First off, I'll say this: If you are considering buying this collection you have to be a big time Oliver Stone fan or a fan of at least one of the three films included.This isn't the definitive Oliver Stone collection. These are also not his best films. There is no Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, Wall Street or JFK in here. None of the films Stone has made that everyday cinema goers would know are in this collection. So if that's what you like, then stay away from this, you most likely won't enjoy it for what it's worth.
Now, if you happen to be a fan of one of the three films included or you like Stone's less mainstream material then for the $15.99 it is now ,I highly recommend it. If you like even just one film it's worth the price to get two of Stone's other passable pieces as well.
Included in this set is NATURAL BORN KILLERS(1994), ANY GIVEN SUNDAY(1999), and ALEXANDER(2004).
NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994)
Overall: 4/5
FILM: 3/5
PICTURE: 2/5
AUDIO: 3/5
EXTRAS 4/5
First up is Natural Born Killers, which was arguably Stone's first major misfire in terms of critical acclaim (Next to Talk Radio and The Doors to some extent). NBK is an ultra-violent look at the way the media portray violence and inspires it by provoking crazy people to do crazy things to get noticed. The script was originally written by Quentin Tarantino, but Stone made a ton of changes to it and ultimately altered it far beyond the point where Tarantino calls it his script. Stone goes over the top with gratuitous violence and the movie never really KA-BOOM's with a hard punching theme. But it's got a lot of strong moments and is far from a terrible film.
The picture and audio are mediocre on this edition but it's same edition as the regular Blu Ray release and the Digi-Book release so it's not just this edition with average mixes. The picture is stagnant but is better then the DVD version. It was shot on 16mm for most parts which is a low grade of film to begin with but we've seen black and white silent films get better treatment. The picture isn't distracting, but those who are anal about their picture quality will have to take this with a grain of salt. I myself am pretty anal about Blu Ray picture quality given that it's HD and we should expect no less. The audio is passable but it won't light up your speakers like other Blu Ray releases like Star Wars/
The extra features are usually what make Blu Ray's more popular because they're usually stacked due to their high quantity of memory. The features on NBK range from standard EPK (press and pre-release making of footage. The kind of stuff that airs on TV Guide and HBO in between shows/movies). The meat of the features is Stone's Charlie Rose interview. Rose corners Stone numerous times about the films violence and why Stone needed to include such a high volume of it. Stone actually acts like a primadonna when asked to defend himself.
Features:
Feature Length Audio Commentary with Oliver Stone
2 Theatrical Trailers
Charlie Rose interview
Deleted Scenes
Natural Born Killers Evolution (21:59)
Chaos Rising (26:30)
Booklet featuring Making-Of info
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (1999)
Overall: 4/5
FILM: 4/5
PICTURE: 3/5
AUDIO: 3/5
EXTRAS: 4/5
Next up is ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, Stone's 1999 attempt to show the world of football through his lens. As far as the film goes, you have to really like Stone to like this film. It's not his best outing either but it's a personal favorite and a cult hit in only a way the a Stone film can be. Al Pacino is great in it and it's maybe one of his last respectable performances before he starts to drift into pay check films like 88 Minutes, Righteous Kill and Jack and Jill. It's definitely a watchable film especially if you enjoy football and Oliver Stone and hate the cotton candy Disney way sports films are handled. This film is rough, tough and deals with sex, drugs, violence and steroids, which put it ahead of it's time in terms of issue films.
The picture and audio are steps up from NBK, but it's far from perfect. The picture is an improvement as the shadows, contrast and skin tones are much more pleasing to look at on AGS. But two things that drive me crazy on Blu Ray remasters show up on this film and those are Noise Reduction and Edge Enhancement. This gives the picture no grain which is a plus but softens up the image. It'll annoy the hell out of hardcore Blu Ray aficionado but as far as compared to the DVD, it's much better. The sound is an improvement but some of the more quiet dialogues are quiet and hard to hear. The crowd noise is intentionally enhanced to drown out actors during games for a more realistic feel. That's a judgement call on whether you like that or not.
Features here are pretty great especially if you're a fan of the film.
Feature Length Audio Commentary with Oliver Stone
Feature Length Audio Commentary with Jammie Foxx
Full Contact HBO Documentary (27:00)
Deleted/Extended Scenes (33:00)
Isolated Audio Tracks
Music Videos
Screen Tests feat. Jammie Foxx and others (7:00)
Gag Reel (7:00)
Outtakes (12:00)
ALEXANDER (2004)
Overall: 3/5
FILM: 3/5
PICTURE: 4/5
AUDIO: 4/5
EXTRAS: 4/5
Finally we have ALEXANDER, Stone's 2004 epic chronicling Alexander the Great. It's my least favorite film of the set but that's because I just don't really like the film. I'm luke-warm on it where I don't love it but I don't hate it either. That being said it's the best technical film of the set with the best picture, audio and a hefty chunk of features.
The film was the first Stone film to be shot in HD so naturally the transfer is amazing. The contrasts are great and it really makes for a vibrant looking film. The audio is also spectacular and is even more so when compared to the other mediocre entries in the set. But the film itself is rife with inaccuracies and just isn't the best film ever made. I find it to be one of Stone's worst and they could have found a better filler movie then ALEXANDER to include in this set. W. would have been an excellent fit in this trilogy set due to it's social theme. Alexander is a historical film that stands out against NBK and ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.
The features greatly save this entry in terms of enjoyment. There are two really good documentaries included about the making of the film. For those want to be filmmakers, this is good behind the scenes stuff from all aspects of the film. It serves to show you both how a film of this magnitude is made and how not to do it wrong.
Features include:
Introduction by Oliver Stone
Feature Length Commentary with Oliver Stone
Feature Length Commentary with Alexander historian Robin Fox
Fight Against Time: Oliver Stone's Alexander (1:16:10)
Behind The Scenes (1:00:11)
-Part One: Resurrecting Alexander (26:41)
-Part Two: Perfect if the Enemy of Good (28:51)
-Part Three: Vangelis Scores Alexander (4:29)
Theatrical Trailer
Teaser Trailer
VERDICT: If you haven't made a decision based on the information given, the set probably isn't for you. But if you're mildly intrigued by any of the aspects of the three films included in this set then I recommend picking yourself up a copy. Especially for the price it's at now ($15 as of 11/26/11), you can't really go wrong. You're essentially at that price getting three movies for one and they're the same editions that are floating around out there at $10 a pop. I wouldn't go for this set at anywhere above $20 and even then that's sort of a stretch but it's still reasonable. Again DO NOT get this set if you haven't seen any Oliver Stone films prior and even then make sure you like at least one of the films in the set before thinking about picking it up. For me, NBK and Any Given Sunday did it and Alexander was just filler. But hey, it's a free Blu Ray and who can pass up anything that's free.
For ten bucks you can't really go wrong unless you don't like the films and that could be the case. Any Given Sunday is that sport spectacle that we all know exists but rarely get access to. Or at least we didn't use to but now with the internet it is much easier to see behind the lines a bit. It is over the top in some parts but I feel a really good representation of what Pro sports mean to people and the ramifications that come along with such a big money event. All in all I really liked the film.
NBK is a masterpiece but I am not going to go into specifics here. Some people hate the film. So be it. The ever changing styles and truth seeking nature of the film are apparent from the start. It doesn't hold back at all.
Alexander is the curious inclusion. The Final Cut of this film is surprisingly entertaining and lavish. Not the greatest film I have ever seem but then again it really is quite good in places and the attention to detail is insane. The extras are fun to digest as well.
All of these films have decent but very average bitrates around 20. Nothing awful and nothing great. For ten bucks it's great to have these films in hi-def looking pretty good.
No comments:
Post a Comment