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V.I. Warshawski
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // R // June 4, 2002
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
A thankfully speedy 1991 detective comedy/drama, "V.I. Warshawski" stars Kathleen Turner as the title character, a sharp-witted and tough-talking female detective living in Chicago and solving the occasional case. While I haven't read Sara Paretsky's detective novels about the character, I'd hope they have more going on than the movie, which was written by not one, not two - but three screenwriters.
The trio of writers seem more interested in providing poor one-liners than offering up an actual story. Warshawski is in a club one night when she meets a popular hockey player. The two hit it off decently, but chemistry isn't particularly apparent. Still, the hockey player literally walks into her bathroom the next day and leaves his daughter with her while he has other matters to attend to. Of course, he's gotten himself into some trouble and doesn't make it back, leaving Warshawski to handle the daughter and solve the case.
The film attempts to find humor, but comes up dry. The idea of funny by the team of writers is to have all the characters mis-pronounce Warshawski's name (that, or endlessly ask, "what does the V.I. stand for?") or to have the male characters in the movie spend what seems like an hour discussing how "odd" it is to have a female detective. The film would have certainly been improved had the writers actually attempted to find original ideas as well as come up with a more interesting plot - there's little going on in the film's happily short 89 minute running time. Even worse, director Jeff Kanew ("Revenge of the Nerds") is clueless as to how to approach the detective genre, adding nothing in the way of atmosphere. A pretty big disapointment, as a female detective movie certainly has (or at least had) potential.
The DVD
VIDEO: Good news first: "V.I. Warshawski" is actually presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, unlike a few other catalog titles from the studio this week that were pan & scan only (or one that said it was anamorphic widescreen and was pan & scan - "Krippendorf's Tribe"). Bad news second: the film isn't in great (or even good) condition, which is surprising, given the fact that the film is only 10-years-old. Sharpness and detail are mediocre, as the picture veers from slightly crisp to noticably soft and occasionally, almost hazy. Shadow detail is weak.
The softness isn't as much of a concern as the print flaws. Consistent grain is present - some sequences show only a slight, light layer, while others have more mild grain and a slightly rougher appearance. But, that's not all - an assortment of specks, marks and the occasional scratch turn up a bit fairly frequently. A couple of short stretches seemed cleaner than the rest, but the majority of the film looked more worn than I'd expected. Slight traces of pixelation and edge enhancement also appear during a few instances.
Colors were often fairly well-rendered, appearing warm and crisp, but there were a few instances where they seemed slightly smeared. Overall, while I'm pleased that this title was shown in anamorphic widescreen, the picture quality is below average.
SOUND: "V.I. Warshawski" is presented in Dolby 2.0. A completely dialogue-driven offering with a few occasional touches of background score, the film's soundtrack is very basic. Audio quality was nothing to write home about, as the score sounded rather flat and bland and dialogue was a little muffled.
MENUS: Basic, non-animated main and sub-menus.
EXTRAS: Nothing.
Final Thoughts: A surprisingly dull detective comedy/drama that had potential to be quite a bit better, "V.I. Warshawski" offered little entertainment over 89 minutes. Buena Vista Home Video's DVD edition has nothing in the way of supplements and an unexceptional presentation. Not recommended.
A thankfully speedy 1991 detective comedy/drama, "V.I. Warshawski" stars Kathleen Turner as the title character, a sharp-witted and tough-talking female detective living in Chicago and solving the occasional case. While I haven't read Sara Paretsky's detective novels about the character, I'd hope they have more going on than the movie, which was written by not one, not two - but three screenwriters.
The trio of writers seem more interested in providing poor one-liners than offering up an actual story. Warshawski is in a club one night when she meets a popular hockey player. The two hit it off decently, but chemistry isn't particularly apparent. Still, the hockey player literally walks into her bathroom the next day and leaves his daughter with her while he has other matters to attend to. Of course, he's gotten himself into some trouble and doesn't make it back, leaving Warshawski to handle the daughter and solve the case.
The film attempts to find humor, but comes up dry. The idea of funny by the team of writers is to have all the characters mis-pronounce Warshawski's name (that, or endlessly ask, "what does the V.I. stand for?") or to have the male characters in the movie spend what seems like an hour discussing how "odd" it is to have a female detective. The film would have certainly been improved had the writers actually attempted to find original ideas as well as come up with a more interesting plot - there's little going on in the film's happily short 89 minute running time. Even worse, director Jeff Kanew ("Revenge of the Nerds") is clueless as to how to approach the detective genre, adding nothing in the way of atmosphere. A pretty big disapointment, as a female detective movie certainly has (or at least had) potential.
The DVD
VIDEO: Good news first: "V.I. Warshawski" is actually presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, unlike a few other catalog titles from the studio this week that were pan & scan only (or one that said it was anamorphic widescreen and was pan & scan - "Krippendorf's Tribe"). Bad news second: the film isn't in great (or even good) condition, which is surprising, given the fact that the film is only 10-years-old. Sharpness and detail are mediocre, as the picture veers from slightly crisp to noticably soft and occasionally, almost hazy. Shadow detail is weak.
The softness isn't as much of a concern as the print flaws. Consistent grain is present - some sequences show only a slight, light layer, while others have more mild grain and a slightly rougher appearance. But, that's not all - an assortment of specks, marks and the occasional scratch turn up a bit fairly frequently. A couple of short stretches seemed cleaner than the rest, but the majority of the film looked more worn than I'd expected. Slight traces of pixelation and edge enhancement also appear during a few instances.
Colors were often fairly well-rendered, appearing warm and crisp, but there were a few instances where they seemed slightly smeared. Overall, while I'm pleased that this title was shown in anamorphic widescreen, the picture quality is below average.
SOUND: "V.I. Warshawski" is presented in Dolby 2.0. A completely dialogue-driven offering with a few occasional touches of background score, the film's soundtrack is very basic. Audio quality was nothing to write home about, as the score sounded rather flat and bland and dialogue was a little muffled.
MENUS: Basic, non-animated main and sub-menus.
EXTRAS: Nothing.
Final Thoughts: A surprisingly dull detective comedy/drama that had potential to be quite a bit better, "V.I. Warshawski" offered little entertainment over 89 minutes. Buena Vista Home Video's DVD edition has nothing in the way of supplements and an unexceptional presentation. Not recommended.
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