7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A movie crew invades a small town whose residents are all too ready to give up their values for showbiz glitz.
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon, Charles Durning, Patti LuPoneDrama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Trying to expand his range and take on a different type of storytelling challenge, writer/director David Mamet made “The Winslow Boy” in 1999. It was his first and last G-rated endeavor, focusing on a mild period drama about family, law, and society. The art house release didn’t attract much attention, inspiring Mamet to return to his old stomping grounds, making a new R-rated feature about troubled people caught in a multitude of problems. 2000’s “State and Main” finds the helmer in a cheeky mood, mounting a satire of the filmmaking process and Hollywood politics, managing fears, leers, and moral uncertainty while paying tribute to classic comedy timing and hectic screen activity. Mamet has the inspiration and the subject, but laughs aren’t plentiful in “State and Main,” which tries a little too hard to be cutesy instead of merciless as the material surveys a collision of corrupt “movie people” and weird small-town folk. A grand escalation of madness seems to be the idea here, but Mamet has difficulty getting to a point of insanity with a lukewarm sense of humor.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from an older scan of "State and Main." Fine detail is largely missing, with a softer view of facial particulars and costuming. Town tours aren't sharply dimensional. Colors show some age, but primaries are present, offering brighter reds and blues. Woodsier interiors are appreciable, and greenery is acceptable. Skintones are a bit bloodless, but still natural. Delineation is acceptable, with some solidification on darker outfits. Source is in good condition.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix provides crisp support for dialogue exchanges, with performances coming through as intended, detailing snappy interplay among the characters. Scoring is nicely defined as well, offering clear instrumentation with jazzy sounds, including pronounced bass. Surrounds secure a mild sense of community bustle and musical moods. Changes in weather are more powerful. Low-end isn't challenged.
Appreciative smiles are a more common response to events in "State and Main" than out-loud laughter, finding the cast capably handling Mamet's language but unable to extract the blend of absurdity and charm he's after with this Preston Sturges homage. "State and Main" grows darker as it goes, with the producers caught up in a legal entanglement featuring Bob that threatens to send "The Old Mill" team somewhere new. Mamet tries to use such an event as the ultimate statement of ethical and moral corruption in Hollywood, but it primarily puts the effort into park, watching Mamet get distracted trying to find a conclusion for this collection of satiric jabs when he's much better with introductions.
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