7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Former Senator Selina Meyer has accepted the call to serve as Vice President of the United States. The job is nothing like she imagined and everything she was warned about. 'Veep' follows Meyer and her staff as they attempt to make their mark and leave a lasting legacy, without getting tripped up in the day-to-day political games that define Washington.
Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Reid ScottComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Shouldn’t Veep be considering a title change by now, what with the “promotion” of Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)? While Meyer is
more or less firmly ensconced as the President now (at least as firmly as Meyer has ever been ensconced in any job, that is), the hilariously
roiling dynamics of Veep are still pretty much the same and firmly intact. Veep is a series that delights in small moments of
razor
sharp humor, though it tends not to go for the jugular, delivering a steady stream of amusement in lieu of nonstop raucous guffaws
(though there are occasional opportunities for those as well). While House of Cards’ devious and machinating Vice President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey)
schemed
and plotted his way into the Presidency, Selina has had the job more or less handed to her, further elevating her already generally addled
demeanor. This fourth season of Veep continues to admirably skew the silly gamesmanship that seems to be part and parcel of the
Washington, D.C. experience, perhaps ironically delivering a more realistic feeling depiction of the labyrinthine ways of the federal
government
than many dramatic enterprises. The show is served extremely well by some whip smart writing and pitch perfect performances, though
occasionally the series can tip over into the too self-aware “winking” proclivities that tended to inform the series that really put Louis-Dreyfus
solidly on the pop cultural landscape, Seinfeld. There are also a couple of
tonally askew moments where the show seems to be aiming for actual, honest to goodness human emotion, something that is distinctly at
odds with its otherwise pretty Seinfeld-ian cynicism which often seems aimed directly at the intelligentsia, with an often wry take on
the minutiae of life (in the White House or elsewhere).
For those wanting a reminder of what Selina and company have been through thus far in the life of the series, my colleague Ken Brown's
reviews of the series' previous seasons can be found by clicking on the following links:
Veep: The Complete First Season Blu-
ray review
Veep: The Complete Second Season
Blu-ray review
Veep: The Complete Third Season
Blu-ray review
Veep: The Complete Fourth Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As Ken Brown has mentioned in his reviews of the three previous seasons of Veep, this is a workmanlike video presentation that gets the job done perfectly well but which rarely rises to any overwhelmingly impressive heights. There are some nice pops of color this season, including some lustrous red apparel that Selina wears (Louis-Dreyfus looks fantastic throughout the series, certainly the most "stylish" President in recent memory). Some interpolated elements, like the faux State of the Union footage which looks culled from an actual broadcast feed, can appear a bit more ragged and "video" like than the bulk of the series. Sharpness and clarity are typically excellent and despite the regular use of jiggly cam which can obscure such things, fine detail is also generally quite commendable, especially in close-ups. The show's settings which often include hideously fluorescent lit offices don't do the palette any favors, but things look reasonably attractive here, with no real problems of any kind to report.
Much as with Veep's video presentation, the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is perfectly competent but rarely the sort of thing that will make devoted audiophiles perk up their ears and say "wow". Dialogue is very cleanly presented, and the cacophony of the crowded halls of various government offices offers some good placement of crowd noises and other elements that nicely establish a lifelike ambience. There may not be "in your face" (and/or ears) surround activity here, but immersion is consistent, if subtle, and fidelity is always fine, with no problems of any kind to warrant concern.
Disc One
Veep continues to pay significant comedic dividends, even if things may have taken a very slight downturn this season in terms of consistent tone and laugh out loud punchlines. The cast continues to offer absolutely superb accountings of their wacky characters, and some (relative) newcomers this season add to the fun. There's a wonderful symbiosis that has developed between the actors that gives Veep a very lived in quality, despite its tendency to exploit decidedly whimsical plotlines and character development. Technical merits continue to be strong, and even though the supplemental package is pretty light this time, Veep: The Complete Fourth Season comes Highly recommended.
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