William
Shakespeare's Hamlet
(2018)/In Syria
(2017/both Film Movement DVDs)/Ismael's
Ghost (2017/Magnolia
DVD)/Vazante
(2017/Music Box Blu-ray)/Went
To Coney Island On A Mission From God... Be Back By Five
(1998/MVD Rewind Blu-ray)
Picture:
B-/B-/B-/C+/B Sound: B-/B-/B-/B+/B Extras: D/C/D/B/B
Films: B/B/C/C+/B
This
group of dramas include some unusual entries...
We
start with yet another version of an oft filmed classic as Film
Movement presents a unique new version of the classic William
Shakespeare play in Hamlet (2018), which stars Maxine Peake
(The Theory of Everything) in the reimagined title role. The
updated play features modern clothing yet still the trademark
Shakespearean language that fans have come to know and love. What
makes this production unique is the fact that Hamlet is played by a
woman for the first time since Frances de la Tour took on the role
forty years ago. Peake makes for an interesting choice and the
accompaniment with jazzy music makes this an interesting spin on the
classic material.
The
play is presented cinematically on anamorphically
enhanced standard definition DVD with a 1.78:1 widescreen
aspect ratio and a fine sounding, lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 surround
sound mix. A lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix is on the disc as
well and sounds up to standards. While this would be improved with
an HD transfer, the look here on DVD isn't too terrible.
No
Extras.
The
award winning film In Syria (2017), takes place in Damascus,
where a mother attempts to keep her family safe on the inside as war
rages and a sniper lies in wait just outside her home. Terrifying
and very real, this is an intelligently made film that has a lot of
heart of humanity behind it that's definitely makes it worth a watch.
The
film stars Diamond Blu Abboud, Juliette Navin-Bardin, Hiam Abbass,
Husam Chadat, and Mohsen Abbas to name a few. In Syria is
directed by Phillipe Van Leeuw.
Presented
on anamorphically enhanced standard
definition DVD with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 Arabic surround sound mix (and a 2.0 mix as well)
with English subtitles, the compressed presentation isn't anything
spectacular or terrible either. Overall, the presentation could
definitely benefit in HD.
Special
Feature includes...
Bonus
Short Film - Le Pain directed by Him Abbass (19
minutes)
Trailers
Arnaud
Desplechin's Ismael's
Ghosts (2017)
lands on DVD courtesy of Magnolia and stars Marion Cotillard,
Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Mathieu Amalric. The slow moving romantic
drama has the makings of an 'award season' film yet feels like it
tries a bit too hard to fit into that category by being way too over
dramatic.
Ismael's
Ghosts tells the story of a filmmaker, Ismael, who re-encounters
his lost love of 21 years. Of course, he's with another woman now
named Sylvia all the whilst working on his next movie. Ismael is
stuck at a crossroads between these two women and his demanding
career.
The
film is presented in anamorphically
enhanced standard definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of
2.40:1 and a lossy 5.1 French Dolby Digital mix (with English
subtitles). While it would be much improved in HD, it looks as good
as to be expected here.
No
extras.
1821,
Brazil. Antonio (Adriano Carvalho) the merchant returns home to find
both his wife and child died during childbirth. So he then marries
his late wife's niece, Beatriz (Luana Nastas). At first, Beatriz is
excited being a mistress of a large plantation, but soon she
discovers she is in a loveless marriage and the only she can find
solace is in a young slave in Daniela Thomas' Vazante
(2017).
Antonio
is the master and owner of a large (but failing) slave plantation,
but after losing his wife and child he decides to marries his late
wife's young niece, Beatriz who is young enough to be his daughter.
At first, Beatriz thinks of herself as lucky of scoring a marriage
with a rich man and to be living in a large mansion. But soon she
discovers she is living in a loveless marriage on decaying property
with his aging mother-in-law. She finds comfort in the arms of one
of their slaves, one thing leads to another and it soon becomes
affair that will destroy all the lives on the plantation.
This
was a completely black and white film. There was not much dialog,
but was more about the quiet ambiance between the characters. The
story was both a tragedy and a cautionary tale, it reminds people of
what slavery is, a time when women were seen barely better than
slaves and how racism still exists.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High
Definition black and white image is on the sift side, likely
an HDF shoot trying to look like monochrome and falling short, but
we've seen worse attempts, so the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1
lossless mix is more like it, well recorded with a fine soundfield.
Extras include a collector's
booklet, Masterclass with the Director, behind the scenes and
trailers.
The
coming of age drama Went To Coney Island On A Mission From God...
Be Back By Five (1998), joins the ranks of other titles in the
new genre defying MVD Rewind Collection. Paired with a nice
soundtrack and a Wonder Years-esque feel, especially in the
opening, the film captures friendship and drama in Coney Island.
Based on a true story the film is both funny and heartbreaking.
The
film stars Jon Cryer, Rick Stear, Rafael Baez, Ione Skye, Frank
Whaley, and Peter Gerety.
Remastered
from the original 35mm film elements, the film is presented in 1080p
high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and lossless
English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix and an original English LPCM
2.0 Mono track. For a low budgeted film such as this which was shot
on film it's particularly impressive. The disc features a 'frame by
frame' digital restoration from the original 35mm film elements so
there's no doubt this is the best its going to look aside from a 4K
Ultra HD presentation.
Special
Features include:
NEW
Introduction from director Richard Schenkman and Jon Cryer (HD)
Audio
commentary from director Richard Schenkman and Jon Cryer
"Went
to Coney Island... To Make a Movie" Behind the scenes featurette
(18:36, SD)
"The
Producer" - Comedy short film directed by Richard Schenkman
(3:00, SD)
Photo
Gallery
Original
Theatrical Trailer (SD)
Collectible
Mini-Poster
-
Ricky Chiang (Vazante) and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/