DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Million Dollar Baby - Three Disc Deluxe Edition (VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) (1 Viewer)

[Jack Briggs]

My vendor really broke the street date and I had my copy by Thursday. On Saturday, I sat down to screen this thing. And, unfortunately, I find my opinion if not quite negative then not up there with those praising the film. I'll rescreen in a couple of weeks.

As for the video and audio quality, I'll agree with the review.

 

[Shad R]

This was my favorite movie of last year. I loved it. I rented it, and will hopefully be able to view it with a few friends tonight. I'll just wait a month and buy it used for $6.99. That's right, my local video store sells previously veiwed movies for 6.99. Considering every copy was still on the shelf about an hour ago, it'll only have been viewed a few times. My town is wierd. Aparently, all the copies of "Darkness" still get reserved for Friday and Saturday nights, but no one cares about Milion $ Baby. No joke.

 

[MichelleB]

I just got my copy of it this afternoon. I will probably watch it this weekend. I can't wait...it's such a great movie!

 

[Steve Tannehill]

It is largely a variation on one theme, played on either an acoustic guitar, or on piano, with strings eventually added in the background. Just clicking around track-to-track, it's practically the same song over-and-over again.

You might be able to hear samples on amazon.com.

- Steve

 

[al lout]

I got a copy of the 2 discs widescreen at Blockbuster. Thanks to the free dvd coupon on the switch over promo. Anyway, I got a question. The 2 discs copy that I got doesn't have the inserts inside. Is this normal? Can anyone with the 2 discs version please confirm this? I've just done watching the movie. Great movie. Could not agree more with Herb. Great review, thanks...

 

[MichelleB]

Yeah, no worries, I just bought the 2-disc edition and there is no inserts in it...

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hmmm...well....where do I begin?

Boxing movies. I can take 'em or leave 'em.
Despite all the hoopla surrounding Million
Dollar Baby when it was released theatrically
and later winning Best Picture, I really had
little interest in rushing to watch the film.

I don't generally enjoy the movie theater
experience so having to wait the couple extra
months for the DVD release suited me fine.

In the meantime I heard incredible word-of-mouth
from co-workers, and even saw a lot of articles
about the film following its Academy Award win
praising the film and its "sudden twist" that
people were being very careful not to divulge.

Me? I love films that contain a sudden twist.
Honestly, I thought I had Million Dollar Baby
figured out long before I popped that DVD in the
player last night.


I figured it was the story of a woman boxer who
with the aid of her trainer comes up the ranks but
then a secret is revealed about her past, perhaps
involving a hideous crime such as a murder.



Oh yeah, I certainly had that film's plot nailed
right from the start.

So I'm about 70 minutes into the movie and I'm
thinking that Million Dollar Baby is certainly
an above-average boxing film but certainly nothing
extraordinary.

Then the twist comes.....

For the last 40 minutes of the film I found
myself on an emotional rollercoaster ride. The
film suddenly turned into something that it never
started out to be. It's as if I found myself inside
an entirely different film, but if not for everything
that transpired before this moment, I would not have
cried as much as I did.

I am simply shocked. I expected the film to be
one thing, and it turned out to be something far
and above what my imagination could have conjured.

And that's a great thing to happen when watching
a film!

I never imagined something like this to come from
the likes of Clint Eastwood as both a director and
an actor. In all the years this gentleman has been
making films, Million Dollar Baby has got to
be his crowning achievement.

With all the crap that has been playing in theaters
these past few months it's refreshing to see that
there is still someone in Hollywood who still knows
what it takes to make great films.

The DVD transfer is beautiful! Like Herb stated
in his review, there is a real gritty feel to the
picture but I also found there to be moments of
warmth that were well detailed. Colors and skin
tones look very accurate. I failed to see any
problems with the transfer.

I can't recommend this film enough! I actually
want to see this again as soon as I am able.

 

[MichelleB]

WOW!! I couldn't have said it better myself.

I have told everyone I know that they HAVE to see this movie.

 

[Holadem]

Such phrases have setup expectations that the movie failed to deliver. I don't think it's really appropriate to call that turn of events a twist.

In any case, the movie fell flat for me in the third act, which I felt I spent waiting for Frank to come around to doing what everyone wanted him to do, including himself. The rich dialogue, budding relationship and charm of the first two acts dissapeared in favor of a moral conflict which just didn't resonate.

Still, a very good movie.

--
H

 

[Robert Crawford]

However, since we're all different and bring our own personal baggage to the party there will always be some people in which this film will not register very highly with. Even so, I guess you can say that about every film including the greatest films ever made. So much for different strokes for different folks.




Crawdaddy

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Oh yeah!

- Steve

 

[Aaron Silverman]

If only more people had been very careful about it. . .to me, it seemed like all sorts of people were overanxious to discuss the details of the plot. I knew exactly how the movie ended shortly after it came out, despite actually trying to avoid it! Still haven't seen it.

 

[Richard Kim]

Just watched the DVD last night. Unfortunately, I had the ending spoiled for me by news reports about the 'controversy' of the film.

I have a feeing the 'twist' was the main reason why the film got Best Picture. Since I already knew the ending, I guess I didn't get the full emotional impact, although I got choked up when

Clint finally told Hillary what Mo cuishle meant.

 

[MichelleB]

It stinks that someone ruined the ending for you guys. I hate it when people do that. That was not the case for me thank god and let me tell you that even after seeing it for the second time it was still hard for me to watch when:

She hits her head on the stool and then we hear that crunching sound.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Only time will tell, but I don't see Clint Eastwood ranking in the tops of all-time greatest directors anytime soon. Those sacred cows ain't moving anywhere until the current generation of film scholars and critics aren't working anymore and a new generation comes in with new ideas.

Sorry for the sidebar, but the point of the highlighted quote was that there wan an article with the Oscar-nominated directors of the 2004 class, and I think Cold Mountain's director (his name escapes me at the moment) remarked that Clint Eastwood works very fast and efficiently.

Given that Clint is pretty no nonsense and the casts he works with is very professional, I'm not surprised they get the job done quickly.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It really doesn't matter, he's an icon and will always be remembered as such. People will look back on his career and will take note of his films as an actor and his resume of films he directed and produced that reaped him four Oscars so far. Film history will most likely by very kind to Eastwood as a filmmaker.

 

[Tim Glover]

Mega Dittos. And another thing is how unique it is for someone who can act like Eastwood does, Direct, and write a score. Now that's TALENT !

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Heck, he even won public office!

 

[Steve Tannehill]

He's already there, having won two more Best Director Oscars than Martin Scorsese, and even one more than Antnony Minghella (your quoted director of "Cold Mountain").

He's directed 25 films. As Robert says, film history will be kind to Clint Eastwood--it is already.

- Steve

 

[Tim Glover]

Agree.

I'm not saying that Eastwood is the greatest director of all time. I do feel that he is one of the greats. And I don't think we have really appreciated what he does. The acting, directing, scores etc...are unique. There may have been someone before him who did that? Regardless, it's not just that he does those things- He just happens to do those things EXTREMELY WELL.

M$B is just his latest. I don't think he's done either. :b