6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A group of childhood friends, now in their thirties, reunite at Camp Tamakwa. Only a few of the original campers show up, but they still have a good time reminiscing. The people share experiences and grow while at the camp. They are dismayed to discover that the camp's owner, Unca Lou, is going to close the camp down.
Starring: Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Kevin Pollak, Sam Raimi, Elizabeth PerkinsRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 22% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
It’s just a bunch of old cabins.
Indian Summer goes to show that summer camp isn't just a
collection of "things," and that it's not just about
cabins and wooded areas and lakes and canoes and hikes and activities. That's all the superficial stuff, the necessary basic ingredients for a much more
important entity that comes from those things but that is not exactly a product of those things. Summer camp is truly about the friendships, the life
lessons, the invaluable experiences that teach not only basic outdoor skills but both a degree of independence and a degree of community. Both
prepare campers for the realities of life that are to come, love and work and all of those things that children tend to look at with skepticism,
because who wants those things when there's summer camp, fun, and freedom to be enjoyed? Sometimes, though, adults need a gentle reminder, a
push back into reality that shows them what was, what is, and what should be. For these few folks, the camping experience is the frame in which
they come to see a part of what it is that's shaped them into the people they are and the people they're to become by rediscovering the people they
once were, carefree and adventurous but at the same time unwitting participants in a game of getting ready for whatever's to come their way.
Campers.
Indian Summer is a movie in a state of visual flux. Mill Creek's Blu-ray yields several different visual elements. The movie begins with a cold and borderline grayscale (and intentional; it's offset by the bright titles) structure which gives way to full-blown colors that give flesh tones the consistency of a pumpkin and the general screen something of a heavy-handed orange tint. The movie almost looks like it's on fire, but the transfer evens out with time. Ultimately, the bulk of Indian Summer looks quite good on Blu-ray and is easily one of Mill Creek's best efforts. Colors remain a bit on the warm side but settle down into an enjoyable fall-time palette that nicely accentuates the colorful foliage and the various wooden campground odds and ends. Black crush is evident, but not excessive. Detail and clarity are both quite good, too. Faces look a little flat, but wooden accents are suitably complex and foliage is distinct rather than clumpy. The image retains a slight bit of grain, and pops and scratches are the exception rather than the rule. Banding, blocky backgrounds, and the sort are largely absent. This is a pleasing transfer once it settled into its groove.
Indian Summer's DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack isn't snazzy, but it's effective. This is a talk-heavy, low-key track. Dialogue remains clear and grounded in the center. Music enjoys fair spacing and clarity but it won't be mistaken for a live performance. Ambience is scattered adequately across the front, helping to create a very basic recreation of the great outdoors in the form of chirping birds, crunching fallen leaves, and the like. Unlike another recent Mill Creek release, Camp Nowhere, Indian Summer's soundtrack is no stranger to the side speakers. While the range is limited, it's at least a part of the track. This is basic, no-frills stuff that doesn't test the limits of the most or least expensive sound systems, but the material is stable and suits the movie well.
Indian Summer falls onto Blu-ray with no extras.
Indian Summer is often a joyous little picture about the essence of life. It's a big metaphor for the idea that life isn't about individual times and places but rather an organic entity that builds with experiences that remain integral parts of one's very essence, even if they've been needlessly and, in many cases, mistakenly swept aside. Sometimes life needs a little reconnection, which for these people just happens to be through the rekindling of their youths at summer camp. Strong performances, beautiful locales, sturdy direction, and gorgeous cinematography make Indian Summer a delightful and meaningful little movie. Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Indian Summer features solid video, decent audio, and no supplements. Mill Creek prices these things to sell, and this one is definitely worth the low price of admission.
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