Boogie Nights: (2 Disc Special Edition) (US)

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Everyone has one special thing
Certificate: R
Running Time: 155 mins
Retail Price: $29.98
Release Date:

Synopsis:
From writer/director P.T. Anderson comes the turbulent behind the scenes story of an extended family of filmmakers who set out to revolutionize the adult entertainment industry in the Seventies.

Idealistic producer Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) has always dreamed of elevating his films into an art form. When he discovers young actor Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), Jack begins to turn his dreams into reality. Under the stage name of Dirk Diggler, Eddie soon gives the adult entertainment world a star the likes of which it has never seen.

But the rise to fame has its costs, and soon Dirk finds himself sliding down the slippery slope of sex, drugs and violence. The only question: can he get himself back together before it`s too late?

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
The John C. Reilly Files
2 Expanded Feature Length Commentaries
10 Deleted Scenes

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.40:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1 French
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 English

Subtitle Tracks:
French
English
English
Spanish
CC: English
CC: English
Norwegian

Directed By:
Paul Thomas Anderson

Written By:

Starring:
William H. Macy
Don Cheadle
Burt Reynolds
Heather Graham
Julianne Moore
Mark Wahlberg

Casting By:
Christine Sheaks

Soundtrack By:
Michael Penn

Director of Photography:
Robert Elswit

Editor:
Dylan Tichenor

Costume Designer:
Mark Bridges

Production Designer:
Bob Ziembicki

Producer:
Joanne Sellar
Daniel Lupi
John S. Lyons
Lloyd Levin
Paul Thomas Anderson

Executive Producer:
Lynn Harris
Michael De Luca
Lawrence Gordon

Distributor:
New Line Productions

Your Opinions and Comments

8 / 10
Feature:
Boogie Nights is a film I never really appreciated until I watched Magnolia. Not because the latter regained my interest in Paul Thomas Anderson`s career, but because Boogie Night`s ample running time seems like a theatrical trailer compared to Magolia`s never ending three hours. Everyone knows the story by now so I`ll just say that Burt Reynolds will never ever make a film as good as this again!
Picture:
The region 2 version of Boogie Nights was absolutely crap! Not only was the picture reformatted from 2:40:1 to 1:85:, it was jinxed with a layer transition that stopped the film. This region 1 release remedies both of those problems as well as generally improving the picture quality. New Line have also anamorphically enhanced the picture for 16x9 televisions. It`s not as good as other new releases but the nostalgic feel of the film doesn`t really require a crisp resolution.
Sound:
Audio is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital and is very impressive. The soundtrack is largely dialogue but the six channels really come to life in the musical scenes.
Extras:
On first inspection the extras seem to be very generous, but a closer look reveals that they`re actually adequate rather than spectacluar. The two audio commentaries are very good, as are the deleted scenes, but there is a large gap where a `making of` featurette should be. The John C Reilly files are amusing but don`t warrant a return visit and the cast and crew information mixes fact and fiction with some confusion. It is however very nicely presented and to criticise this disc too much would be nit picking. After all it could be the region 2 version!
Conclusion:
New Line never let you down when it comes to their Platinum Series and Boogie Nights is no exception. It`s a timeless classic, well presented on a disc that is not brilliant but very good.
posted by Lee Thews on 21/11/2000 17:42