...pretty bad when you have to keep pinching your cheeks in order to prevent yourself from nodding off.
By now I'm glaring at the clock, hoping somehow to alter the space/time continuum with some smidgen of mind power. Well, it turns out I still don't have psychic abilities, but the last quarter of the movie finally started to pick up. All of the layers that were slowly introduced throughout the film begin to come together and end with a few fireworks in a grand finale. I'd almost say that it nearly redeemed the first three quarters, but, then again, that's probably the reason I liked the conclusion. After sitting through an incredibly dull and boring film for over an hour and a half, even a mediocre ending would have seemed like something special.
Video:
Throughout the film, the video contains minor imperfections, odd white specks here and there. Although the close-ups of the actors' faces were clear and crisp, they started becoming fuzzier the further they recessed into the background. At night or in darkened scenes, most of the blacks had a sheath of bluish purple haze and more grain than a field of wheat. I also found it strange that while the film boasts a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the menu had a full screen ratio of 1.33:1.
Audio:
The back of the DVD case claims that the audio for "Alpha Male" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo Surround, but, personally, I think that's mislabeled. Either that or the editing was poor. Normally with this audio option, the center channel speaker is used as the primary source for all the main vocal sounds, but that wasn't the case here. During conversations, I noticed that the sound was being fed through all five speakers and came through heavily on the front right and left channels. The balance was also off kilter, as there were instances where I had to crank up the volume to decipher what the actors were saying to each other, and then in the next scene the kid scribbling a pencil on a piece of paper sounded like a thunderous avalanche.
I thought perhaps I didn't select the appropriate sound option, but after checking the on-screen menu I couldn't find any way to modify or change it. I even popped in a different DVD afterwards with Dolby Digital 5.1 just to have some sort of comparison to go by in case it might have been my system, but I noticed a huge improvement on the second disc immediately.
Extras:
A sad state of bonus features continues the downer trend of the film. Clicking "Special Features" brings up an option to turn English subtitles on or off or view the theatrical trailer for "Alpha Male."
Also on the disc is a trailer gallery, and with that kind of title I was expecting a long list of previews. However, there are only two other films from THINKFilm showcased in this section: "The Walker" starring Woody Harrelson, and "Scenes of a Sexual Nature," featuring Ewan McGregor.
There aren't any commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, or any behind-the-scenes featurettes. There are just three trailers and closed captioning for the hearing impaired.
The Final Cut:
For me, "Alpha Male" was like drinking a glass of warm, flat Pepsi. None of it really tickled my taste buds, and it most certainly didn't quench my thirst. I'd say that the main problem was that even though the script contained the core ingredients with the potential to be molded into something good, it was unfortunately mutilated by a filming choice that dragged things out far too long.
Video:
Throughout the film, the video contains minor imperfections, odd white specks here and there. Although the close-ups of the actors' faces were clear and crisp, they started becoming fuzzier the further they recessed into the background. At night or in darkened scenes, most of the blacks had a sheath of bluish purple haze and more grain than a field of wheat. I also found it strange that while the film boasts a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the menu had a full screen ratio of 1.33:1.
Audio:
The back of the DVD case claims that the audio for "Alpha Male" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo Surround, but, personally, I think that's mislabeled. Either that or the editing was poor. Normally with this audio option, the center channel speaker is used as the primary source for all the main vocal sounds, but that wasn't the case here. During conversations, I noticed that the sound was being fed through all five speakers and came through heavily on the front right and left channels. The balance was also off kilter, as there were instances where I had to crank up the volume to decipher what the actors were saying to each other, and then in the next scene the kid scribbling a pencil on a piece of paper sounded like a thunderous avalanche.
I thought perhaps I didn't select the appropriate sound option, but after checking the on-screen menu I couldn't find any way to modify or change it. I even popped in a different DVD afterwards with Dolby Digital 5.1 just to have some sort of comparison to go by in case it might have been my system, but I noticed a huge improvement on the second disc immediately.
Extras:
A sad state of bonus features continues the downer trend of the film. Clicking "Special Features" brings up an option to turn English subtitles on or off or view the theatrical trailer for "Alpha Male."
Also on the disc is a trailer gallery, and with that kind of title I was expecting a long list of previews. However, there are only two other films from THINKFilm showcased in this section: "The Walker" starring Woody Harrelson, and "Scenes of a Sexual Nature," featuring Ewan McGregor.
There aren't any commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, or any behind-the-scenes featurettes. There are just three trailers and closed captioning for the hearing impaired.
The Final Cut:
For me, "Alpha Male" was like drinking a glass of warm, flat Pepsi. None of it really tickled my taste buds, and it most certainly didn't quench my thirst. I'd say that the main problem was that even though the script contained the core ingredients with the potential to be molded into something good, it was unfortunately mutilated by a filming choice that dragged things out far too long.
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