It's a Disaster (Blu-ray) (2012)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Audio Commentary Featurette-Behind The Scenes Featurette-Comic Con 2012 Panel Discussion More…-Viral Videos Trailer-It’s a Disaster Trailer-Hotel Noir, Static,Two Jacks, Little Red
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	86:10 (Case: 88)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Todd Berger
Studio Distributor	Accent Film Entertainment	Starring	Blaise Miller Erinn Hayes Julia Stiles David Cross Kevin Brennan Rachel Boston Jeff Grace America Ferrara
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080i
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     A group of yuppie couples meet regularly for Sunday brunch at the house of Emma and Pete (Erinn Hayes / Blaise Miller), although in truth the females are more the instigators than the males. This Sunday Tracy (Julia Stiles), a doctor with relationship problems, turns up with Glenn (David Cross) on their third date. Already there are Buck and Lexi (Kevin Brennan / Rachel Boston), who are alternatives with an open marriage, and Hedy and Shane (America Ferrara / Jeff Grace), who have been engaged for six years and still not set a date for the wedding. Glenn is the odd one out at the brunch; all the rest have unspoken baggage from eight years of friendship and brunches, and at brunch Emma and Pete announce that they are getting a divorce.

     Just after the brunch commences, the electricity fails, taking out the lights and computers, and there is no mobile phone connection. A neighbour arrives and tells the group that dirty bombs have been detonated in cities all over the USA, including their city, releasing toxic chemicals. At first the group does not believe him; but after they find a battery radio and the news is confirmed and when Jenny and Gordon, arriving late for the brunch, die on the door step they realise that they probably have only 3 hours to live. So what do you do when you have only three hours to live except review past disasters and past relationships!

     It’s a Disaster is a wry and funny look at the end of the world genre. It is the second feature film by writer / director Todd Berger, who with stars Blaise Miller, Kevin Brennan and Jeff Grace make up a comedy group named The Vacationeers. Their main claim to fame, apparently, was producing some Web videos that went viral, including one called Google Maps which is included as an extra on this Blu-ray. It’s a Disaster is a comedy that initially focuses on Glenn; anyone on a date who has been dropped into a group who all know each other and have unspoken baggage would be able to relate to his confusion and innocent mistakes. After this the film changes to a comedy about the end of the world with uneven results. While some of the characters are certainly clichéd and not that interesting, such as Shane with his alien attack theories or the “hippy” Buck, and the acting uneven, some of the dialogue is very dry and funny.

     To its credit It’s a Disaster does not try to explain who is responsible for the attack or what is really happening; there is no footage of what is going on elsewhere in the world and only the occasional police siren on the road or helicopters overhead to remind us of the outside world. Instead the film keeps the focus on the couples in a few rooms in the one location as they work through the disasters that their yuppie lives have become. If one asks “what would you do if you thought you were going to be dead in three hours?” the answer may well be very little. However, the ending is a gas and It’s a Disaster remains refreshing and funny during its short running time.

Video

     It’s a Disaster is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the original ratio, in 1080i using the MPEG-4 AVC code.

     This is a film that, except for a few scenes in front of the house, consists of interiors so that it does not make any demands of your system. That said, detail is fine, colours natural, brightness and contrast consistent. In the couple of darker scenes in the basement, blacks are solid and shadow detail fine.

     The commentary confirms that a filter was applied to the film to add grain so that the print did not look too glossy. It is not overdone. I did not see any other artefacts or marks.

     There are no subtitles.

     The print was fine.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio is English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps plus an English audio commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 at 224 Kbps. Thus there is no lossless audio track on this Blu-ray.

     Not that that matters as this is a film without action scenes or a music score. Dialogue is mostly clear, except for a few lines by Kevin Brennan, and easy to understand. Effects are minimal, so the surrounds are not used except for the occasional police siren in the street or helicopter overhead. There was no original music; the score includes extracts of Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Schubert as well as pop songs. It also adds an interesting version of House of the Rising Sun for guitar and glockenspiel performed by Kevin Brennan and Rachel Boston that is a highlight! I do not remember any subwoofer use, but the film did not require any.

     Lip synchronisation was fine.

     The audio was appropriate for the film.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Trailers

     On start-up trailers for Hotel Noir, Static, Two Jacks and Little Red play, collectively running 8:34. These four, plus It’s a Disaster (2:23) can be also selected from the menu.

Audio Commentary

     Todd Berger, David Cross, Kevin Brennan and Jeff Grace joke, provide some information about casting, location and some production anecdotes, pointing out inspirations and technical points and script changes. This is a light hearted and amusing commentary that is quite self-laudatory but reasonably entertaining.

Behind the Scenes (9:43)

     Writer / director Todd Berger gives a tour of the house location used in the film plus some behind the scenes footage, short film exerts and interviews with the 8 main cast members. Reasonably interesting.

Viral Videos (8:30)

     Three quite funny Web U-Tube videos that shot by Berger prior to making It’s a Disaster. They are:

• julia stiles styles: a mock interview with Julia Styles who is introducing her eco-friendly range of clothing.
• Google Maps: Google street maps get somewhat out of control.
• Excuse Me: Julia Stiles interrupts the boy’s having lunch.

Comic Con 2012 Panel Discussion (22:35)

     Todd Berger, Blaise Miller, Kevin Brennan, Jeff Grace, Rachel Boston and Erinn Hayes appear before an audience and talk about how The Vacationeers got together, U-Tube videos, It’s a Disaster and they show another viral video. Some amusing stuff, some silly stuff, not much on actually making the film but worth watching.

    The US Region All Blu-ray of It’s A Disaster has the same extras and adds a 2.0 stereo audio, some extra film trailers plus subtitles for the hearing impaired. Call it a draw. There is not currently a Region B UK release.

     If you were going to be dead in three hours would you fulfil a few fantasies or settle a few old scores? It’s a Disaster is uneven but overall it is a wry and funny look at the end of the world genre that is well worth seeking out.

     The video and audio are adequate and appropriate for the film. The extras are worthwhile and interesting.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall