For your PC needsTsargrad
09-03-2003, 09:03 PM
<I><B>The AV Channel</I>
<center>
<h2>Red Rock West</h2>
Release Date: Out Now
Rating: M 15+
RRP: $29.95
<UL>DISC FEATURES AND SPECS:</b></center>
<LI>Trailer
<li>Talent Profiles
<li>Commentary Track
<li>Umbrella Propaganda
<li>Scene Access
<li>Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
<li>Subtitles: -
<li>Aspect: 1.85:1 Widescreen, 16:9 enhanced
<li>Running Time: 94:07 minutes</UL>
<center><b>CAST:</b></center>
Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle and J.T. Walsh
<b>DIRECTED BY: </b> John Dahl
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER: </b></center>
<i>From John Dahl, Director of such deliciously diabolical films as The Last Seduction, comes the earlier film, RED ROCK WEST.
The quirkiest thriller since Blood Simple, RED ROCK WEST stars Nicolas Cage (Academy Award Winner of Leaving Las Vegas, Face Off), Dennis Hopper (Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet) and Lara Flynn Boyle (Twin Peaks, Men In Black 2) in an off-beat mystery about an average guy who is mistaken for a professional hit-man.
Dead tired and flat broke after driving 1,200 miles, Michael, an unemployed Texan (Cage), walks into a tavern in tiny Red Rock, Wyoming and is immediately offered a job. There’s just one problem: the owner thinks Michael is a hit-man, and the “job” is murdering the owner’s wife (Boyle). Just when Mike decides to take the money and run, the real hit-man (Hopper, sporting a homicidal Texan twang) arrives, ready to do the job right. Full of playful twists and sexy turns, RED ROCK WEST is a perfectly plotted game of cat and mouse that will keep you guessing until the final, shocking shot.</i>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL:</b></center>
Audio:
The audio presentation presented is a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix. The audio is rather disappointing throughout. Sure the dialogue is clear, but the lack of surrounds are sorely missed. The soundtrack was not dominate, or really noticeable until the end of the film, so this did not help enhance the film.
The best way to sum up the audio was that it was very flat. I have heard some 2.0 mixes which are quite a lot better, so it is more than just the lack of discrete surround channels.
If a film is going to be release in 2.0 then a stereo mix would enhance the audio a little more, and this film is an example where I believe this would have helped.
The subwoofer laid dormant throughout the film, and could have been used in a number of scenes had a 5.1 mix been afforded this release.
Video:
Considering this film was made on a low budget, the video presentation is never going to be of reference material. Certainly the video would not have been remastered.
Lower levels of grain were consistent throughout the film. This was not disruptive and did not hamper the viewing experience; and are portion of the grain would be in the source material.
I did expect to see a lot of speck artefacts but the print was very clean from this. As the film had not been played in many places, the source material problem didn’t have any artefact problems.
The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is anamorphic.
It is good to see that the video has been presented in the best possible way. As this disc is single layered there was not a layer change.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES:</b></center>
Trailer:
Running for 1:50 minutes, this trailer is presented in a full frame aspect ratio with audio in Dolby Digital 2.0. The trailer definitely gets you in, and sums up the idea of the early plot very well.
Talent Profiles:
Selected filmographies for the main actors and the director.
Commentary Track:
This commentary track seems to be two separately recorded commentaries in one, with John Dahl and Rick Dahl being together in one recording room, with the editor Scott Chestnut in the other. They have then been spliced together. The Dahl brothers discuss a lot of the film, and they overall aspects in making the film. Scott Chestnut provides the more technical information and the many details involved in editing a film. Quite a good commentary and much better than I expected.
Umbrella Propoganda:
As with most AV Channel releases they have trailers for their other releases. This time we have the following trailers:
Bagdad Café – This trailer runs for 1:42 minutes and is presented in an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. For a more in depth look at this film, check out the review here at www.region4dvd.net
Jamon Jamon – This is another foreign film, from Spain I believe which looks quite good; even if it does have the dreadful Penelope Cruz in it. This trailers runs for 2:22 minutes and is presented in a non anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This audio is also presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.
<center><B>MY MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM THIS DVD:</b></center>
My memorable moment would have to be the audio commentary. Like the film it was a pleasant surprise.
<center><B>OVERALL:</b></center>
I am sure most people will not have heard of this film. Fans of J.T Walsh, Dennis Hopper or Nicolas Cage cannot go wrong with this film. It really is quite a good low budget film, made just before independent films become popular.
Red Rock West is currently available to purchase with a RRP of $29.95
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B><center>Rating out of 5</b></center> </b> </td>
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>3.75</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>2.5</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>3</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>4 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>3.25</b></td></tr></table>
<center>
<h2>Red Rock West</h2>
Release Date: Out Now
Rating: M 15+
RRP: $29.95
<UL>DISC FEATURES AND SPECS:</b></center>
<LI>Trailer
<li>Talent Profiles
<li>Commentary Track
<li>Umbrella Propaganda
<li>Scene Access
<li>Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
<li>Subtitles: -
<li>Aspect: 1.85:1 Widescreen, 16:9 enhanced
<li>Running Time: 94:07 minutes</UL>
<center><b>CAST:</b></center>
Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle and J.T. Walsh
<b>DIRECTED BY: </b> John Dahl
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER: </b></center>
<i>From John Dahl, Director of such deliciously diabolical films as The Last Seduction, comes the earlier film, RED ROCK WEST.
The quirkiest thriller since Blood Simple, RED ROCK WEST stars Nicolas Cage (Academy Award Winner of Leaving Las Vegas, Face Off), Dennis Hopper (Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet) and Lara Flynn Boyle (Twin Peaks, Men In Black 2) in an off-beat mystery about an average guy who is mistaken for a professional hit-man.
Dead tired and flat broke after driving 1,200 miles, Michael, an unemployed Texan (Cage), walks into a tavern in tiny Red Rock, Wyoming and is immediately offered a job. There’s just one problem: the owner thinks Michael is a hit-man, and the “job” is murdering the owner’s wife (Boyle). Just when Mike decides to take the money and run, the real hit-man (Hopper, sporting a homicidal Texan twang) arrives, ready to do the job right. Full of playful twists and sexy turns, RED ROCK WEST is a perfectly plotted game of cat and mouse that will keep you guessing until the final, shocking shot.</i>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL:</b></center>
Audio:
The audio presentation presented is a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix. The audio is rather disappointing throughout. Sure the dialogue is clear, but the lack of surrounds are sorely missed. The soundtrack was not dominate, or really noticeable until the end of the film, so this did not help enhance the film.
The best way to sum up the audio was that it was very flat. I have heard some 2.0 mixes which are quite a lot better, so it is more than just the lack of discrete surround channels.
If a film is going to be release in 2.0 then a stereo mix would enhance the audio a little more, and this film is an example where I believe this would have helped.
The subwoofer laid dormant throughout the film, and could have been used in a number of scenes had a 5.1 mix been afforded this release.
Video:
Considering this film was made on a low budget, the video presentation is never going to be of reference material. Certainly the video would not have been remastered.
Lower levels of grain were consistent throughout the film. This was not disruptive and did not hamper the viewing experience; and are portion of the grain would be in the source material.
I did expect to see a lot of speck artefacts but the print was very clean from this. As the film had not been played in many places, the source material problem didn’t have any artefact problems.
The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is anamorphic.
It is good to see that the video has been presented in the best possible way. As this disc is single layered there was not a layer change.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES:</b></center>
Trailer:
Running for 1:50 minutes, this trailer is presented in a full frame aspect ratio with audio in Dolby Digital 2.0. The trailer definitely gets you in, and sums up the idea of the early plot very well.
Talent Profiles:
Selected filmographies for the main actors and the director.
Commentary Track:
This commentary track seems to be two separately recorded commentaries in one, with John Dahl and Rick Dahl being together in one recording room, with the editor Scott Chestnut in the other. They have then been spliced together. The Dahl brothers discuss a lot of the film, and they overall aspects in making the film. Scott Chestnut provides the more technical information and the many details involved in editing a film. Quite a good commentary and much better than I expected.
Umbrella Propoganda:
As with most AV Channel releases they have trailers for their other releases. This time we have the following trailers:
Bagdad Café – This trailer runs for 1:42 minutes and is presented in an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. For a more in depth look at this film, check out the review here at www.region4dvd.net
Jamon Jamon – This is another foreign film, from Spain I believe which looks quite good; even if it does have the dreadful Penelope Cruz in it. This trailers runs for 2:22 minutes and is presented in a non anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This audio is also presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.
<center><B>MY MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM THIS DVD:</b></center>
My memorable moment would have to be the audio commentary. Like the film it was a pleasant surprise.
<center><B>OVERALL:</b></center>
I am sure most people will not have heard of this film. Fans of J.T Walsh, Dennis Hopper or Nicolas Cage cannot go wrong with this film. It really is quite a good low budget film, made just before independent films become popular.
Red Rock West is currently available to purchase with a RRP of $29.95
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B><center>Rating out of 5</b></center> </b> </td>
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>3.75</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>2.5</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>3</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>4 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>3.25</b></td></tr></table>