Hi,
I love movies and buy far too many DVDs every month, so most of my opinions will be about mov...
Hi,
I love movies and buy far too many DVDs every month, so most of my opinions will be about movies or DVDS.
I'll put a member profile picture up soon as I've got to find one as Ciao wont let me put my Silent Bob picture up.
Cheers
Chris
Member since:03.04.2001
Reviews:27
Members who trust:11
Frequency does not do much to describe the type of movie this is and may put people off seeing the movie. It is basically a thriller, full of twists, with a strong streak of science fiction running all the way through it. Recently released on Region 1 DVD from New Line Cinema it arrived on my doorstep this week. The basic plot is that Frank Sullivan (Dennis Quaid) is a fireman and a very good one, he is the best at his job and no risk is too much for him to take. He puts his life on the line everyday in an attempt to save others, but away from work Frank is a loving and caring father to John. But one day a rescue doesnt gop as planned and Frank dies in a blaze at a warehouse.
Skip to 30 years later where John (James Caviezel) is grown up and is working in the police force. When his friend and his son visit, they ask to lend his fishing gear and when they are searching in the closet they find some of John's fathers old belongings including his fathers old Ham Radio. As a kid his father would never let him use it so he gets it out and gives it a try and soon enough he finds himself talking to a total stranger who warns him you need a license to use it. Soon enough John makes an amazing discovery, due to a freak weather condition (some kind of atmospheric constellation), John is actually talking to his dad 30 years ago. As they both begin to realise what is happening John tells his dad how he dies and it is meant to be the next day, doing his Frank
lives and the course of history is changed. But because of this the future also changes and nothing is the same, the world changes around John but he is left with two sets of memories, the ones from the past and the new changed memories. He has helped to dave his dad but in the process his mother was killed by a serial killer that was never caught. So father and son, both 30 years apart, work together via the Ham Radio to solve the murders and create a decent future for them both.
Although the sotry isnt really time travel it still needs a lot of thought and the script must be very well written to pull it off. There are plot holes in Frequency, but on watching the film again for a second time you notice that these are answered during the film, you just didnt notice before. Although the film steals mena aspects off other films and genres, Frequency itslef mamanges to create an unique atmsophere that mages to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen. At times the time talking story becomes a background fixture as the thriller in either worlds takes front seat as one of the two main characters run around trying to stop the killer.
The picture quality on the DVD is superb and without fault, it is one of the clearest I have seen this year but is presented in a (very) widescreen format that could look small on smaller TV's. Michael Kamen’s score for the film is highly dramatic, creating some very suspenseful moments on its very own. Fortunately, his score is also presented as an isolated score on the disc, together with an audio commentary by Michael Kamen, in which he discusses his general approach to the film and the pieces of music presented. As usual with New Line's Platinum series the disc is full of extras, staring with two more audio commentaries, one from director Gregory Hoblit as he discusses his work in quite some detail. From his initial attachment to his understanding of the material, Hoblit delivers an informative commentary that not only covers technical aspects of the production but also some scientific and forensic background. The commentary has a few gaps here and there but always manages to maintain a good level of information and entertainment. The second on the disc features writer Toby Emmerich and actor Noah Emmerich.
As a very interesting feature, the DVD also contains a Fact and Trivia subtitle track. As you watch the film, information will appear on the screen that relates either directly or peripherally to the action you see on the screen. Filled with valuables and facts, this is a great track for all trivia buffs among you (like me). A 40-minute documentary is also part of the release, called The Science Behind Frequency. This is a great documentary that is a far cry from the standard fare of Hollywood publicity. In this feature viewers can learn a lot about the scientific aspects that are covered and seen in the film to a degree. Whether it’s the breathtaking appearance of Northern Lights, Ham Radios, Time Travel, Fire Fighting or the visual effects for the movie itself, this documentary covers all of it in an informative, understandable and entertaining fashion.
You can also find four deleted scenes on the disc. Also presented in perfectly clean picture like the film, these deleted scenes vary in quality quite a bit and it is obviously why they have been omitted from the final film, but all of them offer additional insight into the characters themselves. Conceptual and Solar Galleries is a multi-angle feature that gives you a good look at the development of the film’s opening shot. Each one of the angles - which can also be accessed directly from the menu - gives you a different stage of the computer generated shot to show how it was accomplished. It does not feature any explanatory commentary however and does not loop. Given the short running length of the shot there is hardly enough time to go through all angles, and a looping sequence would have made that somewhat easier.
The DVD is rounded out with the movie’s theatrical trailer, cast and crew biographies and an advertisement trailer for a computer game that has nothing to do with the film at all. The disc also contains a number of DVD-ROM content, such as a script-to-screen comparison, the movie’s official website, and some other crap, including a fully playable trial demo for the same computer game that has nothing to do with the film.
Once again, New Line Home Video delivers the goods. Frequency is a gripping film and it is making an outstanding DVD debut on this Platinum Edition. Films revolving around the subject of the time are inevitably inconclusive and riddled with errors and plot holes, but the drive the Frequency has will hardly let you notice the spots where the filmmakers allowed themselves creative freedom.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Good op! I might get this one to add to my list of DVD's I already have! cheers, Dan :)
EnglishPatient 25.04.2001 01:49
Damn, seems Region 2 is continually poorer in terms of extras. I thought the UK edition wasn't bad, with some great stuff, but I now that I know there is even more extra materail, I feel a bit cheated. Still, I don't have a multi-region machine anyway.
pakalang 24.04.2001 17:26
have this on region 2(well, i should know better since i suggested this product to CIAO!) and the film is just wonderful! excellent review.. cheers :)
Frequencyis really two different--though inextricably linked--movies. First, the emotional ... more
drama of a father and son reunited after 30 years of separation. Then there is a science fiction thriller, in which a couple of chance solar storms, occurring ex...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
What if you had the chance to travel back in time and change just one event in your life? ... more
What would it be? For John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel), there is no question. He would undo the events of October 12, 1969, when the out-of-control Bruxton fire took ...
Frequencyis really two different--though inextricably linked--movies. First, the emotional ... more
drama of a father and son reunited after 30 years of separation. Then there is a science fiction thriller, in which a couple of chance solar storms, occurring ex...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
What if you had the chance to travel back in time and change just one event in your life? ... more
What would it be? All his life police officer John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) has been haunted by one tragic event. When a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon of nature...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Feel-good drama, well-executed idea, the DVD has extras that enhance enjoyment of the film Disadvantages: The audio commentary is not mentioned on the box
EnglishPatient 24.01.2001 (24.01.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Frequency (DVD)
![Frequency [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78528636.jpg "Frequency [DVD] [2000]")
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