6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
All of us have had an ex-partner who refuses to accept that the relationship is over, but what happens to Max goes one step beyond: just when the charming Olivia catches his eye, his deceased ex-girlfriend Evelyn returns from the grave, ready to spend eternity by his side.
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene, Alexandra Daddario, Oliver Cooper, Dick MillerHorror | 100% |
Teen | 6% |
Dark humor | 1% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Romance | 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 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The uniquely talented Joe Dante hasn't made a studio film since his unfortunate experience with Warner on 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but the director has kept himself busy with television and independent projects like 2009's haunted house film, The Hole. Dante has described his latest feature as "a film for my fans". Shot in twenty days, Burying the Ex is a horror comedy with a small cast and minimal effects, but Dante says he enjoyed the opportunity to spend more time with the actors than he would have had on an "extravaganza" like Gremlins or Small Soldiers. The script was an expansion by writer and actor Alan Trezza of a fifteen-minute short he directed in 2008. With an impressive cast and Dante filling the frame with his typical flair for detail, the full-length version never feels padded.
Specific information about the shooting format was not available, but Burying the Ex is visibly a digital production, with post-production completed on a digital intermediate. The cinematographer was Jonathan Hall (MTV's Teen Wolf). Image Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, which was presumably sourced from digital files, features a clean, sharp and detailed image, which does equal justice to the daytime scenes in bright L.A. sun and the dark interiors at Bloody Mary's shop with its array of horror trivia, all of which was no doubt carefully selected and arranged by Dante. A night scene in a graveyard for a special showing of Night of the Living Dead (a perfect date for Max and Olivia) features solid blacks and good shadow detail. The practical makeup effects that transform Evelyn into a zombie have the right shades of red, pink and yellow (for embalming fluid), and the numerous shades of green with which Evelyn surrounded herself in life serve as appropriate contrast. With no extras, Image has mastered the film on a BD-25 with an average bitrate of 28.98 Mbps, which is excellent for digitally acquired material.
Burying the Ex's 5.1 soundtrack, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, is effective in conveying essential sound effects like the cracking of bones that accompany some of Evelyn's movements after death (she insists on continuing to do yoga) and several other "jump" events that it's better to let the viewer discover. A general sense of environment for various locales has been placed in the surrounds, but the film is largely front-oriented. Dialogue is clear, and the score by Joseph LoDuca, who scored both of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films, strikes a perfect balance between comedy and horror.
Although Dante has said that there is significant deleted material—notably, scenes with Max's boss, "Bloody Mary", played by Mary Woronov—no extras are included. At startup, the disc plays trailers for All Cheerleaders Die, Digging Up the Marrow and Odd Thomas, which can be skipped with the chapter forward button and are not otherwise available once the disc loads. (If you wait until after the credits, the film includes a special effects outtake, but this hardly constitutes an "extra".)
We can only hope that, one of these days, Joe Dante will get a real budget and another chance to make a major motion picture. (He is reportedly working on a film about the experiences of his mentor, Roger Corman, with LSD—which certainly sounds like something I would like to see.) In the meantime, Burying the Ex is a reminder of the unique touch that Dante can bring to even the smallest project. Highly recommended.
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2006
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1991
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