7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The story of Fred Rogers, the honored host and creator of the popular children's television program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968).
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, Susan Kelechi Watson, Maryann PlunkettBiography | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1, 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1, 1.85:1
English: DTS:X
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Director Marielle Heller's (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is not a story of Mr. Rogers, the beloved children's television host, but rather of what Mr. Rogers does. His perspective on life is seen through the prism of a cynical, angry journalist whose life changes over time when the kindly Rogers sets time aside to make him the center of his world. It's a tender, heartfelt story of real, dramatic change and the difference one man can make not in the world but rather within one soul when he takes the time to look into one.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.
The UHD offers a visual refinement over the Blu-ray, itself a fine image under the 1080p constraints. A Beautiful Day in
the Neighborhood has a bit more room to breathe on this format, even if the differences are not dramatic. The 2160p resolution and native 4K digital intermediate equal more intensely revealing textures,
particularly pores and Vogel's facial scruff, but also clothes, set pieces, and the like. The picture's overall clarity and sharpness raise just enough to
make the increase matter to the movie. There are no eye-popping transformations here, but viewers will appreciate the finer intricacies and slightly
more
accurate feel for clarity and sharpness which speaks to how excellent the Blu-ray is and how visually simple the film is as much as it comments on the
UHD itself. The HDR color spectrum creates a slightly darker tone overall. Colors are not desaturated but the picture is not quite as bright. But deeper
tones appear more accurate and flattering, with improved clarity to more intense hues and more refinement to the everyday environmental elements
around New York. Skin
tones are healthy, black levels are better on the UHD, and whites are more crisp and stable. That's the UHD in a nutshell. It's a very good image that
offers a finessed suite of improvements over a very good Blu-ray. This is the best way to watch the movie, but fans can't go wrong with either
presentation.
A DTS:X soundtrack awaits audiences who view A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood on UHD. There's a modest feel for fuller, more stage filling sounds compared to the Blu-ray's smaller scale 5.1 presentation, particularly anything with some weight or density to it: the more intense piano beats, such as those leading up to as scene between Daniel Tiger and Lady Aberlin in chapter five; or when crowd din filters through the stage, mostly in the background, when Vogel speaks with Rogers' wife as her husband greets a crowd of fans several feet away. The city din sounds rise when Rogers and Vogel walk away as the scene ends. That's largely what to expect with this track: stronger command and greater spacial awareness while holding firm to the core excellence of instrumental clarity and localized sound excellence exhibited by the Blu-ray. Music remains a treat in the lighter piano strokes which find airy, filling placement. Dialogue is presented with stage command from a front-center position.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood's UHD disc is featureless, but the bundled Blu-ray includes a filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes,
featurettes, and more. A
Movies
Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.
Fred Rogers takes nothing for granted. He admires life's simple joys, truly enjoying the opportunity to, for example, be in the presence of a string quartet playing beautiful music. He responds with genuine delight to the world around him and offers even more genuine care and concern to those around him and for those in need. When he meets Vogel and agrees to the interview, he doesn't see an opportunity to promote himself but rather to lift up a man in need -- in desperate need -- of life perspective change. Hanks is remarkable, suffice it to say, certainly not in the art of replacing Rogers but definitely in the art of understanding and demonstrating his spiritual essence. And the part works because Matthew Rhys is fully on board with slowly redirecting his deeply wounded essence along the journey, at first pushing away but gradually accepting what Rogers has to offer him as the story moves along. This is purpose driven, honest, and sincere cinema at its finest. Sony's UHD release of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood delivers a well-rounded package, yielding wonderful video and audio presentations, supported by a good allotment of extra content. This release earns my highest recommendation.
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