Crust – Anchor Bay Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2024
Director: Sean Whalen
Writers: Jim Wald, Sean Whalen
Cast: Sean Whalen, Daniel Roebuck, Rebekah Kennedy, Felissa Rose, Ricky Dean Logan, Shawntay Dalon, Alan Ruck

Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 101 Minutes 39 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.95

"Crust tells the story of a lonely laundromat owner, Vegas Winters (Whalen), who keeps the leftover socks from customers and uses them to clean himself. When he gets abused and weeps into the pile of socks, it turns into a creature who seeks revenge on Vegas' enemies." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Crust comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.5 GB

Feature: 17.8 GB

Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct (there is one color sequence), image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Though this is a dialog-driven film, ambient sounds are well represented. Included are removable English SDH and removable Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include two Wizard of Oz spoof shorts starring Sean Whalen; Dorothy: 50 Years Later (2 minutes 37 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and Dorothy: The Bump and Rump (6 minutes 43 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a Q&A from CRUST Los Angeles premiere (23 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with screenwriter/director/star Sean Whalen.

Summary:

A depressed former child star who’s intentionally stayed out of the spotlight turns a pile of dirty socks into a monster with his tears.

The creative force behind Crust is Sean Whalen, who co-wrote, directed, and portrays the protagonist. He’s a character actor whose face is instantly recognizable, having appeared in 146 movies and TV episodes; Crust would mark his feature film debut as a director.

Crust is a comedy/drama hybrid, and though humor tends to dominate, there are several poignant moments. Sean Whalen delivers an exemplary performance that fully fleshes out the protagonist, eliciting sympathy from the audience despite his questionable actions. When we are first introduced to the protagonist, he’s given up all desires of being in the limelight. An act of cruelty thrusts him back into the spotlight. And it is through his pain that he unleashes a monster who devours those who did him wrong.

Besides the protagonist, Crust is filled with a cast of colorful characters. When it comes to the rest of the cast, their performances are all great in their roles, especially Daniel Roebuck's (River’s Edge) portrayal of the protagonist's alcoholic business partner. Other performances of note are Rebekah Kennedy (Two Witches) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), the two women in the protagonist's life.

Humor plays a significant role in the story that unfolds, and most of it is subversive humor laced with double meanings. Shot in black and white (except for the last scene), this allows the performances to take center stage. Also, the look and vibe of Crust is reminiscent of a film like Clerks, another film that's populated with hanger-on characters. Ultimately, what makes Crust work so well as it does are its characters, notably Sean Whalen's portrayal of the protagonist.

Anchor Bay Entertainment gives Crust a solid release that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer