Back to the Future: 30th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson, Crispin Glover

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Format: Digital_copy, Blu-ray, Box set, Widescreen

Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)

Subtitles: French, Spanish, English

Region: All Regions

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 4

Rated: PG

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2016

 

        These days it is common practice to film several sequels at once, but it was still a daring decision when Back to the Future utilized this method. This is one of many ways that the time-travel franchise predicted the future. Back to the Future: Part II was released in November of 1989, with the end of the film containing a trailer for the third film set to be released in the summer of 1990. This was prior to the splitting of every final book in a series, before trilogies were planned out without the success of the original release, and when there were still few enough blockbuster franchises for these films to be culturally significant. 30 years later and the dynamics of the industry have drastically changed, but the influence of these films has stood the test of time.

 

The Benoît Jacquot Collection Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Fabrice Luchini, Isabelle Huppert

Director: Benoit Jacquot

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen

Language: French

Subtitles: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Cohen Media Group

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Run Time: 274 minutes

        Not only are the three films included in The Benoît Jacquot Collection all from the 1990s, they each have a connection in themes and characters, especially when considering the commonalities in the young female roles. I can’t decide whether the approach is feminist or merely a representation of how the beauty of youth is coveted by an endless stream of middle-aged men in all three narratives. Either way, the ideas from these movies only work because of the enigmatic and captivating performances from Jacquot’s leading ladies, each balancing somewhere between girlishly adolescent behavior and the maturity of womanhood.

 

A Special Day Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni

Director: Ettore Scola

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: Italian

Subtitles: English

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Criterion Collection

Release Date: October 13, 2015

Run Time: 107 minutes

 

 

        The title of Ettore Scola’s film could be interpreted several ways, as the events of the narrative take place during an important day in Italian history but may have even more significance for the two leading characters for completely different reasons. A Special Day takes place during Adolf Hitler’s visit to Italy and Benito Mussolini in 1938, which remains at the center of the narrative despite nearly the entire film taking place at a working-class apartment building. After the film opens with 6-minutes of actual newsreel footage, we remain distanced from these events, despite the constant radio broadcast as the background soundtrack to the narrative. 

 

Northern Limit Line Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Lee Wan, Jin Goo, Lee Hyun Woo

Director: Kim Hak-Soon

Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen

Language: Korean

Region: Region A/1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Run Time: 130 minutes

 

 

        Northern Limit Line is sure to resonate for South Korean patriots and family members of soldiers, though the film loses impact as an import. This is somewhat true because of the specific relevance this event has on Korean history, and expecting the impact to be the same outside of the country would be like Hollywood anticipating a film about 9/11 doing well in European theaters. More importantly, the approach to Northern Limit Line is transparently one-sided, with the North Koreans coming off more like villains from a James Bond film than fully fleshed out characters. This makes for a patriotic piece of South Korean Navy propaganda, though not as convincingly as a piece of art.