From Stacie Hougland: David Mamet sets his noirish tale about honesty, deceit and the Hollywood machine in the world of Mixed Martial Arts in Redbelt, less a movie about sports as it is a dialogue-driven depiction of the (pretty deplorable) human condition. The result is a riveting, if fairly implausible, fable about a man whose efforts to do the right thing bring all the wrong consequences, with a tremendous performance by Chiwetel Ejifor (American Gangster, Talk to Me).
Ejiofor plays jiu-jitsu master instructor Mike Terry, who finds out the hard way that the movie business is the slimiest game in town after he rescues a film producer from a barroom brawl. This, plus a chance meeting with a spazzy, pill-popping lawyer who nearly kills his favorite student by accident, sets in motion a chain of events that (without giving too much away), unfold in a labyrinthine web of eventually connecting loose ends. The movie stumbles in some places, but the dialogue is typically snappy and sharp Mamet, the twisty plot moves along quickly, the fight scenes are filmed well and the ending is surprisingly satisfying. Sony's Blu-ray presentation looks and sounds immaculate.
Extras: Check out the audio commentary with Mamet and MMA star Randy Couture, who has a bit part in the movie and provides blow-by-blow descriptions of the jiu-jitsu moves we see. Also worth watching is a Q&A with Mamet filmed after a screening earlier this year. Of the five featurettes, "Inside Mixed Martial Arts" interested me most, with interviews with real-life fighters and info on the film's fight sequence choreography.
Overview: MMA gets the Mamet treatment in the tremendously well-acted and directed Redbelt, an unexpected DVD revelation.
Disney brings back Tim Burton's masterpiece for the first time on Blu-ray, featuring an all-new introduction by Burton (exclusive to the BD), a backstage look at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride at Christmastime, film commentary by Burton and longtime collaborator composer Danny Elfman, and a new un-cut version of the film. One creepy highlight is actor Christopher Lee's narration of the original poem Burton wrote that inspired the movie. The film itself looks incredible, having been digitally restored to Burton's original vision, and for the first time is presented in 16:9 anamorphic. A limited edition box set includes a hand-painted Jack Skellington bust equipped with a sound chip that recites memorable lines. Merry Christmas, indeed.
