Eight Millimeter
Columbia / 1998 / 119 Mins / Rated R18+

This Review is sponsored by 
Columbia/Tri-Star Home Video
MOVIE
Okay this is one dark movie. And not one of my favorite Joel Schumacher movies but it does venture into a part of he real world that really does exist but is rarely seen in the mainstream films of today. The story revolves are private detective Thomas Welles (Nicholas Cage). He has been hired by and an old well to do woman to find out if some 8mm footage found in her late husband's safe is real. That footage is a snuff film of a young girl being murdered. Thomas accepts the case and we are slowly taken into a quite disturbing world of a things porn. There really isn't much to say without spoiling this movie for you. The movie is very well acted by Cage and the supporting cast, it's a depressing movie but watch able.
VIDEO

This IS Columbia Tri-Star we are talking about here and the transfer is quite stunning for most of the movie. The picture was very sharp although you could notice a little bit of screen breakup and wobble near the end of the movie when Tom gets his mail, Look at the rake to see what I mean. Other than that the transfer is wonderful

8MM is framed at 2:35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.

This is an RSDL disc, with the layer switch at about 54 minutes.

This is a single-sided, dual layer disc.
AUDIO

The movie is encoded in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, the surrounds did get some use mainly for ambience and the music score. The .1 channel didn't seem to work much at all.

The dialog was superbly clear throughout
EXTRAS
Again lots of subtitles but that doesn't really count as an extra. 8MM has the original theatrical trailer in 1:33 format with DD2.0 sound. The Trailer is quite good but doesn't sell the movie enough. Guess that's why it didn't do too well at the box office. There is also a short featurette that is like an extended trailer. There is also a directors commentary, now while this is the most wanted extra in my book, but the commentary is boring and Schumacher isn't interesting enough.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Dark subject matter. Buy only if your a Nicolas Cage fan.
16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS:
PLOT:
OVERALL:

REVIEW EQUIPMENT
Display: 48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player: Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver: Pioneer VSX-D508 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers: Accusound speaker system.

Copyright © 2000 by [Roger Ward].
Revised: 24 May 2000 14:51:55 +1100 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 4
No of Discs: 1
OLFC Rating R18+
Running Time: 119 minutes
Case Type: Keep Case
Release Date: 18/10/1999
Catalog Number: D27615
List Price: $34.95
Distributor: Columbia/Tri-Star
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: PAL
Disc Type: Picture Disc
Disc Format: SS-RSDL
Chapters: 28
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: WAMO
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

5.1 Surround
DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages: English
German
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: Yes
Theatrical Trailer: Yes
Teaser Trailer: No
TV Spots: No
Dolby Trailer: Yes
Documentary: Yes
Cast & Crew Bios: Yes
Deleted Scenes No
Music Video: No
DVD ROM Content: No
Collectable Booklet: No
Scene Access: Yes
Animated Menus: No
Production Notes: No
PURCHASE THIS DISC ONLINE

INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE INFO
OFFICIAL WEB SITE
VIEW TRAILER