Puss in Boots [Blu-Ray]

Puss in Boots was nominated for Best Animated Film at the 84th Academy Awards and didn?t win. That?s a good thing, since if this was the best animated film of 2011, then 2011 was a really mediocre year for animated movies. Puss in Boots is okay, but it?s not award-winning material.

The Movie:

Puss in Boots is the outgrowth of the group behind Shrek figuring out how they can pull a few more dollars out of that tired old franchise. The title character (voiced with perfect machismo by Antonio Banderas) first showed up in 2004?s Shrek 2. Bearing no resemblance to the French fairy tale character of his origin, Puss is a Spanish swords?uh?cat. Think Zorro, but in a cat form. Deciding that Puss was in a dire need of an ?origin story,? the Shrek team, lead by director Chris Miller, takes Puss out of the Shrek realm and into his own engaging, if predictable, adventure.

Following the Shrek formula of mixing fairy tale characters with a modern and ironic sense of humor, Puss in Boots, which takes place years before Shrek and Puss hook up, throws together the stories of Zorro, the Beanstalk (of ?Jack and the? fame), Humpty Dumpty, and the goose that laid the golden egg, along with some very 2011-informed visual gags. Puss and his childhood friend, Humpty (Zach Galifianakis), live in an orphanage in?uh?Spain? They dream of golden eggs and stealing stuff. They have a falling out, and then later, when Puss is on the hunt for some magic beans, he and Humpty get back together to try to get the golden eggs?it really doesn?t matter. It?s an adventure story and there are funny scenes and action scenes and some attempt at psychological insight that doesn?t go very far.

Although the movie falls along fairy tale-type lines, with the bad guys being a brutish Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris), they also throw in a little James Bond. Puss? femme fatale foil is Kitty Softpaws (Selma Hayek). Puss, Humpty, and Kitty have some exciting chases in a box canyon, on top of a beanstalk, and in a castle in the clouds, and constantly throw out cat puns, quips, and ironic one-liners that do much to keep the barely 80 minutes of pre-credits plot moving along.

Things move fast and look good. The bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. Banderas is a great Puss, with the perfect voice for the suave and swashbuckling hero. There is really nothing to recommend the plot other than that it?s not bad and certainly serves as an okay place to hang the visual feast and one-liners. Plus, there are cats. Lots and lots of cats. So, if you love cats, cat jokes, cat puns, or going ?awwwwwwww, kitty,? then you could do worse than giving this flick a shot.

The Disc:

Puss in Boots is a visually interesting film and seeing it on Blu-ray is the way to go. You get a crisp, clear picture, and the impressive effects are well displayed. There is also a lot of dancing, and certainly the sound supports the pulsing samba (or salsa or whatever) beat.

The extras for the Puss in Boots Blu-ray are primarily for children. Very young children. There is a picture-in-picture commentary type track called ?Animators Corner? that provides storyboard and work-in-process versions of the scene you are seeing in the other picture box, along with some talking-head stuff from the producers, director, cast, animators, etc. about the particular scene or a related issue. It?s informative and one of the few things on the disc that will be of more interest to someone over age 10. If you want to go behind the scenes on a Dreamworks animated movie, this is a good step. You can also run the movie with a trivia track. Sometimes these provide inane comments, but this one was pretty informative.

The other big item on the Blu-ray is a 13-minute short called Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos. Much as there are no Shrek characters in Puss in Boots (other than Puss himself), Puss is the only carryover in this short. It involves three young, cute kittens who are also thieves. The story is pretty simplistic and skews towards the kiddie market more than the movie did, but it will please the cute-cat fans out there.

Rather than put anything else substantial on the disc, the producers provide two featurettes, roughly 10 minutes each, that were clearly used as advertising prior to the movie?s release. The main voice actors, producers, and directors talk about the character, the making of the movie, why the movie had to be made, and how lucky everyone was that it was, indeed, made. It?s the basic stuff of no real insight or interest. There are also about seven minutes of deleted scenes (storyboarded and voiced, but not animated). The interesting part of the deleted scenes is that they show a different direction that was considered for the story, as well as some different characters.

The rest of the items are either stupid or only for the very young. There are two easy games where you try to find the differences in two pictures or catch a light, and a pop-up book thing with the movie characters. The completely stupid Mad Libs-type game that lets you answer three or four things about a character and make up a new poem is just a waste of time. There is also something for the fans of making cats meows sound like a song, whoever you are. Finally, you can learn how to do the dance steps in one of the movie dances and hear the story of a cat in California that steals things out of people?s yards and brings them to his own yard. The connection to the movie is tenuous at best.

It?s not a great Blu-ray package, but it?s not a great movie either, just an enjoyable waste of an afternoon. The Blu-ray also contains a DVD and a digital copy, naturally.

Puss in Boots [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: Dreamworks Home EntertainmentStarring: Antonio Banderas, Selma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy SedarisProduced by: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou

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The Muppets [Blu-Ray]

I still find it unbelievable that The Muppets movie was actually one of my top ten favorite films of last year, but it was, and for good reason. It?s amazing!

The Movie:

Let me start off by saying I didn?t grow up with the Muppets. Being an '80s baby, I actually grew up more with the Muppet Babies rather than the Muppets themselves, which in itself was a pleasant, if not different, introduction to the clan. Why did I bring that up? Well, because this review isn?t really for fans of the Muppets. Those people have already seen this movie in theatres and know just how great it is. This review is for people, like myself, who know of the Muppets, but never really got into them. And for those people, all I have to say is that this movie will make you a believer. If you weren?t obsessed with the Muppets before, you will be after you see this.

The story is interesting in that it actually features human characters in prominent roles. Jason Segel, who plays the brother of a Muppet who is having an existential crisis, has a story that?s just as important as the main story with the Muppets themselves. Amy Adams plays his adorable girlfriend who?s willing to tolerate Segel?s devotion to his Muppet brother, Walter, only so long before drama ensues?sort of.

Of all the human characters in this film, though, Chris Cooper has the greatest and most surprising role as a rich oil baron so humorless that he can?t even do a maniacal laugh (you?ll get it when you see it). He wants to destroy the Muppets and keep them living in obscurity. And that?s the most interesting part about this story. It proposes that we?ve all forgotten about the Muppets and have moved on from them. But honestly, that couldn?t be further from the truth. Even as someone who never used to watch The Muppet Show (I know, I know, I?ll hang my head in shame), the Muppets have always been on the public?s mind. They?re like Mickey Mouse or Gumby. We might not be talking about them right now, but if they ever wanted to put on a show or a movie, we?d be there. And this movie toys with that idea. The greatest thing about all this, though, is that the Muppets look like they?re having a good time, and if they?re having a good time, then we?re having a good time. That?s why this was one of the best movies of last year.

I won?t spoil the ending, but of course it ends happily. How can a movie about the Muppets not? If I have only one complaint, it?s one that?s my own fault. Some of the movie revels in its past, and as a person who was never really into the Muppets before this film, I feel a little left out. But again, that?s my own fault. In the end, if you like good movies, then you?ll love this film.

The Disc:

I love these special features. Every last one of them only makes you love the film even more, which is what special features should do. ?Scratching the Surface: A Hasty Examination of The Making of The Muppets? is anything but hasty. It features the Muppets being goofballs, as always, behind the scenes. It even features a new Muppet named, J.G., so Muppet completists need to pick this Blu-Ray up just for that. ?Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song? features an even longer version of what has to be the best part of the whole movie for me -- Chris Cooper rapping about being rich.

The ?Unreleased Theatrical Spoof Trailers? segment features all those great viral gags we saw of the Muppets parodying other movies (the romantic one is my favorite). The deleted scenes are some of the best around since they feature celebrity after celebrity not featured in the movie. It?s like seeing the complete version of The Thin Red Line. Okay, it?s not like that, but it?s close. Okay, it?s not even close.

?The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History**We Think)? is just as hilarious as the title. And the commentary, while nothing revolutionary, is enjoyable enough. Overall, this is one of the best collections of special features in recent memory. It?s the perfect package: A great film with even better special features. Buy this Blu-ray. Buy this now.

Distributor: Walt Disney Home EntertainmentStarring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida JonesProduced by: David Hoberman, Todd LiebermanWritten by: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller

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Young Adult [Blu-Ray]

Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody?s Young Adult is a polarizing vehicle from the very start, showing the life of a thirty-something who left her small hometown for the big, elegant city and has spent every moment since making decisions leading to her own unhappiness. When we first meet protagonist Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron), she is hung over and unwashed. She?s also a poor pet owner and a young adult novelist whose series is about to end. With no new job prospects and no relationships to keep her going, it would be no surprise if this were rock bottom, but for Mavis, this is only the beginning.

The Movie:

After finding out her first love, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), has recently had a baby, Mavis proclaims him to be a hostage in his personal life and embarks on a trip home to save him from the misery of his marriage. Of course, she doesn?t bother telling anyone she is coming back to Mercury, Minnesota, so on her first night home, she?s stuck drinking in a bar alone. There she meets up with Matt (Patton Oswalt), a townie with a gimp whom Mavis can barely remember, but who will become integral to her storyline. After getting obnoxiously drunk, Mavis lets slip her dirty little secret.

Matt, of course, finds Mavis? desire to run home and break up a marriage to be abhorrent. Mavis, however, sees herself as a feminine knight in shining armor, taking her ex-lover away from a place he once told her he wanted to leave. This delusional outlook is certainly unhealthy, but it does keep Mavis from having to face the reality of her unkempt, unhealthy, borderline-psychopathic self. Theron, true to character, plays this up with all the style and humor a comedy as bleak as Young Adult could possibly muster out of her.

Then Buddy enters the picture, and we get a glimpse at his life, his beautiful newborn baby, and his congenial wife, Beth (Elizabeth Reaser). Buddy himself is sort of an ?aww shucks? kind of guy, who doesn?t quite know how to handle Mavis? specifically aggressive flirting -- which doesn?t do much for Wilson?s acting abilities, but does help to keep the focus on Mavis herself.

After spending an evening wooing her married ex lover, Mavis decides she will pull out her ace during the baby?s shower. The night before, the audience is privy to perhaps the only legitimate conversation we get to see Mavis have. She and Matt, hammered as usual, call each other out on all of their embittered hang-ups. We?ve seen Mavis? hate bubble up to the surface before this, but here Matt?s words actually manage to make her vulnerable. It only lasts for a few minutes, but those minutes make us wonder if Mavis might have a spark of self-awareness inside, somewhere, after all. If it doesn?t do that, it certainly enables us to see the Patton Oswalt of King and Queens in a brand new light.

Despite 90 minutes of Mavis and Matt calling each other out on their own shit, despite Mavis finally hitting rock bottom when there is every indication she could have pulled herself out at any time, and despite being rejected in a very public forum, Mavis never learns anything about herself and never changes. Reitman?s third act is a far cry from what he attempted in his more hopeful film, Juno. What is brave and bold and wholly unexpected is also incredibly simple, a scene which leaves Mavis exactly where she started: jobless, alone, and unhappy, which is where she wants to be, anyway.

The Disc:

?Misery Loves Company,? a making-of segment, is the first extra on the disc. Cody and Reitman both appear to give their two cents about the filmmaking, but several of the actors also speak out about the film, including Oswalt, Theron, and others. The second featurette, ?The Awful Truth,? takes a look at Diablo Cody?s Young Adult script through a scene between Mavis and Matt that dissects how the two feed on their hate and develop a bond because of it.

The next segment is a lengthy Q&A with Reitman shot at the Jacob Burns Film Center. Some of the fodder in the interview is a little redundant with the ?Misery Loves Company? segment, but if you are super interested in why many of the decisions in Young Adult were made, Reitman is good about clarifying, as well as passing on many interesting stories from the set. Audience members also ask questions toward the end of the interview, thus the Q&A.

Usually, deleted scenes are thrown on at the beginning of the disc, but someone was confident enough with the deleted scenes on Young Adult to round out the disc with them. To whomever made that decision?s credit, a couple of the scenes are really funny, and a couple more are really well-written and could have worked in the film. There?s not a lot to the disc, but what is there says much about the intricacies of the film.

Distributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick WilsonProduced by: Diablo Cody, Mason Novick, Jason Reitman, Russell Smith

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Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol [Blu-Ray]

This extremely clever introduction will self-destruct in five seconds, but will Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol do the same now that it?s on Blu-ray and DVD? With a runtime of 132 minutes and over two hours of bonus content, that?d be a waste of well over four hours' worth of seconds.

The Movie:

As a movie franchise, Mission: Impossible allows itself to adjust with every installment. It started off with Brian De Palma?s cerebral spy thriller, cliff-jumped into the deep end in slow motion with John Woo?s follow up, and buoyed back with J.J. Abrams' brighter take on the genre. With its fourth installment, subtitled Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible grabs hold of J.J.?s approach and straps it to a rocket.

In the director?s chair is Brad Bird, a name that animation fans have not only heard of, but view with reverence. After playing a substantial role in making The Simpsons great, Brad Bird went on to direct some of the best films of all time in The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Ghost Protocol marks his live-action feature debut, and even as a fan of the series, it was his involvement that sparked the fuse of anticipation. And once that fuse lights we all know what happens next.

The movie begins with a bang, a gadget, and a breakout. Everything you could want. There?s a nice bit of getting the team back together followed quickly by a "Wait, who are you and why are you doing this?" It?s quick, it?s fun, and it does what this series loves to do, in that the facts are just confusing enough to seem complicated without losing the audience. That said, it?s all broken up by the title sequence -- an element missing from most recent movies but surprisingly wasted here. The conceit of it is fantastic, following the trademark fuse through a series of spy related environs and imagery. It would be a perfect way to get into the story if only the imagery wasn?t borrowing clips from later in the movie. It?s an odd mix of flash-forward and gentle hints that only serve to lessen the impact of the scenes as they reveal themselves in the actual context of the film.

Of course, what really matters is the body of the film, and it can be best described in the following sentence: ?You know how movies are supposed to begin with a big action scene? This entire movie is a series of those big opening action scenes.? The spirit of this movie is fun. It?s a simple word but I feel it?s at the heart of Ghost Protocol and the thing that it takes the most seriously. The story isn?t going to work your mind like the first one, but it?s not about that here.

Mission: Impossible has always been about deception, and you?re usually just as surprised to learn the truth as the characters. This time it?s different. You?re on the IMF team, you know the deal and you know when the deal goes sour and exactly why. It?s a unique perspective that allows you the excitement of vicariously joining in on the mission. In a movie about the agency being disavowed, Brad Bird and Tom Cruise are asking the audience to accept this role and choose to go further with it. If you do, you?ll go places you?ve never gone before.

The Disc:

Ghost Protocol was shot with IMAX cameras that use a magical film stock that makes even watching this movie on Blu-ray a stunning experience. In theatres you?d giggle with giddiness at the sheer heights of it all, but even on TV you?re left gasping with how pristine it all looks. And for those of you with fancy sound systems, this seems to offer every option you?d possibly want to hear.

The three-disc Ghost Protocol set excels with its features and is the first set since The Social Network to strike me as something special. Starting with the dry joke looping continuously on Disc 2?s menu, you know you?re in for a unique experience, and the two major featurettes called ?Mission Accepted? and ?Impossible Missions? offer a look into filmmaking as you rarely see it. These are not the standard featurettes that check off the boxes, these are intimate documentaries that allow you to be a fly on the wall as you learn about making a blockbuster that?s crafted with care. These features show that the passion put into this project is overshadowed only the singular love of making movies.

?Mission Accepted? is very much about being on location and ?Impossible Missions? focuses on individual elements such as the prop department, stunts, make-up, and extras. They are mostly visual studies, with voiceover narration from professional climbers, executive producers, and nearly every position in between. Even footage from Brad Bird?s personal iPhone is used to immerse you in the world beyond the frame. Surprisingly, you also take away a sense of how much of a powerhouse Tom Cruise is as a producer and the dedication he has put forth to create this escapist experience. In addition to the exceptional behind-the-scenes footage, this set also includes 15 minutes of deleted scenes with director?s commentary that are worth watching but understandably removed from the film. It?s surprising that this offering lacks a feature commentary but what it gives you instead is far more revealing.

Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon PeggProduced by: Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Tom Cruise, J.J. AbramsWritten by: Josh Applebaum & Andre Nemec

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War Horse [Blu-Ray]

Being a guy, it?s hard to admit this, but I?ve actually cried two times while watching movies. The first time was with the movie Spirited Away. I lose it when Sen guesses that Haku was the spirit of the river who saved her as a child. And the second time was with this movie, War Horse. It really impacted me on a personal level. It truly is a beautiful film.

The Movie:

When Oscar season rolled around last year, a lot of people rolled their eyes at War Horse's nomination for Best Picture. Nobody thought it would win. Many even found it to be one of Spielberg?s lesser films, but I beg to differ. Sure, it?s not Schindler?s List, but really, what is? What this film has going for it is sheer beauty, and I can?t think of any other film in recent memory where just looking at some of these shots made me cry. I was really touched by this film. It hit me on so many levels.

The movie is primarily about a boy and his horse. Back in the first World War, horses were regularly taken from their owners to be used in warfare. But WWI was like no other war before it, and the purposes of horses in combat changed. As weapons became more lethal, the idea of simply riding a horse into battle became antiquated, and even romanticized in some regards (a scene in which one of the soldiers lovingly draws a picture of the horse as if he was sketching his girlfriend is evidence of that). It reached the point where horses weren?t to be ridden in war anymore but instead used as work animals, and many of the tears in this film are mined off that idea. There?s nothing sadder than seeing a beautiful horse with a damaged leg being forced to drag a tank up a hill. Nothing at all.

Joey, the horse in question, starts off with his young trainer, Albert (Jeremy Irvine), on a farm. Albert raises Joey from being a stubborn beast into a well-trained animal, so you know the tear-works are going to be cranked when Joey is taken from his master. And the tears do come. They come a lot. It?s been argued that Spielberg tugs on the heart strings a bit too much with this film, making it mawkish and sappy, and I won?t argue with that. It is quite maudlin. But Spielberg does such a good job at it that I can?t fault him for cranking it up to the extreme here. By the end of the movie, when the scene fades out from a luscious red sky to black, I can?t help it. I have to whip out the Kleenex. No other film, not even my favorites, have gotten that kind of reaction out of me, so War Horse is something special, mawkishness or not.

The only real problem I have with this film is something that?s just a pet peeve of mine. All the characters speak English, and soldiers in Germany should not speak English. Subtitles would have been appreciated over their native tongue here. Aside from that, War Horse is a brilliant film. It?s definitely one of Spielberg?s best, and it?s the most beautiful film of last year. Both dudes and dudettes should prepare to tear up if you plan to watch this film.

The Disc:

Okay, so here?s how not to do special features. It?s not that that aren?t a lot of special features here, because there are. But none of them add anything to the film and most of them take away from it, so that?s not good. On disc one there?s ?War Horse: The Journey Home,? which is just a bunch of people sitting around a table and talking about the film. But here?s the thing, they?re not really saying anything worthwhile or interesting. They?re just, well, talking. It adds nothing to the film. ?An Extra?s Point of View? reveals that pretty much the whole cast was British. This means that Brits were even playing the roles of German soldiers, which is infuriating to no end. Please keep it authentic, Mr. Spielberg. You?re better than that.

Disc two is nothing but special features, none of them really special. ?A Filmmaking Journey? is too long and it?s boring. It?s basically just Steven Spielberg dissecting every major moment of the film. Yawn. ?Editing and Scoring? is what it sounds like and nothing more, and so is ?The Sounds of War Horse.? We learn that a lot of work went into making the sound of a horse snorting authentic. Fascinating. ?Through the Producer?s Lens? is some pictures that don?t do the majesty of the film justice. The third disc has only one special feature on it, called ?War Horse: The Look.? In it, we learn about different locations and other scenes from the film. Really, there?s nothing interesting here, either. A commentary would have been preferred. These special features are awful.

Distributor: Touchstone PicturesStarring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter MullanProduced by: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen KennedyWritten by: Richard Curtis, Lee Hall

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Hugo [Blu-Ray]

Martin Scorsese?s Hugo was alive in 3D in the theater in a way that seemed to take the illustrations from Brian Selznick's book, lift them out of the pages and land them stolidly in front of us. Like Selznick?s book, which tells its story mostly through pictures and not words, Scorsese?s film tells much of its story through images, through quiet looks shared between characters, through action moving the story forward, and through a romantic display of some of the greatest moments in the history of film. It?s a shame this time around I wasn?t privy to it in 3D.

The Movie:

Hugo begins with an exact replication, but in color, of the penciled drawings in Selznick?s The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It?s a beautiful picture, a large pan of dawn over a snow-covered city, a focus on one train station, a spotlight of a clock inside the station, a shot of just one number on the clock, and our first glimpse of the face of a small boy, our hero, Hugo Cabret.

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a small boy invested in the order and tidiness of everyday life. He is also an orphan who, after his father?s death, found a niche winding the clocks in the Paris train station. Hugo has very little going in his life, save his secret profession and fixing the broken automaton left to him by his late father (Jude Law).

Hugo is not the story of a small boy finding his purpose in life because, by the time we meet him, Hugo is abundant with purpose. What Hugo has in tasks to keep him occupied, he lacks in healthy relationships. Asa Butterfeld plays the pursed lip and sullen face to great effect here, but he is only one kind of lonely in a film about overcoming loneliness.

When Hugo meets Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley), we see the toyshop owner is a sorrowful kindred spirit for the young lad. If anyone could teach Hugo more about the art of pursed lips and dour faces, it is Papa Georges. Nonetheless, Papa Georges becomes a sort of problem for Hugo, as the grumpy elderly man chooses to snag Hugo?s prized notebook and spirit it away. Hugo has other problems, such as with the lonely Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) who can never seem to find the right plane to connect on with others. The Station Inspector, too, loves order, but he is consistently distraught by the lack of it. To the Inspector, Hugo is not a cog, but a great kink in the wheel.

In the span of Scorsese?s film, Hugo, too, must learn about kinks. Again and again, he cannot get his precious automaton to work. At first, he does not have the right pieces, then his notebook is taken away, and then he is missing the key to make the whole thing come together. Eventually, with a little reluctance, Hugo enlists the help of Papa Georges? ward, Isabelle (Chlo? Grace Moritz), and a greater mystery than a bit of clockwork begins to unfold.

Unlocking a mystery can have powerful ramifications, and Hugo and Isabelle set off a chain of events that swaps the gloomy shadows lurking around train station corners for magical and occasionally fuzzy glorifications celebrating the history of cinema. By charting this course, Scorsese is able to add textured side plots and characters, giving the film more of a complete story than its source material. As such, it also plays much longer and to a much older audience.

Scorsese has always been skilled at creating powerful worlds, and his vision for Hugo stands right up against some of his very best. Whether we buy into the magic of movies, the adventure story should be sufficient enough to catch our attention for the entirety of the movie, as well as some of this year?s best performances. Whether or not Scorsese?s film does a disservice to Selznick?s book is largely a matter of taste.

The Disc:

The timeline feature when the disc is paused is beautiful, copper, matching the automation and the graphics on the menu page. In Blu-Ray the color is bold and crisp, and even without the 3D element, the whole picture pops.

The first extra is ?Shoot the Moon,? a making-of segment that focuses on all the hands that delved into putting together the enormous undertaking that was Hugo. We hear from the actors, the writers, and Scorsese himself. The most important part Scorsese talks about is the idea of space and implementing that idea through many beautiful shots in 3D throughout the film. It sort of made me sad about missing the special affects this time around. I cannot say enough nice things about Hugo in 3D.

The second segment focuses on the magic of Georges M?li?s' films. Through iconic footage, shots of Ben Kingsley in the role, and a history lesson from Scorsese, Selznick, and some French historians, we are able to get a better picture of how M?li?s? actual life bleeds into Hugo, and what an incredible mind M?li?s lent to the world of film.

One of the other segments details the history of automatons, and points out that the automaton in Hugo actually worked. Another segment explores some of the special effects. Hugo features a pretty great scene in which a train bursts off its tracks and out the front window of the train station. These segments are informative, but they are pretty lengthy. Randomly, the last extra is dedicated to Sacha Baron Cohen?s character. Apparently, Cohen preferred not to have his actions dictated by Scorsese and would sort of do his own thing.

Ultimately, all of the extras are a pleasure to watch and seem to be choice pieces put together directly for the disc, but it would have been great to see a segment on the film's music, or maybe a few outtakes. While the Hugo Blu-Ray is carefully constructed, I will say, for the last time, if you have the capacity, please purchase the 3D.

Distributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Sacha Baron CohenProduced by: Johnny Depp, Tim Headington, Graham King, Martin Scorsese

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Chinatown [Blu-ray]

Until I got my copy of the Blu-ray for Chinatown, I?d never seen the film noir classic in its entirety. Despite being a pretty huge fan of detective movies, I?d only ever seen a brief section on television many years ago. How?d that happen? No idea, but I?ve rectified it and joined the legions who feel it?s a great movie.

The Movie:

If you?ve seen some recent Jack Nicholson movies and wondered, ?How the hell did this guy get to be an icon?? you need to go back and watch 1974?s Chinatown. It will wash the taste of The Bucket List right out of your mouth. Jack is Jake Gittes, a private eye in 1930s Los Angeles who looks great in a white suit and is happy to take pictures of your spouse cheating on you. Gittes is hired by a woman to follow her husband, Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling), and catch him cheating. Gittes gets the job done, only to discover that the woman wasn?t really Mrs. Mulwray, and the real Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) is at first planning to sue Gittes but later wants him to drop the whole thing.

As is often the case in this type of movie, Gittes pursues the case anyway, and when Mr. Mulwray, the Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles water company, goes missing along with the young woman he was seen with, Gittes is on the case like, well, a 1930s detective. His investigation into the disappearance runs him into Mrs. Mulwray?s father, Noah Cross (John Huston), who has a persona that screams ?BAD GUY.? Cross is also involved in the plans to bring water to Los Angeles, and determining who will profit from that process. Here?s a hint: it?s not going to be the general public.

Although Chinatown predates the Occupy movement by nearly 40 years, it?s probably the one movie that says everything they would want to say if they could ever come up with a coherent message. Gittes' investigation is about the few screwing over the many and disposing of whoever gets in their way. The dead bodies start to stack up and Gittes runs down a few false trails before he finally gets a handle on what is going on.

So, why is Chinatown considered so great? The script is interesting and twisty, the acting is top notch, the look is perfect, and the title says it all. Gittes used to work as a cop in Chinatown but stopped when he realized that, while trying to help, he was actually making things worse. That sums up the theme of the movie in a nutshell. The plot does lose some sense of logic if you look at it too closely, but that?s true of almost any detective story. People in these stories act in ways that advance the plot and suspense rather than in a way that a person would really act. It?s a minor quibble. Everything else is literally as good as it could be.

If you still haven't seen Chinatown, it?s worth a look. More than that, it will keep you engrossed with both the water-rights story and the more personal issues in the Cross/Mulwray family.

The Disc:

This Blu-ray release of Chinatown seems to be the first new release since a two-disc DVD set in 2007. The movie, while a slowly paced period piece, really deserves a clear, crisp picture. The costumes, cars, and sets are impressive, and the whole look benefits from the HD treatment. Some of the extras are from 2007, but they are a nice bunch and overall this is a pretty impressive single disc.

The main extra is a new commentary by screenwriter Robert Towne and director (just not of this particular movie) David Fincher. Towne brings first-hand stories and insight, and Fincher brings a fan and film student?s excitement and awe. Between the two of them, they make for a very informative commentary without being dull.

There are a trio of extras that all seem to date from the 2007 DVD and feature Jack Nicholson, Roman Polanski, Robert Towne, and producer Robert Evans commenting on various aspects of production. This is interesting and informative, and although they are obviously reminiscences rather than from the time the movie was filmed, they don?t seem to pull any punches when it comes to disagreements. Evans was shot in profile for a reason that might make sense if I knew more about him. Faye Dunaway doesn?t take part, but no one explains why. Overall, the three parts total about an hour and do a good job enhancing the commentary.

The main players from the movie are not involved in ?Chinatown: An Appreciation.? A few filmmakers (Steven Soderbergh, Kimberly Pierce, Roger Deakins, and James Newton Howard) all talk about their love for the movie, script, music, acting, and so on. It?s a decent extra, but it?s funny how there are so many clich?s in these comments. Soderbergh says there are so many layers in the movie but never actually talks about what he means or gives examples.

Other than a trailer, the only other extra is both long, educational, and really, really weird. Called ?Water and Power,? it?s a documentary about how Los Angeles? main water source comes from the Owens Valley in Northern California. Bringing water to Los Angeles is a major plot element in Chinatown, but despite the occasional presence of Robert Towne, this has almost no direct connection to the movie itself. That doesn?t mean you won?t get a lesson in both the history of how water got to Los Angeles and the ecological damage of Los Angeles water rights. If you want it, that is.

Although the water documentary is a little out of place, it does round out the background information on the movie. The commentary and featurettes are very worthwhile and the movie itself is a gem.

Distributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Darrell Zwerling, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman

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