Comedy Central's TV Funhouse

Robert Smigel is responsible for some of the best comedy on television. He wrote for what I consider to be the other golden age of Saturday Night Live (late 80's/early 90's), wrote great sketches, characters, and bits for The Dana Carvey Show and Late Night With Conan O'Brien, and then really made a name for himself with the "TV Funhouse" video shorts that aired on SNL. But there are few who remember the short-lived, underrated, and overlooked Comedy Central television series TV Funhouse. Thankfully, Comedy Central finally wised up and has released it on DVD. Rejoice!

Do I sound a little over excited? You bet. TV Funhouse is somewhat of a forgotten comedy gem that aired for only one season in '00-'01. It's a shame shows like this don't get more seasons but lazy and tremendously deplorable shite like Mind of Mencia get renewed. No justice in the comedy world! TV Funhouse is formatted like a children's show, but for adults (a format that would later be emulated by "Wonder Showzen"). It combines the puppetry from Smigel's work on Late Night and segments done in the style from the SNL "TV Funhouse" shorts.

The Anipals and their adventures straying from the set are what really make the show. Part of the charm and fun is that it's not the best puppet work in the world (those familiar with Triumph the iInsult Comic Dog know what I'm talking about). In fact, they mention in the commentary about firing some puppeteers who were trying to make the puppets move too much like real animals. It really is a small thing that actually adds to the comedy. They also have real animals react with the puppets. One particularly funny scene that comes to mind is a puppet cat giving birth to actual kittens and the unexpected action of one kitten that prompted some very funny improvised dialogue. They discuss in the commentary how working with real animals could be so unpredictable but could sometimes lead to great results (even jokingly giving writing credit to a monkey).

TV Funhouse has a lot to be proud of in its shorts. What's great about them is the attention to detail in making it look and sound so close to the thing they're parodying. Wonderman (done in the style of the old Fleischer Superman cartoons), Policeman (done in classic Sesame Street short fashion), and Christmas with Tingles (old black and white claymation Christmas parody) are just a few great examples.

You also have the infamous "Porn For Kids" segment that only aired once as that title and was later aired as "Porn For Everyone" due to the network making them change it. The segment is just a porno ("Silence of the Gams") cut down to less than 30 seconds since all the indecent stuff is edited out. You mainly get a few lines of dialogue and the credits. It's a very funny idea, but I guess the network felt a little nervous having it associated in any way with kids, even if it was just a title.

Other highlights include "Stedman" (about Oprah's boyfriend, which Smigel almost didn't approve because he felt it was too mean), "Mnemonics - Your Dear, Dear Friend", "The Safety Gang" (which Dino Stamatopoulos originally wrote for Mr.Show but never used it), "Fetal Scooby Doo", "Places to Look For Your Christmas Presents," and the other infamous short, "Jokamel" (Pokemon parody done with Joe Camel).

There's not too much offered on the extras side, but what's there is very enjoyable. It's funny to see how much time and care they took to get a turtle penis reveal to work. That's the kind of dedication you want in comedy. The commentary is a real treat and probably the best special feature on this disc. Creators and writers Robert Smigel, Dino Stamatopoulos, (The Ben Stiller Show, Mr.Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Moral Orel), Andy Breckman (Monk, SNL), and host Doug Dale give a ton of insight on the show. They reveal the problems plaguing a second season and why ultimately they didn't do one, Smigel defends that his dog characters don't have the same Russian immigrant voice (He actually does both Fogey and Triumph back to back to prove his point), they talk about avoiding people they've made fun of (most notably Sally Jessie Raphael), and reveal other entertaining tidbits surrounding the production and end product of the show. It's definitely one of the better commentaries on a television DVD set.

There is a slight problem with this DVD release, though. It is NOT complete. In fact, it's missing one of my favorite animated shorts from TV Funhouse, "A Globetrotter's Christmas". What's funny is it's still mentioned in the credits. I think it may have been left out since it aired on SNL first and Universal might own the rights. Other shorts like "Stedman" and "The Baby, The Immigrant, and The Guy On Mushrooms" were also aired on SNL, but I believe it was after it was aired on TV Funhouse and perhaps that's how they avoided being omitted. Triumph insulting Hootie and the Blowfish in the "Safari Day" episode also seems to be missing. That's a real shame, but it doesn't hurt the set too much.

Fans of Smigel are sure to enjoy this show. Thank Jesus (whatever animal you think he might be. Show reference, settle down) that Comedy Central finally released this hilarious show! Now if only Comedy Central would release Exit 57 on DVD I can go into a blissful comedy nerd coma. Enjoy!

Extras include commentary from the creators and puppets (Chickie, Jason, and Xabu), Outtakes, Behind the Scenes footage, Triumph appearances from The Rob Reiner Roast and The Daily Show and the lost sketch "What Do We Know, Pt.2 with Bob Odenkirk".

Drillbit Taylor- Extended Survival Edition

Not everything from the Apatow cannon can be a winner. For proof, look no further than Drillbit Taylor. Though, it isn't a full-on Apatow production, they don't hesitate to mention his name on it. Smart move, but it doesn't save the film. But wait a minute…it's not a terrible movie. With films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad, the bar was set pretty high, even without trying it seems. You have an entertaining cast of characters and a story that's somewhat enjoyable, so why is this different from the previously mentioned films? It just doesn't seem genuine or focused enough, really.

Drillbit Taylor revolves around two boys, Wade (Nate Hartley) and Ryan (Troy Gentile), who start high school and unfortunately start getting harassed by two bullies, Filkins (Alex Frost) and Ronnie (Josh Peck), almost immediately. When things get too much to handle (and the bullying is pretty intense), they decide to hire a personal bodyguard. Enter Drillbit Taylor (Own Wilson), a homeless beggar who answers their ad and pretends to be trained in martial arts and the like so he can swindle the kids out of their money and then split to Canada. But of course, he has a change of heart and starts to care about the kids and in the process the kids learn a thing or two about who they are and how to stand up for themselves. Sound a bit predictable? Well, yeah, it is. You know some lesson is going to be learned. It's a formula done to death, it's just how you pad it and treat it that can separate it from the rest. Drillbit tries, but doesn't quite make it.

While watching the first 30 or so minutes of this film I thought, "Hey, this isn't so bad. I wonder why it was panned?" Then somewhere after the mid-point I found myself a bit bored and amazed that there was still an hour left of the movie. It seems to just drift along in the middle and just keeps going. There are very funny lines and moments, but it just seems a little unfocused. There's even an 8 Mile freestyle-rap battle between Ryan and Filkins that had me groaning and rolling my eyes. It's hard to imagine Seth Rogen wrote that terrible scene. Yet somehow I feel some people will love it and probably quote it. Awkward white-guy rap just ain't my joint, dig?

Then there's the overblown cliché's. Nerds and bullies, it's something you've seen a million times, especially in the past 30 years. Drillbit Taylor is actually based on an original idea by John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink, do I even need to name?), and there are definitely elements of his style in this film, he practically perfected and pushed that classic nerds/poor kids vs. popular/rich kids cliché over the edge. Was it enjoyable? Yes. It's a sweet, sweet guilty pleasure. But now it just seems a little too unrealistic or overblown. Not to say it doesn't exist (I had my fair share of terrifying name-calling and bullying growing up), but it just seems like a paint by numbers routine at this point. Writers Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown took Hughes' idea and fleshed it out. With Rogen helping with the writing you would expect more from this film especially from the work he did with Superbad, which to me seemed closer to my high school experience than any teen film previous to that, but it just falls short. Sure, it's unfair to compare it to Superbad standards, and I didn't entirely, but the end result leaves you a little unsatisfied.

What makes this movie enjoyable are the kids (who are perfectly casted), the supporting cast and cameos made throughout the film. You see three of the four members of the Upright Citizens Brigade make appearances and deliver some funny lines (especially Ian Roberts as Wade's step-father) as well as other talented comedic actors (Stephen Root, Beth Littleford, David Koechner, Cedric Yarbrough, and Kevin Hart). But the best supporting actor in this film is Danny McBride as Don, the homeless "friend" of Drillbit Taylor. You might recognize Danny McBride from the film Hot Rod or from his own hilarious film The Foot Fist Way. The deleted/extended scenes and the Line-O-Rama extra features are worth a look just for McBride's improvised lines alone. It wouldn't surprise me if he ends up being the next Steve Carell or Seth Rogen in the ever expanding and powerful Apatow universe. But as far as Owen Wilson goes, it doesn't matter much. There probably could have been a better casting choice because ultimately Wilson didn't really bring much to it. Not that it required a great deal of acting prowess; it just could have been better.

Overall Drillbit Taylor is something you might want to catch on a rainy Saturday afternoon on cable, but other than that it just falls short of its possible potential. No one's really to blame. You had the talent behind it, but it just doesn't quite stick. If anything, the DVD is worth a rent for the extra features "The Writers' Chance to Talk: Kristopher Brown and Seth Rogen," "Deleted and Extended Scenes," and "Line-O-Rama," mainly because the funniest moments are from these. If your fan of any of the cast or people involved with Drillbit Taylor, then you might want to check it out to quench that curiosity, but be wary, it won't be that fulfilling.

Control

Anton Corbijn is easily one of the best photographers and music video directors around. Even The Killers, who I am not even that keen on, slightly won me over thanks to their Corbijn-directed video for "All the Things That I Have Done." You know going in that this film will be shot beautifully with his signature style, but because of his love and relationship with Joy Division, it really sets this film apart from some other biopics. In fact, Corbijn is the perfect man to do this biopic. I couldn't imagine it in the hands of anyone else (I once had a terrible dream that McG directed a biopic of one of my favorite bands. Noooo!). It just wouldn't have been as effective or approached with as much love and care. He even financed half of the film's budget out of his own pocket. The detail of how it was shot to capture the mood and feeling of Ian Curtis/Joy Division and his/their surrounding and the care taken to recreate the live performances as accurately as possible really sets it apart from most biopics you'll see.

Control is a biopic that focuses on Ian Curtis, the singer for the late and great band Joy Division, who tragically took his own life right before their debut American tour. The film is actually based on the book Touching from a Distance by Deborah Curtis, Ian's widow. It follows his life from his David Bowie-obsessed teenage years up to his unfortunate suicide (1973-1980 according to Corbijn). What separates this biopic from your other run-of-the-mill biopics is that it works almost like a series of snapshots or memories rather than a fluid time frame. I found this interesting seeing that part of Corbijn's relationship with the band was from the photos he shot of them for NME.

While some films of this ilk will spend a little too much time exaggerating the tiny details of a problem or even embellishing certain elements of dialogue or parts of their life, Control avoids this for this most part. Sure it has the same old drugs, adultery and downfall and it does fall victim to your biopic conventions like having moments directly relate to songs or events, but it's more subtle when it does those things so it makes it forgivable or unnoticeable.
Of course details are fudged here and there for story reasons, like how they decided to become a band right after they leave the legendary Sex Pistols show at Lesser Free Trade Hall and the other being that when Factory Records co-founder Tony Wilson introduces Joy Division on Granada Television and they perform "Transmission" rather than "Shadowplay" (they do play "Transmission" later on BBC 2's Something Else). But Corbijn acknowledges these changes in the commentary, but it really doesn't matter all that much for cinematic purposes.

Corbijn makes this film look amazing for a lower-budget film. He reveals in the extras and commentary that he shot the movie entirely in color and then made it black and white in post because the original test shots in black and white were too grainy. The choice to do black and white is a great one, because just as Corbijn points out, most of what we know or have seen of Joy Division is through mostly photos (mostly black and white) and stories of the people who were there. One of my favorite scenes from the film is pretty simple. We see Ian (played fantastically by Sam Riley) walking out of his house and straight to work (which was actually done in real time), smoking a cigarette while "No Love Lost" is played prominently over the scene and a shot reveals that the words HATE are written in large white letters on the back of Ian's black jacket. It's just a really cool scene and one that Corbijn nailed effectively. The black and white really works in capturing the tone and feeling of Joy Division's music. It has a feeling of being dark, bleak and has an element of despair all while having a very human quality to it without being too cold and distant.

The actors chosen for this film are perfect. "Newcomer" Riley does a superb job playing Ian and will no doubt go on to do great things. The other shining light of this film is Samantha Morton who plays Deborah. The emotional intensity and even subtlety she brings to the screen is amazing and really makes her more than just an actor playing the role of a wife of a troubled artist. The benefit of taking from Deborah's book is that we do get that her perspective. The chemistry of Riley and Morton on screen effectively shows the hurt and isolation of the failing marriage. We feel the pain of love falling apart and even how a "guilty" party feels remorse. Riley plays Ian as real as possible by showing he is troubled and makes mistakes, but is still very human. Even though seeing his affair with Annik Honoré (played by the beautiful Alexandra Maria Lara) is heartbreaking to watch because you know the effect it's taking on Deborah and their marriage; you can't help but still feel some kind of sadness and sympathy for Ian. Corbijn states in the commentary that he tried to figure out how to avoid cliché and followed instinct and heart, and I'd say he did a great job at doing this.

The actors who play the rest of Joy Division (Joe Anderson, James Anthony Pearson, and Harry Treadaway) deserve a ton of credit, not only for their acting but for actually learning the instruments and the music of those they portray. The performances you see in the film are actually done spot-on by the actors, which is almost unheard of for any biopic. To watch Riley nail the croon and swagger of Ian on stage is really a treat for any Joy Division fan. It's that care to detail that really makes this film so much more than just a story of a man and band's life. Other notable performances are from Toby Kebbell who plays the band's manager Rob Gretton and Craig Parkinson who plays Tony Wilson.

The extras are a bit slim, but have enough to make the purchase of the DVD worth it. On this disc we get audio commentary with Corbijn; The Making of Control; Out of Control: A Conversation with Anton Corbijn; Extended Live Concert Performances of "Transmission," "Leaders of Men," and "Candidate" from the film; Joy Division music videos for "Transmission" and "Atmosphere;" "Shadowplay" music video by The Killers; and a still gallery. I understand Corbijn picked The Killers to show the influence of Joy Division in today's popular music, but I personally would have preferred a band like Interpol (not to mention other bands doing much better Joy Division covers, i.e. Girls Against Boys' cover of "She's Lost Control), but I digress. Also, Corbijn's commentary is so soft spoken (and sometimes hard to understand with the accent) it makes it a bit difficult to listen to. Most of what he says is basically covered in the extras anyway.

This is Corbijn's first film and he chose the right project to begin with. He has the talent and vision to continue as a great film director and I'm eager to see what he will accomplish in the future with film. This biopic may not be for those who aren't very familiar with Joy Division or Ian Curtis, especially since the movie doesn't exactly have the "shimmer" and "pop" of a large-studio-budgeted biopic (but that's a good thing, trust me), it still remains a wonderful, beautiful film and well worth your time.

Meet The Spartans - Pit Of Death Edition (Unrated)

There's terrible and then there's godawful.

Meet The Spartans surpasses both of those into a horrendous unnamable realm of unwatchable pain and suffering. Some might argue the whole parody genre was never good, but I have a feeling after the Zucker brothers decided to step out for awhile the decline of these types of movies has been drastic. There might have been moments here and there where a movie of this genre would come along and produce some laughs (I'll admit I find some things from Not Another Teen Movie funny), but Meet The Spartans has no redeemable quality whatsoever and laughs are nowhere to be found.

Meet The Spartans is basically a parody of the film 300. They follow the same storyline (or rather series of events), but plugged in are a series of unfunny pop-culture references and homophobic jokes sure to keep any pop-collared frat boy rolling on the floor for days. Any and every pop-culture reference from the past year and half is basically used in this movie. In fact, it's all the movie is. It's lazy and extremely unfunny. It's copy and paste comedy that delivers nothing but groans and cricket noises. Within the first minute of this movie you know it will possible be the worst movie you have ever seen.

Any and every easy joke you can think of from pop culture is used. Britney Spears, Shrek, penguins, James Bond, and American Idol are just a few to name (sprinkled with the obvious pratfalls and crotch hits), and that's just within the first 10 minutes of the film. In fact, every reality show you can think of that's still on the air, especially shows about judging "talent," is "parodied" in this movie. There is even a scene where the Spartans jaunt off to battle singing "I Will Survive". Get it?! A gay joke! I was tying a noose for myself as soon as it came on.

Rather than make a cohesive film with somewhat of a storyline to work in these jokes and references, they just use the skeleton of an outline of 300 and drop in references and gags that don't fit in at all. At least with a movie like Airplane or Top Secret, they took a movie or a genre and created a story that almost strangely pays homage to the films they're parodying while still working in jokes we all know and love. I'm not saying to ground it completely, these movies are meant to be cartoonishly ridiculous, but at least make it work within the realm they've created rather than just making references for the sake of referencing anything to do with pop culture. Most of the time is taken up with the references rather than any kind of story. There's a Stomp The Yard/You Got Served scene that goes on for about 10 minutes and shortly after a "dis competition" (also known as Snaps) that lasts almost for the same amount of time. That's nearly 20 minutes just on two jokes that lose steam before the first second is even done.

Other than the film being a huge pile of worthless shit, the biggest thing that bothered me was a specific reference to Spiderman 3. The joke would be obvious on its own, but the voiceover actually says "Just like Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 3." What? It wasn't an obscure reference or even a hard one to spot at all, yet they still felt compelled to go a step further and actually spell it out for the audience.

Another failing is parodying a parody itself. The Budweiser promos for True Men of Genius are parodied in this film out of nowhere. Those spots were a parody themselves. It seemed extremely unnecessary, lazy, and just an excuse to get more gay jokes in.

Speaking of the Budweiser reference, the product placement was out of control. You could claim it's in a tongue-in-cheek way, but in the failings of the execution of the joke it just seems like further whoring of the product. It's easily some of the worst comedy writing you will ever witness. I wouldn't be shocked if someone told me the script was written in 30 minutes.

Writers and directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer deserve some kind of severe punishment for creating such an abomination to the comedy genre. How is it they were able to create such terrible films like Date Movie, Epic Movie, and the upcoming Disaster Movie while truly talented and funny fresh voices who have something good to offer get overlooked or never even given a chance at all? I will say it; these men are destroying anything and everything great about comedy. Meet the Spartans isn't so bad its good, it's just plain painful and immeasurably unfunny. Do yourself a favor and avoid this movie at all costs! No need to thank me for saving your time and your well being.

The Upright Citizens Brigade- ASSSSCAT!

For over 10 years the Upright Citizens Brigade (Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Mat Walsh) have been performing a long-form improv show titled ASSSSCAT. People might recognize the Upright Citizens Brigade from their fantastic sketch comedy show that ran on Comedy Central from 1998 to 2000. Even though the sketch show incorporated scenes from their improv or scenes they may have done at ASSSSCAT, fans of the sketch show should not expect this DVD to be a live version of the sketch show.

For those who have never seen or heard of ASSSSCAT before, it is basically a long form improv show performed live where they (members of the Upright Citizens Brigade joined by fellow improvisers) get a suggestion of a word or phrase from an audience member and the guest monologist will tell a true story based off that suggestion and the improvisers perform scenes inspired from that story. Improvisers joining the Upright Citizens Brigade on this disc are Horatio Sanz (SNL), Andrew Daly (MadTV), Chad Carter (Crossballs), and Sean Conroy (Crossballs). Guest monologists on the featured performance are Thomas Lennon (Reno 911, The State) and Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy).

In 2005 an ASSSSCAT performance was filmed for the Bravo network. It aired to mix results, but ultimately wasn't very good despite the immensely talented performers and monologists. The problem is capturing long-form improv on film is trickier than the jokey short-form game-prov people are used to thanks to Who's Line Is It Anyway? There's much more of a payoff with long-form, but it's really best experienced live and never seems to be successfully captured on film. Improv's lure and appeal is that it literally is a "you had to be there" kind of thing. The excitement of knowing it's being made on the spot and will never be seen again makes the live experience all the much more rewarding; it's just something you can't really catch on film. The editing of the performance is what makes it a bit jarring and disconnects it from the live feel for me even more, but by the second act scenes like “The Divorce Party” come close to capturing the feeling and energy of seeing it live.

Those craving more ASSSSCAT performances get a "bonus round" with guest monologists Jen Kirkman and Paul F. Tompkins (both great stand-ups who perform regularly on the UCB LA stage) as well as Will Arnett (Arrested Development and husband of UCB member Amy Poehler) and Ed Helms (The Office, The Daily Show).

Extras include the hilarious "Monologus Interruptus" where an audience member who stumbles on and behind the stage interrupts Paul F. Tompkins' monologue. The way the cast (especially Horatio Sanz) reacts and treats it is well worth the watch.

There's also an interview with the Upright Citizens Brigade where they explain the origin of ASSSSCAT and the differences between the weekly ASSSSCAT performances at their theatres in New York and LA.

For me, the best thing on this DVD is the commentary given by Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh. Improvisers who are fans of ASSSSCAT and UCB will love this commentary, especially those who wish they would have been around when those three still taught courses at the UCB Theatre training center. The points they make about game, heightening, "if this than what else," and "yes and…" are extremely insightful, and it almost feels like you're sitting in on a class with them. Even if you're not an improviser and are just curious about the method behind the madness, the commentary is a good way to have it broken down and a light shined onto the structure and thought process to what is being done on stage.

I probably wouldn't recommend this DVD for those who aren't that familiar with the Upright Citizens Brigade or ASSSSCAT but for those in the know it is definitely worth the watch. Otherwise, regardless of your familiarity, ASSSSCAT! should definitely be experienced live if you ever get the chance. Kudos to Shout Factory for putting this out to the masses.

South Park- Imaginationland

There are two types of South Park watchers: those who watch on a regular basis and still love the show, and those who stopped watching after the third or fourth season. This DVD will appeal to both crowds.

Imaginationland was originally a three-parter from Season 11 that gets the full-length feature treatment in this DVD. Not much is different except for some re-inserted or extended scenes not seen on TV and of course is uncensored (which at times, the beeps are funnier than the actual expletives).

What fans might find appealing about this DVD (other than the awesome story) is the commentary given by creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Owners of season DVDs know that they usually only give about five minutes worth of commentary for episodes and just leave it at that. On this DVD we get commentary that lasts until about the hour mark. I won't spoil too much for those who want to listen to it, but they give insight how they toyed around with this being the second movie for South Park and how the inspiration for the story arc came from sources like Harry Potter, Narnia, 24, and Battlestar Galactica (they point out the best writing is in TV dramas these days). You'll definitely see the influence in the feature.

The two main storylines revolve around terrorists attacking our imagination and Cartman winning a bet to get Kyle to suck his balls and his quest to make this happen. Stay with me. It sounds pretty absurd and lewd, but South Park seems to be the only show to be able to pull this off (You hear that, Drawn Together?).

One of the most entertaining parts of Imaginationland is picking out the characters in Imaginationland, good and bad. You'll see everyone from Luke Skywalker, Snarf, Gizmo, Strawberry Shortcake, and yes, even Jesus, on the good side while characters like Freddy Krueger, Alien, Predator, and the Cavity Creeps on the bad side. Surely there has to be someone on the Internet who has compiled a full list of the characters shown.

There are characters that show up that the casual South Park watcher may not know, which is why they have also included the episodes “Woodland Critter Christmas” from Season eight and “Manbearpig” from Season 10 to help you understand what they characters mean in the realm of “South Park.” Both episodes are probably the best from those seasons, especially “Manbearpig.”

I'm a fan of South Park and have been watching since its first season, but I have to say that this story arc has been one of the best things to come from the show in quite some time. Definitely worth a rent or buy.

Gone Baby Gone

Let me get one thing out of the way: I do not like Ben Affleck. I think he's an ass and a terrible actor. But, watch me eat my own pride when I write, Ben Affleck is responsible for something I actually enjoyed. *GASP*

Fortunately Affleck is smart enough not to cast himself but to cast his brother, Casey, in the lead. In my opinion, Casey is the more talented of the two. Casey has what Ben doesn't have, likability and charm that doesn't come off as frat-boy smugness. Enough about my Ben-bashing.

Gone Baby Gone centers around Boston-area local detectives, played by Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan, who are hired to investigate a young girl's kidnapping. Along the way they become entangled in a search that is not all what it seems and that ultimately leads to a decision that has to be made either professionally or personally.

It is a damn good movie, but not a great movie. The whole cast is perfect (down to the extras) and the tone and direction is spot on. Then why not “great”? I felt certain parts of the movie dragged and I felt Michelle Monaghan (from the great Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) was underused. Some people complain about the twist ending, but I think it's perfect and really helps nail the tone and theme overall.

“What would I have done?” That's something a lot of people might find themselves asking after watching this film. Is it about morals? Is it about doing the right thing? What is the right thing in the instance of law versus reality or well-being? It is that lingering question that makes the last scene of the film so powerful, and why I have to curse Affleck for making me give credit and praise where it is due.

Extras on the DVD include extended ending, commentary and behind the scenes segment from Ben Affleck. Not really thick with the extra features, but the movie is good enough that you won't mind.

You win this time, Affleck! You win...this time.