poster of a mysterious man wearing a hat superimposed over a mountain valley landscape

The Man Who Fell to Earth, starring David Bowie

The Man Who Fell to Earth movie poster. I never had the opportunity to see The Man Who Fell to Earth in a theatre, and the existing video versions were pretty murky when it came to the shadowy dark scenes. This movie is very unusual and requires some patience to settle into its pacing, but once you do, you’re in for a ride. No longer. This Blu-ray transfer is excellent....

 · Laura Lis Scott
closeup of Will Smith as Hancock, with several days beard growth, shiny sunglasses and a ratty knit cap

“Hancock” flies on Will Smith’s super talent

Hancock probably could not be considered anything more than a halfway decent scifi/fantasy movie if it weren’t for Will Smith. The concept is interesting enough, but the storyline ends up falling a bit short, even compared with your basic superhero movies. Yet with Will Smith’s performance, you almost don’t notice. Without spoilers, I feel safe noting the premise of the movie: Hancock (Will Smith) is a sloppy, careless guy with superhero powers....

 · Laura Lis Scott
Marlon Brando as the title character in a promo card for The Godfather

Godfather on Blu-ray: Where’s the resolution?

I’ve been watching The Godfather on Blu-ray, and have been rather disappointed just how muddy the image is. Credit where credit’s due: the rich high-contrast nature of Gordon Willis’ astounding cinematography is well captured for the most part. The shadows are as black as they were in the theatre. You can really appreciate the control of light, especially as characters emerge from darkness and disappear back into it. But the high definition image resolution just isn’t there....

 · Laura Lis Scott