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The Movie:
 MTV seems to
have found the right formula for hit television. Throw some
unknown youngsters (chosen by their ability to fill a certain
stereotype) in a house and let the cameras roll: The Real
World. Take the same basic ingredients and throw them in an
RV to roam the country and do a few stunts: Road Rules.
Put the same people in a competition against each other to see
which group whines more: all those seemingly endless installments
of Real World-Road Rules Challenge. They even broke the
mold a few times by surrounding a rock-God (Ozzy) and his family
with cameras: The Osbournes. Then, they took a newly
married couple of B-level celebrities and turned them into
Hollywood A-listers: Newlyweds. For a station that used
to air music videos the majority of the time, in the past ten
years or so, they've certainly produced more than just a few
hits.
The same, however, can't be said about their sister station: VH1.
Sure, they've had a bit of a hit with their Behind the Music
series, but that's about it. I don't count the passing trend that
is their I Love the… series or the fact that they
snatched up subsequent seasons of The Surreal Life. None
of these shows have been a pop-culture phenomenon like the shows
on MTV. So, with all that being said, I ask you this very simple
question: Does anyone even remember watching the VH1 original
series Strange Frequency? I certainly don't, and judging
by the quality of its follow-up, Strange Frequency 2, I
can understand why.
 The series is
basically an anthology show in the same vein as The Twilight
Zone or Night Gallery. Take a few simple stories,
throw in a somewhat paranormal twist near the end, and you've got
the basic formula. The only difference in Strange Frequency 2
is that each story has a rock-and-roll bend to it. They each have
something to do with music or the lifestyle that surrounds the
musicians. Sex, drugs, fame, and groupies are all relevant topics
to be explored. The results, however, are nothing like that of
the shows Strange Frequency 2 is modeled after. To even
begin to compare The Twilight Zone to Strange
Frequency 2 is like comparing a mansion to a shack. I'm
sorry now that I've even mentioned the two in the same sentence.
The four stories in Strange Frequency 2 deal with the
most obvious rock-and-roll situations. "Soul Man" is a
tale about a guitar-tech who only wants his chance to shine, play
with the band, and get the girl. "Cold Turkey" is about
a front man and songwriter who must deal with his drug addiction
if he wants to stay in the band. "Instant Karma" is the
story of a naïve groupie who falls for the wrong guy. And
"Don't Stop Believin'" - the most original of the group
- is about a campaign song that has some strange consequences for
the man running for Senate. Needless to say, each story ends with
some sort of paranormal twist. I guess they're supposed to be
ironic. It's supposed to be the "twist of fate" that
turns these, otherwise familiar tales, into something spooky or
horrific. For the four stories in Strange Frequency 2,
however, it doesn't exactly work. They, ultimately, come across
as being sillier than they are spooky or ironic.
 The only saving
grace in this mess is the appearance of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and Angel veteran James Marsters. Still
sporting the same blond head of hair that he donned for the
character of Spike, Marsters is assured and nuanced in his
performance as Mitch, the guitar-tech who finds Jimi Hendrix's
last song in a thrift store, in "Soul Man." It's a
strange sight to see Marsters without the usual Spike accent and
leather duster, but his performance is a testament to the fact
that he will certainly be around television and film for quite
some time.
Even Marsters, however, can't save Strange Frequency 2
from being an unoriginal, formulaic rip-off of shows that have
done the same thing with much better results. Roger Daltrey, who
hosts the show and plays a role in most of the stories, is
basically going through the motions here, and the supporting cast
isn't any better. As much as I dislike most of those hit shows
that MTV has spawned, I'd rather watch any of them than have to
sit through Strange Frequency 2 again. Watching
something this bad makes me smile every time I see an episode of The
Twilight Zone. Even when they missed the mark, those
episodes were infinitely better than this VH1 series.
The DVD
Video:
 Strange
Frequency 2 is presented in a 1.33:1 full frame format that,
although it has a few problems, is quite adequate. The transfer
lives up to the same standards as most broadcast television with
a somewhat flat appearance, but nice color saturation and
accurate flesh tones. Blacks aren't as deep as they could be, and
the image sometimes appears soft, making for a less intricately
detailed appearance. Digital artifacts and pixelation didn't seem
to be a problem at all, but there is a fair amount of grain
present throughout, especially in darker scenes. When the film
does show off some brighter colors, they appear vibrant and rich
with well-delineated shadows and lighting. Only the slightest
amount of edge enhancement can be seen throughout the film. While
this transfer certainly isn't one that you'd use to show off your
home theater, it does an adequate job of capturing the original
broadcast quality of the film, and even improves on a few areas.
Sound:
 The audio on
this disc is presented in a Dolby 2.0 stereo format that is
similar to the visual presentation in that it adequately
reproduces the original broadcast quality of the film, and even
improves on a few aspects of the soundtrack, but ultimately fails
to impress. For a film that is filled with rock-concert footage
and assorted rock-and-roll performances, it would have been nice
to have an enveloping surround mix. We are, however, only given
the stereo soundtrack. For what it is, though, this track does a
nice job of handling dialogue and even pumps out a few forceful
moments when the soundtrack's guitars and drums really kick in.
Spatial separation across the front channels is just fine and the
dialogue is always crisp, clear, and discernable while never
being overwhelmed by the rest of the soundtrack. Played through
Dolby Pro Logic II decoding this track even shows a few glimpses
of some exciting surround action during the various bands'
performances. Just like the visual presentation, however, this
isn't a track designed to show off the home theater system, but
one that simply gets the job done.
Extras:
There are no extras features on this disc.
Final Thoughts:
If you're still considering picking up Strange Frequency 2,
you might do best to save your hard-earned money for a few weeks
until you have enough to pick up something much more interesting
like The Twilight Zone. Trust me on this one; even if
they show reruns on television every single year, there are
probably still a few episodes you've missed at some point in your
life, and anything - yes, anything (even from the
infamously-loathed third season - from The Twilight Zone
is better than even one minute of this VH1 series. Aside from the
adequate audio-visual presentation, Paramount doesn't appear to
have put much effort into this disc, and rightfully so. I can't
help but advise you to skip it. Don't waste your valuable time or
money. |
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