Audio:
I mentioned the presence of many thunder and lightning moments during the film, and the DVD´s Dolby Digital 5.1 English audio track provides the requisite oomph to make those moments loudly effective. You can hear both subtle and not-so-subtle weather elements coming from the rear speakers, and the sound mix sounds wide and open, as a movie should if it´s set in California. J Bass response is very good (and not overly abundant, thankfully).
Also, there are DD 2.0 surround English and DD 2.0 surround French audio tracks, English and French subtitles, and English closed captions.
Extras:
The audio commentary by director Daniel Sackheim and writer Wesley Strick is not particularly useful. I mean, the movie plays so straightforwardly and offers so few dimensions that Sackheim and Strick have little to discuss beyond the obvious. They do provide a few anecdotes about the production, but no one will be better or worse off after listening to the track.
There is a deleted scene accompanied by optional director/writer commentary. The deleted scene just shows more of Ruby´s reactions to her parents´ death, and it only delays the inevitable anyway. There are filmographies (text pages) accompanied by brief video interview clips when you click on a special icon on certain filmmakers´ pages. The oddest interview belongs to Sobieski, who starts off by saying that her character is not as rebellious as people think she is, then closes by saying that her character DOES rebel a little bit. Huh?
Finally, there are theatrical trailers for "The Glass House" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (both produced by the Jerry Bruckheimer of teen flicks, Neal H. Moritz ["The Fast and the Furious," "Cruel Intentions"]). A glossy mini-booklet provides chapter listings as well as a few production notes.
Entertainment Value:
Clumsily written, pedestrianly directed, and flatly acted, "The Glass House" is a shattering exercise in futility. The excellent Stellan Skarsgård should´ve been making a rich thriller such as another "Ronin." As for Leelee Sobieski, she sinks or swims with the material. Unlike true stars like Kirsten Dunst or Natalie Portman (who both shine regardless of the script), Sobieski´s dark, sad-visage looks appropriately somber in well-written dramas but downright sullen and even unattractive in an ugly enterprise such as this one. She hasn´t grown into her body or her talent quite just yet.
I mentioned the presence of many thunder and lightning moments during the film, and the DVD´s Dolby Digital 5.1 English audio track provides the requisite oomph to make those moments loudly effective. You can hear both subtle and not-so-subtle weather elements coming from the rear speakers, and the sound mix sounds wide and open, as a movie should if it´s set in California. J Bass response is very good (and not overly abundant, thankfully).
Also, there are DD 2.0 surround English and DD 2.0 surround French audio tracks, English and French subtitles, and English closed captions.
Extras:
The audio commentary by director Daniel Sackheim and writer Wesley Strick is not particularly useful. I mean, the movie plays so straightforwardly and offers so few dimensions that Sackheim and Strick have little to discuss beyond the obvious. They do provide a few anecdotes about the production, but no one will be better or worse off after listening to the track.
There is a deleted scene accompanied by optional director/writer commentary. The deleted scene just shows more of Ruby´s reactions to her parents´ death, and it only delays the inevitable anyway. There are filmographies (text pages) accompanied by brief video interview clips when you click on a special icon on certain filmmakers´ pages. The oddest interview belongs to Sobieski, who starts off by saying that her character is not as rebellious as people think she is, then closes by saying that her character DOES rebel a little bit. Huh?
Finally, there are theatrical trailers for "The Glass House" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (both produced by the Jerry Bruckheimer of teen flicks, Neal H. Moritz ["The Fast and the Furious," "Cruel Intentions"]). A glossy mini-booklet provides chapter listings as well as a few production notes.
Entertainment Value:
Clumsily written, pedestrianly directed, and flatly acted, "The Glass House" is a shattering exercise in futility. The excellent Stellan Skarsgård should´ve been making a rich thriller such as another "Ronin." As for Leelee Sobieski, she sinks or swims with the material. Unlike true stars like Kirsten Dunst or Natalie Portman (who both shine regardless of the script), Sobieski´s dark, sad-visage looks appropriately somber in well-written dramas but downright sullen and even unattractive in an ugly enterprise such as this one. She hasn´t grown into her body or her talent quite just yet.
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[release]9208[/release]