Nashville (Criterion Collection) BLU-RAY/DVD DUAL FORMAT EDITION

Criterion Takes On Altman's Seminal Masterwork: Special Features Announced
Of all the Criterion announcements this year, the arrival of Robert Altman's "Nashville" is the one that has excited me the most. I've owned the film on a clunky two cassette VHS format and on a rather unimpressive DVD presentation. One of the seminal films of the seventies, this is an important work that has demanded a more worthy distribution. When I saw that Criterion had picked up the title, I rushed over here to see what features would be included on the release. Alas, there was nothing yet listed. I thought that other "Nashville" enthusiasts might also be chomping at the bit in anticipation, so I thought I'd give a shout-out to the announced pre-release features. This is for informational purposes only, I have not previewed this edition. I can say with confidence, however, that any restoration can't help but be a noticeable improvement over the poor quality discs currently on the market.

The "Nashville" release will be in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack having one...
Robert Altman is a 'genius'
As have others, I too am excited beyond belief that Criterion is honoring NASHVILLE to be part of its series. I will never forget when I first saw the film in New York City. I was stunned by it and stood in line a second and third time. It became one of the most astonishing metaphors of our political climate at the time. The film, created in Altman's improvisational style, is flooded with truthful work: Lily Tomlin, Keith Carradine, Ronee Blakley, Henry Gibson, Shelley Duvall, Geraldine Chaplin, Karen Black, Ned Beatty, and the list goes on --- all contributed enormously to the mosaic. With echoes of the Kennedy assassination, the film marches on as a panorama of the sixties. The film almost ridicules Nashville and I can understand why the country capital was not celebrating its perspective The plot occurs in five days with intertwining story lines and the Grand Ole Opry as a backdrop. The finale is a political rally for one Hal Philip Walker, a radical conservative, a kind of Ted...

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Samsara [Blu-ray]

The "Koyaanisqatsi" of the 21st century
Just about 30 years ago, "Koyaaniqatsi" was released, a visually overwhelming movie of "life out of balance", and now we get a 21st century update of sorts in this movie.

"Samsara" (2011 release; 99 min.) is a movie in a similar vein as the previously mentioned "Koyaanisqatsi", bringing powerful and at times stunning visuals of our world. The film was made over a 4 year period in over 20 countries, and when I saw it this weekend in the theatre, I was nothing short of amazed of what I saw. I witnessed images I never thought I would see, none more so than the footage of the gathering of hundreds of thousands Muslims gathering in Mecca, brought in stunning visuals, including some time-lapsed footage. Wow, just wow. But there is a lot more. Beware, there are scenes in the movie that are not for the weak of heart, including a number of consumer-oriented scenes (too hard to explain in words, you'll have to see it for yourself). I enjoyed this movie from start to finish, and it...
Just saw this film
Yes it's a beautiful film about life the struggle between man and nature.ideological based strife
And those that have a lot materially and those that don't. It's shot at 65mm then processed onto 4k digital. The opening shots of a lava eruption both day and night shots are simply stunning. There are some disturbing shots that have to do with slaughter of chickens and pigs so keep this in mind. There are tender shots too so do not despair. The breadth of imagery is so rich, powerful and really unforgettable it will enrich you 4.5 stars
"MESMERIZING, DAZZLING, STUNNING!"
This amazing Special Interest Documentary was filmed over a four year period in twenty-five countries on five continents, which produces breathtaking visual effects of natural wonders, sacred grounds, and other exciting places. Director Ron Fricke transports us all around the globe through lush, gorgeous images as each incredible photo tells a story of the world we live in. This fascinating trip around the world onscreen takes us to mysterious places we have never seen, from the mundane to the miraculous. We experience the ultimate, appealing wordless meditation, an unforgettable experience. This captivating film chronicles birth, life, death, and destruction. The cycles of life are witnessed through silent, visual mind-blowing storytelling. In addition, there is an emotional power behind each image as the film reflects on society, humanity, and nature. Soothing music, such as a harp infuses the ancient with the modern, illuminating the connection between humanity and nature. As we...
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Ain't In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm [Blu-ray]

Wonderful!
Levon Helm lived a life in music, one that unfortunately ended too soon last year when he was 71 years old. But what a life! His career traced the entire arc of the rock and roll era, from his early years seeing Elvis, Sonny Boy and Bill Monroe as a kid in Arkansas, to his years on the road as a member of Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks, then leader of Levon And The Hawks, which became Dylan's first road band. Then The Hawks became The Band, the most respected band of the golden age of rock.

He played a decent guitar and a distinctive mandolin, but that voice! Levon was the voice of the American heartland, an iconic, craggy, lusty voice whether singing, acting and narrating, or just telling stories. And, oh yes, he was one the the very best drummers in the world. But his post-Band career, while artistically rich, left him ultimately broke, and in the late nineties cancer took his voice.

To pay the rent and medical bills, and just to play, he began hosting Midnight...
A Truly Beautiful Film
Nobody, however skilled, can make a decent documentary about an individual, band or indeed event, if the subject matter doesn't create a fascinating story. However in the case of Levon Helm this was surely the director's least concern - indeed it would be difficult to make a bad film about this fascinating musical maverick. But in the hands of the previously unknown Jacob Hatley - clearly a man destined for big things - the incredible story of Levon and his music is treated with finesse, skill and feeling to create possibly the best music documentary to emerge this year.

There are now 3 classic documentaries available that tell the story of The Band or members thereof and which all fans of this American institution should be sure are in pride of place in their collections.

The Last Waltz (Special Edition)
Dylan, Bob -...
A candid and intimate portrait of a truly inspirational man
This documentary accomplishes something rare in a biographical story: it is uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Watching Levon simultaneously struggle with illness while continuing to live and love life and create and perform beautiful music is powerfully inspiring. Listening to the stories about the dark side of his history with The Band was heartbreaking, and the filmmaker gives us a nuanced look at how Levon deals with his legacy with pride, but also with some bitterness about the music business. In his unguarded moments, we can see that Levon is still heartbroken over the loss of Richard Manuel and Rick Danko, and the interview sequences with Rick's widow are a brilliant juxtaposition that meshes Levon's story with the demise of The Band and the era in which they breathed rarefied air. I thank the filmmaker for this heartwarming portrait, and I treasure this intimate record of a slice of the life - and tragic death - of a man and musician I have always admired and...
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Springsteen & I [Blu-ray]

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Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History Of Friday The 13th (Blu-ray + DVD Combo)

Excellent Documentary for Friday the 13th Fans!
This 4-disc (2 BD & 2 DVD) combo pack showcases the extensive retrospective F13 documentary which runs almost 7 hours (400 minutes). It is almost 3 hours longer than Never Sleep Again (of course there are more films in the F13 franchise). Corey Feldman (star of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter) narrates Crystal Lake Memories, which features interviews with approximately 150 cast and crew members from all twelve Friday the 13th films and the syndicated television series, many of whom have never before appeared in on-camera interviews. Interview subjects include Kane Hodder, Robert Englund, Tom Savini, Danielle Panabaker, Sean S. Cunningham, Derek Mears, Betsy Palmer, Wes Craven, Robert Shaye, Alice Cooper and many more. Crystal Lake Memories is written and directed by Daniel Farrands and produced by Thommy Hutson (Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy). The focus is mainly on the films. Merchandise such as novels, comic books, and memorabilia don't play a large role. There are...
There is no CONFUSION
There is, in fact, a 5th disc that is ONLY available when directly ordered through 1428 Films. So there shouldn't be any confusion here. You don't get the 5th disc with the bonus interviews unless ordering directly from 1428 Films.
Great in-depth documentary!
As a long time fan, it was only natural for me to pick this up. The book was great, so of course this comes as a great companion. Its not perfect by any means, it can never be the "complete" history of Friday the 13th, but it does have amazing insights from many of those who were involved with the franchise.

First, I must mention that the documentary, "His Name Was Jason" was saddening. I was truly disappointed by how goofy it was with its loud and silly background music, interviews from people I don't care about (fanboys and hipsters who run websites), and by how it seemed to make a joke of the series. Then, these guys create "Never Sleep Again", disappointing me more since it seemed they took Nightmare much more serious than Friday the 13th.

But then we get Crystal Lake Memories, which of course, blows both documentaries away. I have watched this 7 hour long documentary twice (once with commentary) and also watched the 4 hour bonus disc that came with the set...
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The Universe: 7 Wonders of the Solar System [Blu-ray 3D]

You'll hate yourself in the morning
I wanted to like this, I really did. I like science. I especially like physics and astronomy. And, as a relatively new 3D owner, I'm still pretty tolerant.

Here's what the product info doesn't tell you. This is not an IMAX movie, or any other feature. It's one of those History Channel science shows. There are short segments on each of the "7 Wonders of the Solar System". The science is pretty simplistic. (The Sun is Hot, the Earth is Pretty, Saturn has Rings). The places where we come back from commercial and they recap what has been in the previous part of the show and what's coming up after the next commercial break comprise more than 10% of the content. They might have improved it by at least editing this as if we were going watch it commercial free.

The 3D quality? Very poor. The primary 3D is an animated frame that shadowboxes the edges of the 2D content. By animated I mean drawn, not moving - it's pretty stationary. The poor little animated...
3D Review by a 3D Connoisseur
My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

Not counting the repeating graphics, There are about 14 out of screen effects that extend about 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer. Another 3 around 25%. For 10 seconds stars fly OOS around 50% and one makes it to 70%. Rocks OOS around 25% for 10 seconds, leafs blow by up to 25% for 15 seconds, a satellite graphic, swings out to 40% and a dolphin's nose extends to over 35%. 18 times the same simplistic space ship council extends 10% and at least 8 times a graphic overlay floats at 20%.

Some short segments were so flat they didn't appear to be in 3D at all.
Excess parallax easily visible in a few scenes.
And yes, as other reviews have said, the graphics add a cheese factor.
Repeating graphics and some repeating scenes.

*** If your not interested in the subject matter, don't buy it just for the 3D ***

MY 3D RATING = POOR to FAIR
(poor,...
"7 Wonders" is Wonderful
This 3D Blu-Ray exceeded my expectations. I was expecting the same episode that originally aired on The History Channel, probably with some gimmicky 3D effects added in (yes, I bought it anyway, hoping that I was wrong). However, I was surprised to see (what I believe to be) some new, 3D interview footage and some new narration recorded specifically for this release. The 3D effects are very good. Seeing tiny Mercury eclipse the giant Sun in 3D is breathtaking as are some of the beautiful images of the rings of Saturn. Sure, most of it is CG, but that's fine because it looks really great. The only poor CG has to do with the spacecraft in which you are supposedly touring the solar system. Really, my only complaint is that there is some substantial crosstalk in many scenes, mostly when you see an object against the blackness of space. If that weren't true, I would have given this release 5 stars instead of 4.

My 2-year-old son is showing a lot of interest in...
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [Blu-ray]

Mostly Hoopy
There's a simple reason this movie has taken so long to make, and it's this: while Douglas Adams' classic The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a hilarious book, it's a rubbish novel.

I mean that in the nicest possible way - it's one of my favourite books, but it's barely a story at all - more a set of dead-eye, deadpan observations on the absurdity of life, and particularly the British way of life, revolving very loosely around a chap in a dressing-gown. While that's great fodder for a comedy read, it's no basis for a coherent, 90 minute motion picture, especially one having the American market in mind.

It's a matter of record that Douglas Adams realised there was no story, but not until it was too late to fix it (about halfway through book two). From that point onwards made several attempts to pull everything back into a single coherent, archetypal story but totally failed, and in the process ruined the remaining three and a half books themselves, none of...
Five Star Movie - Three Star Blu-Ray Disc
Having owned the first release of this movie on DVD, when I heard it was coming out on Blu-Ray I had to pick it up; after all, this was the movie that convinced me to pick up Douglas Adams' spectacular written novels (from Hitchhiker's to Dirk Gently) and give them a read. While watching the movie in 1080i was a pleasure, I was rather disappointed to find that many of the special features found on the original disc - including the absolutely brilliant interface with the interactive improbability drive that occasionally took you to an Easter Egg - were stripped out of the Blu-Ray disc. I could have even dealt with the loss of the interface in exchange for the movie showcase menu that allows you to access features, select scenes, and access the setup while the movie is playing, if only they had provided all the content on the original DVD. I've experienced this now on a couple of Blu-Ray discs and I find it quite upsetting (officially entering rant territory), that despite the...
Surprisingly Good
Thankfully, the film remains quite faithful to the spirit of Adams' book. For example, all of the Guide entries are taken verbatim from it. The massive budget results in a great looking movie that properly captures the scope and scale of the story. There is extensive use of CGI to recreate intergalactic space travel and the planet showroom inside of Magrathea (some of the film's most arresting visuals), but this is mixed with old school, reliable rubber costumes for creatures like the Vogons that gives them a texture that you just can't get with computers. This movie is light years ahead of the clunky BBC version which resembled a bad-looking episode of Dr. Who.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy may not have done well in North America because it lacked recognizable A-list movie stars (but then again, neither did the original Star Wars) with decidedly British sense of humour. Sadly, it failed to connect on a mass audience level despite a significant marketing push...
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