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Olsen Twins: Winning London
Warner Bros. // G // February 12, 2002
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
I think one of the main complaints that I hear, aside from the quality of movies in general, is that there really isn't anything good for young audiences - rather than flash, parents are looking for movies that are not only entertaining, but educational. The Olsen Twins, who gained fame in the 80's on "Full House", have gone on to build their own empire - magazines, movies and other licensed products. I found myself sitting down to watch their latest adventure, "Holiday In The Sun" and was displeased - the film seemed like a 90 minute advertisement for the resort it was filmed at. The director of that film even admitted that he was attempting to make a feature-length music video in the supplements.
"Winning London", while still not anything more than fluff, is a feature that I found a bit more entertaining than the other effort from the Twins that I viewed. This time around, the girls are visiting London with their high school class to compete in the Model United Nations. While most of this film seems devoted to what these Olsen Twins pictures are devoted to - in other words, shopping, fashion, music and romance - there is at least some little tidbits of educational information thrown in about London, as well as some interesting side-trips by the characters to such places as Westminster Abbey.
"London" has some of the irritating aspects that I saw in "Holiday in the Sun", but not nearly to the level that that picture had - for example, a nearly wall-to-wall soundtrack of mostly Z-level pop tunes. While some of the dialogue is downright corny again here, there were at least a few moments where I got a slight laugh or two. The performances aren't quite as bad here, either. Overall, while "Winning London" provided a mildly better and slightly more substancial piece, 93 minutes of adventures with the Olsen Twins is still stretching thin adventures too far.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Winning London" is presented in 1.33:1 full-frame. The back of the box even notes that the film is "presented in a format preserving the aspect ratio of its original camera negative". The presentation is certainly nothing noteworthy and does not look as good as most feature films. Sharpness and detail are probably the strongest element of the picture quality; the image remained consistently crisp and nicely defined throughout.
Yet, a few irritants showed up here and there, taking away from the picture quality. Edge enhancement was occasionally visible and distracting, while some dirt and specks were seen on the print used. No pixelation was seen, though. Colors remained fairly bright and lively throughout, not really appearing exceptional in any way, but not appearing smeared or otherwise flawed, either.
SOUND: "Winning London" is presented with a rather dull Dolby 2.0 presentation. The music sounds rather flat, while dialogue comes through crisply, if still sounding not particularly well-integrated.
MENUS: Basic main and sub-menus with only some background music on the main menu.
EXTRAS: Short promotional featurette on the movie and the fashion, trailer and bios.
Final Thoughts: While I'm sure that "Winning London" will please the target audience, I don't think this is something the whole family will want to watch together - most adults will probably be bored. Although the DVD quality and supplements are nothing too impressive, Warner has at least set a low retail price of $19.99.
I think one of the main complaints that I hear, aside from the quality of movies in general, is that there really isn't anything good for young audiences - rather than flash, parents are looking for movies that are not only entertaining, but educational. The Olsen Twins, who gained fame in the 80's on "Full House", have gone on to build their own empire - magazines, movies and other licensed products. I found myself sitting down to watch their latest adventure, "Holiday In The Sun" and was displeased - the film seemed like a 90 minute advertisement for the resort it was filmed at. The director of that film even admitted that he was attempting to make a feature-length music video in the supplements.
"Winning London", while still not anything more than fluff, is a feature that I found a bit more entertaining than the other effort from the Twins that I viewed. This time around, the girls are visiting London with their high school class to compete in the Model United Nations. While most of this film seems devoted to what these Olsen Twins pictures are devoted to - in other words, shopping, fashion, music and romance - there is at least some little tidbits of educational information thrown in about London, as well as some interesting side-trips by the characters to such places as Westminster Abbey.
"London" has some of the irritating aspects that I saw in "Holiday in the Sun", but not nearly to the level that that picture had - for example, a nearly wall-to-wall soundtrack of mostly Z-level pop tunes. While some of the dialogue is downright corny again here, there were at least a few moments where I got a slight laugh or two. The performances aren't quite as bad here, either. Overall, while "Winning London" provided a mildly better and slightly more substancial piece, 93 minutes of adventures with the Olsen Twins is still stretching thin adventures too far.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Winning London" is presented in 1.33:1 full-frame. The back of the box even notes that the film is "presented in a format preserving the aspect ratio of its original camera negative". The presentation is certainly nothing noteworthy and does not look as good as most feature films. Sharpness and detail are probably the strongest element of the picture quality; the image remained consistently crisp and nicely defined throughout.
Yet, a few irritants showed up here and there, taking away from the picture quality. Edge enhancement was occasionally visible and distracting, while some dirt and specks were seen on the print used. No pixelation was seen, though. Colors remained fairly bright and lively throughout, not really appearing exceptional in any way, but not appearing smeared or otherwise flawed, either.
SOUND: "Winning London" is presented with a rather dull Dolby 2.0 presentation. The music sounds rather flat, while dialogue comes through crisply, if still sounding not particularly well-integrated.
MENUS: Basic main and sub-menus with only some background music on the main menu.
EXTRAS: Short promotional featurette on the movie and the fashion, trailer and bios.
Final Thoughts: While I'm sure that "Winning London" will please the target audience, I don't think this is something the whole family will want to watch together - most adults will probably be bored. Although the DVD quality and supplements are nothing too impressive, Warner has at least set a low retail price of $19.99.
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