Synopsis:
A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, Lynne Ramsay’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN explores the factious relationship between a mother and her son. Tilda Swinton, in a bracing, tour-de-force performance, plays the mother, Eva, as she contends for 15 years with the increasing malevolence of her first-born child, Kevin (Ezra Miller).

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN explores nature vs. nurture on a whole new level as Eva’s own culpability is measured against Kevin’s innate evilness.

Ramsay’s masterful storytelling simultaneously combines a provocative moral ambiguity with a satisfying and compelling narrative, which builds to a chilling, unforgettable climax.

CAST
Eva – Tilda Swinton (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Michael Clayton)
Franklin – John C. Reilly (Step Brothers, Chicago)
Kevin – Ezra Miller

CREDITS
Directed by Lynne Ramsay
Screenplay by Lynne Ramsay
Rory Stewart Kinnear

** All images Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories **

Technorati Tags: We Need to Talk About Kevin, Trailer, Screenshot, Lynne Ramsay, Rory Stewart Kinnear, Tilda Swinton, John C Reilly, Ezra Miller, Thriller, Drama

Release Info:
Date: February 18, 2011
DVD Release Date: March 29, 2011
Online Availability: Amazon for $20.99

Hilary Swank is a great actress. She’s been in plenty of decent movies. She’s also one of those unique younger actresses that seems to end up doing her fair share of duds. Going into a movie like this any astute film-lover knows that it has a high probability of missing the mark. There are so many things that can go wrong with a thriller. Drama is what it is and comedy can be easy, as well, but thrillers need to force people to the edge of their seat and there is just no guarantee that is going to happen. In order for a thriller to succeed you need to have a great cast, a strong story, and all of the proverbial pieces of the filming process need to fit into place. That is not exactly what happens with The Resident.

I went in hoping for the best. Having a cast like Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey’s Anatomy), and Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) was one hell of a good start. I expected good things based on the cast alone. To be honest, this cast was the primary reason for wanting to review this film. I am fond of each of the actors mentioned. While I didn’t have super high hopes for a thriller of this magnitude, I figured if anyone could pull it together it would be these three actors. Unfortunately, Lee Pace is underutilized to the point that he could have qualified as an extra if he didn’t have the amount of lines he did. Pace is there one minute, gone for 30 minutes, and back for ten and that’s pretty much it. I came into this film quite excited knowing he would be in it and then ended up bummed that he was in it so little. It felt like a waste of his talent.

Swank and Morgan do the best with what they are given, but you have to remember they aren’t given all that much to work with. Swank plays an uncomfortable, almost disheveled doctor that ends up looking for a new apartment after her relationship with her boyfriend breaks up. Finding a deal too good to turn down she ends up the tenant of a seemingly friendly, but overly stalkerish landlord, played by the enigmatic Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The pair play off each other well and there is no serious acting flaw with either of them. The problem is with the writing and the direction.

Any thriller fan can guess by the name of this movie, The Resident, that anything thrilling is going to occur in the home or apartment. They wouldn’t call it The Resident if she were being attacked in the mall. If you’ve seen enough of these movies you can also deduce that she’s probably not being threatened by the milk man or the cable guy. It’s probably someone in her building. Going into a movie like this, you know these things. That being said, the writer reveals too much, too soon. You know who is behind any problems that Swank’s character is having or will have within the first quarter of the movie. As a result any strong climatic event fizzles and dies out long before it gets started.

The Resident Plot
Dr. Juliet Devereau (Swank) is a newly single surgeon that is caught in New York City with a home that she wants to unload and another that she needs to find. While finding an apartment anywhere in New York can be a struggle, the apartment Gods shine on Juliet and she finds a place in Brooklyn for the bargain price of $3,800. She’s thrilled at her new cheap (at least she thinks it’s cheap) apartment and for a time life seems to be looking up for the good doctor.

Max, Juliet’s landlord, is a nice, single guy that conveniently bumps into Juliet around the city. He’s friendly, charming, and knows just how to make her laugh. Unfortunately, we soon learn that an obsession with the beautiful doctor is what landed her the apartment and that the holes in the walls are there for his viewing pleasure unbeknownst to anyone living there.

It does not take long for Juliet to feel like someone is watching her, but by then those watching the movie will already know who it is that is doing the watching. Things become entirely odd as the movie progresses forward. Max goes to strange and creepy (in that gold-chain wearing stalker way) extremes for his obsession with Juliet. The sad thing is, when he’s not being creepy he seems like a pretty nice guy. Of course, in that case, looks are obviously deceiving.

Storyline/Plot: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 1 out of 5 stars
Acting: 3 out of 5 stars
Directing: 3 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The Resident offers an AVC/MPEG-4 encode with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. All things considered, I had little problem with the visual presentation offered here. There is quite a bit of detail offered in every shot, which is important for the setting of the film. Colors are not too bright or dark and they pop when they should. Things like dirt, lines, or blemishes do not appear at all or if they do they are too few to make a complaint about. Fans of this movie or people interested in seeing it at all should have no problem with this presentation.

The DTS HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is worthy of any thriller based Blu-Ray. The surround sound is used, without being pushy or over exaggerating the sounds that were present. This was a movie based in the city that was mainly dialogue driven. As such, you can expect to hear a lot of background noises, which are always present, but never take over the sound profiles of the film. The thrilling moments make good use of additional sounds to add to the creepy factor. The music, when used, offers a strong presentation and the dialogue is always easy to understand. All in all, this is above average for the needs of this particular film. In addition to standard audio, English and Spanish subtitles have been included.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
You know there is a fundamental problem with a film when it is brand new, put on Blu-Ray, and yet the distributors chose to opt out of adding special features. I’ve seen older movies with more special features than this. Granted, I think it was obvious that they would not be necessary. However, I cannot help but question a company that knows their movie is not worth the bother and puts it out anyway. The only “special” (if you want to call it that) feature here is the theatrical trailer. So, you don’t really receive any extras here at all.

Bonus Features: 0 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
I wanted to like The Resident so much more than I actually did. In the end, I was left with a feeling that it was one of those movies that you watch once and never attempt to pick up a second time. The beauty of a good movie is that you can watch it over and over and pick up new things with every new viewing. The immortal flaw of The Resident is that it puts everything there is to see out there too quickly in the movie and lets you see all there is to see before the end. There is nothing that can be left to the imagination in the first viewing, so there is no real need to ever watch it again. With this in mind, at best all I can do is recommend that you rent this or wait for it to come on television. As for buying, I would only recommend it for people that loved it much more than I did.

Overall Rating: 2.43 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: The Resident, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray Review, Thriller, Horror, Stalker, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Hilary Swank, Lee Pace, Movie Review

Synopsis:
Stephanie (Amber Heard – The Joneses) and Ellie’s (Odette Yustman – Cloverfield) vacation to an exotic village in Argentina is a perfect ‘girl’s getaway’ to bask in the sun, shop and flirt with the handsome locals. After a long night of bar-hopping, the girls get into an argument, and Stephanie heads out alone in the morning to cool off. But when she returns, Ellie has disappeared. Finding signs of a struggle, Stephanie fears the worst, and turns to the police for help. But the local authorities have their hands full already – with a string of unsolved kidnappings targeting young female tourists. Skeptical of the sheriff’s competency, she enlists help from Michael (Karl Urban), an American ex-pat staying at their hotel. Together they go on a frantic search for Ellie, but Stephanie soon realizes that trusting his seemingly good intentions may drag her farther from the truth. With danger mounting, and time running out, Stephanie must find her friend before darkness falls.

Our Thoughts:
Anchor Bay might not be considered a major contender as far as the big studios go, but we are rarely disappointed with the quality of movies that they offer. The thriller/horror genre can be hit or miss anyway you look at it, but And Soon the Darkness could have some promise. We’ve seen the girlfriends on vacation when one goes missing movie before, so this is going to depend on the acting and the thrills that are offered here. The trailer gives me enough to want to see it, but I am not fully in love just yet.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below

Technorati Tags: And Soon the Darkness, Thriller, Trailer, Horror, Anchor Bay, Odette Yustman, Amber Heard, Karl Urban

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: August 26, 2009
DVD Release Date: August 3, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99

Is she alive or dead? This question is raised in After.Life, a question that should be surprisingly easy to answer, but it’s not. Even when those of us who paid close attention to the film “get” the right answer to this question, the web remains aflutter with buzz of is she or isn’t she? That’s part of what makes After.Life somewhat successful as a thriller. Even when you know the right answer, there are nagging suggestions that this answer might not be correct, though these are never quite concrete enough to make total sense.

The acting is stellar from Liam Neeson. Is he calm and caring or a complete psychopath? Either way, Neeson’s Eliot completely embraces his macabre nature. Ricci’s performance as the protagonist, Anna Taylor is underwhelming, which actually seems to kind of work for her role. The only other actors to get any type of screen time are Justin Long, who plays Ricci’s mess of a boyfriend, who is flabbergasted by her death, and the token creepy child, Chandler Canterbury, who fits the part.

For a debut film by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, this isn’t too bad. There are some flaws that take the form of minor plotholes, but if you follow the clues left by the Vosloos, who wrote this together, you should come to the right conclusion, and know what the heck is going on. From the message boards and comments I’ve seen online, apparently this is easier said than done, but….really. I promise. The clues are there you just have to listen to the dialogue (use subtitles so you don’t miss a thing) and watch carefully. It’s all laid out.

After.Life is a nifty little flick. It’s not going to be winning an Oscar, no doubt, but it is a decent way to spend a weekend day, wasting a few hours. It entertains without vegitizing its audience. It also doesn’t talk down to you either. It’s quiet, a bit slow in places, but there is plenty of creepiness to keep those who like death appeased.

The After.Life Plot
Anna Taylor (Ricci), an elementary school teacher, seems to just be moving through the motions of her every day life. She doesn’t seem to enjoy much of anything, not even time spent with her long term boyfriend, Paul (Long). Paul is in love with Anna and wants to marry her, but her melancholy attitude ensures they spend most of their time together, fighting. It does not help that Anna’s disabled mother, Beatrice (Watson) feels that Paul has taken her daughter away from her. Despite this sadness, Anna is still a dedicated teacher, who defends her young student, Jack (Canterbury) against bullies and seems to show extra effort when dealing with the troubled boy.

Anna first encounters Eliot Deacon (Neeson), a macabre mortician and funeral director in their town, at the funeral of her former piano teacher. She encounters him a second time after her car crashes, following a botched attempt by Paul to propose to Anna, who mistakes the gesture as a means of getting rid of her. Eliot explains to Anna that she is dead and he can speak to dead people. He is there to prepare her for her funeral and burial. He is helping her to make a transition from the world of the living to being dead. Anna, however, does not believe she is dead, even when signs (like being unable to move her body or feel pain) imply she is dead.

When Paul is kept in the dark about her death and discovers that Eliot has been given Anna’s body without any autopsy, he begins to suspect Anna might still be alive. When Jack sees Anna through a window at the funeral home, this reaffirms Paul’s belief that Anna isn’t dead. Eliot assures Jack he is like him and makes the young boy his protégé, since he too can “speak to the dead.” As Paul attempts to convince others that Anna is indeed alive, Eliot helps her to accept her death as he prepares her to move on from this life.

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for After.Life is great. Anchor Bay presents an attractive MPEG-4 AVC, 1080p transfer in anamorphic widescreen, with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The black levels, which are used heavily, and set the tone for this morbid film, are rich and fully embody the deathly feel. Set primarily in a funeral home, this transfer makes good use of shadows, darkness and darker color palettes. What color does appear stands out against the depth of the darkness, but it isn’t glowing nor obnoxious. The stark whiteness of the room where Anna’s body is kept is visually brilliant. This transfer isn’t perfect, but for what it is, the Blu-Ray treatment of this film is fairly impressive.

I was disappointed with the primary, English audio track offered on this Blu-Ray. The only thing I hate more than crappy sounding audio is audio I consistently have to toggle. I had to turn the volume up and down throughout the entire movie. The English PCM 5.1 track was horrendous as far as sound levels went. When sound effects take center stage, the sound is full-bodied, making full use of surround capabilities, but it blasts through the speakers, thanks to the need to turn the volume way up in order to hear the dialogue that is spoken. This release also contains an English 5.1 surround track and subtitles in English and Spanish. I found the subtitles necessary so I wouldn’t go deaf during moments of action.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are slim pickins in the way of bonuses on the After.Life Blu-Ray. There is an audio commentary by Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo, who directed and co-wrote the film. This is kind of a bore, as far as commentaries go. It was rather dry. With this being Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo’s debut into mainstream film, it isn’t surprising that her audio commentary lacks depth and direction. There are a few okay moments during the commentary, but it is hardly worth a listen.

Fans of the film can learn more from the “Making Of” feature. Coming in at just under 8 minutes, this featurette has Wojtowicz-Vosloo explaining what really is supposed to be happening in After.Life. Though I felt there was no question of what was happening, apparently I am in the minority. So, for those clueless to Wojtowicz-Vosloo’s intentions when making the film, how the film came to be and her initial ideas that spurned the film, all of your questions will be answered in this featurette.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer for After.Life and other films from Anchor Bay. There could have been so much more included in this bonus section. Unfortunately, what is here isn’t all that great.

Bonus Features: 2 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
After.Life looks good in Blu-Ray, it sounds okay, but has more audio issues than a Blu-Ray should. With solid acting and a story that has a lot of potential, this is a nifty little flick that will help you to pass a few hours. The film had the potential to go even further than it does, and for that reason alone, it is slightly disappointing. However, if you aren’t the type that has to over-analyze every little aspect of the movies you watch, you will enjoy what After.Life has to offer. I recommend you rent before you buy, just to make sure this is your kind of flick.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: After.Life, Blu-Ray, BD Review, Blu-Ray Review, Film, Liam Neeson, Christina Ricci, Justin Long, Horror, Thriller

Cast
Ryan Reynolds
Robert Paterson
José Luis García-Pérez
Stephen Tobolowsky
Samantha Mathis
Warner Loughlin
Erik Palladino
Ivana Miño

Synopsis:
Paul Conroy is not ready to die.

But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time, fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

Technorati Tags: Buried Ryan Reynolds, Robert Paterson, Movie, Motion Poster, Horror, Thriller

Story: Academy Award winner George Clooney stars in the title role of this suspense thriller, filmed on location in Italy. Alone among assassins, Jack (played by Mr. Clooney) is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Larry (Bruce Altman) that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten of “In Bruges”), is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto (Italian stage and screen veteran Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues romance with local woman Clara (Italian leading lady Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

Director: Anton Corbijn (“Control”)
Writers: Rowan Joffe (“28 Weeks Later”); Based on the novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth
Cast: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten, Paolo Bonacelli, Bruce Altman
Genre: Suspense Thriller

Technorati Tags: George Clooney, The American, Focus Features, Bruce Altman, Thriller, Upcoming Release, Official Trailer, First Trailer

Cast
Ryan Reynolds
Robert Paterson
José Luis García-Pérez
Stephen Tobolowsky
Samantha Mathis
Warner Loughlin
Erik Palladino
Ivana Miño

Synopsis:
Paul Conroy is not ready to die.

But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time, fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

Technorati Tags: Buried, Thriller, Upcoming Release, Nationwide Release, Ryan Reynolds, Buried Alive, Video Clip, Teaser Trailer, Robert Paterson, Movie

Produced by ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEES ROMAN POLANSKI, ROBERT BENMUSSA & ALAIN SARDE

A gifted author hired to ghostwrite the memoirs of a controversial former British Prime Minister becomes a hunted man when he uncovers explosive secrets about the past. Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams and Kim Catrall star in The Ghost Writer, a taut, suspenseful thriller from the Oscar®-winning director of The Piano.

The Ghost (Ewan McGregor) senses something’s not right from the minute he gets the lucrative assignment to complete Adam Lang’s (Pierce Brosnan) autobiography. For starters, the previous ghostwriter, a longtime aide to the ex-Prime Minister, is dead—an apparent suicide victim.

As Lang becomes engulfed in a scandal over his administration’s harsh counterterrorism tactics, The Ghost dig into the charismatic politician’s past, discovering clues that he may be hiding something far more shocking than the current allegations against him.

Hunkered down in a secluded East Coast beach house with Lang, his beautiful wife and political muse (Olivia Williams), his alluring chief of staff (Kim Catrall) and a small cadre of staffers and bodyguards, The Ghost finds himself losing his objectivity and becoming part of the story he’s supposed to be chronicling. Unsure who to trust, he sets out on an increasingly dangerous quest for the truth that leads to a startling discovery with far-reaching implications. But he may not live to write the final chapter…

The Ghost is Academy Award-winning Roman Polanski’s first contemporary thriller in more than twenty years. Filming took place over 3 months on location in Germany and at Studio Babelsberg, Berlin.

Despite some critics thinking that Robert Harris wrote his novel with former Prime Minister Tony Blair in mind, Harris disagrees, though does credit public turmoil concerning Blair for lighting a fire under him.

“The Ghost is an idea I had many years ago. Probably 15 years ago, long before Tony Blair was Prime Minster. I was just very interested in the set up of a former world leader and someone who has to write his memoirs for him. I envisioned from the start a kind of love interest between the ghostwriter and this ex-leader’s wife. I saw them living in some isolated spot, but I could never quite get it right. I could never quite see who this world leader was or where he lived. And year after year I’d look at this idea, then put it away. In the end more than a decade went by. And finally in 2006 I heard an interview on the radio with someone who wanted to have Tony Blair prosecuted for war crimes, who said that the only way he would be able to avoid this would be to go and live in America in exile because he couldn’t be extradited from there. And I almost froze in my seat because I suddenly thought how that could be the central character. Someone based on someone in that situation. And immediately then I also saw the location — in exile, in the United States, like Solzhenitsyn in the 70′s. That’s really when it crystallized for me.”

“Writing about power is the thing that I’m most interested in and all my novels, in a way, are examinations of power. I’m particularly interested in the phenomenon of the leader who loses power, be it Richard Nixon or Margaret Thatcher. How do they readjust? What takes a person to the top and then what’s it like to lose that power. When I started writing the image of Tony Blair went out of the window, and I created – I hope – this universal political figure.” – Robert Harris

The Ghost Writer will be released by Summit Entertainment to limited theaters on February 19, 2010. We will continue to post videos, clips, and information as they become available.

Technorati Tags: The Ghost Writer, Screenshots, Ewan McGregor, Roman Polanski, Kim Cattrall, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Summit Entertainment, Upcoming Releases, Political Thriller, Writer

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: September 25, 2009
DVD Release Date: January 26, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $23.49

Bruce Willis is good at high action, thriller-intensive movies. He’s also good at psychologically messed up Sci Fi. One of my favorite Willis movies just happens to be 12 Monkeys, which isn’t a standard Bruce Willis action flick. Willis is one of the few true blue action heroes that can actually act. Back in the day, I remember watching him on Moonlighting, which showed the guy could be funny and could act, but somehow between then and now, he’s transformed into this bad ass action flick actor who is overlooked for the true talent he has.

For fans who have been fans of Willis as long as I have, you’ve seen the evolution of his career and look forward to nearly everything he’s in. You can guarantee they’ll be action, usually a decent plot, if not, the movie is at least watchable. I knew that I would want to see Surrogates not just from the cool and intriguing trailer, but also because Bruce Willis plays the lead character. I had a feeling I’d like the story behind the movie and I was right.

Going into this review, the only thing I knew about the movie was what I learned from the trailer. I knew the movie was futuristic and I knew people had surrogates, but I had no idea the depths this story would go to, when explaining the purpose of surrogates. As someone in a wheelchair, the entire idea of having a chance to live vicariously through a healthy body is an interesting prospect. While I’d never be able to go to the lengths these people went to by constantly controlling surrogates and having no outside contact with the world, the entire idea of having my own surrogate for when I wanted to experience things I couldn’t due to my chair makes me almost giddy at the thought.

Truth be told, we have our own version of surrogates right here on the web. Online, we can be whoever and whatever we want. While we are not afforded the visual and physical connections to a surrogate, the internet still allows us to live vicariously through the persona(s) we create online. This movie takes all of that to a whole new level and shows how dangerous things could be if everyone had their own surrogate and never had to leave their homes, for anything.

Initially created with physically disabled people in mind, the concept goes out of control, and that is exactly what would happen if surrogates were real in our world. It would ruin interpersonal relationships, keep people locked up and sequestered and destroy the face of the Earth, as we know it. Surrogates would be a game changer, and not necessarily in a good way. I feel this film aptly demonstrates why, as well as why technology (in all the goodness it does provide) should not be used nefariously nor be abused.

Surrogates Plot
The year is 2017. The beginning of the movie tells, through news stories, how surrogates came to be. Originally designed to help physically disabled individuals reclaim their independence by Dr. Lionel Canter (James Cromwell), the company he worked for that created the surrogates has ousted him and made surrogates available to anyone who can afford to buy them. Pretty much the entire world is run by surrogates. The people controlling their surrogates live isolated in their homes and are able to remotely control their surrogates, who live life outside for them.

The surrogates are better looking, nearly indestructible, robots that prevent their operators from feeling any damage or pain. The people operating surrogates live a peaceful existence, or so they believe. When two surrogates are mysteriously murdered and those controlling the surrogates also die, FBI agent, Tom Greer (Bruce Willis), who is using his own surrogate, investigates the murder with his partner, Jennifer Peters (Radha Mitchell). This is the first murder to occur in years, which is puzzling to the agents.

The victim is none other than Jarod Canter, son of the original creator of surrogates. Jarod is actually using one of his father’s surrogates when he is killed, so the investigation leads Greer and Peters back to Canter. This is the first time a controller of a surrogate has died as a result of their surrogate being killed. This kind of technology could destroy the entire world that exists. The case is further complicated when multiple police officers are killed when their surrogates are murdered and Greer nearly dies himself, while pursuing a suspect who has a weapon that can kill the person controlling the surrogates it kills.

With Greer’s surrogate out of commission, the overweight, hurt Greer must leave his home and investigate everything without a surrogate. Things are further complicated when his boss at the FBI suspends him pending further investigation and he must go at the investigation on his own. Greer is led into the hostile territory of The Dreads. This is a camp where those who are against the use of surrogates live. It is a slum that is controlled by their anti-surrogates leader, The Prophet (Ving Rhames). He is allowed to leave, but is told not to return after they discover who he is and that he is looking for Miles Strickland, the man with the killing machine.

The more Greer is out in his own body, the more he realizes what surrogates have done to the world. He tries to get his wife, Maggie (Rosamund Pike), to spend time in her actual body and not her surrogate, but she is still dealing with the loss of their child and wants to hide within the fantasy world surrogates allow her to live within. Feeling his wife growing further apart from him, Greer has nothing to lose from discovering the truth about the death of the surrogates and the bigger plot behind these murders.

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Fans and non-fans alike should greatly enjoy this video transfer. It’s hard to argue with a well-formatted MPEG-4 AVC 1080p transfer with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Even though Surrogates is meant to have somewhat of a dark, dank feel to it (especially in certain parts) things always look good from a technical standpoint. The colors are good when they are in a more colorful setting, the blacks are strong, and the film is visually pleasing from a Blu-ray aspect.

The level of detail is impressive, though if you see something that isn’t supposed to be real, sometimes the amazing quality makes it look even less real. In any case, things look good here. You aren’t going to see a movie that is filled with errors. In fact, none come to mind. I don’t recall any glare, noise, or other glaring visual issues. This is a brand new movie and it looks that way.

If you like the visual quality you will love the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that is offered for audio purposes. The dialogue passes with flying colors, so there is no complaints from me in this area. Things get pretty exciting when it comes to the surround sound, with lots of full power special effects. Despite that the quiet moments are handled very well, too. You will hear cars whiz by and it will sound real enough that you might think you’re hearing things from outside of your house. This is just the best that Blu-Ray has to offer. In addition to standard audio there are mixes in both French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are more than a couple special features here, but that doesn’t make everything here worth watching. On the whole, fans will probably ignore more than they will watch. That being said, if you’re going to buy the Blu-ray you might want to do so for the movie rather than the added bonuses.

The audio commentary includes the thoughts of the director, Jonathan Mostow. Fans of Surrogates should enjoy this commentary very much. Mostow is an interesting guy with a lot to say about the movie and his vision. He manages to remain engaging throughout the entire commentary, leaving little dead space. If you aren’t a huge fan of the movie, this will provide some insight into the goals that Mostow had for the film. If you are a big fan, this will further cement your love of the movie and the man that made it.

“A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates” – This is a short, 15 minute documentary that takes you into the world of Surrogates. The majority of the cast and some crew are featured in interviews. Robotics are discussed and you get to see what a surrogate looks like if they were really made. KNB Effects is also in-house to talk about their makeup work for the movie. There are some good points here, but there isn’t anything ground breaking or that would stop you from safely skipping this.

“Breaking the Frame: A Graphic Novel Comes to Life” – This a shorter documentary, lasting about six or so minutes that deals with the comic book series that the movie was based on by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. The coolest thing here is the artwork that comes from the series, which is pretty awesome. Otherwise there is not a lot of stuff here worth checking out.

The only other special features included are five minutes worth of pretty useless deleted scenes and a music video for Breaking Benjamin’s “I Will Not Bow.”

Bonus Features: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Surrogates provides a unique, interesting story and it looks good while doing it. This is a perfect example of how good Blu-Ray can be. With killer audio and nearly perfect (it could always get better, but this was still amazing) visual qualities, purchasing this film in Blu-Ray is worth the extra money you’ll pay. Action, thriller, and Sci Fi films deserve movies with releases like this one. While there is plenty of action for all those hardcore, kick ass and take no prisoners Bruce Willis fans, there is just as much story to back up these high impact sequences. Don’t bother renting this, because you’ll want to own it. Save time and purchase it now that it’s out. The Surrogates Blu-Ray comes highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 4.43 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Blu-Ray, Review, Surrogates, Bruce Willis, Movie, Thriller, Radha Mitchell, Sci Fi, Ving Rhames, Blu-Ray Review, Film

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: May 8, 2008
DVD Release Date: August 25, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $25.99

When I think of Mila Kunis I think of happier things. I think of comedies and television. Lately though she has made an attempt to change the face of her perceived fluffiness. She’s done that by playing in harder roles. I don’t mean harder as in more difficult, I mean harder edged. It’s not often actors get to reinvent themselves, but when it happens it’s fun to watch. If Kunis continues to pick her roles wisely she could have quite the career on her hands. Boot Camp is just one of the wise roles that she’s picked lately.

No Academy Awards are going to be handed out for this movie. In fact, the most interesting part of this movie is not the writing or the acting, it’s the fact that Boot Camp is based on a true story. I’m a sucker for a true story, especially when it involves a boot camp for disruptive teens that end up being knocked around and brainwashed. The only problem is when you come across a movie based on a true story that has so little information about what is actually true and what is fictional. That’s the case here and it’s one of the major bummers of the film.

I did my best to find out some about the camp that this movie was based on, but didn’t come up with much information that I could compare it to that helped me learn a great deal more about the film. If you’re watching it without paying attention to the supposed back story, it has the possibility of being entertaining. The acting is decent and though there are some plot holes it’s a movie that is interesting enough. It’s easy to see how some parents would be up to the idea of sending their kids to a camp to set them straight. Hopefully, the ones brave enough to do it would be smart enough to pick the right place, unlikely the unsuspecting parents in this film. In any case, Boot Camp serves as a competent popcorn movie. It’s watchable and entertaining, but not a mandatory, life changing film.

The Boot Camp Plot:
When children are bad or unruly parents have a number of options. Some parents put their kids in therapy and others let them run wild. In Boot Camp the parents take all that they can stand and then send their kids to a rehabilitation Boot camp in hopes that the kids will be able to change their lives. The camp, located in Fiji gets each child on a specific basis and brings them to the camp. While the parents are assuming it’s a nice facility that will set their kids straight, the truth is that it’s more like a prison. Each “camper” is fitted with ankle bracelets. The camp is not blocked by walls or bars, but the sea that surrounds the facility makes it hard to consider the option of escape. Even if they did, the ankle bracelets would alert security if they tried.

The camp is run by Dr. Hail (Peter Stormare). In order to improve, or at least properly brainwash them the teenagers he forces them to work on a nonstop basis. The campers are in charge of everything from planting crops, cleaning up, and rebuilding the camp after a storm. Everything is very organized with color codes that explain how deep into their training they are. They start with black shirts and once they have been through enough to be considered rehabilitated they move to white shirts. The staff in charge of the campers smack them around and make sure the work is done to the standards that they set. Some of the staff even convince the girls to trade sex for other favors.

Sophie (Kunis) is sent to the camp and is forced to fight for her life and find a way to save her sanity as she tries to find a way out and back to a normal life. Her boyfriend, realizing she is in trouble, also gets sent there in hopes of finding a way to help her escape so that they can be together and away from that horrible place forever.

Storyline/Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
We only received a screener copy of Boot Camp for review so I cannot comment too much on the quality of the audio and visual aspects of the film. I can say that the specs for the released DVD will include anamorphic widescreen with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and audio that includes Dolby Digital 5.1 with Closed Captioning and English subtitles.

Bonus Features:
I am not sure if Fox decided to leave any potential goodies off of this screener (they usually include them so I doubt it), but if not this comes with as little as possible. In fact, it only includes a trailer or two and that’s about it. This is incredibly sad since I am sure that people would have liked to learn more about the allegedly true story behind Boot Camp.

Bonus Features: 0 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
In many ways Boot Camp was lacking in all of the areas where I wanted it to be strong. The acting was good and the basic idea of the story was interesting. However, the thing that really got me was that it was based on a true story. Unfortunately, in the Bonus Features potential fans were left high and dry and weren’t told anything about how much or little was true. For all I know it could be as true as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which has some obvious plot holes. If you have nothing better to do and want to see something with Mila that’s definitely darker than her usual work you should check this out. On the other hand, if you’re watching because you’re hoping to learn more about the back story, you may end up sadly disappointed.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: DVD Review, Boot Camp, Movie, MGM, Thriller, Drama, Mila Kunis, Gregory Smith, Film