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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
American Pie Revealed (Bonus Disc)

American Pie Revealed (Bonus Disc)

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Released 27-Oct-2004

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Comedy Main Menu Introduction
Main Menu Audio
Introduction-Begin The Journey, With Eugene Levy
Featurette-The Recipe For Pie -Necessary Ingredients,The Guy Behind Pie
Featurette-The Inspiration For East Great Falls, Casting The Gang,
Featurette-Jim's Dad, Add Notecards And Stir
Featurette-The First Piece -The Baking Of American Pie, Sex Comedy Pie1
Featurette-Bodily Functions in Pie 1, Learning Lacrosse,
Featurette-Tour The Real "Pie House", Dancing For Nadia
Featurette-The Aftertaste - The Test Screening, Fame!, Backlash
Featurette-The Second Helping - Making Pie 2, The M.I.L.F.
Featurette-Uneaten Pieces:The Lost Storylines, Bodily Functions In Pie2
Featurette-Sex Comedy In Pie 2
Featurette-One Last Piece - Making An American Wedding
Featurette-The First Read-Through, Sex Comedy In Wedding
Featurette-Bodily Functions in Wedding, Tour Of Jim's Room
Featurette-A Visit To The Prop Truck, That's A Wrap
Featurette-The Reunion Dinner
Featurette-FAQ
Credits
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production ?
Running Time 195:43
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (135:40) Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 2,4 Directed By None Given
Studio
Distributor

Universal Pictures Home Video
Starring Eugene Levy
Jason Biggs
Sean William Scott
Alyson Hannigan
Case ?
RPI Box Music None Given


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Full Frame English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio Varies Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    American Pie Revealed is the extras disc which accompanies the American Pie trilogy, contained within the American Pie - The Threesome Four Disc DVD Box Set.

    The American Pie trilogy contains the films American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001), and American Pie: The Wedding (2003). I, like this Extras DVD, am ignoring American Pie Presents Band Camp (2005), which I have not seen, and I understand was a direct to Video/DVD release.

    American Pie Revealed is divided into a number of different sections, but there is a "play all" option entitled "Eat the whole pie". The DVD's content contains a lot of interviews with cast and crew, behind the scenes footage, outtakes, uncut dailies, and letterboxed clips from the films. The DVD's content is as follows:

Introduction-Begin The Journey, With Eugene Levy

   Eugene Levy, who plays Jim's Dad, introduces the DVD and the menu structure.

Featurette-The Recipe For Pie -Necessary Ingredients

    Featuring Producer Chris Moore, this featurette features the cast and crew presenting the basic elements of the films, and its gross-out humour

The Guy Behind Pie

    The film's producers and directors discuss Adam Herz, who provided both the original story and scripts for the films. Herz mentions his inspirations, including his own school and college experiences, and films such as Porkys and Flying High (Airplane).

Featurette-The Inspiration For East Great Falls

    Here we meet the Assistant Principal of Herz's school, and some of Herz's school buddies, who all discuss their recollections of Herz. Some of these buddies inspired the characters in the trilogy.

Casting The Gang

   A look at the auditions for the cast, and a discussion of the main characters in the films.

Featurette-Jim's Dad

    A look at the character of Jim's dad (who never gets named in any of the films). I found this interesting, as Levy changed the dialogue and character of Herz's script, and created his own, which proved to be far more successful than what Herz had written. It seems that all the father son chats, which are some of the best parts of these films, are improvised by the two actors.

Add Notecards And Stir

    Herz walks us through his script writing process, which involves arranging, and then re-arranging the film's scenes, written on note cards and pinned to a board.

Featurette-The First Piece -The Baking Of American Pie

    A look back at a young cast and crew, working on a low-budget film that was to change all their lives.

Pie Sex

    A look at 'that' scene from the first film, featuring actor Jason Biggs and an apple pie.

The tube sock

    A look at Jim's masturbation scene from the first film, and what became known as the "cock prop".

The tongue tornado

    Featuring actress Tara Reid, this is a discussion of the cunnilingus scene from the first film.

The Bible

    The producers discuss where the idea for "the Bible", a book with a collection of sexual techniques, came from.

Nadia Vision

    A look at the small, but memorable, role played by the beautiful actress Shannon Elizabeth, who had her very large boyfriend (now husband) Joe Reitman (who makes a cameo appearance in the second film), on set to watch her.

"Say my name b****"

    A look at Jim's love scene, and how actors Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan improvised their dialogue. This classic line from the film seems to have just popped out of Hannigan's mouth in one take, and made it to the final cut.

The infamous pale ale

    Actor Sean William Scott, whose character Stiffler unintentionally drank semen in the first film, urine in the second film, and ate dog excrement in the third, explains how the pale ale is made. Apparently egg whites double for semen in the beer.

Shitbreak's s***break

    Actor Eddie Thomas who plays Finch discusses his character and the laxative scene.

Learning Lacrosse

   Actors Sean William Scott and Chris Klein recall how their characters played lacrosse, but neither of them knew how to play. They provide an anecdote of their steep learning curve.

Featurette-Tour The Real "Pie House"

    'Ben', the owner of the real house used in the films provides a tour of his Long Beach house, including the kitchen where the pie scene takes place. He provides a funny story of how when his family returned to the house, after filming, they discovered a pie in their fridge, but were unsure if they should eat it (they didn't).

Dancing For Nadia

    Outtakes from Jason Biggs' improvised dancing scenes.

Fame!

    The cast and crew reflect on their surprise as to the success of the first film. There are also some red carpet scenes following the film's original theatrical opening.

Backlash

    A look at some of the films' detractors, including film critic John Douglas and surprisingly, President Bill Clinton, who all publicly attacked the film. Apparently, privately, Clinton loved it. There is also some discussion about the fact that this is an R-Rated film, yet it was openly marketed to a teenage market.

Featurette-The Second Helping - Making Pie 2

    A new story with a new director, the gang was all moved out to the beach for some fun in the sun.

Lesbians

    A look at the famous scene from the second film. There are plenty of outtakes, especially of Jason Biggs and Sean William Scott kissing.

Band Camp

    A look at the fictitious Tall Oaks Band Camp, and how these films apparently sent real enrolments in band camps through the roof.

Pee Scene

    Outtakes of the Stiffler drinking urine scene. We also meet the film's Prop Masters who walk us through the pee props and the pee SFX.

Bonding with Jim

    A look at Jim's super glue masturbation scene. We also see behind the scenes Jason Biggs' bruising physical comedy.

Back Story

    I found it very interesting that following test screenings the second film was extensively re-shot with some of the film's main characters either removed, or given entirely different scenes and dialogue, just weeks before the film was due to be completed. Despite this, the second film actually works well.

Back to East Great Falls High

    Some nostalgic outtakes, inspired by the film American Graffiti.

Stiffler's Dad Moves In

    A sub-plot that was removed from the second film. Actor Chris Penn played Stiffler's dad, who was a sort of 'Super Stiffler'. Indeed, he referred to himself as "the big stiff". Following screenings to test audiences, the film was completely re-written without this character.

Stiffler has a baby

    This is a joke - there is no content here.

Finch's great orgasm

    Another scene removed from the second film, where Stiffler's dad unwittingly provides a tantric Finch with his great orgasm.

The Fight

    In another scene removed from the second film, Finch faces Stiffler's dad in a fight at the beach house to remove him from their beach party.

Stiffler's dad meets Jim's dad

    In another scene removed from the second film, the two characters meet accidentally in a book store, where they discuss fatherhood. As always, Eugene Levy (who plays Jim's dad) steals the show.

Bringing the pieces together

    Due to the odd way in which American Pie 2 was made, there was no linear script, but a collection of comic set pieces. Here, the filmmakers reflect on how they created a successful film without a coherent storyline.

The M.I.L.F.

    A look at Stiffler's mum, and how this term was made popular by this film. Herz admits he didn't invent it, but heard his brother use it once.

Making An American Wedding

    Despite the haphazard way in which American Pie 2 was made, it was even more popular than the first film. This in turn lead to another sequel, American Wedding (released as American Pie: The Wedding in Australia). Two comic set pieces were to dominate this third film, the bachelor party, and the wedding itself.

Featurette-The First Read-Through

    Sean William Scott explains what the First Read Through is, and there is footage of this taking place. Some of this behind the scenes footage is then compared to the final scenes in the film.

American Dogs

    The director of American Wedding, Jesse Dylan, hosts a behind the scenes look at the casting and training of the "humping dogs" in American Wedding.

The chocolate truffle

    Sean William Scott reflects on how his character, Stiffler, unintentionally drank semen in the first film, urine in the second film, and ate dog excrement in the third. There is a behind the scenes look at the chocolate truffle scene being filmed, and we get to see how the prop makers create fake dog poo.

Tour Of Jim's Room

    Jason Biggs provides us with a tour of the set that is his bedroom in the trilogy. He also points out a few in-jokes, such as a copy of the DVD How High which sits on his table. The film was directed by one of the trilogy's directors.

Featurette-A Visit To The Prop Truck

    Prop Masters Dave and Scott happily show off their fake erections, fake poo, and collection of dildos.

That's A Wrap

    A behind the scenes look at the last scenes of American Wedding being filmed. Herz reflects on it being the end of an era.

Featurette-The Reunion Dinner

    Key cast and crew from the trilogy meet in the same restaurant where they met for the first time, five years ago, for a nostalgic dinner and chat, filled with plenty of back slaps and anecdotes.

Featurette-FAQ

    Herz answers the most frequently asked questions over the last five years. For example, did he make up the term M.I.L.F?; and is Finch's nickname S***break or S***brick? (as incorrectly appears in the subtitles); and why aren't all the characters in American Wedding?

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    Obviously a variety of source material has been used in these featurettes, ranging from uncut dailies and behind the scenes home video to recent interviews shot on DV tape. However, overall, the transfer quality is acceptable.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, with the clips from the films presented letterboxed. Some material is presented pan and scan.

    The sharpness, black level, shadow detail, and colour of the recent footage, such as the interviews, are mostly fine, as these segments are usually well-lit and shot. But some of the interviews are under-lit, such as at 139:15. As expected, some of the DVD's contents are limited by the condition of the source material, and some of the behind the scenes and video footage lacks detail, such as the night footage at 104:15.

    I did occasionally notice some problems with MPEG artefacts, and sometimes the backgrounds in particular were a little pixelated. Some of the content is also very grainy.

    Film-to-video artefacts appear in the form of aliasing, such as the slight shimmer on the pick-up truck at 82:57, or the shimmer on Jim's dad's striped shirt  at 127:30.

    As expected, there are various film artefacts appearing in a lot of the footage, due to its origin.

    Only English subtitles are present, and they are accurate.

    This is a dual-layered disc, with the layer change placed at 135:40. The content is divided into 55 chapters.

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

Audio

    There is only one audio track offered: English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s). Considering that the content of almost all the featurettes is 'talking heads', this is acceptable.

    The dialogue quality and audio sync are fine throughout.

    While there is some incidental use of music, understandably there is no score per se for this DVD. Interestingly, despite the many featurettes included, none relate to the trilogy's score or many songs used throughout the trilogy.

    Obviously, as Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, there is no surround presence or LFE activity.

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

Extras

    With this DVD, the 'extras' are the content.

Menu

    There is a Main Menu Introduction, and a series of animated sub-menus, with Dolby Digital stereo audio.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    As far as I can tell, the American Pie - The Threesome box set was released in the US as a "Limited Edition" in 2004, but is no longer available in R1. In the US they currently have a three-disc box set containing just the three movies, without the extras disc.

    However, American Pie - The Threesome has been released in R2, and our versions, including this disc, seem to be the same.

Summary

    This disc is a collection of extras for the trilogy, and aimed squarely at fans of the movies.

    The video quality depends on the source material, but is usually acceptable.

    The audio quality is limited, but also acceptable.

    The collection of extras are genuine.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Brandon Robert Vogt (warning: bio hazard)
Monday, May 08, 2006
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV-535, using S-Video output
DisplayGrundig Elegance 82-2101 (82cm, 16x9). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
AmplificationSony STR DE-545
SpeakersSony SS-V315 x5; Sony SA-WMS315 subwoofer

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