“A film based on one of the top selling classic novels ever written, ‘BRIDESHEAD REVISITED’ is a film that is beautiful, well-performed and fantastic.   Definitely worth checking out on DVD!”

© BVHE. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: BRIDESHEAD REVISITED

DURATION: 133 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Color, English and French 5.1 (Dolby Digital), French and Spanish Subtitles

RATED: PG-13 (For some Sexual Content)

COMPANY: Miramax Films

Directed by Julian Jarrold

Based on the original story by Evelyn Waugh

Produced by Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae, Kevin Loader

Written by Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock

Director of Photograpy: Jess Hall

Line Producer: Rosa Romero

Production Designer: Alice Normington

Editor: Chris Gill

Executive Producers: David M. Thompson, Nicole Finnan, Tim Haslam, Hugo Heppell

Starring:

Emma Thompson (As Lady Marchmain)

Matthew Goode (as Charles Ryder)

Ben Whishaw (as Sebastian Flyte)

Hayley Atwell (as Julia Flyte)

Ed Stoppard (as Bridley Flyte)

Michael Gambon (as Lord Marchmain)

Thomas Morrison (as Hooper)

Anna Madeley (as Celia Ryder)

Hayley Atwell (as Julia Flyte)

Inspired by the best-selling novel, the provocative and intense “Brideshead Revisted” is a riveting drama of forbidden love, power and betrayal, featuring stunning performances by Academy Award winner Emma Thompson (Best Actress, Howard’s End, 1992) and Matthew Goode (the Lookout). When the charming aristocrat Sebastian invites Charles Ryder to his family’s estate, Charles becomes seduced by the opulent lifestyle of the Marchmain family, and by Julia, Sebastian’s sister.  As their romance deepens, repercussions follow, and Charles discovers that at Brideshead, love, money and power come at a price.  It’s a spellbinding story you’ll want to revisit again and again.

Much has been said about the film version of “Brideshead Revisited”, a movie based on a 1945 novel written by  English writer Evelyn Waugh.  The film has been considered as one of the all-time 100 novels (according to Time Magazine) and has spawned a drama series in 1981 which was critically acclaimed.

In 2008, writers Andrew Davies and Keremy Brock along with director Julian Jarrold has created a film based on the book but this time changing a few things and taking on the challenges of condensing a novel to a two hour film.

The film takes place in England many years before World War II and centers around the following individuals:

Charles Ryder (played by Matthew Goode) -  The main protagonist who attends Oxford University and wants to become an artist.  He is also an atheist which plays a major part in the film.  He was brought up by his father Edward who he stays during his off time or holidays away from college.  He has a distant relationship with his father.  Charles also has a free life in which he likes to experience things.  So, in this film, he and Sebastian have a relationship but at the same time, while together with Sebastian, he ends up having a passionate kiss with his sister Julia.  Thus a love triangle in the family.

Sebastian Flyte (played by Ben Whishaw) - The younger son of the Marchmain family.  He is an unhappy man due to his mother’s oppressive Catholic ways.  He is homosexual and in love with Charles  but because of his Catholic upbringing, he is made to feel worse by his mother and feels that because of his lifestyle, it’s a sin and thus he is always wanting to be far from Brideshead (the castle in which the Marchmain family lives).  So, there is no possible way he could be with Charles because two men together would be a sin.

Julia Flyte (played by Hayley Atwell) - The eldest daughter of the Marchmain family.  Somewhat mischievous, she and Charles fall in love but because she is to marry a Catholic which is Charles is not, she must not get romantic with him.  Making things worse, her brother Sebastian catches the two kissing and thus creating some major tension at Brideshead.

Lady Marchmain (played by Emma Thompson) - The mother of Sebastian and Julia and two other children.  She rules the household with an iron fist.  Her life is dedicated to God and forces God’s belief and ways to her children who must abide her rules.

Alexander Flyte/Lord Marchmain (played by Michael Gambon) - The husband of Lady Marchmain.   Married Lady Marchmain, converted to become a Catholic but became unhappy and moved to Venice, Italy and lives with a Catholic mistress.  He dislikes how his wife has forced her Catholic ways to her children and making them unhappy.

The film begins with Charles and Sebastian attending University.  The two become good friends and when Charles tells Sebastian that he will draw a picture of him, Sebastian just falls head over heels for him.  The two visit Sebastian and his beautiful castle known as Brideshead which he really does not want to visit but for Charles sake, because he’s an artist, shows him the art and statues that surround the home.  It’s obvious that the two are quite close and eventually, the two start kissing.

His mother Lady Marchmain arrives and wants to meet Charles.  While getting prepared for dinner, he catches Lady Marchmain admonishing Sebastian for creating a sin by being/kissing Charles.  While at Brideshead, Charles sees firsthand how powerful Lady Marchmain is and how the four children react to their mother.   He also sees first hand how the children practice their Catholic religion at the church inside the home.   When Lady Marchmain asks for Charles to spend Summer at Brideshead, Sebastian says that their father requested he and Julia to spend time in Venice.   And Spencer invites Charles as the guest to accompany them in Venice.

At Venice, Charles gets to know Lord Marchmain and his mistress.  Especially, how different he is with the kids as opposed to Lady Marchmain.  While at Venice, both Charles and Sebastian’s sister Julia become close and Charles kisses her.  Sebastian catches the two kissing and he is devastated.

When everyone returns home, he is contacted by Lady Marchmain who is disappointed that Charles has hurt the family.  Sebastian has become an alcoholic and Julia can only marry a Catholic and not an atheist.  But Charles owes her a favor for hurting his family and invites her to the party announcing the engagement of Julia and a Catholic man, Canadian Entrepreneur Rex Mottram.  Charles is shocked that she is getting married but reluctantly agrees to appear at the engagement party.

Charles sees Sebastian who is truly a mess.  His family has stopped giving him any money (because he uses the money towards alcohol)  that he is now resorting to taking his belongings and selling them to get money for alcohol.  But he’s broke and asks Charles to help him by giving him money.  Charles helps him out.

Meanwhile at the engagement party, Charles, who has strong feelings for Julia can’t believe she is getting married but then in front of everyone at the wedding ceremony, Sebastian arrives in drunken stupor, telling his mother and everyone how he hates them and says to Charles that he’s just there so he can have sex with his sister.

Naturally, Lady Marchmain blames Charles for the problems of her family but Charles tells her, it’s not him, it’s her and her forcing Catholicism towards her children.  Lady Marchmain kicks him out of the castle, cutting him off from Sebastian and Julia.

And thus a storyline continues four years after that incident, then more years later with everyone a different life and being torn inside by their family commitment of being a Catholic but at the same time wondering if they can leave Brideshead and live the lives they want or will Brideshead make them return and thus living the life that their mother wanted of them.  As for Charles, he has some life changes, especially when he reunites with someone once close to him.

The film is quite epic as it’s filmed in the UK, Venice and Morocco and there are so many beautiful locations indoor and outdoor, “Brideshead Revisited” is rather ambitious.   Each person is cast pretty well with Matthew Goode, having to use less dialogue and reading his emotions through his facial expressions.   Emma Thompson, Ben Whishaw and Hayley Atwell did a remarkable job with their role and overall, the film was a good story about family and the pressures of that time of socioeconomic times when people were judged by the places they lived, the clothes they wear and where religion was strictly enforced and sinful ways were intolerable.  But to see how a family would change once Charles enters their life.  Is he their poison or is he giving them a chance to live free?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The film is featured in widescreen (2:40:1) and there are just many beautiful shots in this film.  The crew went all out in shooting scenes in London at the beautiful Castle Howard which filled in quite nicely for Brideshead and also capturing the beautiful landscape of Venice, Italy and then in Morocco.

As for the audio, the audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.  There are quite a few scenes from the film that utilized the rear audio channels nicely.  For example, at Morocco, you can hear the people all around you and in some scenes that featured a car zooming.  But overall, this film is primarily dialogue-driven.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD includes a few bonus features such as:

• Deleted Scenes with optional Commentary - A few scenes that had some parts cut out of the film and the director talks about why they were cut out of the film.
• Filmmakers Audio Commentary -  Julian Jarrold and others talk about the actual filming and behind-the-scene facts.  Also, reasons why they changed certain scenes from the way it was featured in the novel and the way it was featured on the film.
• “The World of Brideshead” Featurette - This is a 23-minute featurette featuring interviews with the cast and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the film, the challenges of shooting at various locations and much more.

I have never read the novel or seen the drama series before but I do know it’s impact and how the book is acknowledged as one of the top 100 written novels of all time by Time Magazine.    I can only think that what the writers and director were able to craft from a long novel for International audiences truly worked.

Watching the film unfold from beginning to end, I can see the complications of Catholicism forced upon the parents to their children and how these children have taken a brunt of the religion and have grown to really not get along with their mother.  But from my research of the book and this film, I can understand those who are supportive and those who are vehemently against the film because of it’s changes. Primarily between Charles and Sebastian.  In the book, the two are really close friends.  If they were having any romance, it was ambiguous.  If anything, the relationship was platonic.  In the film, they are lovers.

As much as the film sounds like it’s bashing the Catholic religion, the truth is that its not.   The book features the major characters who were affected by the Catholic religion growing up and their distaste of it because of the way it was forced upon them so strictly.  But because of certain situations in their life that has caused them pain, these characters realize that they need God in their life and they convert themselves into Catholics.

The writer, Evelyn Waugh is a Catholic convert and some may see this film as a positive storyline of the journey of how people who are not a Catholic somehow grow to find God and finally end their sinful ways and become closer to God by converting.  And if many people in the world can do that and dedicate their life to God, then possibly an atheist like Charles Ryder can also change?

By saying that, this is by no means a Christian or a Catholic film, nor is this a film that you want to show your church group.  The fact is that the director decided to end the ambiguity between Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte’s relationship and not make it platonic but two men who care fondly for each other and are quite romantic.  Their is a lot of infidelity going on in this film.

“BRIDESHEAD REVISTED” is one of those films that may or may not be for everyone because of it’s touchy subject.  You have on one hand, a group so passionate about the novel and drama series who have a bit of disdain because the story has been condensed and changed.  But at the same time, I’m sure there are people like myself who never read the original book, nor have watched the original drama series that can view this film and just be entertained by the beauty of the art that surrounds Brideshead, the beautiful scenery and locations where this film was shot.  And just enjoy its pleasant but yet intricate storyline featuring spectacular performances from the talent in this film.

I know that I’m probably missing out on many other storylines and major character development points that were featured prominently in the novel.  There’s only so much you can do in a two hour film.  But I personally enjoyed the film and found it beautiful in so many ways and again, the performances by Emma Thompson and Matthew Goode and the others were fantastic.

So, “BRIDESHEAD REVISITED” was an enjoyable film in my book.  Definitely give this DVD a try!

“A coming of age film with a good balance of humor, heart in 1994 old school style.  Featuring a well-written screenplay, awesom performances by Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck, ‘The Wackness’ is indeed an enjoyable film.  The DVD features a good number of special features with a non-traditional style that will definitely satisfy many fans of this award winning film.”

© 2008 Shapiro Levine Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Wackness

DURATION: 99 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Color, English and French 5.1 (Dolby Digital), French and Spanish Subtitles

RATED: R (for pervasive drug use, language and some sexuality)

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Classic

Directed by Jonathan Levine

Written by Jonathan Levine

Produced by Keith Calder, Felipe Marino, Joe Neurauter

Casting by Joanna Colbert, Richard Mento

Music by David Torn

Casting by Joanna Colbert, Richard Mento

Music Producer: Bryan Lawson

Editor: Josh Noyes

Costume Designer: Michael Clancy

Production Designer: Annie Spitz

Director of Photography: Petra Korner

Co-Producer: Brian Udovich

Starring:

Ben Kingsley (as Dr. Squires)

Josh Peck (as Luke Shapiro)

Famke Janssen (as Kristin Squires)

Olivia Thirlby (as Stephanie)

Mary-Kate Olsen (as Union)

Jane Adams  (as Elanor)

Method Man (as Percy)

Aaron Yoo (as Justin)

Talia Balsam (as Mrs. Shapiro)

David Wohl (as Mr. Shapiro)

New York, summer 1994, the greatest year in hip-hop, a troubled teenage drug dealer trades pot for therapy sessions with a drug-addled psychiatrist intent on living his life to the fullest. The two form an unlikely friendship, but things get complicated when the kid falls for the doctor’s daughter.

Yo! Don’t be whack!

The award winning film (Sundance Audience Award) “The Wackness” is now out on DVD and it’s definitely one of the coolest and more pleasant coming-of-age films to come out in a long while and a DVD with features that embraces that non-traditional style courtesy of writer/director Josh Levine.

“The Wackness” stars well-known legendary award winning actor Ben Kingsley and “Drake & Josh” actor Josh Peck who appears to have shed his young teen Nickelodeon image for the character of 18-year-old Luke Shapiro.  Both playing roles so different from what we have seen of them and both delivering an exceptional performance.

The year is 1994, A high school teenager in New York who doesn’t have any friends but spends his time selling marijuana using his disguise as a person who sells ice in the park, while saving up all his money.

But all is not cool in the life of Luke, his parents are having some financial problems and in danger of being evicted, his mind is on getting laid and losing his virginity and the only person he can communicate his emotions to is one of his clients, Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley).  He wants some anti-depressants but Squires tells him to embrace his pain and more or less, he needs to find a girlfriend and get laid.

Dr. Squires is not exactly a role model for Josh.  He’s a product of the 60’s, loves doing cocaine and marijuana and somehow, is able to connect with Luke and provides him professional advice for drugs.  But like Luke, his life is not at all going that great.  His relationship with his wife Kristin is not at all going so great and all they have is their memories of sex and doing drugs.  Meanwhile, he notices that his step-daughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby, “Juno”) is getting closer to Luke.  But realizes that it’s not love that she has for Luke, it’s just a sexual fling.

Luke doesn’t have much experience with people, love and thus he discovers himself while hanging out with Stephanie.   Dr. Squires as a father doesn’t want his stepdaughter to be around a drug dealer but at the same time, as his psychiatrist, he doesn’t feel that Stephanie is good for Luke.   But after their passionate time together, he develops feelings for Stephanie so strong that when he says the words of “I Love You” to her, Stephanie realizes that this fling has gone so far and ends their romantic fling and all communication with Luke.   Around that same time, Dr. Squires wife Kristin decides to leave her husband.

Both men are obviously heartbroken but somehow, they find comfort in talking with each other and thus Luke and Dr. Squires form a friendship that would interestingly introduce Dr. Squires to Luke’s world and for Luke, getting the needed therapy from his shrink.  So, the story pretty much focuses on a young man (Luke) who is guided by an older man (Dr. Squires) but then the story starts to shift of the younger guy guiding an older man.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The film is featured in anamorphic widescreen ala 2:35:1 ratio.  The film is shot in different parts of Tokyo but oviously scenes such as the Twin Towers had to be put into the film.  When you do a period piece, especially if it’s 1994, with a busy city like New York, unless you have a huge budget, you got make do what with what you have.  And thus a lot of the scenes are shot indoors but you do have some outdoor scenes with Luke and Stephanie at the beach or areas where Luke is dealing drugs.

As for audio, you get a English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital track and the film is primarily a dialogue driven film.  But audio-wise, what makes this film shine is the fact that it’s 1994 and the old school songs, especially the hip-hop songs of that time are what comes blaring out your speakers.  Bass and all courtesy of artists such as Notorious B.I.G., a Tribe Called Quest, KRS-One, Nas, Biz Markie, etc.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD shines in its amount of special features offered.  Included are:

• Commentary with Director Jonathan Levine and Actor Josh Peck - A very casual and cool commentary and you learn important tidbits about the film.  From Ben Kingsley giving advice to Josh, having to work with Mary-Kate in the amount of hours they had to work with her and how hard it was for Josh Peck to do his lovemaking scene with Olivia Thirlby.  Levine and Peck have cool and fun commentary talking about blunts, the music, it’s typically a commentary that is like hanging out with friends.  Especially at the end when they talk about hanging out after the commentary and playing XBOX 360, you don’t hear that on director’s commentary, so it’s all good.
  
• Keeping it Real: A Day in the Life of Writer/Director Jonathan Levine - For this eight minute feature, Jonathan Levine is traveling around the country and London to promote “The Wackness” at film festivals and interviews at radio stations.  Jonathan is joined by the cast and his girlfriend, production designer Annie Spitz and his brother and his girlfriend.
  
• Time in a Bottle: Behind the Scenes of The Wackness - An 18-minute featurette featuring behind-the-scenes on the making of the film.  Levine explains that the film is not 100% autobiographical and a screenplay that was based on an idea he had during filmschool.  Also, featuring Levine’s staff and how they were able to get that 1994 setting.
  
• The Luke Shapiro Show Episode 1 & 2 - These are five minute short episodes that were created for cable access featuring Luke Shapiro and his doorman Miguel.  The first featuring Luke, Miguel (on keyboards) and his super  Tony.  The second featuring Luke, Miguel (on keyboards) and a dancer.
  
• Deleted Scenes - This scene features four deleted/extended scenes from the film.  The total amount of deleted scenes is about five minutes long featuring “Luke Works in Cap and Gown”, “Extended Squires Vacation”, “Squires in Stephanie’s Room” and “Dad’s Walkman Scheme”.
• The Wackness Trailers - Featuring all five theatrical and teaser trailers
  

I have to say that “The Wackness” is a pretty cool coming-of-age film and yes, there have been many of these type of movies but a definitely, unique film.  Having the film set in 1994, having the main character as a drug dealer, having his psychiatrist as one of his clients and also a hardcore drug user and just how everything just comes together is quite enjoyable.

But the performances by Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck was well done.  Two roles by talents that I would never see coming.  Ben Kingsley in so many serious roles in “Ghandi”, “Schindler’s List”, “Rules of Engagement” to name a few and then Josh Peck who stars in the Nickelodeon teen show “Drake & Josh”, these two taking on roles so different and to see them drinking alcohol and doing/dealing drugs, definitely it’s quite a bit of a surprise.  But the unique thing is that these two talents had tremendous chemistry and everything worked out quite well.

And there are also a good number of talent in this film.  Olivia Thirlby did a great job as Squire’s daughter Stephanie and Luke’s love interest.  Did a great job playing a sexual teen and then you have Mary-Kate Olsen as a pothead who just makes out with Ben Kingsley.  Famke Janssen as Dr. Squires sexy wife, Method Man playing the character “Percy” as Luke’s supplier and much more.

There are just these small moments in the film, from mannerisms to the small things that a character does, it really makes this film seem quite realistic and make it all work.  Of course, the early 90’s nostalgia and the music plays a big part in the film.  When Luke and Olivia are making love, R. Kelly playing on the boom box to Luke playing Zelda on his NES, these small things are what many people who grew up at the time and listened to the music can related to.  So, definitely a nice touch!

And the DVD,  just makes you love the film even more with cool commentary, the featurettes and more.  It’s not all business-like and professional.  You have Levine and Peck quite casual and as I mentioned in the commentary section, it’s like hanging out with a few friends and just everyone having a good time.

Now granted, perhaps I may be a bit biased having grown up with the pop culture of the 90’s and hearing the songs and the style from those years boosting my appreciation for the film but for an indie film, I have to admit that the overall presentation was quite non-traditional.  Again, there are a bunch of “coming-of-age” films out there but this one was really thinking outside of the box and instead of getting a “revenge of the nerd” happy-feel good storyline, each of these characters have flaws but it’s all about discovering one’s self.

All in all, a solid DVD with a lot of humor, a lot of soul and all out fun!

“After watching ‘Maiko Haaaan!!!’, only one word came to mind… Insane!  For those who were every curious about what if those crazy, obnoxious characters in an anime can be translated to an actual film, Kimihiko Onizuka epitomizes Japanese comedic insanity!”

©2007 “Maiko Haaaan!!!” Film Partners. All rights reserved.”

TITLE: Maiko Haaaan!!!

DURATION: 120 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, Color, 16:9 (1:85:1) Anamorphic Widescreen, Japanese language with English subtitles

RATED: NOT RATED

COMPANY: Viz Pictures, Inc.

Directed by Nobuo Mizuta

Written by Kankuro Kudo

Produced by Nobuyuki Iinuma, Rikei Kubo

Executive Producer: Seiji Okuda

Director of Photography: Osamu Fujiishi (J.S.C.)

Editor: Shogo Hirasawa

Music: Taro Iwashiro

Lighting: Tatsuya Osada

Production Designer: Tsuyoshi Shimizu

Starring:

Sadawao Abe (as Kimihiko Onizuka)

Shinichi Tsutsumi (as Kiichiro Naito)

Kou Shibasaki (as Fujiko Osawa)

The film centers on a Japanese salaryman named Kimihiko Onizuka (Sadawo Abe, from Kamikaze Girls) who dumps his girlfriend because he believes he can only fall
in love with a Maiko (apprentice Geisha). He decides to pursue his dream of courting a real Maiko in Kyoto. The private Maiko Houses become a social barrier and a rival
who is a millionaire baseball player (Shinichi Tsutsumi) stands in his way. Meanwhile, Kumihiko’s girlfriend (Kou Shibasaki) tries to win him back by leaving Tokyo to become a Maiko herself.

Japanese comedy madness coming from director Nobuo Mizuta and a wild screenplay by “Ping Pong” and “Go” writer Kankuro Kubo comes one of the wildest comedies to come out in Japan.

The film focuses on ramen loud and obnoxious office worker Kimihiko Onizuka (played by Sadawo Abe), an unusual guy who is obsessed with maiko (geisha-in-training).

When Onizuka was a teenager, during a school trip to the Kansai area, his classmates ditch him and as he was lost in town, he is helped by a Maiko.  He eventually realizes how beautiful and helpful these women are that in his mind growing up, he wants his life to be closer to the Kansai.  That means dating women from Kansai and just wanting to move there.

Onizuka now runs a popular Maiko fan website where he and other photographers are just as fanatic as cosplay photographers and compete in getting the best shot.  But during one day at work, someone on his website starts flaming him and Onizuka just gets angry and screaming in the workplace.

And thus the workplace demotes him and sends him to the Kansai area, where a lot of the maiko are located and to him, it’s a positive move to be closer to the area that he wants to be.  But not happy for him is his girlfriend Fujiko (played by popular J-pop singer and  actress Kou Shibasaki of “Batttle Royale” and “Dororo” fame).  Fujiko is so in love with Onizuka but the only reason why he dated her is because she’s from Kansai.

So, Onizuka departs to Kansai and finds out that the people at the office are really not so motivated but that’s OK for Onizuka, as long as he can spend some time with his favorite Maiko and thus tries to get in.  He realizes that their is a rule established that first-timers are not allowed.  They must be introduced by a regular and thus Onizuka is dejected.

Things change for him though as he realizes from a photo from his website that the company president is a regular.  Onizuka tries to befriend the president but the president has no desire to introduce this weird person to the maiko establishments he frequents.  Unless he can make the company a lot of money.

Thus Onizuka and his Kansai team start developing plans for “Your Ramen”, you picked the condiments and combined with kansai-style ramen everything will be fine.  And everything is fine as they make tons of money and thus proving himself to the company president.

So, finally Onizuka can now become a regular but unbenownst to Onizuka, his ex-girlfriend in Tokyo has followed him to the Kansai area and knowing her ex’s infatuation of maiko, has become a maiko at the same establishment.

During one night with the company president, Onizuka meets famous picture Kiichiro Naito (played by award winning actor Shinichi Tsutsumi), who seems to be a regular and is obnoxious, drunk and always getting into some trouble.  But Naito recognizes Onizuka as the webmaster of the Maiko fansite and berates him.  Onizuka realizes Naito is the creep flaming him on his website and thus the long battle begins between Onizuka and Naito, as they compete in many types of battles in various industries of who is better than who.  From becoming professional baseball players, professional actors, K-1 fighters, politicians and more, Onizuka will do whatever he can to beat Naito.

“Maiko Haaaan!!!” is one of those Japanese films that is a wild comedy.  Onizuka’s character reminded me of a crazy anime character in which he thinks of himself wild and cool but everyone seems him as wild, obnoxious, perverted and crazy.    In fact, it’s almost like an anime series that is live.  From the dream sequences of Onizuka dancing in a Broadway like performance to the competitions in which Onizuka and Naito try to top each other and just all out crazy.

Suffice to say, I’ve seen weird films, crazy films but “Maiko Haaaan!” is totally insane!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The video is presented in 16×9 and one thing that you will love about “Maiko Haaaan!!!” is that their are so many areas where the film is shot.  Outdoors in the beach, at a baseball stadium and much more.  A lot of color is utilized and really interesting cuts that scream “colorful”!  But the impressive part of this film was the audio.  I was amazed by how each channel was used for the surround sound.   Especially in a segment of the baseball game, hearing the crowd and the noises coming from behind and the dialogue coming from the front.  It was very well done!

In fact, the colorful cinematography and the well utilized surround sound definitely enhanced this film’s enjoyability.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD comes with the original Japanese trailers, the Viz Picture trailers and one major featurette on “The Making of Maiko Haaaan!!!”.  In the featurette, we get to see the interviews with the cast, the director and the cast at the movie premiere and an early preview of the premiere to an audience and much more.  It’s a pretty lengthy featurette and a good insight of how the film was created and more.

Also, the DVD comes with a film location map in Kyoto.  In the map are where 14 scenes from the film were shot.  So, just in case anyone wants to visit any of the shrines or the shopping areas, the map is actually quite detailed and should be fun for those wanting to visit the area and discover the Heian Shrine, Chion-in Temple, Yasak Shrine, Teramachi District, Daikoku-ya and more.

As a fan of films written by Kakuro Kudo, it’s always interesting to see what kind of wild film would come out this man’s mind.  And “Maiko Haaaan!!!” is just a totally wild and crazy film that, if you’re an anime fan and have watched these crazy characters that are just wild, crazy and obnoxious…and even wondered, what if there was a person in real life like that.

Well, Sadawo Abe accomplishes that as the wild and crazy Onizuka.  I’m just surprised of how much of these crazy scenes with him are included in this film, to watch him transform from this maiko-loving person to a corporate marketing tycoon, to a professional baseball player, to an actor in samurai film, to a K-1 fighter to a politician, it’s pretty insane but in a fun way!

But as crazy as the film is, I did have some problems with the actual plot.  Onizuka is just too far out, crazy and it seems the goal was to heighten the character’s craziness as the major part of the film.  Granted, there is an actual plot and once you feel that the film is about to have some seriousness to it, Onizuka’s character just blows it all up with his craziness. Granted, this was all intentional and to show that Onizuka really doesn’t care about the women, he just cares that they are “maiko” and his obsession for maiko and besting his rival has really clouded his judgment.

The film stars one of the most highly demanded actresses (and singers) in Japan, Kou Shibasaki (who plays the character of Fujiko, Onizuka’s ex-girlfriend). Even when you think that Onizuka will wise up and find out that this woman is for her, his character becomes more like Ataru Moroboshi of “Urusei Yatsura” fame, so blinded by his love for the maiko women and his competition with Naito, he just lives for the moment.

Overall, it’s a fun and insanely zany comedy that is truly entertaining but because it’s so over-the-top, at times, it’s almost like watching Robin Williams and Drew Carey downing some Red Bull and depending on your mood, you will either be entertained by the film or feel that you had a bit too much of Onizuka’s craziness.

As far as the DVD is concerned, film transfer features the colorfulness of the maiko outfits and the overall atmosphere of the Kansai area.  But the sound quality and its distribution of sound through the different channels in your home theater was well done.   And I’m glad a lengthy featurette for the film and the Kyoto location map was included.  Very cool!

All in all, if you are open to insane Japanese comedy humor, definitely give “Maiko Haaaan!!!” a try!

“A fun and enjoyable comedy poking fun at the political process.  Kevin Costner and Madeline Carroll’s performance were fantastic.  The picture quality of the film on Blu-ray is  wonderful!  If you are looking for a fun comedy on Blu-ray, definitely give ‘Swing Vote’ a try!”

Images courtesy of © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: SWING VOTE

DURATION: 120 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: Color, 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD (48 khz/24-bit), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English SDH and Spanish subtitles

COMPANY: Touchstone Home Entertainment/Buena Vista Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (For Language)

Released Date: January 13, 2009

Directed by Joshua Michael Stern

Screenplay by Jason Richman and Joshua Michael Stern

Produced by Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner

Executive Producers: Robin Jonas, Ted Field, Terry Douglas, Paris Kasookostaslatsis

Director of Photography: Shane Hurlbut ASC

Edited by Jeff McEvoy

Costume Designer: Lisa Jensen

Music By John Debney

Starring:

Kevin Costner (as Bud Johnson)

Madeline Carroll (as Molly Johnson)

Paula Patton (as Kate Madison)

Kelsey Grammer (as President Andrew Boone)

Dennis Hopper (as Donald Greenleaf)

Nathan Lane (as Art Crumb)

Stanley Tucci (as Martin Fox)

George Lopez (as John Sweeney)

Judge Reinhold (as Walter)

Charles Esten (as Lewis)

Kevin Costner stars in Swing Vote, a clever, feel-good “landslide” comedy winner.  So funny and inspiring, you’ll stand up and cheer! (Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com).  And on “Blu-ray it’s even better.

Bud Johnson’s an ordinary drifting through life, caring about nothing except his overachieving daughter Molly.  Trying to encourage him to get involved, Molly accidentally sets off a chain of events on Election Day that ends with the presidential race coming down to one vote - Bud’s.  Comedic chaos ensues as Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci and George Lopez give all-star support in a witty and uplifting film that’s “charming, funny, smart, touching and profound!” (Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood) -especially in brilliant Blu-ray High Definition.

Your vote matters!

We have heard that all before and in 2000, the US had it’s closest election which came down to one state.   The invulnerability of  the election process was well documented and “SWING VOTE” takes things one step further, what if one man had to decide the outcome of the US Presidency.  All to one vote?

“SWING VOTE” takes place in the small town of Texico, New Mexico.  A small town where unemployment is high, people are losing their jobs due to insourcing (in this case, Mexican workers replacing American workers in the factory jobs) and focusing on a single father named Bud (Costner) and his daughter Molly (Carroll).

Bud has lived his life carefree and always drinking beer and in a mess.  His daughter is the opposite.  She’s smart, she’s has kept up with current affairs in the world and she tries to take care of her father.  They live in a trailer park home and Bud, he just likes to fish and drink and be with his daughter.   Molly is featured on television after a news crew visits her school to film the children giving their speeches on the importance of voting.

Molly who is aware of her father and her county’s social low income situation wants her dad to vote for a candidate that best represents the poor.  With the elections coming up that day, she has her father promise to vote in the elections.  Bud agrees.  But with Bud losing his job at an egg processing plant due to being late at work and drinking on the job,  he goes to a bar and gets in a drunk stupor and hits his head in a “Vote today” sign and passes out inside his truck.  He essentially breaks his promise to Molly.

Molly who is disappointed with her father sneaks into a voting poll station where one of the vets is dead asleep.  She forges his signature in the registered voters booklet and puts her voting application in the digital machine and while she is about to vote for the presidency for her father, the cleaning lady accidentally disconnects the plug to the voting area.  Quickly feeling that she may get caught, Molly tears the stub and goes to her father.

All of a sudden, news starts to swirl about the close election between Republican President Andrew Boone (Grammer) and Democrat Donald Greeneleaf (Hopper).  They both are tied and whoever wins the state of New Mexico will get the electoral votes needed to win the election.  The state government’s election officer and State Attorney comes to Bud Johnson’s home questioning him if he voted and knowing that his daughter did something, he goes along with it. The machine that he voted in, did not count his vote and thus he needs to recast the vote.  He is told to keep quiet about it.

A local reporter named Kate Madison (Patton) who followed the government officials knows something is up with the close elections and the residents of the trailer park.  Kate reports back to her boss John Sweeney (George Lopez) at the news station that she has figured out what has gone on with the elections and that the single vote that can determine the president is Bud.  Both individuals feel that this story can elevate their careers nationally and thus, Kate becomes the head anchor at the news and responsible for getting the exclusives with Bud.

Kate eventually gets the exclusive interview with Bud and outs him to the world that his vote will determine the presidency.  All of a sudden, ever news outlet is in Texico, New Mexico parked in front of his mobile home.  The President and the Democrat nominee for President start doing their research and make Texico their home for the next 10 days for their campaign and doing all they can do to win Bud’s vote.

Bud doesn’t know anything about politics or what’s happening in the world but his daughter tries her best to help him.  Each time a show interviews him and shows what he may be interested in, may it be fishing, insourcing or not caring about gay rights, both campaigns adjusts itself to win Bud’s vote.

But throughout the process, both politicians are looking incredibly stupid in switching their political views for one man with the conservative President Boone now campaigning for liberal rights such as protecting the lake that Bud fishes in for environmental reasons, supporting gay rights, etc.  and for liberal Democrat Greenleaf, his campaigns now switching to conservative trying to prevent illegal aliens in order to get the swing vote.

President Boone’s campaign advisor Martin Fox (Tucci) goes so far by having NASCAR Richard Petty go to the home of the Johnson’s and entice him to drive his car to Air Force One for a meeting.  While Greenleaf’s campaign advisor Art Crumb (Lane) has a party with all of Bud’s favorite food and even had a major commercial with Willie Nelson (Bud’s favorite performer) asking Bud to support his friend Greenleaf.

“SWING VOTE” pokes fun at the Presidential elections and how far a candidate would go to win.  The film is in essence a comedy but there are serious moments when Bud realizes that he just likes the attention he’s getting and ignoring the issues that people care about.  In fact, Molly has been so busy trying to make her father look good, she’s been answering those who have written to her father and noticing that her father hardly has time for her and that he’s becoming something that she doesn’t approve of.

Meanwhile, the President and Greenleaf can’t believe how they have strayed from their own political views and have let down the people who have supported them.  What makes “SWING VOTE” truly work is Costner able to fit into the role of Bud so perfectly.  The mannerisms and the style, Costner does a great job.  But the star who shined is the young Madeline Carroll as Molly Johnson.  For her first film, she hits a home run with her performance.  From the comedy to the tearful, emotional scenes…she was perfect.

And the same goes to Kelsey Grammer as President Boone and Hopper as Greenleaf and a lot of talent in this film.  But to make things even more realistic, was the fact that the key figures that we have watched in the news or on television reporting on the elections such as Campbell Brown, Tucker Carlson, James Carville, Ariana Huffington, Aaron Brown, Larry King, Bill Maher and even Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart and many more took part in this film to make the whole political atmosphere seem realistic.  But most of all, the many people who came out for the live debates or those who participated in the film (as the budget couldn’t afford thousands of people to bein the film,  thus the director and Kevin Costner had contests and Costner performed live in order for people to come out and they got thousands of participants) and made the film much more realistic.

I was quite pleased with the film and even moreso, on Blu-ray!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“SWING VOTE” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1).  The colors are vibrant and the location of being in New Mexico, with the hills, the clouds and everything seemed to work in capturing the beauty of that state.  The Blu-ray brought out the characters and of course, for those Blu-ray fans who go crazy over skin pores and wrinkles and such, this film really captures it well.  I was very pleased with the cinematography and the overall quality in Blu-ray.  Absolutely beautiful to watch!

As for the audio, audio is presented in English 5.1 DTS (48 khz/24-bit) and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.  I can tell you that from the opening menu and throughout the film, music plays a big role in the film and really comes alive on your front speakers.  Of course, the film is a dialogue-based film but you do get a sense of surround with crowd noises and such.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“SWING VOTE” comes with several special features:

• Inside the Campaign: The Politics of Production is a 13-minute featurette that goes into how certain scenes were made and working with the talent on the film.  Interviews with the talent.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes (with optional Director’s Commentary) features certain scenes that were cut due to pacing.   Overall good choices on the cuts.
• Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Joshua Michael Stern and writer Jason Richman is a very informative commentary about working with the cast especially in key moments such as Molly’s emotional scenes and how it wasn’t difficult to direct her.  They asked her what they need and she delivered which was very rare for a child actor.  Also, during the Presidential debates of how they were able to get thousands of people who were willing to be part of the film (they didn’t have the budget to pay thousands of people) by having contests and Kevin Costner performing live (note: Costner and his band Modern West performs live on this film).  Also, how they found certain areas to film and how sometimes there were freak storms that had to be fixed in post production or reshot.

“SWING VOTE” is deifnitely a comedy that I enjoyed from beginning to end.  There are so much talent in this film, especially for the news talent who cover politics to be involved in this film made things a bit more realistic.  Costner as Bud Johnson is literally a guy that some look at as a guy who wasted his life, always drunk and he fit the role perfectly.  Madeline Carroll, is definitely a young actress who truly shined and Kelsey Grammer does a remarkable job.  I know for some, Dennis Hopper as a good guy, Democrat may feel it’s a bit unusual due to his villain roles in the past but he does well.

Of course, with a satire on the political process, there has to be missteps with “SWING VOTE” right?  There are a few things that may raise some eyebrows, not necessarily in a good way.  There are a lot of corporate branding in this film.  Those who despite any corporate product placement or name dropping in a film, may have problems with that on this film.

Another is the hilarious commercials that are targeted to Bud.  Of course, some may wonder why would a candidate waste millions of dollars on their campaigns on television ads just for Bud?  Perhaps this takes the political satire too far for some.

And of course, for a lighthearted comedy, you get a serious moment in the film in which Molly who is disenchanted with her father visits her mother that she has never seen but she’s all drugged out and wants nothing to do with her.  A really good performance by Mare Winningham and a serious scene but for some, it may seem out of place for a comedy.  [note: the Director's commentary goes into why the scene was included].

But there are some key moments that I was touched.  This small town of Texico and seeing how others in Molly’s class were not fortunate as well, many have parents unemployed and really hurting financially.  As smart and intelligent Molly may be, the strain that she takes on because her father’s inability to take control of his life and all of America’s eyes are on this family becomes to hard for her to bare.  There are a good number of touching moments throughout the film and you hope that Bud and even the politicians will find some redemption.

But all in all, the fact is that films that revolve around politics, especially in today’s depressing economic times can really put people off.   When this film was released in the theaters, America’s presidential elections were so in-your-face, televised and covered/parodied to the extreme and there were those who were so serious minded about the candidates and those who were just put off of hearing about politics all the time, I don’t even know if this film had a chance in such circumstances.

Fast forward to a new year and now we have the film out on Blu-ray.  All I can say is that “SWING VOTE” is one of those films that depends on one’s state of mind.  If you are disenchanted by the political system and want to stray far away from it, then this film is not going to win you over.   Personally, I was really impressed by Costner and Carroll who really delivered in their roles and supported by a cast that also did a great job.  I was entertained and enjoyed the film from beginning to end and sure, the film was a bit contrived especially on how it pokes fun at major political issues and such but the tensions I personally had of the US Presidential elections before November, at the time when this film came out in theaters, and now watching it months after the elections is now gone.  It was great to watch this film and not think of what kind of important message it would have or if it would influence America.  I just enjoyed the film for what it is, laughed and had a good time.

“SWING VOTE” may not be for everyone but if you are looking for a comedy that is enjoyable and possibly inspiring for some, definitely give it a try!

“The Okiura animated classic of an alternate Japan caught in chaotic turmoil with a modern twist of the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ storyline is not only enjoyable but even more visually stunning and gratifying on Blu-ray! Includes a 500+ page storyboard booklet, a 20-page booklet…  You can’t go wrong with this awesome release!”

TITLE: JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade

DURATION: 102 minutes + 2 minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 16:9 (1080p Hi-Def), Japanese Liner PCM 5.1ch or Linear PCM (Dolby Surround), English Dolby Digital 5.1 ch, Japanese and English Subtitles

CATALOG #: BUXH0140

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATED: Suggested 16 & Up

Directed by Hiroyuki Okiura

Originally created by Mamoru Oshii

Original Character Designs by Hiroyuki Okiura

ADR Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi

Screenplay by Mamoru Oshii

Character Design: Tetsuya Nishio

Art Director: Hiromasa Ogura

Storyboards: Hiroyuki Okiura

Music: Masayoshi Furukawa, Tsuneo Imahori, Yoko Kanno, Mario Klemens, Hajime Mizoguchi, Yoichi Okabe, Keishi Urata, Hitoshi Watanabe

Sumi Mutoh as Kei Amemiya

Yoshikatsu Fujiki as Kazuki Fuse

Hiroyuki Kinoshita as Atsuhi Henmi

Yoshisada Sakaguchi as Hachiroh Tohbe

Eri Sendai as Nanami Agawa

Kenji Nakagawa as Isao Aniya

Kousei Hirota as Bunmei Muroto

Ryuichi Horibe as Shiroh Tatsumi

Tamio Ohki as CAPO Officer

Yoshisada Sakaguchi as Narrator

Yukihiro Yoshida as Hajime Handa

Yukio Hiroda as Bunmei Muroto

A modern adaption of “Red Riding Hood” featuring stunning visuals during a wartime setting of an alternate Japan and a tragic story with a twist.

When the film came out in 2000, many viewers were just in awe of the animated film that was created with a traditional cel animation, with it’s care in detail to the backgrounds, the architectural landscapes and most of all, the brooding images of the Panzer cop.  The story is based on Oshii’s Kerberos saga manga “Ken-Roh Densetsu” written back in 1988 through 2000 but where the manga and live action films are set in an alternate Japan in 2000, “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” takes place in the 1950’s and a different timeline in which Japan is not defeated by the Americans but instead defeated by the Germans.

The backdrop of the this storyline is a time in Japan where government is corrupt and guerrilla organizations against the government is growing.  As for the government, the Metropolitan Police aka CAPO was created to fight these organizations, while the regular police aka “Self-Police” has their own division and somehow these two divisions are entwined in political corruption.

In the film, we see the Guerrilla group known as “The Sect” in operation as a protest is taking place between people against the government while the self-police stand watch with their shields.  Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police aka stands guard with their tanks and will assist the “Self-Police” if they need assistance.    “The Sect” prepare their weaponry against the self-police and a young teenage girl (known as “Red Riding Hoods”) delivering a bag to a guy.  The guy throws the bag towards the police and blast kills and injures many and thus chaos ensues as the police and the protestor’s clash.

Meanwhile underground, some of “The Sect” members armed with grenade launchers and weapons start maneuvering through the sewers but is caught by the 1st Patrol Unit of the Panzer Corp (unlike regular CAPO, these wear German-like, menacing armory with a mask and red penetrating lights as eyes) and the Panzer Corp. literally kills them all.  As for the “Red Riding Hood”, she is caught by one of the patrol units but instead of shooting her, he asks her “Why?”, while he receives orders to shoot her.  But seeing her cringing in fear and unarmed, he hesitates until the girl pulls a string and her bag and she detonates herself.

Because the one soldier, named Kazuki Fuse didn’t fire, due to the the politics surrounding the government, the CAPO and Self-Police, the CAPO embarrased that their own soldier disobeyed orders, an inquiry is done to find out why he didn’t shoot and thus he is put back in retraining.  What is puzzling to government and even members of the CAPO is why Fuse didn’t shoot the girl.  Fuse doesn’t even know why he didn’t shoot.

Fuse feeling some guilt because of her death, starts doing some research on her and to get to know her name.  Fuse tries to find out more information about the girl that detonated herself and his friend from the academy, Atsuhi Henmi (who works with the CAPO’s rival, the Public Security) meets Fuse secretly and is there to help him and give him the information he needs.

Fuse then goes to the area of where her ashes are and sees another girl that looks like her.  This grieving girl is standing and mourning and eventually the two strike a conversation and the girl claims to be the dead girl’s older sister, Kei.

Ultimately, Fuse and Kei enjoy their company together and Kei gives Fuse a book titled “”Rotkäppchen” (Little Red Riding Hood).  This story is much more darker as the young girl who has never seen her mother for several years decides to visit her.  As she goes to visit her home, she is asked by the wolf, do you take the path full of pins or the path full of needles.  The young girl takes the path of pins and thus the wolf takes the other path and kills her mother.  When Little Red Riding Hood arrives home, the wolf disguised as her mother, tells her to come in.  Little Red Riding Hood is hungry and the Wolf tells her to eat the meat in the fridge.  A cat warns her to not eat the meat because that is the flesh of her mother.  The Wolf says it’s not true and to throw a wooden shoe at the cat.  So, she eats the meat.  Red Riding Hood is thirsty and the wolf tells her to drink the wine.  A bird warns her telling her that is blood of her mother.  Red Riding Hood asks her mother (the wolf) and the Wolf tells her to drink it and throw her robe at the bird.  Thus she drinks it.  Red Riding Hood joins her mother at the bed and saying, “What big eyes you have”, “What big teeth you have” and “what big claws you have”…

Eventually, Fuse and Kei becoming closer and closer and start having feelings for each other.  But somehow, Fuse gets these dark images in his head.  Somehow the “Red Riding Hood” story has some affect on him and he has these nightmares of Kei being killed by gunfire and another which has him and pack of wolves following Kei and the wolves start to devour her.

Meanwhile, we see the government ala Public Security (the rival of the CAPO/Panzer Corp.) led by Fuse’s friend Henmi meeting with the Self-Police.  You learn that Kei lied to Fuse and that she is working with the Public Security as a trap against the CAPO.  But while they are secretly meeting, they keep asking each other about a secret counter-intelligence division called the Wolf Brigade.  A possible fact or rumor that there is a secret group that watches over these organizations but no one knows if its true.

Meanwhile, Fuse sees someone comes out of his room and intrigue of what they were doing in his room, he searches and spots and envelope containing photos of Henmi and Kei in the back of his car.  He immediately gets a call from Kei saying that men are after her but it’s all part of a trap by the Public Security and Self-Police to discredit the CAPO.  But Fuse manages to get Kei out of the building and the two are on the run.  You realized that the two have fond feelings for each other.

Without spoiling the many twists and turns of the film, you watch and learn that the “Little Red Riding Hood” story that Kei reads to Fuse, is probably closer to life.  Who among them is the wolf and who is Red Riding Hood.  Who is being betrayed?

“JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” is definitely one of those films that keeps your attention as you keep up with who is telling the truth, who is lying and thus twists and turns are set along the way.  Not until the final 15-minutes do you find out the truth and you realize that this film is indeed a modern spin on the “Little Red Riding Hood” storyline.

VIDEO:

The video for this anime film is presented in 16:9 1080p Hi-Def. One must remember that this film was created in 1999, because it was in development for three years, it was created via traditional cel animation and not via digital that many people are familiar with these days.

But for anime fans, you look at what the art director and their staff had to pull of to make this story come alive.   That involves creating an alternate Japan, awesome visuals that when you see the backdrops and just the amount of detail in each painting, it’s quite stunning to look at.  Also, because this film’s setting takes place in the 1950’s, you get a little aged look and thus you don’t get eye popping colors, there is a slight haze to the film.

On Blu-ray and at 1080p, the Blu-ray manages to keep that beauty intact for a film of its age but for those not familiar with older anime films, especialy if one views the eye popping, vibrant colors of animated films today, some may have trouble with it.  This film is artistically beautiful when it comes to the details but not vibrant with sharp and bright colors coming at you.

In an interview with the director/animator Hiroyuki Okiura, Okiura says that filters were used during the photography to create a certain sense of space.  He also goes on to say that the HD version of the film is closer to the original film than the DVD ever was and even had requests for the engineers to make happen on the Blu-ray version.  Details that were hard to see during the dark in the DVD can now be seen in the Blu-ray version.

AUDIO:

I watched the film both in Japanese and English.  The Japanese is featured in Linear PCM 5.1ch and Linear PCM Dolby Surround.  The English track is in Dolby Digital 5.1ch.  During the action segments especially the machine gun rattling, your surround system really comes alive.  In fact, I kept repeating the gun shots just to hear it over and enjoy the clarity of that sound.  Both are well-acted in Japanese and English dub.

In the interview with the director Okiura (in a booklet that comes with the Blu-ray box set), Okiura talks about how they wanted to use the 5.1ch surround to showcase certain sounds like leaves rustling when one steps on them.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

As for special features on disc, you can choose from subtitled or non-subtitled trailers (four total).  So, really, there aren’t any major special features but in this box set, there is something that will be of satisfaction to “JIN-ROH” fans.

Included in this Blu-ray box set is a 524-page storyboard booklet.  This has the complete storyboards and of the many anime I do own, outside of the recent Studio 4C “Amazing Nuts” DVD special edition which came with an awesome booklet, “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” was simply a great addition for the fans of the film.

And that’s not it, you also get a 20-page booklet which includes a writeup on “JIN-ROH”, a booklet featuring a comparison of storyboards and the actual animation but also an interview with the director Hiroyuki Okiura.  In the writeup, Chikashi Saito actually makes some clarifications as many call “JIN-ROH” the final analog film.  But we learn that although the film was constructed via analog there are a few scenes that do employ some CG work and the digital editing system Avid was used for post-production work.

But the best part of the booklet is the interview with Okiura who talks about the actual colors of the film, the use of sound and also why he made some changes from Oishii’s screenplay on his animated version and more.  Overall, a pretty cool interview to read.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed watching “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” on Blu-ray.  One thing that I have noticed in animations is that with Blu-ray, things that are in the dark, you are able to see much more detail in the darkness and even the director noted that in his interview.

Also, I have to give Bandai Entertainment/Bandai Visual credit for bringing quite a number of their older films on Blu-ray and “JIN-ROH: The Wolf’s Brigade” is definitely a classic that received awesome treatement in this release.

It’s one thing to have the release (in Japanese and English) and watch it in 1080p but with “JIN-ROH”, like “ROYAL SPACE FORCE”, there is so much detail in the overall artwork that just simply looks stunning on Blu-ray.  Granted, this is not a film that spotlights vibrant colors but it’s a film that looked beautiful then and it look beautiful now.  The artistic detail in this film is spectacular and in balance with a film with a unique storyline, you can only hope that there is another animated film that takes place in Oishii’s “Kerberos Saga” and you can only think what upcoming film will be coming from director Okiura next.

I do wish there were more special features included on the Blu-ray disc but Bandai made up for that with the inclusion of the thick storyboard booklet and the addition of the 20-page booklet with an interview with Okiura.

If you enjoyed this film, are a fan of the “Kerberos Saga” manga series or fans of Okiura or Oishii’s work, this Blu-ray release of “JIN-ROH: The Wolf Brigade” would make awesome addition to your anime Blu-ray collection.

“The classic 1957 musical ‘Funny Face’ is just a beautiful, fun and enchanting film and it finally gets its definitive DVD release!  Paramount’s dedication to quality towards their classics through their Centennial Collection featuring a beautiful remastered version of the film, more special features but most of all, their dedication in giving these classics the special attention that these films deserve.  This remastered version of ‘Funny Face’ is absolutely fantastic!”

Images courtesy of © 2008 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.”

TITLE: Funny Face: Centennial Collection

DURATION: 103 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, Region 1, 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital, Mono, Restored Mono, English Subtitled, French Dubbed & Subtitled, Spanish Dubbed & Subtitled

RATED: NOT RATED

COMPANY: Paramount Home Entertainment

Directed by Stanley Donen

Written by Leonard Gershe

Produced by Roger Edens

Songs staged by Stanley Donen

Choreography by Eugene Loring and Fred Astaire

Music and Lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin

Starring:

Audrey Hepburn (as Jo Stockton)

Fred Astaire (as Dick Avery)

Kay Thompson (as Maggie Prescott)

Michael Auclair (as Professor Flostre)

This filmed version of the 1927 George Gershwin Broadway musical Funny Face utilizes the play’s original star, Fred Astaire, and several of the original tunes, then goes merrily off on its own. Astaire is cast as as fashion photographer Dick Avery (a character based on Richard Avedon, the film’s “visual consultant”), who is sent out by his female boss Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson) to find a “new face”. It doesn’t take Dick long to discover Jo (Audrey Hepburn, who does her own singing), an owlish Greenwich Village bookstore clerk. Acting as Pygmalion to Jo’s Galatea, Dick whisks the wide-eyed girl off to Paris and transforms her into the fashion world’s hottest model. Along the way, he falls in love with Jo, and works overtime to wean her away from such phony-baloney intellectuals as Professor Emile Flostre (Michel Auclair). The Gershwin tunes include the title song, “S’wonderful”, “How Long Has This Been Going On” and “He Loves and She Loves”; among the newer numbers is Kay Thompson’s energetic opener “Think Pink”. For years available only in washed-out, flat prints, Funny Face was eventually restored to its full Technicolor and VistaVision glory.

Think Pink! S’wonderful!  Songs that are among the many wonderful memories from the classic love story and popular 1957 musical “Funny Face” starring Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson featuring memorable Gershwin songs, exciting choreography, beautiful fashion and beautiful scenes shot in Paris.  “Funny Face” was not just a regular musical of that time, it was a special film that highlights the style of an era and of course, another stunning fashion collaboration between Audrey Hepburn and her designer Hubert de Givenchy.  And also bringing together two top tier music talents such as Astaire and Thomas, all three in one film is just fantastic!

The film starts off with publisher and editor of Quality Magazine, Maggie Prescott (Thompson), looking for a new fashion trend.  A woman that exhibits beauty and intellect and both Prescott and fashion photographer, Dick Avery (Astaire) decide to look for this woman who can “think as well as they look”.  So, the two along with the magazine staff visit a bookstore (Embryo Concepts) in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, they meet Jo Stockton, a shy bookstore clerk who also has a passion for philosophy.

Prescott tries to convince Stockton to consider becoming a model for the magazine but she does not want any part of it.  But Prescott, quite persistent in having Stockton become this new face, tricks her to bringing books to the offices of Quality Magazine.  As Stockton tries to hide from staff, she hides in the film developing room where Dick Avery is working.  Having known that Stockton’s dream is to go to Paris and attend a lecture of renown philosopher, Professor Emil Flostre, Avery convinces her that by becoming a model for Quality Magazine will eventually bring her to Paris and attending the lecture of her favorite philosopher.

So, off to Paris they go and as Dick and Jo spend time together, they eventually start to fall in love.  As Jo is being prepared for the Gala to introduce her as the new fashion trend for Quality Magazine, she gets caught up in a lecture for her favorite philosopher, Emil Flostre that she forgets to attend the Gala.  Thus Dick goes to look for her and causing a scene that embarrasses her in front of Flostre.  But it seems that all is lost.  Quality Magazine may not have their model.  Dick may have lost the special woman in his life and as for Jo, she may have lost the one person that she truly loves.

“Funny Face” is a classic from it’s first song sung with Kay Thompson belting out “Think Pink” to the three talents singing in Paris, Audrey Hepburn’s dance at a bar (which many have seen through a recent GAP commercial), to Astaire’s talents as a vocalist and dancer and Gershwin songs such as “S’Wonderful”, “How Long Has This Been Going On” and “He Loves and She Loves” but for film-goers at the time, it was a film that utilized the VistaVision technology (a higher resolution and widescreen technology developed by Paramount in 1954 and an older technology that continues to be used today) and a film that featured the beauty of Paris.  Talented actors, beautiful outfits, beautiful music taking place in a beautiful city, there’s nothing funny about “Funny Face”, the film is just overall… Beautiful!

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The film is presented in widescreen format, enhanced for 16:9 TV’s. A lot of the Centennial Collection releases have been remastered for high definition and having the previous DVD’s, I can tell you that the DVD looks great.   The shots of Paris from yesteryear to the dreamlike scenes between Astaire and Hepburn as they dance to Thompson’s “Think Pink” and white and pink just stands out.  There are just many of these classic scenes that the remastered video make the film come alive.  But I can only imagine how this film would look in 1080P if released in Blu-ray.

Audio is featured in Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround/English, Restored Mono, French Mono and Spanish Mono. The film of course is dialogue-driven but for those who love those Gershwin classics, they do come alive for this film courtesy of the Dolby Digital 5.1 track.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Similar to the three previous “Centennial Collections” from Paramount, the special features are all on disc 2.  Because “Funny Face” was released in 2007 as a DVD, some of the special features from that disc can be found on this Centennial Collection but there are a few new features included as well.

• Kay Thompson: “Think Pink” - Kaye Thompson who played Maggie Prescott was a woman who was known for her quick wit, her sharp tongue and multi-talented.  Her friends and people she worked with take part in this near-27 minute featurette in which they talk about her past, her work in “Funny Face”, the memories they had working with her but also her contributions as an author with her popular books series “Eloise”.  It was a great featurette to have included on this DVD.
• This is VistaVision - A 25-minute featurette about the history of the VistaVision technology, the films that used it and the films that continue to use it today.  A very interesting featurette especially for those who are interested in learning more about another technology outside of Anamorphic CinemaScope and the beginning of hi-res Widescreen film.
• Fashion Photographers Exposed - A 18-minute featurette about fashion photographers and how “Funny Face” inspired many of them but also giving us an idea of the life of a fashion photographer and how the work of a fashion photographer in reality differs from Dick Avery’s character from the film and all the staff involved with working with a fashion photographer.
• The Fashion Designer & His Muse - An eight minute featurette (that was included in the original 2007 DVD release) about Audrey Hepburn and her designer Hubert de Givenchy.
• Parisian Dreams - An eight minute featurette about “Funny Face”, a love story set in Paris and how Paris enhances a love story. Originally included in the original 2007 DVD release.
• Paramount in the 50’s - Retrospective Featurette - A near ten minute featurette on Paramount and it’s popular films in the 1950’s, featured in various Paramount releases.
• Galleries - Featuring production stills, movie stills and publicity shots for the film.

The Centennial Collection also comes with a booklet that features information of facts of the film which include how the film differs from the 1927 Broadway musical that starred Fred Astaire and sister Adele.  Also, the collaboration of screenplay writer Leonard Gershe and collaborating with real-life fashion photographer Richard Avedon and much more!

And the DVD is just classy with it’s black and gold packaging (which most of the Centennial Collection are packaged) and ditching the pink and white packaging.

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