Any Given Sunday (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]

• Life is a contact sport and football is life when three-time academy award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and a dynamic acting ensemble explore the fortunes of the Miami Sharks in Any Given Sunday.At the 50-year line of this gridiron cosmos is Al Pacino as Tony D'Amato, the embattled Sharks coach facing a full-on blitz of team strife plus a new, marketing-savvy sharks owner (Cameron Diaz) who's su

Life is a contact sportProductInformationIn Any Given Sunday life is a contact sport and football is life whenthree-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and a dynamicacting ensemble explore the fortunes of the Miami Sharks.  Atthe 50-yard line of this gridiron cosmos is Al Pacino as Tony D'Amatothe embattled Sharks coach facing a full-on blitz of team strife plus anew marketing-savvy Sharks owner (Cameron Diaz) who's sure Tony is waytoo Old School.  An injured quarterback (Dennis Quai! d) aflashy bull-headed backup QB (Jamie Foxx) a slithery team doctor(James Woods) and a running back with an incentive-laden contract (LLCool J) also provide some of the stories that zigzag like diagrams in aplaybook.  The Director's Cut includes special features foryour DVD player and your DVD-ROM PC.Product Features Documentary Full Contact:  The Making ofAny Given Sunday LL Cool J Shut 'Em Down Music Video Interactive Menus Notes on the Stars and Director Theatrical Trailer Scene AccessEnhanced DVD-ROM PC Features: Web Events Chat-Room Access and Website Links Movie Review "Scoreboard" Original Theatrical Website Sampler TrailersSpecifications Stars:  Al Pacino CameronDiaz Dennis Quaid Format:  Color DVD-VideoWidescreen Languages:  English Subtitles:  English French Rating:  R Number of Discs: 1 Run Time:  157 minutes Directed By: Oliver StoneAny Given Sunday, Oliver Stone's salute-cum-exposé of pro football, belabors some pretty obvious points for nigh o! nto three hours; but between the frenetic editing, the poundin! g rap-mu sic beats, and several flashy performances, it's certainly never dull. Al Pacino, coach of the fictional Miami Sharks (the NFL declined involvement in this production), struggles with the most time-honored of sports movie dilemmas: what to do with the old friend who's past his prime and the young hotshot who could save the franchise but first has to learn what being a team player is all about. Comedian Jamie Foxx does a marvelous dramatic turn as the rookie quarterback whose ego and talent are equally impressive, while Pacino seems more at ease in Oliver Stone Land than any actor since regular James Woods (on hand as well as a sleazy team doctor). Prowling the sidelines, shouting spittle-flecked orders, seizing up in almost physical pain when a play goes the wrong way, Pacino is as unashamedly--and entertainingly--hyperbolic as Stone's whirling montages of boiling storm clouds, bloodthirsty fans, and players smashed into the mud. (Once again football, perhaps the most sophis! ticated of team sports, is viewed cinematically as a bunch of guys hitting each other in slow motion.) Unfortunately, all the self-conscious mythologizing and pumped-up macho posturing that Stone can muster doesn't conceal a clichéd, slapped-together script, whose few good ideas (mostly about race in America) jostle about with several hoary, terrible ones--including a too-literal analogy of football players as modern gladiators. (To drive the point home, Stone includes Charlton Heston--the aging Ben-Hur--in one of many star-powered cameos.) All in all, Any Given Sunday is never dull, but never very enjoyable, either. --Bruce ReidLife is a contact sport and football is life when three-time academy award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone and a dynamic acting ensemble explore the fortunes of the Miami Sharks in Any Given Sunday.At the 50-year line of this gridiron cosmos is Al Pacino as Tony D'Amato, the embattled Sharks coach facing a full-on blitz of team ! strife plus a new, marketing-savvy sharks owner (Cameron Diaz)! who's s ure Tony is way too old school. An injured quarterback (Dennis Quaid), a flashy, bull-headed backup QB (Jamie Foxx), a slithery team doctor (James Woods) and a running back with an incentive-laden contract (LL Cool J) also provide some of the stories that zigzag like diagrams in a playbook. and throughout, there's the awesome spectacle of motion, sound and action orchestrated by Stone.Any Given Sunday, Oliver Stone's salute-cum-exposé of pro football, belabors some pretty obvious points for nigh onto three hours; but between the frenetic editing, the pounding rap-music beats, and several flashy performances, it's certainly never dull. Al Pacino, coach of the fictional Miami Sharks (the NFL declined involvement in this production), struggles with the most time-honored of sports movie dilemmas: what to do with the old friend who's past his prime and the young hotshot who could save the franchise but first has to learn what being a team player is all about. Comedian Jam! ie Foxx does a marvelous dramatic turn as the rookie quarterback whose ego and talent are equally impressive, while Pacino seems more at ease in Oliver Stone Land than any actor since regular James Woods (on hand as well as a sleazy team doctor). Prowling the sidelines, shouting spittle-flecked orders, seizing up in almost physical pain when a play goes the wrong way, Pacino is as unashamedly--and entertainingly--hyperbolic as Stone's whirling montages of boiling storm clouds, bloodthirsty fans, and players smashed into the mud. (Once again football, perhaps the most sophisticated of team sports, is viewed cinematically as a bunch of guys hitting each other in slow motion.) Unfortunately, all the self-conscious mythologizing and pumped-up macho posturing that Stone can muster doesn't conceal a clichéd, slapped-together script, whose few good ideas (mostly about race in America) jostle about with several hoary, terrible ones--including a too-literal analogy of football play! ers as modern gladiators. (To drive the point home, Stone incl! udes Cha rlton Heston--the aging Ben-Hur--in one of many star-powered cameos.) All in all, Any Given Sunday is never dull, but never very enjoyable, either. --Bruce Reid