5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Follows 30-something, single Jane Hayes, a seemingly normal young woman with a secret: her obsession with all things Jane Austen. But when she decides to spend her life savings on a trip to an English resort catering to Austen–crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency–era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined.
Starring: Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Jennifer Coolidge, Bret McKenzie, James CallisComedy | 100% |
Romance | 95% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Portuguese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The fantasy will not be as fulfilling as you imagined it.
It's rare when reality surpasses fiction, with true life beats out the scripted impossible, when all the stars align and shine more brightly than anything
Hollywood could ever assemble on the silver screen. But what happens when reality is deliberately reshaped to fit that impossible ideal, and the cost
is only pride (and some prejudice) and everything one's ever deposited in her savings account? Austenland tells
the story of a love-weary woman searching for Mr. Right. The only problem is that her ideal man is a work of fiction, and a fictional character thought
up more than two centuries ago in Author Jane Austen's "Mr. Darcy." In her quest to find her Darcy-clone soulmate, the film's heroine travels to his
era, or at least a
reasonable facsimile thereof, in hopes of discovering the desires of her heart in a manufactured environment, populated by actors, and where they'll
gladly accept cash or credit but won't ask for the key to the heart if it doesn't fit the script. Directed by Jerusha Hess (co-writer, Napoleon Dynamite) and produced by Stephenie
Meyer, today's foremost authority on popular culture young romance, Austenland brings the Austen novel to life in a, well,
rather novel way, albeit to mostly predictable Romantic Comedy results.
Mr. Right?
Austenland's 1080p transfer in a word: "pristine." Sony's gorgeous high definition presentation is a dazzling array of color and detail, clarity and stability, accuracy and majesty. The image is ridiculously vibrant and colorful, exploring a thorough palette of lush colors in nearly every scene. Resplendent costumes carry the day, each one a precise work of colorful art that all spring to life with striking brilliance. Additionally, green vegetation and a number of earthen tones are magnificently natural in appearance. The wonderful colors are equalled by exceptional detail. The presentation features what can only be described as the pinnacle of Blu-ray clarity and attention to detail. Textures are impeccably reproduced, from facial lines and wrinkles to the finest stitching and fabrics on the complexly constructed costumes. Weathered wood, stone and brick façades, grasses, and other objects look remarkably accurate. Nearly every scene is of reference quality, with perhaps the finest visible in chapter six during a relaxed waterway journey on a beautiful wooden rowboat. In the scene, the wood's color and texture are second-to-none, and the water looks so real viewers will want to place their hand through the screen and feel it gliding through. Black levels are faultless, and flesh tones appear even and accurate. The transfer suffers from no discernible bouts of banding, noise, or other unwanted visitors. This is a pure, cinema-quality transfer that's amongst the finest the format currently has to offer.
Austenland features a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Substituting for the chaos of the more energetic soundtracks in bigger Action movies are this film's more nuanced, pinpoint supportive effects and music. The track often immerses its audience in a number of environments, whether featuring very light background noise at a travel agency, a more hectic airport, or the serene grounds around Austenland. The track creates a full, immersive soundstage for its ambient elements and provides a realistic surround support structure. Musical delivery ranks highly. Clarity is strong throughout the range, spacing is seamless, and body is perfectly defined and suitably robust. Most of the prominent sound effects come in the form of basic things like a rattling horse-drawn carriage rolling through the stage. Dialogue enjoys center-front placement, realistic presence, and natural volume. Overall, this is a refined, pleasing soundtrack that serves the movie very well.
Austenland contains two primary supplements and a trailer.
Austenland actually finds a bit of novelty in the cluttered landscape of clone Romantic Comedies. The blending of the historical and the modern is a nice touch that infuses the picture with a structural cleverness that's combined with a straightforward story of love wanted, gained, lost, and won again. It's not only for Jane Austen fans but for anybody in search of a mostly fresh take on a classic genre. It's a tastefully funny and heartfelt film that's more concerned with characterization and honest emotions -- even under the admitted shroud of phoniness -- rather than sexual escapades and excess innuendo. In short, it's a fun little charmer that genre aficionados should love and that tagalongs should find more than tolerable. Sony's Blu-ray release of Austenland features pristine video and excellent audio. Supplements are limited to two primaries. Highly recommended to the target audience, and this would make a great Valentine's Day gift for the Romantic Comedy fan in a guy's life.
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