The poughkeepsie tapes real footage

The poughkeepsie tapes real footage

All times are GMT. The time now is 10:43 AM. Release Date: December 23, 2008 All critics have their rules, their preferences and pet peeves. Sometimes theyre a matter of personal taste one genre over another and sometimes theyre a result of seeing the same approach taken too many times with the same material. But despite cinemas inherent ability to instruct its audience upon the finer points of finding love, recognizing shortcomings, and overcoming adversity, I really, really hate it when characters learn lessons. All of which is why, at least according to my own, subjective standards, the Coen brothers Burn After Reading may be the greatest movie ever made. Returning to the idiosyncratic humor that established them as industry mischief-makers, the Coens eviscerate any possibility of growing up after the Oscar-winning success of No Country for Old Men by crafting an absurd black comedy that enthusiastically celebrates its own pointlessness. CLICK HERE to read the full Burn After Reading review by Todd Gilchrist. The films naturalistic visual style is nicely delivered in a 85:1 widescreen ratio. When you have characters acting in outlandish ways and a story thats set in a slightly twisted reality, the key to believability is to set it in a world that is dull, familiar and recognizable. Thats typical of the Coens previous films, and it continues here. There arent complex effects shots or vivid pops of color, just a straightforward presentation with a slight wash of film grain that doesnt detract from the writing or performances. The picture is sharp and detailed, maybe too much so for the comfort of the actors sporting telltale signs of the natural aging process. It doesnt exactly look spectacular, but thats obviously not what the directors were going for here anyway. The sound is presented in DTS-HD master audio This is a dialogue heavy film, and that element gets the most focus here in the center channels. The dynamic range wont push your system to any lengths, but there are a couple of instances where gunshots ring out with startling force and the sound of a helicopter overhead seems to be coming from all directions. Add in some dramatic music swells to establish rising tension and what seems to be a simple and unassuming audio presentation suddenly turns into an impressive soundscape for a few brief, shining moments. This single-disc release comes in the standard blue plastic case. The special features are disappointingly slim, consisting of just three EPK-style featurettes. They include: Finding the Burn is the requisite five-and-a-half-minute making-of documentary featuring interviews with the Coen brothers and a majority of the cast members. The interviews with the always-interesting Coens make this a cut slightly above the usual behind-the-scenes fare, but its still rather limited in scope. The interviews continue in DC Insiders, which focuses more on the cast. Running at about 12 and a half minutes, its divided into segments devoted to each actor and their character in the film. Not only did the directors establish a truly great cast, they also managed to convince them to compromise their dignity through offbeat wardrobe and hair and makeup choices. It just goes to show the power and respect the multi-hyphenate Coens command among their peers. Theres also one that briefly touches on the set design and locations. As the title implies, Welcome Back George covers the special relationship between George Clooney and the Coen brothers and touches on the look he established for his character in the film. It lasts just under three minutes, and really doesnt offer anything that wouldnt have fit into either of the previous two featurettes. In fact, the three of these could have been put together in one making-of piece running just over 20 minutes.