 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Criterion blu-ray out today. http://amzn.to/13bYW00
I never understood why people love this film so much. I watched it once, on VHS, in the 80s, and it just seemed, well, okay.
What am I missing? Should I watch it again? Why does it deserve a Criterion edition? I don't get it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
While clearly not to everybody's taste, Repo Man was one of the best reviewed films of 1984. It is remembered today for being one of the best representations of the mid-80s L.A. punk scene as well as a biting satire on conspiracy theorists, an increasingly commercialized religious presence and the economic realities of the era (which actually inform all aspects of the film). The film's anarchic sense of humor is understandably off-putting to many, but on the other hand, it's one of the few films you can point to where the first time you ever saw it, you really had no idea what was going to happen next.
The Criterion picture transfer is pretty clean, and looks great considering the vintage and budget of the movie. The previous DVD I had of this title had an awful surround re-mix that just muddied up the sound. The Criterion disc restores the original mono soundtrack, which is actually a very good mix, and it sounds clear and present here, with good balances. The music particularly benefits from this presentation, as it sounded very fuzzy on the re-mix.
The Criterion disc features two of the most notable Plugz score cues are heard during the menu screens without any sound effects or dialogue; the variation on “Ride of the Valkyries” heard when the gang steals the Malibu from the Rodriguez brothers, and the riff on Iggy Pop's Repo Man theme as Otto chases down the Malibu on foot, with arpeggios matching his sprint down a flight of stairs. The menu screen animation can be seen here:
http://vimeo.com/63400563
The Masters of Cinema release reportedly has an isolated music and effects track which doesn't appear on the Criterion. Does anybody have that release? How busy is the effects track?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
