A Few Words About A few words about...™ Class of 1984 -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

There are certain things that take me out of a film.

Earllier, I was previewing Thunder Road, and the first glimpse of Robert Mitchum, has him driving while turned totally to the rear -- for about four or five seconds -- a seeming eternity.

People driving and chatting with someone sitting next to them or behind them.  Missing rear view mirrors...

I feel the same way about high school dramas with all of the lead students in their 20s.

For those unexposed to Mark Lester's 1982 high school revenge drama, it was shot in Toronto, and features a young Michael Fox, with Tim van Patten and Perry King in the leads.  Mr. Van Patten has gone on to become one of the most prolific and desired television directors.

Balancing somewhere between West Side Story and a Troma production the low-budget production holds its own and still entertains.  Possibly a function of the story and screenplay by Tom Holland.

The new Blu-ray, from Scream Factory  has some quality additional content, and looks and sounds fine.  A bit of element damage, but nothing untoward, it works in HD.

Color is fine, as is shadow detail.  What appears to be a nice second generation grain structure is present.

All in all, a quality offering from Scream Factory.

Image - 4.0

Audio - 4.5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Recommended

RAH

It ain't art but I love this movie so it's good to hear that it's been done right. Thanks for the review!

Robert Harris said:

Mr. Van Patten has gone on to become one of the most prolific and desired television directors.

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Yeah, I'd even go so far as to say that he's the best TV director working today. The work he did on Boardwalk Empire was peerless.

Robert Harris said:

Mr. Van Patten has gone on to become one of the most prolific and desired television directors.

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I met him while he was directing some of the third season episodes of "The Sopranos" - really nice guy, I thought it was cool that he was willing and able to take a couple minutes to talk to a newbie intern about directing.

This movie is a guilty pleasure, and I look forward to seeing it in HD.


And I agree with TravisR's sentiment regarding Tim Van Patten's work on Boardwalk Empire.

Tim Van Patten -- from Rock'n'Roll High School?

bgart13 said:

Tim Van Patten -- from Rock'n'Roll High School?

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That's his brother Vincent in Rock N Roll High School. If you're a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan, you might remember Tim as the star of Master Ninja I and Master Ninja II.

Vincent is actually Tim's nephew. Tim is the half-brother of Dick and Joyce Van Patten; Vincent is Dick's son.

This film has some first class action scenes/stunt work by Terry Leonard, who worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark.

TravisR said:

If you're a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan, you might remember Tim as the star of Master Ninja I and Master Ninja II.

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As a confirmed MSTie, this is where I met Mr. Van Patten. Who could forget Max, with his van and pet hamster?