Frozen - Emma Bell

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by Adam Green
US 2010

Joe (Shawn Ashmore, X-MEN) is none-too-pleased when his buddy Dan (Kevin Zegers, the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake) brings new girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell, HATCHET II) along for their ski-trip. Since Parker is an inexperienced skier, the guys have to stick to the kiddie slopes. Wanting to get one last ski in before the lifts close for the night, they get Parker to flirt with the operator into letting them onto the lifts. A shift change leaves the trio unexpectedly stranded on the chair high above the ground as night falls and the temperature begins to drop below zero (it's Sunday and they do not re-open until Friday for the next weekend). With frostbite setting in and after a failed attempt to get the attention of a passing snowplow driver, they decide to take drastic measures which turn deadly. Kane "Jason Vorhees" Hodder has a small role. After a boring and shallow setup, the film picks up for the remaining hour as the characters are thrown into the survival situation. There are some tense and very uncomfortable moments (the snow-covered ground below is NOT soft and there's a bit with skin frozen to metal that is painful to watch). Even if the trio of characters are still not that interesting, they are tolerable enough to root for (unlike, say, the annoying characters under siege in THE RUINS or either of the OPEN WATER films) and their bickering and resigned introspection are parceled out for obligatory drama without dragging between setpieces. The film is beautifully shot on location (with Utah standing in for Massachusetts) - with no greenscreen or studio work - which keeps the setting convincing (the black, white, and blue color scheme - which is carried over into the publicity materials - is appropriately chilly). FROZEN isn't perfect but it manages to get some visceral reactions without an over-reliance on special effects (the few make-up effects on view seem more convincing congealed by the cold).

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 24 January 2010 (USA)

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DVD Review: Momentum Pictures - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Available on Blu-ray in the US:
Distribution	Momentum Pictures Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:29:33 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	2.40:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.98 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Momentum Pictures Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.40:1 Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by writer/director Adam Green with stars Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, and Emma Bell • Catching Frostbite: The Origins of FROZEN (16:9; 10:33) • Three Below Zero (16:9; 10:25) • Shooting Through It (16:9; 10:51) • Beating the Mountain: Surviing Frozen (16:9; 50:45) • Deleted Scenes (16:9; 6:23) • Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 1:46) • Start-up trailers for BENEATH HILL 60 and BROOKLYN'S FINEST DVD Release Date: 18 October 2010 Amaray Chapters 12

Comments

Shot on 3-perf Super 35mm, FROZEN was finished in both scope 35mm and D-Cinema formats from a 2K intermediate. Momentum's SD-DVD is anamorphic and progressive with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio (nice use is made of the surrounds not only for chill winds but also things happening on the ground below the ski-lift like growling wolves) and optional English subtitles. The substantial extras mean that the feature is encoded below 4GB on this DVD9 but I noticed no noticeable compression issues. Director Green appears with the three stars on a commentary track (Bell makes a late entrance into the track). As with the US Anchor Bay Blu-ray edition, Momentum's Blu-ray has exclusive extras not on the DVD including a second commentary track by the director, cinematographer, and editor, audio commentary on the deleted scenes, and the short piece CHAIR 92 about an actual suicide that happened on the lift they were using for the film (which is an Easter Egg on the Anchor Bay Blu-ray).

Green mentions the more technical Blu-ray exclusive second commentary track on the first but also emphasizes that the four featurettes are pretty comprehensive. The first three 10+ minute featurettes are actually three parts of a single featurette and "Beating the Mountain" is a 50+ minute behind-the-scenes look. The deleted scenes are converted from NTSC and interlaced (they are SD on both Blu-ray releases which have optional commentary). A trailer for the feature rounds out the extras (trailers for BENEATH HILL 60 and BROOKLYN'S FINEST appear before the main menu). The specs between the US and UK SD and Blu releases appear to be identical so region-locked viewers are probably not missing out on anything by buying one or the other (although people not set up for Blu-ray are missing a couple exclusive extras).