Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Great film and sharp DVD
Finally saw the David Twohy ("Pitch Black") thriller Below last night and was slightly disappointed, but ONLY because my expectations were so high. I thought it was great - not as good as Pitch Black, but a different kind of movie so a comparison isn't really fair.At first you get the feeling that the movie can't decide what it wants to be - war? mystery? ghost story? horror? submarine hunt? Then you realize that it WANTS to be all those in one. And it does a very good job of being ALL of them. There are some excellent, VERY brief visuals in the movie that contribute to the sense of unease and otherworldly. It's the best representation ever of the feeling that you can only catch a glimpse of a ghost out of the corner of your eye. The sound design (as with just about any submarine movie) is excellent and story-critical. The acting is top-calibre from a relatively obscure cast (Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Matthew Davis, Holt McCallany, Scott Foley, Jason Flemyng, Nick Chinlund). The film is co-scripted by Darren Aronofsky ("Pi", "Requiem for a Dream"). Director Twohy puts in a cameo appearance. The DVD exhibits one of the cleanest, clearest pictures I've ever seen (in my collection of 1000 DVDs). It rivals the transfer of a more obvious reference disc like "Monsters, Inc.". The sound, although not DTS, is terrific, and you'll want to turn up the volume so you can hear everything from the hull noises to whispering voices. The disc is presented in anamorphic widescreen at about 1.79:1 I highly recommend it!
Rating:  - Beneath the surface, no one can hear you scream
Or so the tagline of this movie goes. I like to see hybrids of movie genres. This being a WW II sub film crossed with a ghost story. As one critic puts it, "U-571 Meets Poltergeist." It's a good movie, good story, outstanding performances from a cast of lesser knowns. Two scenes standout as a grand testimony to the direction of David Twohy. 1. Gossip of a female on board travels among the sailors from one end of the boat to the other. 2. A depth charge bounces slowly along the stretch of the sub before teetering on the edge...and we watch in complete suspense. As for the DVD, the transfer is crisp, the audio is incredible (as creaks and moans play an important role in the film), and the special features are good. You get a theatrical trailer, a director and actor's commentary, and a great featurette titled "The Process." A wonderful look into the filmmaking process we watch how rehearsals come to be the real deal. Running only 12 1/2 minutes, I wish it were longer. And 3 really good deleted scenes round out the package. The movie spent a minute in theaters--hopefully it will catch-on in the DVD format.
Rating: - A smart, chilling 1940s B picture--don't miss it.
A "B" picture about a haunted submarine, and it's the best movie I've seen this year. Yep. No pretentious artiness, no pandering to the audience, no snarky cynicism. Just expert filmmaking from a smart, intricate screenplay, with an excellent cast, marvelous cinematography, terrific special effects, and a final shot that will linger in your memory for quite awhile. Too bad the studio is dumping it when it's the most sophisticated and highest quality film I've seen this year.
|
