6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
On a small town college campus, a philosophy professor in existential crisis gives his life new purpose when he enters into a relationship with his student.
Starring: Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Joe Stapleton (II), Nancy Carroll (VIII)Romance | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Woody Allen's (Midnight in Paris, Magic in the Moonlight) Irrational Man tells the story of a Philosophy professor stuck in the midst of an existential crisis. He's a man who is certain of what others know, feel, and believe -- he teaches them everyday -- but oblivious to what makes him tick, why he's stuck in a rut, what he can, what he must, do to escape the doldrums of a petty life that his him on the down-and-out. His immediate options include an empty affair with a fellow professor, an friendship -- and maybe more -- with a well-read beautiful student, or maybe he can find his life by taking another. Allen's latest film toys with the seriously dark side of life while still offering that same buoyant, whimsical façade that have come to define his pictures over the years. The film takes the darkly complex issues of self identity and the metaphorical spring of life and works them in a mix-up of love, lust, and murder in a film that's positively Allen but nevertheless a bit more out of left field than some of his more recent works.
Who poisoned the judge?
Irrational Man's 1080p transfer, sourced from a 35mm shoot, is rather attractive. The image favors a heavy dose of warmth, particularly evident on rosy and orange-tinted faces. However, the color palette is nevertheless buoyant and attractive, presenting bright clothing, greens around campus, and other elements with a warmly-infused but even appeal. Details are strong-to-striking. Light grain hovers over the image and accentuates the picture's finer points. Skin and clothing basics are attractive while woods and bricks around faculty homes and the campus proper are intoxicatingly complex. Black levels favor a mild push to bright but represent the only real downside in an otherwise pristine, as-intended presentation. Of interesting note is the report that Allen's next film will be photographed digitally, a first for the longtime filmmaker and making Irrational Man, perhaps, the last of its kind in the Allen canon.
Irrational Man features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's rather typical of a Woody Allen Blu-ray presentation: heavy on the fronts and somewhat minimalist in nature. Indeed, surrounds are scarcely, if ever, activated. Basic sound elements spread nicely enough across the front. Light score -- piano strokes lingering underneath, somewhat more complex pieces that play atop -- is the main factor found off to the sides. Clarity and precision of placement are fine, if not a bit subdued. Minor atmospheric effects, like light breezes and passing traffic around campus and in the vicinity of Abe's house, help better define the area but not completely submerse the audience in it. Dialogue is the main element here. It plays with satisfying richness and verbal detail in the center channel. Prioritization is always tops. It's certainly not an active, aggressive track by any means, but by Allen standards, and the Blu-ray's pure technical conveyance, it's very good.
Irrational Man contains a featurette, a photo gallery, and the film's trailer. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.
Irrational Man blends Allen's trademark ear for language and eye for film with a story that juxtaposes the search for life from two wildly unique perspectives with a subtext of philosophy that, externally, doesn't mean a thing but, internally, means everything. It's quick, sharp, and infectious, a movie that features an interesting story, well designed and finely performed characters, and that trademark Allen touch. Though it may not be his best work, Irrational Man proves Allen shows no signs of slowing down, his wit still sharp and his storytelling still relevant. Sony's Blu-ray release of Irrational Man features gorgeous video, subdued but effective audio, and, as is a constant with Allen home video releases, scant supplements. Highly recommended.
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