7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ryan Bingham, is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy MortonDrama | 100% |
Romance | 71% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
To know me is to fly me.
Officially announced mere days ago and already arriving on
reviewers' doorsteps with less than two weeks before Hollywood's biggest night, the
Oscar-nominated Up in the Air lands on Blu-ray as quickly as it won over both fans and
critics alike, the picture a lively and oftentimes touching glimpse into the life -- or depending on
one's perspective, lack thereof -- of a hardcore frequent flier. However, Up in the Air is
more than simply a snapshot of life on the road or, more aptly, in
the skies; it's a telling, touching, and altogether genuine look at life and all that entails, a
broad-in-scope but essentially focused journey through the mind and times of a man comfortable
and
content in his set ways but with a burgeoning appreciation for the little things that make life truly
worth living,
most of which aren't readily visible from the coldness of a hotel window or the thin air of 30,000
feet. Up in the Air is a simple movie of simple pleasures but exquisitely crafted and with
a moving message on
the power of real life to sway even the most ardent of individuals who are married to a job, call a
first-class seat a home, and collect not a retirement nest egg but instead a pile of frequent flier
miles to come to understand and appreciate the grounded life and all its ups and downs. Up
in the Air's plethora of Oscar nominations come as no surprise, the film a capable winner
that,
like the best cinema has to offer, turns the ordinary into the extraordinary by capturing the
essence of life on a journey that's long on miles but short on the time it takes to greatly
impact a single, superficially sound, but more deeply uncertain and lonely spirit.
Nice gloves.
Up in the Air soars onto Blu-ray with an immaculate 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. As expected of a new release title from Paramount, this is a sharp, crisp, clear, highly detailed, and natural film-like transfer. Though the color palette -- and the image on the whole -- appears just the slightest bit dimmed, it nevertheless sparkles with a naturalistic flair, every color blending into the movie for a pristine and lifelike appearance. In addition to a strong sense of depth, the image offers extraordinarily sharp details and textures that remain focused and true even at great distances. Whether overhead shots of numerous cities where every shape and structure on the ground is clearly rendered, roughly-textured walkways and façades on the ground, lines in clothing, or various nuances around the airport and in hotel rooms, Up in the Air delivers an oftentimes mesmerizing level of crisp detail that's among the best the format has yet seen. Blacks are rich and deep without devouring surrounding imagery, and while flesh tones take on a slight red push, faces themselves are nicely textured and never flat, pasty, or devoid of life. Up in the Air's transfer is what Blu-ray is all about; though Jason Reitman's film features a fairly routine and reserved visual tone, it sparkles in high definition with a thoroughly detailed and breathtaking cinematic texture throughout. It's an ordinary looking film but extraordinarily presented for home viewing, a real winner from Paramount.
Up in the Air touches down on Blu-ray with a minimalist but accurate-to-the-source DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This dialogue-heavy Comedy/Drama delivers little beyond cursory effects and music, though it does so with class and precision, the track never really inviting listeners into Ryan's world but nevertheless handling everything that's asked of it with honesty and ease. The film's score -- particularly the sounds that accompany the opening title sequence -- feature an ease of clarity with a subtle back-channel support and a hefty but not overbearing low-end presence. The track contains minor background ambience in several scenes, though there is never a sense of engrossment into any single environment. Listeners will hear faint clanking of silverware in one scene, the background din of a busy airport elsewhere, and a slight breeze in select outdoor shots, but again, there's no true sense of immersion into any one locale. Even a club scene partway through the film features a bit of atmosphere and a pumping-yet-muddled low-end in accompaniment of some dance-style music, the scene not exactly the most robust on record but doing well enough to spruce up what is otherwise a bland sonic experience. Fortunately, dialogue reproduction is strong and smooth throughout, the film's key sonic signature, then, never problematic. Up in the Air's sound mix is uninteresting at best, but Paramount's lossless soundtrack does it justice and delivers the goods as they were meant to be experienced.
Up in the Air checks into Blu-ray with a fair assortment of extra materials. First is a
feature-length audio commentary track with Writer/Director Jason Reitman, Director of
Photography
Eric Steelberg, and First Assistant Director Jason Blumenfeld. Recorded while the film was still in
limited release in all of 15 theaters, the participants, in a lively and engaging manner, discuss the
picture's opening title sequence, the changes in the script from its origins in a time of economic
boom to a time of economic downturn, the use of real-life and recently-fired individuals in the
picture,
shooting the many aerial scenes in the film, small anecdotes from the set, filmmaking techniques
of
a fairly technical nature, the film's sound mix and the challenge of shooting in and around
airports,
shooting locations, the film's music and Jason Reitman's belief in the importance of music in his
films, and plenty more. Fans of the film, the filmmakers, and of the filmmaking process will get
plenty of mileage out of this track.
Shadowplay: Before the Story (1080p, 2:27) looks at the work of the company that
created Thank you For Smoking, Juno, and Up in the Air's opening title
sequences. Next is the music video "Help Yourself" performed by Sad Brad Smith (1080p, 1:02),
followed by a collection of unique and fascinating video storyboard comparisons (1080p, 1:26)
and 13 deleted scenes (1080p, 23:16) with optional Jason Reitman commentary. American
Airlines Prank (1080p, 0:37) is a humorously tongue-in-cheek phony scene meant to send
panic through the ranks of American Airlines' bigwigs as to how the airline is portrayed in the
film. Finally, this collection
of extras is rounded out by the film's teaser (1080p, 2:00) and theatrical (1080p, 2:32) trailers.
Please note that the screener disc used in this review would not load on a pair of PlayStation 3
machines utilizing the
latest firmware (version 3.15) but played flawlessly on a standalone Sony BDP-S560. UPDATE:
the Playstation 3 problem has been fixed.
Up in the Air is a remarkable little film, the sort that's dwarfed by the summer blockbusters in both general audience recognition and box office returns but nevertheless the vastly superior film to many that enjoy broader appeal and take in more money. Still, Up in the Air itself proves an audience-friendly experience, not only because of the presence of a superstar leading man but because of its uncanny ability at meshing pure entertainment with thought-provoking elements that don't interfere with the picture's purely magical, funny, touching, and well-crafted exterior. In a year with ten nominations for Best Picture, it's a bit more difficult to sort things out and determine just which pictures would have otherwise made the cut in a more traditional five-nominee field, but Up in the Air is certainly worthy of all its accolades, and more. Paramount's Blu-ray release is itself an achievement, the 1080p picture quality classy and classic, film-like and handsome, while the lossless soundtrack is rather pedestrian by nature but nevertheless rich and satisfying in presentation. Rounded out by a supplemental package that's worthy of the film but could have been a bit deeper, Up in the Air's Blu-ray release is nevertheless an exemplary one considering the strength of the film and its well-above-average technical presentation, all of which equate to a disc that comes very highly recommended.
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