Olga Kurylenko

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Quantum of Solace’ Offers Action Ride, Average Blu-Ray

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:38:56 -0600

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Quantum of Solace,” the second Daniel Craig 007 movie after the earthquake to the franchise that was the brilliant “Casino Royale,” didn’t make quite the same waves in the action genre and left a few viewers dissatisfied but it still makes for a better-than-average action movie rental. Sadly, MGM continues to struggle a bit in the HD revolution, releasing a so-so Blu-Ray that won’t help the viewers who felt let down by the film in theaters.

If “Casino Royale” was the rock ‘n’ roll set that we knew this classic character was still capable of producing with the right star, script, and production team, “Quantum of Solace” is the encore. It may not be as purely satisfying, but it still rocks in its own way.

Quantum of Solace will be released on Blu-Ray on March 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: MGM/Fox

“Quantum” is the first James Bond film to pick up immediately after the end of the film that came before it. Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) has died and James (Daniel Craig) is following the trail she left behind. It leads her to another sexy woman looking for vengeance named Camille (Olga Kurylenko) and into the path of the nefarious Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the head of the Quantum organization.

The villain and the Bond girl aren’t as interesting as “Casino” and director Marc Forster doesn’t know how to handle this material as deftly as Martin Campbell, but is it fair to compare “Quantum of Solace” to arguably the best Bond film ever made (and, by extension, one of the best action movies overall)? No, “Quantum” isn’t as good as “Casino Royale,” but neither are most action movies.

Quantum of Solace will be released on Blu-Ray on March 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: MGM/Fox

And “Quantum of Solace” IS better than at least three Pierce Brosnan Bond movies, both Timothy Dalton movies, and most of the Roger Moore missions. It’s a brutal action-fest that is missing something because it’s naturally all final act - being a continuation of the last film - but it’s still incredibly well-made. The first fifteen minutes alone make it worth a rental. For anyone who calls themselves a serious Bond fan, they make it worth a purchase.

As for the Blu-Ray, I’ve reviewed many in recent days - this is a crowded time of year - and MGM/Fox keep producing titles that look a little flatter than some of their competitors. There’s no problem with the detail, but the gorgeous scenery of “Quantum of Solace” doesn’t pop like you hope it would.

The audio is okay, but not as mind-blowing as it should be. Just before watching the opening scene of “Quantum of Solace,” I watched the “action” opening of “Bolt”. It sounded better mixed than this English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. That’s not right. It’s not that “QoS” sounds bad. It doesn’t. But it’s not going to blow you away like it should.

And the same “good enough” judgment extends to the special features. There’s a cool music video and two great featurettes - one on the locations and one about often-unheralded crew members - but no commentary and no deleted scenes. It reeks of material being held back for a special edition timed to the next theatrical Bond. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Special features

Music Video: “Another Way to Die” by Jack White & Alicia Keys (4:30)

Hey, look, a music video. Are there any channels that still play these things? This is actually a great clip blending the style of the opening with Alicia and Jack kicking rock and roll ass. I know the theme song has been divisive. Personally, I dig the attempt to blend bluesy lyrics, solid guitar riffs, the classic Bond theme, and one of the best voices in soul. Unlike most music videos on Blu-Ray, I’ll probably watch this one again. If a channel like, oh I don’t know, MTV had actually played it, the song might have been a bigger hit.

Quantum of Solace will be released on Blu-Ray on March 24th, 2009.
Photo credit: MGM/Fox

“Bond On Location” (24:45)

That shots of Bond in the suit with the gun that became so associated with the film and is featured as its cover was actually shot in a Chilean desert. Bond movies, especially lately, don’t do much on-set. “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” have gorgeous photography around the world. Location is essential to this piece and this is a great featurette detailing why and the decisions that were made in picking them.

“Start of Shooting” (2:54)

A brief piece about pre-production, concept, and the start of shooting for “Quantum” in early 2008.

“On Location” (3:14)

Overkill after the “Bond On Location” featurette about moving locations in March.

“Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase” (2:14)

A self-explanatory look at one of the most crucial scenes in the film that was shot in April. It’s here that you realize that these mini-featurettes are merely chronological, brief, behind-the-scenes pieces that should have just been incorporated into one longer piece. Typical Fox/MGM in that there’s no Play All and they’re all too brief.

“Director Marc Forster” (2:45)

About bringing on the new guy. They’re all real proud of him.

“The Music” (2:36)

Self-explanatory bit about recording and conceiving the score with composer David Arnold.

“Crew Files” (45:30)

A stunning amount of material profiling individual crew members and their role on the film one at a time. Profiles include Michael G. Wilson, James Grant (Location Manager), Ana Endara (Extras Casting), Ben Cooke (Stuntman), and many, many more. This is actually a great feature that allows access to people who don’t often get the credit they deserve but are just as much a part of the fabric of the piece as those who do.

The set is rounded out by two trailers but no commentary or deleted scenes.

‘Quantum of Solace’ is released by Sony Pictures Home Video and stars Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright, and Judi Dench. It was written by Paul Haggis and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and directed by Marc Forster. It will be released on March 24th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

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

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Max Payne’ is Like Watching Someone Else Play Video Games

BrianTT — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:47:39 -0700

Blu-Ray Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – It can be so easy to waste multiple hours, even days with great video games, and yet it is sometimes unbearable to sit through 90 minutes of the cinematic adaptation of the same concept. Such is the case with the abysmal “Max Payne,” yet another in a long line of video-game-to-screen disasters that continue to prove how little Hollywood thinks of gamers.

If you have two hours to kill, would you rather spend it playing “Doom,” “Hitman,” or “Resident Evil,” or would you rather watch the movie versions? “Max Payne” doesn’t break the pattern.

Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) and Mona Sax (Mila Kunis) team up to battle powerful and dark forces.
Photo credit: Michael Gibson/Fox

That pattern is one of low expectations for viewers. What do these movies have in common? Ridiculously lazy scripts. They are clearly produced and written by people who assume that their audience is all 13 year-old boys. What’s ironic is that while writing has improved drastically in the world of gaming, the world of movies based on games has yet to catch up.

Photo credit: Fox Home Video

Where do we start with this Mark Wahlberg vehicle? First off, the usually good lead actor is miscast, although not nearly as much as his co-star, Mila Kunis. The dialogue is horrendously bad and the whole project looks like it was slapped together on someone’s home computer. It’s as if writer Beau Thorne based his screenplay purely on screenshots from the game instead of the story itself and figured that a few demons and slow motion would replace actual storytelling.

Poorly edited, written, and acted, all that even remotely redeems “Max Payne” on Blu-Ray is the presentation. The video and audio are above par and the special features are more interesting than the actual film.

The history of “Max Payne” is a little interesting. Director John Moore was promoting the film at Comic-Con last year as an R-rated action pic, something that fans of the game assumed it would be. Of course, Fox grabbed the editorial reins and released a PG-13 film, completely dismantling the project. Some of us assumed that a drastically different version would pop up on the home market.

So, how different is the unrated version of “Max Payne”? Three minutes. Yes, three minutes can sometimes make the difference between a PG-13 and an R, but the impression that there was massive overhauling done to this film before release was wrong. It’s essentially the same movie with a bit more blood.

For example, when Max finds his wife’s body, the theatrical version has her on a clean bed, while the unrated features her in a pool of blood. Almost every action scene is a bit bloodier, but the overall choppiness that some assumed was a part of the post-production? Not the fault of the rating.

A winged demon becomes an iconic image and important clue for Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) as he becomes enveloped in a complex conspiracy.
Photo credit: Michael Gibson/Fox

Mark Wahlberg plays Max, a violent cop pushed over the edge by the murder of his wife and child years earlier. He is still trying to solve that crime when he is confronted with a series of violent deaths around the city related to some bizarre new drug. As with all movies like this, one case relates to another.

With casting that you could either call inspired or insane, Mila Kunis plays a gun-wielding Russian, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges brings an Internal Affairs investigator to life, and Amaury Nolasco of “Prison Break” plays a supposedly invincible soldier who is taken down with hilarious ease. Even the cameos, including Nelly Furtado as a cop’s widow are bizarre. And Olga Kurylenko pops up in a small role essentially playing the same character she did in “Hitman”.

If “Max Payne” has anything going for it, that would be that it certainly looks more interesting than a lot of video game movies, a fact that’s amplified by the HD release on Blu-Ray. The color palette - mostly blacks and grays - is intriguing and well-defined in 1080P. The sound design, presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is also above average. It’s funny how many below-average movies can still have above-average video and audio transfers.

Special features on “Max Payne” include a digital copy of the film, a commentary on the unrated version by director John Moore, production designer Daniel Dorrance, and visual effects supervisor Everett Burrell, BonusView behind-the-scenes information on the theatrical version, an interesting documentary called “Picture,” and a graphic novel called “Michelle Payne” that details what happened to Max’s wife. Like the movie, it’s not very good.

The documentary about the making of “Max Payne” is easily the best thing about the Blu-Ray release. Hopefully, those assigned to adapt video games for the big screen will actually look at the medium they are working from and realize that the writing has developed in the last few years. Critics used to complain that video game movies were nothing more than a series of cut scenes from the games they were based on. Most cut scenes from 2008 games are better than “Max Payne”.

‘Max Payne’ is released by Fox Home Video and stars Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, and Amaury Nolasco. It was written by Beau Thorne and directed by John Moore. It was released on January 20th, 2009. The Blu-Ray release includes both PG-13 and unrated versions of the film.

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

List of Top Seven James Bond Gadgets

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:59:26 -0700

CHICAGO – With “Quantum of Solace” opening today starring Daniel Craig, Gemma Arterton, Judi Dench and Olga Kurylenko, Jeff Bayer’s The Scorecard Review (a partner with HollywoodChicago.com) has published its list of the top seven James Bond gadgets.

Olga Kurylenko in “Quantum of Solace”.
Image credit: Susie Allnutt

Who would James Bond be without his cool gadgets? Sure, he would still be a great spy with a license to kill, but would there be 22 movies about the man?

Bond fans remember the old films when Q would introduce some new gadgets with each new installment. While Q may be missing in the latest films, Bond still has some slick tools. While even some of Bond’s adversaries dabble in gadgetry, this list will be strictly MI6.

Bond (Daniel Craig) shields Camille (Olga Kurylenko) in “Quantum of Solace” and fires at a fuel cell as flames engulf Medrano’s suite at Perla De Las Dunas.
Image credit: Karen Ballard

With “Quantum of Solace” opening today, it’s a great time to look back at some of the past Bond films and the gadgets he uses to dispose of henchmen, save himself and ultimately save the world.

Read The Scorecard Review’s top seven James Bond gadgets.