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    WSR Detailed DVD Review
    Hillz, The
    Genre: Drama

    Reviewed In Issue 95 (Apr 2005) Of Widescreen Review®

    Stars:
    Rene Heger, Jesse Woodrow, Paris Hilton, Jason Shaw, Eric Priestley, James DeBello, Vince Rimoldi & Silas Gaither

    WSR Review Scores
    WSR Picture Rating: 2.5
    DD Sound Rating: 2.5
    DTS Sound Rating: NR
    Download WSR Review
    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score: 2
    Internet Links


    Special Features
    Includes director and cast and filmmaker commentary (with producer Jonathan Bayle, director Saran Barnun, and actors Jesse Woodrow and Rene Heger), the theatrical trailer, the original script available as a PDF on your computer, and up-front ads.


     DVD General Information

    (Studio/Distributor): Image Entertainment
    (Catalog Number): HAL2594DVD
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Rating Reason):
    (Retail Price): $24.95
    (DVD Type): Single Side, Single Layer (DVD5)
    (Widescreen Edition): Yes
    (Full Screen Edition): No
    (Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
    (Running Time In Minutes): 90
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): No
    (Regional Coding): 1
    (Theatrical Year): 2003
    (Theatrical Release): Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release): No
    (DVD Release Date): 03/08/05
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

     Credits Information

    (Director): Saran Barnun
    (Screenplay/Written By): Subscribe Now!
    (Story): Subscribe Now!
    (Music): Subscribe Now!
    (Director Of Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Production Designer): Subscribe Now!
    (Visual Effects): Subscribe Now!
    (Costume Designer): Subscribe Now!
    (Editor): Subscribe Now!
    (Supervising Sound Editors): Subscribe Now!
    (Re-Recording Mixers): Subscribe Now!
    (Executive Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Co-Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Academy Awards): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Picture Information

    (Principal Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Anamorphic Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Letterbox Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Sound Information

    (DVD Soundtrack): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Sound): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack): Subscribe Now!
    (DTS Bit Rate): Subscribe Now!
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate): Subscribe Now!
    (Additional Languages): Subscribe Now!
    (Subtitles): Subscribe Now!
    (WSR Superb Sound Qualities): Subscribe Now!

      WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    Steve 5 (Woodrow) has returned to his old suburban neighborhood to find The Hillz an ultraviolent crime zone. His best friend Duff (Heger) has become the leader of a gang and his new lifestyle is strangely intriguing to Steve 5, but his dreams of playing professional baseball and winning the heart of Heather Smith (Hilton) force him to stay true to himself. (Suzanne Hodges)

    DVD Picture:
    The anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 DVD picture exhibits generally well-balanced colors. Sharpness can be satisfying, but contrast seems a bit low, and visual information appears to be crushed in the darker scenes. There is an excessively gritty texture inherent in the Super 16 source element and is especially noticed in the darker scenes. Although not always apparent, some edge halos and pixelization are evident. Much of what is undesirable about the picture appears to be related to the original elements. (Suzanne Hodges)

    Soundtrack:
    The Dolby

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