UNKNOWN (2011) Blu-ray Review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Liam Neeson is a scientist in Berlin for a conference with his wife (January Jones). After getting in a car accident, he awakens to realize that his wife doesn’t recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) is claiming to be him. Diane Kruger, Bruno Ganz and Frank Langella all appear.

HOW IS IT?

UNKNOWN has a set up that Hitchcock would have loved. The innocent man, trying to prove his identity, this could have been made sixty years ago and have worked.

Without giving anything away, after a strong set up, it gets needlessly muddled with a resolution that raises more questions than answers. It just doesn't work.

Rather than sticking to the mystery of the situation, the film instead stays with too many action film cliches. It is filled with car chases and fight scenes. The story was interesting enough that it didn't need these elements.

The Blu-ray contains two featurettes on Liam Neeson and the making of the film.

UNKNOWN will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 21st, from Warner Home Video. It will also be available On Demand and to download on iTunes.

HALL PASS (2011) Blu-Ray Review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Two married men (Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson) are given a “Hall Pass”, a week off from marriage by their wives (Christina Applegate and Jenna Fischer). The two enter the world of dating.

HOW IS IT?

HALL PASS has something of an All Star cast of some of the funniest people on TV. Jason Sudeikis from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Christina Applegate from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN and SAMANTHA WHO, Jenna Fischer from THE OFFICE, even other familiar TV faces as Alyssa Milano and THE VIEW’s Joy Behar appear. Owen Wilson and Richard Jenkins are two of the only real “movie” stars in the film.

Watching the film, it makes you really appreciate sitcoms. We are going through a revival of TV comedy. I don’t know if it tells you more about this film, or TV comedy when I can honestly say there are more laughs in a single episode of any of the above TV shows than in this film.

HALL PASS was based on a story by Pete Jones. You may remember Jones as the star of the first season of the late great HBO reality series PROJECT GREENLIGHT, the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon series that followed the making of a film from screenplay through finished product. Pete was the filmmaker who made STOLEN SUMMER (who frequently stated “Over my dead body!” to any argument).

Peter and Bobby Farrelly (DUMB AND DUMBER, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) rewrote and directed the film.

The Blu-ray contains an extended (by six minutes) cut of the film, along with a single deleted scene and a gag reel.

While the cast is always fun to watch, and may make this worth seeing, it isn’t a highlight for anyone involved.

HALL PASS will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 14th from Warner Home Video. It will also be available On Demand and to download on iTunes


You can also play a series of games based on the movie at the film’s website.

WARNER ARCHIVE REVIEW: SOLDIER IN THE RAIN (1963)

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN stars Steve McQueen as Sgt Eustis Clay, an Army Supply Sergeant. Eustis spends his days in the barracks coming up with various get rich quick schemes and hanging out with his best friend M/Sgt Maxwell Slaughter (Jackie Gleason who is very good in a rather serious role).

Slaughter has been in the service since the War. It is his life. His office is air conditioned with its own Pepsi machine. He doesn’t see leaving the Army any time soon.

Co-written and produced by Blake Edwards, and directed by Ralph Nelson, SOLDIER IN THE RAIN is an odd film that is tonally all over the place. At times it is very funny, there is also a very brutal fight scene, along with a tragic finale.

The supporting cast includes Tuesday Weld, Tom Poston, Tony Bill, Ed Nelson and even Adam West in a small role. There is a memorable theme song by Henry Mancini, who would team up with Edwards soon after for THE PINK PANTHER.

With Gleason, it is a surprise to see that McQueen turns in the wildest comic performance. His character has this strange squeaky voice reminiscent of Jerry Mathers in early LEAVE IT TO BEAVER episodes. If this had been anyone other than Steve McQueen, you might say the performance ruins the film. But McQueen was so charismatic, it is still watchable.

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN was released soon after THE GREAT ESCAPE, when McQueen was one of the biggest stars of the day.  It also had the misfortune of being released a week after the JFK assassination. Because of that, the film has largely been forgotten.

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN is available now from the Warner Archive.