7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
Curtis LaForche lives in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha and six-year-old daughter Hannah, who is deaf. Curtis makes a modest living as a crew chief for a sand-mining company. Samantha is a stay-at-home mother and part-time seamstress who supplements their income by selling handmade wares at the flea market each weekend. Money is tight, and navigating Hannah's healthcare and special needs...
Starring: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy BakerDrama | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 81% |
Horror | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
That guy's doing something right.
Take Shelter may strike its viewers as a rather dark take on Field of Dreams, a movie featuring a man plowing under his cornfield --
much to his wife's initial disapproval -- and constructing a baseball field in response to voices telling him to do so. In Take Shelter, voices are
replaced by dreams and the baseball field is replaced by a storm shelter, the construction of which and the physical and emotional toll it takes on the
character both initially rejected and misunderstood by his wife. The principle, however, remains basically the same. Both are stories about listening
to
oneself rather than casually going along with the rest of the world, deaf to voices and blind to visions that, known by those who truly listen and look,
aren't always random coincidences, hallucinations, or otherwise intrusive negatives, but perhaps a kind of sixth sense, a perception that's truly a gift
rather than a curse, in this case a possible prophesy of things to come. Take Shelter isn't so much a troubling movie as it is a cautionary tale
that
challenges those preconceived notions that people who stray from the norm are in some way either undesirable or unfit to lead their lives as they so
choose.
It's a tale of preparation and love, though both perhaps outside of accepted thinking and action, and the importance of taking a leap of faith when
others
would
rather stand still. But it's also a story of the need for balance, understanding, and honesty on both sides, for those who blindly walk and those who
heed the warnings that may very well be a blessing in disguise alike.
There's a storm coming.
Take Shelter's 1080p transfer is everything one would expect of a Sony new release Blu-ray. The image is stunning from beginning to end, yielding remarkable clarity, exceptionally sharp details, and strong colors. Facial and clothing textures are wonderfully crisp in every scene. Definition is first-rate, and the image captures the finest textures on grasses, leaves, wood, the slightly battered metal of the shelter door and cargo container, and even the pebbles and dirt at Curtis' worksite. Colors are dazzling and perfectly balanced. Whether blue denim jeans, bright green grasses, or general odds and ends around the house or in the yard, the transfer handles everything form the most brilliant shades to the dreariest earth tones with equal precision. Skin tone are perfectly balanced, and black levels are deep and true. Grain retention solidifies a natural film-like appearance. The image is, typical of a Sony release, free of any obvious digital tinkering. Only a handful of white pops, most notably evident during a scene where Curtis visits his mother, keeps this transfer from absolute perfection.
Take Shelter storms onto Blu-ray with a powerful and reference-grade DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Audiences will listen in awe as the Blu-ray practically creates a storm in the listening area in the movie's opening moments. Deep, booming, lingering thunder powerfully envelops the soundstage. It's the kind of true-to-life bass that gets under the skin and rattles one to his or her very core, exactly the sort this movie demands to solidify its thematic and visual elements. Similar heavy sensations may be heard at the drilling worksite or via the rumbling machinery Curtis uses to dig up a hole for the new addition to the storm shelter. Moving away from the bass, rain drenches the soundstage at several points, falling with a natural flair through every speaker for a fantastic experience that all but soaks the listening area, whether falling onto the ground or pounding onto a car windshield. Additional ambience is generally subtle but effective; everything from natural atmospherics to a panting dog and a background television at breakfast create believable environments. Music is delivered with great precision and spacing. Dialogue is smooth, playing evenly from the center channel and never lost to surrounding elements. The track is absolutely defined by that thunder and rain, though; it's believably recreated and simulates real life with uncanny precision. This is a truly marvelous soundtrack that's not to be missed.
Take Shelter contains a fair array of extras, headlined by an audio commentary track.
Take Shelter is a challenging film on several levels. It asks its audience to engage in the story rather than sit idly and watch it pass on by like a storm in the night. It places every viewer in the shoes of its lead character, a man who must battle the outward pressures of conformity and the inward pressures to do what he feels is right, no matter the cost, both monetary and otherwise. The film is wonderfully paced and steadily mysterious; it's never clear where it's going or even why until a gripping final act that will leave audiences on the edges of their seats and a final scene that will challenge all previous perceptions built in the preceding two hours. The movie is solidified by wonderful photography, a great lead performance, and a novelty that's rare in today's cinema that all shape Take Shelter into one of the must-see movies of 2011. Sony's Blu-ray release of Take Shelter features nearly perfect video and audio along with a good assortment of extras. Very highly recommended.
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