Home Theater: Malcolm X and Ray

See Malcolm X by any means necessary

By Bob Grimm

Malcolm X: Two-Disc Special Edition

Movie:

Special features:

This is one of the finest biopics ever made, an amazing triumph for director Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. It was wrong when the Academy Awards passed over Spike for Do the Right Thing, but it was positively evil when they ignored him for this one. Washington was nominated but denied in favor of Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman, something that looks quite lousy in retrospect. Anybody who has seen footage of Malcolm X would probably concur that Washington pretty much channels his power, a performance that should've automatically netted him the award over Pacino's constant barking. As for Lee, this is his best film, and might just end up being the best one he ever makes. After a series of smaller films, Lee showed that he was right at home with an epic, delivering a picture that is as visually beautiful as it is intellectually stimulating. I'm still holding out hope that he'll get the funding for his Jackie Robinson biopic, but his box office track record could prohibit that from ever happening (as well as crap like She Hate Me currently making him look like he can't direct for beans). Future considerations aside, this is a movie that everybody, and I mean everybody, should see. It's a story that needed to be told, with Lee and Washington doing an incredible job of telling it.

Special features: The two-disc package contains a 1972 Academy Award-nominated documentary narrated in part by James Earl Jones and featuring astonishing historical footage of Malcolm's speeches and interviews. A recently produced documentary on the fight to make the film brings back memories of how much shit Lee had to endure to make his movie (Bill Cosby and Oprah Winfrey had to kick in some bucks to get the job done). Lee and some of his associates sit down for a terrific commentary that more than enhances the viewing experience. It's nice to see this movie get its due.

Ray does justice to a musical pioneer

Ray

Movie:

Special features:

Not a surprise that Jamie Foxx got an Oscar nomination for this one. He nailed Ray Charles in very much the same way Denzel nailed Malcolm X, as if he were channeling the real person. All sorts of critics' groups and organizations are throwing awards at Foxx, so it appears that Oscar is on the way. While Foxx is amazing here, I'm more partial to Leonardo Di Caprio for The Aviator in this year's Oscar race, but I don't vote, therefore I don't factor. Director Taylor Hackford creates a film that looks great, but perhaps pulls a few punches on the darker side of Charles' celebrity. The film's minor shortfalls are not bothersome because Foxx makes the whole thing much worth watching. He plays a great piano and actually made himself blind for the part. Having heard Foxx sing a bit, I'm wondering why they had him lip synch the songs. He appears to be more than capable of not necessarily copying the Charles voice, but certainly capturing its spirit in much the same way Sissy Spacek did with Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter. This is just nitpicking, because the musical scenes are as rousing as they should be, and the whole enterprise winds up being a terrific tribute to an unforgettable musical pioneer. Charles died during the production, something that makes the viewing experience all the more poignant.

Special features: The DVD contains two versions, the theatrical cut and an extended version with longer musical scenes. The disc highlight would have to be Ray Charles sitting down with Foxx for a jam session, where Charles gets excited beyond words at the prospect of Foxx playing the role. Ray Remembered is a nice enough tribute to the master, and Hackord delivers a good feature commentary.