Blisters DVD Reviews

[Blister]

Hey, like so many other members of the movie forums, I too have decided to share my views about particular movies, and rate them accordingly. (They are rated out of 5 thumbs up)

Halloween

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Made on a miniscule budget, shot in approximately a month, and using no name actors, John Carpenter and Debra Hill created a memorable horror film, brimming with atmosphere and tension. Michael Myers is truly a horror icon - he never speaks, he doesn't even rush, and he is faceless - literally. He is a nameless evil, of mass strength, and a person with no moral code. John Carpenter is an inventive director, and his earlier works such as 'Dark Star'and 'Assault on Precinct 13' show he is a good director who can really tell a story. Perhaps he reached his peak with his 1982 remake of 'The Thing', a brilliant example of Carpenters talents as a storyteller.

27 years since it's theatrical release 'Halloween' is still considered to be one of the most impressive horror movies ever made, it is also considered to be John Carpenters best movie to date.

Originally entitled "The Babysitter Murders" yet renamed "Halloween" before its release to the public in 1978, the movie is one of the kings of the horror genre. If you watch a horror movie that was made recently, then you shall probably find that each one builds upon Carpenters recipe. Halloween starts with a young boy, Michael Myers, who kills his sister. Carpenters score enchances the omnious figure of Michael from his point of view. Carpernters use of the steadycam is also brilliantly done, as it further creates the scene and helps you to see what the young boy sees, and when Michael puts on the halloween mask over his face, the steadycam gazes through the eye holes, while it is simple as brilliantly effective.

The result of the murder that Michael commited is for him to be put into a mental institute under the observation of Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance). After many years of therapy, Loomis gives up on the hope of ever reaching Michael, and so wants him never to be released from the institute as he could be a danger to the general public. However Michael breaks loose after so many years of being imprisoned (15 to be exact) and heads back to his home town Haddonfield, Dr. Loomis feared for the worst and has also headed back to Haddonfield in the hope of catching Michael before he can kill again. But Michael has already spotted his new victim.

Much has been said about "Halloween" and it almost feels as is any additional word would be superficial. It is one of the most relentless and intense horror films ever made and carries many of Carpenter’s stylistic trademarks.

The film has been completely restored from a newly found negative print that boasts better colors and less damage than the prints used for previous home video transfers. Even with the new print in hand, Anchor Bay color corrected the entire film and manually removed other visible film artifacts in a laborious process to make sure the transfer is as clean as possible. The result is nothing short of breathtaking. The image quality is unbelievable, making "Halloween" look like a brand-new film. If you give it its first look you will not believe that you are watching a film that is 27 years old.

The audio presentation is simply perfect and features a completely re-mixed the original mono soundtrack to a new 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio track. Interestingly enough, the new mix has also brought in some completely new sound elements that were not used in the original film. For example, listen for the thunder in the sequence when Dr. Loomis and the nurse drive up to the hospital perimeter during the rain. Some of those thunder sounds were not part of the original mix but help immensely to build the film’s tension at that particular point. But also the music sounds bigger than ever and the crystal clear sound of Carpenter’s highly effective piano themes are more chilling than ever.

In other words, 'Halloween' still remains a classic horror movie that still has potential to last forever.

Overall, I shall give 'Halloween' :up::up::up::up::up:

[The Taxi Driver]

great review its good to know theres another halloween lover on the site

[Sinny McGuffins]

Overall, I shall give 'Halloween' :up::up::up::up::up:...and I shall give your review :up::up::up::up::up:

[Blister]

Time for my next review (I am going to try and do a new review every 3 days or so)

Memento

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The movie not only manages to tell an intriguing story, it manages to do so in an incredibly creative way. On top of that, the very nature of this film makes it perfect for DVD viewing, and thus, I take a look at the DVD.

"Memento" shows the story of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), Leonard is trying to track down the man who raped and killed his wife, and seek his revenge. That part of the story is fairly straight-forward. But, Leonard was also assaulted during the attack on his wife, and was left with a form of brain damage. Leonard has no short-term memory, and thus is no longer capable of forming new memories. He can remember his life before the attack, but nothing that has happened since then stays in his mind. Therefore, Leonard has become a man who relies on taking notes. He writes notes to himself and has the most important information tattooed to his body, using the scraps of information that Leonard has been able to give himself, he seeks out the man who murdered his wife. But, how can a man who can’t remember what happened 15-minutes ago manage to solve such a mystery? And when he meets people such as Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), who claim they want to help him, how can he be sure that they really are who they say they are?

The memory angle adds to the old "revenge saga". In Leonard, we have a character who not only can’t trust anyone he meets, but he can’t trust himself either. He only has his notes and instincts to tell him where he is and what’s going on. This plot creates doubt in Leonard,and puts the audience in a unique position. If we can’t trust our protagonist, who can we trust?

But writer/director Chris Nolan doesn’t stop there, Nolan has gone one step further in making "Memento" a truly unique experience, by deciding to tell the story backwards.The film opens with the conclusion of Leonard’s story, and then works its way backwards. The film is broken up into individual segments, and each one ends where the one before it began.Using this method, Nolan is able to truly put the audience into Leonard’s shoes. Leonard can’t remember his past, and the audience is slowly learning what Leonard’s past was.

"Memento" is one of the most original and gripping thrillers ever made, the DVD brings us a stunning transfer with an equally impressive soundtrack. Even if you have to write yourself a note, remember to see "Memento".

Overall I give it :up::up::up::up::up:

[Sinny McGuffins]

Nice review, Blisty. Memento's a great flick. :yup:

[Blister]

A new review comes......

Fight Club

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A lot of controversy has surrounded the release of "Fight Club" both as a novel and the film by David Fincher. While the reason for the controversy can be easily spotted in the works, I found it generally less problematic after seeing the film than I thought it would be before I had seen it. Maybe part of the controversy is that many people just haven’t seen the film, really, and base their decision upon what they think it is.

It all starts when The Narrator AKA Jack (Edward Norton) becomes so frustrated with his life that he just can’t take it any longer. For the entirety of his life, the media have painted a glorious image of wealth for everyone, made everyone believe they would be rich and famous eventually, while in fact they weren’t. Flooding society with more useless products, making them slaves to their own material desires and luring them with seemingly endless money reserves through their credit cards, Jack realizes that it is all just a travesty. Without ideals and goals, our society has degraded to a mindless, degenerated culture where the biggest excitement people can achieve is buying the latest fluff from Ikea catalogues.

Jack breaks under the realization and tries to find new thrills, He visits support groups for cancer victims and other terminal diseases, the only places for him to find real emotions, and to be able to unleash his own emotions at the same time. On a flight, he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a soap salesman, who has come to the same realization about life. When Jack’s apartment is burning after an explosion, Tyler is his only refuge and the two begin living together in a dilapidated house. In their frustration and disillusion they begin knocking each other bloody for the sheer excitement and the adrenaline rush.

Tyler has long made up his mind about society and has created his own beliefs - it could be compared to a religion. He is opposing all material wealth and lives for the moment, unafraid of pain or death. Slowly he teaches Jack these traits as well, as they begin to build "Fight Club," which is an underground association where equally frustrated men can act out their raw emotions. Soon Fight Clubs spring up across the country and Tyler is hailed as a celebrity among the members. But this is only the beginning. Tyler’s plans are bigger.

David Fincher is known for the dark looks of his films and the fatalistic implications that can be found throughout his past work, and as such he makes the perfect director for the movie. The self-destructive tone of the entire movie, the anarchic story line and the bleak prospect are perfectly captured by Fincher’s visual and dramatic style. The film makes it clear very early on that you don’t have to agree with what Jack and Tyler are doing in numerous cases where they clearly go overboard - but their reasoning is nonetheless comprehensible. Jack is so frustrated with the illusion of his life that he would do literally anything to cause a change. With Tyler he has the opportunity to take his life in a completely new direction. While viewers see early on that the direction is doomed, Jack is blind to it, eager to just find any sort of excitement. When he realizes that ultimately this new attempt is just as bad as his previous life, it is practically too late for him to turn back. When the movie closes, he has learned a vital lesson that most of us hopefully never need.

Presented as a 2-disc set, this DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is a spectacular release. Coming in a beautifully created packaging that is as powerful and exciting, as the content on the shiny discs, the packaging is one of the best I have seen for any DVD. An outer cardboard box that looks like a used and stained brown paper bag reveals another custom packaging on the inside.

The film itself is presented in a 2.40:1 widescreen presentation that is enhanced for 16x9 television sets. The transfer found on the disc is nothing short of amazing. Without any signs of noise or grain, and devoid of any film defects, the film makes a bold and powerful appearance on this DVD. Perfectly rendered blacks that never break out, harsh highlights that are never overexposed and the full gamut of contrasts, grades and shades in between give this THX-certified transfer a mesmerizing look. Fleshtones are naturally rendered and overall color reproduction is very faithful. This is a DVD transfer that is as good as it gets!

On the audio side, "Fight Club" features a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio track that is THX EX enhanced and contains audio information for an additional rear center channel. Fully compatible with current 5.1 systems, playback of the EX encoded channel requires additional equipment however. The audio track is engaging and very aggressive. The low ends add immense punch to the action on the screen and the high ends create a very clear presentation. Dialogues are well produced although the overall mix is putting slightly too much emphasis on the sound effects, sometimes drowning out low dialogue lines. The surround channels are used efficiently and aggressively, bringing the film to life in incomparable fashion, allowing viewers to completely immerse themselves in the story.
The music for the film is a mix between modern hip-hop/techno grooves and more traditional themes.

The release’s second disc is filled with extras, almost too manifold to completely recount. A list of very extensive cast and crew biographies opens the disc. Covering more than 18 people associated with the film, this section will answer most of the biographical questions you may have had about anyone listed.

Then there is a section that takes you behind the scenes. A large number of scenes are discussed and shown in detail in this section, using multiple angles and alternate audio tracks to allow the viewer to decide what exactly he wants to see and hear. You can follow the production team as the location scout areas for the film with the director, or you can watch as scenes are shot for the movie and almost anything in between. Use your angle button and select your audio track and you will get a very complete impression how a movie like "Fight Club" comes together in terms of principal photography and special effects. A whole of 15 scenes are dissected this way, ranging from standard scenes to some of the more elaborate effects sequences. To round this section off, you will also find a 5-minute behind-the-scenes featurette here, which gives you more of a loose look of the development of the project.

Another section of the DVD houses seven deleted scenes. Nicely integrated in the screen menu itself, you will learn why each particular scene has been removed form the film before you actually get to see it.

In the advertising section of the disc you will find the whole shebang that was used to promote the film. From a variety of trailers and TV spots, you will also find two interesting -and humorous - public announcements by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt here, which were used to create excitement for the film.

Last, but not least, the DVD is also home to a very extensive gallery of storyboards, production sketches, pre-production paintings, visual effects stills, and other images surrounding the film. It will take hours just to go through all these images.

"Fight Club" has raised a lot of eyebrows for its violence and its glorification of anarchy, but at the same time, the film takes a clear side. Especially towards the end it becomes clear that the film tries to tell viewers that breaking out of our current society to establish another, maybe even more radical one, does not always yield the desired results. For me, "Fight Club" was a surprise. It was not what I expected and it turned out to be a much better film than I thought.

:up::up::up::up::up: