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