Review by Brian Montgomery
Studio:
Theatrical: Paramount Vantage
Blu-ray: Anchor Bay
Disc:
Region: FREE!
(as verified by the
Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)
Runtime: 2:07:18.631
Disc Size: 46,377,182,720 bytes
Feature Size: 31,530,258,432 bytes
Video Bitrate: 27.43 Mbps
Chapters: 28
Case: Standard Blu-ray case
Release date: March 9th, 2010
Video:
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio:
Dolby TrueHD Audio English 2556 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2556
kbps / 24-bit (AC3 Embedded: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps)
Subtitles:
English, Spanish, None
Extras:
• Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren
on How Wall Street Got Away with
Murder (8:20)
• Sorry, House-Flippers and
Banks-You're Toast in Flint, MI
(5:32)
• Congressman Cummings Dares to
Speak the Unspeakable (7:07)
• The Omnivore's Dilemma? It's
Capitalism (6:10)
• The Rich Don't Go to Heaven
(There's a Special Place Reserved
for Them!) (8:29)
• How to Run the Place Where You
Work (11:16)
• Commie Taxi Drivers (5:48)
• What If, Just If, We Had Listened
to Jimmy Carter in 1979 (17:50)
• The Socialist Bank of-North
Dakota? (4:43)
• The Banks KickThem Out, Max Kicks
Them Back In (10:51)
• NY Times Pulitzer Prize Winner
Chris Hedges on the Killing Machine
Known as Capitalism (8:43)
• Trailers
The Film:
Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love
Story” is anything but — something
you, I and everyone who has ever
watched him shamble into action,
megaphone to mouth, know from the
start. He might have had a crush on
capitalism early on, yet anyone who
thinks that the two have been on
friendly terms for a while hasn’t
been paying attention. After years
of needling big business in movies
like “Roger & Me” (about the auto
industry) and “Sicko” (health
insurance), and giving voice to the
disempowered, he has finally decided
to go after the system that, in his
words, is dedicated to “taking and
giving, mostly taking.”
[...]
As it happens, the most galvanizing
words in the movie come not from the
current president but from
Roosevelt, who in 1944 called for a
“second bill of rights,” asserting
that “true individual freedom cannot
exist without economic security and
independence.” The image of this
visibly frail president, who died
the next year, appealing to our
collective conscience — and mapping
out an American future that remains
elusive — is moving beyond words.
And chilling: “People who are hungry
and out of a job are the stuff of
which dictatorships are made.” It’s
a brilliant moment of cinema both
for the man delivering the speech
and for Mr. Moore, who smartly
realized that he’d found one other
voice that needed to be as loud as
his own.
Excerpt of review from Manohla
Dargis located HERE
Image:
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
Like Moore's previous films,
"Capitalism: A Love Story" features
footage shot for the film mixed with
vintage stock footage. The end
result is a noticeable disparity
between film qualities that is only
too evident in 1080p. Still,
regardless of the quality of the
stock footage, the original material
typically looks very sharp and
suffers from no damage or artefacts.
There are some momentary instances
where the image turns slightly
softer, or an outdoor shoot gets
overexposed by abundant sunlight,
but in the larger context these are
minor complaints. Details tend to be
very clear, and the colors vibrant.
Overall, this has to be one of the
best looking documentaries available
in high definition.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
The TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack
sounds outstanding on my player!
After two viewings, I couldn't find
any flaws to mention here. The
dialogue, music, and incidental
noise all come off as sharp and
clear as can be. There are no
discernible instances of unwanted
background noise, nor are there any
signs of artificial manipulation.
The disc also includes optional
English and Spanish subtitles that
are clear and don't obstruct the
image on screen.
Extras:
The good news here is that the
extras are rather lengthy and could
probably be edited into their own
film themselves. The bad new is that
aside from a trailers gallery, all
that we have are essentially deleted
and extended scenes. Don't get me
wrong, it's great to have them
included on the disc, but other
bonus features, perhaps a commentary
or a "making of..." feature would
have been very welcome as well.
Bottom line:
Over all this is a great release.
While Moore's message could have
been clearer (he calls his target
"capitalism", but seems to be
focused on the unfettered and
unregulated incarnation of the
system over the last 30 years in the
US, but pines after the mid-20th
century capitalist system with
strong unions, worker protections,
and social welfare nets) and the
structure more organized, the point
that he makes is a strong one. Since
the early 1980s, the economic
policies of the United States have
benefited the top 1 % and the cost
has been payed by the majority of
the rest us. Is such a system just?
Moore persuasively argues that it is
not. Highly recommended.
Brian Montgomery
March 31st, 2010