Watcher
26-02-2002, 09:35 AM
<I><B> ROADSHOW HOME ENTERTAINMENT </I></b>
<center><b>
<h2>BLOW</h2>
Release Date: March 20, 2002
Roadshow Home Entertainment
Rating: MA 15+
RRP: $39.95 </center>
<UL>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS</b></center>
<LI>George Jung Interviews
<LI>Lost Paradise - Cocaine's impact on Colombia
<LI>Addiction - Body & Soul Fact Track
<LI>Audio Commentary with Ted Demme and George Jung
<LI>Production Diary
<LI>Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
<LI>Character Outtakes
<LI>Music Video - Nikki Costa "Push and Pull"
<LI>Cast and Crew
<LI>Theatrical Trailer
<LI>Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired & Greek
<LI>English language in Dolby Digital 5.1 & Dolby Digital 2.0
<LI>Aspect: 2.35:1 Widescreen 16:9 Enhanced
<LI>Dual Layer /Single Sided
<LI>Running Time:118.20 Mins.</UL>
<center><b>CAST</b></center>
Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths, Paul Reubens,
Jordi Molla and Ray Liotta
Directed by:Ted Demme
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER</b></center>
<b>"finally the best film of the year..." - Shannon J Harvey, Urban Cinefile</b>
<I>He was just a small town boy who became the most powerful drug lord in the United States. His name was George Jung, The man first responsible for bringing cocaine to the American people. From poverty and suburban obscurity, to untold wealth, power and infamy, this is the amazing true story of the man who partnered Colombian cartel baron, Pablo Escobar and rode the powerful, dangerous and turbulent wave of drug trafficking - ultimately paying for it.
Johnny Depp (Chocolat) stars with Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky), Cliff Curtis (Three Kings), Rachel Griffiths (My Best Friend's Wedding), Paul Reubens (Mystery Men) and Ray Liotta (Turbulence) in the critically acclaimed, box office smash about the man who never toed the line - just chopped it - <b>Blow</b></I>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL</b></center>
Blow has a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track and a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio sounds pretty good in this movie and one thing I noticed was that it does a fine job of handling the many music tracks on this DVD presentation. The music is mixed well through the entire sound stage and the more popular 70's rock songs stand out in particular.
The rears are used often, but in a more subtle way offering a kind of an ambient feeling to the audio with various subtle background noises depending on the type of the scene. There are a few exceptions though, such as when more bolder tunes suddenly springs them to life or a plane zooms right through the room and over your head. There is also some nice deep bass present in this audio track.
Dialogue like the rest of the audio is very clear, easy to understand and showed no signs of problems. Sync wasn't a problem in this movie.
The audio commentary has Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Blow has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen and is 16:9 enhanced.
We are treated to a fine looking transfer here, which is to be expected these days from Roadshow Entertainment and more recently made movies.
The picture is very clear, sharp and shows a lot of detail.
Some scenes will have a slightly dull look to them, but this is obviously intentional.
Colours look very nice as do blacks, shadow detail and flesh tones.
The transfer is a very clean looking one and there are no signs of any imperfections that shouldn't be there such as grain, scratches and marks.
Overall, it's a very nice looking transfer and I doubt it will disappoint.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES</b></center>
George Jung Interviews -
In this section you will have access to 8 different segments in which Director Ted Demme interviews the real-life George Jung at Otisville Correctional Institue.
The interviews are listed as follows:<ul>
<LI>Notions on <i>Blow</i> - In this clip which runs for 1.42 minutes Demme asks Jung what preconceived notions he had of the movie before during and after filming.
<li>The Screenplay - In this clip which runs for 1.09 minutes Demme asks Jung what his initial reaction was after reading the screenplay.
<LI>The Rough Cut - This clip runs for 1.39 minutes and has Jung discussing what he felt and thought after seeing the rough cut of the movie including which parts really hit home with him.
<LI>Johnny Depp - In this 1.45 minute Segment Jung talks about what he thought of Johhny Depp's portrayal of him in the movie.
<LI>A Sad Ending - In this clip which runs for 1.44 minutes Demme asks Jung why he thinks people who have seen the movie feel sorry for him at the end.
<LI>The Last Day Of Summer - In this 1.38 minute clip Jung talks about the Last Day Of Summer poem he wrote and how it applies to his life.
<LI>The 60's - In this 1.34 minute clip Jung talks about the fun of the 60's
<LI>The First Meeting - In this final clip which runs for 4.07 minutes Ted Demme talks about his first impressions and the feelings he had when he first met George Jung. George Jung also gives his opinion on the troubles in the USA with drugs in which he basically says that drugs are not really the problem, parental guidance is.</li>
This is a very cool section folks with some interesting interviews which are presented in fullscreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Lost Paradise - cocaine's impact on Colombia -
This featurette which runs for just under 24 minutes takes a look at the way that drug trafficking affects
the everyday life of the Colombian people. Everyone from the poverty stricken to the very rich --citizens to armed forces and Guerrillas are all affected in some way by the trafficiking of drugs.
This is a good featurette to watch and even though it is not related to the actual making of the movie
I found it to be very interesting and informative and worth watching at least once.
This featurette is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. All of the narration/commentary is in Spanish but English subtitles are provided.
Addiction - Body & Soul Fact Track - This is a 6.03 minute segment which looks into the physical and mental symptoms, problems and possible reasons behind addiction.
Included in the segment are clips of doctors, psychologists and recovering addicts all talking about addiction.
Audio Commentary with Ted Demme and George Jung -
In this commentary Director Ted Demme and George Jung talk about the movie from two totally different points of view. Ted Demme discusses the movie from a more technical point of view where he talks about location choices, casting decisions, filming techniques, character development and so much more. He discusses everything and anything he can think of to do with the movie. He is very consistent throughout the commentary and there are hardly any silences at all. George Jung's voice overs are added in to spots throughout the commentary and he basically focuses on and discusses things about his life in relation to the movie. He expands on and gives more details about the different characters throughout the film and provides different bits of info from his point of view.
This is a great commentary that is not only interesting and informative but was also enjoyable to listen to. It is a worthy addition to the DVD and if you like the movie I recommend watching this at least once.
Production Diary -
In this section you will find 12 different clips from Ted Demme's video diary that he kept during the 63 day production. The 12 different clips range in length from 0.25 minutes to 2.11 minutes.
The clips available are as follows:<ul>
<LI>Day One - 2.11 minutes
<LI>Day Seven - 1.42 minutes
<LI>Day Fourteen - 1.34 minutes
<LI>Day Twenty - 1.02 minutes
<LI>Day Twenty Three 1.28 minutes
<LI>Day Twenty Eight - 1.11 minutes
<LI>Day Thirty Three - 1.34 minutes
<LI>Day Thirty Six - 1.29 minutes
<LI>Day Forty Two - 1.40 minutes
<LI>Day Forty Eight - 0.25 minutes
<LI>Day Fifty Six - 1.28 minutes
<LI>Day Sixty Three - 1.51 minutes</ul>
In each of these clips Ted Demme talks about what their plans are for filming that day, he introducers cast and crew and shows filming of scenes and more. I found this segment to be very enjoyable to watch and is definitely a worthy addition to this DVD. Each clip is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary -
Here you will find a selection of 10 deleted scenes all provided with optional audio commentary by Director Ted Demme. The following deleted scenes are available:<ul>
<li>Alternate Beginning - 2.32 mins
<li>More in Mexico - 0.50 mins
<li>Diego and George talk cocaine - 1.39 mins
<li>Pablo and George - 3.57 mins
<li>Discussing Diego's betrayal - 1.51 mins
<li>Asking for Permission - 4.33 mins
<li>Two quick Mirtha scenes - 0.49 mons
<li>Eveything Gone - 0.59 mins
<li>One Last Buy - 1.40 mins
<li>Taking Diego Down - 7.03 mins</ul>
Each scene is available with or without the commentary and is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Character Outtakes -
This segment contains 6 testimonials about the character George Jung made by other characters from the movie. The character testimonials are as follows:<ul>
<li>Kevin Dulli & Tuna (1.56 mins)
<li>Derek & Barbara (1.12 mins)
<li>Fred & Ermine (1.38 mins)
<li>Pablo & Diego (1.49 mins)
<li>Augusta & Mirtha (1.32 mins)
<li>Kristina Jung (0.55 mins)
In each of these segments you find find clips of each character talking about the personality, actions and "the man" that was George Jung(or at least George Jung according to the movie script!)
Music Video -
This is a 4.14 minute music video by Nikki Costa for her song "Push and Pull". It is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and features a few different scenes from the movie
Throughout the clip.
Cast and Crew -
This feature provides you with film & television credits for the 7 main cast members and
3 crew membersDirector Ted Demme. You are able to read three or foue screens of text on their career including list of film credits.
Theatrical Teaser-
This Theatrical Teaser which runs for just under 1 minute gives a brief look into the idea behind the movie without giving too much away. It is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Theatrical Trailer -
This trailer which runs for 2.10 minutes is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
It is a very nice trailer and it sells the movie well. It does tend to give away too much of the story line though so I recommend waiting until you have seen the movie before viewing this feature.
<center><B>OVERALL</b></center>
It doesn't take long for Blow to grab your attention and engross you in the story of the highs and lows in the life of George Jung (Depp) who once made an absolute fortune from introducing drugs to the United States on a major scale.
Knowing it's based on a true story also makes it a bit more interesting and it's a pretty well paced movie that has some solid performances.
The DVD contains a very good quality audio/visual transfer and there's also a great selection of extra features contained on this DVD to keep viewers entertained for a while.
It's a pretty good effort overall and is well worth checking out.
Blow has a release date of March 20, 2002 with a RRP of $39.95
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr></table>
Thanks for reading.....
<center><b>
<h2>BLOW</h2>
Release Date: March 20, 2002
Roadshow Home Entertainment
Rating: MA 15+
RRP: $39.95 </center>
<UL>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS</b></center>
<LI>George Jung Interviews
<LI>Lost Paradise - Cocaine's impact on Colombia
<LI>Addiction - Body & Soul Fact Track
<LI>Audio Commentary with Ted Demme and George Jung
<LI>Production Diary
<LI>Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
<LI>Character Outtakes
<LI>Music Video - Nikki Costa "Push and Pull"
<LI>Cast and Crew
<LI>Theatrical Trailer
<LI>Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired & Greek
<LI>English language in Dolby Digital 5.1 & Dolby Digital 2.0
<LI>Aspect: 2.35:1 Widescreen 16:9 Enhanced
<LI>Dual Layer /Single Sided
<LI>Running Time:118.20 Mins.</UL>
<center><b>CAST</b></center>
Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths, Paul Reubens,
Jordi Molla and Ray Liotta
Directed by:Ted Demme
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER</b></center>
<b>"finally the best film of the year..." - Shannon J Harvey, Urban Cinefile</b>
<I>He was just a small town boy who became the most powerful drug lord in the United States. His name was George Jung, The man first responsible for bringing cocaine to the American people. From poverty and suburban obscurity, to untold wealth, power and infamy, this is the amazing true story of the man who partnered Colombian cartel baron, Pablo Escobar and rode the powerful, dangerous and turbulent wave of drug trafficking - ultimately paying for it.
Johnny Depp (Chocolat) stars with Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky), Cliff Curtis (Three Kings), Rachel Griffiths (My Best Friend's Wedding), Paul Reubens (Mystery Men) and Ray Liotta (Turbulence) in the critically acclaimed, box office smash about the man who never toed the line - just chopped it - <b>Blow</b></I>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL</b></center>
Blow has a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track and a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio sounds pretty good in this movie and one thing I noticed was that it does a fine job of handling the many music tracks on this DVD presentation. The music is mixed well through the entire sound stage and the more popular 70's rock songs stand out in particular.
The rears are used often, but in a more subtle way offering a kind of an ambient feeling to the audio with various subtle background noises depending on the type of the scene. There are a few exceptions though, such as when more bolder tunes suddenly springs them to life or a plane zooms right through the room and over your head. There is also some nice deep bass present in this audio track.
Dialogue like the rest of the audio is very clear, easy to understand and showed no signs of problems. Sync wasn't a problem in this movie.
The audio commentary has Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Blow has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen and is 16:9 enhanced.
We are treated to a fine looking transfer here, which is to be expected these days from Roadshow Entertainment and more recently made movies.
The picture is very clear, sharp and shows a lot of detail.
Some scenes will have a slightly dull look to them, but this is obviously intentional.
Colours look very nice as do blacks, shadow detail and flesh tones.
The transfer is a very clean looking one and there are no signs of any imperfections that shouldn't be there such as grain, scratches and marks.
Overall, it's a very nice looking transfer and I doubt it will disappoint.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES</b></center>
George Jung Interviews -
In this section you will have access to 8 different segments in which Director Ted Demme interviews the real-life George Jung at Otisville Correctional Institue.
The interviews are listed as follows:<ul>
<LI>Notions on <i>Blow</i> - In this clip which runs for 1.42 minutes Demme asks Jung what preconceived notions he had of the movie before during and after filming.
<li>The Screenplay - In this clip which runs for 1.09 minutes Demme asks Jung what his initial reaction was after reading the screenplay.
<LI>The Rough Cut - This clip runs for 1.39 minutes and has Jung discussing what he felt and thought after seeing the rough cut of the movie including which parts really hit home with him.
<LI>Johnny Depp - In this 1.45 minute Segment Jung talks about what he thought of Johhny Depp's portrayal of him in the movie.
<LI>A Sad Ending - In this clip which runs for 1.44 minutes Demme asks Jung why he thinks people who have seen the movie feel sorry for him at the end.
<LI>The Last Day Of Summer - In this 1.38 minute clip Jung talks about the Last Day Of Summer poem he wrote and how it applies to his life.
<LI>The 60's - In this 1.34 minute clip Jung talks about the fun of the 60's
<LI>The First Meeting - In this final clip which runs for 4.07 minutes Ted Demme talks about his first impressions and the feelings he had when he first met George Jung. George Jung also gives his opinion on the troubles in the USA with drugs in which he basically says that drugs are not really the problem, parental guidance is.</li>
This is a very cool section folks with some interesting interviews which are presented in fullscreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Lost Paradise - cocaine's impact on Colombia -
This featurette which runs for just under 24 minutes takes a look at the way that drug trafficking affects
the everyday life of the Colombian people. Everyone from the poverty stricken to the very rich --citizens to armed forces and Guerrillas are all affected in some way by the trafficiking of drugs.
This is a good featurette to watch and even though it is not related to the actual making of the movie
I found it to be very interesting and informative and worth watching at least once.
This featurette is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. All of the narration/commentary is in Spanish but English subtitles are provided.
Addiction - Body & Soul Fact Track - This is a 6.03 minute segment which looks into the physical and mental symptoms, problems and possible reasons behind addiction.
Included in the segment are clips of doctors, psychologists and recovering addicts all talking about addiction.
Audio Commentary with Ted Demme and George Jung -
In this commentary Director Ted Demme and George Jung talk about the movie from two totally different points of view. Ted Demme discusses the movie from a more technical point of view where he talks about location choices, casting decisions, filming techniques, character development and so much more. He discusses everything and anything he can think of to do with the movie. He is very consistent throughout the commentary and there are hardly any silences at all. George Jung's voice overs are added in to spots throughout the commentary and he basically focuses on and discusses things about his life in relation to the movie. He expands on and gives more details about the different characters throughout the film and provides different bits of info from his point of view.
This is a great commentary that is not only interesting and informative but was also enjoyable to listen to. It is a worthy addition to the DVD and if you like the movie I recommend watching this at least once.
Production Diary -
In this section you will find 12 different clips from Ted Demme's video diary that he kept during the 63 day production. The 12 different clips range in length from 0.25 minutes to 2.11 minutes.
The clips available are as follows:<ul>
<LI>Day One - 2.11 minutes
<LI>Day Seven - 1.42 minutes
<LI>Day Fourteen - 1.34 minutes
<LI>Day Twenty - 1.02 minutes
<LI>Day Twenty Three 1.28 minutes
<LI>Day Twenty Eight - 1.11 minutes
<LI>Day Thirty Three - 1.34 minutes
<LI>Day Thirty Six - 1.29 minutes
<LI>Day Forty Two - 1.40 minutes
<LI>Day Forty Eight - 0.25 minutes
<LI>Day Fifty Six - 1.28 minutes
<LI>Day Sixty Three - 1.51 minutes</ul>
In each of these clips Ted Demme talks about what their plans are for filming that day, he introducers cast and crew and shows filming of scenes and more. I found this segment to be very enjoyable to watch and is definitely a worthy addition to this DVD. Each clip is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary -
Here you will find a selection of 10 deleted scenes all provided with optional audio commentary by Director Ted Demme. The following deleted scenes are available:<ul>
<li>Alternate Beginning - 2.32 mins
<li>More in Mexico - 0.50 mins
<li>Diego and George talk cocaine - 1.39 mins
<li>Pablo and George - 3.57 mins
<li>Discussing Diego's betrayal - 1.51 mins
<li>Asking for Permission - 4.33 mins
<li>Two quick Mirtha scenes - 0.49 mons
<li>Eveything Gone - 0.59 mins
<li>One Last Buy - 1.40 mins
<li>Taking Diego Down - 7.03 mins</ul>
Each scene is available with or without the commentary and is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Character Outtakes -
This segment contains 6 testimonials about the character George Jung made by other characters from the movie. The character testimonials are as follows:<ul>
<li>Kevin Dulli & Tuna (1.56 mins)
<li>Derek & Barbara (1.12 mins)
<li>Fred & Ermine (1.38 mins)
<li>Pablo & Diego (1.49 mins)
<li>Augusta & Mirtha (1.32 mins)
<li>Kristina Jung (0.55 mins)
In each of these segments you find find clips of each character talking about the personality, actions and "the man" that was George Jung(or at least George Jung according to the movie script!)
Music Video -
This is a 4.14 minute music video by Nikki Costa for her song "Push and Pull". It is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and features a few different scenes from the movie
Throughout the clip.
Cast and Crew -
This feature provides you with film & television credits for the 7 main cast members and
3 crew membersDirector Ted Demme. You are able to read three or foue screens of text on their career including list of film credits.
Theatrical Teaser-
This Theatrical Teaser which runs for just under 1 minute gives a brief look into the idea behind the movie without giving too much away. It is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Theatrical Trailer -
This trailer which runs for 2.10 minutes is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
It is a very nice trailer and it sells the movie well. It does tend to give away too much of the story line though so I recommend waiting until you have seen the movie before viewing this feature.
<center><B>OVERALL</b></center>
It doesn't take long for Blow to grab your attention and engross you in the story of the highs and lows in the life of George Jung (Depp) who once made an absolute fortune from introducing drugs to the United States on a major scale.
Knowing it's based on a true story also makes it a bit more interesting and it's a pretty well paced movie that has some solid performances.
The DVD contains a very good quality audio/visual transfer and there's also a great selection of extra features contained on this DVD to keep viewers entertained for a while.
It's a pretty good effort overall and is well worth checking out.
Blow has a release date of March 20, 2002 with a RRP of $39.95
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr></table>
Thanks for reading.....