There is simply nothing noteworthy or even remotely interesting about The Hunting Party
Video:
The widescreen presentation of "The Hunting Party" features a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and does a competent job of displaying the relatively unknown horrors of the Bosnian War.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track does its job as well, which is an achievement considering the hushed tones in which Terrace Howard often speaks. Why he thinks speaking like a librarian is a viable way to instill tension is beyond me.
Extras:
In addition to a full-length commentary with the film´s writer/director Richard Shepard, "The Hunting Party" DVD boasts a surprising number of special features. Six deleted scenes are spread out over about five minutes and include an optional commentary with the film´s creator. "Making The Hunting Party" is a nine-minute featurette filled with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. The most interesting inclusion on the disc is "The Real Hunting Party" that features the director interviewing two of the five reporters who inspired the film. A welcome yet puzzling inclusion is the original "Esquire" article reprinted in its entirety. While it was nice of them to put it on the disc, why it wasn´t a DVD-Rom feature is puzzling. I guess they expect members of the audience to read over sixty screens´ worth of print on their TVs.
Film Value:
There is simply nothing noteworthy or even remotely interesting about "The Hunting Party." No standout performances, no moving cinematography, no dialogue worth remembering. As I previously said, it´s not necessarily a bad film; it just doesn´t try and therefore doesn´t fail so much as it slips through the cracks into the forgettable movie realm inhabited by films like "Stranger than Fiction," "Identity," and Shepard´s prior film, "The Matador." Not bad movies, just easily forgettable. I should have known not to expect much out of a film billed by its PR team as "The Year´s Most Explosive Thriller." Is it completely impossible for anyone to create a "thriller" that is, oh, I don´t know… actually thrilling? From this point on, I don´t want to see anything "thriller" related unless it´s got John Landis directing Michael Jackson painted up with zombie makeup and clad in a red-zipper-adorned jacket.
The widescreen presentation of "The Hunting Party" features a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and does a competent job of displaying the relatively unknown horrors of the Bosnian War.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track does its job as well, which is an achievement considering the hushed tones in which Terrace Howard often speaks. Why he thinks speaking like a librarian is a viable way to instill tension is beyond me.
Extras:
In addition to a full-length commentary with the film´s writer/director Richard Shepard, "The Hunting Party" DVD boasts a surprising number of special features. Six deleted scenes are spread out over about five minutes and include an optional commentary with the film´s creator. "Making The Hunting Party" is a nine-minute featurette filled with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. The most interesting inclusion on the disc is "The Real Hunting Party" that features the director interviewing two of the five reporters who inspired the film. A welcome yet puzzling inclusion is the original "Esquire" article reprinted in its entirety. While it was nice of them to put it on the disc, why it wasn´t a DVD-Rom feature is puzzling. I guess they expect members of the audience to read over sixty screens´ worth of print on their TVs.
Film Value:
There is simply nothing noteworthy or even remotely interesting about "The Hunting Party." No standout performances, no moving cinematography, no dialogue worth remembering. As I previously said, it´s not necessarily a bad film; it just doesn´t try and therefore doesn´t fail so much as it slips through the cracks into the forgettable movie realm inhabited by films like "Stranger than Fiction," "Identity," and Shepard´s prior film, "The Matador." Not bad movies, just easily forgettable. I should have known not to expect much out of a film billed by its PR team as "The Year´s Most Explosive Thriller." Is it completely impossible for anyone to create a "thriller" that is, oh, I don´t know… actually thrilling? From this point on, I don´t want to see anything "thriller" related unless it´s got John Landis directing Michael Jackson painted up with zombie makeup and clad in a red-zipper-adorned jacket.
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[release]23012[/release]