Diana
(2013/E1 Blu-ray + DVD)/Jamesy
Boy (2013/Phase 4/Xlrator
Blu-ray)/1001 To 1
(2013/Cinedigm DVD)/Red
Flag/Rubberneck
(2012/Tribeca/Cinedigm DVD)
Picture:
B- & C+/B-/C/C & C+ Sound: B- & C+/C+/C/C Extras:
C/C+/C/D Films: C/C+/C/C & B-
Here
is a group of dramas you may soon hear about...
Oliver
Hirschbiegel's Diana
(2013) has Naomi Watts as the late Princess of Wales trying to tell
us an alternate story of her life in which she starts seeing a
medical doctor (Naveen Andrews) after her royal marriage ends and
before her fateful relationship with Dodi Faaed. Watts is not bad in
the title role and we get a few interesting moments here, but most of
the script covers territory we have seen before, lacks focus and does
not serve the leads well by simply being flat and dull like a TV
movie.
I
wish the makers had spent their 113 minutes trying to find additional
new ground about her and her life, but this is just too pedestrian
too often and though Watts plays this better than you might think,
she is not given enough to do.
Both
format editions of the film include a booklet on Diana Fashion inside
their format's respective cases, while the actual discs have
Cast/Crew Interviews.
Trevor
White's Jamesy Boy
(2013) is a little more successful in telling the tale of the title
character (Spencer LoFranco) who is a good guy who cannot stay out of
trouble, so he lands up in prison with mixed results. James Woods is
the corrupt cop running things there his way in the worst way, Ving
Rhames is the older con artist he befriends, Mary Louise Parker plays
her usual poor mother role and at 109 minutes, not enough is done
with the time to make this really work.
The
actual prison as portrayed is too fake and not realistic enough, then
add the cliches and predictability and the actors are not allowed to
really show their range, including some decent unknowns. I wanted to
like this one, but the realism is too often upended by false notes.
Extras
include a Director's feature length audio commentary track, Cast
Interviews and an Original Theatrical Trailer.
Michael
Levine's 1001 To 1
(2013) plays it even safer in a biographical tale of a young man
named Corey Weissman (David Henrie) in college playing basketball
when he shockingly has a bad stoke at a young age. He was very
physically active, athletic and popular, but it still happens and he
has to take the long way to recover. Beau Bridges is the coach who
helps him recover and Michael Lerner (Barton
Fink) has a good turn
here, but between the flaws noted, too much music and too much
corniness, what should have been a decent work backfires because the
makers behind the camera tried way too hard.
Though
unlisted on the DVD case, extras include a Behind The Scenes
featurette, clip about Gettysburg College and PSA from the American
Stroke Association.
Actor
Alex Karpovsky is getting more notice on the big screen, but he also
happens to be a director and starred in two films released in 2012, a
so-so comedy that falls apart into formulaic mumblecore called Red
Flag
and a much more successful drama about an unhappy man who has heart
issues and makes the mistake of dating a woman at work in Rubberneck.
He is good in both films, but the latter really shows his talents,
though Flag
could have been funnier if it had more story and less one-liners
later in the film when it needed story. Both are included on a
single DVD as a double feature.
There
are no extras for either film though.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Boy
and 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Diana
tie as the best image performers on the list, but being digital
shoots, they both have some detail issues. However, part of it in
both cases are their respective visuals trying for a certain style.
The anamorphically enhanced Diana
DVD ties for second place with the anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1
image on Rubberneck,
leaving the same frame on that DVD's Red
Flag and on 1001
much softer than I would have liked.
As
for sound, the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes on Diana
and Boy
have the best sound here, but both tend to be dialogue-driven despite
some moments of surround activity throughout, so they are as good as
expected. The
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on the Diana
DVD is weaker and ties for second place with the lossy
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on Rubberneck,
leaving the same type of sound on that DVD's Red
Flag
and on 1001
weaker than I would have liked. That tells you something about the
common denominators between the productions.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
