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Reviews HD Reviews
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Written by Nick Lyons
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Sunday, 27 January 2008 |
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Grade Content Grade:
B+
Sound Grade:
B+
Picture Grade:
B+
Review
"The Pianist" tells the heartbreaking and inspiring real life story of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's experiences during World War 2. Through his eyes, we see the Nazi's rotten, inhuman treatment and the horrifying extermination of the Jews as well as Szpilman's journey to try and stay alive by any means necessary. As with any WW2 film, "The Pianist" is an emotionally draining, but powerful film. Having the story focus almost entirely on one man really lets viewers see the terror, fear, and desperation that people were going through during that period. Strong script aside, the real reason the film works is primarily because of star Adrien Brody's performance as he mostly carries the film. Seeing his physical and mental transformation from beginning to end, it's hard to forget that he is acting. Few actors can pull off such a complex and daunting role. It's no wonder Adrien Brody won the Oscar for best actor. I should also mention that the production design and direction by Roman Polanski are equally worthy of praise. Overall, "The Pianist" is required viewing, even though it IS tough to watch. The 1.85:1 widescreen picture quality is passable. I noticed some dirt here and there, but otherwise it's another fine effort from Universal. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio tracks are also solid. The dialogue and sound f/x are noticeably clear. The only extra is a 40 minute documentary titled "The Story Of Survival," which contains set footage, photos/films from the war, director Roman Polanski's own WW2 experiences, and footage of Wladyslaw Szpilman playing the piano.
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Featured Review
The story: Alex is a young man who dreams of leaving the trailer park he lives in. When he happens to get a high score on an arcade game, his wish comes true as he is whisked away through space by an alien named Centauri. After some confusion, Alex learns that he has been recruited by the Star League Of Planets to become a starfighter. The starfighters are the League's only hope of defeating the evil conquerors known as the Ko-Dan. Will Alex stay and fight or will he refuse? As you can no doubt tell from the plot summary, "The Last Starfighter" clearly owes a lot to "Star Wars." Thankfully, there's enough original material here to make this 80's Sci-fi flick unique in its own right. Aside from the excellent alien costumes, massive sets, makeup, cgi, and the rousing music by Craig Safan, Lance Guest is really what makes this movie come to life. In addition to delivering a memorable performance as the geeky hero Alex, he also takes on another role as the robotic clone known as Beta. Even though the character of Beta is a mere subplot, he steals every scene with his comedic lines and mannerisms. It's a crying shame Guest never became a big star because he undoubtedly deserved to be. I'm not quite sure why some HD enthusiasts have criticized the 2.35:1 widescreen picture quality. As someone who grew up watching a worn out VHS copy, I was personally stunned at how clear at it looked. Sure, there are dirt specs here and there, but certain scenes (notably the space battles) looked crystal clear. Both the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio tracks are solid, especially during any scenes involving lasers and spaceships. Extras: * Theatrical and teaser trailer. * Commentary with Nick Castle and Rob Cobb- The duo chat about character development, story inspirations, and how they were unaware if the F/X could be done at the time. * "Crossing The Frontier: Making The Last Starfighter" is a 31 1/2 minute documentary hosted by star Lance Guest. He mainly discusses the groundbreaking cgi, the story, etc. Set footage and behind-the-scenes clips are also included. Fans will no doubt eat this up.
Movie Quotes
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up. Gloria Swanson Sunset Blvd.
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