6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Havana Segrand is a mature actress struggling for work that her agent can't provide. Dr. Stafford Weiss is a famed TV self-help guru with an A-list celebrity clientele. Christina is Stafford’s wife and has her work cut out managing the life and career of their disaffected child-star son, who has just been released from rehab at the age of 13. Unbeknownst to Christina and Stafford, however, another member of the Weiss family has arrived in town – their shunned daughter, just released from the psych ward where she was being treated for criminal pyromania, who is ready for a fresh start. As more details emerge about the reasons for their daughter’s incarceration, Havana delves deeper into her own problems as she tries to confront the abuse she experienced as a child.
Starring: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Evan Bird, Olivia WilliamsDrama | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 97% |
Dark humor | 15% |
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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Entertainment One. The Supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with screenwriter Bruce Wagner; cast and crew interviews; footage from the film's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"Why are you in LA?"
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Entertainment One.
Excluding some extremely light artifacts that try to sneak in during a few indoor sequences, the technical presentation is excellent. Well-lit close-ups, in particular, boast outstanding depth, and clarity is consistently very pleasing. The daylight footage looks very crisp and appropriately glossy (the film was shot with the Sony CineAlta PMW-F55 4K camera). Some minor depth fluctuations exist during the darker footage, but it is obvious that they are part of the original cinematography (see screencapture #19). Colors are lush, stable, and very natural. Finally, there are absolutely no stability issues to report in this review. All in all, this is an excellent presentation of Maps to the Stars that will leave its fans completely satisfied. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Entertainment One have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
Maps to the Stars does not have an aggressive sound design, but if you appreciate intelligent mixing and nuanced dynamics you will like the 5.1 track a lot. Indeed, random sounds and noises are incredibly easy to identify, and when Howard Shore's soundtrack carefully opens the film -- pay attention to the sequences with the ghosts -- the effect is quite spectacular. Depth, in particular, is of reference quality. For the record, there are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in this review.
David Cronenberg's work has not been this effective since the days of Crash. However, like Cosmopolis, his latest film, Maps to the Stars, will not be universally liked. It is too cynical and too intelligent, too risky to see with the whole family. As far as I am concerned, however, it is one of last year's best films, and now unquestionably one of the must-own releases. In the United States, Maps to the Stars will be released on Blu-ray next month. (You can see our listing of this upcoming release here). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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