Puppy’s Hi Def Escapades

Welcome, take a seat and step into the wonderful world of Hi-Definition entertainment. Now like the majority of you reading this, I’m an average Joe (but awesome with it) who loves to sit down, relax and watch a film without going into the intricacies of direction and what not. Although since meeting Chris and Phil, that state of mind is slowly changing as I find myself cooing at the screen every so often “That’s a nice shot…”

What can you expect from my foray into the world of Blu-ray? A complete and total mix between horror, action, animation, world cinema and the occasional musical. I’ll be looking at some of the most recent releases later on down the line and some Out Of Print releases to whet the appetite for when the UK/US distributors finally get their bum into gear and the main studios release these hot properties…

On with the double whammy!

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Let’s begin with a film that fills my geeky horror fanboy heart with joy, A Nightmare On Elm Street the original Wes Craven classic, starring none other than Johnny Depp in his debut appearance, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon and the man himself Robert Englund.

Unfortunately for the readers of this review and horror fans alike, some of you may not have know this Region A (USA) disc was out in circulation and may now want to know where you can find yourself a copy? Well let me take a moment to tell you; Alliance Pictures, a small Canadian distributor found itself in possession of some Grade A title and their rights to distribute these titles were about to run out. This resulted in Alliance releasing some hit and miss editions of some great films that had yet to be released in the United States by their respective studios.

However, it now looks like the distribution rights for A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) have since run out as the title is no longer available from the distributor and can only be found for the princely sum of $64 – 150 onwards.

Come hither fellow reader and take a peek into my childhood as I tell you the tale of how I became interested in horror and how amazing this barebones disc is.

It all began at the tender age of seven when my sister beckoned me into her bedroom, no this was not the incest scene from Flowers In The Attic it was a teenage girl, a girl who was twelve years older than myself I might add, huddled in a duvet, rocking back and forth as the images on the screen flickered to life, I was forced to sit on the floor at her feet, held in place with firm vulture like talons, as an entertaining man with knives for fingers came on screen and slammed a girls head into a TV exclaiming “Fuck the Primetime Bitch!”

From that moment on, I knew horror was the genre for me; A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3: The Dream Warriors gave me a glimpse into that world and I knew I had to see more. It took me a long while to actually see the VHS version of the film I am about to review. The VHS copy made me fall in love with Heather Langenkamp all over again.

A Nightmare On Elm Street tells the gruesome tale of a child murderer who returns from the dead as a dream demon; to slay the children of those who killed him years before. His vengeance will see blood stain Elm Street for all eternity and our heroine Nancy Thompson is the only one who can stop him.

The story’s simplistic nature is what attracts me to the characters in A Nightmare On Elm Street, Freddy Krueger is such a robust and dark protagonist that he’s the perfect anti hero, sure he killed a few kids but he’s got a wicked sense of humour when it comes to chasing down his newly acquired prey. An age group unlike the ones he stalked when he was alive. The teenagers on Elm Street better be prepared to stay awake for when they sleep, that’s when he comes for them.

The only problem I do have with the film, is that New Line Cinema didn’t have the balls to make Freddy a full blown kiddie fiddler as he was originally penned (according to unofficial sources), the studio thought it would be a bit much for an audience to take in, not that we see anything of Freddy’s past until A Nightmare On Elm Street parts 4, 5 and Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare where we get a glimpse of the Bastard Son of a hundred Maniacs conception, birth and death.

We first see Freddy as he prepares to meet his first victim Tina who discovers when she narrowly escapes death in her dream that her friends at school and boyfriend have all dreamt of the same man in the dirty red and green sweater and the dirty brown fedora hat with knives for fingers. Although these pieces come together a little bit at a time.

Afraid Tina (Amanda Wyse) asks Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), Rod (Jsu Garcia) and Glen (Johnny Depp) to stay the night, just in case something bad happens. The bad news is, as all hardened horror fans should know, Tina is the first to go and this is where the madness begins for our unlikely group of victims.

Now, I begin to ask myself WHY since the VHS have we not seen an UNCUT version of this film, A Nightmare On Elm Street has been released on DVD around the world yet we never see Tina fall to the bed at the climax of her death scene and then get greeted with a wave of blood which drenches Rod, the boyfriend. I don’t know what it is about New Line that they can’t be bothered to treat the very loyal fans of Freddy Krueger to a totally uncut spectacular on DVD/Blu-ray. This disc is the R Rated version of the film.

I’m so glad I still have my original VHS despite not having a player anymore but I know I can always go back and see the film in all its glory at some point.

This film paved the way for fantasy to cross over into the realm of horror and it does it so well Wes Craven despite making some duds in recent years will always be one of my favourite directors for bringing such a visually strong and creepy character to the big and little screen.

The Characters are so Boys & Girl next door, it just sucks you in… they’re not skinny bulimic toffs from The OC. They’re believable as school students and just kids going through this Nightmare that they can’t tell anyone about.

Apart from that? This film is practically reference material on Blu-ray, the characters come to life in full high definition, I really didn’t expect the picture to pop at all but the dirty red and green sweater because a brightly stained blood red creation that makes Freddy look slightly more eerie. The scene where Tina ventures out onto the porch during her dream sequence, she’s paved in this clean, rich blue light that cuts through the solid blacks of the picture on screen. A worthy effort from Alliance whose releases have been very hit and miss.

The same goes for the sound, which is TrueHD and you will definitely hear things you didn’t notice watching the film on DVD.

As I said at the start this title is now Out Of Print but expect New Line/WB to announce a Blu-ray release sometime in March, just in time to cash in on A Nightmare On Elm Street (2009).

Rating:

Movie: 4.5 stars

Picture: 4 stars

Audio: 3.5 stars

For my next trick? It’s off to the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway!

Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway

Rent, one of the most entertaining musicals to hit the stage closed its doors after twelve years on September 7^th 2008. This disc charts the final moments of the cast and their final performance of the award winning show.

However as with all stories, the show didn’t get to the stage without its tragedy and I defy anyone not to cry when they hear the story of Jonathon Larson the shows creator or even while watching the show itself, yes I blubbed like a little girl who’d just discovered hamsters aren’t supposed to have big people bath time.

Jonathon Larson spent years working for minimum wage, writing his own music when eventually he and another came up with this present day remake of the famous opera La Boheme. One day his luck turned and he found himself on the cusp of opening night, the review sessions had gone well, the cast were on form and the New York Times gave him a positive review and interview the night before the show opened its doors at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1994 before moving to the Nederlander theatre on January 26^th 1996.

However the morning of the opening night, the cast were soon to discover that their leader, their friend, their director had died of aortic aneurysm and would never get to see the success the show and its stars would become.

The show even spawned a movie which brought the Original Cast members back together, excluding two who were replaced by Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms, of which horror fans might remember them appearing in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (the second act). Tracie Thoms reprises her role from the film in the Broadway version of Rent and as you will see, this dame can SING!

Now all that’s out of the way *wipes away another little tear* we can get one with the actual show.

The show tells the tale of an unlikely group of friends, forming relationships, loves, friends, enemies while dealing with the threat of the AIDS virus and their own personal demons.

The amazing thing about this show is not just the actors and actresses’ ability on stage but the way the story flows through the music and how Seasons of Love seems to play as a personal eulogy for the man who wrote it, Jonathon Larson. He certainly left a legacy in the songs he created for the show.

The movie that was released back in 2005 is basically Rent Lite, it upgrades the songs a touch with a rockier vibe and cuts some of the more poignant spoken parts from the Broadway show that add grit and realism to how Roger (Will Chase) contracted the AIDS virus, the same goes for Collins and Angel who share the most amazing love story and happiness that would make anyone jealous. Indeed it even makes some of the characters jealous as their little group begins to fall apart for various reasons. I don’t want to give too much away as all the characters go through dramatic changes within relationships through the songs from The Tango Maureen, Seasons of Love, Life Support, Out Tonight, Goodbye Love to Finale B.

Every song charts the course of the characters journey through the show, be it struggling with disease, to pay the rent or just affairs of the heart going horribly wrong.

The show is a testament to how viewers can relate to characters on a base level. The Fans aka ‘Rentheads’ were renowned for their constant support of the show and they showed up in force in the hope of winning a chance to buy cheap front row seats for the final night.

There’s one part which you see more clearly in the special features where Eden Espinosa who plays Maureen loses it as she realises that this little family she’s worked with for the past six months is finally coming to an end and that’s the story of rent, love life, treasure friendships and be true to yourself because you never know what’s around the corner.

This one is yet another high grade Blu-ray disc and brings an amazing presentation in both audio and visual excellence to the home cinema. The band flares to life and the crowd goes wild, the lights bounce in a vibrant fashion and give the actors this glow which reveals all the intricate details on their faces. The raw emotion each one puts into their parts. It must be a very taxing task to play a stage role night after night.

Special Features:

• The Wall: This featurette offers an exclusive panoramic view outside the Nederlander theatre where fans and former cast messages have left their messages for past, present and future cast members. A testament to how the show changed the lives and gave hope to many who went to see it. The messages expand to around the theatre and on closing night ended up covering the front entrance to the theatre also.
• The Final Curtain: When the original cast members made a surprise appearance for a rendition of Seasons of Love at the end of the performance, the crowd went nuts, this is their story… waiting in the wings to take part in the last ever appearance as part of the show that shaped their careers.
• Home: How do you choose a theatre like the Nederland? The cast and crew take us on a retrospective of how a run down theatre became home for them and the many people who came through the doors to witness a Broadway hit.
• The Final Lottery: Since moving to the Nederland Theatre, Rent always held a lottery for RENTheads who would camp out in order to get a discounted $20 ticket for the front two rows. This feature shows the final lottery as hundreds of ‘Rentheads’ place their bets in the hope of being part of something truly special.
• Casting: A quick look at the Casting for Rent in which every person who has auditioned for the show in the past is kept on file a room full of binders. Every person cast had to be seen multiple times, from the Original Cast Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp all the way through to the cast of the final Performance. This feature is a testament to the hard work the casting agency took to make sure everyone who became a part of the show would fit in perfectly with their co-stars.
• Rent: The Final Days on Broadway: This is the longest feature of the bunch. Looking at the final casting for the show, bringing everyone back together and an emotional look at the goodbyes and testimonials the cast share with each other. There’s also a lot of sobbing faces in the crowd as we take a look back at Seasons of Love and the shows finale. This show touched a lot of people and it can be seen in this little look back at the shows final days.
• Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation PSA: The Larson Foundation awards a grant every year for performing artists down on their luck., this is a quick look at those the grant has helped.
• National Marfan Foundation PSA: Jonathan Larson’s sudden death has been linked to Marfan Syndrome and in this informative Public Service Announcement we find out more about this genetic disorder.

Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway is the most played disc in my Blu-ray collection and although I blubbed… no sobbed during my first viewing of the disc and during the special feature… (I’m not afraid to cry dammit!!) I keep coming back for more!

US Citizens are lucky as the disc is readily available region locked (A) but for those of us in Europe, you can order the Spanish version which is not region coded and will work on Blu-ray players around the world.

The disc is a triumph and certainly puts the team behind Sony Pictures, Hot Ticket Productions under the spotlight as they remain true to the source material and attempt to catch every facet of the shows past and present by looking at fans, cast and preserving the show for all time. Something which should happen more often in my opinion as some amazing shows close, never to be seen again but at least this way there’ll always be a Rent.

Ratings:

Movie: 5 stars – I could watch it over and over and over again! Which I may have done…

Picture: 4.5 stars – an amazing Hi Def rendition of the stage show that will have you in tears. The colours pop constantly and gives the viewer a visual delight to feast upon! Reference material!

Audio: 4 stars – Another great effort, the vocal harmonies burst out of the surround speakers in a booming rendition of the tracks which the majority host an impressive rock beat which will have the bass unit jumping for joy.

All in all a quality start to what will hopefully will be a monthly experience for me and you. Keep it simple, get across the awesomeness and not so awesome facts.

I’ll try and be a little obscure in the discs I review, next month I’m either looking to Pink: Live In Australia or The Wizard Of Oz: Ultimate Collectors Edition that’s if the postman hasn’t lost it, it’s been in transit from the US for a month and a half now. Colour me Annoyed!

Clifford Green (www.thedogatemywookie.com)