While the press on this upcoming release has been rather limited, we were amazed at the sheer amount of extra content that is included — In fact, “Porno” might represent the most extra content we have ever seen in any View Askew DVD release. From the feature-length documentary to an hour and a half of deleted scenes, plus all the Money Shots, bloopers, and outtakes – Plan to set aside a LOT of free time when you pick yours up. Want a taste of what you’ll see next week? Read our extensive, exclusive Bluray review of “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” right now!
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO – THE BLURAY REVIEW!
DISCLAIMER: As the TV used to critique the video content is high definition, but not a new LCD or plasma, there won’t be a great deal said about video quality in this review as the display is not the “ideal”. Maybe next Christmas. Also, any photos of menus or film seen here are not direct grabs, but rather through a digital camera. So, quality seen does in no way reflect what you will see in the finished product, and is used for illustration only. Once PC-based Bluray drives drop a bit more in price, we’ll add one or two to the arsenal and have the ability to take shots direct from the PC again. Just can’t do it with Bluray right now. Thanks for understanding, and now, on with our review…
INTRODUCTION
With facing an always shrinking window from theaters to homes, film producers are running into situations where there just isn’t enough time to put together a great deal of extra content for a DVD release. Amazingly, just around 3 months from theatrical release, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” has arrived on DVD and Bluray with an amazing amount of bonus content — In fact, enough bonus material to cover over DOUBLE of the run time of the film itself. We’ve been covering View Askew DVD releases since the format was invented, and we think another record for extra content has been set here. View Askew Productions continues to prove that they are not only the trendsetter when it comes to the right way to put together a DVD package, but they continue to lead the pack. Let’s take a look at the goodies packed inside “Porno”:
THE PACKAGE
The “Porno” Bluray arrived in a case featuring new cover art assembled from production photos — The stick figure poster is not used here. Our review copy has the FULL title and not the watered-down “Zack and Miri” hitting many retail stores next week. It was neat to see the hilarious “Star Whores” cast photo as the insert inside the package (though a slight edit had to be made to an area of one of the droids, which may have been slightly too shocking for print).
The colorful main menu featured a mix of moving scenes from the film in the background, with promotional cast photos moving along the front. It’s a pretty quick loop. Nothing new or custom here. A brief porno-ish tune from the Venable soundtrack serves as the background music. Selections across the bottom offer up 23 scene choices, a popup “special features” menu, and a setup option, which allows you to choose from English 5.1 TrueHD, 5.1 Dolby Digital in English or French, as well as subtitles for Spanish and English.
THE FILM
As longtime fans of Kevin Smith and View Askew, as well as the webmasters of this official fan site, we like to approach reviews a bit differently — Naturally, we are going to love Kevin’s films. We get what he does and appreciate his work on all levels. So, rather than take a more traditional approach as stock reviewers, we’d like to write a more intimate observation of the movie.
With “Porno”, Kevin Smith proves that there’s no one else in the world that makes movies quite like he does. Much like “Chasing Amy” before it, this is a story with a romance at its core — Yet at the same time he’s managed to make one of the most raunchy (both verbally and visually) R-rated movies of all time. In over 15 years of filmmaking, Kevin has not compromised his vision or style, pushing boundaries for mainstream theatrical releases but not sacrificing quality of story or simply stringing a series of gags together. He knows his story, his characters, and where he wants them to go. And on the way, some of the most original, outrageous stuff you’ve ever seen onscreen unspools. With a stellar cast, featuring first-time Askewers Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, Smith has created a romantic comedy like no other.
Rogen and Banks shine in the leads, and it’s tough to imagine anyone else in either role — Rosario Dawson had once been in mind when the script was written, but as the film shows, Banks owns the role and is the absolute perfect Miri to pair with Rogen’s Zack. The two show their comedic chops yet also lend a great believability to the romance between them – Towards the end of the film there’s a look that Banks gives Rogen when he arrives at her place that’s just incredible. Watch for it. No words, just a look. And it’s perfect.
Craig Robinson brings a scene-stealing performance as Zack’s best friend Delaney, and earns some of the best one-liners in the film — Great on paper, and brought to a new level with his awesome delivery. Traci Lords and Katie Morgan lend some porn street cred to the flick. Lords has acted in mainstream film for many years, though this is Morgan’s first role. Again, perfect casting. Casting a mainstream actress in Morgan’s role would never have worked the same. Jason Mewes continues to break the “Jay” mold with a great comedic role here — A lot is asked of him on this movie, and he comes through with flying colors. The Mewes/Morgan pairing is as inspired as Banks/Rogen. And it’s of course great to see Jeff Anderson back for another round, this time as a hockey player with a filmmaking background. The use of a hockey stick as a boom mic is just perfect.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching a Kevin Smith film is the personal attention to detail that he’s taken in all aspects of the production – From the words, the actors chosen, the performances, the over-arching story, and the way it’s all cut togther. Kevin’s not just satisfied to string a bunch of gags and set pieces together. The story is always the most important – You have to love the characters and care about where the film takes them. While he manages to get some of the crudest, most explicit stuff you’ll ever seen in an R-rated movie on the screen, he’s made the Zack/Miri relationship the heart and soul of the movie, and hammers it home with some of the most touching, believeable stuff you’ll see in any comedy or romance this year.
We’re assuming that most readers of this site have seen the film at least once, and will be enjoying it for the second (or third) time on DVD when you pick it up. As you’re watching, this time around, here’s another theme to keep in mind. In a way, this is the most autobiographical movie that Kevin has put to paper and film so far. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” is a movie about making a movie. For little to no money. With your friends. And yes, it’s even about using your PLACE OF EMPLOYEMENT as a set. Sounds a heck of a lot like a little black and white feature paid for with credit cards back in 1991, doesn’t it? It’s another layer to the film, yet done in a subtle way where it doesn’t take over the plot. Watching the film just gives the impression that Smith evoked some feelings and memories from the “Clerks” days when putting the proverbial pen to paper on this script.
Essentially, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” is almost 3 movies in one – It’s a raunch comedy. It’s a romance. But also, it’s a love letter to the joy of filmmaking.
AUDIO & VIDEO
So, how’s it look and sound? Great, of course. As we said in the disclaimer, we’re not using reference-quality equipment to rate, but with every release, video and audio quality get better. As this is a Bluray release, we’re watching the film in 1080p, and the 1.85 aspect ratio fills every square inch of the big screen TV, getting the most of your precious real estate in your home viewing environment. This wasn’t a film suited to the wider aspect ratio, and the decision to shoot in 1.85 is just perfect here.
DP Dave Klein, a longtime member of the View Askew family, does a great job capturing the drab winter in Pennsylvania exteriors, giving a nice impression of just how cold and icky and “blah” it gets around here this time of the year. The externals captured this quite well — Look at the opening shots outside of Zack and Miri’s apartment, and you’ll get a perfect idea of what it’s like outside in this part of the world for 3 months every year. Interior shots in the coffee shop, school, and the apartment are colorful and clear. Several scenes are also at night and quite dark, and we’re happy to say that we saw no grain and things looked clear as a bell on this transfer.
The Dolby mixes are also active and set a nice stage, especially in the larger scenes such as the reunion where the rear surrounds come to life. As this is a comedy, the LFE (subwoofer) channel wasn’t used too actively. Dialogue and score took front and center. The review setup isn’t quite as advanced as we’d like to have a nice comparison between the TrueHD and standard Dolby 5.1 mix, but both sound crystal clear without any static, pops, or dropouts.
Though we were using the Bluray as a model, we expect those of you watching the DVD will get similar results, just at lower resolutions. Of course, if Santa got you a shiny new Bluray player or PS3 for the holidays, we highly recommend this as your format of choice.
POPCORN PORN
The crown jewel of the disc comes in the form of a feature-length documentary, put together by doc gods Zak Knutson and Joey Figueroa of Chop Shop Entertainment. The duo were behind the camera for the entire production and along the release trail for the film, taking countless hours of footage and assembling it into this fast-paced 1 hour, 14 minute package. Kevin granted these guys what looks to be an almost unlimited access to cast, crew, and the set.
For the videophiles out there, this runs at 480p on the Bluray, so resolution is the same as you’ll see on the DVD. It does, however, run full widescreen unlike previous docs which ran at the old square 4:3 aspect ratio. As far as we can recall, this is the first time a View Askew extra has been filmed and presented in native widescreen. Definitely a cool touch for those of you (like us) who aren’t fans of the old school pillarbox.
From its opening frames, you can see that “Popcorn Porn” is uncensored and definitely R-rated, as the guys mix stock archival footage of strippers between segements of interviews and behind the scenes moments. From here, we’re taken on a 1+ year journey from before the script was written and the leads were cast, all the way up to the film’s Hollywood premiere. Kevin reveals that he’s had a film with porn as a theme on the brain for over 10 years, back when he wrote a script called “Name” which may have followed “Chasing Amy”. Smith, Mosier, Banks and Rogen chat about the audition process (with some actual audition footage featured). Kevin talks of meeting and courting Rogen for the film, we learn how Rogen invited some of his friends to be involved in the auditions, and Banks reveals she was ready to strip down all the way for the flick if she needed to. After rehearsals, it’s on to the meat of the doc, where we become visitors to the set for the entire prodction of “Porno”, with a completely uncensored look at what went on behind the scenes and in front of the cameras.
Interviews with the entire cast and crew are neatly assembled throughout the entire linear story of making the film. It looks like everyone remained accessible during the making of the film, though some interviews also appear to have been conducted after the shoot, as the subjects reflect back on the events that unfolded. It doesn’t seem like there was a single actor or crew member that didn’t take a few mintues to talk to Zak and Joey. Everyone takes a turn and offers their insight into the experience of making the film come together. Kevin himself remains very forthcoming and involved with the documentary crew through the entire process, and is our main narrator through the doc’s entire runtime.
What we love about Zak & Joey’s work here is not only there tireless effort to get EVERYTHING on film, but the detail they’ve taken in editing this film together. Extra touches such as onscreen emails, a glipse at the script cover for “Name”, a scribbled note from Rogen…On their own some of these items may seem trivial, but seeing these quick extras cut into raw footage and interview segments bring the doc to the next level of cool.
As always, the honesty comes through and the documentary doesn’t try to hide anything – Kevin and Scott chat about a moment during rehearsals where Kevin asked to cut the cameras (you even see him ask) due to some worries about the way they were going (we soon learn from Scott this is a normal ritual). Jeff Anderson reveals his fear of being before the “shit cannon” and even (via the magic of freeze frame) fesses up to having his eyes closed just a brief second before being blasted. Kevin confesses that he was about to cave to the MPAA ratings board to make cuts just to get an “R” (before winning his landmark 3rd appeal).
Some highlights – An in-depth look at the creation of the famous “shit shot” (which involves a cannon) along with a night vision reaction of a test audience when they see the shot, a cool dual-screen look at the filming of the snow-covered street shot of “Zack and Miri” end the end of filming, and some of the most detailed information we’ve yet heard on the MPAA ratings battle. The guys were even on hand to shoot the wrap party at the Pittsburgh Improv and the San Diego panel. After seeing a few moments of the hilarious footage from San Diego, it’s good to see that the entire panel was included as its own extra on the disc.
This documentary is not just good, it’s GREAT — In fact, we’re betting that many fans who caught the film a couple times in theaters may make this the first thing they play from the disc, even before they give the movie another look. Once again, Zak & Joey have hit it out of the park, proving that they’re the champs when it comes to putting together View Askew chronicles.
Don’t forget to watch the doc all the way through the end credits for a hilarious capping scene — And also, thanks to the guys for the shout-out to us in the credits.
DELETED SCENES
It wouldn’t be a View Askew DVD without some deleted scenes, and we believe we now have another record as far as new film content in this segement. A whopping 43 scenes are present here, with a “play all” option to let them all spool out in order. Most scenes have included score or sound effects, and all played in full 1080 progressive, taking full advantage of the Bluray disc’s capabilities. A very nice touch. Someone with good editing equipment might even be able to assemble their own extended cut of the film from all this stuff.
Scenes all play sequentially as they appeared in the theatrical cut. Many of the segments are extensions of scenes we’ve already seen. Where necessary, opening and closing moments from the theatrical release are included, allowing us to see where they fit in the film. As Kevin and Scott did not record video introductions to each scene, it’s good to have these extra few lines for perspective. Even without the introductions, the deleted scenes run an astounding 1:35. Yes, one hour and thirty five minutes, mere minutes short of the runtime of the ENTIRE FILM! Nothing was held back, including what looks like the entire ad-libbed sit-down shoot with Routh and Long, used for the promotional reel in the credits. This alone runs over 20 minutes and lets us eavesdrop on these two guys in character just hamming it up and seeing what works.
Other highlights include: An extended opening sequence giving us more time with Zack and his frozen car (particularly hilarious to us as this situation has happened no less than 3 times already this winter in Pennsylvania), a good deal more of the audition sequence and the great Betty Aberlin (some of the funniest line reads we’ve ever heard), an expansion of Bubbles’ talent, a small deleted subplot involving Zack and Delaney getting a student discount, more of the leads coming up with porno titles (watch for Zack’s take on “The Rock”), Zack’s speech after receiving an award at the class reunion, a “Dawn of the Dead” shout-out, and a majorly-extended version of the Lester and Stacey sex scene (it went on a LOT longer in the first cut).
These scenes mentioned above only scratch the surface of what’s been included here. A lot of laughs were lost as far as their removal, though when you’re making a comedy, a lean runtime is key. Much of what was removed looks to be not because it wasn’t funny, but because it wasn’t necessary to tell the story. Still, we’d watch an extended cut with a lot of this back in and enjoy it just as much as the theatrical cut — It’s especially cool to see some of the extra moments between Banks and Rogen, which hint their unspoken affection for each other more clearly — Miri clearly wants Zack to express his feelings and gives him several opportunities (before unseen) to make a move, adding even more depth and frustration to that moment where they separate. Since similar beats have already happened in the movie, it’s clear to see why these moments were cut – But it’s also interesting to see a bit more of the Zack/Miri relationship and Miri’s yearning for Zack to reach out. It gives the third act even more emotional impact.
Once again, Kevin has done us the service of saving absolutely everything from the editing room, holding nothing back, so with these 43 (!!!) scenes, you can now witness every moment cut from the film at one stage, in order.
On our Bluray copy, the scenes all played in full 1080 progressive, taking full advantage of the Bluray capabilities. A very nice touch.
OTHER EXTRAS
It was great to see that a complete gag reel was included, as it’s a long standing favorite of this reviewer. Gag reels are one of those lost arts that you don’t see included on many DVD sets anymore. Since Kevin and the crew run a fun set, there’s always a ton of laughs and alternate takes to be had. While there’s no editing credit after this segment, we have to assume Kevin and/or Scott assembled this personally on the Avid, as the timing and cuts are just perfect. All of the cast are featured throughout this segment featuring outtakes and bloopers from the entire shoot. Don’t miss this.
A brief look at the “Zack and Miri” panel from the San Diego Comic Con is next — This is one of the shorter extras at at 23 minute runtime, but includes the entire cast and gives you an idea of all the fun you’re missing at these panels. This appearance took place at the end of July, around 3 months before the movie hit theaters. One of our favorite moments is one that was also chosen for the documentary, when Rogen marvels at how a duo dressed as Jay and Silent Bob actually come to the mic with a serious question.
Fans reading this have liekly seen the “Money Shots” web series, though they’re all included here in full, uncut form. Most are only a minute or so in length, so they’re a quick watch. These are presented in 4:3 pillarbox format, 22 in total, for a total runtime of 48 minutes. It’s been a few months since we watched the originals, though we don’t see anything new or missing. There might be a couple extras that never made it to the web, something we’re planning to go back and check on for historical reasons (we’ll come back and note that as necessary).
Last, but absolutely not least, an outtakes segment featuring an incredible amount of ad-libbing between Seth Rogen and Justin Long at tht the reunion scene is a laugh riot. Just watching Long do his best to stay in his deep-voiced character as he continues to crack Rogen up is priceless. Watch close for the deadpan delivery of one of Long’s best answers to Rogen – “Jack Lemmon”. It’s a fun compilation, and should shut up most critics who question if Kevin allows ad-libbing of his actors. I could watch this stuff for hours. Please, let these two work together again.
NOTE: A second part of this ad-libbing feature between Rogen and Long is included ONLY on the Blockbuster video rental copies of the film. As far as we know, it’s the only place to see this segement and not available for purchase. As our review copy did not have this scene, we can’t review its content.
BD-LIVE
Bluray owners are treated to BD-Live on most new discs, which gives those of us with our players connected to the Internet access to new and exlcusive content, integrated right into the feature. For now, there’s nothing active for the film though we wouldn’t put it past the guys adding something here in the future. This area may one day be used for an official (or unofficial) commentary track. For now, the disc does not have a running commentary as so much of it has been included in Kevin and Scott’s online MP3 podcast, SModcast. With the show happening on an almost weekly basis, the guys have already spoken at length about making “Porno”, so seeking out those episodes are what we would recommend as far as a commentary track. If the BD-Live section comes online, we’ll let you know what’s available — And we wouldn’t put it past the guys, sometime in the future, laying down an “official” track as well.
THE VERDICT
How they do it, we’ll never know — Yet again View Askew Productions, in conjunction with Genius Productions and the Weinstein Company, have put together an incredible amount of content on this DVD release. While many studios seem content for a bare bones film-only release, this is another of those sets you get every cent’s worth out of. Quite possibly more new, never-before-seen content than ever before, and one of the funniest, raunchiest comedies in history, now a welcome part of the DVD shelves and View Askew collection. I have feeling this is one that will be gone back to quite often, as rewatch potential is high — “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” would make a fun party film as well – This one’s another crowd pleaser.
Pick up “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” on DVD and Bluray starting Tuesday, February 3rd. Pre-order your personally signed copy from director Kevin Smith at Jay & Silent Bob’s Secret Stash online.
Special thanks for their assistance and review copies: Ming Chen at View Askew Productions, Genius Products, and The Weinstein Company.
