It’s been ages since I’ve seen a Woody Allen movie. Last one I saw was Match Point in 2005 and before that it was 1994’s Bullets Over Broadway. I guess I like the “early, funny films” over his more dramatic output later in his career. But with all the acclaim Cate Blanchett has been getting for her performance in Blue Jasmine — not to mention the Golden Globe and SAG awards and Oscar nomination — and the release of the Blu-ray on January 21, I decided it was high time I gave this one a shot.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it seems pretty simple on the surface. Jasmine Francis has it all. A super wealthy husband, a lavish home, a son in law school, fancy clothes, an abundance of friends, and pretty much everything else she could want. But that all comes crashing down when she learns of her husband’s affairs and that his wheeling and dealing was more stealing and cheating, including “investing” $200,000 of her sister’s finace’s money into a bogus real estate venture. With nothing left to her name, Jasmine has to leave New York to live with her sister in San Francisco until she can get back on her feet but that seems to be a greater task than anyone could have ever imagined.

Like I said, the plot seems to be fairly simple on the surface but Allen’s script and Blanchett’s performance bring many, many layers to the story. It’s like peeling an onion the way Allen has structured the film between the present and a flashback that illustrates how Jasmine has gotten to a particular place in the story. We see Jasmine arrive in San Francisco, presumably still full of herself as she babbles on to a fellow passenger who has no clue what’s she’s talking about. When Jasmine arrives at her sister’s apartment, she gives off an air of this place being beneath her even though she’s grateful for a place to stay.

As Jasmine has to come to terms with where life has taken her, Blanchett manages to make Jasmine one of the most unlikable characters ever committed to film but at the same time, you almost feel sorry for her, or you become happy for her when she meets Mr. Right and then you realize again what a horrid person she is as she concocts a new life story for him … and then you also realize what a terrible person Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard) is because he’s just attracted to Jasmine because she looks the part of a politician’s wife. Jasmine also meddles in her sister’s life by nearly causing the break-up of her relationship (she thinks Ginger can do better than the grease monkey she’s with … who loves Ginger with all his heart), and she proves totally inept at something as simple as working on a computer. You also wonder just how “clueless” Jasmine was to her husband’s scheming ways.

The one time you genuinely feel sorry for Jasmine is when her boss, a dentist for whom she takes a receptionist job to pay for her computer classes, becomes overly aggressive with her, forcing himself on her as she attempts to leave for the day. This is a totally shocking moment in the film because this is the one thing in Jasmine’s life that she didn’t deserve, and meeting Dwight shortly afterwards seems like she’s finally heading in the right direction. Blanchett plays every emotion possible, and even when she seems to be stabilizing, there’s always an undercurrent of despair or mania just brewing under the surface and is almost always clearly visible on Blanchett’s face. The devastating climax doesn’t give us any easy answers to Jasmine’s plight, leaving us to wonder if she’ll be able to survive on her own.

Blanchett has more than earned her accolades so far this year, and it would be simply stunning if she loses the Oscar. She gives a truly masterful, yet understated performance that sits on the complete opposite end of the spectrum as Meryl Streep’s “look at me!” performance in August: Osage County. While Sandra Bullock gave a powerful performance in Gravity, it’s beginning to seem more gimmicky and technical than actual acting, and Amy Adams may have won the Golden Globe for a comedic performance in American Hustle but she will not take home Oscar gold against Blanchett. One can assume, if you’ve seen Philomena, that Judi Dench is probably Blanchett’s only real competition. It will be a true injustice if Blanchett does not win.

Blanchett’s co-star Sally Hawkins is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress as Jasmine’ sister Ginger. Hawkins more than holds her own against Blanchett and gives Ginger’s story arc a lot of humanity, even if things happen a bit too quickly in the structure of the movie. It’s certainly no fault of her own, and she gives Ginger more strength beneath the surface than Jasmine believes she has. The supporting cast, including Sarsgaard, Bobby Cannavale, Alec Baldwin, Louis CK and, surprisingly, Andrew “Dice” Clay, also give very strong performances … but what does one expect from a Woody Allen ensemble?

The Blu-ray is gorgeous, with a sharp, colorful image that contrasts the golden luster of Jasmine’s New York life with the colorful Bohemia of her new life in San Francisco. The English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is crisp and clear, keeping the dialog front and center and Allen’s usual jazz score in the background. The surround speakers are barely used, but it’s still a very nice sounding track. The disk’s extras are sparse, with a six minute reel of red carpet and press interviews with Blanchett, Sarsgaard and Clay, and a 25 minute press conference with the same three actors answering questions about working with Woody and the way they approached their characters (clothes played a big part). I suppose it’s too much to expect any type of participation from Allen himself, but it would be nice to have a commentary track with Blanchett at the very least giving us more insight into what makes Jasmine tick.

If you haven’t seen Blue Jasmine yet, I do highly recommend checking out the Blu-ray or DVD. The presentation of the film is lovely and even if you can’t stand Jasmine, you’ll still be impressed by Blanchett and the rest of the cast and Allen’s deep, insightful Oscar-nominated script.

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I doubt when The Hangover was being made, anyone ever thought it would gross over $400 million dollars and spawn two sequels. I had the (mis)fortune of seeing Parts I and II basically back-to-back and was dumbfounded by all of the “this is the funniest movie ever” comments I had heard. The first one was mildly amusing — perhaps it played better with a large audience rather than on home video — but the second one was a carbon copy with the same comedic beats set in a different location.

I suppose I’m a glutton for punishment, or just a completest, so it was with much trepidation that I attended an advance screening of The Hangover Part III before its theatrical release. Surprisingly enough, I enjoyed it much more than either of the first two movies simply because (and this seems to be the reason a lot of people disliked it) it was different. A completely different story with the same characters, and returning characters from the first movie including someone who was just mentioned in passing, that totally ignored the series’ title! There was no hangover-induced confusion, no constant “what is going on here?” wailing, just a pretty tight story that picks up after the end of Part II and then pretty much ignores it in order to backtrack to events that happened off-camera in Part I.

Unfortunately, the fact that the movie was so different from the first two — or that people were just expecting another regurgitation of the same plot — left Part III with a much smaller box office total than either of the previous films. Which is a shame, because the movie is actually more entertaining, much funnier, has some amazing action scenes and John Goodman to boot! If you decided not to see the movie at the cinema, now is your chance to see for yourself how the Wolfpack’s journey ends.

Warner Home Video has just released The Hangover Part III on various home video formats. The Blu-ray edition of the film (which also comes with a DVD and a Digital HD copy) presents the film perfectly. I don’t know if this was shot digitally or on film, but a close look at the image shows what appears to be very fine grain giving it a film-like quality. The colors are appropriately saturated and replicate the best theatrical presentation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is vibrant, directional and booming during the intense action scenes. Dialogue is clear, but music and effects never overpower that center channel. It’s definitely a great, demo-worthy mix.

The extras included on the Blu-ray range from behind-the-scenes footage to some not very humorous pieces. These include:

• Behind the Scenes: Replacing Zach: The Secret Auditions (6:09) — Director Todd Phillips would have us believe that he thought of recasting the “difficult” Zach Galifianakis after the second movie with potential candidates such as Jason Sudeikis and Bobby Moynihan. Mildly amusing.
• Behind the Scenes: The Wolfpack’s Wildest Stunts (5:10) — This is a great, but much too short, look at some of the film’s action scenes including the Vegas parachute finale which pretty much shut down the Strip and required the cooperation of all the hotels in the area. There is also an amazing look at the scene on top of Caesar’s Palace that wasn’t quite as terrifying as it looked on screen. Movie buffs will love this … and want more!
• Behind the Scenes: Zach Galifianakis in His Own Words (2:32) — Someone just pointed a camera at Zach and let him ramble as if he was being interviewed. Zach “dishes” on his co-stars, his character, Dockers and Solid Gold. It’s a mercifully short piece.
• Behind the Scenes: Pushing the Limits (3:36) — In the movies, they say never work with animals or children. This brief feature shows the movie magic behind working with a giraffe, angry roosters and a 4-year-old boy. PETA can breathe a little easier.
• Featurette: Inside Focus: The Real Chow (5:24) — A “newsmagazine” look at the career of Ken Jeong … or is it Leslie Chow? The piece implies that Jeong is just a character and Chow is the real person, but either way this is the least amusing extra on the disk.
• Featurette: Action Mash-Up — One minute and nine seconds of the film’s action scenes. Best viewed after seeing the movie as it’s full of spoilers.
• Extended Scenes (2:03) — Three short cuts that weren’t missed by not having them in the movie.
• Outtakes (7:51) — Pretty funny flubs and behind the scenes footage.

The question is, is this all there is? Will there be an extended director’s cut sometime down the road, or perhaps a full trilogy box set (which is set to be released in December, according to Amazon, but not officially announced by the studio … yet)? If you own the first two and want to finish the set, then you’ll want to pick this one up. It looks and sounds great, and the bonus material is satisfactory, but there could be some more in depth material. Your enjoyment may vary, but for me, this was the best film of the trilogy.

This review was based on the Blu-ray/DVD Combo generously provided to CliqueClack by Warner Home Video.

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I didn’t get a chance to see Jack the Giant Slayer when it was out in theaters, and after reading a few of the tepid reviews (including our own Jeremy Fogelman‘s) I was glad I didn’t drive the 45-minutes it would have taken me to attend the press screening. But now the film is available on several video formats from Warner Home Video – DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and Digital Download – so I decided to give the film a spin on Blu-ray.

If you know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, then you already have a very, very basic idea of what the film will be about … but there are major changes to the plot. I remember the original Jack to basically be a thief as he stole a harp and a golden egg laying goose from the giant who lived in the clouds. Then he kills the giant as he climbs down the beanstalk to reclaim his treasure … and they live happily ever after, apparently guilt free.

In this version, Jack lives with his uncle (mother in the original tale), they are in need of money so he goes to market to sell his horse (not a cow) and ends up with a handful of beans from a monk who promises him the money if he can get the sacred beans to the monastery. It seems, as we are told in the opening prologue, that these beans can create a bridge to a land of giants that live between heaven and earth (they once ravaged the land) and there is also a magical crown that allows whoever wears it to control the giants. Jack’s uncle thinks this is all poppycock and takes Jack’s family valuables to sell. Meanwhile, the princess of the land wants to get away from an arranged marriage, ends up at Jack’s house where the beans have already been spilled (literally), and a rain storm activates them, spiriting away Jack’s house with the princess inside. Jack, the king’s men and her intended (who has nefarious plans of his own) climb the beanstalk to rescue her … and come upon an entire land of giants who don’t appreciate trespassers (and strangely, there don’t seem to be any female giants).

After watching Jack the Giant Slayer, I have to say the movie really isn’t as bad as I had been led to believe. It drags a bit at the beginning as the relationship between Jack and the princess is set up, but once the beanstalk grows, things move along at a steady pace. I was also surprised (pleasantly) that the giants weren’t the comic oafs they seemed to be in the trailers. They are quite dangerous and think nothing of picking up a human and chomping on them as a snack. The film doesn’t go as far as showing that in gruesome detail, though, usually cutting to horrified reactions just as an upper torso enters a mouth. The two-headed leader of the giants does have a “comic relief” second head that’s a bit under-developed, but there really isn’t a whole lot about them that’s over-the-top hilarious (I just wish they looked a little more real instead of like video game characters).

The film packs in a lot of action, and the production design is top notch. The cast all do fine jobs, including Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane, Eleanor Thomlinson, Bill Nighy and Stanley Tucci at his villainous best, but the film rests squarely on the shoulders of Nicholas Hoult who has to go from poor, timid farm boy to action hero to save the woman he loves, even though she technically can’t return the feelings. The biggest surprise, for me, was learning Hoult is actually a Brit! He makes Jack a believable character and the film is all the better for his performance.

The Warner Home Video Blu-ray brings Bryan Singer’s vision to the home screen very much intact. The 1080p HD image is sharp and colorful, giving you a very film-like viewing experience (the DVD image, however, suffers greatly when viewed on an HD television). The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio will also give your home theater system a good workout with very active surround speakers and a nice subwoofer rumble during the battle scenes. If you have neighbors in close proximity, this is not a movie you’ll want to watch late at night if you like cranking up the volume. For those of you with 3D set-ups, the Blu-ray 3D version also looks fantastic, sharp, vibrant with color and has very nice depth separation. Not much comes off the screen, but there are a couple of instances where you may duck to avoid debris or beans coming toward your face. Both the 2D and 3D Blu-ray presentations get very high marks.

The 2D Blu-ray also includes some bonus material. The most interesting is the “Become a Giant Slayer” option. This is a fun, interactive game hosted by Nicholas Hoult that allows the viewer to scale a beanstalk and make decisions on which way to go using your arrow buttons on the remote. On wrong move and you’re sent back to the beginning, so that might get a little frustrating, but as you climb you also have the option to view several behind the scenes featurettes that show the magic of making the movie (although some of the graphics border on the juvenile). Also included are Deleted Scenes (about 8 minutes) featuring a slightly different prologue with narration and unfinished effects, and a scene reuniting Jack with his uncle in the middle of the action that completely grinds the scene to a halt – which demonstrates why is was wisely excised from the film. There is also a Gag Reel (about 3 minutes) that includes a funny prank on Eleanor Thomlinson, and an uncooperative cat, some tuna and Nicholas Hoult’s ear. The DVD only includes the Deleted Scenes and Gag Reel.

If you missed Jack the Giant Slayer because of the bad reviews, I’d say the new home video version is worth your time. It’s entertaining for the whole family – except the very young due to some of the violence and a third act bit of gore – has a great cast, terrific visual effects, and just looks stunning in HD.

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