Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Jimmy (Sean Penn), Sean (Kevin Bacon), and Dave (Tim Robbins) were your typical neighborhood kids growing up in Boston until Dave was plucked from the streets and sexually abused for three days. Since that tragic day their lives have gone in different directions. Jimmy's an ex-con trying to straighten out his life, Sean is a police detective, and Dave is married with a son but is tormented by his past. When tragedy strikes the neighborhood the demons of the past rear their ugly head.

Since his Best Director award for Unforgiven in 1992, Clint Eastwood has become one of the best directors in Hollywood with two additional nominations (Mystic River and Letters from Iwo Jima) and a second win with Million Dollar Baby. Regrettably, this is my least favorite of his acclaimed films because it's too damn depressing. Both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins nabbed Oscars for their roles (Best Actor and Supporting Actor respectively), which were well-deserved, but it's a difficult film to watch more than once.

Video Highlights

• VC-1/1080p encode on BD-50 disc
• Clean print with excellent black levels and well-resolved shadows
• Accurate colors
• Many soft shots with shallow depth of field
• Minor edge enhancement

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Clear dialog
• Well-placed discrete effects and active soundfield
• Clint Eastwood's score has never sounded better

Bonus Materials

• Commentary with Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins
• "Beneath the Surface" documentary (SD)
• "From Page to Screen" Bravo TV special (SD)
• Charlie Rose interviews with Eastwood, Bacon, and Robbins (SD)
• Theatrical trailers (SD)

If you've never seen the film you're missing out on one of Eastwood's finest, but don't expect a pick-me-up. The video presentation is loads better than the DVD but isn't as polished as other catalog titles from the studio although the lossless DTS-HD soundtrack is very strong. Recommended.

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Release Date: February 2, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 8/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM 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