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Less filling than our full-length reviews but still informative, our DVD capsule reviews offer technical and supplemental information for each release, along with a quick look at whether the title is any good and/or entertaining or enjoyable.
AKIRA
Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyo's darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject. Tetsuo, captured by the military, is subjected to experiments that make him a powerful psychic, but unfortunately for Neo-Tokyo, Tetsuo's powers range out of control and he lashes out at the world that has oppressed him. Nothing can stop the destructive forces that Tetsuo wields except possibly the last boy to destroy Tokyo - Akira!
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![[Akira]</TD](/images/posters/dvd/big/akira.jpg)
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Length: 180 minutes
Screen Formats: 1.85:1, 16x9 Languages: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Sides: 2 Discs |
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Part of that's due to the charismatic cast and the wonderful performances they deliver. Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins ("The Silence of the Lambs," "The Edge") has always been one of my favorite actors and he seems to have a knack for picking roles that suit him well. Always believable as the suave tycoon, Hopkins perfectly fits into his role, although his character doesn't always react the way he probably should, a point we'll touch on in a moment.
While some may question the casting of Brad Pitt ("Twelve Monkeys," "Seven Years in Tibet") as the Grim Reaper along with his subsequent take on how that being would react once in a human body, I found his performance to be a finely tuned balance of "fish out of water" innocence coupled with potentially eruptive doom. Eliciting many laughs from his surprised but subdued reactions to new experiences and sensations, his performance is thematically similar to that of Jeff Bridges' role in "Starman."
Claire Forlani ("Basquiat," "The Rock"), while inhabiting a decidedly less developed character than her male counterparts, is still quite stunning, gorgeous and a perfect counter to Brad Pitt for the men in the audience.
Although a more substantial fleshing out of her character would have better suited Forlani, she easily holds her own in the midst of her highly acclaimed leading men. Supporting performances from the likes of Marcia Gay Harden, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jake Weber are solid across the board.
Director Martin Brest, who often takes years between his projects (his last before this being 1992's "Scent of a Woman" after "Midnight Run" and "Beverly Hills Cop"), allows his performers and their characters all the time in the world to do their thing.
Working from a script by Ron Osborn & Jeff Reno (collaborators on "Radioland Murders" and "The Hard Way") and Kevin Wade ("Working Girl," "Junior") and two-time Oscar winner Bo Goldman ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Melvin and Howard"), Brest is never in any hurry to move the story along. Thus, the film's languid pace will certainly divide viewers over whether such a unhurried plot is a good or bad thing.
The film easily could have been trimmed by an hour or so without losing an ounce of material. While Brest appears to have purposefully paced the film to elicit that near hypnotic effect and such shortening could have hampered that, the film clearly would have benefited from another trip or two to the editing booth.
Accompanied by a great, hauntingly sentimental score by past Oscar nominee Thomas Newman ("The Shawshank Redemption) and a luscious production design courtesy of fellow Oscar nominee Dante Ferretti ("Interview With The Vampire"), the film, however, does look and sound great.
It's also filled with great performances, a clever script with more laughs than one would probably imagine from a picture such as this, and the life/death premise that's always intriguing. Although it doesn't offer the "It's A Wonderful Life" style lessons, and doesn't hit the obligatory emotional notes until late in the film, it's still quite good despite its length.
Meet Joe Black - Ultimate Edition is now available for purchase by clicking here.
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Length: 124 minutes
Screen Formats: 2.35:1, 16x9, Full Screen (Pan & Scan) Languages: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Sides: 2 (dual layer) |
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That's the underlying gist of "Notting Hill," a sweet and mostly winning romantic drama/comedy that reunites actor Hugh Grant with the writer and producer of the smashingly successful "Four Weddings and a Funeral."
Comparisons between that movie and this one are inevitable and somewhat justified, what with Grant essentially playing the same sort of character who's surrounded by somewhat eccentric friends -- one with a disability -- and meets and falls for an American woman but is flustered by the complications of romance.
Yet, where "Four Weddings" played as a romantic comedy and focused on the title's descriptive events, this one comes off as more of a bittersweet romantic drama with some comedic elements thrown in for good measure.
While it has the initial signs of being a traditional romantic comedy -- the romantic setup, the charismatic supporting characters, the witty writing and clever dialogue, and the awkward, initial attraction between the two lead characters -- much of the lighter material dries up about half way through this two-hour long film.
That's when it begins to focus more on the pitfalls of being famous. Taking a somewhat more realistic view of "celebrity-dom" than the recent "EdTV" or last year's "The Truman Show," director Roger Michell ("Persuasion") wisely chose two performers who not only click together, but are also no strangers to the paparazzi, tabloids, and having every minute detail of their lives -- usually the less favorable incidents whether true or not -- being exposed.
As such, Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant are believable in their roles and the chemistry between them feels realistic enough that you'll happily root for their success. In addition, few will be surprised when the filmmakers throw various obstacles in their way and have their relationship behave in the on-again, off-again style most romantic comedy fans are long accustomed to.
Of course, that's to be expected, but some of the reasons/rationale for their reuniting occasionally feels a bit awkward or forced, with too much of screenwriter Richard Curtis' ("Four Weddings and A Funeral," "The Tall Guy") fingerprints on them.
Nonetheless, the cast is what really makes this film work. Roberts ("Conspiracy Theory," "Pretty Woman"), who can still wow audiences with a flash of that huge smile but can similarly touch them with a glance of vulnerability, is essentially playing this character in near autobiographical terms.
While I'm sure she's not the same person as Anna, she's certainly experienced the pros and cons of being famous. It clear that her celebrity status has infringed upon her romantic life -- all of which has been exposed for all its glory in the press -- which clearly allows Roberts to play her character with both empathy and a "battlefield" edginess that doesn't seem out of place after years in the unforgiving spotlight.
Hugh Grant ("Extreme Measures," "Nine Months"), who returns to the genre most suited for his usually somewhat reluctant, but sweet natured persona and character, is also no stranger to the repercussions of fame and bad decisions. Thankfully jettisoning the stammer that was cute in "Weddings" but became increasingly irritating in his later films, Grant delivers another good performance. Like Roberts, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, he's now cemented in the upper echelon of romantic comedy performers.
The film's true scene stealer, however, is Rhys Ifans ("Dancing at Lughnasa," "Twin Town") as William's uninhibited and earthy flatmate. While some might complain that his character feels a bit too artificially constructed as a comic-relief creation, Ifans plays him with so much goofy gusto that you can't help but grin whenever he shows up.
His appearance and then posing for the throngs of paparazzi in front of William's flat -- and just in his briefs -- is an instant and surefire audience pleasing moment. Other supporting bits by the likes of Tim McInnerny ("101 Dalmatians"), Gina McKee ("Naked") and Hugh Bonneville ("Tomorrow Never Dies") are all fine and perfect for a film such as this.
The picture does offer some truly funny scenes, such as when William shows up at Anna's hotel to meet her, but is mistaken for a reporter on her latest film's press junket. Quickly scrambling for a periodical affiliation -- he chooses the first he sees, "Horse and Hound" magazine -- Grant offers some delightfully amusing moments as that impromptu and bumbling fictitious reporter. Forced to ask questions of the cast while keeping some of them related to the horse and hound theme, the sequence is quite funny.
Another involves William's sister and his friends meeting Anna for the first time. That leads to some funny bits, but after a while, the film begins to lose its overall humorous tone. Although some humorous moments do later occur, and the film retains the seesaw relationship factor found in most every romantic comedy, it decidedly turns into much more of a straight drama in its second half.
While that's certainly not a fatal flaw, and the sheer charm and chemistry between its lead characters keeps the film afloat, fans of traditionally cheery romantic comedies may ultimately be a bit disappointed by the transition.
Beyond the somewhat melancholy turn of events, the film does have a small detail problem. Not until they're needed as a plot catalyst do the paparazzi show up, an odd fact considering all of the time Anna spends outdoors or on the streets with nary a camera or gawking fan in sight. While it's understood that the characters needed time together by themselves to better contrast the press invading moment, I kept finding myself wondering where in the heck they were.
It's a small point of contention, but others may have the same reaction. They may likewise wonder, despite several months passing by, why William -- after being discovered as Anna's "nighttime friend" -- suffers no paparazzi-related problems. After all, one would imagine that press coverage would be intense after the world's most famous actress has spent the night -- presumably for more than sleeping -- at your house.
Nonetheless, and despite the obligatory, but still satisfying predictable ending -- as well as the inevitable and impossible to dismiss comparisons to "Four Weddings" -- this film still manages to be quite enjoyable and benefits greatly from good writing, a great cast, and the hard to resist romantic comedy genre.
Notting Hill - Ultimate Edition is now available for purchase by clicking here.
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Length: 116 minutes
Screen Formats: 2.35:1, 16x9, Full Screen (Pan & Scan) Languages: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French Sound: Dolby Digital 5.0 , DTS Sides: 2 Discs (dual layer) |
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Not being familiar with the historical details of the real Patch Adams, it's unclear just how much artistic liberty and license director Tom Shadyac ("Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Nutty Professor) and writer Steve Oedekerk ("Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls," "Nothing To Lose") have taken with the source material.
Nonetheless, they have supplied Williams with more than ample amounts of funny material, much of which is presumably improved upon, if not wholly generated by the whirlwind comic himself. During the film's two hour runtime, we get to see Williams clowning around with patients, extemporaneously addressing a meat packers convention, and generally behaving in a manner (silly faces, walking, costumes, etc...) that would have resulted in his character being sent off to a mental asylum if he hadn't already previously committed himself.
The results are often quite funny, especially if you like Williams' seemingly (and probably real) impromptu bits and performances, and there are plenty of laughs to keep the audience in stitches throughout (pun intended). There are also plenty of heartfelt moments, and that's where the film nearly loses its balance several times.
While they're always of the viewer pleasing variety (e.g. A tear to your eye, a lump in your throat, but a smile on your face), a few of the sentimental moments -- if viewed out of context of the emotionally laden material in which they appear -- seem somewhat mawkish in design and delivery. Even so, and at least upon the first viewing of the film, you can't help but be overcome by their intended effect. As such, they, and their nice blend with the film's humor, have made this picture a big viewer favorite.
Of course, Williams' presence doesn't hurt either. While he may go occasionally go just a bit overboard in either direction (exaggerated humor and eye glistening), his performance is as engaging as ever. The supporting performances are all decent, but obviously fall into Williams' huge comedic shadow. Patch's nemesis, played by Bob Gunton ("Glory"), is appropriately menacing in a dramatic sense, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view) never gets to show a human side behind his dehumanizing (for the good of medicine) efforts. One keeps waiting for that one standard-issue scene where he and Patch finally, but only partially connect, but it never arrives.
Supporting star standout Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Happiness," "Boogie Nights") delivers another topnotch performance as the serious roommate, while relative newcomers Monica Potter ("Without Limits") as Patch's would-be girlfriend, and Daniel London as his somewhat nerdy colleague, are also good.
Unless you're a diehard cynic, you'll have no problem falling in behind, and enjoying Patch Adams the character and the movie, the latter of which is funny, moving, and best of all, rather entertaining despite its few flaws.
Patch Adams - Ultimate Edition is now available for purchase by clicking here.
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