Aspen Extreme Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Aspen Extreme Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 18, 2019

Patrick Hasburgh's "Aspen Extreme" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Clueless in Aspen

On a sunny day in Michigan, best friends T.J. Burke (Paul Gross) and Dexter Rutecki (Peter Berg) agree to ditch their lousy jobs and try their luck in snowy Aspen, Colorado. Their plan is to make ends meet by doing what they love -- skiing. However, shortly after reaching Aspen they realize that the other part of their plan, which requires that they live in their van until they can get their own place, would be tricky because they could easily freeze to death. Luckily for them, in the middle of the night radio jock Robin (Teri Polo) welcomes them in her office, gives them hot coffee, and later on helps them move in a cheap bungalow on the outskirts of the city.

Soon after, the friends apply to become ski instructors and go to work to impress. Only T.J. makes the cut, but he manages to get Dexter on the list and a day later the two receive their first assignments. The wealthy hottie Bryce Kellogg (Finola Hughes), who has too much money and too much time on her hands, then promptly seduces T.J. and while having fun with him replaces his best friend, while Dexter begins spending his free time drinking beer and exploring the ceiling of the bungalow.

However, despite having a good time with his wealthy client T.J. falls in love with Robin, who reluctantly allows him in her life but warns him that she does not have much confidence that he will stick around when the season is over. T.J. ends his relationship with Bryce and vows to prove Robin wrong, but when the single and disillusioned Dexter makes a silly mistake and ends up owing a lot of money to a local drug dealer, he goes back to his former client and asks that she helps him bail out his friend. The two then try to repair their shaky friendship, but a freak accident pushes them apart.

Patrick Hasburgh’s Aspen Extreme emerged in the early ‘90s but actually has the heart of a genuine ‘80s genre film. Indeed, it’s got a very attractive loose ‘80s attitude that blends comedy and drama in a way that essentially makes it impossible to remain indifferent to T.J. and Dexter’s adventure. Yes, there are sequences that look a bit shaky because certain events occur in an obviously scripted fashion, but the casual atmosphere that the film maintains despite the numerous rather exotic emotional ups and downs has a far bigger positive effect on it.

The film is also wonderfully lensed, though Hasburgh apparently used the services of two different cinematographers, Steven Fierberg and Robert Primes. For example, there are a lot of great aerial shots that emphasize the natural beauty of Aspen while capturing the impressive performances of the skiers. The camera positioning during the dangerous flips and jumps is particularly effective because it really gives the viewer a sense of the actual speed and rush that the skiers are experiencing. (The ice gliding that Doug Coombs shot for the film is just flat-out phenomenal. For an even greater rush, check out Curt Morgan’s The Art of Flight. Michael Ritchie’s Downhill Racer should be on your radar as well).

The soundtrack features a number of top tracks that used to play on the AOR radio stations across the country, such as Terry Reid's "The Driver (part 2)", Jude Cole’s “Start the Car”, David Baerwald's "The Best Inside You", and Billy Falcon’s “What She Will”. Also, the original VHS trailer for the film featured Rick Astley’s hit “You Move Me” from his classic ‘80s album “Whenever You Need Somebody”.

*In the United States, Aspen Extreme was initially released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment. This recent release from Kino Lorber is sourced from the same older master that the folks at Mill Creek Entertainment worked with to produce their release. However, the technical presentation is different. (Please see the video section of our review for additional comments).

Aspen Extreme Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Aspen Extreme arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The film was first released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2011, but the previous release is now out of print. This new release is sourced from the same older master that the folks at Mill Creek Entertainment worked with, but the technical presentation is quite a bit different.

First, the master has some very familiar limitations. For example, depth does not have the type of consistency that brand new 2K/4K masters produce. In darker indoor footage, and occasionally during well-lit footage, there is light black crush that sneaks in as well, and this is something that further impacts depth. However, and this is one of the big improvements that this release offers, the overall depth of the visuals here is much, much better than what the previous release provides. I would like to be very specific: On the older release the visuals often appear smeary, and especially the outdoor footage with the snow looks very sharpened and digital. On this release grain still does not look as solidly natural and strong as it should, but it is better exposed and on a larger screen the film has a much more attractive appearance. In fact, so much so that I would say that with a few careful adjustments that rebalance the contrast levels and some outdoor highlights this master can look rather lovely. The color balance and nuances are better as well, though I believe that the failures of the previous release are strictly a byproduct of the average/poor encoding. So, if you purchase this release, expect to see better balanced and overall more vibrant colors. (A new master, however, will offer plenty of meaningful improvements and expand nuances as well). Image stability is very good. The film also looks clean. Ultimately, this release still offers a presentation of the film with key areas that can see meaningful improvements. However, despite looking dated, here the film has a much, much more attractive appearance, often revealing even a few shaky but surprisingly decent organic qualities. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Aspen Extreme Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is solid. Clarity, depth, and overall balance are very nice. (Jude Cole's track "Start the Car" in the very beginning of the film actually sounds outstanding). Also, there are absolutely no traces of age-related imperfections and anomalies, such as high-frequency distortions, background hiss, hum, etc. This being said, I kind of wonder if the studio ever created a 5.1 mix for this film. I actually went to see it in the theater -- after it was already trashed by the critics -- and remember being quite impressed with its soundtrack.

Aspen Extreme Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• VHS Trailer - the original VHS trailer for Aspen Extreme with Rick Astley's hit "You Move Me", which Hollywood Pictures produced a long time ago. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following releases from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Another Stakeout
  2. The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag
  3. The Marrying Man

Aspen Extreme Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I often wonder if I made a mistake giving away my Laserdisc of Aspen Extreme, which was one of the last in my collection. I love this film and in the old days I paid big bucks to get the Laserdisc. It was one of my favorite, together with a very pricey Japanese edition of Walter Hill's The Driver. The mainstream critics trashed Aspen Extreme, but I thought that it was lovely, boasting a superb soundtrack too. (Terry Reid's track is a masterpiece). Anyhow, I have to give Kino Lorber a lot of credit for reissuing it on Blu-ray. This new release is sourced from the older master that the folks at Mill Creek Entertainment worked with, but the technical presentation is much better. Ignore the many negative theatrical reviews and pick up a copy for your collection. Aspen Extreme is the perfect film to see after a long and exhausting day, or on a night when you feel nostalgic about the '80s and early '90s. RECOMMENDED.