Stand-up comic Amy Schumer and director Judd Apatow combined their creative might to deliver one of the better-received romantic comedies of the year.
Blu-ray owners now get the theatrical cut and an extended cut of the film embracing raunchy humor and the complexities of love and life in Trainwreck: Unrated (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Unrated, $34.98).
Miss Schumer’s portrayal of Amy, a New York City party girl caught in a cycle of binge-drinking and one-night stands due to her fear of commitment, comes to life hilariously, often due to a talented supporting cast.
Specifically, strong performances from veteran comedians Bill Hader as sports surgeon Dr. Aaron Conners (who may cause Amy to finally commit to love), Colin Quinn as her curmudgeonly father and Dave Attell as her favorite bum along with, surprisingly amusing, NBA star LeBron James as LeBron James, a buddy of Dr. Conners.
The major co-star of this fantastic high-definition package is not the digital transfer, although some of the panoramic shots of New York are stunning, but the seemingly never-ending supply of extras.
The mandatory optional commentary track on both versions of the film leads the way with Miss Schumer, Mr. Apatow and associate producer Kim Caramele (Miss Schumer’s sister) mildly yucking it up before the film ever arrived to movie audiences.
Sure, we get plenty of background and nuggets on the production, but Mr. Apatow is the laugh generator, often riffing on the obscure.
Now, additional chuckles aplenty follow through 45 minutes of deleted scenes, 49 minutes of alternate cuts, a 12-minute gag reel and 8-minutes worth of actors coming up with alternate dialogue nuggets. Suffice to report, Mr. Quinn and Mr. Attell excel throughout and can make a human’s eyes water in under a minute with their comedic riffing.
Rounding out the extras is the entire film short “The Dogwalker” starring Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei, a 90-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette loaded with cast and crew interviews, and a roughly 25-minute travelogue of the Trainwreck Comedy Tour.
The Tour held in June of this year featured some of the stars and Mr. Apatow making stops around the U.S. and Canada performing stand-up routines with ticket sales benefitting various charities.
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Viewers learn about the memory challenges of a 93-year-old famous detective in the Blu-ray arrival of Mr. Holmes (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, rated PG, $24.00).
The enjoyable film offers director Bill Condon adaptation of Mitch Cullin’s 2005 novel about an elderly Sherlock Holmes trying to put together the case that caused him to retire 35 years ago.
Performances from the principal cast shine, led by Ian McKellen as Sherlock, Laura Linney as his housekeeper and Milo Parker as the housekeeper’s inquisitive son Roger, a young boy that Sherlock takes under his bee wing (watch the movie for an explanation).
The digital transfer highlights Mr. Condon and cinematographer Tobias A. Schliessler’s visual choices of taking viewers back to 1947.
It also exposes some beautiful Sussex countryside landscapes around Sherlock’s farmhouse as well as a sobering flashback to the legend visiting Hiroshima three years after the devastation of the atomic bomb.
The film certainly is worthy of appreciating on-demand and as a Blu-ray rental at best but not recommended for purchase due to the paltry extras.
Specifically, the extras include a pair of under 3-minute-long featurettes that hardly does justice to the production effort or iconic characters.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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