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Traveta reviews
Jackie Brown
Distributed by
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Screenplay:
(Based on the novel "Rum Punch" by Elmore Leonard)
Cast:
Jackie Brown: Pam Grier
Ordell Robbie: Samuel L. Jackson
Max Cherry: Robert Forster
Melanie: Bridget Fonda
Ray Nicolette: Michael Keaton
Mark Dargus: Michael Bowen
Louis Gara: Robert DeNiro
Beaumont Livingston: Chris Tucker
Winston: Tommy "Tiny" Lister, JR.
Jackie Brown
is Quentin Tarantino's throwback to 70s cinema. Not just
blaxplotation but the whole feel to the movies back then. It's got the
music, it's got the dialouge, and it's got the cinematic feel. Long
overdue on DVD, Jackie Brown comes to us the same day as the
Pulp Fiction: Collector's Edition DVD
and surrounded by the onslaught of
Reservoir Dogs: 10th Anniversary: Collector's Edition.
It's expensive to be a Quentin Tarantino fan, isn't it? But is the DVD worth
the five years of wait?
Jackie Brown tells a relatively simple story but if it's one thing I've
learned from Tarantino it's that the simple plots can turn into quite a
web. It focuses mainly on Jackie (Pam Grier), Ordell (Samuel L.
Jackson), and Max (Robert Forster). Jackie is an airline attendant
caught with money she was smuggiling for arms dealer, Ordell. Max plays
the bondsman and frees Jackie from jail. But the feds want a piece of
Ordell and wish to use Jackie to get it. But she has a plan of her own.
She begins to use the feds and Ordell to keep the money and concocts a
rather complicated scheme.
While not as great or provacative as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, or
True Romance (Tony Scott directed that one, Quentin wrote), it's hard
not to like Jackie Brown. But where the film falls short is it's length.
Clocked in at a whopping 2 hours and 34 minutes I found myself watching
in multiple viewings. Pulp Fiction was up there in length as well but it
always had some new plot to keep it interesting. Upon first viewing, you
really have to be on your toes to catch the whole gist of the plot -
something Tarantino has a knack for. But on second viewing it all fell
into place. Add in great acting from everyone (even Michael Keaton!),
great dialouge, and Tarantino's camera style and you've got a good, if
slightly flawed, film.
The jacket states that Jackie Brown is in 2.35:1 widescreen but it is
really in 1.85:1. The anamorphically-enhanced picture is done well with
only a few problems. I noticed a lot of dirt and specks on the print and
background pixelization is noticed at times. But where this transfer
really shines is the color pallette. Flesh tones and other colors in the
film have a brightness and almost three-dimensional look to them (take a
look at the stunning Bridgete Fonda) that I did not expect. Overall, a
good transfer that, like the film, shines sometimes and sometimes does
not.
Audio is presented in two flavors: Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. Like
Pulp Fiction, the audio is very defined. But unlike Pulp Fiction there
are really not many loud situations to test it out. Overall, this a
dialouge driven film and the track represents that very well.
Buena Vista has pulled out all the stops in the extra department with
this release. Here's how it stacks up:
Disc 1:
- Quentin Tarantino DVD Introduction:
A five minute segment featuring Tarantino telling why the DVD took 5 years to come out.
- Subtitled Trivia Track:
Similar to the one featured on Pulp Fiction and also similar to the track on
the Spider-Man DVD. Features more facts then you'll know what to do with.
Disc 2:
- Jackie Brown: How It Went Down:
38 minutes, full frame. Explains how the movie even happened and the similarites
between the film and the novel it was based on: Rum Punch.
Well produced and interesting. Also split into chapters.
- Interview With Quentin:
A 54 minute long full frame interview with
Tarantino. This feature really should have been broken into chapters.
The only problem besides the chapter situation is that the questions are
often inaudible.
- Chicks With Guns Video:
4 minutes, full frame. Entire commercial from the film presented in it's
intirity. Has more laughs now than it did in the film.
- Deleted Scenes and Alternate Scenes:
14 minutes, full frame and presented in non-anamorphic 1.85:1. The scenes are
presented in relatively good quality.
- Siskel & Ebert At The Movies: Jackie Brown Review:
4 minutes long, full frame. Only focuses on their review unlike the 16 minute
segement on Pulp Fiction.
- Jackie Brown on MTV:
Two segments. The first is a one minute commercial advertising a contest. The
second is a 14 minute interview with Quentin Tarantino and Carson Daly.
- Theatrical Trailers:
3 teaser trailers are offered here. The first and
third are presented in full frame but the second is in 2.35:1 widescreen
while the movie itself is 1.85:1. I wish Tarantino would have gone with
2.35:1 instead of the rather flat 1.85:1.
- TV Spots:
8 total and each are presented in varying quality.
- Still Galleries:
9 Sections in all. Featuring posters, production stills, locations, and more.
- Reviews and Articles:
9 reviews total.
- Filmographies:
Features bios for Pam Grier, Robert Forster, and Quentin Tarantino.
- Robert Forster Movie Trailers:
Now this is different. 12 trailers for some of Forster's B Movies. Most are in
pretty bad shape but it's suprising to even see them here at all.
- Pam Grier Movie Trailers:
19 trailers for some of Grier's B Movies. Scream, Blacula, Scream! is even here.
- Pam Grier Radio Spots:
7 audios of radio spots for some of her B Movies.
Overall, a pretty good package put together by Buena Vista. A very nice
touch with the B Movie trailers I might add.
The packaging is exactly like the Pulp Fiction release. A cardboard slip
case that has a folded opening case for the movie and extras. A
collectible booklet and a poster are also included. The film is split
into 25 chapters and menus are animated with scenes from the movie
playing in the background.
Overall, Jackie Brown has received a great DVD treatment and should
please fans. The movie is a bit too long but should still be looked at
if only for Tarantino's trademark dialouge.
FILM CONTENT
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
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OVERALL
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Review copyright © Traveta, 2002.
Email
Traveta
The following is a list of all the Quentin Tarantino movies online to date
(region 2, except where specified) :
2004 Kill Bill Vol.2
2004 Kill Bill Vol.1
2004 Kill Bill Vol.1 (R1 DVD)
2004 Reservoir Dogs: Special Edition
2002 Jackie Brown: Collector's Edition (R1 DVD)
2002 Pulp Fiction: Classic Collection Box Set
2000 Reservoir Dogs
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
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