"The Critic"
movie reviews movie review
Search Archives DVD Mall Prog Land TV Contact Us Reviewer Bio

Upda
A

Search Movie Review Archives

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 
About DVDivas
Dvdivas was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your link to the most popular dvd movies.

 

The Osterman Weekend (2- Disc Version)
Reviewed by: Bob Leibold
Genre: Action
Video: 1.85:1 Widescreen Presentation Enhanced for 16 x 9 Televisions
Audio: Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES 6.1, Dolby Surround 2.0, Original Mono Mix
Languages English
Subtitles None
Length 102 minutes
Rating "R" Violence, Some nudity
Release Date 23 March 2004
Studio Anchor Bay
Commentary: "Sam Peckinpah Historians" Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons, David Weddle, and Nick Redman
Documentaries: Alpha to Omega an all new 78 min documentary
Featurettes: None
Filmography/Biography: Talent Bios for Main Cast members, director, and producers...I took the time to read these blurbs...they are surprise, surprise interesting and insightful.
Interviews: "Alpha to Omega" Documentary includes interviews with John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Chris Sarandon, Cassie Yates, Rutger Hauer, Helen Shaver, Meg Foster, Ed Abrams, film editor, Nick Redman Peckinpah Historian, and the two producers.
Trailers/TV Spots: Original movie release trailer
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: None
Music Video: None
Other: Photo gallery of production stills and candid photographs on and off the set.
Cast and Crew: Burt Lancaster as Maxwell Danforth head of a CIA Espionage Unit, John Hurt, A CIA Operative, Rutger Hauer as John Tanner, as friends... Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Chris Sarandon, and as the wife or lover... Cassie Yates and Helen Shaver
Written By: From the Book by Robert Ludlum Adaptation by Ian Masters, Screenplay by Alan Sharp
Produced By: Peter Davis and William N. Panzer
Directed By: Sam Peckinpah
Music: Lalo Schifrin
The Review: : I am easy...I am a Ludlum fan...so I came into the movie knowing it would be good....no disappointment there...and this DVD will not disappoint you. Well cast and directed by a veteran in the twilight of his career, who still had the chops to tell a good story. The Osterman Weekend is the story of a man, John Tanner, duped by his government. Mr.Tanner is convinced by Burt Lancaster, as Maxwell Danforth, CIA head of Espionage Investigation into believing his friends are enemies of America. He is shown bogus surveillance clips of each of his friends compromising themselves. Being a patriot, Tanner allows the government to plant camera and microphones everywhere in his home to catch the bad guys. But as John Hurt says in the movie..."things are rarely as they seem..." This is a fun movie with enough twists to keep the genre fan interested throughout. Even though Sam Peckinpah was in his seventies, apparently a cantankerous seventies at that, he still knew where to point a camera and when to overcrank it ....giving us his great slow motion...ballets of violence. One note of caution though, Meg Foster's eyes are as dangerous as they have ever been. I do not know what it is about them but the steel blue iris pupil thingy makes her look like she is looking through you....good actress...spooky look.
Image and Sound:

The widescreen 1.85:1 presentation has undergone some great restoration using "Anchor Bay's Entertainment's Divimax high definition transfer process." Whatever magic was performed on the movie print resulted in the vibrant colors and rich contrasts creating the original theatrical atmosphere tones on your home screen. Meg Foster's blue eyes will jump off the screen. I especially love the lighting. Various actors such as Cassie Yates are lit with vignette lighting...the background is black and just the head is painted with light creating a very striking and effective look. The film's picture and sound plays like it is a recent release instead of twenty plus years old. One interesting note though. This DVD includes director Sam Peckinpah's "First Cut" A Never Before Seen Full Length Screening version. For those not familiar with movie jargon "screening version" means may have flaws. But you get to see what Sam had in mind in his vision.

The Sound reproduction is full and crisp utilizing the new DTS ES encoding process. The disc also contains Dolby Surround 2.0, Dolby Digital EX, and the original mono mix.

The Extras:

"Alpha to Omega" Documentary includes interviews with John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Chris Sarandon, Cassie Yates, Rutger Hauer, Helen Shaver, Meg Foster, Ed Abrams, film editor, Nick Redman Peckinpah Historian, and the two producers. These interviews, recently recorded, are reminiscences of the principal actors and producers concerning the making of the original movie. The Producers talk about the difficulties in financing, producing the picture, how the cast was chosen and their feelings now in thinking back to their days making the film. Sam Peckinpah, though he proved to be difficult at times, was shown to be a very important component in the movie's creation, much more than just directing.

Commentary: The "Peckinpah Apologists" give a comprehensive narrative of what the critics and critiques have said about the director, Sam Peckinpah. After a while, I began to enjoy listening to them and their interesting anecdotes about the production shoot or historical background to Sam and the energies, influences, and demons, which guided his creative process. Watch the movie first though, and enjoy the story.... then the commentaries "back story" becomes that much more entertaining.
Final Words: The Sam Peckinpah opening is very different from the theatrical release version. The DVD explains the evolution of the film's open, revealing the interesting dynamics the film had during its creation. The producers struggled to get the film made and then struggled with the filmmaker. ...The Chinese said it best...."out of conflict comes creativity..." I liked the way the cuts, not in the release but in Sam's version, are explained using full screen graphics. This is a good movie, but it takes a few moments to take off...exposition is always hard to deliver, but once over with, the fun begins. This is a very violent film...and everyone knows "bloody Sam" and his work...but you never see any blood... anywhere....bad guys get killed and so do the good guys and girls but again no blood...Peckinpah showcasing his very best style "a ballet of violence." If you enjoy a good spy film with intrigue and twists, then this movie is for you. Well cast and pulled off with aplomb.

 

 
 
 
Copyright @ Teakwood Productions 2000
Home News DVDWorld DVDLand(Links) DVDVoices
Search Archives DVD Mall Prog Land TV Contact Us Reviewer's Bio
Upcoming DVDs In Theatres Soon Other Popular Reviews
This Page Design By Dominion Technology Provider
 
In Theatres Soon Upcoming DVDs Alias Tomb Raider Casablanca NYPD Blues