One might imagine that the short, witty "mockumentaries" that result from Christopher Guest's improvisational filmmaking style leave a lot of good footage on the cutting room floor. As the Best in Show DVD demonstrates, that assumption is correct. The DVD includes no less than 17 deleted scenes, some of which originally appeared on the film's promotional website, and many of which could have easily been included in the film without bloating its running time. It's clear that Guest's editing instincts were at their most ruthless when it came to his own scenes as low-key babbler Harlan Pepper, but each of the main characters shows up at least once in this section. A nice touch is that the scenes can all be viewed in succession without returning to the menu after each one. The DVD also includes information on eight cast members and one theatrical trailer. Guest's commentary with co-star and co-writer Eugene Levy is disappointingly sparse, considering their off-screen friendships with many of their castmates and the fact that they have five of the movie's credits between them. There are a few minor sound-related glitches, as actors' voices sometimes shift channels abruptly and for no clear reason. The best reason to own this DVD is the movie itself and the material that never made it to the big screen.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
John McTiernan's box-office dud The Last Action Hero comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. English, Spanish, and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while a second English soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. Spanish and Korean subtitles are accessible, and the English 5.1 track is closed-captioned. There are no special features, but the inexpensive list price, coupled with the superb sound and visual quality, may help this film find the audience that turned it down in theaters.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
The lovable know-it-all Ernest P. Worrell stars in his first adventure with Ernest Goes to Camp. Buena Vista has done a fine job at making sure this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is clear of any major imperfections or defects. The colors are all fairly rich and textured with only the slightest amount of edge enhancement popping up from time to time. Otherwise, this is a decent looking image to a low-budget '80s family comedy. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and is apt, if under-whelming. While the mix lacks any true fidelity or dynamic range, overall the audio track is free of any excessive hiss or distortion. No alternate subtitles or soundtracks are included on this disc. Surely Ernest himself would rant and rave about the lack of extra features on this disc -- not even a theatrical trailer has been included on this DVD edition of Ernest Goes to Camp. Knowhatamean, Vern?
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
John Cherry directs Jim Varney in the comedy Ernest Goes to Jail, which comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. There are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, making it quite difficult to recommend this Disney/Buena Vista release to anyone who is not an Ernest fan. There is little here for the average DVD consumer.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
John Cherry directs Jim Varney in the comedy Ernest Scared Stupid, which comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. There are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, making it quite difficult to recommend this Disney/Buena Vista release to anyone who is not an Ernest fan. There is little here for the average DVD consumer.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
The Australian outback will never be the same when Mick Dundee hits the streets of New York City in the 1980s hit comedy Crocodile Dundee. Featuring a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Crocodile Dundee looks as good as a shrimp on the "barbie." The colors and black levels are all very well rendered with only the slightest amount of edge enhancement present. While a few of the scenes look slightly dark, overall this is a very nice-looking transfer by Paramount. Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and is less impressive than the video. Although the dialogue, effects, and music are even, the soundtrack tends to have a flat sound to it. Crocodile Dundee is a film that would have benefited greatly from a Dolby 5.1 remix. Also included on this disc is a Dolby Mono 1.0 track in French, as well as English captions. Fans of this series will want to angrily chuck their boomerang at someone as the only extra feature on this disc is an original theatrical trailer for Crocodile Dundee in anamorphic widescreen. Otherwise, fans will be happy to see their beloved outback hero in a well-done widescreen edition.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
Four men unwittingly find themselves pursued by a vicious street gang in this thriller, which gets a well-equipped presentation for this DVD edition. Judgment Night has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in the widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which has also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors. The original English-language audio has been remixed for playback in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1; a dubbed French-language track also appears in Dolby Digital 5.1, while a Spanish-language track is in Dolby Digital Stereo. The disc also includes subtitles in French and Spanish, and closed captions in English. The movie's original theatrical trailer has been included as a bonus.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
Nicholas Ray's biblical epic King of Kings comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Mono. Supplemental materials include a featurette, the original theatrical trailer, and newsreel footage of the film's premiere. This DVD should be of value for any Ray fan or genre enthusiast.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
This reviewer is a member of the Best Buy Tech Insider Network Program. This invitation-only program provides BestBuy.com reviewers with manufacturer-supplied products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased and usage-based reviews. Outside of receiving products to test and review, Best Buy Tech Insider Network Reviewers are not compensated in any other way.
Yes!! It is very much worth it. They make your tv look the very best that it can in your setting. I would recommend anyone doing this with a tv 42" or larger.