Invictus

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: May 18, 2010

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 133 Minutes

The Movie:

Clint Eastwood returns to the director's chair for his latest film "Invictus" which is based on true events and the book "Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation."

Morgan Freeman stars in Clint Eastwood's 2009 film as Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela is finally released after serving 27 years in jail for fighting against apartheid. Once he is released he immediately works to finally bring apartheid to an end. After he is elected president of South Africa, he rejects revenge, actually forgives his oppressors and finds hope for national unity in a rather unlikely place...the rugby field.

Given Clint Eastwood's current track record, I expected this movie to be another hit out of the park. Unfortunately, I felt this movie was lacking somewhere. It had a compelling story, and it had good performances from the actors. But, it didn't have that "grab you" factor like Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby, or Changeling had. The movie was real straight-forward and the climax of the movie didn't even feel like it was the climax. I felt the movie could have easily been cut by 20-30 minutes, as its current runtime of just under 2:15:00 felt to drag on at times.

Just like you would expect, the acting from Morgan Freeman as Mandela was simply amazing. Freeman's performance is worth watching this movie for. Matt Damon as the captian of the the Springboks rugby team, François Pienaar, was decent, but I feel the role could have been done by just about any other actor. I don't see why Damon was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but that's just my opinion. Unfortunately the rugby players used in the film lack that "actor-personality" and, therefore, bring nothing additional to the film.

It was still a well-told story, something that Eastwood is excellent at doing. But my complaint is that the tone of the movie seemed to changed as it got closer to the end. It went from an autobiographical drama almost to a sports drama. For a movie that's suppose to be about Mandela, the film doesn't really focus on anything that he had done while being president.

Presentation:

Invictus delivers a good looking transfer on blu-ray, but at the same time, it's not that impressive. The overall image has a relaxed look to it, even a little washed-out looking. BUT, given that this movie is suppose to take place in the early 1990's, maybe Eastwood was going for an aged-looking presentation, if that make sense. Skintones still look acurate, detail is fine and crisp, and facial closeups show an impressive amount of detail. While there is grain present throughout the film, it shouldn't be too distracting. Viewers should be pleased with the results.

Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track sounds great. Dialogue is crisp and clear regardless of where the location is. The sound effects are very powerful, especially during the Rugby matches . The score sounds really impressive as well. The audio is outstanding and makes for an enjoyable experience.

Bonus Material:

• Vision, Courage and Honor - An excellent PiP track that features interviews with Eastwood, the cast, and the men that inspired him to do this film and also an in depth behind the scenes look at the movie. This is one of the better PiP tracks to be found on any blu-ray!
• Behind the Story (1080p, Runtime 36:00) - This is broken down into two documentaries: "Mandela Meets Morgan" and "Matt Damn Plays Rugby." The first focuses on Eastwood and the cast as they discuss the characters portrayed, the costumers, and the challenges Eastwood dealt with during shooting. The latter consist of Damon with his teammates and the real men who are being portrayed.
• The Eastwood Factor (480p, Runtime 22:00) - Richard Schickel provides a look at Eastwood's life from actor to director.
• Invictus Music Trailer (1080p)
• BD-Live

Bottom Line:

While it may not have the same feel as some of his most recent films, overall, it's really not a bad movie. If you are unsure about this, give this a rental at least for Freeman's performance. The movie looks good, sound great and the special features are definitely worth a look.

The Messenger

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: May 18, 2010

Rated: R

Runtime: 112 Minutes

The Movie:

By now, we have all seen a good amount of war movies. We've seen movies where the story takes place during the war, and we have seen movies where the story takes place after the characters return from war. But never has their been a film that focuses on the Army's Casualty Notification Officers. The Army Casualty Notification Officer is exactly what it sounds like; men in the Army that are ordered to deliver the bad news to families of fallen soldiers. I'm actually surprised that a concept as simple as this is has never been touched on up until now.

This movie stars Ben Foster as Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, home from serving in Iraq due to injury and newly assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification Service. He is partnered with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson). Together they go and deliver the bad news to families of fallen soldiers with Tony teaching Will the proper protocol that is involved. As Will is learning to deal with the different kinds of emotions from the next of kin, he is ultimately unprepared when he delivers the unfortunate news to Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton). Wanting to get to know her he learns it might not be in either his or hers best interest.

I can't remember the last time I saw a film that was this powerful and delivered this much emotion from beginning to end. Luckily there are a few appropriately spaced-out comedic elements in this movie otherwise this would be one of the most depressing movies I've seen since watching The Bridge.

The performances in this movie are some of the best. Ben Foster has really stepped it up since his amazing performance in 3:10 to Yuma. And after seeing this movie and his performance, it actually feels like a crime that he wasn't nominated for Best Actor at this years Oscar's. The scene between him and Steve Buscemi early in the film and between Foster and Harrelson towards the end, packs so much emotion in those scenes. Woody Harrelson lived up to that Oscar nominated performance as well. His character starts out as the typical cliched army hardass, but his character turns out to be more interesting than you would expect.

As good as the movie was, there were some parts that just felt generic and not necessary. For example, Will and his ex girlfriend (Jena Malone) at the beginning of the movie felt completely unnecessary. And the ending I felt was kind of just thrown at you. After such amazing performances and a great overall story, to see it end the way it did felt kind of cheap. But those are my only complaints, and it's still one very deep-felt movie that should not be missed.

Presentation:

While the transfer that's presented here on this blu-ray disc is impressive looking, don't expect to be blown away here. The black levels are deep but you're not gonna find colors popping out and catching your attention. The skin tones are accurate, with facial close ups looking incredible. Backgrounds and objects show a great amount of detail. The film does have a soft feel to it at times, but it really works with the tone they were looking for and comes together nicely on this blu-ray disc.

Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track sounds good, but just like with the image, don't expect to be blown away here either. The overall sound is strong, but sometimes too strong. Dialogue is clear most of the film, but there are some scenes with multiple characters speaking and the dialogue becomes a little difficult to understand. This is mostly a dialogue-driven movie, with little sound effects, but for the few that present, they do come through sounding strong.

Bonus Material:

• Audio Commentary - Featuring Oren Moverman, Lawrence Inglee, Ben Foster & Woody Harrelson
• Going Home: Reflections from the set (480p, Runtime 11:40) - A short featuerette than consists of interviews with the cast and crew.
• Notification (480p, Runtime 24:07) - A documentary about US Army Casualty Notification Officers and the families of fallen soldiers.
• Variety Screening Series Q&A With Filmmakers and Cast (1080i, Runtime 27:16)
• Oscilloscope Trailers (480p) - A total of 18 different trailers!

Bottom Line:

If you followed all the buzz around this movie during Oscar season, then you should definitely be intrigued. An excellent film with amazing and Oscar-worthy performances. The blu-ray looks and sounds good and the special features are informative and enjoyable. This isn't a movie you have already seen before. It truly is one movie that should definitely be seen. I highly recommend this movie!