7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
In this post-coming-of-age comedy, a piano player at a crossroads in his life returns home to his friends and their own problems with life and love. The high school reunion in a small Massachusetts town gives the group of buddies plenty of opportunities to try and sort out their views about women. From the former stud-turned-snowplow operator to the aspiring nightclub musician who escaped to New York, these clueless cads can only hope for some female guidance.
Starring: Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Annabeth Gish, Lauren Holly, Timothy HuttonRomance | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: LPCM 2.0
English SDH, German
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Winner of CEC Award for Best Screenplay at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Ted Demme's "Beautiful Girls" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is the film's original theatrical trailer. In English, with optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The guys
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ted Demme's Beautiful Girls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Optimum Home Entertainment/Miramax.
Anyone hoping for a brand new high-definition transfer will likely be disappointed by the presentation. This is not to say that the presentation is disappointingly poor; rather that it could have been a lot better. Generally speaking, detail is rather pleasing, but there are traces of various denoising corrections that occasionally affect clarity. Traces of light edge-enhancement are also easy to spot, especially during some of the daylight scenes (see screencapture #6). The nighttime footage, however, looks good. Color reproduction is pleasing, but it also could have been a lot more convincing. The reds, browns, and especially the whites could have been a lot better saturated. Lastly, there are no serious compression or stability issues to report in this review. All in all, considering the fact that the old R1 DVD release of Beautiful Girl was non-anamorphic the Blu-ray release is certainly worth picking up, but a new high-definition transfer would have made it even easier to recommend. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German LPCM 2.0. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track opens up the film quite well. The surround channels are intelligently used and even the bass impresses during a couple of scenes (check out the plowing scenes). The good selection of classic rock tunes heard throughout the film also get decent boost. The dialog is clean, crisp, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. For the record, there are no sync issue or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Ted Demme's Beautiful Girls is a charming and unpretentious dramedy that looks and feels fresher than many of the similarly themed films Hollywood has mass produced in recent years. The film's presentation isn't flawless, but the Blu-ray is definitely worth picking up. If you reside in a Region-A country, please keep in mind that the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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