Tender Loving Care
Aftermath / 1999 / Variable Mins / Rated MA15+

This Review is sponsored by 
Wild Releasing


MOVIE
Coming into this review I was dubious. Usually interactive movies are little more than a click here or there. Plus with the cover blurb stating "From the makers of The 7th Guest & The 11th Hour" which are 2 of the worst games ever, so I was quite surprised with this enjoyable disc.

The game starts up from the main menu where you can select to continue or start a new session. From here you begin the movie. Now from here it is so evident that the movie is so very much B grade. The movie starts with an introduction by John Hurt as to what happened to a couple years before that were patients of his. He asks you for his assistance in the form of video episodes to piece together what happened. 

The basic story revolves around a couple who's daughter has died in an accident, the wife has gone into severe depression. A nurse arrives to help but soon you begin to realize there is some other motives at work here.

After each 5 to 10 minute episode you are asked some questions about each episode and some questions about yourself. Based on the answers you give the story can change somewhat thus the variable running time.

While not the best storyline or acting is involved, the interactive portions are fun and the what's going to happen next factor really make you enjoy it more.

VIDEO
Sadly the transfer on Tender Loving Care is not as good as it could be. The colors vary from over saturated to plain bland. Shadow detail is lacking and there are quite a few MPEG artifacts throughout.

Tender Loving Care is framed at 2:1 and is not 16:9 enhanced.

This is a single sided, dual layer disc. The layer change is not noticeable so I would assume it is between episodes.

AUDIO
Nothing exciting here. Basic Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound. There is no use of the surrounds or the .1 channel. This may sound bland but it is more than adequate for this disc as it is dialog based.
EXTRAS
Apart from a 16 page booklet explaining how to use the disc there are no extras. 
FINAL THOUGHTS
Now not everyone is going to like this DVD but for those who are into this sort of thing, you may be very surprised.

16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS: NIL
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: 10 Jul 2000 18:20:46 +1100 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 0
No of Discs: 1
OFLC Rating MA15+
Running Time: Variable
Case Type: Black Amaray
Release Date: 28/04/2000
Catalog Number: DVDI0719
List Price: $39.95
Distributor: Wild Releasing
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: NTSC
Disc Type: Picture Disc
Disc Format: SS-RSDL
Chapters: None
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: DVant Digital
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 2:1
Anamorphic: None
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

2.0 Mono

DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages: English
Subtitles: Yes
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: None
Theatrical Trailer: None
Teaser Trailer: None
TV Spots: None
Dolby Trailer: None
Documentary: None
Cast & Crew Bios: None
Deleted Scenes: None
Music Videos: None
DVD Rom Content: None
Collectable Booklet: Yes
Scene Access: None
Animated Menus: None
Production Notes: None
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INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE INFO
NONE
OFFICIAL WEB SITE
NONE
VIEW TRAILER
NONE