Variety Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Variety Blu-ray Movie Review

An impressive feminist take on adult entertainment.

Variety is a feminist exploration of sexuality and pornography (with female filmmakers at the helm). Produced by Renee Shafransky (Gray's Anatomy), Variety is based on the original story by Bette Gordon. Starring Sandy McLeod, Variety has some thought- provoking questions and is worth exploration.

Christine (Sandy McLeod) is a young woman searching for work where she can find it. Delving in to the seedy worlds of adult movie theaters, Christine becomes a ticketer at a local porno theater called “Variety” and begins to hand out tickets. Working alongside a friendly usher, Jose (Luis Guzman), Christine begins to watch the pornographic movies displayed on-screen herself – and becomes entranced by viewing them while she works.

As romantic complications arise with her boyfriend, Mark (Will Patton), Christine finds herself drifting through sex shops (pondering her sexuality). An exploration of female sexuality and the desires of women, Variety takes a feminist approach to the world of pornography. A look at the adult entertainment industry through a woman's perspective.

A strong performance by Sandy McLeod.

Sandy McLeod is at the heart of the filmmaking. The actress delves in to her role with a clear sense of dedication to the part. McLeod explores her sexuality – and the sexuality of women – with a upmost frankness that is refreshing to see. McLeod explores both her desires and her complicated emotions.

The cinematography by Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion, Delirious) and John Foster (Sunday, Keane) is a compelling element, too. Variety features some impressive sequences that showcase the stunning vistas of the outdoors as well as the melancholy of the adult theater. A worthwhile cinematographic effort. The music score composed by John Lurie (Excess Baggage, Stranger Than Paradise) also manages to add impressive layers to the filmmaking.

Director Bette Gordon (Luminous Motion, Empty Suitcases) brings a tale of female sexuality and desire to life in a compelling way. The filmmaking also utilizes the well-written screenplay by Kathy Acker (actress-turned-screenwriter) to a positive effect. Variety manages to be a better film than expected because it is told from a female perspective. In an industry so often over-run by men, Variety is a great example of how important it is to have women share their voices regarding sexuality and pornography. The female-perspective gives the film a positive feminist energy – as the film was clearly made with the idea of empowering women. As more-and-more women take on leadership roles in pornography (directing and producing), the tides continue to turn for the better – and Variety is an example of that forward thinking.

Variety Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Variety is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The film comes from a brand new restoration completed from a 2K scan. Supervised by Director Bette Gordon, the restoration was completed using the original camera negative. The picture-quality is impressive, indeed. With a cinematic aesthetic with film grain intact and good color-reproduction as well, the restoration is certainly a success.

Variety Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The audio quality is impressive and never suffers from egregious hiss, crackle, warps, clicks, or pops. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The soundstage is somewhat limited – with an emphasis on the dialogue – but the soundtrack never fails to deliver an effective presentation.

Optional English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided.

Variety Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a booklet featuring an essay on the feature-film written by film critic Amy Taubin about the themes of Variety and the importance of the film to the Feminist movement.

Audio Commentary by director Bette Gordon and featuring moderation by writer Hillary Weston

Anybody's Woman (SD, 23:36) is a short film from director Bette Gordon which serves as a narrative precursor to Variety as a feature-film, exploring the same subject-matter (but in a different way). The short features many of the same locations and has a similar cinematographic style.

Gallery of production stills (HD, 5:02) features still photography from Nan Goldin.

Location scouting stills gallery (HD, 1:42)

Storyboard illustration slideshow (HD, 6:52) features a selection of illustrations completed by artists Tim Burns and Bette Gordon.

Variety Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:12)

Luminous Motion Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:34)

Variety Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

An impressive exploration of female sexuality, Variety offers a woman's take on pornography and on sexual desires. Though many feminists hate pornography (and the debate will always continue on), Variety offers a perspective on the subject that comes from a different feminist viewpoint. The film is well-made and features a strong performance by Sandy McLeod. The presentation features a 2K restoration (from the original camera negative) as supervised by director Bette Gordon. Highly recommended.