Pennywise – Home Movies [DVD]

Originally released in 1995 on VHS, Home Movies has been out of print since 1997, and incredibly hard to find since there. So Epitaph Records have decided to re-release it in DVD format so that anyone who missed it the first time can get it this time around.

One magical thing about DVDs is the amount of information you can fit into it compared to it’s counterpart: VHS. You can throw hours of video and bonus features onto the little disc with an easy to navigate menu system. Unfortunately, Pennywise didn’t decide to use that to their advantage this time. All you get on this DVD is the original movie, there are absolutely no bonus features. So if you already own the VHS, this DVD won’t give you anything extra.

While watching it, it is obvious that it is an old movie, and quite frankly, it falls short by today’s standards. The video is very wobbly, the image is grainy and dark, and the sound quality is poor. The worst part are the live performances. They were definitely lacking the technology to film a clear, clean, performance. It is dark and hard to see most of the time, and then the sound quality is really bad too Luckily, there are an odd few live clips which do show some promise, and, while still grainy, are more visible and sound a lot clearer then the others.

The documentary itself has the four members talking about touring, their fans, violence in the most pits, and playing practical jokes. They initiate their new roadie and Fletcher explains the humor behind vomiting on people. Pennywise also invites the viewer into their small practice space. Although this information is interesting, a lot of it is outdated; and for only a 45 minute documentary, 16 bucks might be a bit too much.

This documentary might’ve passed as amazing back in 1995, but it falls short today. So unless you are an extremely huge Pennywise fan and want to get your hands on everything they have ever released, then this DVD is far from being a must-have.