Blu-Ray/Movie Review: From Dusk Till Dawn

 

From Dusk Till Dawn is a 1996 film that blends the action, crime-drama, and monster genres. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and stars George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino (who also wrote the screenplay), Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu, and Salma Hayek (in her second major film role). The supporting cast includes Cheech Marin (who plays three different roles), John Saxon, Danny Trejo, Fred Williamson, Tom Savini, and Kelly Preston. In it, Clooney and Tarantino play criminal brothers who have recently robbed a bank and taken one of the tellers hostage. They end up taking a family (Keitel, Lewis, and Liu) hostage and force Keitel, who plays a former minister named Jacob Fuller (who has lost his faith after his wife's death), to Mexico in the family's RV. Seth (Clooney's character) assures Jacob that his family will be safe after they meet the brother's contact the following morning at a strip club in Mexico that is open from dusk till dawn. It turns out the strip club is run by vampires who steal from truckers and bikers who frequent the club. 

The blu-ray release is a single-disc release with no bonus content. The A/V transfer is okay, but not outstanding. If you have a large screen and a good sound system, the movie will look and sound very good, even if the HD transfer is not of the highest quality.

The movie falls into the category of good, but not great. It was made just before the big advancement in CGI effects and technology (basically before the first Matrix film and the subsequent Star Wars and Harry Potter films revolutionized movie effects), so some of the effects are extremely fake-looking and cheesy. It is absolutely not family-friendly as it has a lot of violence, swearing, and some nudity. It is well-written and well-acted, and Hayek looks stunning in her bikini scene and takes over the movie at one point despite the limited screen time she gets. While it is not really a comedy, it does have some funny moments, such as Cheech Marin showing up throughout the film in different roles. Ultimately, if you are a fan of action films and shoot-em-up monster movies, you will probably like this one. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Collection Review: The Oceans Trilogy

 

The Ocean's trilogy is a collection of three movies, starting with the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11 (which originally starred The Rat Pack), followed by the 2004 and 2007 sequels, Ocean's 12 and Ocean's 13. The core cast members of the updated version and the sequels included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia. The supporting cast included Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, and Shaobo Qin. The rest of the cast changed from film to film, but included Vincent Cassel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Izzard, Albert Finney, Cherry Jones, Ellen Barkin, Al Pacino, and David Paymer. 

The basic storyline of the first movie is that a group of thieves led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt put together and execute a plan to steal 160 million dollars from a Vegas casino owner (played by Andy Garcia). The sequels stood mostly on their own, essentially as revenge stories. Ocean's 12 and 13 were very different, with Ocean's 12 essentially being an extension of the storyline from the first film, and Ocean's 13 having a more stand-alone story. They are all directed by Steven Soderbergh and maintained the same production team, which I think allowed the films to be cohesive, keeping a similar tone and feel, without being carbon copies of each other. 

The blu-ray set is a four-disc set. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is good, but is probably not what A/V enthusiasts would consider reference quality. Ocean's 13 definitely looks the best of the three. Each movie is on its own disc and includes at least one commentary track, deleted/extended scenes, and some behind-the-scenes material (such as the HBO first looks), specific to the particular movie. The Ocean's 13 disc also includes a feature on real-life heists (such as the MIT card-counting group). Then there is a separate blu-ray with more bonus material around two hours worth of extras that spanned all three movies. 

The movies were well-written and acted. Each film had a mix of comedy and drama, with some action included here and there. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the movies and like watching the bonus material, this is definitely a good pickup.

DVD/Movie Review: Out of Sight

 

Out of Sight was a 1998 crime-drama/dark comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, and Albert Brooks. The movie is, at its core, a love story (albeit a twisted one) about a bank robber/prison escapee (Clooney) and a federal marshal (Lopez) who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is also very much a drama with some very funny moments. In that way, it really does not fit any label perfectly. It is part love story, part chase movie, part criminal looking for one last score. The story is told part in the present and part through flashbacks (in an almost pulp fiction-like manner). That part of it really works well, and I think it ultimately makes the movie better than it would have been had it run in chronological order.

As far as extras on the DVD version go, there is a 25-minute making-of documentary, a commentary track by Steven Soderbergh, 22 minutes worth of deleted scenes, and select scenes that highlight certain songs from the movie. All in all, enough to keep those who like going through the bonus material happy.

The strength of the movie is the stellar ensemble cast. Clooney (who was probably at the height of his ER fame when the movie was made) and Lopez were the stars and the focus of the movie, but everyone from Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Albert Brooks to Steve Zahn (who steals nearly every scene he is in) works perfectly. There are also cameos by Michael Keaton and Samuel L Jackson, which, although brief, are very good. Clooney and Lopez either had very good chemistry or faked it well because you can buy the sexual tension between the two that the movie was going for. It is a very good movie that is absolutely worth the time to watch.

DVD/TV Series Review: ER Season 15 [Spoilers]

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from prior seasons and minor spoilers from the final season+++

ER's 15th and final 22-episode season aired during the 2008/1009 TV season. It marked the end of one of the longest-running, and best medical dramas ever. There was yet more cast turnover this year with Mekhi Phifer, Shane West, Maura Tierney, and Goran Visnjc leaving the show as series regulars. Some would appear here and there throughout the season, and some had a one-and-done appearance. Angela Basset was the big addition to the cast, joining as the new Chief of Emergency Medicine, Catherine Banfield. The show also had several recognizable guest stars throughout the season including Tony Hale, Chadwick Boseman, Carl Weathers, Ariel Winter, Wallace Shawn, Rooney Mara, Ernest Borgnine, and Judy Greer, among others.

I have always looked at ER as two different series. One that lasted through season 8 when Anthony Edwards decided to leave the show and the one that remained on the air until the end. Personally, I would have liked to have seen the show end after the 8th season, because had the shows that told the story of Dr Green's death been the series finale, the show would have gone out on a high point and would have never been accused of hanging on too long. This season really tries to bridge the two series, by bringing back many former cast members, including Edwards, Paul McCrane, Laura Innes, William H. Macy, Thandiwe Newton, George Clooney, Juliana Margulies, Alex Kingston, Sherrie Stringfield, and Eriq La Salle. The catalyst for bridging the early seasons to the later seasons was a storyline involving Dr. Carter that extends throughout most of the season (Wyle returns as something between a recurring character and a series regular). Edwards and McCrane are brought back in a flashback episode that found a creative way to include Basset's character. For those who were fans of the show from the beginning in 1994, the season provides a shot of nostalgia, while also wrapping up the storylines for the current main cast members like Scott Grimes, John Stamos, Linda Cardellini, and Parminder Nagra.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. It has a handful of special features including unaired scenes and a series retrospective with interviews with cast members and showrunners. Given the impact the series had, launching (or helping to launch) the careers of many stars (including Clooney, Margulies, Ewan McGregor, and Ving Rhames, to name just a few) as well as having many notable guest stars, it should have had a lot more special features looking back on the series. Even so, what was included is good. 

The season was very good, and one of the best in the season 9-15 era of the show. It was very nice to see the old cast members even though some just had cameo appearances. Many people complained about the episode in which Clooney and Margulies were brought back for having a totally unrealistic story. I think it was the best that could be done to give Clooney his "own" episode where he and Margulies could do more than just make a cameo appearance in the finale like Sherry Stringfield, Alex Kingston, and Laura Innes did. While the storyline was contrived and would not happen in real life it was really the only way, aside from having Carter go out to Seattle, to have a reason for someone from County to be interacting with Ross and Hathaway. Given that Clooney was really 1a and/or 1b along with Anthony Edwards and Margulies was a major star on the show in the early years, I think it was better to do what they did so the two could be in more than just one or two scenes. I also think the way the show ended, with Morris (of all people) taking over as the lead character, and having Carter passing the baton (so to speak) to Dr. Green's daughter who had become a prospective medical student, was the best way to end the series. It was perfect to have Noah Wyle be the last person we see on screen since the show started with his character as the wide-eyed medical student back in episode 1.