Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Men & Chicken
Collapse
-
- Published: 11-03-2016, 08:37 AM
- 1 comment
X
Collapse
-
Men & Chicken
Released by: Drafthouse Films
Released on: October 25th, 2016.
Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, David Dencik, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Sí¸ren Malling, Nicolas Bro
Year: 2016
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen's new film Men & Chicken introduces us to brothers Gabriel (David Dencik) and Elias (Mads Mikkelsen) on the day of their father's death. What he left to them, in his passing, was a videotape. Watching said tape, they find out the man they knew as their father actually was their adoptive father and that they are actually only half-brothers, having different mothers. Both of their mothers, strangely, “died during childbirth.†Gabriel and Elias are both a bit off, Elias a bit more so, so Gabriel finds a small sense of satisfaction in the discovery that they only share one parent. Still, together, they decide to start the journey to find out about their real father.
That journey brings them to an old sanitarium on the Island of Ork which is their father's home. They find out that they have several other half-brothers who are even odder than they are, both in behavior and appearance. The head of the bunch, Franz (Sí¸ren Malling), informs Gabriel that their father is ill and he will have to wait a while to see him. Elias fits right in with his newly found brothers, while Gabriel works to try to improve them. Brothers Gregor (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Josef (Nicolas Bro) pretty much do what Franz tells them to, but they are both intelligent, despite their absurdity, and feel Gabriel might be able to help them, even if it is just to “get girls.†Wandering about the grounds, as well as inside the house, is a bizarre assortment of animals equaling that of the brothers.
For several days, Franz continues to tell Gabriel that their father is still too unwell for visitors, so, frustrated, Gabriel and Elias break into his room one night. What Gabriel finds out there, about his father and his “work†only adds to the insanity of the film. Gabriel chooses to leave the home, and leave Elias behind, but is, of course, drawn back “for the sake of the family.†Unity is a recurring theme in a lot of Jensen's films- including Adam's Apples, The Green Butchers and Flickering Lights- and in Danish films in general.
Men & Chicken had a limited release in the US, and as such, I expected the humor in it to be a bit more universal. I thoroughly enjoyed its dark humor, but the pacing may be a bit slow for some that are not familiar with Jensen's other films. Personally, I've found this allows for a lot of character development and buildup of the story, and Men & Chicken is a twisted one. The wackiness of the characters is consistent and the acting, all around, is great. I really liked the look and feel of the film as a whole; like a demented fairy tale along the lines of the Brothers Grimm. The locations were quaint and beautifully shot, well in contrast with the brilliantly nonsensical nature of the story.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Men & Chicken, released by Drafthouse Films, includes both a Blu-ray version and a DVD version as well as a digital copy. The Blu-ray disc is Region A encoded and presented in AVC encoded 1080p high definition at 2:35:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound audio. The DVD is Region 1 encoded and also 2:35:1 anamorphic widescreen again with Dolby 5.1 audio. There is a lot of attention to detail, especially evident in the filming locations and the sanitarium/home especially, that shines through in the picture. The authenticity of the building suggests it's been through a lot and its shadows seem to hold many stories that will remain untold. Audio on both discs is in Danish with English subtitles, run time is 104 minutes. Sound is crisp and clear and levels are consistent. No video or audio flaws throughout.
Included in this set is a 24 page full color booklet with a director's statement and behind the scenes photos. Besides the book included, the only extra is a trailer for Men & Chicken, trailers for a handful of other Drafthouse Films titles, and the digital download. Menus and chapter selection are provided on both discs.
The Final Word:
Overall, if you are a fan of Danish black comedies, especially those of Anders Thomas Jensen, you'll really appreciate this one. As much as I enjoyed watching it, I feel like I appreciated the cleverness of it even more after a night of it settling into my brain. Men & Chicken is a whole lot of silliness, but, as with many Danish films, there is a heartwarmingly underlying message of loyalty that makes this film make you feel good about human nature and the world in general.
-
#1Mark TolchSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile11-03-2016, 08:56 AMEditing a commentThose screenshots definitely make it look wacky.
Posting comments is disabled. -
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (271)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4162)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (391)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (298)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (497)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Film Masters
Released on: April 23rd, 2024.
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Cast: Richard Carlson, Juli Reding, Lugene Sanders, Susan Gordon
Year: 1963
Purchase From Amazon
Tormented – Movie Review:
The late Bert I. Gordon’s 1963 horror film, ‘Tormented,’ is an effectively spooky ghost story made with an obviously low budget but no less effective for it.
The story revolves around a professional piano player...-
Channel: Movies
04-17-2024, 10:19 AM -
-
Released by: Grindhouse Releasing
Released on: March 12th, 2024.
Director: William Grefé
Cast: William Shatner, Jennifer Bishop, Ruth Roman, Harold Sakata
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Impulse – Movie Review:
Directed by the one and only William Grefé, 1974’s Impulse is one of those rare films that allows you to witness what it would be like if a really sweaty William Shatner got mad at a lady carrying balloons. Before that...-
Channel: Movies
04-15-2024, 01:20 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Andrew Legge
Cast: Emma Appleton, Stefanie Martini, Rory Fleck Byrne
Year: 2022
Purchase From Amazon
Lola – Movie Review:
Irish filmmakers Andrew Legge’s 2022 movie, ‘Lola’, which was made during Covid-19 lockdowns, is a wildly creative movie made in the found footage style that defies expectations, provides plenty of food for thought and manages to make...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:09 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Jess Franco, Jorge Grau, Pedro L. Ramírez
Cast: Alberto Dalbés, Evelyne Scott, Fernando Rey, Marisa Mell, Wal Davis, Norma Kastel
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Spanish Blood Bath – Movie Review:
Vinegar Syndrome brings a triple feature of Spanish horror films of the in this new three-disc Blu-ray boxed set. Here’s what lies inside…
Night Of The...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:02 PM -
-
Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Zelda Williams
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, Henry Eikenberry
Year: 2024
Purchase From Amazon
Lisa Frankenstein – Movie Review:
The feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, 20214’s Lisa Frankenstein takes place in 1989 and follows a teenaged girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who, two years ago, lost her mother...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:40 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Cast: Roland Wybenga, William Berger, Stéphane Audran
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
Spider Labyrinth – Movie Review:
Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is an American who works as a Professor of languages studies and has a fascination bordering on obsession with translating pre-Christian religious texts. He was also locked in a closet...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:37 PM -