Search - Short Cuts [Criterion Collection] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 1993 DVD Release: 10/14/2008 Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 3 hrs 3 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 18 Genres: Drama, Urban Drama, Ensemble Film See Also: Short Cuts, Short Cuts [Criterion Collection]

Based on stories by Raymond Carver, Short Cuts follows 22 Los Angeles residents whose lives intersect over the course of a few days. Ann and Howard Finnegan (Andie MacDowell and Bruce Davison) are preparing for their son Casey's birthday party when the boy is injured in an auto accident and falls into a coma. Meanwhile, Andy (Lyle Lovett), a baker, seethes with anger over the birthday cake that wasn't claimed, and Howard's father, Paul (Jack Lemmon), decides that a visit with his ailing grandson is a good time to discuss his infidelities. Lois (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a new mother who watches over her baby when not making money doing phone sex, which bothers her husband, Jerry (Chris Penn), though he knows they need the money. Pilot "Stormy" Weathers (Peter Gallagher) takes a very literal approach to dividing up community property with his ex-wife (Frances McDormand). Doreen (Lily Tomlin) is trying on to hold her marriage with Earl (Tom Waits), who is a good man on the rare occasions that he's sober. Zoe (Lori Singer), a classical musician, is trying to find some way to connect with her mother, Tess (Annie Ross), a jazz singer. Dr. Ralph Wyman (Matthew Modine) and his wife, Marian (Julianne Moore) put their bickering on hold while they have dinner with another couple, Stuart and Claire Kane (Fred Ward and Anne Archer). Stuart and his pals Gordon and Vern (Buck Henry and Huey Lewis) earlier went on a fishing trip where they discovered the body of a drowned woman but decided not to report it until the end of the weekend. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Andie MacDowell - Ann Finnegan
Bruce Davison - Howard Finnigan
Tim Robbins - Gene Shepard
Chris Penn - Jerry Kaiser
Julianne Moore - Marian Wyman
Anne Archer - Claire Kane
Matthew Modine - Dr. Ralph Wyman
Fred Ward - Stuart Kane
Jack Lemmon - Paul Finnegan
Jennifer Jason Leigh - Lois Kaiser
Lili Taylor - Honey Bush
Robert Downey, Jr. - Bill Bush
Madeleine Stowe - Sherri Shepard
Lily Tomlin - Doreen Piggot
Tom Waits - Earl Piggott
Frances McDormand - Betty Weathers
Peter Gallagher - Stormy Weathers
Annie Ross - Tess Trainer
Lori Singer - Zoe Trainer
Lyle Lovett - Andy Bitkower
Buck Henry - Gordon Johnson
Huey Lewis - Vern Miller

Robert Altman was by his nature a gambler, and when the commercial and critical success of The Player made him a bankable commodity again in Hollywood, he wasn't afraid to bet the house on his follow-up; based on a handful of short stories by Raymond Carver, Short Cuts was one of the most ambitious films of Altman's career, with twenty-two principle characters and nine different stories darting in and out of the narrative arc. It was also one of Altman's greatest creative triumphs, and the Criterion Collection have given the movie an appropriately loving presentation in this two-disc DVD release. Short Cuts has been given a widescreen transfer for this release, letterboxed on conventional televisions at the aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16x9 monitors. The transfer was supervised by Geraldine Peroni, the film's editor, and was approved by Altman; the results capture the look of the film flawlessly, and is the next best thing to seeing a good print projected on a big screen. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo, and the fidelity is superb, capturing the rich detail that was typical for an Altman soundtrack with excellent clarity. The dialogue is in English, with optional English subtitles but no multiple language options, though one can listen to just the music for the picture on an isolated music track. The bonus disc is a treasure trove for fans of both Robert Altman and Raymond Carver. Along with three deleted scenes (nice to watch but hardly revelatory), the disc includes Luck, Trust and Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country, a 90-minute documentary on the making of Short Cuts that includes extensive behind-the-scenes footage as well as interviews with Altman, Carver's widow Tess Gallagher and many members of the cast and creative team, along with an installment from the BBC series Moving Pictures that explores how one of Carver's stories was adapted for the picture. Also on board is To Write And Keep Kind, an hour-long PBS documentary on Carver's life and work, and an audio-only interview with Carver which was conducted in 1983. Altman and actor Tim Robbins are featured in an on-camera chat in which they talk about how Short Cuts was made, and three demo recordings by Dr. John of songs he co-wrote for the movie appear in audio-only form. Several trailers, television spots and posters are featured in a section on how New Line Cinema tried to sell such a complex work to the mass movie-going audience. And finally, the accompanying booklet includes a short appreciation of Short Cuts by critic Michael Wilmington as well as extensive credits. (An earlier edition also included a book with the Carver stories adapted for the film; it's not available with the 2008 edition, but Carver's original collections are still in print.) Until Short Cuts is released on Blu-Ray, this is without question the definitive presentation of one of the best American films of the 1990's, and anyone with an interest in Robert Altman's work would be well served by having this in their collection. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide