Substitute/The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

When a temperamental ex-mercenary bent on revenge takes to the classroom, many hard lessons are in store for the students in Artison's release of The Substitute and The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All. Viewable in either 1.85:1 widescreen or standard 1.33:1 pan-and-scan, this release also offers multiple audio options including (closed-captioned) English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish or French Dolby Digital Surround. Optional subtitles are offered in English, Spanish and French, and extra features include production notes, cast and crew bios and a theatrical trailer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen), 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
• Screen: Pan and Scan, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, French, Spanish
• Features:
  • • "The Substitute":
    • Widescreen version
    • Digitally mastered
    • English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
    • French: 2.0 Dolby Surround
    • English, Français, Español subtitles
    • English captioning
    • Interactive menus
    • Scene access
    • Production notes
    • Cast & crew information
    • Theatrical trailer
    • "Substitute 3: Winner Takes All":
    • 16:9 full-screen version
    • Digitally mastered
    • English: 5.1 Dolby Digital
    • Spanish: 2.0 Dolby Surround
    • Interactive menus
    • Scene access
    • Production notes
    • Cast and crew information
    • Trailer

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Robert Mandel, Robert Radler

• Producer:

  Jim Steele, Morrie Eisenman

• Screenwriter:

  Roy Frumkes, Alan Ormsby, Rocco Simonelli

• Cinematographer:

  Bruce Surtees, Barry M. Wilson

• Composer (Music Score):

  Gary Chang

• Songwriter:

  Gary Chang

• Composer (Music Score):

  Tor Hyams

• Editor:

  Alex Mackie

• Production Designer:

  Ron Foreman

• Art Director:

  Richard Fojo

• Executive Producer:

  Steven Bakalar, Devorah Cutler, Morrie Eisenman

• Set Designer:

  Barbara Peterson

• Costume Designer:

  Patricia Field

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Joe Foglia, Clive Taylor

• Makeup:

  Jay Cannistraci, Cheryl Voss

• First Assistant Director:

  Tom Irvine

• Casting:

  Mary Colquhoun, Carol Lewis

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Glenn Randall

• Supervising Sound Editor:

  Clive Taylor

REVIEW:

• Robert Mandel's ludicrously over-the-top action film is an instant camp classic. Tom Berenger stars as a former mercenary who takes over his girlfriend's (Diane Venora) class after she's kneecapped by one of her more unruly students. He wins over his class through the movie-teacher ploy of throwing out the curriculum to talk about real life, and about his experience in Vietnam, which he helpfully likens to a gang war. Berenger quickly runs afoul of the student thugs who work for drug-dealing principal (Ernie Hudson). As hostilities escalate, and the teacher calls in his mercenary buddies to take on Hudson's private army, the film degenerates into a hilariously surreal third act of open combat in the school corridors. When the shooting stops, the students get back their drug-free school, which now looks like a hotel in downtown Beirut. Unfortunately the screen time of Venora, who is the best thing in the movie, is severely limited. Berenger uses two expressions in the film: a sheepish one for his scenes with Venora, and a surly mask for the rest of the film. Marc Anthony is effectively nasty as Hudson's right arm, and the talented Cliff de Young scores as a noxious drug kingpin. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi