The Strange Case Of My Friend Dahmer

Here's one I just had to cover.  It's partially because My Friend Dahmer is such a great, little movie that seems to be flying under everybody's radar.  But even more than that, I just had to document this film's bizarre journey to home video.  It's a brand new film, just coming out of the festival circuit; and the company Filmrise just released it this month on DVD and Blu.  And they'll be releasing it again, next month, on DVD and Blu.  Why?  Well, I'll explain it all below, but let me just warn you up front: it will make even less sense once you've gotten the full explanation of what's going on.  My Friend Dahmer's naturally a little peculiar, but not half as much as what Filmrise is up to...

Update 3/25/18 - 4/6/18: Umm... good news?! Pressed disc added, and it's not what we were told!

Update 8/13/24: It's Update Week 2024! So I've come back to add the DVD to the comparisons and paint a more complete picture.

It's an unnervingly true story, based on a graphic novel, about the artist's high school friendship with the actual Jeffrey Dahmer.  Imagine American Splendor if Harvey Pekar had spent his formative years in close proximity to, well, Jeffrey Dahmer.  Did you know Dahmer was the mascot of "The Jeffrey Dahmer Fan Club" in his high school years?  That's absolutely true.  And not because he used to be a normal cool kid who later became crazy.  He was a visibly disturbed individual back then, too.  And a group of underground comics-inspired teens became inspired to ring their circle of friends around him and celebrate his eccentricities, never suspecting, of course, just how dark he could actually become.  Like I, Tonya, we're never asked to like the title character, or forgive his crimes.  But we are given a fascinatingly earnest look into how he became what he became, and see him understandably humanized, though of course never forgivable.  This film puts in the place of the people all around him, the kids who befriended him, the girl who went to prom with him.  Did you know he met vice president Walter Mondale?  It's such an unexpected story.

Now, I can understand some people being disappointed by this film if they're not prepared for what it isn't.  This isn't a thriller with gruesome depictions of his murders or police hot on his trail.  If you go in expecting that, yeah sorry.  But that movie's been made at least three times already - one of them made Jeremy Renner famous.  So all that's already out there if you want it.  With this, seriously, think Crumb meets We Need To Talk About Kevin, but more subdued.  It's a 70's period piece, it's a surprisingly confessional autobiography about whether these kids maybe played a little too fast and loose with someone's mental illness; and the scariest thing is how much you'll relate to everyone on screen; at least if you're around my age.  The cast is basically unknown, with the only real name being Anne Heche giving a wild performance as Jeffrey's mother.  But Walking Dead fans will probably find Dallas Roberts eerily familiar, and the kid who player's Dahmer's "minister of propaganda" was the Boston bomber in that Mark Wahlberg movie last year.  Anyway, the point is, everyone really delivers in this movie on all fronts.  It's an excellent little movie.

 

So what's the crazy story with this film's DVD already?  Well, okay.  First it was announced as coming in April, on DVD and blu.  Preorders went up on Amazon and other sites; and everything's normal so far.  But then additional pages went up for this movie on DVD and blu on Amazon, as well as a couple other sites, with a release date in March.  And this March version was listed as a special edition.  And an MOD title.  So why would anyone order a BD-R, or DVD-R, copy of this film in March if a proper pressed disc is right around the corner, you ask?  Because the April discs aren't special editions and don't have any extras.  I've even had it confirmed direct from Filmrise themselves.  So we have to choose between special features or a pressed disc.  Each release is 50% compromised.  There is no pressed special edition.  Why?  God only knows, but it sure is frustrating.

...Or not! In April, I got my hand on the pressed disc, and it has the extras after-all!  The new disc is unquestionably the pressed disc.  The labels are totally different [see above... BD-R left, Blu-ray right], the disc underside itself is silver instead of the funky greenish blu of the BD-R.  I guess Filmrise listened to us!  You can see in reviews like this one, where they reviewed the screeners, the extras weren't on 'em.  So it must've been a last minute change.  So, huzzah?!  I mean, being one such customer, I do appreciate how it sucks for anyone who bought the BD-R "Special Edition" last month.  But I can't be mad at them hearing our complaints and making a big change for the better to their new release.  Anyway, I've got both blus here now, plus the pressed DVD, so let's have a look!

1) 2018 US Filmrise DVD; 2) 2018 US Filmrise BDR; 3) 2018 US Filmrise BD.

This film is presented in the very wide AR of 2.40:1 on all three discs.  This film was shot on digital, so we're not hunting out film grain here, and it's a new release presumably taken right from the DCP, so there's not a lot for the blu-ray transfer to risk screwing up.  Still, it's an attractive, crisp HD image; you can see the difference holding it up to the softer DVD.  A lot of the picture's on the soft side just because the filmmakers were playing with depth of field and moving the camera all the time, but it's definitely less soft on the blus.  And the DVD also has some jagged edges... it's not interlaced; I guess it's just a compression issue?  It's not too noticeable, thanks to the softness, but it's there if you look close.  So just another little reason to go with an HD option.  And as far as the difference between the blus, to the BD-R's credit, I think it would even pass a blind taste test.  Both discs are single layer with all the same features and menus, now... So I guess it's even the same encode now?  Is that possible.  There's still the issue of BD-R playback on some machines, but I have to say, it's worked fine in my player and PC drive, the latter of which has had problems before with BD-Rs.

Also, the DVD, pressed BD and BD-R discs give us the same option between 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo mixes, plus removable English subtitles.  Yes, these audio tracks are lossy AC3 on all three.

So just what are all these extras, anyway?  Online listings have all been a little vague about what makes this special edition special, so I'll break it all down for you.  Basically, it's roughly an hour's worth of pretty good on-camera interviews.  The longest is with writer/ director Marc Meyers, who talks for 20 minutes, telling us pretty much all you'd want to know.  Then there are shorter interviews with almost all of the cast, including Heche, Roberts, and all the main high school kids.  They're all shot on location at different points, well shot, and pretty engaging.  Ross Lynch, who plays Dahmer himself, has two interviews.  A solid one shot in his studio, and a shorter promotional one set to music, selling the film.  I do wish they'd also grabbed one with Derf Backderf, creator of the original comic who apparently did sometimes visit the set.  He could've spoken to the actual events as well maybe given a little closer look at the original material.  But all this stuff we get is good.  Not great.  No equivalent to the epic, 4-hour Prometheus documentary or anything; but I was satisfied with what we got.  They talked to just about everybody, so I didn't feel ripped off in the "special edition" department.  Oh, and the trailer's also on here.  And yes, all of that is 100% the same on both editions.  The menus are even identical.

The DVD, though, is more like what we expected.  They just have the one short promo interview with Lynch and the trailer.

Well, there's no longer a question of which version to get.  If the MOD version even stays on the market (as of this writing, it still is), avoid it.  I mean, you might not be able to tell the difference anyway; but the BDR's more expensive and now offers nothing exclusive.  Just get the proper official disc, which I can happily recommend with no issues.  Oh, and it's a great movie, too.  Let's not lose sight of that.

Controversial Blus: Death Laid an Egg Indeed (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

Hoo boy.  This disc.  Well, big thanks to reader Simon for sending me a copy of Cult Epic's limited edition release of Death Laid an Egg to cover as a controversial blu.  Not that I'm sure there's much controversy to be had; I think pretty much anyone who looks at it can universally agree that something's off here.  See, this was originally limited to 300 copies (I've got #280 here) as more of a bonus incentive in an indiegogo campaign they were running for a new book.  A 3-disc combo pack of Blu, DVD, and a bonus soundtrack CD.  So okay, as just a "perk" giveaway, you'd keep your expectations in check.  But that was just a special pre-release.  A 2-disc combo pack (same thing, minus the soundtrack) was released wide back in November.  I'd casually kept tabs on the story of this release online all along... but now that I've been able to finally pop this disc into my player and see what people have been talking about for myself, yeesh.

Mind you, I have nothing bad to say about Death Laid an Egg itself.  It's a film I first noticed when I was young because, obviously, of its ridiculous title.  Especially since this isn't even a screwball comedy, but a reasonably serious giallo.  I could never quite push myself to blind-buy it from Video Search of Miami ('cause they weren't cheap!), but I always saw the film receiving high critical marks.  It's the film European Trash Cinema magazine famously called "my favorite Euro-trash film ever" (v.2, issue 6, though I believe they later devoted an entire issue just to this film).  It's a weird little film (as you'd expect), about secret affairs, blackmail, the prerequisite mysterious gloved killer, and yes, there's a mutant chicken.

I'm not sure I'm as enamored with the film as ETC.  Gialli tend to run dry for me, including this one.  And the fact that the soundtrack to this film is. dare I say, intentionally annoying is fitting... it doesn't make for an experience I long to revisit.  I'm happy to report that there's definitely more to this film than the novelty of its title, but it never really draws me in on a personal level.  The editing is a bit gimmicky, the characters are a little flat.  It's a quirky, entertaining little flick, and I definitely appreciate that they're going for more of a deeper, wry commentary on the human condition than your average stylish but hollow murder mystery giallo.  But it still never rises to the level of something I'd hold up as a favorite.

Of course, it might not be helping that up 'till now, I've only seen the shorter, 86 minute cut.  So maybe that's not really enough to truly judge the movie fairly.  After all, it's just been recently discovered that there's a longer cut, with fifteen minutes of additional footage.  But you won't see it here, so that's already one good reason to hold off on this release.

2017 US Cult Epics DVD on top; blu-ray on bottom.

If you want another good reason, just look at it.  Okay, it's pale and soft; film grain has been smeared away.  Worse, there's scanner noise, and the disc isn't interlaced, but something is clearly wrong when the camera pans horizontally.  It looks like they upconverted an old, already tweaked non-anamorphic 480p DVD, and just applied deinterlacing.  The 1.78:1 framing seems alright, but the picture seems overly bright.  Honestly, it looks worse than the decades old Japanese DVD... I wish I had that here for comparison shots.

But really, you don't need a comparison to see that something's clearly wrong here.  I've been saving the worst for last: this weird edge enhancement that only pops up on seemingly random areas of the picture, but really strongly.  See those dark, black outlines that go around parts of his shoulders and hairline?  That's not the movie; that's some weird tinkering with the master.  Meanwhile, his features almost sink into his face due to lack of contrast.  But those spots are boldly black.

The sounds pretty weak, too.  We're given the choice of a DTS-HD 5.1 mix or Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0, and there's nothing wrong with them on par with the image, but they both sound tinny and light.  At least the subtitles look fine.  Oh yes, it's also interesting that both audio tracks are the Italian dub, which is great to have... but there is an English dub of this film.  Odd they left that out.

Special features are underwhelming, too.  There's just a a lobby card gallery, the trailer, and the film's soundtrack album as an audio file (and again on a separate CD if you got the limited edition).  And I understand, an old 60s giallo with limited exposure in the US, you don't expect a fancy special edition. 

Honestly, except for the picture quality, which truly is objectively problematic, the main reason to pass on this edition is the upcoming Nucleus disc.  Ironically, another indiegogo campaign had already been quite successful before Cult Epics started theirs.  They're releasing 2k restorations of Death Laid an Egg (and also Lady Frankenstein), which will include both this 86 minute and the longer cut of the film, both the Italian and English audio tracks (with subs), and a bunch of extras, including new and vintage featurettes, a commentary, alternate credits and more.  They've already published screenshots of their work, and it features none of the problems that plague this disc.  It's region free and comes out this year.

So okay, I'll concede that Cult Epics' disc isn't "unwatchable."  If you just want to see the story unfold, this'll do the trick.  I've bought and held onto DVDs that looked worse.  I've even recommended them, in lieu of anything else.  But no blu-ray should look like this.  And the fact that such a superior disc, in apparently every single way, is right around the corner, means you're really going to regret getting this edition instead of waiting an extra couple months.

I, Tonya Rocks (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

Look, folks, I'm right there with ya.  If you told me to name the last film I'd ever want to see, a bio pic of Tonya Harding would be right at the top of my list.  But, man oh man, this movie is so good!  I'd say "believe the hype," but the hype doesn't even do this movie justice.  I've heard I, Tonya described as Goodfellas on ice, and yeah man, that really nails the feel of this movie.  It's both ingeniously entertaining and yet runs deeper than you'd ever have thought possible of the source material.  When I first heard of it, I was happily going to pass over this movie.  But I read enough good things from people whose opinions I respect that I decided, fine, I'd check it out online.  Half way through, I had to pause and look up release dates, because I knew I needed this movie in my collection.  And this week, it's finally landed: a pretty strong blu-ray/ DVD combo pack edition from Universal.  And I loved it even more the second time!

You don't need to give a single crap about The Olympics or ice skating, or even the famous scandal to get into this movie.  It's just a terrific crime flick.  It's a genuine human drama that's too whip smart not to also double as a hilarious comedy.  And don't worry, you're not being asked to like Tonya Harding.  But while this film may not be a perfect factual account of events - it's based on contradictory testimony of the people involved, and we're even given full-screen first person interviews to the camera (inspired by The Thin Blue Line) where characters deny events we see onscreen - you'll definitely come away with a deeper understanding of her and why everything they turned out the way it did.

I, Tonya (the title of which I assume is a riff on I, Claudius) gave me something to root for at The Oscars, which often feels like we're just weighing nine different sacks of Hollywood pap against each other.  Allison Janney absolutely deserved her win for supporting actress, and while it's nice that Margot Robbie got nominated for her role, too; everything shook out the way it was supposed to.  I'm really glad this film showed clips of the actual footage of the real people this is based on in the closing credits, because some of the supporting cast could be perceived as going over the top, or playing for comic effect; but we see they really nailed it.  We saw the same kind of thing in other films, like Disaster Artist, but I don't think I've ever seen it have as much impact as it does here/

But it's not just the acting and clever writing.  This film is invested with so much style, that's really where the Goodfellas comparisons come in.  Stylish shots, impressive long takes and camera moves, big soundtrack drops.  I, Tonya is definitely one of those rare movies that can be described as "firing on all cylinders."  Like if Mad Max: Fury Road was also a tragically relatable Boys Don't Cry-like examination of the plight of modern American girls.  It certainly doesn't softball any of the story's heavier issues.  I've seen most of the work of both writer Steven Rogers and director Craig Gillespie, and I can't say I've ever been terribly impressed with either of them.  ...To the point where I'd almost write them off as just bad filmmakers.  But they have both really risen far above their stations here and brought out new heights in each other's work.  I don't know if they'll ever be able to follow this up, or if they just caught lightning in a bottle this once, but I have newfound respect for them now, so I'll be checking in on them again for sure.

Universal 2018 DVD on top; Universal 2018 blu-ray beneath.

This film was shot on 35mm film, and then delivered digitally because of the extensive CGI effects.  And that urns out great on this blu, with a distinctly classic grainy look beautifully blended with not only the effects but CG color timing and other work they've surely done to the film.  Compare this to the recently released Wonder Wheel, which looks beautiful; but up close, I, Tonya looks more like a "movie."  The film is presented in a very wide 2.39:1, and naturally the DVD matches the blu, except for a softer lack of fine detail.  The blu-ray's a beaut, and given a powerful 5.1 mix in DTS-HD along with optional English subs.

And while this release falls a little short of a packed special edition - what can you expect from the big studios these days? - we actually get some decent extra stuff here.  First and foremost we get an informative but low energy audio commentary from the director.  Ha delves into the technicalities and covers various aspects of the film.  Then there are five featureless, which get increasingly interesting.  They start out as pretty disposable, standard fare promos, essentially trailers for the film with interview soundbites interjected.  It's nice to hear Robbie speaking with her natural accent as a comparison and stuff, but basically it's just fluff.  Then they start to get more specifically into the director and the true story behind the film, which is more interesting but all too brief to really sunk your teeth into.  But finally the fifth featurette is still short, but cuts all the repetitious promo clips from the film and just takes a serious look at the special effects work that went into getting some of the seemingly impossible skating shots.  Robbie getting her head scanned inside a giant ball of lights looks like something out of 2001!

There's also a nice collection of deleted scenes, some of which make nice little additions to the bigger picture or provide additional laughs.  The last one is actually a long, unedited collection of takes of Paul Hauser recreating one of Shawn Eckhardt's infamous television interviews.  Again, while it's unquestionably enjoyable and works for the film, you might be tempted to dismiss the portrayal as too silly, like something out of Mallrats, until you've seen the actual footage of the real guy.  So, anyway, you get all that, plus a couple trailers for the film; plus it comes in a nice, embossed slipcover.  So it's heartening to see that Universal took a little extra time to do this one right.  Sure, there's no eight-hour Lord Of the Rings-style appendix documentary, but it's pretty well kitted out.

So, if you can't tell, I highly recommend the film and am quite happy with Universal's release.  Sure, there's room to expand if Criterion decides to release a fancy 4k signature edition ten years down the line.  But what we've got now is already better than what the major studios give most of their new releases these days.  In short, it's all good news.

Larry Cohen's The Ambulance Finally Done Right (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

A few posts ago, I mentioned that if you're a serious Larry Cohen fan, you have to be prepared to track down obscure imports and MOD discs from the various major studios. Well, today we're going to look at a film that's been released as both; and the definitive version switched from one to the other. I'm talking about 1990's amusing thriller The Ambulance.

Update 2/9/15 - 3/15/18: "Obscure imports and MOD discs" are for suckers; just get the blu-ray!  Okay, no, there are obviously still some terrific, definitive obscure imports and even a few MODs... But since my initial post, this film has finally gotten some proper love from our friends at Scream Factory.  So it's definitely time to reassess The Ambulance situation.

I'm pretty sure everybody who's ever seen The Ambulance has liked it. For non-Cohen fans it's probably just a faded memory of a flick they caught on cable or a weekend rental from Blockbuster, but a pleasant one. A movie that was just a little bit better than most of the others. It's not a showy movie; it's not a great work of art or anybody's favorite. I was going to say it's not ambitious, but actually, considering the cast they enlist even for the small roles, and some of the stunts they go for on an indie budget - they get several live horses running loose for one quick moment just to add a little extra excitement. So it is ambitious, and that's a big part of it's charm. While they could have easily gotten away with a very obvious, generic thriller, they take every opportunity surprise with a great line, creative plot twist, clever character moment and pretty much just making every moment better than you'd expect.

It's a charming story of Eric Roberts (in a complete 180 from the last film I just wrote about him in) as a lovesick comic book writer who falls for a woman he sees walking in the city streets during his lunch breaks. He finally gets up the nerve to talk to her when she passes out. An ambulance comes and collects her before he can get her last name, and the story is his journey to find her and make sure she's alright. But he has no idea just how sinister the ambulance to took her really is. It's such a great cast, from the major roles: Roberts, James Earl Jones, The Young & The Restless's Eric Braeden as the sinister villain and a surprisingly good turn by Red Buttons as a news reporter who gets wind of the story. To the small parts: Stan Lee as himself (Roberts' character doesn't just work for a generic comic book company, but Marvel Comics! Look for more authentic Marvel guys in the background), radio host Tim Byrd, Richard Bright and of course Cohen staple James Dixon.

So, for almost a decade, The Ambulance, like Full Moon High, was only available on Australian DVD. In fact, it was from the same company: Shock. Somebody over there must be a real Larry Cohen fan. Unlike Full Moon High, however, it was just a fullscreen transfer. But eventually, in 2011, MGM released it as one of their MOD discs. And happily, their disc is anamorphic widescreen, slightly letterboxed to a proper 1.85:1. The MOD opens with a message stating that, "[t]his film has been manufactured using the best source material available." That had me expecting a damaged print or something; but it actually looks pretty fine for the most part. There is an issue or two, though, that I reckon it's in reference to.  But that's all academic now, anyway, because just this week, Scream Factory has put it out on blu-ray!

Shock's 2003 DVD on top; MGM's 2011 MOD mid; Scream Factory's 2018 blu bottom.

The upshot for owners of the Shock disc, as you can see, is that it's open matte. Nothing was chopped off the sides or anything. And for the most part, it otherwise looks like the same transfer; the MOD just matted to 1.85:1. It's clearly the right way to view the film however; there's a lot of excess headroom on the Shock disc, and the framing just looks so much more artfully composed on the MOD. And that winds up becoming one more aspect that works in this film's favor, making it all the more enjoyable.  But let's get back to that warning. Here's why it's probably there: their disc is interlaced, as you can clearly tell by the ghosting in the second set of shots. Why? Did they take it from a PAL source? Was the best source material available... Oh jeez, I think it was. I think they only had Shock's PAL transfer (MGM was also involved with that disc) - or perhaps just weren't willing to pay to scan the film elements again for this new release; but their message promises us they used the best they had - and so they just transferred it to NTSC and matted it. ((sigh))

But thank goodness, we no longer have to choose between a burned, interlaced disc and an old PAL DVD in the wrong aspect ratio.  Scream Factory solves all of those issues, also giving us a nice boost in the clarity department by bringing the film to HD!  And just look at the posters on the wall behind Megan Gallagher; they're so much clearer.  Oh, and while you're looking at those posters, you've probably noticed something else.  While Scream's disc is still slightly matted to a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, they've clearly uncovered a little more information around all four sides.  And while both DVDs featured the stereo track, the blu bumps it up to DTS-HD, and also kicks in optional English subtitles.

If you're looking tor extras, I can start by telling you there's none to speak of on either DVD. There's literally nothing on the MOD disc; even the menu is generic and the chapters are just randomly generated at 10 minute intervals. And the Shock release is almost as barren, not even a trailer, despite some misleading packaging. In fact, look at this:

You'd think from reading the above that the theatrical trailer might be included for this film? Ha ha ha.... So naive! No, it's not here, though there are bonus trailers for Vampire's Kiss and Monkey Shines. The photo gallery is on there, at least. It's mostly just stills from the film, but there is a nice shot of Cohen directing the actors. But yeah, that's pretty desperate at this point. There's essentially no bonus features of value on either disc.

But on the blu?  Yeah, we've got an audio commentary by Larry Cohen (and moderated by King Cohen director Steve Mitchell).  Larry Cohen commentaries are always great, and this one's certainly no exception.  He's very enthusiastic about this film, calling it one of his favorites, and fills the track to the brim with great filming stories.  Also, there's a better stills gallery and finally, the trailer.  Scream also includes reversible artwork, with that same original artwork the previous DVDs had.

So yeah, I highly recommend the film for any Larry Cohen fan who hasn't seen it yet, and casually recommend it to anyone interested in an inexpensive B-movie for a good time.It's worth noting, though, that before Scream put this out on blu in the US, a couple other countries beat them to the bunch.  And most notably Koch in Germany released a mediabook that not only has a Cohen commentary, but a unique 70ish minute interview with Cohen, which is apparently more of a career retrospective.  So if you really want to go all out, you might prefer to import.  But I imagine most horror fans will be perfectly happy to just get this new Scream blu and call it a day.  I mean, even I was, and look who's talking here.

Woody and Winslet's Wonder Wheel

Boy, people really are missing how good this movie is.  And please don't get me wrong.  If you're against supporting Woody Allen given Dylan Farrow's recently re-stated allegations against him, I'm not about to try and change your mind.  Unlike a lot of cases, where the accused was either convicted or confessed, it's tough to decide upon a final opinion in this case.  I don't want to influence anyone from trusting their instincts here; I just want be sure people are making an informed decision strictly in terms of the merits of this film.  Because all the reactions I've read strongly suggest Wonder Wheel is just another lower tier effort, a disposable weak entry in Allen's extensive catalog; and that's just not the case.  It's a flat-out good movie.  I mean, obviously, it's not for everyone.  If you tell your tweens you're going to see Black Panther and then shove them into a screening room for this, I'm not suggesting they'd thank you for it.  But if it matters to you whether Wonder Wheel (and/ or Universal's blu-ray release) is actually any good or not, then let's have a look.

Update 3/14/18 - 3/28/18: Gotta be pro.  Added the DVD edition for a proper comparison.

Admittedly, it asks a lot.  Like I mentioned in my review of one of Woody Allen's last pictures, he's happy to wear his influences on his sleeve.  It's more than homage - we're meant to be in on it.  It's part of the experience, from the 8 1/2 experience of Stardust Memories to the wild notion of him breathing life into the famous manual Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask; these are the toys we're invited to play with Woody, combining his distinct humor and point of view with the source material.  And in Wonder Wheel, O'Neil is mentioned in this script more than some of the main characters.  Our protagonist narrator even turns to the camera to prepare us, "be warned, as a poet, I use symbols; and as a budding dramatist, I relish melodrama and larger than life characters."  So really the question may be more about how interested are audiences in a theatrical (in the sense of the stage) story like that in 2018.

Not that I'm saying the film is immaculate perfection.  Having that kind of set-up doesn't future proof the film from criticism anymore than having Mark Duplass turn to the camera in his first scene and saying, "this film is packed full of aborted ideas and plot contrivances that never go anywhere" would force us to regard The Lazarus Effect as an unparalleled work of genius.  You could just as well tell a great melodrama with larger than life characters or a terrible one.  In fact, over the years, more filmmakers have probably done the latter.  But this film has a lot going for it.  Kate Winslet gives an award-worthy performance (and this is really her story), and Jim Belushi, hot after a winning role in Twin Peaks: The Return, still nearly manages to steal every scene.

The supporting cast is quite strong, too.  Juno Temple holds her own against some major actors, the kid, in his small role, is hilariously written and played; and if you keep your eyes on the bit players, you'll spot a few Allen regulars, like comic Bobby Slayton, The Sopranos' Steve Schirripa, David Krumholtz and even Debi Mazar.  Justin Timberlake is the weakest link.  I've been impressed with him in The Social Network and Alpha Dog, but here he seems to struggle to speak in the style of the period.  The 50's era Coney Island location is great, and I can tell you from my dad's reaction, pure, uncut nostalgia porn for a select demographic.  The blue and gold color scheme does come dangerously close to going over the top at points, but overall Vittorio Storaro's photography is elegant and absorbing.  And it's impressive how much use Allen is able to make out of a single, old Mills Brothers tune (it's not the only song in the film, but it almost feels like it).

So, this is Allen's latest film with Amazon Studios, and this time the DVD and blu-ray are from Universal.  Last time they were from Lions Gate and the time before that they were from Sony.  I guess things are a little catch as catch can with him over there, but hey, I'm happy just to still get a properly pressed blu with a minimal token special feature (this is Woody Allen we're talking here).  And Universal's bid has substantially lowered the initial asking price, so it's all good news.  While we're at it, can we get a disc for Crisis In Six Scenes, too?

2018 US Universal DVD top, 2018 US Universal blu bottom.

This time around, it's not a combo-pack, so we've just got a blu.  Woody did shoot this on film, so this is a pretty straight-forward port of their DI to disc.  The only way you could really expect more is if they were to give us a 4k disc (yes, please! But it was hardly like in this small film's case).  Colors are certainly strong, the image is sharp when it wants to be.  There seems to be a soft film grain effect added to the feature, I guess to give it a more traditional feel, but that's down to the film itself, not Universal's blu-ray presentation.  The same can be said for the film's unusual aspect ratio: 2.0:1.  It's apparently a trending ratio that ties in with this film's DP, Storaro.  Interesting stuff; but anyway, it looks and sounds pretty great, with a dual-layer disc, while the DVD's predictably softer and less clear.

The blu features a DTS-HD 5.1 mix, while the DVD gives you a choice between lossy 5.1 and 2.0 mixes.  And both include optional English subtitles.

Well, maybe they did on the special features.  This is Woody, so we're used to that; but the sole feature here is a very brief, 3 minute featurette that cuts together footage of a cast and crew Q&A with a few red carpet soundbites.  Still, it's worth the watch.  Timberlake enthuses about how Wonder Wheel is like a play on locations.  But that's it; not even the trailer.  I'm a little surprised they left off the trailer, but whatever.  This does come in a slipcover, though, so there's that.  But then again, it just reminds me of the far superior poster art [right] they forsook at the last minute in favor of the typical Hollywood "big head" art for both the cover and the slip.  Oh well.

So, okay, this is no special edition.  That was never in the cards anyway.  But this is a first class, high quality presentation of the film.  And that's fitting, because it's a first class, high quality film.  So add it to your collection or don't.  But don't let 'em tell ya you're not missing anything.