DVD Corner

The Canyons (Unrated Director’s Cut) DVD Review

“The Canyons” is an ugly and unsubtle film.

Director Paul Schrader (who scripted the masterpiece “Taxi Driver”) and writer Bret Easton Ellis (best known as the author of “American Psycho”) have teamed up to create a tale about wealth, sex, infidelity, jealousy, love, dying cinema, and the seedy side of Hollywood with the 2013 film “The Canyons.” The story revolves around a rich, womanizing, jackass freak movie producer (Christian), his girlfriend (Tara), and a broke actor (Ryan) who is set to star in Christian’s latest horror film. Despite the fact that Christian and Tara have a pretty open and adventurous relationship, Christian is very much a control freak when it comes to Tara. So, when Christian discovers that Tara is seeing Ryan on the side (and that she has had a fling with him in the past), he starts to lose it and sets out to seek revenge against Ryan by trying to ruin his life and career.

If the film reads and sounds like a trashy adult soap opera, that’s because it essentially is. Ellis may have set out to create a hard hitting and artsy story about Hollywood, but the movie’s impact is minimal at best. There’s nothing remotely subtle or rich about “The Canyons” as Ellis spells everything out with his clumsy and overwritten dialogue.

Of course, the main talking point of this film is (and always will be) Lindsay Lohan. Considering all of her recent troubles and reported antics on set of “The Canyons,” she pulls out a surprisingly decent performance. While it’s far from her best work, she does the best she can with a rather limited role.

The best performance in the film comes from James Deen. Deen, who is a famous porn star, is clearly having a blast here playing the psycho Christian. He’s the only character of any real interest or depth in this film and he goes all out in portraying the repugnant character.

Note: This review is for the Unrated Director’s Cut version of the film. The theatrical cut is available on a separate DVD release.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1. How does it look? While there are some nice Hollywood location shots, this is a fairly cheap looking movie.

Audio Track: Dolby Digital 5.1. How does it sound?  The songs, score, and dialogue sound sharp.

Extras:
* IFC Films trailers and a “The Canyons” trailer.
* “Creating The Canyons Featurette” contains set footage, cast and crew interviews, and discussions about the script.
* “Creating The Canyons”- A 5 part extra that covers the cast, the crew, the locations, the look and the style.

December 3, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Bret Easton Ellis, James Deen, Lindsay Lohan, Paul Schrader, The Canyons (Unrated Director's Cut) DVD Review