Category: dvd
There Will Be Blood
After watching the movie There Will Be Blood last night on DVD, I was left with some immediate impressions. Daniel Day Lewis was fantastic as Daniel Plainview, the plain speaking oil man with the singular vision. His performance was magnificent and deserving of the Oscar victory. Having said that, I found the movie overly ponderous, extremely methodical, and slow overall.
The movie is worth watching for Lewis’ performance alone, but be prepared by stocking up on patience.
Posted: 05.05.2008Blade Runner (4 Disc Collector’s Edition)
A few months ago, my wife and I took some duplicate DVDs we received for Christmas back to Virgin Megastore. While we were there, I purchased the Blade Runner (4 Disc Collector’s Edition) and promptly put the DVD set in our shelving system for future viewing. This past Saturday, we blew the dust off the set and watched “The Final Cut” version of the film.
After viewing this version of the film, all I have to say is “wow”. The biggest and most noticeable change in this version of the film is the removal of Harrison Ford’s overbearing narration. The film may now be a bit slow for some but I found the narration-free version of the film captivating. Other changes include all the added violence from the International Cut, some plot corrections, and additional CGI effects.
The film seems to have withstood the test of time, the original film was released in 1982. The plot, interesting characters, and strong cast make this film still worth watching and relevant even now. What’s old is new again.
Posted: 04.21.2008Sunshine
Although I don’t see many movies in the theater, I almost went to see Sunshine after seeing the trailer and finding out that Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting) was the director. My wife and I were out running errands yesterday and I picked it up with dvdplanet.com gift cards I received for Christmas.
I’m not sure what I really expected from this movie, but I found it interesting. The first 3/4 of the movie was standard enough fare; a crew and ship is dispatched to “re-ignite” the sun after the first mission sent to do so fails. Things get very interesting after the crew of the second ship locate the ship from the first mission and begin to make a series of bad decisions. While some of the character archetypes are played as expected (gung-ho military pilot, oddball psych-specialist, nerdly physicist), the movie succeeds in looking great and throwing in some unsuspected twists towards the end.
Most people would do well to just rent this, but hardcore sci-fi fans that like quirky flicks might consider a purchase.
Posted: 01.27.2008Rome - Season One
I received Rome - Season One as a Christmas present. I’ve made it through 8 of the episodes and am pleased with it as a series. It started off slow, but the pace and interest level increased once the story arc and characters were introduced and developed.
While the series benefits from the stellar writing that is the trademark of HBO series-based entertainment, it also suffers from the indulgences of the HBO machine. Oz was particularly violent, Deadwood was often loaded with language that would make a sailor blush, and Rome seems content with pushing the nudity and sexuality envelope. I’m far from a prude, but excesses that don’t drive the story line are a distraction.
Even given the flaws, the series is interesting and leaves me wanting more due to the excellent acting and superb writing. I was sorry to see that it was not renewed for season three, but HBO has been killing their expensive series. I’ll be picking up season two with some of the gift cards in my possession 