Land Ho! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Land Ho! Blu-ray Movie Review

"He just kept talking in one long incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic to topic so that no-one had a chance to interrupt it was really quite hypnotic."

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 4, 2014

There's something innately human and endlessly fascinating about that frantic search for the fountain of youth. There's also something weirdly interesting in the way it has, seemingly over the years, given way to acceptance of the way things are, that life doesn't last forever, that there's no magic elixir, that time stands still for no man, that wrinkles and sagging skin and a slowed step are but signs of a fading life and a signal that loudly shouts "have some fun before it's all over!" Indeed, movies like Last Vegas and The Bucket List celebrate the golden years and, more to the point, life, stating that while age is a number that cannot be reversed, it's still just a number and that the battle of time need not be fought but rather ignored as long as humanely possible. Land Ho! efforts -- mightily -- to follow in those same footsteps, telling the story of two long separated ex brothers-in-law reunited for an Icelandic vacation before their elevens are up. It's a well meaning film, funny at times but frequently struggling to know what to do with itself other than follow the subjects around, almost documentary style, as they move around the island nation in search of...whatever life brings their way.

Buds.

Ex brothers-in-law Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson) and Colin (Paul Eenhoorn) have gone their separate ways since their marriages to the sisters that brought them together went south. Mitch, a loquacious Louisianan, books them a flight for Iceland where they hope to rekindle the spark that once made them insuperable friends. Colin is more dragged to the island nation than he is a willing visitor. He's the quiet to Mitch's never-ending quest to fill everyone's ears -- Colin's included -- with his random thoughts on life and everything that makes it worth living. Along the way, they travel to night clubs and explore beautiful open country while searching for meaning and fulfillment, and maybe a little romance, along the way.

Land Ho! feels as meandering as its characters. As they go, so too goes the movie, and their comings and goings fail to amount to much in terms of either dramatic or comedic value. Even as they get into the ebbs and flows of their past lives, the viewer may frequently feel lost, particularly early on as the film wastes no time dragging up some fairly complicated life matters almost before character introductions are properly concluded. To make matters worse, it blends soft humor with hard drama by way of Mitch's boisterous verbosity, transitioning from intimate life details to zany verbal antics on a dime. It efforts to throw audiences into the middle of a decades-old relationship, and challenges them to understand even the more subtle dynamics right away as if the characters are as familiar as family, not as new a minutes-old movie. The almost documentary-style approach doesn't work for these characters and these dynamics, either. It comes across as forced and unbalanced, as good performers and interesting characters given no room for full, necessary introductions, relying instead on off-the-cuff dynamics to fill in the gaps that need more time, more convincing dialogue, more proper set-up to fully appreciate. The film frequently feels like vignettes, then, rather than a full tale, trying to have the best of both worlds but never really finding much success either way.

In short, the movie feels playful without much purpose and deep but not particularly dramatic. The characters' good-natured ribbing ultimately, and predictably, becomes griping becomes irritation, leaving the men at odds, with Colin, like the audience, tired of Mitch's incessant antics. The film's worst is encapsulated in a random scene in which Mitch meets a young married couple and showers them with advice. It's painfully awkward, clearly, for the couple that just wants to escape his presence but cannot find a polite way to do so, and it's equally awkward for an audience that just wants the scene to end. That awkwardness is, of course, the entire point, but it's unsettling because it's too raw, too far removed from an underlying humor that better films so frequently, and necessarily, find to make these sorts of moments mean something, to build the character further. Here, it's just reinforcing the same tired Mitch routine for no net value. The film has its moments of sharp wit, but it rarely comes with anything substantial to back it up. It's fun in spurts but even at just a shade over ninety minutes it feels like far too much of the same thing for the majority of its screen time.

The actors are admittedly good. Earl Lynn Nelson, even as purposeless as many of his ramblings may be, effortlessly captures the character's essence, which is not so much a carefree spirit -- he demands Colin dress to the occasion, for example, bemoaning his choice of jeans when something a little more formal, yet still mostly casual, is "required" -- but instead a go-with-his-own-flow sort who believes he knows best and everyone should acknowledge that he knows best. The combination of a know-it-all meets a man who can't help but flap his trap is a deadly combination, and as noted it gets to be too much, with even the strong performance unable to contain the excess of sheer talk. Paul Eenhoorn impresses as the more outwardly reserved Colin whose more subtle character dynamics play in stark contrast to Mitch's loquaciousness. The film also enjoys a strong key performance from Alice Olivia Clarke late in the film, she portraying a character who actually gives the movie a purpose and helps offer a refreshing reprieve from Mitch who knows when to zip it, for once, when he needs to step away at the most opportune time.

Land Ho! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Land Ho!'s pretty but somewhat uneven 1080p transfer satisfies more often than not. There are some lightly smeary and poorly defined details scattered throughout -- faces are hit particularly hard in places, losing almost all definition -- but there are many more examples of crisp, cinema quality details that reveal the elder actors' finer lines and the younger players' makeup details and freckles. Environmental details look good even under a fairly gray, bleak Icelandic backdrop. Concrete, rolling countryside, and manmade structures appear sharp and nicely textured. Colors aren't particularly vibrant by design -- the filmmakers wanted a yellow Hummer for the movie but could not find one -- but do nicely pop when the opportunity arrises, for example when showing Mitch in a bright yellow jacket later in the movie. Flesh tones appear natural, for the most part, with perhaps only a small push towards a warm shade. Black levels rarely present any real challenges. Though it struggles in spots, this transfer generally looks good and should please most audiences.

Land Ho! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Land Ho!'s mostly basic sonic needs are admirably met by Sony's proficient DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There are a few bits of aggressive music that enjoy strong clarity and stage spacing, with special emphasis on a dance club number that penetrates the stage with beautifully aggressive notes, a wide surround presence, and clean and a deep bass. Light atmospherics also support the film on occasion, helping to define various environments to subtle yet critical effect with good placement and volume. Mostly, however, this is a dialogue intensive presentation that replicates the spoken word with the natural vitality and placement expected of a top-flight lossless track. Overall, this is a strong track that excels when needed and maintains excellence throughout.

Land Ho! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Land Ho! contains an audio commentary, a film festival Q&A, a few deleted scenes, and a trailer. Also included in the Blu-ray case is a DVD copy of the film.

• Audio Commentary: Actors Paul Eenhoorn and Earl Lynn Nelson and Writers/Directors Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz open with an interesting discussion of the multiple layers of purpose behind the opening scene and move on to cover actor camaraderie, the technical details of the shoot, script versus improvisation, the small budget and tiny crew, costumes, filming in Iceland, music, random tales from the shoot, and plenty more. This is a flat-out fun track that fans of the film in particular will adore.
• LA Film Fest Q&A with Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Lynn Nelson, Martha Stephens, Aaron Katz, and Elizabeth McKee (1080p, 13:26): The commentary participants, plus Actress Elizabeth McKee, field some questions from the audience. Nelson doesn't appear until a few minutes in.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): At the Club (2:22), Balls (1:15), Ghost Job (0:51), and Alternate Intro (7:49).
• Land Ho! Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:56).
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Land Ho! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Imagine Earl Lynn Nelson as John Candy and Paul Eenhoorn as Steve Martin from Planes, Trains & Automobiles. One can't help but watch Land Ho! and wish it was a sequel, even if in spirit, because it seems like the perfect long-after-the-fact follow-up to that wonderful picture. There's the same basic character qualities, the same spirit of manly misadventure, and the same potential for classic laughs wrapped in a heartwarming story of friendship. Alas, Land Ho! can't live up to that admittedly unreachable legacy, a shame because all the pieces are in place for something much better. The movie feels a little too forced, a little too scattered, a little unsure of where it's going and what it wants to accomplish. It's never quite as funny as it wants to be and nowhere near as dramatic as it needs to be, instead meandering around a fairly barren middle ground with glimpses of greatness off in the distance but mostly hidden under the scattered light hits and large misses that play out in the foreground. Sony's Blu-ray release of Land Ho! features decent-to-good video, solid audio, and several supplements. Worth a rental.