Release Date: Sept. 27, 2011 Price:DVD $29.98 Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
A mystical blade sees a whole lot of action in The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman.
The 2010 Chinese action-comedy adventure The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman leads off the first slate of films on the Fox World Cinema label, a premiere line of films from around the world that Fox makes available on DVD — as well as video-on-demand and digital download — in the U.S.
The first feature from filmmaker Wuershan, The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman is executive produced by director/producer Doug Liman (Fair Game), who was intrigued by Wuershan’s original approach to the martial arts genre.
Presented in Mandarin with English subtitles, the PG-13-rated movie recounts the journey of a mystical blade as it passes through the hands of three ambitious men. The film features a mix of diverse filmmaking styles, including black-and-white sequences, animation, split screen and a music video.
Other films released on the Fox World Cinema label the same day include Dum Maaro Dum (DVD, $29.98), a 2011 action-crime drama from India directed by Rohan Sippy, and Angel of Evil (DVD, $29.98) directed by Italy’s Michele Placido, a 2010 biographical crime drama about notorious Milanese bank robber Renato Vallanzasca,
Buy or Rent The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman
Jon Favreau (l.) and Vince Vaughn hit Vegas baby Vegas in Swingers.
Lionsgate premiered the long-overdue U.S. Blu-ray edition of the 1996 comedy movie Swingers, starring Jon Favreau (Couples Retreat) and Vince Vaughn (The Dilemma), on Aug. 23, 2011, for a list price of $14.99. That’s so money!
Written by Favreau and directed by Doug Liman (Fair Game), the movie about a New York dude (Favreau) in Los Angeles pursuing an acting and stand-up career as he tries to mend his broken heart and deal with a fast-talking buddy (Vaughn) is already considered a comedy classic. The pair’s exploits in Vegas in the early part of the film have already been co-opted more times than we can even count.
An earlier Blu-ray edition of Swingers was issued in Canada and is still available.
Bonus features on the U.S. Blu-ray include a director/screenwriter commentary, an illustrated action commentary with Favreau and Vaughn, a multi-part making-of documentary and other extras that all previously appeared on the Miramax’s 2002 DVD edition of the film.
STUDIO: Summit | DIRECTOR: Doug Liman | CAST: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Michael Kelly, Jessica Hecht, Brooke Smith, Noah Emmerich, Sam Shepherd RELEASE DATE: 3/29/2011 | PRICE:DVD $22.99, Blu-ray $30.49 BONUSES: commentary SPECS: PG-13 | 108 min. | Thriller | 2.39:1 widescreen | Dolby Digital 5.1; DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 | English and Spanish subtitles
RATINGS (out of 5): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall
Sean Penn and Naomi Watts get political in Fair Game.
Fair Game is based on the real-life experiences of CIA operative Valerie Plame-Wilson (Naomi Watts, Mother and Child), whose undercover status as an agent working on the detection of WMDs in pre-war Iraq was compromised by White House leaks, leaving her international contacts vulnerable and her life and career in shambles.
The film is based on two memoirs, the titular one written by Plame-Wilson and another penned by her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn, Carlito’s Way), a retired ambassador whose editorial in The New York Times challenging the basis for the Iraq War was the spark that ignited what was to become known as “Plame-Gate.”
Placing the politics and issues on the side, Fair Game itself is a fine contemporary, political thriller — actually, more of a mystery than it is a thriller, as the film is most effective when it examines how the government’s secret maneuverings and power plays are conducted beneath the public’s radar. The “thrills” are generated when the cat is let out of the bag, but until then, it’s all a shadowy sort of mystery.
Watts and Penn are excellent as the seemingly hard-working and dedicated political couple whose lives and futures are undermined after doing what they thought was their job. Director Doug Liman (Jumper) uses his trademark fast-cutting, jittery camera approach liberally, never letting the style overwhelm the content, which involves lots of globe-hopping, fact-assembling and political/procedural talk. It’s a smart move on the filmmaker’s part, as the stakes seem just a little more serious and realistic this time around, as opposed to Matt Damon kicking ass in Liman’s The Bourne Identity or Sarah Polley (Splice) selling Extasy at a rave in his Go.
The Fair Game Blu-ray’s sole bonus feature is a fine one: a commentary track by Plame-Wilson and Wilson. The pair make for a soft-spoken but informative presence, commenting on the film’s style and its concessions to narrative story-telling versus the hard facts (or so we’re led to believe) of Valerie’s story. So, there are times when the Wilsons are talking about sets, editing, casting, locations and other filmic topics, and other moments when the commentary leans toward political thought and event clarification. Added together, it makes for a very engaging and different kind of commentary. And it sure beats listening to a bunch of actors slapping each others’ backs for an hour-and-a-half.
For her part, Plame is a lucid, well-spoken commentator who approaches the gig with professional aplomb and measured tones. (“I love the sultry voice,” her husband says, at one point). Early on, she describes watching her life flashing by on the screen as a “surreal” experience, which is not surprising. She saves some meatier comments for the latter parts of the film. “I grew up in a Republican family when the Republican party had a whole different meaning that it does today,” Plame remarks halfway into the film. Respect her or not, the lady’s certainly got a point there.
DVD
edition of the 1996 comedy movie Swingers, starring Jon Favreau (
edition of Swingers was issued in Canada and is still available.
edition of the film.
$22.99, 
$30.49
