Audio Video News

DVD: The Battle of Shaker Heights—Buena Vista
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 1
In The Battle of Shaker Heights, the second Project Greenlight movie, Shia LaBeouf plays Kelly Ernswiler, a 17-year-old kid who re-enacts WWII battle scenes in his spare time. At a battle re-enactment, he meets Bart Bowland. The two become fast friends, but things get messy when Kelly falls for Tabby, Bart's older, engaged sister. After watching the making-of on Project Greenlight, you expect an intensity level that's lacking in the final, edited version. Where is this "wonderful" script that everyone keeps talking about? Oh, that's right: It ended up on the cutting-room floor.

The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture is just what you would expect from a movie made on a shoestring budget. It's certainly not the best transfer ever to show up on DVD, but it's not the worst. Colors are somewhat muted and not as crisp as I like them, but artifacts and background noise are kept to a minimum.

You get treated to the movie's melodramatic scenes and the few funny lines in Dolby Digital 5.1, but this really comes in handy during the movie's few battle scenes, when bullets and foot soldiers completely surround you.

The only thing worse than no extras on a DVD is a handful of extras that have nothing to do with the movie. That's the case here. You get three previews: Stolen Summer (the first Project Greenlight movie), Spy Kids 3-D, and a Miramax Golden Age promotion.—Amy Carter

DVD: Escape From New York Special Edition—MGM/UA
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
As has been the case with many movies lately, Escape From New York has been given the DVD release it sorely deserves. In case you're not familiar with this John Carpenter/Kurt Russell classic, in the future (1997), Manhattan is a federal penitentiary. When the President's plane crashes inside this area, only war-hero-turned-convict Snake Plissken (Russell) can get him out. Simple yet effective.

I can best describe the picture by saying that it is what it was: dark, soft, and without a lot of colors. It's a pristine 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, though, and looks far better than the previous DVD release. The sound has also gone through an overhaul and is now in Dolby Digital 5.1, but there isn't much activity in the surrounds. Carpenter's score comes through in all its '80s synth glory, and Snake's mumblings are clear; otherwise, there isn't much else to speak (hear?) of.

Any extras would be an improvement over the previous release, which had a grand total of zero. You get two commentary tracks, one with the producer and production designer and another with Russell and Carpenter. Strangely, the latter is 9 years old; but hey, if you haven't heard it, it's new to you. Russell and Carpenter also supply new commentary for an entire deleted reel. The second disc features two documentaries, one that has current interviews with the cast and crew and another on the making of the comic book.

A far better release than the first, this is worth buying again or for the first time.—Geoffrey Morrison