Spiral Blu Ray Review (Ronin Flix)

Spiral is a 2007 psychological thriller film directed by Joel David Moore (Hours Before, Youth in Oregon, Byron Phillips: Found, and Some Other Woman) and Adam Green (Hatchet franchise, Holliston, Digging Up the Marrow, Horrified, Chillerama, and Frozen). It was written by Joel David Moore (Hide and Seek) and Jeremy Boreing (Lady Ballers, Enough, Townhall, and The Arroyo). It was produced by Zachary Levi (Geeks Who Drink). The budget was $600,000 and it only grossed $3,072 during it’s very limited theatrical run. A lonely telemarketer Mason (Hatchet, Dodgeball, Avatar franchise, Shark Night, The Retirement Plan, The Guest, Grandma’s Boy, and Bones) only has one real friend Berkeley (played by: Zachary Levi from Shazam!, Chuck, Thor franchise, American Underdog, Heroes Reborn, Stuntmen, and Blood Fest) that happens to be his boss. He starts up a conversation with a new co-worker Amber (played by: Amber Tamblyn from Two and a Half Men, Joan of Arcadia, The Grudge 2, House, The Unusuals, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants franchise, 3 Nights in the Desert, and 127 Hours) and they quickly become friends. She lets him paint her and they end up being a little more than that. Berkeley doesn’t believe that Amber is real so Mason invites her to his party. Mason sometimes doesn’t realize what’s really going on because of his past traumatic issues. Is it all in his head or is it actually legit???? Spiral feels more like an Joel David Moore feature rather than an Adam Green film. I’ve always been curious who spent more time being the creative force behind the camera on Spiral. I know Joel helped write, produce, and lead act in it but it just has his fingerprints everywhere for it’s visual style. It was still nice for Adam Green do a total change for this independent production. Regardless, it’s one of the most underrated low budget thrillers of all time. It has a fantastic script that really builds up the situation. It has a character that’s a loner and he mainly stays to himself but a new girl grabs his attention. Joel David Moore as Mason gives his best performance of his career in Spiral. It’s a complicated role, he’s haunted by his past but he’s really trying to have a better life. Amber Tamblyn as Amber is great as the new girl that feels alone at her job. She decides to talk to Mason during lunch and they slowly end up as friends. The awkward chemistry between Joel David Moore and Amber Tamblyn really works for this. It goes from shy to passion. Zachary Levi as Berkeley is misunderstood. I know lots of people think that he is using Mason to make himself feel better but he doesn’t need that at all. He actually cares about his long time friend that doesn’t have anyone else in his life. The rest of the supporting cast includes Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), David Muller (Consequence), Rileah Vanderbilt (Hatchet franchise), and Ryan Chase (A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay). Spiral is a slow burn thriller but it’s worth the wait. You really don’t know what’s fantasy or reality when everything goes to hell. It has a great twist to it. Spiral still holds up after all this time, it’s very entertaining and it has an excellent payoff. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Ronin Flix! This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer is a brand new 2K restoration. It’s a solid improvement over the original Anchor Bay version from 2010. It has the same English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track as before on the disc. The audio was always good here, it’s not really a explosive type of production but it has it’s moments. The jazz soundtrack really stands out in this. All of the dialogue is very clean, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. The original Anchor Bay home video release was bare bones so this Ronin Flix exclusive is a huge upgrade when it comes to the extras. It has a brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with Joel David Moore, Adam Green, and Cory Livingston. They bring up trying to make this track different from the original one. They chat about the first cut of Spiral was 40 minutes longer. They point out mistakes and go into detail about changes made during it. They share personal behind the scenes stories and all kinds of information from the production. It has an archival “Audio Commentary” with Adam Green, Joel David Moore, Jeremy Boreing, Amber Tamblyn, Zachary Levi, and Will Barratt. They are all fresh off shooting this. They break down the film and discuss the scenes as they view it. They chat about the story, characters, experiences, and actors. They bring up a silly subplot that got removed while joking around. Between both tracks, you will learn everything that you would ever want to know about Spiral. It has a brand new exclusive almost 27 minute documentary “Paint It Red” with Joel David Moore, Adam Green, Zachary Levi, Will Barratt, and Cory Livingston. They chat about the origins of this project when it came to setting It up. They talk about how it got started when it comes to the collaborations. They discuss the script and how it brought others to Spiral. Zachary Levi goes over his long friendship with Moore. Green brings up that he wanted to do something different from his previous work here. They break down the technical aspects of the production. They go over the cast characters. They shot it in 18 days at a certain time. Joel David Moore explains how he was used to playing weird roles so this was an easy transition for him. They share their thoughts on the controversial and mysterious last painting. They chat about their favorite scenes and moments from it. They talk about how important jazz was to it’s score and soundtrack. They bring up it’s release and reputation over the years. It has the “Theatrical Trailer” for Spiral. It comes with a slipcover. This is an awesome upgrade when it comes to both picture quality and additional bonus material from Ronin Flix. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!