...about as tasty as a bowl of soggy corn flakes.
Part of the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the film´s writers, Chris Poche and Karey Kirkpatrick, who both worked on "Over the Hedge." Kirkpatrick has also worked on other family-friendly fare such as "Chicken Run," "The Spiderwick Chronicles," as well as the aforementioned "Hitchhiker´s Guide." They attempt to capture the voice of a generation about fifteen years too late. The youngsters of "Flakes" might as well be wearing flannel as they try to score tickets to Soundgarden. They try too hard to be witty thus the dialogue comes off as overwritten and unnatural.
The film was shot on location in New Orleans, but barely mentions the post-Katrina environment. The only mention comes from a scene where New Original Flakes gives out cereal to the homeless and dispossessed. The filmmakers used actual homeless folks as extras for the scene. That´s really about it. I´m not saying the writers should have beaten us over the head with a message, but it feels frivolous to not deal with the issues above a passing reference.
VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is clean without any noticeable blemishes. The overall picture is a bit flat.
AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The film is mainly reliant on dialogue and it comes in crisp and clear.
EXTRAS:
You won´t find much here. The DVD only includes a pair of deleted scenes and the film´s theatrical trailer.
FILM VALUE:
For those of you wondering, cereal bars like those depicted in "Flakes" are a real thing. I´m sure many of you are snickering at the thought of grown men arguing over the minutiae of breakfast cereal history. However, as a film geek and collector of comic books and action figures, I´m not about to pass judgment. I will pass judgment on "Flakes." In fact, I´m going to go for the easy metaphor and say "Flakes" is about as tasty as a bowl of soggy corn flakes. "Flakes" is simply unoriginal. It lacks the wit of similar, but far better movies like "Clerks" and "High Fidelity."
The film was shot on location in New Orleans, but barely mentions the post-Katrina environment. The only mention comes from a scene where New Original Flakes gives out cereal to the homeless and dispossessed. The filmmakers used actual homeless folks as extras for the scene. That´s really about it. I´m not saying the writers should have beaten us over the head with a message, but it feels frivolous to not deal with the issues above a passing reference.
VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is clean without any noticeable blemishes. The overall picture is a bit flat.
AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The film is mainly reliant on dialogue and it comes in crisp and clear.
EXTRAS:
You won´t find much here. The DVD only includes a pair of deleted scenes and the film´s theatrical trailer.
FILM VALUE:
For those of you wondering, cereal bars like those depicted in "Flakes" are a real thing. I´m sure many of you are snickering at the thought of grown men arguing over the minutiae of breakfast cereal history. However, as a film geek and collector of comic books and action figures, I´m not about to pass judgment. I will pass judgment on "Flakes." In fact, I´m going to go for the easy metaphor and say "Flakes" is about as tasty as a bowl of soggy corn flakes. "Flakes" is simply unoriginal. It lacks the wit of similar, but far better movies like "Clerks" and "High Fidelity."
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[release]24166[/release]