|
The Movie: Although independent films had a boom a few years ago, it's unfortunate that during the past year or two, a number of good or great small pictures have gotten lost due to underdone marketing efforts. "Joe Gould's Secret" was unfortunately one of those films, only given a very limited release in theaters. Director Stanley Tucci ("Big Night") takes on the story of two men, Joe Mitchell(Tucci), a writer for the New York Post and Joe Gould, a bum who is reportedly writing an oral history of the world and goes around asking for donations to "The Joe Gould Fund". This is not your usual oral history. Gould has dedicated his life to living on the streets, taking down the words of people who he meets, whether smart or dull or what-not. He can also go from a kind, soft-spoken old man to a angry soul in a matter of moments. Ian Holm as Gould turns in a powerful performance and it's sometimes unfortunate that his is the most energetic in the film. Tucci is able to keep up, offering a counter-point to the outcast's intensity, but that's about it. Supporting players don't really make much of an impression either way as some of them make roles that amount to cameos, including Hope Davis, Susan Sarandon and others. The film's period sets are remarkably accurate, considering that the film had a very minor budget to work with. As for the film, there is a definite point that it reaches where I think Tucci could have moved the film a little bit faster and maybe done some cutting. Points toward the middle begin to lose focus, and we begin to wonder just where this is going as scenes don't feel like they're advancing the story, but serving for an acting stage for Holm. "Joe Gould's Secret" is good, but never quite gets going with the excception of the solid performance by Holm as Gould. It's a film of entertaining moments, but as a whole, it's interesting once, but not something that goes for repeat viewings. The DVD VIDEO: USA Film's presentation of "Joe Gould" is pretty unremarkable, with the anamorphic transfer of the film (1.85:1) showing an image that generally seems crisp, but during some sequences begins to slightly become soft and undefined. Detail is okay and colors are fine as well, although the film's color palette is not bright or vibrant. Some of the darker sequences seem especially murky. Some additional flaws do appear, including some brief traces of pixelation and a couple of very minor marks on the print used. With the film's period look and interesting locations, it's unfortunate that a better presentation wasn't made. This isn't a terrible looking image, it just seems inconsistent. USA has done better with previous films. SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is about what you would expect from a film like this one; the majority of the picture folds up to become dialogue driven, then opens up slightly with occasional touches of music. Dialogue is clear and easily heard, as well. MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds. EXTRAS: A very short featurette, the trailer and cast/crew bios. Final Thoughts: While "Joe Gould" isn't a movie without some problems, I still liked the performances of the two leads and found it to be an enjoyable film to watch once. It's unfortunate that USA didn't put together more of a DVD presentation, with so-so picture quality, decent sound quality, and a couple of minor extras. A rental will probably satisfy most in this case, instead of a purchase. 
DVD Grades Video 82/B = (328/400 possible points) Audio: 83/B = (332/400 possible points) Extras: 70/C- = (210/300 possible points) Menus: 75/C = (150/200 possible points) Value: 81/B = (243/300 possible points) TOTAL POINTS:1263/1600 DVD GRADE:C/78% DVD GRADE: C |