Reality Bites (1994) (Blu-ray) 20th Anniversary Edition Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

 

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[The Drifter]

Recently re-watched Reality Bites on Blu. Beautiful print.

Technical review:

I haven't seen the regular DVD in years so can't definitively speak to how much of an improvement the PQ is, but there is definitely an improvement here.

That being said, the issue some may have with the PQ is the the large amount of intentional video tape footage in the film - i.e., the morning TV show Lelaina works for, the footage of the "In your face" documentary that Lelaina is making, etc..

The film itself:

Excellent movie. Both extremely funny & extremely sad/poignant, this has now become one of my top ten favorite '90's films. Can't believe this film was released 25 years ago this year. Man, am I old.

This film may be more nostalgic to me than to some younger viewers; I graduated college in the mid-'90's (not long after RB was released), and this film perfectly captures the ennui & angst that a 20-something in the '90's (or at least this 20-something) went through after graduating. I.e., the search for a good job, trying to figure out what you're going to do with the rest of your life, etc. The scene at the very beginning when Lelaina gives her graduation speech & says that the answer to a profound question is..."I don't know" perfectly summarizes how I (and I suspect others) felt during this difficult time...

Also liked the pop culture TV references that only those growing up in the late '70's & '80's would really "get", i.e. the various TV shows they were watching (Good Times, One Day at a Time), School House Rock (those of a certain age will remember these "educational" cartoons from Saturday Mornings), Vickie's (JG's) Charlie's Angels metal lunchbox, Troy's catch-phrases (mainly from '80's TV commercials), etc.

And, obviously the soundtrack was amazing: The Knack, Squeeze, Lisa Loeb, U2....

The sequence when Lelaina's heart-felt documentary about her friends was turned into a very heavily edited/transformed/diluted Real World-like copycat was no surprise, and brought to mind MTV & early "Reality TV" shows from that era.

And, this film is extremely quotable:

"Don't Bogart that can...man."

"He will turn this place...into a den of slack!"

"She's cuckoo for cocoa puffs."

"Why don't you get a job at the Burgerrama? They'll hire you!"
"I was the valedictorian of my University!"
"Well, you don't have to put that on your application."

"I'd like to somehow make a difference in people's lives."
"And I... I would like to buy them all a Coke."

 

[skylark68]

Recently re-watched Reality Bites on Blu. Beautiful print.

Technical review:

I haven't seen the regular DVD in years so can't definitively speak to how much of an improvement the PQ is, but there is definitely an improvement here.

That being said, the issue some may have with the PQ is the the large amount of intentional video tape footage in the film - i.e., the morning TV show Lelaina works for, the footage of the "In your face" documentary that Lelaina is making, etc..

The film itself:

Excellent movie. Both extremely funny & extremely sad/poignant, this has now become one of my top ten favorite '90's films. Can't believe this film was released 25 years ago this year. Man, am I old.

This film may be more nostalgic to me than to some younger viewers; I graduated college in the mid-90's (not long after RB was released), and this film perfectly captures the ennui & angst that a 20-something in the '90's (or at least this 20-something) went through after graduating. I.e., the search for a good job, trying to figure out what you're going to do with the rest of your life, etc. The scene at the very beginning when Lelaina gives her graduation speech & says that the answer to a profound question is..."I don't know" perfectly summarizes how I (and I suspect others) felt during this difficult time...

Also liked the pop culture TV references that only those growing up in the late '70's & '80's would really "get", i.e. the various TV shows they were watching (Good Times, One Day at a Time), School House Rock (those of a certain age will remember these "educational" cartoons from Saturday Mornings), Vickie's (JG's) Charlie's Angels metal lunchbox, Troy's catch-phrases (mainly from '80's TV commercials), etc.

And, obviously the soundtrack was amazing: The Knack, Squeeze, Lisa Loeb, U2....

The sequence when Lelaina's heart-felt documentary about her friends was turned into a very heavily edited/transformed/diluted Real World-like copycat was no surprise, and brought to mind MTV & early "Reality TV" shows from that era.

And, this film is extremely quotable:

"Don't Bogart that can...man."

"He will turn this place...into a den of slack!"

"She's cuckoo for cocoa puffs."

"Why don't you get a job at the Burgerrama? They'll hire you!"
"I was the valedictorian of my University!"
"Well, you don't have to put that on your application."

"I'd like to somehow make a difference in people's lives."
"And I... I would like to buy them all a Coke."

Great memories of a great film. I graduated high school in '95 just outside of Houston so I'm a few years younger than you but we had a lot of the same feelings during the time period. I graduated high school not having a clue what I wanted to do with my life. I went through the motions and went to college but without any firm purpose, that's for sure. This film is also special to me since a lot of it was filmed in Houston and I remember a lot of the locations, especially Tranquility Park and the Montrose area.