|
|
 |
Wrong
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Image Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (8th October 2013). |
|
The Film
 How do you describe a film like "Wrong"? it's so bat-sh*t crazy I have no idea where to begin... one thing's for certain, this film is not for everyone, even the art-house crowd were divided by "Wrong" - on one hand it's a unique and twisted film that's wholly unpredictable, and on the other it's too unique and twisted for some people's liking. The best word that summarizes "Wrong" would be strange, it's a strange film that manages to keep your interest until the very end. What could you possibly expect from a filmmaker who's previous film was about a killer tire? "Rubber" (2010) was different, and in the tradition of different, Quentin Dupieux continues on that trajectory. Dolph Springer (Jack Plotnick) awakens one morning to find he has lost his sole love of his life - his dog, Paul. Desperate to reunite with his best friend and to set things right, Dolph embarks on a journey which spirals into the realm of the absurd. On his quest, he alters the lives of several bizarro characters, including a promiscuous pizza delivery girl, Emma (Alexis Dziena), a mentally unstable jogging-addicted neighbor (Regan Burns), an opportunistic French-Mexican gardener (Eric Judor), an eccentric pet detective (Steve Little), and most mysterious of all - an enigmatic pony-tailed guru Master Chang (William Fichtner), who teaches Dolph how to metaphysically reconnect with his pet. Everything about "Wrong" is weird, every character has their own quirk - Dolph is a sad and solitary person who doesn't seem to be able to cope with change, Emma is emotionally messed up and doesn't know what she wants (there's also a slight hint of psycho-girlfriend material), Victor the gardener is aloof and misguided, Detective Ronnie is absurd in his techniques and borderline delusional and Master Chang is a white guy with an Asian name that's a master in the art of bullsh*t disguised as meaningful mantra... The interactions Dolph has with all these characters seem totally random and by happenstance, which is what makes them so much fun to watch, you never know what to expect, but one thing's for sure - it's always something off-the-wall. One of my favorite characters in the film is a cop (Mark Burnham) who seems to tell the truth about how he's feeling no matter how objectionable it may be to whom he's talking to, he provided some solid laughs and was popular enough with the filmmaker to warrant a spin off movie featuring the character ("Wrong Cops" (2013)). Steve Little), and William Fichtner also provide memorable turns in their roles as well. The film's structure is traditional, in a sense that it has three acts and the story revolves around one incident (the missing dog) it's what happens within these acts that are different to most films, some viewers will likely try to find hidden meaning within the scenes, but the film's director has said that there is none, it's all an exercise in randomness... for example at Dolph's work it rains inside (yes, inside the office), why does it rain inside Dolph's work place? Because it visually looks interesting... that's it, I suppose you can say it's a metaphor for the hum-drum tediousness of office life, or you can just accept it for what it is, something interesting for the sake of it. It's this randomness that possibly turns people away from films of this ilk. If you like absurdism then "Wrong" is exactly the movie for you, I'm personally on the fence. While I appreciate absurdist content, It needs to be innovative and interesting to maintain my attention, "Wrong" hits those notes occasionally, and at times it just drops into a black hole of comedy that's just plain stupid. At least director Quentin Dupieux has the initiative to try something different and run with it, and that spirit is admirable.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 1080p 24/fps high definition mastered in AVC MPEG-4 compression. Image Entertainment and Drafthouse Films offer a terrific transfer, the image is sharp and crisp. Colors appear natural, with deep and bold black levels. Detail looks good, right down to minute elements. The picture is clean from any forms of artifacts, dirt and compression related issues. Depth looks good and overall the image holds up brilliantly from start to finish.
Audio
Two audio tracks are included in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mixed at 48kHz/16-bit as well as English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS-HD audio, the norm would be to master at 24-bit, for some reason we get a 16-bit audio track, despite this, the film's audio is subtle and nuanced and works well to service the film. Dialogue is clear and free of any distortion, surrounds are occasionally active when needed to be, otherwise the audio is front focused. The score utilizes the surrounds well and directional sounds appear natural. Optional subtitles are included only in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
Image Entertainment and Drafthouse Films offer up some minor supplements on this disc, including three short featurettes, a collection of bonus trailers and a booklet. Below is a closer look at these extras. First up is "Phase 7: The Making of a Non-Film" (1080p) featurette which runs for 12 minutes 17 seconds, this short clip takes a look at the making of the film, featuring interviews with key cast and crew discussing the film, casting and shooting process. "THE WRONG - Behind the Scenes" (1080p) is the next featurette which runs for 17 minutes 56 seconds, is a behind-the-scenes look at a table reading of a portion of the script. "Memories of Dog Turd" (1080i) is the final featurette which runs for 3 minutes 37 seconds, is the full clip of the dog's memory as accessed through his excrement. A collection of bonus trailers (1080p) are included for: - "The FP" - "Bullhead" - "Klown" - "The Ambassador" - "Miami Connection" - "Wake in Fright" - "Drafthouse Alliance" spot A code that allows access to a digital copy is also included as is a liner notes booklet that features "My Life, My Dog, My Strength, Volume II" by Master Chang, an introduction by actor Eric Wareheim, an interview with director Quentin Dupieux, an interview with producer Gregory Bernard and a biography of Master Chang.
Overall
|
|||||
|