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Hereafter [Blu-ray]
(Clint Eastwood, 2010)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Warner Video: Warner Home Video
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:09:02.609 Disc Size: 36,754,345,651 bytes Feature Size: 23,548,520,448 bytes Video Bitrate: 18.95 Mbps Chapters: 14 Case: Standard Blu-ray case inside cardboard slipcase Release date: March 15th, 2011
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 3309 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3309 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish, none
Extras:
• Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon lead a journey into Hereafter
to explore the world of skeptics, psychics and mediums, and
the possibility of life after death.
Bitrate:
Description: George (Matt Damon) is a blue-collar American with a special connection to the afterlife dating from his childhood. French journalist Marie (Cécile de France) has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when London schoolboy Marcus (Frankie and George McLaren) loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each seeking the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might – or must – exist in the hereafter. *** "Hereafter" tells the story of three people who are touched by death in different ways. George is a blue-collar American... who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie, a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus, a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might -- or must -- exist in the hereafter.
The Film:
The afterlife is not necessarily where you would expect to find Clint
Eastwood, who at 80 shows no signs of tiring out or settling down. His
latest film, “Hereafter,” is at once recognizably his — in tone and
atmosphere — and a startling departure from his previous work.
Eastwood and his actors achieve a tone that doesn't force the material
but embraces it: Not dreamlike, but evoking a reverie state. These
characters are not hurtling toward the resolution of a plot. There is no
"solution" to their stories. There are various degrees of solace, or
not. They don't punch the dialogue. They lack the certainty to impose
themselves. George in particular is reserved and sad, because his power
has become a burden to him. Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Hereafter looks, predictably, strong on Blu-ray from Warner as they continue to use the AVC encode - as opposed to VC-1. The image quality shows a high level of detail. It probably looked quite similar to this theatrically with some of the effects being a bit transparent in the higher resolution. The bitrate is at the modest end but visually it gives a great presentation. Colors and contrast are strong. This is a dual-layered and has many instances of showing depth. It is, obviously, clean and is smooth in motion. Certain scenes are extremely jaw-dropping and might also work as 'demo' for your system depending on the individual. Overall, most viewers will be very impressed with the film's dynamic effects as reproduced for the 1080P transfer. I can't imagine anyone complaining - this is a very worthy image.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Warner supply a notable DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a healthy 3309 kbps. The film has plenty of effects that are transferred with some buoyant range and impacting depth. The film's soundstage has some variety and it does a solid job - being a very relevant part of the presentation. It won't break the windows but will surely scare the dog - beware the volume. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras : Supplements essentially consist of two specific features - via Warner's 'Focus Points' - that can be chosen as an option as the film runs jumping away from scenes for some discussion on the production specifics, plot, storyline or philosophy of life after death - described as 'Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon lead a journey into Hereafter to explore the world of skeptics, psychics and mediums, and the possibility of life after death' - these are segmented into 9 topics; Tsunami! Recreating a Disaster, Is There Life After Death?, Clint on Casting and so on. This is a decent way to impart information as you can click to decide on the topic or simply move on. Also included is an extended version of The Eastwood Factor - seen previously by some - it runs just shy of 1.5 hours and is in 1080P.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze March 1st, 2011
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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 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 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.
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find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. 60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD
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