| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Summer Catch
Warner Bros. // PG-13 // December 4, 2001
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Quite frankly, I find it amazing that Freddie Prinze, Jr. is still acting in movies. "She's All That" was a success - but after that - not a whole lot. It was obvious that the fact that...well, he can't act, would eventually catch up with him. He continues to choose these teen roles and proceeds to lock himself firmly in this kind of character. Prinze plays Ryan Dunne, a pitcher hoping to catch a career in the small-town Cape Cod baseball league and ride that to a major league career.
Of course, Ryan has a background of tragedy and a family who's hoping, for some odd reason, that he won't be a success. This being a mixture of a sports film and a romantic comedy, there's both two love interests (the always giddy Brittany Murphy and the adorable Jessica Biel) and wacky supporting teammates (Wilmer Valderama from "That 70's Show" and fellow "Wing Commander" actor Matthew Lillard). Before it's all over, it seems as if each character is allowed a Big Speech, which is accompanied by an embarassingly sappy swell of score. Some of these speeches are even re-played as Ryan hears voices in his head while he's playing.
The film may blend together two genres, but it doesn't do so with any considerable success. The baseball scenes are cliched and aren't filmed to generate any tension or excitement (although that could be due to the fact that we're not able to care about any of the one-dimensional characters). The poor-guy/rich-girl romance is simply been-there, done-that, even if Biel's sweet performance as Tenley (what the heck kind of name is that?) is winning. Hilariously, while Biel's character watches Ryan play, she asks, "what's a no-hitter?" (I would think the concept sort of explains itself). She also gets stuck with lines like "You want big rewards? You've got to take big risks." and "Allow yourself to succeed."
There's some good actors surrounding Prinze here (including John C. McGinley, whose true brilliance and genius can be seen on NBC's "Scrubs", plays a scout), but they don't really help matters any. The script is purely built upon pieces of other pictures and the film is lazily edited, going on considerably longer than it should at nearly two hours, making it feel like an entire Summer. There's such little imagination involved with "Summer Catch"; the title is a firm indication of just how bland and generic the movie itself is.
Yet, to argue the many areas in which this picture fails almost seems pointless. These pictures can be made for cheaply enough so that, if enough people from the target audience can be sucked in by the advertising for the first couple of weeks, the picture becomes profitable. Until this audience demands something at least a bit more substancial and a bit more entertaining, they'll still be faced with films that are simply made up from pieces of pictures they've sat through many times before.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Summer Catch" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by Warner Brothers. As expected from a new release by the studio, the presentation is excellent, but suffers from a few strikes. Sharpness and detail are quite good, although there are the occasional scenes that seemed to be filmed with that usual "romantic" slight softness.
A few little irritants kept the picture from looking as good as it could. Print flaws appeared now and then, as some minor specks and the occasional mark were visible. Some slight edge enhancement is occasionally apparent, but no pixelation was spotted. Colors looked natural and nicely saturated, with no problems. Black level remained a bit weak, but flesh tones looked natural.
SOUND: "Summer Catch" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. This being a "teen" picture, it's no suprise that the only element that's the least bit active in the soundtrack is the music, which almost never stops playing throughout the movie. Surrounds kick in with these tunes, but the filmmakers seem to have forgotten about including much else, such as more ambience during the outdoor sequences. There are some mild crowd sounds during the baseball sequences, though. Audio quality is generally satisfying, as the score came through crisply, while dialogue sounded fairly natural and clear.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated main menu that uses film-themed images, but does also have the score playing in the background.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Mike Tolin and writer John Gatins, as well as actress Jessica Biel, although nothing on the box or menu would indicate that Biel takes part. Biel seems to have been recorded separately and her comments occasionally come up during the track, but the director and writer are the main speakers. That's unfortunate, though, because most of their comments seem to revolve around how pleased they are with the final picture. When not discussing their thoughts about the picture or offering a few minor production stories, the two simply narrate what's going on in the film. Biel's infrequent comments are light, but enjoyable - simply chatting about stories on the set and her thoughts about working with the other actors.
Deleted Scenes: As if the movie wasn't long enough, there's some additional footage that didn't make it in, available either on its own in the "special features" section or in the picture - when a logo pops up during the film, clicking on it will bring up the deleted footage. About 11 1/2 minutes in all are included.
Also: Cast/crew bios. No trailers, suprisingly.
Final Thoughts: Often an utter bore and too bland to be believed, "Summer Catch" at least had the sense to surround the awful Prinze, Jr with some decent supporting players. They can't do much with the screenplay, though, which is a mix of weak dialogue and cliched events, presented with little emotion. Warner Brothers offers a respectable DVD edition, presenting this picture with decent audio/video quality and some minor supplements. Not recommended.
Quite frankly, I find it amazing that Freddie Prinze, Jr. is still acting in movies. "She's All That" was a success - but after that - not a whole lot. It was obvious that the fact that...well, he can't act, would eventually catch up with him. He continues to choose these teen roles and proceeds to lock himself firmly in this kind of character. Prinze plays Ryan Dunne, a pitcher hoping to catch a career in the small-town Cape Cod baseball league and ride that to a major league career.
Of course, Ryan has a background of tragedy and a family who's hoping, for some odd reason, that he won't be a success. This being a mixture of a sports film and a romantic comedy, there's both two love interests (the always giddy Brittany Murphy and the adorable Jessica Biel) and wacky supporting teammates (Wilmer Valderama from "That 70's Show" and fellow "Wing Commander" actor Matthew Lillard). Before it's all over, it seems as if each character is allowed a Big Speech, which is accompanied by an embarassingly sappy swell of score. Some of these speeches are even re-played as Ryan hears voices in his head while he's playing.
The film may blend together two genres, but it doesn't do so with any considerable success. The baseball scenes are cliched and aren't filmed to generate any tension or excitement (although that could be due to the fact that we're not able to care about any of the one-dimensional characters). The poor-guy/rich-girl romance is simply been-there, done-that, even if Biel's sweet performance as Tenley (what the heck kind of name is that?) is winning. Hilariously, while Biel's character watches Ryan play, she asks, "what's a no-hitter?" (I would think the concept sort of explains itself). She also gets stuck with lines like "You want big rewards? You've got to take big risks." and "Allow yourself to succeed."
There's some good actors surrounding Prinze here (including John C. McGinley, whose true brilliance and genius can be seen on NBC's "Scrubs", plays a scout), but they don't really help matters any. The script is purely built upon pieces of other pictures and the film is lazily edited, going on considerably longer than it should at nearly two hours, making it feel like an entire Summer. There's such little imagination involved with "Summer Catch"; the title is a firm indication of just how bland and generic the movie itself is.
Yet, to argue the many areas in which this picture fails almost seems pointless. These pictures can be made for cheaply enough so that, if enough people from the target audience can be sucked in by the advertising for the first couple of weeks, the picture becomes profitable. Until this audience demands something at least a bit more substancial and a bit more entertaining, they'll still be faced with films that are simply made up from pieces of pictures they've sat through many times before.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Summer Catch" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by Warner Brothers. As expected from a new release by the studio, the presentation is excellent, but suffers from a few strikes. Sharpness and detail are quite good, although there are the occasional scenes that seemed to be filmed with that usual "romantic" slight softness.
A few little irritants kept the picture from looking as good as it could. Print flaws appeared now and then, as some minor specks and the occasional mark were visible. Some slight edge enhancement is occasionally apparent, but no pixelation was spotted. Colors looked natural and nicely saturated, with no problems. Black level remained a bit weak, but flesh tones looked natural.
SOUND: "Summer Catch" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. This being a "teen" picture, it's no suprise that the only element that's the least bit active in the soundtrack is the music, which almost never stops playing throughout the movie. Surrounds kick in with these tunes, but the filmmakers seem to have forgotten about including much else, such as more ambience during the outdoor sequences. There are some mild crowd sounds during the baseball sequences, though. Audio quality is generally satisfying, as the score came through crisply, while dialogue sounded fairly natural and clear.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated main menu that uses film-themed images, but does also have the score playing in the background.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Mike Tolin and writer John Gatins, as well as actress Jessica Biel, although nothing on the box or menu would indicate that Biel takes part. Biel seems to have been recorded separately and her comments occasionally come up during the track, but the director and writer are the main speakers. That's unfortunate, though, because most of their comments seem to revolve around how pleased they are with the final picture. When not discussing their thoughts about the picture or offering a few minor production stories, the two simply narrate what's going on in the film. Biel's infrequent comments are light, but enjoyable - simply chatting about stories on the set and her thoughts about working with the other actors.
Deleted Scenes: As if the movie wasn't long enough, there's some additional footage that didn't make it in, available either on its own in the "special features" section or in the picture - when a logo pops up during the film, clicking on it will bring up the deleted footage. About 11 1/2 minutes in all are included.
Also: Cast/crew bios. No trailers, suprisingly.
Final Thoughts: Often an utter bore and too bland to be believed, "Summer Catch" at least had the sense to surround the awful Prinze, Jr with some decent supporting players. They can't do much with the screenplay, though, which is a mix of weak dialogue and cliched events, presented with little emotion. Warner Brothers offers a respectable DVD edition, presenting this picture with decent audio/video quality and some minor supplements. Not recommended.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||