General Education (2011/Well Go USA
Blu-ray)/Lola Versus (2012/Fox
Blu-ray)/30 Beats (2012/Lionsgate
DVD)
Picture:
B-/B-/C Sound: C+/B-/C+ Extras: C/C/C- Films: C
Here are
three releases that disappointed, but could have almost worked…
Tom
Morris’ General Education (2011) had
such great potential to be a genuinely funny film with humor that was not
situational or formulaic, but knowing, yet it settles for bad jokes, bad comic
timing, absurd humor that is lame and some jokes that have racial issues one
too many times. It is not that it should
be politically correct all the time, but when it is not, it is lame and
tired. It also never seems realistic
enough for the jokes to be backgrounded by and even a good cast cannot save it.
Levi
(Chris Sheffield) is flunking his science class at the same time he is getting
a scholarship, as his father (Larry Miller) wants to continue the family legacy
in any way he can and his mother (Janeane Garofalo) is trying to keep the
family together in one piece. Levi’s
siblings have their own issues, as do many of the people around him, but why a
nice, smart guy would be so irresponsible does not work for starters. If handled well, this could have been an
indie winner worthy of Real Genius
(1985), but it is so sloppy with such an inevitable idiot plot that it is a
shocking shame it fails to pick up on every chance it gets. The cast even has
chemistry, some of whom we are likely to see again. Otherwise, this comedy is way too ‘general;
for its own good.
Extras include
a feature length audio commentary track by the crew, amusing Outtakes, Making
Of featurette and Original Theatrical Trailer.
Daryl
Wein’s Lola Versus (2012) is another
comedy with absurdity that also missed the boat, though it also had great potential
and a fine cast, starting with Greta Gerwig from Whit Stillman’s Damsels In Distress (reviewed elsewhere
on this site) as the title character searching for a man she can be with and
love, but she has trouble choosing which one and had not totally found herself.
One
boyfriend (Joel Kinnaman from TV’s The
Killing and the new RoboCop) has
left her, but might still want her, while she becomes involved with another
male friend (the naturally funny Hamish Linklater) who happens to be a friend
of his sort of. Then there are other men
she encounters and usually rejects, a female friend who is ‘that other friend’
and her counterculture parents (Bill Pullman and Debra Winger) who support her
but may or may not be responsible for her problems.
Despite
the great set-up, this is less effective than Damsels and its humor also keeps finding itself one-note and hardly
funny. Again, the cast has chemistry and
I liked these actors, but again, all that will not work if you cannot write a
script, know when to edit and direct with a capable vision. New
York City at least comes off looking good here, but
this is very disappointing and don’t expect Lola to be a very memorable classic
female character because she is not fully developed to take on a life of her
own. What a shame.
Extras
include a feature length audio commentary track by Director Wein and
Co-Writer/Actress Zoe Lister-Jones, amusing Outtakes, Deleted Scenes and an
Alternate Ending that worked better, Fox Movie Channel piece on the film and
two featurettes: The Filmmakers and Greta Gerwig: Leading Lady.
Last but
not least, we have Alexis Lloyd’s more experimental 30 Beats (2012), which has some humor and is a drama, but is also
about people interacting in relationships and will they or will they not have
sex. We meet 10 people who have the
opportunity, starting with one who then meets another, then we follow the met
person and so on and so on until the end.
It is a little too much like Haggis’ Crash (2005) on one level, but it is its own work, down to gritty New York City camerawork
that works to its advantage.
What sex
there is is not goofy and the mostly unknown cast (Jennifer Tilly is the
exception and is still sexy after all this time) works here, but I thought this
was more about its form (the look, the connections) than its content and at 88
minutes, they could have used more time to develop more of the characters and
the point, though this is not too mechanical to the maker’s credit. It will also likely be remembered for up and
coming actors (Paz de la Huerta, Justin Kirk, Thomas Sadoski, Lee Pace, Ben
Levin, Condola Rashad) and possibly become a curio. See it if you are really curious now, but
only expect so much. A trailer is the
only extra.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image on Education
and 1080p 1.85 X 1 AVC @ 30 MBPS digital High Definition image transfer on Lola are about even in color (which is
slightly limited), some motion blur, minor detail issues and overall consistent
look. Lola was shot in the Super 35mm film format while Education is an HD shoot, giving Lola a slight edge as it is styled here
and there in unusual, subtle ways. That
leaves the purposely styled-down anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Beats which achieves its own look, but
is easily the poorest performer here as expected and a little more. Still, it has some interesting shots, but
expect limited Video Black, detail, depth and other issues from its HD shoot.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes on Education and Lola
should be even sonically, but while Lola
is a little more towards the front speakers than I would like, Education has music and sound effects
that can be a little shrill with dialogue that sounds too monophonic or limited
in the way and range it was recorded, adding up to an awkward soundfield. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Beats is actually its equal, though it
hardly has a soundfield, its share of silences and plenty of dialogue moments.
- Nicholas Sheffo