Want to be a couch tourist? That just got a whole lot easier thanks to Visions of Europe, out on Blu-ray from Acorn Media on September 20.
Visions is a beautifully-shot aerial tour of various locales throughout the continent, showing a variety of wonders both natural and manmade. The six-disc set seems custom-made for Americans who are unable to travel across the Atlantic, and at times it's almost too tantalizing. The aerial shots that comprise the set, though, provide vantage points unattainable to even people who have walked the streets of the locations shown.
While the shots of this 2009 series are undeniably beautiful, the narration is a little vapid, with heavily accented (according to the location) narrators giving typical spiels about the locations shown, often poorly mixed with music that drowns out the voiceover altogether. My advice? Turn the volume down on the program and crank up some classical music on your stereo instead.
Visions is a beautifully-shot aerial tour of various locales throughout the continent, showing a variety of wonders both natural and manmade. The six-disc set seems custom-made for Americans who are unable to travel across the Atlantic, and at times it's almost too tantalizing. The aerial shots that comprise the set, though, provide vantage points unattainable to even people who have walked the streets of the locations shown.
While the shots of this 2009 series are undeniably beautiful, the narration is a little vapid, with heavily accented (according to the location) narrators giving typical spiels about the locations shown, often poorly mixed with music that drowns out the voiceover altogether. My advice? Turn the volume down on the program and crank up some classical music on your stereo instead.
- 9/19/2011
- by Sam McPherson
- TVovermind.com
DVD Playhouse—September 2009
By
Allen Gardner
The Human Condition (Criterion) Masaki Kobayashi’s epic (574 minutes) adaptation of Junpei Gomikawa’s six-volume novel was originally made and released as three separate films (1959-61), and is rightfully regarded as a landmark of Japanese cinema. Candide-like story of naïve, good-hearted Kaiji (Japanese superstar Tatsuya Nakadai) from labor camp supervisor, to Imperial Army solider, to Soviet Pow, and Kaiji’s struggle to maintain his humanity throughout. Unfolds with the mastery of a great novel, beautifully-shot, and a stunning example of cinematic mastery on the part of its makers. Four-disc set bonuses include: Interview with Kobayashi; Interview with Nakadai; Featurette; Trailer; Essay by critic Philip Kemp. Widescreen. Dolby 3.0 surround.
State Of Play (Universal) Russell Crowe stars as a veteran Washington D.C. political reporter investigating the murder of an aide to a rising congressional star (Ben Affleck), who also happens to be an old friend.
By
Allen Gardner
The Human Condition (Criterion) Masaki Kobayashi’s epic (574 minutes) adaptation of Junpei Gomikawa’s six-volume novel was originally made and released as three separate films (1959-61), and is rightfully regarded as a landmark of Japanese cinema. Candide-like story of naïve, good-hearted Kaiji (Japanese superstar Tatsuya Nakadai) from labor camp supervisor, to Imperial Army solider, to Soviet Pow, and Kaiji’s struggle to maintain his humanity throughout. Unfolds with the mastery of a great novel, beautifully-shot, and a stunning example of cinematic mastery on the part of its makers. Four-disc set bonuses include: Interview with Kobayashi; Interview with Nakadai; Featurette; Trailer; Essay by critic Philip Kemp. Widescreen. Dolby 3.0 surround.
State Of Play (Universal) Russell Crowe stars as a veteran Washington D.C. political reporter investigating the murder of an aide to a rising congressional star (Ben Affleck), who also happens to be an old friend.
- 9/26/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
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