6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
A trio of girls set out to change the male-dominated environment of the Seven Oaks college campus, and to rescue their fellow students from depression, grunge and low standards of every kind.
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, Lio Tipton, Jermaine Crawford, Zach WoodsDrama | 100% |
Romance | 50% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Frivolous, empty-headed, perfume-obsessed college co-eds.
Writer/Director Whit Stillman (The Last Days of Disco) returns to the screen following a lengthy
hiatus with Damsels in Distress, a picture's that's both funny and frivolous, both whimsical and whacky, a picture that's as confounding as
it is
captivating, a movie that will elicit as many "what in the heck?" reactions as "one heck of a movie" thoughts. The picture showcases a haughty and
socially wayward (though not in their estimation) female clique on a mission of collegiate clean-up, of ridding the campus of stinky, unintelligent, and
otherwise unacceptable boys through any
means necessary, including a whole lot of self promotion and false or nonsensical insights into the world in which they live, a world that Whitman
leaves largely undefined and unspecified other than that it's obviously set in recent days within in the greater galactic timetable. The movie says a
lot but
doesn't always speak to its audience.
It feels often detached and meandering, unfocused and concerned more with a particular style and its own energy life force than compiling a
complete and/or traditional narrative arc. It's at times flimsy, at others almost magical, and sometimes absolutely enigmatically vapid. It's a curious
yarn
to
say the least, one that requires of its audience a particular mindset, a certain sense of humor, and a draw towards cockeyed, untraditional cinema to
fully appreciate or even partially understand whatever it is that may or may not be at the center of Stillman's long-awaited return to the big screen.
The meaning of life in a bar of motel soap.
Damsels in Distress arrives on Blu-ray with a peculiar look that satisfies the film's tone and style but might leave some audiences wanting a more polished and picturesque sort of viewing experience. The 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer is sourced from the original digital elements and takes on a terribly flat, overblown, sterile, almost dreamlike quality. It's ultra-smooth and, while nicely detailed, not exactly a razor-sharp, crystal-clear sort of HD image. Viewers will note suitable textures on building exteriors, clothes close-ups, and other areas usually revealing of eye-catching detailing. Colors are equally drab, not necessarily lifeless but a bit washed out and never exactly vibrant. Black levels are fine, and flesh tones often reflect that bright, blown-out appearance. Occasional banding creeps in from time to time, but the transfer is otherwise proficient in all areas. This is not a traditionally sharp digital image; it's as unique as the film and viewers need be ready for it.
Damsels in Distress arrives on Blu-ray with an occasionally uneven but generally satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Never is this a particularly aggressive presentation, even in the picture's most musically oriented moments. In fact, it plays rather small at times, evident even over the opening titles which offer fair clarity but not a very wide spacing or hefty volume and energy at reference levels. Even a dance party sequence early in the film lacks a rich, pulsating beat from its tune or a real sense of spatial immersion into the environment. Ambient effects are limited and not terribly immersive. There are a few good moments of booming thunder and falling rain, but such are few and far between. Dialogue is sometimes presented in a slightly lower volume than expected, but clarity is fine and the spoken word remains primarily focused in the front-center. Like the video, this audio track isn't one to remember, but it serves the movie admirably enough.
Damsels in Distress contains the following supplements:
Damsels in Distress is not a catchall sort of movie with wide, mass audience appeal. At best it's a niche film targeted at a specific audience. It's a movie for acquired tastes, a picture built on quirkiness and unusual, to say the least, characters, dialogue, situations, and settings. It's a sharp divide sort that will leave some in the audience laughing hysterically and others wondering what's so funny, never mind what's actually going on and/or what really defines these characters beyond their quest to reshape their school. It's oddball cinema at its divisive best, which means Sony's Blu-ray release -- with its video transfer reflective of the director's vision, decent audio, and a fair collection of extras -- definitely comes recommended as a rental by anyone unfamiliar with the film or Writer/Director Whit Stillman's previous works.
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The Young Lovers
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The Woody Allen Collection
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+ 1931 The Front Page
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Limited Edition to 3000
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