Clerks II – 2-Disc Edition (2006/Weinstein Blu-ray) + Zack & Miri Make A Porno (2008/Blu-ray + DVD/Weinstein)
Picture: B-/B/C+ Sound: B-/B/B- Extras: C/B- Film: C/B-
There are
two sides to Kevin Smith as a filmmaker.
There is the one who does his brand of outrageous comedy, as in Clerks II (2006), then there is the
Kevin Smith who does more in films like Zack
& Miri Make A Porno (2008) where the comedy adds something more
throughout the usual hijinks. We already
covered Clerks II in the now defunct
HD-DVD format as follows:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4850/Clerks+II+%E2%80%93+2-Disc+Ed
Even with
the sound upgrade to Dolby TrueHD 5.1, the sound is not improved much at all
and we get the same transfer and extras, plus BD Live interactive
capacities. That brings us to Zack & Miri.
In his
best film since Chasing Amy, Seth
Rogen (on a roll as one of the best comic actors around) and Elizabeth Banks
(underrated, as she proved as Laura Bush in Oliver Stone’s W.) are platonic roommates who can barely keep the bills paid at
their so-so apartment in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. They eventually come up with the goofy idea
of doing a spoofy XXX film that send-up the Star Wars franchise and start to prepare to make it. However, it will not be that easy and the
couple will start to have second thoughts about each other.
I was
surprised how funny and interesting this was.
Many comedies have been made about the XXX industry, but Smith’s script
is smart enough to take the story directly out of that world (despite the
casting of Traci Lords and Katie Morgan) and make it about more. Compare to Slippery Slope, which tries to be a feminist comedy take on the XXX
world and you can see how easy it is to fall into formula troubles. Smith at his best does not, partly when he
decides to deal with sexuality frankly and comically across the board.
Jason
Mewes shows up as a would be XXX stud, Justin Long as an alcoholic XXX star,
Brandon Routh as his lover and Tom Savini in a very funny cameo among a really
good cast. To say more would ruin the
film, but Smith succeeds where so many have failed and it is great to see him
in top form again.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is not bad, but too many shots are of
analog videotaping and that hurts the overall presentation, with the
anamorphically enhanced DVD suffering the troubles more. The DVD also cannot match the clarity of the
Blu-ray in general ways of depth and detail.
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 on the Blu-ray is better than the Dolby Digital 5.1
mix in both format versions, but only so much as this is dialogue/joke
based. Surrounds and bass kick in here
and there.
Extras
are the same in both formats including deleted scenes, “money shot” webisodes,
Comic-Con 2008 on the film, Popcorn Porn
making of featurette, Seth Vs. Justin:
The Battle For Improvisational Supremacy, Outtakes, Ad-libs and
Bloopers. For a change, all are
enjoyable.
- Nicholas Sheffo
