Facebook
Twitter
Google
Reddit
LinkedIn
del.icio.us
MySpace
StumbleUpon
Newsvine
Digg
CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.
Blu-ray Review: ‘All is Lost’ Finds Heart & Soul of One Man’s Journey
Submitted by DaveHC on February 10, 2014 - 7:37pm
Printer-friendly version
E-mail page to friend
PDF version
Image credit: Lionsgate “All is Lost” stars Robert Redford. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on Feb. 11, 2014.
Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version
CHICAGO – All is lost. It’s is a phrase uttered by countless adventurers across human history. It speaks of resignation and despair. We hear it in voiceover during PBS documentaries when the narrator reads someone’s diary or letter to explain the last little bit of a fellow human’s final stand against nature or the ardors of travel. But in this masterful film by writer/director/producer J.C. Chandor, those three words become a homily inviting the viewer to simply watch and contemplate their own adventure and whether they are living well.
 Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
The adventurer in this story is unnamed and played by Robert Redford in a role that offers no dialogue. Scant voiceover narration and a brief radio interaction are the only moments that offer a human voice. Instead, Chandor chooses to sell the story via Redford’s masterful, understated performance and his own impressive grasp of how to visually showcase the elements and combine the techniques that make his version of the story possible. The film makes a strong debut on Blu-ray by offering stunning visuals and high detail. The many extras included are all solid as they offer insight into what must have been an intensely difficult – even daring – shoot for the 77-year-old actor.
Synopsis
During a solo trek across the Indian Ocean, an older man wakes up to discover his boat taking on water. Moving quickly to patch the leak and repair his navigation and communications equipment, he is sideswiped by one calamity after another until chance throws him and his vessel into a disastrous storm. Slowly reduced to only the barest of resources and his own innate seamanship, he begins to realize the true nature of his journey.
Special Features
- Audio commentary with writer/director/producer J.C. Chandor and producers Neal Dodson and Anna Gerb
- Featurette: “Big Film, Small Film”
- Four vignettes: “The Story,” “The Filmmaker: J.C. Chandor,” “The Actor: Robert Redford” and “The Sound of ‘All is Lost’”
- Featurette: “Preparing for The Storm” with storyboards, VFX reel, pre-shooting and time-lapse footage
 | By DAVE CANFIELD |
