Second vote here for "what the hell is he dissin' on Freeman for"?

Heh heh. I just can't connect with that performance. It takes me out of the movie.

I'm going to start its own thread, but earlier tonight my local Costco [Norwalk, CT] had Malcolm out along with Chariots Of Fire and some older WB 2 disc'rs...

You could have been posting from my brain here . . .

Hey, Gil, how's the video quality on this new one compared to the old one?

The old one wasn't too bad, and it was already anamorphic.

From what I've read in another review, the image quality is identical to the previous one. If that's the case, there really was no reason to split the disc up after all. That's a shame, but I still can't wait to get this, as I'd always hoped they'd finally do a SE of Malcolm X. I'm glad there are other persons participating in the commentary as well as Spike Lee is just a really boring listen by himself and really doesn't have that much to say. You would think that with all the material available in his book on the making of the film, "By Any Means Necessary," he'd have a lot to talk about.

talemyn, I've been away from this tread for a while, but since I'm back, although OU played very poorly in the Orange Bowl, I don't believe any team could have played with USC the way they played that night. And let's not forget the final two games Auburn played . . . not impressive. Possible #1? Not a chance in hell. LOL!

I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

I would never claim that Auburn was definitely #1, but I don't think that a USC-AU Orange Bowl would have been a gimme for USC. by any stretch.

More than anything, I never thought OU had any business being in the Orange Bowl . . . I watched them play throughout the season and I don't think their play on the field ever matched their ranking. While I did get some enjoyment from being proved correct, it was mostly just frustrating to know that Auburn was kept out, only to have OU go in and get embarassed.



BTW . . . welcome back.

I haven't seen the old disc so I can't compare but the image quality on this release is very nice. You'll be happy with it.

I just read a review that stated this:

"Warner presents Malcolm: Special Edition in a disappointing anamorphic transfer (1.85:1) that is not only struck from a less than pristine print, but also butchers Lee's framing in many key instances (e.g., Washington all but disappears out of the left portion of the frame whilst staring down Peter Boyle as he disperses his fellow Black Muslims)."

If that's the case, I'll keep my old one and maybe get the new one for it's extras.

It really helps to cite your sources. Where did that review come from, since it doesn't line up with any other reviews currently out there?

Again, I haven't seen the original DVD but I'll check out that scene to see if it looks unnatural. I didn't notice any weird cropping. The print itself seemed clean and the transfer was reasonably vibrant.

Is this a good movie? I tried to rent it today, but the one wasn't in (old version). I think I tried to watch this in the past on tv, but didn't stick with it. I dunno if I was turned off from lack of interest or maybe I was too young to appreciate, but how was it overall?

I have only liked a few of Lee's movies including: "Do The Right Thing", I think "School Daze", "Jungle Fever", and definitely liked "25th Hour". Others I didn't get into and am trying with current rental "Summer of Sam", though I remember not liking it in the past. "He Got Game" I wasn't that fond of either.

Any comments would be helpful in deciding if worth the purchase.

Thanks in advance.

It's definitely closer to Do The Right Thing than Summer of Sam. I saw check it out. My review is pretty long, but I think I talk about some interesting aspects of the film.

I saw Malcolm X in the theater when it came out but I was definitely too young to really understand what was going on. (I wasn't that young, but I didn't really have a sense of all the history.) Watching it later (and watching the documentary on the second disc) I was very moved. I definitely recommend at least renting it and definitely watching the documentary as well as the feature.

that's the thing...my BBV won't have it for rental, so I was thinking of renting the older to see if I liked the movie, but then have no back up in terms of cementing with extras. Also, now is the time to buy with BB having it for $15.99, so you see the quandry. But thanks for the comments Gil!

Malcolm X is a tremendous film about an amazing person. Denzel Washington's portrayal is spot on, as he inhabits Malcolm X every bit as much as Jamie Foxx does Ray Charles. It's a real shame Denzel didn't win the Academy Award for this role, which I believe he was born to play.

I was thinking the performance was parallel to Jaime's in "Ray". Would liking "Ray" have any indication if I would like "Malcolm X"? I know very different subject matter, but I think I liked "Ray" more for Jaime's portrayal than anything else in the movie.

I'd say buy it if you're that interested. I think you'll like it alot. Denzel is outstanding and the story is tremendous. There are a ton of extras and the 1972 documentary is worth the $16 alone. You can always sell it later.

I agree. Very good movie IMO.

i think you're right!

Even though the film is over three hours long, you probably won't even notice it. I've seen it around 60 times and can still sit through it one sitting. This movie well worth a blind buy. Washington delivers what at best I can describe as a very credible performance and should've won the Oscar for this. He always has a charismatic presence on-screen and does his trademark infectuous laugh a few times. He does a tremendous job at re-creating Malcolm's speeches with all the fury and energy to the point where you forget you're not watching the real Malcolm X. It's a great biography of one man's personal journey, full of triumph and tragedy.

You might want to also try tracking down the book "By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X." It's out-of-print, but well worth the read. It includes the fourth draft of the screenplay and a lot interesting info concerning the movie. And of course, his autobiography is a great read, too.

I have the book of the making of the movie by Spike Lee and Ralph Wiley. It's a great read, and has always served to puzzle me as to why Spike Lee can have so much to say in print and yet consistently offer up such boring DVD commentaries. The commentary for "Malcolm X" should be much better than usual Spike Lee fare, considering he's joined by a number of other people involved and should make up for the usual dead air space.

I watched the deleted scenes last night, the "By Any Means Necessary" documentary on the making of the film (better than most), and the 1972 documentary, "Malcolm X." I quickly realized I've had an audiotape of this for years and never realized it was the same thing.