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Urban Legends: Final Cut
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
I was excited to see that John Ottman would be directing his own movie. In 1995 I saw "The Usual Suspects", which ended up being one of my favorite movies. Aside from the excellent screenplay and camerawork, there was also the wonderfully elegant score and strong editing - both of which Ottman was responsible for. The only problem was the choice of film - a sequel to the largely unmemorable "Urban Legends", which did decently at the box office, but not well enough to require a sequel, as well as a sequel with unknown actors - er, wait. There is one previously known actor - Joey Laurence, who some may be familiar with from the TV show "Blossom".
So, with the odds against him (and quite a lot to do as Ottman not only directed, but edited and did the music for this film), he actually makes for a slightly successful movie - read slightly. "Urban Legends: Final Cut" doesn't turn out to be anything good, but it does at least manage a moment or two here and there. Those who are DVD fans may be pleased when a character curses out George Lucas. Anyways, for those unfamiliar, the first film involved a group of students plagued by attacks that revolved around urban legends. This time, the film revolves around none other than film students who are in competition for the "Hitchcock" award for their thesis films.
...And it begins again as students are attacked in "horror" movie ways. I don't particularly think that this is all Ottman's fault; he's simply revisiting material that has been played out before, if occasionally making it appear better than it usually would, with his score being above-average. Acting is mixed; newcomer Jennifer Morrison gives a mildly effective performance in the lead, but there's not much else to it - Joey (now called "Joseph") Laurence turns in a performance that's unintentionally pretty funny. Even look for a scene with overlapping dialogue that appears to be a little take-off on "The Usual Suspects".
The DVD
VIDEO: If the movie doesn't turn in a great performance, at least Columbia/Tristar turns in their usual excellent performance, offering an excellent presentation in the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and it is anamorphic. Sharpness and detail are both excellent, with an image that looks consistently well-defined and offers good depth. Problems are minor at most; there's only a couple of minor speckles, but other than that, there's no print flaws to be seen. Pixelation and shimmering are absent, and the picture looks remarkably crisp at times.
Colors are rich, clean and natural, looking bold and vibrant. Black level is solid, and flesh tones remain accurate and natural. Really nothing much at all to complain about in a presentation that's often great looking. A pan&scan version is on the flip side.
SOUND: The film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and although not hugely agressive, at least has some moments where the audio becomes more intense. The main element that is most effective throughout is Ottman's score, which thankfully doesn't go for the sudden bursts of sound for the cheap scare and instead goes for something that's often moody and rather effective. Surrounds occasionally become more active during the intense scenes, but the movie never becomes a consistently agressive sound presentation. Dialogue remains clear (unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your view of the movie). The sound often highlights Ottman's score, which adds tension to the otherwise somewhat flat proceedings, but didn't really impress me overall that much.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director John Ottman, who seems to be a very friendly and energetic person as he starts off the commentary seemingly a little bit nervous, but seems intent on trying, the best he can, to offer as much information as possible. The director talks in a screen-specific manner about how much of the film was accomplished, as well as general details about the production experience as a first-time director. He's somewhat funny at times as well, as he jokes about the similarities of a student filmmaker to friend and "Usual Suspects" director Bryan Singer during the opening scene.
As goofy as the film sometimes is, the director sounds like the experience of directing his first picture was an enjoyable one, as he does a fine job coming up with some good stories from the set and generally seems honest, as he talks about what may have been done different as well as the obstacles (many) that came up during filming, as well as the general movie itself - he admits that it was hard to audition an actor because there weren't many "character" moments in the movie. Also interesting is the fact that Ottman both directed and edited the picture, having scenes that he enjoyed directing, but thinking as an editor that they might not work for the final picture - it's an interesting commentary, and in my opinion, a more enjoyable experience than the film itself. Thoughts on the movie aside, Ottman provides a good commentary, and I really am looking forward to his next project.
Gag Reel: After watching a really funny 12 minute series of outtakes for "Meet The Parents", this one pretty much pales in comparison as it focuses on the actors goofing off on-set. A couple funny bits, but usually pretty flat.
Deleted Scenes: 7 deleted scenes that offer optional commentary from director Ottman. These general reason seems to be that, in a film like this, the running time is a major consideration and anything that doesn't move the film along rapidly enough gets taken out.
Trailers: Trailers for "Urban Legends" 1 and 2 and "I Know" and "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer".
Featurette: A very short, very promotional featurette that doesn't offer much new info.
Also: Talent files, web-link, production notes.
Final Thoughts:
Positive: Tristar presents the film with excellent image quality, respectable sound and some enjoyable extras.
Negative: This really wasn't a movie that needed to be made, although Ottman is a talent in need and deserving of a really superb project that could showcase his talents. This is a case though, where for those who enjoyed the movie in the theater you'll enjoy the DVD.
I was excited to see that John Ottman would be directing his own movie. In 1995 I saw "The Usual Suspects", which ended up being one of my favorite movies. Aside from the excellent screenplay and camerawork, there was also the wonderfully elegant score and strong editing - both of which Ottman was responsible for. The only problem was the choice of film - a sequel to the largely unmemorable "Urban Legends", which did decently at the box office, but not well enough to require a sequel, as well as a sequel with unknown actors - er, wait. There is one previously known actor - Joey Laurence, who some may be familiar with from the TV show "Blossom".
So, with the odds against him (and quite a lot to do as Ottman not only directed, but edited and did the music for this film), he actually makes for a slightly successful movie - read slightly. "Urban Legends: Final Cut" doesn't turn out to be anything good, but it does at least manage a moment or two here and there. Those who are DVD fans may be pleased when a character curses out George Lucas. Anyways, for those unfamiliar, the first film involved a group of students plagued by attacks that revolved around urban legends. This time, the film revolves around none other than film students who are in competition for the "Hitchcock" award for their thesis films.
...And it begins again as students are attacked in "horror" movie ways. I don't particularly think that this is all Ottman's fault; he's simply revisiting material that has been played out before, if occasionally making it appear better than it usually would, with his score being above-average. Acting is mixed; newcomer Jennifer Morrison gives a mildly effective performance in the lead, but there's not much else to it - Joey (now called "Joseph") Laurence turns in a performance that's unintentionally pretty funny. Even look for a scene with overlapping dialogue that appears to be a little take-off on "The Usual Suspects".
The DVD
VIDEO: If the movie doesn't turn in a great performance, at least Columbia/Tristar turns in their usual excellent performance, offering an excellent presentation in the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and it is anamorphic. Sharpness and detail are both excellent, with an image that looks consistently well-defined and offers good depth. Problems are minor at most; there's only a couple of minor speckles, but other than that, there's no print flaws to be seen. Pixelation and shimmering are absent, and the picture looks remarkably crisp at times.
Colors are rich, clean and natural, looking bold and vibrant. Black level is solid, and flesh tones remain accurate and natural. Really nothing much at all to complain about in a presentation that's often great looking. A pan&scan version is on the flip side.
SOUND: The film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and although not hugely agressive, at least has some moments where the audio becomes more intense. The main element that is most effective throughout is Ottman's score, which thankfully doesn't go for the sudden bursts of sound for the cheap scare and instead goes for something that's often moody and rather effective. Surrounds occasionally become more active during the intense scenes, but the movie never becomes a consistently agressive sound presentation. Dialogue remains clear (unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your view of the movie). The sound often highlights Ottman's score, which adds tension to the otherwise somewhat flat proceedings, but didn't really impress me overall that much.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director John Ottman, who seems to be a very friendly and energetic person as he starts off the commentary seemingly a little bit nervous, but seems intent on trying, the best he can, to offer as much information as possible. The director talks in a screen-specific manner about how much of the film was accomplished, as well as general details about the production experience as a first-time director. He's somewhat funny at times as well, as he jokes about the similarities of a student filmmaker to friend and "Usual Suspects" director Bryan Singer during the opening scene.
As goofy as the film sometimes is, the director sounds like the experience of directing his first picture was an enjoyable one, as he does a fine job coming up with some good stories from the set and generally seems honest, as he talks about what may have been done different as well as the obstacles (many) that came up during filming, as well as the general movie itself - he admits that it was hard to audition an actor because there weren't many "character" moments in the movie. Also interesting is the fact that Ottman both directed and edited the picture, having scenes that he enjoyed directing, but thinking as an editor that they might not work for the final picture - it's an interesting commentary, and in my opinion, a more enjoyable experience than the film itself. Thoughts on the movie aside, Ottman provides a good commentary, and I really am looking forward to his next project.
Gag Reel: After watching a really funny 12 minute series of outtakes for "Meet The Parents", this one pretty much pales in comparison as it focuses on the actors goofing off on-set. A couple funny bits, but usually pretty flat.
Deleted Scenes: 7 deleted scenes that offer optional commentary from director Ottman. These general reason seems to be that, in a film like this, the running time is a major consideration and anything that doesn't move the film along rapidly enough gets taken out.
Trailers: Trailers for "Urban Legends" 1 and 2 and "I Know" and "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer".
Featurette: A very short, very promotional featurette that doesn't offer much new info.
Also: Talent files, web-link, production notes.
Final Thoughts:
Positive: Tristar presents the film with excellent image quality, respectable sound and some enjoyable extras.
Negative: This really wasn't a movie that needed to be made, although Ottman is a talent in need and deserving of a really superb project that could showcase his talents. This is a case though, where for those who enjoyed the movie in the theater you'll enjoy the DVD.
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