Blu-Ray Review: The Soloist

The Soloist
Written by: Susannah Grant
Based on the book by Steve Lopez
Directed By: Joe Wright
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Nelsan Ellis

Blu-Ray Specs:
1080p High Definition
English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD/French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English/English SDH/French/Spanish

Special Features: An Unlikely Friendship: Making The Soloist (HD), Deleted Scenes, and, Commentary from director Joe Wright

From the box:

Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr. and Academy Award Winner Jamie Foxx star in an extraordinary and inspiring true story of how a chance meeting can change a life. The Soloist tells the poignant and ultimately soaring tale of a Los Angeles newspaper reporter who discovers a brilliant street musician, with unsinkable passion, and the unique friendship and bond that transforms both their lives. The remarkable performances make for an unforgettable experience in what is being hailed as "a courageous and uncompromising film" (Gene Shalit, Today).

The blurb you just read is pretty misleading. Sure, it's a decent summary of the plot, but it uses adjectives like "unforgettable" and "soaring" to describe a film that is neither of those things.

Click the Rawr! for the complete review.

In fact, The Soloist is rather average. It never raises to the heights it could have and it really just plays by the numbers throughout.

I haven't read the book. I don't know what of this story was omitted or changed to make the film better for audiences. I do know that it sat unreleased for months and was the victim of a few date shifts.

It's not a bad movie by any means. It's just not that great. One major drawback for me is Jamie Foxx. I just do not believe him anymore. I feel like since he won an Oscar, (Undeserved btw) that he feels like he is better than everyone else and that cockiness seems to come out in his work.

As for the rest of the cast, well, the only real stand out is Robert Downey Jr. He elevates this film from hokey to watchable. Catherine Keener is wasted and is barely more than window dressing. Nelsan Ellis is pretty good for what he is given and it's vastly different character from his amazing turns on True Blood.

I was excited to see this movie from the trailers and my excitement was quickly deflated by a film that is neither powerful or emotional but a one-note flat line.

The disc is pretty much devoid of special features. There are some deleted scenes, a commentary, and a making of featurette. Nothing to interesting to be honest and certainly nothing to elevate it from its mediocrity.

The film looks great. The colors are vibrant and the picture is pristine. The sound is great but the music doesn't seem to be focuses on quite as much as it should be.

Overall, The Soloist is a decent film with good performances. It doesn't stand out as anything special though. It's worth a watch but won't stand out in your memory.

The Soloist is available on DVD and Blu-Ray now.

RAWR(for more)

Blu-ray Review: True Blood Season One

True Blood: The Complete First Season
Written by: Alan Ball, Charlaine Harris, Brian Buckner, Raelle Tucker, Alexander Woo, Nancy Oliver, and Chris Offutt
Based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris
Directed by: Michael Lehmann, Scott Winant, John Dahl, Daniel Minahan, and Alan Ball
Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Chris Bauer, Carrie Preston, Michael Raymond-James, William Sanderson, Adina Porter, Alexander Skarsgård, Lois Smith, Kristin Bauer, Lizzy Caplan, and Nelsan Ellis

Blu-ray specs:
1080p Full HD Video 16:9 1.78:1
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround, Spanish 2.0 DTS Digital Surround
English, French, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired.

Bonus Features:Lafayette dishes various characters, learn how True Blood's vampires were made, Hints and FYI's that pop up to unravel mysteries, Animated Maps of Bon Temps, Vampire Documentary, Tru Blood commercials, Vampire rights PSAs, six audio commentaries with the cast and crew including Executive Producer and Creator Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, and Stephen Moyer.

Looking to fill that void where a sex filled vampire dramatic series belongs? Look no further than HBO's exquisite True Blood. This show can only be described as a hell of a fun watch that's made even more so by a gorgeous Blu-ray presentation.

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True Blood follows the exploits of telepath Sookie Stachkhouse (Anna Paquin) who has fallen in love with the new guy in town, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), who also happens to be a vampire. Her small town is growing more and more nervous as a string of gruesome murders continue and the main suspect happens to be Sookie's brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) .

The first time I watched this show I wasn't into it. It seemed a bit over the top to me. So I opted out. After hearing so much praise and love for the show I decided to give it another chance. This is after I had begun reading the books the show is based on, which I enjoy. Maybe it is a different state of mind or maybe it's my enjoyment of the books, but this time around, I found myself completely and totally enthralled by this show.

Let's start with the cast. They're brilliant. They all embody these characters perfectly. There isn't a bad performance in the bunch. Anna Paquin brings Sookie's innocence to life in ways that build upon the books. Some characters have been expanded from the books, namely Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), both of which are among my favorite characters on the show.

The first season stays pretty close to the first of the Sookie Stackhouse books so I pretty much knew the what was going to happen. This did nothing to detract from my enjoyment of the show though. It was great to see the stories come to life and I can't wait to see where they go with it.

The show looks wonderful on Blu-ray. Crystal clear and gorgeously shot. Every color explodes off the screen. There are extremely benefits to this clarity. I'll let you watch the show and figure out exactly what, or who, I am referring to. The special features are a bit underwhelming. It's mostly fluff and some commentaries. I'd rather learn the history of characters from the show rather than having it laid out for me in a special feature.

Overall, True Blood is the most fun you'll have watching a TV show. It's funny, scary, sexy, a little bit cheesy, but completely addicting. Forget Twilight, True Blood is where it's at.

True Blood is available on DVD and Blu-ray now. Go pick up a copy and watch. You'll be able to finish in time for the Season 2 premiere on June 14 on HBO.

RAWR(for more)