True Romance: Director's Cut (Blu-Ray)Rating:
The Skinny: Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) gives up a life of comic books, kung-fu movies, and Elvis for a one-shot career as a drug dealer after he meets hooker with a heart of gold Alabama (Patricia Arquette). This from a little known (at the time) screenwriter named Quentin something or other.
The Good: If this is your first time hearing about this movie, we're amazed you were able to even locate this review. True Romance is a classic, and its arrival on Blu-Ray is welcome. It's not an entirely new DVD experience, mind you, but its colors and soundtrack have been tweaked just enough to give you ample excuse to watch is yet again. And all the special features from the previous 2-disc standard DVD release have been carried over.
The Bad: All the special features from the previous 2-disc standard DVD release have been carried over. In other words, apart from a slightly better picture you're not getting anything else. If you have yet to go hi-def, this is good news, because you're not really missing out too badly. If you have gone hi-def, you just have to reconcile the fact that you are buying this simply because you have to have True Romance on Blu-Ray. That's all.
Best Extra: As on the original DVD set, the commentaries—which include bites from Tarantino, director Tony Scott, Christian Slater, Val Kilmer, and all the rest—are funny, informative, and worth your time.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: Buy it. You know you're going to anyway. Don't condescend to me, man. I'll fucking kill ya, man.
Powder BlueRating:
The Skinny: The lives of a series of indie film cliches masquerading as people intersect in tedious and predictable ways. Jessica Biel gets naked.
The Good: Jessica Biel gets naked. We know, we know, we're "shallow" and "mouth-breathers" and "neanderthals," but, look, this is the only reason people have heard of Powder Blue and the only reason people will likely watch Powder Blue. It's also the only thing Powder Blue does well. It's the only reason we're bothering to review it—we know you've heard about it, so we're trying to save you the trouble of satiating your curiosity. Let us waste the time for you.
The Bad: This is a dull and predictable collection of scenes involving actors "emoting" (read: crying and/or shouting) about their lonely, sad lives and where social outcasts make connections with good-hearted strippers and good-hearted strippers work in clubs that are tastefully lit where they perform carefully choreographed routines.
Best Extra: There were extras?
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: Ignore. Get the Biel screengrabs online.