6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A Miami businesswoman is transferred to freezing rural Minnesota, and while she is there she re-evaluates her big-city values.
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., Siobhan Fallon Hogan, J.K. Simmons, Mike O'Brien (XV)Comedy | 100% |
Romance | 88% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
You're not so bad when you're unconscious.
New in Town dishes up a wealth of old Romantic Comedy standbys that still hold up even
when buried under a foot of snow. A charming yet unoriginal and predictable romp that traverses
the sun and fun of Miami and the cold and unforgiving climate of Minnesota, New in Town
delivers a pleasant and satisfying endeavor that delivers exactly what its target audience craves.
With plenty of humor, a budding romance, and a few standout side characters, the film follows its
formula precisely and falls somewhere into a happy middle ground within the confines of its genre.
Far from deplorable but certainly not as good the best the genre has to offer,
New in Town won't leave audiences that enjoy a good old-fashioned Romantic Comedy in
the cold.
New town, new hat.
New in Town settles onto Blu-ray with a handsome 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Though some of the image takes on a cold, almost ever-so-slightly faded appearance that compliments the film's tone, it nevertheless delivers an above-average visual experience throughout, particularly with its well-rendered details. Clothing, and the many wool and woven heavy clothes benefit from Blu-ray, as does Lucy's flowing, perfectly-groomed head of hair where appropriately close-up shots reveal every waving, golden lock. Depth, too, is one of the transfer's strong suits, highlighting many distant and background items. On the other hand, blacks occasionally appear moderately bright, contrast periodically wavers, and flesh tones sometimes lean towards a shade of orange, not to be mistaken for several red cheeks, the result of the harsh Minnesota cold. A slight layer of grain may be seen over the entirety of the transfer, lending to it a nice film-like appearance. All things considered, New in Town boasts a quality high definition image.
New in Town delivers Lionsgate's now old standby, a lossless DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack. This one's especially good when taking into account the lack of hefty action to be found in the movie. The film often banks heavily on the music that accompanies it, and each song, many of them of varied styles, play with fine clarity all about the soundstage, focused up front but also delivering a suitably strong rear-channel presence. Directional effects are few but effective; one scene features characters walking through well-trudged snow, their crunching footsteps flowing naturally from left to right across the front of the soundstage. Ambience also impresses at several points throughout. Country music is heard in the background of a diner scene in chapter five, and a light but chilling breeze penetrates the listening area to fine effect during a hunting sequence in chapter nine. Several shotgun blasts in the same sequence offer a suitable audible thump, followed by a nice echoing sensation as the sound travels through the chilly Minnesota air. Also featuring fine dialogue reproduction, New in Town makes for a fine listen considering the somewhat limited source material.
New in Town arrives on Blu-ray with a rather standard assortment of extra goodies. Bonusview Picture-in-Picture with Cast and Crew is a feature-length video commentary with Writers C. Jay Cox and Ken Rance and Actors J.K. Simmons and Siobhan Fallon Hogan. This is one of those tracks that manages to deliver pertinent behind-the-scenes information with plenty of humor mixed in. Topics of discussion range form the role of scrap-booking in the film to the cold weather that accompanied the shoot. Making 'New in Town' in Winnepeg, Canada (1080i, 18:06) features an extended discussion with multiple cast and crew on the frigid weather in the Canadian city and the challenge of making it appear as a small Minnesota town. Pudding's Delicious Role in 'New in Town' (1080i, 6:03) features a glimpse at the role of the tasty desert featured in the film. The Folk Art of Scrapbooking (1080i, 7:43) introduces viewers to the world of scrap-booking and its role in modern culture with emphasis on the scrapbook kept by Writer and Mrs. Ken Rance. Also included are a dozen deleted scenes presented in 1080p high definition and 1080p trailers for The Forbidden Kingdom and Delta Farce.
Mostly sweet and well-paced but also terribly predictable and generally unoriginal, New in Town nevertheless manages to walk the fine line between "worthwhile" and "meaningless" with precision. With infectiously funny dialogue, solid performances all-around, and a suitably well-developed romance, New in Town makes for a quality outing that probably won't crack most genre fan's top ten lists but likely won't disappoint too many of its target audience, either. Lionsgate's Blu-ray release accomplishes all that is asked of it admirably. Offering a nice film-like 1080p transfer, a fine lossless soundtrack, and a standard array of bonus features, New in Town would make a nice gift for any fan of both Blu-ray and Romantic Comedies.
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