6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In the summer of 1986, three sixteen year old friends spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local multiplex. But when one of the guys also invites the girl of his dreams to see the latest comedy, each of the teens learn more about life and love.
Starring: Justin Long, Genesis Rodriguez, Ken Jeong, Diedrich Bader, Jason LeeComedy | 100% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The eighties seem to be the new sixties or seventies, or whatever the last decade to be revisited in a nostalgia fest of a film might have been, at least judging by the kind of hilariously simultaneous release of this film from Lionsgate and 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! from MVD Visual. The 4:30 Movie is the latest quasi- autobiographical effort from Kevin Smith, and it takes place just a few years after the retrospective from MVD, namely 1986, following a young male named Brian David (Austin Zajur), a fill in for Smith himself, as Brian navigates those nascent teen years when hormones probably interfere with rational thinking more often than not. It's always been kind of interesting to me how widely variant reactions to Smith's filmography can be, and not necessarily (perhaps understandably) with regard to his more outré outings like Tusk, but even his ostensibly "sweeter" films based at least in part on his own life experiences like Clerks I-III Complete Movie Collection . As Ken Jeong mentions in an interview included as a supplement on this disc, The 4:30 Movie may be Smith's "most personal film yet", and as such, my hunch is reactions will probably reflect how viewers responded previously to efforts like the Clerks films.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.
The 4:30 Movie is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. As of the
writing
of this
review, the IMDb doesn't really offer any substantial technical information, and none of the shots of cameras in the making of featurette on this disc
provided a clear view of brands and/or models, but in the completely unscientific category, I did find an Instagram post by colorist Frederik
Bokkenheuser mentioning the film with tags for both Arri and Blackmagic cameras, for what that's worth. There is also a very brief interview with
Kevin
Smith enterprising Googlers can find where he discusses how (speaking of Bokkenheuser) color timing played an important role in the look of the
film,
along with what he terms the "halcyon glow" of 80s movies. I have been unable to determine the resolution of the DI, but the bigger problem than
any
uptick in fine detail a 4K source might have offered may be offset by another odd entry in the Lionsgate 4K UHD canon which does not
have
any form of HDR, at least on the disc sent to me for review purposes. That made this 4K UHD presentation play very much like the 1080
presentation to my eyes, though I'd say the (digitally
created) organic texture is probably even more pronounced at this resolution than on the 1080 disc. The digital grain and at times noticeably
diffused
quality of the presentation can make things look just slightly
fuzzy at times, something that is also probably more pronounced here than in the 1080 version, though on the whole detail levels remain nicely
intact.
Despite the absence of HDR, which arguably could have added even more luster to the visuals, there's an almost elegiac burnished yellow tone
suffusing a lot of the
presentation, as perhaps befits this nostalgic memory piece that is perhaps being viewed through rose (or saffron) colored glasses. Shadow detail is
also surprisingly good in some of the blue / purple lit interior theater scenes where the boys are catching a flick (or at least a trailer for a coming
attraction). Those trailers are typically intentionally distressed and as a result actually kind of look more like 16mm than 35mm.
The 4:30 Movie features Dolby Atmos track that certainly provides at least intermittent surround activity, but which simply may not offer a ton of opportunity for showy sonics a la more "explosive" features with Atmos audio. This is often a noticeably front heavy mix, to the point that only the center channel can be utilized for some dialogue. The side and rear channels are occasionally engaged by both ambient environmental sounds and the perhaps surprisingly few source cues (including the well remembered "I Can't Wait" by my hometown Portland friends Nu Shooz). I'd actually be hard pressed to mention any really obvious use of the Atmos speakers, though some of the noisier theater scenes probably come closest. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
One of the best things about The 4:30 Movie is how sweetly heartfelt it is. One of the worst things about The 4:30 Movie is how overindulgent Smith can be. If you liked at least the first Clerks movie, you may be predisposed to like this one, too. I found the positives to outweigh the negatives in the long run. Technical merits are okay for the 4K version, solid for the 1080 version, and the supplements engaging (stay tuned in the commentary for a really sweet moment between Smith and his dog). This 4K release may be of more interest for its SteelBook packaging than its 4K presentation, which while not offering any substantial upgrades in either detail or palette highlights, at least mimics the excellent 1080 presentation also included in this package. With caveats noted, Recommended.
2018
2019
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2013
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2018
Collector's Edition
2012
Growing Pains
1984
2016
1983
1980
2014
1992
2009
2014
2007
2019
2006
2014
30th Anniversary
1989