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Directed by |
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Starring |
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Specs |
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- 16:9 Enhanced
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Languages |
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
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Subtitles |
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Extras |
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailer
- Audio commentary - by Ali G and Ricky C
- Photo gallery
- Behind the scenes footage
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Ali G Indahouse |
Universal/Universal .
R4 . COLOR . 83 mins .
MA15+ . PAL |
Feature |
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Contract |
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The popularity of Ali G’s television series has exploded, and as often happens this has resulted in a venture into the land of the silver screen. Whilst there are quite a few laughs throughout the film, it will ultimately let down fans. The reason for this has nothing to do with the quality of the film itself – the problem is that the humour that made him so popular on television is simply not present. I am of course talking about the interviews on the show. The reactions of his guests to his totally unpredictable and off the wall comments and questions are really what gets the majority of the laughs. In Indahouse, this isn’t present. Regardless of this, there are probably enough laughs on offer to warrant a viewing if you like this kind of low brow humour. Most of the hilarity is based on crass sexual comments that at times can be very funny indeed, but at other times miss their mark. The style of humour is often different to his television series, but it is funny nevertheless. The story is fairly one-dimensional, but perhaps not quite as simplistic as one would expect. Ali G is teaching a class of youngsters all about how to become a homeboy at the local Staines youth centre. With the centre facing closure due to cuts in government funding, Ali resolves to do something about this and keep it open for all the kiddies. He is manipulated by David Carlton (Charles Dance), an evil deputy Prime Minister, and is convinced to run as an MP for Staines so he can save the youth centre. Carlton is hoping to overthrow the government and become Prime Minister himself, and thus is using Ali with the expectation he will lose. "He iz a criminal! And not even da good type wot deals drugs and does drive-bys!" |
However, things don’t quite go as planned. After Ali’s political opponent in disgraced in public, Ali wins the election and becomes the local member for Staines. From hereon in the film adopts a somewhat annoying moral theme, and at the same times the laughs seem to dry up a bit. The acting is nothing really to take note of, but then again with this style of film that is to be expected. Sacha Baron Cohen is great as his alter ego Ali G, and since the film revolves around him to such a great extent the other actors don’t really earn much of a mention.
Video |
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Contract |
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The video transfer presented here is in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is 16x9 enhanced. The transfer appears to be exactly the same as the one on the earlier rental disc. I’ll get the problems with the transfer out of the way first. As in the original rental disc transfer, by far the biggest problem is aliasing. Some of the instances here are some of the most noticeable I have ever seen. Another problem, though much less obvious than the aliasing, is grain on the image. It can become a little annoying at times, but is by no means unbearable. There are a few film artefacts spread throughout the film, but the vast majority are small and border on being negligible. Now for the good points. The image is sharp throughout the film, and the detail is very good. The colours are also very nice, and are nice and bright without being over-saturated. The flesh tones are accurate, as is the shadow detail. The disc is single sided and dual layered, with the layer change occurring at 61:45. It is very unobtrusive and placed at a very good spot. The only subtitles available are in English and Dutch, and the English set is quite accurate.
Audio |
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Contract |
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The audio track available is English Dolby Digital 5.1. The audio is nothing special, but it does what it needs to do and is adequate for the cause. The dialogue is crisp and easy to understand at all times and synch never becomes an issue. The surrounds are used to good effect during the action sequences and to support the score, but the mix is mostly centred on the front three speakers. The subwoofer is mainly reserved for use in the score.
Extras |
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Contract |
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Overall |
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Contract |
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An interesting debut for Ali on the big screen, true fans may ultimately be left feeling a little disappointed with this. The transfer is not too bad, but nowhere near reference quality. The extras are entertaining, and the commentary is very different to most you will come across. Worth a look.
LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2135
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And I quote... |
"Definitely worth a look for fans, but people who like a bit of thinking to do when they watch their films may be disappointed." - Robert Mack |
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Review Equipment |
- DVD Player:
Sony DVP-NS300
- TV:
Sony 68cm
- Receiver:
Sony STR-DE475
- Speakers:
Sony
- Centre Speaker:
Sony
- Surrounds:
Sony
- Subwoofer:
Sony Active Superwoofer
- Audio Cables:
Standard RCA
- Video Cables:
standard s-video
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