Review: "Talladega Nights" is a Ferrell-McKay Gem

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 167 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes:
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, drug references, and brief comic violence
DIRECTOR: Adam McKay
WRITERS: Will Ferrell and Adam McKay
PRODUCERS: Jimmy Miller and Judd Apatow
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Oliver Wood
EDITOR: Brent White

COMEDY/SPORTS/ACTION

Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, Houston Tumlin, Grayson Russell, Amy Adams, Greg Germann, Molly Shannon, Andy Richter, David Koechner, and Pat Hingle with Elvis Costello, Mos Def, Darrell Waltrip, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

In 2004, co-writer/director Adam McKay and co-writer/star Will Ferrell gave us Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, about a dense, arrogant, but very popular local news anchor. This month the same duo gives us Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, about a dense, arrogant, but very popular and successful NASCAR race driver. This time Ferrell and McCay have refined their process, and while Ricky Bobby is every bit as funny as Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights simply works better as a film. Talladega Nights is funny, but it’s more than just a joke fest. It has an insane comic premise, but with heart, and the cast makes the characters believable as Ricky Bobby’s family, friends, and rivals

Talladega Nights tells the story of the rise of Ricky Bobby, from a 10-year old boy (Luke Bigham) abandoned by his father, Reese Bobby (Gary Cole), to a win-at-all-cost stock car driver. At the peak of his success, Bobby has a loyal racing partner in his childhood friend, Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly), and a veteran racing crew chief in Lucius Washington (Michael Clarke Duncan). He has a “red-hot” wife, Carley Bobby (Leslie Bibb) and two sons, Walker (Houston Tumlin) and Texas Ranger (Grayson Russell). However, Larry Dennit, Jr. (Greg Germann), the owner of the racing team to which Ricky Bobby belongs adds a pompous and conceited French Formula One racer named Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) to the Dennit racing team, and Girard is gunning for Ricky Bobby. Soon, Ricky Bobby’s career crashes and burns, but with the help of his negligent and immature dad and his loving mom, Lucy Bobby (Jane Lynch), Ricky Bobby might just return to the front of the pack.

Ricky Bobby could have been some paper-thin character Will Ferrell created during his tenure on “Saturday Night Live,” but he gives the characters such depth. He’s not a caricature – this arrogant dim-wit who makes you laugh – he has humanity. In fact, the Ricky Bobby of the movie is much deeper, a much richer character than what the advertisements for Talladega Nights suggests. That’s a testament to Ferrell’s skill as a great comic actor, with an emphasis on actor. However, while Ricky Bobby is a wonderful character, having an outstanding supporting cast of characters makes Ricky Bobby even better.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is impeccably cast and performed in terms of supporting players. The actors embody their roles, such as John C. Reilly’s Cal Naughton, Jr., Gary Cole’s Reese Bobby, and Jane Lynch’s Lucy Bobby. The caricatures also work to comic perfection, including Leslie Bibb as Ricky Bobby’s wife, Carley, and Sacha Baron Cohen (“Ali G”) as Ricky Bobby’s rival, Jean Girard. Carley is the perfect send-up as the greedy, camera-hogging, ambitious celebrity wife, and Girard gives the movie a flavor of the bizarre. Michael Clarke Duncan’s Lucius Washington is the steadying center and the fatherly guide to the wacky and childish racing team, and he creates a balance between the farce and satire with the characters on one hand, and the seriousness with which the film has to take NASCAR racing on the other.

Although Talladega Nights pokes fun as NASCAR and its brawny emphasis on and robust relationship with its advertising sponsors, the film doesn’t make fun of NASCAR, its culture, or fans. The brilliance of McKay and Ferrell’s screenplay is that it is a memorable comic creation filled with the kind of eccentric and harebrained characters that make a comedy actually funny. However, they also give the comedy dramatic tension and conflict, and the characters have convincing motivation. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a farce, a comic romp, and a dramatic narrative, and not just a bag of jokes and sketch comedy scenes. But it was up to the cast to make this nice scenario work, and they certainly worked it.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, August 5, 2006

--------------------------

David Boyd Talks AMC's "The Walking Dead"

Some people who observe and write about television say that we are in a new golden age of TV.  Really, you need to have access to cable television to experience the best of TV, like AMC's critically lauded series, "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men."  AMC once again brings us something different this fall with "The Walking Dead," a horror series based upon the long-running, black and white comic book series from writer Robert Kirkman that is published by Image Comics.

The AMC blog recently posted an interview with "The Walking Dead" cinematographer, David Boyd, which you can read here or here:

The cinematographer for Friday Night Lights and Firefly explains how you make daylight terrifying, compares The Walking Dead with Westerns and describes how Walkers are more dangerous than Reavers.


Q: How did you get involved with The Walking Dead?

A: Gosh, I don't even know. I've never worked with Frank Darabont before; I think they just looked at a bunch of reels and resumes and called me up. That was it.

Q: Had you ever had a desire to shoot a zombie series?

A: No, but you know I came up through the camera department in horror movies -- I crewed on Re-Animator, From Beyond, all those Empire Pictures movies. So I'm used to things like that.

Q: Horror movies usually take place at night. This series takes place mostly during the day. What are the challenges to that?

A: I think the challenges are to just get the idea that there's something to be afraid of around every corner. Because it's daylight you're not normally scared -- we're scared at night. But the levels of this are brilliantly laid out by Frank: The rooftop is a little safer than street level, street level is really terrifying, and below street level gets safer. So the scary places start to be the safe places, and the safe places start to be the scary places.

Q: What kind of visual tricks do you use to enhance this feeling of danger?

A: Just to play it as normal as possible, and prey on the fact that everyone knows that it's scary [Laughs]. We do tricks like we make it a little cooler -- like the warmth has disappeared from the world. And we use film so that the blues come out a little stronger, but I'm trying hard to keep it purely on a psychological level. Also, it's normal policy to make a camera perfectly level with the horizon, but not here. We don't do the obvious tilt left or right, but all things are a little bit off. My aim is to make it off-kilter enough to where there's just something subconsciously wrong with every image -- it starts to become a world where nothing's right.

Q: You're responsible for the show's lighting and color, but your source material is a black and white comic. What inspiration can you draw from it?

A: Oh all kinds. Everything comes from the comic book. And then Frank's taken it to its own place where it needs to be for us. Photographically all I've done is take most of the color out -- I've desaturated things and I'll bleed the color out. It's still a color image, it's still acceptable for television (because you can't put a black and white show on television any more) --

Q: You'd like to try, I take it?

A: I would love to try. I think we should just do it! Any convention out there I think we should put our foot through it. That said, we have to do it with color, so we'll just take the color out a bit, and bring it back within the realm of what was originally intended by Kirkman.

Q: Is that a situation where the decision to shoot on 16mm film is useful?

A: 16mm is the perfect choice. Regardless if we did it in HD or 35mm film, we'd add grain in the end to make it have this look. It calls up the language of what we're used to seeing in a horror film. George Romero's stuff was all grainy. It's like looking at a documentary, and you instantly get into the 16mm documentary world. And if you take those same cameras and put them into The Walking Dead, it begins to be a believable, real experience. We were looking at a day exterior the other day, and it actually becomes scary -- the moment when you realize it's possible to do something this frightful in broad daylight.

Q: You're used to shooting Westerns, having shot a few episodes of Deadwood and all of Firefly. Do you see any Western themes in The Walking Dead?

A: [Laughs] Yeah, I think that's encapsulated in Rick Grimes, right? I actually find myself thinking about Firefly from time to time on set. In both we made the choice not to embellish an image -- in my lexicon it would be not adding backlight, which is a product of working on a soundstage. In a practical location like where we are, we choose not to make it pretty, and to instead have it be a bunch of people on the edge of life.

Q: Speaking of Firefly, which is scarier: Reavers or Walkers?

A: You know those Reavers were awful scary, but these Walkers don't have a purpose other than to eat things. So they're slower, but they're more inexorable. They're just not going to stop, no matter what, so I'd go for the Walkers. The Walkers occupy my thoughts at night a lot more than the Reavers. The Reavers I could kind of laugh off. [Laughs]


"The Walking Dead" premieres this October.

Review: "Kick Ass" Stumbles; Hit Girl Soars

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kick Ass (2010)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS: Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (based upon the comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.)
PRODUCERS: Adam Bohling, Tarquin Pack, Brad Pitt, David Reid, Kris Thykier, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Davis (director of photography)
EDITORS: Eddie Hamilton, Jon Harris, and Pietro Scalia

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/CRIME/COMEDY

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Strong, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Lyndsy Fonseca, Clark Duke, Evan Peters, Stu “Large” Riley, Xander Berkeley, and Garrett M. Brown

The film, Kick Ass, is based upon Kick-Ass, an eight-issue comic book series from writer Mark Millar (the creator of Wanted) and John Romita, Jr. The comic book, filled with violent imagery, profanity, racism, and misogyny (among many controversial elements) is utterly deranged, but hugely entertaining. Kick Ass the movie isn’t as deranged as it thinks it is, nor is it as entertaining as its source material.

The film follows Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a high school student/geek and comic-book fanboy. Dave has been thinking about taking his obsession with comic books and making it real by become a real-life superhero. He chooses “Kick-Ass” as his superhero name and transforms a green wetsuit with yellow stripes into his costume. Dave has absolutely no superpowers, however, and the first time he tries to fight crime turns into a disaster.

Dave’s continued activities bring him into contact with another pair of real-life superheroes, a father-daughter team who are more costumed vigilantes than superheroes. Eleven-year-old Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), who seems inhumanely good with bladed weapons, and her father, the Batman-like Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), are waging war on Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), a local drug kingpin. And Kick-Ass gets dragged into the blood and mayhem.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn and co-written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kick Ass makes some nice changes to the original comic book (such as the reasons for Big Daddy’s campaign). Still, the movie is awkward, mainly because the narrative oscillates between two storylines: (1) Dave Lizewski’s adventures as Kick-Ass and (2) Big Daddy and Hit Girl’s war against Frank D’Amico. The action focusing on Big Daddy and Hit Girl is far more interesting than the adventures of Kick-Ass.

In fact, Dave and his friends just aren’t that interesting. They’re all stock characters, and Vaughn and Goldman aren’t able to inject anything into them that would make them worthy following. The only time Dave’s story is interesting is when he is with a new superhero calling himself Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) or with Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Big Daddy and Hit Girl, especially the latter, are such fun that I wish they were the title characters. They even have the best adversaries in Frank D’Amico, a crime boss with great screen presence, and his gleefully malevolent underlings.

Kick Ass isn’t bad; the story just pretends to love Kick-Ass, while making Big Daddy and Hit Girl so alluring. The comic book made the most of its loveable loser Dave Lizewski, but the movie makes him nondescript in a story that is ostensibly about him. For all its wanton violence, foul language, and sexual content, Kick Ass is comical when it wants to be subversive. It is worth watching if only to wish we could see more Hit Girl in action.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, August 05, 2010

------------------------

Prince of Persia in September; Trailer Available Now

Back during the run-up to the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a friend of mine told me that he had no idea what it was about, even after seeing a trailer for the movie.  Maybe, it will help some of you to see it again:

Prince of Persia on DVD September 14th

Unlock the Secrets, Explore the Mystery

From the Producer of Pirates Of The Caribbean, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films Presents

PRINCE OF PERSIA: The Sands of Time

Starring Academy Award® Nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, Academy, Award® Winner Sir Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina and Gemma Arterton

On Disney Blu-ray, DVD and Movie Download Tuesday September 14

Burbank, Calif., August 2, 2010— The mystery and legends of an ancient time will be experienced like never before when Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time arrives on 3-Disc Blu-ray™ Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy), 1-Disc Blu-ray and 1- Disc DVD on September 14, 2010 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the perfect film to experience the cinematic magic of Blu-ray – the pristine 1080p picture and DTS-HD Master Audio sound quality enhance the explosive action and special effects – and contains more bonus features than the DVD.

Academy Award® nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (2005, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Brokeback Mountain), Academy Award® winner Sir Ben Kingsley (1982, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Gandhi), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, The Da Vinci Code) and Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans, Quantum of Solace) lead the international cast in this epic action-adventure film filled with spectacular visual effects, exotic locales and breathtaking action. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, National Treasure) and directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time boasts a sandstorm of bonus features that bring viewers deep into the mystical lands of Persia and unlock the secrets behind the scenes of this imaginative and entertaining adventure. The combo-pack exclusive ―Sands of Time‖ feature gives fans control of the Dagger of Time, allowing them to rewind time and uncover behind the scenes magic in over 40 spellbinding segments.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is available in a 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy), 1-Disc Blu-ray, and 1-Disc DVD and Movie Download.

Synopsis:
In the spirit of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films transport you to the mystical lands of Persia for this wildly entertaining, epic action-adventure. It‘s a race against time when a rogue prince (Jake Gyllenhaal) reluctantly teams up with a rival princess (Gemma Arterton) to safeguard a magical dagger that gives its possessor the power to reverse time and rule the world. Filled with death-defying escapes and unexpected twists at every turn – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a fun-filled adventure that will keep your pulse pounding long after the credits end.

DVD Bonus Feature:
An Unseen World: Making Prince of Persia – A look behind the scenes on the set of the film.

1-Disc Blu-ray Bonus Feature:
All of above DVD bonus plus Deleted Scene – The Banquet: Garsiv Presents Heads

3-Disc Combo Pack Bonus Features:
All of the above DVD and Blu-ray bonus features plus CineExplore: The Sands of Time – Take control of the dagger and use it to unlock secrets behind your favorite scenes! Turn back time and uncover over 40 spellbinding segments – including ―Walking Up Walls,‖ ―Filming in Morocco‖, and ―Ostrich Jockey Tryouts‖ – with this exclusive interactive feature. Blu-ray puts you in control!

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time STREET DATE: September 14, 2010
Direct prebook: July 20, 2010
Distributor prebook: August 3, 2010
Suggested retail price: 1-Disc DVD - US: $29.99 Canada: $35.99
1-Disc Blu-ray Disc - US: $39.99 Canada: $44.99
3-Disc BD Combo Pack – US: $44.99 Canada: $51.99
Feature run time: Approx. 116 minutes
Rated: US ‗PG-13‘; Canada: ‘PG‘
Aspect ratio: 1 Disc DVD: 480i / Widescreen 2.40:1
Blu-ray Disc: 1080p High Definition Widescreen
Sound: 1 Disc DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French, Spanish,
English 2.0 DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Blu-ray Disc: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
(48kHz/24-bit), English 2.0 DVS, French and Spanish
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish


About Disney Combo Packs:
To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney classics, in 2008 WDSHE pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD and in some cases a Digital Copy of the movie in a single package. Current 2010 Disney titles available as Combo Packs include Alice in Wonderland, Ponyo, Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Princess and the Frog.

About Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment:
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product, which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc™ and electronic distribution. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is a division of The Walt Disney Studios.

Review: "Wanted" is Trash Cinema, Thank God!

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

Wanted (2008)
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language, and some sexuality
DIRECTOR: Timur Bekmambetov
WRITERS: Michael Brandt & Derek Haas and Chris Morgan; from a story by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (based upon the comic book series, Wanted, by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones)
PRODUCERS: Jim Lemley, Jason Netter, Marc E. Platt, and Iain Smith
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mitchell Amundsen
EDITOR: David Brenner and Dallas Puett
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
Academy Awards nominee

ACTION/FANTASY/THRILLER

Starring: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Kristen Hager, Marc Warren, and Chris Pratt

Once upon a time, the summer movie season meant trashy R-rated movies – big budget affairs full of foul-mouthed villains and heroes. Special effects weren’t used to create dinosaurs, talking dragons, or fairy tale lands populated by fairy creatures. Special effects were used to create loud car chases and blood spurting from gunshot wounds. Everything from Lethal Weapon and Die Hard to The Long Kiss Goodnight and Bad Boys II offered hard-R violence.

This sadistic nonsense is just what director Timur Bekmambetov offers in his new movie, Wanted. Anyone who has seen the Russian-Kazakh Bekmambetov’s films, Night Watch and Day Watch, which are hugely popular in Russia, knows that the director loves slow motion camera work and special effects that play with film speed. Just seeing the commercials for any of his films, including Wanted, will give the viewer a good idea of the kind of bracing, heart-stopping thrills Bekmambetov’s flicks offer. He makes junk action movies, but does it with the skill of an artist. Wanted is everything that is politically incorrect about a summer movie: implausible gun fights, explosions, automobile-crunching car chases, bullet-riddled bodies and exploding craniums, with a side of bare ass.

In Wanted, 25-year-old Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a disaffected, cube-dwelling drone account, and he’s probably the world’s biggest nobody. His girlfriend cheats on him with his best friend. Wes wiles away the days, dying in his slow, clock-punching rut until he met a gun-toting, action-oriented woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie). Fox recruits Wes into The Fraternity, a centuries-old, secret society of assassins led by the enigmatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman).

The Fraternity shows Wes how to awaken his dormant powers, which grant him heightened senses and super human abilities. As Fox teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes learns that members of The Fraternity live by an ancient, unbreakable code: carry out the death orders given by fate itself – assassinating people who are destined to bring death and chaos to large numbers of human. Wesley learns that his father, who abandoned Wes when he was 7 days old, was a member of The Fraternity. Now, Wes has a chance to kill Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), the man who murdered his father and who betrayed The Fraternity. But who is Cross, and what secrets does he hold for Wesley and The Fraternity?

Wanted is based upon the superhero comic book series, Wanted by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, although the film version drops much of the comic book, especially the superhero elements. Wanted the movie retains the imaginative, weird fantasy spirit of superhero comics, but makes it trashy and vulgar like the films and fake commercials in Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse. It’s not being unfair to call Wanted trashy and bad because it is. Even in the context of a world where super-powered assassins exist, Wanted is inconsistent in its own mythology and lacks internal logic.

The acting is plain bad, and neither Morgan Freeman nor Angelina Jolie attempt to make any pretense that they’re interested in this movie. Except for a few inspired moments, both of these Oscar-winning actors seem to be phoning in their performances, and the rest of the cast play characters that are poorly developed or have too small a part to make any difference (like Common’s Gunsmith character). I still fail to see why there is such buzz about James McAvoy (Atonement, The Last King of Scotland) being the next big thing. He’s actually horrible miscast in this film – he can play hapless, but can’t pull off the badass type that’s required for most of this film. Still, McAvoy is a good enough actor, and at least he works hard enough to out perform everyone else in Wanted.

Ultimately, what makes Wanted so much fun to watch is the work of director Timur Bekmambetov. His ingenuity in inventing new and myriad ways to attack and defend and ambush and annihilate is simply awesome. Some may find the relentless violence exhausting or be sickened by the glamorization of murder as a fun, sexy pastime. But Wanted is badass and filled with original visual thrills; the elaborate passenger train sequence alone is worth the price of a ticket. I expect summer movies – the good, the bad, and the trash – to thrill me, and Wanted did, plain and simple.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2009 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Sound” (Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, and Petr Forejt) and “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Wylie Stateman)

-------------------------------

Back to the Future Trilogy on Blu-Ray in October

ONE OF THE BIGGEST MOTION PICTURE TRILOGIES COMES TO BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

BACK TO THE FUTURE - 25TH ANNIVERSARY TRILOGY

NEWLY RESTORED, EXPERIENCE BACK TO THE FUTURE LIKE NEVER BEFORE WITH MORE THAN TWO HOURS OF NEW BONUS FEATURES

AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON BLU-RAY & DVD OCTOBER 26, 2010 FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA. At 88 miles per hour, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd took millions of spellbound viewers on a high-flying voyage across the space-time continuum in a trio of wildly inventive tales that broke box-office records around the world. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Academy Award®-winning cinematic franchise that generated nearly one billion dollars worldwide, the Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy will debut on Blu-rayTM on October 26, 2010 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The 25th Anniversary Trilogy will also be available on DVD.

Now, for the first time ever, the past, present and future collide in eye-popping high definition for a time-traveling celebration featuring new 25th Anniversary restorations for perfect picture and the purest digital sound. More than two hours of all new bonus features have been added, including an all-new, six-part retrospective documentary featuring never-before-seen interviews with the cast, crew and filmmakers, including Michael J. Fox, for the definitive Back to the Future experience.

On October 26, 1985, Marty McFly took the driver‚s seat in Dr. Emmet Brown's DeLorean and introduced audiences to Back to the Future, a journey that launched a new era of moviemaking magic and reinvented the adventure-comedy genre. The film, which spent 11 weeks at #1 at the U.S. box office, boasts a legendary Hollywood pedigree that includes director Robert Zemeckis, executive producers Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, producer and screenwriter Bob Gale and producer Neil Canton. Accompanying Fox and Lloyd on their warp-speed tour of McFly family history are an array of stars including Lea Thompson ("Caroline in the City"), Crispin Glover (Hot Tub Time Machine), Thomas F. Wilson ("Big Love"), Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Billy Zane (Titanic), Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Mary Steenburgen (The Proposal) as well as 1980s musical icons Huey Lewis and ZZ Top.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO Blu-rayTM: Unleash the power of your HDTV with perfect picture and the purest digital sound available.

U-CONTROL: Universal's exclusive signature feature allows viewers to learn more about their favorite film without ever leaving the movie.

Setups & Payoffs: As you watch each of the three films, each „set up‰ showcases items in the scene that prepare you for a future plot point. When you get to that moment in the film, the „payoff‰ is shown to complete the correlation.

Storyboard Comparison: Compare key scenes in the movie with the original storyboards.

Trivia Track: Get inside trivia and facts while you watch the movies.

BD-LIVETM: Access the BD-LiveTM Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more!

My Scenes: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movies.

pocket BLU˙: USHE's groundbreaking pocket BLU app uses iPhone®, iPod® touch, iPad®, Blackberry®, Android˙, Windows and Macintosh computers and more to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-rayTM player and offers advanced features such as:

Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray˙ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live˙ functions with ease.

Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in their favorite episode.

Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray˙ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there‚s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU˙-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray˙. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.

Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray˙ player with your device‚s easy and intuitive keyboard.

Archival Featurette Back to the Future Night: Hosted by Leslie Nielson, this original 30-minute special aired on NBC prior to the first television screening of the Back to the Future.

BLU-RAYTM and DVD BONUS FEATURES

Tales from the Future: New six-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Director Robert Zemeckis, Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, plus Executive Producer Steven Spielberg.*

In the Beginning . . .: Delve into the genesis of the project, casting, re-casting, the DeLorean, sets and overall pre-production.

Time to Go: Production stories through the release of the first film.

Keeping Time: The score and the songs of the Back to the Future Trilogy.

Time Flies: Learn more about how the sequel came about, the futuristic look, the special and visual effects, recreating 1955 and more.

Third Time's the Charm: Learn about building a western town, Doc Brown‚s love story, the casting of Mary Steenburgen, the train sequence and completing the Trilogy.

The Test of Time: Back to the Future becomes a phenomenon! President Reagan quotes the film, the Back to the Future ride opens at Universal Studios theme park and fans rebuild the iconic DeLorean. The film‚s cast and crew take a look back and discuss why these beloved movies live on.

The Physics of Back To The Future: A discussion with celebrity best-selling author and physicist Dr. Michio Kaku about the overall appreciation of the science in the Back to the Future Trilogy*

Nuclear Test Site Ending Storyboard Sequence: Storyboard sequence of the original proposed ending of the film.*

16 Deleted Scenes
Michael J. Fox Q&A
Q&A Commentaries with Director Robert Zemeckis and Producer Bob Gale
Feature Commentaries with Producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton
Archival Featurettes
Making the Trilogy: Chapters One, Two & Three: Original 2002 DVD documentary that takes a look back in time.
The Making Of Back to the Future Part I, II & III: Provides a vintage and historic first look at the making of all three films.
The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy: a televised special hosted by Kirk Cameron addressing fans unanswered Back to the Future questions.
Behind-the-Scenes
Outtakes
Original Makeup Tests
Production Design
Storyboarding
Designing the DeLorean
Designing Time Travel
Hoverboard Test
Designing Hill Valley
Designing the Campaign
Back to the Future: The Ride

Music Videos:
Huey Lewis and the News "Power of Love"
ZZ Top "DoubleBack"

Photo Galleries, Including Production Art, Additional Storyboards, Photographs, Marketing Materials and Character Portraits

Theatrical Trailers

* Denotes new footage debuting on the 25th Anniversary Trilogy

SYNOPSES:
Back to the Future
From the Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis comes Back to the Future, the original, groundbreaking adventure that sparked one of the most successful trilogies in Hollywood history. When teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is blasted to 1955 in the DeLorean time machine created by the eccentric Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), he finds himself mixed up in a time-shattering chain reaction that could vaporize his future˜and leave him trapped in the past. Powered by innovative special effects, unforgettable songs and non-stop action, Back to the Future is an unrivaled adventure that stands the test of time.

Back to the Future Part II
Getting back was only the beginning as the most spectacular time-travel adventure ever continues in Back to the Future Part II˜the sequel that proves that lightning can strike twice! Picking up precisely where they left off, Marty and Doc (Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd) launch themselves to the year 2015 to fine-tune the future and inadvertently disrupt the space-time continuum. Now, their only chance to fix the present is by going back to 1955 again before it‚s too late. From Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future Part II provides more of the timeless excitement that made Back to the Future an unforgettable adventure.

Back to the Future Part III
They've saved the biggest trip for last as the most popular time-traveling movie trilogy ever comes to a rousing conclusion in Back to the Future Part III. Stranded in 1955 after a freak accident, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) discovers he must travel back to 1885 to rescue Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) before he becomes smitten with schoolteacher Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen). Now, it's up to Marty to keep Doc out of trouble, get the DeLorean running, and put the past, present and future on track so they can all get back to where˜and when˜they belong. From the Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future Part III is a spectacular grand finale to the unforgettable blockbuster series.


About Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY˙:
Street Date: October 26, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61112394
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, 1.85:1
Rating: PG
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish DTS Surround 5.1, French DTS Surround 5.1
Run Time: Back To The Future ˆ 1 hour, 56 minutes
Back To The Future II ˆ 1 hour, 48 minutes
Back To The Future III ˆ 1 hour, 58 minutes

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD
Street Date: October 26, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61114696
Layers: Dual
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Rating: PG
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Run Time: Back To The Future ˆ 1 hour, 56 minutes
Back To The Future II ˆ 1 hour, 48 minutes
Back To The Future III ˆ 1 hour, 58 minutes