Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie Review

Excellent direction, fantastic acting, and Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 19, 2009

Being happy isn't all that great.

Few motion pictures both push the known boundaries of the art of filmmaking and at the same time weave a fascinating character-driven tale that, despite its vicarious tone, intimately draw its audience into the experience, creating a cinematic masterpiece that goes beyond celluloid and into the realm of the surreal. Sex, Lies and Videotape is one of those pictures, an organic work of art that meshes a palpable sense of realism with an understated but wholly implied exploration into the deepest depths of the human condition, an examination of the most raw and basic of desires: the place of intimacy in the lives of four interconnected individuals and how their sexualities come to affect not only their relationships but their very essences as they explore deeply-rooted feelings, pains, pleasures, and everything in between, with the resultant aftermath not necessarily focusing on the physical but instead on the internal human psyche. Though its name might imply otherwise, Sex, Lies and Videotape engenders more of a mental stimulation, the film a wonderfully compelling and rich experience that both challenges and captivates the mind, a reflection of the film's exploration of how external pleasures influence the entire spectrum of the human condition.

The Sony Handycam...perfect for finding the truth behind the sex and lies on videotape.

Housewife Ann Mullany (Andie MacDowell, Groundhog Day) has been visiting a psychiatrist in hopes of analyzing her recent obsessions over things which she has no control. In her personal life, she seems comfortable in her naiveté, pleased to be married to a man with a good job and living in a nice house, content to be happy on the outside yet unfulfilled on the inside. She's also going through a phase where she's become uncomfortable touching her husband, John (Peter Gallagher), a high-powered lawyer who is secretly having an affair with his wife's sister, Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo, Pretty Woman). When John's old college friend Graham (James Spader, Stargate) comes to town, Ann soon learns that that he harbors several secrets, including a collection of videotapes that feature his female acquaintances verbally sharing their deepest intimate stories and fantasies for his private consumption. Though it troubles Ann, it intrigues Cynthia who agrees to become Graham's latest videotaped subject. Nevertheless, circumstances eventually lead Ann back to Graham's apartment for an appointment with the camera for a videotaped confessional on sex and lies that could tear everyone's lives apart.

While its many awards -- including the coveted Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival -- are certainly appropriate considering the strength of the entirety of the film, Sex, Lies and Videotape is the sort of movie better experienced firsthand and without expectations based either on its long list of accolades or its somewhat misleading title. Granted, Sex, Lies and Videotape is indeed about sex, lies, and videotape on a very superficial level, but there seems to be something of a stigma around that string of words that imply that the film is something that it is not. Far removed from the sort of erotic material one might expect going into a screening of the film without any foreknowledge other than the title, Sex, Lies and Videotape surprises in every regard, from the absence of nudity to the intellectually -- rather than physically -- stimulating presentation of both narrative and technical expertise on display on either side of the camera. Sex, Lies and Videotape uses the physical realm as a tool through which to explore a deeper and more intimate aspect of humanity, and while the film certainly contains in its narrative several twists and turns, it never falls into any sort of traditional categorization, instead playing as its own entity with its own set of rules, its own style, and its own purpose.

Sex, Lies and Videotape makes the leap from pointed yet traditional drama to unique work of art not necessarily through the basics of the story but rather through the story's structure and ability to so deeply explore past the superficialities the define the vast majority of pictures. Writer/Director Steven Soderbergh (the Ocean's trilogy), on a budget of just over $1,000,000, proves here and perhaps better than anywhere else that remarkable filmmaking isn't necessarily done in the digital realm or on vast sets with intricate camerawork and sweeping cinematography. A great movie can come in any shape or size, and while Sex, Lies and Videotape is more prone to reside on the "less is more" 12 Angry Men side of the ledger rather than a great picture on the other end of the spectrum where glitz and glamor rule, like Star Trek, the common thread across all three is a strong, involving story that by extension allows everything else -- a juror's table, starships and phasers, or video cameras and sexual interludes -- to vanish into the depths of the story, becoming merely extensions of the narrative rather than its defining elements. Soderbergh also directs with extraordinary simplicity. Static camera shots and deliberately subtle touches that juxtapose two contrasting elements -- particularly as it pertains to the strained relationship between Ann and John -- show Soderbergh a master of the craft; he allows not only the story but the mesmerizingly natural and spot-on-in-tone performances from his quartet of lead actors to lend to the film a simple yet highly alluring and intellectually stimulating approach that makes Sex, Lies and Videotape a true work of cinematic art.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sex, Lies and Videotape winds onto Blu-ray with an exceptional 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. Featuring a newly-minted transfer approved by Director Steven Soderbergh (more information available via a wonderful and hopefully soon-to-be standard extra entitled Notes on Remastering and Restoration that explains in-depth the processes behind creating the video and audio transfers appearing on the Blu-ray), the film looks fantastic in every regard, featuring a strong sense of depth and sharp, crisp details that accentuate every nuance of the film's set design and wardrobe. Both Ann and John's house and Graham's apartment appear inviting and naturally detailed, the image revealing a nice texture on walls, the wrinkles and creases in paper wall hangings, and chips in the paint on a door frame inside Graham's apartment. Color is neutral but pleasant; no one shade seems over-pumped or underdeveloped, whether those seen in the warm interiors or in several brighter exterior shots. This is certainly not an eye-popping sort of transfer where color and detail are concerned, but then again it's not meant to be, either. With good blacks, stable flesh tones, and a pleasant layer of film grain that remains intact over the entirety of the image, Sex, Lies and Videotape looks wonderful on Blu-ray, and considering the fact that it's director-approved, it's hard to find fault with what is another first-class effort from Sony.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Also remastered as part of this Blu-ray release, Sex, Lies and Videotape's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is rather unconventional in tone, but it's hard to argue with director approval and intent. The film isn't particularly music-heavy, but several instances of musical playback throughout deliver a thoroughly satisfying, room-filling, and altogether rich and inviting presentation that enjoys stellar clarity across the entire dynamic range. Still, the track is more memorable for its unique approach to sound design, and the results as presented here are excellent for what the soundtrack wishes to accomplish. The entire process is detailed in the above-referenced supplement, and the soundtrack audibly reflects the basics conveyed in the text; there's little rear-channel or LFE presence, and dialogue -- while occasionally a bit rough around the edges and sometimes slightly lost under a few ambient sound effects -- is generally strong and free of distortion, another direct result of the extensive revitalization the mix underwent in preparation for what is described as a "definitive" version of the Sex, Lies and Videotape soundtrack.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sex, Lies and Videotape's Blu-ray release contains several extras, most notable among them a commentary track with Writer/Director Steven Soderbergh and Neil Labute, Director of In the Company of Men. They discuss the film's simplistic visual style, likes and dislikes about the film in hindsight, filmmaking techniques, anecdotes revolving around the casting of the roles, and plenty more. An affable and insightful track, fans of the film and the intricacies of low budget filmmaking will want to listen to this one. 20 Year Reunion at the Sundance Film Festival (480p, 3:26) features cast and crew speaking of the film prior to an anniversary screening. Next up is a deleted scene (480p, 3:26) with optional director commentary. Steven Soderbergh on the Trailers is a three-part feature that contains an interview with the director (480p, 1:29) speaking on the assembly of two trailers, and both trailers -- Soderbergh's original (480p, 1:33) and Miramax's in-house version (480p, 1:37) -- are included. Steven Soderbergh on 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' (480p, 8:11) features the director offering a bit more of an in-depth insight into his style, the film's quasi-autobiographical nature, the performances of the cast, the film's thematic elements, the title, and more. Also included is the aforementioned text-based notes on the remastering process; BD-Live functionality; Sony's "MovieIQ" that offers live, up-to-date details about every scene, including cast and crew filmographies and biographies, soundtrack listings, and more; and 1080p trailers for Obsessed, Damages: Season One, Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, and A River Runs Through It.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sex, Lies and Videotape delivers a simple story packed with rich complexities that make the film a masterwork of cinema. Its difficult subject matter is handled expertly via Writer/Director Steven Soderbergh's magnificent script and equally engaging direction that, like the story, takes on an existence of its own as it delivers a superficially simple tone but with underlying complexities that make it a dazzling example of what splendid direction and a strong sense of creativity -- particularly on a small budget -- can do for a film. Also featuring incredible performances from Andi MacDowell and James Spader, Sex, Lies and Videotape is a complete motion picture experience that's required viewing for students of cinema and connoisseurs of first-rate filmmaking. Another outstanding Blu-ray release from Sony, Sex, Lies and Videotape delivers strong and director-approved visual and sound presentations in addition to an assortment of bonus materials. Highly recommended.