Luis Llosa's first and last impressive Hollywood film was "Sniper." His follow-up "The Specialist" was visually stunning, but incredibly stupid. His newest, "Anaconda" is also visually stunning and stupid, but it's supposed to be!  It's a throwback to the horror films of  long ago. Instead of giant mutated atomic ants, we have...giant Anacondas!  Everyone chews up the scenery here, but few do it with as much enthusiasm as Jon Voight.  A documentary film crew heads up the Brazilian rainforest to film ancient Indian tribes.  When they come across a stalled boat manned by Voight, their expedition heads towards one horrifying surprise after another.  The special effects are the real stars of the film, and the giant snake is truly terrifying to watch. This transfer is generally impressive, but the picture is a little soft at times.  The Dolby Surround is first-rate, with an abundance of   atmospheric effects.

Luc Besson's "The Fifth Element" marks the first Dolby Digital 5.1 release from Columbia Tristar and it's a great start.  Although the film has only a marginally compelling storyline, the visual effects and soundmix are frequently innovative and the transfer is excellent in sight and sound quality. The story's narrative jumps around quite a bit without really holding together. But, as soon as the first shot of the 23rd century appears, and the futuristic cities unfold before us, it doesn't really matter too much.  Besson is obviously influenced by Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" in certain scenes, but this film's much more colorful and bright. The transfer compliments the images perfectly, with perfect fleshtones, correct 2.35:1 framing and a glossy picture throughout.. Sound technology has also advanced since Scott's film, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 effects do a fine job at bringing the viewer into the film. There are many scenes that give surround sound new meaning, and the musical score benefits greatly from the bass as well.

P.J. Hogan's first and last film, "Muriel's Wedding" seemed like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stale air of comedy/romance films.  "My Best Friend's Wedding" is a wonderful follow-up.  Julia Roberts is a food-critic finally realizing her love for best friend Dermot Mulroney after he becomes engaged to Cameron Diaz. The plot and Roberts' antics stretch credibility at times, but the film has a real warmth to it, and it takes on the overwhelming complexities of real romance with equally reckless abandon.  The picture looks wonderful. Hogan utilizes all of his 2.35:1 framing to great advantage and the various color schemes are retained in perfect condition with excellent fleshtones. The Dolby Surround sound is adequate with some rear speaker effects and a wonderful soundtrack. It's still a little disappointing that Columbia Tristar didn't elect to release this title on laser with Dolby Digital, especially since the two most recent releases before it were encoded in that format.

Director Barry Sonnenfeld offers audio commentary on the 2nd laserdisc from Columbia Tristar to also feature Dolby Digital 5.1!  It's great to see Columbia Tristar begin to utilize the full advantages of this encoding.  Sonnenfeld has offered commentary before on the MGM release of Get Shorty.  While the history of the making of this film is a unique story by itself, Sonnenfeld also delves into the technical aspects of   the film's production, and it also makes for some worthwhile trivia. (one shot in the opening credit sequence was intended to pay homage to Executive Producer Steven Spielberg) The film itself is a great deal of fun, with a fast-paced plot, witty narrative and of course Tommy Lee Jones.  There are numerous special effect sequences and all of them look outstanding in this transfer. The 1.85:1 aspect ratio is maintained and the film has a well-polished look to it in every scene.  The Dolby Digital surround is used extensively and to great affect, and captures Danny Elfman's wonderful score perfectly. Following the film, a music video with Will Smith is featured.

Columbia Tristar is continually putting out some impressive independent films. Last year they released outstanding quality laserdiscs of two outstanding quality films, "Bottle Rocket" and "Welcome to the Dollhouse."  This year, "The Whole Wide World" joins this special honor.  Directed by Dan Ireland, "Whole Wide World" tells the complex, tragic tale of writer Robert E. Howard, the man responsible for "Conan" and "Kull the Conqueror."  Based on correspondence between a young school teacher and Howard, the script delves into their young lives and romance.   Howard took his own life at the age of 30, and "The Whole Wide World" makes one feel as if they know Howard and what may have moved him to such despair more than anyone else. The acting,direction, cinematography and everything else about the film is stunning. Supposedly, Rene Zellweger's wonderful performance here led to her being cast in "Jerry Maguire."  The 2.35:1 cinematography is used to great advantage and its images of  the wide-open Texas terrain is staggering at times. The transfer is always crisp and fleshtones are excellent. The Dolby Surround soundmix offers a few effects, but is generally non-active except for a decent score from Hans Zimmer.

Director Mike Newell has managed to pull off the "near-impossible!"   He's actually managed to create a mob film with something "new" to tell us.  At least, he tells it in a way that makes it feel new.  Let's face it,with the string of  bad  mob films and t.v. movies to come out after "GoodFellas", it's hard to tell a story that one can't figure out from the beginning.  In some ways, this is also true with "Donnie Brasco."   Every character involved seems doomed from the start, but it feels real, and it is!   Knowing what is probably going to happen to the central characters doesn't distract from the film's magic at all, and there's also a fair amount of surprises.  Pacino is at his restrained best!  Depp also gives a fine performance, as do most of the supporting cast. But, it's Pacino that's most impressive.  One keeps expecting him to go over-the-top as he unfortunately has in many recent films, but he keeps everything in check, and it pays off!  The transfer is excellent with slick production values throughout. The dolby surround sound is also extremely active, and features an outstanding, haunting score, that takes its hold from the eerie opening credits and stays well after the film has ended.