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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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Taboo
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Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton |
| Genre: |
Thriller
|
| Video: |
1.85:1
widescreen |
| Audio: |
English Dolby
Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0 |
| Language: |
English,
French |
| Subtitle: |
English,
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai
|
| Length: |
81
min |
| Rating: |
R |
| Release
Date: |
02/18/2003 |
| Studio: |
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Theatrical trailers |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Nick Stahl,
Eddie Kaye Thomas, January Jones, Lori Heuring, Derek Hamilton,
Amber Benson |
| Written
By: |
Chris Fisher |
| Produced
by: |
Ash R. Shah, Chris Fisher |
| Directed
By: |
Max Makowski
|
| Music: |
Ryan Beveridge
|
| The
Review: |
Yet
another entry into the teen thriller genre, only this time it's
straight-to-video rather than theatrical for this one. "Taboo"
takes place during that most revered of all horror movie weather
conditions: the dark and stormy night, in which six college
friends have gathered for a night of fun. But their plans soon
fall under the weight of the arrival of five cards bearing the
words prostitute, infidel, homosexual, rapist, and hypocrite;
soon after, the body count begins rising along with the tedium
and the moronic nature of the characters and the script. There
may be one surprise here and there, but nothing of any overall
value, as the film panders to the lowest common denominator
audience with schlocky thrills and ridiculous plotting. |
| Image
and Sound |
Like most direct-to-video schlock,
this DVD transfer is subpar. The 1.85:1 image is okay at best,
with colors that are vibrant but tend to look somewhat murky
in places. Fleshtones are accurate, and blacks are solid enough,
but contrast is wanting in the darker scenes, and shadow detail
is only acceptably good. Edges are sharp with some visible
haloing, and there is an abundance of film grain and noise
throughout. ***
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track
also lacks presence. There is very little ambiance to the
score or the sound effects, and surrounds and deep bass are
ignored for the most part. Everything remains congested in
the front and center channels for the most part, though dialogue
does sound natural and everything else sounds good as well.
It just doesn't have that much effect as a 5.1 track would
have had.
|
| The
Extras |
Nothing
but some promos, folks. |
| Commentary |
None
|
| Final
Words: |
Just
more direct-to-video crap that won't really cause a fuss at
all. Check it out if you happen to like the stars; otherwise,
it's a no-brainer. |
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