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Dailies (DVD)—November/December 2007 #1
A roundup of the current best and rest in DVD. In this installment: Crossing the Bridge, Neil Young: Heart of Gold, Disturbia, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Meet the Robinsons, Hollywoodland.
Crossing the Bridge:
The Sound of Istanbul (Madman, $29.95)
Fatih Akin’s follow-up to Head-on is a must for music fans. The documentary follows Alexander Hacke from Einstürzende Neubauten as he travels through Turkey, checking out the amazing music from the country. Hacke contributed music for Akin’s Head-on, and fell in love with the Turkish-German director’s choice of music for that film (anyone who saw The Edge of Heaven at this year’s festival would know how good Akin’s ear for music is). I’m not entirely show how much use Hacke was, but he’s a jovial presence. Akin uses music to try and symbolically unite Turkey – there’s music from the Romany populations (the oud player was incredible), Kurdish music, Islamic music and Western influenced music (e.g. Anatolian rock). Akin knows how to make a good music video, and films the performances well. He also makes some well-targeted political attacks, and there’s a compelling use of stock footage, but it’s the music overall that intoxicates. Some of the key figures are shown, such as Sezen Aksu, Orhan Gencebay and Erkin Koray, in addition to some amazing street buskers and underground hip-hop figures. A great audio transfer assists considerably too – this is a wonderful insight into brilliant Turkish music, and anyone with more than a passing interest should check it out. New to DVD. (optional English subtitles; music clips; featurettes; trailers).—Brannavan Gnanalingam
Neil Young: Heart of Gold (Paramount/RS, $29.95)
I must admit I do find Neil Young more than a teensy bit overrated, but it doesn’t really matter what I think about the music, or have to say, as there’ll be plenty of people who’ll disagree. Yet given that Jonathan Demme filmed this concert at the Ryman Auditorium (he was the man who made the brilliant Talking Heads’ 1984 doco Stop Making Sense) you can expect a good visual sense and understated direction (Demme explicitly didn’t want to follow the music video trend for flashy camerawork for this). Fans will love the music, though I’m not sure it’s going to do much to convince newbies (though his band are as good as ever, and has Emmylou Harris and his wife Pegi Young do back-up singing). However, Neil Young fans will drool over all the extra features – additional songs, rehearsal diaries narrated by Jonathan Demme, six featurettes, Neil Young’s performance on The Johnny Cash Show and Young doing a vocal warm-up. People who do love Neil Young will find this 2-disc set indispensable – a reverent tribute to one of the last few decades’ most popular and iconic performers. New to DVD. (special collector’s edition; optional English subtitles; DTS soundtrack; extras as above).—Brannavan Gnanalingam
Disturbia (Paramount/RS, $34.95)
Owing more than just a nod to Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window, Shia LaBeouf stars as Kale Brecht in Disturbia. He’s under a three month house arrest and spends his time doing what most of us would do if confined indoors: spying on the neighbours. However, while it’s all fun and games to begin with, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he suspects he’s living next door to a serial killer. Despite enlisting the help of his friends and being determined to reveal the truth, a conundrum soon presents itself: what to do when trapped in his own home? is not a bad thriller and shows why Shia LaBeouf is headed for the big time with a role in the latest Indiana Jones just being the more recent of his appointments. There’s also a raft of extras on the disc including commentaries from director DJ Caruso, and star LaBeouf; as well as that there’s the obligatory making of, deleted scenes, outtakes and trailers. New to DVD. (extras as above).—Darren Bevan
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Roadshow, $29.95)
They’re back (although I don’t remember missing them much in the first place) and ready for the 21st century... not the Spice Girls, but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Repackaged for the new millennium, and putting the memory of the 90s version of the film well behind them, this latest CGI rendering offers the usual brand of chaos you’ve come to expect from these characters. Plot-wise, it’s fairly standard stuff with the Turtles dispatched into ordinary life, only for their humdrum existence to be shattered when threatened by ancient stone warriors, an outbreak of monsters and a maniac on the loose. Teamed up with old pal reporter April (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Casey Jones (Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans), the turtles reunite to save the world. It’s not a poor attempt at revamping the franchise and at times, the CGI works well, but it has to be said this is a cowabunga film for kids only; adults will find the 83 minutes a struggle to get through. Extras are frankly disappointing given the Turtles are competing for attention with the likes of Transformers – a simple commentary with the writer and director won’t be much fun for the children. New to DVD. (2-disc deluxe edition inc. commentaries, featurettes, alternate openings/endings and more).—Darren Bevan
Meet the Robinsons (Disney/RS, $39.95)
Animated films these days – particularly Disney releases – are all measured against the latest from Pixar, a studio that’s become the watchword for great animation and humour for both children and adults. Nevertheless, the bottom line should be whether or not those who the film is targeted at enjoy it. The eight-year-old who watched Meet the Robinsons in my company clearly enjoyed the flick and kept quiet for its 90 minute duration. As for the story itself: Lewis is a brilliant young inventor who sets off on a time travelling journey to meet the family he never knew. He finds himself in the year 2037 where hip hopping frogs and dogs with glasses are as common as talking dinosaurs. But in Lewis’ Quest to find his family, he discovers that the fate of the future lies solely with him, and as well as needing help from the delightfully wacky Robinson family, will have to do all he can to save the world. The extras are plentiful ensuring the film keeps them amused long after the credits have finished; there are deleted scenes, music videos, an audio commentary from director Stephen Anderson, and an interactive game. New to DVD. (extras as above).—Darren Bevan
Hollywoodland (Disney/RS, $34.95)
While the Superman legend is one which many aspire to in terms of idealism, various retellings of the famous DC Comics story are mired in tragedy. In Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve for instance, the set of circumstances which befell the actors were far too tragic to be anything other than an obscure fate for those attached to the Man of Steel. Hollywoodland is no exception in its story of doomed actor George Reeves – custodian of the 1950s small screen Superman – here embodied by a chiselled Ben Affleck. Based on a true story of Tinseltown’s most notorious unsolved mystery, a down-and-out private detective (played with aplomb by Adrien Brody) sets out to prove the death was no suicide, but rather something more sinister. However, the further he digs and the more suspects he uncovers, he is quickly ensnared in a darker side of Hollywood – one completely devoid of glitz and glamour. Hollywoodland is a riveting affair, although given the story has no ultimate resolution it’s difficult to know exactly how close to the truth this version of George Reeves’ story actually is. A smattering of extras prove to be the icing on the cake and is a glance into how Hollywood used to be, as well as features on behind the headlines, a then and now expose, and obligatory deleted scenes. New to DVD. (optional English subtitles; audio commentary; extras as above).—Darren Bevan
* * *
Crossing the Bridge:The Sound of Istanbul (Madman, $29.95)
Fatih Akin’s follow-up to Head-on is a must for music fans. The documentary follows Alexander Hacke from Einstürzende Neubauten as he travels through Turkey, checking out the amazing music from the country. Hacke contributed music for Akin’s Head-on, and fell in love with the Turkish-German director’s choice of music for that film (anyone who saw The Edge of Heaven at this year’s festival would know how good Akin’s ear for music is). I’m not entirely show how much use Hacke was, but he’s a jovial presence. Akin uses music to try and symbolically unite Turkey – there’s music from the Romany populations (the oud player was incredible), Kurdish music, Islamic music and Western influenced music (e.g. Anatolian rock). Akin knows how to make a good music video, and films the performances well. He also makes some well-targeted political attacks, and there’s a compelling use of stock footage, but it’s the music overall that intoxicates. Some of the key figures are shown, such as Sezen Aksu, Orhan Gencebay and Erkin Koray, in addition to some amazing street buskers and underground hip-hop figures. A great audio transfer assists considerably too – this is a wonderful insight into brilliant Turkish music, and anyone with more than a passing interest should check it out. New to DVD. (optional English subtitles; music clips; featurettes; trailers).—Brannavan Gnanalingam
Neil Young: Heart of Gold (Paramount/RS, $29.95)I must admit I do find Neil Young more than a teensy bit overrated, but it doesn’t really matter what I think about the music, or have to say, as there’ll be plenty of people who’ll disagree. Yet given that Jonathan Demme filmed this concert at the Ryman Auditorium (he was the man who made the brilliant Talking Heads’ 1984 doco Stop Making Sense) you can expect a good visual sense and understated direction (Demme explicitly didn’t want to follow the music video trend for flashy camerawork for this). Fans will love the music, though I’m not sure it’s going to do much to convince newbies (though his band are as good as ever, and has Emmylou Harris and his wife Pegi Young do back-up singing). However, Neil Young fans will drool over all the extra features – additional songs, rehearsal diaries narrated by Jonathan Demme, six featurettes, Neil Young’s performance on The Johnny Cash Show and Young doing a vocal warm-up. People who do love Neil Young will find this 2-disc set indispensable – a reverent tribute to one of the last few decades’ most popular and iconic performers. New to DVD. (special collector’s edition; optional English subtitles; DTS soundtrack; extras as above).—Brannavan Gnanalingam
Disturbia (Paramount/RS, $34.95)Owing more than just a nod to Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window, Shia LaBeouf stars as Kale Brecht in Disturbia. He’s under a three month house arrest and spends his time doing what most of us would do if confined indoors: spying on the neighbours. However, while it’s all fun and games to begin with, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he suspects he’s living next door to a serial killer. Despite enlisting the help of his friends and being determined to reveal the truth, a conundrum soon presents itself: what to do when trapped in his own home?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Roadshow, $29.95)They’re back (although I don’t remember missing them much in the first place) and ready for the 21st century... not the Spice Girls, but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Repackaged for the new millennium, and putting the memory of the 90s version of the film well behind them, this latest CGI rendering offers the usual brand of chaos you’ve come to expect from these characters. Plot-wise, it’s fairly standard stuff with the Turtles dispatched into ordinary life, only for their humdrum existence to be shattered when threatened by ancient stone warriors, an outbreak of monsters and a maniac on the loose. Teamed up with old pal reporter April (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Casey Jones (Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans), the turtles reunite to save the world. It’s not a poor attempt at revamping the franchise and at times, the CGI works well, but it has to be said this is a cowabunga film for kids only; adults will find the 83 minutes a struggle to get through. Extras are frankly disappointing given the Turtles are competing for attention with the likes of Transformers – a simple commentary with the writer and director won’t be much fun for the children. New to DVD. (2-disc deluxe edition inc. commentaries, featurettes, alternate openings/endings and more).—Darren Bevan
Meet the Robinsons (Disney/RS, $39.95)Animated films these days – particularly Disney releases – are all measured against the latest from Pixar, a studio that’s become the watchword for great animation and humour for both children and adults. Nevertheless, the bottom line should be whether or not those who the film is targeted at enjoy it. The eight-year-old who watched Meet the Robinsons in my company clearly enjoyed the flick and kept quiet for its 90 minute duration. As for the story itself: Lewis is a brilliant young inventor who sets off on a time travelling journey to meet the family he never knew. He finds himself in the year 2037 where hip hopping frogs and dogs with glasses are as common as talking dinosaurs. But in Lewis’ Quest to find his family, he discovers that the fate of the future lies solely with him, and as well as needing help from the delightfully wacky Robinson family, will have to do all he can to save the world. The extras are plentiful ensuring the film keeps them amused long after the credits have finished; there are deleted scenes, music videos, an audio commentary from director Stephen Anderson, and an interactive game. New to DVD. (extras as above).—Darren Bevan
Hollywoodland (Disney/RS, $34.95)While the Superman legend is one which many aspire to in terms of idealism, various retellings of the famous DC Comics story are mired in tragedy. In Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve for instance, the set of circumstances which befell the actors were far too tragic to be anything other than an obscure fate for those attached to the Man of Steel. Hollywoodland is no exception in its story of doomed actor George Reeves – custodian of the 1950s small screen Superman – here embodied by a chiselled Ben Affleck. Based on a true story of Tinseltown’s most notorious unsolved mystery, a down-and-out private detective (played with aplomb by Adrien Brody) sets out to prove the death was no suicide, but rather something more sinister. However, the further he digs and the more suspects he uncovers, he is quickly ensnared in a darker side of Hollywood – one completely devoid of glitz and glamour. Hollywoodland is a riveting affair, although given the story has no ultimate resolution it’s difficult to know exactly how close to the truth this version of George Reeves’ story actually is. A smattering of extras prove to be the icing on the cake and is a glance into how Hollywood used to be, as well as features on behind the headlines, a then and now expose, and obligatory deleted scenes. New to DVD. (optional English subtitles; audio commentary; extras as above).—Darren Bevan
