Category: Reviews

In 2004, action fans were introduced to a brand new style of stunt work, an acrobatic, athletic style called parkour. One of its creators, David Belle, showed off his stuff in [[[District 13]]], which benefited from being written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel.

Set in the near future of 2010, the French film showed Paris in economic and societal decay with District 13 being overrun by gangs. Rather than deal with the problem the ineffective police wind up building a wall around the ghetto, isolating its two million residents.

The combination of action, adventure, and contemporary issues turned it into a success both in Europe and America. Morel went on to make a domestic thriller, Taken, and skipped returning to the inevitable sequel, [[[District 13: Ultimatum]]]. The film was released last year and is out this week on Blu-ray from Magnet Home Entertainment.

The story, also co-written and produced by Besson, picks up in 2016, with things no better, and possibly worse. Five ethnic gangs vie for control of the lawless land while the police watch from checkpoints. Walter Gassman (Daniel Duval), the leader of the police’s secret service division, has been orchestrating plans to decimate the district and help award the rebuilding contract to Harriburton (not so thinly disguised is it?), with kickbacks making him rich.

To make certain his plans work, Gassman frames Damien Tomaso (Cyril Raffaelli), the best cop in Paris, and has him imprisoned. Meantime, he has his goons kill several policemen, placing them within District 13 so the gangs fire on the vehicle, making it seem the gangs crossed the line. What Gassman didn’t realize was that others witnessed – and recorded – the event. When Tomaso’s former partner Leïto (Belle) is given the footage, he too becomes a target. At much the same time, Tomaso calls for help and the action ignites.

The film cleverly introduces Tomaso on a case, showing some of the underworld life but the movie’s story fails to properly develop the five separate gags and their leaders even though they are pivotal to the final act. Similarly, Gassman is a two-dimensional villain and the only developed character is the unnamed President (Philippe Torreton).

The action and parkour fighting is a marvel to watch but sadly, every bad guy and every cop seems to possess martial arts skills. Five gangs should have had a more diverse assortment of fighting styles, giving some visual variety to the climax. Overall, the themes and basic plot are derivative and contrived but the breathless pacing and buddy chemistry between Belle and Raffaelli helps a lot.

The film, as presented on Blu-ray, is dubbed and the vocal casting is weak throughout. Visually the transfer is adequate and the sound is nicely mixed.

Extras include a nearly thirty minute Making of District 13: Ultimatum which is segmented and fairly ordinary in presentation. Subtitled, it is really only for major fans of the creators. An additional thirty-four minutes of Production Diaries, reusing some of the same footage, provide additional information in the filmmaking process. As you might expect, there are Deleted and Extended Scenes, all of which were additional action moments so the story remains wafer-thin.

Finally, we get French rapper Alonzo performing a Music Video and a useless HDNet: A Look at District 13: Ultimatum, which tells us nothing.

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Ron Howard was a beloved child actor who showed some directing chops with [[[Splash]]], a fantasy-themed comedy but he truly showed that he was a director to be taken seriously with his follow-up, 1985’s Cocoon
. The movie was light-hearted, but a drama, which immediately showed his range. Additionally, Howard worked with a collection of veteran actors and he coaxed terrific performances from them all, resulting in Don Ameche’s Supporting Actor Oscar.

The movie is referenced now and then but has largely slipped from the collective consciousness, which is a shame, because it’s a nice story, well told, and worth seeing again. 20th Century Home Entertainment has released a 25th anniversary edition on Blu-ray and interestingly, rather then now-common combo pack, this a single Blu-ray disc retailing for the reasonable $24.95.

Watching the movie is a delight because we see long-gone veterans like Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Gilford, and Maureen Stapleton in poignant roles as seniors.

David Saperstein’s novel provided the springboard for Tom Benedek’s adaptation which posits that 10 millennia ago, beings from distant Antarea came to Earth and formed an outpost on what is now considered the lost continent of Atlantis. As the cataclysm claimed the land, all but 20 members of the exploration team left the planet. Those who remained behind were shrouded in cocoons, waiting for the day they could be brought home.

When four of their brethren return, led by Brian Dennehy, they rent a home, collect the cocoons and charge a swimming pool with lifeforce to sustain the 20 survivors until the Antareans could bring them home.

Nearby, though, is a retirement home filled with people looking at the twilight of their lives, but some refuse to give up without a fight. Ameche, Cronyn, and Wilford Brimley sneak off and take a dip in the neighboring pool, rejuvenated by the lifeforce. They’re spry, energetic, even amorous and loving every minute of it. When Dennehy discovers them, he decides no harm, no foul and lets them continue to enjoy themselves.

The one who can never take joy from life, Gilford, also learns Dennehy’s secret but stays out of the water. He sees the bleakness of life and inevitability of death so refuses to take a dip or even bring his terminal wife, Herta Ware to heal. Instead, he lets his feelings fester until he blurts out the secret and suddenly everyone else in the home wants a chance at a second life, setting up the moving denouement.

Actions, we’re shown, have consequences and Howard lets things play out nicely. It’s a relatively simple story, using a science fiction setting to tell a story about people dealing with aging and the end of their years. Even this second chance has them reflecting in touching ways, with one another, their alien hosts, and their families. There are many wonderful performances here, capped by Ameche’s winning role, but everyone rises to the occasion, even younger folk like Steve Guttenberg, in one of his less obnoxious roles.

You can’t help but like a film such as this. The video transfer is fine if unexceptional as is the audio aided by the Dolby digital. Sadly, for a 25th anniversary edition, they merely replicated Howard’s commentary and five featurettes from the 1994 DVD release, totaling maybe 20 minutes all told. While many of the performers are gone, some sort of look back was in order and this is a missed opportunity.

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On the Odd Hours (Louvre Collection)

By Eric Liberge
NBM Comics Lit, 72 pages, $14.95

Art is in the eye of the beholder, we’ve been taught. But it’s also a matter of the soul so some works move people while others are bored silly by the same piece. Apparently, there’s far more to the paintings and sculptures than one might imagine if you buy into Eric Liberge’s graphic novel [[[On the Odd Hours]]].

The third in an imaginative series of graphic novels co-published by NBM with the Louvre Museum, this book tells of Bastien, a deaf mute who has had an internship arranged for him by his loving girlfriend. Instead, he winds up missing his appointment and being recruited by a deaf guard to join him on the nightly rounds.

The night guards are charged with looking after the souls of the artwork, sounding percussion instruments in order to let them free and roam a bit before returning to their usual positions for the daylight patrons. Bastien is being recruited because the guard is old and sick and the legacy must continue.

The premise is certainly an interesting one but Liberge fails to make Bastien an interesting character, robbing the entire story of its power. The plight of the deaf mute is a difficult one, but we’re told he’s been difficult from birth, refusing to train himself to operate in the world. We have no clue what his girlfriend sees in him or why we should care for someone with contempt for the rest of the world. Had we seen some redeeming feature, his frustration with the haring world would have worked a lot better.

His mentor, Fu Zhi, delights in slowly revealing the museum’s true self to Bastien but with his illness, one would have expected him to explain more and prepare Bastien for his new role. Instead, Fu dies and Bastien winds up being fired from his job.

The entire final section of the book is Bastien’s immature attempt to regain his work and to protect the Louvre’s treasures. By the end, I am left deeply dissatisfied with the story.

Liberge’s artwork is attractive and works in a muted palette, making everything, even the classic works, feel drained of life. He’s ill-served by the small format of the book, 6.5” x 9”, so everything feels cramped. His balloon and caption placement is also dreadful and could have used a helping hand from his editor for greater clarity. 

Where he excels is in depicting how the deaf communicate and you gain a greater appreciation for their situation in a world built for oral and audio communication. A little less successful is how he shows the sonics freeing the souls of the artwork, especially as he frees most of them for the daylight climax.

Many will no doubt judge this as an artistic success for Liberge, who has graduated from fanzines to a fine career as a French graphic artist but for this patron, the work left much to be desired.

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