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Shake, Rattle and Rock (1994)
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // PG-13 // August 1, 2001
List Price: $32.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
A 1994 Showtime picture that has now been bought for video/dvd distribution by Miramax, "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is simply an attempt by the studio to capitalize on the soon-to-be released "Bridget Jones Diary", which is Zellweger's latest success. Although certainly not the worst of the direct-to-video fare that I've seen, "Shake" is quite uninteresting and uninvolving for the majority of the feature, chosing to focus on predictable events and one-dimensional characters.
The picture takes place in the 50's - Zellweger (who looks cute as a redhead) plays Susan, an all-American teenager who just wants to break into stardom playing rock and roll. With friends Cookie (Patricia Childress) and Tony (Max Perlich), they form the Eggrolls and attempt to get on the Danny Klay (Howie Mandel) show. None of this is too interesting or filled-out in the 84 minute running time, but I will say that Zellweger has a wonderful stage presence; when she gets up to belt out a tune later in the movie, she takes over the stage like it was meant for her (although I doubt it's her actually singing).
Meanwhile, the film takes on issues of race by focusing on the obstacles that African-American R&B band The Sirens. I'd be willing to bet that what they had to go through to become successful would have been a more engaging feature. Ib top of it all, Susan is persistently chased by a guy from the wrong side of town, played nicely by former rocker John Doe. Performances overall are decent for this kind of fare; Mandel probably provides one of his better performances, while Zellweger shows the kind of spunk that was on display in earlier roles like "Empire Records". Nora Dunn plays the stereotypical 50's mother who believes that rock n' roll is to blame for all that is wrong with the world.
"Shake, Rattle and Rock" had the potentional to be a fun, entertaining look at the influence of rock in Small Town, USA, but it doesn't seem to aspire (or have the budget) to be much more than a bland outing.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is presented in it's original 1.33:1(full-frame) aspect ratio. The picture looks generally well-defined and crisp; sharpness and detail are likely better than they were when the film was originally broadcast several years ago. Yet, there are some minor flaws that do appear throughout the movie - some instances of pixelation are visible, as is a tiny bit of edge enhancement once or twice. Colors are suprisingly bright and lively, but occasionally look a tad smeared. Overall, this is a average-looking presentation from Miramax.
SOUND: "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is presented in Dolby 2.0 audio; there's little or no subtle details to the presentation - it simply focuses on either dialogue or the music performances. It handles both elements capably well.
MENUS:: Bland, non-animated 50's style menus with film-themed images.
EXTRAS:: There are no film-specific extras, simply some sneak-peek trailers for other Miramax pictures - "All I Wanna Do", "She's All That", "Bounce", "Boys and Girls" and "Down To You."
Final Thoughts: "Shake, Rattle and Roll" had the potential to be a fun effort, but it manages to only be a rather generic film. Miramax's DVD provides average audio/video quality and no real extras to speak of. Recommended as a rental for those who are hardcore fans of Zellweger.
A 1994 Showtime picture that has now been bought for video/dvd distribution by Miramax, "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is simply an attempt by the studio to capitalize on the soon-to-be released "Bridget Jones Diary", which is Zellweger's latest success. Although certainly not the worst of the direct-to-video fare that I've seen, "Shake" is quite uninteresting and uninvolving for the majority of the feature, chosing to focus on predictable events and one-dimensional characters.
The picture takes place in the 50's - Zellweger (who looks cute as a redhead) plays Susan, an all-American teenager who just wants to break into stardom playing rock and roll. With friends Cookie (Patricia Childress) and Tony (Max Perlich), they form the Eggrolls and attempt to get on the Danny Klay (Howie Mandel) show. None of this is too interesting or filled-out in the 84 minute running time, but I will say that Zellweger has a wonderful stage presence; when she gets up to belt out a tune later in the movie, she takes over the stage like it was meant for her (although I doubt it's her actually singing).
Meanwhile, the film takes on issues of race by focusing on the obstacles that African-American R&B band The Sirens. I'd be willing to bet that what they had to go through to become successful would have been a more engaging feature. Ib top of it all, Susan is persistently chased by a guy from the wrong side of town, played nicely by former rocker John Doe. Performances overall are decent for this kind of fare; Mandel probably provides one of his better performances, while Zellweger shows the kind of spunk that was on display in earlier roles like "Empire Records". Nora Dunn plays the stereotypical 50's mother who believes that rock n' roll is to blame for all that is wrong with the world.
"Shake, Rattle and Rock" had the potentional to be a fun, entertaining look at the influence of rock in Small Town, USA, but it doesn't seem to aspire (or have the budget) to be much more than a bland outing.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is presented in it's original 1.33:1(full-frame) aspect ratio. The picture looks generally well-defined and crisp; sharpness and detail are likely better than they were when the film was originally broadcast several years ago. Yet, there are some minor flaws that do appear throughout the movie - some instances of pixelation are visible, as is a tiny bit of edge enhancement once or twice. Colors are suprisingly bright and lively, but occasionally look a tad smeared. Overall, this is a average-looking presentation from Miramax.
SOUND: "Shake, Rattle and Rock" is presented in Dolby 2.0 audio; there's little or no subtle details to the presentation - it simply focuses on either dialogue or the music performances. It handles both elements capably well.
MENUS:: Bland, non-animated 50's style menus with film-themed images.
EXTRAS:: There are no film-specific extras, simply some sneak-peek trailers for other Miramax pictures - "All I Wanna Do", "She's All That", "Bounce", "Boys and Girls" and "Down To You."
Final Thoughts: "Shake, Rattle and Roll" had the potential to be a fun effort, but it manages to only be a rather generic film. Miramax's DVD provides average audio/video quality and no real extras to speak of. Recommended as a rental for those who are hardcore fans of Zellweger.
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