Home Vision Entertainment presents

Go Further (2003)

"We're biking all the way from Seattle to Santa Barbara."- Woody Harrelson

Stars: Woody Harrelson
Other Stars: Ken Kesey, Dave Matthews
Director: Ron Mann

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (language)
Run Time: 01h:17m:45s
Release Date: 2005-05-03
Genre: special interest

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B	B	C+	C+	C

 

DVD Review

Those of us who follow entertainment media on a regular basis know all about Woody Harrelson's personal and political views on the environment, legalizing marijuana, and other controversial subjects. Well, Woody has finally gone and ensured that a larger group of the American public know what he stands for by appearing in the documentary feature, Go Further.

The man behind Go Further (other than Harrelson) is Ron Mann, who made the 1999 film Grass, a documentary about the history of marijuana, interestingly enough, narrated by Woody Harrelson. While much slower in pace, and not as information-centric as the "pot history lesson" that was Grass, Go Further is still an entertaining look at a superstar actor as a regular person.

Go Further definitely wears its message on its sleeve, making it completely obvious from the get-go that Woody Harrelson is definitely the hippie of the 21st Century. Throughout the film, we see Woody traveling on his bus with his merry band of hemp advocates, including a yoga instructor, a raw-food chef, and an ex-junk-food addict.

The film chronicles the summer of 2001, when Woody and the gang traveled over 1000 miles down the Pacific Coast Highway in California. Inspired by the path that Ken Kesey and his "Merry Pranksters" traveled back in the '60s, this new tour sees these people visiting organic farmers and ecology activists, attempting to spread their way of life.

Go Further is a fun, albeit preachy look at one man's attempt to make the Earth a better place to live. Harrelson's actions are commendable for the most part, and the movie flows rather nicely, with the appearances by Dave Matthews, Natalie Merchant, and other fellow activists being the highlights.

Where the film isn't effective is when the preachiness becomes too much. Not only is this annoying and an instant turn-off to many people, but it slows the film down to a snail's pace, making us long for the next "guest star" to pop up.

Still, on the whole, Go Further isn't a bad way to kill some time, and maybe even learn a thing or two about life along the way.

Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.85:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: Shot on video, there aren't any surprises from this anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 presentation. There is a bunch of video noise, but nothing too distracting, and colors and fleshtones are true throughout. Contrast and shadow levels come across nicely and blacks are deep enough.

Image Transfer Grade: C+
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 and is nothing spectacular with everything basically staying up front, even during the musical performances. Those performances (especially Dave Matthews during the end credits) do sound quite nice, with the appropriate bass levels in play. Dialogue is sharp and always easy to decipher as well.

Audio Transfer Grade: C+ 

Disc Extras

Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:

1. Extra Performances: Musical and spoken word performances.
2. Interviews & Discussions: Ron Mann, Dave Matthews, Berkeley Biotech
3. "Thoughts from Within" A Poem by Woody Harrelson
4. The Worm Woman: A clip from Wormania!, an educational video on composting with worms.

Extras Review: There are a few extras, including a collection of Extra Performances from the Spitfire Tour, Dave Matthews, Bob Weir, and Hangin' with Ken Kesey. There's also a series of Interviews & Discussions with Ron Mann, Dave Matthews, and Berkeley Biotech, each of whom basically expand upon what is said in the film.

Thoughts from Within: A Poem by Woody Harrelson is a four-minute clip featuring a reading of this poem, while we look at a still photo of Harrelson.

The Worm Woman is a clip from an educational video featuring Mary Appelhof, who has been teaching children and families about the value of vermicomposting since 1972.

Extras Grade: C
 

Final Comments

If you're alright with hearing about how you should act and what you should eat to protect the environment, then Go Further is a worthwhile experience. The fact that the disc features solid audio and video, and some nice extras is another reason to at least make this DVD a rental choice.

Chuck Aliaga 2005-05-04