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The Movie:
"School Ties" is a fairly good movie that has gained a bit of a cult following since it gave an early start to many of today's more popular actors, including Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The film takes place in 1950, and David Greene has just transfered to a new school. Coming from a working-class Jewish family, he hopes that the school will provide a good education and possibly the chance to go to Harvard; he's also there because the school's football team needs a new quarterback.
At first he generally fits in with the other boys at the school, but once his religion is revealed, so are the prejudices of the other boys at the school. His former friend, Charlie Dillon(Damon) has also now turned against him into his competition.
Frasier is excellent as a kind, charming character who must face the narrow minds of others at school. It's his serious, dramatic performance that carries the film. Although Frasier is fine in action fare like "The Mummy" or comedies like "George of the Jungle", it should be noted that he's capable of more. The supporting cast isn't bad either. Even Chris O'Donnell, who is usually a weak actor, is decent.
The film occasionally feels a little slow at times; the drama here works and is quite good. The other parts of the film, such as the kids getting in trouble or what-not, is a little blah. The film does deserve credit though, for seriously looking at those who are unfortunately narrow-minded and ignorant about other cultures.
It's not always perfect, but it's a suprisingly good drama that works more than not.
The DVD
VIDEO: "School Ties" is a pleasant looking film, and the it gets a nice looking transfer here - Paramount has presented it in a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, and although the image quality is a good presentation, the film's intentions do kinda show at times.
By that I mean the film's look, which seems to be the slightest touch soft by intention. This isn't always the case, and many of the film's scenes look nicely sharp and crisp. Clarity is good, and detail is fine although not great. Some of the dimly lit scenes seem slightly undefined. Colors fare very well, from the warm colors of the interiors to the natural colors of the outdoor scenery. Colors are nicely saturated and accurate, looking good with no problems.
There is a tiny touch of pixelation now and then, but this is not a distracting problem. For the most part, the picture remains free of such problems. There are some slight print flaws on occasion; some marks and minor scratches; these are noticable but not distracting.
This is a nice transfer - it's not anything that's too far beyond average, but it makes for a good viewing experience.
SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack doesn't offer too much of a workout, but it does have some pleasant aspects to it. Much of the film is dialogue-driven, but the occasional scene does offer a more open, subtle experience. Some of the outdoor scenes have subtle surround use, like the sounds of birds chirping, etc. The surrounds are lightly offer the score at times.
This is certainly nothing agressive, but the film does have pleasing audio that serves to add to the dialogue-driven nature of the film. The musical score is finely presented, sounding clear and natural. The dialogue is also natural and easily understood. An unremarkable but respectable soundtrack that's pretty much focused on dialogue.
MENUS:: Very basic menus with only a few small film-themed images and options.
EXTRAS: Nothing.
Final Thoughts: The film is pretty good, but the disc doesn't offer too much; average sound and video, and no extras. If you're a fan of the film, you may like this DVD, but otherwise, the lack of features makes this more of a rental.
Film Grade
The Film B
DVD Grades
Video 86/B = (344/400 possible points)
Audio: 83/B = (332/400 possible points)
Extras: 0/F = (0/300 possible points)
Menus: 70/C- = (140/200 possible points)
Value: 79/C+ = (237/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1053/1600
DVD GRADE:D/65%
FILM GRADE: B
DVD GRADE: D
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