Thirteen

Thirteen

DVD Rating: **1/2

Reviewed by: Josh Morrall

Read Angus Wolfe Murray's film review of Thirteen

The Director's Commentary features both of the film's teenage stars, Evan Rachel Wood and actor/co-writer Nikki Read, as well as Brady Corbet, who plays Tracy's disapproving brother. The commentary is relaxed but never boring, with everyone having their say. The stars are very down to earth about the film and, instead of congratulating themselves on a job well done, as can be heard on other discs, the cast and director point out parts of scenes which they fear present the film as amateurish. There are a number of anecdotes as well as filmmaking tips and tricks. Well worth a listen.

The Making Of is not as impressive. This is a short, well-made documentary that delves into the psychological side of the characters, but at only five minutes no real detail is given. This could easily have been lengthened and come out as an interesting and informative featurette. Instead, it is abrupt and not fulfilling in the least.

Copy picture

The Deleted Scenes are extended cuts of scenes in the film and are as well made as the film itself, although similar to watching a much-shortened version of the movie, as Tracy's decline into sex and drugs can be seen being furthered in each scene, and are a credit to the quality of continuity and realism.

The trailer is, as you would expect, nothing special, but enticing nonetheless.

The first of the disc's two easter eggs can be accessed by pressing the "extras" icon in the extras menu. What you find is a deleted scene/outtake that is probably hidden as it contains an unusual sex toy. The second can be discovered by clicking on "thirteen" in the main menu. This accesses an extended clip of the Zen Chicken scene - a fun extra that will freak out your friends. These may be easier to access using the mouse on a computer and clicking directly on the icons instead of trying to reach them with the arrow buttons on your DVD remote.

Overall, Thirteen is a disc that shows much promise, but doesn't do itself justice with its miniscule Making Of, which hinders the quality of the entire disc, and cannot be overlooked due to the small amount of extras. The others are good enough, with the commentary best by far. The easter eggs are a nice touch, but I found myself wishing they had directed their energy towards a longer Making Of, instead.

Reviewed on: 18 Jan 2005
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Thirteen packshot
Californian single mom suffers the destructive excess of a teenage daughter.
Amazon link

Product Code: 8223964

Region: 2

Ratio: 1.78

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Extras: Director


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