...a chilling and haunting glimpse through the very eyes of one of music's most influential artists.
Video:
The video for "Kurt Cobain: About A Son" is presented with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. During the opening scenes of aerial cinematography panning down the tree lines and waterfront of Lake Washington, the picture wasn't as smooth and steady as it could have been and was slightly choppy at times. Other than that though, I can't say I really picked up on any other noticeable flaws besides periodic grain for the remainder of the movie.
Audio:
The audio for the disc has two different options available: Dolby Digital Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. I accidentally went through the entire film in Dolby Digital Stereo since for some reason it appears to be the default setting, but it still wasn't too bad. The snippets of music were powerful and hard driving, and for the most part the conversations were clear enough that I could easily make out what Cobain was saying. Some of the recordings did seem to have a lower quality than others, but that's probably something more to do with the tapes than the production process. I also watched a few sections using the Dolby Digital 5.1 option and the sound naturally improved dramatically.
Extras:
"The Voices Behind About A Son" is a short featurette running approximately fifteen minutes and has interviews with both Michael Azerrad and A.J. Schnack sharing the reasons why they wanted to produce this film and how much it meant to them. Just from their comments and expressions I could tell that they genuinely had a lot of respect for Cobain, especially Azerrad, and it's definitely worth watching to clear up any foggy loose ends after watching the film.
To learn more about the significance of the visual imagery found in the film, viewers may want to check out the "Selected Scene Commentary by Director AJ Schnack." It helps explain some of the scenes such as the focus on the lumber mill, which was the actual workplace for Cobain's father, and other interesting facts that viewers might not fully understand since there's no labels or anything identifying the importance of these scenes. I kind of like it without the reading material though, I think it would have been too distracting otherwise.
The last bonus feature is titled, "On Location: Scouting Video to Screen Comparison." Basically, it's just a side-by-side comparison of cinematic footage Schnack took himself during his trips to scout locations in Washington with the finalized scenes used in the documentary. It's not very exciting and a tad boring, but those in film school might find it worthwhile checking out.
The Final Cut:
I think what really stood out for me in this film, besides the particularly unusual format, is the level of sincerity surrounding Kurt Cobain's words. All of the interviews were conducted in a safe environment either sitting at his own kitchen table or out on his porch where he was able to come out of his shell and speak genuinely from the heart. The by-product not only makes "Kurt Cobain: About A Son" compelling for those unfamiliar with his life and music, but a must-see for Nirvana fans.
The video for "Kurt Cobain: About A Son" is presented with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. During the opening scenes of aerial cinematography panning down the tree lines and waterfront of Lake Washington, the picture wasn't as smooth and steady as it could have been and was slightly choppy at times. Other than that though, I can't say I really picked up on any other noticeable flaws besides periodic grain for the remainder of the movie.
Audio:
The audio for the disc has two different options available: Dolby Digital Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. I accidentally went through the entire film in Dolby Digital Stereo since for some reason it appears to be the default setting, but it still wasn't too bad. The snippets of music were powerful and hard driving, and for the most part the conversations were clear enough that I could easily make out what Cobain was saying. Some of the recordings did seem to have a lower quality than others, but that's probably something more to do with the tapes than the production process. I also watched a few sections using the Dolby Digital 5.1 option and the sound naturally improved dramatically.
Extras:
"The Voices Behind About A Son" is a short featurette running approximately fifteen minutes and has interviews with both Michael Azerrad and A.J. Schnack sharing the reasons why they wanted to produce this film and how much it meant to them. Just from their comments and expressions I could tell that they genuinely had a lot of respect for Cobain, especially Azerrad, and it's definitely worth watching to clear up any foggy loose ends after watching the film.
To learn more about the significance of the visual imagery found in the film, viewers may want to check out the "Selected Scene Commentary by Director AJ Schnack." It helps explain some of the scenes such as the focus on the lumber mill, which was the actual workplace for Cobain's father, and other interesting facts that viewers might not fully understand since there's no labels or anything identifying the importance of these scenes. I kind of like it without the reading material though, I think it would have been too distracting otherwise.
The last bonus feature is titled, "On Location: Scouting Video to Screen Comparison." Basically, it's just a side-by-side comparison of cinematic footage Schnack took himself during his trips to scout locations in Washington with the finalized scenes used in the documentary. It's not very exciting and a tad boring, but those in film school might find it worthwhile checking out.
The Final Cut:
I think what really stood out for me in this film, besides the particularly unusual format, is the level of sincerity surrounding Kurt Cobain's words. All of the interviews were conducted in a safe environment either sitting at his own kitchen table or out on his porch where he was able to come out of his shell and speak genuinely from the heart. The by-product not only makes "Kurt Cobain: About A Son" compelling for those unfamiliar with his life and music, but a must-see for Nirvana fans.
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[release]23425[/release]