Transformers (2007) (Blu-ray) Paramount Home Entertainment / 2007 / 143 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: September 02, 2008
Overall Grade 
Highly recommendedGenre: Sci-fi action-thriller, Comic-based adaptation
Starring: Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, Jon Voight, and Hugo Weaving
Director: Michael Bay
Disc Features:
Disc One:
- Audio Commentary - Things kick off with a solo screen-specific commentary from Michael Bay. Although he has a reputation as an arrogant, obnoxious guy (hardly the type of person you'd want to spend 143 minutes with), I have to say that the director really won me over with this consistently engaging track. Granted, he bounces all over the place, starting on one aspect, interrupting it with another (whether it is to make fun of Shia LeBeouf's "mangy" hair or John Turturro's underwear), and then veering off on yet another, but somehow he manages to keep it all together, tackling everything from the getting that first call from executive producer Steven Spielberg, to the CGI advancements required to bring the film's robots to life, to staging the ridiculous amounts of action. Simply put, this is a great commentary.
Disc Two:
- Documentary: "Our World" (HD, 51 minutes) - We begin with "The Story Sparks" (9 minutes), which proved to be my fave of the bunch. As you might expect, Bay, Steven Spielberg and all of the main cast and crew appear by way of interviews, but what's cool here is that we also take a trip to Hasbro's headquarters to get a look back at the history of the original Transformers toy line and cartoon series. There is some hilarious vintage footage of old commercials, plus reactions from the fervent Transformers fan community. This one reminds us that 'Transformers' truly was a highly-anticipated "event," and that like any high-profile comic book movie, the die-hard fans had their knives out and sharpened for Bay and his collaborators to fail.
The content gets a bit more traditional with the next three segments. "Human Allies" (13 minutes) introduces us to the main characters, including their casting, and relative thoughts on tackling a movie about toys. There are also some funny thoughts on "Bayham," i.e., the director's legendary on-set enthusiasm.
"I Fight Giant Robots" (14 minutes) focuses on the military aspects of the movie, including Bay's insistence on receiving cooperation from the Army to ensure that the movie would be accurate (or as accurate as possible considering the nature of the story).
Finally, "Battleground" (14 minutes) is an extension of this, with extensive on-set footage that illustrates how intense filming such gargantuan action sequences can be. It's surprising just how many of the stunts were live-action and not CGI -- and damn is that Optimus Prime truck scary.
- Documentary: "Their War" (HD, 5 minutes) - The second documentary focuses on the Autobots and the Decepticons. "Rise of the Robots" (14 minutes) looks at the big decisions that had to be made -- which robots, what they would look like, and how to deflect the inevitable fan backlash in reaction to the changes that needed to be made in bringing iconic characters to the big screen.
Next, we have "Autobots Roll Out" (20 minutes) and "Decepticons Strike" (14 minutes). We learn here that 'Transformers' forced new advancements in the art of CGI rendering -- apparently the multitude of working parts of the robots and the need to create photo-realistic textures proved to be an incredibly complex undertaking.
Finally, rounding out the documentary material is "Inside the Allspark" (17 minutes), which goes into even more minute detail on the various CGI elements -- animatics, renderings, surface texture, light sources, etc. I wished for a bit more of a genuine wrap-up to the whole doc here, but this one certainly tells you just about everything you need to know about creating a CGI robot.
- From Script to Sand: "The Skorponok Desert Attack" (HD, 9 minutes) - Rounding out the main video extras is a straightforward dissection of said effects scene. It's exactly how it sounds, with script excerpts compared to rough and final film footage.
- Still Gallery: "Concepts" (HD, 2 minutes) - A pithy montage of stills, this was the only section of the supplements that left me underwhelmed. With all of its various robots, a movie like 'Transformers' really cries out for extensive concept art and various renderings, not just a few meager pics.
- Theatrical Trailers (HD) - Finally, we get two theatrical trailers and a teaser for 'Transformers.' (Note there are also hidden easter eggs featuring a third trailer, plus a spot for 'Iron Man.')
Married Life (Blu-ray) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2008 / 90 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: September 02, 2008
Genres: Drama, comedy
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, Rachel McAdams
Plot Synopsis: A strong blend of suspense, star-crossed romance and wry comedy of manners, Married Life is an unconventional human drama about the irresistible power and utter madness of love. Harry (Chris Cooper) decides he must kill his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson) because he loves her too much to let her suffer when he leaves her. Harry and his much younger girlfriend Kay (Rachel McAdams) are head over heels in love but his best friend Richard (Pierce Brosnan) wants to win Kay for himself. As Harry implements his awkward plan for murdering his wife, the other characters are occupied with their own deceptions. Like Harry, they are overwhelmed by their passions, but still struggle to avoid hurting others. Married Life is an uncommonly adult film that surprises and confounds expectations. While it plays with mystery and intrigue, its ultimate concern is: What is Married Life? In its sly way, Married Life poses perceptive questions about the seasonal discontents and unforeseen joys of of all long-term relationships.
Disc Features:
- Audio Commentary - Director Ira Sachs goes solo on this track. He's a thorough and well-researched speaker, however, so the pace never lags. He concentrates largely on the story and thematic elements, and speaks extensively of his cast (no surprise, he raves about them). Sachs is also nothing if not slavish in his devotion to his influences, and name-checks about every director of prominence over the past several years. Sachs rounds out his track by talking about the test screenings the film underwent (which resulted in, amongst other changes, different endings) plus some of his own personal history, including a spy novel he wrote which wound up influencing the movie. I didn't expect to enjoy this multi-layered commentary as much as I did, so if you at all appreciate the film, this track is well worth checking out.
- Alternate Endings (SD, 19 minutes) - There are three here, and though they all begin relatively the same way, the tone and outcome is quite different. One is exceptionally dark, one more upbeat, and the other right down the middle. Though I generally liked the ending of the completed theatrical cut, these three alternates are intriguing in how they're capable of quite radically altering our perception of what has come before. Video is presented in 480i/MPEG-2, and Sachs provides optional commentary for all three endings.
Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (Blu-ray) Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: September 02, 2008
Genres: Animated, Comic Book
Disc Features:
• Featurettes: "Legacy: The Making of Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow," "Kid Power: Next Gen Marvel"
• First looks at the upcoming titles Hulk Vs. Wolverine and Hulk Vs. Thor.
The Invincible Iron Man (Blu-ray) Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: September 02, 2008
Genres: Animated, Comic Book
Plot Synopsis: The Invincible Iron Man is an origin story that follows billionaire inventor Tony Stark as he raises a long-buried city in China and awakens an unspeakable evil that only the armor-clad Iron Man can destroy in a battle of modern technology versus eastern mythology.
Disc Features:
• Featurette
• Alternate opening
• Conceptual art gallery
• First looks at the upcoming Marvel Animated Features Hulk Vs. Wolverine and Hulk Vs. Thor
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