Blu-ray 14th October Release

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Blu-ray)

Paramount Home Entetainment / 2008 / 122 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: October 14, 2008

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Genres: Action, adventure

Starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, and Shia LaBeouf
Director: Steven Spielberg

Plot Synopsis:
Nearly 20 years after riding his last Crusade, Harrison Ford makes a welcome return as archaeologist/relic hunter Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, an action-packed fourth installment that's, in a nutshell, less memorable than the first three but great nostalgia for fans of the series. Producer George Lucas and screenwriter David Koepp (War of the Worlds) set the film during the cold war, as the Soviets--replacing Nazis as Indy's villains of choice and led by a sword-wielding Cate Blanchett with black bob and sunglasses--are in pursuit of a crystal skull, which has mystical powers related to a city of gold. After escaping from them in a spectacular opening action sequence, Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young greaser (Shia LaBeouf) whose friend--and Indy's colleague--Professor Oxley (John Hurt) has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts. Whatever secrets the skull holds are tertiary; its reveal is the weakest part of the movie, as the CGI effects that inevitably accompany it feel jarring next to the boulder-rolling world of Indy audiences knew and loved. There's plenty of comedy, delightful stunts--ants play a deadly role here--and the return of Raiders love interest Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, once shrill but now softened, giving her ex-love bemused glances and eye-rolls as he huffs his way to save the day. Which brings us to Ford: bullwhip still in hand, he's a little creakier, a lot grayer, but still twice the action hero of anyone in film today. With all the anticipation and hype leading up to the film's release, perhaps no reunion is sweeter than that of Ford with the role that fits him as snugly as that fedora hat.

Disc Features:

Disc One:

• Featurette: "The Return of a Legend" (HD, 18 minutes) - Things kick off with this look back at the long, long (long!) development process behind 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.' All involved with the franchise admit to thinking the series was done with 'Last Crusade,' only to find that "the fans demanded" it, so 18 or so years later out pops this coda. The reality would not, of course, be quite so easy. As with all the featurettes, we get new interviews with just about everyone involved with the film, including Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford and all the major stars and crew, plus tons of behind-the-scenes footage. (The best part: The numerous clips from the past Indy films, which give us our first chance to see the classic trilogy in high-def.)
  
• Featurette: "Pre-Production" (HD, 11 minutes) - With the film finally greenlit, pre-production starts. The script elements, locations, costumes and final casting are all discussed, including the return of some familiar faces (including Karen Allen), and a few who are missing. Also cool is a look at all the Indy jackets and hats, and a cute montage of the various, discarded titles for the movie.
  
• Theatrical Trailers (HD) - We get two clips, a teaser and a trailer. Mysteriously, they are labeled "Trailer 2" and "Trailer 3." Where's "Trailer 1?" Hmmmm...
  

Disc Two:

• Production Diaries (HD, 80 minutes) - Disc two kicks off with the heart of the production featurettes, this six-part dissection of the entire production process. "The Making of the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls" is amazingly comprehensive (almost to the point of overkill), with the key sequences and plot concoctions being torn apart piece by piece. The doc is organized in a clear way around each main location, with the six sections being: "Shooting Begins: New Mexico," "Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut," "Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii," "On-Set Action," "Exploring Akator" and "Wrapping Up!"
  
• Featurette: "Warrior Makeup" (HD, 5 minutes) - A short look at the design and make-up for the film's temple natives, as seen in the final act.
  
• Featurette: "The Crystal Skulls" (HD, 10 minutes) - I thought these things looked silly, but apparently crystal skulls really do exist (Lucas even calls the film's plot "credible!") The various historical story elements are discussed, as is the conceptualization and creation of the extensive props seen in the film.
  
• Featurette: "Iconic Props" (HD, 10 minutes) - Spielberg intros yet more on the film's myriad of props, including various vehicles, costuming and, of course, Indy's famous bullwhip.
  
• Featurette: "The Effects of Indy" (HD, 22 minutes) - The meatiest of the additional featurettes, this visit to ILM examines all of the film's major effects elements. I was not a fan at all of the various CGI creatures that littered the film (especially those annoying gophers), but the film's makers only fawn over how great everything supposedly looks. There is also much discussion of how CGI composites have now replaced matte paintings and other traditional effects techniques. Also interesting is Spielberg chiming in on how the computer age has changed the way stunts are employed in an Indiana Jones film -- and not for the better, if you ask me.
  
• Featurette: "Adventures in Post-Production" (HD, 12 minutes) - A quick overview of the finishing touches, including final effects, fine-tuning the story, and a much-welcome visit with composer John Williams, who gets to revisit one of his most undeniably famous scores.
  
• Featurette: "Closing: Team Indy" (HD, 3 minutes) - The main featurettes wrap up with this cute curtain call of all major cast and crew.
  
• Pre-Visualization Sequences (HD, 14 minutes) - Three roughly four-minute segments are offered, each a rough CGI rendering of an action scene. The sequences are: "Area 51 Escape," "Jungle Chase" and "Ants Attack."
  
• Still Galleries (HD) - Rounding out disc two is this impressive set of still galleries. The navigation is easy, and the graphics slick. There are well over two hundred images, divided into three sections. Falling under the "Art Department" tag are "The Adventure Begins," "Cemetery and Jungle" and
  "Akator," while the late Stan Winston gives us "Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies" and "Aliens & Crystal Skulls." The last section features "Production Photographs," "Portraits" and "Behind-the-Scenes Photographs." All images are in HD resolution.

• Indiana Jones Timeline - This text- and graphic-based function makes use of the Blu-ray format's BD-Java capabilities, even if it's less interactive than I expected. There are three timelines -- "History," "Production" and "Story." Each is a sequential series of screens that tells a chronological narrative. In the case of "History," it gives us background on key real-life events that shaped the script. "Story" relays plot history about the Crystal Skulls and various characters in the film. Finally, "Production" gives milestones in the long and convoluted development process of the movie. None of this material is integrated at all with the main feature. This is really like an annotated still gallery, and is probably only for diehard fans of the film's mythology and Indy lore.

The Ultimate Matrix Collection (Blu-ray)

Warner Home Entertainment / 1999 / 406 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: October 14, 2008

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Genres: Action, Sci-fi, thriller

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Laurence Fishburne
Director: Wachowski Brothers

Disc Features:
Discs 1-3: Shared Extras

Note that there are a couple of shared features across the first three 'Matrix' movie discs. Each film gets:

• Introductions - "Written Introduction by the Wachowski Brothers is included for all three features. It's fine enough, and is repeated in the 16-page booklet included with the set.
  
• Audio Commentaries
  

Disc 1: 'The Matrix'

• Audio Commentaries - The original 'The Matrix' also includes two additional commentaries of its own. Carried over from the very first DVD release of the film is a track with effects personnel Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta, plus actress Carrie-Anne Moss, as well as a music-only track (in Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1) featuring comments from composer Don Davis (which are inserted in the silent passages, in between cues).
  

• "The Music Revisited" - A very cool feature. This is an exhaustive catalog of no less than forty-one(!) audio-only music cues from the film.
  
• Documentary: "The Matrix Revisited" - 'The Matrix Revisited' was first released as a stand-alone DVD, but has been integrated here in its original, complete form. It runs 122 minutes, and is quite exhaustive. Chronicling the entire production from November 1997 (the beginning of pre-production) to April 2000 (as preparation for the first sequel commenced), this is a thorough, exciting video diary that alone would have been enough coverage for me on the making of 'The Matrix.'
  
• Vignettes - Also included are the now-famous "Take the Red Pill" and "Follow the White Rabbit" vignettes that were presented as branching segments on the original DVD release. The material runs about 40 minutes, and each vignette is a narration-free, you-are-there look at a specific action sequence or other key scene. "Take the Red Pill" includes: "What is Bullet Time?" (6 min.) and "What is the Concept" (11 min.); "Follow the White Rabbit" includes: "Trinity Escapes" (1 min.), "Pod" (2 min.), "Kung Fu" (4 min.), "Wall" (2 min.), "Bathroom Fight" (2 min.), "Government Lobby" (4 min.), "Government Roof" (1 min.), "Helicopter" (1 min.) and "Subway" (4 min.).
  
• Promotional Gallery - The disc ends with 'The Matrix' original Theatrical Teaser and Trailer, eight TV spots, and a music video for Marilyn Manson's "Rock is Dead."
  

Disc 2: 'Matrix Reloaded'

• Documentary: "Enter the Matrix" - 42 minutes long, this compiles all of the footage shot by the Wachowski brothers specifically for the videogame.
  
• Documentary: "Car Chase " - This runs 55 minutes total and compiles nine segments, each dissecting one particular aspect of 'Reloaded's action piece de resistance: "Oakland Streets and Freeway" (10 min.), "Tour of Meroinigian's Garage" (2 min.), "Queen of the Road" (3 min.), "Arteries of the Mega-City" (12 min.), "Foresight: Preplanning the Mayhem" (6 min.), "Freeway Truck Crash: Anatomy of a Shot" (5 min.), "Fate of the Freeway" (2 min.) and "Freeway Action Match" (14 min.)
  
• Documentary: "Unplugged" - Next is "Unplugged" (40 minutes total) which is probably the best of these sections. The Neo versus "a zillion Agent Smiths" is still an over-the-top, amazing sequence, and is broken down here in ridiculous detail: "Creating the Burly Brawl" (17 min.), "A Conversation with Master Wo Ping" (10 min.), "Chad Stahelski: The Other Neo" (2 min.), "Burly Brawl Action Match" (6 min.) and "Spiraling Virtual Shot: Anatomy of a Shot" (5 min.).
  
• Featurette: "Teahouse Fight" - This follows in a similar fashion to the above, with narration-free video that goes into uber-specific detail on the tabletop fight between Neo and Seraph: "Two Equals Clash" (4 min.) and "Guardian of the Oracle: Collin Chou" (3 min.)
  
• Featurette: "I'll Handle Them" - "I'll Handle Them" (17 minutes total) highlights the Merovingian Chateau sequence: "The Great Hall" (5 min.), "Building the Merovingian's Lair" (5 min.), "Tiger Style: A Day in the Life of Chen Hu" (4 min.) and "Heavy Metal: Weapons of the Great Hall" (3 min.).
  
• Archive: "Exiles" - Concluding the main extras of disc 2 is the very amusing "Exiles" assemblage (18 minutes total). Here all the assorted "exile" characters get their due, sort of like the Island of Misfit Toys of the 'Matrix Reloaded' universe. "Big Brother is Watching: The Architect's Office" (8 min.) is more effects discussion of filming the sequence, which was done almost entirely against green screen. "The Exiles" (9 min.) features the exile cast members, sorta-in character, offering background information on who they play. This is actually one of the more unique and refreshing extras on the set, especially since most of the other supplemental material is so heavy on effects breakdowns.
  
• Promotional Gallery - 'Reloaded' gets the original Theatrical Teaser and Trailer, plus eight more TV spots, and a music video for P.O.D.'s "Sleeping Awake."
  

Disc 3: 'Matrix Revolutions'

• Documentary: "Behind the Matrix" - Yet another "Behind the Matrix" primer on the third film in the series (24 minutes total). "Revolutions Recalibrated" (6 min.), "Neo Realism: The Evolution of Bullet Time" (4 min.), "CG Revolution" (2 min.), "Super Big Mini Models" (1 min.), "Super Burly Brawl" (2 min.), "Double Agent Smith" (3 min.), "Mind over Matter: The Physicality of The Matrix" (3 min.) and "Future Gamer: The Matrix Online" (2 min.) "Before the Revolution" (4 min.) make up this collection. Like all of the material on 'Revolutions,' this footage and behind-the-scenes interviews were obviously shot back-to-back with 'Reloaded.'
  
• Documentary: "Siege" - For fans of 'Revolutions' bombastic "machine attack" extended sequence, "Siege" (40 minutes total) is for you, comprised of: "Dig This" (10 minutes, and filled with some very cool miniature footage), "Siege Action Match" (10 min.), "Mifune's Last Stand: Anatomy of a Shot" (5 min.), "Building an APU" (5 min.) and "Product of Zion" (10 min., and note that this segment is particularly interesting, as the late R&B singer/actress Aaliyah had to be recast after her sudden death in an airplane tragedy.)
  
• Documentary: "Aftermath" - Running 40 minutes total, this is all about post-production and the additional wizardry needed to fully polish and complete 'Revolutions': "Revolutionary Composition" (9 min.), "The Glue" (7 min.), "Dane Tracks" (7 min., and a particularly noteworthy look at sound designer Dane Davis and the often arcane sources used to create realistic sound effects) and "Cause and Effects" (16 min.)
  
• Featurette: "Crew" - "Owen's Army: The Australian Art Department" (4 min.), "2nd Unit: A World of Their Own" (6 min.), "Bill Pope: Cinematographer of The Matrix" (8 min.) and 'Masters of Light and Shadow" (7 min.) each give a much-valued artist their due.
  
• Featurette: "Hel" - 28 minutes total, "Coat Check" (5 min.), "Upsidedown Under" (5 min.), "Fast Break" (6 min.), "Exploding Man" (5 min.), "Gun Club" (2 min.) and "The Extras of Club Hel" (5 min.).
  
• Featurette: "Super Burly Brawl" - Yet another fight sequence between Neo and Agent Smith is dissected: "Sky Barn" (5 min.), "Crater" (5 min.), "The Egg" (3 min.) and "Anatomy of the Superpunch" (4 min.).
  
• Archive: "New Blue World" - Finally, "New Blue World" (26 minutes total) is a catch-all, rounding up various featurettes and segments that apparently didn't quite fit in anywhere else: "Geography of Zion" (9 min., an interesting look at the multi-cultural denizens and their parallels to our current cultural landscape), "The Ships" (6 min.), "Tour of the Neb" (3 min.), "Logos Fight Expansion" (3 min.) and "Matrix TV" (5 min., yes, they really did create a featurette on the monitors of 'The Matrix!')
  
• Promotional Gallery - Closing out this disc are the original trailer for 'The Matrix Revolutions' and six TV spots.
  

Disc 4: 'The Animatrix'

Spurred by the success of the original 'Matrix,' the Wachowski Brothers and Warner enlisted seven top Japanimation artists to create a series of nine short films, with the intention of utilizing different animation forms and styles to expand and deepen the 'Matrix' mythology as preparation began on the two sequels.

The nine shorts are: "Final Flight of the Osiris," "Kid's Story," "Program," "World Record," "Beyond," "Detective Story," "Matriculated," "The Second Renaissance Part 1" and "The Second Renaissance Part 2."

The result is largely a success. The nine shorts, collectively, are all over the place, but are often wildly exciting and visually stimulating. 'The Animatrix' was first released as a stand-alone disc in 2001, and that set is repurposed here, though with the shorts themselves at last upgraded to full 1080p/VC-1 video and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround audio (48kHz/16-bit).

But wait, 'The Animatrix' gets its own set of extras:

• Audio Commentaries: "Voices" - This is actually four separate subtitled audio commentaries for individual shorts. Filmmaker Mahiro Maeda provides tracks for both parts of 'The Second Renaissance," while Yoshiaki Kawajiri chats up "Program," and Takeshi Koike offers thoughts on "World Record.'
  
• Featurette: "Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Anime" - A much-needed 22-minute featurette that pays appropriate tribute to the influence anime had on 'The Matrix.' It is also a very valuable educational tool, at least for an anime ignoramus like me -- the origins and shared techniques of the form are explained, and even if I'm still not really into the genre, at least now I can appreciate its origins and its significance.
  
• Documentary: "Execution" - A seven-part documentary on the making of 'The Animatrix,' short-by-short. The piece runs 55 minutes and includes interviews with all of the filmmakers as well as additional crew, plus behind-the-scenes snippets. The shorts dissected are: 'Final Flight of the Osiris,' 'Kid's Story/Detective Story,' 'Program,' 'World Record,' 'Beyond,' 'Matriculated' and both parts of 'Renaissance.'
  

Disc 5

But wait (again!), there's more. 'The Ultimate Matrix Collection' also includes 'The Matrix Experience," two more discs with a ton of additional content. Quite frankly, at this point it was overkill for me. But hey, it's my job to review this stuff, so here goes...

• Documentary: "Return to Source: Philosophy & The Matrix" - This hour-long piece trots out a legion of professors, historians and other science-fiction literary types to make the case for the significance of the World According to Neo. Some of the connections these guys pull out are pretty incredible, as they cite everyone from Descartes to Nietzsche to Plato, as well as compare sections of the films to both the Old and New Testament, the Koran and the Book of Revelations. Your tolerance for "Return to Source" will likely vary based on your beliefs, and though I admit I snickered more than once, it's fascinating how passionate the supporters of the Matrix are in their beliefs.
  
• Documentary: "The Hard Problem: The Science Behind the Fiction" - One of the key thematic devices of the Matrix technology is the fusion -- and fight -- of man and machine. Another army of experts and pundits are brought out to analyze the history of emo-tech, though the 60-minute "The Hard Problem" doesn't really use 'The Matrix' as a jumping off point for these ideas. Instead, it's more of a History Channel-esque scientific journey of man's growing reliance on machines and where the future of artificial intelligence may lead us. This is certainly the most cursory documentary on the entire 'Ultimate Matrix Collection,' but a nice respite from all the more technical making-of material.
  

Disc 6

• Multi-Part Documentary: "The Burly Man Chronicles" - Much as 'The Matrix Revisited' was to 'The Matrix,' this 95-minute production diary of the four-year shoot of the two sequels is quite exhaustive. Yet, amazingly, there is nary any repetition with the other material on the set. Technical nitty-gritty is largely jettisoned in favor of the arduous task of conceiving and conceptualizing back-to-back sequels, the rigors of the cast in trying to comprehend and articulate the vision of the Wachowskis, and of course the huge commercial expectations that bore heavily on the minds of the filmmakers and the studio. I personally preferred this single, comprehensive documentary over all the little bits and pieces on the stand-alone discs.
  
• Still Gallery: "Zion Archive" - An absolutely massive still gallery that has to be seen to be believed.
  
• Montage: "Rave Reel" - This is a 9-minute montage of clips from all three 'Matrix' movies, but since the rave scene in 'Reloaded' is considered by many fans to be the low point of the series, perhaps putting the words "rave" and "Matrix" together one more time really seems like a bad idea.
  
• Matrix Online Preview - This is dated -- a 10-minute sneak peek at an online gaming version of the "Enter the Matrix" game that has probably long since been forgotten.
  
• Promotional Gallery - Finally, 'The Matrix Experience' concludes with a collection of all the same theatrical teasers, trailers, TV spots and music videos that have already been included on the stand-alone discs for each film.

War, Inc. (Blu-ray)

First Look Studios / 2008 / Rated R
Street Date: October 14, 2008

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Genres: Action, Drama

Starring: John Cusack, Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei
Director: Joshua Seftel

Plot Synopsis: A wobbly mix of violence and sentiment, War, Inc. takes up where Grosse Pointe Blank left off. A conscience-stricken killer in the previous film, producer/co-writer Cusack now plays an international assassin. In Joshua Seftel's political satire, corporations operate like governments. In the volatile nation of Turaqistan, Cusack's hot sauce-addicted Brand Hauser sets his sights on Omar Sharif--the oil baron, not the actor (it's never clear why this is meant to be funny). As a cover, Hauser passes as the producer for an economic trade show with fellow operative Marsha (Joan Cusack) acting as his assistant. Trained by Southern smoothie Walken (Ben Kingsley) in his CIA days (depicted though flashbacks), Hauser now takes orders from an oily CEO (Grosse Pointe co-star Dan Aykroyd). Offing Sharif, however, turns out to be harder than expected. Hauser's obstacles include left-wing journalist Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei) and foul-mouthed pop tart Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff, erasing innocent images of Lizzy McGuire). Cusack and his crew come up with a few clever ideas, but too many crass gags blunt their thesis about military contractors run amok. Pitched somewhere between Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and Mike Judge’s Idiocracy, War, Inc. registers as more of a miss than a hit. On the plus side, Cusack and Tomei have a snappy rapport; it's the more over-the-top performers who look out of place, especially Ms. Cusack and Kingsley, though the latter's deft turn as a boozy hit man in the overlooked You Kill Me almost makes up for this misfire.


American Gangster (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2007 / 157 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: October 14, 2008

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Genres: Gangster drama, thriller

Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Josh Brolin
Director: Ridley Scott

Plot Synopsis: Ridley Scott puts on his "sweeping saga" gameface again, this time not for the sci-fi vistas of Blade Runner or the ancient world of Gladiator but for an urban epic. American Gangster gives the story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), a real-life Harlem crime lord who built an empire on Southeast Asian heroin in the 1970s. Running parallel to Lucas's somewhat standard story is the investigation led by a persistent New Jersey cop, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). Roberts is a more interesting character than Lucas--too honest for his own good, unlucky in his personal life--and this kind of character, easily patronized by others, fits Crowe like a polyester shirt. Scott's tendency to hit his points square on the noggin is much in evidence here, including the typecasting of the supporting roles and the predictable Serpico atmosphere of the whole thing. (And speaking of supporting actors, the film needs more Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose role as a Lucas sidekick feels cut down.) It succeeds as a kind of chewy entertainment, fueled by the presence of two big stars working their muscles. Both Washington and Crowe look pretty brawny here.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - Director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steve Zallian sit down for a long chat (the film, even in its theatrical form, runs over two-and-a-half hours).
  
• Documentary: "Fallen Empire: Making American Gangster" (SD, 80 minutes) -
  
• Featurette: "The Real Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts" (SD, 5 minutes) - Less a featurette than a brief excerpt of interviews with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe talking about their characters.
  
• TV Specials (SD, 42 minutes) - Two are offered: "Dateline NBC: American Gangster First Look" and "BET Special: Making of American Gangster." Both are largely promotional, and there is some overlap in terms of film clips and footage.
  
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 12 minutes) - Seven scenes are included, along with an alternate opening. None of this material is featured in the extended cut.
  
• Music Videos (SD) - Two clips are provided: "Blue Magic" by Jay-Z and "Do You Feel Me" by Anthony Hamilton.

Eastern Promises (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Video / 2007 / 101 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: October 14, 2008

Overall Grade Very cool mobster

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Genres: Mob drama, thriller

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, Naomi Watts
Director: David Cronenberg

Plot Synopsis: David Cronenberg's signature obsessions flower in Eastern Promises, a stunning look at violence, responsibility, and skin. Near Christmastime in London, a baby is born to a teenage junkie--an event that leads a midwife (Naomi Watts) into the world of the Russian mob. Central to this world is an ambitious enforcer (Viggo Mortensen) who's lately buddied up with the reckless son (Vincent Cassel) of a mob boss (Armin Mueller-Stahl, doing his benign-sinister thing). Screenwriter Steve Knight also wrote Dirty Pretty Things, and in some ways this is a companion piece to that film, though utterly different in style. The plot is classical to the point of being familiar, but Cronenberg doesn't allow anything to become sentimental; he and his peerless cinematographer Peter Suschitzky take a cool, controlled approach to this story. Because of that, when the movie erupts in its (relatively brief) violence, it's genuinely shocking. Cronenberg really puts the viewer through it, as though to shame the easy purveyors of pulp violence--nobody will cheer when the blood runs in this film. Still, Eastern Promises has a furtive humor, nicely conveyed in Viggo Mortensen's highly original performance. Covered in tattoos, his body a scroll depicting his personal history of violence, Mortensen conveys a subtle blend of resolve and lost-ness. He's a true, haunting mystery man.

Disc Features:

• Secrets and Stories (HD, 11 minutes) -- This all-too-brief featurette includes interviews with Cronenberg, Mortensen, and other notable members of the cast and crew.
  
• Marked for Life (HD, 7 minutes) -- An initially intriguing featurette that ultimately goes nowhere. Mortensen explains the various tattoos he sports in the film, their meanings, and the makeup process behind their application. But just as it gets interesting, it's over.

Casino (Blu-ray)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 1995 / 178 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: October 14, 2008

Overall Grade Highly recommended

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Genres: Drama

Starring: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and James Woods
Director: Martin Scorsese

Plot Synopsis: Director Martin Scorsese reunites with members of his GoodFellas gang (writer Nicholas Pileggi; actors Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Frank Vincent) for a three-hour epic about the rise and fall of mobster Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a character based on real-life gangster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal. (It's modeled after on Wiseguy and GoodFellas and Pileggi's true crime book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.) Through Rothstein, the picture tells the story of how the Mafia seized, and finally lost control of, Las Vegas gambling. The first hour plays like a fascinating documentary, intricately detailing the inner workings of Vegas casinos. Sharon Stone is the stand out among the actors; she nabbed an Oscar nomination for her role as the voracious Ginger, the glitzy call girl who becomes Rothstein's wife. The film is not as fast paced or gripping as Scorsese's earlier gangster pictures (Mean Streets and GoodFellas), but it's still absorbing. And, hey--it's Scorsese!

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - Dubbed "Moments with Martin Scorsese, Sharon Stone and Nicholas Pileggi," this track is actually just an edited, audio-only hodgepodge of excerpts from the video interviews used for the featurettes.
  
• TV Specials (SD, 56 minutes) - Two are included. The first special, "Vegas and the Mob" (a scant 13 minutes) was produced for NBC and is strong on background detail if quite cheesy. Forget the news anchor who acts as if this is some bad "America's Most Wanted" cast-off, and otherwise this is an enjoyable look at the history of organized crime in Las Vegas. Bugsy Siegel gets most of the screen time, and a host of historians, lawyers and government officials are interviewed, and interspersed with archival material.
  
  Next we have "History Alive: True Crime Authors – Casino With Nicholas Pileggi" (43 minutes), which was produced by A&E. This is even cheesier, with silly reenactments of past events along with much stronger archival stills and film footage. Pileggi is the focus, especially his relationship with Henry Hill that formed the basis for 'GoodFellas,' which led to 'Casino.' There are some redundancies here, however, with the commentary and other featurettes in terms of recapping the events that led to the development of 'Casino.' Still, it's nice of Universal to include it here on the Blu-ray.
  
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 5 minutes)
  

Constantine (Blu-ray)

Warner Home Entertainment / 2004 / 121 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: October 14, 2008

Overall Grade Strongly recommended

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Genres: Action thriller

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, and Djimon Hounsou
Director: Francis Lawrence (II)

Plot Synopsis: In the grand scheme of theological thrillers, Constantine aspires for the greatness of The Exorcist but ranks more closely with The Order. Based on the popular Hellblazer comic book series, and directed with nary a shred of intelligence by music video veteran Francis Lawrence, it's basically The Matrix with swarming demons instead of swarming machines. Keanu Reeves slightly modifies his Matrix persona as John Constantine, who roams the dark-spots of Los Angeles looking for good-evil, angel-devil half-breeds to ensure that "the balance" between God and Satan is properly maintained. An ancient artifact and the detective twin of a woman who committed evil-induced suicide (Rachel Weisz) factor into the plot, which is taken so seriously that you'll want to stand up and cheer when Tilda Swinton swoops down as the cross-dressing angel Gabriel and turns this silliness into the camp-fest it really is. The digital effects are way cool (dig those hellspawn with the tops of their heads lopped off!), so if you don't mind a juvenile lesson in pseudo-Catholic salvation, Constantine is just the movie for you!

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentaries - Kicking things off are two audio commentaries, the first with director Francis Lawrence and producer Akiva Goldsman, and the second with screenwriters Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello.
  
• Featurettes (SD, 89 minutes)
  
  "Conjuring Constantine" (15:43) investigates the origins of the original 'Constantine' graphic novel, its development into a screenplay, and visualizing the character of Keanu Reeves.
  
  What was called "The Production From Hell" on the standard DVD is separated here into "Director Confessional" (5:35) which reveals a rather open Lawrence discussing his fears as a first-time director; "Collision with Evil" (4:39) with Lawrence dissecting the film's opening exorcism scene; and "Holy Relics" (8:22), a visit with propmaster Kirk Corwin who gives us a tour of all the nifty artifacts seen in the film.
  
  The next subsection on the standard DVD was "Imagining the Underworld," here divided into "Hellscape" (11:59), which examines the film's many visual effects with team leaders Michael Fink and Craig Hayes; the perfectly-titled "Visualizing Vermin" (9:36) on how the crew created the film's icky "insect monster" seen early in the film; "Warriors Wings" (3:18), a short look at how realistic wings were created for the film's CGI demons; and "Unholy Abduction" (5:47), which analyzes the grand scene where Angela is stolen out of an office building.
  
  Rounding out the featurettes are "Constantine Cosmology" (5:21), a visit with author Phil Cousineau, who discusses our society's need for mythic heroes, and finally "Foresight: The Power of Pre-Visualization" (13:56), which features several animatic-to-live action comparisons all with optional commentary by Lawrence.
  
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 17 minutes)
  

• Music Video (SD) - Included is a clip for the song "Passive" by A Perfect Circle, but it is pretty forgettable.
  
• Theatrical Trailer (HD) - Finishing things up are the film's theatrical and teaser trailers, and both are in full HD.

Standard Operating Procedure (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2008 / 116 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: October 14, 2008

Overall Grade Recommended

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Genres: Documentary

Starring: Zhubin Rahbar, Jeff L. Green, Cyrus King (II), and Christopher Bradley
Director: Errol Morris

Plot Synopsis: It's impossible to talk about Standard Operating Procedure without referencing Taxi to the Dark Side. Fortunately, both documentaries are vital to any discussion about US military interrogation techniques. While Alex Gibney's Oscar winner uses the death of an Iraqi taxi driver as a framing device, director Errol Morris and writer Philip Gourevitch (We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families) examine the issue through visual evidence (they also collaborated on a book of the same name). While Gibney concentrates on Bhagram, Morris focuses on Abu Ghraib, but his self-described "non-fiction horror film," which features a dramatic Danny Elfman score and slow-motion reenactments, runs along two tracks. First, he aims to find out what happened at the infamous institution. Along with the photographs and video footage, he speaks to the guards and the brigadier general who oversaw their operations, including former army specialist Lynndie England, who has all the charm of Aileen Wuornos (so memorably immortalized in Monster). As in his Thin Blue Line, accounts contradict other accounts. In Morris's world, absolute truth doesn't exist; it's up to viewers to decide which subjects seem most reliable. This leads to his parallel goal, which is to question the reliability of imagery. Photography was prohibited at Abu Ghraib, so he identifies the responsible parties, the reasoning behind their rule-breaking, and the stories behind the most incendiary pictures. If less emotionally engaging than Gibney's feature, Standard Operating Procedure is just as essential--and every bit as disturbing.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary -- Anyone looking to rally against Morris’ political views will have a much easier time making a case in regards to his audio commentary than his documentary. He discusses his personal feelings, the oddities and possible cover-ups in the scandal, his opinions of the interviewees, and his take on what they have to say. He also digs into the aesthetic challenges he faced, his stylistic decisions, and his choices as both filmmaker and documentarian.
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 26 minutes) -- This collection of deleted scenes includes nine, wisely cut segments. Anyone fascinated with every aspect of the scandal will no doubt find each one extremely interesting, but casual viewers will find these extensions and deletions are slower and less involving than the main feature.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes)

• Additional Interviews (SD, 123 minutes) -- Now this is what I call a bonus. As if a collection of deleted scenes weren’t enough, Sony has included more than two hours of deleted segments from Morris’ documentary. The additional interviews feature folks like Tim Dugan, Steven Jordan, Samuel Provance, Jeremy Sivits, and Hydrue Joyner.
• Press Conference (SD, 32 minutes) -- Morris and ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ producer Julie Ahlberg participate in a Q&A with attending press representatives at the Berlin Film Festival. The pair talk about the Abu Ghraib scandal, reactions to it, the film, and what they hoped to accomplish with the project.
• Diplomacy in the Age of Terror (SD, 45 minutes) -- Subtitled “The Impact of Diminished Rule of Law on International Relations,” this particularly cerebral Berlin Film Festival panel discussion is worth watching if you’re interested in the global and socio-political ramifications of wartime relations and policy.
• Premiere Q&A (SD, 11 minutes) -- A brief chat with Morris at the film’s US premiere.

Poltergeist (Blu-ray)

Warner Home Video / 1982 / 115 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: October 14, 2008

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Genres: Horror, suspense

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, and Dominique Dunne
Director: Tobe Hooper

Disc Features:
Documentary: "They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists Revealed" (SD, 31 minutes)


The Jewel of the Nile (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1987 / Rated PG-13
Street Date: October 14, 2008

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Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Romance

Starring: Danny DeVito, Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas
Director: Lewis Teague

Plot Synopsis:In the blockbuster Romancing The Stone, novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) and wanderer Jack Colton (Michael Douglas) went sailing off into the sunset together. In this thrill-packed sequel, Ralph (Danny DeVito) is back on their trail and they're back in the fast lane on a perilous trek through the fierce North African Desert. Not even treacherous tribes, deadly dungeons and semingly endless villains can stop this trio from finding, once and for all, that mysterious "jewel."

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary by Director Lewis Teague
• 2 Featurettes: "Romancing The Nile: A Winning Sequel," "Adventures of a Romance Novelist"
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer


Romancing the Stone (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1984 / 106 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: October 14, 2008

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Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Romance

Starring: Danny DeVito, Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Plot Synopsis: Romance novelist Joan Wilder (Turner) lives for - and in - a fantasy world. But when her sister is kidnapped in Colombia and the only chance to save her is to bring a treasure map to her captors, reality quickly becomes stranger then fiction. Thrown into a jungle full of gunfire, mud slides and poisonous snakes, Joan's only hope lies with Jack Colton (Douglas), a rugged wanderer straight out of her novels. Together, they'll have to outwit the bandits and survive the jungle if they're to save her sister and find the secret of "El Corazon!"

Disc Features:
• 4 Featurettes: "Rekindling The Romance: A Look Back," "A Hidden Treasure: The Screenwriter," "Douglas, Turner and DeVito: Favorite Scenes," "Michael Douglas Remembers"
• 8 Deleted Scenes