Undercover Blues

Rating:
Summary: I Got a Right to Sing the Blues
Review: I love this movie, and it is with great reluctance that I'm rating the DVD with fewer than five stars. However, it seems that little work was done digitally mastering the film: there's a lot of grain and artifacting on the DVD (to be fair, the VHS doesn't look great either, but the blur of the tape reduces the grain in the image; on the DVD you get nice, crisp speckles and blotches). Basically this is a 5-star movie with 2-star production values, split the difference and round up, you get four stars.

The plot provides a so-so post-Cold War backdrop for the actors to do their thing. There hasn't been such a breezy, fun-loving, crime-fighting couple since Nick and Nora Charles. Dennis Quaid's dazzling smile and cheeky attitude brighten up the film, and Kathleen Turner provides a street- and book-smart turn as the brains of the operation. Add in Larry Miller's supporting role as the lisping, soft-spoken Detective Sgt. Halsey (that'th eth-ee-why, not eth-why), Stanley Tucci's shrieking tough guy, Muerte, and Fiona Shaw's devilish Paulina Novacek and you've got ninety minutes of comedic gold.

Unfortunately, along with the straight-from-video transfer, no expense was spent in providing extras on the DVD. There are a handful of trailers and that's about it. The menu screens look good, but if you go to a restaurant and the best thing you can say about it is "nice menus," odds are you won't be eating there very often. That's a shame really, because this is a good movie that's getting a raw deal from poor packaging and a lousy transfer.

If a remastered version of this disc comes out - with or without all the bells and whistles in the bonus department - swoop on it without delay. In the meantime, VHS is actually your best bet: the film's flaws aren't as noticeable and you've been making allowances for such things for years now anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Romance and espionage with an explosive plot
Review: Undercover Blues is one of those movies that are the first of its genera; so you are pleasantly surprised the first time you view it. Later you will want to view this movie again to pick up on the hints that tell you what is to come next.

Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid are the perfect couple on maternity leave in New Orleans. They do everything together and even involve their baby daughter (Louise Jane or Jane Louise.) They are so perfect that the local bad guy (Stanley Tucci) is constantly trying to get even with them. They are so perfect that the local authorities suspect them of being there on business. Are they and what business might that be?

This movie has lots of action and takes many unexpected turns. It is tightly made and every action has implications later in the movie. Oh, did I mention that it is down right funny?

Rating:
Summary: A movie that seemed to have a script
Review: UNDERCOVER BLUES was a movie that seemed to have a script; flawed script as it was. I bought this movie to watch the likes of Bacalique Kathleen Turner and that movie star, Quaid. I saw them--with a baby to tend-- try to stage a spy-comedy story, but strangely the outcome reminded me of 101 Dalmations. REALLY! Lucky for an audience was this comic character, Stanley Tucci, who stole the show. Otherwise, Turner and Quaid--CIA Undercover--were too, too suave for spy characters. Their James Bond quip comedy lines just didn't work. Here is another movie that couldn't make up its' mind: is it a comedy, drama, suspense, mystery, n'importe quoi kind of story. Nevertheless, for all of its' flaws, UNDERCOVER moves along and keeps your attention. You are going to laugh somewhere along the line. And keep your eye out for Cruella. She's there with her sort of funny bad guys.