5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It is now summer in the Parker family; and the usual amount of numerous events are happening in their separate lives. Ralphie is searching for the perfect top to use to beat the school bully with, the Old Man is in battle with their hillbilly neighbors, the Bumpus, while eagerly awaiting the discovery of the perfect fishing spot, and the Mother is attempting to collect all of the pieces of a glass china set at a local movie theater.
Starring: Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen, Kieran Culkin, Whit Hertford, Chris OwensComedy | 100% |
Family | 54% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Bob Clark's "My Summer Story" a.k.a. "It Runs in the Family" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. There are no supplemental features on the disc. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The friendly neighbors
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bob Clark's My Summer Story arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.
The release is sourced from an older master that is a bit uneven, but it is actually quite nice. Indeed, virtually all daylight close-ups boast very pleasing clarity and delineation; only during some of the indoor footage there are a few areas where shadow definition could be improved. Depth is also good, though a new master will introduce improvements that will expose additional fine detail. Regardless, a lot of the wider panoramic shots look lovely. Some of the highlights could be rebalanced, but there are no horrible anomalies that will affect negatively your viewing experience. There are no traces of recent degraining or sharpening adjustments, but a few minor optimizations I would say that grain could have been exposed even better. With a new master density will also be improved. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is clean and stable, but my gut feeling is that if the audio is fully remastered there will be some noticeable dynamic improvements. Indeed, there are a couple of segments where I felt that the middle range is slightly subdued, though the overall dynamic activity is hardly impressive. There are no audio dropouts, pops, distracting background hiss, or digital distortions to report.
Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.
If you enjoy Bob Clark's A Christmas Story and you approach My Summer Story expecting a conventional sequel I can tell you right now that you are not going to be hugely impressed with what you see -- and rightfully so because it is an entirely different type of film. It is a flawed but sincere little comedy that does not aim to reinvent the wheel, which is why it ultimately becomes quite charming. Olive Films' technical presentation of the film is good, but I would have loved to see at least one bonus feature that focuses on its production history. Regardless, consider adding the release to your collections. RECOMMENDED.
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