can't even be seen in close-up! -- with picture area being cut primarily from the bottom of the frame. Little new information is added to the sides, while a bit more is cut from the top. It all results in an image that's been compromised from its intended presentation, seemingly for the sake of placating HDTV owners who want their televisions filled with picture content -- much in the same way that widescreen movies, ironically, used to be panned-and-scanned for 4:3 full- screen ratios in the days of standard-definition sets. (Wincer does state that the show was screened for critics on a theater screen, and that this negative allowed them to present the series in 16:9, yet it still doesn't tell us that the intended aspect ratio was anything other than 4:3. More over, why didn't they just include the full picture area that was shot without having to crop out any section of the picture?).

It's a massive disappointment because, otherwise, the image is crisp and clear, superior to any regular version of "Lonesome Dove" I've seen before, while the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack gently re-channels the original mono broadcast for stereo. It's not a dynamic mix but it's still an improvement on the limited fidelity of the original soundtrack (CBS originally broadcast the series in fake stereo as memory serves). Extras are mainly recycled from prior video editions, including a Making Of and separate cast and crew interviews, though there's a recent 15 minute discussion with Wincer also on-hand.

Despite the decent amount of extras and superb technical presentation, the framing obscures an otherwise superb package.

Last time we covered the forthcoming standard DVD edition of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (Warner, 2008, 394 mins.), a briskly-paced, surprisingly good series that doesn't so much tie in with the later "Terminator" sequels as it offers an "alternate universe" premise where Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) is alive and well and still trying to protect son John (Thomas Dekker) from another round of future assassins. This time out the duo are helped in their fight by a future Terminator who resembles a sexy young high school student, and is played quite effectively by Summer Glau (from the "Firefly" movie "Serenity").

Packed with action and story lines that effectively work in various aspects of the "Terminator" mythos, Josh Friedman's series steers clear of teasing the forthcoming "Terminator-Salvation" sequel (which will offer Christian Bale as John Connor) by having Sarah and John time travel as part of the show's premise. This enables them to forget that "Terminator 3" happened and offers an "alternative" time line where the show can exist on its own terms.

For a weekly TV series, this Fox offering is top-notch with strong production values, good performances, a dash of humor and teen romance all added to the mix.

Warner's Blu-Ray box set -- available on August 19th -- improves upon the regular DVD and includes the complete (albeit fairly short) first season (just nine episodes) of "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" in excellent VC-1 encoded transfers and standard 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks. The transfers are crisp and play off the series' visuals, which are clearly above average for network TV. Extras are similar to the regular DVD edition and include three commentaries, a three-part documentary on the series' production (here in high-definition), both a broadcast version and extended cut of the seventh episode "The Demon Hand," cast audition tapes, deleted scenes, a gag reel and more.

In their second month of Blu-Ray releases, Universal brings us U-571 (***1/2, 117 mins., 2000, PG-13), which hits Blu-Ray at the end of the month in a somewhat differently configured edition than its HD-DVD counterpart.

A movie that quietly made $80 million (and possibly more if the studio had supported the picture's advertising more during its theatrical run), director Jonathan Mostow's second feature is an improbable but highly entertaining WWII submarine thriller -- not a true story (as Europeans told everyone in a public outcry upon its 2000 release), but a composite of several different incidents that are used to create a rousing, old-fashioned patriotic programmer.

Mostow's first feature -- the Kurt Russell thriller "Breakdown" -- had plenty of thrills and prevented a close examination of its illogical plot holes by moving so quickly that viewers didn't think about the gaps in the script until they were driving home. This directorial trait serves him equally well in "U-571," a fast-paced, energetic action picture that plunges the viewer deep into combat and never lets up. The modest special effects, atmospheric cinematography, and adequate performances all help create a visceral sense of realism, even if the disappearance of several characters will leave you wondering about their absence when the movie is over.

Universal's Blu-Ray disc is an absolute winner when it comes to its sound design. The DTS- Master Audio mix is outstanding, much like its prior digital counterparts: the discreet rear channels are employed right from the get-go and the movie's intricate layering of sound will make this, hands down, one of the top demo discs to show off your home theater system. The VC-1 encoded transfer is likewise superb, capturing the movie's gritty cinematography without an abundance of grain or haze.

Offered on a 25gb disc, the "U-571" Blu-Ray includes Mostow's commentary track but splits up the Making Of featurettes from the prior DVD/HD-DVD editions into separate "U-Control" interactive vignettes.

DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? (***, 83 mins., 2001, PG-13; Fox): Nobody is ever going to expect this surprising 2001 box-office hit to appear on the AFI roster of the greatest comedies of all-time, but even I have to admit that Fox's brainless, energetic teen effort is amusing and sometimes quite funny. If nothing else, "Dude..." did for the year 2000 what "Bill & Ted" did for idiotic youth pictures in the late '80s and if appreciated on that level, offers enough pleasures for comedy fans.

Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott star as a pair of spaced-out party guys who can't remember last Saturday night. A search for their car ends up taking the duo on a quest that includes run-ins with bombshell Kristy Swanson (who you might have thought was too old for this genre a decade ago!), lovely sisters Jennifer Garner and Marla Sokoloff, and a religious zealot (former "Talk Soup" host Hal Sparks) whose outer-space worship suit consists entirely of bubble wrap!

At 83 minutes, "Dude" never wears out its welcome and includes plenty of moronic gags that hit the mark more often than not. Philip Stark's script and Danny Leiner's direction will not remind anyone of Tati, Chaplin, or Mel Brooks (on a good day), but suffice to say that if you're in the mood for a ridiculous teen comedy, the picture is a perfect fit.

Sadly, Fox's Blu-Ray release must have been produced some time ago, as it's a bare-bones 25gb disc with only the original trailer as an extra (the original DVD contained commentary, deleted scenes and other extras). The MPEG-2 transfer is fine and the DTS-MA soundtrack is likewise acceptable but dude, where are the supplements?

SOUTH PARK Season 11 (2007, 308 mins., Paramount): Absolutely hilarious season for Trey Parker and Matt Stone's long-running series boasts a number of all-time classics, including the three-part "Imaginationland" epic, the season-ending "The List," the hilarious "Da Vinci Code" spoof in "Fantastic Easter Special," a "24" satire in "The Snuke," the all-out insanity of "Lice Capades," and the memorable "Night of the Living Homeless."

While I've always watched "South Park" infrequently over the years, the series recently has become even more topical and outrageous than ever before -- and also funnier as a result with new supporting characters and situations. If you haven't seen the show in a while Season 11 is the perfect place to start, offering a fairly well balanced group of episodes that hit the mark more often than not.

Paramount's Season 11 box-set includes "mini commentaries", full-screen episodes, 2.0 Dolby Digital soundtracks and uncensored episodes.

Episodes in this group include appearances by Kathy Bates, Bob Crane, Robert Hayes, Don Adams, Melanie Mayron, Stella Stevens, Adrienne Barbeau, Harold Gould, Karen Valentine, Stephanie Zimbalist, Scatman Crothers, Vicki Lawrence, Maureen McCormick, Frankie Avalon, Patty Duke Astin, Robert Urich, Harry Morgan, Leslie Nielsen, Michele Lee, Paul Williams, Annette Funicello, Jessica Walter, Gary Collins, Pat Morita, Eve Plumb, Antonio Fargas and John Schuck among others, in shows that aired between January and May of 1978.

Even better is that Paramount has included the third of the three "Love Boat" pilot movies that had been produced prior to the series' proper run: "The New Love Boat" (aka "Love Boat III") was the pilot that finally launched the series, introducing Gavin MacLeod as Captain Stubbing and the entire supporting cast in a standard two-hour framework that succeeded where its predecessors (which included different captains and supporting players) failed. The tone is decidedly more serious in nature than the series that followed, making it fascinating to see the program's original genesis here. (Future "Love Boat" DVDs are slated to contain the first two pilot movies, which were even odder and MacLeod-less).

Paramount's transfers and soundtracks are fine across the board.

Following up "The Red Shoes," the great British auteurs Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger went back to produce a small-scale, character-driven drama, the kind that marked the early portions of their collaborations together.

The resulting picture, THE SMALL BACK ROOM (107 mins., 1949), isn't regarded as one of their best works, but it's still highly entertaining and engrossing. In this adaptation of Nigel Balchin's novel, David Farrar plays a scientist and bomb-disposal expert in 1943 England who's recruited by the army to examine a top-secret German weapon, one which poses a threat to the men, women and especially children of the United Kingdom.

As much about Farrar's personal demons (his drinking, artificial foot, and relationship with girlfriend Kathleen Byron), "The Small Back Room" is a highly recommended title for all fans of Powell and Pressburger, with Criterion's forthcoming DVD offering a customary superb new transfer (full-screen black-and-white), commentary from film historian Charles Barr, a video interview with cinematographer Chris Challis, and excerpts from Michael Powell's audio tape dictations for his autobiography.

The film itself is also one of the more controversial titles in the Criterion catalog: SALO, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM, the 1976 film from Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini that adapts the Marquis de Sade's tome to 1944 Mussolini-regime Italy.

To put it lightly, "Salo" isn't for every taste -- or, to be more precise, most tastes -- but those cinephiles who can appreciate what Pasolini is trying to do here (i.e. offer a commentary on society, sexual depravity and other torturous acts) will certainly appreciate Criterion's new double-disc edition.

A restored 16:9 (1.85) transfer is on-hand with an optional English dubbed soundtrack, plus the trailer; "Salo Yesterday and Today," a 33-minute documentary on the production; a 23-minute documentary, "Fade to Black," on the film's reputation and legacy, offering interviews with Bernardo Bertolucci among others; "The End of Salo," a 40-minute production history; plus interviews with production designer Dante Ferretti and an extensive booklet with interviews and commentary. The disc also includes optional English subs and a mono soundtrack.

For those who feel that "Salo" is a classic, definitely check it out. All others proceed with caution, though there's no denying the outstanding package Criterion has assembled here.

THE 2007 NEWPORT MUSIC FESTIVAL: Connoisseur's Collection (Aprx. 15 hours; Acorn): One of the more wonderful times of year for those of us who live in southern New England is the annual Newport Music Festival, which arrives in the middle of July and offers several memorable weeks of classical music, performed by a huge array of international talents, primarily in the gorgeous mansions of Newport.

The music is sublime, the settings wonderful, and the tickets hugely inexpensive considering the quality of the event involved. It's just a tremendous festival that lures tourists and music connoissuers from the region and all over the world.

If you can't make the Festival, Acorn's lavish 10-disc DVD box-set of last year's program offers both highlights and full concerts. A broad variety of concerts include works by Chopin, Schubert, Liszt, Bach and others, with performers like festival favorite John Bayless (piano), the Colorado Quartet, pianists John Lenehan and newcomer Adam Golka, Craig Sheppard and many others.

Bonus performances from other concerts, superb 16:9 transfers and 5.1 soundtracks, plus commentaries by Festival director Dr. Mark Malkovich make this a spectacular release for festival fans and classical music lovers alike. Highly recommended!

MISS CONCEPTION (**1/2, 94 mins., 2007, R; First Look Studios): Quite watchable British comedy stars Heather Graham -- forced accent in tow -- as a 33-year old who wants to have kids so badly she breaks up with her boyfriend and looks to alternative methods (from sperm donors to one-night stands) in order to make it happen. Eric Styles' film doesn't sound hilarious but it's still fairly well-executed considering its direct-to-vid import status, with First Look's DVD including a 16:9 transfer, 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, and one behind-the-scenes featurette included.