Liam Neeson

Blu-Ray Round Up, Nov. 5, 2009: ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Plan,’ ‘Love Actually’

BrianTT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:07:28 -0700

CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray Round Up is back with two HD music releases, a beloved holiday movie from a director with a new comedy on the horizon (Richard Curtis, “Pirate Radio”), and a release that’s a must-own for fans of one of the most popular shows of the ’00s. This informative column is designed to let you know synopsis, technical specs, and features for titles that may have slipped under your radar. Pick your favorite.

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009” and “Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live At Red Rocks” were released on October 13th, 2009.

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” was released on October 27th, 2009.

“Love Actually” was released on November 3rd, 2009.

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan”

Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis: “The Cylons began as humanity’s robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.”

“Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” stars Edward James Olmos, Dead Stockwell, Michael Trucco, Grace Park, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Callum Keith Rennie, Rick Worthy, Lymari Nadal, and Tricia Helfer. It was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos. The film runs 112 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by aan English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include “From Admiral to Director: Edward James Olmos and The Plan,” “The Cylons of The Plan,” “The Cylon Attack,” “Visual Effects: The Magic Behind The Plan,” Deleted Scenes, and Commentary with Director/Actor Edward James Olmos and Executive Producer/Writer Jane Espenson.

“Love Actually”

Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Synopsis: “”Get Ready for Fun!” (Leah Rozen, People) with the “feel good movie of the year!” (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood) Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy from the makers of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill. Funny, irresistible and heartwarming, an all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, to name a few!) will take you on a breathtaking tour of love’s delightful twists and turns. Fall under the spell of Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again.”

“Love Actually” stars Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Martine McCutcheon, and Rowan Atkinson. It was written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film runs 135 minutes and is rated R. It is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features include Deleted Scenes, “The Music of Love Actually,” Kelly Clarkson “The Trouble With Love Is” Music Video, Billy Mack “Christmas is All Around” Music Video, “The Storytellers,” and Feature Commentary with Director Richard Curtis and Actors Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, and Thomas Sangster.

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009”

Photo credit: E1 Entertainment

Synopsis: “Bikes! Babes! Bands! Join Nickelback as they take the stage in front of 35,000 screaming fans at the world-famous Sturgis “Rockin’ The Rally” show. Shot in glorious high definition, Nickelback Live At Sturgis 2006 is the definitive Nickelback live Blu-ray. Featuring 12 of the hard-rockin’ band’s fan favorites and a behind the scenes glimpse of life on the road for one of the biggest rock bands in the world, Nickelback Live At Sturgis captures the band firing on all cylinders and blowing the sold-out crowd away! Tracks include: Animals, Woke Up This Morning, Photograph, Because of You, Far Away, Curb Medley, Never Again, Savin’ Me, Someday, Side of a Bullet, Drum Solo, How You Remind Me Too Bad, Figured You Out.”

“Nickelback: Live at Sturgis 2009” was directed by Daniel E. Catullo III. The film runs 65 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.

Special features include “Behind-the-Scenes with Nickelback,” Photo Gallery, “Sturgis 101 Vignette,” and “Rockstar” Video.

“Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live at Red Rocks”

Photo credit: E1 Entertainment

Synopsis: “The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado a legendary venue that has been graced by rock luminaries from The Beatles to U2 provides the awe-inspiring backdrop for Rob Thomas in one of the most memorable stops on his Something To Be Tour. Featuring the multi-platinum recording artist performing 18 hits from both Matchbox Twenty and his solo career, this incredible set also includes a special acoustic arrangement of “Smooth” and a cover of the David Bowie classic “Let¹s Dance.” Tracks include: Something To Be, Fallin’ To Pieces, If You’re Gone, When The Heartache Ends, Ever The Same, Not Just A Woman, 3 AM, You Won’t Be Mine, The Difference, Bent, Problems Girl, Let’s Dance, Lonely No More, I Am An Illusion, Now Comes The Night, Smooth, You Know Me, This Is How A Heart Breaks.”

“Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour Live at Red Rocks” was directed by Joe Thomas. The film runs 95 minutes and is not rated. It is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track.

Special features include a bonus “Streetcorner Symphony” video.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Liam Neeson Elevates Above-Average Action Movie ‘Taken’

BrianTT — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:25:39 -0700

CHICAGO – Bringing the same screen presence and gravity that he has to more serious roles like those in “Schindler’s List” and “Kinsey,” Liam Neeson turns the relatively generic “Taken” into an above-average action movie that should prove a surprising alternative for movie goers looking for a break from Super Bowl coverage this weekend.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The great Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired “preventer,” essentially Jack Bauer ten or fifteen years down the road. He’s put his violent days behind him but not forgotten the skills that made him one of the most efficient experts in his very specialized field. In the opening act of “Taken,” Mills is hanging out with friends and taking odd jobs like providing back-stage security for the latest pop starlet.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Taken” in our reviews section.

Bryan has grown a bit distant from his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), but he’s working on getting back into the life of his only child. Kim decides to travel to Europe to follow U2 with her best friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy) and Bryan reluctantly allows her to go.

Before they’re even out of the airport, Kim and Amanda are spotted by accomplices of some of the most evil people in the world, spotters for an Albanian sex ring. Kim and her friend are kidnapped, but not before Kim gets her father on the phone. He hears just enough detail that he knows he can travel to Europe and save his daughter’s life. And kill anyone who gets in his way.

‘Taken’ stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Katie Cassidy, and Jon Gries. It was written by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen and directed by Pierre Morel. It opens on January 30th, 2009, and is rated PG-13.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Taken” review.

In Taken, Liam Neeson stars as Bryan Mills, an ex-government operative who has less than four days to find his kidnapped daughter - who has been taken on her first day of vacation in Paris.
Photo credit: Stephanie Branchu/Fox

Slideshow: 8-Image Gallery For ‘Taken’ With Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace

BrianTT — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:56:53 -0700

CHICAGO – This 8-image slideshow contains a selection of official press images from Twentieth Century Fox’s “Taken,” which opens stateside on Friday, January 30th, 2009.

“Taken” stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky, Katie Cassidy, Holly Valance, and Famke Janssen. The film was written by Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel. It opens on Jan. 30, 2009.

Synopsis: “I don’t know you who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you’re looking for a ransom, I can tell you, I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills acquired over a very long career in the shadows, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you. And I will kill you.”

With these chilling words to a member of a band of kidnappers, former government operative Bryan Mills begins the longest 96-hours of his life – and the hunt for the fearsome organization that has taken his daughter Kim.

Mills had only recently given up his government career as what he calls, a “preventer” – “I prevented bad things from happenings,” he says – to be near Kim, who lives with Bryan’s ex-wife Lenore and her new husband. To make ends meet, Bryan joins some former colleagues for special security details (like guarding a pop diva), but most of his time and energy are spent re-connecting with Kim.

Bryan’s familial goal is nearly derailed when Kim requests his permission to spend time in Paris with a friend. All too aware of the dangers that could lie ahead for Kim in a foreign land, Bryan says no, but Kim’s disappointment leads him to very reluctantly relent.

Bryan’s worst fears are realized when Kim and her friend Amanda are suddenly abducted – in broad daylight – from the Paris apartment at which they’ve just arrived. Moments before Kim is dragged away by the as yet unseen and unknown assailants, she manages to phone Bryan, who begins to expertly piece together clues that will take him to the darkness of Paris’s underworld, and to the City of Light’s plushest mansions. He will face nightmares worse than anything he experienced in black ops – and let nothing and no one stop him from saving his daughter.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to Stephanie Branchu/Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox unless otherwise noted.

Taken_01: In Taken, Liam Neeson stars as Bryan Mills, an ex-government operative who has less than four days to find his kidnapped daughter - who has been taken on her first day of vacation in Paris.
Taken_02: Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) engages in a fire fight with the vicious gang that has kidnapped his daughter in Paris.
Taken_03: Only moments away from being taken by a vicious band of kidnappers, Kim (Maggie Grace) makes an urgent phone call to her father.
Taken_04: Bryan (Liam Neeson) visits a streetwalker (Fani Kolarova) as he attempts to infiltrate a vicious gang that has kidnapped his daughter.
Taken_05: Bryan (Liam Neeson) prepares to take extreme measures during his interrogation of a man he suspects of being a key player in the kidnapping.
Taken_06: In Paris, Bryan (Liam Neeson) looks to a former ally, Jean Claude (Olivier Rabourdin), for help in finding those responsible for the kidnapping.
Taken_07: Ex-spouses Bryan (Liam Neeson) and Lenore (Famke Janssen) do not see eye-to-eye on matters concerning their daughter. Photo by Sam Urdank
Taken_08: Bryan (Liam Neeson, right) presents his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) with a birthday gift, as his ex-wife and her mother Lenore (Famke Janssen) looks on. Photo by Sam Urdank

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ One of Most Extensive Releases of Season

BrianTT — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:59:44 -0700

CHICAGO – “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” may have fallen flat at the box office this summer but it is sure to be a gigantic hit on Blu-Ray this holiday season. Not only are the words “family Disney movie” practically a license to print money around this time of year, but this studio has been one of the frontrunners in the race for the best at making Blu-Ray.

With “Prince Caspian”, they may not have made one of the greatest films or even Blu-Ray releases of the season but the mantra of “bigger is better” that clearly followed the production of the film has made it intact to the extensive BD release.

Personally, I found the critical and commercial shrug that greeted “Prince Caspian” somewhat surprising. Releasing what should have been a holiday film in between Iron Man and Indiana Jones IV was clearly a misstep, but I think history will be kinder to “Prince Caspian” than audiences were in May of 2008. It’s funny that people honestly called “Prince Caspian” a box office disappointment when it made $420 million worldwide, but when you’re the sequel to a film that made $745 million worldwide then that’s bound to happen.

Box office and poorly chosen release dates aside, the visually sumptuous but somewhat hollow feeling that I felt watching “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” has been replaced by a more action-driven tale with better performances and some of the most seamlessly integrated special effects of the year. The technical accomplishments of “Prince Caspian”, including 1500 visual effects shots, are made clearer by the collection of special features in the two-disc set from Walt Disney Home Video.

“Prince Caspian” takes its title from its lead character (Ben Barnes), who escapes the citadel of the Telmarines in the opening scene. The Telmarines are mortals who have taken over the land of Narnia, where it has been 1,300 years since the action of the first film. Of course, time doesn’t move the same in our world as it does in Narnia and the four heroes from the first film - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) - must return to save the day and restore the Prince to power.

Aslan the lion (still voiced by Liam Neeson and still a little too blatant of a Christ figure) and even the witch (Tilda Swinton) from the first film make an appearance but the weight of the story has shifted to the children, who feel much more confident as actors. In particular, the two older Pevensies, played by William Moseley and Anna Popplewell, finally feel have the depth as actors to ground the work in reality. CGI fantasy films often make the actors feel like nothing more than WETA creations themselves but “Prince Caspian” keeps its focus for most of its admittedly over-long running time and should be a satisfying rental or purchase for Blu-Ray buyers.

Those buyers will find that “Prince Caspian” has received the Disney treatment, which means one of the best video transfers on the market. The 1080p High Definition/2.40:1 transfer is wonderfully mixed with the colors of Narnia popping off the screen. The audio mix in English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is the kind that stereo stores use to sell high-priced equipment. It will wake the neighbors.

As with most things Disney and most things Narnia, there is no moderation when it comes to special features on the Blu-Ray release of “Prince Caspian”. Honestly, it’s too much. Half of the features on the second disc of “Prince Caspian” could have been merged into one, behind-the-scenes documentary. Overall, they’re too repetitive.

Audiences will learn almost all they need to know from the commentary with director Andrew Adamson and most of the stars along with the 35-minute “Inside Narnia: The Adventure Returns”, the best featurette on the second disc and one that’s truly comprehensive enough that it makes the other ones feel like overkill. And the hyperbole about the production - someone actually says “Enriches the vocabulary of cinema” - gets a little overwhelming.

The first disc of “Prince Caspian” also includes an interactive feature that allows deep access into the making of the castle raid and Disney’s excellent BD-Live capabilities. There’s no better studio to truly take the lead with a feature that allows for game-playing and scene-sharing than Disney.

The second disc of “Prince Caspian” includes the aforementioned featurette along with 11 minutes of wisely deleted scenes, bloopers, “Sets of Narnia: A Classic Comes to Life” (23:35), “Big Movie Comes to a Small Town” (23:13), “Previsualizing Narnia” (10:03), “Talking Animals and Walking Trees: The Magical World of Narnia” (4:43), “Secrets of the Duel” (6:41), “Becoming Trumpkin” (4:46), and “Warwick Davis: The Man Behind Nikabrik” (11:11).

‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ is released by Walt Disney Home Video and stars Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, Warwick Davis, Sergio Castellitto, Liam Neeson, and Tilda Swinton. It was written by Andrew Adamson & Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and directed by Adamson. It was released on December 2nd, 2008.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Packed With Picturesque Majesty, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ Fights Nobly For ‘PG’ Rating

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:51:53 -0600

CHICAGO – For the life of me, I couldn’t exorcise it from my head. Amid all the splendor of such a picturesque film, this one question was like a gnat I couldn’t swat: “Is this really rated ‘PG’?” Indeed, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is rated “PG”. But that didn’t come without great scrutiny and much editing.

For starters, Walt Disney Pictures contractually required the filmmakers for the epic film to achieve a “PG” rating. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) granted it following a wide array of amendments.

For example, director Andrew Adamson (who also directed “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in 2005, “Shrek 2” in 2004 and “Shrek” in 2001 and wrote “Shrek the Third” in 2007) changed a scene with a fallen helmet to make certain it didn’t contain a decapitated head, according to the Los Angeles Times on May 4, 2008.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” in our reviews section.

View our full “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” image gallery.

After showing the film to young audiences and gauging their reactions, Adamson in fact made copious edits. Adamson said in a May 15, 2008 interview published on NarniaWeb.com:

“When you sit down and you’re watching it and you see the kids’ faces while making the film, you’re just making an attempt. You’re making it exciting. You’re doing all these things because you’re essentially making the film for yourself. When you start showing it to an audience, that then influences how you feel about the film.”

While the “PG” rating for the recently released “Speed Racer” felt more like an opportune financial decision, the rating for “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” instead felt an appropriate artistic decision. Props go to Disney and Adamson for pushing its importance.

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Despite “Troy”-like fight scenes, this was nothing like the ingenious bloodshed in “300” or the blood-spattering good time in “Gladiator”. In fact, aside from a dribble on a face or two here and there, there was no blood at all. As well, much of the brutality was implied.

Instead of swinging a sword and showing the final result, the film merely illuminated the intent without the follow through.

The decision didn’t detract from the purpose in the slightest, and along with making it more appropriate for younger audiences, it issued a renewed faith that Hollywood can spit out a money-generating product without having to spew gallons of blood and blow stuff up.

The MPAA says a “PG” film “should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The rating indicates … that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children and parents should make that decision. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity.”

Liam Neeson (the voice of the lion Aslan) along with Georgie Henley (right) in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Read Adam Fendelman’s full “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” review.