DVD
REVIEW: OBSERVE AND REPORT
09/16/09
OVERVIEW: Seth Rogen
stars in the dark comedy "Observe and Report,"
arriving on DVD September 22 from Warner Home Video. written and
directed by Jody Hill. Donald De Line is the producer, with
Andrew Haas, Marty Ewing, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni serving as
executive producers. The film also stars Anna Faris, Michael
Pena, Celia Weston and Ray Liotta. Warner Bros.
On September 22, Observe and
Report will also be available ON DEMAND through Digital Cable,
Satellite TV, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game consoles and it
can be downloaded for rental or purchase on iTunes and Amazon
Video On Demand.
SYNOPSIS: At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security
Ronnie Barnhardt (SETH ROGEN) patrols his jurisdiction with
an iron fist. The master of his domain, he combats
skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly
customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his
flashlight for a badge and a gun.
Ronnie's delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the
mall is struck by a flasher. Driven by his personal duty to
protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes
the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law
enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of
this crime will earn him a coveted spot at the police
academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi (ANNA FARIS), the hot make-up counter clerk who won't give him the
time of day.
FILM REVIEW:
Ronnie Barnhardt: Are you all right?
Brandi: Physically yes, but psychologically? No!
After seeing this movie, yeah, I’m a little psychologically
scarred too. For those of you expecting another Paul Blart
Mall Cop, uh, no, not quite, far from it. Yes there are
plenty of similarities in the story, the setting, and the
characters, but there is a world of difference in the
content. Paul Blart with its PG rating is Sesame Street next
to this envelope pushing R rated flick. This one is more
serious and more violent with abundant drug use,
dysfunctional and degenerate characters, and it is just
simply all around messed up. I mean really, just forget the
norm because this one is really off the wall. It will make
you laugh and it will make you say “did I just see/hear
that?”. There are a few moments that your jaw will drop. All
in all though, I was expecting a little more out of this
picture.
One of the stronger aspects of this movie is the cast. It is
much better built than the Paul Blart version. Seth Rogen
leads the way with a sharp performance, arguably one of his
best. He has been pretty busy lately but he was still able
to deliver the main reason this movie would be worth
watching. If you are a fan of his, you will most probably
like this movie. He is very well complimented by Anna Faris
as once again she delivers a strong comical piece. These two
were perfectly cast for these roles. So was Ray Liotta who
plays a detective. He seemed ever so slightly out of place
for a comedy of this type, but regardless, he was very good
with his role. Michael Pena was one of the bigger surprises
with the freakish character he played. He was so freaky that
it was actually disturbing. Along with the content of this
movie being strongly R rated, so was the dialogue. I’ll
admit, the use of foul language can be funny and in this
film there are a few instances where it is. There is an
entire F U battle between Seth’s character and one of the
mall employees that is one for the ages. But I mention this
as a warning to not take this R rated film lightly,
especially in regards to children. Did I mention that there
is an entire scene with an excess of male full frontal
nudity? And I thought Watchmen was a fluke. I don’t know but
I would guess that this is all thanks to Borat. Writer and
Director Jody Hill has directed only one other movie before
this one and even though you might ask yourself during the
movie “what’s the point?”, you will see the artistic talent
and potential of Mr. Hill. This movie is not for everyone .
. . you’ve got to be a fan of this weird kind of humor. So
if you are, go for it!
Film Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
DVD: The DVD is a double sided
disc including the widescreen and full screen versions of
the film. The picture is complemented with a 5.1 Dolby
Digital audio in English Spanish and French. The surprise in
this DVD version is the absents of extras. If you want to
get and inside look at the making of the film you should go
for the Blu-ray version.
VIDEO:
Standard [4:3 Transfer]
Widescreen [16:9 Transfer]
AUDIO:
English, Spanish and Francais 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles - English Spanish
Francais
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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