7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Desperate times call for desperate measures and Ray Drecker's situation couldn't be much tougher. The former high school sports legend turned middle-aged high school basketball coach is divorced and struggling to provide for his kids when his already run-down house catches fire. Looking to take on a second job, Ray decides to exploit his best asset in a last-ditch attempt to change his fortunes.
Starring: Thomas Jane, Jane Adams (II), Anne Heche, Charlie Saxton (III), Sianoa Smit-McPheeErotic | 100% |
Dark humor | 90% |
Drama | 51% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Television show titles don't get much more literal than Hung. Weeds, I suppose, but Hung takes the proverbial cake. And it isn't just because of teacher-turned-gigolo Ray Drecker's considerable assets. Or asset, as it were, although that's a big part of it (pardon the pun). Ray's well-hung, but he's also hung up on his ex-wife, his career is hanging in the balance, his secret is hanging by a thread, he's on the verge of being hung out to dry by his pimp (pimps actually, plural), and his kids have all but hung the poor man in effigy. Fun with idioms aside, Hung isn't a subtle series by any means, nor does it rely on the age old art of innuendo. It subscribes to the art of innuendo nouveau; a bit of gratuitous reverse-perverse that adheres to the notion that more is more, that the most direct route must be the funniest and the most dramatic, and that the most penetrating comedy is... sorry, I'll spare you the bad joke. But Hung's first season wasn't exactly funny or dramatic. It was just, well, odd and uneven, not to mention uncharacteristically flaccid for an HBO series. Season Two is better -- much better in some regards, truth be told -- but it's still awfully hit or miss and never quite pulls off everything executive producer Alexander Payne and showrunners Dmitry Lipkin and Colette Burson are trying to accomplish.
"We could learn a lot from Diego Rivera..."
Barring some uneven noise, The Complete Second Season's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation looks every bit as good as its First Season counterpart. Yes, Ray's nighttime excursions, Jessica and Ronnie's dusk-to-dawn anxieties, and some of Tanya and Charlie's midnight mentoring sessions don't exactly pop, but HBO's efforts rarely, if ever, come into question. Uta Briesewitz's series photography drifts between dismal downtown Detroit and sunny Motor City suburbia without a hitch, imbuing each episode with fairly natural, lifelike colors, warm hotel interiors and, for the most part, nicely saturated skintones. (Pinkish hues press in from time to time -- look no further than the library scenes in "Beaverland" -- but it isn't very distracting, if at all.) Contrast is pleasing as well, even if trickier shots lead to some inherent inconsistencies. Moreover, detail impresses throughout. Fine textures are well-resolved, edge definition is crisp and clean (with very little ringing to report), and delineation is... well, about as revealing as can be expected. Closeups are particularly easy on the eyes; Ray's five-o-clock shadow, the lines on Tanya's weary face, Mike's wild (ever-retreating) hairline, Charlie's grizzled forehead, the tiny freckles on Jessica's arms (not to mention her developing rashes), Damon's heavy mop, Darby's eyebrows... all unimpeded by any serious artifacting, banding, aliasing or smearing. A few anomalies appear but, again, most of them trace back to the source. As far as I'm concerned, Hung's video presentation doesn't disappoint.
HBO's excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track excels too. Dialogue is perfectly intelligible and believably grounded in the mix, the soundscape effortlessly wraps itself around the listener, and effects are aggressive and limber. The LFE channel doesn't necessarily get a workout -- Hung is, after all, a dialogue-driven dramedy -- but low-end output is confident and capable nonetheless. The same could be said of the rear speakers. With an immersive soundfield and ample ambience, the sonic experience is engaging from start to finish, even if the rear speakers favor realistically restrained (yet convincing) directional effects over dramatic cross-channel pans and whiz-bang movement. The streets and suburbs of Detroit often come complete with a bustling city noise floor as well; one that subtly and surely enhances the various environments and lends Hung a welcome sense of authenticity. All in all, HBO's lossless mix is as potent as its video presentation. Fans of the series, casual and diehard alike, won't have much to complain about.
The 2-disc Blu-ray edition of Hung: The Complete Second Season doesn't offer much in the way of extras aside from five take-em-or-leave-em audio commentaries. Don't get me wrong, the set's deleted scenes (HD, 16 minutes) and HBO "Inside the Series" featurette (HD, 13 minutes) are welcome, but the only value to be had lies in the production anecdotes and reflections of the series' showrunners and writers. The tracks are dull but decent, so long as Burston (who tends to be a bit overbearing) doesn't get under your skin. Commentaries include "Just the Tip" with creators/executive producers Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin; "Sing it Again, Ray or Home Plate" with Burson, Lipkin and writer Brett C. Leonard; "The Middle East is Complicated" with Burson, Lipkin, Leonard and co-writer Kyle Peck; "Third Base or That Rash" with Burson, Lipkin and writer Julia Brownell; and "Fat Off My Love or I'm the Allergen" with Burson, Lipkin and writer Angela Robinson.
Hung's second season is an improvement, but not by much. Burston and Lipkin are so attached to the series' premise that they haven't really taken it anywhere. Some additions work -- an increased focus on Lenore and Tanya, Charlie's mentoring sessions, and Ray's nightlife -- but annoying supporting characters, crippling story issues and wobbly writing make for an uneven season. Luckily, HBO's 2-disc Blu-ray release isn't as underwhelming. With a solid video presentation, a strong DTS-HD Master Audio track and a five-commentary supplemental package, The Complete Second Season makes all the right moves.
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