5.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.9 | |
Reviewer | 1.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
Best-selling author Wes Wilson has it all. But when menacing smuggler Isaac coolly insists that he take a chauffeured backseat ride, Wilson's charmed life explodes into a world of violence, espionage and stolen diamonds. As lies and illusions give way to a harsh reality, Wilson learns shocking truths about two women in his life.
Starring: Christian Slater, Cuba Gooding Jr., Sarah Ann Schultz, Christa Campbell, Robert GiardinaThriller | 100% |
Action | 84% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: LPCM 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 1.0 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 2.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
I'm just a writer.
The direct-to-video market is filled with movies that deliver lame, slowly-paced, poorly-conceived,
and lazily-executed motion pictures, many of which feature stars well beyond their primes.
Starring Christian Slater (Heathers) and Cuba
Gooding, Jr. (Daddy Day Camp)
and the latest from legendary Director Tibor Takács (Mega Snake, Ice Spiders,
Mansquito), Lies & Illusions is the most recent example and a poster child for all
that's
wrong in the market. Clichéd to
infinity and beyond, as predictable as the barking dog next door, and just as annoying, Lies &
Illusions makes for a gut-wrenching 93 minutes of Bad Movie Time that only
a
reviewer that's forced into watching it for the sake of all of Blu-ray-dom could possibly endure.
"Has it really come to this?" Slater ponders.
Lies & Illusions debuts on Blu-ray with an ugly 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The transfer's most noted aspect is its pasty and lifeless flesh tones. Not only do faces have absolutely no definition or detail, but they vary drastically in shade from one shot to the next. Fine detail is virtually non-existent elsewhere, too; while a few shots exhibit a borderline average level of texture and detail -- for instance a brick building façade -- this is, overall, one of the least visually-appealing transfers on the market. Interior shots feature poor lighting which tends to flatten out the image even further, and the same may be said of the many outdoor scenes that are often defined by gray, overcast skies. Lies & Illusions features a limited color palette that's heavy on blacks, whites, and shades of gray. When colors do pop up -- for instance the pink bathrobe Wes wears -- looks overblown and completely unnatural. Also featuring variable and generally unimpressive black levels, Lies & Illusions' 1080p transfer scrapes the bottom of the picture quality barrel.
Though Lies & Illusions boasts a PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack, one wouldn't realize it without seeing it displayed on the receiver. The opening sequence at the party delivers a decent front-heavy atmosphere; music plays with ease and clarity and with a solid foundation in the percussion section. A few scattered sound effects -- clanking silverware and partygoer chatter -- find their way into the mix but only across the front. Through the rest of the movie, this track provides only the absolute basics and virtually no back-channel presence. Rain falls only across the front half of the soundstage in one scene, completely failing to immerse the listener in the moment. Gunshots sound like cap guns, and an explosion at the end is the only thing that comes even remotely close to providing a halfway decent sonic experience. Dialogue reproduction isn't as crisp and accurate as that found in most other soundtracks, but there's never any problem in understanding what the characters are saying, if anyone cares.
Lies & Illusions manifests on Blu-ray with only two special features. First up is The Making of 'Lies and Illusions' (480p, 11:04; yes, the movie can't seem to decide if it's called Lies and Illusions or Lies & Illusions), a nuts-and-bolts piece with the obligatory collection of cast and crew interview pieces that feature the actors discussing their characters and the plot, juxtaposed between several scenes from the film. Also included is the film's trailer (480p, 1:44), billing it here as Lies and Illusions, rather than Lies & Illusions.
A terrible experience all around, Lies & Illusions fails to live up to its name, providing neither and in their place featuring a dull plot with "twists" and "turns" that come straight off of page one of the "what not to put in your movie" section of Filmmaking for Dummies. Appropriately enough, Lies & Illusions has been given a Blu-ray release that's best described as "abysmal." Featuring poor picture quality that, in its defense, probably looks about as good as its going to considering the source; a rudimentary soundtrack; and two throwaway extras, passing up Lies & Illusions seems like a no-brainer.
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