The tenth anniversary of the popular prison drama The Shawshank Redemption sees a deluxe DVD edition of the film hitting stores for the first time. The movie's image is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, and a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary from writer/director Frank Darabont, a making-of documentary, and a second documentary explaining how the film has attained such a high level of popularity, seeing as it was not exactly a blockbuster when it initially played in theaters. A Charlie Rose interview with Darabont and stars Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, the movie's trailer, and a spoof of the film featuring sharks round out this first-rate release from Warner Bros.
Paul Thomas Anderson's unflinching look at the world of 1970s adult cinema has been polished up for this "special edition," which improves on New Line's previously released DVD. The picture is perfect, presented in a widescreen anamorphic format with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The day-glo colors of '70s California never looked so radiant. Also, from the hit parade of pop classics to minor details like the whirring of film through a camera, the sound design is one of the best out there. Dolby Digital 5.1 allows viewers to experience every minute sound with perfect clarity. Extras are a real pleasure as well. New Line has kept Anderson's original commentary, while adding a new one featuring selected members of the cast. The second disc offers ten deleted scenes (bumped up from the original's nine), and the music video for Michael Penn's song "Try." A curious but welcome addition is the "John C. Reilly Files," a collection of extended scenes that prominently feature the actor. They're fairly amusing and give a good insight into the loose, almost improvisational feeling that pervades the movie.
This two-disc set of Tony Scott's True Romance offers a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English soundtracks are rendered in both DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are accessible. The extensive supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Tony Scott, a second commentary from stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, a third commentary track by Oscar-winning screenwriter Quentin Tarantino, storyboards, deleted scenes with optional director's commentary, a featurette, a photo gallery, the original theatrical trailer, an alternate ending with optional commentary from both Scott and Tarantino, and a variety of supporting actors (Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, Michael Rapaport) providing scene-specific commentary. This is an outstanding set from Warner Bros.