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Orange County
R2 - United Kingdom - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Mathew Buck (31st December 2004). |
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The Film
 Orange County is a hidden gem. Written by Mike White and starring Jack Black (who together went onto The School Of Rock), the film was largely ignored at cinema release thanks to it's distributor pulling it from different release dates until November, where it bombed. Luckily, it seems to have found an audience on DVD, thanks to the new-found popularity of a certain Mr. Black. Shaun Brumder (Colin Hanks) wants to be a professional surfer, and likes to surfer with his friends. One day, one of his friends dies while trying to surf tsunami waves. After the funeral, Shaun discovers on a beach a book buried in the sand called "Straight Jacket", which was written by Marcus Skinner. Skinner is a teacher of English at Stanford University. Inspired by Marcus' work, Shaun begins to write a story of his own. However, his brother, Lance (Jack Black), is a washed up druggie, his English teacher (Mike White) doesn't seem to know how to read, and his girlfriend, Ashley (Schuyler Fisk) is so positive, it's not really true. So he sends it to Skinner. However, due to a error by his guidance counselor (Lily Tomlin), Shaun gets rejected from Stanford. After a failed attempt to get in, Lance suggests Shaun should go to Stanford to talk to the Dean Of Admissions (Harold Ramis). So they do, and it begins a long night in Stanford for Shaun. Colin Hanks makes a good enough lead, with some hints of his dad's screen charisma. Black is funny whenever he's on-screen, but his energy sometimes brings the film to a crawl, particularly in Act Three, where he disappears for most of it. Fisk is sweet, but I'm not sure if she has enough presence on screen to cast away the shadow of her mother. The film, however, is very short (running a time of just 78 minutes) and has barely enough time for the audience to recover from the last gag. As a result, repeat viewings might help uncover some of the subtle gags that one misses on first glance. Orange County is a good movie and, if you see it cheap, it's well worth your time.
Video
Picture is generally acceptable, however, moire, aliasing and film grain, however, are present. Grain was at it's worst at the early scene with the maid, with grain becoming distracting. For the rest of the transfer, however, it was at an acceptable level. Aliasing can be spotted at the walls of Shaun's school. The transfer was at the acceptable level of being consistantly between 7 and 9 Mbps, with the exception of title sequence, which was between 2 and 4 Mbps. Subtitles are given in a variety in different languages, including English and German.
Audio
Three Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are provided. I listened to the English one. The film doesn't need an aggressive soundtrack, so you don't get one. The few times when it does use the channels, such as the tsunami and the fire, it uses them well. The sound field also helps with the music score.
Extras
First up are four deleted scenes. For a film that apparently had much more shot, having only four scenes feels like they're holding back. What we do get are fairly good short scenes. My favourites included "Rehab", which brings a possible happy ending to the character of Lance, and "Mrs Cobb Fights Back" which is a nice final appearance of the guidance counselor. Then there are 15 interstitials, which are TV spots aired on MTV in America to advertise the film. They are fairly funny, but shouldn't get more than one viewing. There also appears to be some weird glitches encountered when one plays these sometimes (including a black screen, which you can't get out of, and suddenly playing the opening credits of the movie, minus the sound). You have been warned. Then there is the Audio Commentary with writer Mike White and director Jake Kasdan, which, while having good info, has lots of silences and back patting. Finally, we have the Theatrical Trailer, which reveals all the funny jokes. Do not watch this before the movie. Also, on the main menu, make your selection quickly, as it spoils the big surprise cameo.
Overall
The film is a good, but short film, about how far one will go to follow their dream. It is presented on an average disc, which does have some faults. It's worth seeking out if it's cheap.
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