Up in Smoke (Cheech & Chong's) (1978)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Audio Commentary-Cheech Marin (Actor) & Lou Adler (Director) Theatrical Trailer Deleted Scenes-8 +/- commentary
Rating
Year Of Production	1978
Running Time	82:16
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (48:29)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Programme
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Lou Adler
Studio Distributor	Paramount Home Entertainment	Starring	Cheech Marin Tommy Chong Tom Skerritt Edie Adams Strother Martin Stacy Keach
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	Cheech Marin Tommy Chong

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	German Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	Danish German English Spanish French Italian Dutch Norwegian Swedish Turkish English for the Hearing Impaired German Audio Commentary English Audio Commentary Spanish Audio Commentary French Audio Commentary Italian Audio Commentary	Smoking	Yes, My God Yes!! Everything in sight!
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    As I write this review, I am unsure about how to tackle this Plot Synopsis. Up In Smoke is one of those films regarded as a classic, but today it seems light, stupid and not very funny.

    I love Cheech and Chong, and always have. I own many of their audio recordings and have watched all of their films in the past. My brother and I or one of my friends used to hire Cheech and Chong videos and laugh at their wacky, farcical, drug-induced antics while pretending (as 13 year olds) to know what was going on. Nevertheless, I found them very funny, worthwhile and clever.

    So what do I think of Cheech and Chong films now? I still enjoy them. Yes, they are light, stupid and not very funny, but as someone who has previously found their style hilarious, it is hard not to smile and remember how many times I replayed a certain joke or facial expression as a kid and laughed until I cried. Would I enjoy this film if I did not have this prior experience? Probably not, but that is probably since I do not find drugs funny, or think that seeing a person fall over several times due to extended drug use is 'quality film making'. If you are like me, then this film is not for you, but if you do enjoy these sorts of pursuits, then Cheech and Chong are most certainly your cup of tea.

    The basic plot of 'Up In Smoke' is that it does not have a plot. The majority of the film is based around various Cheech and Chong comedy routines. Scenes in this film do not flow until about half way through the feature, when it turns into a sort of 'road movie' that serves to link up sketch after sketch. The two main characters are Pedro De Pacas (Cheech Marin) and 'Man'- Tommy Chong's eternal character. There is a massive amount of drug use in this film as our two beloved stoners go searching for sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, along the way meeting up with characters played by 'respected' actors Tom Skerritt, Stacy Keach, Edie Adams and Strother Martin.

    The highlight of the film for me was the performances by Stacy Keach as Sgt Stedenko and the very short, but very funny cameo by Strother Martin as the rich father of 'Man'. Both these guys nail their roles and really stand out as the star performers of the film. In the audio commentary, director Lou Adler and Cheech Marin both draw attention to the great performances turned in by these two, as they are something to behold.

    In summary, 'Up In Smoke' is a film that is very dated, and unless you have a) a previous attachment to Cheech and Chong or b) are very 'involved' with the subject matter, then it may not be a worthwhile purchase.

Video

    For a film of this style that is 24 years old, the transfer of this film is pretty good. It is not perfect and has a lot of flaws, but generally, the transfer is bright and clear with good, solid colours that remain constant throughout.
 
    The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.

    The sharpness of this DVD is solid, with no instances where it is a problem. Shadow detail is a problem at times due to a lot of interior shots being filmed in poorly lit houses and buildings- good examples of poor shadow detail can be found at 0:29 and 32:19. Grain is another big downfall of this transfer with many scenes appearing very grainy and dark, such as at 19:40, 32:19, and 75:16. Grain can also be seen in the many scenes filled with smoke - I will not list them here, as this review would suddenly be filled with red numbers instead of the actual review itself.

    Colours are strong and constant throughout, with this being the highlight of the transfer for me. Almost all the outside shots in this film are set in blazing sunlight with plenty of big Californian colours on show. All these colours are vibrant and strong, and add to the film as a whole.

    There were no MPEG artefacts to be seen here, but plenty of aliasing on show. Cheech's car grille was the biggest offender (check out the number plate by the way - it sort of sets the standard for most of the jokes in the film) as well as other problem areas that can be found at 7:17, 7:37, 10:34, 12:07, 15:55, 18:51, 22:17, 41:51, and 62:56. Film artefacts are the other big artefact in this transfer with constant flecks of dirt and grime throughout and a strange emulsion mark on the right hand side of the image at 28:10.

    There are numerous subtitle tracks recorded here. I checked out about 30 minutes worth of the English subtitles and found them to be a heavily simplified version of the actual dialogue, which probably serves to rob the film of its character.

    Contrary to what is stated on the packaging, this is an RSDL disc, with the layer change occurring at 48:29 in the middle of a camera move and just before a scene change....diabolical!  Not a great place for it.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The dialogue quality is solid with no instances where dialogue is inaudible. Occasionally, Cheech's accent makes him a little hard to understand, but there are no problems with the DVD itself. Audio sync is not too bad, with only one instance where it is a problem, at 1:27.

    The music in this film has a rock feel and is mostly performed by Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. Interestingly, in the audio commentary, director Lou Adler and Cheech Marin mention that a lot of record labels did not want their artist's songs associated with this film and its drug content, forcing Cheech and Chong to do most of the music themselves.
 
    For a 5.1 soundtrack, there is little to no surround activity. Obviously, the film was not designed to use these channels, but having a soundtrack of this sort probably could have meant that we get a little more from these areas.
 
    The subwoofer is not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu

Theatrical Trailer    (2:53)

Audio Commentary-  Director Lou Adler & Cheech Marin

Deleted Scenes (Roach Clips)   (11:27)

    The Region 4 version of this disc misses out on;

• Nothing

• RSDL Formatting
• All other language soundtracks
• All other subtitles

    This film is a 'cult classic' that loses a bit these days unless you already have a love for the film and its characters. It contains plenty of drug use and some occasionally funny sequences.

    The video is flawed, yet acceptable.

    The audio is solid, but not used to its full potential.

    The extras are interesting.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall