Honeymoon - Rose Leslie

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by Leigh Janiak
2014

New York newlyweds Bea (Rose Leslie, GAME OF THRONES) and Paul (Harry Treadaway, FISH TANK) head up north of the Canadian border to her family's summer cabin for their honeymoon. After Paul wakes up to discover Bea apparently sleepwalking nude in the woods, Bea's behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Paul at first suspects that she may have reconnected with her childhood friend Will (Ben Huber), who Paul suspects of brutalizing his own "unwell" wife Annie (Hanna Brown). As Bea's personality changes to the point that she appears to be trying to memorize the details of her own life, Paul begins to suspect that she really is not the woman he knows and loves, but someone or something else entirely...

Director Leigh Janiak's feature film debut HONEYMOON is so carefully composed and its build-up so suspenseful that one cannot help but be disappointed by its ending (both in terms of plotting and execution). The performances of Treadaway and Leslie - both affecting American accents - are well-judged, as are the characterizations: Paul is refreshingly vulnerable, concerned, and observant rather than the usual curious and foolhardy horror movie male, and Bea being simultaneously sinister and sympathetic - even pitiful - in her change rather than the "possessed psycho bitch" one comes to expect. One almost wishes for a longer and more ambiguous exploration meditation on the fear that one's beloved is a total stranger, but the satisfying seventy-five minutes or so (out of eighty-seven) make this one of the small horror films of 2014 that should not be overlooked in the New Year.

Eric Cotenas

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Theatrical Release: 12 September 2014 (USA)

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DVD Comparison:

Magnolia Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Arrow Films - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the Screen Caps!

(Magnolia Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Arrow Films - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Magnolia Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC	Arrow Films Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:27:18	1:23:48 (4% PAL Speedup)
Video	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.16 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.29 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Magnolia Entertainment
Bitrate: Arrow Films
Audio	English Dolby Digital 5.1	English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles	English SDH, French, Spanish, none	none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Magnolia Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Interview with actress Rose Leslie and actor Harry Treadaway (16:9; 9:03) • Interview with director Leigh Janiak (16:9; 7:28) • Behind the Scenes: 'The Worm' (16:9; 1:47) • Behind the Scenes: 'Canoe' (16:9; 2:34) • AXS TV: A Look at 'Honeymoon' (16:9; 2:23) • Festival Trailer: Extended Edition (16:9; 1:55) • Festival Teaser Trailer (16:9; 1:03) • Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 2:23) • Start-up Trailers for 'V/H/S: Viral', 'ABCs of Death 2', 'White Bird in a Blizzard', 'The Two Faces • of January' DVD Release Date: January 13th, 2015 Amaray Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: Arrow Films Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Behind the Scenes (16:9; 4:10) • Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 2:10) DVD Release Date: January 26th, 2015 Amaray Chapters 12

Comments

Both the US and UK DVDs are single-layered with anamorphic transfers of what is likely the same master (the UK presentation opens with a Magnolia Entertainment logo). The UK bitrate is a little higher but the difference seems negligible when it come to the discs' handling of the night scenes. 5.1 audio is of identical quality while the US disc offers SDH subtitles (and closed captioning) and subtitles in French and Spanish for other North American territories.

As with some other Magnolia releases, the extras are more quantity than quality. While the interviews with the actors and director are worthy, the AXS featurette just recycles clips from the trailer and the aforementioned interviews. The behind the scenes segments are the same for both discs. If the feature presentation is all that matters, then either disc is suitable (unless you need SDH or foreign subtitles). The film is also available on Blu-ray from both Magnolia and Arrow.

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus
(Magnolia Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Arrow Films - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)