It is not difficult to figure out Shutter Island. The twist ending is more of a completion of a puzzle. It is the pieces that get you there that are supposed to be interesting, and they generally are thanks to a fine, engaging performances from Leonardo DiCaprio.

We are introduced to Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) vomiting on a boat. It is not exactly the most glorious intro the actor has ever experienced. He is a US Marshall investigating the disappearance of a woman from inside a mental facility, and that is the first clue to the nature of what is happening on Shutter Island. It seems like a small stretch that a mental hospital would need a US Marshall to investigate, no?

That’s one of many clues as you are led into Teddy’s past, in which he served in World War II, breaking up a Nazi death camp in graphic fashion. He is constantly flashing back in his mind, remembering events he has possibly experienced, but also hearing from his deceased wife who tragically died in a fire.

There is no question something is amiss on the island itself. Doctors are strangely unwilling to speak. Records are not allowed to be accessed, and an entire wing of the complex is off-limits. Everything unfolds as if there is some grand scale mystery afoot, when that is not the case. When the secrets are revealed, or you figure them out (likely), much of Shutter Island seems unnecessary in terms of the story. It feels more like this Martin Scorcese and this Laeta Kalogridis novel adaptation is toying with the audience, not providing anything of real value or merit.

That is frustrating in a number of ways, the two-hour plus running time seemingly stretched out when all is revealed, although everything does wind together nicely. Shutter Island does not leave holes, just a few questions that can be cleared up. It is intelligent, but not engaging, and in the end, frustrating.

Scorcese directs a number of creepy, eerie flashbacks, their visual impact a bit off-putting in a film that seems to be played on a normal level. Like everything else, it all comes together, but you are wondering how these scenes fit until the answers are given.

The emotion of the film is finally allowed to show through in the final flashbacks, a disturbingly realistic and terrifying piece of cinema that delivers a crushing blow to its audience. DiCaprio is mesmerizing here, displaying deep-rooted emotions in a variety of ways, building to a drastic, unforgettable conclusion that caps the film on a downer. It is getting there that can be a struggle.

Movie ★★★★☆ 

Paramount’s AVC encode for Shutter Island gets off to a rough start. The digital green screen effect wreaks havoc on the facial detail in those opening scenes, giving the characters a weird gloss to the their skin and pink flesh tones. The same thing happens later at 1:33:16, another green screen. Those are easy to dismiss as the result of the digital tinkering. Once onto the island and the security crews introduce themselves, facial detail is rendered beautifully. The key actors in the scene exhibit strongly defined features, rich black levels adding a layer of dimensionality. As the Marshalls are asked to remove their weapons, one of the security guards on the left of the frame (with the camera facing DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) looks unnaturally smooth. That is a problem that will resurface again, multiple times in fact.

Certain scenes, which are unspecified, were shot in 70MM. The best guess are some of the exteriors, which are rife with detail and texture. One of the final pans of the island exhibits tremendous texture on the ground, with fully resolved grass, trees, and other plant life. Swinging back to the early parts of the film, all of the introductory shots of the island are stunners, including 3:51 (rocks, trees, and more) and a tracking shot at 6:20 where the road is crisp and defined.

Once inside the buildings, things begin to slightly fall apart. Faces lose a bit of that definition. Textures are visible, although not with the same prominence. Certain shots are worse than others, Max von Sydow’s face at 1:38:35 being especially bothersome, but rarely are they that intolerable. Inconsistency just seems to be the nature of the source based on the different formats used. Tinkering in terms of the encode seem minor. The worst cases take place inside Rachel’s cell. Significant ringing around Ben Kingsley at 13:32 is evident, and upon the return to that same room, the ringing returns (51:29). In close-ups, mosquito noise is evident around DiCaprio (facial detail is also limited), along with a slightly heightened grain structure overall. DiCaprio’s jacket in the final moments exhibits some flickering.

Scorcese does a lot with color, including a garish yellow/green tinted flashback around 27:56. Others, such as a cold, blue WWII dream showcases an intense, deep red blood that contrasts the lighter shades elsewhere. The final flashback is heavily saturated (and highly detailed), with vivid greens and various shades of clothing. Nearly all of the establishing shots of the island environments are filled with extensive detail, beautifully so. They are the highlight, counteracting the inconsistency elsewhere.

Video ★★★★☆ 

Shutter Island is not an audio assault. It wasn’t meant to be, but more about atmosphere. The best moment of this DTS-HD mix is the introduction to the barren Ward C, where the empty halls allow for a fine, believable echo effect. Water drips into small puddles, and screams from prisoners are heard from all directions. It adds to the film, an additional horror element preserved here on this disc.

The movie certainly has moments, including a vicious storm sequence at 40:25, where creaking branches are aggressively placed in the surrounds. Whipping winds and heavy rains assault the viewer from all directions, immersive and loaded with superb clarity. The same goes for some shots on the rocky shore at 1:22:02, where massive waves hit the island with force. A World War II flashback at 44:08 contains loud, crisp gunfire, all of which hits the intended targets with a sickly sound.

Shutter Island contains a number of subtle musical numbers, including a few with brilliantly rendered piano notes. Their forcefulness and definition is immense, some of the standout moments of this mix.

Audio ★★★★☆ 

Extras are brief, limited to two featurettes, totaling 37-minutes. These are well produced making-of efforts but limited, especially considering these are all that is offered.

Extras ★★☆☆☆ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Shutter Island Review

Deserving of most of the Oscars it was nominated for, Gangs of New York is an all encompassing look at a turbulent time in America’s history many were unaware of prior to the film’s release. Martin Scorsese may focus the story on two men, but the time period and attention to detail draw the viewer into more than the core revenge tale. Outstanding performances are another aspect of the film that make is such remarkable piece to view.

Incredible sets dominate the screen, setting the tone. The grim, dirty slums are almost colorless at times, adding to the bleak dire circumstances of the thousands of immigrants living in these quarters. Leonardo DiCaprio stars alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, both offering some of their best work to date. Cameron Diaz undoubtedly offers her highest level performance, a far cry from some of the lesser light hearted comedies she’s usually placed in. Here she’s allowed to show range and emotion, and pulls it off.

Gangs of New York is hardly unwilling to show off brutality. Fight sequences are loaded with gushing wounds, amputations, gallons of blood, and otherwise graphic death. It’s not used to shock, but increase the intensity and the emotional impact so important to the film.

Coming in at close to three hours, Gangs could easily lose 20 minutes without affecting the story. Some dialogue feels redundant, and certain shots sit on screen longer than they need to. Also, some oddly placed humor (the elephant escape before the finale) takes away from certain moments, and some darker humor feels out of place too. These are some great laughs, though miscued.

Gangs will come off as boring to some as the limited action hardly constitutes gang warfare. However, the build up makes the explosive (literally) finish that much more intense and exciting. The performances keep the film alive to the end, and impossible to turn away from.

Movie ★★★★★ 

Embarrassing is the only way to describe this Blu-ray edition of the film. This is an ugly, nearly grotesque transfer that’s hardly worthy of being on the format. Edge enhancement is appalling, possibly the worst you’ll find on the format. Whites are bleached to the point where no detail shows through. Flesh tones are completely off and rarely correct. Colors bleed into each other. Extreme close ups are the only times you’ll find evidence of detail, and then the DNR becomes increasingly noticeable. Disney should be ashamed of themselves for releasing a disc no better than its DVD counterpart.

Video ★☆☆☆☆ 

At the very least, the audio is a step up. This PCM effort is stunning in the way it captures movement. As the camera pans, conversations and music moves with it. Action scenes capture every scream and bullet fired through the sound field. Dialogue driven scenes are usually lively with ambient work. Explosions offer some excellent bass effects, and there’s a noticeable increase in clarity over the DVD’s audio track.

Audio ★★★★★ 

History of Five Points offers a look at the characters in the film from the actors and crew perspectives. Set Design and Costume Design are separate featurettes that are self explanatory, running about 18 minutes in total. Exploring the Sets is a wonderful walk through of the buildings and how close the recreation for the film was based on photographs.

The Discovery Channel documentary Uncovering the Gangs of New York is the most detailed look at the real events, and runs for over a half hour. You can get the bullet points from the short history that starts the extra features, or a fuller explanation here. A commentary has Scoresese going solo, and a music video from U2 finishes the extras.

Extras ★★★★☆ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Gangs of New York Review

John Givings is home from the mental hospital. He is living with his elder parents, still recovering. It is never clear what he has, but in the midst of the seemingly perfect 1950s community on Revolutionary Road, he is the only one who makes sense. He is the only one who says what everyone needs to say, whether or not they want to hear it.

See, on Revolutionary Road, where seemingly happy couple Frank and April Wheeler live, there are serious problems. They’re not happy together, but with two children, try to make it work. They have parties, they invite the neighborhood for dinner.

Behind the seemingly happy exterior, both are having affairs. They cannot be together, but given the pressures of the era and in an attempt to appear normal, they struggle to make it work. They make the choice to move to Paris, to get away, and maybe make things normal. When that plan goes astray, things quickly spiral downhill.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet re-unite on-screen for the first time since Titanic, playing two characters who could not be further from Rose and Jack during their romantic fling on the doomed ship. In Revolutionary Road, they’re spiteful. They don’t like each other. They don’t even want the children they have. DiCaprio hates his job.

Most importantly, they’re fake in front of other people.

The film opens with a harsh fight on the side of the road between the Wheeler couple, angry over Winslet’s poor performance in a play. Her dreams of acting are crushed, and her life is quickly established as routine housework. Compared to the anger and power of later scenes, these opening moments are quaint by comparison.

Revolutionary Road is not fun to watch, nor is it that enjoyable. Despite their appearance, these two people cannot be together, and oddly, neither can the people around them. Their neighbor and realtor also hide behind a shell of friendliness. It is not easy to watch them, mostly because the performances are incredibly powerful, and the ending is disturbing.

No matter how well directed the film may be by Sam Mendes, it is hard to see a reason why you would want to watch this. As a film, purely on that level, it is wonderful. As a story, it will do nothing but depress. Revolutionary Road descends into an increasing number of violent confrontations, undeniably well acted, but excruciating to process. It moves from one to the next on a consistent basis, and becomes tiring.

Not all films need to leave the audience with a smile on their face, and Revolutionary Road exposes an era typically associated with harmless comedy and perfect towns. That seems to be the sole reason why it made (and written by Richard Yates years prior), and it tells the story well. Finding value in it is something else all together.

Movie ★★★☆☆ 

The film looks stunning on Blu-ray, delivering a flawless transfer on all levels. Sharpness is consistent, and shows by offering an incredible amount of facial texture in every scene. Detail is outstanding. Contrast is excellent, and deep blacks deliver immense depth in every frame.

Color is well saturated in each shot. Flesh tones are spot on. A fine layer of grain if left intact, and the AVC encode handles it well. There were no moments of apparent artifacting.

Video ★★★★★ 

A TrueHD track is given little to do. Fidelity is high as it should be for a modern film, but this is contained to the center channel. Very little soundtrack bleed is noticed, and party/club scenes are left to the stereo channels at best. The subwoofer will kick in during a musical performance, and remain silent the rest of the way. Adequate.

Audio ★★★☆☆ 

Limited in terms of extras, the Blu-ray offers enough material to get a pass. A commentary from director Sam Mendes and writer Justin Haythe is followed by a fine making-of, Lives of Quiet Desperation. The latter runs just short of 30 minutes, and avoids the usual cliché of self-praise. Richard Yates: Wages of Truth explores the author of the original novel candidly. Fifteen deleted scenes (around 25 minutes) and a trailer round off the extras.

Extras ★★★☆☆ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Revolutionary Road Review

Ridley Scott yet again takes Russell Crowe under his wing, directing him in Body of Lies. This time, it’s another trip for Hollywood to the Middle East and the war on terror. While a hot news item, it’s becoming tiresome as a film base, overused and hardly entertaining anymore. Body of Lies is a victim of overuse.

Actually, that’s not the only problem with this film. Billed as Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio together, it’s anything but. Crowe is limited in screen time, pushed aside for a mass of other characters who slowly convolute the plot line, leading to confusion and unneeded complexity.

DiCaprio is a CIA operative stationed in the Middle East, hunting down a terrorist named Al-Saleem (Alon Abutbul). He’s constantly talking with his superior played by Crowe over his cell phone. The back-and-forth conversation is irritating, and their meetings seem more like a way to make up for this flaw. Rarely does Crowe need to be with DiCaprio since the now-bearded star seems to handle himself just fine without any help from Washington.

Like all films about the modern war, there are political statements made. DiCaprio screams to Crowe at one point about the effects of the war and proper way to handle things. However, Crowe is limited in his character development, making him feel like a one-note bureaucrat with little else to offer.

Scott’s direction is on display during the action scenes, but can’t do much for the static dialogue scenes. A few explosions showcase some fine effects work, breaking up the story which is otherwise a talking-head piece. Also, despite being a relatively simple “catch the bad guy” plot, it never gains any momentum, shifting gears multiple times. A romance is inserted with little purpose other than finding some closure in the end.

There are far better Middle Eastern thrillers out there, including The Kingdom and Jarhead. Body of Lies is too complex for its own good, creating a disappointing pairing of two otherwise superb actors. Hopefully the next Scott/Crowe pairing fares better than this.

Movie ★★☆☆☆ 

Aside from some very slight edge enhancement, this is a superior VC-1 encode from Warner. Detail is wonderful, never falling below near perfection. Sharpness likewise remains firm. Contrast is superb, giving the film that rare three-dimensional look so many discs strive for. Colors carry are bold without being over saturated. Flesh tones are spot on.

Video ★★★★★ 

With multiple explosions, this TrueHD track should shake the house. Unfortunately, bass seems to have taken the day off, providing only a mild rumble when the bombs go off. A car chase is a nice showcase though, delivering surround action and a nice low-end shot when a rocket launcher goes off. Some minor ambiance is noticeable at street level and in crowds, but that’s only thing this one has going for it given that it’s dialogue driven.

Audio ★★★☆☆ 

Extras are robust, beginning with a commentary from Ridley Scott, writer William Monahan, and book author David Ignatius. Only Scott tags along for the deleted scenes, presiding over five of them (not including his introduction), which features an alternate ending.

Actionable Intelligence is a collection of eight featurettes that total well over an hour. They’re available separately or via a picture-in-picture window. There’s a feature on Scott, the book’s author, sets, and more. It’s detailed and put together with care. Finally, there’s a collection of short interviews accessible through a confusing menu in which vast and crew discuss the film. Most of this is skippable. The disc is also BD-Live compatible.

Extras ★★★★☆ 

Blu-ray Movie Review from : DoBlu.com

Body of Lies Review