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Like Someone in Love [Blu-ray]
(Abbas Kiarostami, 2012)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: MK2 Productions Video: Criterion Collection Spine #708
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:49:53.128 Disc Size: 46,460,577,684 bytes Feature Size: 32,585,625,600 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.99 Mbps Chapters: 15 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: May 20th, 2014
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.66:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 2574 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2574 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles: English (SDH), none
Extras: • Forty-five-minute documentary on the making of the film (47:01)• Trailer (2:10) • PLUS: An essay by film scholar and critic Nico Baumbach DVD of the feature with all the extras of the BD
Bitrate:
Description: Abbas Kiarostami has spent his incomparable career exploring the spaces that separate illusion from reality and the simulated from the authentic. At first, his extraordinary and sly Like Someone in Love, which finds the Iranian director in Tokyo, may appear to be among his most straightforward films. Yet with this simple story of the growing bond between a young student and part-time call girl and a grandfatherly client, Kiarostami has constructed an enigmatic but crystalline investigation of affection and desire as complex as his masterful Close-up and Certified Copy in its engagement with the workings of the mercurial human heart.
The Film: Celebrated Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami takes the helm for this richly textured drama set in Tokyo, and centered on the unusual relationship between an elderly professor and a pretty student moonlighting as a high-class call girl. Arriving at Takashi (Tadashi Okuno)'s home late one night, Akiko (Rin Takanashi) is surprised when her client shows more interest in cooking and conversation than he does in sex. The following morning, Takashi offers to drive Akiko to class. When the pair crosses paths with Akiko's intensely jealous boyfriend (Ryo Kase), they simply go along with his assumption that Takashi is Akiko's grandfather. Meanwhile, this slight deception begins to color Takashi and Akiko's future interactions while yielding some unexpected repercussions. Excerpt from MRQE located HERE
Abbas Kiarostami’s last film ‘Certified
Copy’ – perhaps his greatest commercial success, thanks in no
small part to the presence of Juliette Binoche – was the first fiction
feature he’d made outside his native Iran. ‘Like Someone in Love’, named
after an Ella Fitzgerald song that features in the film, is the second.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Like Someone in Love looks perfect on Blu-ray from Criterion. The image quality is very strong with super tight lines. This is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate and we can guess that it is an excellent representation of the film. Contrast is layered and the Blu-ray provides a consistently pristine presentation. It is in the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio and there are instances of depth and no noise. This Blu-ray has no discernable weaknesses and supplies a flaw-less 1080P presentation.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Criterion audio transfer is as adept as its video rendering. We get a DTS-HD Master in 5.1 surround at 2574 kbps (as indicated by my software). NOTE: Criterion's website says 3.0 and only 3 channels of the 5 may be functioning - most probably the case. This is an almost entirely dialogue-driven film experience and aside from some bar-restaurant background noises and the car sequences - there is no crispness or agression separation-wise. But there is some depth when called upon. There is no defining music, per-se. The original Japanese dialogue is clear and clean. There are optional English subtitles and m y Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' disc.
Extras : Criterion include a 47-minute documentary from 2012 entitled 'Making of Like Someone in Love'. It goes behind the scenes via footage shot by Abbas Kiarostami himself during rehearsals, costume fittings and set construction. Also featured are interviews with Kiarostami, actors and crew members.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze April 24th, 2014
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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 5000 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. 60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD
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