Carnage
(2011/Sony DVD)/Happy Happy
(2010/Magnolia Blu-ray)
Picture: C/B- Sound: C+/B+ Extras: B-/C- Films: B-/C
Now for
two drams about the dark sided of family life…
Roman
Polanski’s new film Carnage (2011)
is based on a stage play in which two couples are brought together by a bad
fight between two of their sons and how they intend to resolve it. The couple with the son whose face has been
disfigured (John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster) are down to earth and have some
financial means, while the other couple (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) are
more moneyed and have come visiting between their work schedules, though the
husband just cannot stay off the phone over a lawsuit involving a medication
that may be killing people.
Polanski
has tried this kind of stage play adaptation before with the even better Death & The Maiden (1994) and done
the manners gone badly wrong scenario before with Cul De Sac (1965, reviewed on Criterion Blu-ray elsewhere on this
site), so he has been here before, but despite eventually adding in some
implausibilities, the actors are in top form and keep this going in all kinds
of ways. Though not a great film, it is
very effective for what it is and how it does work, with drama, serious
moments, ironic humor and a character examination of parenting, human nature
and the world we now live in. Many might
think the usually comic Reilly would somehow be at a disadvantage, but he is
underrated, underestimated and more than holds his own as one of the four
heavyweights here.
It is
worth your time, so catch it. Extras
include On The Red Carpet, Actor’s
Notes, a Trailer and a long on-camera piece with Reilly and Waltz interview on
stage before a live audience that is a very welcome bonus.
Anne
Sewitsky’s Happy Happy (2010) has
Agnes Kittelsen as Kaja, a happily married woman who wishes her husband would
be with her more instead of going hunting, but her optimism is blinding her
until she gets together with another couple who have become their new neighbors
and she starts to see things around her more clearly in this major critical and
commercial success from Norway. I liked
the acting here too, especially by actors I had not really seen before and the
locales are a plus, but we have seen much of this tale before and a subplot
about the interaction between a young white male child and adopted African
young man is odd, including dealing with the politics of slavery.
The film
never gets too sidetracked for what it does and there are some good moments
which is why this got attention in the first place. I would like to see the actors in other films
too, but was a bit disappointed despite the good press. Extras include International and U.S.
Trailers.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 on Carnage
was shot in the Super 35mm film format and it is softer than usual despite
being shot pretty much in a couple of rooms, though a Blur-0ay has also been
issued and might look better in that format, which I would go for if I had a
choice. The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High
Definition image transfer on Happy
originated on 16mm film, but it does look better throughout including the
outdoor scenes, but has some softness just the same. We suspect this is in the Super 16mm format.
The lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 on Carnage is
dialogue-based, but might just play a little better on the lossless track
offered on the Blu-ray. This is still
very well recorded, but don’t expect spectacular sound because this is not that
kind of movie. The DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on Happy is
the biggest surprise of all with an impressive soundfield throughout and
superior recording work that adds up to solid playback that will surprise. It probably helped the film with audiences
and critics too.
- Nicholas Sheffo
