Search - Sugar [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

DVD version is BUTCHERED

Cody Clarke | Brooklyn, NY | 11/17/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"PREFACE: This 1-star review is not of the film Sugar (as I have yet to even see it) but of the decision that was made to cut this film down from an R to a PG-13 for its DVD release.



Sugar was released theatrically with an R, and is on Blu-Ray with an R, but the DVD version has been sanitized into a PG-13 order to reach a 'wider market.' This so-called 'wider market' neglects grown-ups and teens who are allowed to see R-rated movies but don't own a Blu-Ray player, which in actuality, is the WIDEST demographic!



Blu-Ray is not the standard yet. One day it will be, but it is not yet what the majority of people own. This was an atrocious marketing decision, as was the studio's decision to castrate one of the BEST-REVIEWED movies of the year.



There have been sanitized versions of films released on DVD in the past, but always alongside a separate unrated or theatrical version. However, this is the FIRST time, in my memory, that a sanitized version has been released on a format ONLY. Think about it like this-- this is the equivalent of Huckleberry Finn being only available abridged in print form, and only available unabridged on Amazon Kindle. It's insane, it's anti-art, it's anti-artist.



The word needs to be spread. Standing idly by will only mean more films receiving this same unfair treatment in the future. If you disagree with such practice, vote that this review was helpful, and post a review of your own."

Standard DVD version is censored

Robert M. Gorman | 09/22/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The original theatrical release of Sugar was rated R, as is the Blu-ray version. Sadly, the standard DVD version has been censored in order to get a PG-13 rating. It is not obvious in the Amazon listing that the standard version has been modified, so beware. Buy the Blu-ray version if you want to see the film as originally released."

Beautiful Tale Of A Man Who Loves Baseball

Movie Lover | New York, NY | 08/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sugar was beautiful, heart-felt, and realistic. I loved the flow of the movie, showing Miguel "Sugar" Santos' journey, from his days in Dominican Republic to the US. It felt I was watching an actual documentary. You'll see him struggling with the language barrier, finding his own identity as a person while traveling in the U.S., being a "product" for the Minor Baseball League. Compelling and it'll make you wonder how the Major/Minor Baseball Leagues recruit these players, understanding the process of choosing certain players AND the politics behind it.



Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are fantastic once again with the story-telling, dialogue and the care with research (back stories of real life ballplayers) to tell this story so perfectly. And the lead actor, Algenis Perez Soto was impressive, considering this was his 1st acting role. I highly recommended this movie!!

"

Excellent film, solid Blu

Steve Kuehl | Ben Lomond, CA | 09/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I always appreciate a film that relays the story you hear nothing about in the headlines, or sometimes anywhere. As stated in the special features numerous times, this is not a baseball movie, but a film about those that love the game, while barely making a living at that.



The story follows one prospective big league dreamer as he works from the fields of the Dominican Republic to the minors in the US. When the movie ends, I think it helps one learn so much about so many people you never hear about on the sports page. Believable performances beginning to end.



The picture clarity is as expected from a Sony BD release: the colors are vibrant, the clarity well defined, even in most of the night footage and the sound is decent as they went the TrueHD on this. The supplements are thorough and include:

* Making of, 14:32 minutes: filled with plenty of background interviews and thoughts behind the story and production.

* Domincan Dream, Playing Baseball 13:00 minutes: covers more about the film festival in the DR and how it helped highlight this story. Some Sammy Sosa interviews and red carpet footage for the cast/crew.

* Casting, 4 minutes: Soto's casting tape, heck of a job for never acting before.

* Deleted scenes, 7 minutes: five scenes that showcase the usual original quality of film prior to going Blu, would have preferred to see them in the film, especially once you know this is about him, not just the sport.



An A/B/C coded BD that lives up to being a great film preserved adequately like HBO Films and Sony usually do."