The Big Picture DVD

Runtime: 160 minutes
Color: Color
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Language: English/Swahili
Country: USA
Director: Sydney Pollack
Release Date: 12/18/85
Cast: Robert Redford, Stephen Kinyanjui, Meryl Streep, Michael Kitchen

One of the greatest romantic epics of our time, Out of Africa tells the story of Karen Blixen. Karen is a well-to-do Danish woman who moves to Africa to start a plantation. When her beau passes away she decides to marry his brother Bror Blixen. She and Bror share a strong friendship with no romantic inclinations, but marry for companionship. However, this marriage of convenience doesn’t turn out to be as successful as Karen had hoped.

The plot follows Karen and Bror through a rocky marriage, studded with infidelity, independence, war and finally a bout of syphilis that sends Karen home for three years of recovery. When her husband finally leaves the house the plot takes a turn, traveling with Karen through several more failed love conquests. Though Karen struggles and suffers through a great deal of the film, Out of Africa retains a hopeful attitude. The film’s protagonist is a very strong-willed woman and the underlying moral of the film seems to be that it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.

When Karen is done with her African adventures in Kenya she returns home to write about her experiences, trials and tribulations. She writes about love, loss and her new found appreciation and respect for African culture. Karen writes under a pseudonym–Isak Dinesen–as the screenplay is based on Judith Thurman’s book Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller.

Released in 1985, Out of Africa was very well received by the public. Though the film’s major stars, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, did not receive Academy Awards for their performances, the film still fared quite well. Out of Africa took home seven Academy Awards including the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Sound and Best Screenplay. Out of Africa also took home awards at the Golden Globes as well as a number of film critics’ awards, writers’ awards and foreign film awards in Japan, London, Italy, Germany, France and Japan.

The film is certainly deserving of its awards for best cinematography and best art direction. Shot in Kenya, the film has a magnificently exotic quality to it, reminiscent of National Geographic films. However, despite the film’s beautiful use of Kenyan landscape it has still taken a bit of heat for its length. Out of Africa is over two and a half hours long and many critics have declared that it does not have any distinct narrative or plot driving it from beginning to end. It simply follows the life of protagonist Karen Blixen through heartache after heartache.

On the other hand, an astounding number of critics praised Out of Africa for its plot and length, calling it one of the most beautiful romantic epics ever made. What makes this film great is that it doesn’t sugarcoat everything. The truth is that true love does not always work out. However, even if we can’t quite reach our goals in love we can still achieve greatness, just as Karen (AKA Isak Dinesen) does in Out of Africa.

Runtime: 86 minutes
Color: Technicolor
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Language: English
Country: USA
Director: Brad Bird
Release Date: 08/06/99

A touching animation about friendship and acceptance, The Iron Giant is a fun film for kids of all ages with a powerful moral to boot.

The Iron Giant tells the story of Hogarth Hughes, a headstrong nine-year-old boy who meets a giant iron robot that landed on the Earth from space. While the 50-foot iron giant is terrifying at first, Hogarth gives him a chance and learns that he is actually quite innocent with a childlike curiosity and thirst for knowledge, not to mention a ravenous hunger for metal! Hogarth finds himself tied to protecting the Iron Giant from a paranoid US Government agent named Kent Mansley and, in doing so, saving his town from the prejudices and fears its people cling to.

The story takes place during 1957. It was during this historical year that the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first manmade satellite, into space; rock and roll was makings its move on the music scene; and fear of “the A bomb” was looming. In the United States, fears and prejudices were numerous during this historical time and these are represented in the movie. The Iron Giant uses these themes to weave in strong morals of acceptance as well as anti-war and anti-gun messages.

The Iron Giant has been praised for presenting complex morals and big, tough subjects in a non-preachy way. The film brings up issues that parents can talk about with their children and that adults can debate about with their friends. Additionally, though the film discusses difficult issues, it doesn’t leave out humor. The characters are quirky and at times laugh-out-loud funny making for an entertaining and exciting plot. Hogarth chases the Iron Giant’s detached metal hand around the house, the giant attempts a cannonball into a lake and, of course, a little bit of flatulence goes a long way to leave audiences in stitches!

One of the most highly praised aspects of the film is the script. The film is based on a 1968 story by British poet Ted Hughes called Iron Man. The writing has been praised for addressing complicated issues in a manner that is simple enough for children to understand, while incorporating deeper meaning for adult audiences. Nuances and references go over children’s heads without a hitch to make the film fun for adults as well.

The animation in the film has been an area of contention. The Iron Giant features retro, Ike-era animation and design. The backgrounds are often static and, compared to more recent animated films with life-like 3D graphics, the animation in The Iron Giant falls short of impressive. However, while some people feel that the animation hinders the film, others think that the design adds to the retro, 1950s feel of The Iron Giant. The Iron Giant is a period piece at heart and the animation seems to fit it perfectly.

Though director Brad Bird made his film debut with The Iron Giant, he has gone on to direct the popular animated blockbusters The Incredibles and Ratatouille, proving his genius as a director of animated films. The film also features a number of celebrity actors including Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., and Vin Diesel.

Aside from a whirlwind cast and top animation director, The Iron Giant was also the recipient of 19 awards, including awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, the Annie Awards, the Satellite Awards and more.

The Iron Giant is charming, endearing and an all around good film choice for viewers looking to learn a little something about humanity while being entertained at the same time.

Runtime: 98 minutes
Color: Color
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Language: English
Country: USA
Director: Rob Reiner
Release Date: 09/25/87
Cast: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest

The Princess Bride is a cult classic. The film, which was only moderately popular at the time of its release in 1987, has grown to be something of a legend. Children and adults alike share a love for the The Princess Bride’s unique mix of fantasy, humor and wit. It is a film that is watched again and again, quoted and talked about by moviegoers from all walks of life.

The film opens with a grandfather reading a book to his grandson. However, this book is more than just an innocent bedtime story and as he reads the story comes alive in the boy’s mind and on our screens. The Princess Bride tells the tale of Buttercup, the most beautiful princess in the world. Buttercup is in love with a farm boy, Westley, but evil forces prevent the two from living happily ever after. Westley is taken by pirates and Buttercup, believing Westley to be as good as dead, agrees to marry an evil prince named Prince Humperdinck though she does not really love him.

On the eve of Buttercup’s wedding to the Prince, she is kidnapped. However, a mysterious masked man saves her from her captors. To Buttercup’s surprise the masked man is Westley, alive and well. The pair flees and a wild adventure ensues. A number of crazy obstacles stand in their way, including oversized rodents, lightening quicksand, jets of flame shooting from the ground and screaming eels. The film also introduces us to a variety of characters that are just as bizarre as these crazy obstacles including swashbuckling pirates, dastardly villains, wizards, giants and more.

The Princess Bride features an all-star cast, including Christopher Guest, Andre the Giant, Fred Savage and Mandy Patinkin in his infamous role of Inigo Montoya, a Spanish warrior out to avenge his father’s death. Carol Kane and Billy Crystal also make unforgettable appearances.

The film was directed by Rob Reiner and the tone resembles many of his other works. Just as Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap was an ironic take on rock documentary, The Princess Bride is an ironic take on the heroic fantasy epic. While the look and feel of the film is pure fantasy, in the vein of films like Legend or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Princess Bride doesn’t take itself seriously at all. The off the wall characters and constant barrage of puns and witticisms keep a smile on your face from start to finish.

However, The Princess Bride isn’t for everyone. Though it has become a hugely popular film over the years not everyone “gets it.” The movie is designed for viewers with imaginations that are willing to run wild. Moviegoers who aren’t willing to believe the nonstop absurdities and ridiculous characters and situations may not find anything worthwhile about the film. Other critics of The Princess Bride feel that Reiner simply stretched the fantasy genre too far into the absurd. Many of the absurdities in the film seem forced and obvious to the stubborn viewer. However, for viewers who are young at heart, imaginative and ready to laugh out loud, The Princess Bride will remain a classic for years to come.

Runtime: 90 minutes
Color: Technicolor
Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1
Language: English
Country: UK/USA
Director: George Dunning
Release Date: 11/13/68
Animated feature film

Are you ready to join the fight to save music and beauty? Named after the Beatles song, Yellow Submarine is an adventure in psychedelic music with a kaleidoscope of colors. In this story, the Blue Meanies have taken the magical underworld Pepperland hostage. Now, the Beatles are on the job to rescue all that is beautiful and lovely in the world. Captain Fred of Pepperland escapes from the Blue Meanies on a yellow submarine and travels to Liverpool. There he finds the Beatles. Fred sneaks around and confuses Ringo but then Ringo understands him and agrees to help unfreeze the magical Pepperland. The other Beatles are recruited and hop onto the yellow submarine to save Pepperland. Dressed as Sergeant Pepper’s Band, they sneak past the Blue Meanies to retrieve stolen instruments and succeed in freeing Pepperland from the clutches of the Blue Meanies, thereby saving all things musical, peaceful and beautiful.

Yellow Submarine was released in November 1968 with a symphony of Beatles songs. The Beatles only appear as caricatures of themselves and you never hear their real voices. The absence of the actual Beatles physically and audibly is transcended by a beautiful fantasy world of colors and movement. Yellow Submarine is as beautiful as it is grotesque. The Blue Meanies are creatures from the underworld. The name and the first impression of these characters is something from an after-school special. Later you see the depth of the animation when Blue Meanies reach out with machine gun hands. A fact that trippers of long-ago had visions on.

Influenced by the surrealist art and psychedelic trends of the sixties, Yellow Submarine is eye-candy for adults and has artful puns to stimulate all your senses. The soundtrack is placed well with the cartoon and montage scenes alike. “A Day in The Life” swells as the Beatles lift off in the yellow submarine. Real-life shots of Liverpool zoom by in a montage in one of the favorite scenes from Yellow Submarine.

Over forty years later, the film isn’t as innovative as it was when first released. The technology that has taken over the world of animation is, of course, not present in Yellow Submarine. Heinz Edlemann was the man of charge of the art direction for this movie. This was said to be the only animated film released in the 60s not produced by the Disney Corporation that enjoyed any commercial success. For that, you have a movie that feels like no movie ever produced before or since. Yellow Submarine has been a staple for Beatles fans since its release. Now there are new fans that are nostalgic for the feel of beautiful hand-drawn animation.

Critics of Yellow Submarine will say that this is a movie of little significance. The story is simple, if not simplistic. Just reading the synopsis will make you roll your eyes. What can this movie aesthetically offer those of us not binging on goodies of the 60s? Maybe nothing whatsoever, but Yellow Submarine is a movie with a different purpose altogether. It is a chance to enter a beautiful fantasy world of light and color. The Yellow Submarine fantasy is the canvas and the Beatles soundtrack is your guide through this mysterious maze. In a time of fast-paced modern technology, hand-drawn musical fantasy animation may be a lost art. However, Yellow Submarine, now digitally re-mastered offers this generation a view into the past excess and just a little window of escape.

Runtime: 134 minutes
Color: Color
Aspect Ratio: 2.20 : 1
Language: English/Russian
Country: USA
Director: John McTiernan
Release Date: 03/02/90
Cast: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, Fred Dalton Thompson

The Hunt for Red October was released in theaters in 1990. Is it possible that a movie almost twenty years old still carries its panache? A best-selling military thriller set in the Cold War Era written by Tom Clancy is a good start to a twenty-year success. Clancy’s novel of the same name was published in 1984 and involves a Lithuanian submarine captain, named Marko Ramius, who has made his way into the highest ranks of the Russian navy. In the movie, Ramius is played by Sean Connery. Ramius has watched his wife die an untimely death due to a doctor’s incompetence. However, the doctor receives impunity because of his personal relationships to the leaders in Russian government. Ramius’ wife’s premature death and a history of brutality from the Russian navy serve as the catalyst for Ramius’ desire to defect to America.

Trolling in the deep waters of the North Atlantic, Ramius has been given charge of the newest piece of technology in the Russian nuclear war against America. “The Caterpillar” is what they call revolutionary technology onboard the Russian submarine that allows the ship to move completely silent through the water. Without being able to be detected by any counterintelligence, the Russian submarine can inch closer to the American coast and fire a nuclear attack on cities like New York City. As Ramius plans to defect, the drama intensifies both inside the submarine and between governments.

In a Cold War Era movie, there are a lot of stereotypes that can really make the movie feel dated and like a propaganda piece. The Hunt for Red October, as a whole, succeeds in skirting the stereotypical character sketches. What Clancy is so good at doing is wrapping a drama in a historical context, like the Cold War, and still make this movie about the decision in the hands of one single man. With all the million-dollar machinery and government intelligence, there millions of lives depending on the decision of Ramius and the CIA officer who is trying to understand his motivations.

Alec Baldwin plays a young CIA officer named Jack Ryan. Through Jack Ryan’s research on Marko Ramius, he believes that the Lithuanian really does want to defect to the U.S. He must now convince the American government that he is correct about Ramius as Russian and American ships search the underwater darkness for the Red October in order to recover it.

Tom Clancy’s novel spent such a great deal of time to develop carefully the plot. His novels are built one brick on top of another so that the climax and character revelations are built, well-developed and complex. The movie is a nice tribute to the Clancy novel, but can not measure up to this standard of plot and character development in the short time frame of a movie. There were also many changes made to the chronology of events in the book as compared to the movie.

Another problem is when you take a technologically advanced book out of the imaginative pages and put it onto the big screen for scrutiny. If you are in the navy, or know about submarines, you will inevitably have some complaints about a “Hollywood” submarine. The inside of the submarine looked new, shiny and the gadgets aboard bright and blinking. However, daily life a real submarine was not depicted on The Hunt for Red October. The submarine scenes above water are also a bit lackluster. In a time before the seamless computer graphics technology we have now, the submarines float on the water in a less than believable shot.

The Hunt for Red October was a commercial success for all who were involved. There were many awards given to the cast and crew including an Oscar in 1991 for Best Sound Effects Editing.