'In the Valley of Elah' - High-Def Digest Review

[Attebery]

Kenneth's review of 'In the Valley of Elah' is up. He was disappointed by the film's third act, but has plenty of praise for Tommy Lee Jones' performance. He says this Blu-ray has strong video and TrueHD audio, but not much in the way of supplements. Still, this one is worth a look.

Full review here:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1308...leyofelah.html

[hi-def-fanboy]

This starts a the cinemas here in Australia on Feb 28th. Will have to see it when released.

[Ron_M]

Judging by the review, looks like I'm going to be renting this first - I was going to buy it with Michael Clayton this week but now I'm not so sure - At least the PQ/AQ are good

[Southpaw]

This was a good movie that did have excellent performances in it primarily by TL Jones. He certainly deserved his oscar nom.
But anyone that doesn't see it as anti-war propaganda is denying the major overtones of the picture. The final scene in the movie summarizes Haggis' message. It's a powerful statement but undeniable in it's viewpoint.

[ChrisAndy]

Originally Posted by Southpaw

This was a good movie that did have excellent performances in it primarily by TL Jones. He certainly deserved his oscar nom.
But anyone that doesn't see it as anti-war propaganda is denying the major overtones of the picture. The final scene in the movie summarizes Haggis' message. It's a powerful statement but undeniable in it's viewpoint.

I'm not so sure if this film didn't do well because it was "anti-war". As many have noted, films about the conflict in Iraq didn't perform too well at the box office despite some of them having decent critical acclaim. The problem is that people just don't care... box office receipts are steadily declining and with the world in a gloomy state, I'm not so sure American movie goers are anxious to see a film that parallels their own problems.

That said, the reviewer got it all wrong. Haggis is chastised because of the really hackneyed and over-the-top writing styles he employs which are poor in characterization and abundant in cliches. People complained about Crash as a film and as a Best Picture winner because the movie embodies so many of the cliches that it tries to strike down, and is filled with absurd dialog and scenarios. Personally speaking, I also found his work for Million Dollar Baby and Flags of our Fathers to have the same problem. Nothing to do with "liberal politics". Regardless, this review got me interested enough to give the a rent from Netflix, after The Assassination...

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by ChrisAndy

I'm not so sure if this film didn't do well because it was "anti-war". As many have noted, films about the conflict in Iraq didn't perform too well at the box office despite some of them having decent critical acclaim. The problem is that people just don't care... box office receipts are steadily declining and with the world in a gloomy state, I'm not so sure American movie goers are anxious to see a film that parallels their own problems.

That said, the reviewer got it all wrong. Haggis is chastised because of the really hackneyed and over-the-top writing styles he employs which are poor in characterization and abundant in cliches. People complained about Crash as a film and as a Best Picture winner because the movie embodies so many of the cliches that it tries to strike down, and is filled with absurd dialog and scenarios. Personally speaking, I also found his work for Million Dollar Baby and Flags of our Fathers to have the same problem. Nothing to do with "liberal politics". Regardless, this review got me interested enough to give the a rent from Netflix, after The Assassination...

I certainly agree with your points and conclusions about Haggis' criticism -- however, I was trying to isolate viewers' issues with this particular film rather than the breadth of his problematic career. I don't think the over-the-top writing applies to 'In the Valley of Elah' because it's surprisingly low key in its dialogue and script. While it still has a fair share of cliches, it's based on a true story that doesn't afford Haggis the ability to overplay much.

Still, the "liberal politics" are called out time and time again by critics, bloggers, and posters and seemed to be the most relevant issue to focus on. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Haggis' work, they were pretty dead on. And thanks as always for posting!

[RussTC3]

Just received the HD DVD version. Will watch it sometime this weekend.

[ben1080p]

In the Q now.
But it has a long wait.

[ChrisAndy]

Originally Posted by ben1080p

In the Q now.
But it has a long wait.

Don't believe that. Netflix doesn't separate the wait times for each format, so whatever time is listed is for the SD. I know this because I've rented several DVDs on both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD and they usually say "short" or even "long wait" and I get them anyways.

[PhileingFunkie]

Cliches or not, Haggis has a way of pulling them off enough emphasis to where it works in the way of good storytelling. I thought Crash was a well made flick. I can't honestly say I would like it the same if It didn't have such a stacked cast, but as it is, It is one of my favorite movies.

Elah is a great movie. A little dissapointing in the end but the performances from Sarandon and Jones is worth the viewing alone.

Ill buy it on blu when i find it under 15 bucks

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by PhileingFunkie

Cliches or not, Haggis has a way of pulling them off enough emphasis to where it works in the way of good storytelling. I thought Crash was a well made flick. I can't honestly say I would like it the same if It didn't have such a stacked cast, but as it is, It is one of my favorite movies.

Elah is a great movie. A little dissapointing in the end but the performances from Sarandon and Jones is worth the viewing alone.

Ill buy it on blu when i find it under 15 bucks

I really enjoyed 'Crash' as well -- I can sort of see why it's not everyone's flavor, but the outright backlash against it has always baffled me.

Thanks for posting!