Synopsis
Greg Kinnear, in the role he was born to play, is Bob Crane. Rising to fame as ColonelHogan, Crane falls in with the slimy John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe). The two are obsessed withsex and photography, and the invention of home video is their ticket to ride. The obsessionultimately ruins both lives. Very funny in the early goings, the film gets, as you can well imagine,very dark by the end. The message, one could argue, is as puritanical as the sex=death lesson ofthe 80s slas…er films, but the film is compulsively watchable.
Audio
The dialogue is crystal clear, and never drowned out. Very nice music and left-right effects aswell. The sound effects from the rear speakers are solid, when called for, but one is not hugelyaware of them.
Video
A very nice 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colours, blacks, flesh tones andcontrasts are all very good. The retro 60s postcard look of the early scenes of the film is verynicely captured, along with the other nuances in the cinematography.
Special Features
Three full audio commentaries: one from Paul Schrader; one from Kinnear and Dafoe; andone from writer Michael Gerbosi and producers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. All areinteresting, and there is (inevitably) a fair bit of going over the same ground, but the best isSchrader’s, which is the most information-packed from both the technical and thematic point ofview. Schrader also provides commentary for 5 deleted scenes. “Murder in Scottsdale” is a 50-minute documentary on the murder of Crane and the subsequent investigation. The Making-offeaturette is the usual promo thing. The promotional extras are rounded out with 2 Auto Focustrailers, along with ads for Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary, Love Liza, The Man from ElyzianFields, Pollock, Spider, and Talk to Her. The menu’s main page and intro are animated andscored, while the other pages are scored.
Closing Thoughts
A sharp and witty tale of dissolution and death. Well worth your time.
Special Features List
- Director’s Commentary
- Writer and Producers’ Commentary
- Cast Commentary
- Deleted Scenes with Director’s Commentary
- Making-of Featurette
- Documentary
