Synopsis
Our starting point are two black medical assistants, who are lured by their dreams intoproviding some black-market kidneys. (One of them dreams of making a movie about “a blackgirl dying of cancer.”) They are supposed to meet two white guys (Secret Service men buying thekidney for a racist senator) at a suburban motel. Unfortunately, another deal is also supposed togo down at the same spot, this one involving two Cuban gangsters who are supposed to buy aload of cocaine from…another pair of gangsters (one black, the other white). No end of confusionresults as all eight men arrive at the same bar, and misidentify their contacts. Racial assumptionsare mercilessly satirized, and the central portion of the film, where no one knows what the hellis going on, is hysterically funny. The last act runs out of steam, but the quirky characterizationskeep things entertaining.
Audio
The soundtrack is in 5.1, and the mix is quite powerful. There is some buzz on the dialogue,and the surround aspect is almost completely ignore. The music occasionally emerges from therear speakers as well as the front. Sound effects, on the other hand, have effectively zerosurround presence.
Video
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation isn’t perfect, but the extremely low budgetof the movie has to be factored in. So yes, there is some graininess, and the print boasts somespeckling. The colours are very strong, all things considered (and there are a couple of quitegorgeous shots), but the white balance seems a bit overdone. The blacks are very good.
Special Features
“The Making of the Gristle” has some promotional aspects, but at 25 minutes longer thanmost making-of featurettes, and is considerably more informative, going into a lot of detail abouthow the movie came to be made. The only other extra is the trailer. The menu’s main page andintroduction are animated and scored.
Closing Thoughts
A nice little surprise, with some choice dialogue and some truly classic comedy routines.Keep your eyes out for more films from writer/director David Portlock.
Special Features List
- “The Making of The Gristle”
- Trailer
