Alpha Dog
Apart from the pleasing and wide-ranging use of real California locations, there are two things about California crime drama Alpha Dog that really stand out, visually. One is the vague blue, almost dreamy color cast on moonlit scenes that take place against the backdrop of those huge fields of windmills just outside of Palm Springs. And the other is the decision to present the flashback scenes that bookend the film’s main storyline in a high-contrast, highly saturated style that suggests reversal stock. The effects are striking and serve the narrative in important ways, but in one case the picture gets downright weird — it’s bizarre enough when Sharon Stone shows up in a fat suit, but it’s even more distracting if you notice the digital blur that strategically hides the join lines between the make-up job and her actual face. Maybe D-Eye Guy was just sitting too close to the screen. (Colorist: Joe Finley; Facility: Modern VideoFilm)
The Hitcher
You know digital technology has changed the way you see movies when you can go see a flick like The Hitcher and suddenly, about five minutes in, whisper quietly to yourself, “Colored by Stefan Sonnenfeld.” OK, the “produced by Michael Bay” credit may be a tip-off, but D-Eye Guy swears he wasn’t paying attention to that. No disrespect is meant, obviously, to cinematographer James Hawkinson, a veteran of music videos and television who uses the widescreen frame very effectively and knows exactly where to place the camera in order to make his stars look as hot and/or menacing as possible. But then there’s that je ne sais quoi — color just that little bit richer, picture just that little bit more vivid, Sophia Bush, covered in blood and carrying a big gun, just that little bit sexier. It’s Company 3’s special sauce, ramping up the gloss but avoiding that hard-edged eye-wearying video look that some DIs get. For a guy of my age, “The Hitcher” will always mean Rutger Hauer in a performance that’s hard to top. The remake is destined to fall short, but it sure is easy to watch. (Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld; Facility: Company 3)
LEFT: Alpha Dog; Colorist: Joe Finley; Facility: Modern VideoFilm
ABOVE: The Hitcher; Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld; Facility: Company 3
