Posted by tonester on 23rd January 2003 05:12 PM:

Auggie Rose
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“If it were to end right here, right now, would it be enough?”

Auggie Rose is a curious little movie from first time feature writer/director Matthew Tabak. With some excellent writing and beautifully acted parts from Jeff Goldblum and Anne Heche, this sleeper of a film narrowly missed going straight to video in the US, and the crafty filmmaking that went into this production was spared that dishonour.

Goldblum (Jurassic Park) plays John Nolan, a smooth talking insurance salesman. He drives a sporty little Volvo, and lives in a lovely house with his partner Carol (Nancy Travis). Picking up a specially ordered bottle of wine from his local, he sends the clerk back out to the store room when he somewhat pretentiously rejects it on the basis of its scratched label. As he waits, a robber enters the store, and the clerk, named Auggie Rose, comes back into the shop only to cop a bullet in the gut. John, feeling responsible, comforts the dying man, following him to hospital where he dies. John follows the matter through its police processes, and upon discovering that Auggie had just been released from 20 years in prison (therefore having no-one on the outside to care about his death), John examines his own life whilst delving further and further into that of Auggie. When he discovers that Auggie’s long time pen pal Lucy (Anne Heche) is on her way from the mid-west to meet Auggie, John decides that he must meet her at the bus station. To reveal any more would be spoiling the plot, but suffice to say, John comes to a series of watershed decisions about his own life through involving himself in that of Auggie.

This film can only be styled as an “emotional thriller”, and one that requires some thinking, both during and after viewing. Although some of the plot premises are a little outlandish, the performances of Goldblum and Heche (Psycho) are extremely involving, and disbelief can be suspended. Tabak’s script (aside from the above) is also a good one, giving all of the actors an opportunity to express a real range not common in most films today.

Although flawed, Auggie Rose is definitely worth a look, and it has rekindled my faith in the straight to video market – there’s no reason that an engrossing, well crafted film can’t be made on a small budget.


Technical Specifications
Distributor: Roadshow Home Entertainment
Studio: Franchise Pictures
Cinema Release: 2000
DVD Release: 2002
Video Format: 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced
Audio Format(s): Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby Surround encoded
Classification: MA15+


Video
The 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced transfer is a decent one, and for a movie of this stature, no real complaints can be made.

There is a little grain at times, although I don’t consider this to be a major problem Otherwise, the transfer exhibits a good level of sharpness and detail.

Colour is most natural in the early part of the film: as the film goes on, it enters a grittier world, and at these times, the colour palette is a little muted for effect: I have no doubt that this was intentional.

There were a few too many film artefacts for my liking (the film is only 2 years old after all), but other defects (a couple of instances of aliasing) were so minor as to be quite insignificant.


Soundtrack
What we get here is a Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby Surround encoded track, and despite the limitations of the format, it is perfectly acceptable for a film of this nature.

There is a nice wide soundstage across the front channels, with the score coming across especially nicely. Dialogue is always spot on.

There is very little for the surrounds: in fact, I can only really recall some echo of the music emanating from that channel.

The subwoofer is not called upon.


Extras
Theatrical Trailer - (1:48) (1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced, Dolby Digital 2.0): An intriguing trailer presented reasonably nicely.


And The Survey Says...
Auggie Rose is a quiet little movie, but an interesting premise, and engaging performances allow it to get under your skin. Video and audio are sufficient, and the lack of extras lead me to conclude that if you rent this one, you may well be pleasantly surprised, but buying might not be great value for money.


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