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Love and Other Catastrophes
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (3rd September 2024). |
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The Film
 "Love and Other Catastrophes" (1996) Ari (played by Matthew Dyktynski) is a university student who is cool yet intelligent with his knowledge of the arts, though at night he makes his extra cash as a gigolo. His classmate Michael (played by Matt Day) is nice but a bit shy and awkward and is looking for a different place to live as his flatmates are partiers and is too noisy for his studies. Ari introduces Michael to Mia (played by Frances O'Connor) who is looking for a new roommate, though she is going through a number of issues. She is going through a breakup with her girlfriend Danni (played by Radha Mitchell) and at the same time she is having trouble with switching her studies due to her professor giving her a hard time with the paperwork involved. Mia's dreamy roommate Alice (played by Alice Garner) has a new crush, but it happens to be Ari. Taking place over a twenty-four hour period, "Love and Other Catastrophes" focuses on a group of university students who are mostly passing acquaintances at the start of the day, but by the end become entangled friends through a variety of mishaps and encounters. The structure feels closer to a stage production as characters go in and out of the frame, changing the direction of the conversations and the plot with each character having a differing goal set for the day, and their interactions are separated with each scene. The Hollywood screwball comedies of the 1930s are also an inspiration, with each sequence standing as its own device for its plot while there are other happenings elsewhere with the other characters, and essentially all come crashing together in the climax. While those Hollywood productions were lavish with a huge cast and grand settings, "Love and Other Catastrophes" is the polar opposite. It was made independently and shot for a miniscule budget of $45,000 on the director Emma-Kate Croghan's school campus of the University of Melbourne with a small cast and crew of mostly newcomers. The film is filled with film references, with characters name checking actors such as Doris Day and John Travolta while there are moments in which film such as "Thelma and Louise" and "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" are mentioned in conversations. It is a film made by film school students and film lovers will certainly get a kick out of it, though it may get too many hits on the head as not all characters are film school students in this scenario. There is a fun segment of the film professor Leach (played by Kim Gyngell) about to teach the "old-fashioned" styles of Alfred Hitchcock which produces groans from the students, who are more interested in modern living filmmakers, as each faction of students are dressed and acting like the filmmakers mentioned in a pseudo-dream sequence. Quentin Tarantino is one of the filmmakers mentioned, and there is a direct influence with the dialogue here, as well as influence from filmmaker Richard Linklater in which the flow of the conversation doesn't reflect the direction of the story but a tangent of the character's mind. The script which was co-written by Croghan has a lot of non-sensical dialogue that has no major direction to how the plot will continue, but are fun anecdotes of referential humor and the tangent driven thinking of of university students. 90s indie comedies were filled with features that had wittiness to the dialogue and self-deprecating humor such as in "Kicking and Screaming", "Clerks among others, and while those have been reflections on America, it's clear that the humor worked down in Australia as well, seemingly being a close relative of the indie American comedies rather than being geographically confusing. This does lead to a wider audience reaction due to the references to well known Hollywood figures and features. It would not have been caught by many people at the time or even in the modern day, but it was quite surprising to see appearances by noted Australian film critics Adrian Martin and Paul Harris in minor roles as themselves in the feature. The main actors mostly had some credits in television, though Day did have a role in the acclaimed feature "Muriel's Wedding" in 1994. The performances by them are good with natural reactions rather than overreactions, which was something the director had to remind them. There wasn't to be overdone performances as seen on stage or in screwball comedies, but having reality checked in. Mia's calmness but hidden frustrations within, the shyness of Alice such as when she hides under the table, Michael realizing how uncool he is even if he tries to be cool, the nonchalant attitude of Ari - all come across great, though they are not particularly standouts in terms of capabilities. With a production schedule of only 17 days on location at the school and some surrounding places, everything was tightly done with a cast and crew that were mostly newcomers to making a feature film. Shooting on the Super 16 format was a cost cutting measure as was using existing locations and houses as the budget would not allow for sets to be constructed. It's quite impressive at what was accomplished, and a larger budget would have been interesting to see, but it may have taken away from the DIY aesthetic that makes the film stand out among the rest of the 90s indie comedies. The film was pre-sold to Fox Searchlight at the Cannes Film Festival, who offered the production an extra $500,000 which would go towards post-production, music licensing, and marketing. The soundtrack album was organized through Polygram Records, which helped secure licensing from a number of local acts as well as some international artists, and at that time it was key to selling a 90s indie comedy with a soundtrack album of established and up-and-coming artists. The film was released by Beyond Films and premiered in Australia on August 1st, 1996 and was a critical and fair commercial hit, grossing $1.6 million in cinemas. It received five AFI Award nominations with Best Film, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Screenplay and Best Editing. While it was snubbed in all five categories, Alice Garner did receive a Best Supporting Actress award at the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards. The film was released in the United States by Fox in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1997 though it made only a small dent at the box office, grossing less than $500,000. It was scheduled to be released on VHS and Laserdisc in the United States, though the LD release was cancelled. It never got the major attention that other 90s indie comedies received in the United States, and this was also due to the lack of promotion, as well as the soundtrack album not being released there and only having an Australian release. The film did receive a DVD release in Australia in 2004, and now it has finally come to the Blu-ray format from Umbrella Entertainment. Note this is region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The production was shot mostly on Super 16 film and some segments on a Bolex camera and was blown up to 35mm for theatrical screenings. The Bolex shot segments are very grainy and filled with inconsistencies with flicker, heavy grain, and damage as should be expected due to the nature of the camera and the film itself. Super 16 film would also have quite a heavy amount of grain, but the transfer here is a bit questionable on how it looks. Grain has seemingly been wiped quite clean for a smooth look for the most part. Sharpness is also affected, with everything looking quite soft and detail not coming off very well. Colors are on the brighter side and lack true depth in hues with the darker tones. It's not stated what was used for the transfer to HD or about the remastering process, but it's possible that a 35mm blow up source was used for the remastering, rather than going back to the original Super 16 materials. While it may look better than it ever has on any home video format, it doesn't quite have the natural 16mm grainy quality or sharpness to it here. On the positive side, damage marks have been eliminated for a clean looking transfer. The film's runtime is 78:39.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo The original stereo audio track is presented in lossless form. Dialogue is kept centered while the left and right separations are used primarily for the music cues which sound very good throughout, being in the background at certain points and in the foreground in others. The 90s Australian alterna-centered soundtrack includes tracks from artists such as The Cruel Sea, Underground Lovers, Godstar, Rebecca's Empire, Tumbleweed, SPDFGH, Died Pretty and others, plus some classic tracks from Velvet Underground and Blue Mink and some international acts such as Monday Michiru and The Cardigans. The music is well balanced against the dialogue, and there are no issues or dropout, hiss, or any other damage to the audio for a clean and clear track. There are optional English HoH subtitles available in a white font for the feature, which are easy to read and well timed. There was a typo during the end credits captioning the lyrics to "Let's Do It", with "even educated fleas do it" being written as "even educated bees do it", and there was a line or two that wasn't reflected in the subtitles.
Extras
Audio commentary with Emma-Kate Croghan (2024) This newly recorded commentary has Croghan looking back at the film with moderation by Alexei Touliopoulos. Talked about are the use of a vintage Bolex camera for some sequences, the casting choices, the use of locations, the inspirations from classic screwball comedies as well as recent indie films with the use of self-referential dialogue and similar tones. In addition she discusses how they were able to license the Velvet Underground song, about the film's release and more. There are a few blank spots but it is a solid listen. Note that Croghan says there was inspiration from the film "Slackers" but she must have meant Richard Linklater's "Slacker". Note that this commentary differs from the one that appeared on the Hopscotch Entertainment DVD release. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles 2024 Interview with actor Matt Day (21:41) Day is interviewed here by Alexei Touliopoulos (in the same session as the one found on the "Dating the Enemy" Blu-ray) in which he talks about being part of the ensemble role in a microbudget film. He recalls about his reaction to the script, working with the other actors, shooting the final party scene, and also mentioning about his three favorite films at the moment. During the conversation, Day and Touliopoulos are unsure if "The Vanishing" (1989) was a Danish or Swedish film, but it is correctly a Dutch film. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Trailer (2:01) Presented here is the Australian trailer, which has also been remastered. It has also been embedded below, though in lower resolution with less clarity. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles The film was previously released on DVD by Hopscotch Entertainment in Australia, which had an open matte transfer and a differing audio commentary by Croghan. The new Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment does not carry over the existing commentary but instead provides a new selection of extras including a newly recorded commentary by Croghan. The Blu-ray has some good extras though it is not exactly packed. No interviews vintage or new from the remaining cast members or crew members, it doesn't include the American theatrical trailer which is quite different from the Australian one, nor are there any music videos from the soundtrack album included. Other notable clips: The American trailer by Fox Searchlight, which uses Al Green's "Love and Happiness" for the trailer's music. "Sunday Morning" by The Velvet Underground & Nico "Just a Man" by The Cruel Sea "You're Just Too Hip Baby" by Dave Graney & The Coral Snakes "Recognise" by Underground Lovers "Pushpin" by Godstar "Empty" by Rebecca's Empire "TV Genocide" by Tumbleweed "Steal Mine" by SPDFGH "Fake That Emotion" by Tex, Don & Charlie "Rainy Daze" by Monday Michiru "Can You Feel It" by Blue Mink "Good at Love" by Died Pretty "Carnival" by The Cardigans "I'm Only Looking" by INXS, directed by Emma-Kate Croghan
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a clear keep case with reversible artwork, with the only difference being the Australian M rating logo being removed on the opposite side. The packaging mistakenly states the disc is region B only as it is in fact region ALL, and the aspect ratio as 1.85:1 when it is in 1.78:1. It is also available with a limited edition slipcover exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop. It is also available in a Collector's Edition, limited to 300 copies exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop which also includes: - 48 page book featuring essays from Jenny Valentish and Digby Houghton, behind-the-scenes, experiences and art - Original poster art rigid slipcase - Original poster art slipcover - 8 artcards - A3 reversible poster The booklet first starts with an essay on the film by Digby Houghton on its background, behind the scenes information, and where it stands in Australian independent cinema of the era. Next is a reprint of a 1996 interview with Croghan by Fincia Hopgood for the August 1996 edition of Cinema Papers discussing the making of the film. Then there is an essay on the film by Jenny Valentish from 2022 as part of "Melbourne on Film - Cinema That Defines Our City". Finally there are stills including international poster designs and newspaper clippings. The eight artcards feature production stills in color and black and white on rigid cards. The reversible poster features the Australian and American poster designs. The poster is folded and housed in the keep case, which along with the artcards and book fit inside the rigid slipcase with its own unique artwork. 
Overall
"Love and Other Catastrophes" will certainly hit the marks for film lovers and 90s indie comedies, and is a fun work that is not a major technical or visceral one but reflects the time period with a good cast. The Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray release is not particularly strong with the visual side with the remastering, and the extras are a little slim, but is still worthy of having a look.
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