Drillbit
Taylor – Extended Survival Edition (2008/Paramount Blu-ray + DVD-Video)
Picture:
B-/C Sound: B+/B- Extras: D Film: D
Whatever
has changed since Superbad or Knocked-Up, the Judd Apatow cycle of
comedies is becoming more miss than hit, and though not exactly resembling
package deals, it seems like his gang is churning out comedies with so-so ideas
more than fully developed ones. Steven
Brill’s Drillbit Taylor (2008) is the nadir of the films so far, a silly variant of better films
like My
Bodyguard (1980, and knowingly so as a
cameo early on acknowledges in a not-so-funny joke) as a trio of younger high
schoolers are getting picked on.
After a bunch of
interviews, they settle on the title character (an out of his element Owen
Wilson, who does his best with what he has to work with) to help them out and
the results are funny/unfunny. Even with
extra footage not shown theatrically, this is a one note comedy that did not
make me laugh once and seemed like everything we had seen (recently included)
to the point that I was bored and none of this seemed believable for a minute.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is softer than expected in Blu-ray and
even more problematic on the anamorphically enhanced DVD, where despite the fact
that the film was shot in Super 35mm film is one of the softest recent
productions we have seen and one of the poorest of recent films to make it to
Blu-ray. Director of Photography Fred
Murphy, A.S.C., (Q – The Winged Serpent,
The Dead, Auto Focus) lensed this, but did he control the digital
internegative too?
The Dolby
TrueHD 5.1 on the Blu-ray is better than the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on either
format disc and is surprisingly lively, making it the default highlight of the
Blu-ray. Extras are the same for both
formats an on camera interview by co-writers Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen,
extended version of the film, gag reel in HD, Line-O-Rama in HD, 19
extended/deleted scenes, and an audio commentary by Brill, Brown and co-stars
Troy Gentile, Nate Hartley and David Dorfman.
At least they gave their best on screen.
- Nicholas Sheffo
