6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It's the end of the 70s. Hippies are assimilating, women are raising their consciousness, and men are becoming confused and ineffectual. Don't expect to be able to keep track of all the names or who's sleeping with who; the picture very skillfully conveys the hopeless muddle through which the many characters move as they try to Find Themselves.
Starring: Martin Mull, Tuesday Weld, Jennifer McAllister, Sally Kellerman, Anthony BattagliaMelodrama | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Bill Persky's "Serial" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. There are no supplemental features on the release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
About that orgy...
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bill Persky's Serial arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.
The release is sourced from an older master that might have been struck from an interpositive. It is difficult for me to tell, but there is no doubt in my mind that it is the only master that Paramount Pictures had in its vaults. Regardless, while the film could look a bit softer than it should, there are no traces of digital tinkering and colors are quite well balanced. Saturation clearly should be better, but the current color scheme is in fact very pleasing and there are no anomalies that destabilize the dynamic range. Ideally grain should be better exposed and resolved, but enough of is retained and for the most part density ranges from decent to good. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Image stability is good. A few tiny white specks can be spotted, but there are no large cuts, debris, stains, or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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 are not provided for the main feature.
At some point the audio was probably remastered because there really aren't any traces of anomalies that tend to create problems when hiss, crackle, and hum are left untreated on older masters. Balance is also good, though my guess is that a new remix will likely introduce some minor cosmetic improvements. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.
Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.
Bill Persky's dramedy Serial offers one of the most bizarre yet accurate dissections of 1970s California that have been captured on film. It really is a minor masterpiece and probably should be grouped with Lawrence Kasdan's The Big Chill, though obviously the two films pursue different goals. Olive Films' Blu-ray release is sourced from an older master, but despite some limitations I think that the film looks quite good in high-definition. Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features on the disc. RECOMMENDED.
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