5.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Durell and LeeJohn are best friends and bumbling petty criminals. When told they have one week to pay a $17,000 debt or Durell will lose his son, they come up with a desperate scheme to rob their neighborhood church. Instead, they end up spending the night in the presence of the Lord and are forced to deal with much more than they bargained for.
Starring: Ice Cube, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Michael BeachComedy | 100% |
Crime | 51% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Dutch, Korean, Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Will a man rob God? -- Malachi 3:8
There is no denying that Ice Cube has been part of some decent-to-good projects: Boyz n the
Hood, Trespass, Barbershop and Three Kings come to mind.
Unfortunately, his 2008 comedy First Sunday fails to measure up to either the legacies of
those films or of Cube himself. Thankfully, First Sunday is a "comedy" (it must have been
so funny that I forgot to laugh) that doesn't rely on the crude toilet and hormonal humor we've
been seeing as the standard bearer of the genre since American Pie. There is no denying
that this movie's effort is a noble one, the idea fresh, the material ripe for the picking, and the cast
unquestionably solid. Nevertheless, there must have been a disconnect somewhere down the line,
because what could have been an above-average comedy is instead a tepid, insipid, and at times
downright insulting film.
This was more fun in 'Grand Theft Auto IV.'
Presented in 1080p high definition and in its original 1.85:1 high definition transfer, First Sunday is another mostly good looking Blu-ray disc from Sony that teeters on excellence. The movie is impeccably theatrical in appearance, absolutely recreating the look of a high quality cinematic presentation. Fantastic detail is evident throughout, the samllest nuaces are crystal clear, from the surface of the pavement, to the pores and facial hair on characters. Colors are wonderfully acurate, vibrant, and pleasing. One of the characters has multi-colred hair, black to dark red, the definition of each is excellent, every strand seemingly visible regardless of the color, the blend and flow perfect. Also, take a look at the varried outfits worn by the patrons of the church. Wow. Black levels are nearly perfect save for a few scenes that appear somehat too bright and unnatural. This disc is not quite up to the level of excellent blacks as seen in Saawariya, for example, but this disc is nearly as good. Perhaps my biggest gripe with the disc is that many, if not most, scenes look somewhat softer than expected. There is a definite lack of ultimate sharpness to the movie, but it neither minimizes nor distracts from the other excellent qualities evident throughout. Overall, this is a perfectly fine and respectable transfer.
First Sunday makes its most impressive donation to Blu-ray with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix that steals the show. If you love Hip-Hop music, this disc is simply a must-buy. The bass-heavy beats are miraculously meticulous, the sound system working overtime, the subwoofer left sweating and gasping for air. Likewise, all of the gospel music is so real, so impactful, and so spiritually sound and immacualtely reproduced that it makes you feel like you're inside the church, the only thing missing being the movie's audience standing up and singing along. This mix is boisterous to say the least, a fine sounding, theatrical, high quality, impeccable mix. Dialogue reproduction is excellent with no flaws to speak of. When the pastor preaches from the pulpit, the dialogue approriately echoes and reverberates in the church and through your listening area by proxy, making for an absolutely amazing, lifelike, almost so-good-its-sinful presentation. Definition, clarity, and imaging are first-rate, and the entirety of the soundstage is almost always put to good and necessary use. I had no idea this movie could sound so good, and praise be for lossless audio. When even a movie like First Sunday can sound this good, just imagine what's in store for us down the road. Needless to say, I was highly impressed here, and while this track isn't quite as good as, say, I Am Legend, it's simply miraculous nevertheless.
First Sunday makes its way onto Blu-ray high definition with a good deal of supplemental material sure to keep fans busy for an evening. First up is a commentary with writer/producer/director David E. Talbert. After a brief introduction, Talbert dives right into the track as he not only discusses what's happening on-screen, but why. He discusses the music heard throughout the film, from the east-coast flair of the opening title music to the music heard during the church service, written by famed Gospel lyricist Kurt Carr. This is a solid track, never too dull despite a few moments of dead air, and Talbert proves to be very passionate about his work. Next up are fourteen deleted scenes (480p, 34:47) with optional director's commentary. A somewhat dry and dull gag reel (480p, 4:25) is next, followed by two outtakes (480p, 5:10). Next is David E. Talbert's Camera Wrap Speech (480p, 3:09), a short feature that shows Talbert presenting his actors with a parting gift and giving thanks to his fine actors whom he compares to the likes of Sidney Poitier and Richard Pryor. Hood Robbin' With the 'First Sunday' Cast and Crew (480p, 16:08) looks at the film from the initial inspiration through shooting and finally to the ultimate meaning behind the film, replete with your typical interviews intercut with film footage. The Almighty Version Enhanced Fact Track is another of the pop-up trivia tracks that are growing in popularity, supplemental material that provides viewers with some tidbits about various aspects of the film over the movie itself. Finally, 1080p trailers for This Christmas, Stomp the Yard, Hitch, Little Man, and a Blu-ray promotional montage conclude the supplemental materials.
First Sunday left me feeling somewhat let down. I wasn't expecting the next brilliant comedy, but I did expect to laugh much more than I did, and the movie seemed more a mishmash of ideas, genres, moods, and themes, ultimately failing to really settle into any one of them so as to make a point or at least make for a coherent story. I did enjoy the performances by several of the actors, and after listening to director David Talbert's commentary, I find myself eager to see what he does next, because even though I was disappointed by this film, his passion for it and the process of filmmaking leads me to believe he won't settle for anything more than an enormous step-up in quality in his next film. As a Blu-ray disc, First Sunday is first-rate. Sporting excellent video quality and a top-tier sound mix, not to mention a good helping of extra material, this disc is certainly good enough, and fans of the movie should have no reservations about adding it to their collections.
Loaded With Extra Crap Edition
2006
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Extended Cut
2014
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The Unrated Version and Director's Cut
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