-
DHEEPAN: Remarkable Thriller Birthed From a War-torn Refugee Drama [Criterion Review]
![DHEEPAN: Remarkable Thriller Birthed From a War-torn Refugee Drama [Criterion Review]](https://i0.wp.com/cinapse.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-1_eIiigXg0nny6Q0rRfOStIA-2.png?resize=512%2C512&ssl=1)
It’s probably a bad idea to underestimate refugees.
After all, they’ve likely been through a lot more than the average citizen. And yet, marginalize and underestimate them we do. We strip away their names, stories, identities, and herd them like cattle. We all do it to one degree or another.
And French writer/director Jacques Audiard is smart enough to take our insecurities, guilt, racism, and disaffection, and turn it on us, unleashing a fairly blistering character piece that morphs into a nail biting thriller.
Putting faces and names to a very particular refugee experience, Dheepan tells the story of 3 Sri Lankan strangers who form a makeshift family and escape their war ravaged home by adopting the identities of a deceased family. At times we hear the true names of our characters, but this story requires them to adopt new names and identities for survival. Dheepan (Jesuthasan Antonythasan) and Yalini (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) must pose as husband and wife, as well as the parents of Illayaal (Claudine Vinasithamby). Not only must this makeshift family adjust to the challenges of a new culture in the slums of France, but they must maintain a false front and live into their forged identities. Misleadingly titled, Dheepan gives equal screentime to Yalini’s plight as a woman adjusting to life as a mother having never had a real child of her own. Illayaal’s attempts to adjust to a Western-style school is also compelling and authentic, if not given quite as much screen time. Regardless, these refugees who were desperate to escape war have hitched themselves to one another and must remain allied if they’re going to stay legal.
It’s probably time to mention that Dheepan is not just fleeing the war; he is himself a former child soldier and hardened veteran who took his one chance to escape and ran with it. Perhaps even more potent than the character is that novice actor Antonyhasan is himself a former child soldier, unafraid to display on screen the real life scars of his own experience of war.
As Dheepan settles into life as a maintenance man in a series of urban apartment projects, Yalini takes on a caretaker role for an elderly man whom the drug dealers and gangsters seem to have an unexplained deference for. The window of our family’s apartment provides a view into the crime-ridden squalor of the drug dens across the courtyard, and the tension simmers.
Never once displaying anything even remotely resembling fear, Dheepan is nevertheless shown to be vulnerable… finding newfound feelings for Yalini (with whom he conducts himself as a gentleman) even as he mourns the loss of his family who had died in the war. All three of our family members are given ample time in both script and on screen to feel dimensional. They’re resourceful people who are making a near-impossible situation work.
But war is a cancer. And it spreads. As much as Dheepan tries to escape his past, it comes calling for him. And when the leader of the gang across the courtyard returns from prison and returns to the apartment of his elderly relative where Yalini is working, a collision course between the gang, Yalini, and Dheepan is all but unavoidable. And let me tell you, when this aching character study boils over, it is riveting.
The viewer is so deeply invested in these characters and in their successful transition into life in France that the dynamite conclusion is heightened to a fever pitch. What I love about the action movie trappings of the final act of the film is that Dheepan is a man we’ve come to respect and admire and empathize with as a human being who’s seen too much. But we know there’s a badass inside of him because he’s never once feared the gangs across the yard. He’s even dismissive of them. He’s more afraid of the Western bureaucracy that has the power to strip away his new identity and send him back home than he is of the criminals next door who pose a physical threat he can’t be bothered with. As an action movie fanatic, I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to see Dheepan compelled for a variety of reasons to finally confront the youthful gang, while at the same time having an almost blase contempt for them and their threats of violence. It’s breathtaking stuff that wouldn’t have been possible had Audiard not built up his main characters with such a relentless and unflinching authenticity.
The genre trappings of Dheepan are unquestionably what got me excited about watching and reviewing the film. They’re what excite me even now as I type. But more importantly, Audiard makes movie magic happen by putting flesh and bone on the immigrant experience and shaking audiences out of complacency regarding their plight. This isn’t misery porn, it’s a vision of interesting characters stretching themselves to their limits and making it work. It not only puts names and faces to a refugee family, it shows them to be resourceful and worthy of our respect and reverence.
Beyond the masterfully escalating story and dimensional character work, Dheepan simply soars as a motion picture. Young female cinematographer Éponine Momenceau lends formidable camera talent to the film. From sweeping drone shots to meditative soft focus moments, the camera is an important component to the success of the film. Composer Nicolas Jaar also contributes mightily to the narrative, offering an almost religious score to a film which feels largely grounded in harsh reality, but which does highlight the traditional faith of our characters.
Jacques Audiard is a filmmaker I’ve been highly interested in over the years, but still somehow haven’t experienced until Dheepan. This won’t be my last engagement with his work. Films like A Prophet and Rust And Bone have been highly praised and intriguing to me. And after falling head over heels for the Palme D’or winning Dheepan, he’ll be a personal filmmaker to watch from here on out.
The Package
Criterion put this remarkable release out with their high standard of excellence all over it. With eye-catching art throughout the package, a killer essay in the liner notes, a French-language commentary with Audiard and others, Dheepan is a no brainer blind buy for fans of Criterion, relevant drama, or edge-of-your-seat thrills.
The strongest bonus offerings on the disc are interviews with both writer/director Audiard, and star Antonyhasan. Both men are fascinating to listen to. Antonyhasan’s tale of war, immigration, and life as an author and artist who got swept up into movie stardom is truly singular. The pride he feels at representing his people and his country in a film seen around the world and which won the Palme D’or is palpable. Audiard is hugely endearing, rocking the scarfed Parisian look and seemingly embodying every French artist stereotype while at the same time offering true insight and nuance to the motivations and technique behind crafting this remarkable film.
And I’m Out.
Dheepan hits Criterion Blu-ray on May 23rd, 2017.
-
ALIEN: COVENANT: Lackluster PROMETHEUS Sequel & ALIEN Prequel All In One
That’s right: Prometheus is better than this movie.
Love it or hate it, Prometheus swung for the fences with its ideas. The film sets out to not only explore the origins of cinema’s nastiest xenomorph, but also those of mankind itself. Creation, faith, and the mysteries of the universe are the things Ridley Scott and company chose to wrestle with in that largely derided film. It’s an objective truth that at the very least, Prometheus really went for it with its science fiction.
Seemingly having “learned his lesson” after the substantial critical drubbing that Prometheus underwent (unfairly, in this critic’s estimation), Ridley Scott returns once again to the cinematic universe he birthed with Alien: Covenant, a film which undoubtedly aspires to be much less “out there” than Prometheus, and succeeds at being far more generic than its predecessor.
Indeed, Alien: Covenant does serve as a sequel to Prometheus, following up on many specific plot points of that film. There’s a lot to be hopeful about in the first half of Alien: Covenant. We’re introduced to a whole new crew loaded with quality actors (props to Danny McBride for being one of the most relatable and fleshed out of the entire crew). The Covenant is a ship brimming with crew, thousands of colonists, and even a whole mess of embryos, intending to colonize a brand new planet. The “be fruitful and multiply” imperative yields a crew made up almost entirely of couples, which is an intriguing setup that feels largely wasted when all the dust settles. First to lose a partner when their cryosleep is interrupted by a space anomaly that damages the ship and kills some crew is Katherine Waterson’s Daniels. She’s to be our Ripley surrogate in Covenant, and while she acquits herself well from a performance perspective, Daniels is given remarkably little to do here. The loss of her partner in the space anomaly offers little of import on the proceedings that follow. And what is it that follows? Wouldn’t you know, it’s a distress signal that leads our crew to a planet that seems ripe for human life. [I’ve seen enough movies to know I should never, ever respond to a distress signal].
It’s at this point, when the crew arrives on this mysterious planet, that the most interesting and thrilling elements of Covenant take form. Act II tackles many of the looming mysteries of Prometheus in a way previously unseen in the Alien franchise. With the tradition this series followed for decades of swapping out auteur-ish directors for each installment, the Alien films each had unique visions that took the expanding tale in different directions. With Alien, Prometheus, and now Covenant, Ridley Scott is staking his claim and retrofitting this franchise to be his own. It provides a heretofore unknown continuity, but that continuity comes at apparently great cost. That said, if the saga of Michael Fassbender’s androids David (Prometheus) and Walter (Covenant) made up the bulk of this prequel series, then maybe we’d have something fantastic on our hands. Because Michael Fassbender is bringing a level of craft to these films that no one else is even approaching. He’s single handedly trying to save this franchise not only with his compelling portrayals of these androids, but his characters are consistently the best written and offer the most interesting pieces to the puzzle Scott is doling out to varying degrees of success.
As we see how the “virus” has continued to evolve on this strange planet and as the inevitable happens when our traditional xenomorph is birthed, the questions of Prometheus go largely answered, offering the most compelling and satisfying set pieces of this film. When we inevitably segue into the final act, we’re treated to a flat re-tread of Alien that’s about as lazy as can possibly be imagined. It frankly reminds me of how the last act of Riddick was largely a remake of Pitch Black. Only it worked in Riddick, whereas here is feels like an empty tank of creativity that simply caved to audience demands of once again seeing this admittedly wonderful creature get outsmarted by our female protagonist.
There are some twists and turns along the way that I would be loathe to discuss in detail here as what pulse Covenant does have are contained in some of those twists and turns. But in the end, Scott seems to have attempted to appease audiences by sanding off the edges of Prometheus and ultimately committing the sin of retracing his own steps, recreating Alien sans the claustrophobia, the mystery of the creature, or the deep investment we had in the characters from the first film.
I didn’t find myself angry or bored as Covenant played out before me. Indeed, I was engaged and curious about the Prometheus elements and how big the questions would be that Scott continued to wrestle with. But as the third act steeply declined, and upon much reflection after the fact, Covenant is ultimately a disappointing film. As a fan of the hard sci-fi of Prometheus (and all four previous Alien films to varying degrees), Covenant finally feels like the film that convinced me that this series needs a break. Sure, a third film would likely bridge the final gap that brings us right up to the events of Alien… but I definitely don’t feel compelled to see that after the events of Covenant. Granted, Fassbender’s work alone here is so brilliant, and his characters so intriguing, that if a final Scott-directed, Fassbender-starring Alien prequel were to materialize, I likely couldn’t resist.
The world and aesthetic of the Alien universe remain highly enjoyable. Set designs, score, ship designs, costuming, body horror, The Company… it’s all a sort of comfort food that tastes good going down. The creatures, the diverse crews played by wonderful actors… I enjoy spending time in the Alien universe in a way that hasn’t soured quite as sharply as the world of Middle Earth did throughout those interminable Hobbit films. Scott is fully capable of re-creating the world he birthed and bringing us the nostalgia and familiarity that comes with that. He just needs to really do something remarkable in another installment if he wants audiences to care about that crashed ship which Ripley and the Nostromo ultimately encounter.
And I’m Out.
-
Highlights From Kevin Eastman’s TMNT 1990 Movie Commentary, Live in KC
The Turtles’ co-creator visited KC’s Main Street Alamo Drafthouse to riff and ruminate on their first and greatest movie.
Kevin Eastman is a major guest at this year’s Planet Comicon (April 28–30), and the Alamo Drafthouse nabbed him for an incredible evening of live commentary on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film from 1990, directed by Steve Barron.
The Drafthouse’s Creative Manager Ryan Davis introduced the comics legend, who was greeted with thunderous applause and a standing ovation as he approached the front of the sold-out cinema for his opening comments. He must certainly have been exhausted from a long Con day, but it didn’t show in his enthusiastic participation.
Kevin Eastman with Drafthouse Creative Manager Ryan Davis It’s no secret to our regular readers that I’m a huge Turtles megafan, or that I adore this film — it’s one of my top five, as well as my single most logged movie on Letterboxd by a pretty solid margin. So it goes without saying that I was very excited for this event.
https://cinapse.co/turtlemania-pick-of-the-week-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1990-2821bc98f11c
Kevin’s commentary was a fascinating and fun first-person tour of the film, with his Maine accent occasionally peppering his comments (“mahshal ahts”) and adding a bit of extra character. He’s obviously a genuine fan of the movie, quoting choice dialogue and vocally anticipating his favorite gags.
Of course a lot of the ground covered in the commentary was already well-known to fans, but there were also plenty of great insights and anecdotes that registered to me as “new” as well.
Commentary Highlights:
📼 Kevin misses the Pizza Hut ad from the VHS tape — so say we all.
🍔 He jokes that the Foot Clan’s clubhouse the “ultimate teenage dream”: cigarettes and Burger King Whoppers.
⚙️ The Turtles’ shell sizes vary a bit throughout the film. The dialogue suits have bigger shells than the stunt suits because they had to house the animatronics and puppetry tech.
👥 The crowd cheered when Eastman and Laird’s names appeared in the opening credits, and Kevin was quick to share the love. “The Turtles would not be the Turtles without Peter Laird”.
🚫 The UK’s absurd censorship wasn’t limited to the cartoon. The scene in which Mikey orders pizza was edited because he’s swinging his nunchaku, then considered an illicit weapon.
💵 People always ask Kevin where the Turtles get their money, but he only offers vague answers about odd jobs.
🚛 What would Jack Burton do? This phrase was whipped out many times throughout the film as Casey Jones got into various scrapes. Kevin is a huge fan of Big Trouble in Little China and adopted its iconic Kurt Russell character as a behavioral model for Casey.
🌐 Kids of all kinds could identify with the Turtles not only because of their different personalities, but because they transcend racial classification.
🐢 Donatello was originally the last of the Turtles to be named, with “Bernini” being the proposed alternative. Also on the subject of Donnie, Kevin loves Corey Feldman’s take on the character.
🧀 Shredder’s armor was originally inspired by a cheese grater.
🗣 Casey’s war cry “Goongala” is an obscure Tarzan reference.
🍕 Kevin describes visiting the sewer lair and 2nd Time Around movie sets as “surreal”; stepping into designs that were based on the comics.
👣 Of the Foot Clan member who hands out bisentos midway through the apartment fight: “He finally got up the stairs!”
🥋 He credits the Turtles for enabling ninjas to be good guys in pop culture, as opposed to the more historically correct thieves and assassins, particularly in Japan where the ninjas are understood and assumed to be murderous rather than heroic.
🕵 He was costumed and prepped for a substantial cameo in the film, but it ended up being a blink-and-miss-it background extra that’s not even recognizable as being him. Try to spot him near the garbage truck in the film’s finale.
Huge thanks go out to Kevin for a terrific evening that fans will never forget, and to the folks at Planet Comicon and the Alamo Drafthouse for making his appearance a reality.
As of this article’s publication, today is the final day to see Kevin at Planet Comicon!
The event photographs in this article were taken by the author.
https://cinapse.co/turtlemania-pick-of-the-week-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1990-2821bc98f11c
Get it at Amazon:
TMNT (1990) — [Blu-ray] | [DVD] | [Instant]
TMNT 1–4 Collection — [Blu-ray] | [DVD]TURTLEMANIA! More TMNT Articles From This Author:
Pick Of The Week: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
A Far Too Serious Sociological TMNT Think Piece
Ninja Rap: The Ninja Turtles’ Unlikely Hip-Hop Connection
Turtle Power Documentary — DVD Review
Turtle Power Director Interview with Randall Lobb
Turtles Forever: Crisis On Infinite… Turtles?
TMNT: Half-Shell Heroes Blast To The Past — DVD Review
TMNT: Out Of The Shadows — Blu-ray Review -
Arrow Heads Vol. 36: DJANGO, PREPARE A COFFIN: A Mostly Legit DJANGO Sequel!
Arrow Heads — Arrow Video humbly describes themselves as merely a “Distributor of classic, world, cult and horror cinema on DVD & Blu-ray”. But we film geeks know them as the Britain-based bastion of the brutal and bizarre, boasting gorgeous Blu-ray releases with high quality artwork and packaging and bursting with extras, often of their own making. This column is devoted to discussing their weird and wonderful output.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A baseless, power hungry, craven, egotistical narcissist with a shockingly awful blonde combover seizes political power via ill gotten gains and more than a few betrayals along the way… and he must be stopped. But enough about Django, Prepare A Coffin, everybody…
Yes, what we’ve got here with Django, Prepare A Coffin is one of about 60 sequels, spin-offs, remakes, or related-in-name-only offshoots of the wildly popular Italian western Django (1966), starring Franco Nero, Directed by Sergio Corbucci, and written by Franco Rossetti (among others). It’s even worth noting that the original film was shot by Enzo Barboni, if for no other reason than that Django, Prepare A Coffin was shot by the same man. Coffin is a strong candidate for one of the most legit spin-offs of Django in that the original writer, producer (Manolo Bolognini), and cinematographer all re-teamed for this film, which was also intended to star original gunslinger Franco Nero. Nero was called off to Hollywood and was replaced here with the surprisingly effective and equally piercingly-blue-eyed Terence Hill, who could definitely pass for Nero in a pinch. Hill parlayed his success here by being cast as another gunslinging hero in a series of Westerns following a character named Trinity.
So prolific and prone to copycatting was the age of the Spaghetti Western that half the fun of discussing the films today is finding out where they came from, what their connections are to other titles, and how they stack up against one another. Having long been a fan of the original Django and following Franco Nero’s career as a result, I’m prone to seeking out any film that got slapped with a “Django” in the title, and was thrilled to get a chance to see one of these specimen on an honest to goodness Blu-ray released by Arrow Video, complete with a killer little bonus feature called “Django Explained” which plays the exact game I’ve been playing in this review up until now.
But how is the movie itself? It’s a totally satisfying and largely unremarkable Italian western. There are cannonball sized holes in the story. Not the least of which is that Django is shot multiple times early on when his wife is killed and he is betrayed by our resident comb-over sporting villain David Barry (Horst Frank) and appears unaffected by these wounds in later scenes. But things like that don’t quite matter if forward momentum leads to a satisfying yarn, and Prepare A Coffin does exactly that. Filled with little flourishes of violence and thrilling action enough to raise it above the median of these types of films, you’ve got a full speed carriage chase, some bar fights, and you better believe that Django’s signature machine gun is going to make an appearance.
Almost more of a re-imagining than a sequel, this Django is a hangman by trade, and he hatches a scheme to rescue several of his victims and secretly raise them up as an army of the “dead” to exact revenge on the villainous politician. It’s pretty righteous. His hands are kind of sort of damaged the way they were in the first film as well. Other parallels such as coffins, machine guns, and cemeteries, not to mention a very similar costume, are all there as well.
Regardless, Prepare A Coffin is brisk, satisfying, and a fascinating little history lesson all in one attractive high definition package. If you’re a fan of the original Django, the Trinity films, or even of Coffin director Ferdinando Baldi (Comin’ At Ya!), you owe it to yourself to check out Django, Prepare A Coffin. It rises just far enough above the pack to warrant a viewing, and it’ll never slow down enough to make you regret your decision.
The Package
As mentioned, Arrow presents a crisp and colorful scan of this Italian shoot-em-up. The high definition treatment is likely the biggest reason to see this specific release. There’s a great featurette catching you up to speed on the Django phenomenon hosted by Italian Western expert and author Kevin Grant, and a SUPER spoilery trailer for the movie itself. That’s all you get with this lean and efficient package, but fans should definitely seek it out.
And I’m Out.
-
Arrow Heads Vol. 34: The DEAD OR ALIVE TRILOGY & Engaging With Takashi Miike
Arrow Heads — Arrow Video humbly describes themselves as merely a “Distributor of classic, world, cult and horror cinema on DVD & Blu-ray”. But we film geeks know them as the Britain-based bastion of the brutal and bizarre, boasting gorgeous Blu-ray releases with high quality artwork and packaging and bursting with extras, often of their own making. This column is devoted to discussing their weird and wonderful output.
Takashi Miike films demand a response.
He’s one of those filmmakers that were recommended to me at an age when my fragile mind simply couldn’t handle his work. I survived and loved Audition several years later, and eventually came to borderline worship 13 Assassins. So my desire to take in and engage in more of his work has been present for a long time now. But with a filmmaker as prolific as Miike, it’s hard to know where to dig in. There’s no question that not ALL of his work is for me. I’m still not brave enough to tackle Ichi The Killer, for instance.
So the Dead Or Alive trilogy became the answer to that question. It was, after all, the very film that was recommended to me so many years back and which I ultimately turned off and walked away from in disgust. Humorous, then, that some 15 years later I found myself barely even shocked by the bravura opening sequence of Dead Or Alive depicting every kind of vice under the sun set to blaring electric guitar and in-your-face camera work. It is a sequence that makes a statement. At 18, I wasn’t willing to accept that statement. I’ve since been exposed to such bizarre cinematic wonder and vice thanks in large part to Fantastic Fest that Dead Or Alive doesn’t so much feel shocking; but it does feel groundbreaking!
Miike is not even 60 years old, and the man has over 100 feature film directorial credits. His pace is furious, with the output veering wildly in tone and quality. That’s a choice this filmmaker has made, and it must be taken into account when engaging in his work. Some projects will flounder, or be rushed… some will be works of magic that find life through his proliferation.
The Dead Or Alive trilogy is an enjoyable sampling of this man’s work, depicting a seemingly eternal clash between two characters played by the same actors through all three films… who also kind of play different characters… sort of. Actor Riki Takeuchi is more or less the Bruce Campbell of Japan; good looking in a way that’s almost instantaneously comedic, and with a pompadour for the ages that survives throughout the trilogy. Sho Aikawa is a Miike regular with a more traditional Japanese look about him, and with well over 100 screen credits to his name as well. These two actors shoulder the Dead Or Alive trilogy between them, and the series grows on you as a result.
When all is said and done, the whole of the Dead Or Alive trilogy is a unique filmmaking experiment that’s more enjoyable as a package than any of its individual parts can really explain. Each film sets these two characters on a collision course with one another, allowing fate and war and conflict to be central themes throughout the stories. But where one is a gangster film, the other becomes a sentimental reflection piece, and the final is a low-fi futuristic Blade Runner-esque sci-fi fantasy. The journey is a trip. And because it’s Miike… it all culminates in a giant robot with a throbbing and articulated penis for a head. But I’m getting… ahem… ahead of myself.
Dead Or Alive (1999)
As mentioned above, the opening sequence of Dead Or Alive is audacious and grimy… filled with quick cuts and wailing guitars that introduce us to a host of characters in a world of filth. Dead Or Alive is a fairly standard yakuza versus crooked cops film overstuffed with characters but also infused with Miike’s trademark bizarro details such as a guy binging on ramen and getting his stomach blown out with noodles flying at the screen. Or a still-gross casual dialog scene that happens in the foreground as a beastiality porn is being filmed in the background. It can be shocking and gross, but the film feels overlong and Miike’s signature weirdness results in the pace dragging often. Dead Or Alive lives and dies by its opening and closing sequences. Before the opening sequence even gets going, our two main characters look out at the screen, directly at us, and say “One, two, three, go!” We know Miike is toying with us. As the final confrontation begins, our two main characters having been stripped of their various loved ones and culminating in a fated and epic battle, Takeuchi’s character says something like “And so we reach the final scene”. And it is a great ending, taking what had been a weird yakuza film and left-turning it into something wholly unexpected. The ending is the first real hint at what is in store for the whole trilogy, and it’s the most memorable element of the first film.
Dead Or Alive: Birds (2000)
Takashi Miike is best known for shocking and in your face violence and pulsating high energy imagery. But he has many children’s films under his belt as a director, and has proven a mastery over drama as well. Dead Or Alive 2 offers a magically sentimental tale as two hitmen cross paths on a job that goes south. Once again our leads are Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. Fleeing to a remote island, the men encounter each other and realize they are long lost childhood friends who had been raised on a remote island orphanage. Loaded with potent sentimentality, these killers reconnect with their childhood in charming ways even as the fallout from their gangland hit encroaches on their childhood safe haven. Shorter and more pleasant than the first film, Birds offers our ill-fated characters a chance to be peers and brothers rather than eternal rivals. There are many weird Miike flourishes, like the angel wings that appear on characters at various times, pointing towards the spiritual and eternal elements of this series. It’s very different than the first film, and elevates the concept of the series substantially. It’s also genuinely touching, with Miike exploring the purity of childhood and the depravity of adulthood. This was probably my favorite of the series.
Dead Or Alive: Final (2002)
Absolutely painful to look at, Dead Or Alive: Final is a really fun low budget film that fell victim to a horrible formatting decision. Shot on standard definition digital video in the early 2000s, this movie just looks like pure garbage. It’s painful to look at from a video quality perspective and has aged poorly. It was extremely wise for Arrow to indicate this right up front with a title screen explaining the look of the film, because they basically did the best they could with a truly egregious print of the movie.
If one can get past the low quality consumer-grade look of the film, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Set in a Blade Runner-esque future filled with outlawed replicants, Sho Aikawa plays a wandering cyborg who manages to find a unique angle to explore in the overcrowded “cyborg learning to be human” archetype. Riki Takeuchi plays the ultimate badass enforcer of a post-apocalyptic warlord who rules his city with a bizarre code. In this future, homosexuality is the only acceptable form of love, and all procreation is outlawed. Order has been wrought out of chaos through population control and drugs to suppress rebellion. The feeling here is that our characters are once again on a collision course with the fate of civilization hanging in the balance… but will these enemies ultimately join forces?
Featuring the most martial arts of the series, the most computerized digital effects, and the most unhinged and Bruce Campbell-esque Riki Takeuchi performance of the series, Final is a fitting capper to the trilogy, with a conclusion that is is equal parts fitting and thematically sound… as well as being “that’s so Miike”. [You know… the giant penis-headed robot I mentioned earlier].
As individual parts, none of the Dead Or Alive movies are particularly incredible or flawless. They each have their charms and Takashi Miike infuses so much flamboyant energy and so many ideas into each of his movies that he can’t be considered anything other than a mad genius. But I’m very glad to have taken the chance on the trilogy as a whole thanks to Arrow’s release of this set on Blu-ray. It’s a journey meant to be undertaken as a trilogy, with that first film being the most well known of the three, but also being ultimately the least interesting. Taken as a whole, this exercise in fate and eternal struggle paired with genre trappings of all stripes is a worthy journey to undertake for those willing to engage with Miike and let him lead you where he wants to take you. [Which is, for the record, on an eternal battle culminating in a penis robot.. So mileage may vary].
And I’m Out.
The Dead Or Alive trilogy is now available on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.
-
It’s Killer, And I Saw It! — Scream Factory’s Blu-ray Revival of ROBOCOP 2 & 3
Robocop (1987) is a tough act to follow. Director Paul Verhoeven infused it with such a unique and personal mix of social satire, black humor, spirituality, and X-rated violence that any follow-up without his involvement would face a challenge to nail the right tone. Furthermore, Alex Murphy (Robocop) had avenged his death and his story had a sense of closure. When the film proved to be a huge success, struggling distributor Orion Pictures rushed to greenlight two more sequels to bolster their weakening position.
Robocop 2 (1990)
Listen in on any conversation about Robocop 2, and it’s likely you’ll hear it disparaged or dismissed. That drives me crazy, because despite its difficult launching point and extremely rushed development, Robocop 2 is an absolute blast.
The film is the final feature from Irvin Kershner, known for movies like Eyes Of Laura Mars, A Fine Madness, and, oh yeah, The Empire Strikes Back. And brought on board to write the script was none other than Frank “The Dark Knight Returns” Miller. Their story builds upon the already-seeded conflict between evil mega-corporation OCP and the striking Detroit Police force, which results in a whirlwind of chaos on the streets. Psychopathic drug kingpin Cain uses the opening to flood the city with a synthesized ultra-stimulant called Nuke.
While Robocop 2 doesn’t quite match Verhoeven’s particular wavelength of caustic social critique or Christ-figure analogism, it has a manic, freewheeling style all its own. For reasons never explained, Cain’s second-in-command is a bossy, foul-mouthed kid who treats adults as his subordinates. That’s almost too wild to take seriously, but it’s a stroke of genius — to young viewers it feels like watching something truly vicarious and subversive.
And like the original, Robocop 2 has a definite strain of biting humor. In one comical sequence, OCP’s “Robocop 2” program goes through a parade of failures in trying to create another cyborg; they all end up suicidal. Later, when Robo is decimated in battle with Cain and his goons, his image-conscious corporate owners reprogram him with hundreds of new non-violent and PR-friendly prime directives, overloading his circuits with dopey bromides and making him an ineffectual police officer.
This all culminates in a stop-motion packed battle between Robocop and Cain, whose consciousness has been transplanted to a huge and powerful cyborg as the culmination of the Robocop 2 program. Over the course of ten minutes, this knock-down, drag-out melee takes its brawlers to the top of a skyscraper, and plummets them to below the city streets, forcing Robo to outwit his bigger, stronger, better-armed adversary. In terms of both action and effects, it’s the pinnacle of the entire franchise.
Robocop 3
Despite its hard-R roots, the franchise had always held a place in the hearts of kids who were attracted to the pulpy comic-hero subject matter. An improbable animated series debuted in 1988, and by the time Robocop 3 came around, Orion was convinced that a PG-13 film was the way to go.
Fred Dekker was tapped to direct the film, and after two box office failures (though now beloved cult classics, Night Of The Creeps and The Monster Squad were considered big losers), he jumped at the chance to helm a major franchise despite the inherent difficulties.
Detroit just can’t catch a break. OCP’s urban renewal program, essentially a mercenarial gentrification army, attempts to forcibly remove families from their homes and neighborhoods to make way for their new vision of “Delta City”.
Robocop 3 is easily the least essential of the trilogy, stymied by its PG-13 trappings and tonal differences from the first two films. It plays as sillier and lighter than the other films, lacking both their sarcasm and bite. Additionally, there’s a lack of uncanny stop-motion robot effects which were by this time a hallmark of the franchise. Perhaps most detrimentally, Peter Weller didn’t return to the title role.
In its defense, the film does attempt to finish a wider arc for Murphy, who having been separated from his wife and son, now finds a surrogate family. He turns against his owners to join and defend the displaced citizens who are banding together to survive and fight off their oppressors.
Rather than try to top Robocop 2’s robot slugfest, 3 pits Robo against Japanese cyborg ninjas and culminates in a western-inspired showdown: The “sheriff” (franchise stalwart Robert DoQui as Sgt. Reed) and his posse ride onto the main street of town and inspire and deputize the citizenry to fight off the bandits trying to steal their homes. Robocop is the lone gunslinger in this analogy, and fittingly both a dead man and capable of flight — an avenging angel as in western tales like Pale Rider.
Robocop 3 boasts the most recognizable cast of the trilogy, with CCH Pounder, Stephen Root, Rip Torn, and Mako joining the fun, but the swelling cast is a double-edged sword — less character development is afforded to these new characters, which is particularly important because the audience needs to feel a sense of attachment for Robocop’s new surrogate family.
The closing film of the series is, at best, a passable entry that simply isn’t very good despite the best intentions of director, cast, and crew. With this edition, though, the film it at its best with an informative and excellent commentary by Fred Dekker.
The Package
Robocop 2 and Robocop 3 have been on Blu-ray before in inexpensive trilogy and solo releases, so I imagine the real question for anyone considering picking up these discs is what they’ve got to offer that’s new. The previous releases have always been barebones affairs, but Scream Factory’s new releases are feature-packed with tons of new interviews ready to assault your eyeballs. Unfortunately there are some lamentable absences, particularly Peter Weller and Frank Miller. What’s here, though, is great, especially the stuff with Fred Dekker and Phil Tippett.
Scream Factory’s feature-packed new Collector’s Editions have reversible covers featuring new and classic artwork, with slipcovers featuring the new art.
Robocop 2 
Robocop 3 These releases look nice, and one thing that these discs get right is actually using the classic logo with the iconic font. That probably sounds like an easy layup, but MGM has actually screwed this up repeatedly over the course of years.
THIS. 
Not this. Robocop 2 features a brand new 2K scan of the inter-positive, and it’s a marked improvement. I posted a separate article dedicated to comparing a ton of screenshots, which you can check out here. Robocop 3 includes the same (good looking) transfer from its previous discs.
https://cinapse.co/robocop-2-screen-comparisons-scream-factory-blu-ray-vs-2010-release-f3cd6a53d4c8
Special Features and Extras — Robocop 2
· Audio Commentary with author/CG supervisor Paul M. Sammon
· Audio Commentary with Gary Smart, Chris Griffiths, and Eastwood Allen (makers of RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop)
· Corporate Wars: The Making of ROBOCOP 2 (32:04)
Making-of with tons of cast and crew.
· Machine Parts: The FX of ROBOCOP 2 (31:36)
Phil Tippett and many others discuss the film’s awesome stop motion sequences.
· Robo-Fabricator: An Interview with James Belohovek (8:47)
James discusses his work on improving the practical aspects of Robo’s suits for the sequel, but the best part of this interview is his opening tale of woe.
· Adapting Frank Miller’s ROBOCOP 2: An Interview with Steven Grant (5:53)
Grant, who adapted Miller’s original Robocop 2 screenplay into a comic book series, discusses the differences in the material.
· OCP Declassified (45:50)
Unpolished vintage materials including interviews with Irvin Kershner, Peter Weller, and Dan O’Herlihy, plus some BTS footage of deleted scenes
· Teaser Trailers (1:56)
· Theatrical Trailer (1:54)
· TV Spots (1:02)
· Deleted Scenes (Still Gallery) — The deleted scenes themselves are not included on the disc (perhaps lost?) but archival photos show some glimpses of what was excised.
· Still Gallery — BTS and promo materialsSpecial Features and Extras — Robocop 3
· Audio Commentary with director Fred Dekker
Dekker’s commentary is incredible, and his unprecedented look behind the scenes is fascinating. He’s obviously aware of the film’s poor reputation, and totally honest and humble about it. He even takes it full on the nose, never throwing anyone else under the bus for the film’s faults. He laments some choices, argues in favor of others, and takes pride in the parts he loves best.
· Audio Commentary with Gary Smart, Chris Griffiths, and Eastwood Allen (makers of “RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop”)
· Delta City Shuffle: The Making of ROBOCOP 3 (38:25)
Cast and crew, including Fred Dekker and Nancy Allen among others, reminisce on the film’s making and reception. Between this and Dekker’s commentary, this disc is one Frank Miller short of a best-case scenario.
· Robo-Vision: The FX of ROBOCOP 3 (12:03)
Several FX artists recall the film’s special effects — since there isn’t much stop motion in Robocop 3, this ends up mostly being about the CGI and flight-suit sequences, which have not aged particularly well.
· Climbing The Corporate Ladder with Felton Perry (10:48)
Perry, who plays OCP executive Johnson in all three films, recalls his history with the franchise and his own career and personal work ethics.
· Training Otomo with Bruce Locke and Bill Ryusaki (8:35)
Actor Locke and his trainer Ryusaki discuss the casting process and martial arts preparation of the film’s ninja character.
· War Machine: An Interview with James Belohovek (9:17)
Belohovek, who designed the Robocop 2 suit, talks about his return to the franchise as a prop-maker.
· Theatrical Trailer (2:02)
· Still Gallery
Verdict
The Robocop sequels have never had better or more reverent home releases than these. Lovingly crafted with tons of extras, these are highly recommended. Robocop 2 is essential viewing, and even Robo-fans who dislike the third movie may be surprised at how fascinating its treatment is — with frank and humble reflections from Fred Dekker and others, this is a compelling look at a reviled film.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
Robocop 2 [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray]
Robocop 3 [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray]Except where noted, all 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have slight compression inherent to file formats. All package photography was taken by the reviewer.
https://cinapse.co/robocop-2-screen-comparisons-scream-factory-blu-ray-vs-2010-release-f3cd6a53d4c8
-
SXSW 2017: GEMINI Evokes Hollywood Noir
One of the great joys of film festivals for movie nerds such as myself is walking into a film that you know virtually nothing about. That in and of itself can be a rare treat to someone who is almost always familiar with a filmmaker or cast member or has been barraged by a marketing campaign.
Having been entirely unaware of filmmaker Aaron Katz’ previous body of work (even though he was an Austin-based filmmaker for many years before transitioning to L.A.), walking into Gemini was that kind of experience. Blind trust in the SXSW programming team, and a vague awareness that the film starred Lola Kirke as a Hollywood personal assistant.
Having myself been a production assistant in the world of film production for a couple of years, I found myself instantly connected to the world Jill LeBeau (Kirke’s character) inhabits in Gemini. Long, seemingly endless work days, weird requests, a hazy work life/social life balance, and more or less doing things that the person paying you simply doesn’t want to do. In this case, Kirke plays the personal assistant to Heather Anderson (Zoe Kravitz), an in demand actress who’s been in the game since her teens and is beginning to feel burned out from all the crazy fans and paparazzi and might even be willing to break some contracts in order to get away from it all.
But before all that, Katz introduces us to the world he’s crafting through an evocative “dirty south meets Raymond Chandler” electronic score and deft camera work that paints a colorful portrait of L.A.; one reminiscent of Chinatown or L.A. Confidential… a more classical L.A. where crimes of passion and well-dressed detectives piece together mysteries.
And piecing together a mystery is exactly what Jill finds herself doing after a shocking development interrupts her version of normal… which is bouncing from meeting to party with Heather always at her hip. Enter Detective Edward Awn (John Cho), who is now conducting an investigation and has Jill high on his list of suspects. With great economy of script, all the socializing that Jill and Heather were doing in the first act of the film becomes the body of characters who we will all consider or suspect in the shocking crime that has happened. And weirdly, Jill’s skills as a successful Hollywood assistant seem to make her equally adept as an impromptu detective, even if she’s not very good at being a fugitive.
Obviously commenting on the Hollywood lifestyle and the bubble that fame and wealth places around the minds of those swept up in it, Katz’s film is presenting characters who represent various roles in Hollywood with knowing candor. We’re introduced to producers and directors who can’t shake themselves out of storytelling and business mode, even when a massive real life crime comes crashing into their lives. They aren’t necessarily portrayed as sociopaths, but definitely hugely self-involved. Jill isn’t too far above the fray in that regard, but perhaps, just maybe, this incident, and her reliance on her own wiles to piece together a mystery, could shake her out of her Hollywood haze?
Gemini is a cool, often funny, and well-crafted Hollywood mystery poking a little fun at the industry that they certainly had to work within in order to create the movie itself. It’s not too heavy on the commentary, however, with each character feeling lived in and fleshed out. Though effectively stylized, Gemini is more like what would happen if a hard-boiled mystery came crashing into the lives of today’s real life Hollywood personalities. They’d schedule lunch meetings rather than walk into a private detective’s smoke filled office. With Gemini, I consider myself an instant fan of Aaron Katz’ work and will gladly seek out some of his other films. With this cast and hook, Gemini could be poised to break wider than Katz’ previous work, and it deserves it.
And I’m Out.
-
ROBOCOP 2 Screen Comparisons — Scream Factory Blu-ray vs 2010 Release
This article contains several comparisons which contrast the older MGM Blu-ray transfer with the new Shout! Factory restoration. The frames aren’t necessarily exact matches, but should give a solid indication of the visual differences.
Shout Factory’s newly remastered Blu-rays of the Robocop sequels release next week! I’ll be posting full reviews of both discs (now available here), but in the meantime I want to specifically look at the new 2K scan of Robocop 2 (I also confirmed that Robocop 3 uses the same print as its prior editions). I’ve got a ton of comparative screenshots below for your perusal, comparing the new edition with the prior version that was first released in 2010 as part of the Robocop Trilogy. (Sorry no more fancy comparative sliders; one of the few downsides of our site’s move to a new platform is the loss of that particular plug-in). Here are my own takeaways.
General observations:
- The older disc’s image was “punched up” with higher brightness and contrast, and more vivid colors, whereas the new disc has more natural tones.
- The new disc’s palette has a less dominant blue bias.
- Robo’s armor is often the star of the show’s visuals, and it’s looking a lot better. Improved color tone make him look less garishly cyan, and the shiny spots in his armor maintain better detail without blowing out to white.
- The new scan is a hair wider.
To inspect these comparisons more closely, I suggest opening them in new tabs and viewing them at full size.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc The lessened blueness is very evident in scenes with dense smoke or fog. Since Robo’s originally silver armor takes on more of a blue tint in the sequel, this color-timing change makes him look a bit less “electric blue” — a good thing, in my opinion.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc The above shot is a good indication of how much better Robo’s armor looks now. The color is much more natural and the shiny spot on his visor now maintains its color information.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc 
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc Note the improvement in the skin tone in the frame above.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc Note some of the brighter areas that used blow out to white, as in the windows and the shiny spot on the nose of Robo’s visor.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc 
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc Frames like this shot of Anne might seem to indicate that the older picture has better grain structure or finer detail, but if you inspect the images closely, the definition has not been reduced — this is an effect of the older transfer’s brightness and contrast (which also blows out the shiny part of her helmet and the white wall behind her).
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc The old disc’s punched-up brightness and color are particularly notable in the above frame. The new transfer corrects the artificial splotchiness in lab tech’s face and coat. Robo’s armor is noticeably less garish as well.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc The above frame demonstrates a big improvement in colors, and in reducing the noise in the sky. One little irony is that electric sparks may actually look better or more powerful with a bit of that white blowout, but overall I consider the new frame a big improvement.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc The old transfer isn’t always brighter. Shout Factory opted for a more hospital-like “white and sterile” look to this drug lab scene.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc The shift in color timing is very evident in the above image.
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc 
Top: Old MGM/Fox Disc // Bottom: New Shout Factory Disc Of all the comparison shots, this frame of Robocop 2 has the most extreme difference in temperature, looking less blue and more nocturnal.
Get it at Amazon:
Robocop 2 [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray]
Robocop 3 [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray]Further Reading:
https://cinapse.co/its-killer-and-i-saw-it-scream-factory-s-blu-ray-revival-of-robocop-2-3-f978110cbb22https://cinapse.co/its-killer-and-i-saw-it-scream-factory-s-blu-ray-revival-of-robocop-2-3-f978110cbb22
-
Unboxing THE BEFORE TRILOGY Criterion Collection Blu-ray Box Set
Our Alex Williams has already put out a terrific review of Criterion’s new box set of Richard Linklater’s years-in-the-making trilogy, but it’s such a commanding piece of physical media that I felt it deserved a closer inspection on those terms. Here’s a tour of the full package!
The box set includes three digipaks individually housing the Blu-ray discs. The slip-box is open on the spine side, which is common for Criterion sets but unusual in general terms.
The set’s spine is numbered #856, but each of the individual films is numbered as well — #857–859.
Spinal detail — outer, inner, and top The first film’s digipak is a bit thicker as it also houses the booklet.
The 34-page booklet is printed in full color and includes an essay by Dennis Lim entitled “Time Regained”, as well as technical notes about the masters.
Each film gets a Digipak case with its own cover treatment and artwork.
Feature details provided by Criterion—
DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:
New, restored 2K digital transfers of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset and a 2K digital master of Before Midnight, approved by director Richard Linklater, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Before Sunrise Blu-ray and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks on the Before Sunset and Before Midnight Blu-rays
New discussion featuring Linklater and actors Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, moderated by critic Kent Jones
Behind-the-scenes footage and interviews from the productions of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset
Audio commentary on Before Midnight by Delpy, Linklater, and Hawke
Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny, a feature-length 2016 documentary by Louis Black and Karen Bernstein
After Before, a new documentary by Athina Rachel Tsangari about the making of Before Midnight in Greece
New conversation between scholars Dave Johnson and Rob Stone about Linklater’s work
Episode of the radio program Fresh Air featuring host Terry Gross, Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke
Linklater // On Cinema & Time, a 2016 video essay by filmmaker :: kogonada
PLUS: An essay on the trilogy by critic Dennis Lim
-
RED DAWN (1984) — The Cold War Heats Up on New Shout Select Blu-ray — with Screen Comparisons
Shout Select’s new Red Dawn Collector’s Edition Blu-ray hits shelves tomorrow.
In a startlingly abrupt and surreal opening sequence, a small-town Colorado high school class is interrupted by Russian and Cuban paratroopers landing in the schoolyard and opening fire on their history teacher. It’s nothing less than a full-scale invasion, and a group of teenagers manages to escape to the mountains with guns and supplies, forced to become ragtag guerrilla warriors in World War III.
It’s a well known film and probably needs little introduction. But Red Dawn has had a bit of a rough time lately, between a terrible remake (the less said about that, the better) and modern reanalysis in an era in which extreme nationalism and xenophobia have taken root and poisoned American culture.
Now more than ever before, the film’s themes are frequently criticized as overtly politicized or jingoistic, and on this rewatch I picked up on some themes I hadn’t noticed before. The entire narrative is of course a powerful and obvious defense of the right and need to bear arms, but there’s also subtle criticisms of gun control (the invaders steal gun registry records to identify which civilians may be armed) and lax border security (invading Cubans have infiltrated the country via Mexico).
But in the context of an 80s movie about the Cold War erupting into all-out war on US soil, I feel like this all still works. This is a story about kids fighting off a foreign invasion at home, and on that front it’s pretty incredible action fantasy, especially as a challenge to comfortable suburban kids faced with the question of how they’d respond in a similar situation. In today’s movie climate which too often glorifies and caters to man-children, it’s good to be reminded of empowering stories in which girls and boys must grow up and take on adult responsibilities.
The film is notable not only for introducing the PG-13 rating (in the wake of movies like Gremlins and the Indiana Jones franchise angering parents and challenging the violence quotient of PG), but also as a starmaking vehicle for its assemblage of burgeoning young actors. It features an unforgettable cast that includes Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey, Powers Boothe, and C. Thomas Howell, anchored by supporting turns from veterans like Ron O’Neal, Lane Smith, Ben Johnson, and Harry Dean Stanton.
America has changed a lot in the last three decades and some aspects of Red Dawn haven’t aged well, but the theme of young American insurgents on US soil, repelling a hostile invasion force? That will never cease to be inspiring.
The Package
Shout Select’s new disc claims to be the film’s definitive release, and I agree. This edition pools all previous content and a new documentary into a snazzy package with new and old reversible art and a pretty awesome slipcover.
The Transfer
Unlike many Shout Factory and Scream Factory releases which tout new remasters, the press releases for Red Dawn haven’t mentioned any upgraded visuals. So naturally the first question on many collectors’ minds is whether this is the same image as previous Red Dawn Blu-rays.
The answer is yes… and no.
After isolating and comparing many frames from different parts of the movie, I’ve determined that the images do indeed seem to be exactly the same transfer and quality — with one surprising difference.
Can you see it? Probably not.
Left: Old MGM Blu-ray / Right: New Shout Select Blu-ray The picture on the new Shout disc is shifted a few pixels to the left, introducing a very slight black edge on the right. It’s such a small difference that it feels nitpicky to even mention it (many TVs slightly crop the edges anyway), but that’s the clearest, most accurate answer to a question many are asking. By practical standards, the picture is exactly the same.
Special Features and Extras
The big draw here is the new 70 minute documentary looking back on the film’s production. At a glance, it would seem that everything else is identical.
NOT SO FAST.
The disc indeed brings back all previous bonus content — but in improved form. These DVD featurettes were previously presented in hideous interlaced versions. For this disc, they either deinterlaced those videos or used a better source. This is something that Shout Factory actually does often, where most distributors (including MGM themselves) would simply slap the old content on and call it a day. These have never looked better.
· NEW — A Look Back At Red Dawn (69:08)
Unquestionably the star of the package, this new documentary explores a lot of behind-the scenes stories and thought process behind the film’s creation. Unfortunately it’s kind of disappointing that neither director John Milius nor any of the film’s many well-known stars participated — of the cast, only supporting actor Doug Toby is involved. He’s joined by casting director Jane Jenkins, production designer Jackson De Govia, and editor Thom Noble.Archival Features — with improved PQ!
· Red Dawn Rising (23:02)
· Training For WWIII (9:49)
· Building The Red Menace (9:37)
· WWIII Comes To Town (13:27)· Original Theatrical Trailer (2:29)
There’s one slight change here; the new disc’s trailer opens with a modern, digitally-sourced extended MGM logo instead of the vintage one.
The Verdict
Shout Factory’s habit of mining MGM’s catalogue and re-releasing titles already on Blu-ray has grown more transparent lately, but is usually pretty welcome thanks to the incredible quality of the discs that result.
While this edition of Red Dawn is the definitive home version of the movie, it’s also one of their least essential re-releases so far, with only a slight upgrade over the film’s previous editions.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
Red Dawn — [Shout Select Collector’s Edition Blu-ray]Except where noted, all screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have slight compression inherent to file formats. All package photography was taken by the reviewer.
