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Directed by Gus Van Sant
USA 1995
The all-American obsession with celebrity turns monstrous in this deliciously subversive (and disturbingly prescient) satire of our television-mediated, true-crime-obsessed age. In a career breakthrough, Nicole Kidman delivers a diabolical deconstruction of the girl next door as a local TV weather reporter whose perfectly perky facade belies a murderous heart, as her ruthless pursuit of fame ensnares three disaffected teens in a sordid, tabloid-ready scandal. Deftly deploying shifting perspectives, faux-documentary interviews, and a supporting cast featuring Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Dillon, and Casey Affleck, director Gus Van Sant adds provocative layers of meaning to this darkly funny examination of suburban sociopathy. *** Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: May 20th, 1995 (Cannes Film Festival, premiere)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Criterion - Region FREE - 4K UHD
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Also available simultaneously on Blu-ray by Criterion: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion Spine #1213 - Region FREE - 4K UHD | |
Runtime | 1:46:40.310 | |
Video |
1.85 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 44,089,243,631 bytesFeature: 33,545,367,552 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.84 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1.85:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 83,691,224,242 bytesFeature: 83,115,124,992 bytes Video Bitrate: 84.55 MbpsCodec: HEVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Bitrate 4K Ultra HD: |
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Audio |
DTS-HD Master
Audio English 3762 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3762 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 /
48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB |
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Subtitles | English (SDH), None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1.85:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 83,691,224,242 bytesFeature: 83,115,124,992 bytes Video Bitrate: 84.55 MbpsCodec: HEVC Video
Edition Details: 4K Ultra HD disc • Audio commentary featuring Van Sant, Edwards, and editor Curtiss Clayton
Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
• Audio commentary featuring Van Sant, Edwards, and editor Curtiss
Clayton
Transparent 4K Ultra HD Case Chapters 22 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
and
4K UHD
captures were taken directly from the respective
discs.
It is likely that the monitor
you are seeing this review is not an
HDR-compatible
display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider
and notably granular range of color and light. Our
capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard
monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more
4K UHD titles in the
future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our
captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of
skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the
4K system at your home. But the
framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by
this simulation representation.
NOTE:
50
On their
4K UHD,
Criterion use a linear DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the
original English language.
"To Die For" has audio effects and some sharp
separations. It may be more remembered for the
score by
Danny Elfman (Batman
Returns
American
Hustle,
Darkman,
Pee Wee's Big Adventure,
Edward Scissorhands,
Good Will Hunting,
Beetlejuice) plus a
mix of pop music including Susie Q, Billy Preston's Nothing
from Nothing, Nailbomb's Wasting Away, Strawpeople's Wings
of Desire, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama, (with
Kidman's 'Suzanne' dancing in the rain at night) Eric Carmen's All By
Myself, Donovan's Season of the Witch (concluding the film)
and others.
Both discs offer optional English (SDH) subtitles - The
Blu-ray
is region 'A'-locked and and the
4K UHD is region FREE,
playable worldwide.
The
4K UHD and
Blu-ray
discs - offer a very revealing
new (2023) commentary by director Gus Van Sant, director of photography Eric
Alan Edwards, and editor Curtiss Clayton. They discuss Mike Nichols possibly
taking over the project, how the true story fed the media's desire for
extreme sensationalism, flash backs - flash forwards making it intentionally
hard to determine where you are in the story, Nicole Kidman's enthusiasm for
the part, Meg Ryan discussed for the lead role of Suzanne, Edwards' states that he
considers Kidman's performance the "greatest has ever worked with on any
film...". They talk about the use of live and recorded television, Tom
Cruise coming with Nicole to the dailies, using
Rashomon and
Citizen Kane as
a guide to tell the story in a different order, Buck Henry having a problem
with Illeana Douglas staying on script, how George Segal ended up being in
the film (without credit) and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The
Blu-ray has
additional supplements which include a 1/2 hour of
deleted scenes with the caveat "Because these deleted scenes are
presented unrestored, sounds or images may be missing" plus there is a
trailer. The package has liner notes with an essay by film critic Jessica
Kiang.
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Menus / Extras
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY and 4K UHD CAPTURE TO SEE IN FULL RESOLUTION
1) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Criterion - Region FREE - 4K UHD - BOTTOM
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1) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Criterion - Region FREE - 4K UHD - BOTTOM
|
More full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K Ultra HD Captures for Patreon Supporters HERE
Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: Also available simultaneously on Blu-ray by Criterion: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion Spine #1213 - Region FREE - 4K UHD |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |