5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Aspiring songwriter Violet Sanford, after getting a job at a women-run NYC bar that teases its male patrons, comes out of her shell.
Starring: Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, John Goodman, Maria Bello, Izabella MikoComedy | 100% |
Romance | 82% |
Music | 16% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
I just want to be a songwriter.
It's pretty common knowledge that movies these days are made to maximize profit, oftentimes at
the expense of a good story. Branding is important (seems like Apple computers show up in just
about every movie anymore) as are toy lines (Transformers), soundtracks (High School Musical 2),
and even Happy Meals, if the movie is geared more towards a younger audience. I wouldn't
necessarily claim Coyote Ugly to be a movie made solely to market its soundtrack,
but the catchy LeAnn Rimes smash hit to come out of it sure does help obscure the fact that this
movie is fairly vacuous, short on plot, highly predictable, and really not worth watching more than
once. The soundtrack went Platinum, and "Can't Fight the Moonlight" found its way into radio
rotations everywhere. Nevertheless, it is
also arguable that the film has had quite the impact on society. "Coyote" is now part of the
American lexicon, and not just when discussing the four-legged animal. The movie has even
generated a reality television spin-off entitled The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search.
Listen everybody! When you go home and sober up, check out the review section on Blu-ray.com!
Frankly, this 1080p, 2.40:1 transfer is not one of the better ones available from Disney. Although the film is of somewhat recent vintage (around eight years old), the source doesn't appear to be in the best of shape, and the transfer is oftentimes problematic. Oft visible, somewhat distracting, and painfully obvious white and black speckles mar the image, some larger than others, all too numerous for a film of this moderate age. The other persistent problem is noise and heavy grain fields, noted on backdrops of a near-single, bright shaded color. Outdoor scenes contrasted with a bright blue sky look grainer and noisier than others, especially in a sequence as Violet leaves home early in the movie, as do various bright, solid colored items seen behind the bar. Some softness appears throughout the image. These issues certainly don't make the movie unwatchable, and it looks rather good in many places, retaining a pleasing, theatrical quality look and feel. The overall image quality is mostly fine, but don't expect to be completely wowed by this particular high-definition experience. Black levels are above average, but darker scenes seems a bit obscured and detail lost. Colors in such scenes are drab and the disc lacks definition and clarity at times, though for the majority of the movie, colors appear natural and vivid. Flesh tones were likewise hit-or-miss. Frankly, much better than this was expected, and this is perhaps the least impressive transfer yet from Disney, a studio known for quality Blu-ray images.
Unlike the video quality, the PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack on this disc is phenomenal. Without a doubt, the movie's bread and butter is its soundtrack, and it never fails to impress. An excellent presentation in this area is perhaps even more crucial than the video quality, and once again Disney has delivered the goods, a sound mix that's blaring yet pleasant, forceful yet fun, and bassy-y but clear, all these elements recreating the bar atmosphere that is integral to the film, making the viewer feel like a patron amongst the rambunctious crowd. The soundtrack is saturated with popular music, and none of these songs have ever sounded better at home. The music emanates from all around the listening area, creating an immersive and captivating experience that is only surpassed by real life. Bass really thumps in many scenes, as it should and as the viewer should expect it to in a movie like this, especially in scenes that feature music with heavy, deep beats. There is some very nice ambience to be heard every now and then. The seemingly ever-present New York City siren is in the background in many scenes where Violet is out on the rooftop writing music. Be it that or, say, the noise of a subway car, there is always activity in the rear channels. Dialogue reproduction is excellent, generally clear and discernible, even over bar scenes featuring loud, ear-splitting music (although the music is often reduced in volume so we can hear the more important lines). Overall, this is an awesome soundtrack, one that kept me engaged and entertained enough from a sonic standpoint, perhaps the only thing that got me through the entirety of the movie in one piece.
This "Double-shot" edition of Coyote Ugly comes to Blu-ray with an average amount of
supplements that don't contribute much to the overall presentation of the film. There are two
version of the film available on this disc, the 101 minute theatrical
cut
as well as the 107 minute extended cut of the film. On the theatrical cut there is to be found a
cast
commentary with Tyra Banks, Maria Bello, Izabella Miko, Bridget Moynahan, and Piper Perabo.
This
track is very light hearted and easy going, the cast offering up anecdotes about their experience
on-set, their personal histories, how a hurricane coming through New York City affected filming
during
several scenes, flooding locations, and general thoughts on various aspects of the film. Anything
but technical, the
track is mostly fluff and the cast having fun reminiscing about the movie, although the track
seems
somewhat disjointed--the participants don't really talk over one another, but the subject is often
changed on a dime and discussions sometimes never finished.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director David McNally also have something to say on occasion,
and
the studio has
been kind enough to offer viewers the opportunity to jump to only those scenes where
these
participants discuss the film. The extended cut also offers up a track, the same one as far as the
girls are concerned, but with Bruckheimer and McNally also chiming in now and again, recorded
separately from
the Coyotes.
Next up are five additional scenes (480p, 7:02) not found in either cut of the film and a LeAnn
Rimes' music video for "Can't Fight the Moonlight" (480p, 3:51). Search For the Stars
(480p, 10:54) looks at cast members Piper Perabo (and her "big break" in this movie), the other
Coyotes, and Kevin O'Donnell. A fluff piece to be sure, it mostly features Bruckheimer, McNally,
and the cast patting one another one the back. Inside the Songs (480p, 3:37) is a short
piece looking at the contributions of songwriter Dianne Warren and performer LeAnn Rimes for
the movie. Coyote 101 (480p, 6:43) proves to be the most interesting feature on the
disc, a look at the training the girls underwent to learn to tend bar and dance. Action
Overload (480p, 1:11) is a montage of some of the "hottest" scenes from the film. The
film's theatrical trailer (480p, 2:21) concludes this set of extra material.
Coyote Ugly is a movie that has become part of American lexicon and lore, a film that offers-up vicarious escapism and little else, save for the music. The movie has its moments, but the simple plot is overshadowed by dancing girls on a bar. The movie does succeed at doing what it wants to do, namely play as a love story for the girls and a semi-exotic, voyeuristic show for the guys. It all adds up to a bland, tired, overhyped, overplayed movie, one that is worth watching once and forgetting about after. This Blu-ray disc sports adequate picture quality, though substandard compared to the majority of Disney titles available on the format. The audio quality was quite impressive, however, creating excellent atmosphere and putting the viewer in the middle of the action, though not quite as good as the best I have heard on the format. The extra materials are there, not doing much more than taking up space. I'd recommend Coyote Ugly only to fans of the film who want to experience the excellent soundtrack for the first time in an uncompressed format.
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