Stars:
Ron Reaco Lee, Bizzy Bone, Alexis Fields, Brandon Thomas, and Anna Maria
Horsford
Writer:
Timothy Wayne Folsome
Director:
Timothy Wayne Folsome
Feature
length: 96 minutes
Extras:
Filmmaker Commentary, Cast and Crew Biographies and Filmographies, and Trailer
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Amaray Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 14
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2002
Home
Video Distributor: Artisan Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“Don’t
judge a book by its cover” applies both thematically and cosmetically to
Artisan Home Entertainment’s DVD release of “Jacked Up.” I say
cosmetically because when I received this DVD I looked at the cover and thought
to myself, “Another urban gang in the hood flick,” which I have grown quite
tired of as a genre, but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. “Jacked Up”
does take place in an urban war zone and there is simulated gang violence, but
the root of the story is about responsibility and integrity. The film might come
off as being a little sentimental, but think about the fact that when you take
another’s life, how can you not have some remorse unless you are a sociopath.
Our lead character is a bright young man who has everything to look forward to
in life, a college scholarship, a nice girlfriend, and an agenda to improve the
lives of his girlfriend and her family, but this is not without a reason. A year
earlier he killed her father in a failed carjack attempt before he ever knew
her. Now he is trying to atone for his sins and preparing to tell his girl the
truth before turning himself in to the police, but the people who he used to
hang with are prepared to shoot him dead before they let him talk. What will he
do?
Filmed
on location in Columbus, Ohio, “Jacked Up” was the recipient of the “Best
Work In Progress” at the 5th Annual Acapulco Black Film Festival;
the movie is at times a bit unintentionally funny though there are some scenes
with a bit of humor meant to lighten up the bleak and tense subject matter.
Artisan
Home Entertainment presents “Jacked Up” in an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1)
transfer. The film is a bit grainy more or less due to the low budget, but as it
is the picture quality is not bad at all. A good English Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Soundtrack with a great ambient quality and an English Dolby Surround
Soundtrack mix are included along with English Closed Captions for the hearing
impaired and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded on to the DVD as options.
The
DVD features a very entertaining and educational feature length audio commentary
track with Writer and Director Timothy Wayne Folsome and Producer William
Hightower and the commentary is screen specific. Detailed Cast and Crew
Biographies and Filmographies, a photo gallery and theatrical trailer are also
included, but despite what the packaging states there was no behind-the-scenes
featurette among the extra features. The menus are standard interactive still
frames that are easy to navigate. There are some liner notes by the director
within the insert inside the DVD keep case.
I
liked “Jacked Up” a whole lot more than I expected to and I am glad I was
given the chance to see it. I think this is another good film for aspiring
filmmakers to check out mostly because of the feature length audio commentary
track. “Jacked Up” is available on DVD-Video now from Artisan Home
Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.