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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

H D - S E N S E I

A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

 

Out of Time [Blu-ray]

 

(Carl Franklin, 2003)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Studio:

Theatrical: MGM

Video: MGM Home Video / MVD Marquee Collection 'Special Edition'

 

Disc:

Region: 'A'-locked (both) (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:45:25.319 / 1:45:25.235

Disc Size: 20,020,987,800 bytes / 34,642,614,231 bytes

Feature Size: 18,589,378,560 bytes / 31,403,728,704 bytes

Video Bitrate: 18.89 Mbps / 32.91 Mbps

Chapters: 32 / 12

Case: Standard Blu-ray case (both)

Release date: June 2nd, 2009 / October 30th, 2018

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution: 1080p

Video codec: MPEG-2 Video / MPEG-4 AVC

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 2490 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2490 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DUBs: Dolby Digital Audio French 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / Dolby Surround

 

DTS-HD Master Audio English 2032 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2032 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / Dolby Surround
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

 

Subtitles (both):

English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, none

 

Extras:

Disc one

• Trailer Ronin (2:28 in HD)
Trailer Out of Time (2:08 in HD)
Trailer The Usual Suspects (2:24 in HD)

Disc 2 (DVD from January 2004)

• Commentary by director Carl Franklin

Out of Time: Crime Scene (12-minutes)
3 clips of Sanna Lathan and Dean Cain's Screen Tests for the film
Image Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

 

• Commentary by director Carl Franklin
• Out of Time: Crime Scene (12:18)
• Outtakes (0:27 + 0:35)
• Photo Gallery (2:41)
• Sanaa Lathan Screen test (2:34 / 1:26 / 2:06)
• Dean Cain Screen test (0:51 / 3:40 / )
• 5 Character Profiles
• Trailer (2:09)

 

Bitrates:

1) MGM - Region 'A' Blu-ray TOP

2) MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

Description: Suppose everything you knew – everything you trusted – became a lie. For Matt Lee Whitlock (Denzel Washington), that nightmare has become a reality. Matt is the chief of police in small Banyan Key, Florida. A hardworking man who's good at his job, he's respected by his peers and beloved by his community. But when Banyan Key is shocked by a brutal double homicide, Matt starts his investigation – and his life starts to unravel. As details of the case begin to surface, all the evidence points to Matt as the prime suspect. Now with the investigation in full swing and several people working the case, Matt finds himself in a race against time to solve the murders before others uncover the clues he's finding and he himself falls under suspicion. He has to stay a few steps ahead of his own police force and everyone he's trusted in order to clear his name and uncover the horrifying truth.

 

 

Director Carl Franklin and actor Denzel Washington team up again (following 1995's Devil in a Blue Dress) for the crime thriller Out of Time. Washington stars as Matt Lee Whitlock, the well-respected chief of police in a quiet Florida community. While in the process of getting a divorce from fellow detective Alexandra (Eva Mendez), Matt engages in an affair with his high school sweetheart Anne (Sanaa Lathan). Unfortunately, Anne is married to the extremely jealous Chris (Dean Cain), a former pro football player who works as a security guard. After a major murder occurs in the community, Matt finds himself the main suspect. With the help of his medical examiner pal Chae (John Billingsley), Matt must solve the case before he is found guilty himself. Out of Time premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

 

 

The Film:

Washington is one of the most likable of actors, which is essential to this character, preventing us from concluding that he's getting what he deserves. Mendes makes the ex-wife Alex into a curiously forgiving character, who feels little rancor for the straying Matt and apparently still likes him; maybe there would have been more suspense if she were furious with him. Saana Latham has a tricky role as Ann -- trickier the deeper we go into the plot -- and is plausible at many different speeds, and Dean Cain is convincingly vile as the violent husband. John Billingsley is Chae, the local medical examiner who is Matt's sidekick and supplies low-key, goofy support in some tight situations.

Another one of the movie's stars is its Florida location. It was photographed in and around Miami, Boca Grande and Cortez, and reminds us how many Hollywood crime movies depend on the familiar streets of Los Angeles (or Toronto). Banyon Key seems like a real place, sleepy and laid-back, where everybody knows one another and high school romances could still smolder. As the net of evidence tightens around the sheriff, it seems more threatening because there are few places for him to hide, and few players who don't know him.

Excerpt Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun-Times located HERE

 

 


Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
 

MGM cheapens out again with an MPEG-2 transfer that actually looks okay - if not the quality of it's superior AVC cousin. The Blu-ray image quality is better than the 2004 DVD (included in the package) - sometimes significantly. Generally it is still softer than it should be. This is only single-layered - there are some artifacts but none I found overly distracting. The lack of detail is the most bothersome. It's easy to say it benefited from the move to HD but is probably not worth a double dip if you already own the DVD. The Blu-ray underachieves technically but I can't dismiss the decent image quality but hope it gets a better transfer one day.

 

The MVD Marquee Collection SE Blu-ray is a significant upgrade over the MGM. Its gets the deserved AVC encode and shows a shade more information in the frame but it's the detail that jumps via crisp skin grain to tighter lines throughout. A much better looking image - on a

dual-layered Blu-ray with a high bitrate. Great looking Floridian visuals.   

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample - MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

 

1) MGM - Region 'A' Blu-ray TOP

2) MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) MGM - Region 'A' Blu-ray TOP

2) MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) MGM - Region 'A' Blu-ray TOP

2) MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) MGM - Region 'A' Blu-ray TOP

2) MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

More MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

The DTS-HD Master, like the image, doesn't seem to reach the highest capabilities - in this case of a lossless audio track but it still has some pop in the more aggressive moments of the film. There isn't a lot of subtlety in the mix but dialogue is clear and consistent although nothing is as crisp as some may have anticipated. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu determines this is region 'A'-locked.

 

The new Blu-ray actually takes a small step backwards in the audio with a similarly encodes DTS-HD Master but only at 16-bit (as opposed to MGM's 24-bit) track. So there is less depth and resonance but still carries the film's effects and aggression. This is also notable in the score by Graeme Revell (Until the End of the World, Street Kings, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Assault on Precinct 13, The Crow). There are the same subtitle options and the Blu-ray is also Region 'A'-locked.

 

 

 

Extras :

The Blu-ray supplements consist of only three HD trailers (including one for the film) but the 2004 SD is here in it's entirety with the director commentary, featurettes, screen tests and photo gallery. This is really a sign of laziness on MGMs part - even with the single layering of the Blu-ray there is more than enough space for those same extras - in SD! It seems MGM had some stock left over and are throwing it in to get rid of it. But it is a viable extra to own the DVD and those keen to venture to supplements at least have them. Most people don't own 2 Blu-ray players yet and it may be useable for play in rooms of the house that only support DVD.

 

Pretty much the same extras but all on the dual-layered Blu-ray - not shared on a DVD. It has the commentary, screen tests and the inclusion of two Outtakes not on the MGM.

 

MVD Marquee Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I like this film more than most and I enjoyed my viewing on Blu-ray.  I loved the performances of Denzel and especially Eva Mendes. It is certainly a Neo-noir and the Florida locale reminds one of Body Heat. However, we must comment on MGM's treatment in going with the lesser MPEG-2 encode and not bothering to transfer the extras over. Both practices should stop immediately. They are not maximizing the capabilities of the HD format and this is like taking baby steps forward when they have the opportunity of making a giant leap. Wake up MGM.

 

The MVD Marquee Collection Blu-ray package corrects the flaws on the MGM with the superior encode and dual-layering to include the extras and commentary. I continue to REALLY enjoy this film... this is the one to own despite the middling cover. 

Gary Tooze

May 29th, 2009

December 13th, 2018

 

 


 

About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 7500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be it, but film will always be my first love and I list my favorites on the old YMdb site now accessible HERE.  

Gary's Home Theatre:

Samsung HPR4272 42" Plasma HDTV
Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player (firmware upgraded)

Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player (firmware upgraded)
Sony DVP NS5ODH SD-DVD player (region-free and HDMI)

Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

Gary W. Tooze

 

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