DVD Zone: January 2009
DVD Zone
Burn After Reading
Universal
Seriously, are there any filmmakers out there with a more varied canon than the Coen brothers? They’ve run the gamut from pitch-perfect film noir (Blood Simple, No Country For Old Men) to surrealistic masterpieces (Barton Fink, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) to works that can only be described as WTF? (The Hudsucker Proxy).
Of course, as with any prolific directors, the duo are fully capable of generating the odd clunker here and there (Intolerable Cruelty), and unfortunately Burn After Reading falls a lot closer to the latter than the formers.
The film finds itself with a bit of an identity crisis – it wants to be a black comedy, but the initial pacing keeps it from truly being effective. Then (this being a Coen brothers film after all) all hell breaks loose and it seems to want to go for slapstick, but doesn’t really pull the trigger on that either. Too many plot twists with no setup or explanation are offered, and in the end, the film rests as a noble effort that doesn’t quite gel.
Although there are many characters and plot lines, the film revolves around two inept health-club workers who find a disc they think contains government secrets, so they first try to blackmail the owner, then try to sell the disc to the Russians. Of course, both efforts are thwarted, and all plotlines break down as a result.
The film’s shortcomings aren’t the fault of the A-list cast. From John Malkovich as the fired C.I.A. officer in the midst of a divorce from philandering wife Tilda Swinton, to George Clooney as the civil servant sleeping with everyone, and Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt as the gym rats out to make a big score, everyone gamely tries to make it work.
Perhaps it’s just a case of the Coens setting the bar too high. We’ve come to expect nothing short of brilliance from them in the past, so when a film misfires, the effect is magnified all the more.
The disc doesn’t offer much in the way of extras, either. There’s no commentary track available, and only a making-of feature, a piece on Washington insiders, and a section about Clooney’s previous work with the Coens is certainly non-essential viewing.
Film: ** Features: *1/2
The Dark Knight
Warner Bros.
By now you’ve probably seen it, and more than once. It is the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, after all. So unless you’ve been living in a cave outside of Kabul for the past year, I don’t need to tell you about Christopher Nolan’s brilliant follow-up to Batman Begins. I’m sure you’re well familiar with the story of the caped crusader’s assault on the criminal underground of Gotham City and the fall out that follows.
You’ve probably already heard about the great performances by Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Aaron Eckhart as Gotham D.A. turned Two-Face Harvey Dent, and Gary Oldman as Lieutenant turned commissioner Gordon. You also may have caught wind about how the late Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker is pretty much a lock to win every award possible.
So what’s the point?
Point is, it’s shocking to find out that after putting so much effort into making one of the best films of the year, Warner Bros. would put so little effort into the DVD release of The Dark Knight.
After scoring big with the DVD release of Batman Begins, Warners seems to have just tossed Dark Knight out to the public with no real thought. Sure, you have the option of picking up either a single disc or a two-disc “special edition,” but the single only gets you the film, while the features on the two-discer are neither essential, nor special for that matter.
There are segments on the music and the making of the new batsuit, which are basic at best. They have also included the six scenes that were shot in IMAX for the film. Since these are presented as-is with no extra footage, you’d have to have a 60-foot screen in your home to get the IMAX effect. For the handful of people out there who still don’t have a 60-foot screen in their home, it’s pretty pointless.
The most glaring omission is anything whatsoever about Ledger. You’d think they would have found a little room to give him just a hint of a shout out. I’m sure when the inevitable super-duper-special-edition comes out in a couple of months, the oversight will be rectified.
Film: **** Features: **
— Timothy Hiatt
