|
“The OC-
Season 1”
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
1.78:1 Widescreen
Anamorphic |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
Surround 2.0 |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
Approximately
1215 minutes |
| Rating |
NR |
| Release Date |
10/26/04
|
| Studio |
Warner Home
Video |
| Commentary:
|
Creator/writer
Josh Schwartz and producer Stephanie Savage |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
“Inside the Real O.C.”;
“The Music of O.C.” “Casting The O.C.” |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Season Two Sneak Peak
|
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Deleted scenes
with commentary by Josh Schwartz |
| Music
Video: |
Music from “The O.C.”
guide |
| Other:
|
Still photo
gallery |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Peter Gallagher,
Kelly Rowan, Benjamin McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Tate
Donovan, Chris Carmack, Melinda Clarke, Rachel Bilson |
| Written
By: |
Josh Schwartz,
Jane Espenson, Debra J. Fisher, Drew Greenberg, Allan Heinberg
|
| Produced
By: |
Robert De
Laurentiis, McG, Loucas George |
| Directed
By: |
Daniel Attias,
David Barrett, Sanford Bookstaver, Robert Duncan Mcneill, James
Marshall, Patrick Norris |
| Music:
|
Christopher
Tyng |
| The
Review: |
“The O.C.” sounds like one of those
fancy drinks you’d get at an expensive bar. Thrown in a bit
of “Melrose Place”, a bit of “Dawson’s Creek” and mix until
a frothy head is seen at the top of the glass. Instead, it’s
a surprisingly fun and intelligent guilty pleasure mixing
the best of the evening soaps with a solid drama. The witty
dialogue and sharp performances from vets (the delightful
Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan) and newcomers (Benjamin McKenzie
and Adam Brody from “The Ring”) makes “The O.C.” a guilty
pleasure that actually gives something in return. Gallagher
plays lawyer Sandy Cohen who takes troubled Ryan (McKenzie)
into his home. Ryan moves into the pool house at Cohen’s home
in Newport Beach, California (located in Orange County, hence
the title “The O.C.”) a privlaged playground unfamiliar to
Ryan. Suddenly, he finds himself in a world of power and money
without any sense of how he fits in. Luckily for him the rich
and famous manage to screw their lives up (just take a look
at the Nicky and Paris Hilton as an example of this) as much
as the ordinary world he came from. Ryan provides a reminder
of everyone’s humanity and the fact that perfect lawns and
pristine homes don’t make perfect people and pristine lives
---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
“The O.C.”
looks about as perfect as those well manicured lawns and sparkling
Mercedes in the drive way. Nice transfer with no noticeable
edge enhancement or analog imperfections to note. This seven
disc set got the deluxe treatment from Warner Brothers considering
that the series only premiered last year. Sound is also very
good as well with nice presence and a nice surround mix. |
| The
Extras: |
Some nice
featurettes included on this DVD include one on casting the
series where we hear a discussion on what creator Josh Schwartz
was looking for in the characters he created to a discussion
of the music of “The O.C.” with the producer discussing why
they chose the artists/songs they did for various segments
of the series (it still feels like a promo to convince folks
to buy the soundtrack to the show). “Inside the Real O.C.”
features executive producer McG discussing the area that inspired
the series. It’s more style than substance which isn’t a surprise
given that McG’s involved. We also get some deleted scenes
with optional commentary from Schwartz although it’s pretty
clear why these scenes were deleted. Most don’t contribute
much to the plot but there are a few nice scenes that were
clearly trimmed for time. There’s also a promo peak at Fox’s
second season of the series as well although it’s a bit late
for that this year.
|
| Commentary:
|
Interesting
commentary by series creator Schwartz and producer Stephanie
Savage. What would have been far more interesting would have
been to include some real people who actually live in Newport
Beach comment on the sense of reality of the series and how
it compares to their friends and families. I doubt that there
would have been any great insight but it would have provided
a hint of originality in this area. It seems a bit premature
to do a commentary on such a fresh and new show but I suppose
the producers and Warner felt obligated to include it. |
| Final
Words: |
A guilty
pleasure with a terrific cast and enough sex, teen conflicts,
violence and drugs to keep fans of “Melrose Place” and “Dawson’s
Creek” fans happy, “The O.C.” has witty writing, strong acting
by a great cast and solid direction that separates it from the
average night time soap. The features on the DVD are solid although
a bit predictable. If fans want to purchase the series, they
should do so because they enjoy it vs. getting this for the
extra features which are somewhat witless and not all that involving.
|
