6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A vibrant and sharply funny portrait of an artist on the verge of a career-changing exhibition. As she navigates family, friends, and colleagues in the lead up to her show, the chaos of life becomes the inspiration for great art.
Starring: Michelle Williams, John Magaro, Amanda Plummer, James Le Gros, Judd HirschDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 0.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Portland's an easy place to coast.
The genesis of the above quote will be shared in a minute or two, but in the meantime, regular readers of this site may recall the
Best of 2022 lists we reviewers compiled toward the end of last year (our 2023
lists are imminent) and how yours truly broke the rules (what else is new?)
by giving A24 rather than a single film my top
designation. I in fact ended my "award" to the studio by stating:
I'll adapt the well known phrase typically applied to my hometown of Portland, and say I hope they "keep A24 weird".Well, A24 has returned the favor, more or less, anyway, by releasing this appealing if intentionally low key dramedy set in the Rose City (and featuring some of my actual friends in various bit parts, so I'm probably not the most objective analyst). That quote above actually stems from one of the first interchanges I had when I moved to Portland directly out of college, and was rental hunting with my girlfriend at the time and pulled up to a literal shack in NE Portland, since it was one of very few places we could actually afford. As we parked, we saw the fascinating sight of a guy with a chair and whip in an adjoining field going through what looked like elaborate dance moves. This guy came running up to my VW Bus, since he was a fan of such vehicles, and engaged in a conversation, where it turned out (and this is just one of several "keep Portland weird" anecdotes I can relate from personal experience) he was in fact a lion handler for the circus and was practicing his moves. But he also imparted that "wisdom" above, which may be germane to understanding some of the plot mechanics of Showing Up.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from A24's standalone 1080
release of the film. Per A24's standard operating procedure, this release does not include a 1080 disc, which is why the 2K score above
is left blank.
Showing Up is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of A24 with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.78:1. Arri Alexas were utilized for the
shoot,
and the IMDb lists a source capture resolution of 3.4K, so I'm frankly uncertain whether this had a 2K or 4K DI (anyone with authoritative verifiable
information is encouraged to private message me, and I can update things as necessary). This is an appealing looking transfer, but as the screenshots
may disclose, it has been pretty aggressively tweaked in post to offer what I'd term more of a 16mm look, something that the increased resolution of
this format probably only makes more visible. The digital grain can be pretty overpowering
at times, giving a gritty, dirty look against brighter backgrounds in particular. This same approach may also tend to mask detail levels in a number of
very dimly lit scenes, including (thankfully) where Ricky attacks the pigeon, though HDR can aid in delivering at least a bit more shadow detail, for
better or worse, as the case may be. All of that said, given the kind of "lo fi" ambience that Reichardt is
obviously aiming for, detail levels in more fulsomely lit sequences and especially in several outdoor scenes, are generally excellent, and I'd argue that
both fine detail is at least marginally improved in these moments in this 4K UHD iteration. The palette is
somewhat tamped down for most of the film, and often has a somewhat peach like undertone which is probably even more noticeable in the 4K UHD
release when compared to A24's 1080 release.
Perhaps surprisingly given its modest sound design, Showing Up has a Dolby Atmos track. Immersion is consistent but often very subtle, confined to passing ambient environmental effects or just as often passing moments in interior spaces where a number of people have congregated and directionality comes into play. Ethan Rose's minimalist score, which features some kind of "music box" elements, also is well positioned in the side and rear channels. This is far from a "showy" Atmos track, but it provides solid if kind of "quiet" immersive aspects throughout. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
- Bronx, New York, November 2019 (HD; 8:44)
- Cal State, Long Beach, CA, January 2020 (HD; 9:50)
For those who either have already seen or plan to see Showing Up, I have a minor "real life spoiler" to share, in that the Oregon College of Art and Craft actually closed a few years ago, and its campus was sold to a neighboring (and rather tony) private school. In another "keep Portland weird" anecdote for your delectation, earlier this very year I hired a handyman to work on a 100 year old bungalow I purchased in 2021 to handle a bunch of items which included some floor repair, where this guy mixed wood putty and then painted it to match the existing floors, which is when he told my wife and me that he actually had an MFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft, and this was what he ended up doing. I will say his color matching was superb, which may indicate that the education the College provided was helpful (this is all said with tongue in cheek, lest that not be clear). Portland may actually not be such an easy place to coast anymore, but this appealing if deliberately low key film finds a number of characters at least adrift. Technical merits are solid and while Showing Up will probably appeal most to those with "Art House" sensibilties, this disc comes Recommended.
Signed Limited Edition to 100 Copies - SOLD OUT
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