6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
A drama centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.
Starring: Amy Adams, Krysten Ritter, Christoph Waltz, Jason Schwartzman, Danny HustonBiography | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There's a sly little bit of double meaning in Director Tim Burton's for-him "untraditional" biopic Big Eyes. Not only does the title reference, obviously, Painter Margaret Keane's signature artistic detail -- her subject's oversized eyes -- but it also hints at her husband Walter's greed, the characteristic not physically obvious but certainly understood, seeing that he's blinded to everything but the dollar signs in his eyes and not the bigger picture of life, love, personal success, appreciation for another's work, or even a personal goal of self-improvement rather than the underhanded, never mind immoral, process of masquerading as something he is not, as an accomplished creator of work he cannot even reasonably replicate. The film's tale takes place in a time when men were expected to be the sole bread winners, the only creative types, the only ones people would take seriously as a serious contributing member of society, at least outside of the domestic role in the household. That timeframe certainly facilitates the story, but the broader subject of interest is the more intimate examination of, here, the contrasting examples of the human condition that, on one hand, guides a character to finally stand for what's right and, on the other, conditions someone to take whatever measures are necessary to find success in life, to reap without sowing, to enjoy the fruits of labor without actually performing the labor. Walter's was the ultimate in psychotic plagiarism, not simply stealing work but, essentially, forcing another into subservience to produce the work. Big Eyes is a rich, bountiful character study with an easy flow, a mildly humorous edge -- particularly as the truth gradually comes to light -- and proof that Tim Burton isn't a single-style niche filmmaker, though Big Eyes does have ooze with subtle Burton tradition.
Paint me another.
Though Anchor Bay's 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer for Big Eyes shows some brief banding, it's otherwise a real looker. It's crisp and clean, nicely defined and only mildly digital-flat. Details soar, whether intimate paint and canvas textures, clothes, faces, or period automobile lines and basic household appointments. Colors, likewise, are bold and healthy. Period aquas, loud pinks, and lush natural greens all look terrific, and the blend of more homely and warm accents gives the movie a nice little back-and-forth feel from a color and mood perspective. Black levels are satisfactorily deep and true, and flesh tones give no cause for concern, influenced only by surrounding lighting conditions. This is an impressive effort all around.
Big Eyes arrives on Blu-ray with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The only glaring weakness comes in occasionally low, slightly hard-to-hear dialogue, particularly evident near film's start in a scene in which Margaret meets with DeeAnn in the city. There's a little too much competition with surrounding atmosphere, but the problem doesn't linger. Music is aggressive but clear and balanced, enjoying a well defined front end and a healthy and even surround support element. A good, weighty low end gives it a natural sense of heft and volume. Various bits of light ambient effects are nicely integrated, whether small crowd gatherings, more bustling city streets, or at the outdoor art show. The aforementioned dialogue finds a nice, accurate reverberation near film's end. There are no huge or abnormally aggressive sound effects of note. This is a good, even track that gets the job done with the sort of accuracy and lifelike precision, save for that occasionally troubled balance, that one would expect of a dialogue intensive Drama.
Big Eyes contains a making-of and two Q&A sessions folded into one supplement. Inside the Blu-ray case, buyers will find a voucher for a UV
digital copy.
Big Eyes isn't just a biopic, it's an exploration of the human condition, what the human conditions means for different people, and how it's shaped and evolved over time. The film features two diametrically opposed characters brought together under false pretenses and the fallout of a little white lie that morphs into an uncontrollable avalanche of agony, for Margaret the agony of watching her success from afar and living a lie and for Walter also living a lie but also suffering through the agony of keeping it together with leaky patches and ineffective glue. Tim Burton is wonderful in the director's chair, the film a superficial departure for him to be sure but still in many ways classic Burton where it counts. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Big Eyes features near reference quality video, solid audio, and a couple of extras. Highly recommended.
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