6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Twenty-three-year old Peter Foster is an only child who lives at home, where he constantly hears his parents arguing. Because Peter does nothing all day, the family goes to a clinic where a therapist videotapes them. After Peter watches his tape, he views the tape of a troubled Armenian family, who gave their only son away for adoption when they arrived in Canada. Peter decides to visit this family, and he pretends to be their son, Bedros Deryan. The Deryan family welcomes him with open arms, and Peter tries to patch up the poor relationship between George Deryan and his daughter Azah.
Starring: Patrick Tierney, Berj Fazalian, Sirvart Fazlian, Arsinée KhanjianDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Canadian helmer Atom Egoyan's directorial debut "Next of Kin" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. There are no supplemental features included on this release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
A family divided
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Atom Egoyan's Next of Kin arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Artificial Eye.
The film has a certain raw quality that is effectively captured on this Blu-ray release. Close-ups, in particular, look very good (see screencaptures #3 and 13). Colors are well saturated and stable, always looking very natural. There are absolutely no traces of problematic lab tinkering - grain is retained and beautifully resolved and sharpening corrections have not been performed. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Also, there are no large damage marks, debris, cuts, stains, or warps. Compression is also very good. All in all, I think it is quite easy to tell that this is the best Next of Kin has ever looked on any home video format. (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 Dolby Digital 2.0. For the the record, Artificial Eye have not provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The lack of a lossless track is a bit surprising, but the Dolby Digital 2.0 track is actually very good. In fact, considering the film's limited budget and the manner in which it was shot, I doubt a lossless track would have managed to open it up any more. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow. Also, there are no pops cracks, audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features on this Blu-ray release.
It is great to see that this summer Artificial Eye are bringing to Blu-ray the films of Canadian director Atom Egoyan and American director Hal Hartley, two of the most exciting figures in contemporary independent cinema. Mr. Egoyan's directorial debut, Next of Kin, is a deliciously funny and notably warm film that offers a glimpse at a world most North Americans are probably unfamiliar with. It has been difficult to track down and see for quite some time, which is why this handsome release should not be missed. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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