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Well, Gus Van Sant's finally done it; he's made a movie that registers as a larger failure than his needless remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." There are those who will no doubt take offense to this statement after seeing the film "Gerry," although I must tell you, after sitting in a chair for nearly two hours watching two of filmdom's most boring characters wallow through the desert plains of God knows where, I couldn't give a rat's rump about what anyone else thinks. With his latest project, Van Sant throws out all the conventions of filmmaking, favoring the elements of simplicity and deeper meaning through cinematography and cardboard acting; not exactly the most revered of formulas, but hey, we all have our faults, right? He refuses to bend to the expectations of audiences or critics, and has produced a movie that is one of the most tepid, tasteless, and completely tiresome displays of a director's courage to come along since the likes of John Waters' "Pink Flamingos." ***

If asked what the plot of the film concerns, do not be surprised if you find yourself at a loss for words. Even I don't know what to make of two young men named Gerry (Matt Damon, Casey Affleck; I guess Ben was too busy making "Gigli") who find themselves lost in the dry wilderness of the desert, with no apparent way out. How we're supposed to relate to these characters is beyond me: all they do is walk, walk, walk, hardly ever speaking, and never once showing us a single reason for which we should show our sympathy or understanding. The biggest surprise that "Gerry" has to offer is not contained within its celluloid images, but in its end credits, when we learn that it took three people- Affleck, Damon, and Van Sant- to write a script that appears to have been put together with Crayons and construction paper, running maybe two pages long at best. As an exercise in existentialism without the confines of Hollywood form or structure, "Gerry" proves only to be as empty as the wasteland into which it places us.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer for "Gerry" boasts an exquisite use of color and clarity as a means to evoke the majesty of the wide open spaces of its cinematography. Natural hues have never looked better given the setting, with lots of dusty reds, blank whites, and pale blue skies, all of which look excellent here. Fleshtones are also accurate, and blacks are solid throughout. Contrast is in fine shape and shadow detail is very nicely done, while edges are sharp and don't suffer from too many enhancement halos. The source print is clean, and film grain is minimal, making this a well-done transfer. ***

The audio is mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, although there is nothing here to differentiate it from a standard 2.0 track. The use of the soundstage is actually rather sloppy, if you ask me: surrounds are hardly ever engaged, which is a disappointment considering what could have been. The score is confined to the front channels, as are the sound effects, with dialogue sounding a bit harsh at times. Okay, but could have been better.