7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Alejandro, a resourceful street orphan on the verge of adolescence, lives and works in an auto-body repair shop in a sprawling junkyard on the outskirts of Queens, New York. In this chaotic world of adults, Alejandro struggles to make a better life for himself and his sixteen-year-old sister.
Director: Ramin BahraniDrama | 100% |
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)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
How would you define the so-called “American Dream”? A lot of people tend to associate it with home ownership for some reason, though (and I’m joking here) as someone who has just decided to rent after decades of home ownership, I can tell you having your own house can sometimes be the American Nightmare. Other folks make the term a bit more broad based, maybe even just slightly evanescent, in that the “Dream” is simply the opportunity to succeed and enjoy (as some wise person put it) life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, whether or not that includes owning a home. Some who are prone to naysaying immigrants, claiming they don’t have “the right stuff” to chase the American Dream (whatever that may be), might be in for a bit of a shock with regard to Chop Shop, since focal character 12 year old Alejandro, who goes by the nickname of Ale (Alejandro Polanco), would seem to be the very embodiment of a “go getter” out to better his life in America, despite his young age. That said, little Ale is confronted by a harsh and unforgiving environment in Queens that would hardly seem to be a firm foundation for any kind of dreaming, American or otherwise.
Chop Shop is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Criterion only sent a check disc for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any verbiage about the transfer that might be included in the insert booklet, but as was the case with Man Push Cart, Criterion's website mentions that this is a "High-definition digital master, supervised and approved by director Ramin Bahrani, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. While you may still be able to see a smattering of noise in darker sections of the frame (including in some of the screenshots accompanying this review), to my eyes this is a much more pleasing overall presentation than the somewhat fuzzy looking Man Push Cart. Clarity is typically excellent, especially in the many outdoor scenes, and the palette looks natural throughout, though the film's generally drab environments may mean that traditional "pop" may come as much from a brightly colored car chassis as from anything else. Fine detail is also generally very good in close-ups. The almost verité aspect of some of the film can lead to some understandably slight fluctuations in detail levels.
Chop Shop features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that nicely supports a glut of ambient environmental sounds in the frequent outdoor scenes. The clamor of Willets Point is nicely detailed in several sequences, but even "quieter" moments capture the echo laden environment of the interior of the shop where Ale and Izzy hole up. There are some very minor amplitude ebbs in what I'm assuming were live, "on the fly" takes out in the urban environments the film uses as locations, but dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. The film has some source cues, but as is mentioned in the supplements, doesn't really have a traditional "score". Optional English subtitles are available.
Even those who are firm believers in the reality of the American Dream may find their faith at least a little shaken by the one two punch that Bahrani delivers with Man Push Cart and Chop Shop. This second effort may in fact be even more devastating since children and other relatively young people are featured so prominently. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package nicely done. Recommended.
2009
2013
郊游 / Jiao you
2013
1989
2017
2014
1927
1964
Limited Edition
1996
Beat-up Little Seagull / Kyra
2017
Le capital
2012
2014
万引き家族 / Manbiki kazoku
2018
2016
Die Ehe der Maria Braun
1978
1993
2019
Deux jours, une nuit
2014
1999
2013