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The Survivors
Sonny Paluso (Walter Matthau) and Donald
Quinelle (Robin Williams) are having a bad
day that is about to get worse. You see,
Sonny just lost his gas station in an accidental
explosion and Donald was just fired by the
boss's parrot.
The two meet quite accidently in a bar right
before a masked robber (Jerry Reed) storms in
and holds the company hostage. Though Sonny
and Donald foil the robbery plans, they also
get a good look at the robber's face as he makes
his escape.
Unfortunately, days later Jack sees Donald's face
on television and decides to go after him. As
Donald heads for the snowy mountains to learn how
to survive, Sonny must warn him his life is in danger.
Although The Survivors pairs two of
cinema's oldest and newest funnymen (Matthau
and Williams), the film isn't very funny.
Matthau retains his signature grumpy old man
persona while William's talent is wasted as
he babbles and whines throughout the film.
How is the transfer?
Actually, this is one of Columbia's best
catalog transfers I have seen lately.
Picture is virtually free of any type of
video noise. The transfer remains extremely
clear with very little blemish from the original
print.
The 16x9 enhanced widescreen (1.85:1) transfer
shows brilliant color clarity in its day lit
scenes. A yellow taxi cab or a fruit stand with
its deep red apples stand out brilliantly. In
some of the darker scenes, the picture doesn't
lose any of its clarity nor gain any additional
video noise. A night scene featuring Jerry Reed
standing outside of a taxi cab in the pouring rain
looks amazingly crisp and detailed.
I'm just not used to seeing many DVD transfers
from this time period that look this good.
Presented in mono sound, the audio sounds a
bit flat rather than robust.
Special Features
In addition to the film's original theatrical
trailer, there are also trailers for The
Big Hit and Jawbreaker.
Someone will also be happy to know that subtitles
are available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese,
Portuguese, Korean and Thai.
Final Thoughts
One would think that pairing talents like
Matthau and Williams together would make for
a hilarious film. Nothing could be further from
the truth. The Survivors can only be
described as a mildly entertaining film that
wears out its welcome before the film is halfway
through.
Those who grew up with this film will have more
of an interest in it than today's more demanding
generation. In this case, fans will be particularly
happy that the transfer is top-notch.
Release Date: April 23, 2002
The Survivors
Sonny Paluso (Walter Matthau) and Donald
Quinelle (Robin Williams) are having a bad
day that is about to get worse. You see,
Sonny just lost his gas station in an accidental
explosion and Donald was just fired by the
boss's parrot.
The two meet quite accidently in a bar right
before a masked robber (Jerry Reed) storms in
and holds the company hostage. Though Sonny
and Donald foil the robbery plans, they also
get a good look at the robber's face as he makes
his escape.
Unfortunately, days later Jack sees Donald's face
on television and decides to go after him. As
Donald heads for the snowy mountains to learn how
to survive, Sonny must warn him his life is in danger.
Although The Survivors pairs two of
cinema's oldest and newest funnymen (Matthau
and Williams), the film isn't very funny.
Matthau retains his signature grumpy old man
persona while William's talent is wasted as
he babbles and whines throughout the film.
How is the transfer?
Actually, this is one of Columbia's best
catalog transfers I have seen lately.
Picture is virtually free of any type of
video noise. The transfer remains extremely
clear with very little blemish from the original
print.
The 16x9 enhanced widescreen (1.85:1) transfer
shows brilliant color clarity in its day lit
scenes. A yellow taxi cab or a fruit stand with
its deep red apples stand out brilliantly. In
some of the darker scenes, the picture doesn't
lose any of its clarity nor gain any additional
video noise. A night scene featuring Jerry Reed
standing outside of a taxi cab in the pouring rain
looks amazingly crisp and detailed.
I'm just not used to seeing many DVD transfers
from this time period that look this good.
Presented in mono sound, the audio sounds a
bit flat rather than robust.
Special Features
In addition to the film's original theatrical
trailer, there are also trailers for The
Big Hit and Jawbreaker.
Someone will also be happy to know that subtitles
are available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese,
Portuguese, Korean and Thai.
Final Thoughts
One would think that pairing talents like
Matthau and Williams together would make for
a hilarious film. Nothing could be further from
the truth. The Survivors can only be
described as a mildly entertaining film that
wears out its welcome before the film is halfway
through.
Those who grew up with this film will have more
of an interest in it than today's more demanding
generation. In this case, fans will be particularly
happy that the transfer is top-notch.
Release Date: April 23, 2002