Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.5 |
| Video |  | 0.0 |
| Audio |  | 4.5 |
| Extras |  | 2.5 |
| Overall | | 3.5 |
Synecdoche, New York 4K Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 5, 2022
Sony has released the 2008 film 'Synecdoche, New York,' directed by Charlie Kaufman and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener,
to the
UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. Audio has been remixed to DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Two supplements which are
new
to Blu-ray/UHD are included.
No Blu-ray disc is included; all extras
are found on the UHD disc. At time of writing, this release is exclusive to the eleven-film Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection boxed set.
Official synopsis:
From Charlie Kaufman comes a visual and philosophic adventure. Theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is
mounting a new play. His life catering to suburban blue-hairs at the local regional theater in Schenectady, New York is looking bleak. His wife Adele
(Catherine Keener) has left him to pursue her painting in Berlin, taking their young daughter Olive with her. His therapist, Madeleine Gravis (Hope
Davis), is better at plugging her best-seller than she is at counseling him. A new relationship with the alluringly candid Hazel (Samantha Morton) has
prematurely run aground. And a mysterious condition is systematically shutting down each of his autonomic functions, one by one. Worried about the
transience of his life, he leaves his home behind. He gathers an ensemble cast into a warehouse in New York City, hoping to create a work of brutal
honesty. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city
outside
For a full film review, please click
here.
Synecdoche, New York 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.
Sony brings Synecdoche, New York to the UHD format with a 2160p/Dolby Vision video presentation. The picture offers a very satisfying look
and feel. The picture holds to a natural grain structure which is flattering and steady, revealing a naturally filmic appearance. Grain density is consistent
and should please fans who are looking for a stable, effortlessly occurring cinematic image. Fine detail underneath is sharp and pleasing across a full
spectrum of visual elements, including stalwarts like faces and clothes but also the myriad of environments seen throughout the film, from run down
back alleys to hospitals and theater stages. There are some naturally occurring softer shots at work throughout the film, but these rarely pose a
distraction. The odd speckle is in evidence, as well, but the picture is just about as clean as can be. There are no encode problems to note.
The Dolby vision color grading offers a satisfyingly stable look and feel. The image boasts a healthy palette that is not brilliant but that is well versed
within the film's varied tonal appearances. At the ends, whites are suitably crisp and bright and blacks are adequately deep and true, though neither are
spectacular. The midrange offers impressive primaries, though the film rarely pushes loud or forcefully colorful. Everything here is fairly natural and
reserved, but there is still great fill and depth to the palette. Skin tones range from warm to pasty based on any given shot or scene's tonal
specifications.
Synecdoche, New York 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Sony has not ported over the original Blu-ray's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Instead, the studio has re-encoded the audio in the DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1 lossless format. The track is well capable delivering a fine listen within the fairly active and generously spaced confines the film's
sound design offers. While this is clearly a dialogue-heavy picture, there are a number of opportunities for sonic excellence. During play rehearsal early
in the film, the track offers expansive depth and engagement to pull the listener into the auditorium and experience the full reverb around. Likewise,
quality spacing and environmental fill is readily apparent and engaging in city exteriors, hospital interiors, and other key locales throughout the film.
Musical clarity is fine, boasting excellent fidelity, spacing, and precision.
Synecdoche, New York 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
This UHD release of Synecdoche, New York, as it ships in the Sony Pictures Classics 30th Anniversary boxed set, includes the same extras
from
the 2018 Blu-ray in addition to two more supplements. See below for a list of what's included and please click here for full coverage. As it ships in that boxed set, a
non-embossed slipcover is included.
- In and Around Synecdoche, New York
- The Story of Caden Cotard
- Infectious Diseases in Cattle: Bloggers' Round Table
- NEW! Screen Animations (1080p, 4x3, 4:31 total runtime): Full animated clips as seen on TV screens throughout the film. Included are
Jackal and Caden, Cow and Sheep, and Gravity.
- NFTS/Script Factory Masterclass
- NEW! Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:46):
Synecdoche, New York 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Synecdoche, New York's UHD presentation offers the film in a format that is befitting of its very essence. It's satisfyingly cinematic with
grounded Dolby Vision color grading. The new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is a delight. This disc carries over the extras from the 2009
release while adding two more. Recommended.
