Music Video Distributors presents

Staind: Tainted (2001)

"You always just knew that Aaron was destined for greatness."- narrator

Stars: people who have nothing to do with the band
Director: unknown

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing offensive)
Run Time: 00h:47m:27s
Release Date: 2001-10-23
Genre: music

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
D	F	B-	C+	F

 

DVD Review

It began, like these things always do, with a misunderstanding. Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst, outraged at the graphic imagery that adorned Staind's debut CD Tormented, threatened to have the band removed from the show, and was heard voicing hatred for the band before the first note was played. Durst was soon calmed down and watched the band perform their set. Quickly Durst was in turnaround, offering the band a chance to join his record label as well as suggesting that he, himself, produce what would be their sophomore album, Dysfunction. In 2000/2001, Staind erupted as their third full-length album, Break the Cycle, debuted at number one and cemented the band in the higher echelon of rock music.

What I have just told you in the above paragraph is perhaps more informative about the history of the group than you are likely to find in Staind: Tainted, a forty-five-minute look at the band seen through clouded eyes. Put simply, this film is a lot like an episode of Behind The Music with little emphasis on the music and perhaps even less on the "behind the.." aspects of the show.

An unauthorized documentary, Staind: Tainted is nothing more than a collection of interviews with people from Staind's hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts, who have little association with the group. We are treated to brief interview clips from club owners to area DJs and other fans and residents of Springfield recalling their memories of Staind, though it never seems to matter if they actually knew about or have seen the band. There are large blocks of the program in which the subject matter is far away from anything related to Staind or their music, including an overlong five minutes on Fred Durst's following in Florida and the ins and outs of the recording studio used for Staind's latest album. It seems as though these pieces were included to pad the running time and nothing more. One interviewee even goes so far to say that he was amazed to find out that Staind was from his hometown after viewing Aaron's Outside on MTV. The song, and subsequent video, was released in early 2001, nearly two years (and four widely-played videos) after Staind released their first commercial album.

There is unfortunately little to be learned about the group from watching Staind: Tainted, and even the most die hard of Staind fans will be hard pressed to maintain interest for the entire running time. In many ways this DVD is like those pocket paperback novels that are rushed out when the latest craze comes about and is padded with useless information. Staind: Tainted is a bore for fans and non-fans alike.

Rating for Style: D
Rating for Substance: F

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Presented in a full-frame transfer, this looks a lot better than I had hoped, but overall the transfer is still of less than average quality. The interview portions seems to have been shot on digital video and the still photographs look terrifically detailed, but at times the transfer suffers from excessive grain and softness. The image has a sort of haze that hampers both the qualities of the colors as well as sharpness and detail. Since I was going into this DVD with low expectations I suppose it is easy to say that the transfer exceeded my hopes, but that's not saying much.

Image Transfer Grade: B-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: Staind: Tainted is presented with a Dolby Surround track that at times sounds a lot like a mono mix. Dialogue is most prevalent throughout and at times is harsh and a bit tinny. There also seemed to be some static coming from the center channel that was sporadic and distracting.

Audio Transfer Grade: C+ 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 8 cues and remote access
Packaging: unmarked keepcase
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: Eight chapter stops are accessible via themed menus.

Extras Grade: F
 

Final Comments

Anyone who has a desire to see Staind: Tainted in hope that they will learn more about the band will be disappointed. Those wishing to learn more about the group would be better off reading an interview or even just talking to another Staind fan.

Kevin Clemons 2002-04-12