WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Home Fries
Genre:Comedy

Reviewed In Issue 32 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Drew Barrymore, Catherine O’Hara, Luke Wilson, Jake Busey, Shelley Duvall

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 3.5
Sound Rating: 5
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
Internet Links

Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number): 15169
(MPAA Rating): PG13
(Retail Price): $29.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 93
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Theatrical Release): 1998
(LD Release Date): 3/99
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Dean Parisot
(Screenplay/Written By): Vince Gilligan
(Story): Vince Gilligan
(Music): Rachel Portman
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Barry Robison
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): Nicholas C. Smith, ACE
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers): Mark Johnson, Barry Levinson & Lawrence Kasdan

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Academy Standard Flat
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.80:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Digital Surround
(Theatrical Sound): DTS, SDDS & Dolby Digital
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital): No
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
In the quirky black comedy Home Fries, pregnant Sally Jackson (Drew Barrymore) is manning the drive-through window at Burger-Mania the night two helicopter pilots Dorian and Angus (Luke Wilson and Jake Busey) chase down and scare their philandering stepfather to death at the urging of their mother (brilliantly played by Catherine O’Hara). Upon realizing that the copter’s radio frequency is the same as the headsets at Burger-Mania, Dorian gets a job there to see if anyone heard what they’d done. Unfortunately, he falls in love with Sally who unbeknownst to anyone was the dead man’s lover.

LaserDisc Picture:
Fleshtones appear slightly yellowish on the 1.80:1 LaserDisc. The picture is inconsistently sharp and detailed, with some scenes exhibiting finer detail than other scenes. Likewise, many scenes are hazy. Shadow delineation is impressive, especially in the opening scenes, and nicely renders a subtle gradation between darkness and picture black.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The 5.1 discrete Dolby® Digital and matrix PCM soundtracks convey a spatially dimensional quality with terrific sound effects and directionalized soundfield dimensionality. The discrete is better delineated in soundstage imaging and is effectively split surround localization. The sound is very dynamic and at times delivers full-scale volume with powerful bass to below 25Hz, especially when the .1 LFE channel is engaged. While dialogue is not particularly integrated spatially and a bit forward sounding, intelligibility is excellent.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz): Yes
(Aggressive System Surround): Yes
(Intense 25Hz Bass): Yes
(Deep Bass Challenging): Yes
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield): Yes
(Aggressive Split Surround): Yes
(Center Back Surround Imaging): Yes
(Directionalized Dialogue): Yes
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Yes
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
No
Superb Color Fidelity:
No
Superb Cinematography:
-
Reference LaserDisc:
No
Collector Edition:
No
DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
Fleshtones appear slightly yellowish on the LaserDisc, while the anamorphically enhanced DVD, viewed in component video, is slightly more defined and natural. The picture is inconsistently sharp and detailed, with some scenes exhibiting finer detail than other scenes, but the LaserDisc is often hazy, especially when directly compared to the DVD. Shadow delineation is impressive, especially in the opening scenes, where the DVD is superb in rendering a subtle gradiation between darkness and picture black. The overall appearance is pleasing on both versions. While the LaserDisc is matted at 1.80:1, the anamorphic and letterbox DVD ratios are 1.78:1. The soundtrack is superb. Both the 5.1 discrete Dolby® Digital DVD and LaserDisc, and matrix PCM LaserDisc soundtracks convey a spatially dimensional quality with terrific sound effects and directionalized soundfield dimensionality. The discrete is better delineated in soundstage imaging and is effectively split surround localization. The sound is very dynamic and at times delivers full-scale volume with powerful bass to below 25Hz, especially when the .1 LFE channel is engaged. While dialogue is not particularly integrated spatially and a bit forward sounding, intelligibility is excellent.