Eye For Film >> Movies >> 15 Minutes (2001) DVD Review
The 2.35:1 anamorphic picture is perfect with no defects whatsoever, but one would expect this from such a new film. The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is also very thrilling, with great sound effects coming through clear as day and too-real-for-comfort in some scenes. It can also be quite chilling as the POV camera almost puts you inside Oleg's ugly head. The DTS track is even better with more detail and clarity in the.LFE channel.
The extras on the DVD are extensive. John Herzfield's commentary is informative and gives insight into how the movie came together, considering the subject matter, and why he chose to tackle it. He defends the movie and explains small details that the critics, who panned it, missed. There are also about four deleted scenes with optional director's commentary. He tells us why the scenes were cut, but they really ought to have stayed in there, including a chase scene with Edward Burns and Oleg that is quite exciting.
There are two documentaries. One of them is called True Tabloid, in which aspects of tabloid journalism are discussed with TV hosts Jerry Springer, Sally Jesse Raphael, Maury Povich and Geraldo Rivera. It's cool to see what they think of their own profession and how the movie portrays what we see them deal with on a daily basis. The other is called Does Crime Really Pay? and it studies real life cases which correspond to the film and there are discussions of the criminal mind. Both documentaries are in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and are very interesting.
Oleg's POV video footage is a nice extra, which I would like to see on more DVDs with video camera footage.
A music video and a trailer are also included.
Reviewed on: 04 Oct 2001