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Myth of Fingerprints, The
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
I'd been looking forward to see "Myth Of Fingerprints" for quite some time now - unfortunately, as I finally sat down to watch it, I found it to be a pretty underwhelming drama. Mostly, it's extremely tiring to watch a movie about a dysfunctional family; this film is no different. The fact that the film contains a cast of fine actors is really the main redeeming aspect.
This film has the family coming together again during Thanksgiving. There's the mother and father(Roy Schneider & Blythe Danner), the son who hasn't came back in 3 years(Noah Wyle), the grumpy sister(Julianne Moore in the only role I haven't liked her in) and another brother(Michael Vartan) and younger sister. The family shares a number of awkward moments as emotions are revealed and memories are brought back to light, but I didn't really find myself caring about any of these characters very much.
The film has a running time of only about 90 minutes, and that's a positive aspect - mainly because the film really doesn't have enough to the story to go much longer than that. Even at 90 minutes, the film still has some slow streches. Some of the performances like Wyle's as well as Hope Davis, shine through, but other than that, there really isn't much to go on with this small drama.
The DVD
VIDEO: For the first time in a while from the studio, Tristar has delivered only a so-so transfer for "The Myth Of Fingerprints". Generally keeping a tad on the soft side, the image is mostly adequate in sharpness, but occasionally strays into hazy territory. Detail is generally fair to good. Colors aren't too remarkable, looking accurate, but generally keeping to a muted palette.
There are a few minor bits of pixelation and shimmering, but nothing too distracting. The print used is in generally good condition, with only a minor mark or two. The image looks slightly grainy at times, but I never found it to be a distraction. Not unwatchable, but definitely not as good as the studio is capable of.
SOUND:"Myth Of Fingerprints" doesn't really offer that much in terms of sound, with the great majority of the entire film being simply dialogue driven, covering the film's conversations. The dialogue is a little unclear at times, but otherwise the audio is ok.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated main menus that use film-themed images.
EXTRAS:
Commentary This is a commentary from director Bart Freundlich and cinematographer Stephen Kazimerski. It's not the best commentary I've ever listened to, but most of it is quite entertaining and informative. I guess I would have to put it in the category of commentary tracks that are more interesting than the movie they're chatting about.
The director does most of the talking, with the cinematographer occasionally sharing comments about what he contributed or chatting about the comments Freundlich shares. The director mainly talks about the story, and how the characters interact with strong viewpoints, seeing as how he also wrote the screenplay for the film. The rest of the discussion is split between some technical talk about the cinematography and production issues, as well as the director talking about what it was like shooting his first picture. It's pretty relaxed in tone, occasionally joking about what the production had to go through. I wish the movie was as entertaining.
Trailer: The trailer for "End Of The Affair", starring Julianne Moore.
Talent Files: Tiny filmographies for Moore and the director.
I'd been looking forward to see "Myth Of Fingerprints" for quite some time now - unfortunately, as I finally sat down to watch it, I found it to be a pretty underwhelming drama. Mostly, it's extremely tiring to watch a movie about a dysfunctional family; this film is no different. The fact that the film contains a cast of fine actors is really the main redeeming aspect.
This film has the family coming together again during Thanksgiving. There's the mother and father(Roy Schneider & Blythe Danner), the son who hasn't came back in 3 years(Noah Wyle), the grumpy sister(Julianne Moore in the only role I haven't liked her in) and another brother(Michael Vartan) and younger sister. The family shares a number of awkward moments as emotions are revealed and memories are brought back to light, but I didn't really find myself caring about any of these characters very much.
The film has a running time of only about 90 minutes, and that's a positive aspect - mainly because the film really doesn't have enough to the story to go much longer than that. Even at 90 minutes, the film still has some slow streches. Some of the performances like Wyle's as well as Hope Davis, shine through, but other than that, there really isn't much to go on with this small drama.
The DVD
VIDEO: For the first time in a while from the studio, Tristar has delivered only a so-so transfer for "The Myth Of Fingerprints". Generally keeping a tad on the soft side, the image is mostly adequate in sharpness, but occasionally strays into hazy territory. Detail is generally fair to good. Colors aren't too remarkable, looking accurate, but generally keeping to a muted palette.
There are a few minor bits of pixelation and shimmering, but nothing too distracting. The print used is in generally good condition, with only a minor mark or two. The image looks slightly grainy at times, but I never found it to be a distraction. Not unwatchable, but definitely not as good as the studio is capable of.
SOUND:"Myth Of Fingerprints" doesn't really offer that much in terms of sound, with the great majority of the entire film being simply dialogue driven, covering the film's conversations. The dialogue is a little unclear at times, but otherwise the audio is ok.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated main menus that use film-themed images.
EXTRAS:
Commentary This is a commentary from director Bart Freundlich and cinematographer Stephen Kazimerski. It's not the best commentary I've ever listened to, but most of it is quite entertaining and informative. I guess I would have to put it in the category of commentary tracks that are more interesting than the movie they're chatting about.
The director does most of the talking, with the cinematographer occasionally sharing comments about what he contributed or chatting about the comments Freundlich shares. The director mainly talks about the story, and how the characters interact with strong viewpoints, seeing as how he also wrote the screenplay for the film. The rest of the discussion is split between some technical talk about the cinematography and production issues, as well as the director talking about what it was like shooting his first picture. It's pretty relaxed in tone, occasionally joking about what the production had to go through. I wish the movie was as entertaining.
Trailer: The trailer for "End Of The Affair", starring Julianne Moore.
Talent Files: Tiny filmographies for Moore and the director.
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