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By
WAYNE KLEIN
It takes a loan shark
leading the way to make Hollywood honest. "Get
Shorty" returns in a new Special Edition DVD just
in time for the sequel "Too Cool" which premiers
in theaters in March '05. Translating Elmore
Leonard's novels to the screen can be a tricky
business but luckily both screenwriter Scott Frank
and director Barry Sonnenfeld are up to the task
with this inventive, darkly comedic film.
Chili Palmer (John Travolta) heads west to collect
a debt from down-and-out B-movie producer Harry
Zimm (Gene Hackman). When Harry can't pay, Chili
opts to help him make a movie about, well, Chili
Palmer. The catch is that Chili and Harry need a
star to make their movie viable. Chili quickly
finds that the film business shares a lot in
common with the world of organized crime. Chili
romances B-Movie queen Karen Flores (Rene Russo)
an ex of Harry's, and persuades film star Martin
Weir (Danny DeVito) to star in the film -- but
not before running into a Cadillac of very funny
mishaps along the way. Featuring great
performances from Dennis Farina as the clueless
Ray "Bones" Barboni, Travolta, Hackman, Russo, De
Vito and a pre-Sopranos James Gandolfini, "Get
Shorty" positively sparkles with wit and energy.
Sporting a new high definition transfer, "Get
Shorty" looks simply marvelous. Showing a minimum
of digital artifacts and no analog flaws, the
image has amazing depth and an image sharper than
Chili's aim. The colors practically leap out from
the screen, brighter than Harry Zimm's blindingly
white teeth from the moment the pink and blue
titles pop up on the screen until the moment we
hear "cut" at the end. With blacks richer and
darker than Chili's stolen coat, MGM has done a
superb job of translating this modern classic to
DVD. The crystal clear sound comes across with
more presence than B-Movie queen Karen Flores'
screams.
Extras are always nice. It's like having seconds
of a terrific desert; while no one really needs
it, it's great to have just the same. We get a
number of notable extras as part of this rich
meal. The second disc has three featurettes on
different aspects of the film, the deleted
"Graveyard Scene," outtakes, the "Get Shorty"
party reel, a documentary from Bravo Channel on
the making of the movie and a sneak peak at "Be
Cool." "Get Shorty: Look at Me" opens the book on
how Elmore Leonard came up with the plot for "Get
Shorty" and developed the idea. DeVito, Travolta,
Hackman, Russo, Sonnenfeld and other key cast and
crew participate in this featurette on the
production of the film. Full of clips from the
movie to illustrate the points made throughout the
featurette, it's a great summation of the
greatness of this film. It's a 30-minute love
fest, reminding fans why they love this movie so
much. The 20-minute "Get Shorty: Wise Guys and
Dolls" focuses on the fun, complex characters of
the movie. "The Graveyard Scene" featurette allows
Sonnenfeld to comment on the single deleted scene,
the hilarious, well, graveyard scene. Featuring a
funny cameo with Ben Stiller, Sonnenfeld clearly
regretted cutting the scene but he couldn't find a
place for it. The behind-the-scenes stuff and
interviews last longer than the actual scene
itself. "Going Again" features footage from
outtakes and a discussion from Sonnenfeld about
the technique of using long takes, pulling out the
best bits and putting it together to make magic.
The sneak peak for "Be Cool" promises that the
sequel to "Get Shorty" is to be as funny as the
first film.
Bravo's "Page to Screen" documentary featuring
Peter Gallagher features plenty of interviews with
critics and other writers, and focuses on how
Elmore Leonard comes up with the material in his
books, and, once again, takes us behind-the-scenes
of the production of the movie. The real treat is
hearing from the real Chili Palmer discussing the
"reel" Chili Palmer and Leonard's character. The
"Party Reel" mainly consists of bits and piece of
cut footage and behind-the-scenes stuff, nothing
earth shattering or all that funny. In addition to
the "Get Shorty" theatrical trailer we get two
promos, one for "Fargo" and one for "The Good, The
Bad and The Ugly." My only complaint is the MGM
promo opener that they put on *all* of their DVDs.
It's annoying and, unfortunately, there's no way
to pass it by. It's a pretty minor issue but the
fact that it's on all of their DVDs makes it a
real pain.
A dry, witty commentary by Barry Sonnenfeld
highlights this disc. The only drawback is the
lack of participation of Travolta, Hackman, Russo
and DeVito. I realize they have busy schedules
but it would have been a real highlight and
perfect addition to this DVD.
A hip, funny comedy that continues to deliver in
spades, "Get Shorty" looks terrific, sounds great
and has some terrific special features. This is an
example of a re-release that's worth upgrading.
Oh, and for a limited time the film includes film
"money" that will allow you in to see the sequel
"Be Cool." That's a big plus particularly if
you're not certain as to whether or not the film
is going to fall into the sand trap that prevents
so many sequels from soaring or if it'll be as
good as the original film. |
