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K-Pax: Collector's Edition
Universal // PG-13 // March 26, 2002
List Price: $26.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Last Winter, the ads for "K-Pax" leaned more heavily towards the comedic aspects of the film, making it look like a comedy about a guy who could either be or not be an alien that teaches us Earthlings about how to be better folks. The actual film itself is different in tone; director Iain Softley has made an intelligent decision to go with John Mathieson's crisp, cool cinematography and Ed Shearmur's low-key score. Both elements settle the audience in and disarmed my cynicism at the situations contained within.
Kevin Spacey (wearing sunglasses here and looking like a lost Blues Brother), an actor who has seemingly settled comfortably into less intense roles lately, plays Prot, a guy who could be an alien or could be a total loony. Prot gets picked up by the police as the film opens, then soon becomes the latest inhabitant of the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan.
His doctor is Mark Powell (Bridges), a gifted psychiatrist who is, at first in disbelief at the man's detailed discussions of his home planet. As things progress, he starts to slowly believe in what Prot is saying as he provides more of what could be described as possible "proof". Prot even starts to make life a bit better for some of the patients surrounding him. Admittedly, in theory, this doesn't seem exactly like enough of a plot to sustain a two-hour motion picture.
This is where Spacey and Bridges come in. Spacey's low-key deadpan provides an enetertaining counterpoint to the well-meaning interest of the Bridges character. Their discussions are punctuated with some decent laughs and some melodramatic elements that, while a bit sappy, never become too much so. What I didn't feel worked quite as well as a piece of the plot that focused upon how Dr. Powell was neglecting his family (including Mary McCormack as Bridges' wife) in favor of his work. While this could be a genuine topic of discussion, there really isn't that much focus put on it and it doesn't seem well-developed.
The film's most noticable flaw - and it's not a major one - is that the film simply takes too long. There's not whole sections that drag, but little moments here and there that could have been deleted to make an otherwise very good movie a little tighter. Some may be a bit dismayed at the movie's ending, which doesn't come to a distinct conclusion, but I enjoyed that things weren't all wrapped up neatly. "K-Pax" isn't going to win any awards, but it works better than it should thanks to two solid lead performances.
The DVD
VIDEO: "K-Pax" is presented by Universal in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. While the studio's track record does have a few minor blemishes along the way during the past couple of years, recent efforts, including such titles as "The Fast and the Furious", have been stunning. Although John Matheson ("Gladiator")'s beautiful cinematography certainly helps, Universal's presentation of it is top-notch. Sharpness and detail are fantastic, as the picture takes on a well-defined, smooth appearance that boasts nice depth to the image.
Flaws are minimal throughout the show; some slight edge enhancement was apparent once or twice, but that was just about it. No pixelation was seen, nor were any print flaws. The print appeared completely clean, with no specks, marks or even grain apparent. Colors remained vivid, bright and well-defined, with no smearing or other flaws. Flesh tones remained accurate and natural, while black level remained solid. This is a really attractive presentation of a visually strong picture.
SOUND: As most of their new releases do, Universal has thankfully offered the choice between Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 versions of the film's audio. "K-Pax" does not present a particularly agressive surround-sound presentation, but it's enveloping and appropriately active at the right moments, with the rear speakers providing very nice ambience that puts the viewer convincingly within the interiors or exteriors. Audio quality was quite good, as Shearmur's score was rich and bassy, while sound effects and dialogue came through clearly.
MENUS: The main menu contains nice, slight animation that appropriately presents the tone of the film itself.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Lain Softley. It's an interesting, but somewhat spotty track. The director does provide a good deal of insight into how the look and feel of the film was approached, as well as the themes of the film and what it was like to work with the actors. There are some noticable patches of silence here and there throughout the track, but I wasn't that bothered by them.
Universal Showcase: The trailer for Universal's Big Spring Picture "The Scorpion King" is provided in Dolby Digital 5.1. As much as I've liked director Chuck Russell's previous pictures, this one still simply doesn't look that interesting.
Spotlight On Location: This is another of Universal's "making of" featurettes, which can either be very informative and enjoyable or promotional and slight. This one, 11-minutes in length, is short but substancial, as the director and actors provide insightful comments about what attracted them to the film.
Jeff Bridges' Photography: This is a 1 1/2 minute feature that shows Bridges' black and white photographs that were taken on the set, complete with text notes from the actor.
Alternate Ending/Deleted Scenes: I actually liked the alternate ending included in the supplemental section better than the one in the film proper, as I felt it was a smoother and more interesting conclusion to the picture. There are several deleted scenes that play one-after-another that are interesting and enjoyable, but aren't very necessary.
Now Showing: After an ad, we are taken to a section that offers trailers for "Apollo 13", "Family Man", "Meet Joe Black", "Notting Hill", "Patch Adams" and current theatrical releases "A Beautiful Mind" and "Big Fat Liar".
Also: Storyboard-to-scene comparisons; trailer (which makes the film look lighter than it is, in Dolby 5.1); production notes and cast bios.
Final Thoughts: I liked "K-Pax"; it's a bit overlong and the supporting characters aren't particularly well-developed, but there's two strong lead performances and the movie approaches the material with exactly the right tone. What could have been manipulative and melodramatic instead often seems genuine and moving. Universal's DVD provides a strong presentation of the picture and some solid extras. Recommended.
Last Winter, the ads for "K-Pax" leaned more heavily towards the comedic aspects of the film, making it look like a comedy about a guy who could either be or not be an alien that teaches us Earthlings about how to be better folks. The actual film itself is different in tone; director Iain Softley has made an intelligent decision to go with John Mathieson's crisp, cool cinematography and Ed Shearmur's low-key score. Both elements settle the audience in and disarmed my cynicism at the situations contained within.
Kevin Spacey (wearing sunglasses here and looking like a lost Blues Brother), an actor who has seemingly settled comfortably into less intense roles lately, plays Prot, a guy who could be an alien or could be a total loony. Prot gets picked up by the police as the film opens, then soon becomes the latest inhabitant of the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan.
His doctor is Mark Powell (Bridges), a gifted psychiatrist who is, at first in disbelief at the man's detailed discussions of his home planet. As things progress, he starts to slowly believe in what Prot is saying as he provides more of what could be described as possible "proof". Prot even starts to make life a bit better for some of the patients surrounding him. Admittedly, in theory, this doesn't seem exactly like enough of a plot to sustain a two-hour motion picture.
This is where Spacey and Bridges come in. Spacey's low-key deadpan provides an enetertaining counterpoint to the well-meaning interest of the Bridges character. Their discussions are punctuated with some decent laughs and some melodramatic elements that, while a bit sappy, never become too much so. What I didn't feel worked quite as well as a piece of the plot that focused upon how Dr. Powell was neglecting his family (including Mary McCormack as Bridges' wife) in favor of his work. While this could be a genuine topic of discussion, there really isn't that much focus put on it and it doesn't seem well-developed.
The film's most noticable flaw - and it's not a major one - is that the film simply takes too long. There's not whole sections that drag, but little moments here and there that could have been deleted to make an otherwise very good movie a little tighter. Some may be a bit dismayed at the movie's ending, which doesn't come to a distinct conclusion, but I enjoyed that things weren't all wrapped up neatly. "K-Pax" isn't going to win any awards, but it works better than it should thanks to two solid lead performances.
The DVD
VIDEO: "K-Pax" is presented by Universal in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. While the studio's track record does have a few minor blemishes along the way during the past couple of years, recent efforts, including such titles as "The Fast and the Furious", have been stunning. Although John Matheson ("Gladiator")'s beautiful cinematography certainly helps, Universal's presentation of it is top-notch. Sharpness and detail are fantastic, as the picture takes on a well-defined, smooth appearance that boasts nice depth to the image.
Flaws are minimal throughout the show; some slight edge enhancement was apparent once or twice, but that was just about it. No pixelation was seen, nor were any print flaws. The print appeared completely clean, with no specks, marks or even grain apparent. Colors remained vivid, bright and well-defined, with no smearing or other flaws. Flesh tones remained accurate and natural, while black level remained solid. This is a really attractive presentation of a visually strong picture.
SOUND: As most of their new releases do, Universal has thankfully offered the choice between Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 versions of the film's audio. "K-Pax" does not present a particularly agressive surround-sound presentation, but it's enveloping and appropriately active at the right moments, with the rear speakers providing very nice ambience that puts the viewer convincingly within the interiors or exteriors. Audio quality was quite good, as Shearmur's score was rich and bassy, while sound effects and dialogue came through clearly.
MENUS: The main menu contains nice, slight animation that appropriately presents the tone of the film itself.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Lain Softley. It's an interesting, but somewhat spotty track. The director does provide a good deal of insight into how the look and feel of the film was approached, as well as the themes of the film and what it was like to work with the actors. There are some noticable patches of silence here and there throughout the track, but I wasn't that bothered by them.
Universal Showcase: The trailer for Universal's Big Spring Picture "The Scorpion King" is provided in Dolby Digital 5.1. As much as I've liked director Chuck Russell's previous pictures, this one still simply doesn't look that interesting.
Spotlight On Location: This is another of Universal's "making of" featurettes, which can either be very informative and enjoyable or promotional and slight. This one, 11-minutes in length, is short but substancial, as the director and actors provide insightful comments about what attracted them to the film.
Jeff Bridges' Photography: This is a 1 1/2 minute feature that shows Bridges' black and white photographs that were taken on the set, complete with text notes from the actor.
Alternate Ending/Deleted Scenes: I actually liked the alternate ending included in the supplemental section better than the one in the film proper, as I felt it was a smoother and more interesting conclusion to the picture. There are several deleted scenes that play one-after-another that are interesting and enjoyable, but aren't very necessary.
Now Showing: After an ad, we are taken to a section that offers trailers for "Apollo 13", "Family Man", "Meet Joe Black", "Notting Hill", "Patch Adams" and current theatrical releases "A Beautiful Mind" and "Big Fat Liar".
Also: Storyboard-to-scene comparisons; trailer (which makes the film look lighter than it is, in Dolby 5.1); production notes and cast bios.
Final Thoughts: I liked "K-Pax"; it's a bit overlong and the supporting characters aren't particularly well-developed, but there's two strong lead performances and the movie approaches the material with exactly the right tone. What could have been manipulative and melodramatic instead often seems genuine and moving. Universal's DVD provides a strong presentation of the picture and some solid extras. Recommended.
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