Don
Verdean (2015/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: C+ Film: C+
Featuring
an all-star comedic cast including Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan, Jemaine
Clement, Will Forte, and Danny McBride, Don Verdean (2015) is
a hilarious take on religious charlatans who try to pass off trash
for treasure. The film is directed by Jared Hess (the hit Napoleon
Dynamite and the miss [and somewhat cult] Nacho Libre).
With the cast assembled here, I'm surprised this film didn't get more
press upon its initial release as the film isn't terrible and nicely
made with plenty of great laughs and a dose of drama.
A
devout biblical archaeologist (Sam Rockwell) treads down a
less-than-righteous path when he begins to receive financial support
from an evangelical preacher named Tony Lazarus (Danny McBride) who
has a harebrained idea about opening a religious museum of artifacts
within his church, in an effort to gain a larger congregation. Aided
by his friend in the Middle East, played by Jemaine Clement, they end
up in a heap of trouble dealing with fraud, kidnapping, and attempted
murder.
The
film starts out pretty strong but seems to lose a little steam a long
the way. Some of Jemaine Clement's acting reminds me of Sasha Baron
Cohen, especially with his tone of voice, which i'm not sure if they
were going for that or not. Some aspects of the script are also a bit
far fetched. All in all, the film is a quick and easy watch with a
90-minute-run time and a story that is nicely wrapped up.
Presented
in pristine 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of
1.85:1 and a crystal clear DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track,
the film looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray disc and is an
all-digital production. The color and skin tones are even and
natural throughout, with great detail in some shots that you can only
get on Blu-ray. Lionsgate has done a good job here yet again.
Also
included is a UV digital copy for your tablet or smart phone on top
of Special Features including:
-
Digging In: Behind the Scenes of Don Verdean Featurette
-
Behind the Sounds Featurette
-
Audio Commentary with Director Jared Hess
At
least worth a watch once for the cast alone.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
