6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
As Fernanda enters her senior year at Tanner Hall - a sheltered boarding school in New England - she's faced with unexpected changes in her group of friends when a childhood acquaintance, the charismatic yet manipulative trouble-maker, Victoria appears. Shy and studious, Fernanda is usually the voice of reason among her friends - adventurous and sexy Kate...
Starring: Rooney Mara, Georgia King, Brie Larson, Amy Ferguson, Tom Everett ScottTeen | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Everything worth anything is both terrifying and beautiful.
Tanner Hall is the latest "Quirky Dramadey" that feels the need to tell the tale of young people formulating an idea of who they are through
their off kilter adventures into burgeoning adulthood but that instead delivers a misshapen, sometimes incoherent, and rather bland go-nowhere
story
in the "coming of age" model that, yes, must include quasi-chic voiceovers, maudlin popular tunes, and strumming one-note acoustic guitar music
meant to create some tone
that's supposed to be a blend of teenage angst and hardship versus the breeziness, thoughtlessness, and self-discovery of adolescence. It's basically
another in an ever-growing subset of films that try to replicate and one-up Juno, a film that deservedly garnered a bit of attention for its snappy
dialogue and original styling, but please, enough with the Juno makeovers already. Tanner Hall so desperately wants to be the next
"in" movie that everyone will just have to duplicate, the movie that its very mention in common vernacular will conjure up some magical
vision of a young adulthood fairy tale that's as whimsically playful as it is issue-oriented serious. Eh, sorry. Tanner Hall plays around with a
good, but far from original, set of ideas, but rather than try and do something different with them, the picture wallows in repetitiveness, follows the
same cadence as every other Juno clone, fails to conjure
up much meaning behind its four halfway interconnecting stories, and generally disappoints as a movie that doesn't even hide the fact that it wants
to
replicate, not innovate.
The girls of Tanner Hall.
The good news is that Tanner Hall sports a flawless 1080p Blu-ray transfer. Anchor Bay's image yields breathtaking clarity which aids a great deal in revealing the film's picturesque cinematography. Fine detail is striking, whether brick and mortar building exteriors or warm wooden accents inside the school buildings. Leaves and grasses enjoy flawless definition; there's no clumping or mushiness here. Clothing and facial textures are perfectly complex and eye-catching throughout. The color palette favors a steady golden tinge; faces are often defined by the photography's warm texture, but such seems to be the filmmaker's intention. Outdoor greens, bright red apples, and other brilliant hues, despite the warmer push, are otherwise nicely balanced and never appear too dull or excessively vibrant. Black levels are spot-on, neither crushing out details nor going a dark shade of gray. A light grain structure rounds the image into a handsome cinematic experience. This is what new-release Blu-ray is all about.
Tanner Hall's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is steady and effective. It's no big-sound extravaganza, but it supports the material nicely. The clichéd musical notes are airy and very spacious, enjoying great clarity and a general transparency that's about as good as a live performance. The complimentary Rock/Pop tunes, however, play with the slightest feeling of being cramped and not quite as energized and natural as the film's other musical presentations. Atmospherics are nicely placed, generally favoring the front soundstage but proving to be sonically effective nevertheless. Chirping birds, rustling leaves, and the like create a nice, realistic New England atmosphere; it's just a shame that the back channels aren't a little more involved. Dialogue is clear and remains center-focused; a few scenes feature voices echoing nicely around the virtual room, such as during those taking place inside Mr. Middlewood's classroom. This is a good, balanced soundtrack that won't redefine Blu-ray audio but that gets the job done with relative ease and almost perfect clarity.
This Blu-ray release of Tanner Hall contains only the film's trailer (1080p, 2:20) and an audio commentary track with Writer/Producer/Directors Tatiana Von Furstenberg and Francesca Gregorini.
Tanner Hall never settles into a groove. Its characters are underdeveloped, its plot is far too scattered, its themes are made irrelevant, and its purpose is unclear. The movie seems more concerned with its style rather than its substance, believing that merely replicating the cadence of something like Juno will lead to success. Unfortunately, the movie only comes off as a generic, repetitive wannabe that lacks substance and, worse, basic storytelling attributes. The movie might be awful, but the good folks at Anchor Bay didn't take that as an excuse to punt on this one. While an audio commentary track and a trailer are the only extras to be found, the disc does sport masterful 1080p video and a good lossless soundtrack. Still, this one's a rental at best.
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