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The Movie:
Where is the Minnie Driver that we've come to enjoy in films like "Good Will Hunting" and "Grosse Pointe Blank". Those two films were only a couple of years ago, but here was an actress who could play drama and emotion very well, and also knew how to sell a really great comedic line. She stars here in this "straight-to-video" title (as her new film "Beautiful" opens and closes in theaters in practically the same week).
With a cast that also includes James Spader, I thought that "Slow Burn" might have been one of those moderately watchable smaller films that falls between the cracks. While it's definitely not a complete loss, it's not a very interesting effort, either. Driver stars as Trina, a woman obsessed with finding diamonds that she knows are out there in the desert. As things begin to look more grim, she ponders leaving her quest to go towards a life outside of the burning hot sands.
Two con artists, badly played by James Spader and Josh Brolin, enter into her life and it becomes a matter of who's going to outsmart(which, in this case, is not saying a lot) who. Flashbacks and other details are awkwardly given and sometimes confusing and the limp performances do nothing to speed up what often seems like 3 people wandering around the desert for an hour and a half. With some decent names, it sounded like it could have made for an interesting picture, but the final result is definitely less than a thrill.
The DVD
VIDEO: Artisan only provides a full-frame presentation here, and although it's unfortunate that the film is not presented widescreen, the quality of the picture isn't too bad. Sharpness and detail are passable, and clarity is solid in the film's bright sunlight. Not a particularly "visual" movie, the wide-open landscapes still are captured nicely by the film's cinematography.
As for problems, there are relatively few that I encountered in the presentation, outside of some marks on the print used that were slightly distracting. No pixelation or shimmering appear during the course of the film.
Colors? Well, there really aren't too many colors throughout the movie, with the browns of the sands being the main color on display besides the dark blues of the sky. This is not a terrible presentation, but a widescreen edition would have been appreciated, even if it would have improved the less-than-thrilling viewing experience of this movie.
SOUND: The film's audio is Dolby Surround. The only time that the surrounds come into play is during a few scenes where a gust of wind blows through, but other than that, the presentation is geared almost completely towards the front of the room, with the music getting the most focus. Dialogue occasionally sounds muffled and hard to understand. More in the way of outdoor sounds would have been appreciated.
MENUS:: The one element that Artisan seems to never dissapoint with is menus, and there work here is very cool, creating a great main menu with clips from the movie.
EXTRAS: Trailer and cast/crew bios.
Final Thoughts: Skip it.
DVD Grades
Video 73/C = (292/400 possible points)
Audio: 73/C = (292/400 possible points)
Extras: 70/C- = (210/300 possible points)
Menus: 85/B = (170/200 possible points)
Value: 79/C+ = (237/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1201/1600
DVD GRADE:C/75%
Film GRADE: D
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