Coneheads goes from an SNL Skit to Big Screen Cult Movie Classic. New to 4K UHD and filled with special features from Kino Lorber.
The Film
Some films just vibe with you. Coneheads vibed with me the first time I saw it in the theaters in the summer of 1993. Even now, thirty-plus years later, the weirdness that Dan Aykroyd pushed, I’m buying. Adding a truly wonderful story that plays beyond the SNL Sketch origins of the property. The film is a funny, weird, heart-warming sci-fi comedy with a lot more on its mind than anyone gave it credit for.
Beldar (Aykroyd) and Prymaat (Jane Curtain) come to the planet with one purpose: to put it under Remulak. After being shot down, Beldar and Prymaat must make a life in America. Quickly, they find their hard work is appreciated by the many citizens of America. Though some, mainly INS agents, Seeding (Michael McKean) and Turnbull (David Spade) want nothing more than to arrest them, thinking their undocumented citizens. Beldar and Prymaat begin a family. As their daughter Connie (Michelle Burke) grows into a teenager, the couple soon find it almost impossible to leave early America, let alone Earth. With Seeding and Turnbull hot on their cones, they may not have a choice.
In the thirty years since its release, Coneheads has only become more relevant and fresher as a comedy parable for the modern American family and immigration. The moments about immigration have even more bite to them than they did thirty years ago. In fact, it may be one of the best films to tackle the subject, though not the best. The film does find its bite in these moments and will cajole people in this modern era with good reason. There is a moment where Beldar and Prymaat are chased by SWAT members, and one can’t help but think of the current era and immigration raids. What is played for ridiculousness is now closer to reality, unfortunately.
The script by Tom Davis, Dan Aykroyd, Bonnie Turner, and Terry Turner focuses on the human side and not the jokes, bringing out a warmth and parable about family that may not have been “cutting edge” at the time but has gotten sharper as the years have gone on. The way that the film treats them as having normal problems makes the film all the funnier because of the … cones. In fact, it’s fitting that the only person to call out that they have cone heads is a character played by Tom Arnold.
Speaking of which… Coneheads may have the best pound-for-pound comedic line of actors in any film. The cast is littered with a who’s who of comedic geniuses and legends, not limited to Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Sinbad, and Jason Alexander, to name a few (but also not to ruin all of them). What separates Coneheads from other SNL Skit films of a similar ilk is that each of the cameos is a perfectly written character and scene that fits into the larger narrative.
Though the best part of the film is in its final third, when we make it to Remulak with the family, and the film turns into an out-and-out sci-fi adventure. Complete with a Phil Tippett-designed and animated Monster!! If anyone were to deny the genius of Dan Aykroyd beyond Ghostbusters, I would just have them look here (and another film that is now made very relevant, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE). Coneheads isn’t just a good comedy. It’s an honest to God great Sci-Fi film.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is one of the best 4K releases of the year. Coneheads had never been treated well on home video, but it was always a great-looking picture. Kino Lorber has corrected this ill and has brought the film back to its visual grandeur – yes, it was a great-looking film in the theater, which this reviewer saw at least three times. The film looks razor sharp with the color reproduction that literally pops off the screen. Though the highlight is the Visual FX work done looks beautiful in 4K (yes, skip over to the Phil Tippett animated Garthok Narfled scene, you know you want to). Though the cinematography by Francis Kenny really does look better than it ever has, giving it the same sort of visual pop that films like The Addams Family and Men In Black always had, and Coneheads did too. Truly, Kino Lorber has done outstanding work here, rewarding fans with a truly revelatory transfer for a Cult Classic.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
Audio Commentary with Director Steve Barron and Film Historian Michael Felsher
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- Audio Commentary with Director Steve Barron and Film Historian Michael Felsher
- Consuming Mass Quantities: An Interview with Actress Michelle Burke
- A Garthok Narfled: An Interview with Monster Creator Phil Tippett
- Vintage EPK
- Extended Vintage Interview Clips
- BTS Footage
- TV Spots
- Theatrical Trailers
The all-new Audio Commentary with Director Steve Barron and Film Historian Michael Felsher opens with Felsher and Barron discussing his early career as a music video director in the heyday of the format (the 1980s – he directed Billie Jean) and his transition over to feature films (his debut feature, Electric Dreams his second film the box office smash hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and which eventually led to directing Coneheads. The duo go on to discuss a larger discussion throughout the huge amount of comedic talents that would eventually all become stars in their own right, and how they were able to cast these actors; the twelve weeks of prep he had before production – and what helped this crunched production time; the development and rewriting process and what was focused on during the preproduction and production (much of which was done by Bonnie and Terry Turner); a discussion of the story before the Turners had begun to rewrite; a larger discussion of the challenges that the Make-up FX and Visual FX posed to the entire production; the involvement of producer Lorne Michaels – including what he specifically took part in and what he was “hands off” on; a discussion working with Jane Curtain; a discussion of working with Dan Aykroyd both as a star and one of the writers of the film; how it was working with Curtain and Aykroyd as a duo; the way they approached the comedy of the piece; his memories of working with Chris Farley; a larger discussion of the work of cinematographer Francis Kenny; a crazy anecdote about Aykroyd and an “incident” involving a gate and reason why the “incident” occurred – but speaks to Aykroyd’s care of the below the line talent; a discussion of deleted scenes and a TV version that exists; how relevant the film has become because of its immigration storyline and themes; and much more.
Consuming Mass Quantities: An Interview with Actress Michelle Burke (21:41) – in this all-new interview with the actor opens with her life early in her career and how having her first child in high school pushed her to pursue a career to provide for that child. The actor discusses her life as a model and how she eventually ended up in Los Angeles and was cast in Dazed and Confused. She goes on to discuss the production of Dazed and Confused; her first experiences of SNL and Conehead scripts; how she got the role of Connie Conehead; the first impression of reading the screenplay and the tone they were going for; why Lauraine Newman was not cast; the makeup process; working with Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtain – including advice that Curtain gave her; a great story about Dan Aykroyd and meeting River Pheonix on set; working with the amazing cast of the film not realizing how stacked it was; working with Chris Farley – including a few great anecdotes about how kind and understanding he was; and much more.
A Garthok Narfled: An Interview with Monster Creator Phil Tippett (17:03) –int this all-new interview with the FX Legend opens with where the VFX world was at the time when he created the Garthok Narfled and what he used to accomplish that. Tippet goes on to discuss his initial meetings with Aykroyd and Lorne Michaels – and the argument they had during the meeting; the development process for the character – including the differences between how directors work with him and his own process; the fall and resurrection of the stop motion techniques – including recent work done for The Mandalorian; a great discussion of the various techniques used to accomplish shots in the film and other movies as well; and much more. Any interview with Tippett is a treat, especially so here, as he does not just discuss Coneheads but other well-known and not-so-well-known projects. There are some great behind-the-scenes pictures and videos of the development, creation, and production of the scene.
Vintage EPK (5:56) – the archival behind-the-scenes look at the film’s themes, characters, and comedy with B-roll footage and interviews with the cast and crew.
Extended Vintage Interview Clips (8:32) – these archival interview clips with Dan Akyroyd, Jane Curtin, Michelle Burke, Lorne Michaels, and Steve Barron are an extension of the interviews from the Vintage EPK package. They discuss the themes, characters, comedy, and genesis of the project.
BTS Footage (5:35) – This raw b-roll footage (some of which can be found on the Vintage EPK featurette) is presented without any commentary. The footage is from various scenes, including the golf course scenes, the awards banquet, the Coneheads’ sleeping, the grocery store confrontation, the post-date with Ronnie scene, and more.
TV Spots (4:20) – 11 30-second TV Spots
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Coneheads (2:06); Happy Gilmore (2:23); Black Sheep (2:20); Wayne’s World 2 (2:17); Repossessed (1:19); Half Baked (1:54); Sneakers (2:54); The Couch Trip (1:14);
The Final Thought
Kino Lorber has done it again. They’ve given another Cult Classic a revelatory 4K UHD release. Highest recommendations!!!