Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010/Oscilloscope Blu-ray + DVD Combo)
Picture:
B/B- Sound: B/B- Extras: B Film: B-
When
considering all the horror films to have been made over the years involving
Santa Claus, rarely is there one that could be said to have taken much
imagination beyond thinking up an ax and an outfit. Rare
Exports: A Christmas Tale is a departure from the formula, and one of the
more interesting genre concepts from to come along in some time.
In Finland,
a team has been blasting into the mountain trying to unearth the frozen body of
Santa Claus... but this isn't the one we're all familiar with from the
Coca-Cola ads. Not only does he have a
pair of horns, but he's big, mean and going to take care of the kids when
thawed from his icy tomb. Saying more
would be giving too much away, and though I didn't always like where this movie
went to, I at least enjoyed the ride.
This
combo set marks another fine release from Oscilloscope Laboratories, and is a
pleasant change of pace from the important and eye-opening documentaries that
the company is becoming known for. The
bonus content is mostly the same on both the included DVD and Blu-ray discs,
but the Blu does have one exclusive feature – the1964 public domain classic, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
A recipe
for Finnish ginger bread can even be found as an Easter Egg, though the most
noteworthy extras are a half hour documentary on the making of the film, as
well as the two short films that inspired the feature film. In certain ways, these shorts end up working
better than the feature-length version, but that isn't to say that more can't
still be made from the concept. It is
imaginative enough of an idea to yield far more than one feature if handled
properly.
The film
looks pretty great on both formats, though the Blu-ray obviously still wins
out. It is presented in full 1080p with
a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and both 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo mixes of the
soundtrack. The audio tracks for the
Blu-ray are DTS-HD Master Audio, while the DVD presents the tracks in Dolby.
Whether a
sequel film comes to be or not, director Jalmari Helander is a talent to watch
out for, and I hope to see him working on creating films for some time to come.
- David
Milchick
