It Happened One Night (1934)

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert star in this early Frank Capra screwball comedy/road trip film. It Happened One Night swept the big five categories at the Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay). Overall the movie has aged pretty well and the chemistry between the leads is undeniable. Gable in particular shows off great comedic skills that were rarely seen throughout his career. The famous hitchhiking scene is worth the price of admission alone and even if the movie isn't a laugh riot from start to finish, it's always entertaining. Also notable is that Bugs Bunny creator Friz Freling was a big fan of the film and some characters and scenes are very likely the inspiration for Bugs.

Rating: 4/5

Ranking the Albums: The Rolling Stones Version

If it seems like The Rolling Stones have been around forever it's because they have. The self-described "Best Rock and Roll Band in the World" have gone through numerous stylistic and lineup changes in their storied history. They've managed to stay at least somewhat relevant for almost 50 years, while reinventing themselves on numerous occasions. The core of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts have been mainstays but the three main second guitarists, Brian Jones (who also played a myriad of other instruments), Mick Taylor and Ronnie Wood all made extremely valued contributions while longtime bassist Bill Wyman laid down the bottom end for all of the bands classic period. I believe the Stones are the ultimate pure rock band. Even with the experimentation that would hold back (in my eyes) much of their post 70's work they've always maintained a strong sense of pure straight forward blues based rock. I know a lot of people of my age and younger don't care for their music or simply think of them as a overplayed nostalgia act but I would guess most of those opinions are based on 20 or songs that are classic rock radio staples. There's a lot more depth to their best work than what gets played on the radio and that will be the focus of this entry. With Tuesdays reissue of their classic album, Exile on Main Street this is as good a time as any to rank the best of their studio work. It should be noted that the Stones early discography is complicated. There are a lot differences between the American and British releases and for this post I will be going off the American versions.

Weekend Video: The Jayhawks "Let The Critics Wonder"

Legendary Minnesota band The Jayhawks long-lost 1986 debut record The Bunkhouse Tapes is being reissued on Tuesday by Lost Highway Records. In a quick preview they have also released a couple old videos of the band playing a pig roast (yeah, a pig roast). Check out the band rocking "Let the Critics Wonder" in all it's low quality live glory.

Edge of Darkness: Blu-ray (2010)

It's hard to believe that Mel Gibson hadn't starred in a movie since 2002 before Edge of Darkness hit theaters earlier this year. Between directing The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto and his personal issues he was never really out of the public spotlight. Edge of Darkness isn't going to reestablish Mel as a major star but it does show that he can still carry a movie pretty much by himself.

Boston cop Thomas Craven (Gibson) has just picked up his daughter Emma (Bojana Novaovic) as she returns home for a rare visit. Emma immediately becomes ill but on the way to the hospital she is shot and killed right in Thomas' arms. Everyone assumes that the shooter was intending to kill Thomas and missed but the investigation into the crime does not go exactly as planned.

Edge of Darkness is a decent but ultimately unremarkable revenge thriller/conspiracy movie. It's adapted from the BBC TV series of the same name and it really feels like director Martin Campbell (who directed the TV series as well) tried to fit far too much into a 2 hour movie. There's just too much going on to really get into any aspect of it. For a movie that's billed as a action oriented revenge thriller, it really is quite talky. There is just far too much exposition going on at almost all times and the pace can really drag. Cutting one or two of the subplots could have really benefited the film.

With all that aside the movie is defintaley not a total loss. Gibson hasn't lost his acting ability at all. He gives a very strong performance and is still a commanding presence on screen. He is in nearly every scene and shows no ill effects of his time away from being on screen. Ray Winstone also shines in a supporting performance as a "consultant" who may or may not be on Craven's side. Another big positive is that the action scenes are very well done and exciting. Campbell has a good eye for delivering effective action sequences and the movies bursts of violence can be jarring in a very good way.

The blu-ray is a solid but unspectacular representation of a solid but unspectacular film. The video style is dark and representative of the overall mood. Detail is strong throughout and any softness in the video would seem to be the result of the shooting style. It's not a movie that is going to be a visual marvel but it does fit the overall feel of the film. The audio track is surprisingly front heavy. Dialogue is always the focus of the film and it comes through clearly. The action sequences do open up with heavy surround use and strong low end. The power behind these scenes is in direct contrast with the quieter nature of the track and are very effective when their eruption occurs.

Edge of Darkness is worth seeing for Gibson's return to a starring role but the film is held back by inconsistencies in the pacing and by being stretched too tin overall. It's good enough for a rental but hardly necessary.

Ratings
Movie: 3/5
Blu-ray 4/5

Saving Private Ryan: Blu-ray (1998)

What can really be said about Saving Private Ryan at this point? Anyone with an interest in seeing it already has (likely multiple times). It's one of the best war movies of all time. Harrowingly violent, emotionally involving, superbly directed by Steven Spielberg and exceptionally acted by the entire ensemble cast, there's no denying it's lasting power and appeal. That's why the recent release of it on blu-ray is a giant occasion.

The disc does not disappoint. The video transfer is impeccable. The look of the film isn't going to blow you away with bright colors or it's a extremely accurate representation. The intended style of the video is very gritty and realistic and the transfer represents that extremely well. Colors are generally washed out, leaning toward gray's and there is a fair amount of grain present throughout the film. Detail is far more revealing than past DVD versions, with individual rubble from destructed buildings and previously unnoticeable uniform components being notable. The few times bright colors are present they stand out exceptionally well. There are a few instances in the movie when clarity is a bit soft but that is how Spielberg intended it to look. Perhaps most importantly black levels are very strong and there is no noticeable bleeding that takes place at any point.

The Audio is even better than the video. When Saving Private Ryan was released on DVD in 1999 it set a new standard for an audio track on home video. While the DTS-HD MA track included here isn't going to blow away other newer flicks available on the format it's still of reference quality. First and foremost the action scenes are entirely engrossing. Surround use is constant and low end is powerful. Directionality is always accurate and bullets whiz by at a almost non-stop pace. Dialogue can get lost a bit during the most hectic moments but that is more than likely attributed to the realistic way the movie is presented. The quieter moments of the film are just as fantastic. Here dialogue is never lost in the mix and is always extremely clear and audible. Even in the non action sequences surround use is still very heavy. There is almost always something happening in the way of atmosphere, whether it's the sound of voices being heard in camps or bullets in the background or even just the sounds of nature the viewer is always involved in the middle.

There's not enough good things to say about the movie and the blu-ray certainly does it justice. Well worth the upgrade from DVD, Saving Private Ryan is a must own disc.

Ratings:
Movie: 5/5
Blu-ray: 5/5

Tetro: Blu-ray (2009)

Tetro is the newest movie from acclaimed writer/director Francis Ford Coppola. A far cry from his 70's masterpieces like The Godfather 1 & 2, Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, it's an intriguing but flawed look at familial relationships.

18 year old Bennie (outstanding newcomer Alden Ehrenrich) hasn't seen his brother Tetro (Vincent Gallo) in years. Tetro disappeared long ago and hasn't been in touch ever since. When Bennie gets a chance to unexpectedly drop in on Tetro and his girlfriend Miranda (Maribel Verdu) he does so hoping to find the reasons behind Tetro's departure and to reestablish a bond that was broken long ago. Tetro's life is a mystery and that's the way he wants to keep it. It's up to Bennie to find out what he wants to know without upsetting his volatile brother too much.

Coppola the director is in fine form throughout the movie. The camerawork is exquisite with numerous beautiful and inventive shots scattered throughout the movie. The entire film is wonderful to look at, from simple inside areas to large pans of the Buenos Aries landscape. Unfortunately Coppola's work as a writer is much more of a letdown. While the characters are all well rounded and fully realized, there is just no real emotional connection to any of them. Tetro's mysteriousness is much more of a turn off than it is intriguing and it's unclear what really makes others so drawn to him. The movie also goes on for far too long, 2 hours and 10 minutes is just too much time for about an hours worth of story. Add in the character development and the movie would have worked far better at an hour and a half.

The performances are uniformly excellent. Gallo is not one of my favorite actors by any means and I found his performance to be hit and miss but with what he's given I thought he was fine. The real star is Uhrenreich, he portays wide eyed and innocent very well but also goes to darker places with great effectiveness. It's easy to see why his performance is compared to a young DiCaprio (plus they really do look alike). The rest of the supporting cast is excellent as well.

Much like the movie the blu-ray is technically amazing. The black and white scenes looks fantastic. Blacks are deep and powerful yet easily distinguishable between background and foreground things like hair and clothing. There is no bleeding at any point. The small amount of scenes in color look fantastic as well but they are heightened beyond realistic levels. Detail is always superb and while there is a light grain visible at almost all times, it is never distracting. For a dialogue driven move Tetro packs a pretty powerful audio punch. The jazz and classical compositions that make up the soundtrack sound great. They are very full and impactful. There is not a lot in the way of surround use but when it does happen directionality is spot on and it sounds very natural. Dialogue is always clear and I did not have to adjust the volume at all during viewing.

There's a lot of really good things about Tetro - mostly falling on the technical side - and it's Coppola's best movie in quite a while but the lack of emotional involvement and the bloated length hold it back significantly. It's probably still worth seeing to see a great director at work but I doubt anyone will be blown away with it.

Ratings:
Movie: 3/5
Blu-ray: 4.5/5

Post Weekend Video: The Hold Steady - "The Weekenders" Live on Letterman

The Hold Steady's new album Heaven is Whenever releases tomorrow, buy it. Here they are playing "The Weekenders" on Friday nights "Late Show With David Letterman." That is all.