6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
With the discovery of Juvenal, a miracle healer, evangelist turned RV dealer Bill Hill envisions riches. Hill manages to snare Juvenal with the help of a former associate, Lynn Faulkner. However, Hill's plans of book deals and TV talk show visits hits a snag when Lynn falls for Juvenal and has second thoughts about exploiting him.
Starring: Bridget Fonda, Christopher Walken, Skeet Ulrich, Tom Arnold, Gina GershonDrama | 100% |
Romance | 3% |
Comedy | 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
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
While writer/director Paul Schrader has collected the admiration of cineastes and movie journalists over the years, he’s certainly not a consistent filmmaker. While interested in making intelligent pictures about difficult subjects, Schrader doesn’t always show a command of storytelling and performance. 1997’s “Touch” is a notable example of the helmer’s unsteadiness when it comes to selling a tale of challenging tones, with Schrader trying his luck adapting a 1987 Elmore Leonard novel during a time in Hollywood when such a creative undertaking was all the rage (“Get Shorty,” “Jackie Brown,” “Out of Sight”). “Touch” is tricky, exploring the ways of love, religious zealotry, and exploitation, and Schrader can’t manage the juggling act required to keep the feature interesting, fumbling the interests of multiple characters. There are a few provocative elements to the endeavor, but it’s mostly clumsy and a bit of a chore to finish, with Schrader often unsure what he wants the effort to be.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) is listed as a "new 2K restoration from the 35mm interpositive." "Touch" arrives with a softer level of detail, with some skin particulars remaining open for examination, along with costuming textures. Interiors are acceptable, with a decent sense of decoration. Exteriors retain some depth. Color is compelling, with sufficient primaries and natural skin tones. More varies hues also retain presence during club and church visits. Blood red remains distinct, along with greenery. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is capably resolved. Source is in passible condition, with judder present.
While an "original 5.1 theatrical soundtrack" is listed on the packaging, "Touch" only contains a 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix. Clarity is strong with dialogue exchanges, following performance choices and quieter moments of intimacy. The guitar-driven score sounds fresh and deep, with sharp instrumentation. Atmospherics are appreciable as the story visits locations and deals with community events.
"Touch" teases fascinating directions for the story, including Juvenal's question of purpose and unsteady powers. The feature also attempts to build something resembling a climax during a taping of Debra's show, which transforms into a clunky take on trash television shenanigans. Perhaps Leonard's novel was never meant for a cinematic realization, and Schrader doesn't have the right snappiness to make the material come alive with elements of satire and sobering realities. It's something of a mess, and a film that simply stops instead of concludes, hinting at the presence of some final cut issues, or perhaps desperation editing. "Touch" has potential (scoring from Dave Grohl is exceptional, providing a rocking rhythm for an endeavor that doesn't match it), but it doesn't connect as an offering of intimacy and insanity, with Schrader keeping the effort quite mild and somewhat uneventful, laboring to shape a movie that's meant to be semi-farcical and mysterious. Instead, it's mostly snoozy and unsatisfying.
Limited Edition to 3000
1957
1970
+ 1931 The Front Page
1940
La règle du jeu
1939
1968
Baisers volés
1968
1992
Limited Edition to 3000
1969
1941
1946
1975
1965
The Easy Life
1962
1970
1981
1960
1987
2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle
1967
2011
2017