6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
On the run from the police and a female roller derby team, scam artist Michael Rangeloff steals a coffin and boards a train, pretending to be a soldier bringing home a dead war buddy. He gets more than he bargained for from the train and the coffin.
Starring: Michael O'Keefe, Beverly D'Angelo, Louis Gossett Jr., Pamela Stephenson, Ed LauterComedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
BDInfo
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Director Richard Lester has a sense of humor, and he’s determined to share it with the world. The helmer of “A Hard Day’s Night,” “The Three Musketeers,” and “Robin and Marian,” Lester rode waves of box office glory and failure throughout his career, but he reached a particularly questionable time of personal success when he was asked to take over production duties on “Superman II,” working to change original director Richard Donner’s regality into camp, transforming such suggestion into hard evidence with his questionable handling of “Superman III,” which merged the fantasy of comic heroism and the comic timing of an Old Hollywood two-reeler. Perhaps intending to reset his creative vision after dealing in blockbusters for years, Lester masterminds “Finders Keepers,” a 1984 production that plays like a farce, but actually has literary roots, adapted from a novel by Charles Dennis (who co-scripts). Lester has always been an acquired taste, and those tuned into his particular way with funny business might respond favorably to “Finders Keepers.” However, like everything he does, a little of Lester’s cheekiness goes a long way, tiring out this train ride of mishaps and mistaken identities before it leaves the station.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a fairly average look at the madcap antics of "Finders Keepers." This certainly isn't a fresh scan of the 1984 feature, with elements of age apparent, including mild filtering and slight fatigue to the viewing experience. Colors aren't remarkable, handling primaries without vibrancy, but hues aren't completely muted, better with bolder set decoration and Canadian greenery, while costuming has its highlights. Detail is available but lacks snap, coming through with train interiors and close-ups, while overall sharpness isn't as refreshed as it could be. Delineation is acceptable, but this is a brightly shot movie. Source isn't problematic, with only a few scattered incidents of speckling.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides a basic listening event for "Finders Keepers," which is a film that prizes performances the most. Dialogue exchanges are preserved adequately, emphasizing timing and idiosyncratic delivery, with comedic choices coming through clearly. Scoring efforts are supportive, building mood when called on, delivering satisfactory instrumentation. Soundtrack selections are more alert, handling with some depth. Atmospherics are pleasant, with train travel consistent and evocative, and crowd scenes are acceptable.
There is no supplementary material on this disc.
"Finders Keepers" keeps on going through incidents and conflicts, but rarely does anything come across as inspired. Lester tries to put together a ripe farce, encouraging speedy timing and outrageous behavior, and the screenplay is generally good about arranging challenges for Michael, testing his skills of deception as he's forced to keeping dreaming up new explanations for nagging questions, working to avoid detection, but always managing to increase it. For Lester fanatics, I can't image this effort is regarded as one of his best, as it seldom reaches the insanity the helmer strives for. Imagine the slapstick prologue from "Superman III" stretched to 90 minutes and set on a train, and that's the "Finders Keepers" viewing experience. It's eager to please, but there's nothing here that inspires surprise or even a single bellylaugh. It's a movie with an appreciation of wacky intent and pure cinematic interests, but it mostly triggers a series of shrugs and a burning need to understand why Lester thought the music of Supertramp would be the proper musical accompaniment to a Vietnam War story.
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Warner Archive Collection
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Warner Archive Collection
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