Air Force One/B+,A

Moonraker/B,A-

Warner/1968/114m

     Bullitt's dramatic pursuit through the San Francisco streets is the quintessential movie car chase. It's still as exciting today as it was when filmed 30 years ago. And, it's not overly long or over the top. You can smell the San Francisco streets under Peter Yates crisp direction.
     Steve McQueen, of course, is the big kahuna in Bullitt. McQueen's cool is perfectly suited to the rebellious detective Frank Bullitt. Similar stories about witnesses in protective custody has been done in the intervening years, but this one's simple and straight forward. Robert Vaughn's ambitious bureaucrat may be slightly unctuous, but compared to screen heavies these days, he's a smoothie.

Cool McQueen and nasty Vaughn. ©Warner

   The Warner DVD uses relatively good elements for the transfer. Colors are less vital than I would like and there are scenes that have excess grain, but generally, Bullitt looks good. The anamorphic 1.85 transfer serves the film well, providing maximum detail. The Dolby Digital 2-channel sound is fine.

Columbia Tristar/1997/127m

     "I'm like a spoke on a wheel and so are you, Donnie.," Lefty tells his friend. This is the Al Pacino performance that people should be talking about; not The Devil's Advocate. Pacino nails Lefty in Donnie Brasco. Everything is right. And Johnny Depp turns in a solid performance in the title role, bringing his scenes with Pacino to street life.
     This story of the Mafia through from the perspective of an undercover FBI agent, as directed by Mike Newell, has a fresh look from the Scorcese directed mob flicks to which we are accustomed. Newell floats his story with the grace of a conductor guiding a symphony orchestra. The result is excellent filmmaking and riveting story-telling.

Learning the ropes. ©Columbia Tristar

     This fine looking DVD is presented anamorphic 2.35 widescreen. There are some minor MPEG artifacts in some skyline scenes, but otherwise images are sharp and colors accurate. The intensity of color in the Miami sequences contrast well with the bluer hues of the New York streets.The Dolby 5:1  mix is consistently clean, but surround info is not overly aggressive.

Double Indemnity/A,B

Excess Baggage/C,B+  

Columbia Tristar/1993/101m

     The concept of Groundhog Day is daring and the execution hilarious. Forced to relive the same day over and over again, cynic Phil Connors(Murray) has his face pressed into a bowl full of insight. What better way to awake each day than with the forced good natured alarm banter of two hick town early morning radio jockeys. What better place to be stuck in time than beautiful downtown Punxsatawney, Pa. in full swing during the wonderful Groundhog Day celebration.
     The comic possibilities are served up along with a delightful romance between stars Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Murray has never been better than in the role of Phil Connors.Harold Ramis handles the reins of this charming winter sleigh ride with frolicsome style. The photography is as crystal clear as a perfect weather report and George Fenton's music ties the package together with boldly scored bow. I'll bet you'll be humming the "Beer Barrel Polka" even before the movie ends.      

Too many puddles! ©Columbia Tristar

    Delivered anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 on one side and P/S on the other, Groundhog Day is a stunning DVD. The cold Pennsylvania colors are perfectly captured with consistently sharp images. Viewed anamorphically, the DVD is extremely film-like. The Dolby Digital 2-channel sound is good enough to make you want to dance the polka over and over and over again.

Fox Lorber/1994/110m

     Set in the French countryside during the Algerian conflict, Wild Reeds is a story about awakening passions and confused identities. Francois, a bright student, is attracted to Maite, the daughter of a teacher, but his sexual appetite is aroused by Serge, a simple farm boy. While Serge finds the attention of Francois at first entertaining and flattering, he soon realizes that he is interested in women. While these young people search for their own truths, director Techine adds flavor to his tale with with vital scenes of life. The opening wedding is shot with relaxed precision and beatific scenes in the forest and at a lake are quite stunning. There seems to be more wisdom than the accumulated years of the players in this delicate drama of discovery by a first-rate director.
     The young actors are extremely effective. Techine elicits natural performances from his players. It's almost as if his camera befriends them. There is no consciousness of the barrier of a lens.

Exploring maturity. ©Fox Lorber

     Shot in naturalistic style, the colors are warm and the image reasonably sharp. The widescreen aspect is 166:1. White subtitles are on the image and cannot be turned off. Fox Lorber provides a theatrical trailer, biographies and production notes.