March « 2009 «

Archive for March, 2009

Away We Go Trailer

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Here is the trailer for Focus Features new film, Away We Go. The film is set to open in theaters June 5, 2009. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film stars John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Schneider, Carmen Ejogo, Jim Gaffigan, Josh Hamilton and Melanie Lynskey

Directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”) from an original screenplay by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, this funny and heartfelt film follows the journey of an expectant couple (John Krasinski [“The Office’] and Maya Rudolph [“Saturday Night Live’]), as they travel the U.S. in search of the perfect place to put down roots and raise their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover “home” on their own terms for the first time. The movie features the music of Alexi Murdoch.

Posted in Movie News, Movie Trailers | No Comments »

Quantum of Solace DVD Review

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

REVIEW:
M: Bond, I need you to come back.
James Bond: I never left.

There are James Bond movies and then there are James Bond movies. I grew up watching them during the Roger Moore era and I was inevitably mesmerized by this superhero of the spy world. I must admit, however, that after years and years of one of the most successful franchises in cinematic history, it got to a point where they were beginning to seem stale. Nothing made this as evident as the completely revamped prequel, Casino Royale. That movie was in my opinion the greatest resurgence of a movie series ever. It impressively revived a dwindling giant and brought back the glory that is 007. Well, I can tell you that this film is a fitting continuation of Casino Royale and in comparison, it is just as good. The action is realistic, intense, and rugged, James gets royally banged up, the stakes are high, the risk is great, the emotions are flaring, and the determination is unstoppable. This is not your typical cutesy Bond movie where he’s always in a tux looking pretty, drinking vodka martinis, and cracking jokes. This is the real thing. It’s like James Bond crossed with Jason Bourne.

I was skeptical when I first heard of Daniel Craig playing the timeless role of 007. He is blond and not very pretty. But he is exactly what the doctor ordered. He makes this new Bond that much more believable and realistic by not being so pretty and by being more rugged. His version of Bond still keeps him as cold, calculated, and confident as ever but this Bond is a little more serious about his business. Daniel continued what he started in Casino Royale with another sharp, chilling performance as every man’s man. He is surrounded by familiar faces such as Judi Dench as M, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, and Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis. Each of them once again provided excellent supporting roles. You might remember Olga Kurylenko from the movie Hitman. She plays Camille, the primary female in this Bond film. Mathieu Amalric plays the villain, Dominic Greene. Both of these are not the best Bond counterparts, but they are decent enough.

Part of the cheesiness of recent Bond movies was the increasingly eccentric and far-fetched storylines. They seemed to coincide with the increasingly eccentric and far-fetched gadgetry. The storyline for this picture was fresh and intriguing but its development lacked some clarity. One aspect, on the other hand, that was not lacking at all was the cinematography. Wow! Of course the backdrops and locations are always amazing when you’re talking Bond movies, but add to that some incredible camera shots and action sequences that will leave you breathless. Actually, there are some moments where the action is so fast paced that the camera can’t keep up. Director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner) has quite a resume. This production can be added to his list of hits. I am saddened by Roger Moore’s recent comments on this “new” Bond. Even though he was the Bond of my time, I will have to disagree with him. I truly believe that this is exactly what the James Bond saga needed in order to get back on top.

Review By Cinemarcos

DVD: The 2 Disc Special Edition has enough special features to make fans happy, but it is not one of the best 007 DVD releases in terms of extras. The first disc includes the feature film presented in widescreen with a 2.40:1 aspect ration. The picture is complemented with a 5.1 digital sound in English and Spanish. Disc one also includes a trailers and the “Another Way to Die” music video. Disc two includes several short, but interesting behind-the-scenes featurettes, which cover some details of the making of the film. The best of these pack is “Bond on Location”, which is a 24 minutes documentary that takes viewers to all the places where the film was shot, also I found the “Crew Files” featurette to be very interesting. In this featurette we get to meet the filmmakers as they talk about some of the details that went into the making of the film.

Release Date: March 24, 2009

DVD DETAILS
OWN DVD

Posted in DVD Releases, DVD Reviews | No Comments »

I”S DVD Review

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Growing up as a high school student is an extremely challenging time in any culture. I”s pure and From I’’s are two Japanese series based on the romance manga by Masakazu Katsura. It explores the life of a boy name Ichitaka Seto, and two girls, Itsuki Akiba, and Iori Yoshizuki , who like any other high school students, go through everyday life as a regular teenagers would do, especially when it comes to love. This romantic story reminds me of other romantic Japanese anime such as Candy Candy. It shows you the meaning of friendship, love, and dedication towards people without over exaggerating actions and events. At the beginning I was hesitant about the series, since it seems plain, predictable, and pointless. It sounded very similar to a classic overplay soap opera, nonetheless after I watched the first episode I realize that The I’’s have something, that I have yet to figure out that makes it worth seeing.

In the first DVD I’’ Pure (which in my set is actually the one label From I’’s) is a typical straight forward series consisting of 6 episodes, in which the story of Ichitaka is told by the main character himself, as he waits for his first real date with the love of his life, Iori Yoshizuki. During the process we get to know other characters and the love triangle in which they are involved, and once Iori arrives, the audience becomes a witness of its resolution. The beauty of this story resides in its simplicity, at first, it looks dull, but as the story moves on, it makes us realize that it is everybody’s story. Anyone can relate to this, guys might find in Ichitaka some quality in which they can relate to, like his shyness and incapability to talk to the girl he likes, or they might relate to Teratani as a more confident and open minded guy. Girls might relate to Iori whose feelings toward herself are constantly in conflict, since her classmates just see her as a pretty girl or a sexual object without realizing that she is more than that, or they might relate to Itzuki which is more loud, friendly, and free spirited kind of girl. Another great aspect about the story is its artistic look, its animation is flawless, and its sound as good as it could be expected in this DVDs .the still frames in the movies although at the beginning it seems confusing an annoying, they become essential since they defines an important moment in the story. Pure I’’s is an fully entertainment story it is not just drama it is full with funny situations, unfortunately this kind of humor is not for everyone since it has some adult content, specially in the Ichitaks’s diary which is a funny skit usually involving sexual related jokes.

While Pure I’’s is set during winter time, From I’’s is set in the summer. And just as their settings these two versions are as different and unrelated from one another, unlike the first one, this one has common manga characteristics, which might make it more entertaining for some viewers. Technically and artistically the movie shares the same qualities as the first DVD, but unlike the first one, this version is more complicated and crowded, here the writers tried to add a little bit of everything to the story: action, drama, and fantasy, making the audience lose track of what the I’’s manga or the previous series was all about. As I said before you do not need to watched the first series to enjoy this one, as matter of fact they have nothing in common but the name of the main characters, since their backgrounds story and relationship are so what different.

Sumurazing I’’s pure and From I’’s are a great set of movies for fans of the drama genre. The first disk will catch your attention with a basic simple concepts as well as make you laugh with predictable but at the same time common situations, the second is more childish in sense of content. It has a little bit more action and fantasy than the previous one but it lacks plot and originality. I think this is what makes the set great, both movies complement each other trying to please any audience. A great aspect of this released is that in both cases we get to see the ending, which is something uncommon of manga based movies. The sound is loud and clear, the music was just right, and the colors were amazing for this kind of movies making the whole experience on this DVD worth watching. I would recommend this movie first for fans of the series, I think they would enjoy the first disk as it has all the aspects of the manga, second for anyone of ages 15 and up do to some things that may not be appropriate for any one under age, who like romantic Japanese Anime such as Candy Candy with more plot than action, fighting, and fantasy.

Review By Milo

Release Date: March 24, 2009

DVD DETAILS
OWN DVD

Posted in DVD Releases, DVD Reviews | No Comments »

A Mighty Heart Blu-ray Review

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

When watching a film based on a true story, specially one that has been controversial and has received major attention from the press, I am inclined to speculate about the maze that lead to the chain of events. In an effort to recollect these events of what happened to Daniel Pearl in Karachi, Pakistan in 2002, the movie “A Mighty Heart” brings us much more than the facts. This is a film that was made with love, sensitivity and understanding from its planning to the final product.

After making political docudramas and movies like The Road to Guantanamo, and Welcome to Sarajevo, director Michael Winterbottom was chosen by producer Brad Pitt to conduct this movie. Winterbottom used Mariane Pearl’s book as an instrument to bring the big screen the bare truth and sense of reality that the book transpires. In doing so he met with the people that were close to Marianne at the time of the tragedy and asked the cast including Angelina Jolie, to meet on a personal basis with each of the characters they were going to interpret. For Jolie it was an honor to interpret the character of Marianne Pearl since from their first encounter, she was compelled with her story and only felt admiration for such a courageous and strong woman.

While watching this film the audience can get a better understanding of the political secrecy, religious ideology, and social issues that came to play in the death of Wall Street Journalist reporter Daniel Pearl. While this movie was filmed in Pakistan, India and France the backdrop scenery like the house keeper with the child at the Pearl’s residence, to the busy streets full of misery, and the senseless traffic jam, to the political riots all serve to bring life to the status of chaos going on in this country.

The plot contains the pregnant wife of Pearl desperately running against time in a foreign country where terrorist have mistaken her husband for a CIA agent pretending to be a journalist. It is made clear that being a Jew in this Arabian country did not help him and only added to the hatred of his terrorists. While the director used the supporting actors well, it is their role in the kidnapping what is mostly highlighted. One of the downfalls of this film is that some of the supporting actors lack of showing urgency to find Pearl and natural emotional distress over his death. I doubt that this was Winterbottom’s intention as Marianne clearly states how grateful she was for all the help received during the search for Pearl in one of the scenes.

The entire kidnapping maze from Pearl’s translator to his contacts and the assistance of the authorities in this country as well as the US involvement is clear and well elaborated. While all of this adds on to an entertaining suspenseful film, it is a sad, touching and personal story that has Angelina and Brad’s mission written all over it. To bring to the world the truth about what is going on in other countries.

The Blu-ray contains basically the same special features found on the previous DVD release, with the disappointment that these special features are not in high definition. It includes “Journey of Passion: The Making of “A Mighty Heart”; a good 30 minutes documentary about the film production. It also includes a short featurette about The Committee to Protect Journalists and theatrical trailers.

Like it was expected Paramount Home Entertainment HD presentation of the film is better than the DVD. A full 1080P widescreen with a 1.85:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. Since most of the scenes in the film were shot during the day. The picture has vivid colors and zero saturation. I was not disappointed. All this visual experience is well complemented with a True HD 5.1 Dolby Digital for a good HD viewing pleasure

Review By Jen

Release Date: March 24, 2009

BLU-RAY DETAILS
OWN BLU-RAY

Posted in Blu-ray Releases, Blu-ray Review | No Comments »

Defiance DVD / Blu-ray Details

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

On June 2 , 2009 Paramount Home Entertainment will be releasing “Defiance” on Blu-ray and standard definition DVD.

The DEFIANCE DVD and Blu-ray presentations include commentary by director Edward Zwick, an in-depth look at the making of the film called “Defiance: Return to the Forest”, interviews with the real-life descendants of the Bielski family and photographs taken by the director during the production. Additionally, the Blu-ray includes “Scoring Defiance”, a discussion with composer James Newton Howard and violinist Joshua Bell about the much-lauded score.

The DEFIANCE DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The Blu-ray disc is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The discs include the following special features in high definition as noted:

• Commentary by director Edward Zwick
• Defiance: Return to the Forest (HD)—Explores all aspects of production from the early stages of pre-production to shooting on location in Lithuania. Edward Zwick and his creative team discuss some of the challenges and also the rewards of adapting this well-documented historical event into a feature film.
• Bielski Partisan Survivors (HD)—Photo gallery of images taken by Edward Zwick including behind-the-scenes images and surviving members from the Bielski Otriad.
• Children of the Otriad: The Families Speak (HD)—Descendents of the Bielski family tour the film’s set and relate the story of the real-life partisans along with efforts to preserve the brothers’ legacy.
• Scoring Defiance (HD) —Blu-ray only —Academy Award® nominated composer James Newton Howard and violinist Joshua Bell discuss the incredible film score for Defiance.
• Theatrical trailers (HD)

BUY DVD

BUY BLU-RAY

Posted in Blu-ray News, Blu-ray Releases, DVD News, DVD Releases | No Comments »

Bolt Blu-ray Review

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

FILM REVIEW: When John Lasseter was named chief creative officer and principal creative advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering, many believed that this was the turning point for the Disney Animation Studio. After years of disappointments in the animation film world. Lasseter who has been the Oscar®-winning director for “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and “Cars” was now in charge of taking the famous animation studios back to the top of the animation world.”Bolt” is the first film under the executive production of John Lasseter, Collaborating with John was Ed Catmull, the computer animation pioneer who helped create Pixar Animation Studios. The film also marks the directing debut of Chris Williams and Byron Howard.

Bolt avoids the mistakes made by previous Disney animation films. It is not just for little kids like “Chicken Little” and it doesn’t ignore little kids like “Meet the Robinsons”. The story has enough material to please all demographics. The film has the right combination of action, drama and comedy, however the film lacks that defined character that creates a clear connection with the audience.

The quality of the animation sees an improvement in “Bolt” compared to previous Disney releases, but still the animation is not as impressive as the animation from its sibling studio Pixar. In another note “Bolt” is Disney’s first animated feature to be conceived and designed for 3-D. The previous Disney animated features—“Chicken Little” and “Meet the Robinsons”—were released in 3-D versions, however the post-production conversion process was created outside of the Studio. This process paid off in the film, it gave the movie better 3-D scenes.

There is enough entertainment to make Bolt one of the good family films of the season. The Pixar influence was a major upgrade for the Disney Animation Studio, putting it on track to return to its prime days

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in 1080P widescreen in a 1.78:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless, giving the animation an outstation clarity that only high definition can provide. Not only the picture looks excellent in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48kHz/24bit) that provides a good complement to the picture , however I was very surprised to find that the sound was not 7.1 DTS-HD. Not sure why Disney Home Entertainment decide to only have 5.1 audio in this release, after all Pinocchio’s blu-ray is 7.1.

The 3-disc Blu-ray is a Special Offer Combo Pack that also includes a DVD copy of the of the film, allowing fans to own this classic story on standard def DVD while they are preparing to upgrade to 1080p Hi-def Blu-ray, so consumers can “future-proof” their collection.

Bolt’s three disc blu-ray set presentation is very similar to the recent combo packs released by Disney Home Entertainment this year ( Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty). It is loaded with bonuses and features that will keep the whole family fully entertain. Many of these featurettes provide amazing details on how the film was created. Featurettes like “Creating The World of Bolt” , “Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt” and “A New Breed of Directors: A Filmmakers’ Journey” take viewers beyond the making of the film. It also includes the music video “I thought I lost You” performed by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta. Like it is usual with Disney DVD and Blu-ray releases, this release includes the game “Bolt’s Be Awesome Mission Game”, in which the players get to help Bolt defeat the Green-Eyed man. Finally the must watch featurette of this pack is “The Super Rhino Short”. This short animated film features probably the character that gave Bolt the best laughs, Rhino. This is a really funny short. Don’t miss it.

Also the blu-ray comes with DB-Live, which allow users to get exclusive online content, users get opportunity to chat, participate in movie challenges and access movie mail. Your blu-ray player will need to be connected to the internet, in order to access this features.

Overall this release will be a good addition to your Disney collection.

Release Date: March 22, 2009

BLU-RAY DETAILS
OWN BLU-RAY

Posted in Blu-ray Releases, Blu-ray Review | No Comments »

The Kite Runner Blu-ray Review

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Based on the best selling book by Afghan American author Khaled Hosseini, “The Kite Runner”, was adapted for the big screen in 2007 and will be released on Blu-ray on March 24, 2009. In my opinion this is not only on of the best films of 2007, but also the most controversial. When DreamWorks decided to endorse this film is because they already knew it was going to be a big hit, especially with the participation of producer and director Marc Forster. It is no surprise that the film received the Golden Globe nomination of “Best Foreign Language Film” and at the Academy Awards won “Best Original Score (Alberto Iglesias)”.

The story is set in Afghanistan in the district of Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul from the fall of monarchy in Afghanistan to the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hosseini tells the story of two boys who love kite fighting while roaming the streets of Kabul. Amir (Zecheria Ebrahimi) is the thirteen year old son of a well to do business man, Baba (Homayoun Ershadi) and
Hassan ( Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) is the twelve year old Hazara servant boy that lives in Amir’s house. Unfortunately, while running a kite down for Amir, Hassan is anally raped by nazi minded bullies while his best friend, Amir watches and runs in fear. Not being able to deal with the guilt, Amir sets himself apart from Hassan, who proves time and time again a loyal friendship. The film takes us 15 years into the future (the book jumps back and forth more frequently) when Amir, a successful writer and his father Baba are living in Freemont, California after fleeing their country due to the Soviet invasion. After getting a phone call from Rahim Khan (Shaun Toub), Baba’s friend, Amir sees the opportunity to redeem himself of the guilt that has been hunting him. By going back to Afghanistan and facing the past, he will find the truth that will give him courage, hope and integrity.

The film was pushed back from being released for the safety of the children, who have been relocated to United Arab Emirates until they are older. Ahmad received $17,500 and Ali $13, 700 for their part in the film, however they fear for the common kidnapping of children with money in this country. Also, the rape scene while it has very little explicitness, it
is not as graphic as the book describes it. Regardless of that, the movie has been banned in Afghanistan due to this scene and the ethnic differences the film portrays.

The Blu-ray contains basically the same special features found on last years DVD release, with the disappointment that these special features are not in high definition. It includes the commentary with Marc Forster, Khaled Hosseini and David Benioff serve to understand more of this country and culture and how that impacted the making the film. Just like the novel, behind this great film there is a historical backdrop story, which can only be accessed on the Blu-ray.

Release Date: March 24, 2009

BLU-RAY DETAILS
OWN BLU-RAY

Posted in Blu-ray News, Blu-ray Review | No Comments »

10 Fun Facts About BOLT

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

In celebration of the March 22nd Blu-ray and March 24th DVD releases of BOLT, here are 10 Fun Facts About the film

Mittens, the street-wise alley cat, was originally called Mr. Mittens, because her owners never took the time to figure out if she was a boy or a girl.

The creative journey began with the desire to evoke the painterly style of classic Disney Animated Features and American painters such as Edward
Hopper, George Bellows and other Ashcan School Artists from the early 20th century.

To get a feel for the locations where Bolt and his entourage would be traveling, art director Paul Felix, director of lighting and look Adolph Lusinsky and others packed it up and hit the road. Exploring such locations as New York, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Rhino, the hamster, was originally supposed to be a rat. During the initial story retreat to develop the idea for the film, Rhino was morphed into a hamster riding inside a plastic ball.

The design for the main character Bolt was loosely inspired by the American White Shepherd.

It takes 4-5 months to get one shot all the way through production – from layout to animation to lighting (a shot averages 4 seconds in length on “Bolt”).

There are a total of 28 sequences in the film comprised of 131,738 frames and 1,239 shots. 110 terabytes of data are active at any second in the production.

Throughout production, each member of the crew working on “Bolt” would pin pictures of their pet in the “Production Pets Gallery.”

The production actually has a pet hamster named Doink! who has become a beloved crew member and is observed as reference for the animators.

Director Byron Howard served as the supervising animator for the character Cobra Bubbles in “Lilo & Stitch.”

Posted in Blu-ray News, DVD News | No Comments »

I Love You Man Movie Review

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Give back!
When you see this movie you will know what I’m talking about.
I love this movie, man. Hands down the best comedy of the year no question ask. Welcome Paul Rudd to lead actor status. First Steve Carrel then Steve Rogan, later Jason Segal now Paul Rudd. Finally a movie that fits well for Paul as a lead actor. This time he is not a basterd nor a jerk. In “I Love You Man”, he is sweet, shy, honest, loving husband to be, who discovers that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. In his search for a same sex friend Peter (Paul Rudd) meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segal) a single, fun-loving and charismatic man with whom Peter instantly bonds.

The movie has classic one liners that will be heard from now on. No doubt about it. It has very Apatowtowish to it. Even though some of the Apatow brad pack wasn’t there, for the most part the cast was great. Thomas Lennon from Comedy’s Central Reno 911 was hilarious with his crush on Paul’s Rudd character. He is not much in it, but when he does is funny. Jon Favraue the director of “Iron Man” was good playing the role of Barry, a very easy to hate character which doesn’t like Paul and even does him. Jon’s wife and Peter (Paul Rudd) fiancée are friends, so he has no choice to hang out with him However the only way Barry (Jon Favraue) goes is by asking his hot wife Jamie Presley to do special favor for him. He really gets was coming to him though.

Casting Andy Sandberg to play Paul’s gay brother was the icing on the cake, at least for me. I feel that he could be the next great thing. Even though I felt the same way about Dane cook and we all know where that went. Lets hope that this movie help him cast in more leading role. A SNL cast member that bring the goods. I was surprise that Bill Hader wasn’t in the movie he would of been funny as one of Peter’s dates. Paul Rudd and Jason Segal make the movie much more fun to watch. They both play of each other to perfection. The movie can relate to some guys. Lets face it some guys could find it difficult to have a guy friend when your time its all on your wife. However the concept of men dates, that’s funny! Watching Paul Rudd go through uncomfortable situation, reminded me of Ben Stiller. I’m a big Ben Stiller’s fan, but Paul Rudd pulls it of in this movie.

Finally, going back to my opening words. I have to say that I have gone to the movies almost my whole entire life and when this particular moment happen “give back” the whole movie theater started laughing really loud. This laugh was different though classic different. It lasted more than 20 seconds. It was totally unexpected. This movie is up there with “Knock Up” and “The 40 Year Old Virgin”. Classic! Welcome Paul Rudd your turn has arrive.

Review By James
FULL MOVIE DETAILS

Posted in Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »

Twilight DVD Review

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

FILM REVIEW:
Edward Cullen: And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.
Isabella Swan: What a stupid lamb.
Edward Cullen: What a sick, masochistic lion.

A young man and young woman from feuding families fall in love with each other; forbidden love (Romeo and Juliet). A successful, rich businessman falls in love with a prostitute; unlikely love (Pretty Woman). A super sized gorilla falls in love with a beautiful blonde stage actress; impossible love (King Kong). Now we have a vampire and a regular girl that fall in love with each other. It is a forbidden, unlikely, and impossible love but they strive to keep it alive. This movie is mysterious and romantic with a dab of charming. It delves into the world of Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) and their awkward relationship which is both bizarre and painful. This is what gives the film its edge; the peculiarity of the story. It really is more of a romance than an action or sci-fi type picture. The focus is on the awkward relationship and less on the whole vampire concept. Because of this, it is a lot tamer than you might think. There is no gore, no horror, and no elaborate transformations when it comes to the vampires. It’s all about the mystery and the romance.

This was an enjoyable movie to watch but the fun started even before the movie began. You see, the screening I attended had about an 80% to 20% ratio of women to men, if I had to take a guess. It was like being in a Claire’s store. (Yeah, I have a teenaged daughter so I know what it’s like to be in a Claire’s). Actually it would be more accurate to describe it as being in a hot popular boy band concert. Let’s just say that the screams and shrieks from the ladies were a plenty from before the movie even started to the very end and plenty in between. It is obvious to me now as to whom this movie appeals to. Yes, you can consider this a chick flick but it has enough action and intrigue that the guys might enjoy it too. The special effects were decent but not over the top so as not to distract from the intention of the story. The cinematography and the various locations used in the film were distracting but in a good way. The bulk of the story takes place in Forks, Washington. The typical cloudiness and grey skies were more than an appropriate backdrop for the vampires but even so, the Pacific Northwest is beautiful territory and this film does a nice job of presenting it to you. The music used in this film is also pretty good. I’m a big fan of Claire de Lune by Debussy. The script was relatively simple, but direct and mature. It blended very well with the current scenario, so if the current scene was awkward and weird between the characters, so was the script. If the scene was loving and romantic, so was the script. What probably impressed me the most, besides the story itself, was the acting. Considering that no larger than life actors were cast in this film and that for the most part the cast is young with limited cinematic experience, they all did a good job. It was a very good looking cast too. I could tell by the screams from the audience. Of course the superior performances were given by the two stars of the movie, Robert and Kristen. Director Catherine Hardwicke (Nativity Story, Lords of Dogtown, Thirteen) has done some pretty good work and I think she topped them all with this latest endeavor.

Film Review By Cine Marcos

DVD: The 2 Disc Special Edition has enough special features to make fans happy. The first disc includes the feature film presented in widescreen with a 2.40:1 aspect ration. The picture is complemented with a 5.1 digital sound in English and Spanish. Disc one also includes a total of five extended scenes, that fans will enjoy, plus an Audio Commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke, and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Let me just mention that it also has three music videos from Muse, Paramore and Linkin Park. Disc two includes the most interesting special feature of this edition, which is a seven-part documentary, that takes viewers beyond the making of the film. It also includes five deleted scenes that fans may want to see. Overall the Twilight 2 Disc Special Edition is just a little bit above average in terms of special features. it seems that a collectors edition of the film with more features will be available prior to the release of the second installment.

Release Date: March 21, 2009

DVD DETAILS
OWN DVD

Posted in DVD News, DVD Reviews | No Comments »

Archive for March, 2009

Categories