6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Unexpected love threatens to derail a business opportunity.
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Gabrielle Anwar, Anthony Higgins, Fyvush Finkel, Bob BalabanRomance | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
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
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Barry Sonnenfeld's "For Love or Money" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman as well as vintage trailers for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, For Love or Money arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. Even though it has some obvious limitations, I would say that it is one of the better such masters to emerge from the studio's vaults. Why? Because there are no obvious traces of digital corrections on it, which is why the bulk of the film looks rather nice. Now, this does not mean that some of the visuals do not look dated -- they most certainly do. For example, most highlights should be much better balanced, plus in some indoor/darker footage it is pretty easy to tell that blacks begin to crush (see screencapture #3). From time to time grain can appear a tad lumpy too, so in wider shots in particular delineation could be somewhat underwhelming (see screencapture #1). However, the overall quality of the visuals is still mostly decent, at times even surprisingly good. Various close-ups, for instance, can look very nice, and there are background nuances that appear healthy, too. Color balance is good, but as noted above there is room for some meaningful adjustments. Image stability is very good. A few tiny white specks pop up here and there, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, it is obvious that the release is sourced from an older master with a few shaky areas, but despite the inconsistencies I think it is fair to conclude that the film looks mostly decent in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I chose to view the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. I thought that it was outstanding. Clarity, depth, and balance were as good as I expected them to be, though this isn't exactly surprising because For Love or Money comes from the 1990s. So, I think that when the current master was prepared, someone at Universal did what needed to be done right to ensure that the current 5.1 track handles the native dynamic contrasts as well as possible. I did not encounter any traces of age-related anomalies.
The absurd characterizations and seemingly endless string of ridiculous situations make it impossible for Barry Sonnenfeld's For Love or Money to impress as a charming romantic comedy, which is precisely the type of film it was conceived to be. I actually like some of the cynicism that is infused in it, but it is mismanaged in a way that makes Michael J. Fox and Gabrielle Anwar's characters quite off-putting. Indeed, until the final fifteen or so minutes the film very effectively creates the impression that they are fixated on money, so when eventually their priorities change it becomes awfully difficult to feel good about their future as a couple. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but rather nice master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. You should consider picking it up only if you are a die-hard fan of any of its stars.
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