Being
produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, as well as having a cast
that features William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, Patricia Clarkson, Michael
Jeter and George Clooney, I had a high expectations for WELCOME TO
COLLINWOOD ($27). Well, to be honest, WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD isn’t
bust-a-gut funny, but this character driven heist comedy does have its
moments, as well as a daft sense of charm. The plot follows a band of
small time criminals from the a little burg of Collinwood, who have the
perfect crime fall into their laps. Unfortunately, this particular band of
small time criminals are so incompetent that they require serious studying
if they were ever needed to pass a urine test. Therefore, one can only
imagine what happens when they these bozos attempt to carry out the afore
mentioned perfect crime. The cast of WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD also
features Jennifer Esposito, Isaiah Washington and Luis Guzmán.
Warner
Home Video has made WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD available on DVD in a
2.35:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. The is a really nice looking transfer, maybe not up to
the level of a big budget movie, but it doesn't give one anything to
complain about either. The image is sharp and well defined, plus the
colors appear well saturated. Flesh tones are always very appealing and
the hues are reproduced without chroma noise and only a hint of fuzziness.
Blacks appear deep, whites are clean and contrast is smooth. Shadow detail
is quite respectable and the picture produces a nice dimensional quality.
The film element appears virtually pristine and there is very little by
way of a noticeable grain structure. Digital compression never make their
presence know.
WELCOME
TO COLLINWOOD comes with a competently mixed, but not particularly
impressive, Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. Fidelity is good and the
film’s score has a genuine musical presence; however, this dialogue
driven film offers very little by way of directional sound effects.
Additionally, those sound effects that are present on the track seem
fairly localized in the forward soundstage, with the rears only providing
ambient sound and a bit of musical fill. Dialogue is always cleanly
rendered and intelligibility is only limited by performance. The bass
channel manages to keep the track from sounding anemic, but nothing more.
No other language tracks are present, although English, French and Spanish
subtitles are provided.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which provide access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a few extras. Welcome
to Collinwood: Uncensored is something of a spoof of those behind-
the-scenes featurettes, with Sam Rockwell doing goofy interviews his
cast-mates. Definitions and Etymologies gives one a
breakdown of the particular brand of slang used in the movie. A theatrical
trailer, plus cast & crew filmographies close out the extras.
Despite
its pedigree, WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD isn’t as funny as I had hoped
it would be. This isn’t to say the film isn’t funny or without charm,
it just did gel as well as it could have. As for the DVD, it looks and
sounds just fine, so anyone who rents or buys the disc isn’t going to be
disappointed by the presentation.
Being
produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, as well as having a cast
that features William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, Patricia Clarkson, Michael
Jeter and George Clooney, I had a high expectations for WELCOME TO
COLLINWOOD ($27). Well, to be honest, WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD isn’t
bust-a-gut funny, but this character driven heist comedy does have its
moments, as well as a daft sense of charm. The plot follows a band of
small time criminals from the a little burg of Collinwood, who have the
perfect crime fall into their laps. Unfortunately, this particular band of
small time criminals are so incompetent that they require serious studying
if they were ever needed to pass a urine test. Therefore, one can only
imagine what happens when they these bozos attempt to carry out the afore
mentioned perfect crime. The cast of WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD also
features Jennifer Esposito, Isaiah Washington and Luis Guzmán.
Warner
Home Video has made WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD available on DVD in a
2.35:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. The is a really nice looking transfer, maybe not up to
the level of a big budget movie, but it doesn't give one anything to
complain about either. The image is sharp and well defined, plus the
colors appear well saturated. Flesh tones are always very appealing and
the hues are reproduced without chroma noise and only a hint of fuzziness.
Blacks appear deep, whites are clean and contrast is smooth. Shadow detail
is quite respectable and the picture produces a nice dimensional quality.
The film element appears virtually pristine and there is very little by
way of a noticeable grain structure. Digital compression never make their
presence know.
WELCOME
TO COLLINWOOD comes with a competently mixed, but not particularly
impressive, Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack. Fidelity is good and the
film’s score has a genuine musical presence; however, this dialogue
driven film offers very little by way of directional sound effects.
Additionally, those sound effects that are present on the track seem
fairly localized in the forward soundstage, with the rears only providing
ambient sound and a bit of musical fill. Dialogue is always cleanly
rendered and intelligibility is only limited by performance. The bass
channel manages to keep the track from sounding anemic, but nothing more.
No other language tracks are present, although English, French and Spanish
subtitles are provided.
Music
underscores the basic interactive menus, which provide access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a few extras. Welcome
to Collinwood: Uncensored is something of a spoof of those behind-
the-scenes featurettes, with Sam Rockwell doing goofy interviews his
cast-mates. Definitions and Etymologies gives one a
breakdown of the particular brand of slang used in the movie. A theatrical
trailer, plus cast & crew filmographies close out the extras.
Despite
its pedigree, WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD isn’t as funny as I had hoped
it would be. This isn’t to say the film isn’t funny or without charm,
it just did gel as well as it could have. As for the DVD, it looks and
sounds just fine, so anyone who rents or buys the disc isn’t going to be
disappointed by the presentation.
