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Last Orders
Columbia/Tri-Star // R // August 13, 2002
List Price: $24.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Fred Schepisi is not a widely known director; he's one that's had his share of hits ("Six Degrees Of Separation") and misses ("I.Q." and "Fierce Creatures"), but he's also one whose hits suggest a fine storyteller - at least when he's paired up with fine material. "Last Orders" is, as far as I seen, the director's finest hour. Not only does he command an absolutely marvelous cast with ease, but this adaptation of the Graham Swift novel is a charming, heartwarming picture that boasts fantastic characters.
Early in the film, four friends are sitting around a bar discussing a friend named Jack (Michael Caine) who has just passed on. Vic (Tom Courtenay), Lucky Ray (Bob Hoskins), Lenny (David Hemmings) and Jack's son, Vince (Ray Winstone) pile into the car and go on a journey to where Jack wanted to retire. Along the way, the four get to share old memories about the years past and the times they've gotten to spend together. Other aspects are tied into the journey: Jack owed quite a bit to the wrong people to finance his shop and it's up to Ray to make the bet that could clear his old friend's debts. Jack's wife (Helen Mirren), has chosen to stay with the mentally handicapped daughter that Jack essentially gave up instead of going along for the ride. Each of the men have past secrets of their own to work out, as well.
"Last Orders" reinforces what I've often felt about a movie's pacing - it's almost all about characters and performances. The film does not have much more than a journey by old friends who move backwards in their memories while driving forward. Still, I felt the movie moved quickly due to how wonderfully the characters were written. The movie allows us to learn about what made these people who they are and, as a result, I found myself greatly involved in their lives as portrayed here. Although the subject matter would suggest otherwise, the film isn't entirely mopey, either. While there are certainly some dramatic and emotional moments, the film also manages to work in a nice amount of sly, warm humor, too. "Last Orders" is also aided by crisp, cool 2.35:1 cinematography, smooth editing and a calm score that adds to the scenes without calling attention to itself.
As for the performances, they're all terrific, with one not better than the other. It's great to see any of these fine actors on screen by themselves, but working altogether, they prove to really be treat. "Last Orders" dodges predictability at every turn thanks to the fact that it's really different in tone than most of the British films ("Waking Ned Devine", "Greenfingers", etc.) lately, with the characters more down-to-earth and real instead of "colorful". The film also smartly avoids becoming sappy, which could have been quite easy in a story like this one.
"Last Orders" is a small, touching movie about the power of friendship, offering wonderful performances from some of the finest British actors working today. It's not terribly eventful, but I was still involved with each of these great characters from begining to end.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Last Orders" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen by Columbia/Tristar Home Video. The studio's presentation isn't entirely without concern, but at its best, this transfer really shines. Sharpness and detail vary slightly - a few scenes here and there appear somewhat softer in comparison - but the picture often boasts fine detail and nice depth to the image.
Some little problems were occasionally seen. The most noticable problem with the presentation is edge enhancement - while it wasn't consistently visible, there were several instances in the movie where a more mild amount popped up. The print used was in excellent shape, with no noticable specks or marks. Pixelation was also absent. The film's natural color palette was rendered quite well, looking crisp and warm, with no smearing.
SOUND: "Last Orders" is presented by Columbia/Tristar in Dolby Digital 5.1. The audio is absolutely dialogue-driven, only opening up slightly for the score and a couple of minor sound effects. Surrounds essentially go unused. A note: I didn't mind them at all, but some may have trouble with the heavy accents.
MENUS: Very basic, sort of bland non-animated menus with film-themed images as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The main supplement is a commentary from director Fred Schepisi. While I enjoyed the film, I found it difficult to listen to the director's low-energy commentary for very long. While there may be some interesting comments within, what I listened to seemed to be mumbled. Rounding out the disc are trailers for "Last Orders", "Ghandi" and "Age of Innocence".
Final Thoughts: A really sweet, powerful little movie with award-worthy performances, "Last Orders" offers great characters and a tone that thankfully keeps from getting too heavy. Columbia/Tristar's DVD doesn't offer much in the way of interesting supplements, but respectable audio/video quality. Recommended.
Fred Schepisi is not a widely known director; he's one that's had his share of hits ("Six Degrees Of Separation") and misses ("I.Q." and "Fierce Creatures"), but he's also one whose hits suggest a fine storyteller - at least when he's paired up with fine material. "Last Orders" is, as far as I seen, the director's finest hour. Not only does he command an absolutely marvelous cast with ease, but this adaptation of the Graham Swift novel is a charming, heartwarming picture that boasts fantastic characters.
Early in the film, four friends are sitting around a bar discussing a friend named Jack (Michael Caine) who has just passed on. Vic (Tom Courtenay), Lucky Ray (Bob Hoskins), Lenny (David Hemmings) and Jack's son, Vince (Ray Winstone) pile into the car and go on a journey to where Jack wanted to retire. Along the way, the four get to share old memories about the years past and the times they've gotten to spend together. Other aspects are tied into the journey: Jack owed quite a bit to the wrong people to finance his shop and it's up to Ray to make the bet that could clear his old friend's debts. Jack's wife (Helen Mirren), has chosen to stay with the mentally handicapped daughter that Jack essentially gave up instead of going along for the ride. Each of the men have past secrets of their own to work out, as well.
"Last Orders" reinforces what I've often felt about a movie's pacing - it's almost all about characters and performances. The film does not have much more than a journey by old friends who move backwards in their memories while driving forward. Still, I felt the movie moved quickly due to how wonderfully the characters were written. The movie allows us to learn about what made these people who they are and, as a result, I found myself greatly involved in their lives as portrayed here. Although the subject matter would suggest otherwise, the film isn't entirely mopey, either. While there are certainly some dramatic and emotional moments, the film also manages to work in a nice amount of sly, warm humor, too. "Last Orders" is also aided by crisp, cool 2.35:1 cinematography, smooth editing and a calm score that adds to the scenes without calling attention to itself.
As for the performances, they're all terrific, with one not better than the other. It's great to see any of these fine actors on screen by themselves, but working altogether, they prove to really be treat. "Last Orders" dodges predictability at every turn thanks to the fact that it's really different in tone than most of the British films ("Waking Ned Devine", "Greenfingers", etc.) lately, with the characters more down-to-earth and real instead of "colorful". The film also smartly avoids becoming sappy, which could have been quite easy in a story like this one.
"Last Orders" is a small, touching movie about the power of friendship, offering wonderful performances from some of the finest British actors working today. It's not terribly eventful, but I was still involved with each of these great characters from begining to end.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Last Orders" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen by Columbia/Tristar Home Video. The studio's presentation isn't entirely without concern, but at its best, this transfer really shines. Sharpness and detail vary slightly - a few scenes here and there appear somewhat softer in comparison - but the picture often boasts fine detail and nice depth to the image.
Some little problems were occasionally seen. The most noticable problem with the presentation is edge enhancement - while it wasn't consistently visible, there were several instances in the movie where a more mild amount popped up. The print used was in excellent shape, with no noticable specks or marks. Pixelation was also absent. The film's natural color palette was rendered quite well, looking crisp and warm, with no smearing.
SOUND: "Last Orders" is presented by Columbia/Tristar in Dolby Digital 5.1. The audio is absolutely dialogue-driven, only opening up slightly for the score and a couple of minor sound effects. Surrounds essentially go unused. A note: I didn't mind them at all, but some may have trouble with the heavy accents.
MENUS: Very basic, sort of bland non-animated menus with film-themed images as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The main supplement is a commentary from director Fred Schepisi. While I enjoyed the film, I found it difficult to listen to the director's low-energy commentary for very long. While there may be some interesting comments within, what I listened to seemed to be mumbled. Rounding out the disc are trailers for "Last Orders", "Ghandi" and "Age of Innocence".
Final Thoughts: A really sweet, powerful little movie with award-worthy performances, "Last Orders" offers great characters and a tone that thankfully keeps from getting too heavy. Columbia/Tristar's DVD doesn't offer much in the way of interesting supplements, but respectable audio/video quality. Recommended.
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