Review by: I Am 138
Date: 22nd May 2008
Homecoming was my third foray into the Masters of Horror series, and I’m still not really sure
about the show. I think the idea of giving people free reign to make whatever movie they want is
a great idea, but I’m not sure about the execution. After seeing Joe Dante’s Homecoming, I’ve
decided there’s not much point in saying “You can do what you want” if you don’t also give the
directors as much screen time as they need. In no way did I think Homecoming was bad, this
just needed to be a feature length film to do justice to the story.
Not that the story sounds all that complex. The film’s set slightly in the future, in a little bit of a
different version of America. The President of the United States (a none too subtle caricature of
Dubya) is running for re-election, and is facing some troubles because an unjustified war is going
on. Sound familiar? Rather than just pull a gay marriage issue out of his ass, this president opts
to quote one of his campaigners on wishing the fallen soldiers could come back to life and voice
their support of the war efforts. But then some of the soldiers do come back, and aren’t
communicating the message the president wanted. The story actually focuses on the
campaigner, making it a more personal matter, but this is the heart of the story, and the bit that I
cared about.
Homecoming isn’t perfect, for example, there was no need for a cheesy “explanation” of the
events, but is a very good satire. I think the essential storyline would be a much needed reality
check for political right-wingers, but I would guess they’d be likely to just write this off as a stupid
zombie movie. Funny, poignant, clever, and scary (not necessarily in the “AAAA!!! A zombie!”
sense, either), I’m really glad this got on the air. A few side splittingly hilarious moments
showcase that classic Dante twisted sense of humour, and goddammit, this may even be cathartic
for some people. My problems with it mainly have to do with some tacky narration that could’ve
been avoided if Dante had been given more screen time, some tacky zombie makeup in a few
scenes, and the “explanation.” Hell, even the explanation might’ve been more palatable if it hadn’t
been so rushed.
Homecoming is flawed, but it has so much going for it, what’s not to recommend?
And not just the film has things going for it, as this is another fully loaded special edition from
Anchor Bay! Not only do you get a Joe Dante trading card, the disc itself has quite a few extras.
There’s a script to the screen featurette, which is really just a making of focusing on specific
scenes. An actual behind the scenes is also provided, but is labelled as a making of. Interviews
with Jon Tenney, Thea Gill, and everyone’s favourite psychotic werewolf Robert Picardo all run at
least 10 minutes, with each giving their views on their characters and the story. Homecoming’s
trailer is here, as are the trailers for other titles in the series, plus a few other Anchor Bay
releases. Text based extras include a bio on Dante, and as ROM extras, the screenplay and the
short story the film’s based on are also available. Also on the ROM is a screensaver, which is a bit
crap. More interesting extras (for me) were an archive interview by Mick Garris, which also has
Barbara Steele and Paul Bartel! It’s a shame this wasn’t licensed for the Piranha DVD, because
they’re all there promoting that film, but it’s great fun to see now. Dante also participates in a
career-spanning interview, which naturally focuses a lot on Homecoming. He didn’t reveal much
I didn’t already know, but I always enjoy listening to Dante…which was why I was sad to find he
wasn’t on the commentary, but some guy named Sam Hamm was instead. I suppose the
commentary’s fine, though there’re a few gaps, but I was looking forward to another rollicking
Dante track.
Some people have said your feelings on the Iraq war will determine how much you like
Homecoming, and if that’s true, I guess I’ve made my feelings on the war clear. Regardless, this
is a worthwhile package from Anchor Bay, and certainly a must have addition to any Joe Dante
fan’s collection.
Watch for the names on the gravestones in the cemetery near the end.
Date: 22nd May 2008
Homecoming was my third foray into the Masters of Horror series, and I’m still not really sure
about the show. I think the idea of giving people free reign to make whatever movie they want is
a great idea, but I’m not sure about the execution. After seeing Joe Dante’s Homecoming, I’ve
decided there’s not much point in saying “You can do what you want” if you don’t also give the
directors as much screen time as they need. In no way did I think Homecoming was bad, this
just needed to be a feature length film to do justice to the story.
Not that the story sounds all that complex. The film’s set slightly in the future, in a little bit of a
different version of America. The President of the United States (a none too subtle caricature of
Dubya) is running for re-election, and is facing some troubles because an unjustified war is going
on. Sound familiar? Rather than just pull a gay marriage issue out of his ass, this president opts
to quote one of his campaigners on wishing the fallen soldiers could come back to life and voice
their support of the war efforts. But then some of the soldiers do come back, and aren’t
communicating the message the president wanted. The story actually focuses on the
campaigner, making it a more personal matter, but this is the heart of the story, and the bit that I
cared about.
Homecoming isn’t perfect, for example, there was no need for a cheesy “explanation” of the
events, but is a very good satire. I think the essential storyline would be a much needed reality
check for political right-wingers, but I would guess they’d be likely to just write this off as a stupid
zombie movie. Funny, poignant, clever, and scary (not necessarily in the “AAAA!!! A zombie!”
sense, either), I’m really glad this got on the air. A few side splittingly hilarious moments
showcase that classic Dante twisted sense of humour, and goddammit, this may even be cathartic
for some people. My problems with it mainly have to do with some tacky narration that could’ve
been avoided if Dante had been given more screen time, some tacky zombie makeup in a few
scenes, and the “explanation.” Hell, even the explanation might’ve been more palatable if it hadn’t
been so rushed.
Homecoming is flawed, but it has so much going for it, what’s not to recommend?
And not just the film has things going for it, as this is another fully loaded special edition from
Anchor Bay! Not only do you get a Joe Dante trading card, the disc itself has quite a few extras.
There’s a script to the screen featurette, which is really just a making of focusing on specific
scenes. An actual behind the scenes is also provided, but is labelled as a making of. Interviews
with Jon Tenney, Thea Gill, and everyone’s favourite psychotic werewolf Robert Picardo all run at
least 10 minutes, with each giving their views on their characters and the story. Homecoming’s
trailer is here, as are the trailers for other titles in the series, plus a few other Anchor Bay
releases. Text based extras include a bio on Dante, and as ROM extras, the screenplay and the
short story the film’s based on are also available. Also on the ROM is a screensaver, which is a bit
crap. More interesting extras (for me) were an archive interview by Mick Garris, which also has
Barbara Steele and Paul Bartel! It’s a shame this wasn’t licensed for the Piranha DVD, because
they’re all there promoting that film, but it’s great fun to see now. Dante also participates in a
career-spanning interview, which naturally focuses a lot on Homecoming. He didn’t reveal much
I didn’t already know, but I always enjoy listening to Dante…which was why I was sad to find he
wasn’t on the commentary, but some guy named Sam Hamm was instead. I suppose the
commentary’s fine, though there’re a few gaps, but I was looking forward to another rollicking
Dante track.
Some people have said your feelings on the Iraq war will determine how much you like
Homecoming, and if that’s true, I guess I’ve made my feelings on the war clear. Regardless, this
is a worthwhile package from Anchor Bay, and certainly a must have addition to any Joe Dante
fan’s collection.
Watch for the names on the gravestones in the cemetery near the end.
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Masters Of Horror: Homecoming
DVD/APPROX. 60 MINS/2006/USA UNRATED
DVD/APPROX. 60 MINS/2006/USA UNRATED
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8.5
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