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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
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the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
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"Seed
of Chucky – Unrated Widescreen"
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Kim Anehall |
| Genre: |
Horror, Comedy
|
| Video: |
Anamorphic
Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Audio: |
DTS 5.1,
Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Languages |
English,
French |
| Subtitles |
English,
French, Spanish |
| Length |
88 min |
| Rating |
Unrated
|
| Release Date |
June 7, 2005
|
| Studio |
Universal
Studios |
| Commentary:
|
“with Writer/Director
Don Mancini and Puppet Master Troy Gardner”, “with Don Mancini
and Actress Jennifer Tilly” |
| Documentaries:
|
“Conceiving
the Seed of Chucky” |
| Featurettes:
|
“Family Hell-iday Slide
Show”, “Tilly on The Tonight Show”, “Jennifer Tilly’s Diary”,
“Fuzion Up Close with the Seed of Chucky Stars”, “Storyboard
to Final Feature Comparison” |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
“Heeeeere's
Chucky” |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
“Theatrical Trailer”,
“Teaser Trailer” |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
“1 Slashed
Scene” |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
“Chucky's
Insider Facts On Demand”, “Cast & Filmmakers” |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Jennifer
Tilly, Billy Boyd, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters, Redman, Keith-Lee
Castle, Brad Dourif |
| Written
By: |
Don Mancini
|
| Produced
By: |
Corey Sienega,
David Kirschner |
| Directed
By: |
Don Mancini
|
| Music:
|
Pino Donaggio
|
| The
Review: |
In the fifth installment of Chucky—the
serial killing doll—the story continues with Chucky, but he
is not the main attraction anymore. Instead, the film opens
with an interesting computer generated image that depicts
the fertilization of an egg in the fallopian tubes, which
continues to divide itself in a rapid manner until it has
created a fetus. This fetus has a mark on its wrist that says,
“Made in Japan”, a possible hint towards the Omen (1976) where
Satan’s son has the mark of three sixes. The fetus later appears
to be Chucky’s offspring whom seems to take over the leading
part in this episode. ***
After the introduction, the ripping
of a box brings the audience to a family who receives the
doll of Chucky’s child. This scene opens with a camera shot
in first person perspective much like Humphrey Bogart’s character
in Dark Passage (1947) where they shoot the film in first
person perspective prior the plastic surgery or some of Brian
De Palma’s films. There is also a scene in this opening sequence,
which brings to mind Hitchcock’s brilliant shower scene from
Psycho (1960). ***
If the audience expects a typical
Chucky slasher film, they will be disappointed, as this story
focuses on the child of Chucky desiring to find a home and
family. In some aspects, the film has some resemblance with
the Disney film Pinocchio (1940), yet this is far darker and
disturbing tale. Eventually, as expected, the youngster doll
discovers his parents through a television show that is promoting
an upcoming film about Chucky. However, it is not the real
Chucky, as this doll is a mere puppet. Nonetheless, the child
of Chucky sets out to find his parents. ***
The reunion between Chucky (Brad
Dourif), Chucky’s wife Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), and their
child (Billy Boyd) brings them to the set where Jennifer Tilly,
herself, is performing a part in a coming Chucky film. However,
it is nothing like Chucky’s child had expected, as he is next
to being a pacifist. Despite his parent’s murderous tendencies,
he decides to accept them for who they are, which brings the
audience through an amusing self-help venture where they try
to use the 12 steps program to prevent themselves from continuing
their homicidal habits. ***
The director and writer Don Mancini
created Chucky while a film student at UCLA and this time
he turns it into a dark caricature of Chucky, horror films,
and other contemporary social issues. Seed of Chucky has some
similarities with the recent Team America: World Police with
its heavy parody while trying to be both funny and scary by
using scenes from films such as Psycho (1960) and the Shining
(1980). The film has some highlights and funny one-liners,
yet it does not deliver a full-fledged feature. Seed of Chucky
seems to need more work in order to provide a better cinematic
experience. Unfortunately, the film leaves most viewers with
an experience where the weakness rests within the intended
humor that does not rise to the occasion while the suspense
seems to be faltering. Nonetheless, the film will with no
doubt give room for some laughter and goriness, as Chucky
makes his fourth comeback. *** ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
The image on the Seed of Chucky
DVD is extraordinary, as it comes in an anamorphic widescreen.
No digital blemishes were present during the viewing. The
picture was sharp and clear with vibrant colors that offered
a very good visual experience. ***
The sound comes in a DTS 5.1 and
in Dolby Digital 5.1 for those without a DTS decoder on their
receiver. The DTS sound brings good use of the rear surround
speakers and a couple of thumps through the subwoofer. The
dialogue is clear without any distracting sounds, which makes
it very easy to follow. Generally the sound presents a pure
auditory experience where no flaws were detected in the sound.
*** ---
|
| The
Extras: |
The DVD
contains a large number of extras that are spread over three
different pages. Most of the extras have some worth, but most
of it depends on the viewer and what the viewer seeks to learn
and see through the extras. The extras are presented in following
order: Chucky's Insider Facts On Demand – An interesting feature
that comes with the disc, as the viewer can decide whether
to have or not to have inside facts popping up during the
film. There are a total of 150 different facts that the audience
can enjoy while viewing the film. ***
Slashed
Scene – The audience can experience a deleted scene from the
film where Debbie Carrington is supposed to play the part
of Tiffany. The viewer has the option of using commentary
track to this scene. ***
Heeeeere's
Chucky – An amusing interview with Chucky that takes less
than three minutes and takes place at a small table with black
background. There are also some funny “screen tests” by Chucky,
which will give the audience more than one reason to smile.
***
Family
Hell-iday Slide Show – Chucky sits down with his family while
viewing some family photos from the set and other locations.
This short skit will have a typical Chucky ending. For you
who do not know, that means it will be bloody. ***
Conceiving
the Seed of Chucky – An almost 19-minute documentary on how
Chucky came about and his characteristics. It is actually
interesting to hear Don Mancini and the other filmmakers talk
about his creation and the evolvement of this killer doll.
It is definitely worth a viewing, as the audience can see
a number clips from this and previous Chucky films. ***
Tilly
on The Tonight Show - A hilarious short skit by Jennifer Tilly
who writes a letter to Jay Leno while making fun of herself
and her situation in Romania. A must see for the audience.
***
Jennifer
Tilly’s Diary – A lengthy entertaining diary by Jennifer Tilly
stretching from February 1999 to May 2004 that should not
be taken too literarily, but it could be worth a read if time
is not a factor. ***
Fuzion
Up Close with the Seed of Chucky Stars – An interview with
Jennifer Tilly who reveals how it was to make the film and
how she exaggerated herself in the film. There is also an
entertaining interview with both Tiffany and Chucky. ***
Storyboard
to Final Feature Comparison – A split screen offers combination
of the storyboards and the actual scenes form the film through
which the audience can make their own comparisons. It offers
the idea of how film works from an idea to the shooting of
a scene. There are a total of five different scenes that have
received this treatment and among these are the nightmare
sequence and the paparazzi scene. ***
Theatrical
Trailer & Teaser Trailer – Both the theatrical and the teaser
offer an idea of what is to come, if the audience watch the
film. *** Cast & Filmmakers – Several of the cast members
and filmmakers from the film have received a biography and
an outline of their previous work. *** ---
|
| Commentary:
|
The DVD has
two different commentaries. Don Mancini and the actress Jennifer
Tilly provide the first commentary that is more upbeat and less
serious than the second commentary track. Jennifer Tilly makes
occasional jokes while Mancini follows her lead. There is some
interesting information that comes out through the commentary,
which makes it worthwhile and insightful in regards to the Seed
of Chucky. In the second commentary writer and director Don
Mancini and the puppet master Troy Gardner go into the nitty-gritty
of how it came to recreate the puppets in the film. It is a
very detailed and serious commentary in regards the puppets,
which goes into great detail on how the eyes should look and
the movements of the puppets should be. The viewer can only
imagine the difficulty of accomplishing such a task, as they
only had six weeks to get it done. Overall, this is a very good
and informative commentary, which filmmakers would truly appreciate.
*** |
| Final
Words: |
The Seed
of Chucky is not a film that will compete for best film in the
Oscars, but there are moments of entertainment that seep out
through the satirical humor and gore. The film will not make
anyone jump nor laugh until the stomach hurts, but it will help
the audience escape for a brief period of time. It is worth
a rental for Chucky fans, and if you like it then you should
buy it. *** |
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