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A DVD Review of...
 
Images (C) Disney |
Genre: Drama
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tony Goldwyn, Natasha Henstridge, Johnny Galecki
Synopsis: Buddy Amaral is a partner in a hip L.A. ad agency who has it all: confidence, charm, women, money. He makes things happen. Even when he's stuck in a snowstorm one late December night at Chicago's O'Hare airport, he makes the most of it -- giving up his seat to a man who wants to be home with his family, and scoring a night with a woman he's just met. But the next morning, Buddy learns that the plane he should have been on has crashed, and for the first time in his life, the guy with all the answers is at a loss. Compelled to make things right, Buddy sets out to find the wife of the man who took his seat. It's a bold move that will change the lives of two people who never in a million years would have met, in very surprising, unpredictable and ultimately unforgettable ways.
Summary: Sometimes a filmmaker dazzles us with a movie that their follow-up can be somewhat of a let down. A few years ago writer/director Don Roos made "The Opposite of Sex", a very under-rated movie which is a hilarious comedy thanks to a geat script and the best performances of the careers so far of Christina Ricci and Lisa Kudrow. That film left such an impression that the rather ho-hum trailer to this didn't turn me away from expecting something good. What I saw however was, to say the least, a major disappointment. Aside from the big name actors, everything about this film screams like something you'd see on Hallmark - its a soppy made-for-TV melodrama which looks cheap and is very conventional and predictable. Aside from Affleck's pushy secretary (Galecki) who gets some good laughs, the rest of the movie is completely forgettable. Affleck and Paltrow do have chemistry and it certainly shows, but they're stuck in the rather ordinary conventions of the story. I really like Affleck as an actor but in terms of emotional displays he seems a bit wooden - mainly because he's up against Paltrow who, despite what some may think of her, can certainly handle playing emotional scenes extremely well. Roos' "Opposite" sparked with fire and originality, this seems like it has come from a completely different filmmaker - not because its a drama (which I don't mind) but the fact its such an ordinary and rather dull one. Its a big step back sadly, I hope his next attempt proves better. - Garth Franklin
"Bounce"
DVD Details In Brief (Region 1)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 106mins
Versions: 16:9 Enhanced Widescreen, 4:3 Letterboxed
Aspect Ratio: 1.85: 1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Language & Sub-Titles: English, French, Spanish
Commentary: Director Don Roos & Producer Bob Cohen
Documentaries: 'Making Of' Featurette', Ben & Gwyneth go Behind the Scenes.
Clips: Deleted Scenes, Scene-Specific Commentary Segments, Gag Reel, Music Video
Region 1 vs. Region 4: Region 4 Presently UnAvailable. |
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DVD Review: A surprisingly well stocked 2-disc set one must say. The first disc has the film with the commentary, and kicks off with some beautiful colour cloud menus. The film transfer itself is high quality, the sound great and whilst visually it seems nice and smooth, there were some times when the colour had a few artifacts - mainly skin tones. The commentary is solid with both Roos and Cohen talking a lot, almost no gaps for the film audio and both stick right to the business - talking about reshoots, location stuff and context. For those hoping for a laugh fest, you'll be disappointed but for those wanting some good talk of narrative structure and shooting techniques - this one's for you. Finally there's trailers for "Emma", "The Pallbearer", "The Cider House Rules", "Shakespeare in Love" and a Miramax promo.
Disc Two has a lot of stuff for extra footage fans including a whopping fourteen deleted scenes, most were about as interesting as what was kept in the film so its basically more of the same but a lot more (a good 3/4 of an hour of footage here). There's optional director's commentary available with these scenes and help establish their context a lot more which is necessary in some cases. There's the "Need to be Next To You" music video (good quality copy too), the theatrical trailer (which is actually quite good), and the standard "On the Set" making of doco. After that however things become quite distinctive - there's a really great idea of having Ben & Gwyneth interview the crew and while the standard director/producer stuff Affleck does is fine, its Paltrow talking with the boom operators and grips that's far more enjoyable. Then comes a really good 5.5 minute gag reel with lots of stuff ups, a sex scene full of giggling, and Affleck mooning the camera for Ben fans. Finally comes a feature which is kind of odd, eight select scenes from the movie with the commentary from the main track included. Its not really explained why this feature is there, though it does provide a good option for those not wanting to sit through two hours of commentary. Does it change one's opinion of the movie? Hardly, it still bites. Nevertheless the extras in here are really good fun and make it worth getting for Affleck or Paltrow fans - Garth Franklin
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