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Monday Morning Blu-ray Review

“Monday Morning” doesn’t quite come together. 

Written and directed by Don Murphy (who has since gone on to become a high profile producer), “Monday Morning” (AKA “Class Of Fear”) revolves around a teen named Bobby who doesn’t have the best life. He quarrels with his abusive father, he comes from a low income household that moves around a lot, and he’s seen as an outsider at Oceana High just because he’s a transfer student. He also butts heads with the popular rich kid (James) who looks down on transfer students. Moreover, James detests Bobby because he is seeing his sister Noreen. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Bobby seems to get into trouble (or trouble finds him). This all comes to a head when James decides to bring a gun to school to scare Bobby, but the situation soon spirals out of control. 

On paper, 1990’s “Monday Morning” sounds like a hard hitting drama about entitlement, broken homes, the class system, bullying, and gun violence. Alas, all of those heavy themes are brushed aside here with a decidedly clumsy, surface level script by Don Murphy who seems to be in over his head pulling writing and directing duties. This is a very low-budget, cheaply made movie that feels more like a sensationalized after school special more than anything. Under more capable hands, “Monday Morning” could have been a very prescient, timely, and intense high school drama given the rise of gun violence at schools over the past couple decades. As is, it’s a very simplistic story of the tensions between a have and a have not that fizzles out in the end (especially with that puzzling freeze frame tag and narration).

Cast wise, Noah Blake and Brandon Hooper are OK as Bobby and James. Julianne McNamara gives perhaps the best performance here as Noreen. The movie is most notable for featuring a young Lisa Rinna as Susan (of “Real Housewives” and daytime soap fame) and Vincent Craig Dupree as Tommy (best known for “Friday The 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan”).

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? This MVD Rewind Collection release gives the film a new hi-def transfer which isn’t the best. It’s a step above a VHS release but don’t expect much else.

Audio Track: 2.0 Mono. How does it sound? The audio fares worse here with a rough and scratchy track with audible sound garbling and crackles.

Extras;
* “Monday Morning” promo clip.
* Trailers for “Double Dragon,” “Dirty Laundry” and “Action USA.”
* A 52 minute interview with writer/director Don Murphy
* The original VHS version known as “Class Of Fear.”
* “Don Murphy: Portrait Of A Producer”- A 24 minute interview with the producer and filmmaker who talks a lot about “Double Dragon,” his career and his filmography.

January 10, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Class Of Fear, Monday Morning Blu-ray Review