Ice Cube stars in the comedy crime caper All About the Benjamins. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, this transfer by New Line is technically near perfect. With a vast array of bright colors and dark black levels, this is an excellent reproduction of the film which boasts nary a hint of edge enhancement or grain. The soundtrack is presented in both Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and DTS Surround, both in English. Like the video transfer, both soundtracks are rollicking, rumbling mixes that feature a plethora of directional effects and ambient noises. With full-throttle sounds coming from all directions, both of these tracks should please home theater owners alike! Also included on this disc is a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Soundtrack and English subtitles. Fans of All About the Benjamins will be pleased to see a few extra features included on this disc. Starting out the supplements is a commentary track by director Kevin Bray and producer Matt Alvarez. Sadly, this commentary track includes a fair amount of dead space and many bland stories about the production. Four separate featurettes are included ("Shot Callers: From Videos to Features," "Strictly Business: Making the Benjamins," "Miami Nice: Production Design," and "All About the Stunts"), each focusing on specific aspects of the production including the locations and sets, the special effects, and the cast and crew. Each of these are fairly short, though taken as a whole they provide the viewer with tons of production information and behind-the-scenes footage. Finally there is a single deleted scenes, a short gag reel of flubs and bloopers, a music video for the song "Told Y'all" by Trina, a theatrical trailer, DVD ROM content, and a theatrical press kit that includes production notes and cast and crew info
This Emmy-award winning parody of over-the-top soap operas was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time. Secrets abound in the sleepy town of Dunn's River, Connecticut as the wealthy Tate family and the blue-collar Campbell family wrestle with secret affairs, murder plots, alien abductions, religious cults, demonic possessions and sassy ventriloquist dummies. 8 discs include every episode from all four seasons, as well as the Season 1 pilot and interviews with the show's creators Susan Harris, Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas.
I loved the twisted humor of SOAP when it was airing on TV. It had a great cast, and I think it was ahead of its time on TV. If it were airing today, I think it would be a bigger hit than it was then.
Andrew Bergman's adaptation of Carl Hiaasen's Striptease comes to DVD with a pair of transfers. The widescreen image preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is preferable to the standard full-frame transfer. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. Subtitles are accessible in both of those languages as well. This disc contains scenes that were cut from the initial theatrical release. This is an acceptable, if run-of-the-mill release from Warner Brothers.
Steven Spielberg's made-for-TV thriller Duel debuts on DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Surround, and Dolby Digital Stereo. Spanish and French subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a pair of featurettes on the making of the film and an interview with Richard Matheson on the creation of the screenplay. A still photo gallery, production notes, and biographies of the cast and crew round out this solid release from Universal.
A great older movie. Michael Douglas kicks it in this one. I was happy to add Black Rain to my collection. Will watch it again and again. This is a must for any Michael Douglas fan.
Six Days, Seven Nights features an excellent 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The picturesque greenery, rocky cliffs, and sparkling blue water of the tropical island setting all appear bright and focused, with only a few instances of grain and dirt on the print. The 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio track is also sharp. The upbeat music moves well through the entire range of the speakers, and gunshots reverberate powerfully from the front speakers. A Dolby Digital French-language track is also available. On the downside, this DVD is a bare-bones release that lacks any notable extra features. It does contain the theatrical trailer in a decent widescreen transfer (along with some laughable recommendations -- Metro and Nothing to Lose -- that have little in common with this film), plus English subtitles and 23 chapter cues. While the Six Days, Seven Nights DVD is technically impressive, it would be improved immensely with better supplemental materials. Even a simple "on location" featurette or fluffy cast interviews would help considerably.