RENT DVD - A Review- Page 3

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/11/06 at 12:19pm

It won awards, but it's still imperfect. And, a lot of people think that its success is purely because of the fact that Jonathan died. There are people who think it's terrible, worthless material and that if Jonathan lived it never would be this big of a deal.

I don't think that being of substance has to mean it *can't* become something of a fad. They're not mututally exclusive.

I also don't think the Pulitzer was given out of sympathy; there's a reason for it. And for the sucess. But that's another argument entirely.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 2/11/06 at 12:26pm

One point I like to make is about the haters who say the movie is a failure. I feel its becoming clear that it has not been such a bust. The DVD for one is likely to be a good seller and should help the film recoup its production costs and then some. At the Netherlander Theater, the DVD will be flying for example. But besides that, the film has had an enormous effect on the stage version. The show had many sold out shows and weekends after it came out and a new tour is being rolled out that will, by all accounts, do very well. The movie has made people more aware of Rent and it will in the end be successful in keeping Rent alive. Regardless if you liked the movie or not, its spirit and message came through.

[dreaminaret]

Posted: 2/16/06 at 10:12pm

I got the DVD on Tuesday @ DVD Depot (thanks to Fantabulous for the tip!) I haven't watched the film again yet but I am watching the deleted scenes & Larson documentary. These are great! I'm glad that Halloween was deleted because it seems a little awkward - don't get me wrong - I love the song, but the whole walking through the cemetary part just didn't fit well with me. I LOVE Goodbye Love though. I kind of wish that was in. Also, 3 of the cut scenes show Benny in a totally new light and I sort of wish Benny was humanized a bit. But whatever, I liked the film, liked the play, and I can live with the final product with or without the deleted scenes.

The documentary is pretty interesting; I was a bit skeptical at first but it's kept me pretty amused. I'm glad they had a few earlier scenes, and wish they chose other Tick Tick Boom footage because the parts they had seemed a bit weak. A few parts seem a little to sentimentalized but as a whole I like it and am happy they put it in. Btw, what is going on with Adam Pascal's eyebrows in this????????? [Emcee, you're free to borrow my copy to see what I'm talking about]

The Renthead segment was just... sad. I mean, I'm a renthead I guess but like that old-ish lady... that meant that she was in her 30s when she was camping out.

I definitely hope the DVD sells well and have faith in it.

Good job!

[bwayfan3]

Posted: 2/16/06 at 10:49pm

"Also, 3 of the cut scenes show Benny in a totally new light and I sort of wish Benny was humanized a bit."


I completely agree. That was my biggest gripe with the movie, how it completely minimized Benny's significance, and I don't understand why Columbus thinks the film works better without that storyline being fleshed out.
In the commentary, during "You'll See", Chris mentions how it was important for Taye to be charming in the scene...to make the audience believe these guys would have been friends with him, which he says Taye does successfully.
Then during the scene when Benny tries to give them the new lease, again Chris and Anthony comment about how good Taye is in that scene. Chris says, "Not enough Taye in this movie" but then goes on to say that the end of the scene(one of the deleted ones) is too confrontational between Benny and Mimi and he didn't want that much of their relationship explained. Yet, I found that to audiences not familiar with the stage show (from the sampling of people I talked to about it), how Benny and Mimi end up together at the funeral, etc. seems so completely out of left field. They just didn't get it and those scenes (plus I think there may have been another one which didn't make the DVD at the strip club) that would have helped things a lot. Not to mention, at the very least, the rest of Goodbye Love, which would have made that completely awkward What You Own transition more tolerable.

[jeremykushnier1fan]

Posted: 2/16/06 at 10:49pm

I'm excited.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 2/16/06 at 11:37pm

Your welcome, dreaminaret! I've so far watched the deleted scenes and the documentary. Let me say that this is one heck of a documentary. As someone else put it, it's kind of like the Rent Bible brought to life. There's so much footage - about Jonathan, the show, and the movie - that I really had no expectations of seeing. It was basically everything you could ever want to know, and I thought they did an excellent job with it.

Updated On: 2/16/06 at 11:37 PM

[Benzy92]

Posted: 2/16/06 at 11:43pm

i just got this today.. a store near me had it out early, and the doc. is really truly something special. INCREDIBLY touching.

[miche11exo]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 12:29am

Updated On: 2/17/06 at 12:29 AM

[miche11exo]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 12:30am

Updated On: 2/17/06 at 12:30 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 11:44pm

My take on the deleted scenes:

1. The extra little snit in the loft -- It's okay. I guess I like it, but it doesn't really do much. I mean, it does have the "my cat had a fall," which is always a favorite.

2. Halloween -- Anthony gives a great performance, but for some reason, it doesn't... really do much for me. I think it needs some closeups to really be emotional.

3. Goodbye Love -- I absolutely love it, and I think the movie needed it. For me, my big trouble with the second "act" of the movie was that it was just too fast. Having this would've slowed it down, and let you really TAKE that stuff -- which I think it exactly what Columbus wanted to avoid. To me, it's integral, and would've made the movie feel so much less rushed. The end of the film just sped by to me, and there really needed to be more. Adam's performance had me really close to tears. Snaps to him.

4. Roger and Taye meet in the bar to reconcile... I don't know. Roger says "thanks for meeting me," and starts it off really awkwardly. I just don't think.... I don't think initiating this is something he would do. It's kind of useless.

5. Alternate ending -- I like it. I like Angel's entrance, when he grabs Collins' hand, etc, and how they cut from one character to the other, the way Mark's movie does, but I think they made the right choice, hands down. Mark's movie was one of my favorite parts of the film, and aside from that, it's far too theatrical. I think that to have them end up back on stage would have been a way of saying to the audience that these are actors, playing parts, and that this is just a story, being told by these people on stage. That transition is something that you can't avoid on stage, but I think it would've taken the film to a really weird place. People are saying that the alternate ending is an homage to the stage version -- but so is the real ending -- it's the same setup, all of them sitting on the table and whatnot. I don't know, I think they made the right choice.

The ones with Benny in them really rounded out his character, and gave him what he was missing in the film as is. That stuff would've done a lot of good, too.

It was so weird to see the movie again.

I'm watching part of the documentary now... the movie part, just for tonight. I'll watch the whole thing tomorrow. Rosario's audition -- yikes! But... whatever they did to make her sound good in the movie, it worked and that's what matters.

As far as Chris' explanation in the commentary for why he didn't put April's suicide in, I feel like... he could've figured it out. I know that's presumptious, but when he chalks it up to something to do with timing and not the material, I think there's got to be a way to have made it work. I probably would've been more satisfied with an explanation that had something to do with the substance of it, rather than something mundane like "I couldn't fit it in the sequence." That's one cut that I'm still not completely at piece with. You don't NEED it there, but I wanted it.

Updated On: 2/18/06 at 11:44 PM

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:11am

How are all these people getting a hold of the DVD before the release date?!!!!!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:13am

Borrowed it from a friend who got it at one of the several stores throughout the area that are selling it early. I haven't bought one yet.

[bwayfan3]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:20am

As far as Chris' explanation in the commentary for why he didn't put April's suicide in, I feel like... he could've figured it out. I know that's presumptious, but when he chalks it up to something to do with timing and not the material, I think there's got to be a way to have made it work.


Oh yeah, this is another part that irritated me. I've felt that leaving April's suicide out (and presumably making the audience believe she died of AIDS) eliminates an important parallel I always thought was purposefully suggested in the show---the difference between Mimi's no day but today attitude even though she has AIDS and April's giving up and how these differing attitudes impact Roger and his own dealing with his illness. Way too important to just leave out.
And I feel like Adam and Anthony may have similar feelings, because they were a bit quiet when Chris was explaining that. They weren't exactly agreeing with him.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:23am

I sort of like the way Anthony explained it to me better -- but this was before he had ever heard from Chris why the decision was made. It was what he -- quite logically -- assumed to be the case. I liked that because it made sense to me, whereas this... this is just like... dude, figure something out. I still think what Anthony told me is probably very valid -- about melodrama and the like. I hardly griped about Columbus' cuts, but this one.... even though the movie WORKS without it, I think it only could've done good for it.

Oh well.

It's odd that now, so many months later, the complaints I have are easier to find -- little things that don't sit totally right with me, because everything's had a chance to marinate, I guess. But I think what's always going to be important is my first, as-honest-a-possible, analysis-baggage-free opinion of it. Which was high. Opinion is still high, just a little more... jaded?

I ramble.

[benjamingullett]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 7:36am

I have to agree. There are a lot of "little" things that drive me insane. The biggest one, where I just wanted to pull out my hair the most, was at the end of the film during "Your Eyes" when Roger (who the entire film has been trying to write his "one last song" with his guitar) never picks up his damn guitar when he sings to Mimi!!!

Columbus claims in the commentary that he didn't want the film to have an Elvis moment. What?!? RENT is a musical! They sing, they dance. You all ready had him awkwardly walk away from the group in La Vie Boheme to pick up a guitar just to play Musetta's Waltz, but he can't pick up a guitar to play his inspired song to Mimi, because it'll be too much like an Elvis movie?

Craziness. Just craziness.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 10:30am

The guitar thing never bugged me. They talk about it in the commentary, and what they say was exactly why it didn't bug me. I mean, what was Roger going to do? Be like "wait, stop dying, I HAVE TO GET MY GUITAR!!!"? That's ridiculous. Yeah, RENT is a musical, but that's stupid and campy.

To me, it made sense for him to walk away from the group during LVB. On stage he's usually off in the background, for most of the song anyway. He's still a little removed. Well, a lot. He WOULD just wander off and pick up a guitar.

[bwayfan3]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 11:12am

I guess what is annoying to me is that I was looking forward to a better understanding regarding the choices made for the film that really didn't work for me. I'm willing to listen to anything if there's a decent explanation, and I feel like Columbus was NOT able to justify any of those things in the commentary.

But that ETch a sketch part had me laughing for a good 5 minutes!

[algy]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 11:22am

I can't believe you guys are getting the DVD before we've even had the film over here in the UK...

[Feathah]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 11:27am

One of the best parts of the commentary is Anthony pointing out the mistakes. When he pointed out the disappearing/reappearing woman in Santa Fe and Adam was laughing, I couldn't stop laughing. I also liked how Anthony was pointing out the little things in the movie that cracked up the fans seeing the movie in the theater.

And then they acknowledge the Cliff. That it has a captial C and is sometimes referred to as the Britney Spears cliff. I was rolling with laughter. Chris Columbus sounded really surprised and asked why. Anthony or Adam informed him of the Britney video and Chris said he'd have to buy a Britney dvd and look at it. Adam also mentioned it reminded him of the Bon Jovi video, too.

Ahhh fun times. :)

[iheartcheyenne123]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 12:26pm

*squeels* I feel fan-girlish (if that's a word)

[renthead2]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 10:53am

okay is there going to be an extended version on the dvd, with all the deleted scenes put back into the movie?? or are the deleted scenes just going to be like one clip at a time and not be a part of the movie?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 10:55am

As of right now, the deleted scenes are not in context, no.

[Feathah]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 11:06am

I forgot another commentary thingie that was hilarious. When Collins says "Merry Christmas bitches!" - they apparently had Jesse says a number of things on diferent takes. and one of the alternate things he came up with was "Happy Kwanzaa crackers!"

[MissMonika]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 2:41pm

Lol! "Happy Kwanza crackers!" Oh my, that's awesome.

I'm so excited for the DVD. You guys are lucky that you got it early. Still waiting for Tuesday so I can go get it at Costco.

[BroomstickBoy]

Posted: 2/19/06 at 5:50pm

Oy gevalt, such an interesting thread. Anywho, on to my question:

Is the wide-screen version the only one with the special features, etc? Or would the full-screen version have it as well? I hate widescreen and I would love for one of my favorite movies to take up the whole screen in stead of 1/3 of it and include the special stuff.

stupid question, but this board is full of nit-picks and dumb questions :)