Search - Fast, Cheap & Out of Control on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1997 DVD Release: 09/24/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 22 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 7 Genres: Culture & Society, Biography, Careers, Sociology

Innovative documentary filmmaker Errol Morris often finds a startling surreal edge in the midst of reality, seeking unique subjects, and discovering humor and pathos in odd, off-the-beaten-path locales. After Morris attracted attention with his memorable look at pet owners and pet cemeteries in Gates of Heaven (1978), he traveled into a backwash of quirky humor by filming Floridians in Vernon, Florida (1981). His controversial The Thin Blue Line (1988) helped free the innocent Randall Adams from prison. Morris ventured into drama with The Dark Wind (1991), and he also made a biographical profile of Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (1992). Now Morris returns with a film he described as "four versions of the myth of Sisyphus." Four eccentrics talk about their seemingly diverse lives, interests, and offbeat occupations: Lion tamer Dave Hoover, following paths trod by his hero Clyde Beatty, offers some curious theories about wild animal thought processes; topiary gardener George Mendo clips hedges to create giraffes, bears, and other creatures; mole-rat specialist Ray Mendez researches the insect-like behavior of these hairless, buck-toothed mammals; robotics scientist Rodney Brooks assembles autonomous robots. Morris finds thematic connections relating the four. While Hoover and Mendo provide footnotes on the fading American scene, Mendez and Brooks look to the future. Contrasting viewpoints are edited into an essay on existence and the human condition, incorporating Morris' reflection on his recently departed parents. Morris and cinematographer Bob Richardson employed a variety of film formats -- black-and-white, color, 35mm, Super-8, and 16mm. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Rodney Brooks - Robot Scientist
Dave Hoover - Wild Animal Trainer
Ray Mendez - Mole-Rat Specialist
George Mendonca - Topiary Gardener

The lives of four strange men are examined in Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. The film is presented in a pleasing 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The colors here are all sharp and bright without any major imperfection marring the image. With the black levels all appearing dark and solid, this picture (which is often the product of various film stocks) should please fans of the film. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 surround and aptly supports the film. There is little excitement to be found on this mix in the way of surround sounds, though the dialogue, effects and music are all free and clear of any excessive hiss and distortion. Also included on this disc are English subtitles. The extra features for Fast, Cheap and Out of Control are floating at the bare minimum -- all that's included on this DVD are a few bonus theatrical trailers for the movies 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould, Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters and Marvels and The Spanish Prisoner. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide