Art School Confidential Blu Ray Review (MVD Marquee)

Art School Confidential is a 2006 comedy film directed by Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World, Bad Santa, Louie Bluie, & Crumb). It’s loosely based on the comic of the same name by Daniel Clowes, he also wrote the screenplay. It was produced by Russell Smith (Of Mice and Men, The Man in the Iron Mask, Ripley’s Game, & Jeff, Who Lives at Home), Lianne Halfon (Ghost World, Juno, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, & Young Adult), & Barbara A. Hall (This Is the End, The Night Before, Milk, & The Men Who Stare at Goats). The budget was $5 million & it grossed $3,306,629 at the box office worldwide.

Jerome (played by: Max Minghella from The Handmaid’s Tale, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, The Social Network, & Horns) has always been an artist ever since he was young. He pursues his dreams & enrolls in Strathmore for art school. He meets his new room mates aspiring filmmaker Vince (played by: Ethan Suplee from Mallrats, American History X, My Name is Earl, & Remember the Titans) & fashion major Matthew (played by: Nick Swardson from Grandma’s Boy, Reno 911!, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, & The Benchwarmers). The Strangler Strangler is killing students & locals near the campus. Jerome is struggling to find love due to his high standards. One of the models in his class Audrey (played by: Sophia Myles from Transformers: Age of Extinction, From Hell, Underworld/Evolution, & Outlander) grabs his attention. He doesn’t get along with his class mates except for Bardo (played by: Joel David Moore from Hatchet, Avatar, Dodgeball, & Grandma’s Boy) & ends getting into a feud with outcast Jonah (played by: Matt Keeslar from Scream 3, Rose Red, Jekyll, & Psycho Beach Party). Professor Sandiford (played by: John Malkovich from Red 1/2, Mile 22, Deepwater Horizon, & Transformers: Dark of the Moon), a wanna be artist tries to teach the students the way of the arts.

They judge each others work harshly & they don’t hold back at all, this causes problems between them. Bardo introduces Jerome to his friend Jimmy (played by: Jim Broadbent from Game of Thrones, Harry Potter franchise, Hot Fuzz, & The Crying Game). a failed artist that can’t keep sober with anger problems. Jerome wants to learn more about the profession from the veteran. The winner of the prestigious competition at school gets the chance at their show at Broadway Bob D’Annunzio’s (played by: Steve Buscemi from Fargo, Ghost World, Reservoir Dogs, & Boardwalk Empire) spot which is known to launch the careers of artists like the most famous Strathmore student Marvin Bushmiller (played by: Adam Scott from Ghosted, Step Brothers, Piranha 3D, & Krampus). Jerome reaches out to Art History Teacher (played by: Anjelica Huston from The Addams Family 1/2, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grifters, & Phoenix). Jerome takes his rivalry too far with Jonah & ends up to a point of no return. Who is the real killer between these odd people in this unique world of talent? Can they find out & still win the competition????

Art School Confidential was marketed as a quirky comedy but it ends up being really dark. I think most people were expecting this to be another Ghost World but it’s really different from that. I actually enjoyed Art School Confidential more than that film & I think it’s highly underrated. I thought the serial killer subplot made this stand out from other comedies at the time, it added a unique vibe to it. It’s more complicated than your typical laugh fest. The entire cast here is top notch especially Jim Broadbent, he gives one of his best performances in his career. There’s so many actors that you will recognize from other work in this. The script is very smart & I love the what it does with this world of art. It shows how desperate someone can get to achieve fame & the attention of others. Art School Confidential didn’t last long in theaters & kinda got forgotten over the years but it definitely deserves a new life on home video. Thanks to MVD Marquee, it has that chance to shine. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from MVD Marquee! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer is a massive upgrade compared to the previous DVD release. This one has a nice atmosphere to it & most of the locations are very colorful. It has 5 different audio options which include English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English: LPCM 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1, & Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 on the disc. This is not really a film that’s going to roar through your home set up or be something you use as reference quality when it comes to sound but it sounds good especially for a comedy. It’s an improvement over the other home video releases. It also has English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, & Mandarin subtitles. As far as technical aspects go, this is one of more loaded MVD Marquee releases.

Let’s discuss the special features on this blu ray release! “Making of Art School Confidential” is a little over 8 minutes. It has interviews with creator/writer Daniel Clowes, director Terry Zwigoff , actors Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Ethan Suplee, Joel David Moore, & others. They talk about art school & the paintings. They chat about the project. They mention working with the creative team of Clowes & Zwigoff. It has all kinds of behind the scenes footage. “Sundance Featurette” is a little over 7 minutes. It has interviews with creator/writer Daniel Clowes, director Terry Zwigoff , actors Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich, Ethan Suplee,  & others. Clowes & Zwigoff didn’t enjoy the experience of watching it with an audience. Everyone talks about the 2006 event & having the film premier there. Lots of different opinions between the cast & crew. It has Q & A footage from Sundance with everyone from the production that showed up for it. 11 minutes of “Deleted Scenes”. It also has a little over a minute additional scene “Testimonials”. It has almost 5 minutes of “Bloopers & Alternate Takes”. The  Art School Confidential “Trailer” & other MVD related “Trailers”. It also comes with a limited edition slipcover. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!