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Remember The Daze
R1 - America - First Look Studios Review written by and copyright: Rob Fields (1st June 2008). |
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The Film
 What was it like for you on your last day of high school? What is the last day of high school, for that matter? It’s THE last day of K through 12. It’s the beginning of the end of your high school profile, not to mention possibly your high school status. My senior class T-shirt says ‘Graduation: The end of a 12-year depression.’ That’s just a joke, of course. It also depends on which profile you were during high school. When I say profile, I mean jock, cheerleader, prep, nerd, band geek, drama queen, and so on...for some of these profiles, depending on which one you may fall into, the last day of school could be for the better, as in you end up going to college and getting some higher education. From there, there’s a chance you could go on to get a better paying job somewhere. On the other hand, you could be at the high point of popularity in high school and find you don’t have what it takes to cut it in college. Keep in mind that these are only TWO of MANY possibilities. Well, to answer my first question, my last day of school was finishing up my exams and then walking out the door knowing that I would not be returning again in the fall of the next school year. It’s knowing that you've finally made it from the beginning, all the way through the stages of elementary school, into junior high, and finally through your final four years in what is called high school. Then from there it was on to higher education. No, it wasn’t like “Dazed and Confused” (1993) or “Can’t Hardly Wait” (1998). I didn’t get to go to any parties of the magnitude that these movies showed. Actually, we don’t live in an area that’s like what these movies portray. And now I have “Remember the Daze” to review, which is about another party of such magnitude. I guess what makes these movies more fun to watch is that it they’re just that – they’re movies! And what are movies? They are stories, they are an escape from reality, and they’re a good time for all. I ain’t saying that these movies aren’t real somewhere. Maybe in bigger cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco you'd get real life situations closer to those portrayed in the movies. Still, in this case, these movies make for good viewing. Let’s see if “Remember the Daze” fits in the same category. “Remember the Daze” (1:41:09) is a comedy that looks through the eyes of a handful of teenagers who make their way through the last day of high school in the last year of the past millennium and provides a glimpse into the teenage wasteland of 1999 suburbia. The film follows several students as they relish the advent of summer vacation and struggle with drugs, sex and the unpredictability of the future before them. I liked that this movie reminds me a lot of “Can’t Hardly Wait”. This was one movie I really enjoyed. You get to see all the different cliques that were together in high school. But once high school is out, you see which ones, if any, are still together. Relationships are also put to the test. Some new bonds are formed and some are shattered. The characters are realistic in the way they conduct themselves. Many are irresponsible and are constantly in the woes of peer pressure. You also find out throughout all of the tough exteriors that people put on in front of others that each and every person is human. In fact, many of them divulge their own personal fears about growing up and what lies ahead now that high school is over. The outcomes are unpredictable. That’s one of the other beauties of watching films like this. The downsides? I didn’t like that it was mostly about drugs and alcohol. But then “Dazed and Confused” was along the same lines. Sadly, drugs and alcohol always manage to find their way into the high school population some way, shape, or form. Sadly, that’s life. Fortunately, there are other high school related movies out there that don’t follow the same path. At least you have your choice to view one of those if that’s your pleasure. My final word: If you liked “Dazed and Confused” and “Can’t Hardly Wait”, you might think of this movie as a cross between the two. If you truly liked both of those films, then you will definitely like “Remember the Daze”. If you liked at least one of the films, then you might want to rent it and give it a chance. For one thing, it’s in independent film. Hollywood doesn’t make movies this good, and they haven’t in a very, VERY long time.
Video
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen format (2.35:1 ratio). The transfer looks excellent. Not seeing any film grain here, so it’s possible that it was shot in digital. The colors stand out really well. Even the smoke is evident when people are smoking. I liked the color schemes that were used in some of the scenes. There are many different uses of florescent colors in some of the scenes. I’m not really sure what it’s supposed to represent, but I liked it.
Audio
The film features your choice of two English Dolby Digital soundtracks. The first is a 5.1 mix. The music and the background noise are more spread out compared to the second audio track. You can even hear other sounds with perfect clarity (like the guy who wasn’t paying attention and ran into a car). The second is a 2.0 stereo track. Compared to the 5.1 mix, you can notice that it’s not as spread out, but it’s not an inferior track. In fact, it could easily pass for a 2.0 surround. If the 5.1 mix were NOT included on this DVD, I probably could have stated that it would easily BE a 5.1 audio track. There are optional English (hard-of-hearing) and Spanish subtitles available.
Extras
First Look has included a featurette, the film’s theatrical trailer, and some additional bonus trailers that make up the extras featured on this DVD. Read further for insight into these extras. Note that there are no optional subtitles available. There is a "Behind-the-scenes" featurette that runs 11 minutes and 6 seconds. Here, you will see interview footage with members of the cast and crew. It is more of a video diary. You will only see certain segments from certain days. You will see the cast getting their make-up applied. It looks like both the cast and crew alike are excited about making the movie. In fact, many of them give their takes on being a part of the movie. Unlike most of these featurettes that I’ve seen in the past, you will NOT see any film clips. If you want to see those, watch the included theatrical trailer. It is letterboxed widescreen format. In other words, not 16 x 9 enhanced. The disc also includes the original theatrical trailer for the film and it runs for 54 seconds. There are additional First Look bonus trailers also available for: - "Senior Skip Day" which runs for 1 minute 2 seconds. - "Meet Bill" which runs for 2 minutes 31 seconds. - "War, Inc." which runs for 1 minute 53 seconds. - "2 Tickets to Paradise" which runs for 59 seconds. - "Black Ops" which runs for 49 seconds. - "Player 5150" which runs for 51 seconds. - "Jack and Jill Vs. The World" which runs for 53 seconds.
Overall
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