I haven't felt so upbeat and laughed out loud so much for a long time.
In fact, no scene goes on for very long without the insertion of humor. Even when Tracy's best friend (Amanda Bynes) has been tied up by her Christian mother so she won't have anything more to do with the black boy she was seen kissing, when Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) has difficulty untying her he says, "Was your mama in the Navy?" It's bits like that, scattered throughout the film, that make "Hairspray" an unexpected delight.
Video:
This is the first Blu-ray from New Line, and it looks pretty darned good. The 1080p picture is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, with great color saturation and black levels and just the slightest bit of grain in soft-focus shots, which one suspects is also in the master. One thing I noticed, though, was that pressing "pause" and then restarting the film caused the movie to skip a bit so the sound and picture were out of synch. When I returned to Scene Selections and clicked there, everything was back to normal, no problem. Is it peculiar to a single disc or more, or is it the result of my Samsung BD-P1200 player (which seems to be having more problems than most)? I can't say at this point, but I did think it worth mentioning.
Audio:
New Line has gone with DTS-HD Master Lossless Audio and, audiophiles will be happy to note that it's in 7.1 Surround. There's also a DTS 2.0 Digital Surround for electronics systems that can't handle the 7.1. Needless to say, the sound is as energetic and vibrant as the film itself. And the sound seems to come from everywhere, which again seems perfect for a film like this.
Extras:
This is the "2-disc Shake & Shimmy Edition," with so many bonus features that it's an embarrassment of riches.
Disc One features five deleted or alternate scenes (including deleted song "I Can't Wait" and an alternate version of "You Can't Stop the Beat"), playable with or without commentary by Shankman and Blonsky, who also team up for a lively full-length commentary that's better than average. These two really developed a rapport, and it shows.
The best feature is a Blu-ray exclusive, "Behind the Beat," a picture-in-picture way to watch the film that offers a separate video stream that changes. As Tracy sings one song, for example, the PIP shows her in make-up, then in the studio singing at the microphone, and from different camera angles that weren't used in the film. It's a wonderful Blu-ray exclusive feature that gives you a whole new way to watch and appreciate a film like this. I loved it!
Also on this disc are "Hair Spray Extensions," which are behind-the-scenes looks at the six songs as they were filmed. These aren't just fly-on-the-wall single-camera cheapies. There's some thoughtful presentation here, with a number of split screens and multiple cameras. For those who want to actually learn some of the dances, two of them ("Ladies Choice" and "Peyton Place After Midnight") are taught by a dance instructor in a studio with a male on one side of him facing the back-wall mirror and a female on the other side facing forward, so you get views from both sides as you try to learn the routines. Rounding out the Disc One features is another full-length commentary, this one from producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who talk more about the technical aspects of production in a drier but more information-packed commentary. On this disc you can also choose a lyric track to sing along, or "jump to a song."
Disc Two has three short features clumped together under the heading "The Roots of Hairspray," and all three of them are fascinating. The first tells the story of "The Buddy Deane Show" and has interviews with all sorts of former dancers, whose remarks really add a dimension to our appreciation of the film. There's also a feature on John Waters' original "Hairspray" 1988 film starring Divine, Blondie, Sonny Bono, and Ricki Lake, with Lake appearing on camera in recent interviews. Lake was the first to play Tracy and also had a cameo in this film. The third short feature is "Hairspray on Broadway," another excellent one.
Then there's an extensive making-of feature grouped into short segments on the return, cost, music, choreography, costumes, hairdos, production design, and reflections. It turns out that they auditioned 2200 dancers, and so the entire process was exhausting. Shankman says, "What I recognized, in trying to see this thing through Tracy's eyes, is there was always going to be music and dancing going on constantly, because that was what Tracy has going on in her head constantly." It's Tracy's point-of-view that the film tries to capture, he says, and I can't put it any better.
Bottom Line:
"Hairspray" is a relentlessly cheerful musical that's also surprisingly moving and relevant. I haven't felt so upbeat and laughed out loud so much for a long time. Some people have been complaining on the boards about this being a disappointing title to launch New Line's Blu-rays, but what better way to debut than with a film that comes with its own fanfare?
Video:
This is the first Blu-ray from New Line, and it looks pretty darned good. The 1080p picture is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, with great color saturation and black levels and just the slightest bit of grain in soft-focus shots, which one suspects is also in the master. One thing I noticed, though, was that pressing "pause" and then restarting the film caused the movie to skip a bit so the sound and picture were out of synch. When I returned to Scene Selections and clicked there, everything was back to normal, no problem. Is it peculiar to a single disc or more, or is it the result of my Samsung BD-P1200 player (which seems to be having more problems than most)? I can't say at this point, but I did think it worth mentioning.
Audio:
New Line has gone with DTS-HD Master Lossless Audio and, audiophiles will be happy to note that it's in 7.1 Surround. There's also a DTS 2.0 Digital Surround for electronics systems that can't handle the 7.1. Needless to say, the sound is as energetic and vibrant as the film itself. And the sound seems to come from everywhere, which again seems perfect for a film like this.
Extras:
This is the "2-disc Shake & Shimmy Edition," with so many bonus features that it's an embarrassment of riches.
Disc One features five deleted or alternate scenes (including deleted song "I Can't Wait" and an alternate version of "You Can't Stop the Beat"), playable with or without commentary by Shankman and Blonsky, who also team up for a lively full-length commentary that's better than average. These two really developed a rapport, and it shows.
The best feature is a Blu-ray exclusive, "Behind the Beat," a picture-in-picture way to watch the film that offers a separate video stream that changes. As Tracy sings one song, for example, the PIP shows her in make-up, then in the studio singing at the microphone, and from different camera angles that weren't used in the film. It's a wonderful Blu-ray exclusive feature that gives you a whole new way to watch and appreciate a film like this. I loved it!
Also on this disc are "Hair Spray Extensions," which are behind-the-scenes looks at the six songs as they were filmed. These aren't just fly-on-the-wall single-camera cheapies. There's some thoughtful presentation here, with a number of split screens and multiple cameras. For those who want to actually learn some of the dances, two of them ("Ladies Choice" and "Peyton Place After Midnight") are taught by a dance instructor in a studio with a male on one side of him facing the back-wall mirror and a female on the other side facing forward, so you get views from both sides as you try to learn the routines. Rounding out the Disc One features is another full-length commentary, this one from producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who talk more about the technical aspects of production in a drier but more information-packed commentary. On this disc you can also choose a lyric track to sing along, or "jump to a song."
Disc Two has three short features clumped together under the heading "The Roots of Hairspray," and all three of them are fascinating. The first tells the story of "The Buddy Deane Show" and has interviews with all sorts of former dancers, whose remarks really add a dimension to our appreciation of the film. There's also a feature on John Waters' original "Hairspray" 1988 film starring Divine, Blondie, Sonny Bono, and Ricki Lake, with Lake appearing on camera in recent interviews. Lake was the first to play Tracy and also had a cameo in this film. The third short feature is "Hairspray on Broadway," another excellent one.
Then there's an extensive making-of feature grouped into short segments on the return, cost, music, choreography, costumes, hairdos, production design, and reflections. It turns out that they auditioned 2200 dancers, and so the entire process was exhausting. Shankman says, "What I recognized, in trying to see this thing through Tracy's eyes, is there was always going to be music and dancing going on constantly, because that was what Tracy has going on in her head constantly." It's Tracy's point-of-view that the film tries to capture, he says, and I can't put it any better.
Bottom Line:
"Hairspray" is a relentlessly cheerful musical that's also surprisingly moving and relevant. I haven't felt so upbeat and laughed out loud so much for a long time. Some people have been complaining on the boards about this being a disappointing title to launch New Line's Blu-rays, but what better way to debut than with a film that comes with its own fanfare?
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]22204[/release]