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Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny
R1 - America - New Line Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (9th April 2007). |
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The Film
 Tenacious D are the best band in the world, or at least that's what they'll have you believe. A musical duo featuring actor Jack Black (of JB as he's occasionally known as) and confidant Kyle Gass (or KG), the band began their climb to the top with a series of HBO episodes that chronicled their hi-jinx and the release of a self titled album in 2001 saw their popularity rise. Song such as "Tribute" and "f*** Her Gently" were on constant repeat at frat houses across the country. The mix of JB's high-energy antics and KG's skills with a guitar combined with the absurd lyrics make for a dynamic punch and occasionally does rock your socks off. They conquered television (the HBO specials are available in "The Complete Masterworks" DVD), music and now they segway into films with "Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny". The film essentially tells the story of how these two originally met and the formation of Tenacious D, which doesn't start well. Having played only once in front of a crowd and not to anyone's satisfaction Jack and Kyle must find a way to rock hard, and the mighty pick of destiny is what will help them achieve rock-god status. The pick was forged from the tooth of Satan (Dave Grohl) himself and possess a special power over it's user that allows them to lick out rock tunes far greater than their level of skill. Jack and Kyle set out on an adventure to the 'Rock and Roll History Museum', where the pick was last seen to steal it in hopes to win an amateur stage contest so they can pay their rent. Along the way our characters train to be rock stars, meet their number 1 fan Lee (Jason Reed), trip on mushrooms and fly with Sasquatch (John C. Reilly, credited as 'Sasquatch Researcher') but most importantly, they rock. I must admit I am fan of 'The D', I bought their DVD and CD, I saw them live (and it kicked ass) and I eagerly anticipated seeing this film. I recall at their live show JB and KG revealed Meat Loaf's involvement (playing his dad) and also rocked out a new tune from the film. This was at least a year before the film even came out but it was enough to get me excited. A year later and I wish they spent more time working on the script. The film's plot is basic, the drug-humor is old bag, fart jokes aren't funny to anyone over the age of 15 (maybe 16 if you're a male) and erection jokes are also lame. So why would anyone see this film? Well if you're a 'D' fan then it's worth a look. Jack Black does his usual shtick that we've seen before adding his fast-forward brand of acting to the table, but it's the musical segments and the references to 'D' mythology (if you could call it that) that make the film so appealing to fans such as the introduction of Lee, the origin of the cock push ups and also the lead-up to the writing of "Tribute" at the end of the film. Some of the film's funnier moments include the Sasquatch mushroom tripping scene as well as the cameos from Ben Stiller who plays the music shop clerk that informs the duo on the history behind the pick and where to find it, Saturday Night Live regular Amy Poehler who appears as a truck stop diner waitress, which were both hilarious. But not all cameos were great, an appearance is made by Tim Robbins who plays a stranger with a bum leg, he comes off as a Russian/pirate hybrid in what is possibly one of the most awkward moments in film history, awkward for us...the audience because it's almost embarrassing seeing someone of Robbins' acting stature play such a stupid and ridiculous character, what was he thinking? I'm not surprised the film was a flop at the box office (taking in a little over $12 million world-wide) as the film is basically tailor made for fans of the band; I can't see anyone else really caring about this film especially since the humor is juvenile, the story is something a 15-year-old can do a better job of writing and JB's antics get tiring after 95 minutes. Even if you are a fan of 'The D' (as I am) I wouldn't watch this on your own, it makes for a far better viewing experience when watched with a group of like-minded individuals.
Video
Presented in a widescreen ratio of 1.85:1 this anamorphic transfer is a solid effort, the image is clean and free of dirt, it's sharp and displays detail and color well. Colors in fact pop off the screen; they are vivid and lush especially in scenes such as the mushroom trip sequence which features a lot of vibrant colors. Skin tones are natural, black levels are deep but I found shadow detail limited at times, mainly in night scenes which appear a little on the flat side. Otherwise I was pleased with this transfer as I could not spot any major flaws.
Audio
Two audio tracks are included in English DTS ES 6.1 Discrete surround as well as an English Dolby Digital EX 5.1 surround track and 2.0 surround track. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS ES track. As far as comedy's / musicals go this is a very impressive mix. Dialogue is clean and distortion free but the track is very active with music and other effects thrown into the mix. It's a very dynamic mix and ranges from ambient surrounds setting scenes (such as the boardwalk scene where JB and KG meet for the first time) to musical elements both song and score come out well throughout the sound space but action scenes are aggressive (such as the car chase). Overall, the range of this track is impressive. Optional subtitles are included in both English and Spanish.
Extras
First up is a feature-length audio commentary by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, the two remain mostly screen-specific as they comment on the development of the film and story elements including things that changed over time. They also talks about the cast and casting process of the film, interesting things include fact or fiction such as things that were fictionalized in the film and do not reflect their real lives (such as JB's childhood as portrayed in the film was not how he grew up, in fact his parents encouraged his music). They talks about the director and why Lynch with was the right buy for this film and also comment on the cameo appearances in the film as they lay down some praise for their felloe cast members. Overall this is a light track as JB and KG occasionally crack some jokes along the way, it makes for an entertaining listen and doesn't get boring. The second feature-length audio commentary is with the film's co-writer/director Liam Lynch. While there is some repetition here of information provided in the previous track there's enough that Lynch talks about to warrant a second track. Mainly focusing on the directing angle he comments on setting the scene and working with the actors and crew. He occasionally names key people in the crew that did an outstanding job, he also focuses on production design details and casting the smaller roles, which at times proved difficult, other areas that proved difficult was getting involvement from musicians such as clearing the Pete Townshend footage of the power slide. He talks about shooting on locations, his favorite scenes as well as the obligatory "when was this scene shot" trivia. Lynch leaves silent gaps occasionally through this track but overall this is another track worth listening to. A series of deleted and extended scenes follows, these can all be viewed individually or with a 'play all' function. The scenes included are: - "Intro" this is a brief intro by the director welcoming you to these scenes and runs for 48 seconds. - "Foot Massage" runs for 38 seconds, JB gives KG a foot massage as part of his rock training. - "KG Shows JB Maximum Overthruster" which runs for 2 minutes 8 seconds, KG plays the car chase video game and JB discovers another 'royalty check'. - "Army/Navy Surplus Store" runs for 5 minutes 10 seconds, JB and KG stock up on items for their break-in, this clip features a funny cameo by David Koechner as the store clerk. - "Army/Navy Surplus Store Alternate Ending" runs for 23 seconds, this is an alternate take of the clerk's final line once JB and KG have left the store. - "KG Talks About Friendship" runs for 1 minute 14 seconds, KG tells JB he's glad they're in a band and that they are friends but JB doesn't listen. - "Diner Scene JB Orders" runs for 1 minute 16 seconds, an extended version of the scene but JB orders more items that isn't served by the diner. - "KG Gets Dissed By Fraternity Dudes" runs for 1 minute 2 seconds, the frat dudes played by Colin Hanks, David Krumholtz and Jason Segel give KG a ribbing about being old. - "Shake Your Tushy It Will Fall Off - Long Version" runs for 48 seconds, an extended version of Sasquatch telling JB how to get the inner tube off his ass. - "JB Battles Evil f*** Monster" runs for 51 seconds, while flying with Sasquatch JB faces an evil f*** monster, which is KG in the shape of a penis. - "JB In Air Duct - Long Version" runs for 1 minute 27 seconds, extended version of the scene where JB crawls through the ducts talking to himself. - "Car Chase" runs for 6 minutes 23 seconds, this is the original version of the chase were part of it was to resemble the 'Maximum Overthruster' video game that KG plays. - "Brains Into s**t - Alternate Takes" runs for 1 minute 15 seconds, several takes of the line, plus other improved lines. - "Alternate Ending" runs for 41 seconds, 'The D' play a different song to the devil. - "About Lee's Car" runs for 1 minute 30 seconds, the boys tell Lee what happened to his car. - "Outtakes" runs for 3 minutes 39 seconds, this is a reel of line flubs and missed cues. "The Making Of Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny" is an EPK featurette that runs for 23 minutes 9 seconds and covers basically the entire production in brief from the development of the idea to casting to shooting. The clip interviews the key cast and crew as they talk about the film and how great it is, we uncover some of the cameos that make appearances in the film as well look behind-the-scenes of the filming of some key scenes. Next up is "In The Studio" a featurette that runs for 21 minutes 36 seconds, this is a fly-on-the-wall style behind-the-scenes clip as we see JB and KG in the recording studio getting their creative juices flowing, recording songs for the film and tweaking lyrics. A few funny antics here and there combined with the relaxed attitudes make for an interesting viewing experience as fans get to see 'The D' in their element. "The Making Of The Music Video" is next, this featurette runs for 4 minutes 44 seconds, this short clips takes us behind-the-scenes of the video shoot as we see various shots filmed and also hear from the director as well as JB and KG as to what they're doing. The music video for the title song "The Pick Of Destiny" by Tenacious D is also included in its entirety here and runs for 2 minutes 50 seconds. "Jump-to-a-Song" is an interactive feature that takes you directly to your favorite song in the film. The film's original theatrical trailer is included and runs for 1 minute 31 seconds as well as the original teaser trailer which runs for 1 minute 46 seconds. A series of bonus trailers are also included for: - "Mr. Woodcock" which runs for 2 minutes 31 seconds. - "Pan's Labyrinth" which runs for 2 minutes 29 seconds. - "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle" unrated DVD which runs for 2 minutes 13 seconds. - "Domino" which runs for 32 seconds. - "New Line DVD" promo spot which runs for 1 minute 58 seconds. - "Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny" soundtrack spot which runs for 16 seconds. Rounding out the extras are some DVD-ROM features, which includes web links to the New Line site as well as the official site for the movie.
Packaging
This DVD is packaged in an amaray case that is housed in a cardboard slip-cover.
Overall
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