7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A romantic comedy about a screenwriter and his girlfriend. At midnight, however, the screenwriter is whisked to the romantics of early 20th Century Paris, starting an affair.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Marion Cotillard, Kathy BatesDrama | 100% |
Romance | 67% |
Period | 55% |
Imaginary | 21% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
You’re in love with a fantasy.
Midnight in Paris is the embodiment of a dream, a fantasy come to life. It's also the story of a future lit by the past, and a present revealed
through the prism of life in a different era. It's one of Writer/Director Woody Allen's catchiest films. It's a charming adventure of self discovery, told
through a light, simple story that seems to say that the realities of life may not always be as alluring as nostalgia, but life is what one makes of it,
making use of the past not as an escape, but as a guide towards a better future. It's also a story that examines the importance of a dream, of
self-discovery, and of remaining true to oneself rather than reshaping a lifetime's worth of beliefs for something -- or someone -- that will frustrate the
realization of the dream. Allen's Midnight in Paris might cover some good, necessary themes, but the movie manages to tell its detailed story
and convey its various and sometimes heavy messages through a very light, breezy, and fun exterior. The movie never becomes bogged down in
heavy-handed philosophy or even the hows and the whys of the time travel depicted in the film. It's classic character interaction in the comfortable
Woody Allen style, but the movie's accessibility, fun factor, and novelty make it one of his finest efforts in a long and storied body of work.
Paul, just...shut...up...
Midnight in Paris makes its Blu-ray debut via a high quality 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. This one is noticeably warm; flesh tones are hot, and there's usually a golden/yellow/orange tinge to the entire picture. All colors are influenced, but not to the point that their natural shading is lost. Whether gray pavement, bright clothes, or odds and ends in various shops, the palette is steady, just a little heavy on the warmth, and no doubt by Allen's decree. Fine detail is always strong, and often breathtaking. The streets of Paris have rarely looked so beautiful on home video. The architecture is amazing and the transfer reveals every fine detail on each building façade. Wet pavement, cobblestone, leaves, tree trunks, and the glossy finish on the wooden booths in a bar where Gil first meets Hemingway all look spectacular, appearing crisp and very well-defined. The image can go a touch soft in a few scenes, notably in lower light 1920s segments, but facial and clothing detail is usually quite strong. Blacks are rich and play very nicely with the low-light Parisian streets at night. Banding, blocking, edge enhancement, and the like are all non-issues. A light layer of grain puts the finishing touches on another first-class Blu-ray transfer from Sony.
Woody Allen movies don't exactly scream out a need for multichannel audio. Midnight in Paris is no exception, and the film debuts on Blu-ray with a quality but simplified DTS-HD MA 3.0 lossless soundtrack. Music is light but features a fair bottom end that gives it a little wight and strength. Otherwise, the airy notes nicely spread across the front, reaching far out to the sides and playing with a natural and satisfying crispness. Light atmospherics are nicely inserted, and while the absence of surround channels doesn't allow for a more fully immersive experience, the track does well to space light notes, such as restaurant chatter and clatter, across the front. This is primarily a dialogue-intensive film; the spoken word is focused and clear, remaining the primary element and the work of the center channel, save for a scene in a museum in chapter eight that features dialogue bouncing around the front due to the echoing of the mostly empty and cavernous locale. This is soundtracks made simple, but the lack of surrounds and a dedicated ".1" LFE channel don't hurt Sony's otherwise clear and effective audio presentation.
Midnight in Paris offers only a few scant extras.
Midnight in Paris is perhaps the best of Woody Allen's more recent pictures. It's a simple story of a man in search of himself, and his journey takes him back in time, a time of decades past that will redefine his decades future. Its characters are little flat, but the film's story is so strong, and its lead nevertheless likable, sympathetic, and engaging, that it's easy to overlook the otherwise one-shot players and instead revel in the breeziness and purpose of the story. Midnight in Paris is a fun, catchy, easy watch that's as well made as it is meaningful. Sony's Blu-ray release of Midnight in Paris features strong 1080p video, clear three-channel lossless audio, and one or two small extras. Highly recommended.
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