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Specs |
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- 16:9 Enhanced
- Dual Layer (RSDL 50:55)
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Languages |
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
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Extras |
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailer
- Featurette
- Behind the scenes footage
- TV spot
- Awards/Nominations
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Say it Isn't So |
20th Century Fox/20th Century Fox .
R4 . COLOR . 95 mins .
M15+ . PAL |
Feature |
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Contract |
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Once again we’re reviewing the same movie twice, as 20th Century Fox re-release Say It Isn’t So, but this time it's new, improved, comes dual layered, has special features and an audio commentary, but better still it's now available for retail sale! This actually puzzles me a bit though, surely Fox are aware that people might be silly enough to endure this film once on overnight loan, but having this movie to own - to taunt you forever - just sounds like a nightmare, forking out hard earned money to take home a DVD like this one, especially when considering the not-so-special features are less than ordinary to say the least? Seriously, what were they thinking? Work harder in the DVD department and release it all in one go, cross your fingers and hope that some hapless clown picks up the box and says ‘ooh look, it's by the guys that did There's Something About Mary, this should be good’ and then stooge them, stooge them for all they're worth!!! *takes breath* Let's move on, shall we? Say It Isn’t So comes from the master ‘dick and fart joke’ producers that brought us There’s Something About Mary, Shallow Hal and Dumb & Dumber, to name just a few. Might I also add the fact that the Farrelys decided to stick to the producer's chair for this film and neither wrote nor directed this cheesy flick. Instead they decided to pass on this big gig and hand the director's chair over to their long time second unit/assistant director James B. Rogers, who has since gone on to direct the second helping of American Pie. The film certainly does lack the Farrely Brothers' flair, with all the characters having a desperate shortage of charisma and presence, but then again that might just be Chris Klein. So let's try and picture this, we dress up a rag-doll that looks like Chris Klein and give him a goofy name like “Gilly Noble”. Gilly lives as a relatively happy dog catcher, living the life of an orphan bachelor, with no girlfriend and no knowledge of his parents. This all changes after an accident-prone hairdresser in a push-up bra accidentally chops off his ear and a romance ensues. Now insert problematic twist: Gilly’s new love, a love he just consummated, is actually with his sister. Sounds a little twisted doesn’t it?? But trust me, you ain’t seen nothing yet!! "Do you know what God says about slamming your sister?... DON'T" |
From here the madcap adventures really do begin, and for me to reveal any more of the storyline will only ruin what little originality there is left in this script. Just take my word for it when I say it's rude, crude and terribly offensive - which equals some typical Farrely like comedy.
Video |
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The video transfer on this disc is quite similar to that of the rental release. After further inspection I’ve picked up many more film artefacts, and in comparison with other films of its era (the olden days of 2001) its sharpness and clarity is actually pretty ordinary. The film is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is widescreen enhanced. Aliasing doesn’t cause any major pains and the shadow detail is quite nice. The colours are all life-like and well rendered, although I would refrain from using the typical words such as vibrant or radiant. Overall it’s a nice transfer without any major faults, however it still falls well short of reference material. The layer change has been placed perfectly, possibly the most impressive part of the transfer. Sitting at the 50:55 mark the change is at a still shot of a phone where the audio is silent. So apart from an extended still shot of the phone before it rings you wouldn’t even noticed the change, truly brilliant work.
Audio |
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The sound on Say It Isn’t So is presented as a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The audio on this disc is actually very ordinary, but this isn’t to say that it’s bad. The audio just doesn’t sound very special, there are a few effect shots in the film (although only a couple) but the soundtrack is never really pushed for brilliance. The dialogue is always clear and there don’t appear to be any syncing problems. The backing music is made up of a well-mixed collection of new and old, mainly featuring rock and pop music from the past few years or so. Overall it does the job, but not a drop more.
Extras |
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Contract |
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Overall |
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Contract |
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I think I should echo my sentiments from the first review… Overall Say It Isn’t So is a rather mediocre effort at an over-saturated film genre. As a tongue in cheek gross out film it achieves some great laughs, but as a classic Farrely brothers production it stands as being nothing special. The transfer under a more critical eye is nothing special to say the least, and the audio only scrapes in as average. The extras are forgettable and the movie ordinary. My recommendation is if you’ve seen it, and liked it, then pick it up. If you’re a HUGE fan of Farrely type humour then this film certainly contains plenty of that, even if it is of a lower intellectual calibre. For those of you who remain a little uncertain, I’ll leave you with this closing thought: I’ve been a bit harsh reviewing this film, and that’s because it deserves it. The film itself though is still funny and provides quite a few good laughs, just don’t expect a classic. I personally blame this on the leads, Chris Klein and Heather Graham, despite their recent popularity in modern Hollywood are just pathetic in their roles for this film. Everybody cared when Ben Stiller was busted at the end of There’s Something about Mary, but Chris Klein could have had his head physically ripped off his shoulders at the end of this film and I still wouldn’t have cared, I'd have been relieved that his attempts at acting were over, at least until his next cinematic embarrassment. So check it out if you’d like some dumb comedy, but you have been warned!
LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1447
Send to a friend.
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And I quote... |
"Sick and twisted comedy at its unoriginal best, pushing the phrase "hilariously offensive" to all new levels..." - Nathan Clark |
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Review Equipment |
- DVD Player:
Pioneer DV-636
- TV:
LG 80cm
- Speakers:
Pioneer
- Audio Cables:
Standard RCA
- Video Cables:
standard s-video
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