Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Middle Men (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn  |  Feb 4, 2011

An ordinary businessman (Luke Wilson) becomes embroiled in a dark and dangerous world of questionable morals and organized crime during the early days of the Internet. The family man has a successful career and idyllic live until he gets involved with two troubled geniuses who need business advice on getting their Internet scheme off the ground.

One would think a story about the birth of Internet porn would sizzle with excitement, but that's far from the case here. The screenplay lacks direction with silly subplots and then suddenly takes a bizarre turn in the third act. It can be funny at times, but mostly it's boring and uninteresting.

Video Highlights

  • AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
  • Oversaturated color palette
  • Inaccurate flesh tones
  • Close-ups feature excellent detail
  • Inconsistent contrast

Audio Highlights

  • DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
  • Front-loaded presentation
  • Very little use of surround speakers
  • Decent music

The video encode is serviceable, but has a low budget look to it with varying degrees of detail, gaudy colors, and orange-tinged flesh tones. The audio track is somewhat disappointing and doesn't offer much sizzle.

Bonus Materials br>

  • Deleted scenes
  • Outtakes
  • Audio commentary
  • Slap montage

The film doesn't have the pizzazz or entertainment value of Boogie Nights, but maybe I set the bar too high when I cracked the case. Regardless, it does have its few moments but in the end you feel nothing for the characters due to the haphazard screenplay and outrageous plot.

Release Date: February 8, 2011
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 6/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS40 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics

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