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Blue Streak
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
In Short: Funny movie? Yes. Extras worthy of the "special edition" title? No.
The Movie:
Martin Lawrence, when given a stage, puts on quite a show. Where he was excellent with Will Smith in "Bad Boys" and Tim Robbins in "Nothing To Lose", in "Blue Streak" it looks as if he's been given the freedom to do whatever he pleases, and the results are screamingly funny. He plays Miles Logan, a small time thief who gets caught during a heist, but he manages to stash the diamond he stole. Two years later, he gets out of jail to find that the construction site where he hid the loot is now a police station. When the idea of being a pizza delivery man fails, he impersonates a police officer and soon finds himself rising in the ranks of the department. Even when his information doesn't check out, he's doing so well at what he does, the cops think that he's some sort of undercover cop that has found his way into their department.
There are a number of other supporting actors that make the scenes work. Early on he runs into a former parter(Dave Chapelle) and bargains with him to let him arrest him. Chapelle is a hilarious comedic actor as well, and gets in a few very funny lines. Luke Wilson("Bottle Rocket") does a fairly good job at playing Logan's new partner without being overshadowed. Although there are a few scenes that don't work, director Les Mayfield keeps the majority of the 94 minute running time moving at a lively pace, keeping the energy level high.
There isn't too much action during the movie, but what action there is is performed and staged well. This is really the first movie that called upon Lawrence to carry the show, and I think he did a very good job throughout. "Blue Streak" isn't the strongest entry in the police comedy/action genre, but it's a very good effort.
The DVD
VIDEO:
This is outstanding work from Tristar and one of their best transfers I've seen lately. As Lawrence's character might say, "believe that!". Offered on this disc is an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer as well as a full-frame edition (selectable from the main menu). Images are razor sharp, looking remarkably smooth and clear thoughtout. Black level is very strong throughout, as well. Flesh tones remain consistently natural throughout the movie, and there are really no flaws that I found distracting - I saw a slight bit of shimmer in a shot or two, but other than that, this is impressive work.
SOUND: Although the rap tunes provide a solid helping of bass, there really isn't that much else that I found too intense about the audio on this movie, with the exception of the final sequence. Surrounds are put to use now and again, but not always as much as I would possibly like. The rap music is extremely strong sounding and dynamic thoughtout is definitely a highlight. Dialogue is clear and natural, with no problems. It's very strong, very smooth sounding audio, but it's not always quite as agressive as it could be.
MENUS:: Tristar has been a studio in the past that, although they certainly do strong work with their audio/video, has chosen to not do too much with their menus. On "Blue Streak", they finally do animated menus and the results are great, with scenes playing in the main menu, and animation when you make a selection.
EXTRAS: Although the 2 documentaries aren't bad, there aren't quite enough to qualify for the "Special Edition" title.
HBO First Look: Inside and Undercover The usual "promotional" featurette, although at 22 minutes, this is more of a documentary. Still, although there are some interesting moments, this is one of those documentaries where a lot of the feature seems to be made up of scenes from the movie. The rest is interviews with the cast and crew, with a moment or two looking at the set at work. Not the best documentary, but certainly above the average HBO featurette.
Setting Up For The Score: Another 22 minute documentary, this one taking a little more in-depth look at the actually history of the production, as well as filming at work. I generally like "documentary" features like this rather than the promotional items like "Inside and Undercover". The interviews and interesting and the "behind-the-scenes" looks are better than the other featurette on this disc.
Music Videos: "Girl's Best Friend" by Jay-Z; "Criminal Mind", by Tyrese and "Damn(should have treated you right)" by So Plush.
Trailers: For "Blue Streak" and "Bad Boys".
Also: Talent files.
Final Thoughts Definitely worth a look and although the extras aren't too strong, I enjoyed the movie.
The Movie:
Martin Lawrence, when given a stage, puts on quite a show. Where he was excellent with Will Smith in "Bad Boys" and Tim Robbins in "Nothing To Lose", in "Blue Streak" it looks as if he's been given the freedom to do whatever he pleases, and the results are screamingly funny. He plays Miles Logan, a small time thief who gets caught during a heist, but he manages to stash the diamond he stole. Two years later, he gets out of jail to find that the construction site where he hid the loot is now a police station. When the idea of being a pizza delivery man fails, he impersonates a police officer and soon finds himself rising in the ranks of the department. Even when his information doesn't check out, he's doing so well at what he does, the cops think that he's some sort of undercover cop that has found his way into their department.
There are a number of other supporting actors that make the scenes work. Early on he runs into a former parter(Dave Chapelle) and bargains with him to let him arrest him. Chapelle is a hilarious comedic actor as well, and gets in a few very funny lines. Luke Wilson("Bottle Rocket") does a fairly good job at playing Logan's new partner without being overshadowed. Although there are a few scenes that don't work, director Les Mayfield keeps the majority of the 94 minute running time moving at a lively pace, keeping the energy level high.
There isn't too much action during the movie, but what action there is is performed and staged well. This is really the first movie that called upon Lawrence to carry the show, and I think he did a very good job throughout. "Blue Streak" isn't the strongest entry in the police comedy/action genre, but it's a very good effort.
The DVD
VIDEO:
This is outstanding work from Tristar and one of their best transfers I've seen lately. As Lawrence's character might say, "believe that!". Offered on this disc is an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer as well as a full-frame edition (selectable from the main menu). Images are razor sharp, looking remarkably smooth and clear thoughtout. Black level is very strong throughout, as well. Flesh tones remain consistently natural throughout the movie, and there are really no flaws that I found distracting - I saw a slight bit of shimmer in a shot or two, but other than that, this is impressive work.
SOUND: Although the rap tunes provide a solid helping of bass, there really isn't that much else that I found too intense about the audio on this movie, with the exception of the final sequence. Surrounds are put to use now and again, but not always as much as I would possibly like. The rap music is extremely strong sounding and dynamic thoughtout is definitely a highlight. Dialogue is clear and natural, with no problems. It's very strong, very smooth sounding audio, but it's not always quite as agressive as it could be.
MENUS:: Tristar has been a studio in the past that, although they certainly do strong work with their audio/video, has chosen to not do too much with their menus. On "Blue Streak", they finally do animated menus and the results are great, with scenes playing in the main menu, and animation when you make a selection.
EXTRAS: Although the 2 documentaries aren't bad, there aren't quite enough to qualify for the "Special Edition" title.
HBO First Look: Inside and Undercover The usual "promotional" featurette, although at 22 minutes, this is more of a documentary. Still, although there are some interesting moments, this is one of those documentaries where a lot of the feature seems to be made up of scenes from the movie. The rest is interviews with the cast and crew, with a moment or two looking at the set at work. Not the best documentary, but certainly above the average HBO featurette.
Setting Up For The Score: Another 22 minute documentary, this one taking a little more in-depth look at the actually history of the production, as well as filming at work. I generally like "documentary" features like this rather than the promotional items like "Inside and Undercover". The interviews and interesting and the "behind-the-scenes" looks are better than the other featurette on this disc.
Music Videos: "Girl's Best Friend" by Jay-Z; "Criminal Mind", by Tyrese and "Damn(should have treated you right)" by So Plush.
Trailers: For "Blue Streak" and "Bad Boys".
Also: Talent files.
Final Thoughts Definitely worth a look and although the extras aren't too strong, I enjoyed the movie.
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