Best
Man Down (2013/Magnolia
Blu-ray)/Nicholas Sparks
Limited Edition DVD Collection
(1999 - 2013, incl. Message
In A Bottle, A
Walk To Remember, The
Lucky One/Warner)
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B/C+ Extras: C-/C Films: C-/C
How
played out are romantic comedies? They stopped being
self-congratulatory and just got fluffy, with various levels of
melodrama, formula and the ones with younger casts tend to add
elements of indie-inspired mumblecore dramas.
As
we compare a set of such films, Ted Koland's Best
Man Down
(2013) should have been the one with some mumblecore in it since it
is more comic than anything else on the list, taking itself the least
seriously, yet it skips that as a couple (Justin Long, Jess Weixler)
are about to get married when a friend (Tyler Labine) dies by
accident and they have to get his dead body back to his family.
Much
more Weekend
At Bernie's
than The
Trouble With Harry
in this respect, this becomes increasingly impossible as it becomes
increasingly improbable and just never works. Hardly any of this is
funny, though this is professionally made and has more potential than
you would think, it is a very pat 90 minutes and Shelley Long is
misused when it could have been a comeback showcase for her if it had
just been written better.
Extras
include BD Live interactive functions, an AXS-TV promo for its
release, Outtakes, Trailer and Interviews.
Then
we have the Nicholas
Sparks Limited Edition DVD Collection
(1999 - 2013) collecting seven very often similar would-be romance
films that Hollywood has spent more time and money making and
promoting than they might like to talk about. Hoping Sparks work
might turn into some kind of phenomenon they could make a mint out
of, some of the films were hits, but others have been head-scratching
duds.
There
have been seven films so far made form his books that are collected
in this convenient DVD set and we have links to each we have covered
already...
Luis
Mandoki's Message
In A Bottle
(1999) takes place in Chicago at times, but usually in the country
nearby as Robin Wright plays a woman who falls for Kevin Costner and
vice versa, thanks to reality checks in part by his father played by
Paul Newman. I could buy some of this to a point, but it gets sappy
later on and I did not totally buy the conclusion. It gets
C+/C+/C-/C- on its own individually and extras include filmographies,
trailer, 5 featurettes, Additional Scenes and feature length audio
commentary by Mandoki and Producer Denise Di Novi.
Adam
Shankman's A
Walk To Remember
(2002) tries to make Shane West a star by pairing him with then
rising star Mandy Moore in this growing-up romance with an early
scene of an ugly tragic incident, but the film never totally rings
true and their chemistry does not totally add up. I give Shankman
credit for some scenes working, but this never adds up. It gets
C+/C+/C-/C- on its own individually as well ratings wise and extras
on the DVD include two feature length audio commentaries (West,
Moore, Shankman; Sparks, screenplay writer Karen Janszen), Cast Film
Highlights, Trailer and Music Video for Moore's song Cry.
Nick
Cassavetes' The
Notebook
(2004) we only reviewed before on Blu-ray at this link, but the DVD
ratings are C+/C+/C/C making me less of a fan than my fellow writer
here...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8123/The+Notebook:+Limited+Edition+Notebook+Gift+Se
George
C. Wolfe's Nights
In Rodanthe
(2008)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8174/Nights+In+Rodanthe+(2008/Warner+Blu-ray+++DV
Lasse
Hallstrom's Dear
John
(2010)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9977/Dear+John+(2010/Sony+DVD
Scott
Hicks' The
Lucky One
(2012) was yet another attempt to make Zac Efron a big star, but it
is not his fault that the film was flat despite a decent director.
He plays a soldier who believes he has had luck by carrying a picture
of a young lady (Taylor Schilling) he has never met, so he spends the
film looking for her. Even with Blythe Danner in the supporting
cast, the film also lacks chemistry and my rating for this DVD is
C+/B-/C-/C- adding that I was very impressed with the sound design of
all things. The ironically entitled Zac
& Taylor's Amazing Chemistry
is the only extra and it tries too hard.
And
finally we have Lasse
Hallstrom's Safe
Haven
(2013) rounding out the set.
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12164/Bunohan:+Return+To+Murder+(2011/Oscilloscope
Outside
of the individual DVDs, extras in this slipcase packaging include an
envelope with a message by Sparks and postcards for each film.
Needless to say this in-time-for-Valentine's-Day release is a gift
set for fans only.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is the best
image here as expected being the only HD presentation, but it looks
like a generic digital shoot with only the occasional shot that helps
any of the would-be comedy. The
anamorphically enhanced image on the DVDs are all about the same,
though some of the films have a better look than others, they all
have that stereotypical soft romance look at times.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on Man
is very well mixed and presented here despite some bassy dialogue,
but it has an unexpectedly consistent soundfield throughout that was
a nice surprise. All the DVDs have lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes
that can be quiet and underwhelming, but as noted above, Lucky
One
has a fine mix and so does Safe
Haven,
the most recent production making them tie for second best on the
list.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
