Bullets 'n' Babes

OFFICE SPACE



Video:
Office Space is presented in anamorphic widescreen for the first time in region 1. The original release was made
back in 1999 before Fox completely committed to release anamorphic DVDs. Comparing the two there are hardly
any differences except of course the anamorphic resolution. Framing is much better on the new release with much
more head room. Colours pretty much identical but some may say that the last shot has a more pink hue in the
face but that is hard to tell from the screen shot. While the original does appear sharper it isn’t, what you are seeing
is MPEG-2 compression which gives a look of sharpness. Compare the shot of the fish guts and you will see the
words on the letter are no clearer on the old than they are on the new. Therefore, the new Special Edition with Flair!
gets the edge with anamorphic encoding and better MPEG-2 compression. Still, the original DVD wasn’t too bad
despite the non-anamorphic letterboxed presentation.





Top: R1
Bottom: R1 SE




























Audio:
Office Space is presented in 5.1 Dolby digital just as it should be. The title sequence and the scene when the printer is
brutally murdered present the best sound on the disc. It’s crisp, clear and dialogue was well understood. Encoded at
448KBPS the soundtrack accurately represents what the director and creators were going for. I had no problems
with it and the same can be said about the original 5.1 track. They’re very similar if not identical.

Extras:
Although it is great to have a new special edition of the movie, this release ends up falling rather short in the
extras department. Everything here is new except for the trailer, but they are underwhelming.

Out of the Office: The Making of “Office Space”
This 20 minute documentary features the cast and creator Mike Judge remembering the making of Office Space.
It covers Judge and how he came up with the idea for the original cartoon and how he took that idea and developed
it into a movie. Then it moves into the cast and how they worked with the roles. Later it moves into little subjects
like the Red Stapler and Milton and others. It’s a nice retrospective piece but I feel there could’ve been so much
more to this documentary. For those interested, it is 16X9 but looks a little crummy with noise reduction,
interlacing and mild edge enhancement






Deleted Scenes:
There are eight deleted scenes presented in a washed out work-print that is, surprisingly, enhanced for 16X9 TVs.
Many of these are little dialogue bits, one suggesting that Lumbergh died in the fire that Milton set. There are a few
more moments between Peter and Lumbergh discussing why Peter wasn’t at his desk the previous day, one
between Milton and the corporate representative. Poor Milton wonders why he didn’t receive a watch after
being there for ten years. My favourite one has to bee when Peter finally tells off that woman who keeps answering
the phone repeating the exact same thing to each person.
While I could imagine these scenes being in the movie, I can see why they were taken out and they wouldn’t
help the movie that much more by being present in the final cut.











Theatrical Trailer:
What returns from the original is the original trailer but this time, oddly, the rating card at the beginning is
dropped and it is presented in anamorphic 2.35:1 which is different from the movies’ 1.85:1. It definitely is from
a film source and has been somewhat restored. The original had dot crawl.



Missing Title Card on SE





What is missing from this disc is an utterly useless cast list that only tells you some of the characters and who plays
them. Not missed at all.



Final Thoughts:
Office Space makes me laugh. Its satirical look at the cubical world is well written and smart. Little things like the
printer having paper jams and displaying “PC Load letter” and the reactions of the characters make it an
enjoyable experience. Mike Judge clearly has an understanding of the material and anyone who has ever
worked, or does work, in an office will appreciate its humor.
While the new Special Edition with Flair! doesn’t have great extra materials, it is better than the old
disc and is finally anamorphic. Recommended.

Feature: 3.5/5
Video:3.5/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras:2/5

Gary Cole was funny.

Ta Joe. Love this film.

Samir: No one in this country can ever pronounce my name right. It's not that hard: Samir Na-gheen-an-a-jar. Nagheenanajar.
Michael Bolton: Yeah, well at least your name isn't Michael Bolton.
Samir: You know there's nothing wrong with that name.
Michael Bolton: There was nothing wrong with it... until I was about 12 years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
Samir: Hmm... well why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?
Michael Bolton: No way. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks.

Tom Smykowski: It was a "Jump to Conclusions" mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor... and would have different CONCLUSIONS written on it that you could JUMP TO.

Michael Bolton: That's the worst idea I've ever heard in my life, Tom.

Samir: Yes, this is horrible, this idea.

"I admit it, I'm a Michael Bolton fan! For my money it doesnt get any better than when he sings When A Man Loves A Woman!"

"Oh God not again! Why does it say paper jam when there is no paper jam!"