6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A series of intertwining love stories set in the past and in the present.
Starring: Issa Rae, Lakeith Stanfield, Chanté Adams, Lil Rel Howery, Rob Morgan (IV)Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Writer/Director Stella Meghie's (The Weekend) The Photograph weaves together two family-ties tales of romance, self-discovery, life, and tragedy in two moments in time that span the the course of several decades. The picture is simple in its cadence and reflective on its characters, exploring them through the literal and figurative lenses of life. There's nothing narratively groundbreaking, no deep insights to love and life, but the experience is nevertheless a pleasant one, watching as the tales unfold with heart rather than hastiness, with soul rather than stuffiness, thanks in large part to committed performers who elevate otherwise trite material into agreeable diversion.
The Photograph's 1080p presentation delivers a precise, sometimes even powerful 1080p presentation. The image showcases impeccable detailing in close-up, revealing tangible, tactile pores, bumps, hairs, and other elements with as much definition as the format can muster. Medium shots likewise prove more than capable, offering sharpness through the frame, including aforementioned skin and extending to clothes and various environments across timeframes and locations alike. Clarity remains excellent at distance as well, revealing nicely defined natural elements and city details even where they're not the focal point. The color palette is neutral and pleasing, delivering the picture's tonal spectrum with impressive accuracy, ranging from natural greenery to a vibrant yellow dress. Colors hold true in any lighting condition, inside or out. Black levels are satisfyingly deep and hold good detail while skin tones are impressively rich and lifelike. Mild noise is sprinkled across some darker shots and scenes but never becomes bothersome. The picture appears free of any other mild, never mind debilitating, source or encode flaws. The Photograph is nearly picture-perfect on Blu-ray.
The Photograph's sonic exposure comes by way of a highly proficient and very detailed DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is largely straightforward in terms of its content, focused on music, dialogue, and ambient effects as its primary sonic movers with little else of note, certainly no intense action elements or rumbling and rattling LFE output of which to speak. Those environmental elements offer the most diverse and interesting sound arrays, including quality background din -- winds, chatty pedestrians, other city details -- during a dialogue scene at the 16-minute mark. Numerous locations spring to life with impressively immersive and lifelike environmental detail, pulling the listener into several unique and audibly flavorful locations across both New York and Louisiana alike. Sound placement and total integration are excellent. Rain and thunder fall forebodingly in the background in chapter seven as a hurricane bears down, while in chapter eight the effect is heard a little more forcefully, blended with intense music. Music is also commanding and clear. Lively Jazz notes in chapter six in a New Orleans flashback come to life with vibrant detail and the picture's Jazzy soundtrack certainly serves as something of a sonic heartbeat. All notes are very well spaced, organically immersive through the backs, and supported by a balanced and true low end component. Dialogue is the other sonic centerpiece and it presents with commendably accurate clarity from a firm front-center location. Prioritization is always excellent even in the presence of dense din and dynamic music.
The Photograph contains three featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This
release ships with an embossed slipcover.
The Photograph doesn't strive to reinvent the genre or cinema wheel. It's a comfortable genre snapshot that is put together with care and love from both sides of the camera. It's very well performed and flows quite well across both stories, though the secondary tale is of greater emotional draw and artistic interest. Universal's Blu-ray is of a high quality, delivering high yield picture and sound presentations. Extras are sparse in number and runtime but handle supplementary duty well enough. Recommended.
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