7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Vice President Selina Meyers and her staff manage various crises.
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 | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
David Fincher's fiercely addicting House of Cards and its merciless VP revel in the kind of Machiavellian machinations and political prescience that haunt conspiracy theorists' fever dreams, but it's Armando Iannucci's Veep that nails the realities of U.S. politics in the increasingly connected, media-saturated 21st century. Not too shabby for a half-hour HBO sitcom, even one that's quickly solidifying its place among TV's funniest comedies. Veep's seemingly effortless sophomore season dispenses dim-wittedness and bumbling bureaucracy with the best of 'em, and does so while promoting almost every character to indispensable mainstay. Familiar faces deliver: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is at the top of her game as the most powerful woman in America; Tony Hale swipes entire scenes from a dozen talented scene-stealers; Matt Walsh gives Hale a run for his money; Anna Chlumsky and Reid Scott, two sides of the proverbial coin, bring exasperated normalcy and reckless opportunism (respectively) to the team; and Sufe Bradshaw and Timothy Simons prove their worth over and over again. It isn't all series regulars, though. Newcomers Gary Cole and Kevin Dunn fight to push Louis-Dreyfus and her co-stars out of the frame, and a lineup of smartly cast guest stars (among them Alison Janney and Dave Foley) take Selina and her staff to task. And the writing? Razor sharp as ever, only with more ferocity, direction and timeliness. Season Two tops Season One, yes. It also puts Season Three in a perfect position to beat them both. I can't wait to see where Vice President Meyer and company go next.
"I need that stuff that junkies use. You know, when it takes a cop fifteen bullets to put him down."
Veep isn't angling to be the next great video presentation, but its fully competent 1080p/AVC-encoded is perfectly faithful to its source. Colors range from drab to natural to... drab, despite the presence of some welcome primary punch when more ideal lighting presents itself. Contrast is sometimes a bit dull, sometimes a bit too hot, but in a weirdly consistent single-camera mockumentary sort of way. Black levels are deep (mostly), skintones are nicely saturated (mostly) and detail is refined (mostly). Edges are well-defined and free of any significant ringing, although a hint still creeps in, and textures are satisfying. I also didn't encounter any real issues, aside from a few instances of uneven noise and crush. Ultimately, The Complete Second Season falls in line with its first season counterpart. Fans will be pleased, while those hopping on board for the first time will be pleasantly surprised to see how well the deceptively bland, utterly mundane cinematography works.
Veep invests all its efforts into establishing a tone of absolute, faux-incompetent normalcy, and HBO's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track responds in turn, offering a remarkable experience that readily embraces the unremarkable. Dialogue is believably nestled in the stuffy halls and chambers of the White House and the wider, more forgiving rooms and foyers of Meyer's home and the brick-n-mortar acoustics of her off-site stomping grounds. And yet it all sounds as pedestrian -- read: convincing -- as it should. Moreover, the LFE channel and rear speakers follow the sound design's lead without exception, serving up an expertly crafted presentation of the oh so ordinary trappings of the reality the series' satirizes. Directionality is accurate, pans are smooth and dynamics are quite good too, all of which makes for an unexpectedly immersive experience that nevertheless refuses to draw attention to itself.
Meyer and her staff may border on incompetent, but Veep does not. Smart, biting political satire at its finest, Iannucci's HBO sitcom is even better in its second season, taking advantage of opportunities as ripe for ribbing as the Midterm elections, the government shutdown and other hot-button political snafus from the past year. HBO's Blu-ray release brings its A-game as well, with a faithful AV presentation and a solid complement of special features, including four cast and crew audio commentaries and 40-minutes of deleted scenes almost as funny as those that made the cut. There's no need to start from the beginning if you're new to Veep (although it's worth it if you have the time). Iannucci's series is hilarious and deserves a bigger audience than it's accumulated on TV.
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