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Category:    Home > Reviews > Comedy > Anthology > Mumblecore > Crime > Drama > Teens > Movie 43 (2013/Fox Blu-ray w/DVD)/The Happy Poet (2013/Cinema Libre DVD)/The Power Of Few (2013/Gaiam Vivendi Blu-ray)/21 & Over (2012/Fox Blu-ray w/DVD)

Movie 43 (2013/Fox Blu-ray w/DVD)/The Happy Poet (2013/Cinema Libre DVD)/The Power Of Few (2013/Gaiam Vivendi Blu-ray)/21 & Over (2012/Fox Blu-ray w/DVD)

 

Picture: C+ & C/C/C+/C+ & C     Sound: B- & C+/C+/C+/B- & C+     Extras: D/C/C-/D     Films: D/C-/C-/D

 

 

Now for four examples of how not to do comedy, one of which does not know if it is a comedy or drama to begin with…

 

 

One of the worst releases of this or any other year, Movie 43 (2013) is easily the worst anthology project of any kind ever made, some of the top acting talent around is wasted in some of the worst, weakest comedy we have seen in years.  Blame the directors like Brett Ratner, writer who do not have a clue, and the production arrangement by Fox, Relativity Media and Virgin Films releasing some of the most cynical junk around.

 

A very bad reputation has been following this bomb around since it was released, but to see it is to be in shock at how truly, thoroughly bad it is throughout.  Guess Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Kate Bosworth, Anna Faris, Kristen Bell, Kate Winslet, Richard Gere, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts were among those who either liked a quick paycheck, had no idea what mess their paychecks would be included in or did not think any one would see this wreck because it is worse than you heard it was.

 

94 minutes of your life will be gone too if you dare to watch this hideous release, but know its worse than worse and is as desperate as any major release we’ve seen in years in any cut.  An ‘Alternate Cut’ is included here, whatever that means.

 

Extras include the bonus DVD version and Digital Copy for PC, PC portable and iTunes -able devices.

 

 

Anything would be better than that, so Paul Gordon’s The Happy Poet (2013) seems outright ambitious after that one, but this tale of a potential artist needing a job and getting a food cart becomes just another stuck-in-a script with more bad one-liners than ideas (Does anyone really talk this way?  No!) becoming a stuck-at-a comedy with no laughs, mumblecore laziness and no point or real character development.  Sadly, the idea has potential, but it is barely realized on any level here and casting is as mixed as the acting.  Gordon wrote the script and is the lead title character.

 

Extras include feature length audio commentary track, Outtakes, Web Promo Episodes, Original Theatrical Trailer and Blooper Reel.

 

 

Leone Marucci’s The Power Of Few (2013) has more of a name cast with Christopher Walken, Jesse Bradford and even Christian Slater showing up in this odd tale of irresponsibility, violence, killing and some odd comedy, but it is a mess and we do not know if we should take it seriously, if it is being funny outside of any killing or not and its ending is a big cop out that does not make the big statement, no matter what the makers might have thought.

 

The case tries to sell it as more serious, but it is too mixed to be one genre and does nothing very well.  See it for yourself if you must, but you have been warned and the religious angle did not work either.

 

Extras include Cast Interviews, a Making Of featurette, Community Outreach featurette and Deleted Scenes.

 

 

From the producers and distributors of Movie 43 above and the writers of The Hangover is 21 & Over (2012), a stupid, unfortunate recycling of The Hangover that took two people to direct it, so we’ll add Jon Lucas and Scott Moore as hacks who have come up with a very racist, goofy and highly unfunny recycling of a lucky hit on its own third outing that did not do that well at the box office.  Miles Teller and Skylar Astin are the dummy duo about to ruin the future of a scholarly friend played by Justin Chow and… well you’ve seen this one already, but done better, even by default.  Yawn!

Extras include the bonus DVD version and Digital Copy for PC, PC portable and iTunes -able devices, plus two featurette clips and a Gag Reel.

 

 

Between the 1080p 1.78 X 1 AVC @ 34 MBPS digital High Definition image transfer on Movie 43, the 1080p 2.35 X 1 AVC @ 35 MBPS digital High Definition image transfer on Over and 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on Power, you would think one would be the image champ, but all have more visual issues than usual.  They tie for best performers on this list, but besides being styled down, they have additional detail, depth and fidelity issues that offer no demo shots anywhere across any of them.  Movie 43 and Over also have anamorphically enhanced DVDs that are even softer and more problematic, so I hoped the anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Poet would outperform those DVDs, but it is also strained-looking, making all four releases trying experiences visually.

 

All three Blu-rays also offer DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes, but both Movie 43 and Over are too much towards the front speakers and not always well recorded, but the same mix on Power is even worse with major dialogue and sound recording issues, so it is harder to get what the makers are trying to do there.  All three DVDs here, including Movie 43 and Over, have weak, lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes that are even worse than their DTS versions.  Poet has both lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and lesser lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mixes, but they are also underwhelming, like everything you’ll read about on this page and then some.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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