BluRay Review: Primal Fear

Primal Fear: Hard Evidence Edition
Written by: Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman, based on the novel by William Diehl
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, Andre Braugher, Terry O'Quinn, Frances McDormand, Alfre Woodard, and John Mahoney

BluRay Specs:
1080p High Definition
English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD/French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Special Features: Commentary featuring Gregory Hoblit, Ann Biderman, Producer Gary Lucchesi, Executive Producer Hawk Koch, and Casting Director Deborah Aquila. Primal Fear: The Final Verdict, Primal Fear: Star Witness - Casting Edward Norton, The Psychology of Guilt, Theatrical Trailer

Primal Fear is one of my favorite legal thrillers and it finally hits BluRay tomorrow with the Hard Evidence Edition.

How does it measure up?

Click Read More to well...



Primal Fear is the story of hot shot defense attorney Martin Vail who takes on the defense of an alter boy accused of murdering a prominent arch bishop. As the case progresses, Vail learns a troubling truth about his client and about the man he's accused of killing.

This is the movie that launched Edward Norton to stardom and his first Oscar nomination. It's perfectly crafted, tense, and beautifully acted from the entire cast. It holds up rather well 12 years later and I found myself just as riveted now as I was when I first saw it.

The BluRay release isn't exactly perfect however. The picture has a grain to it and certainly isn't as clear as more recent releases. That said, it is still an improvement over previous releases. The special features are a little light. We have some featurettes and commentary. There are no deleted scenes or alternate takes and I would have liked to see something on the illness at the center of the story as well.

All in all it's a decent release for a great film. The picture isn't as clear as it could (or should) be and it could use some padding in the features aspect, especially with the capabilities of BluRay, but it's still worth a buy, certainly for those who've never seen the film.

Primal Fear: Hard Evidence Edition will hit DVD and BluRay tomorrow, March 10.

RAWR(for more)

SAG Award Winners!

Winners are in bold!

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
'Doubt'
'Frost/Nixon'
'Milk'
'Slumdog Millionaire'
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins - 'The Visitor'
Frank Langella - 'Frost/Nixon'
Sean Penn - 'Milk'
Brad Pitt - 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Mickey Rourke - 'The Wrestler

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway - 'Rachel Getting Married'
Angelina Jolie - 'Changeling'
Melissa Leo - 'Frozen River'
Meryl Streep - 'Doubt'
Kate Winslet - 'Revolutionary Road'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin - 'Milk'
Robert Downey Jr. - 'Tropic Thunder'
Philip Seymour Hoffman - 'Doubt'
Heath Ledger - 'The Dark Knight'
Dev Patel - 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams - 'Doubt'
Penelope Cruz - 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
Viola Davis - 'Doubt'
Taraji P. Henson - 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Kate Winslet - 'The Reader'

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
James Earl Jones
TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie "House"
James Spader "Boston Legal"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
David Duchovny, "Californication"
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Tracey Ullman, "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"Weeds"
"30 Rock"
"Desperate Housewives"
"The Office"
"Entourage"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"Mad Men"
"Dexter"
"House"
"The Closer"
"Boston Legal"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Paul Giamatti, "John Adams"
Ralph Fiennes, "Bernard and Doris"
Kevin Spacey, "Recount"
Kiefer Sutherland "24: Redemption"
Tom Wilkinson "John Adams"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Shirley MacLaine, "Coco Chanel"
Laura Dern, "Recount"
Laura Linney, "John Adams"
Phylicia Rashad "A Raisin in the Sun"
Susan Sarandon "Bernard and Doris"

Congrats to all the winners!

RAWR(for more)

DVD Check In

Netflix is a wonderful thing. Even if I keep the same movie for weeks before I watch it. It's still a great service. In light of that, I am going to start watching the movies as soon as I get them and then putting up little reviews here so you, readers, can be informed when decided what to rent.

So here is a quick recap of three films I've just caught on DVD from best to worst:

Hot Fuzz

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in the Edgar Wright directed action comedy extravaganza. The guys behind Shaun of the Dead deliver this fantastic movie about hot shot London street cop Nicolas Angel who is forced to take a promotion that would station him in a seemingly peaceful small town. Simply because he is making the other cops look bad. Well, the town is plauged by some pretty insane "accidents" and it's not long before Angel suspects murder, much to the dismay of the entire town. Laughs throughout and some great over the top action scenes. Highly Highly Highly recommended. Certainly one of the best of 2007.


Driving Lessons

This little film stars Julia Walters, Laura Linney, and the criminally underrated Rupert Grint. It's typical coming of age story about a teenager, who is a bit weird, that lives with an overly religious mother and a reverend father. The mother uses the pretext of giving her son driving lessons to get up to some...none christian activities. The real heart of this movie comes from the incredible chemistry between Grint and Walters. Walters plays an aging actress whom Grint comes to work for and the two eventually head out on a road trip. If you like small coming of age stories I would really give this a look. It's Rupert Grint's first foray outside of the Harry Potter series and he does great. He's been my favorite part of the HP series so I'm glad to see him doing other things.

Notes on a Scandal

This may be the last on the list for today but that doesn't mean it is a poor movie. Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, and newcomer Andrew Simpson star in this tale of an illicit affair between a teacher and a student as well as the obsession another teacher develops on another. Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench again give us amazing performances. They continue to prove that they are among the best actresses working today. Bill Nighy does brilliantly as well. The movie is a bit melodramatic and you may find yourself annoyed by the constant voice over of Judi Dench but overall it's an entertaining watch. Dench and Blanchett really make these characters real. Give it a look if you like the actors or a good drama.

RAWR(for more)