Solstice Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Solstice Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 22, 2020

Short film Solstice debuted on Lifetime Television during the Christmas 1994 season. The film was, and remains, a passion project for filmmaker Jerry A. Vasilatos, who wrote and directed it and financed it with settlement money following accident that cost him his leg. It's no surprise, then, that the film's protagonist is an aspiring filmmaker, but Nick's (Mike Kelley) dreams of celluloid stardom are of only tangential importance to the larger story. Solstice tells his story on one Christmas Eve, struggling to find the season's meaning in a life that feels aimless and purposeless. With odes to the Christmas classics to come before it, Solstice engages the audience with a simplicity and sweetness that will fill the soul at any time of year.

'Twas the night before Christmas, 1991. Nick (Mike Kelley) is not necessarily a scrooge but he's also not in the holiday mood. He doesn't have anyone special in his life since his girlfriend Kristine (Mary McCloud) severed ties. So it's not a surprise that she angrily rejects his Christmas gifts, a necklace and a VHS copy of Peter Pan, her favorite childhood movie and an obvious gift for Nick, a film buff and aspiring filmmaker in his own right, to buy her. As he meanders about town on Christmas Eve, reluctantly attending a sing-along movie showing of It's a Wonderful Life and stepping into a Christmas Eve service, he comes to realize that he does, in small and personal ways, see and work his own miracles through the evening.

Solstice thrives on its simplicity and its welcoming and rewarding journey with an everyman protagonist. It's very simple but it’s also extremely effective. It’s short but powerful, capable of building and exploring its character in rapid fire succession as he deals with the latter half of his day on Christmas Eve, discovering that even as there’s an air of rejection, stagnation, and indirection in his life, the season has plenty to give him and his soul has plenty to share. The movie plays well because of its sincerity, its unflinchingly true-to-life story elements that see Nick nudged in the right direction to experience the rewards of receiving and the gratification of giving. Even as the film runs at under 50 minutes, it delivers much in the way of heartfelt content in its timeframe. The film is not concerned with splash and dazzle or building Nicks’s story into a spectacle. It’s concerned with grounding the tale and painting its protagonist as a simple man experiencing the same ups and downs that so many feel during the Christmas season.

It's not a surprise that by film's end Nick learns that Christmas is about “the spirit of faith, good will, and understanding.” The movie quickly flashes backward through its highlights as a suddenly aware Nick realizes that his day has not been so dismal as he allowed himself to believe, his night not so aimless as he earlier perceived. Mike Kelley is very good as Nick, perhaps not delivering an Oscar-caliber performance under the traditional metrics but nevertheless finding that realistic cadence and approach to his life, from rejection to reason, from subtle despair to a sudden sense of purpose for the world and for himself. He learns to belong, to see that he's made a difference, that life has not rejected him. He's welcomed back to it with open arms and newly opened eyes, and Kelley carries that gradual transformation with impressive command. The film proper is obviously lower budget but, like the performances, it's not so much about technical merit, which is fine for a film of this nature, but rather the essence of the story and the ease and honesty with which it's shared with the audience. Anyone looking for a quickly uplifting film, at any time of year, will find it here.

Solstice Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Generally speaking, Solstice looks very nice on Blu-ray. The film has undergone an extensive 2K restoration and clean-up to remove scratches and debris. The picture generally filmic in appearance, though grain is very dense and occasionally appears frozen in place. When characters move, it sometimes moves with them in large masses. Look at a dialogue scene in an office in chapter four, the scene in which Nick receives the filmmaking book from his co-worker. As heads move about, it's as if backgrounds are magnetically attracted to them, pulling hither and thither with them. This phenomenon remains in some frequency throughout the film. But the image is generally pleasantly filmic otherwise, sufficiently sharp but with some occasionally softer shots intermixed (17:10 being one of the more obvious examples). Still, core definition on character faces, attire, and various city exteriors and interiors are impressively detailed and very robust. Colors please, ranging from urban grays to splashes of more intense tones in storefronts and illuminated signs around Chicago. Christmas colors are cheerful and Kristine's red hair dazzles. Skin tones are fine and black levels aren't too far removed from perfect.

It's worth noting that Vasilatos performed much of this restoration on his own computer, teaching himself the software to clean up scratches and other signs of wear and tear. All things considered, and while imperfect, this is a remarkable presentation for a film, and a Blu-ray, that are the dictionary definition of "labor of love."

Solstice Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, remastered by Vasilatos himself and including a brand new score (the original version with the first score is included on the disc, too), delivers a serviceable listen that presents the movie's rather limited listening material with commendable efficiency. Music finds perfectly adequate clarity. It stretches well out to the edges, creating a pleasing front end dynamic. The track muscles up for some city din, such as passing cars, chatty pedestrians, and squealing brakes on elevated trains. Light atmospherics, like blowing wind in chapter 12, are also impressively implemented within the two-channel confines. Dialogue is clear and images to the center with no drift towards the sides.

Solstice Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Solstice includes supplements under three different menu tabs: the "setup" selection includes the three commentaries while "Special Features" and "Archives" contain newly created and vintage extras, respectively. Below are reviews of what appears in each category. This is a truly exhaustive assortment of extras, leaving no nugget unexplored; it's everything anyone could ever want to know about Solstice, and more. Also included is a two-page insert that explores the production's history. No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does ship with a slipcover.

Commentaries:

• 2019 Director's Commentary: Director Jerry A. Vasilatos and his friend Art Medina attempt to offer a few new insights beyond what's covered in the exhaustive supplemental content both newly created for this release and culled from the archives. Much of the material is anecdotal but nevertheless very insightful.
• 2004 Commentary: For this DVD release commentary, Vasilatos is joined by Cinematographer John O'Shaughnessy and Actor Mike Kelley who provide a well rounded collection of insights that cover the film from several unique perspectives.
• Historian's Commentary: University of South Florida Film Professor Chris Maltezos covers some of the content discussed in the previous two tracks, but there's also a good bit of new material, too. It's a well paced track that, even as it's clearly being read rather than delivered off the cuff, flows well.

Special Features:

• Spirits of Christmas Past: The Making of "Solstice" (1080p, 47:23 total runtime): A seven-part features that explores various aspects of the production, and the film's history, in detail. Each section is titled in a way so as to make what's covered inside fairly self-explanatory.
  
  
  • Origins: A comprehensive exploration of how the film began life.
  • Casting: Assembling the cast and exploring the performances.
  • The Crew: In praise of the people behind the camera who made the movie happen.
  • Locations and Production: Looking through the film's key set pieces.
  • The Lifetime Broadcast: A discussion of how the film's length kept it out of film festivals but finding its home, and success, on Lifetime.
  • The Restoration: Vasilatos discusses the new 2K scan, conducting the frame-by-frame cleanup himself, and adjusting the color timing. He also covers re-syncing audio.
  • The Orchestral Rescore: Commissioning a new score for the film for this restoration release (the film with its original score is included in another supplement outlined below).
  
  
• Solstice II: Kristine's Story (1080p, 2:27): Not a companion film but rather McCloud's reflections on her character's largely unexplored motivations.
• The History of the Music Box Sing-Along (1080p, 6:08): The people and purposes behind the traditional event depicted in the film.
• 25th Anniversary Trailer (1080p, 1:46).
• 25th Anniversary Screening Q&A (1080p, 24:12): Moderator Patrick McDonald hosts cast and crew who discuss story, themes, technical details behind the film, deleted scenes, life on the set, and much more.
• Spirits of Christmas Past Roadshow Cut (1080p, 15:04): A condensed version of the seven-part feature listed above.
• Coda (1080p, 4:33): University of South Florida Film Professor Chris Maltezos explores his response to the film. He also provides a commentary track as covered above.
• Deleted Scene (1080p, 1:05): With both original audio and optional director's commentary.
• Outtake (1080p, 0:34): With both original audio and optional director's commentary
• Original 1993 Feature (1080p, 47:10): The film as it aired on Lifetime with the original music intact. Presented with the original mono mix and optional 2004 filmmakers commentary with Writer/Director Jerry A. Vasilatos, Cinematographer John O'Shaughnessy, and Actor Michael Kelley.

Archives:

• Original Audition (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 4:33): Mike Kelley and Mary McCloud play out a key scene from the film's opening minutes.
• Six Corners (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 6:37): A collection of behind the scenes home videos from the St. Alphonsus Church & Six Corners, from January 1993. This footage looks at life on the set during a frigid Chicago night of shooting. Text support appear on screen to better set the scene.
• CLTV News (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 2:53): Vasilatos appears on an Arts & Entertainment spotlight segment to promote the film. From December 1994.
• Nights Out Chicago (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 6:25): P.J. Moriarty hosts Kelley, McCloud, and Vasilatos to discuss the film's narrative, themes, and production.
• Mise-En-Scene (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 9:04): An Elmowood Park Public Television segment featuring Vasilatos promoting the film.
• WLUP Slideshow (1080p, 13:18): A radio segment from 97.9 WLUP Chicago in which hosts Wendy Snyder and Tony Fitzpatrick interview Vasilatos. The audio is accompanied by photos from the production.
• Lifetime Promos (1080p upscaled, 4x3, 1:00): Quick ads for the film from Lifetime Network.
• Screenplay (1080p): Read through both the First Draft and the Revised Third Draft as each page appears on the screen. Pages advance with manual button presses.
• Storyboards (1080p): View the originally crafted storyboards with manual forward progression.

Solstice Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Solstice may not be a technical marvel, or even a particularly lengthy film, but few are as heartfelt, simplistic in all the right ways, and cozy as it. It's fit for Christmas consumption or a lift any time of year for its demonstration of life's small miracles and the power of simply seeing the world in a slightly new, and better, light. Nitestar Productions' Blu-ray features good video and audio presentations, but the real value, beyond the movie, is the exhaustive collection of supplemental content, including a fascinating look into the restoration; Vasilatos has invested both his own money and his heart and soul into this film over the past several decades, culminating with this must-own Blu-ray release. Very highly recommended.