Yet for some reason it’s never quite happened for her. She’s never had that breakthrough film that other actresses of a similar ilk (Sandra Bullock for example) managed to get. Of course, she’s hardly helping herself on that front as she seems to play the same character in every film she’s in. Perhaps she’s just given up and realised that she’ll always be ‘Rachel from Friends’, so why try and fight it anymore?

Whatever the reason, she’ll no doubt make a decent living churning out the same sort of film year after year and, as she still looks incredible well into her forties, she can probably make this career last a while longer yet.

It’s just a shame in my opinion because I’d like to see her try something different, whether that be out and out action or a dramatic role, but I think I’ll be disappointed.

Gerard Butler on the other hand seems to be able to try his hand to anything, and his dabbling in the romantic comedy genre is a welcome sight for someone who, let’s face it, isn’t pretty-boy styled guy you usually see in these films.

So, the two main stars aside, what of the film? The Bounty Hunter takes the premise of something that every guy who’s ever been divorced would dream about doing. Milo (Butler) is a bounty hunter. His job is to bring people in to custody when they skip out on bail, usually for fairly minor charges such as driving offenses. He’s down on his luck (having divorced his wife) and lives like a bum – no surprise perhaps that he used to be a cop.

Nicole Hurley (Aniston), his ex-wife, is doing much better for herself. She’s a successful reporter and she’s working on a big story that could expose police corruption and a murder that nobody knew had been committed. However, she’s also due in court for assaulting a police officer – a court appointment that she misses.

You can guess the next part. Milo is given the task of bringing his ex-wife into custody, a task that he attacks with the relish of a man wanting to finally get even – legally.

Naturally she doesn’t go quietly, and two play cat and mouse for a while until Milo realises that firstly, he still loves her and secondly, someone is trying to kill her. Anniston plays this role as she’s played every role beforehand, as an older, not so wiser, version of Rachel from Friends. Gerard Butler seems to be enjoying himself (rumours of a real-life romance on set between the two may explain why) and his infectious enthusiasm shines through on film.

All in all, The Bounty Hunter is a pretty by-the-numbers romantic comedy where two former lovers find that they’re still in love, while someone tries to kill them – much like ‘Did You Hear About The Morgans?’, which was released in the same year, and even has a trailer on this Blu-Ray.

There’s nothing really new here, but it is very entertaining. It is shame however that Nicole’s mother Kitty (Christine Baranski) didn’t feature more in the film, as her three (yes just three) scenes were all stand out moments.

Cameron James (Gordon-Levitt) is the new kid at high school and quickly finds himself attracted to Bianca Stratford (Oleynik), a cute if not somewhat superficial girl whose father (Miller) forbids her to date … that is, unless her short-tempered older sister Kat (Stiles) does. So, Cameron asks the only guy in school capable of taming this shrew, Patrick Verona (Ledger), a rebel with a colourful reputation. At first, he’s not interested, but when the school’s reigning pretty boy, Joey Donner (Keegan), offers him a lot of money to date Kat (he also wants to date Bianca), Patrick takes him up on his offer. The only problem is that the more he gets to know Kat, the more he finds himself attracted to her.

From the opening strains of “One Week” by the Barenaked Ladies playing over the opening credits, you instantly know that you’re watching a film made in the 1990s. Their bouncy, catchy music is playing on Bianca’s car stereo as she and her friends drive to school. The song is their ideal theme music and is quickly drowned out “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett, blasting away on Kat’s car stereo as she drives by. Another ‘90s indicator is the introduction of the various school cliques that Michael Eckman (Krumholtz) gives Cameron on his first day: there’s the white Rastas, cowboys, coffee drinkers and future MBA’s. I must be showing my age but I don’t remember any of these cliques when I went to school but I guess that’s kinda the point.

It’s amazing to see how young and fresh-faced Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles are in 10 Things I Hate About You. She plays a Sarah Lawrence-accepted feminist who reads The Bell Jar in her spare time and he uses a switchblade in biology class and likes to play with fire. Ledger and Stiles have fun playing high school rebels and have undeniable chemistry together. One could see even then the talent both of them had as they skillfully inhabit their respective characters and have with the clever, sometimes saucy script. Still fresh from his stint on 3rd Rock from the Sun (which he was still doing at the time), Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an earnest high schooler of the squeaky clean variety and does a fine job, although this role hardly hints at the diverse characters he would soon tackle.

10 Things I Hate About You is a snapshot of the late ‘90s teen comedy that didn’t feel the need to resort to cheap gross-out gags and actually has a brain in its head. Teen comedies nowadays seem so shallow with very little thought put into them. The film also features a pretty diverse soundtrack, featuring the likes of George Clinton, Notorious B.I.G., the Cardigans, and Letters to Cleo. Ultimately, 10 Things is about opposites attracting and how young people attempt to get past public perceptions and get to know one another, falling in love with who they really are.

Special Features:

If you already own a copy of this film and are a fan then this edition is definitely worth purchasing. While there are only two extras they are substantial.

“10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You 10 Years Later” is a fairly in-depth retrospective featurette with director Gil Junger and screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kristen Smith returning to talk about how it all came together. Also included are interviews with the main cast members done at the time of its release. There is also some pretty nice behind-the-scenes footage, excerpts from deleted scenes, and casting footage of Heath Ledger reading for the film. For fans there is plenty of filming anecdotes but it would have been nice to see the deleted scenes given their own extra along with the casting footage.

Also included is an audio commentary by co-writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kristen Smith and actors Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Larisa Oleynik, and Susan May Pratt. The cast reminisce about the sulfur smell of Tacoma, Washington, where they shot most of the film. They also talk about how the cast bonded quickly and their initial impressions of Ledger who joined the production a week or two into shooting. With his dry humour, Krumholtz is a hoot as he recalls all kinds of filming anecdotes. This is a fun reunion of sorts as everyone jokes around with each other and looks back fondly on this film.

Damiel (Ganz) is an angel who listens in on the random thoughts of the citizens of Berlin. He is privy to their most trivial ruminations about life and themselves. He and his kind are able to move among humanity undetected except for small children who have yet to be jaded by life and can still see the world through innocent eyes. Damiel shares his daily observations with a fellow angel named Cassiel (Sander). At one point, Damiel tells his friend, “It’s wonderful to live as spirit and testify for all eternity to only what is spiritual in people’s minds.”

However, he yearns to experience the feelings and sensations that humans face on a regular basis – the every day things that most of us take for granted. Cassiel reminds Damiel that their job is to “do no more than look, gather, testify, verify, preserve … Keep the distance. Keep the word.” However, Damiel begins to seriously consider crossing over and become human when he falls in love with Marion (Dommartin), a lonely trapeze artist who longs for someone to “say a loving word to me.” He wants to be that person and is willing to sacrifice immortality for simple earthly pleasures and profound human feelings.

Bruno Ganz delivers an absolutely soulful performance with his very expressive face and, in particular, his eyes which convey so much empathy. You find yourself getting caught up in his desire to become human, all for the love of a woman.

Director of photography Henri Alekan photographs all of the scenes from the angels’ perspective in black and white while all of the scenes from the human perspective are in colour. This is a clever way of visually differentiating from what the angels experience and what we do. In addition, Wenders’ camera seemingly floats along like when it gracefully glides around a library where several angels observe humanity. It also flies over the city, providing a god’s eye view of Berlin as the angels watch over us.

Wings of Desire is Wenders’ masterpiece, a thoughtful meditation on what it is to be human. His film draws attention to the little things in life that we tend to forget about by presenting us with a character that cannot experience them. Wenders does this through a screenplay immersed in fascinating philosophical musings and complements them with absolutely stunning visuals that stay with you days after.

Special Features:

The first disc features an audio commentary that actually consists of excerpts of interviews with director Wim Wenders and actor Peter Falk over several years. Wenders talks about the origins of Wings of Desire – it was a return to his hometown of Berlin after spending eight years in the United States. He had planned to make another film but it was too complex and expensive. He had to come up with another idea and quick or the production company he had assembled would break up. This fascinating anecdote is only one of many engaging stories as the two men tell all kinds of filming tales. They do a good job of taking us through the making of this film.

Also included are the German theatrical trailer and an amusing “Wen Wunderts” promo trailer.

The second disc features the bulk of the extra material, starting off with “The Angels Among Us,” a 2003 documentary where key cast and crew members are interviewed. Wenders wanted to make a film about Berlin, the way he remembered it when he was young. Peter Handke talks about his unconventional approach to the script. For the two main angels, Wenders cast Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander based on their 20-year friendship and working relationship. Everyone speaks quite eloquently about their experiences making Wings of Desire.

“Cinema Cinemas” features an interview with Wenders from the February 17, 1987 episode of this French television program. We see Wenders at work on the set of Wings of Desire with his cast and crew shooting scenes from the film.

Also included are nine deleted scenes with commentary by Wenders and outtakes but only with music. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of footage of the angels observing humanity. The outtakes feature all sorts of beautiful shots of Berlin.

There is also a gallery of production design photographs that also highlight the film’s gorgeous art direction. Included are captions that comment on some of these stills.

Also included is an interview excerpt from an interview with director of photography Henri Alekan done in November 1985. He talks about the challenge of achieving the right tone and atmosphere in a film.

“Alekan la Lumiere” features excerpts from a 1985 documentary where Alekan talks to Wenders about his cinematic techniques. There is also footage of him at work.

Finally, there is an excerpt from Remembrance, a 1982 film directed by Ganz and Sander about actor Curt Bois who went on to appear in Wings of Desire.

The setting is pre-World War I Paris, the belle époque era, and courtesan to the rich and famous Lea de Lonval (Pfeiffer) is thinking about retiring. Fred Peloux (Friend), also known as Cheri, is the rich but neglected son of Lea’s archrival, Charlotte (Bates). Cheri has turned 19 and developed all sorts of bad habits over the years because his mother was too busy plying her trade to raise him properly. Lea invites Cheri to her house in Normandy and they begin quite a passionate affair.

Lea teaches Cheri something about women and to grow up, while he gets her to do something she swore would never happen: fall in love. After six years of being together, Charlotte informs Lea that she is marrying off Cheri to a much younger woman for money, much to Lea’s chagrin. Even more surprisingly, Lea realizes that she does have a heart despite her best efforts over the years to keep it in check.

While Michelle Pfeiffer may not have had a mainstream hit in years, she has still been turning in strong performances and picking interesting projects, most notably White Oleander (2002). The one she gives in Cheri is her best since that film as she plays a character with a rich spectrum of emotions. Lea, with her years of experience as a courtesan, exudes confidence, much like Pfeiffer, with her years of acting experience, exudes confidence in this role. What is fascinating to watch is when the cracks of vulnerability begin to appear in Lea’s armour. She’s known Cheri since he was a child and has unconsciously developed an emotional attachment to him during the years of their affair. If she’s honest with herself, Lea does not want to grow old alone like many of her contemporaries who get together and reminisce about the good ol’ days.

As is customary with period dramas, the attention to detail – particularly the costumes and sets – is excellent, transporting us instantly to pre-World War I Paris. Christopher Hampton’s screenplay, adapted from two of Colette’s novels, is very intelligently written with very clever dialogue that the cast has a lot of fun delivering. Stephen Frears, the top notch journeyman director with a diverse body of work that includes films like The Grifters (1990) and High Fidelity (2000), does an excellent job telling the story and makes sure that the style of Cheri never distracts you from what is happening to the characters. He photographs the radiant Pfeiffer beautifully and gives her the room to demonstrate her impressive acting chops.

Special Features:

“The Making of Cheri” is standard press kit material. Frears and Hampton praise Colette’s writing. Hampton talks about how he got Frears interested in the project. The cast sing each other’s praises. The film’s production designer takes us on a mini-tour of one of the sets.

Also included are two deleted scenes that see Lea requesting a change in the look of her home and another one where Cheri and Lea bicker like an old married couple with him acting immature and her mothering him.

In the tradition of Robert Altman’s A Wedding (1978), Monsoon Wedding is a funny and poignant depiction of a traditional Punjabi wedding – an arranged marriage of an upper middle-class Indian family’s only daughter. Aditi (Das) has never met her future husband, is seeing a married television host on the side, and has a family life that can be best described as chaotic with all sorts of secrets threatening to surface. Her father (Shah) is freaking out over the unfinished floral decoration for the wedding. Aditi’s sister Ria (Shetty) knows about her affair and warns her sibling that she’s not ready to get married. The groom, Hemant (Dabas) looks as uncomfortable at the prospects of being married as much as Aditi does. Alice (Shome), the youngest daughter, finds herself attracted to the slightly wacky, yet smitten wedding planner (Raaz) who is always arguing with his mother on the phone.

Nair adopts a fly-on-the-wall approach to much of the film’s camerawork which creates the impression that we are eavesdropping on this family’s life, catching them during unguarded moments. It adds to the authenticity of how this family is depicted. They argue and complain with each other but at the end of the day they are united by love for one another. Sabrina Dhawan’s screenplay does a fantastic job of presenting an impressive collection of fully-realized characters with a full spectrum of emotions. It also shows the clash of cultures with the parents’ notions of a traditional, arranged marriage coming up against their children’s more modern attitudes. Nair draws naturalistic performances out of the entire cast – there’s not a false note among them and every character is given at least one moment to take center stage while never losing sight that they are part of an ensemble. It is quite a large cast but we are never trying to figure out who everyone is because each character, and the actor playing them, is so distinctive.

Monsoon Wedding provides fascinating insight into Indian culture and how a particular family functions, which is not unlike families everywhere else in the world. This gives the film a universal appeal, acting as an excellent introduction to a culture many are unfamiliar with.

Special Features:

The first disc features an audio commentary by director Mira Nair. She wanted to make a film in a short amount of time on a low budget with no movie stars, much like her debut film. She also wanted to make a film close to her heart. Nair talks about how she went about casting the ensemble with a mix of veteran actors and amateur ones. Due to time and money constraints, she adopted a guerrilla-style of filmmaking, working with what she had. Nair provides all kinds of wonderful insights into how Monsoon Wedding came together as well as Indian culture.

“The Laughing Club of India” is a 2000 documentary short film by Nair about the rise in popularity of laughing clubs in Bombay. The director gives an introduction where she talks about the origins of the film. This is a series of clubs where people meet and laugh together for 40 minutes. Nair says that the style of this doc. inspired her approach to Monsoon Wedding.

Nair interviews the film’s lead actor Naseeruddin Shah about his experiences working on the film. She had been a fan of his since she was 17 and always wanted to work with him. Shah talks about how he got into acting and really conveys a passion for it.

The film’s cinematographer Declan Quinn and production designer Stephanie Carroll are interviewed and talk about their contributions to the look of the film. They also share some filming anecdotes.

Also included is a very evocative theatrical trailer.

The second disc features seven short films by Nair that span the years 1982, with So Far From India, to 2008, with How Can It Be?, each with a video introduction by Nair.

Margaret (Bullock) is a busy, no-nonsense editor-in-chief at a powerful publishing company in New York City. She’s feared by her staff, chief among them her long-suffering assistant Andrew (Reynolds). Margaret is originally from Canada and has neglected her immigration status. She is informed by her boss (Nouri) that her visa application has been denied and she’s going to be deported. She can reapply but will have to leave the United States for a year unless she can come up with a quick solution.

On the fly, Margaret informs her boss that she and Andrew are engaged to be married – much to his complete surprise. Ryan Reynolds handles this scene well as his character tries desperately to mask his shock and bewilderment in front of Margaret and her superiors. You can actually see the news sink in as he comes to grips with it. If Andrew doesn’t agree to this “merger” then he can kiss his dreams of becoming an editor goodbye. The rest of the film sees Margaret and Andrew trying desperately to maintain the facade that they are very much in love, including spending a weekend at his family’s house in Alaska celebrating his grandmother’s (White) 90th birthday.

Naturally, much of The Proposal’s humour is derived from Bullock’s ice queen mixing it up with Andrew’s down-to-earth family. The veteran actress looks like she’s having a lot of fun portraying an all-business control freak that has to act like a loving human being in front of her fiance’s family. She has wonderful comic timing with Reynolds as evident in the scene where they, spur of the moment, tell his family how he proposed to her. With his deadpan sense of humour, Reynolds is a good foil for Bullock. Andrew can’t stand his boss and delights in finally being able to turn the tables on her by tormenting her with public displays of affection. Andrew’s reactions to Margaret’s sometimes unusual behaviour are priceless.

With The Proposal, Bullock is back on familiar turf in the kind of film that people want to see her in. Admittedly, this film is nothing special but it is a pleasant enough time waster with two appealing leads and a colourful cast of supporting characters. It’s just nice to see Bullock back on top, showing younger actresses that she still has what it takes to appeal to a mainstream audience.

Special Features:

There are two deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli. There is a nice scene with Andrew’s parents (Nelson and Steenburgen). We also see Margaret and Andrew getting a little more comfortable with each other. They are nice enough scenes but not essential and one can see why they were cut.

There is an alternate ending with optional commentary. Fletcher and Chiarelli talk about why they didn’t use this ending and another one that they didn’t use as well. The humour in this scene is much broader than the rest of the film and seems out of place.

“Set Antics: Outtakes and Other Absurdities from The Proposal” is a montage of the cast goofing around on set. It looks like they had a lot of fun making this film.

Finally, there is an audio commentary by Fletcher and Chiarelli. They start off explaining the dichotomy between the two main characters. Fletcher says that Bullock loved the screenplay and gave Chiarelli all kinds of notes to make her character nastier. He talks about the mechanics of the story while she talks about the challenge of working on location. This is a fairly decent track by two people clearly proud of their film.

Hogan parlayed that film’s success with a lavish take on Peter Pan (2003) that was not the massive blockbuster success the studio had hoped for and the filmmaker has since struggled to get back on track, making a film called Unconditional Love (2002) that went direct-to-video here in North America. He seemed primed to make a comeback with his latest, Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name. It stars Isla Fisher, an up-and-coming actress with a lot of media buzz around her, and who was being groomed by the studio hype machine to follow in the footsteps of Meg Ryan, Roberts and Diaz as the next America’s cinematic sweetheart. However, Confessions of a Shopaholic was released during the highly publicized collapse of the world economy and suddenly, a film about a materialistic young woman who maxes out her credit cards, didn’t seem so funny anymore. Hogan’s film was not the massive commercial success that the studio had hoped for.

Since she was a child, Rebecca Bloomwood (Fisher) has been obsessed with expensive clothes – both wearing and purchasing them. She grows up to become a compulsive shopper unable to resist the lure of fancy items in a shop window or having visions of a store mannequin coming to life only to convince her to buy a scarf that she doesn’t really need. Becky dreams of writing for a high-fashion New York City magazine but faced with a mounting debt of $16,000 and having been recently fired from her job at a gardening periodical, she scrambles to find another writing gig. Becky settles for a personal finance column at a sister publication where she finds herself increasing drawn to her boss Luke Brandon (Dancy). She writes a column called “The Girl in the Green Scarf” and it quickly becomes a surprise hit.

Isla Fisher has little to work with and, at times, it is painful to watch her gamely spout unfunny dialogue and engage in silly displays of physical comedy. We are not laughing with her character but rather laughing at her, much as was the case with Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). Fisher is clearly better than this material as she proved in other films like Hot Rod (2007) and The Lookout (2007). Hugh Dancy fairs a little better with the film’s hackneyed dialogue. Maybe it’s because of his British accent but he actually makes listening to it semi-tolerable. Dancy has a bit of a nervous Hugh Grant thing going on and his character is infinitely more interesting than Becky, which is not a good thing. Dancy and Fisher have nice chemistry together but it is rather baffling as to why his character would be even remotely attracted to hers. He’s a workaholic and she’s not so I guess opposites attract but in this case I didn’t buy it.

Confessions of a Shopaholic does not get off to a good start when early on the humour feels forced, like in Becky’s disastrous job interview and her attempt to dodge a debt collector on the phone. This film obviously wants to be the next The Devil Wears Prada (2006) but its screenplay lets its cast time and time again. Becky is a superficial clothes horse and she doesn’t seem remotely smart enough to work at a finance magazine… or any magazine for that matter. In this day and age, where we are in the depths of a terrible economic recession, making light of massive credit card debt and a protagonist obsessed with expensive clothes comes across as rather offensive. Based on the talent involved, Confessions of a Shopaholic is a huge disappointment and one would be better off watching The Devil Wears Prada or Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) instead.

Special Features:

There are four deleted scenes that include Becky daydreaming about the popularity of her column, another where she works at a clothing store with disastrous results, and a scene that shows Luke and Becky getting closer.

“Bloopers of a Shopaholic” is a collection of flubs and blown lines that is actually funnier than most of the film.

Finally, there is a music video for “Stuck with Each Other” by Shontelle featuring Akon. It is a typical movie tie-in video that features lots of clips from Confessions of a Shopaholic with Shontelle in a clothing store like a scene out of the film

Adapted from an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story of the same name by Eric Roth, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter for Forrest Gump (1994), there was speculation that Fincher had finally sold out and was going for the gold with an Academy-friendly film. While Benjamin Button was nominated for 13 Oscars, it only won three technical-oriented awards and once again Fincher came up empty handed. Is this film really the director kowtowing to the establishment or has he managed to yet again sneak a subversive message under the radar?

In New Orleans, on the eve of Hurricane Katrina, a very old woman named Daisy (Blanchett) lies on her deathbed as she tells her daughter (Ormond) the story of a clockmaker (Koteas) who lost his only son in World War I. He builds a clock that runs backwards as a gesture, a hope that all those who died in the war could come back to life, including his son. The clock, like the film’s protagonist, epitomizes time in reverse even if the rest of the world is not. Daisy asks her daughter to read from the diary of a man she knew named Benjamin Button (Pitt).

Benjamin was born at the end of World War I. However, as a baby, he looked like a miniature old man. Horrified, his father (Flemyng) took the baby and dumped the child on a stranger’s doorstep. A kind lady by the name of Queenie (Henson) takes young Benjamin in and raises him as if he was one of her own. Like the clockmaker’s clock, Benjamin ages in reverse – the older he gets in years, the younger he looks physically. He’s raised in a nursing home and is surrounded by death and those at the end of their lives while he’s just at the beginning of his, which gives him an odd outlook on life as you can imagine.

In 1930, Benjamin meets Daisy as a little girl while he still looks like a little old man. He confides in her his condition and a bond between them is established that will last their entire lives. As soon as he’s old enough and physically able, Benjamin strikes out on his own, acquiring life experiences, like working on a tugboat, traveling all over the world, and helping tow in ships destroyed during World War II. All of the people he meets have a story to tell – the tugboat captain (Harris) who is a tattoo artist or the woman who tried to swim the English Channel or the man hit by lightning seven times – and he learns something from all of them.

Something seems to happen whenever Fincher and Brad Pitt work together. They always seem to bring out the best in one another and this is no different. Pitt exudes a warmth that has never been evident before and he makes us care about what happens to Benjamin. Early on, Pitt is able to convey an openness as his character experiences new feelings, meets new people and grows up. Benjamin enjoys meeting people and listening to their adventures but he is not a passive, blank slate. He seizes opportunities to have his own adventures and see as much of the world as possible. In recent years, Pitt has really come into his own as an actor and improved with age, using his clout to push through fascinating films like Babel (2006), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and now Benjamin Button, arguably his best performance to date.

Fincher has also entered a new, fascinating period in his career that began with Zodiac and continues with this moving meditation on the passing of time and what it means to get old. We are the sum of our parts and of what we have learned (or haven’t learned) from our life experiences. Fincher’s trademark meticulous attention to detail is incredible with this film, from recreating 1930s New Orleans to New York City in the 1950s, he transports us to another time and place, which is what films are supposed to do. Benjamin Button is filled with beautiful imagery, like the scene where Benjamin and Daisy take a tugboat ride in the early morning fog, or the eerie, late night attack on an enemy submarine, or Daisy dancing seductively for Benjamin in the moonlight. There are also magical, intimate moments, like the late night conversations Benjamin has with the wife (Swinton) of a spy in the kitchen of a hotel in Russia. Fincher has created an intimate character study on an epic scale.

Special Features:

The first disc features an audio commentary by director David Fincher. He talks about the arduous task of applying Cate Blanchett’s old age makeup and how it affected her performance. He talks about how they avoided sappy sentimentality whenever possible. Fincher also talks about how they cast various roles in the film and what they were looking for. He tells all kinds of interesting and engaging filming anecdotes about the challenges of shooting on location with his trademark dry sense of humour. This is another outstanding track by Fincher as he offers eloquent observations and tells entertaining stories.

As with all special edition DVDs of Fincher’s films, Benjamin Button documents various aspects of the production in detail. Entitled, “The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button,” this making of documentary is broken down into several digestible sections.

“The First Trimester” documents the pre-production phase and Fincher kicks things off with a surprisingly moving preface where he recounts the death of his father and how that drew him closer to the material. This section takes us through the origins of the project and how Steven Spielberg almost did it with Tom Cruise. We go through the long screenwriting process that lasted several years. We also see Fincher and his crew scouting locations that would span several years and countries. Also included are storyboard and art direction galleries.

“The Second Trimester” examines principal photography with all kinds of behind-the-scenes footage. We see several sets being built with various key crew members talking about their work on the film. Several major cast members talk about how they got involved and their impressions of the film and of Fincher’s legendary reputation. We also get to see how the tugboat was built on a soundstage where all of its scenes were shot. There is fascinating insight into the elaborate aging makeup. Aspects of costume design are also covered, including a gallery.

“Third Trimester” takes a look at the film’s groundbreaking visual effects. We see, in great detail, how they seamlessly digitally grafted Brad Pitt’s face onto other actor’s bodies. It is amazing to see just how much work was involved. We also see how they did the CGI for the tugboat scenes and other things, like the background plates for scenes that took place in exotic locations. Other aspects, like sound design and Alexandre Desplat’s atmospheric score, are examined. It’s great to see Desplat at work and interview soundbites where he talks about his working method.

“Birth” features footage of the film’s premiere in New Orleans with the cast and crew reflecting on the experience of making the film and what it means to them. Also included is a gallery of production stills.

Finally, there are two theatrical trailers.

As The Last Metro begins, Bernard Granger (Depardieu) is an actor who arrives at the Montmartre to audition for the lead role opposite Marion Steiner (Deneuve), who is running the place while her husband Lucas (Bennent) is away. A sure sign of the times is Granger having to sign an agreement that says he’s not a Jew because the company doesn’t want any trouble from the Germans.

Catherine Deneuve is excellent as a woman under incredible pressure to keep her husband’s production company running while he’s on the run from the Germans. She also has to deal with the censors and make sure that everything runs smoothly. Marion is the epitome of grace under pressure and yet Deneuve exudes a vulnerability that is very appealing and makes her character that much more sympathetic.

Gerard Depardieu is also good as an up-and-coming actor at the Grand Guignol but he’s also a member of the underground Resistance. His character is an intriguing mix of the political and the romantic. Bernard is something of a ladies’ man and his pick-up lines are well-rehearsed: he pretends to read a woman’s palm. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

Truffaut takes the time to lovingly develop many of the characters in this film via vignettes that also reveal their relationships with each other. There are also plenty of scenes of the company hard at work, getting ready for the upcoming play. The Last Metro is not just a fascinating, nostalgic ode to the theatre, but also a tense thriller as the Nazi threat constantly hangs over the characters like an ominous storm cloud.

Special Features:

The first disc features an audio commentary by film scholar Annette Insdorf who was Truffaut’s translator in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She talks about the film’s origins – a project that had been gestating for most of his career. Insdorf points out the autobiographical elements that were taken from Truffaut’s own life. She also provides excellent analysis of this film on a very informative track.

There is an additional commentary by actor Gerard Depardieu and historian Jean-Pierre Azema, moderated by Truffaut biographer Serge Toubiana. Depardieu says that he initially had problems with Truffaut’s films and told the filmmaker that he thought they were “bourgeois.” However, meeting the man in person changed his mind about his films and filmmaking in general. Azema provides a historical context and talks about what France was like during the time that the film takes place. He also explains the origins of the film’s title.

The second disc starts off with a “Deleted Scene” that was removed because Truffaut felt that the film was too long. Sadly, this scene is not subtitled.

“Les nouveaux rendez-vous” is a 1980 interview with Truffaut and actors Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve from a French television program. Depardieu, in particular, comes across as very charming and also speaks very eloquently about his profession.

“Passez donc me voir” is an excerpt from a 1980 episode of the French T.V. program which features Truffaut and actor Jean Poiret. Naturally, they talk about their work on the film. It’s done in an odd, yet amusing setting: a busy restaurant.

“Performing The Last Metro” features new interviews with actors Andrea Ferreol, Paulette Dubost, Sabine Haldepin and Alain Tasma. They reminisce about their experiences working on the film. They also talk about how they were cast and their impressions of the director.

“Visualizing The Last Metro” features camera assistants Florent Bazin and Tessa Racine talking about working with legendary cinematographer Nestor Almendros. He worked in conjunction with other departments in order to achieve a realistic look that was authentic to that period of history. Bazin and Racine provide fascinating insight into Almendros’ working methods.

“Working with Truffaut: Nestor Almendros” is a rare interview with the cinematographer conducted in 1986. He speaks highly of working with Truffaut (they made nine films together) and tells several anecdotes about the man.

“Une histoire d’eau” is a 1958 short film by Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. There is a playful almost comical tone as a woman deals with the flooding of her town, taking several modes of transportation to get to where she’s going.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

Based on Vikas Swarup’s novel Q&A, the film tells the story of a young man named Jamal Malik (Patel) from Mumbai, India who is on the verge of winning the maximum amount of money possible on his country’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The authorities are convinced that he is cheating somehow and torture him in order to find out the truth. After an intense and suspenseful prologue, Boyle immerses us in the sights and sound of Mumbai – it is noisy, claustrophobic and densely populated. He captures it all with the same kind of energetic, hand-held camerawork seen in Wong Kar-Wai’s depiction of Hong Kong in Chungking Express (1994).

Slumdog Millionaire goes back and forth in time to show what in Jamal’s past informed the choices he made on the game show. We see his harsh childhood surviving on the mean streets of Mumbai where he and is brother narrowly avoid being killed for their Muslim faith. After escaping death, the two boys befriend a young girl named Latika who will grow up to become the love of Jamal’s life. The film essentially traces the journey of these three characters’ lives from the slums of Mumbai to Jamal on the verge of triumph on a popular game show.

A large part of the appeal of Slumdog Millionaire, at least to North American audiences, is that the film provides a window into an exotic locale in a country that most people don’t know anything about. And isn’t that one of the special things about cinema – to take us to places we’ve never been? Aiding in this immersion in another culture is the effective use of Sri Lankan musician M.I.A.’s song “Paper Planes,” which is about hustling and the disenfranchised, played over footage of young Jamal and his brother conning passengers on a train. Her music is also featured elsewhere in the film and this is rather appropriate as it has an international flavor, often providing a voice for the Third World.

Ultimately, the story is a Dickensian tale a la Oliver Twist as Jamal and his brother survive on the streets by their wits and without parents. They steal, beg and hustle their way up out of the slums. Watching Slumdog Millionaire you can see where Boyle has applied what he’s learned on other films. The gritty street hustling scenes evoke Trainspotting (1996). His skill working with kids and getting authentic performances out of them was first honed on Millions (2004), and the knack for depicting the exoticism of foreign countries was first attempted on The Beach (2000). It has all come together on this film and much like Jamal, Boyle has hit the jackpot.

Special Features:

There is an audio commentary by director Danny Boyle and actor Dev Patel. Boyle explains the choice of the film’s framing device while Patel shares some of his impressions of working on this project. The actor says that he was very nervous when he first came onto the game show set with all of the many extras in the audience. Patel speaks admiringly of working with the veteran Indian actors, some of whom are legends in Bollywood. Boyle points out the various locations he used in India. Both men provide good insights into Indian culture and the filmmaking process on this project.

Also included is a commentary by producer Christian Colson and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy. They talk about the transitions back and forth in time and point out that in early test screenings, audiences felt uncomfortable with the torture scene that starts the film. Beaufoy says that he made up the word “Slumdog” and reveals how he came up with it. He also says that he used The Three Musketeers analogy because the film had three main characters that went on an adventure. Colson talks about some of the behind-the scenes information of the production.

There are 12 deleted scenes that feature more footage of Jamal and his brother playing cricket and then being chased at the beginning of the film but this time with a different musical cue. There is a nice scene where Jamal and his brother steal a dress for Latika. We also see more of Jamal on the game show.

“Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle and the Making of Slumdog Millionaire” takes us briefly through the origins of the film – Channel 4 bought the rights to the book Q&A. Boyle talks about how he got involved and how he reacted to first reading the screenplay. The filmmakers talk about the challenge of casting, especially for the various ages of the three main characters. The featurette covers several aspects of the production, including shooting on location and the look of the film, and provides insight into this unique film.

Finally, there is “Slumdog Cutdown,” a montage of clips from the film scored to the Academy Award-winning song, “Jai Ho”  by A.R. Rahman.