The Little Hours Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Little Hours Blu-ray Movie Review

Writer/director Jeff Baena has made a positive impression during his emerging career, pulling off a horror comedy with “Life After Beth,” and achieving a cinematic miracle with “Joshy,” a movie about male bonding that wasn’t basted in ugliness. “The Little Hours” proves to be his greatest tonal challenge yet, mounting a comedy that’s not always pursuing laughs, and its target is repression found in organized religion. It’s a gamble from Baena, likely alienating a great number of potential viewers right out of the gate, but he mostly sticks the landing, finding ways to scrape out the blasphemy by playing it all so broadly, making a film that certainly has the potential to reach farcical highs, but pulls back a bit too often, perhaps afraid to really dive into the weirdness of the material.

The Little Hours Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The new release of "The Little Hours" replaces the previous BD-R offering with a pressed disc. The AVC encoded image (2.38:1 aspect ratio) presentation deals with an inherently limited color palette, as most costuming and interior decoration remains black and white, reflecting the religious severity of the material. Colors show strength with greenery, which is lush and inviting, and skintones remain natural. Sunlight provides a warm, amber glow. Detail is sharp, picking up on wrinkles and worry, and nature is precise. Delineation is relatively strong, only teasing solidification during evening adventures.

The Little Hours Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix deals with softer sounds and stranger timing, leading with crisp, clear dialogue exchanges that secure mumbled and hushed performances, and identifies group activity. Voices are nuanced throughout. Scoring delivers the only sense of low-end the picture requires, offering pleasing percussion and a creative tinkering with period instruments. Surrounds aren't hectic, but atmospherics are welcome, detailing nature walks, rushing waters, birds, and elements of witchcraft. However, the listening experience is largely frontal, which suits the mood of the movie just fine.

The Little Hours Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

New:

• Commentary #1 features writer/director Jeff Baena and actors Dave Franco, Aubrey Plaza, Kate Micucci, and Alison Brie.

• Commentary #2 features writer/director Jeff Baena, cinematographer Quyen Tran, production designer Susie Mancini, and costume designer Natalie O'Brien.

• "The Decameron" (HD) spotlights a 2017 personal appearance at The Strand Bookstore from writer/director Jeff Baena and actors Dave Franco and Aubrey Plaza. "Live Reading" (26:27) offers selections from the book, and "Q&A" (14:58) takes questions from the audience.

• Behind-the-Scenes Footage (8:47, HD) is offered, getting a sense of the on-set mood and professional effort.

• "On-set Antics" (4:40, HD) showcase some singing, falling, and twerking.

• T.V. Spots (1:51, HD) provide three commercials for "The Little Hours.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:06, HD) and a Red Band Trailer (2:11, HD) are included.

• Interview (11:17, HD) with writer/director Jeff Baena (interviewed by Kate Micucci) explores his early interests in the subject, developing his story over the years, though the production itself came together quickly. Baena talks casting, including interest in Micucci, which solidified during a disaster-prone lunch in Los Angeles, and he shares his love for the Italian locations, with their rich history and natural beauty. The helmer also weighs in on his favorite Italian dish. Lastly, Baena discusses his fascination with improvisation and his personal experiences with local wildlife during the shoot.

• Interview (9:08, HD) with Micucci (interviewed by Baena) spotlights the actress's already established love of nuns and religious culture, making her an easy fit for the role, and she shares her personal highlights from Italy. Baena quizzes the interviewee on her fondness for the arts, asking her to rank careers in music, acting, and illustration. Micucci also shares her thoughts on the film's nudity and extensive use of improvisation, and praises her co-stars.

• Interview (11:21, HD) with production designer Susan Mancini recalls her initial hiring, with her bilingual status helping her employment chances during the Italian shoot. She offers examples of creative challenges, and shares a strange anecdote about an eye injury she had to suffer through to help deal with another crew member's slightly more severe eye injury. Finally, Mancini is asked to name her favorite set from the film.

• Gag Reel (1:31, HD) is a brief look at giggle fits and blown lines from the shoot.

The Little Hours Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Disrupting "The Little Hours" with sin isn't Baena's brightest idea, but the feature remains quite funny, eased along by pros like Shannon (who always plays cluelessness wonderfully), Reilly, and Offerman, who nails early scenes as a blowhard king trying to figure out who's sleeping with his bored wife. Insanity increases as the story unfolds, reaching hysterics in the third act that feel a bit excessive, as though Baena really had no idea how to end the effort, but the cast (including Fred Armisen, who portrays a visiting bishop) sells swelling disorder around the convent with confidence, generating nervous energy the production is searching for. "The Little Hours" feels a little too slapdash at times, but it remains a wily film with an effective sense of humor, adding to Baena's growing list of accomplishments as he tests out all kinds of bizarre comedy.