Arts Movie Reviews

As for the ballet, nothing really stood out. Besides Ms. Ferri, none of the other cast members caused me to jump for joy ... no stupendous efforts; just basic dancing. Neither did I see anything to make me gasp. The stage design and costumes looked pretty familiar, the lighting was fine, and the music came through clearly. One-word summary for everything: satisfactory.

Unfortunately, the video problems were serious. The disc cover notes say "Recorded Live in HDTV," but the transfer to DVD was problematic, with one decidedly bad result: the outline of the dancers blurs whenever there is movement. I could overlook this on some occasions, but the glitch persisted.

The camera editing was good, but not great. There were several instances during the dancing where some close-ups made me miss the full head-to-toe posture that I prefer when I'm watching dance. This may not bother other viewers who like to get as many closer-up views of the characters' faces as possible.

Another glaring video distraction had to do with a particular camera that was positioned in the back of the orchestra pit, right about at stage level. Aside from having way too low of a vantage point, this camera created a distortion characteristic of wide-angle lenses, whereby the images at the edge of the frame move in rotational fashion as the camera pans from side to side. Further, the camera was operated remotely, and seemed to swivel in one plane, thus creating a kind of "robotic" movement. I don't understand why this was even used, since there was another camera, also centrally located but higher up, which rendered a far more natural perspective.

I would recommend this DVD to most viewers except some ballet fanatics and others who are sensitive to flawed video work.

It strikes me that this film is perhaps best approached as a sort of "liturgy," in which symbol and movement and music are orchestrated to evoke wonder, awe, reflection, inspiration. If you have a strongly contemplative, introspective bent, and approach 2001 as a visual-musical-verbal-symbolic symphonic work rather than expecting a traditional "story" movie, you will very likely enjoy viewing 2001. Rent it first (I recommend the widescreen edition); believe me, if you like it, you'll be coming back to buy a copy for your personal collection.

P.S. -- I didn't get the ending at first, either, so don't worry if you don't understand it all on the first viewing. Just sit back, relax, and drift on Kubrick and Clarke's strange and wonderful journey. It's O.K. to come away from this film with more questions than answers.

It's been called "the thinking person's sci-fi film," and there's plenty of room for philosophical debate about what the movie "means", but it's at this near-sublimal, pre-intellectual level that film tries hardest to succeed, I think. It's certainly a visual feast--the scene design and special effects are models of elegant simplicity, nearly hypnotic. And, as the digital DVD sound remainds us, it's also a sonic delight.

Some people find this film too long. I think that's a way of saying that not enough happens (as if the birth, life and transcendence of the human race wasn't "enough"), or that what does happen unwinds too slowly. I think Kubrick's deliberate pace serves several worthy causes--it shows us the monotony of space and how blasted long it takes to do anything. I find a lot of Kubrick's signature deep-black humor in the film (much more subtle here than in either "Dr. Strangelove" or "Clockwork Orange"), much of it based in the dull routine, the awkward silences and petty politleness that make up these people's lives.

But the real story here isn't about character--it's the splendid visual effects that seldom leave center stage. Think of all the "wrong" things this movie does in terms of plotting, creating character (or sense of place),telling a story--and how little it matters to the film's success. In discarding the usual vocabulary of filmmaking, Kubrick hits on a perfect parellel to his theme of alternate modes of being.

A visionary classic, destined to be discussed as long as movies are, and probably the high point of Kubrick's career, following "Strangelove" and preceeding "Clockwork"--darn few directors (maybe only Hitchcock) can boast of a 1-2-3 punch like that!

It's important to remember that this is a submission grappling tournament. That means the majority of the matches are going to be spent either stalking, the guard, side mount, or mounted position. If you hate these positions and want something with a faster pace, then this is not the DVD for you.

This DVD IS for:
-People who don't mind when UFC or Pride fights stay in the guard for 5+min (in this case without striking)
-People who understand the very technical aspects of grappling instead of seeing people "Just lying there"
-People who can appreciate ground grappling

This DVD is NOT for:
- People who want tons of action
- People who don't understand submission grappling strategy (position and points)
- People who look for the "ground and pound" seen in UFC and Pride
- People who hate when matches go to the ground

The broad casting quality is decent. They have different camera angles, but is no where close to the quality we're use to in NHB competitions (KOC, UFC, Pride). I give this DVD 3 stars because it gives THE best submission experts in the world, puts them in a tournament and delivers what it says it does. On the other hand, even for someone who studies BJJ with a Gracie, I found a lot of the matches kind of slow myself.

This is the ONLY tournament where you get to see the best against each other.