I Love the Smell of Validation in the Morning

Image lifted from Amazon.comI tweeted about this yesterday, but figured everyone else should know about it as well: Lionsgate (distributed by Maple up here in has announced the Blu-ray release of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now”, in a three-disc “Full Disclosure” special edition that will include both the original 1979 theatrical version and Coppola’s 2004 “Redux” edition, and also throw in Eleanor Coppola’s essential documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse”.

The Digital Bits has all the details, as well as confirmation of the one element that makes this release an absolute must-buy for anyone who loves Coppola’s hallucinatory war epic: For the first time on any home-video format, “Apocalypse Now” will be presented in its intended aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

Previously, all widescreen transfers of the film — the laserdisc, both of Paramount’s DVD releases and the letterboxed television master — were framed at 2:1, the “ideal” aspect ratio cinematographer Vittorio Storaro calls Univisium. The idea of a single universal aspect ratio for television and film isn’t inherently terrible, but Storaro insists on retrofitting his earlier scope films to 2:1 whenever someone asks him to approve a transfer. (The only other one of which I’m aware is Paramount’s “Tucker: The Man and His Dream”.) And since “Apocalypse Now” wasn’t shot at 2:1, the image has to be cropped (or panned) to fill the taller frame. That’s insane, someone else needs to stop him.

When I interviewed Coppola last year, he was kind enough to indulge me in a few fanboy/gearhead questions about the restoration of “The Godfather” and “One from the Heart”. Finally, we turned to “Apocalypse Now”, and I’m not ashamed to admit I literally begged him to make sure any future HD transfers were framed appropriately. A year later, it looks like I got my wish — and on October 19, we’ll finally be able to see Coppola’s purest cinematic work the way it was always supposed to be seen.

Doing the Circuit

A great, cranky manYesterday was a newsy kind of day, starting with TIFF’s opening press conference and ending with me discussing the legacy of Maury Chaykin outside the former CHUM-City building on Queen West. Well, actually it ended with me seeing one of the most inexplicable major-studio releases of the year, but that’s  story for another day.

So, to break it down: Here’s my take on the TIFF presser for the NOW Daily, and here’s my quick-turnaround memoriam for Chaykin, and here’s my CTV News Channel hit about Chaykin. (A quote from that interview ended up in Sympatico’s obit later that evening — corporate synergy is indeed a powerful force.) And if I got the next link right, you should be able to see me pop up in a Global Toronto news item about TIFF’s lineup.

And looking forward, if you’re in downtown Toronto this evening and want to catch some great world cinema, come on down to Harbourfront for a free 9pm screening of Wong Kar-wai’s “In the Mood for Love“, this week’s entry in the Free Flicks series. It’s a weird choice for an open-air screening, which might make for a really unique experience. And who doesn’t want to have unique experiences?

Reaping the Rewards of Intelligent Filmmaking

It's Kubrickian!!!Well, there you go: Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” held onto the top spot at the domestic box-office for a second weekend, fending off the challenge of Angelina Jolie’s “Salt” $43.5 million to $36.5 million despite being nearly an hour longer and, by all reports, much more thinky.

“Inception” — which has grossed a healthy $143.7 million in North America so far — is turning out to be the cinematic argument starter of the summer — as divisive, in its way, as Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” was two years ago. And the media is wise to it: Over at Salon, Sam Adams has written an excellent walk-through of the movie’s plot and discusses its potential interpretations, while the New York Times’ A.O. Scott mulls the critical response (and the inevitable interweb reaction to said response) in an interesting think-piece. And Roger Ebert focuses on the canted angles in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s epic fight sequence, because other movies have used canted angles. I’m not sure I get the point of that.

I enjoy reading other critics after I’ve seen a film and written my own review, and it’s been particularly entertaining to see people interpret the film in radically different ways. To return to the same joke I humped throughout my NXNEi panel, it’s so much more fun to read intelligent people argue back and forth over an interesting movie than it is to read a hundred pans of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. There are only so many ways you can register disappointment; sure, three or four of them will be clever, but in the end you’ve still spent all your time reading about “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. And who wants to do that every week?

The Running Men

Did someone mention my name?My latest MSN Movies gallery uses “Salt” as a lever into the world of the hero on the run — someone who’s been framed for murder (or worse) and forced to disappear underground to clear his or her name.

… okay, it’s always a “his” sort of situation, which is why casting Jolie as the running woman in “Salt” seems so edgy and modern. Frankly, I’d just rather watch her go through the motions in this sort of movie than Tom Cruise. She makes for a much more interesting fugitive these days.

A Quiet Summer Weekend

There's a lot of talent in this shotJust a handful of movies opening this weekend, with the Angelina Jolie thriller “Salt” looking set to dominate … unless “Inception” succeeds in drawing audiences back for another look, of course. (Word of mouth could also pull in a few million bucks’ worth of business from those who sat out the first weekend.)

Anyway, here’s what’s on today’s megaplex menu:

Gasland“: Feel like experiencing profound environmental dread, with a couple of laughs mixed in? Josh Fox’ antic, appropriately outraged documentary about the toxic downside of hydraulic fracking — a hit at Hot Docs, and screened at the Toronto Underground Cinema last month — gets a proper theatrical berth at the Royal.

House“: I see an awful lot of movies, and let me say with no exaggeration that Nobuhiko Obayashi’s haunted-house picture is one of the most unique, crazy-assed things I’ve ever experienced. I’m very happy that Janus Films is giving it a chance to infect big-screen crowds with its particular madness before the Halloween DVD/BD release slips it into people’s homes, Ringu-style. Banana! Banana!

Ramona and Beezus“: Beverly Cleary’s young-adult books are gently updated for present-day audiences in this surprisingly sweet and engaging film, which weaves a couple of genuinely moving subplots which Joey King’s Ramona must negotiate between knocking stuff over. And if you don’t have kids, you can still enjoy the tender love story between Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Duhamel. Where the hell did that come from?

“Salt”: Angelina Jolie does the “No Way Out” thing as a CIA agent who goes on the run — to clear her name? To protect a secret? — after she’s fingered as a Russian plant. No reviews yet, but seeing Philip Noyce’s name in the director’s box gets my hopes up.

Seriously, that’s it. Two studio pictures, two rep premieres, and nothin’ else. Which is just as well, since the arrival of Mystery Dog took up all my spare time this week anyway. He’s still here, by the way, so if you know anyone who’s missing a really sweet-natured beagle mix, please pass along their contact information.

The Voluptuous Horrors of Catherine Breillat

Never were there such devoted sistersThe latest issue of NOW is out, in which I wrestle with the films and philosophy of director Catherine Breillat, who’s being celebrated by TIFF Cinematheque in a restrospective starting this week. Can’t say I’m a fan, exactly, but I do respect the consistency of her output.

In thematically related news, the AV Club’s Tasha Robinson has written an excellent essay about the challenge of separating an artist’s personal life from his or her work. With Mel Gibson’s latest self-immolation, Roman Polanski’s release from house arrest and Lindsay Lohan going to jail all in the space of a week, it’s a very relevant read. You should check it out.

Today’s Module: Videos

Remember, they know exactly what they're doingThis week’s MSN DVD column looks at television — specifically, British television, much of which is awfully good and some of which may be entirely new to you.

“Being Human”. “Look Around You”. “Last Chance to See”. “Stephen Fry in America”. I heartily recommend them all, and can suggest still others if you’re curious. The complete runs of “Spaced” and “Black Books”, for instance. Or “Coupling”, created by the same Steven Moffat who’s now doing such wonderful things with “Doctor Who”. And the wonderful panel show “QI”, which is not yet on disc over here but is viewable on the BBC’s website — though you might have to reconfigure your browser for that one.

Anyway, read the piece. And bring something home tonight. Or if you’re feeling like taking advantage of the weather, join Ali and me at Harbourfront at 9 pm for a screening of Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me“, the third in this summer’s Free Flicks series.

It’s guaranteed to be the only one where someone barfs a burger out a car window … unless my memories of “In the Mood for Love” are blurrier than I think.

“Lost”, Salvaged

If it hasn't eaten through the can, it's still goodFile this one under the heading of “Great job, AV Club!”: My favorite pop-culture omnivores have discovered there’s going to be an auction of “Lost” props next month in Los Angeles; a company called Profiles in History is about a thousand elements of the show, from Ana Lucia’s LAPD badge to Desmond’s backpack, up for sale.

My first thought was, yeah, an Apollo bar might be kinda nifty to have around. But then I looked at the preview pages and realized just how cool it could be to own “32 DHARMA Beer Cans in Varied Condition“, or the hatch’s fail-safe key, or Charlie’s Drive Shaft ring.

But if I go for anything, it’s probably going to be Desmond and Penny’s snapshot — I imagine it might be nice to have that tucked away on the piano in an understated frame, just waiting to be noticed. There’s a whole world in there.

Or Daniel’s journal. I mean, just in case.

My other other gig.