The Mysterious Case of Se7en

Se7en is a dark crime-horror fantasy, written by Andrew Kevin Walker, directed by David Fincher with cinematography by Darius Khondji. The film was a success both commercially and critically. However due to the complexity of the photographic process, it is difficult to be certain that any of the home-video releases reflect the image seen in first run showings. This article will examine the various video releases of Se7en, and explain the process by which they came about, and attempt to pick the best amongst them.

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Sweet Hereafter DVD vs Blu-ray

The Sweet Hereafter 1998 DVD vs Blu-ray

The Sweet Hereafter is a 1997 film directed by Atom Egoyan, adapted from a book by Russell Banks. It tells the tragic story of a school bus crash and its impact on a small town. The film drifts backwards and forwards in time, moving forward with an emotional rhythm that is emphasized by Mychael Danna’s haunting score. Ian Holm and Sarah Polley give knockout performances alongside a the troop of Eyogan regulars that includes Bruce Greenwood.

The Sweet Herafter was an early DVD ‘must-have’ released on the New Line Platinum collection, and it was through this that I personally discovered both Egoyan and Banks. Egoyan does some of his best work adapting the book for the screen, he introduces a Pied Piper motif which ties together several of the male (father) characters, and the idea of narrative being used as part of deception.

Alliance Canada have released a Blu-ray edition of the film, and not seeing any reviews online, I decided to take a look.

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"The Wonder" - Mont Saint-Michel in To the Wonder

To the Wonder iTunes HD Review

To the Wonder is the latest film from acclaimed director Terrence Malick, and it is available to rent on iTunes right now, two months before its Blu-ray release. Ben Affleck stars alongside Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem and Rachel McAdams.

Ben Affleck in To the Wonder

Neil (Ben Affleck)

It’s hard to know exactly what to make of the film. Beautifully shot and filled with beautiful people it’s certainly pretty to look at. There are certainly plenty of ideas on show about love and faith, but they are wrapped in a somewhat downbeat package. And I found the ambiguity was ultimately frustrating.

This review is going to focus on the film purely from technical point of view.

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