Sitting
down to watch CAST AWAY ($30) for the first time, I didn't know
what to expect from the movie. To be honest, I hadn't paid attention to
the ads and ignored the reviews. Sure, leading man Tom Hanks has a couple
of Oscars under his belt and I knew that CAST AWAY was a serious
project. However, somewhere back in my mind remains the notion of Hanks
in a dress during his BOSOM BUDDIES days, not to mention that the
CAST AWAY concept is reminiscent of a little television show known
as GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. Fortunately, CAST AWAY turned out
to be anything but the twisted image scrambling through my sitcom sodden
brain.
CAST
AWAY is a very solid motion picture that showcases the enormous talent
of Tom Hanks, who spends much of the film's running time alone on screen
and saying very little. However, Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis make
every moment of this motion picture completely compelling and worth every
moment of the audience’s attention. In CAST AWAY Hanks portrays
Chuck Noland, an upper echelon Fed-Ex troubleshooter, whose very existence
is ruled by the clock. When Chuck is called away at Christmas, he asks
Kelly (Helen Hunt), the woman he loves, to marry him before hopping on
a Fed-Ex jet. Unfortunately, the plane crashes, leaving Chuck the only
survivor to wash up on a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the
south pacific. With nothing but time on his hands and the memory of the
woman he loves to keep him sane, Chuck is forced to use his ingenuity
and the contents of a few packages that also washed up on the island in
order to survive.
Although
the plot of CAST AWAY extends beyond what I have described, those
who have not seen the film should be afforded the opportunity to walk
into cold, as I did. I think the audience will get more out of this film,
the less that they actually know about it. The film does raise some interesting
issues about our reliance on the gadgets that have become commonplace
in the urban jungle and how well the average man might fare if he had
to survive without the implements that he uses in everyday life. As I
stated above, it is Tom Hanks that makes CAST AWAY a compelling
and thoroughly entertaining motion picture experience. The weight of this
143-minute film rests squarely on his shoulders, and I think audience
would have walked out in the middle, if he hadn't been up to the task.
In fact, the performance is so good, I think that he deserved more than
the Best Actor nomination that he received at Oscar time. The cast of
CAST AWAY also includes Nick Searcy, Christopher Noth, Lari White,
Geoffrey Blake, Jenifer Lewis and David Allen Brooks.
CAST
AWAY is a Fox and Dreamworks co-production that has been offered on
DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The 16:9 enhanced presentation
frames CAST AWAY at 1.85:1 and not in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio that
is stated on the DVD's packaging. Like most new big budget movies coming
to DVD, CAST AWAY looks superb. The image is oh so crisp and finely
detailed that textures in the foliage sand and the water are clearly visible.
Colors are virtually perfect, with natural looking flesh tones and strongly
saturated hues that appear completely stable. Blacks are right on the
money, plus the image produces excellent shadow detail and tremendous
depth. Even the processed "day for night" shots on the island
look very impressive. Clean dual layer authoring completely conceals all
traces of digital compression artifacts.
CAST
AWAY features a very good Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound mix, which
works very effectively in both of the film's sonic environments. Civilization
sounds very different from the island, but both make effective use of
the discrete nature of the format. As with everyday life, I kind of tuned
out the hustle and bustle of motor vehicles and the other sounds that
drive the mechanized world. However, I certainly became aware of the sound
mix during the film's plane crash sequence. The crash packs a sonic wallop
and is certainly everything that I'd expect from this type of disaster
sequence. The film then shifts its sound design to depict life on the
uninhabited island- this portion of the sound mix is not only more enveloping
than what preceded it, it is also far more involving. Suddenly, the quiet
and subtle use of the discrete channel for the sounds of nature made me
prick up ears, so that I became subconsciously aware that I was sharing
the experience of being trapped on the deserted island along with the
film's protagonist. Throughout the film, dialogue reproduction is very
clean, very natural and completely intelligible. The bass channel comes
to explosive life during key moments, but otherwise maintains a low profile.
Alan Silvestri's score is used a bit sparingly, but is otherwise nicely
recorded and well integrated into the mix. CAST AWAY also features
a DTS 5.1 channel soundtrack that adds an extra layer of resolution to
what is already a very fine sound mix in Dolby Digital. English and French
surround soundtracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English and
Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound all serve to enhanced the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as some fine supplemental material. CAST
AWAY has been issued as a two-disc set, with the bulk of the supplements
being contained on disc two. Disc one's only supplement is a running audio
commentary with director Robert Zemeckis, director of photography Don
Burgess, visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston, co-visual effects supervisor
Carey Villegas and sound designer Randy Thom. Although edited together,
this is a highly informative commentary track that fans of the film will
truly appreciate.
Disc
two's supplements include a number of featurettes, starting off with the
HBO First Look: The Making Of Cast Away. Running just shy
of twenty-five minutes, this is a better than average PR program highlighting
the film. Also running the same length of time is S.T.O.P.: Surviving
As A Castaway, which is an effective survival guide- should one
ever find themselves in the same predicament as the film's protagonist.
The Island runs under fifteen minutes and details working
on the film's primary location. Less serious is the final featurette-
Wilson: The Life & Death of A Hollywood Extra. Less
than ten minutes long, this program pays homage to the only other cinema
luminary to share the screen with Tom Hanks and practically steal the
film away... Also included on disc two is a great Tom Hanks interview
from The Charlie Rose Show. Special effects fans will enjoy
the six vignettes presented on the DVD that breaks down individual sequences.
The supplemental disc also features and extensive video and still gallery
that contains a look behind-the-scenes, storyboards, conceptual art and
illustrations. Two theatrical trailers and ten TV spots close out disc
two's array of supplements.
CAST
AWAY is a solid and entertaining motion picture that features an impressive
performance from Tom Hanks. Fox has done a tremendous job with the DVD,
creating a disc that not only features marvelous sight and sound, but
an excellent supplemental section. If you are a fan, you'll want to own
CAST AWAY on DVD. If you have never seen the film, the DVD is the
only way to go. Highly recommended.
Sitting
down to watch CAST AWAY ($30) for the first time, I didn't know
what to expect from the movie. To be honest, I hadn't paid attention to
the ads and ignored the reviews. Sure, leading man Tom Hanks has a couple
of Oscars under his belt and I knew that CAST AWAY was a serious
project. However, somewhere back in my mind remains the notion of Hanks
in a dress during his BOSOM BUDDIES days, not to mention that the
CAST AWAY concept is reminiscent of a little television show known
as GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. Fortunately, CAST AWAY turned out
to be anything but the twisted image scrambling through my sitcom sodden
brain.
CAST
AWAY is a very solid motion picture that showcases the enormous talent
of Tom Hanks, who spends much of the film's running time alone on screen
and saying very little. However, Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis make
every moment of this motion picture completely compelling and worth every
moment of the audience’s attention. In CAST AWAY Hanks portrays
Chuck Noland, an upper echelon Fed-Ex troubleshooter, whose very existence
is ruled by the clock. When Chuck is called away at Christmas, he asks
Kelly (Helen Hunt), the woman he loves, to marry him before hopping on
a Fed-Ex jet. Unfortunately, the plane crashes, leaving Chuck the only
survivor to wash up on a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the
south pacific. With nothing but time on his hands and the memory of the
woman he loves to keep him sane, Chuck is forced to use his ingenuity
and the contents of a few packages that also washed up on the island in
order to survive.
Although
the plot of CAST AWAY extends beyond what I have described, those
who have not seen the film should be afforded the opportunity to walk
into cold, as I did. I think the audience will get more out of this film,
the less that they actually know about it. The film does raise some interesting
issues about our reliance on the gadgets that have become commonplace
in the urban jungle and how well the average man might fare if he had
to survive without the implements that he uses in everyday life. As I
stated above, it is Tom Hanks that makes CAST AWAY a compelling
and thoroughly entertaining motion picture experience. The weight of this
143-minute film rests squarely on his shoulders, and I think audience
would have walked out in the middle, if he hadn't been up to the task.
In fact, the performance is so good, I think that he deserved more than
the Best Actor nomination that he received at Oscar time. The cast of
CAST AWAY also includes Nick Searcy, Christopher Noth, Lari White,
Geoffrey Blake, Jenifer Lewis and David Allen Brooks.
CAST
AWAY is a Fox and Dreamworks co-production that has been offered on
DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The 16:9 enhanced presentation
frames CAST AWAY at 1.85:1 and not in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio that
is stated on the DVD's packaging. Like most new big budget movies coming
to DVD, CAST AWAY looks superb. The image is oh so crisp and finely
detailed that textures in the foliage sand and the water are clearly visible.
Colors are virtually perfect, with natural looking flesh tones and strongly
saturated hues that appear completely stable. Blacks are right on the
money, plus the image produces excellent shadow detail and tremendous
depth. Even the processed "day for night" shots on the island
look very impressive. Clean dual layer authoring completely conceals all
traces of digital compression artifacts.
CAST
AWAY features a very good Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound mix, which
works very effectively in both of the film's sonic environments. Civilization
sounds very different from the island, but both make effective use of
the discrete nature of the format. As with everyday life, I kind of tuned
out the hustle and bustle of motor vehicles and the other sounds that
drive the mechanized world. However, I certainly became aware of the sound
mix during the film's plane crash sequence. The crash packs a sonic wallop
and is certainly everything that I'd expect from this type of disaster
sequence. The film then shifts its sound design to depict life on the
uninhabited island- this portion of the sound mix is not only more enveloping
than what preceded it, it is also far more involving. Suddenly, the quiet
and subtle use of the discrete channel for the sounds of nature made me
prick up ears, so that I became subconsciously aware that I was sharing
the experience of being trapped on the deserted island along with the
film's protagonist. Throughout the film, dialogue reproduction is very
clean, very natural and completely intelligible. The bass channel comes
to explosive life during key moments, but otherwise maintains a low profile.
Alan Silvestri's score is used a bit sparingly, but is otherwise nicely
recorded and well integrated into the mix. CAST AWAY also features
a DTS 5.1 channel soundtrack that adds an extra layer of resolution to
what is already a very fine sound mix in Dolby Digital. English and French
surround soundtracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English and
Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound all serve to enhanced the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as some fine supplemental material. CAST
AWAY has been issued as a two-disc set, with the bulk of the supplements
being contained on disc two. Disc one's only supplement is a running audio
commentary with director Robert Zemeckis, director of photography Don
Burgess, visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston, co-visual effects supervisor
Carey Villegas and sound designer Randy Thom. Although edited together,
this is a highly informative commentary track that fans of the film will
truly appreciate.
Disc
two's supplements include a number of featurettes, starting off with the
HBO First Look: The Making Of Cast Away. Running just shy
of twenty-five minutes, this is a better than average PR program highlighting
the film. Also running the same length of time is S.T.O.P.: Surviving
As A Castaway, which is an effective survival guide- should one
ever find themselves in the same predicament as the film's protagonist.
The Island runs under fifteen minutes and details working
on the film's primary location. Less serious is the final featurette-
Wilson: The Life & Death of A Hollywood Extra. Less
than ten minutes long, this program pays homage to the only other cinema
luminary to share the screen with Tom Hanks and practically steal the
film away... Also included on disc two is a great Tom Hanks interview
from The Charlie Rose Show. Special effects fans will enjoy
the six vignettes presented on the DVD that breaks down individual sequences.
The supplemental disc also features and extensive video and still gallery
that contains a look behind-the-scenes, storyboards, conceptual art and
illustrations. Two theatrical trailers and ten TV spots close out disc
two's array of supplements.
CAST
AWAY is a solid and entertaining motion picture that features an impressive
performance from Tom Hanks. Fox has done a tremendous job with the DVD,
creating a disc that not only features marvelous sight and sound, but
an excellent supplemental section. If you are a fan, you'll want to own
CAST AWAY on DVD. If you have never seen the film, the DVD is the
only way to go. Highly recommended.
