Salamander
08-06-2004, 03:24 PM
MRA Entertainment
Home Room
(R4 Rental)
Released: Out Now
Rating: M 18+
RRP: Rental
DISC FEATURES AND SPECS:
• Original Theatrical Trailer (1.33:1) (1’44”)
• Bonus Movie Trailers – Session 9 (1’46”); Sing for a Raggy Boy (2’31”); Windfall (2’43”)
• Talent Profiles: Busy Philipps, Victor Garber, Erika Christensen, Raphael Sbarge
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Subtitles: None
• 17 Chapters
• Aspect: 1.85:1 Widescreen, 16:9 enhanced
• Running Time: 126 minutes
CAST:
Busy Philipps, Victor Garber, Erika Christensen, Raphael Sbarge
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Paul F. Ryan.
FROM THE BACK COVER:
The tragic aftermath of a high school shooting leaves Deanna (Erika Christensen from TRAFFIC and SWIMFAN) seriously wounded and nine others dead. Detective Van Zandt (Victor Garber from LEGALLY BLONDE) is assigned the task of finding someone to hold responsible. His attention settles on Alicia (Busy Philipps from TV’s DAWSON’S CREEK), a darkly troubled outsider considered both the key witness and a possible suspect.
Worlds collide when the high school principal compels Alicia to pay a reluctant visit to the still-hospitalised Deanna. United by their traumatic experience, the two young women form an unlikely friendship – a friendship that will be tested by depression, despair, and the growing weight of the police investigation.
HOME ROOM is an intimate portrayal of lives in crisis and the redemptive power of friendship. If you loved GIRL, INTERRUPTED then you’ll love HOME ROOM.
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2002 DENVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2003 CHAMIZAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
THE MOVIE:
The movie explores the theme of psychological healing by the power of friendship through the story of two young girls whose lives intersect on the traumatic event of a high school shooting. On the surface, it appears to be a girl buddy movie like Girl, Interrupted, but Busy Philipps, who plays the goth chick Alicia, is no Angelina Jolie, and the ineffectual script often wanders between a tired ‘good girl and bad girl’ motif with Christian overtones, and the confrontational and controversial undercurrents of Bowling for Columbine and Elephant. Erika Christensen delivers a captivating performance as the hospitalised survivor who still has nightmares of the shooting and, without doubt, she is the best talent in the whole piece.
AUDIO / VISUAL:
Audio:
The AC3 5.1 mix is louder than the 2-channel stereo track (and clipped at high levels). The background effects of birds, ambient sounds, and traffic are clear, audible, and balanced with the foreground sounds, voices, and the music.
Video:
There is an marked degree of sharpening to the anamorphic picture, made obvious by the visible edge halos. This effect pronounces the undesirable MPEG artefacts of colour bleeding and banding in some scenes, however the picture remains clean and sharp. No ghosting is apparent in the PAL transfer, which is good. The layer change is positioned at a point between two different frames, however it is not a quiet moment, so the pause is noticeable.
EXTRA FEATURES:
With this release MRA Entertainment have not provided much in the way of extras to write home about (pardon the pun). This version even misses out on a 7-minute cast-and-crew interview featurette that is available on the Region 1 Columbia-Tristar release.
Talent Profiles-
Just a section showcasing the filmographies of cast members, Busy Philipps, Victor Garber, Erika Christensen, Raphael Sbarge
Theatrical Trailer-
The original theatrical trailer is presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio and runs for 1.44 minutes.
Bonus Trailers-
* Session 9: 1.44 minute trailer
* Sung for a Raggy Boy: 2.31 minute trailer
* Windfall: 2.43 minute trailer
OVERALL:
The main reason that you would want to pick up this movie is to see Erika Christensen developing a new role: this film, though, is not an ideal vehicle to explore her talent. The story and characters are not very interesting, and the acting and direction seems forced and overly scripted. For example, Alicia’s secret is revealed and purged most inappropriately in the third and final act of the movie, while she is in group discussions about the shooting incident. The lack of supplements on this DVD release is pathetic, as it is a missed opportunity in providing more insight to the high school shootings and the motivations and challenges of Erika Christensen and Paul F. Ryan in making the film.
Rating out of 5
VIDEO QUALITY 3.5
AUDIO QUALITY 3
EXTRAS 1
THE MOVIE 2.5
OVERALL 2.5
Home Room
(R4 Rental)
Released: Out Now
Rating: M 18+
RRP: Rental
DISC FEATURES AND SPECS:
• Original Theatrical Trailer (1.33:1) (1’44”)
• Bonus Movie Trailers – Session 9 (1’46”); Sing for a Raggy Boy (2’31”); Windfall (2’43”)
• Talent Profiles: Busy Philipps, Victor Garber, Erika Christensen, Raphael Sbarge
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
• Subtitles: None
• 17 Chapters
• Aspect: 1.85:1 Widescreen, 16:9 enhanced
• Running Time: 126 minutes
CAST:
Busy Philipps, Victor Garber, Erika Christensen, Raphael Sbarge
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Paul F. Ryan.
FROM THE BACK COVER:
The tragic aftermath of a high school shooting leaves Deanna (Erika Christensen from TRAFFIC and SWIMFAN) seriously wounded and nine others dead. Detective Van Zandt (Victor Garber from LEGALLY BLONDE) is assigned the task of finding someone to hold responsible. His attention settles on Alicia (Busy Philipps from TV’s DAWSON’S CREEK), a darkly troubled outsider considered both the key witness and a possible suspect.
Worlds collide when the high school principal compels Alicia to pay a reluctant visit to the still-hospitalised Deanna. United by their traumatic experience, the two young women form an unlikely friendship – a friendship that will be tested by depression, despair, and the growing weight of the police investigation.
HOME ROOM is an intimate portrayal of lives in crisis and the redemptive power of friendship. If you loved GIRL, INTERRUPTED then you’ll love HOME ROOM.
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2002 DENVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2003 CHAMIZAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
THE MOVIE:
The movie explores the theme of psychological healing by the power of friendship through the story of two young girls whose lives intersect on the traumatic event of a high school shooting. On the surface, it appears to be a girl buddy movie like Girl, Interrupted, but Busy Philipps, who plays the goth chick Alicia, is no Angelina Jolie, and the ineffectual script often wanders between a tired ‘good girl and bad girl’ motif with Christian overtones, and the confrontational and controversial undercurrents of Bowling for Columbine and Elephant. Erika Christensen delivers a captivating performance as the hospitalised survivor who still has nightmares of the shooting and, without doubt, she is the best talent in the whole piece.
AUDIO / VISUAL:
Audio:
The AC3 5.1 mix is louder than the 2-channel stereo track (and clipped at high levels). The background effects of birds, ambient sounds, and traffic are clear, audible, and balanced with the foreground sounds, voices, and the music.
Video:
There is an marked degree of sharpening to the anamorphic picture, made obvious by the visible edge halos. This effect pronounces the undesirable MPEG artefacts of colour bleeding and banding in some scenes, however the picture remains clean and sharp. No ghosting is apparent in the PAL transfer, which is good. The layer change is positioned at a point between two different frames, however it is not a quiet moment, so the pause is noticeable.
EXTRA FEATURES:
With this release MRA Entertainment have not provided much in the way of extras to write home about (pardon the pun). This version even misses out on a 7-minute cast-and-crew interview featurette that is available on the Region 1 Columbia-Tristar release.
Talent Profiles-
Just a section showcasing the filmographies of cast members, Busy Philipps, Victor Garber, Erika Christensen, Raphael Sbarge
Theatrical Trailer-
The original theatrical trailer is presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio and runs for 1.44 minutes.
Bonus Trailers-
* Session 9: 1.44 minute trailer
* Sung for a Raggy Boy: 2.31 minute trailer
* Windfall: 2.43 minute trailer
OVERALL:
The main reason that you would want to pick up this movie is to see Erika Christensen developing a new role: this film, though, is not an ideal vehicle to explore her talent. The story and characters are not very interesting, and the acting and direction seems forced and overly scripted. For example, Alicia’s secret is revealed and purged most inappropriately in the third and final act of the movie, while she is in group discussions about the shooting incident. The lack of supplements on this DVD release is pathetic, as it is a missed opportunity in providing more insight to the high school shootings and the motivations and challenges of Erika Christensen and Paul F. Ryan in making the film.
Rating out of 5
VIDEO QUALITY 3.5
AUDIO QUALITY 3
EXTRAS 1
THE MOVIE 2.5
OVERALL 2.5