6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
On the shores of Lake Michigan, the eccentric Captain Seafield enlists a colourful crew of misfits in a bid to slay the hellish sea monster that prowls the murky depths.
Starring: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Erick West, Beulah Peters, Daniel Long, Wayne TewsComedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Is there something in the water in Wisconsin? By which I mean, is there something in the water people are drinking in Wisconsin, as opposed to some horrible Loch Ness Monster type creature hiding in the depths of Lake Michigan (though there may indeed be one — or several — of those as well). As I’ve joked in some previous reviews, I discovered shortly after falling in love with and then marrying a woman from the tiny Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls that Wisconsin was inarguably the center of the known (and, considering its cinematic output, more about which in a moment, unknown) universe, though in the inimitable words of one William Butler Yeats, this particular center will not hold, resulting in some really odd films at times. A number of titles have either crossed my actual review queue or come to my attention in some other, more generalist, way that have featured the so-called Badger State, including two wildly disparate documentaries, American Movie and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox, which actually feature Menomonee Falls itself. A couple of horror films put out by Arrow over the past year or so also featured northern Wisconsin’s Eagle River area (where my wife's family has a wonderful cabin on one of Wisconsin's multitudinous lakes), including Trapped Alive and The Chill Factor, but for those wanting their quasi- horror outings to take place in a relatively more urbanized environment, Lake Michigan Monster may fit the bill, though its allusions to Milwaukee are fleeting at best and the entire film is so completely surreal that it probably doesn’t matter what state it’s taking place in, other than a state of arguably altered consciousness.
Lake Michigan Monster is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following generic verbiage on the transfer:
Lake Michigan Monster is presented in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio with original 5.1 surround and stereo audio. The High Definition master was provided by director Ryland Tews.Time prevented me from listening to all three of the commentaries all of the way through, where this might have been addressed, but I'm not sure whether this was actually shot on 16mm, or made to appear so through some of the same digital tweaking which has obviously been used to alter the imagery in various ways, including intentional distressing and damage and other stylistic choices like pretty radically pushed contrast. The result is unabashedly lo-fi, but detail levels are often quite winning, especially in the almost comically intense close-ups that are frequently utilized. The differences in contrast as well as some of the other tweaks applied can mean clarity and detail levels ebb and flow (no nautical pun intended), and some of the special effects work can be a little on the soft side as well.
Lake Michigan Monster features a nicely wrought DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which provides some surprising immersion (again, no nautical pun intended) despite the film's obviously very low budget. There's some good rumbly LFE that pulses from the subwoofer and the glut of outdoor material provides good placement of ambient environmental effects. Dialogue (evidently all post-looped, so sync is loose, as they say), effects and the wacky score are all presented with fine fidelity and some nice dynamic range. Optional English subtitles are available.
- L.I.P.S. Season One (1080p; 22:13)
- L.I.P.S. Pilot (1080p; 7:15)
- Call to Action (1080p; 1:51)
- Filmmaking Guide (1080p; 3:05)
- Manufacturer's Guarantee (1080p; 00:52)
Tews is on record as stating two of his primary influences for Lake Michigan Monster were Sam Raimi and Guy Maddin (Maddin gets a special thanks in the closing credits), while commentators Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Emma Westwood cite another source which compared the film to Maddin and SpongeBob SquarePants, so if you're familiar with any/all of those referents, you may have at least some idea of what's in store for you here. The comedy doesn't always connect, and some of it's undeniably stupid (which may in fact appeal to some), but the film is genuinely inventive in its presentational aspects, and Tews himself is often hilarious as the overbearing Seafield. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package quite interesting. At least for those looking for something a little (a lot?) different, Lake Michigan Monster comes Recommended.
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