Peter Howitt directs Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan in the Hepburn/Tracy-inspired romantic comedy Laws of Attraction. The film debuts on DVD with a pair of transfers. The widescreen anamorphic transfer preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and is preferable to the standard full-frame image. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Stereo. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include deleted scenes that also include an alternative ending for the picture and a pair of theatrical trailers. This is a by-the-numbers release from New Line that does offer first-class sound and picture quality.
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This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member, who has spent $3,500 on eligible purchases and is now getting 1.25 points per dollar. They may have received My Best Buy® bonus points for submitting reviews. They may have also participated in an invitation-only program that provides My Best Buy® Elite Plus Members with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews.
Michael Mann's Heat is one of those special crime movies. Outside of the stylish visuals and powerfully violent gun battles, there's an emotional substance that transcends the genre. The DVD shines, bristles, and consistently impresses. Heat is filled with beautiful photography and excellent audio flourishes. Mann and cinematographer Dante Spinotti infused the film with high-contrast scenes in broad daylight, moments where the screen is awash in blues or whites, and pitch-black night scenes. Over the movie's three hours, there is ample room for the DVD to show any flaws in the transfer, but there are none to be found. Sound-wise, both film and DVD are a tour de force. Explosions, gunshots, and dialogue (Al Pacino in full, caffeinated glory) flow passionately from one's audio system. The musical soundtrack, with songs by Lisa Gerrard, Michael Brook, Einsturzende Neubauten, and other artists known for their mood-setting sounds, is stunning here, though the volume must be turned relatively high to appreciate the more ambient moments. There are really no special features to be found, outside of three separate but quite similar theatrical trailers. Sadly, the great TV spots for the film are not included. "Jump to a Scene" is the scene access menu system, where viewers can easily choose from all 52 chapters and the theatrical trailers. Lack of supplemental material aside, Heat is an impressive DVD.
This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member, who has spent $3,500 on eligible purchases and is now getting 1.25 points per dollar. They may have received My Best Buy® bonus points for submitting reviews. They may have also participated in an invitation-only program that provides My Best Buy® Elite Plus Members with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews.
The Jackal is a dull, lumbering thriller that's painful to watch, not even enlivened by its periodic bursts of bloody violence or the techno-enhanced score by Carter Burwell -- yet it comes equipped with a commentary track by director Michael Caton-Jones that is scene-specific, revelatory in terms of the director's creative approach, and enjoyably detailed in its discussion of the filmmaking process. It is no surprise, however, when Caton-Jones notes that he tried to avoid allowing reality to get in the way of a good story -- an attitude that unfortunately suffuses the film as a whole. The extreme reconstruction and recutting that the film endured is addressed periodically during the commentary, though Caton-Jones never quite acknowledges that, basically, the movie was bad. The dual-layer disc also includes the theatrical trailer, brief production notes, and a lengthy "Making of The Jackal" piece that weaves in the expected interviews and on-set bits with a hefty collection of deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and a small stills collection -- the latter three accessible only from the chapter menu for the documentary (the trailer is also included in the chapter list.) The documentary is fortunately leavened by frequent bursts of humor, most of them led by Bruce Willis. From an audio and video standpoint, the disc is excellent, with a well-balanced Dolby 5.1 soundtrack for the main feature. There is also a French Dolby Surround track that tends to be far less subtle in its effects than the English track. The image preserves the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is presented in anamorphic format for 16 x 9 playback. The film transfer is very good, seeming crisp without visible artifacts, as well as maintaining the somewhat subdued color palette and excellent flesh tones. A good balance is maintained between shadows, mid-tones, and highlights, and there are some nice deep blacks. It really is ironic that a movie this poor receives a treatment this good.
This user is a My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member, who has spent $3,500 on eligible purchases and is now getting 1.25 points per dollar. They may have received My Best Buy® bonus points for submitting reviews. They may have also participated in an invitation-only program that provides My Best Buy® Elite Plus Members with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews.