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Steel Magnolias: SE
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although some men might shriek in fear at this, the ultimate "chick flick", it's actually a moderately entertaining little film with some good performances from an all-star cast of women young and old. Certainly not much happens here; women get together and talk, and talk and talk. But the writing is quite good, and the film is able to coast along on charm and well-written characters.
Based on the play, the film follows the stories of six women (Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts) who share gossip and other tales in a beauty shop. The film does run a little long at times, and sometimes seems a little overacted. Although certainly there is the obvious tears coming up now and then, the movie does make the emotional moments feel honest.
The dramatic moments come in the form of the Roberts character, who is a diabetic and wonders how this will effect her chances of having a child with her new husband (Dylan McDermott). The film's male characters are second thoughts in the grand scheme of things; background objects orbiting around the central cast and the events that they go through.
Pacing is a little slow at times, but for a movie that's essentially all dialogue taking place in a limited number of locations, it moves along fairly nicely. It's not bad at all, but it's a little much at times.
The DVD
VIDEO: Tristar has done a wonderful job with "Steel Magnolias". The 11-year old film doesn't look to have aged a bit, and only shows a few very slight flaws on this presentation. The film has a warm, slightly soft feel to it that's pleasing to watch, and it translates well here.
Sharpness is good, with images keeping what looks to be an intended light touch of softness without going too soft. Detail is good and the sunny outdoor sequences seem to fare the best, looking nicely defined and warm. Colors aren't especially bold, but look rich and natural, with no problems. The only flaw I noticed was the occasional instance of some very light grain, but this didn't occur often. The print used is in especially good condition, with no scratches or marks to be found.
SOUND: The film's Dolby Surround audio is generally sufficent for the film's dialogue-driven nature, but there are some little things that could have been better. Dialogue seems a little soft at times, but is generally clear. The musical score is the best part of the audio, and sounds natural and open. Certainly nothing remarkable, but is adequate.
MENUS:: Although I can see where animation might not have been included, the slight shine effect that's offered is a subtle, nice touch. Sub-menus are not animated, but easily navigated and well-designed.
EXTRAS:.
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Herbert Ross, and I have to say that it's not one of the better commentary tracks that I've listened to lately. The director really doesn't talk too much at all, and when he does, it's mainly to share a basic viewpoint on what's taking place in the scene.
Occasionally he does go a little further than that, talking about how a scene was filmed or some other minor technical aspect, but other than that, he mainly just talks about what's going on on-screen. That, or about working with the many actresses that populate this picture.
All-in-all though, this commentary has got quite a few gaps, and I didn't find the material that was talked about here too fascinating. I always appreciate the addition of a commentary track, but this one isn't too great.
Deleted Scenes: 5 snippets of scenes cut for time, nothing too interesting and no commentary.
In Full Bloom: Remembering Steel Magnolias: Memories from the writer and director of the film, what inspired them and what happened during production. Interesting and enjoyable, but I was suprised to see a lot of members of the cast missing from the presentation. The documentary is 23 minutes or so.
Bonus Trailers: "My Best Friends Wedding" and "Stepmom", both in Dolby Digital 5.1
Also: Talent files and isolated score.
Final Thoughts: Fans of the film - this is definitely the release you've been waiting for. Others may want to rent it first.
Although some men might shriek in fear at this, the ultimate "chick flick", it's actually a moderately entertaining little film with some good performances from an all-star cast of women young and old. Certainly not much happens here; women get together and talk, and talk and talk. But the writing is quite good, and the film is able to coast along on charm and well-written characters.
Based on the play, the film follows the stories of six women (Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts) who share gossip and other tales in a beauty shop. The film does run a little long at times, and sometimes seems a little overacted. Although certainly there is the obvious tears coming up now and then, the movie does make the emotional moments feel honest.
The dramatic moments come in the form of the Roberts character, who is a diabetic and wonders how this will effect her chances of having a child with her new husband (Dylan McDermott). The film's male characters are second thoughts in the grand scheme of things; background objects orbiting around the central cast and the events that they go through.
Pacing is a little slow at times, but for a movie that's essentially all dialogue taking place in a limited number of locations, it moves along fairly nicely. It's not bad at all, but it's a little much at times.
The DVD
VIDEO: Tristar has done a wonderful job with "Steel Magnolias". The 11-year old film doesn't look to have aged a bit, and only shows a few very slight flaws on this presentation. The film has a warm, slightly soft feel to it that's pleasing to watch, and it translates well here.
Sharpness is good, with images keeping what looks to be an intended light touch of softness without going too soft. Detail is good and the sunny outdoor sequences seem to fare the best, looking nicely defined and warm. Colors aren't especially bold, but look rich and natural, with no problems. The only flaw I noticed was the occasional instance of some very light grain, but this didn't occur often. The print used is in especially good condition, with no scratches or marks to be found.
SOUND: The film's Dolby Surround audio is generally sufficent for the film's dialogue-driven nature, but there are some little things that could have been better. Dialogue seems a little soft at times, but is generally clear. The musical score is the best part of the audio, and sounds natural and open. Certainly nothing remarkable, but is adequate.
MENUS:: Although I can see where animation might not have been included, the slight shine effect that's offered is a subtle, nice touch. Sub-menus are not animated, but easily navigated and well-designed.
EXTRAS:.
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Herbert Ross, and I have to say that it's not one of the better commentary tracks that I've listened to lately. The director really doesn't talk too much at all, and when he does, it's mainly to share a basic viewpoint on what's taking place in the scene.
Occasionally he does go a little further than that, talking about how a scene was filmed or some other minor technical aspect, but other than that, he mainly just talks about what's going on on-screen. That, or about working with the many actresses that populate this picture.
All-in-all though, this commentary has got quite a few gaps, and I didn't find the material that was talked about here too fascinating. I always appreciate the addition of a commentary track, but this one isn't too great.
Deleted Scenes: 5 snippets of scenes cut for time, nothing too interesting and no commentary.
In Full Bloom: Remembering Steel Magnolias: Memories from the writer and director of the film, what inspired them and what happened during production. Interesting and enjoyable, but I was suprised to see a lot of members of the cast missing from the presentation. The documentary is 23 minutes or so.
Bonus Trailers: "My Best Friends Wedding" and "Stepmom", both in Dolby Digital 5.1
Also: Talent files and isolated score.
Final Thoughts: Fans of the film - this is definitely the release you've been waiting for. Others may want to rent it first.
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