The NightOwls Of Coventry (Comedy)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: B-     Feature: B-

 

 

It is not easy anymore to do a simple narrative about friends in a local neighborhood and where they would meet, though setting it in 1973 the way Laura C. Paglin’s The NightOwls Of Coventry does helps.  Marv has a famous and successful Jewish deli, but it is now so popular to so many, that he lands up keeping the place open 24-hours a day long before chain convenience stores were common.  That does not answer all of the financial woes, however.

 

With different characters from different backgrounds during the counterculture and before mass media and communication, this is a nice throwback work that reminds us of how people have to deal with each other when they are not distracted by cell phones, gossip and the Internet.  Though this is the uncut version, it only runs 75 minutes, but there was so much more to do and how these people often need each other, even when they clash.  Can Marv keep the place going?

 

The only flaw is that there is not more time to examine the situation and the people, but Paglin’s work is a pleasant surprise in a sea of flashy indie junk and deserves a larger audience.  Hope the DVD gets notice and we see more work from Paglin.

 

The letterboxed 1.78 X 1 image may be nicely shot at times, but what turns out to be a Super 16mm shoot looks more like basic digital thanks to the transfer and only goes so far.  This deserves an HD anamorphic transfer and we hope to see one in the future.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is simple, basic and recorded decently for a low-budget production.  Extras include text actor/crew bios, stills, trailer, deleted scenes and Sundance Channel piece.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo