This list of extras contained on this Blu-ray disc is downright frightening.
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I do not want to admit to how many times I´ve seen "Dirty Dancing" since it debuted twenty years ago. I shouldn´t even admit that I owned "Dirty Dancing" and "More Dirty Dancing" on cassette. I´m a sucker for the Oldies and especially the Four Seasons. I believe my first experience with this film was being taken with my older sister Cindy to see the film at a theater. Since then, the film has been released countless times on standard definition DVD by Lionsgate and I´ve written at least two other reviews for the title. Sitting down to type up yet another review, I was tempted to simply rehash one of the reviews for inclusion here. However, one was a ´Capsule Review´ from the now defunct Digital Bayou and I just wasn´t happy with the other review. I decided to sit down and reflect on the film and not necessarily review it.
By now, everybody in the world is familiar with "Dirty Dancing." It features Jennifer Grey before she defaced her natural beauty with a bad nose job. That was one bad business decision for the perky actress and her career took off with this film and ended when the tip of her nose was lopped off. One of the most prevalent actors of the Eighties, Patrick Swayze, also appears in the film. Audiences would flock to see a Patrick Swayze film back in the day. Veteran actor Jerry Orbach appeared alongside the two stars and the cast of dozens that have not been seen since. This film was all about Patrick Swayze and dancing. I´m sure that was the primary reason that Cindy dragged myself and my nephew Don to go see "Dirty Dancing." Don and I are the same age, as my sister is a good deal older, so we both had to suffer for this ´date movie.´
Truth be told, there is something I have always enjoyed about "Dirty Dancing." It isn´t the humor. It isn´t the dancing and it certainly isn´t Patrick Swayze. Jennifer Grey was twenty seven when "Dirty Dancing" was released and she portrayed a teenage rich girl in the film. She was cute, but she wasn´t the reason I agreed to go along to see this film. I was fifteen years old at the time and going to see "Dirty Dancing" with your sister wasn´t exactly the ´cool´ thing to do. What I enjoyed about "Dirty Dancing" was the music. I absolutely love some of the Oldies that appear in the film. "Be My Baby," "Big Girls Don´t Cry," "Where Are You Tonight," "Do You Love Me," "Love Man," "Stay," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "These Arms of Mine," and "Love is Strange" are just a few of the great songs contained on the film´s soundtrack. If anything, "Dirty Dancing" is one of the finest films based upon its soundtrack.
Twenty years later, "Dirty Dancing" is still going strong. It has even survived a shoddy and forgotten sequel, "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights." I have many of the songs on various CD collections. No matter how many times Lionsgate releases this cash cow; it sells. I don´t recall if the dancing depicted in the film was necessarily shocking and risky twenty years ago. It was all offensive to me at that time. Since then, I´ve certainly spent enough time on club dance floors to not find anything in "Dirty Dancing" to be offensive. This film had a decent story and decent performances, but it is a tribute to the music and the era in which the film is set. It is a journey back in time for many to enjoy, such as my older sister. For younger audiences, it is a curiosity of the Eighties that looks at the Sixties. I´ve seen this film more times than I want to admit to. Oddly, I still find myself enjoying it. Now, off to watch "Roadhouse."
Video:
"Dirty Dancing" is presented in a passable 1.85:1 widescreen transfer using the AVC MPEG-4 codec. The film is overly colorful, although the hues are slightly degraded due to the age of the source materials. Black levels are strong and shadow detail is not the strongest, but pretty good considering the film´s age. "Dirty Dancing" certainly looks better than any of the previous home video releases that dwell deep in the depths of my collection. This was not an overly expensive film and the source materials´ flaws jump out during this film. The ever present problem of film grain exists throughout the film and at times it can be quite hideous. The level of detail is not particularly strong. It can be downright weak. This is another problem due to the low-budget underpinnings of the film. It wasn´t made with the finest of film stock and its age shows. Comparing this version to the most recent DVD release did show a lot of improvement, but this is a film that was betrayed by DVD and will probably never look stunning in today´s formats or any future endeavors.
Sound:
My Playstation 3 is reporting a 7.1 channel Uncompressed PCM mix. The packaging lists 6.1 channels on the packaging, but the display says otherwise. I´m not sure as to which I should believe. Until I upgrade my receiver, I´m still stuck in the 5.1 world. I had intended to upgrade last year, but the new game consoles and high definition formats emptied my wallet. Regardless, the new Uncompressed PCM track is good. If fact, it can be very good and "Dirty Dancing" easily sounds better than it has ever sounded before. The songs have a lot of ´pop´ to them, although the rear surrounds and .1 LFE channel are not heavily used even during the liveliest of moments. The soundtrack is incredibly clean and dialogue is as clear as it can get. A 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX Audio mix is included and is only a small notch below what this Uncompressed PCM track delivers.
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[release]21480[/release]