7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Six-year-old Maisie is caught in the crossfire of her parent's tumultuous divorce and is presently being used as a tool for manipulation by each of the two parties. Finding new partners shortly after the break-up, both parents are self-absorbed and neglectful in their treatment of Maisie, and soon she realises that if she is going to lead a happy life it won't be from her mother and father's doing...
Starring: Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Alexander Skarsgård, Joanna Vanderham, Onata AprileDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
You don't deserve her.
It's difficult to gather emotions into words after watching a movie like What Maisie Knew. Feelings of disgust, anger, frustration, and even
fear
cloud every scene like an impenetrable layer of the worst humanity has to offer. The movie doesn't so much look into it, though. Rather, it gazes
out
of it, and from the viewpoint of a child, no less. That unique perspective only enhances the feeling in unease that permeates the film and shapes it
into an uncomfortable but unique and impossibly difficult picture about the ugly realities of a worst-case-scenario divorce in which a child finds
herself a
chess piece in a game in which the parents wound one another without care for Maisie's well being. What's worse are all the phony character
emotions
that are only meant to
further Maisie's positioning on the board, not create a true, loving environment for a child who desperately needs one, even if that environment is
spread between two households. As the parents attempt to lay on
the loving words that seem to come from hate and spite for one another rather than from the heart and soul for the child, little Maisie's life becomes
more uncertain but, at the same time, her
understanding of just how terrible are the truths of her reality comes into focus. It's a heartbreaking movie that's hard to watch but so well done
that it's
impossible to turn away.
Everything's changing.
What Maisie Knew looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Aside from some very small, very briefly appearing white speckles in the early parts of the film, the transfer appears virtually flawless. This is a very strong film-like image. A light layer of grain stays with the image throughout, accentuating both the positive details and excellent natural clarity. Facial and clothing lines are film pure and crisply reproduced. Whether imitate close-ups or distant reflective shots that often show Maisie contemplating her situation, the image retains fine clarity and definition throughout. City, country, or beachside locations all showcase the same level of quality definition and attention to detail. Colors are bold and even but not overpowering. There's a nice, natural variety of shades scattered throughout the picture. Everything from bright red clothes to urban grays look fantastic. Black levels are solid and flesh tones are true. This is a good-looking image from start to finish.
What Maisie Knew features a strong Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's not a whole lot happening, but when necessary Millennium's soundtrack carries the elements without flaw. As with every high end lossless soundtrack, musical definition is excellent, enjoying natural, wide front end spacing and light surround support. Various sound effects, too, come through with startlingly real presence and authority. Everything from the sound of someone beating on a closed door to honking horns in the middle of the street are so well delivered that the audience will believe they're in the middle of these places and experiencing these effects. Light ambient support also aids the track's authenticity, delivering natural environmental effects on city streets, inside a higher class bar, and elsewhere. Dialogue remains focused in the center and plays with effortless clarity.
What Maisie Knew contains a commentary track and deleted scenes.
There's a good bit that happens in What Maisie Knew that's not fit to publish in a capsule review for the dangers of spoiling not necessarily events, but the meaning behind them. Safe to say, however, that the one overreaching theme seems to be that with hate comes bondage and with love comes freedom. It's a very tastefully done movie, even if it's sometimes nearly impossible to watch for its language and themes, if only because it's so effective at making the parents such despicable characters full of false pretenses and full of themselves rather than real love for one another, let alone their daughter. It's certainly a movie worth seeing, and particularly so for anyone with any doubts about their ability to properly raise a child in a home built on love. Millennium's Blu-ray release of What Maisie Knew delivers excellent video and audio. Supplements are a bit short, but welcome. Highly recommended.
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