7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Leonard, a charismatic but troubled young man, moves back into his childhood home following a recent heartbreak. While recovering under the watchful eye of his parents, Leonard meets two women in quick succession: Michelle, a mysterious and beautiful neighbor who is exotic and out-of-place in Leonard's staid world, and Sandra, the lovely and caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family's dry-cleaning business. Leonard becomes deeply infatuated by Michelle, who seems poised to fall for him, but is having a self-destructive affair with a married man. At the same time, mounting pressure from his family pushes him towards committing to Sandra. Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision - between the impetuousness of desire and the comfort of love - or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him.
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias KoteasDrama | 100% |
Romance | 40% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Okay, Joaquin, the jig is up. You can ditch the sunglasses and take a razor to that beard. You hoodwinked Hollywood, point proved. Casey Affleck, you too, come on, put down the camcorder and confess. This actor turned rapper shtick is just a performance piece for a forthcoming mockumentary, right? You’re challenging notions of celebrity and talent in an industry that loves a good downfall, and then, like a phoenix, you’ll rise from the ashes of your acting career and have a good long laugh, correct? Well, alright, get to it. Your infamous turn on Letterman, to promote your final actor’s gig, Two Lovers, fueled the gossip mill for a week or so, but it left the film—a good, quiet film—in the lurch, overshadowed by your Jim Morrison on smack appearance and gum-chewing antics. I have a feeling director James Grey was in on this—hoping it might spur interest in the film—but if not, I’m sure you’ve got some explaining to do. Just so you know, your performance in Two Lovers was superb, and we’re all waiting for you to put your ample talents back to use.
She'd be much less pleased if he was sporting that scruffy, overgrown beard.
Two Lovers leaps onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, VC-1 encoded transfer that has a few issues but otherwise serves the film relatively well. As the story is set during fall, the colors are appropriately autumnal and muted, presenting a dreary palette that suits the film's hushed emotional core. Clarity is good but not great, as a thick speckling of grain—noticeable but not overly distracting—sometimes keeps the image from being as sharp and clear as it could be. Black levels are mostly deep, but crush is an occasional problem, and there are a few instances of intense contrast wavering that pull your eyes from the focus of the scene and toward the throbbing flicker of the background. Skin tones can veer toward the yellowish end of the spectrum, but this is an effect of the sometimes-moody lighting. Overall, the transfer never offers any stunning HD moments, but this suits the subdued and unobtrusive nature of the film.
With a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track, Two Lovers can bring the goods when it needs to, but this is, admittedly, not so often. The film is quiet and dialogue-heavy, and the voices are full and clearly articulated, though Phoenix's deep intonations can occasionally be muddled in the mix. Surround channels are used subtly and predictably for the score and environmental ambience, but they offer up few discrete effects. The only time the soundstage feels really full is during the boisterous bump and grind of the club scene. Still, there's some nice sound design that accentuates Leonard's loneliness, particularly when he's delivering dry cleaning and the bustling ambience of the city streets drops out to leave him alone with his thoughts. Two Lovers is a somber audio affair, but this track handles the sparseness well.
Behind the Scenes (SD, 7:04)
This is an average and obligatory behind the scenes feature that offers little insight into film. Save
your time and just listen to James Grey's excellent commentary track.
HDNet: A Look at Two Lovers (SD, 4:32)
Why a featurette from HDNet is in standard def, I'm not quite sure. Like the "Behind the
Scenes" bit, this "look" doesn't amount to much, but we do get to see a wacko-looking Joaquin
Phoenix mumble, "it's the last film I'm in."
Commentary by Director James Grey
Grey's Joaquin Phoenix impersonation is worth a listen alone, but this track is surprisingly brisk
and full of insights, not only into the technical aspects of filming, but also the philosophical
underpinnings of Two Lovers and the thought that went into the casting and characters.
If you enjoy the film, this track is a must-listen.
Deleted Scenes (SD, 9:22)
Three excised scenes are included, each introduced by text from director James Grey. The first
two are fairly pedestrian conversations, but the final scene shows Leonard trailing Michelle to the
hotel where she's about to break up with her boyfriend, and was cut because it made Leonard
look too much like a stalker.
Photo Gallery (1080p)
Contains 32 stills.
Come on out Joaquin, it's okay, we'll forgive you. Just get back to acting, where you belong. Seriously, Phoenix, I've seen you rap, and you're no Grandmaster Flash. Two Lovers just hit Blu-ray, so you should check it out. It doesn't have the best AV presentation, and it really skimps on extras, but I think you'll be surprised by the film, and by your performance. Really man, you can act!
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