H D - S E L E C T

A view on HD DVDs by Yunda Eddie Feng

Introduction: Hello, Beaver readers! I became a serious cineophile in 1994 when I saw Schindler's List on my birthday. I realized that movies weren't just for fun--they could be serious art, too (even mainstream popcorn flicks if they're made with skill). Although I have a BA in English, I went to grad school for an MA in Film Studies. There, I met my mentor Dr. Warren Buckland, who shares my interest in Steven Spielberg's artistry (Spielberg and art aren't mutually exclusive). I helped edit Dr. Buckland's book Directed by Steven Spielberg: Poetics of the Contemporary Hollywood Blockbuster. I also contributed a chapter to Dr. Buckland's forthcoming anthology of essays about "complex storytelling" movies--movies that avoid classical linear storylines in favor of temporal disruptions, unreliable narrators, metatheatrical/"self-aware" references, etc.

Eddie's Home Theatre:
Sharp 30-inch LCD TV (1280x768 resolution)
Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player
Oppo OPDV971H SD-DVD player
Pioneer 7.1 DD/DTS receiver
Harmon Kardon speakers (5.1)

(I'm using the HD-A2's optical audio connection to obtain DTS 5.1 downmixes.)

Yunda Eddie Feng

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Being John Malkovich (HD-DVD)

(Spike Jonze, 1999)
Universal (USA)
Review by Yunda Eddie Feng

Universal (USA)
1.85:1 1080p
112 minutes
Audio: DD Plus 5.1 English, DD plus 5.1 French
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, French
Extras: American Arts and Culture Presents: John Horatio Malkovich, Dance of Despair and Disillusionment; An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Puppeteering; An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Background Driving; 7½ Floor Orientation; Spike Jonze Interview; Spike Jonze Photo Album; Trailer; TV Spots; Don't Enter Here, There's Nothing Here; My Scenes "

Released: 26 June 2007
HD-DVD case
32 chapters

The Film:

Behind a filing cabinet on the 7½th floor, Craig (John Cusack) finds a small doorway. He crawls through it and is whisked through some kind of temporal-spatial portal, ending up inside the brain of the actor John Malkovich. Here he stays for exactly 15 minutes before falling from the sky next to the New Jersey Turnpike.

Whoa! What an experience. Maxine (Catherine Keener) pressures him to turn it into a business, charging people to spend their 15 minutes inside Malkovich. The movie handles this not as a gimmick but as the opportunity for material that is somehow funny and serious, sad and satirical, weird and touching, all at once.

Malkovich himself is part of the magic. He is not playing himself here, but a version of his public image--distant, quiet, droll, as if musing about things that happened long ago and were only mildly interesting at the time. It took some courage for him to take this role, but it would have taken more courage to turn it down. It's a plum.

Why are people so eager to enter his brain? For the novelty, above all. Spend a lifetime being yourself, and it would be worth money to spend 15 minutes being almost anybody else. At one point, there’s a bit of a traffic jam. Lotte (Cameron Diaz) finds herself inside his mind while Maxine is seducing him. Lotte enjoys this experience and decides she wants to become a lesbian, or a man. Whatever it takes. This is hard to explain, but trust me.

The movie just keeps getting better. I don’t want to steal the surprises and punch lines. Even a Charlie Sheen cameo is inspired. At one point, Malkovich enters himself through his own portal, which is kind of like being pulled down into the black hole of your own personality, and that trip results in one of the most peculiar single scenes I’ve ever seen in the movies. Orchestrating all this, Cusack’s character stays cool; to enter another man’s mind is of course the ultimate puppeteering experience.

Excerpt from Roger Ebert's review at the Chicago Sun Times located HERE

Video:
The movie has an intentionally dark and grimy look, especially inside the office building where John Cusack’s character works. The low light levels may induce a little bit of strain on some viewers’ eyes. Outdoors scenes are also muted. The source film print has some physical damage, too. On the whole, this 1.85:1 1080p video presentation is obviously better than what you get with the SD-DVD but is average at best for an HD-DVD.

Audio:
Although there are some inventive sonic moments (most noticeably when John Malkovich takes a trip inside his own head), the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 English track is simply a glorified mono creation. Most of the sound comes from the front center channel since this is a dialogue-heavy movie. Some playful music cues jump from one speaker to another, but the audio is simply a clean reproduction of a basic sound mix.

You can also watch the movie with a DD Plus 5.1 French dub. Optional English SDH and French subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
As far as I can tell, the HD-DVD has all of the extras of the SD-DVD with the exception of some music selections that played while you browse the SD-DVD’s menus. This includes the “Don’t Enter Here, There’s Nothing Here” blank page that is a complete and utter waste of time, period. Quirky isn’t always funny or amusing, folks.

“American Arts and Culture Presents: John Horatio Malkovich, Dance of Despair and Disillusionment” is a mockumentary about Malkovich’s new career as a puppeteer. “An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Puppeteering” shows how some of the puppet effects were achieved in the movie. “An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Background Driving” simply looks at the inanity of driving back and forth in front of a camera. “7½ Floor Orientation” is the “orientation flick” that Cusack watches in the movie.

Spike Jonze did not contribute an audio commentary, though he provided an interview (in which he vomits) and some photos for a stills gallery.

Universal has been in the habit of not including trailers on their respective SD-DVDs, so the appearance of a trailer and some TV spots is a welcome surprise.

Finally, you can bookmark your favorite moments with “My Scenes”.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert advertises other Universal HD-DVDs.

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