The Big Lebowski: Classic slightly disappoints on Blu-ray

The Big Lebowski (Comedy, Crime)

Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi

Universal Studios | 1998 | 119 min | Rated R | Released Aug 16, 2011

Video:
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1 (less)

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Spanish

English SDH, French, Spanish (less)

Disc:
Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc

Digital Copy

BD-Live

The Film 4/5

The Big Lebowski is essentially about mistaken identity if you care about the plot. Jeffrey Lebowski is known to his friends as The Dude (Bridges) and a gang of criminals pay him a visit thinking that he’s another Lebowski who happens to be a millionaire. After they urinate on his rug, he seeks out the millionaire to claim compensation.

The millionaire’s wife goes missing and the gang asks for a million dollars in ransom. The Dude is chosen as the courier.

That’s about it. The plot is incidental; this is a movie about a way of life.

The Dude hangs out with two of his bowling buddies, Walter (Goodman) and Donny (Buscemi). Walter is a Vietnam veteran who has anger management issues; Donny hardly says a word and is told to shut up every time he tries to make a comment.

The Dude is a mellow kind of a guy. He shops in his robe, gets high, and talks like he's permanently stoned. Walter is a mystery to him because he is so easily annoyed. When a competing team puts a toe over the line during a bowling game, Walter pulls out a gun and insists that it is marked down as a zero. It’s a league game after all.

The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously and can be classed as a comedy more than anything, but the style of comedy may be different to the type you are used to. Many of the jokes are clever and subtle, and it’s rare for the humor to be aimed too low.

Watching The Big Lebowski is an experience. You’re never quite sure what it is or where it is going. The plot elements aren’t very important, but everything adds up and provides a reason for the characters to do what they do. It’s the sort of movie where nothing happens, but you find yourself thinking about it days later.

Fargo and No Country for Old Men are exceptional movies from the Coen Brothers, but many fans would argue that The Big Lebowski is better. I’m not among them, but it amuses me and I’m glad to finally own it on Blu-ray.

Video Quality 3.5/5

Although the Blu-ray is a vast upgrade over the DVD, I’m a little disappointed with the overall look. Colors are much improved and everything looks brighter and cleaner, but the VC-1 presentation could have been better. Fine detail is present in a few scenes, but is lacking for the most part. Faces in particular seem badly defined. It just about earns a passing grade, but don’t expect to be dazzled.

Audio Quality 4.5/5

The English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track sounds great. The songs carry a lot more weight than in previous releases. Dialogue is clear throughout and the predominantly front-heavy mix blends well with the action. No complaints about the sound.

Special Features 4/5

Worthy Adversaries: What's My Line Trivia – A game for one or two players in which you have to supply missing dialogue from The Dude and Walter.

An Exclusive Introduction (4:40, SD)

The Dude’s Life (10:08, HD)

The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later (10:26, HD)

Making of The Big Lebowski (24:35, SD)

The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever’s Story (13:53, SD)

Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of The Dude (4:20, HD)

Interactive Map

Jeff Bridges Photo Book (17:30, HD) – Bridges took shots while filming and explains them here.

Photo Gallery (3:25, SD)

U-Control: Three features with PiP, text and a profanity counter.

Scene Companion

The Music of The Big Lebowski

Mark It, Dude

28-page digibook

The Big Lebowski is a typically quirky effort from the Coen Brothers. While not their very best work, it deserves a place in your collection. Bridges and Goodman excel in their roles and hold the whole thing together. The Blu-ray presentation enhances the experience, but not quite as much as I had hoped. The packaging is good and there’s plenty of behind the scenes information if The Big Lebowski is your kind of film.

Overall score 4/5

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True Grit (2010) - A remake worth seeing

True Grit (western, drama, adventure)

Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Brolin

Paramount Pictures | 2010 | 110 min | Rated PG-13 | Released Jun 07, 2011

Video:

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio:

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

French, Portuguese, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Discs:

50GB Blu-ray Disc

Digital copy

DVD copy

The Film 4.5/5

True Grit was nominated for 10 Oscars, but failed to win any. Jeff Bridges was unlikely to win after finally being recognized a year ago, but Roger Deakins (cinematography) and Hailee Steinfeld (supporting actress) were particularly unlucky to lose.

I’m generally not in favor of watching remakes, or Westerns, but this one is worth it. The Coens don’t make bad films. The acting is superb and there’s just the right balance between action, drama and humor.

The story is narrated and told from the viewpoint of Mattie Ross (Steinfeld), a 14-year-old girl who wants to hire someone to catch the man who killed her father. After hearing the qualities of the potential candidates, she approaches Rooster Cogburn (Bridges). He’s a one-eyed drunk with a reputation for getting the job done. Perhaps she wanted someone with the same strength of character as her own?

One of the best scenes in the movie comes early. Mattie argues with a horse trader, wanting compensation for a horse of her father’s stolen while under the trader’s care, as well as a refund for four ponies her father bought. This is where we see that Mattie, although young, is intelligent and capable of looking after her interests. The trader meets most of her demands and is relieved to see her leave.

Cogburn’s character is revealed when he gives evidence in court. It’s clear that he’ll kill if necessary, and that he thinks it’s often necessary. After another negotiation, Mattie secures his services to search for Tom Chaney (Brolin), her father’s killer.

The other main character is LaBoeuf (Damon), a Texas Ranger who has been tracking Chaney for another crime. He wants to team up with Cogburn as both have the same goal, but they are unable to convince Mattie to stay behind and the trio end up together.

The dialogue doesn’t follow that of traditional Westerns. The characters are generally well-spoken and intelligent and don’t use contractions. This has the effect of making the dialogue sound formal and more important. Some of the accents are thick, but you’ll soon get used to it.

After an argument with Cogburn, LaBoeuf departs and leaves Cogburn and Mattie to fend for themselves. They look for shelter and find a shack occupied by two men. Cogburn finds out some valuable information to aid the search and learns that Chaney has joined a gang which is due to arrive at the shack. Cogburn and Mattie hide and wait for them to show up.

LaBoeuf later rejoins the pair and the main action occurs when the trio meets the gang. Mattie proves her worth and both Cogburn and LaBoeuf have important parts to play in the conflict. Cogburn is not always drunk and proves very capable when the situation calls for it.

While not as quirky as other Coen films, True Grit contains plenty of humor. The dialogue is fast and the wits of the main characters are sharp. Each has some memorable lines. There isn’t a huge amount of action. It’s more about the setup and the dynamic between the trio. We see more of the journey than the eventual confrontation. It has the effect of making the story well-rounded and there’s enough background information for us to feel like we know the characters by the end of the movie.

The conclusion jumps forward 25 years and we are shown what happens to the characters. It's a good way to end the story.

Video Quality 5/5

The Texas and New Mexico locations look stunning in this presentation and colors are bright and well-defined. Fine detail is exceptional and you can clearly pick out patterns in the dirt and see individual pieces of straw. Grain is barely visible in the majority of scenes, but there’s no loss of detail. Paramount has delivered a wonderful transfer and I can’t think of a better-looking live action movie.

Audio Quality 5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track also shines. Whether it’s horses galloping, insects, wind or gunfire, everything sounds the way it should. What really impresses me is the depth of sound in quieter scenes. There is so much detail. The excellent dialogue is well-defined and there’s nothing to fault in the audio presentation.

Special Features 3/5

There are just over an hour of additional features on the release and all are in full HD:

Mattie’s True Grit (5:13) – Telling the story of Steinfeld’s audition, her preparation for the role and working with the Coen brothers.

From Bustles to Buckskin – Dressing for the 1880s (8:02) – Interviews with the costume designer and some of the cast.

Colts, Winchesters & Remingtons: The Guns of a Post-Civil War Western (4:41) – Explaining the choice of guns used by the main trio.

Re-Creating Fort Smith (11:20) – Showing how the set was put together.

The Cast (5:25) – Interviews with Bridges, Damon, Steinfeld, Brolin and Barry Pepper.

Charles Portis - The Greatest Writer You've Never Heard Of (30:54) – An extensive look at the career of writer Charles Portis.

Cinematography (2:57) – Roger Deakins talks about some of the shots in the movie.

Trailer (2:33)

There should be an Oscar for best Blu-ray presentation. True Grit would certainly be nominated. If you’re a fan of the film, you’ll be delighted with the whole package. The crew researched the time period thoroughly and the result feels authentic. I would recommend this even if you’re not a fan of the genre.

Overall score 4.5/5

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