7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
Jonathan Ames, a young Brooklyn writer, is feeling lost. He's just gone through a painful break-up, thanks in part to his drinking, can't write his second novel, and carouses too much with his magazine editor. Rather than face reality, Jonathan turns instead to his fantasies — moonlighting as a private detective — because he wants to be a hero and a man of action.
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson, Heather Burns, Dick CavettDrama | 100% |
Comedy | 14% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Delusions of grandeur are a comedy staple. Now take those delusions, wrap them in good intentions, self-loathing, neurotic naiveté and pithy, soft-boiled detective dialogue, and you have a television rarity: a sharp genre satire and quirky noir comedy that breaks the rules and defies expectation. Admittedly, Bored to Death is hard to lock down and even harder to hate. Some will tire of its meek comic stylings, some will call it aimless from the outset, perhaps even pretentious, and some will find its lack of belly laughs to be a complete turn off. Others will simply throw in the proverbial towel after two episodes. (I almost did.) But Bored to Death is one of those shows that slowly but surely grows on you. By the end of its first-season broadcast run, I was hooked. I didn't know exactly why at the time -- its characters, oddly endearing as they may be, are discontented, self-indulgent nitwits, its overt nods are infectious but narrow, and its truncated debut season draws to a close just as it finds its footing -- but after watching all eight episodes a second and, now, a third time, the source, or rather sources, of my intoxication have become all too clear.
Jonathan Ames, on the case...
HBO's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation isn't a flawless femme fatale, but it will turn its share of heads. Director of photography Vanja Cernjul's savory, shadow-draped palette is rich and sultry, embracing the series' faux-noir charm with enticing primaries, absorbing blacks and warm, generally lifelike skintones. Lipstick reds, nightcap blues, coffee-house browns and golden earthtones are beautiful, yet starkly lit interiors and sun-struck exteriors lend a reality to Ames' fledgling fantasy world. Better still, detail remains sharp and satisfying throughout, despite the fact that the series' lighting is in constant flux. Fine textures are wonderfully resolved, object definition is crisp and clean, delineation leaves little to the imagination and many a closeup and midrange shot look fantastic. Some filmic softness creeps into the episodes, but each instance is most certainly intentional. Likewise, noise spikes at times, but rarely gets unruly. As technical encodes go, The Complete First Season doesn't falter very often. Some minor, arguably negligible mishaps pop up from time to time -- a hint of ringing here, a spot of over-saturation there -- and a smattering of blink-and-you'll-miss-em anomalies appear and disappear without rhyme or reason, but the whole of the presentation is nothing short of impressive. HBO delivers yet again.
Bored to Death's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track doesn't fare as well, even if the series' flat, front-heavy sound design is the likely culprit. Dialogue is natural, convincing and neatly prioritized, and my only issue is that a faint, metallic hum sometimes undermines the integrity of quieter lines. The LFE channel, meanwhile, is reserved but involving, lending just enough weight to each episode's heftier elements to grant them welcome presence. Unfortunately, the rear speakers fail to take advantage of the busy cafés, bustling restaurants and moody bars, diners and dives Ames and his cohorts frequent. All in all, The Complete First Season features a passable, relatively proficient mix, but I hope the series showrunners have more sonic surprises in store for Season Two.
The 2-disc Blu-ray edition of Bored to Death's opening salvo may not boast an abundance of special features -- four half-hour audio commentaries, two decent production featurettes and a handful of deleted scenes doesn't sound like much -- but for a four-hour, eight-episode television release, it's quite generous. And it's all presented in high definition to boot. I, for one, walked away satisfied.
I heart HBO. The Blu-ray release of Bored to Death: The Complete First Season isn't perfect -- its excellent video transfer and notable supplemental package are hindered by a dull, front-heavy DTS-HD Master Audio track -- but, at the very least, it's worth a rent. Give it a spin and see if HBO's smartly restrained noir comedy appeals to your sensibilities as much as it did mine.
2014
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
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