Book
Club: The Next Chapter
(2023/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)/Boy
With The Green Hair
(1948/RKO/Warner Archive Blu-ray)/I
Am T-Rex
(2023/Well Go Blu-ray)
Picture:
B- & C/B/B Sound: B & C+/C+/B Extras: C/C-/D
Films: C/C+/D
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Boy With The Green Hair
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
These
comedies are somewhat to mostly also intended for families, but....
Bill
Holderman's Book
Club: The Next Chapter
(2023) is a standard, even dull, sequel to a film I had already
forgot about. It may bring together four great actresses in Jane
Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen, but the
screenplay is very weak and does nothing we have not seen or done
before. They and their talent are way above this formulaic bore as
their title organization takes them to Italy. I would have just
settled for a pizza.
Craig
T. Nelson, Giancarlo Giannini, Don Johnson and Andy Garcia also show
up leading the supporting cast and they try to help, but even they
cannot make any more of this. So, this is for fans only if that and
I hope this is the final chapter.
Extras
include Digital Copy, (and per the press release)
BOOK
CLUB: Back in Session:
The Book Club is back and better than ever! Sit down with the
filmmakers and cast, including our four leading ladies, as they chat
about what made the first film such a mega success, why they're
excited to be back, and the journey these characters take in the
sequel.
Still
Stylish:
Costume designer Stefano De Nardis was overjoyed to take on the task
of dressing these legends of fashion and cinema! Learn how each
character's style was created and how it melds with the actress
portraying them.
and
The
Women in Italy:
The Book Club is going global and taking the audience with them!
Filmmakers and cast discuss shooting in some of the most iconic
locations on earth, how the idea of shooting in Italy came to be and
what it was like making a movie in Rome and Venice amongst the
actual tourists.
Joseph
Losey's The
Boy With The Green Hair
(1948) is a Dore Schary-produced tale of the title character (a very
young Dean Stockwell) who finds peace and happiness in a small town,
until his hair turns that unusual color. Instead of just finding it
odd, the whole town starts to single him out and pick on him! A
cautionary tale, this is not bad for what it is and has some good
moments, though it has also dated in some ways, yet interestingly in
others.
This
was an unusual project for Losey, as well as actors Robert Ryan (who
did endless tough guy roles,) Pat O'Brien and Barbara Hale among
others and is a curio worth a good look. I have to add the use of
Technicolor is more clever than it seems and the original camera
materials have held up very well.
The
live-action short A
Very Important Person
is the only extra.
Lastly,
Cai Shangming & Chen Silin's I
Am T-Rex
(2023) is a Chinese digitally animated film that feels more like an
animation student's graduation project than a marketable feature.
The plot is clearly pulled from Disney's classic The
Lion King
with many similar characters, and almost exact plot points.
Obviously, the filmmakers here weren't trying to hide their
influences. The dinosaurs themselves were definitely inspired by
Jurassic
Park
in terms of their design and the trailer to the film clearly uses
sound effects from that genre classic too in its marketing material.
With traits tied so closely to two Hollywood mega-hits, it's a bit
surprising that this film had the legs to reach it to the states, but
I guess if you copy someone's homework, but change it just enough it
will pass!
The
film features the voice talents of Yi Nuo, Lin Lang, Wen Chi Yu. Zhao
Fu Gang, and Li Xin.
The
plot centers on a young T-Rex who loses Green Valley, a kingdom where
his father was the rule. A group of evil dinosaurs step in and take
over the land while the young Dino is forced into the jungle where he
reclaims his strength and returns to the homeland to face off and
reclaim his family claim and restore peace.
This
would be a fine film for very small children to enjoy, but I wouldn't
take it to a much older audience. The film is simply too close to
the above mentioned blockbusters and the animation isn't very solid
and still seems on the lower budgeted spectrum. The animation lacks
another layer of detail and refinery that you see in Hollywood
animation films and feels in some ways like a film that could use
more work put into its details.
I
Am T-Rex
isn't the next Land
of the Lost
and steals more than one page from The Lion King, to the point where
it's almost comical how similar the two films are and cannot hide the
fact that it's a complete knockoff of well known Hollywood
properties, but would deliver if placed in front of a young child who
just wants to see some animated talking dinosaurs.
The
only extra is a Trailer.
Now
for playback performance. The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition
image on Book
Club
is an HD shoot that is a bit soft throughout and color can be
limited, though the
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is really worse and the
poorest on this list. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix
is at least competent and consistent for a dialogue-based comedy, but
don't expect much sonically. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the
DVD version is very weak and not that great.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Boy
With The Green Hair
can sometimes show the age of the materials used, but this is
superior to all previous home video editions and any versions I have
seen, recently restored and a really good representation
of a dye-transfer, three-strip 35mm Technicolor version of the film.
Very nice. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix has
also been restored well and is as good as this film will likely ever
sound.
Finally,
I Am
T-Rex
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and an English DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mix. Well Go USA did a fine job in
bringing this film to disc with no issues in terms of presentation.
To
order The
Boy With the Green Hair
Warner Archive Blu-ray, go to this link for them and many more great
web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (T-Rex)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
