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Mo' Better Blues
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Maybe "Mo' Better Blues" isn't one of the most popular Spike Lee movies, but I always find it very enjoyable and entertaining. The film stars Denzel Washington as jazz talent Bleek Gilliam, who was kept from having fun with his friends as a child so he could study music. At that age he resists it, but as an adult, the music is all that he's concerned about and keeps it above all else.
While he enjoys playing, he also has to organize the life revolving around him. There's relationships with two women (Cynda Williams and Joie Lee) that he's juggling, and he has to keep the band (Bill Nunn and Giancarlo Esposito as well as Wesley Snipes) together - having them keep working and keeping them from arguing with each other. Bouncing into the mix every so often, Lee himself plays Giant, Bleek's manager.
Washington's performance often holds the film together. His chemistry with the two female leads is good, and he's also able to play the comedy as well as be serious in his attempts to be a leader to the rest of the band. The supporting performances are also very enjoyable, and Bill Lee's jazz score is so wonderful it almost becomes its own character. Lee's usual cinematographer Ernest Dickerson also provides excellent work here with some remarkable camera work.
There's a few little things here and there; the picture becomes a little less engaging during the last half and could have used slight editing to pick up the pace of the 130 minute picture. These are minor complaints though, in a film that works more often than not.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Mo' Better Blues" looks very good with Universal's new DVD edition presenting the film at 1.78:1, and it is also anamorphic. The film looks soft, but that seems more by intent and it manages to look very pleasing on this DVD, with the club scenes translating very well, looking clear and well-defined.
I was pleased to see (or actually not see) that pixelation doesn't appear throughout the movie, leaving the picture looking natural and pleasing to view. The only problem that I really saw throughout the movie was the occasional print flaw; a little mark here, a little speckle there - noticable, but really nothing that I thought was too distracting.
Colors are enjoyable, as well. The picture often uses warm, rich colors in the interior scenes and captures some natural, cool colors outside. At about 28 minutes in, there's a great shot with the neon lights in the streets glowing richly. This isn't without some flaws, but Universal has presented "Mo Better Blues" nicely.
SOUND: Although the film is only in Dolby 2.0, it still sounds very good at times, and occasionally suprised me. The scenes where music is played sound impressively lively and rich, coming through wonderfully. Dialogue sounds natural and clear, as well.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: Production notes, cast/crew bios, trailer.
Final Thoughts:
Positive: Its an enjoyable movie and Universal's DVD provides good audio/video quality.
Negative: I would have liked additional features, maybe a documentary on the score or a commentary; an isolated score would have been enjoyable as well.
Maybe "Mo' Better Blues" isn't one of the most popular Spike Lee movies, but I always find it very enjoyable and entertaining. The film stars Denzel Washington as jazz talent Bleek Gilliam, who was kept from having fun with his friends as a child so he could study music. At that age he resists it, but as an adult, the music is all that he's concerned about and keeps it above all else.
While he enjoys playing, he also has to organize the life revolving around him. There's relationships with two women (Cynda Williams and Joie Lee) that he's juggling, and he has to keep the band (Bill Nunn and Giancarlo Esposito as well as Wesley Snipes) together - having them keep working and keeping them from arguing with each other. Bouncing into the mix every so often, Lee himself plays Giant, Bleek's manager.
Washington's performance often holds the film together. His chemistry with the two female leads is good, and he's also able to play the comedy as well as be serious in his attempts to be a leader to the rest of the band. The supporting performances are also very enjoyable, and Bill Lee's jazz score is so wonderful it almost becomes its own character. Lee's usual cinematographer Ernest Dickerson also provides excellent work here with some remarkable camera work.
There's a few little things here and there; the picture becomes a little less engaging during the last half and could have used slight editing to pick up the pace of the 130 minute picture. These are minor complaints though, in a film that works more often than not.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Mo' Better Blues" looks very good with Universal's new DVD edition presenting the film at 1.78:1, and it is also anamorphic. The film looks soft, but that seems more by intent and it manages to look very pleasing on this DVD, with the club scenes translating very well, looking clear and well-defined.
I was pleased to see (or actually not see) that pixelation doesn't appear throughout the movie, leaving the picture looking natural and pleasing to view. The only problem that I really saw throughout the movie was the occasional print flaw; a little mark here, a little speckle there - noticable, but really nothing that I thought was too distracting.
Colors are enjoyable, as well. The picture often uses warm, rich colors in the interior scenes and captures some natural, cool colors outside. At about 28 minutes in, there's a great shot with the neon lights in the streets glowing richly. This isn't without some flaws, but Universal has presented "Mo Better Blues" nicely.
SOUND: Although the film is only in Dolby 2.0, it still sounds very good at times, and occasionally suprised me. The scenes where music is played sound impressively lively and rich, coming through wonderfully. Dialogue sounds natural and clear, as well.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: Production notes, cast/crew bios, trailer.
Final Thoughts:
Positive: Its an enjoyable movie and Universal's DVD provides good audio/video quality.
Negative: I would have liked additional features, maybe a documentary on the score or a commentary; an isolated score would have been enjoyable as well.
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