Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The stimulating true life story about the life of President George W. Bush. Whether you love him or hate him, there is no question that George W. Bush is one of the most controversial public figures in recent memory. In an unprecedented undertaking, acclaimed director Oliver Stone is bringing the life of our 43rd President to the big screen as only he can. "W." takes viewers through Bush's eventful life - his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith, and of course the critical days leading up to Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

Oliver Stone always delivers a compelling story with his films and this is no exception. I didn’t think it was quite as engrossing as some of his other political films like JFK or Nixon but it definitely paints a picture of our former President that you won’t see every day. It is almost disturbing to watch at times and while it didn’t seem to set out as a dark comedy it sure ends up being one. How close this film ends up being to actual events is a question I don’t know if I’d want answered in all honesty. Brolin gives a tremendous performance as Bush Jr. and the supporting cast is also tremendous.

Lionsgate has been delivering some outstanding HD presentations with their newer titles and this is no exception. The image has plenty of great fine detail and dimensionality but boasts a very natural film like quality. Contrast is a bit exaggerated at times but lends to the slightly stylized look of the film. Depth of image is strong throughout and the very natural color palette is quite easy on the eyes.

The soundtrack is presented in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and overall it does a great job of capturing the mood and pacing of the film. The soundstage can be quite open at times with exceptional use of the surrounds for ambiance, but the track is pretty heavily dialogue driven. Tonal balance and timbre all sound very natural and the imaging and balance of the voice work is dead on. I love Stone’s soundtrack selections throughout the film as they add to the rather satirical tone of the film.

Stone provides a feature commentary for this one and there is also a very interesting look at the presidency with some political experts, scholars and historians. You also get a making of feature that shows some of the controversy involved, especially considering this film was released during W’s last term in office and there are some deleted scenes and the trailer.

Oliver Stone delivers a great piece here that culminates in almost a satire of our political infrastructure and a rather disturbing look at our last executive cabinet. Lionsgate does a tremendous job with the presentation making this an easy recommendation.