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| Escape from L.A. |
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Genre:Action Adventure
Reviewed In Issue 24 Of Widescreen Review®
Stars:
Kurt Russell, Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Valeria Golino, Peter Fonda, Pam Grier, Michelle Forbes, George Corraface, Bruce Campbell, Cliff Robertson |
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 DVD General Information |
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| (Studio/Distributor): |
Paramount Home Video |
| (Catalog Number): |
LV33249-WS |
| (MPAA Rating): |
R |
| (Retail Price): |
$39.98 |
| (Running Time In Minutes): |
101 |
| (Color Type): |
Color |
| (Chaptered/Scene Access): |
Yes |
| (Closed Captioned): |
Yes |
| (Theatrical Release): |
1996 |
| (LD Release Date): |
4/97 |
| (THX® Digitally Mastered): |
Yes |
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| Credits Information |
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| (Director): |
John Carpenter |
| (Screenplay/Written By): |
John Carpenter, Debra Hill & Kurt Russell |
| (Story): |
NA |
| (Music): |
Shirley Walker & John Carpenter |
| (Director Of Photography): |
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| (Production Designer): |
Lawrence G. Paull |
| (Visual Effects): |
Buena Vista Visual Effects |
| (Costume Designer): |
Robin Michel Bush |
| (Editor): |
Edward A. Warschilka |
| (Supervising Sound Editors): |
John Dunn |
| (Re-Recording Mixers): |
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| (Executive Producers): |
NA |
| (Co-Producers): |
NA |
| (Producers): |
Debra Hill & Kurt Russell |
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| DVD Picture Information |
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| (Principal Photography): |
Panavision |
| (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): |
2.39:1 |
| (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): |
2.32:1 |
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| DVD Sound Information |
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| (DVD Soundtrack): |
Dolby Digital Surround |
| (Theatrical Sound): |
Dolby Digital |
| (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack): |
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| (Remastered Dolby Digital): |
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| (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): |
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| (Additional Languages): |
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| WSR Narrative Review |
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Story Synopsis:
Based on characters created by Nick Castle and director/writer/composer John Carpenter, Escape From L.A. is a futuristic action thriller where in 2013, Los Angeles has turned into the “island of the damned” following a 9.6 earthquake in 1998. Once an immoral American loses his or her citizenship, they are deported to L.A., never to come back. Kurt Russell reprises his role from Escape From New York (reviewed in Issue 10) as Snake Plissken.
LaserDisc Picture:
This is a Panavision® scope picture that measures 2.32:1, not the 1.85:1 aspect ratio as printed on the cover. The picture exhibits excellent color fidelity with vibrant colors, natural fleshtones and the deepest blacks. Images are sharp and detailed with superb shadow detail and contrast. Only the slightest noise and artifacts appear in some scenes for exemplary overall quality.The sets in the film, however, look contrived and computer generated backdrops are noticeably fake and distracting making for a low production value experience. This is one of the worst executed special effects action thrillers, but nonetheless it looks terrific.
LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack delivers an aggressive surround soundfield on both the matrix linear PCM and discrete 5.1 Dolby® Digital versions. Particularly, the discrete uses the split surround capability aggressively for a heightened surround dimension with excellent directional effects. The music, which is synthesizer scored with featured solo instruments, is nicely recorded and expansive with excellent bass extension and delineation. The bass is dynamic and the .1 low frequency effects are even more powerful below 25Hz. The bass is system threatening during the numerous earthquake sequences. Dialogue is well recorded and except for ADR forwardness, is generally spatially integrated. This is a dynamic soundtrack that is sure to please.
| (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): |
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| (Aggressive System Surround): |
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| (Intense 25Hz Bass): |
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| (Deep Bass Challenging): |
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| (Aggressive 0.1 LFE): |
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| (Holosonic Soundfield): |
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| (Aggressive Split Surround): |
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| (Center Back Surround Imaging): |
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| (Directionalized Dialogue): |
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Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality: |
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Superb Music Score Recording Quality: |
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Superb Special Visual Effects Quality: |
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Superb Color Fidelity: |
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Superb Cinematography: |
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Reference LaserDisc: |
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Collector Edition: |
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