In the summer of 1997, after Mallrats was made, Keivn Smith and Scott Mosier funded a few indpendent pictures under their View Askew Productions banner. This trio of films were all made by their friends Vincent Pereira (”A Better Place”), Brian Lynch (”Big Helium Dog”), and this film, Bryan Johnson’s “Vulgar”. Johnson’s film is by far the darkest and grittiest of the three, and has a look all its own, with kudos to Johnson and director of photography Dave Klein.

Last year, Lions Gate Films, fresh off their successful release of Dogma, negotiated to release Vulgar in a few select cities. Reaction was VERY strong to the film, many loved it, many hated it, but no one argued that it was unique and unforgettable. Once again, View Askew Productions had a film unlike any other before it on their hands, and I was very fortunate to have the chance to view a home video copy of this film well before the theatrical or DVD release. I wanted to wait to give the film a proper review, so, when I learned the DVD was an eventuality, I waited it out.

The idea for “Vulgar” came from a discussion regarding the opening animation that was created for Smith’s 1995 breakthrough, Clerks. That sequence featured an a dancing, animated transvestite clown. Johnson wondered what the backstory to that character might be like, which inspired him to write and direct the film.

Brian O’Halloran stars as Will, a.k.a. Flappy The Clown. Life’s not exactly been too rosy for him — His mother hates him, his car’s about to break down any second, and he doesn’t exactly live in the best part of town. But deep down, he’s a good guy, made apparent in the first 20 minutes or so of the film. After we get acquainted to Will and his friend Syd (played by Johnson), the scene which sent some film festival audiences running, occurs. The actual event is so horrible and out of place from what we’ve seen so far that it’s physically jarring. O’Halloran and DP Klein pull off some great stuff here, the event plays out just as it was meant to - It’s hard to watch. But, once you see it, it’s not something you’ll easily forget.

Vulgar’s main plot, of course, is driven by this event, but the film veers off from time to time in some rather unpredictable directions, only to come back and remind the viewer that the past can often come back to haunt us. It’s an incredibly bumpy ride but, in the end, for those that make it that far, there’s a nice degree of closure and satisfaction - At least, as much as you can get from a film with subject matter like “Vulgar”.

In addition to O’Halloran and Johnson who take the lead protagonist roles, several familiar faces appear in smaller roles. View Askew fans will of course notice Smith and Mosier right away, along with vets Ethan Suplee, Matt Maher, Jay Mewes, Dave Klein, Bob Hawk, and others.

The film’s got some solid performances, especially from O’Halloran himself, who carries the film and takes on an incredible amount of screentime. It’s such a tough role to play, and O’Halloran does an amzing job. There’s just not enough good stuff I can say about the guy. Hopefully this film gets to the right hands and producers see what a talented guy he is. We’d love to see him in more films.

Vulgar shifts plots and styles several times throughout, a very unqiue technique all its own. Is it flawless? No. But for a shoestring budget and a rather inexperienced crew, it’s a wonderful achievement. Many of you have heard stories about this film, or perhaps even read some negative reviews from the likes of Entertainment Weekly. As a fan of View Askew and the products they put out, I encourage you to go into Vulgar with an open mind, and promise you a very unique experience. It’s certainly a far cry from the whimsy of Jay & Silent Bob, but a dark, dramatic, and yes, even humorous 90 minutes. Again, View Askew Productions have put together a one-of-a-kind, memorable film.

Yet again, remember they didn’t spend that much cash on this film. There’s not a ton of sound to work with, either. That being said, the new Dolby Digital 5.1 surprised me. Outdoor scenes came alive with background noise from the rear channels, which was something I never thought would happen. Many times, filmmakers will remaster a track for Dolby Digital, but not take advantage of the format. Like “A Better Place” before it, this track has obviously had some care taken with it. While Vulgar is not the most lively of films, the rear channels are used when they’re needed. Front and center channels were all crisp and clear throughout, and naturally used most frequently, due to the dialogue-driven film. There are no audio dropouts or sampling errors. Nicely done, I like it. There’s a basic Dolby Surround track that those of you with a basic surround setup should use over the 5.1. It’s flatter, but also quite good. Don’t expect to pop in the Vulgar disc to show off your spiffy new audio system to your friends, but for the dialoge-driven content presented, it’s more than adequate.

COMMENTARY

The highlight, and feature I look most forward to on any View Askew disc is the commentary track. This disc is no exception. The track collects the absolute perfect mix of participants: Director Bryan Johnson, actor Brian O’Halloran, executive producers Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier, and producer Monica Hampton. The group are absolute pros in the art of commentary tracks these days, and manage to blend the perfect amount of information, humor, and general nonsense, making for an interesting track that not only entertains, but expands upon and enlightens the film itself even more. I was highly impressed by this track.


This track features a lot of gems — Some great backstories from Smith and Johnson about family life. Tons of inside info about the production itself, mostly mentions of places they filmed that no longer exist. Some of the creative camera work from DP Dave is pointed out by the crew. Kevin even mentions to work in a few tidbits about Dogma, and chats some about the whole Howard Stern story (Stern hated “Vulgar” with a passion when he caught a screener but couldn’t stop talking about the film for weeks on his radio show). For a film that’s 5 years old, the commentary is as fresh and enlightening as if they just wrapped production yesterday. No noticeable gaps, dead spots, or repetition. It moves along at a great pace and makes you laugh as it informs — where else would you hear the rest of the crew start mocking the film’s star after he leaves for the restroom?


Listening to this track, I finally realized why I listen to a View Askew commentary track and enjoy it every time, and why no other commentary I listen to (when I even do) is nearly as fun. These are all, for the most part, childhood friends. You’re truly sitting with a group of folks who grew up together, joke with each other, and share life stories. The whole idea of a commentary is to make the viewer feel like they’re sitting in the same room with the participants, and watching the film together. No commentary gives you that experience better than a View Askew one. This one’s a must-listen.

DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES

12 deleted scenes are presented on the Vulgar DVD, some quite long, some much shorter. Many are completely new scenes, others just extend scenes that are already in the film.


An original opening appears for the film, which was meant to be a montage of opening credits and O’Halloran putting on his Flappy getup. This was replaced by a simple, short opening title sequence with credits only. An original ending is here as well, which simply uses a newspaper article to tie up a few loose ends. The current cut of the film leaves some of that stuff to the viewer’s imagination.


Johnson himself cut quite a few of his own scenes, including some extended stuff in the diner and a longer version of the scene in which he reveals the guns that he’s acquired to Will.


Kevin & Dave’s big gay scene has to be the standout in this collection — Several repeated takes of Kevin Smith and DP Dave Klein cracking up during their scene in bed together. By far, my favorite of the deleted stuff. If you look close, you’ll even see the clapboard for reads “Gay Scene” as they snap it between takes.


While these scenes have no running commentary (alas), many are brought up during the film commentary track, so it’s recommended you check that out before watching these. Also, there’s no “play all” option, nor does the menu cursor smartly move to the next scene after viewing one. Minor annoyances, of course, but I always pay attention to the little details when it comes to navigating DVDs.

JUDGE NOT: IN DEFENSE OF DOGMA (DOGMA DOCUMENTARY)

Even if you had NO interest in seeing Vulgar because of the subject matter, or saw it and didn’t like it, it’s worth buying this disc even if you ONLY want this documentary. This documentary is absolutely fantastic, and represents an honest, unbiased look at all the controversy surrounding Dogma. Most of the interviews were new and filmed exclusively for the docmentary, and the entire piece is edited together quite nicely, with film footage helping to move along the pace. In case you were curious, yes, the bleeps are still intact, due to the fact that Disney and Miramax broke ties with the movie. They no longer wanted any assocation with the film at all. I asked Kevin about the bleeps a while ago and asked if they might be restored here, but he indicated that the original bleepless version doesn’t even exist anymore. So, even if they did get the OK to take the bleeps out, they couldn’t have. We reviewed this documentary completely many months ago when we first obtained a copy. In case you missed it, here’s that review that we ran back then.

FILM FESTIVAL RESPONSES

This little feature came to me as a surprise, but it’s a fun and original addition to DVD — Bryan Johnson has provided the text for all of the film festival refusal letters he received regarding “Vulgar”. The letters scroll by in a colorful, graphical way so that they can be easily read, as a cheery carnival tune plays in the background. I couldn’t resist viewing them all and, even though I knew Johnson’s film never made it into these festivals, I couldn’t help but wish the next one would be an acceptance anyway.


Major kudos to the filmmakers, Johnson especially, for not being ashamed to put these letters out there. If anything, it shows the degree of care that these film festivals take to let their directors down easy when their stuff doesn’t get in. At the end of the day, though, a form letter is a form letter. The longer you read them, the more humorous it all gets. This is an excellent testament to the creators of Vulgar and a wake up call to independent filmmakers struggling to get their work out there - It ain’t easy!

SUBITTLE OPTIONS

Subtitles are available on the disc in English and Spanish.

AUDIO OPTIONS - DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 ENGLISH, DOLBY SURROUND

All tracks can be switched between on the fly with your remote’s AUDIO button as the film plays, a feature I love that’s often overlooked, even in some high profile releases.

Yet again, View Askew and Lions Gate have done it. With the excellent transfer, a top-notch commentary, and tons of deleted material, this is yet another must-own DVD, especially for fans of View Askew. Put it on your preorder lists, or seek it out at your local DVD store next month. And don’t forget, buy the UNRATED version! If it’s got an MPAA “R” on it, leave it on the shelf. You don’t want to miss out on the commentary track, let alone watch a sanitized version of the film. Long live “Vulgar”!