Moonlight [DVD] [2017]

MOONLIGHT [2016 / 2017] [Blu-ray] A Cinematic Landmark! A Flat Out Masterpiece! The Work of A Master Movie-Maker . . . A Film For The Ages! Exquisite, the Reason Why We Go To The Movies!Nominated for 8 Academy Awards® and 4 BAFTA® Awards including Best Picture and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Naomie Harris, ‘MOONLIGHT’ is a timeless story of human connection and self-discovery. The film chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighbourhood of Miami.The story is divided into three different timelines, each focusing on Chiron, who is played by Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes all at different stages in his life. As a child, Chiron is nicknamed “Little” because of his diminutive size and shy demeanour. Chiron struggles with bullying at school and becomes involved with a drug dealer and his girlfriend who look after him when Chiron can no longer bear to be around his abusive mother Paula [Naomie Harris]. As he also begins to explore his sexuality, Chiron grows into his teenage years and becomes a more resilient adult, but the travails of his upbringing and the experiences of his younger years may never truly leave him.FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2017 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Motion Picture of the Year for Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Win: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Mahershala Ali. Win: Best Adapted Screenplay for Barry Jenkins (screenplay) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (story). Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Naomie Harris. Nominated: Best Achievement in Directing for Barry Jenkins. Nominated: Best Achievement in Cinematography for James Laxton. Nominated: Best Achievement in Film Editing for Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders. Nominated: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) for Nicholas Britell. 2017 Golden Globes®: Win: Best Motion Picture for Drama. Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Mahershala Ali. Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Naomie Harris. Nominated: Best Director in a Motion Picture for Barry Jenkins. Nominated: Best Screenplay in a Motion Picture for Barry Jenkins. Nominated: Best Original Score in a Motion Picture for Nicholas Britell. 2017 BAFTA® Awards: Nominated: Best Film for Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Naomie Harris. Nominated: Best Original Screenplay for Barry Jenkins.Cast: Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp, Duan Sanderson, Alex R. Hibbert, Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris, Jaden Piner, Herman 'Caheej' McCloun, Kamal Ani-Bellow, Keomi Givens, Eddie Blanchard, Rudi Goblen, Ashton Sanders, Edson Jean, Patrick Decile, Herveline Moncion, Jharrel Jerome, Fransley Hyppolite, Jesus Mitchell, Larry Anderson, Tanisha Cidel, Trevante Rhodes, Stephon Bron, André Holland, Don Seward and Justin Ebenhack (uncredited)Director: Barry JenkinsProducers: Adele Romanski, Andrew Hevia, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Elayne Schneiderman Schmidt, Jeremy Kleiner, John Montague, Sarah Esberg, Veronica Nickel and Tarell Alvin McCraneyScreenplay: Barry Jenkins (screenplay) and Tarell Alvin McCraney (story)Composer: Nicholas BritellCinematography: James Laxton (Director of Photography)Video Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic)Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Audio Stereo, English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English: 2.0 LPCM Audio DescriptionsSubtitles: English HOH [Hard of Hearing]Running Time: 111 minutesRegion: Region B/2Number of discs: 1Studio: A24 / Plan B Entertainment/Patel / Altitude Film Distribution / British Film InstituteAndrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘MOONLIGHT’ [2016] is director Barry Jenkins’s Oscar-nominated coming-of-age film that is a heart- breaking, uplifting, minor-key masterpiece. Where it asks “Who is you?” and this is the question that echoes throughout the film ‘MOONLIGHT,’ which is the breath-taking second feature film from the director of the film ‘Medicine for Melancholy’ [2008]. The ‘MOONLIGHT’ film is a coming-of-age story about a young man from a hard Miami neighbourhood; this kaleidoscopic gem focuses on three periods of the young man’s subject of life, chaptered by the different names and identities he assumes throughout the film where he is given the names like “Little,” “Chiron” and “Black.”Lending a heartfelt voice to the characters in the film that have previously been silenced or side-lined, the film ‘MOONLIGHT’ is an astonishingly amazing quality accomplished work, that is rich, sensuous and tactile, with lots of twists and turns that are at times heart-breaking, but also very uplifting. The first time I viewed this Blu-ray disc I swooned with joyous delight; the second time I cried in a very emotional way and is well worth a third view to really get under the skin of the characters in the film, especially because it was by inspired by the brilliant playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney’s postgraduate theatre project entitled “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.”Mahershala Ali’s incredible performance as Juan in ‘MOONLIGHT’ around the first third of the film, gives it its human core; Barry Jenkins has no interest in upending, or affirming the audience’s preconceived notions of how a drug dealer might behave. Juan is presented as an entire person because that’s exactly who he is, and like everyone in this astonishing film is presented in the same three-dimensional fashion, even as they make decisions that break Chiron’s heart. More than anything, Juan tries to impress upon the boy that his outward appearance, and how the world sees him, isn’t everything. During his swimming lesson, Juan relays a memory of an old woman seeing him on the beach at night and saying, “In the moonlight, black boys look blue! You’re blue!”In some of the film’s most important moments, Barry Jenkins literally bathes his characters in that baleful, blue light, stripping them of whatever disguises they might unwittingly wear in the daytime. As a teenager, Chiron [Ashton Sanders] is still very awkward, still burdened by his mother, and perhaps only slightly more aware of his sexuality. When a night-time flirtation with a friend turns sexual, Barry Jenkins stages the action on a beach under the full moon, turning that intimate moment into something that feels at once exclusive to the couple and yet an utterly universal acceptance of their performances.“Little” [Alex Hibbert] being chased into a derelict house from which he is rescued by Juan [Mahershala Ali] who is very imposing yet a very gentle soul. Juan is a drug dealer whose addicted clients include Little’s increasingly bedraggled mother, Paula [Naomie Harris]. Aided by his nurturing partner, Teresa [Janelle Monáe], and Juan takes a parental interest in this lost boy, who keeps forlornly asking: “Am I a faggot?” But after 20 minutes with the characters, it’s clear why they ended up where they did. This cohesiveness is a remarkable achievement for a film that compresses a life story into three episodic segments, each running about 40 minutes.Like all great films, especially like the film ‘MOONLIGHT’ is both specific and sweeping. It’s a story about identity and an intelligent, challenging work that wants viewers to reflect on assumptions they might make about the characters you see in the film. It’s also a focused and personal work, a mental odyssey about the youth, adolescence, and adulthood of Chiron, who is growing up gay and black in Miami. From start to finish, the director Barry Jenkins’s new film balances the scope of its ambitions: The story weaves random memories and crucial life experiences into a tapestry, one that tries to unlock the shielded heart of its protagonist.The film ‘MOONLIGHT’ veers away from the typical gritty stereotypes, where its setting might suggest; in fact, this film deliberately rejects the visual markers viewers might anticipate in such a tale. Liberty City is bright and often colourful, even at its most dilapidated. When Chiron is rescued by Juan [Mahershala Ali], one of the drug dealers shown cruising around in a vintage Cadillac, the boy is taken to Juan’s suburban type home, and later to the beach, where Juan cradles him in the water to try and teach him how to swim. Juan quickly realises that Chiron doesn’t need to be forced or coddled into opening up emotionally; he just needs space to be himself. At every juncture, Juan tries to dissuade the boy from accepting whatever lot he is handed by his tormenters, or by his crack-addicted mother Paula [Naomie Harris] a totally frightening character, but also a wonderful stunning performance that was worthy of her award nominated Supporting Role in this film. Also ‘MOONLIGHT’ is not an easy watch at times, partly because it delves deeply into its protagonist’s haunted psyche. To say more would spoil this singular journey suffused with melancholy and hope, emotions that Barry Jenkins communicates through the screen with uncommon grace. The result is a film that is one of the most essential viewing of the year, and one whose depth rewards repeated viewings.MOONLIGHT MUSIC TRACK LISTINGEVERY N***ER IS A STAR [Performed by Boris Gardiner]IT’LL ALL BE OVER [Performed by Supreme Jubilees]LAUDATE DOMINUM FROM VESPERAE DE CONFESSORE, K. 339 [Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Conducted by Nicholas Britell]ONE STEP AHEAD [Performed by Aretha Franklin]MINI SKIRT [Performed by The Performers]CELL THERAPY [Performed by Goodie Mob]TYRONE [Performed by Erykah Badu]PLAY THAT FUNK [Performed by Prez P and Travis Bowe]TUMBLING DOWN [Performed by Langston & French of The Numero Group]CUCURRUCUCÚ PALOMA [Performed by Caetano Veloso]CLASSIC MAN [Performed by Jidenna feat. Roman GianArthur Irvin]OUR LOVE [Performed by The Edge of Daybreak]HELLO STRANGER [Performed by Barbara Lewis]Blu-ray Video Quality – Altitude Film Distribution brings us this outstanding Blu-ray with a dedicated 1080p image transfer and an equally impressive 2.35:1 aspect ratio and was shot digitally on a Arri Alexa cameras and was finished at a 2K Digital Intermediate for immediate release to cinemas. By filming it is 2K Digital Intermediate, the look of the film looks very standard on the Blu-ray format, but to me it still looks a visual masterpiece in every sense of the word, especially as the film was shot on only a $1.3 million budget in a fairly short amount of time. The cinematography by the amazing James Laxton gave a very interesting visual experience to the film, and some of the lighting that was used does make for an outstanding memorable image experience. There is some blue/purple tinge with a good portion of the visual experience of the film, with an amber brown tint being used for other scenes, all as the creative choice by the director and cinematographer combined. The camera is fairly active for the slower parts of the drama, and sometimes you get some slight shaky camera work, but this gives the image a very natural look, especially being a low budget feature film, which helped to make it feel also like an independent film, so giving certain scenes a really beautiful look, while others are somewhat partially out of focus, which helped give certain scenes the look that the director wanted us to view of scenes around Miami. But despite this it still does not detract too much from the brilliant final finished product, which is why it won all those plaudits and deservedly awards. Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.Blu-ray Audio Quality – Altitude Film Distribution has given us a very pleasing 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track experience, which gives the film a fairly basic overall audio experience. Surround effects are limited, and dialogue is the key driver of the film, so the centre and front left and right speakers will get the biggest workout. The centre channel sounded especially great, but I was slightly underwhelmed by the rest of the audio compared to other modern releases, so I recommend you set your audio expectations low, but despite this, it was still a very nice audio experience. The surrounds only get use in outdoor scenes providing ambient noise and by spreading the film’s composed music score across the five channels, and the front speakers really handle the workload for most of the film. Dialogue is strong, as mentioned, so make sure you have a strong centre channel and you will be fine, but at times I had to really crank the sound up to understand what some of the people were saying, especially when they were talking in that type of slang that you would hear in and around that part of Miami in Florida.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Special Feature: Cruel Beauty: Filming In Miami [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [5:39] This very short special feature explores the importance of location in filming, especially for the film 'MOONLIGHT,' and how the reality of Miami differs from the fantasy, and how director Barry Jenkins sought to honour his hometown without sugar-coating it. Barry Jenkins talks about how he is a very visual director and how he wanted it to be very personal project. They knew they had to shoot in Miami, and the producers talked about how important it was for the director Barry Jenkins and how he wanted a lot of the actors in the film to be from the Miami area and also wanted them to be themselves as well as be as natural and real as possible. Again Barry Jenkins wanted to show the Miami that he grew up in while also showing off the beauty of that part of America. Contributors include: Barry Jenkins [Writer/Director], Tarell Alvin McCraney [Executive Producer/Writer], Dede Gardner [Producer], Adele Romanski [Producer] and Jeremy Kleiner [Producer].Special Feature: Ensemble of Emotions: Making ‘MOONLIGHT’ [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [21:37] With this more in-depth special feature, here we find the film's producers and principal actors discuss the filmmaking style that distinguishes the film 'MOONLIGHT' with its creative approach to the material, and the various subtleties that make it resonate. They also analyse the in-depth of the characters and explain their connections to each of them, and express their deep commitment to the project, and also extol the virtues of the diverse cast. Though this piece runs a little longer than the other special features, it certainly takes us inside the production process and allows us to see how Barry Jenkins developed his vision and crystallised everything over the course of shooting the film and wanted all three of the actors to share the essence of the main theme of the character and also informs us how they never met and never rehearsed with each other or even saw each other’s scenes. We also get some nice comments from the actress Naomie Harris and how it was a great challenge to portray a mother who was more interested in drugs than the welfare of her son. But all in all this is a very nice special feature, especially seeing the actors how they look now compared to what we view them in the film. Contributors include: Barry Jenkins [Writer/Director], Adele Romanski [Producer], Dede Gardner [Producer], Jeremy Kleiner [Producer], Alex R. Hibbert [“Little”], Mahershala Ali [“Juan”], Janelle Monáe [“Teresa”], Ashton Sanders [“Chiron”], Trevante Rhodes, André Holland [“Kevin”] and Naomie Harris [“Paula”].Special Feature: Poetry Through Collaboration: The Music Of ‘MOONLIGHT’ [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [10:06] With this special feature we get a nice look at the intimate comments from Composer Nicholas Britell and Writer/Director Barry Jenkins who talk about their philosophy regarding the composed film music for the film ‘MOONLIGHT.’ The composer talks about how music interacts with a film and how the film ‘Chariots of Fire’ inspired him to compose film music and talks about the collaborative process with the director and how it all works out in his process, especially as he really loved the script and really responded to it very well and the film had a great influence with the music of hip-hop on top of also classical scores that included the likes of Mozart and how they were both on the same page, and with the transformative power of music we find out that it affected the overall aspect of the film, and how themes can fit different dramatic situations in this too short absorbing special feature. Composer Nicholas Britell also elaborated on how he slowed certain musical motifs down, and expanded instrumentation on recurring songs to illustrate the protagonist's emotional progression. Contributors include: Nicholas Britell [Composer] and Barry Jenkins [Writer/Director].Audio Commentary by Director Barry Jenkins: Here we are personally introduced to Barry Jenkins who informs us that he was the Writer/Director of the film ‘MOONLIGHT,’ which he also informs us that the film was adapted and based on the play In “Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” by Tarell Alvin McCraney, who like Barry Jenkins, grew up pretty much in the same locations you see throughout the film. Barry Jenkins also gives us a very personal, involving, and informative audio commentary that really emphasises the intimate connection he had with this film we are watching with him. About three years to the day when recording the audio commentary, Barry visited Brussels in Belgium where he did his first draft for the film, and at the same time he introduced the film ‘Twelve Years A Slave’ at the Telluride Film Festival, because of seeing the A24 logo at the start of his film. At the start of the film there is only one real actor and that was Mahershala Ali and the rest is just ordinary real people who actually live in that area of Miami and the apartment block that Chiron enters was totally abandoned in real life. The Diner we see Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert, Barry really liked this place personally as they served a really amazing fried fish sandwich, which he really loved to eat. Barry Jenkins talks in-depth and at length about how certain events that transpire what we view in the film, that mirrors his own personal experiences and how it has been difficult for him to watch his own film because it has affected him personally in so many ways. Among other things, Barry Jenkins also explores the characters and themes throughout the film, Barry also discusses the adaptation process and the massive budget constraints that always occured when trying to get his project off the ground. Barry also comments on the music choices used throughout the film, and really praises music composer Nicholas Britell and the first piece of music we hear is one that Barry really liked which is called “Chiron’s Theme” and kept calling Nicholas “My Man” and what a joy it was working with him. Barry also talked extensively about the photographic colour changes that occur throughout the film's three chapters, this was done on purpose to emphasise the changes in people’s lives. When we first encounter the actress Naomie Harris, Barry calls her the “Queen” for some unknown reason, but also comments that he felt the actress was like his real mother and also praised her wonderful diligent acting performance in portraying her character, which I totally agree. Barry informs us a lot that certain scenes were shot at 48 frames per second, as Barry wanted to give those scenes a much heightened image resolution, but the audio was recorded at 24 frames per second. When you see “Black” [Chiron] with his mother Paula at the rehab centre, Barry informs us that in making the film, that was the most personal part of the film, especially when “Black” and Paula are talking together in the garden and this particular scene for Barry is sort of basically a reconciliation with his own mother, who also had a battle with drug addiction, and again this particular scene in the film is what it is all about, but when Barry decides sometimes to watch his film, this particular scene between “Black” and Paula, he has to close his eyes, because it is very emotional scene for him personally. But one thing Barry is very proud of is the fact that the actors that play “Black” and Paula were so fully committed with every single take in the film and definitely wanted to give it their all and go all the way in their performance, especially when “Black” lights up a cigarette for Paula, this was not in the script. The audio commentary track flows quite nicely, and Barry Jenkins conversational style has a very pleasing vocal tone, and you definitely hear in the tone of his voice the obvious affection and enthusiasm for the subject matter, definitely makes it a very worthwhile listen. So top marks all round for a brilliant effort on the part of Barry Jenkins, who I felt a great affection for in his style and presentation and could of listened to him all night long and also had a great affinity towards Barry. This is a definitely a passionate and exciting audio commentary where Barry Jenkins does his best cramming as much information about the production and the film's reception as possible. This is also a very strong audio commentary track from director Barry Jenkins who is clearly enamoured with the material and actors he had to work with. A great deal of information is given on this audio track, largely dealing with the themes and inspiration for the film. As the credits appear on the screen, Barry Jenkins says, “Thank you guys for watching ‘MOONLIGHT’ and thank you for listening to this audio commentary track. Again, I remember being at Film School and listening to a lot of these audio commentaries and I try to be honest and I hope I illuminated some things you might have questions about or curious about. Much respect. I highly recommended this audio commentary to all you fans of this film out there.‘MOONLIGHT’ Trailer [2016] [1080p] [2.35:1] [1:52] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘MOONLIGHT.’ This is a really stunning powerful presentation trailer that matches and shows off this outstanding Award Winning film in a totally brilliant way.Theatrical Trailers: Here get to view two trailers, which are ‘LADY MACBETH’ [2016] [1080p] [2.35:1] and ‘I AM NOT A NEGRO’ [2016] [1080p] [2.35:1]. Both run together with no break and lasts 2 minutes and 51 seconds.Finally, in short, ‘MOONLIGHT’ is an astonishing award winning film and demands to be seen, even though the film is about someone who desperately wants to keep the audience at arm’s length. Again inspired by the play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” by Tarell Alvin McCraney, and director Barry Jenkins’s astonishing film is a meditation on growing up in a very difficult and confusing world, and the ways we all try to prevent ourselves from standing out or getting hurt. There is total insight into the film ‘MOONLIGHT’ that should pierce viewers to their core, even if Chiron’s life is very different from their own. This is not an “issue” film that is also not mainly “about” race or sexuality; this is a humane genre film with a strong message, and one that is looking to prompt empathy and introspection most of all. On those terms alone, ‘MOONLIGHT’ is one of 2016 most gripping viewing experiences and one that will well reward to on so many levels. Very Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

Moonlight is poetry in motion. Jenkins delivers a masterpiece that marries the art and science of filmmaking. It's both compelling and visually stunning. Cudos to everyone involved for taking a chance on creating a story like this.

Good film. I am a middle aged white straight Russian woman living in white neighborhood and I can relate to the main character with his loneliness, fragility and strength at the same time and the difficulty of understanding where he belongs after all hardship, bullying and abuse that he experienced as a child and teenager. The main character is tragic, unloved and lonely and also very strong in his way. The happy ending at the end is not quite convincing and it is hard to believe that the main character had never had sex. Overall a touching film that made me cry. Excellent acting and the script is good.

all I can say is from the start to the very end this is a stunning piece of cinema.

A little tenderness is all it takes to help someone find his or her feet in an uncaring world. I cannot think of a movie which remonstrates that truth as persuasively and profoundly as ‘Moonlight’ does. It is just the perfect film, a perceptive, honest and brave accomplishment that exemplifies what modern cinema can and should be. It is a creation that actually matters, both as a benchmark in cinema and as a catalyst for social justice. Being technically well ahead of its time, ‘Moonlight’ should certainly inspire generations of future filmmakers.The Miami that the story portrays is not the glamorous city of swanky hotels, flashy marinas and glitzy clubs, but the neglected neighbourhoods where a majority of the minorities live. The cruel irony of the impoverish sharing the same, bright and breezy landscape with their affluent counterparts is deftly explored by James Laxton’s photography to startling effect. Similarly, the characters of the story are not the stereotypical caricatures whom we usually find in films of this nature, but are real people living real lives. While such realism is a product of the actual experiences of the writer-director, Barry Jenkins and of Tarell Alvin McCraney, the author of the original play, the depth of characterisations undoubtedly comes from Jenkins’ innovative approach to directing his talented cast. He allows the protagonists to express their emotions more visually than verbally, a word or two spoken after these meaningful silences exerting a bigger punch as a consequence. James Laxton captures the performances with minimum disruption, through continuous, handheld takes where possible, so that they are natural, authentic and utterly compelling. The resulting atmosphere is mesmerising and, when punctuated by Nicholas Britell’s effective, experimental score, is simply electrifying. It is a pity that Barry Jenkins didn't win the Oscar for Best Director, because he indisputably is a master of his craft.

Dodax service etc 5 stars, film load of rubbish (no real storey). Not even1star, not recommended to anybody to buy.