BLU-RAY REVIEW

Shorts

Featured In Issue 145, December 2009

Picture3.5
SoundNR
WSR Score2
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number):
3000022245
(MPAA Rating):
PG
(Rating Reason):
Mild action and some rude humor.
(Retail Price):
$35.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
89
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2009
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
11/24/09
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Robert Rodriguez
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Eleven-year-old Toe Thompson (Bennett) is the designated punching bag for the bullies of the suburban community of Black Falls, where his and everyone else's parents work for Black Box Industries, makers of the do-it-all gadget that's sweeping the nation. But during a freak storm, a mysterious Rainbow Rock, which grants wishes to anyone who finds it, falls from the sky. Suddenly, the neighborhood that Toe already thinks is weird is about to get a lot weirder. As the Rainbow Rock ricochets around town—from kid to kid and parent to parent—wishes come true quickly and turn the neighborhood upside down in a wild rampage of everything from tiny aliens to giant boogers. (Tricia Spears)

Special features include the following featurettes: The Magic Of Shorts (HD 09:19), Shorts: Show And Tell (HD 05:20), Ten-Minute Cooking School: Chocolate Chip Volcano Cookies (HD 09:58), and Ten-Minute Film School: Short Shorts (SD 08:50); BD-Live interactivity; a digital copy of the film; a DVD; and up-front ads.

The 1.78:1 1080p VC-1 picture is inconsistent in color fidelity and balance. Fleshtones are not always natural in appearance and are inconsistently rendered. Blacks are often crushed and lack resolution, as does shadow delineation. The picture is generally sharp and pristine, though, minor digital artifacts are evident but not distracting. Overall, this is an underwhelming picture, even though there are segments that really pop and are quite pleasing. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby® TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack engages an active directionalized soundtrack, with UFOs and robots frequently sounding off. Pans are abundant, especially in the frontal soundstage. Dialogue is intelligible, with generally acceptable spatial integration. The thoughts' "voicing" floats, but otherwise ADR is poorly integrated. The music score is cartoonish in character, with at times, a dynamic presence, and at other times a subdued veiled presence. Deep bass is delivered via the .1 LFE channel. Once the "booger" appears, the bass is energized and the surrounds intensify. Overall, this is a highly "produced"-sounding soundtrack that is very gimmicky and underwhelming. (Gary Reber)