ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT

THE NUGGET



Released: March 5, 2003.
Rating: M 15+
RRP: $39.95


    DISC FEATURES AND SPECS:

  • Audio Commentary - Bill Bennett & Eric Bana.
  • Irwin Thomas Music Video.
  • Deleted Scenes.
  • Bloopers.
  • Alternate Ending.
  • Behind The Scenes.
  • Interviews (including Stephen Curry & Belinda Emmett on Rove Live)
  • Theatrical Trailer.
  • Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0
  • Aspect: 1.85:1 widescreen 16:9 enhanced.
  • Subtitles: English for the Hearing Impaired.
  • Running Time: 93.04 minutes.

    CAST:

    Eric Bana, Stephen Curry, Dave O'Neil, Belinda Emmett, Peter Moon, Vince Colosimo, Max Cullen, Jean Kittson, Chris Haywood & Jane Hall.
    DIRECTED BY: Bill Bennett.


    FROM THE BACK COVER:

    An All Star Australian cast light up this hilarious and magical tale of 3 mates, 1 small town… and a bloody big chunk of gold.
    Lotto, (Eric Bana - Chopper, Black Hawk Down), Wookie, (Stephen Curry - The Castle, Changi) and Sue (Dave O'Neil - Australia's favourite stand-up comic) are three council road workers who decide to try their hand at prospecting. When they discover the world's largest gold nugget, their small town world is turned upside down. If they thought roadwork was messy business, they're soon to discover it's hard work being filthy rich.

    From BILL BENNETT, the Director of "Kiss and Kill" and "Spider & Rose", and also starring BELINDA EMMETT, VINCE COLOSIMO, PETER MOON, CHRIS HEYWOOD and MAX CULLEN, THIS LITTLE Aussie gem is worth it's weight in gold.


    AUDIO/VISUAL:

    Audio:
    The main feature has Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 options, as well as an Audio Commentary by the Director Bill Bennett,, Eric Bana, Stephen Curry & Dave O'Neil.
    I've viewed the movie with the two Dolby Digital options and each held their own for what they are.
    The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is obviously going to be the better choice of the two.
    The audio was pretty predominant from the front of the room. It was always clear and nicely spread across the front sound stage at times. The dialogue could be described in exactly the same way and sync was spot on. The sub is used, but sparingly.
    The rear speakers gave the audio a helping hand at times, with the usual variety of background noises that include, wind, birds, music etc. Nothing spectacular, but still a supportive role with plenty of ambience provided at times.
    Subtitles are provided for the Hearing Impaired and were pretty true to what was being spoken and/or happening. When it came to conversations, they'd be on the right when the person on the right spoke and on the left when the person on the left spoke.

    Video:
    The Nugget has an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen and is 16:9 enhanced.
    It's a nice looking transfer that has no real faults to speak of.
    You might see a small spec on the very rare occasion, but all in all, it's a clean and sharp looking picture that does the movie justice.
    It's not the most spectacular looking movie when it comes to the colour department, but don't get me wrong…. There are no problems such as colour bleeding, and the actual colours were always quite distinguished and held their own, especially in the "Massage Parlour", but the interiors of the working class homes and other settings would feature some plain browns and off whites to leave a somewhat uninspired look.
    There is a layer change during this movie and it occurs at the 74.33 minute mark. It happens at the end of a conversation and the pause is very subtle and hardly disruptive.


    EXTRA FEATURES:

    Audio Commentary by Director Bill Bennett & Eric Bana. -
    The first thing I have to mention here is that although Bill Bennett and Eric Bana are credited on the DVD cover, the commentary starts with Stephen Curry and Dave O'Neil also introducing themselves. Good stuff!
    It's a great combination as Bill Bennet will tell us about the scenes you are looking at and the guys will interject with their memories and stories of that moment. While learning more about the production of this feature film, there are some good laughs to be had and this extra feature is highly recommended.
    Oh, if you want a laugh, have a listen to the guys when the final credits are rolling. Absolute crack up!

    Irwin Thomas Music Video. -
    Umm….. The back cover says that there is one, but I'm yet to find it on this DVD. I'll update this review if I find it.

    Deleted Scenes. -
    6 scenes to choose from here and Jean Kittson fans can see her in three of them.
    You can select them individually, or use the "Play All" option. The 6 scenes are:
    - Darlene's Diversion (1.09)
    - The Secret. (0.22)
    - The Birdbath (0.19)
    - Ice Mammoth (0.31)
    - Dancing teacups (0.40)
    - The Hole (0.42)

    Bloopers -
    Shown in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound and runs for 2.35 minutes.
    Here we get to see some lines being stuffed up from a couple of scenes.

    Alternate Ending. -
    Runs for 3.49 minutes, is in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and looking like an ex rental VHS in terms of visual quality. It's pretty much the same as the original ending, but it has some more stuff with Max Cullin's character, Wally inserted.

    Behind The Scenes. -
    Shown in widescreen, has Dolby Digial 2.0 audio and runs for 6.57 minutes.
    This section incorporates behind the scenes footage with a few of the scenes from the movie.

    Interviews. -
    We get 9 different interviews here , varying in length. The one from Rove Live being one that stands out amongst them. They are as follows:

    Stephen Curry & Belinda Emmett on Rove Live. -
    Runs for 10.58, shown in widescreen and has Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
    This interview looks and sounds very fresh compared to the rest. Can be quite funny at times.
    It ends with a separate channel 10 news story on the premiere of the movie in Mudgee.

    The rest of the interviews are all in full frame and vary in length.
    Bill Bennett - Director (7.03)
    Eric Bana - Lotto (7.41)
    Dave O'neil - Sue (3.15)
    Stephen Curry - Wookie (3.28)
    Belinda Emmett - Cheryl (2.22)
    Peter Moon - Ratner (3.58)
    Vince Colosimo - Dimitri (5.22)
    Alan Brough - Jurgen (0.53)

    Theatrical Trailer -
    Shown in widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, this 2.11 minute trailer shows us a good deal of the movie, is definitely one that gets you interested.


    MY MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM THIS DVD:

    I don't want to take anything away from the movie, but the Audio Commentary is a good laugh!
    The guys stick with it and keep the laughs going until the very end of the final credits.


    OVERALL:

    The Nugget is a fun and somewhat strange story about what happens to three Aussie blokes and the people around them when they find one hell of a big gold nugget. The characters are an odd bunch, and the cast pull off a good job of making their roles and the story come together well.
    The DVD looks and sounds very good indeed and there are no complaints about the quantity and quality of the extra features. Make sure you try and check out the audio commentary.
    It's a top effort overall and well worth a look.
    The Nugget has a release date of March 5, 2002 and a RRP of $39.95







    Rating out of 5
    VIDEO QUALITY 4.5
    AUDIO QUALITY 4.25
    EXTRAS 4.25
    THE MOVIE 4
    OVERALL 4.25